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Fancy Pants In: The Mystery of The Blanks | Chapter Six: Welcome to Sunnytown | Chapter Six:
Welcome to Sunnytown
The crickets had begun their song, their chirping starting as a low ring before picking up into a chorus of cries. Pip heard their melody as he rushed through the forest, every fiber of his being screaming at him for being so moronic, so foolish as to rush ahead by himself.
But when he had caught sight of...her when he peaked over his shoulder to check for more timber wolves, he knew he had to follow while his mentor and new friends were distracted by the rescue ponies.
He stopped to catch his breath, the thick, wet air of the late evening Everfree making it harder to keep up his rapid pace. He felt his chest heave as his thoughts turned to Fancy Pants, the sting of guilt making it harder to recover his breath. His head hung low, the doubt and anxiety that hung over him like a dark cloud nearly causing him to collapse.
But in his peripheral vision, he saw a bright light that made him raise his head instantly. Standing between the gigantic trees, hidden just behind a thin wall of vines, was a grey coated filly with bright yellow eyes and mane. She beckoned him with a hoof and trotted away, the light following her.
"W-Wait!" Pip gasped out and stumbled as he tried to gallop once more, falling to the moist forest floor. With a grunt, he pushed himself back up and forced himself to run, ignoring the painful protest of his little legs.
The orange light of the horizon hugging sun was hidden behind countless, menacing looking trees. Were it not for the filly, he would have surely gotten lost by now. But from his short time researching the Everfree, getting lost wouldn't be the worst thing that would happen to him when night came.
He had to hope that his hunch was correct and that this filly could be trusted. If not....
He yelped as he barely ducked out of the way of a large spider web, his fear building more and more as he charged through the darkness, that bright light ever just out of reach.
"'Find me and you'll find them' she said." He thought, jumping over a puddle "I'm sorry Mr. Fancy. But you'll understand...I hope."
His hoof suddenly caught on something, causing him to scream before he hit the coarse ground with a thud. Pain shot through his tiny body and he rolled over, groaning. His brown eyes went wide when he noticed the filly standing on the other side of the small clearing he had found himself.
Something that stood out more than her, however, was the object she was standing over: a bright pink bow that had been seemingly untouched by the elements.
"A-Applebloom's bow." Pip muttered as he stood up and cautiously approached, taking it into his hoof. His fearful expression went dour as his thoughts took a dark turn, meeting the expressionless glowing eyes of the filly before him "I-Is she...?"
She did not respond verbally, choosing instead to turn her head to the right. Pip followed her gaze, seeing another familiar sight only ten hooves away. A blue and white striped scarf was tangled in a bush, briars doing their best to keep a hold of it until Pip pulled it free.
"S-Sweetie Belle's scarf..." with both objects in his hooves, he turned to look back at the filly.
She was gone. Where she had been standing, however, a treaded path that Pip didn't notice before lay in wait. At the end of said path, sat between a natural archway, was a light that bore a resemblance to the one that mystery filly had been giving off. It almost looked like a doorway of some kind.
Pip gulped and looked once again at the items in his hooves for a few moments, unsure of how to proceed. "What would Fancy Pants do?" He asked the ribbon and scarf, closing his eyes as terror began to grip his heart and tears began to well up in his eyes.
The rustle of a nearby bush made him jump, dropping the vital clues onto the ground as he faced the darkness. He backed away slowly, trying to make out any shapes coming through the trees as his lower lip trembled.
For but a split second, he caught sight of a pair of dark red eyes staring right at him. That's the moment he dashed toward the light, screaming all the while as his little legs carried him toward what he thought was safely as quick as they could.
Everything went white when he passed the threshold and his ears began to ring. A sudden dizzy feeling took hold and he came to a standstill, falling onto his haunches as he covered his eyes.
"Help me!" He cried and curled into a trembling ball, seeking comfort within his mind. He thought of Fancy Pants, Fleur, his grandparents and even his father, mumbling to himself words of comfort. "A gentlecolt always faces danger bravely, a gentlecolt always faces danger bravely, a gentlecolt always faces danger bravely....."
"Um, excuse me little guy? Are you okay?"
A voice.
Pip's eyes shot open and he looked up slowly, his body still shaking. He met the face of a gray stallion with a black mane, whose face was one of concern.
"W-W-Wha...?"
The pony looked Pip over and smiled "Well you don't seem to be hurt so that's good! Lots of dangerous things in the Everfree Forest, yep!"
Pip remained silent, too stunned to speak. He chose instead to observe his surroundings and his confusion only mounted the more he saw.
It was like a piece of Ponyville had been sliced from the cake of Equestria and dumped into the middle of the Everfree. Cute, square buildings littered the clearing and party decorations were strewn up everywhere. Tables with different confections, such as cupcakes and bowls of punch, were littered about as well. The strangest thing of all was the fact that Celestia's wondrous light was hanging bright in a slightly cloudy sky.
"W-W-Where am I?" Pip sputtered and rose to his hooves, eyes wide with wonder and confusion as he looked back to the stallion.
The stranger smiled warmly and waved a hoof "Welcome to Sunnytown, the happiest place in Equestria!"
"S-Sunnytown?"
"Yep! Now, I know what you're thinking," The stallion gestured with his hoof to the surrounding trees of the Everfree "Why build a humble little village in the middle of the Everfree Forest? Well, the answer is quite simple really!" the grey pony leaned in close, as if he were about to whisper a secret. Pip turned his head and raised an ear inquisitively as the stallion said: "We just wanted to!"
Pip's face was a cocktail of confusion and amusement as the stallion chuckled at his joke "Uh huh. But why is it sunny here? It was almost nightfall when I ran in here and-"
"Whoa whoa, little guy. I'm gonna need a name attached to all these questions you're throwing at me." His smile was mischievous "I'm Greyhoof! Town greeter and shindig starter extraordinaire!"
Pip, remembering his manners, bowed his head "I'm Pipsqueak! My friends call me Pip, though." He looked around and pointed to the sky "So, about the sun?"
Greyhoof looked up, his smile faltering slightly "Well ya see, I'm not exactly supposed to tell anypony. The head of the village is always going on about 'keeping need to know things in the know'. You know?"
Pip tilted his head but nodded slowly nonetheless. It was clear he was either lying or he really was just not 'in the know', whatever that meant "Okay then. The party then, what's the occasion?"
Greyhoof's face brightened instantly "Glad you asked! It's a special day for a special little filly named Ruby today! She's out and about gathering herbs and we're gonna surprise her when she gets back!"
Pip's eyes widened and he looked back the way he had come. The red eyes flashed in his mind "U-Um are you sure it's safe for her to do that? C-Cause I saw-"
"No no no, don't you worry now! Ruby is the best little forager this side of Equestria! I've seen her sneak her way past freaky monsters of all kinds, if you can believe it!" Greyhoof said with a bright smile "Now, enough pounding the greeter with questions! Go on, enjoy the party!"
Pip's dubious expression never left, and he turned to look back to where he had come. The natural archway that had guided him into this town appeared to have vanished, replaced instead with a couple of bushes and trees. While Pip had no magical sense of any kind, he knew a thing or two about the subject from his studies and this positively reeked of some kind of magic.
He resolved to keep an eye out and looked at Greyhoof, smiling "Okay, thank you!"
With a synchronized nod, the two parted ways as Greyhoof went to look over one of the treat tables. Pip watched him go and noticed something rather odd that had escaped his attention before.
Greyhoof didn't have a cutie mark.
It was not unheard of for adult ponies to lack cutie marks, as Pip had researched himself quite a few times, but it was quite a rarity indeed. He looked down at his own blank flank and sighed. It brought him comfort, in a way, to see a pony so chipper despite not knowing what his special talent was. Turning his attention back to the path, Pip caught sight of a white mare with a red mane sitting idly next to one of the trees at the border of the town, her expression rather morose.
"A gentlecolt must always help a lady in need." Pip said to himself and approached her. She didn't seem to notice him "Hello there! Is everything okay?"
The mare gave him a passing look before turning her attention back to the tree, a sigh leaving her lips "I'm fine, thank you. It's just...oh I wouldn't want to be a bother."
"No, it's fine madam! I'm a gentlecolt in training and I'd love to help, if you'll let me." Pip said proudly, his chest stinging slightly as he thought of Fancy Pants once more. The mare gave him a once over and looked past him. Pip followed her gaze and noticed she was staring at a beige stallion standing next to a building farther down the path.
"Roneo hasn't talked to me all day. He's usually so happy to speak to me but he's been distant and I..." She sniffled, turning away "I'm worried he may not like me anymore."
Pip nodded "I'll go ask him for you! I'm Pip, by the way."
"Starlet." She replied, clearly not intent on continuing the conversation. Pip turned to leave and noticed something out of the corner of his eye. She didn't have a cutie mark either. One is rare enough but two adult ponies without cutie marks? Pip rubbed his chin and hummed to himself. Something was odd here. Tabling the thought for now, Pip continued down the path and made his way over to Roneo, who seemed to be occupied with his own thoughts.
"Hello, Roneo is it?" Pip greeted and placed a hoof on his chest "I'm Pip!"
The blue maned stallion looked down at the little colt and quickly looked away "Hi, Pip. I...saw you talking to Starlet. Is she doing okay?"
Pip looked back over at the mare, who still looked as downcast as she did before "She's, um, just confused as to why you haven't talked to her all day."
Roneo facehoofed and groaned "I knew it was my fault! It's just...I got her a really nice gift earlier and I know she's gonna love it! But I...kind of lost-"
"There ya are, Roneo!" A chipper voice with a distinct drawl called out, making Pip freeze. Another voice soon followed, this one higher pitched and without a drawl.
"We finally found that gift of yours! It was just lying on the ground near the edge of town!"
"How in the hay did you lose it over there anyway? You're such a klutz!" Another filly teased.
Pip finally turned his head, everything moving in slow motion. Coming down the path that led deeper into town were three little fillies: a light yellow Earth Pony with a red mane, a white Unicorn with a purple and pink mane, and an orange Pegasus with tiny wings and a purple mane.
His jaw dropped and he took a step back as the fillies approached Roneo, the stallion smiling when he saw them.
"Thanks, girls! Now I can finally clear things up with Starlet!" He said excitedly and galloped past Pip "Thanks again!"
Pip stared at the three fillies in disbelief, feeling a sense of relief build in his chest as they finally met his eyes, their expressions curious.
"Pip? Is that you?" Applebloom asked, tilting her head "What the hay are you doing out here and why are ya dressed like a prune?"
"I-I could ask you the same thing!" He nearly yelled and bounced in place, ignoring the dig at his suit "Everyone in Ponyville was worried sick about you! I and Mr. Fancy Pants came all the way from Canterlot to help look for you and-"
"Well you don't need to worry, we're fine where we are!" Sweetie Belle cut in with a smile.
"Yeah, this place is super awesome! Way better than Ponyville ever was!" Scootaloo bounced, fluttering her little wings. Pip looked at them like they had told him they were secretly griffons in disguise.
"W-What are you three on about?! Your families are worried sick about you!" He pointed to Sweetie Belle " Sweetie, Rarity is the one who called me and Mr. Fancy here in the first place! She misses you so much!"
Sweetie Belle kept her smile despite the revelation but for a moment so brief Pip would have missed it if he blinked, her green eyes lost their sparkle of joy and shifted into...something else that the little colt couldn't describe.
"She worries too much, just like Applejack!" Applebloom said, giggling "Look around ya, Pip! Didn't ya notice somethin'? Everypony here doesn't have a cutie mark!"
"Yeah! Isn't that cool?" Scootaloo piped up, resting her right foreleg on Applebloom's back "Now we don't have to worry about ponies judging us anymore! We fit right in!"
Pip looked between the three of them in incredulity, his jaw nearly falling to the forest floor as he listened to the insanity coming out of their mouths and he opened his own to object.
"Oh, hey you three!" A brown colored stallion with a golden mane trotted toward the little ponies, having come from further down the path where Pip saw even more colorful buildings "I needed your help with bringing out more desserts and-" He noticed Pip and tilted his head "Say, who's your well dressed friend?"
"This is Pip! A friend of ours from Ponyville!" Sweetie Belle introduced. The stallion bowed slightly at the colt.
"Well, howdy Pip! I'm Gladstone, the town baker and decorator!" He said cheerfully "Well, one of the decorators anyhow. Three Leaf is the other one but, to tell ya the truth? I'm way better at it." He whispered with a laugh afterward "Just joking! Anyhow, since you're new, would ya like me to give ya a tour of the place?"
"Ooh ooh! We can give him the tour!" Applebloom chirped, the other two crusaders coming to her side with innocent smiles as they looked up at him. Gladstone pretended to look dubious before conceding with an exaggerated sigh.
"Alright, you win! Don't worry there, Pip. Even though they've only been here a few days, these little fillies know every nook and cranny of this little hamlet of ours!" Gladstone declared and turned around "Got lots of baking to do before Ruby gets here! Have fun, you four!"
Pip stood there, still processing the last five minutes. He looked at Scootaloo as she came to his side, gesturing down the path with a hoof
"Come on, Pip! I wanna show you this cool little spot over here! It's right next to the...."
As the trio of fillies led him around, spouting random bits of trivia about the town, Pip kept his eyes trained on them and didn't say a word as he tried to wrap his mind around everything. It had been nearly a year since he last saw the girls, and even then, he hadn't really gotten to know them too well, but they seemed to be acting just like the excitable fillies who had invited him to join their club. It really did seem like they came to this cutie markless town of their own volition. To be free of societal pressures and to be themselves. It was tempting in its own unique way, Pip had to admit. He had his own anxieties about his lack of a cutie mark and stressed over getting it constantly.
But it didn't feel quite right to the young colt. He couldn't put a hoof on it but something about a happy little village in the middle of the Everfree Forest felt...wrong. Even if this place had somehow escaped the notice of cartographer ponies that dared venture into the Everfree, he would have at least expected to have heard of a quirky little village full of cutie markless ponies.
"Hey, Pip? You listenin'?"
Pip shook his head as he jumped out of the comfy couch of his brain "What?"
"We said: that's the tour!" Sweetie Belle said with a bounce and a voice crack "Wanna go get some cupcakes? Gladstone makes a mean cupcake!"
The colt looked around and noticed that they had indeed reached what could be called the edge of town. Even though it had felt like an hour's worth of time that he had spent pondering his current predicament, it appeared that only five minutes had passed in real time. With a turn of the head, Pip noticed another trail behind him that seemed to lead back into the Everfree Forest proper, judging from the darkness that lay beyond.
"Um, what's that way?" Pip pointed down the path. The three fillies' faces were neutral as they looked past him.
"Nothing important, don't worry about it." Scootaloo said, her voice near monotone as the other two fillies shook their heads in unison. Pip quirked an eyebrow before noticing that, just like Sweetie Belle earlier, their eyes had gone...blank for lack of a better word, the vibrance of life vanishing for only a few seconds. In those different colored pools of faded tones, Pip could swear he saw hints of sadness and fear.
Then suddenly, everything was right as rain as Applebloom regained her smile "Now, what'dya say to those cupcakes?"
"I-I'll pass for now. This place is so cool, I might just wander around and get cozy!" Pip half-lied, his gentlecolt heart stinging him in the process. The trio of fillies looked at each other with raised brows.
"Alright, suit yourself!" Sweetie Belle responded, seeming to answer for the other two as they all three trotted away and began talking amongst each other. The little colt felt some of his anxiety leave as he sighed. He gave the mystery path another glance.
"Nothing interesting, huh?" Pip muttered under his breath. His curiosity was peaked at the Crusader's reactions when he prodded them about it, he had to admit. Then again, going into the darkness and possibly running into that red eyed horror wasn't exactly high on Pip's list of ambitions.
Following the trail back to the building where he first encountered the trio and doing his best to stay out of sight of any of the blank flanked townsfolk, Pip got into the shade and withdrew his notepad. Noticing numerous mud splotches on his saddlebag, he took the time to look himself over.
"Oh bother." He groaned as he noticed the poor, dirty condition of his suit "Mrs. Fleur is going to give me an earful for this."
Deciding to ignore the physical and metaphorical stain on his gentlecolt-hood for now, Pip began to scribble down some notes. Despite the odd circumstances, it felt rather nice to be one of the first ponies to write something down about a location that was unknown to the rest of the world. It made him feel like Daring Do, in a way, and he couldn't help but feel giddy about that.
Just as he raised his pencil from the paper, having just finished his observations, his ears perked up when he heard something odd over the cheers and laughter of happy ponies farther into town. It almost sounded like...weeping? Pip slowly got onto four hooves and put away his things, trying to pinpoint the source. It didn't take him long to realize it was coming from the very building he had chosen to be his writing spot.
Looking around to make sure nopony was watching, Pip slowly opened the door. The groan of the hinges made his fur stand on end as the light from outside clawed its way from the floor and to the walls. With the boxes stacked here and there, the location resembled a storehouse of sorts and judging from the cobwebs that lined the wooden ceiling and walls, it hadn't been used in quite a while.
Pip stepped inside and carefully closed the door, pulling out his flashlight from the survival pack. Clicking on the light, he used the bright yellow beam to inspect the room to find that one of the storage crates had been moved to clear a path farther into the building.
"Hewwo?" He called out through a mouthful of flashlight. The only reply he received was the continuous sobs coming from deeper within. Swallowing his fear, Pip crept through the warehouse, navigating the large crates with little issue. Rounding the corner of his sixth crate, Pip nearly jumped when his beam revealed the source of the crying: a light grey mare with a messy red mane. She was too lost in her grief to even notice the light shining on her.
"It's all my fault...I couldn't save them either! T-They...t-they..." She sobbed louder and buried her face into her forelegs. Pip sat the light down and approached the miserable pony, his expression one of empathy.
"Are you okay?" He asked and placed a hoof on her back. Her reaction was immediate as she screamed and smacked his hoof away, backing away from him as Pip leapt back in surprise.
"Get away from me you mur-!" Her light pink eyes went wide when she saw the timid little colt "No...they've already lured another one here..."
"W-What are you talking about?" Pip inquired, taking a cautious step forward. The mare's expression shifted to one of panic.
"You have to get out of here...you have to go!" She yelled and crawled closer her eyes making her look insane "Please, it's almost time! You have to listen to me! Run!"
Pip did not need any more encouragement. Leaving his light, he whirled around and began to gallop through the darkness as quickly as he could. What little light was funneling in through the windows was enough for him to navigate his way back to the door, which he promptly kicked open and threw himself against to shut, gasping for precious air all the while.
"Whoah, Pip! Are you alright?"
The colt nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard the squeaky voice from his right flank, turning to see Sweetie Belle giving him a concerned look. For the briefest of moments he considered not saying anything but his tongue moved first "T-There was a pony in there and s-she was crying and I-!"
"Oh! You met Mitta!" She said nonchalantly "Yeah, she's sad all the time. Greyhoof said it's because she had a friend who left the village a long time ago."
"W-What?"
"It's really sad, I know." Sweetie tilted her head as he looked toward one of the building's windows. Pip approached her after making sure nopony was staring.
"Sweetie, there's something weird going on." Pip whispered urgently "She told me to run, that it was 'almost time'. What does that mean?"
The white filly looked him directly in the eye before biting her lower lip as she looked over to see Greyhoof still near the entrance, seeming to be fighting an internal conflict. The stallion seemed oblivious as he scarfed down another cupcake. She then spoke in an edged hushed tone "Listen, Pip. Go to the edge of town and follow that path. Then you'll know."
"H-Huh?"
"No more questions." She shushed him "Go. Now." Then she walked away, all smiles as she trotted over toward the other two crusaders.
Pip spared her one more look of confusion as he watched her go before straightening his tie and sighing. The feeling in his chest was a mixture of anxiety and excitement at the thought of having to solve a mystery on his own. He was so used to playing the sidekick, being the little helper who Fancy could bounce ideas off of. But Fancy wasn't here and while Pip had faith his mentor would find him in no time at all, it was up to him to find out what to do next . Talking to Mitta wasn't an option as she was too hysterical, despite the pile of questions he had for the mare and while running away was definitely an idea, he simply couldn't leave without the fillies. This left him with only one option: to follow Sweetie Belle's suspect advice.
"A gentlecolt's work is never done." He mumbled and began to creep between the buildings, taking the same route he had before to avoid contact with the happy go lucky residents.
Eventually, he wound up near one of the houses near the edge of town, where Gladstone and Three Leaf were busy putting up a large sign in the center of the villa that read 'Happy Birthday Ruby!' in red font. As Pip stepped out of the shadows, the brown stallion turned and looked in his direction, making eye contact and causing the colt to freeze. Either Gladstone didn't have good eyesight or he simply didn't care because he turned and went back to whatever he was doing.
Odd.
Feeling his heart start beating again, Pip galloped behind another building, soon arriving at the mystery pathway once again. The dark that lay beyond the pastel village had only grown more intense and without his flashlight, it would be rather hard to navigate. Pip felt his courage waning the longer he waited, so he took a deep breath and muttered a familiar phrase:
"A gentlecolt always faces danger bravely...and smartly."
He took his first step into the cold gloomy forest, the warm light of Sunnytown being sorely missed the farther he went. Briars and fallen tree limbs were a constant threat, the path having been sorely neglected for many years from what Pip could tell. The sounds of the forest were an unwelcome return, with the distant roar of manticores and the loud chirping of crickets only aiding in whittling down Pip's resolve. He shivered from a sudden cold gust of wind that shook the nearby trees.
As he rounded a bend in the path he spotted something that made him halt his course. Further along the path was a long abandoned cabin, its wooden exterior long touched by decay and the passage of time, with holes in the walls and moss growing on the logs. What drew his attention immediately, however, was what was talking toward the cabin. Or rather, who.
The very same filly who had led him here gave off her familiar golden glow as she seemed to float up the small set of stairs, turning her head to gaze at Pip before heading inside the open doorway, her light vanishing afterward.
"Wait!" He called out and dashed for the dilapidated home, the adrenaline surging in his veins letting him leap up the stairs with ease before he headed inside. The interior was dark and devoid of furniture with glass fragments littering the floor beneath small windows broken long ago. Pip's nose twitched as he picked up a concerning scent. The floor, walls and ceiling all gave off a strong burnt smell and, thanks to the little amount of moonlight that leaked through the windows, he saw scorch marks that seemed to originate from the fireplace near the back.
He approached slowly, hoping internally that Applejack had packed a fire starter and simply forgot to mention it. Suddenly, the moonlight coming from outside seemed to get brighter as a tree in front of one of the windows was blown by a heavy gust of wind that belted against the house.
The young gentlecolt's eyes widened and he felt his stomach drop when Luna's light touched the fireplace, revealing what lay in the ashes.
The charred skeleton of a young pony, its eyeless sockets seeming to stare back at him as he fell on his haunches.
Pip screamed. |
Fancy Pants In: The Mystery of The Blanks | Chapter Seven: A Waking Nightmare | Chapter Seven:
A Waking Nightmare
Fancy Pants didn't consider himself to be a superstitious pony.
Logic and reason were the foundations for being a gentlecolt after all, and he had long stopped being afraid of the dark. However, he had to admit that the moon kissed Everfree Forest was definitely rather eerie and having to track down his young apprentice in this dark, barely explored forest filled with creatures of all kinds made him feel the most scared he's ever felt in his life.
Yet he kept a stoic air about him, no matter how shaken he truly was. For if he lost his cool, he would endanger both him and the pegasus mare who accompanied him: Fluttershy.
The split from Applejack's group had been a rather messy one, with the agreed end time for the investigation, 6 PM, getting ever closer when Pip disappeared. However, Applejack had let Fancy go on one condition: if they took a pack of fireworks with them that Rainbow Dash had acquired from town on short notice. It was an odd request, but it did make sense when she explained it.
"If ya'll get in trouble or find Pip, light those suckers up and Rainbow Dash will be there with her team lickety split." She had said, clearly not eager to enact this plan. Even without the guarantee of assistance, Fancy would have gone alone without complaint. But Fluttershy, of all ponies, had volunteered to tag along with him with the insistence he will need a guide home.
The unicorn smiled at Fluttershy when he looked back at her, her yellow coat stained orange from the light originating from his horn "Thank you again for accompanying me, Ms. Fluttershy."
The mare shook her head, clearly shivering with fright "I-It's fine. I couldn't j-just sit by and let you go a-alone."
Fancy nodded to her and went back to examining the trail he had picked up. Wherever Pip had gone, he had been in a hurry. His hoofprints were close together and foliage had been pushed aside harshly to clear his path. Further analysis revealed that there were no shadowing prints, meaning he wasn't being chased or hunted by something else as far as Fancy could tell.
A distant roar from deeper in the forest made his heart skip a beat and he felt a warm mass rush to his side, trembling horribly. Adjusting his monocle, he continued forward "A manticore. About four miles away, I believe."
"T-T-That's a little close." Fluttershy got out through chattering teeth as she remained magnetized to his right flank.
"We should be fine, Ms. Fluttershy. Just stay within my light and everything should be-"
"L-Look out!"
Fancy stopped in his tracks instantly and put all his senses of max alert, glancing about for any sign of a threat. Catching a shimmer in front of him, Fancy ceased his swiveling and saw a pony sized spider web woven between two trees, dotted with tens of imprisoned insects. The head sized spider who owned the web was sitting in the dead center before the light shone in its many eyes, causing it to retreat further up the web into the shadows.
"Goodness. Much obliged, Ms. Fluttershy." Fancy said with a nod of the head. Casually, he gave the large web one last glance and went to go around it, stopping when he saw something odd. Sitting on the western most side of the web was a small, orange feather that glistened with evening dew under the light. This wouldn't be so odd, after all the wind could blow any stray bird feather into a spider web, but the shape and size is what caught Fancy's attention immediately. Carefully, he channeled his telekinesis spell alongside his light spell and gently pulled the feather from the intricate weave, the concentration giving Fancy a minor headache.
"There we are." He announced, holding the feather in his aura "Ms. Fluttershy, it is normally unbefitting of a gentlecolt to ask this, but may I please borrow a feather?"
"O-Oh! S-Sure." She replied and winced as she pulled a sample from her wing, handing it Fancy with her teeth.
"Thank you." He juggled both feathers in his magic and held them close, squinting as he looked at the finer details of the feathers "I see. There is no mistaking it, this is a Pegasus's wing feather. And the size difference indicates it could only come from a filly."
"S-Scootaloo..." Fluttershy said mournfully, head hanging low. Fancy's forehead creased as he put a hoof to his chin. Coincidences happen all the time, Fancy knew, but finding a clue to his initial investigation while on the trail of his missing apprentice?
"I feel like we're getting closer, Ms. Fluttershy." He declared and put the feathers away in his saddle bag. It was then he noticed just how downcast the Pegasus truly was as she gave a sniffle, keeping her eyes to the ground. He approached her and placed a gentle hoof on her shoulder "We'll find them, Fluttershy. I won't rest until I do."
She raised her head and forced a smile, nodding as she wiped the beginning of tears from her eyes "I-I know, thank you Mr. Fancy."
"Now, let us-"
Piercing through the night air and cutting Fancy off utterly was a loud, horrified scream that seemed only a short distance away. Fluttershy reacted with a wail of her own and cowered behind the stallion. Fancy's brain kicked into overdrive as he processed that yell and narrowed the source down to only one result.
His eyes widened in horror.
"That was Pip! Ms. Fluttershy, I need you to go find Rainbow Dash immediately!" He nearly yelled as he looked down at her. She recoiled but stood her ground.
"W-W-What? I can't leave you, I'll-"
"Please, Ms. Fluttershy!" Fancy shouted, guilt piercing his chest for cutting her off "I'll set off the fireworks when I find him but I need you to go and retrieve Rainbow Dash and her team immediately!"
The yellow Pegasus looked incredibly unsure as to what to do at first and felt as if the pressure would drive her to tears. Meeting Fancy's eyes, however, made her pause. A fire burned behind those gentle blue irises, a determination that would move mountains if it meant saving those he loved.
It reminded her of herself, in a way, as images of a red dragon and a cockatrice flashed in her mind. She bowed her head and rose to her hooves, giving Fancy one last smile before taking flight and weaving between the branches that tried to impede her mission.
Fancy Pants turned on his hooves and galloped toward the direction of his apprentice's shriek.
He just hoped he was not too late.
"N-No! This can't be!" Pip screamed as he tried to stand, his limbs heavier than a slab of concrete. He couldn't take his eyes off of the skeleton no matter how hard he tried, its mouth open to showcase its last living moments of pure agony.
The floor creaked behind him and he whirled his head around to see the Cutie Mark Crusaders standing side by side in the doorway, their expressions all sorrowful.
"It's really sad what happened to Ruby." Scootaloo said, eyes to the burnt floor. Apple Bloom nodded solemnly.
"Yeah. You followed her here too, didn't ya Pip?" Applebloom inquired, shaking her head "I dunno why she called us all here, to be honest with ya."
"She wanted us to be a part of a community. To be with ponies who would understand us, right?" Sweetie Belle answered, her tone desperate as if she were grasping for the solution herself "Please, you have to-"
"Join us, Pip." A fourth pony stepped into view from outside, the three fillies parting to let him pass. It was Greyhoof, who was still all smiles as he looked at the mortified colt "You can be a part of our family too."
Pip finally found the energy to stand as he looked between the fireplace and the four ponies before him "What are you talking about?!"
"She had the mark, Pip." Greyhoof said sternly, his eyes losing all joy in that instant "I'm sure you've noticed, but we all lack the mark as you do. Those marks...'cutie marks'...bring nothing but misery to those who bear them and those who surround them. We did what we had to do to save our village."
"You're insane!" Pip stomped, eyes filled with fury "Cutie marks appear when a pony learns their special talent! The thing that will...g-give their life meaning!" Pip stuttered, trying to find the words in his rage.
"Oh Pip." Greyhoof shook his head as if mourning a dear friend before looking down at the Cutie Mark Crusaders "That's exactly what these fillies told me before we welcomed them into our family." He met Pip's eyes again, the spark of life gone from his irises "But don't worry, you'll be just like them soon enough."
Pip watched in horror as Greyhoof and the three fillies in front of him began to change. Their fur falling from their skin, their bones snapping as their bodies began to shift. Horrific groans emanated from them as their flesh seemed to melt and turn black. Their ribs poked out from their mid sections and their manes and tails were reduced to just a few strands of hair. The colt was backed into the wall, his throat too tight to scream as they all opened their eyes.
Their red, glowing eyes.
"It won't hurt, Pip. Don't struggle and you'll finally be happy." Greyhoof said, his voice seeming to come from everywhere at once.
They stepped closer, their movements slow and painful looking as Pip finally let out another scream. His eyes shot everywhere but at the four monsters coming toward him before landing on the window that lay just behind him. His thoughts running at a thousand miles an hour, Pip hurled himself through the window and hit the cold ground with a thud, groaning from the impact.
Not wasting another second, he bolted around the house and back onto the path, with one look over his shoulder to the cabin revealing the four monstrosities slowly making their way after him.
"She had the mark! She had to go!" Greyhoof's voice echoed in his mind. Pip ignored him as he came upon the pathway exit and he stopped. The idyllic little village that had been so warm and welcoming was gone, replaced instead with the decayed remains of long destroyed houses, the vines of the Evefree having long since reclaimed the large, dark clearing. Not sparing another look behind him, Pip galloped as fast he could, feeling the fatigue catching up with him as he struggled to jump over the support beam of a fallen house.
"Just give up. Nopony ever gets away." Pip turned to see the twitchy, horrifying visage of what must have been Gladstone shambling toward him "You'll never get the mark. We'll keep you safe from it!"
A hit of adrenaline made him finish his climb and he jumped, darting between the ruins at a rapidly slowing pace. He gasped for precious air as he took shelter inside the remains of the former warehouse, the cold chilling his throat and lungs rapidly. He peered into a crack in the wall, noticing the 'entrance' where he had met Greyhoof was open once more, the trees having parted.
A figure suddenly rose into view, its red eye staring right at him. Pip shrieked and jumped back, nearly tripping over a smashed crate as the creature cackled.
"Come on, Pip! Just let me touch you!" Starlet shrieked maniacally and bucked the door, the weak frame nearly breaking from that one hit. Pip scrambled to his hooves and went to leave out of the hole he came in but saw the maimed form of what must have been Roneo blocking his exit, the red jewel Applebloom gave to him now hanging from his neck, swinging as he crawled into the hole.
"You'll be one of us. You'll be whole, Pip." he groaned. Starlet delivered one final kick to the door and it splintered into hundreds of pieces. Unlike the others, Starlet was much faster and galloped toward him at full speed, her mouth open to reveal jagged teeth covered in a black goo. Pip knew he couldn't get away in time and he covered his eyes, screaming as he thought of his mentor one last time.
Suddenly, a loud crash sounded, followed by a yell from Starlet. Pip opened his eyes and saw the skeletal mare was prone near the eastern wall, apparently having been struck by a flying crate. The colt turned his head and saw Mitta in a bucking position, her form barely recognizable but still more coherent than the rest. The red eyed mare looked at him and pointed to the now open door.
"Get out of here you fool! Run!" She screamed and ran past him, tackling Roneo to the ground after he had squeezed through the hole, the 'tink' of his gem acting as Pip's cue.
"T-Thank you, Mitta!" Pip squeaked as he galloped out the door, the path to exit just a straight shot from his position. Getting closer, he could see a faint light in the distance that seemed to get brighter with each passing second. Was it Ruby? Was she trying to lead him out of the village?
Before he could find out, his knees buckled as his legs finally gave out and he yelped. He hit the ground hard, tumbling forward into the coarse dirt and grass. He moaned in pain and tried to push himself up, raising his head to gaze at the light once more.
It was gone.
"Help us, Pip." The voice resonated in his mind and he recognized it immediately. He craned his neck and saw the deformed versions of Applebloom and her two friends standing side by side, with Greyhoof, Gladstone and what must have been Three Leaf right behind them.
"We didn't want this." Sweetie Belle pleaded, her flickering, crimson eyes dripping with black sludge "I just want to see my sister again. Please."
Pip gritted his teeth and fought to stand, barely managing to get to his hooves as he turned to face them. Every bone in his sore body pleaded with him to run as he saw their maws dripping with the dark drool. Whatever remained of his courage, he summoned it as he narrowed his brow and met the eyes of Greyhoof, righteous anger burning in his eyes.
"L-Let them go, Greyhoof!" He yelled, nearly falling again as he stomped a hoof. A low, rumbling laugh sounded from the malformed creature, giving Pip a headache as it rang in his mind at the same time.
"It is too late for them, foal. They have been marked by us, forever doomed to roam this graveyard of a village. Forever blessed to never receive 'the mark'." He said and stepped forward, pointing a hoof.
Pip heard the cracking of bones and he turned to see at least ten more of the zombified ponies making their way into the village through his only reliable exit, their groans and moans echoing through the village. The little colt was fully surrounded and the little hope he had remaining began to fade away, his eyes welling with tears as Greyhoof approached him.
"Give up, Pip. You don't need anypony else. We'll keep you safe...forever."
From behind, Pip heard the ghoulish screams of the zombie ponies as a bright light bathed everypony in an orange glow. Greyhoof stumbled back, howling along with the rest of the skeletal monsters as they retreated from the sudden radiance and ran further into the village. Pip slowly turned to look at his savior and he let his tears flow freely when his little brown eyes landed on a very familiar unicorn stallion, his horn glowing with his splendid orange magic as he looked down at the little spotted colt with great concern.
Fancy Pants had arrived.
"M-Mr. Fancy. Thank Luna you finally came." Pip exhaled, all his worries disappearing as the stallion took his suit collar in his teeth and placed him on his back.
"There will be time to talk later, my boy. We need to get out of here." Fancy asserted and gazed around, his chest tightening at the sight of the nightmarish pony-like creatures that crept just at the edge of the light his horn produced. Such a sight should have only existed in one's nightmares, but if such a place were to bear such monstrosities, it would be the Everfree Forest.
"He has the mark! He has the mark!" One of them screamed as it pointed at his flank, shocking Fancy with their ability to speak. This phrase was repeated by all except for three of the smaller ones, who averted their gazes when he looked at them. Not wanting to waste anymore time with these horrors, Fancy turned and went to gallop out of the village. His apprentice stopped him at the last second with a near breathless yell.
"W-Wait! W-We can't leave Mr. Fancy!"
"Come again?" Fancy retorted, surprise heightning his pitch "Why ever not?"
"T-Those three," he pointed with a hoof at the three little abominations that scutteled farther backward and tried to huddle with the larger creatures "They're the Cutie Mark Crusaders. You have to find a way to help them!"
Fancy's eyes widened and for the first time in a while, Pip heard his mentor stutter "W-What?"
"Foals! We can't let them leave!" Greyhoof yelled and waved a hoof "Encircle them! Now!" The cracks of settled limbs filled the air along with the moans of these outwardly undead ponies, their red eyes flickering in the darkness outside of Fancy's safe zone as they formed a circle that blocked all means of exit. Greyhoof laughed mockingly "You won't be able to keep that spell up for much longer, am I right marked one? You do look rather tired."
Fancy Pants bit his lip, the headache that had settled after the battle with timberwolves a couple of hours ago was resurfacing as the minutes passed. A light spell wasn't incredibly taxing for a Unicorn but the monster was right. He wouldn't be able to keep this up forever, maybe another ten minutes at most if Fancy had to guess. The gentlecolt let out a calming breath and raised his head, meeting the eyes of who seemed to be the leader of these creatures.
"I don't believe we've been properly introduced. I am Fancy Pants, gentlecolt extraordinaire and amatuer mystery solver. Might I ask your name?" The expression of the darkness enshrouded undead pony was unreadable, a faint hint of black saliva leaking from his maw.
"......Greyhoof." He answered, his tone deadly.
"Greyhoof? A fine name I must say." Fancy adjusted his monocle and gave a quick look to Pip, the young pony following his master's eyes when he faced Greyhoof again. The colt's eyes went wide when he saw a strange bundle in the bushes to the right surrounded by the orange aura of Fancy's magic, just outside the circle of skeletal ponies. "Now, if you don't mind, would you care to explain what you are? I must admit that in all my travels I have never met a pony such as you before."
"I don't know what you're playing at, marked one. This stalling is only costing you time to keep your precious light spell up." He chuckled darkly "But if you must know, we are the Markless. Ponies who have been blessed with a life free of cutie marks." He snarled the last pair of words. Fancy nodded his head in genuine interest, clearing his throat loudly as Pip saw the fuse on the bundle of fireworks set alight by a spark of magic.
"I see, I see." He nodded, hoof to chin "Now, I have another question for you, if you would oblige a doomed soul." Fancy tilted his head and gave a calm smile "Do you enjoy fireworks?"
If Greyhoof had a brow to raise, Pip was certain it would be to the sky at that question "What? Why would you ask-"
What started as a crackle of colorful sparks soon turned into an explosion of colors that shot just over the heads of the clustered group of ponies and non ponies. The loud bang combined with the shower of colors and light that rained down from the sky made the undead group scatter, breaking their formation and forcing Greyhoof to retreat farther into the ruins, along with the other village Markless.
As soon as this opening appeared, Fancy galloped through it and proceeded into the former village with his light spell still up, easily dodging the frightened undead. Pip held on for dear life, looking at his teacher in amazement.
"How did you do that, Mr. Fancy?!" Pip shouted over the explosions.
"I planted them there shortly before I made my entrance, figuring that was the best use for them." He answered as he jumped over a fallen tree "Now, care to tell me what is going on here?"
Pip organized his thoughts before taking a deep breath "According to Greyhoof, this village was cursed after they...hurt somepony named Ruby really bad for getting her cutie mark. When the Cutie Mark Crusaders followed that pony here, they couldn't escape and were turned into those...skeletal ponies."
"This Ruby, you followed her here too, didn't you my boy?"
Pip looked down at the grass that rushed by, ashamed as he finally connected the dots. "Yes. Mr. Fancy. I-I'm sorry for running off alone. It was not befitting of a gentlecolt and I understand if-"
A stone that just barely missed Fancy's head slammed into the ground and bounced, causing Pip to yelp and turn to see the Markless had regrouped and were in pursuit. Fancy's hooves pounded the ground as he dodged obstacle after obstacle, his breathing becoming more labored.
"We'll have time for that later, Pip. Do you have any clues? Anything that would lead to a solution?"
Pip's tongue froze, caught utterly off guard. Usually he was the one asking that. Shaking his head, Pip wracked his brain and tried to focus as Fancy grew nearer toward the path that led back to that awful cabin.
"Find me." A familiar and soothing voice said in his mind, making him gasp. Pip looked ahead and gulped. It seemed like they had no choice, even though he would rather be anywhere else right now.
"Stay on this path, Mr. Fancy and keep going till you see a cabin!" Pip yelled out as he placed all his bets on this one clue. Fancy Pants nodded.
Their journey was fraught with numerous stones being lobbed their way, with one slamming into Fancy's side and nearly causing him to fall. Nevertheless he kept going, his light shining the way as his pace began to gradually falter in speed. Just as they rounded the bend and the cabin came into view, Fancy grunted and shut his eyes, clearly in pain.
"What's wrong?!"
"T-They're bombarding my mind with horrible screaming." He groaned as his light began to dim "I-I can't keep focus much longer!"
Pip whimpered and did not dare look back "Keep going, Mr. Fancy! We're almost there!"
Fighting through the mental agony, the gentlecolt grinded his teeth and put every last bit of his energy into that final sprint. It was not long before the stallion leapt up the stairs and slammed the door behind him, catching just a brief glimpse of the sea of red eyes that lurked not far behind. He silently thanked Celestia when he noticed the bolt on the door and promptly locked it, collapsing against it to regain his breath after Pip dismounted.
"This won't hold them back for long." Fancy said through gasps as he dispelled his magic, grasping his head as he winced. The stallion opened one eye to see Pip slowly approach a fireplace, Luna's moonlight barely illuminating the dark interior.
"Y-You idiot. How did I know you'd come back here?." Both ponies' heads jerked to the right to see crimson eyes glowing in the darkness before a figure stepped into the silver light, revealing a dark coated mare with a dark red mane. Fancy's horn began to glow as he prepared to reignite his horn before Pip intervened. .
"Mitta! Are you alright?" He blurted and looked at her carefully. The mare was banged up rather badly, her injuries mostly covered up by her dark coat. Fancy sighed and cancelled the spell.
"You know her, Pip?"
"She saved me just before you arrived, Mr. Fancy." Pip smiled at the undead pony. Mitta scoffed and spat up some black goo.
"Answer me: Why are you back here? Are you trying to save us? We deserve this for what happened to...to Ruby." She uttered sadly and nodded to one of the windows "You still have a way out. Don't throw your lives away over those three fillies, just go!" She yelled and weakly stomped a hoof.
"Sorry Ms. Ritta, but that isn't an option." Fancy said evenly "If we can save them, even if there is only a sliver of a chance, we have to."
"You have to help us, Ritta. Please." Pip begged and went to touch one of her hooves only for her to rapidly shuffle away.
"No! If you touch me in this form, you'll become one of them!" She screamed incessantly, nearly falling over.
A loud series of bangs on the door, coupled with the moaning of the monsters cut off the conversation and let everypony inside know the horde had arrived. Fancy looked over to the front windows and could see the decayed black limbs of the undead as they tried to crawl through, their sheer numbers keeping them from piling in immediately.
Fancy looked at Pip and Mitta, his horn beginning to glow as he got to his hooves "I'll hold them off, my boy! In the meantime, you and Ms. Mitta will try and solve this mystery once and for all!"
Stepping away from the door to position himself halfway into the cabin, Fancy channeled his light spell and tilted his head toward the door, causing the undead in the windows to screech as they clambered their way back out of the orange light.
Pip swallowed hard and looked to the fireplace, both the pressure and the sight of the skeleton filly causing whatever ideas in his head to disappear. Mitta remained where she was, whether out of apathy or despair, Pip could not tell. The little colt closed his eyes and took a slow deep breath, remembering the breathing exercises he practiced with Fleur, time seeming to slow down as he organized his thoughts.
The curse on the town was inflicted by an unknown source at an unknown date, probably hundreds of years ago judging from how many zombie ponies there were. But if that was the case, why was Ruby's skeleton nearly perfectly preserved after so long? Well, her fate was the catalyst for the curse in the first place so, in theory, her skeleton might be the vessel perpetrating the curse. Morbidly fitting. Even if this were true, then without the perpetrator of the curse to repeal it, then knowing this would solve nothing.
Unless...
Pip let his brain go off the rails as he processed a truly far fetched idea. What if the one who instilled the curse was no individual shaman? What if it was the Everfree itself? It sounded ridiculous but the Everfree truly was like no other location in Equestria and seemed to possess magic in and of itself. So what if....
Pip opened his eyes and time resumed its normal flow. He looked at Mitta with a determined expression. "Mitta, do you know who cursed the village in the first place?"
She looked up from the floor confused "No. It just happened after what we...did to Ruby."
Score one for his theory "If we end the curse, what will happen to Applebloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo?"
The dark mare looked skeptical, the screams of the horde making her wince "Even if you were to miraculously know how to end all of this, they've already been claimed by the curse. There is no way out once you've been converted as far as I know."
"But they were only recently converted. Is there a chance they might return to normal?" Pip asked desperately. Mitta's dubious expression didn't leave.
"I don't think curses work like that kid." She shook her head but gave the colt an impartial expression "But...I guess I don't fully understand it either. Maybe there is a chance? Are you asking because you figured something out?"
Pip looked unsure as he turned to the fireplace "I have an idea but I...don't know if it'll work. Can you help me...get Ruby out of there?"
Mitta shook her head and showed off her front forehooves. Only now did Pip notice the numerous burn marks on her hooves and upper legs "We can't touch her without being burned. I've tried for so long to get her out of there but, even without flames, it feels like the fire is still burning around her."
An uneasy Pip closed his eyes as his throat tightened. "Okay, I'll see what I can do."
Slowly, the young gentlecolt brought his hooves to the ash covered pit. His heart beat rapidly as he stared into the vacant eye holes of the skeleton that seemed to meet his gaze, his forehead growing damp with sweat. With great hesitation, he touched the skull between its eyes.
Nothing. That was a good start.
Feeling the pressure decrease in his chest, he carefully began to pull the skeleton from its resting place. Despite improbable odds, it held together perfectly. Mitta watched but Pip was unable to read her expression.
"I never thought I'd see the day..." she said in awe, reaching a hoof toward the skeleton but refraining from making contact "What now?"
A good question. The little colt did not see any way to get outside and enact his plan without going through the door. The door that was currently being beat on by the undead horde that wanted nothing more than to get their hooves on them.
"Mr. Fancy? Are you doing okay?"
Fancy grimaced but managed a nod without turning his head "I'm holding up alright. Did you figure it out, Pip?"
"I believe so. But we need to go outside for me to truly solve this mystery, Mr. Fancy."
Fancy looked out of the corner of his eyes and noticed that his young apprentice was carrying a young pony skeleton with his hooves. He only just managed to suppress his look of horror before turning his attention back to the door "Alright, I'll trust your judgement my boy. Ms. Mitta, if you don't mind I'd like you to-"
"I'll go out the back window and see what I can do from there." She cut in and limped her way over, giving the duo one last look before she crawled out "Good luck you two."
Fancy Pants grimaced as he watched her go and allowed his magic to flow freely once more, lighting up the whole cabin with ease before looking back at his apprentice "Stand back, young Pip."
With his headache growing stronger, Fancy winced as he dimmed the light and channeled his telekinesis, undoing the lock and swinging the door open in short order. The result was immediate as the undead ponies who had piled up against the door were sent reeling back, letting out horrific screams as they climbed and trampled over each other to get away from the light. Pip looked past and felt his heart stop. In the short time they spent in the cabin, a thick fog had descended upon the forest and coated everything in a thick cloud that nearly blinded the duo. Even through this mist, Pip could see that the numbers of the Markless had grown considerably, seeing at least a hundred red eyes gazing at them as they gave the cabin entrance a wide berth, resembling a sea of crimson that threatened to pull them in with its dreadful current if they got too close.
"Stay close to me." Fancy muttered warily as he descended the stairs, Pip following close behind as he carefully pulled the skeleton with his forehooves. The moans that echoed all around them was a symphony of terror that made the gentlecolt's skin crawl.
"T-This should be far enough." Pip said the second their hooves touched soil, gently placing the skeleton down before he dug through his pack, sighing in relief when he found a small garden shovel in AJ's survival pack. It wasn't perfect for the job but he didn't complain as he stuck the shovel into the earth.
"They have the body of the betrayer!" A fanatical voice yelled from the crowd, resembling Gladstone's, causing the moans and groans of the group to turn into animalistic snarls and growls.
"And just what do you plan to do, Pipsqueak?" Greyhoof asked, his calm yet stern tone silencing the surrounding horde "Do you think burying her will do anything more than taint this already rotten forest? She was better served as kindling!" He yelled, quickly losing his cool.
Pip ignored him as best he could, the rage making him sweat as he gripped his tiny shovel harder in his teeth and dug quicker.
"I believe your quarrel is with me, Greyhoof." Fancy intervened, clearly upset as he fought through his splintering headache "Tell me, where are the Cutie Mark Crusaders?"
Silence reigned for a few moments before the stallion saw three pairs of eyes that came up to his knees at the edge of his safe zone. He could feel their turmoil just from how they looked at him.
"They are here, safer than they will ever be in a world that deems Marked Ones as more worthy than those without." Greyhoof declared plainly "You were better off remaining in your ivory tower...Fancy Pants, was it? Why couldn't you just leave us in peace?"
"Apologies, but I have a bad habit of sticking my nose where it doesn't belong." Fancy gave a smirk before squinting, trying to keep his focus "I also know evil when I see it, sir Greyhoof. If you had simply kept to your own devices and left innocent ponies alone, then I wouldn't be here and you would be free to stew in your mistakes."
"I protected this village when nopony else would!" Greyhoof screamed, his voice penetrating Fancy's mind harshly and causing the light field to flicker "She had the mark! She had to go!"
This phrase was echoed hundred fold by the surrounding undead, the pressure of which caused Fancy to drop to three hooves, his eyes closed as he put everything he had into his magic "Hurry, young Pip. I-I can't keep this up much longer."
The little pony felt light headed from his constant shoveling, his own body about to give out as well from the lack of food and sleep. Overlooking his progress and comparing it to Ruby's skeleton proved unfavorable.
"I just need a little more time, Mr. Fancy!" Pip called out and continued, his neck sore from his efforts.
"You'll never dig a hole deep enough in time with that puny thing!" Greyhoof laughed mockingly before waving a hoof "Get ready for a feast, everypony!"
Fancy's eyes cracked open, his vision blurry. He analyzed the odds of making it out and, while he was used to solving near impossible odds, this seemed like a tough puzzle for him to solve. Thoughts of his wife filled his mind and he bared his teeth in defiance as he fought to stand upright once more and backed closer to Pip. If he had to guess, he had maybe another minute before his magic ran dry and left them vulnerable. He opened his mouth to say something, to tell Pip he was sorry for failing him and how he should have been a better mentor.
But before he could utter such words that would tempt fate even more, a loud shrill cut through the air and he saw one of the undead ponies pushing through his magic light. Pip jumped out of his small hole and his jaw dropped.
It was Mitta and she had a large rusted shovel in her teeth.
"M-Ms. Mitta! You can't stay in the light, it will-"
She fought through the horrible burning sensation and planted the shovel into the hole, screaming out "S-Shut up and let me h-help somepony for once in my pathetic life!"
Fancy Pants didn't say anymore and nodded resolutely, this act giving him enough will to hold on longer than before.
"You were always the weakest of all of us, Mitta! No resolve, no drive to protect the ones you claimed to love!" Greyhoof yelled. The mare ignored him.
Pip watched as Mitta began shoveling, quickly helping out as best he could. Her fur was sizzling harshly under the light and the colt was tempted to tell her to stop for her sake. But her eyes burned with the same intensity as her body and he knew no amount of begging would stop her. With both of their efforts, it was only half a minute before they had dug a deep enough hole.
"N-Now, get her in there!" Mitta exclaimed and dropped on her haunches, trying her best to shield her face as she whimpered in agony. Pip wasted no time as drug Ruby's body into the hole and began to rapidly kick the dirt mound into its proper place. Once it was filled, Pip stomped it firmly and collapsed atop it in exhaustion, his whole body past the point of exhaustion as he closed his eyes and began to pray for a miracle.
The hum of Fancy's weakening magical aura was all that filled this section of the forest for what felt like hours, the mist seeming to grow thicker around the small cabin for each moment that passed. A collection of terrible laughs broke the silence, Pip's eyes opening in shock.
"Too bad, foals. This is what happens when you trust a marked one, Pip." Greyhoof taunted and stepped forward, Fancy's light flickering as he sat on his flanks, eyes twitching from effort before he finally fell over, collapsing from exhaustion with a groan "Don't worry though. As I said, we'll keep you safe...FOREVER!"
Then the horde began to approach, maws open and leaking their blackened saliva in anticipation. Pip shut his eyes and began to cry, looking over at his heavily breathing teacher "I'm..sorry Mr. Fancy Pants. I...failed."
"I-It's o-okay, my boy." Fancy managed to say and tilted his head to smile at his apprentice "But I wouldn't, urgh, count us out just yet. Look."
Pip raised his head with great effort and noticed that the horde had...stopped. Their red eyes were still focused on the downed duo but they seemed to be unable to move, their undead forms twitching with effort as their scarlet eyes began to flicker. The mist that surrounded all within the area began to swirl. It started slow at first before the wind began to pick up like a tempest, forming a funnel that, when Pip looked up through squinted eyes, allowed him to see the moon shining down upon them
"What is happening?! What did you do?!" Greyhoof yelled and darted his eyes to his now frozen companions "Get them! Get them you foals!"
His words fell on deaf, undead ears as the hundreds of monsters remained motionless. Then, one by one, they began to turn to dust and were swept up into the small cyclone. Pip heard Starlet cry out and attempt to rush over to one of the undead stallions.
"R-Roneo, help me!" She screamed before being reduced to dust, the same thing happening to the heartbroken stallion before he could respond. Greyhoof began to panic as he witnessed Gladstone silently accept his fate, the leader attempting to flee in terror before he was swept up and disintegrated with the rest.
"W-What's going on?" Pip cried out over the rushing winds. Just out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a bright, golden light. He saw Ruby standing next to Mitta, who was looking up at the small filly, her eyes leaking blackened tears.
"I'm so sorry R-Ruby. I should have stopped them, I-" her words were cut off by Ruby placing a hoof on her cheek. The grey filly gave a soft smile and shook her head.
"Everything is okay now, Mitta. We'll finally be together again." Mitta broke down into sobs, her smile remaining when she turned to face Pip one last time. She mouthed the words 'thank you' before turning to dust.
Ruby stood still for a few moments as the wind began to calm before looking at Pip and Fancy Pants, giving them a smile "I'm sorry I dragged you into this, Pip. Thank you for all you've done for me and my friends."
Pip blinked, realizing only then that he was crying. He sniffled and wiped away his tears "Y-You're welcome, Ruby. I hope you can rest in peace now."
She closed her bright yellow eyes, nodding happily before pointing past the two gentlecolts. Pip followed her hoof and covered his mouth. The three Cutie Mark Crusaders were back to normal and laying in the dirt unconscious, tangled together from their efforts to stay grounded. Before his gratitude and joy could be expressed, the colt turned to thank the ghost filly one last time.
Alas, she was gone.
The wind had died and was quickly replaced with the cries of crickets and other nocturnal creatures, the two gentlecolts remaining prone as they basked in the moment of peace.
"Well done, my boy. I knew you could do it." Fancy Pants chuckled, moaning in pain afterward "I could use a nice cup of tea. How about you?"
Pip finally found the energy to laugh "I want a fat hay burger with some fries. Tea after, if that's alright Mr. Fancy."
The pair laughed together as the stress of today began to melt away, the soreness of the past hour catching up to them quickly. It was not long before they heard the whoosh of something flying overhead, making the duo look up to see a squad of pegasi circling the clearing with intent to land.
"Good work, Ms. Fluttershy." Fancy said as he tiredly got to his hooves "I knew I could count on her."
Pip glanced back at the trio of fillies as Fancy shakily grabbed him and placed him on his back, feeling his chest swell with joy and pride as his eyes went to close. The last thing he saw was the blurry sight of pegasus ponies hitting the ground near the Crusaders, followed by the unintelligible cries of Fluttershy.
He then fell into a deep, peaceful sleep. |
Fancy Pants In: The Mystery of The Blanks | Chapter Eight: The Way Home | Chapter Eight:
The Way Home
Pip's eyes opened slowly, the first thing he saw being the white glow of a fluorescent light on a plaster white ceiling.. He winced and raised a hoof to cover his face, groaning as he felt soreness all over his body from the motion and he spared a look around the room. A nearby half curtained window offered shade to his bed and showed the green hills of Ponyville in the distance. The calm light of the morning sun eagerly invited itself in and bathed the floor and opposite wall in a relaxing yellow gleam. A door sat just across from him, half cracked to let in a touch amount of light from the hall and he could faintly hear voices from deeper in the building.
"Good morning, my boy. You slept well, I imagine." Fancy Pants sat next to him in a small chair, a steaming cup of tea within his magical field as he smiled down at his apprentice warmly. Pip noticed a similarly floral scented hot cup of liquid next to his bed.
"Good morning Mr. Fancy. W-Where are we?"
"The hospital. Ms. Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash were insistent we come here right away after our little venture. I didn't argue." He said and sighed, his expression shifting to one of worry "How are you feeling?"
"Never better." Pip grunted and tried to sit up, leaning against his large pillow. His eyes widened with panic "Wait, where are the-"
Fancy silenced him with a hoof and pointed to his left, revealing three beds adjacent to his that had a familiar filly in each one sound asleep and breathing softly. Next to these beds were different ponies for each filly. Applebloom's bed had Applejack, a large red stallion and a rather old green mare. Sweetie Belle's bed had Rarity and Scootaloo had two mares next to her bedside, a beige pony with a dark blue mane and a pale amber colored mare with an orange mane. Everypony was asleep in their chairs, some using the beds before them as a makeshift headrest.
"They are perfectly fine according to the doctors. We just have to wait for them to awaken." Fancy said and leaned back in his chair, finishing his tea with a final gulp. Pip sank into his bed, relieved as he listened to the low hum of the hospital lights above. The memories of the previous night came in flashes, different emotions rising and falling as he sorted through everything mentally. One event stood out, occurring even before the nightmare inducing Markless ponies: when he had abandoned his mentor and his new friends.
"Mr. Fancy?"
"Yes, Pip?"
The colt remained silent for a few ticks before he hesitantly looked to his teacher "I'm...sorry for what happened last night. I was rash and didn't act as a proper gentlecolt would." These next words were extremely hard for him to say as he gripped his sheets. "I understand if...you don't want me as an apprentice anymore."
Fancy didn't respond immediately, seeming to ponder the colt's words carefully before the sparkling sound of his magic filled the air as he refilled his cup of tea, taking a sip before he met his apprentice's eyes with an understanding expression.
"Have I ever told you of Brisk Bronco, my boy?" He asked, keeping his voice low. Pip put a hoof to his chin to ponder before a memory struck him, making him gasp quietly.
"Wasn't he that really famous gentlecolt who disappeared from the public eye about...ten years ago?"
"Indeed. He was the envy of many of the Canterlot elite, being the pendulum that swung public opinion of anything to either extreme without even trying." Fancy started with a sad smile as he stared into his cup "Many ponies called him the greatest gentlecolt in Canterlot history and he was offered many public positions on that fact alone. But he never once considered accepting. Not out of arrogance or some petty desire to be different, he was just...a gentlecolt, and he thought of himself as nothing more or less than that."
Fancy swirled the liquid in his cup, looking up to see his apprentice listening intently "Anyhow, one day a rather arrogant and ruthless business pony who was an up and comer in the Canterlot elite world decided to challenge him to a public fencing duel for the title of greatest gentlecolt in Equestria. He was young and Brisk was getting grey hairs so he thought he had a chance." Fancy chuckled after sipping some tea "It wasn't even close. So thoroughly was he humiliated, the stallion clamored to Brisk Bronco's hooves after the event and begged him to teach him everything he knew."
Pip listened intently and he gradually pieced everything together, his expression becoming more surprised before Fancy finished with a light smile and a laugh "That arrogant upstart was me and it was the best duel I ever lost."
"M-Mr. Brisk Bronco was your mentor?!" Pip nearly yelled, covering his muzzle afterward and shooting the still sleeping fillies a quick look "Gosh, Mr. Fancy, that's incredible!"
"It wasn't for a while," Fancy admitted with a self-deprecating laugh, fixing Pip with a gentle look "But I told you this to say that becoming a gentlecolt is a long process, my boy, filled with mistakes and trials. It's a team effort between master and apprentice, where being in sync is incredibly important."
Pip bowed his head to gaze at the white sheets, his shame coming back ten fold at his teacher's words. That was until he felt a hoof placed on his bed, causing his eyes to meet Fancy's.
"I'm very proud of you, Pip. Without you, those girls would have never made it home. All I ask is that we work more on our communication skills in the future. Is that acceptable?"
Pip brightened up immediately "Yes sir, Mr. Fancy."
Fancy Pants gave the colt a light pat on the head and stood up, nodding unsubtly to the now lightly steaming cup next to the bed. The brown eyed colt didn't need any more hints as he reached over and softly sipped the cooled tea. chamomile. A flavor Pip used to despise but came to love just as much as his mentor as the months had gone on. The relaxing effect the drink had caused him to lean his head back onto the pillow, sleep threatening to take him again. He felt the sheets move on their own to cover him once more, the light sparkle of Fancy's magic being the culprit as he set the tea back down.
"Get some more rest, my boy. I'll be here when you awaken."
The little Earth Pony nodded and let his heavy eyelids fall closed, snuggling deeper into the covers as he heard the hoofsteps of Fancy making his way to the door.
Sleep soon claimed him once more.
----
Standing outside the hospital, Fancy Pants drank in the morning atmosphere. The early hours of the day were always his favorite time to be out and Ponyville only made him enjoy it more. The quiet in the streets as ponies were only now being aroused from their beds to attend work, the cooler air, and the sheer beauty of the sky. The pegasi had done a marvelous job with cloud placement and formation on this particular day, the usually silver-white marshmallow like puffs had been smeared across the sky like a splatter of ink on a table, the glow of the sun making them a beautiful rose and orange color.
It was almost storybook really, the perfect scene after a mystery well solved.
"A beautiful morning, isn't it?"
Fancy craned his neck to see Rarity exiting the building, her eyelids still low as she let out a yawn and made her way to the stallion's side.
"Indeed. How did you sleep?"
"Better than I have in months." She said without hesitation and stared into the rolling hills of Ponyville, giving Fancy a heartfelt smile "I was so caught up in my joy last night that I didn't get to thank you properly so...thank you for bringing my sister back to me, Fancy Pants. I don't know how I'll ever repay you."
"Consider it as simply a favor for a good friend, Rarity." Fancy adjusted his monocle, returning her smile "Though if I am being honest, Pip is the one you should be thanking. Without him, I never would have solved this case."
Rarity nodded and glanced at the glass entrance door, her reflection staring back "How is he doing, by the way?"
"He just needs another hour or so of rest and he'll be right as rain. It was a long night for the both of us." Fancy answered and bowed his head. A quilt of quiet smothered any conversation for a good minute as they admired the view presented to them, Fancy's thoughts idly trying to wander to images of the Markless before he abandoned that train of thought before it even left the station.
"Cake frosting, eh?"
The Unicorn mare giggled and shook her head "It's silly but I knew if I wanted to give my letter the proper identifier, that'd be the one to get your attention." She joked, pausing before turning to face the stallion completely. "Honestly, when I first penned that letter, it took everything I had to send it. I had no idea if it would be lost in the sea of letters you already receive or if maybe it would be too mundane of a mystery for you after that whole Phantom of Canterlot business."
"The thrill of solving a mystery is measurable only to the stakes involved."
The mustached gentlecolt was silent as his words from the morning prior ran through his mind and he grimaced, looking away for only a moment to hide the expression.
"I must admit that, for a time, I was caught up in trying to find my next Phantom of Canterlot. I fell into the mindset that seemingly mundane mysteries were not as significant as something like a grand conspiracy." Fancy glanced at the hills as the sun had risen above them, smiling "But now I remember why I started doing this in the first place. Not yearning for the thrill of the solution but for the happy faces at the end, the process of learning and growing through it all. That is what a true gentlecolt strives for."
Rarity stared at the well dressed stallion, awestruck for a second before lightly laughing and covering her mouth with a hoof "Forgive me. That was beautiful, Fancy Pants, but you sounded just like a mystery novel character from a series I peruse every once in a while."
Fancy chuckled "Ponies do say I have a flair for the dramatic."
Further conversation was halted when the sound of the hospital doors being shoved open drew their attention, their eyes beholding a heavy breathing yet ecstatic looking Applejack.
"They're awake!"
Letting out a gasp, Rarity exchanged a quick look with Fancy Pants before rushing inside with Applejack, leaving the stallion alone again as he heard distant cries of joy from behind the glass doors. With that free moment, he regarded the wondrous city of Canterlot on its far off mountain perch, the city sparkling under the glow of Celestia's golden light like a gem as it cast a brilliant shadow on the valley below. No matter how much he had grown to love the scenic Ponyville, his heart yearned to trot on the shining streets of his home city once more.
"Fancy Pants? Are you alright?"
Exiting his daydream rather abruptly, he blinked and refocused to see Twilight Sparkle giving him an odd look, brightening when he acknowledged her. Even with just two nights worth of sleep, the purple Unicorn looked significantly better than when Fancy first arrived.
"My apologies, I was just thinking of home." He admitted, clearing his throat as he tilted his head toward the hospital "The Crusader's have awoken from their slumber, if you were curious."
"Oh my! That's great news!" Twilight exclaimed, a relieved sigh following "Spike couldn't wake me up last night after Rainbow stopped by to tell me the news, that's the only reason I wasn't here earlier." She tilted her head curiously. "He said she talked about finding you guys in a destroyed village of some kind. What happened out there?"
Fancy looked away before answering "I'm afraid I am not sure, Twilight. It was all a rather strange affair and I'm still piecing the answers together myself." He paused and shook his head "Anyhow, what matters is those fillies are safe and sound. If you prefer, I'll send you a letter detailing everything when I get back to Canterlot."
"That sounds like a great idea." She nodded empathetically and strolled past, making her way to the doors "We all deserve a bit of a break after how hectic the past three days have been. Let's go celebrate with everypony, yeah?"
Fancy Pants smiled, taking one last look toward the thankfully distant Everfree Forest to the south.
"I would like nothing more." ---
One Week Later
There was a tense silence amongst a small restaurant in Canterlot.
The Spiced Peach was a rather well known establishment, having garnered a fantastic reputation due to the frequent visits by certain ponies of high status and reputation. Its peach cobbler, or the 'Blanketed Peaches', was a rather well known delicacy in the northern parts of Canterlot, especially when topped with their home made vanilla ice cream. Recently, however, the establishment had come under fire due to its unwillingness to serve said dish for the past four days, giving half-baked excuses as to why. But why would a restaurant refuse to serve its most prized dish?
That was the question the crowd who was on the edge of their seats was hoping to have answered as they watched a white, well dressed Unicorn pace back and forth in the body of the establishment. Sitting off to the side, notepad in hoof, was a young Earth Pony colt who watched with silent confidence.
The stallion stopped in his tracks, adjusting his monocle as he scanned the crowd. His expression remained neutral as he turned to his apprentice.
"Care to join me on this one, Pip?"
The young pony gasped and eagerly nodded his head, jumping out of his chair and trotting up to his mentor's side. They smiled at each other before closing their eyes in sync.
"The one responsible for this...was you!"
The audience gasped as the duo's hooves stabbed through the air like fierce javelins as they yelled in sync, their target being a brown unicorn stallion with a floppy blonde mane. The pony gasped and darted his head around, seemingly trying to find a way to escape before giving up with a dramatic sigh.
"What? Absurd!" He yelled as sweat began to form on his brow "What evidence do you have?"
"More than enough, Mr. Trenderhoof." Fancy said and produced a dirty clipboard from his saddlebag "This order form you tried to discard was signed exactly four days ago by you alone, meaning that you never sent out the order for the peaches this establishment needed for its prized dish."
"And let's not forget how you tried to cover it up with this weird...calling card you drew in crayon." Pip added, pulling out a poorly drawn picture of a shadow shrouded pony posing menacingly, the words 'Stolen by the Phantom' written underneath.
The Unicorn looked between the two and then toward the black coated Pegasus mare who ran the establishment, Midnight Song, and sighed in defeat. "Alright, I confess! I didn't mean to cause such a commotion! When I went to sign the paper, somepony bumped into me and it ruined my signature! I tried to rewrite it but it was too late, my name had already been tarnished! So I threw it away and lied to buy time until I, Trenderhoof, could come up with a brand new recipe to shock the cooking world and save the business!"
"You hurt my sales because you messed up your signature?" Midnight Song asked, eye twitching. Trenderhoof rubbed his hoof on the ground and nodded shamefully.
"Yes, my lady. Can you ever forgive me?" He pleaded with big eyes. The mare looked as if she wanted to explode and bared her teeth in preparation to scream at the stallion as her eyes widened.
"Mrs. Midnight, if I may?" Fancy cut in, sensing the incoming assault "I know Mr. Trenderhoof well enough to say that this was not done out of malice. While he is a rather...interesting fellow, he simply messed up and I wouldn't be too harsh on the boy."
The Pegasus stared daggers into the brown stallion and blew her white mane out of her purple eyes. Eventually she expelled her anger in a long sigh, Pip swearing he could see steam leave her ears.
"Alright, Mr. Fancy Pants." She conceded and stabbed a hoof toward Trenderhoof "You get one more chance, mister! But if something like this happens again, you're fired!"
Cheers erupted throughout the restaurant as Fancy Pants beckoned for his apprentice to follow, the pair exiting the business as casual as possible. When they found themselves on the late evening streets of Canterlot, the streetlights just beginning to turn on, Fancy grinned at his apprentice as they started the long walk home.
"Great job, my boy. That was a rather quick case, was it not?"
"Yep! That makes five in one day, Mr. Fancy!" Pip said with a bounce, marking down something in his notepad prior to glancing at the sky "We might still have time to do one more!"
Fancy Pants let out a yawn and shook his head "Apologies Pip, but I believe that'll be enough for the day. Plenty of time tomorrow to comb through more of those requests."
The colt looked disappointed as he put away his notes but brightened up not soon after "Oh! I had another dream with Luna last night!"
"Really?" Fancy asked with a smile "What was it about?"
"We were walking and talking in this beautiful moonlit valley and there was a silver river and..." Pip went on, ecstatic and full of energy like he had just woken up. Fancy was glad for the boy. The first few nights at home had been rough going, the poor lad waking up from horrible nightmares involving Greyhoof and his Markless. A quick letter to Princess Luna had taken care of the problem, thankfully, with the mare doing her best to safeguard his dreams.
"Fancy Pants! Waaaait!" Quirking a brow, the two turned and saw none other than Trenderhoof galloping down the street, stopping before them as he spoke through his gasps "I...wanted to...thank you for...helping me keep my job!"
"It's no problem at all, Trenderhoof. Might I ask why you're working there in the first place?" Fancy prodded. The blonde maned Unicorn laughed nervously.
"Well, my latest pieces haven't been doing too well and my book deal fell through again so I've been doing my best to make ends meet." He then slinked closer to the white stallion "If you would be so kind, Mr. Fancy, it would brighten my world ever so much if you were to sponsor my book! It's about you and your amazing sidekick's mystery solving skills! Please, please, please?"
Fancy noticed Pip roll his eyes and shake his head. While the stallion didn't fully enjoy the idea of having a book written about him, Trenderhoof was clearly in a rough place financially and was already on thin ice as it was with Ms. Midnight.
"Alright, Mr. Trenderhoof." Fancy sighed "Send me the details by this Friday and I'll consider it."
A high pitched squeal filled the air as the well dressed gentlecolt found himself in a rather tight hug that threatened to push all the air out of his body "Thank you, thank you! You won't regret this, Mr. Fancy Pants, I promise!"
Without so much as a goodbye, Trenderhoof galloped down the street past the two, whooping and cheering past confused passerbys.
"I hope you know what you're doing, Mr. Fancy." Pip said, causing Fancy to chuckle and continue his course.
"Oh I'm sure it'll turn out fine, Pip. Come, we're nearly home and I've got a stunning recipe I can't wait for you and Fleur to try."
The journey home had been rather uneventful, aside from exchanging pleasantries with passing ponies who recognized the gentlecolts. The moon had raised rather comfortably in the sky by the time Fancy opened the door to his large home, the lovely smell of tea and flowers slamming him in the face the second he stuck his head in.
"We're home, my dear!" Fancy announced and shut the door, helping Pip remove his saddlebags with a light application of magic.
"Welcome home, you two!" Fleur called out and sauntered down the stairs "My Fancy sense was going off and it was telling me to quickly make tea since you were almost home. Looks like it was right again." she laughed and quickly nuzzled the two ponies.
"It smells wonderful, dear. Is that Darjeeling?" Fancy guessed, earning a giggle from Fleur.
"Of course! I got it in a package today from Hoity Toity for your endorsement of his fashion show a few days ago." She said and winked "He also sends his congratulations on your new detective agency."
Fancy smirked and shook his head "Well I guess I'm not doing much to fight that reputation anymore."
"We're the best gentlecolt detectives ever!" Pip shouted and made his way to the table eagerly "But a good detective needs his food! Are you making haybrugers, Mr. Fancy?"
"By Celestia I hope not, that stallion is hopeless when it comes to hay." Fleur teased and took a seat next to the colt.
"We shall see, my boy. I've got a few things to tend to in my study first and I'll be ready to start cooking." He said and went past the kitchen. The pinkish-white unicorn mare gasped.
"That reminds me!" Fleur called out as he left "You got a package not too long ago! I set it on your desk!"
"Thank you, my dear!" He called back and used his magic to light a few candles in his study, seeing the mentioned package as soon as the flames came to life. Regarding the box with curiosity, Fancy sat his saddlebags next to the door and went to take a seat, beginning his analysis. The box was unmarked, missing a name as well as the symbol of the official Canterlot Post Office. This wasn't too strange, as some couriers acted independently, but it did make him raise a brow.
Carefully cutting the tape holding the box shut, Fancy peered inside and felt his heart skip a beat when he laid eyes on the contents.
Inside was a ripped piece of a black flag that was adorned with the skull and crossbones, as well as a single, wrapped parchment. Fancy felt his teeth begin to grind as he slowly levitated the parchment up to eye level, tossing the piece of flag in the trash without a second thought.
Everything within him was telling him not to open the letter, to just toss it along with that cursed flag. But his thoughts soon filled with the face of his apprentice and how disappointed he would be if he did such a thing. Releasing a breath he didn't know he was holding, Fancy unfurled the letter and read it silently.
"Seaward Shoals. Meet me there before the month is up. Bring the watch."
- Marble Spots
"Mr. Fancy? I'm starving, please hurry up!"
Fancy closed his eyes, the rage within simmering down as he quickly shoved the letter in his top drawer and arose from his desk. He took a deep breath and exhaled before making his way over to the study exit.
"Coming, my boy!"
The flickering light from the candles was extinguished, bathing the room in complete darkness. FIN |
Journey from Darkness | pre | "Please don't take it out on the captain he is just doing his job," Coltyn interrupted. "Please, we are here for an audience with Celest... Princess Celestia," Coltyn said, remembering his manors.
"How did you know I was a captain?" Shining Armor queried.
Coltyn smirked. "Anypony with special hoof-crafted armor like yours has to be high ranking."
"Very well, let's get going," Shining Armor said; his look ordered the guards into position as he took Twilight and Coltyn to the princess.
The walk to the meeting chamber was eerily silent as nopony said a word or looked any direction but forward. Twilight was showing considerable unease as she kept looking around with only the sound of clanking armor filling the halls. They reached the door and Shining Armor opened the door with his magic and guided everyone in. Celestia was sitting on a pillow atop a small flight of stairs as Shining Armor walked up to her and stood on her right side. The rest of the guards formed a line on the back wall as Coltyn entered the room. Celestia's eyes narrowed but turned to surprise when Twilight Sparkle entered the room and stood next to Coltyn. The doors closed and everypony lowered their head to Princess Celestia including Coltyn.
"So you will show me respect?" Celestia questioned.
"Yes, I respect you as a pony and a leader and since you have taken back Princess Luna and are ruling together I am willing to bow to you Princess Celestia," Coltyn answered.
"I see and you even use my title," Celestia said, waving a hoof to dismiss the extra guards.
"Princess, what is the reason for this meeting?" Twilight asked.
"It seems that he wants to help you and your friends but given his past I have no intention of trusting him," Celestia stated.
"I'm sure if the ponies knew who you were a thousand years ago they would say the same thing," Coltyn retorted.
"What are you talking about Coltyn? All the books say how great of a ruler the Princess has been after defeating Nightmare Moon the first time," Twilight questioned.
"History is written by the victors and not everything is true," Coltyn replied.
"At least I have changed to reflect the way it was written," Celestia sneered.
"And I couldn't have changed over the years," Coltyn retorted.
"I guess I should give you a chance, one chance. After all, the last I knew of you was a thousand years ago. We shall see if you have changed or not. So what are you planning to do to help Twilight and the others?"
"There is a ritual from the zebra's that allows one to harmonize their disordered mind. I believe it will help them recover from Discord's chaos magic."
"So the question is how can I trust you?"
"I will only set up the ritual and nothing more. I would also ask that you bring the Elements of Harmony they will be needed."
Celestia pondered the offer made by Coltyn. "Very well but I will be present to make sure that my little ponies stay safe and that nothing happens to the Elements."
"That's fine. Thank you very much for your time Princess Celestia," Coltyn said, bowing his head.
Coltyn moved to the exit followed by Twilight and Shining Armor.
"That went better than expected," Coltyn said, as the door closed behind them.
"So you really did live a thousand years ago?" Twilight asked, shyly.
"Yes, Celestia and I have never been on the best of terms but I hope to start changing that," Coltyn nodded.
"So can you help or were you lying?" Shining Armor queried.
"I can help them but more importantly I want to help them," Coltyn said, proudly as they reached the outer wall.
Twilight bid her brother good-bye. Coltyn looked off to Ponyville and turned to Twilight.
"Would you like to get us back?" Coltyn asked.
"I can't teleport that far," Twilight reposted.
"Sure you can, remember the circle I was drawing just picture it in your mind," Coltyn explained as Twilight closed her eyes to focus. "Envision your magic filling the lines with power, focus on your destination, see yourself standing there, and it will be done."
With his final word Twilight's horn flashed lavender as they were transported to the front door of her library. Twilight opened her eyes as glee filled her.
"I can't believe I did it. I have never been able to teleport more than a mile," Twilight exclaimed, bouncing excitedly.
"I had faith you could. I don't think the Element of Magic would have chosen you if you didn't have great potential," Coltyn congratulated. "Have a good evening Twilight."
"You too Coltyn," Twilight said, walking into her library. |
Journey from Darkness | Chapter 2: Crossroads | Coltyn had made progress in gathering all the ingredients for the ritual to banish the lingering chaos affecting the Elements of Harmony. Coltyn was glad that Zecora had the plants he was missing now the only thing he needed was dragon's blood. Coltyn gathered a bag of medical supplies and placed them into his saddlebag as he headed out. ***
Coltyn was greeted by Twilight as he arrived at the library.
"Hello Coltyn. Are you here to study some more?" Twilight asked, inviting him in.
"No, I actually need to speak with your assistant, Spike. Is he in?"
"Yes, he's here. Why do you want to talk to him, if you don't mind me asking?"
"I need to ask for some of his blood for the ritual," Coltyn explained, sighing deeply.
"What?! Why would a ritual call for dragon's blood?" Twilight gasped in disbelief.
"Dragons are very powerful creatures and their life energy is the most concentrated in their blood. Even a drop can fuel some of the most powerful magic."
"How does that work. I haven't seen or read any book involving augmenting spells like that."
"Well a good mage can perform a lot of magic, but a great mage can augment spells to fit his or her needs. Something I have been working on for the past thousand years."
"I see. That sounds interesting... I would like to read about how that works."
"Well there have not really been books written about magic augmentation but rather cross referencing different sources that have the same effect and a bit of trial and error. But I can show you some of my notes on ones I have perfected, if Princess Celestia permits it."
"I'll send her a letter later; you're here to talk with Spike. He's upstairs working on a costume," Twilight informed, pointing upstairs.
"Thank you, Twilight Sparkle," Coltyn nodded, walking upstairs.
Coltyn wondered why the little dragon would be making a costume as he opened the door to the study. He saw Spike working on a purple outfit with green spikes.
"So you are making a costume of yourself," Coltyn chuckled, walking in on Spike.
"Coltyn! What are you doing here? This was supposed to be a surprise," Spike said, trying to hide the costume.
"I won't tell anypony what I saw. Don't worry. Actually, the reason I came today is to test a theory I have been working on."
"Oh, really?" Spike responded, questioning him. "What theory is that?"
"I want to know if the way something is acquired changes the power of spells it is used with. In essence, I wish to determine whether something given with love is stronger than something taken by force."
"So what do you want from me?" Spike queried.
"I need a bit of your blood to know the difference," Coltyn explained.
"Well I have thick scales, how are you going to get it?" Spike queried.
"With this," Coltyn said as he pulled out a syringe with a long narrow needle.
Spike stumbled back a few steps and exclaimed. "That's huge! I don't want to get stuck with that thing!"
"Please Spike, I need to take this sample. Do it for Twilight."
"Well ok. Will it hurt?" Spike asked as he held out his arm.
"I don't know. I have only taken blood from much older dragons and they don't seem to notice," Coltyn explained, cleaning the scales round the inside of Spike's elbow.
"Let me know when you're going to do it."
"Ok. I just need to see the veins," Coltyn said, lighting his horn as his eyes turned red. "There now let's see... What's that?" Coltyn shouted, pointing behind Spike.
Spike quickly turned his head to see what Coltyn pointed at but saw nothing but bookshelves. Coltyn, having turned Spike's attention away, quickly drew the small sample and was done before Spike turned back to face him.
"There's nothing... hey you tricked me," Spike huffed, noticing the syringe a quarter full of a thick red liquid.
"That may be true but you didn't even notice that I had taken it, and even put a bandage on," Coltyn smiled, pointing to the cloth tied around Spike's elbow.
"Holy guacamole," Spike exclaimed, looking at the neatly wrapped bandage. "How did you do that so fast?"
"Well usually I have to find an adult dragon and, well, let's say... speed counts," Coltyn chuckled, emptying the syringe into a vial and sealing it.
"So how can you tell how strong my blood is?"
"There is a spell that uses dragon's blood as a catalyst and the effect varies depending on age and strength of the dragon."
"Do you mind if I tag along. I want to know how strong I am," Spike boasted, flexing his arms.
"I don't see why not," Coltyn said, walking out of the study.
They headed downstairs. Twilight was busy browsing some books on teleportation.
"Hey, Twilight! Coltyn and I are going to see how powerful I am. Wanna come?" Spike exclaimed.
"I'd love to but I'm in the middle of something," Twilight said, pointing at the collection of books sitting out.
"That's fine. Come on, Spike, let's leave her to study," Coltyn said, opening the front door as he and Spike left. ***
Coltyn took Spike out to the open field outside of Ponyville.
"So how do you tell how powerful a dragon's blood is?" Spike asked.
"The best indicator is their breath weapon and long ago we discovered how to mimic it," Coltyn explained.
"So you're gonna breathe fire? I don't think you will get a long flame," Spike sighed.
"You're young and your breath weapon is still developing."
Coltyn cleared a long path and set up a magic range 150 feet long with a barrier surrounding them so nopony could enter and get hurt.
"Now you first," Coltyn said, motioning to the base line.
Spike took a deep breath and exhaled a line of green flame.
"Three feet, you seem to be right on track given your size and age," Coltyn explained.
"Oh yeah, let's see you do better," Spike challenged.
Coltyn smiled as he took out the small vial and opened it. Using his magic drew a circle on his neck; Coltyn's eyes turned green as he inhaled deeply. The circle flashed green as a line of green flames raced down the range hitting the back wall he set up. Coltyn pulled back on the spell so he wouldn't break the barrier he set up which caused him to start coughing smoke. Spike stood there, mouth agape as he looked upon the scorched earth.
"How did that happen?" Spike asked in shock.
"Your true potential is still locked away because of your size but don't worry," Coltyn coughed, as smoke drifted from his nose and mouth. "You have the potential to be a mighty dragon someday."
Spike swelled with pride knowing he would be strong someday. Coltyn was glad to see Spike's enthusiasm but even more happy that he didn't have to go and find a dragon on such short notice.
"So what was that costume you were making earlier?" Coltyn asked.
"Oh, it's for Nightmare Night... that's at the end of next month. So what will you dress up as?" Spike wondered.
"I won't be. I don't personally like what it stands for."
"Awww, that's too bad. Anyway I should be getting back to the library."
"Very well. Oh, tell Twilight go gather the others in a week at her home and if you could, please send this to Princess Celestia," Coltyn said, handing Spike a scroll.
"What does it say?"
"It tells her what I am doing and when, a basic list."
Spike shrugged, blowing a flame on the parchment and then watching for a moment as the smoke ascended to Canterlot. They headed back to town and Coltyn stopped by his cart. Once there, Coltyn invited Spike in and asked for the blood he would need for the ritual. Spike offered his arm again and freely gave his life essence. Coltyn gave Spike a small ice cream to help him cope with the loss of blood.
"So has Twilight decided on a costume for Nightmare Night?" Coltyn wondered, cleaning up and putting away the vials.
"No. She keeps saying she wants to go as some famous magician from long ago but can't find any description of his clothes," Spike said, walking for the door.
"I see," Coltyn said, opening the door to his cart. "Here give this to her. I think it'll help."
Coltyn gave Spike a book with a unicorn profiled on the cover and no other writing.
"What is this book about?" Spike asked, turning the book looking for a title.
"It's a history book and I think the pony she is looking for is described in there," Coltyn said, smiling.
"If you say so," Spike replied dubiously. "I guess I'll see you later." Spike waved goodbye and closed the door. ***
The week quickly passed and Coltyn finished gathering all of the supplies he would need and set off towards the library. He knocked on the door as the sun just cleared the horizon and was greeted by Spike who welcomed him into the library. Coltyn saw the six Elements of Harmony and Princess Celestia holding an ornate jeweled case under her wing.
"Greetings, Princess Celestia," Coltyn smiled, bowing.
"Hello, Coltyn. Are you ready?" Celestia asked.
"I'm ready. A better question is are they ready?" Coltyn asked, looking at the six.
They all nodded, even though fear and worry were obvious in their body language.
"Very well," Coltyn said, putting down his saddlebag.
Coltyn cleared the lobby of the library and, pulling all the curtains, he placed several candles around the center of the library. First he took a small censer on a chain and placed some lavender and sage inside and lit it. He walked around the room swinging the censer filling the room with the smell of burnt lavender and sage. He pulled out a piece of white chalk and a piece of parchment. Coltyn took the chalk in his mouth and began drawing a large circle with six smaller circles inside. He moved out of the circle and took the chalk with his magic and started the intricate task of creating the runes and connectors for the magic to flow through. Finally, he put the representation of each of their cutie marks in each one of the circles and an urn in the center. Coltyn motioned for the others to take a seat in the circle. Each went to the circle with their mark in it and sat down.
"Princess, the Elements of Harmony, please," Coltyn requested.
Princess Celestia presented the case and placed the necklaces on the necks of their appropriate pony, the crown on Twilight's head. Coltyn lifted the vial of dragon's blood out from his bag and inscribed runes on each of their heads for protection and to help purify their minds. Coltyn then placed angelica around the outside edge of the circle and lit it. The smoke rose, forming a translucent dome over the six ponies. They all began to squirm uncomfortably as they each swallowed lilac blossoms and the petals from a pink rose. Every minute felt like hours as the six each seemed to be arguing with some unseen pony. Black viscous liquid began to fall from the chests of the six ponies. Hitting the floor, the liquid puffed into smoke and collected over the urn. Celestia and Coltyn were both unnerved to see the smoke in the middle of the circle form into Discord - the monster bared its fangs roaring as he manifested.
"NO!!! Not again!!!" Discord bellowed, seeing the predicament he was in. "You may have beaten me but I'll be back, you can't destroy chaos. You can count on that," Discord laughed.
The Elements of Harmony glowed brightly as bright colors flashed from the jewelry chaining down the ghostly form. A flash of white closed the circle, binding the ghostly form as smoke rose from the urn in the shape of huge jaws that clamped down. Discord struggled, but the combination of the Elements of Harmony and the binding circle were too strong; he was sucked into the urn. The six ponies collapsed and Celestia looked at Coltyn with narrowed eyes wanting an answer.
"They are resting. This has taken a great deal of strength from them. They should come to within a day or two," Coltyn explained, carefully examining the six's vital signs.
"I am impressed. I am still not sure how much I can trust you but this has proven that you deserve a second chance," Celestia conceded. "Spike, please give my regard to Twilight for I must return to Canterlot. Coltyn I want you to stay here and wait for them to wake and let me know immediately if anything is wrong."
Coltyn and Spike bowed. "Of course, Princess Celestia."
Celestia walked out the door, and with a flash of brilliant light, she was gone. Coltyn heaved a deep sigh as he turned to Spike.
"We should get something for them to eat when they wake up. They will most likely be hungry," Coltyn said.
"So this ritual made it so that they'll no longer act crazy?" Spike asked.
"No, this ritual just removed the remaining influence Discord left in them. Only they can change their personal quirks."
"That's too bad. It would be nice if Twilight was less of a bookworm."
"I'm sure," Coltyn chuckled, walking into Twilight's kitchen.
Spike and Coltyn made some floral sandwiches with apples, hay fries, and water. They took turns sitting with the six as they waited for them to wake up. ***
Twilight was the first to stir from her rest the next day. Spike ran up and hugged her, relieved to see her up.
"I was so worried," Spike exclaimed, with tears in his eye.
"Thank you, Spike," Twilight said softly, hugging Spike.
"Ah, you have awakened," Coltyn said, wheeling a dining cart into the lobby. "How are you feeling?"
"Hungry, a bit of a headache. But it seems that my nightmares have left," Twilight said, rubbing her stomach and head.
"Good. That means it worked. Discord's final grip on you has been broken," Coltyn sighed in relief. "I will take my leave before the others wake," Coltyn said, gathering his things as the others began to stir.
"Thank you. I hope you can join us for Nightmare Night," Twilight called to him just before he crossed the threshold.
"We'll see," Coltyn smiled and nodded, closing the door.
Coltyn was never thrilled with Nightmare Night. He always found the legend of Nightmare Moon offensive. Modern ponies had come to portray her as a monster and a foal eater, which was just obscene. In Coltyn's mind, Nightmare Moon was a glorious and majestic mare who fought for the common pony and deserved to be honored and respected. He would take Twilight up on her invitation, but would first visit the old ruins deep in Everfree as he had done every year for the past thousand years. ***
Coltyn woke up the day of Nightmare Night to the sound of a hoof knocking. He opened the door to see Applejack standing there, smiling hopefully.
"Good morning, Applejack. How may I help you?" Coltyn asked.
"Hiya, Coltyn! I noticed you weren't very busy, and ya didn't seem to be in the spirit of the festival comin' up, so... well I was hopin' ya might find it in ya to help us out at the farm for a bit today. We're behind with the applebuckin', on account of the Mayor askin' me to organize the games for tonight, and I'd be real grateful if ya could lend a hoof for a few hours."
"I'm not busy so I think I could help out."
"Thank ya kindly, Coltyn. Big Macintosh is out in the orchard already."
Coltyn nodded as he and Applejack headed for Sweet Apple Acres. Climbing the hill, Coltyn saw a large red stallion pulling a huge cart full of empty buckets out to the field. Coltyn and Applejack made their way down to Big Mac.
"Heya, big brother! I got us an extra set of hooves to help," Applejack called.
"Hello, Big Macintosh," Coltyn called as they approached.
Big Mac nodded and continued his work. Applejack explained the basics of applebucking and that they would need to collect as many apples as they could from the east field before supper time. Coltyn nodded and the three of them started at the end of the first row. Coltyn had never done this kind of work before, and it quickly became obvious as he only managed to make a few apples shake loose with each kick. Coltyn, realizing he was doing something wrong, studied Big Mac and Applejack. With a little study and some trial and error, Coltyn was able to clear a tree in four to five kicks instead of over a dozen.
After a while, Applebloom came out to the orchard with a bucket of water and Coltyn and Applejack stopped to take a short break and get a drink. Big Mac stopped only long enough to take a drink of water then continued working.
"You know, I never thought I would find two ponies that are so completely different who have the same work ethic," Coltyn observed contemplatively, taking a drink of the lightly salted water.
"What do ya mean? What ponies?" Applejack asked.
"Your brother and Twilight Sparkle, they both work very hard and are dedicated to the tasks and goals they set out to accomplish, to the point of total exclusion of anything else."
Big Mac overheard their conversation but didn't outwardly react. He did find Coltyn's comparison interesting, but had more important things to think about at the moment. The three ponies worked steadily through the day, and were able to harvest the field completely, only moments before Granny Smith rang a triangle for dinner.
After dining with the Apples, Coltyn headed back to his cart. He had some personal business to attend before the evening's festivities. ***
Coltyn headed out after a quick bath and took a small bunch of midnight blue roses with him in his saddle bag. Coltyn trotted down the path and made his way through the forest. The moon was rising as he stood in front of the ruins of the old fort he once called home. He stood and reminisced on all that had happened over the years. This year however he left earlier than usual, something inside told him to go back to Ponyville. Coltyn placed the roses on the step that led to the main hall and as he made his way back to Ponyville he noticed a strange disturbance in the sky with unexplained lightning. Passing his cart on the way back, he decided to at least try to fit in. Coltyn pulled out the trunk with his barding and stood in front of a mirror to don it. Putting on his helm he looked in the mirror and smiled as the memories of battles won came to his mind. With a sense of wistful nostalgia, he left out to find Twilight. Searching the town, he first noticed Applejack in her scarecrow costume and approached her.
"Hello Applejack, have you seen Twilight anywhere?" Coltyn asked plainly.
"Hey there Coltyn, nice costume," Applejack replied. "I think I saw her over by the grove on the southern edge of the forest."
"Thanks," Coltyn said, heading off to the grove.
Coltyn made his way through town and was approaching the grove when he heard the crack of thunder and seconds later saw Rainbow Dash flying like mad. Coltyn curiously trotted over to where he heard the thunder. Once there, he saw Twilight and Spike, but froze in shock when he noticed Luna. His Princess was laying on a dark thunder cell, her legs folded neatly under her. Luna's mane wafted gracefully down her neck and her tail lay relaxed over the back of the cloud. Coltyn was struck by seeing the beautiful mare he hadn't seen in over a thousand years. His heart was racing; he was overjoyed to see his lovely Princess of the Night.
"Greetings, Princess Luna of the Night. My name is Coltyn Pendragon," Coltyn introduced himself, bowing to the Princess.
"Greetings Coltyn Pendragon, I must say that thy greeting was not expected given the reception I have had from the citizens of Ponyville," Luna replied, mildly confused.
"Do you not know who I am?" Coltyn asked, lifting his helm to show his whole face.
"How can I know thou when we have just met?" Luna asked.
Luna's question felt like a knife cutting his heart, and his knees buckled slightly under the shock, though he tried not to allow them to give way. Twilight and Spike looked at each other with worried expressions. Coltyn's eyes glazed as the truth of what happened when the Elements of Harmony purified Luna... wiped her memory of darkness. Luna didn't know him, didn't know that they had been allies long ago. She was no longer the mare he knew and loved, Coltyn was overcome with sorrow and grief but the stray tear that rolled down his cheek was the only outward sign he gave.
"Excuse me, Princess," Coltyn choked, turning quickly and galloping back to his cart.
Luna was confused, turning to Twilight, "What happened? Did I say something wrong?"
"I don't know what to tell you. I think it best to you talk with Princess Celestia about him," Twilight said cautiously.
"I see, I will consult with my sister," Luna said, standing up from her cloud. "His reaction and way of addressing me was rather interesting, almost like he knew me."
Luna departed and left Twilight and Spike waving good-bye in the forest. Twilight sighed as she looked off in the direction Coltyn went.
"Do you think he's ok?" Spike asked.
"I doubt it. He found out that the mare he cared so much for doesn't even know him anymore," Twilight said, feeling sorry for Coltyn. "He will need some time alone. Come on Spike, let's go home."
Spike nodded and jumped on Twilight's back and they made their way back home. ***
Coltyn galloped as fast as his hooves would carry him back to his cart. He was able to close the door before his emotions let flow a river of tears. The mare he loved was no more and had been reborn without her memories. Coltyn caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror and his sorrow began turning to rage.
"Curse the Elements of Harmony! They took away the one pony I knew I could be with for eternity!" Coltyn screamed, tears flowing like rivers.
Lifting his helm with magic he threw it at the mirror shattering it into hundreds of shards.
"I just wanted her to remember me but no matter what I do it never works!" Coltyn bellowed.
He ripped the barding from his back, damaging some of the straps, and slammed it into his work table, destroying the work that was on it and shattering more glass tubes and vials.
"I am tired of failure," Coltyn said, calming down a bit. "I guess this is my punishment for cheating death."
Coltyn's mind was lost and he needed to work out some frustration. He turned and charged through the door, bursting it off the hinges, and galloped into the Everfree Forest. ***
The next morning Twilight woke up later than usual and headed down to the study that Coltyn used. Seeing it dark and empty she went to the kitchen where Spike was making breakfast.
"Morning, Twilight," Spike said, flipping a grass and oat flour pancake.
"Morning, Spike. Has Coltyn been in yet today?" Twilight asked.
"Nope. Nopony has been in the library today," Spike replied, turning to Twilight. "Do you think he's ok? I mean the way he took off last night, seems odd to me."
"No, I don't think he's ok. I'll go look for him after breakfast," Twilight said with resolve. "Would you mind taking care of the library while I go and find him?"
"Well ok, just be careful."
"I will, Spike," Twilight said, taking the breakfast he prepared and setting off.
Twilight walked through town but as she got to Coltyn's cart she stopped, looking at the cart door and odd scent coming from inside. She slowly poked her head through the door and was stunned to see the destroyed work desk and the shattered glass that covered the floor with Coltyn's armor strewn about. She turned to see his hoof prints leading out to Everfree. Driven to find out what happened, Twilight set out into Everfree. Twilight followed his prints but didn't like the fact that he galloped at full speed through the forest.
Twilight pushed aside some brush and stopped at the edge of a clearing. A manticore lay motionless with its head in a small puddle of blood; the sight turned Twilight's stomach but the slight movement of its head and the snapping sound put her back on alert. Slowly walking around the beast she saw Coltyn, his mane was a mess and his coat was matted red with blood with claw marks covering his body. His eyes showed that he was lost deep in thought. He didn't react to Twilight's approach as he examined a tooth from the manticore. A branch snapped under her hooves, the sound bringing Coltyn's head up suddenly, the haze of grief still tinting his eyes slightly red.
"Oh. It's you," Coltyn said as Twilight stepped back, startled.
"What happened here?" Twilight queried, pointing her hoof at the manticore.
"Oh, I ran into him last night and decided to work off a bit of my frustration, not to mention that manticore poison is very useful but only when mixed with adrenaline," Coltyn explained.
"So is it dead?" Twilight wondered, looking over the manticore.
"No, sleeping. I was healing the damage I had done to the poor creature. I didn't want to hurt it this much," Coltyn continued, replacing the broken tooth.
"Hurt it?!" Twilight exclaimed. "I'm worried about you and all you're worrying about is healing your attacker? That makes no sense."
Coltyn sighed as he stood up to face Twilight. "I have enough potions to heal myself completely back at my cart. I can't drag a manticore back to town though, so his wellbeing is my top priority."
"Well, I guess I can understand but how can you heal a creature who did you harm?"
"I have already done enough harm in this world. There is no sense in killing a creature when you can leave it alive and I'm trying to make up for some of my past mistakes, lending a hoof when I can."
"So is that why you helped us? Some sort of self-satisfaction?" Twilight questioned.
"No. I did what I swore to do a long time ago, defend Equestria."
"That isn't what I want to know. I want the whole story no more half-truths or dodging."
"Very well," Coltyn sighed. "Let's go back and once we get to my cart I will tell you anything you want to know."
"Promise? No more secrets?" Twilight inquired.
"No more secrets but I must ask that everything we talk about stays between us," Coltyn informed her.
"Of course."
"Come on let's get going before he wakes up," Coltyn advised, gathering a few glass vials before heading for home. |
Journey from Darkness | Chapter 3: Plague Potion | Coltyn and Twilight entered his cart. Coltyn put the materials he gathered down and looked at the mess he left.
"Well I should clean up first," Coltyn sighed.
"I'll lend a hoof," Twilight said with a smile.
Coltyn shook his head, "Thank you Twilight but I'll take care of this."
Twilight looked at him sternly, "I insist and will not take no for an answer."
"I guess I can't change your mind. There's a broom in the corner. I'll get the clutter picked up while you sweep up the broken glass."
"Ok, let's get started," Twilight smiled.
Twilight began picking up the clutter on the floor while Coltyn headed to the back of the cart. Coltyn levitated a small bottle down and drank the contents. Coltyn concentrated, and a black aura radiated around all his wounds closing them without leaving scars and regrowing his fur. Twilight was impressed at the power of his potions but continued to clean up.
They worked for about an hour when Twilight heard the thud of a book hitting the floor. Twilight looked over to see Coltyn standing with his head hung to the floor, neighing softly. Twilight found a blanket and laid it on his back and looked at the book he had dropped. The book was called Perplexing Pony Plagues and fell open to an entry on Horn Rot, a disease that eats the magic core of a unicorn's horn causing their magic to become weaker and in some cases lose it all together. Twilight was surprised to see all the notes written in the sidebar which referred to the cure and regrowing the magic core. Twilight gleaned that Coltyn had been working on a way to regrow a unicorn's horn.
"What happened to make him dig so deep into this?" Twilight whispered.
"Must... fix... horn... great... sin... ," Coltyn mumbled in his sleep.
Twilight looked at him and wondered what his disjointed rambling meant.
'He must be trying to fix a unicorn's horn but how is that a sin?' Twilight pondered.
Twilight shrugged her shoulders and finished picking up the clutter on the floor. She wrote a note and left it on the table. She took her leave and left Coltyn to sleep. ***
Coltyn woke up to the horrible sound of pounding echoing through his ears. His bloodshot eyes, sore and heavy with exhaustion, made it hard to see as he peered around the still broken door.
"What is that pounding?" Coltyn bellowed, leaving his cart to find the source.
"Oh... sorry Coltyn. I was just hanging fliers for the Sister Hooves Social at the end of the week," Applebloom said, shying away from Coltyn.
"Sorry. I shouldn't have yelled at you. I've had a bad couple of nights and very little sleep."
"It's ok. I've finished up around here," Applebloom explained. "Hey, what is it you do in there?"
"Oh, I study and mix potions," Coltyn replied groggily.
"Do you think you could whip up a potion to get me my cutie mark?" Applebloom asked with wide puppy dog eyes.
"No, but I have some potions that allow the copying of other ponies' talents and cutie marks," Coltyn muttered, walking back into his cart.
Coltyn looked at the cart noticing that it had been cleaned up. He smiled and made a mental note go and thank Twilight for the help when he felt better. Coltyn went back behind his work table and lay down in front of the small pot-bellied stove. He heard hoof beats inside but the stress of the night before was still taking its toll and he fell back asleep. ***
Coltyn woke up, every muscle in his body hurt and all his joints were stiff. Coltyn shambled over to his tub and magically drew heated water from the large cauldron on the stove to the tub. He let the water fill to the brim covering his entire body. He floated a jar off the nearby shelf and sprinkled the contents into his bath. Coltyn closed his eyes - the sweet scent of the herbs filling the air with calming energies. The water slowly began to shift around him massaging his muscles, relaxing his tired body and rejuvenating it. Coltyn entered a trance as his strength slowly returned to him; the distant singing of birds and the soft breeze gently rustling the tree leaves aided in the calming aura allowing Coltyn to immerse completely in the healing herbal bath. ***
Hours rolled by and Coltyn was lifted from his trance when he heard hoof beats approaching. He was shocked looking out the small window to see the moon rising over the hill. Stepping out of the bath he drained the tub and began to dry as somepony knocked on his door.
"Hello. Coltyn are you here?" Rarity's voice echoed.
"Yes, just a minute," Coltyn replied, quickly running a brush through his mane. "How may I help you?" Coltyn said, entering the main room.
"I was wondering if you had seen my sister Sweetie Belle. She ran off on me and I need to find her," Rarity explained.
"No I have been taking care of some other things. I did see Applebloom around here earlier maybe your sister is with her," Coltyn said, the brush still working through his tail.
"Thanks Coltyn. It's good to see you well, Twilight was worried about you."
"You're welcome. Why do you say Twilight was worried? When did she tell you?"
"Two days ago at our spa session. It was a side comment but I see how she acts when her mind wanders and I am sure it's you she is thinking about."
"That's interesting. Wait. Two days ago... how long was I asleep?"
"I don't know but this is, from what I gather, the third day you didn't show up at the library. I need to get galloping, talk to you later."
"Yes, see you later Rarity," Coltyn said, waving as Rarity galloped over to Sweet Apple Acres.
'Two days I was passed out? That's rather annoying, I had hoped to get ahead but now I've fallen behind,' Coltyn thought, mending the broken door on his cart. 'Might as well get some rest, next week will be busy.' ***
The sun rose on a beautiful Monday morning and Coltyn was readying to head over to Zecora's to learn some new potion techniques, but first he had to visit Twilight. Coltyn teleported over to the library and knocked on the door.
Twilight opened the door with a smile. "Glad to see you're well Coltyn."
"Yes, I'm sorry I worried you. I just needed some rest."
"So are you here to study some more?"
"No, actually I am going to be spending some time with Zecora and working on some potion making techniques."
"Ok, well I'm just happy that you're better."
"Thank you. It's nice to know someone cares. Well I have to get going, have a good day Twilight."
"You too, Coltyn," Twilight waved as Coltyn teleported. ***
Back at his cart, Coltyn hitched himself to the front and pulled it into the forest. On his way out of town he saw Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo heading toward the bowling alley. Coltyn thought nothing of it making his way past the field of poison joke and safely into the heart of the forest to a large tree decorated with many old artifacts from the zebra tribes. Coltyn noticed the tree home to be dark. Walking up to the front door he saw a note pinned to it.
'Earlier today I have gotten a request for a mix, but I don't have the herbs to fix. The matter is urgent indeed so I left some materials out for you to read. I shall return soon with a bountiful boon.'
Coltyn chuckled to himself. "She even writes in rhyme."
Coltyn left his cart behind Zecora's home and let himself in. As she had written there was a small stack of books along with a few notebooks. Coltyn picked up the top book labeled Tonics and Tinctures and set to reading. Paging through the books he noted some additional catalysts that he never thought of using. Zecora hadn't returned from her foraging so leaving a similar note on the table, Coltyn set out to find some of the materials and mix up some trial potions.
Coltyn had been gathering some plants along with diamonds, rubies, and emeralds. On his way back to Zecora's hut he ran into her in a small field of Amethyst.
"Hello, Zecora. How are you today?" Coltyn greeted her.
"I am fine," Zecora said, noticing the book she had left out. "I see you've wasted no time."
"Yes, I found some information that is worth testing. I was just on my way back."
"Let us return to my home and look over those tomes," Zecora said, leading the way.
Rounding the last tree as the sun reached its highest point in the sky Zecora and Coltyn stopped in shock. The door to Zecora's hut was hanging open as was the door on Coltyn's cart. They galloped to their homes to see what happened and what was missing. Coltyn surveyed his cart and discovered a potion base which could be altered depending on what was added. Zecora looked over her hut and couldn't find the Heart's Desire that she left out.
"Zecora, do you know who would have done this?" Coltyn asked, worried.
"I am sure I do, it must have been Applebloom. The youth had chipped her tooth and I told her of a mix I was brewing for a rooster and his chicks. She wants her cutie mark but she seems to lack the spark. She has used the Heart's Desire and has left the mire."
"This is bad, that plant was mixed with a potion base and caused the Cutie Pox Plague long ago. The cure I didn't learn until later was hidden in a plant called Thorns of Deceit. Hidden within are seeds which hold the cure but I never figured out how to make them bloom."
"Have no fear, my stallion friend, for I know how the Seeds of Truth to tend. The Seeds do indeed hold the cure, growing with words spoken, true and pure. It is unfortunate I have none in my home, as the location of Thorns of Deceit is unknown."
"That is ok. I know where some grows. It's where one of the greatest deceptions of history took place, the old fort in Everfree."
Coltyn and Zecora gathered some supplies as it would be a long walk to the fort. The walk there was uneventful and the moon was climbing into the sky as they had made it to the fort. Coltyn and Zecora headed around the fort to the southern facing side. Coltyn and Zecora looked on in shock as the entire southern wall was overgrown with various trees and brush and mixed in was the plant they were looking for: the Thorns of Deceit.
"The Seeds of Truth are found at the plant's heart but I've no idea where to start," Zecora said looking into the tangled mess.
"I think I see a way in but I think it best if you wait here. I don't like the feeling I'm getting and I don't want to get you hurt," Coltyn said, pulling out a rope and tying it around his waist. "Here, if I tug three times go ahead and pull me out. I'll take care of any injuries later." Zecora nodded, taking the rope into her mouth.
Coltyn looked into the mess seeing only a small opening and as he cleared the initial growth he disappeared. The thick vines constricted the path making every step an effort to not get cut. Coltyn pushed through even as the path seemed to get tighter and avoiding the thorns was impossible. Coltyn felt every needle-like thorn cut his flesh and it seemed that the plant was closing in on him. ***
Zecora stood at the entrance that Coltyn went through slowly feeding the rope out. Soon after he went in, she noticed the thorns start to shift as if they were alive. She knew something was wrong and as she went to pull on the rope, two thorns severed it and closed tightly so no pony could enter. Zecora worried for Coltyn's safety. It was obvious that this plant was more than what she'd expected. ***
Coltyn felt the rope go limp and tugged on the rope only to feel no resistance. He pulled on the rope only to find the cut end. "Horse apples!" He exclaimed, removing the rope from him and continuing to the heart of the plant. The thorns continued to shift unnaturally while Coltyn continued on, so that even the thorns he thought he missed ripped into his flesh.
Coltyn stumbled out of the tangled mess covered in gashes and cuts from the thorns with blood matting his coat. He walked into a small clearing which at the center grew a large, thick, black, thorn covered trunk which reached up ten feet before branching out its vines into the woods. Coltyn approached slowly keeping his eyes scanning for danger. Coltyn had only gone a few feet when movement from the corner of his eye got his attention. The impact of one of the vines hitting him sent Coltyn rolling. He heard the cracking of a rib as every breath was painful but he quickly got to his feet as more vines attacked him. The vines grew thorns and Coltyn tried to dodge them but he was not successful as several of the vines buried their thorns deep into his flesh. Coltyn coughed up blood, staggering to his hooves as the vines wrapped around is back hoof pulling him up into the air.
Coltyn shook his head trying to see where he was being dragged. His vision focused on the maw of the plant. Its digestive enzymes poured from the sharp thorns which were staggered and bent slightly inward to give it maximum holding power. In the back of the maw was the glimmer of three little seeds. Coltyn knew that these had to be what he was seeking. Focusing his magic, he grabbed the seeds and ripped them from the creature. The plant let go shrieking in pain which caused the limbs to open a path out. Coltyn stashed the seeds and galloped as hard as he could out back toward Zecora. ***
Zecora paced about the area where Coltyn entered, worrying that he may be in danger. She perked her ears and watched as the thorns quickly withdrew into the darkness of the woods. She trotted into the edge where he had entered and could hear distant galloping. Coltyn came into view and she breathed a sigh of relief until she noticed the look of panic on his face. She opened her mouth to speak but Coltyn called out upon seeing her.
"Run now! Talk later!" Coltyn ordered, side stepping a thorn trying to impale him.
Zecora, seeing the danger, turned tail and ran. Coltyn caught up to her and they galloped hard and fast all the way back to her hut not looking back. Zecora and Coltyn finally slowed as her hut came into view, looking back they didn't see any sign of pursuit.
"You must have encountered great distress because you look an utter mess," Zecora gasped, looking over the wounds on Coltyn's body.
"It is nothing I can't fix. I just need to get to my cart," Coltyn said, falling to the ground exhausted staring up as the sun's rays shone through the trees.
The adrenalin was wearing off and the pain overcame him. He lay on the ground with every panting breath sending a wave of pain through his body. Zecora quickly went into her hut to find some potions to help heal his wounds. Coltyn slowly got his breathing under control and focused on his wounds, replacing and knitting the broken bones and closing all the gashes and cuts.
Zecora came out of her hut with a renewal potion to see Coltyn covered by a dark aura which was mending his wounds. Within minutes all the cuts, bruises, and broken bones had mended.
"You have unnatural healing speed for such a normal looking steed," Zecora explained, raising a curious eyebrow.
Coltyn had never let anypony know of his healing abilities. "You can't tell anypony what you saw," Coltyn stated, standing up. "I don't need a bunch of ponies looking to me for instant healing and quick fixes."
"I can your reason comprehend, but why hide such a gift to mend?" Zecora asked, offering the potion to Coltyn.
"It's a double-edged sword," Coltyn said plainly. "I am blessed in that I will not die but cursed with eternal life. Trust me, I've known too many times why death could be a welcomed blessing," Coltyn explained somberly, a tear forming in his eye.
"Did you find the solution to our needs, the three special magic seeds?" Zecora quickly asked, changing the subject.
"Yes," Coltyn said, lifting the seeds with his magic. "These seeds will cure Applebloom but we must hurry she probably is gaining cutie marks pretty quickly," Coltyn said, with a sense of urgency.
Zecora nodded and Coltyn placed the seeds in her side bag and the two headed for Ponyville. ***
Coltyn and Zecora entered Ponyville to hear the screams of the locals who had barricaded themselves in their homes, leaving Twilight and Applejack standing in the middle of town as a tumble weed rolled by them.
"I thought I had removed their fear the last time I visited here, but doors are barred and shutters shut; guess I should have stayed inside my hut," Zecora said, walking up to AJ and Twilight.
"Zecora! Coltyn! Applebloom has cutie pox," Twilight said, obviously distressed.
Zecora and Coltyn looked over seeing Applebloom working out a calculus problem on a chalkboard.
"We were on our way to see if either of you knew of a cure," Twilight explained.
"But magically you both are here," AJ said, turning to Zecora. "Was your zebra sense tingling?"
"My zebra sense did not bring me round it was a special flower I needed found," Zecora explained.
"It seems that while Zecora and I were out somepony had taken the rest of her ingredients, not to mention a potion base I had mixed," Coltyn narrowed his eyes at Applebloom who was lifting a dumbbell with her tail.
Zecora walked up to Applebloom. "Applebloom, what do you say? Did this flower just walk away?"
Applebloom mumbled as a set of sponges appeared on her causing her to run and clean one of the windows of a nearby house. Not wanting to catch the cutie pox the ponies inside donned Haz-Mat masks. Twilight and AJ looked truly worried as Coltyn smiled.
"We have a cure which is hidden in the seeds of truth," Coltyn explained as Zecora pulled out the seeds from her bag.
"Well then give 'em to her quick," AJ exclaimed.
"These seeds must be planted in the ground. With the truth they will grow and the cure is found," Zecora explained.
AJ and Twilight looked at each other confused. "Come again?" AJ stated.
"The seeds of truth do hold the cure but one must speak words true and pure," Zecora clarified, narrowing her eyes at Applebloom.
"Well then let's get to it," AJ said, knocking the seeds into the air and planting them. "Alright they're planted, now somepony tell the truth!"
Coltyn and Zecora looked at Applebloom and waited for her to finally admit her crime as she tap danced past Pinkie Pie who was sitting on the entrance to Sugarcube Corner. A tornado mark appeared on Applebloom's flank and she started to spin wildly. Zecora and Coltyn just waited while AJ and Twilight were getting more worried and desperate.
"Somepony! Anypony!" AJ hollered, while the rest of the townsfolk hid.
"Yesterday, I told Mrs. Cake that I only ate two corn cakes but I really ate three," Pinkie exclaimed.
Twilight and AJ were hoping that this would cause the seeds to bloom but nothing happened. They then looked at Pinkie a little shocked.
"Ok, six! I ate six corn cakes!" Pinkie shouted, hoping the seeds wouldn't see through the lie.
Twilight and AJ looked at the soil covering the seeds, but still nothing happened.
"Make it stop! Oh, make it stop!" Pinkie cried.
Applebloom was still spinning like a tornado as she yelled. "Ah, I can't stand it anymore! It's me, I admit it! I didn't earn my cutie mark, they're all fake!"
Applebloom stopped spinning, sprawling on her stomach before she got up and began to tap dance again. Coltyn and Zecora looked at where Applejack had planted the seeds while Twilight and AJ dropped their heads to the ground to watch as the dirt began to shift.
"I figured that the heart's desire would help me get what I wanted most. So when Zecora left her hut I took one of Coltyn's basic potions and put the rest of the heart's desire in it," Applebloom admitted.
The seeds burst forth a stem and opened purple pedals with a white bell flower inside. Coltyn and Zecora smiled as the rest of the ponies looked on in wonder at the plant. Applebloom chomped the flower, and moments after she swallowed, it the excessive cutie marks began to vanish from her. Applebloom looked at her blank skin as her friends Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle ran to her side.
"Applebloom," Sweetie Belle squeaked.
"Are you OK?" Scootaloo asked.
"I'm great and I've never been happier to be a blank flank," Applebloom smiled seeing her friends. "But I'm awful sorry I lied, especially to you gals," Applebloom said, lowering her head. "I was just so desperate for my cutie mark I just got carried away," Applebloom admitted, her friends smiling. Applebloom walked up to Zecora and Coltyn. "And I'm really sorry I snuck those flowers and potion away from you two. Why I wouldn't blame ya if ya never wanted me to come by again."
Zecora smiled as she lifted Applebloom's head. "Now don't be silly you are always welcome my little filly. With each mistake we learn something new, growing up into a better you," Zecora stated.
Twilight and Applejack looked at Applebloom smiling and AJ gave her a wink as Zecora departed.
"I'm just glad that we could fix this and there are no permanent complications," Coltyn stressed the seriousness of her meddling.
Twilight turned to Applebloom. "Applebloom would you mind writing to Princess Celestia and telling her what you learned?"
"I'd be happy to Twilight. Spike!" Applebloom called, the little dragon speeding over.
"Ready!" Spike exclaimed, quill and parchment in hand.
"Dear Princess Celestia," Applebloom dictated as Spike wrote. "Waiting for what your heart desires can be really hard and you might try to take a short cut. But this dishonesty never works because you didn't earn what your heart desires. The only cure is being honest with yourself and others and that is something that every heart desires."
As Applebloom finished Spike rolled up the scroll and with a bit of fire sent the message off to the Princess. As Applejack went to talk to her sister Coltyn turned to Twilight.
"I have some things to get in Manehatten and I will be gone for a while," Coltyn said, almost sad to leave. "Here," Coltyn pulled out a small box. "This is a message box. I would like to keep you updated on my travels."
"That's very generous of you. We won't forget all you helped us with and I look forward to your letters," Twilight said with a smile.
Coltyn departed as Applebloom finally seemed to learn the importance of patience. Coltyn was just to the edge of the forest when he heard the sound of a filly, following him.
"Hey Coltyn," Applebloom called. "I know you're probably mad at me but could I ask you some questions?"
"Of course but why are you heading into the forest?" Coltyn wondered.
"Well I was hoping to get a lesson in potion making but, umm... what did you mean by permanent complications?" Applebloom asked, warily.
Coltyn's ears perked as he recalled the events in his mind as he continued to Zecora's. "Long ago two unicorn colts went to school at Clover's School of Magic and Potions. One was a potion maker with a cauldron cutie mark while the other was a blank flank. The blank flank seemed to excel in many areas of magic and eventually started to become a talented potion maker. His rival couldn't stand this blank outdoing him at what was his talent. So one day the potion maker stole a rare ingredient from the teacher's storage. But when he went to sour the blank's potion there was an accident and the ingredient fell into his own cauldron, instead. The teacher summoned the nurses, but it was already too late, as the potion blew up in the young pony's face, changing him forever."
"So somepony can be really good at something and still not earn their mark?" Applebloom asked.
"Yes, in the case of the blank, he was in school for the second year which was unusual for a blank to make it a year without getting their mark. However, it wasn't until his rival returned and the news of HER predicament spread. The ponies the potion maker use to call friends and allies began to bully her. One day the blank saw this and stepped up to defend her. The bullies turned their attention to the blank, insulting him, and calling him names, but it didn't work. The blank didn't back down, and when the bully's horn lit - preparing to cast - the blank did the same. The conflict broke out and the blank defended the filly with all his strength. The bullies had lost by the time the teachers arrived and they were sent to the medical wing to heal.
"The teachers took the young colt to see the headmaster but he turned to his former rival saying, 'to protect and defend.' With that statement a tingle on his flank let him know that he figured out his place in life and the first pony to see it was his former rival." Applebloom was entranced by his story and didn't even notice that they had reached Zecora's. "Well, I have business in Manehatten so I will see you later," Coltyn said, walking to his cart.
Applebloom just stood there running the scenario over in her mind. "Maybe I should think things through more before trying something I've never done. And maybe sometime you could teach me about potions?" Applebloom asked, shyly pawing at the dirt.
"You'd have to promise not to try anything on your own until I say you're ready," Coltyn warned.
"Oh no, I won't! I promise!"
Applebloom knocked on Zecora's door and when the zebra called out a welcome, stepped inside. Coltyn sighed as he hitched to his cart and with a flash of his horn he and his cart were gone. |
Journey from Darkness | Chapter 4: Broken Promise | Flying through the air with great speed, Coltyn descended to Manehatten. Coltyn walked out of the vapors, regaining his corporeal form to see only a few ponies roaming the streets, all of whom were wearing surgical masks. Coltyn walked up to a lemon colored filly bouncing a ball off the side of a building.
"Excuse me, but what is going on here?" Coltyn inquired.
The filly turned looking up. "Oh, didn't you hear? Hay Fever has gripped the town and..."
"Lemon Drop!" A mare called out, running to the filly. "What have I told you about talking to strangers," the mare scolded. "And you," she growled, turning to Coltyn. "You must have a death wish running around unprotected and I never want to see you near my foal again," the mare exclaimed, pushing the filly with her head to get her away from him.
"That was unexpected." Coltyn stood there for a minute trying to process what had just happened.
The mention of Hay Fever let him know that he needed to head to the hospital. Coltyn headed down the streets and noticed that all the businesses had closed signs up in the middle of the day. "This Hay Fever must be bad if all the shops are closed." ***
Dear Twilight Sparkle,
I have arrived in Manehatten to find the town plagued by Hay Fever. I have been working very closely with Nurse Kind Heart and hopefully we will have everypony back on their hooves soon. I have taken advantage of their archives here and have some new leads and possibly a way to kind of cheat the rules of magic. The tomes for its creation are held at the Magic Academy in Las Pegasus. I'm planning to book my train ride to have a layover in Canterlot for Hearth's Warming Eve. I have included my notes on the plague here in Manehatten and hope they help you in your studies.
Sincerely;
Coltyn Pendragon ***
Dear Coltyn Pendragon,
Thanks for the notes, they were really informative and I'm glad to hear that the plague is being handled. Life in Ponyville has been interesting as of late. My friends and I had our pets out for a play date and accidentally disturbed Rainbow Dash during her nap. She decided that she wanted a pet but wasn't sure of which one she wanted so she arranged a competition to decide. Fluttershy insisted on having a tortoise try as well much to Rainbow's disapproval. So the last challenge was a race through Ghastly Gorge and when Rainbow didn't make it to the finish line first I knew something was wrong. Turns out that the tortoise saved her from a rock that pinned her down and Rainbow finally chose her pet to be the tortoise. So it just goes to show that even against all odds if you stick with it you can come out on top. Hope to hear from you soon.
Your Friend;
Twilight Sparkle ***
Dear Twilight Sparkle,
Glad to hear you found my research helpful and thank you for the encouragement. Life in Manehatten has gotten mostly back to normal. Only the ponies who first came down with the fever are still recovering and my research is going smoothly. I think I might head to Las Pegasus early if things work out here. There is still something missing that I just can't put my hoof on. Well I'm sure I'll figure it out and I'm glad to hear your friend found a pet. I know it is a big responsibility taking care of a pet and I hope she can handle it. I can't wait to hear from you again.
Yours Truly;
Coltyn Pendragon ***
Dear Coltyn,
I have discovered that being heroic and receiving praise can be a good thing but if you let it go to your head you might need to get knocked back down to earth. Rainbow Dash recently had a massive ego attack and put a lot of lives in danger so we had to intervene. I won't bore you with details other than we successfully knocked it into her head that it's not the praise that you should work for but the safety and wellbeing of everypony. Also got to try my horn at a new repair spell I learned recently to fix objects and basically saved Ponyville from becoming a lake. I'll write you again soon.
Your Friend;
Twilight ***
Dear Twilight,
I met your friend Rarity at the train platform in Canterlot. She told me your birthday is in a couple days so Happy Early Birthday. Sorry I can't make it to your birthday party. I am currently working on making a Philosopher's or Sorcerer's Stone, depending on who you ask. This looks promising and I hope to be concluding my research soon. I have also included a copy of my perfected admixtures so that you can see how they work as a present. Have a wonderful Birthday and I'll keep you up to date on my work.
Your Friend;
Coltyn ***
Dear Coltyn,
I really wish you were here for the last few days. Spike had his birthday and with getting a bunch of presents from my friends he went around town demanding gifts. But the real shock came the next morning when he had doubled in size! After seeing some professionals I took him to Zecora and found out that dragons grow larger as they hoard more things. He was as large as the other dragons I'd seen but without wings, that was odd. But Rarity told me a good talking to snapped Spike back to his senses. Thank Celestia for Rainbow and Fluttershy who saved Rarity and Spike from becoming splatter marks on the ground. I never imagined Spike not being there for me, he's my number one assistant and friend. I'm just worried that he might change again and not come back. I'll wrap up before this becomes a dissertation and just say that I really wished you were here and could give some solid answers. Thanks for listening.
Your Friend;
Twilight
PS: Do you know anyway to fix a half destroyed home? I am not fond of having Pinkie Pie and the Cakes sleeping at my place. ***
Dear Twilight,
I will say it is odd for a dragon to grow that much but I guess it is because of his lack of experience and contact with other dragons. The best I can say to that is remind that you love and care for him and his wellbeing. I have a spell that will fix their home which is included in this letter just be sure to do the best you can at visualizing the final structure. I would read up on basic engineering so you know how to make a stable structure.
I have not found anything here relating to making the stone. There is nothing here that I don't already know so I will be packing my bags and heading back to Canterlot. The key to the stone's creation remains elusive, but I have confidence I will find it somewhere, possibly in the archives in Baltimare. It feels as though I'm overlooking something, but I just can't put my hoof on it. I will still be in Canterlot for Hearth's Warming, so I hope we can catch up then.
Your Friend;
Coltyn ***
The crisp air bit at Coltyn's nose as he appeared outside the city walls of Canterlot. He left his cart outside and cast an illusion on it to make appear to be part of the forest and wrapped himself in a hooded cloak, faded royal blue with purple lining. Coltyn walked into the city and was struck with awe as he had not seen so many lights and decorations before. All the store fronts were decorated with seasonal reds and greens as the ponies donned their best holiday outfits. Coltyn couldn't help but laugh at seeing two ponies walking down the street with their noses pointing to the sky making their breath look like the steam from the Friendship Express.
Coltyn made his way through the streets relearning the paths of his former home. Rounding a corner, his attention was caught by a light blue mare with a short cut tri-colored mane and tail waving in the gentle winter breeze. What made her stand out was the fact she was wearing just a light cloth over her wings and seemed to not be bothered by the cold. Coltyn was dazed by the beauty of her but his magic sense told him that he knew this mare. This was the filly he rescued and he couldn't believe that tiny foal had become this beautiful mare.
His mind raced. 'Should I approach her? What should I say? Why is my stomach turning?'
Coltyn stood there watching her as two pegasus guards approached her. There was a short discussion before she and the guards took to the sky. 'She works with the Royal Guard? Celestia must want to keep a close eye on her without raising suspicion.' Coltyn was mentally trying to put the pieces together when he heard a familiar voice behind him squeal, "And it's me!"
Smiling, Coltyn turned to see Twilight and her friends all walking together, heading toward the castle. He raised a hoof in greeting. "Hello everypony. What brings you all to Canterlot?"
Twilight proudly stepped forward. "We have been asked by Princess Celestia to play the lead roles in the Hearth's Warming Eve Pageant tomorrow."
"This is quite an honor. I'm sure you will all do a great job," Coltyn said, keeping pace with the six as they made their way to the castle.
The seven ponies made their way through Canterlot, Twilight and Coltyn mainly talked about magic uses and spell augmentation. The others chatted about their roles in the upcoming performance except for Fluttershy who seemed to be using every ounce of willpower she had not to run away.
When they arrived at the castle, Twilight invited Coltyn to stay with her so they could discuss the deeper workings of magic and help her practice some spells she would need to use during the pageant. Coltyn was a little hesitant but agreed and they all made their way up to the archives that Twilight used to call home before she moved to Ponyville.
They talked into the night and Coltyn finally had to tell Twilight to get some sleep and that he would continue their conversation in the morning. Coltyn left Twilight's room quietly and headed down the to the castle grounds and out into the streets of Canterlot. His mind was still shaken from earlier as he trotted aimlessly through the streets not paying attention to where his hooves were taking him.
Coltyn found himself in front of a small cafe and he felt the icy breeze send a chill down his spine through his cloak. He decided to get a warm drink and let his ears pick up the gossip around town. Coltyn was comfortably settled at the counter sipping tea when he noticed the blue mare he'd seen earlier enter the establishment, and sit a few cushions down from him. The bartender saw her walk in and began to mix up a frozen fruit drink, having it ready for her when she sat down. Coltyn couldn't hold back, he needed to talk to her.
"I must say I've never seen a mare of your youth with such a tangible air of authority before," Coltyn said, moving two cushions away from her.
She didn't even look at him. "I'm not interested in anything you have to offer."
"I just wish to know your name," Coltyn said, simply, unruffled by her blatant hostility.
"Why?" she asked, archly.
"Why? What do you wish to hear? That I think you're beautiful? You are. That you intrigue me? You do. That the air of mystery about you compels me to solve it? Of course. Perhaps you would prefer to hear that you carry yourself with great presence, or that your disaffected air makes you seem unapproachable, and leads one to wonder what lies beneath the surface? You know all of these things, and yet none of them matters. I only ask a name, nothing more."
She frowned. "Thunder Snow, Caption of the Pegasus Guard," Thunder Snow said, coldly.
Coltyn didn't say another word and went back to his drink as his ears scanned the conversations. The only conversation that intrigued him was that of two pegasi in the corner who were speculating about what he had said to get her to tell him her name. 'It seems she is sought after by others, although it would appear that she's cultivated a reputation for striking down offers. Interesting.' Coltyn thought, slowly drinking his tea. Out of the corner of his eye he could see her looking at him, not sure what had just happened.
Thunder Snow was known for her untouchable, unflappable strength, and had never felt the urge to tell another pony her name on the first meeting. She could string along stallions for weeks before turning them down. 'What was different about this one? How did he get to me? Why do I want to know how he did that? There is more to him then he showed, he is deep and mysterious. I must find out why.'
Coltyn lay his bits on the bar and adjusted his cloak just enough that Thunder Snow caught the royal purple lining. Coltyn slowly walked from the cafe and made his way back to a small motel he thought he passed on his journey.
Thunder Snow sat at the bar looking deeply into her fruit cocktail, lost in her own mind. 'He wears royal colors but still comes to places like this?' Shaking her head in irritation, she mentally chastised herself. 'Why am I still thinking about him? He's just another male. Still... I've never seen a stallion that direct and yet charming. What was that all about, really?' Thunder Snow shook her head trying to erase the thought of him from her mind. Nearly an hour passed, Thunder Snow looked intently into her drink as if it would give her answers to her questions. She laid her bits on the bar and left thinking only one thing, 'I must know his name.' ***
The six began to prepare for the pageant and Coltyn was helping by setting up the backdrops when he heard Fluttershy shriek in fear, and then a fiercely cold wind blew through the dressing room. Coltyn just listened, and as the six argued the wind raged stronger, until the young mares finally calmed down. Then, the rage of the storm abated just as suddenly as it hade developed. Coltyn couldn't quite put his hoof on it, but something felt familiar about the essence of that wind. 'Almost as if...' Coltyn shook his head. He needed to gather more information. Coltyn decided to leave the preparations and headed for a walk in the castle grounds. ***
Thunder Snow stood atop the castle tower in her blue and golden armor, looking over Canterlot. She could hear the argument between the six mares from Ponyville and she could feel something stir inside her. The air seemed to become colder while the wind picked up. She did feel the wind slow as the arguing stopped and then she saw him; the one who took her by surprise and managed to get her to tell him her name, and had the nerve to not even offer his. She leapt from the tower, the cold air racing around her form as she fell. Spreading her wings, she pulled up before hitting the ground and called out.
"You there!" Thunder Snow called.
Coltyn stopped, and turned toward the familiar voice. "Good evening, Thunder Snow, Captain of the Pegasus Guard."
Thunder Snow landed in front of him. "You have a lot of nerve. Ask a mare her name and not give yours."
"Yes. Thus, of course, you sought me out," Coltyn said, plainly.
"So, what, you tested me? That seems underhanded," Thunder Snow huffed.
"It is. But strong confident mares like you don't fall for lines and empty words. You have to play a little dirty," Coltyn informed her with a half-smile.
"I have to get back, but don't think I'm done," Thunder Snow scowled, walking by him and spreading her wings. She paused for a moment, and demanded, "Tell me your name."
"Coltyn Pendragon," he said, then stood and watched Thunder Snow fly back to the main hall.
Coltyn stood in the cold night air, his heart pounding slightly, before reason asserted itself, and he shook his head. 'What am I doing? She is HER daughter! I shouldn't get emotionally attached. Why can't I help but feel that my heart is betraying my head. This doesn't make sense; I never let my emotions get involved. What is happening to me?' Coltyn rested his head against one of his hooves.
Drawing his normal air of academic detachment around himself like armor, Coltyn made his way back to the dressing area, and settled on a bench where he could observe the pageant and the effects from backstage while he sorted through his thoughts. The play had gotten to the part where the windigos encase the leaders in the ice cave but something felt different. Coltyn reached out with his magic, extending his sense to try and find out what was making the difference.
Reaching out, he followed the strange disturbance to Thunder Snow, realizing with a shock that she had access to her magic. Coltyn reeled mentally as he realized the frightening significance of his discovery. 'Her core is still intact. That means that there is still time. But if she caused the weather to change that means that her magic is wild and uncontrolled. This is bad... the seal I placed on her must be fading. The time I had to fix this just got a lot shorter.'
Coltyn made his way to the dressing rooms and quickly scribed a note to Twilight, leaving it on her vanity. He penned another to Thunder Snow and asked one of the Pegasus Guards to deliver it to her. Coltyn trotted down the hall and, when he didn't see anypony, quickly teleported to his cart and took off. ***
After the pageant, Thunder Snow was keeping watch from the top of the castle tower when one of her guards flew up, delivering a message. She dismissed the guard and opened the letter.
'Dear Thunder Snow;
I have urgent matters to attend to so I won't be in Canterlot. This isn't the last you will hear from me though, I will return.
Sincerely,
Coltyn Pendragon'
Thunder Snow looked the short letter over and over, thinking 'He left. He just... LEFT!' Her mix of anger and loneliness burned deep in her heart as she bellowed from the roof. ***
Twilight and her friends were arguing over who should shut the window when the unholy, ear-piercing howl of what they thought must be a windigo made them cringe.
"You know what, I got it," Rainbow Dash said, flying over to shut the window.
Twilight looked at her dressing table and noticed a note. She opened it and began reading.
'Dear Twilight;
My time for research has been reduced and I must continue my work. I will keep you up to date when I can but I have a feeling that won't be often. Write you later.
Your friend,
Coltyn'
Twilight thought about the note on her way back to her room. She couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to Coltyn's sudden departure than he told her, and she was concerned. She had become so lost in thought that she didn't notice Princess Celestia approach her.
"You seem preoccupied. A bit for your thoughts," Princess Celestia said, playfully.
"Oh, Princess! Sorry, I got a note from Coltyn - he just took off. No reason or real explanation, just a brief 'I have to go, I'll write later'," Twilight explained, frowning.
"He has always been reclusive, and even before the war with my sister when she was calling herself Nightmare Moon, he was an enigma even to me," Princess Celestia admitted.
"He doesn't seem the kind of pony to do things without reason," Twilight pondered. "But why the sudden need to leave? It's like a puzzle I feel compelled to solve."
"I know how you feel, my faithful student. I tried to chase him for what I thought was his natural life, but he always managed to remain a step ahead of me. However, if your instincts are telling you there is something wrong, I trust them. Please keep me informed of what transpires, and of course, if you need my aid in any way, you have only to send a letter," Celestia said, heading for her chambers.
"Of course, Princess," Twilight acknowledged, bowing and waiting for the Princess to turn into another corridor before letting herself into her room.
That night, Twilight lay on her bed, thinking about the unexpected mystery of the evening. The note, Coltyn suddenly disappearing, nothing was adding up. She desperately wanted to solve the riddle, but her body let itself be wrapped in the warmth of the bed, and gradually she drifted off to sleep. |
Journey from Darkness | Chapter 5: Harsh Truth | Coltyn appeared at his cart and hooked himself to it. He left immediately, heading for Baltimare. His heart was heavy with the realization that he had broken his promise to not return to Canterlot until he had the cure. As he traveled, Coltyn steadied himself, consciously putting aside his distress, and began preparing his mind for the task at hoof. He arrived in Baltimare shortly before dawn, and headed straight to the library.
The library in Baltimare was extensive, and Coltyn became completely absorbed, as he sifted and analyzed every scrap of information held in the tomes. He lost count of the number of times he staggered back to his cart for sleep when the librarians kicked his rump out the door as they closed the library for the night. And yet, each morning, he was waiting when the morning mare opened the library again. He made copious notes on previous cases that seemed to be similar, academic research, and magic experiments that had been made and recorded. Anything that seemed like it might be relevant made it into his notes, and eventually he started noting things that looked like they might be related, even if he wasn't certain how useful they might be. ***
All of his energy went into the search, but eventually, Coltyn closed the last book, and his stubborn willpower gave out. Exhausted, he went to his cart to process his findings and get some sleep. However, that was not to be, as the moment he stepped inside, he noticed the box on his table was glowing, which meant that someone had written him.
Opening the lid of the box, he squinted slightly at the seal, and frowned. "A letter from Twilight?" Coltyn blinked his dry, blurring eyes, his horn flickering a bit before his magic picked up the letter, so he could read it.
'Dear Coltyn;
Everyone is worried about you. I'm worried about you. It's been almost two months and I haven't heard a word from you. I know how annoying it is to have your studies interrupted, but this feels more like you've been avoiding us. Is something wrong? Please let me know you're ok.
I thought I should catch you up on what has happened lately, since you've been away for so long. The Zap Apples came and went and I have a jar of Granny Smith's jam that I'm saving to share with you. Mrs. Cake had her babies - Pound Cake - a pegasus colt, and Pumpkin Cake - a unicorn filly - shortly after Hearth's warming. I got my friendship review paper for the Princess done on time, thank goodness. Then Applejack went off to the Equestria Rodeo and walked away with a ton of ribbons.
I could keep regaling you with the stories of life here in Ponyville while you've been away, but one of the main reasons I'm writing is because we need your help. Applejack and her family are being forced to compete with a cider making machine for the right to sell cider in Ponyville. I could really use your knowledge to help us if things don't go well.
Please help,
Twilight
PS: I also spent much of the winter with Applejack's brother, Big Macintosh. Since there weren't very many chores to do at the farm, he had a lot of free time, which he spent at the library. It was nice to have him around, as that gave me somepony to talk to who actually listens. I didn't know he was so well read; his knowledge of the classics is very extensive. It's been exciting uncovering the layers hidden within the most laconic stallion in Equestria. Whenever I'm around him, I feel like my skin is tingling, just under my coat. It's different, and I've been doing some research, trying to figure out the cause. Maybe this is the next step in my study of friendship.'
Coltyn dropped the letter on the table, and eyed the pile of scrolls he'd already accumulated in notes, and the smaller stack of books he'd borrowed from the library that day. "Well I'm sure I can remember what was in these books; I've already got my notes on them. I can't believe that two months have passed. I think I've got everything this library has to offer, and I can go over everything as well in Ponyville as I could here," Coltyn muttered to himself. He gathered his library books together, and took them out to the return bin. Returning to his cart, he noticed a book that had gotten wedged behind his notes. It was the history tome he'd meant to give Twilight for Hearth's warming, and a stab of guilt shot through him. "I can't believe that I didn't give this to her." Coltyn moved the book, making sure it was secure, but that he wouldn't forget it again. Performing a final cleanup of his cart, and ensuring all his possessions were secured, he left Baltimare for Ponyville.
Coltyn arrived in Ponyville very late that night, and simply parked his cart next to the library and settled in for some sleep. ***
The sun was just breaking the horizon when Coltyn was awakened by excited knocking on his door. "I'm coming," Coltyn called from the back. Rolling out of bed he looked himself over, straightening his mane before opening the door. Twilight tackled him with a broad grin.
"I'm so glad you're here!" Twilight exclaimed, giving him a hug. "There is so much I want to tell you."
Coltyn held up a hoof to silence her. "I'll be happy to let you fill me in on everything later, but isn't there something happening at Sweet Apple Acres that requires our attention now?" Coltyn asked, pointedly.
"Oh, yeah! Come on, I'll explain on the way," Twilight said, looking back into the library. "Spike! Hurry up or we'll be late!"
"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming," Spike said, rubbing his eye. "Oh, hey Coltyn. When did you get here?"
"Late last night, and it sounds like I have some catching up to do," Coltyn said, as the three of them made their way over to Sweet Apple Acres.
Twilight explained the deal that was made recklessly by Granny Smith because the brothers got to her. She also mentioned that if they lost the cider business the farm could go under. Coltyn took in her explanation, and started formulating a counter play, just in case.
The brothers started out ahead, which Coltyn had already expected to happen. Twilight asked the mayor if honorary family could help, and in their arrogance the twins allowed it. Coltyn noticed that Twilight wasn't looking at Applejack but past her, at Big Macintosh, when she made her request, and he hid a smile at the slight pink flush in the violet mare's cheeks. With the Apples - aided by Twilight and her friends - slowly closing the gap, the twins desperately sought a way to increase production, and eventually turned off the quality control device on their machine. Coltyn watched as the machine began to destroy the field it was working, and feverishly began making notes on how many trees were uprooted. Mayor Mare called, "Time's up!" and proceeded to count the barrels. After a few minutes she announced, "Flim and Flam win!"
"We lost?!" Applejack asked.
"Aww, too bad Apples," Flam said.
"Guess you'll just have to find a line of work that doesn't match your names quite so... perfectly," Flim mocked.
"Now, should we tear down all these tacky buildings and put up new ones, brother?" Flam gloated.
"I don't see why not, brother. After all this isn't Sweet Apple Acres anymore. How about Flim Flam Fields?" Flim said, magically producing a pull rope to hang their sign over the Apple's sale stand.
"How about Sweet Apple Acres," Coltyn retorted coolly, moving from the crowd.
"Who are you!?" Flim and Flam demanded in unison.
"Just a pony who wants to make sure everything is done right," Coltyn stated.
"We won," Flim argued.
"They lost," Flam added.
"What's the problem?" they asked in unison.
"If memory serves, the contest was to determine who could sell cider in Ponyville. Is this right, Mayor Mare?" Coltyn inquired.
"Yes, the winner was to become the sole cider provider for the town," Mayor Mare acknowledged.
"So yes, you have won the exclusive right to sell your cider while the Apple family cannot," Coltyn continued, turning to give a quick wink to Twilight. "However, the farm, the apples, and this land all still remain the property of the Apple Family. Now, your machine has caused some extensive damage to their property, which with so many witnesses would be an easy win if the Apples wish to prosecute."
"But without the cider sales their farm will go under," Flam exclaimed, trying to fight back.
"Yes, it's better that they just let us take over," Flim stated.
"If that's what you want, then I propose a new deal. We will let the citizens of Ponyville decide this matter," Coltyn smiled, waving a hoof over the crowd. "We all know that the first time something is made it is good. The hard part is continuing to keep high quality product while trying to meet the demands of your customers. So, Citizens of Ponyville, your task is to determine whose cider you want. The stakes are the Apple Family Farm and The Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000 - both the machine itself, and the patent rights - along with the right to sell cider and all barrels already made."
"We have no issue with this," Flam agreed.
"Applejack?" Coltyn asked.
Applejack looked long at Coltyn who gave her a, 'I won't let them win,' nod. "Deal," Applejack sighed.
Coltyn grabbed the last barrel made by each team and took them over to the sale table. Coltyn walked over to Twilight. "Brand each barrel so that you know which is which and then place them on the table."
Twilight branded the inside of the lids and resealed them so she was the only one who knew which was which. She then teleported the barrels on to the table and Coltyn tapped them with pour spouts. The test was simple; everypony would be given a small sample of each and whichever they liked more they would stand on that barrel's side. The line of ponies filed through and it was obvious that they like the cider from the left barrel, as nopony moved to the right.
"It seems that we have a clear winner," Coltyn announced, looking at the crowd. "Now let's find out whom." Coltyn lifted the left barrel and lifted the lid revealing the words 'Apple Brand' inscribed. "Sorry, Flim and Flam, but your quantity of cider didn't match the quality the ponies of Ponyville expect."
"Nopony wants our product?" Flim asked the crowd.
The entire audience narrowed their eyes and gave a resounding, "NO!"
"Fine, let's take our leave of these antique ponies and their outdated ways of thinking, brother," Flam said, sticking his nose up at the crowd.
"Yes, I've had all I can stand, brother," Flim agreed, turning and leaving the town.
Coltyn grinned victoriously as he watched them walk away. Applejack walked up to Coltyn and Applebloom gave him a hug.
"How were ya'll able to do that?" Applejack asked, curious but relieved.
"I've studied law and I've dealt with fast talkers before," Coltyn said, turning to Applejack. "But what is important is that you have your farm and family," Coltyn looked down at Applebloom.
"Yeah, but I can't help but feel a bit sorry for them," Applejack admitted.
"That is natural, Applejack. You feel sorry for them because you have a heart. But I'm sure they'll be fine. Now let us all have a drink and celebrate your victory," Coltyn smiled.
"I couldn't agree more," Applejack smiled back.
"Hey Coltyn, I was wondering if I could take you up on your offer to teach me about potions?" Applebloom asked, walking back to the drink station.
"Of course, I'll be over at the library, so if your sister doesn't mind I could give you lessons after school," Coltyn said, look to Applejack for approval.
"Ah guess if ya'll are willin' to teach her. Ah ain't got a problem with it," Applejack smiled.
"All right!" Applebloom shouted, excitedly trotting up to the dispenser.
Applebloom poured for everypony, and Applejack and her friends, Big Macintosh, and Coltyn lifted their mugs and toasted their victory. They enjoyed the crisp, satisfying coolness of the cider as they drank it down. Coltyn did notice a slight sting on the back of his throat, indicating at least a small amount of alcohol present, most likely from the press or barrels, but such a minor trace shouldn't be cause for worry. However, once the celebration began to pick up steam, Coltyn took his leave, heading back to his cart.
"Coltyn," Twilight called, hurrying after him, and catching him at the farm's gate.
"I'm sorry, Twilight. I'm not in a celebratory mood. I have to get back to work," Coltyn said, looking toward his cart.
"That's ok. Here," Twilight pulled out a key. "You can study in the library. I'll see you later."
"I've got a book I wanted to give you at Hearth's Warming but it slipped my mind. I'll leave it out on the main table in the library."
"Oh, what's the book called?" Twilight asked, eagerly.
Coltyn smiled. "If I told you, it wouldn't be a surprise, but I know it's one you don't have in your library."
"OHMYGOSHOHMYGOSH!!!" Twilight squealed. "I always love new books. I can't wait to see but I think I'm going to stay here for a bit."
"That's fine, go enjoy yourself," Coltyn said. "I have a lot to do and not enough time to do it."
"I'll be home soon," Twilight said, heading back to the party.
'I'll have this puzzle solved by week's end,' Coltyn encouraged himself. 'There isn't a problem I can't fix.' ***
Coltyn was engrossed in his studies as his magic held various books and he had three pieces of chalk writing down his thoughts on separate blackboards. His eyes scanned pages with incredible speed as book after book was flipped through, notes taken, and then set aside.
"COLTYN!" Spike bellowed from the door.
The scare caused Coltyn to lose his concentration as his magic dispersed, sending books flying in every direction. He turned slowly, looking at Spike with rage in his voice. "WHAT was so important that you HAD to interrupt me?" Coltyn snarled, using the Royal Canterlot Voice to emphasize.
"I'm sorry, it's just that Rainbow Dash hurt herself and Twilight asked me to ask you if you could help her," Spike answered, sheepishly.
"How did she injure herself?" Coltyn asked, softly, ashamed that he snapped at Spike.
"She was showing off and she didn't pull up from her nosedive soon enough, so she hurt her wing," Spike explained. "Do you think you can help her?"
"No," Coltyn said flatly.
"What? Why not?" Spike demanded.
"I'm not a doctor. Everypony needs to take their lumps and hopefully the healing time will give her time to reflect on what landed her there," Coltyn explained, bluntly.
"So that's it? You're no help at all," Spike huffed, leaving Coltyn alone.
Coltyn sighed as his horn lit as he teleported to the front door. "Hey Spike," Coltyn called. "I may not be able to help but I should offer my condolences."
"So answer me this. You keep reading those medical books and making potions and you're telling me that you can't fix a broken wing?"
"I could fix her wing with a little study but I'm not going to, because if ponies didn't have to deal with the consequences of their actions they wouldn't learn from their mistakes. I know it's hard to accept but trust me, she will come out a better pony for it," Coltyn explained, walking up to the hospital.
After talking to the receptionist, Spike and Coltyn walked into room 12 as the nurse was shuffling Twilight and the others out. Coltyn asked the nurse for just a few moments to say, 'hi' and she let him and Spike in.
"Hello, Rainbow Dash, looks like you did a number on your wing," Coltyn greeted.
"Gee, ya think?" Rainbow snorted. "You here to give me a magic cure? I need to get outta here!"
"No, Spike and I are here to offer our sympathy and well-wishes. We hope you get well soon."
"Yeah, you'll be back in the air in no time," Spike encouraged.
Her face falling, Rainbow snorted. "Whatever," she huffed, rolling over to face away from Spike and Coltyn.
"Time to go," the nurse called.
"Come on, Spike. Let's leave her to rest," Coltyn said, nudging Spike out the door.
"So can you help her heal faster?" Twilight asked, the door closing behind Coltyn.
"No, Twilight. I'm not a doctor. The ponies here are the best help she could get," Coltyn sighed, feeling like a broken record.
Twilight nodded, understanding his point. "Alright, I'll walk home with you. I'll see you girls later," Twilight called, as her friends scattered, everypony heading their separate ways. ***
The next day Coltyn began the long and tedious task of putting all the pieces of his puzzle together. He worked through the morning and into the afternoon. He used chalkboards to do his preliminary study and parchment when he had a solid piece; slowly the walls began to get covered with notes and formulas. An unexpected knock broke his concentration, and he put everything down and opened the door. Applebloom was there ready to learn some basic potion making.
"I'm ready to learn some potions and earn a cutie mark," Applebloom squealed, excitedly.
"I like your enthusiasm but we won't be making any potions. If I'm going to teach you, I'll do it from the beginning," Coltyn said, browsing the books in the study.
"So what's the beginning? Potions 101? The Beginners Guide to Potions?" Applebloom inquired.
"No, we start with Cooking for Beginners. This will teach you the language of potion recipes and your first task will be to brew a good cup of coffee," Coltyn smiled, walking into Twilight's kitchen. Coltyn sat behind the table and gathered all the tools required to make coffee; unground beans, a grinder, a filter over a carafe, and a kettle of water. "Now it's up to you. Follow the directions and brew your first potion."
Applebloom's face became determined as she opened the book, looked up the directions for coffee, and read them carefully. She placed the kettle on the stove and turned it to high heat to get the water hot. She took a scoop of beans and placed them in the grinder and slowly turned the crank with her hooves collecting the grounds in the filter. She gently patted down the ground coffee and put a pinch of salt into the carafe before placing the filter on top. When the kettle whistled she took it off the heat and let it cool for ten seconds before slowly pouring the water over the grounds, smiling as the dark liquid filled the carafe. As the last of the coffee drained from the filter, Applebloom removed the filter and poured a cup for Coltyn.
Coltyn took a sip from the steaming cup, smiling as the warming liquid rejuvenated his body. "Great job," Coltyn praised. "Now next time we will try something a little more complicated." Coltyn flipped through the book and stopped on a melon salad. "Study up on this recipe for tomorrow," Coltyn said, levitating the book down to Applebloom. She placed the bookmark on the page and galloped off to study. Coltyn took the hot carafe back to his study and with his coffee, worked long into the night. ***
Over the next week Coltyn engrossed himself in research, covering chalk boards with notes and tacking finished sheets to the walls around the room Twilight let him use. Spike walked into the study after being woken up at three in the morning and audibly sighed at the extensiveness of the clutter building in the room before turning an abrupt about-face, and heading back to bed. Coltyn took breaks from his research every afternoon to teach Applebloom the similarities between cooking and potion making. Applebloom was slowly getting the hang of some of the more complex recipes including cupcakes that tasted excellent, proving that her ability to follow the directions had improved.
By the end of the week, Coltyn had made considerable progress in his studies and began to feel the frustrating certainty that the answer was drawing near. He was sure he was on the brink of a real breakthrough. He took time off to join Twilight and Spike for dinner.
"I've really enjoyed the book about Hearth's Warming's origins," Twilight said, taking a bite of her sandwich.
"I'm glad you liked it," Coltyn smiled.
"I don't understand how three ponies could undo all the damage done by the windigos," Twilight pondered.
"Clover never really elaborated on what happened after the Fire of Friendship was lit. All I know is that after the fire was lit, the windigos retreated to the frozen north and haven't attempted to send all Equestria into an endless winter again," Coltyn recalled.
"Well the interesting history of Hearth's Warming made me wonder about the history of the other holidays. I just found a book on Hearts and Hooves day, which is tomorrow," Twilight blushed. "I was going to spend the day with Big Macintosh but he and Applejack are still repairing the south field that Flim and Flam destroyed. Fluttershy is busy with her critters and now that Rainbow Dash is out of the hospital, she's going to a Wonderbolts show. Rarity and Pinkie Pie are going to be loaded down with work so I have the day to myself."
"Sadly, I am deep into my research so I won't be taking part in any festivities. I think I'm close to the answer but it seems that every time I get close, it escapes my grasp," Coltyn grumbled, knocking his hooves together.
"I'm sure you'll get it this time, after all you have my library at your disposal and it hasn't failed to give me the answers I've sought," Twilight reassured.
"Thanks," Coltyn smiled. "It's just hard working on a single project for so long, one starts to wonder if there is an answer."
"Well sometimes you just have to believe, even if you don't understand it," Twilight admitted, thinking back to the first time she learned of Pinkie's Sixth Sense. "Believe you will get the answer and I'm sure you will."
"Thanks," Coltyn said, simply finishing his dinner before heading up to the study. ***
Coltyn rose early and began to draw everything together. Coltyn heard the front door open and close more than once while he worked, but didn't pay it any mind. Slowly, he began to realize the true horror behind the stone. He paced back and forth, going over every scrap of info but still coming to the same answers. Frustrated by his findings, his magic was starting to go wild as his pacing turned into random flash teleportation around the room. He didn't notice Twilight come into the study until she spoke.
"Um... Coltyn?" Twilight said, hesitantly.
"Oh... hi Twilight," Coltyn replied, teleporting over to a chalk board. "I just can't believe this! THIS is the secret that has eluded me! BARBARIC!"
"What? Coltyn, what are you talking about?"
Pausing, Coltyn pressed his hoof to the side of his head before turning to look at her. "Twilight, do you remember when I told you in my letters that I was following a lead that could mitigate the cost of complex magics? That there was an artifact that could effectively power even enormously complex and far reaching spells without needing material components like dragon's blood?"
"Yes...?"
"It's called the Alicorn Amulet. It's a Darksteel amulet with the Gem of the Archmage set into it. I was looking to make the gem and fuse it with the Darksteel flowing through my veins sense there is no available Darksteel but I will NOT do what need be done."
"I don't understand. Please explain," Twilight begged, calming Coltyn.
"Well, look here... and here... and here." He tapped the relevant passages on three different scrolls with his hoof. "In each of these texts I found references to the necessary resource to create the gem. They're languages so old that even I don't know more than a few words, but they're all used the same way, so when I put the results of all my research together and compared all the little scraps of data, from the various legends and myths, I found out a horrifying truth. This word, vitae - and this one, animus... they're both from the same dead language. The first means life, or life-force, and the other means spirit, or more accurately, soul. In each of these other references the words are different, but the explanation is the same. In order to create the Alicorn Amulet, the unicorn must 'harvest' the animus of other ponies. Do you understand?" Without waiting for an answer, Coltyn explained, in a choked voice, "In order to make the gem, the mage has to murder a massive number of ponies!"
Twilight gasped. "No! That can't be right. There must be another explanation."
Coltyn shook his head, dropping it low with a defeated sigh. "No, Twilight. There is no other explanation. The only way to reproduce the Alicorn Amulet, is to commit mass murder and steal the souls of all the ponies killed. There's no other method, and I certainly can't use this one."
"But what if-"
"No, Twilight, no buts. It's a dead end. The only other clue I've come across is a reference to brotherly love, and somehow, I doubt that's going to help much. It sounds too much like the old cliche 'Time heals all wounds.' Technically true, but not what I need."
"But you can't just be giving up? You've put so much into this! You told me you've been working on this research for years!"
"I'm not giving up, Twilight. But I think I'll have to explore other avenues. This one just seemed so... promising." He sighed. "I don't know. Maybe I'll find something in my grandfather's archives. It can't hurt to look."
Twilight gave him a curious look. "Where are they?"
Coltyn opened his mouth to respond, when their attention was drawn to the open window, by a loud - and very familiar - voice, calling, "Schmoopy Doo!"
Twilight raised her eyebrows, and trotted over to the window, her mouth dropping open as she watched Big Macintosh drag a house down the road. Coltyn watched Twilight's eye twitch as her magic flared; Coltyn responded by casting dispel magic. He quickly looked into her eyes. "Don't lose your temper! Let's find out what happened and go from there," Coltyn ordered.
"What happened?! He told me he was busy at the farm, which is why we didn't get together today; and now I find him bouncing off to see Schmoopy Doo, whoever that is!" Twilight exclaimed, stamping her hoof.
"Has he ever bounced down the street like that before?" Coltyn asked, seriously.
"Well of course not. That's why I don't get it! Who is this Schmoopy Doo he's going to go see?" Her face fell. "I just... I thought we had something special."
Coltyn breathed deeply, resisting the urge to roll his eyes in exasperation. "He is not acting like himself. We should find out why before you say or do something that you'll regret."
"But he..."
"Do you trust him?"
"Well of course I do! But... he -"
"Then don't jump to any rash conclusions."
Twilight snorted and allowed Coltyn to escort her out of the library. Following the trail left by the house, they made their way over to Carousel Boutique, where they came upon a scene that made both of them raise their eyebrows. They watched with bated breath as Cheerilee bowled over the three fillies in her way, leaping into a hole that Big Macintosh was trying to jump out of and colliding with him.
The Crusaders picked themselves up, walking back to the hole, and Applebloom wished, "Please be normal. Please be normal."
Coltyn upon hearing those words from Applebloom, he knew what happened and let out an aggravated snort as he realized that she had broken her promise.
The teacher's voice came out of the hole first. "Am I wearing a wedding veil?"
"Eyup."
"Are you sitting on a feather bed in a hole in the ground?"
"Eyup."
"Girls! Can you explain why I look like I'm getting married at the bottom of a pit?"
Twilight leaned over to Coltyn and muttered, "That's what I'd like to know."
"Patience."
Twilight and Coltyn waited and listened to the fillies' confession to Cheerilee. Twilight facehoofed, hearing that they brewed a love poison, knowing it was from the book she gave them. Twilight was relieved that Big Mac hadn't lied to her and found the girls' altruism sweet, albeit misplaced. When the girls turned to leave, Coltyn and Twilight stepped into the shadow of Berry Punch's house to avoid being spotted; they would deal with them later. Once the fillies were gone, the two of them approached the pit and set to helping Big Mac and Miss Cheerilee out of it.
"Need a hoof?" Coltyn asked, looking down into the pit.
"Yes, I daresay we do," Cheerilee said.
"Ok, let's lift that bed up and get them out of this hole. Ready, Twilight?" Coltyn asked. The purple unicorn nodded once, and closed her eyes, her horn lighting as she focused on a levitation spell. Coltyn cast a protective force field around the two Earth ponies as Twilight lifted them, and the feather bed, out of the pit and set them down gently on the ground.
Big Mac's eyes shrunk in worry and shame as he looked up at Twilight. He hung his head, trying to think of what to say. Twilight lifted Big Mac's head to look into his eyes. "It's ok. Coltyn and I heard the whole confession and I'm not mad at you." Big Mac just smiled. "Now three little wannabe matchmakers... they're another story."
"Are you alright, Miss?" Coltyn asked, helping Cheerilee off the bed.
"Yes. I want to thank you for helping us out," Cheerilee smiled gratefully at them.
"You're very welcome. However, I want to make sure there are no lingering side effects. May I ask you some questions?" Coltyn asked, lighting his horn.
"Of course."
"What do you remember?"
"The last thing I remember is sharing punch that the girls made with Big Mac. Then everything goes fuzzy and I can't seem to remember anything clearly."
"That makes sense. Most mind altering potions tend to have that effect."
"It's just weird having a blank space where there is just nothing."
"I understand. Don't worry about it too much," Coltyn smiled. "How about we all go do something to take our minds off this crazy day?"
"How about a picnic?" Twilight suggested. Then a wicked little smile spread across her face. "With a little payback." Big Mac raised an inquisitive eyebrow. Winking coyly at him, she explained. "Well why don't Coltyn and I go set up the picnic while you and Cheerilee go check on the girls. While you're there, you could pretend the potion didn't really wear off." Big Macintosh frowned.
Cheerilee looked intrigued. "What did you have in mind?"
"Oh you know, tell them you're going to have a picnic at the gazebo, call each other some cutesy nicknames, just scare them."
Coltyn couldn't help but chuckle at the playful malice of her plan. "That could be a very effective lesson to them about not meddling in other ponies' private lives. Although you should let them off the hook by tomorrow." Coltyn gave Twilight and Big Macintosh a serious look. "You two need to tell your friends about your relationship."
Cheerilee gasped in surprise. "Oh my goodness! I had no idea that you two were involved. I'm so sorry, Twilight."
Twilight shook her head. "Don't worry about it. It wasn't your fault. I suppose it is about time we stopped keeping it a secret." She looked Big Macintosh in the eyes. "We should tell Applejack and my other friends first. They might be hurt if they hear it from somepony else first."
"Eyup."
"Well, I think you two should get to Sweet Apple Acres and check on the girls while Twilight and I get things ready," Coltyn said, noticing the day fading.
"Oh! But what about the hole in the road? We can't just leave it that way. Somepony might get hurt," Miss Cheerilee objected.
Coltyn smiled. "We'll take care of that, too."
With no further objections, Big Macintosh and Cheerilee headed for Sweet Apple Acres. Coltyn looked at the hole. "I got this," Twilight said, lighting her horn. She levitated the pile of dirt that had been dumped beside the boutique and put it back into the hole, magically smoothing it over and tamping it flat. "There all fixed."
"Nicely done," Coltyn said, impressed. "Now let's get some food for that picnic." Coltyn and Twilight walked to Sugar Cube Corner, to get some sandwiches and other snacks. Heading out to the gazebo Coltyn noticed that something was bothering Twilight. She was walking more slowly than usual, looking intently at the ground as though deep in troubling thought. "What's worrying you?"
"I'm not sure how my friends will take the news of my relationship. I don't want to lose my best friends," Twilight said.
"If they are your friends they will support your personal choices. I don't think you have anything to worry about," Coltyn soothed.
"Maybe. I'm just..."
"Scared. Not as certain of your friends as you wish you were." Twilight nodded. "Trust your friends. They all seem the type to stand by their friends. No matter what," Coltyn smiled. Twilight nodded, smiling as she spotted Big Mac and Cheerilee returning from the farm.
The four of them chatted about the day and let the conversation go where it would. Just as the sun disappeared and the moon rose, Coltyn offered to walk Cheerilee home. She agreed, and they left Twilight and Big Mac alone for the evening. Coltyn and Cheerilee's walk home was quiet, as most of Ponyville was already shutdown for the night.
"Thanks for walking me home," Cheerilee smiled. "Would you like to come in?"
"Thank you very much. But I'm going to have to decline. I have urgent business to attend to and I must be off tonight," Coltyn said.
"Well I had a good time today, aside from the whole love poison fiasco," Cheerilee giggled. "You have a good night, Coltyn."
"You as well, Cheerilee," Coltyn said, turning to leave. "Have a good evening."
Coltyn didn't want to decline her offer but with more pressing matters demanding his time, he didn't have the luxury of indulging in personal affairs. He knew that he was closer than ever and more, he was certain that the answer lay somewhere in his grandfather's archives, in Canterlot. |
Journey from Darkness | Chapter 6: Lunar Confessions | It was early morning when Coltyn finished cleaning up the study Twilight let him use. With everything back in his cart he had one last thing to do before setting out. Teleporting over to Sweet Apple Acres he found Applejack just coming out of the house to start her work day.
"Hello, Applejack," Coltyn greeted.
"Hey there, Coltyn. What brings you out this way?" Applejack asked.
"I was hoping to talk to Applebloom if she was awake."
"I don't know. She and her friends slept in their clubhouse last night. She told me that they were helping Big Macintosh with his chores. I guess they decided to sleep there together instead of heading home."
"Thanks, Applejack," Coltyn smiled, teleporting off to the Cutie Mark Crusaders' clubhouse.
Coltyn appeared before the clubhouse and walked up to the door. He looked through the window to see the three fillies cuddled together, sound asleep. Coltyn knocked softly on the door. Applebloom opened the door, wiping the sleep from her eye.
"Oh, hey Coltyn what brings you out this way," Applebloom yawned, waking Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo.
"I heard that three little fillies tried to match their teacher up with a work horse... using a potion," Coltyn turned his head, looking at Applebloom.
Applebloom was snapped fully awake by his statement. "We didn't mean for it to end up like it did. We just wanted Miss Cheerilee to have a special somepony on Hearts and Hooves Day," Applebloom admitted, groveling at Coltyn's hooves. Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo both looked away from Coltyn in shame.
"I'm not here to punish you. In fact I was rather proud to hear that my student and her friends made a high level potion, blunted as that pride was by the obvious failure to properly research the potion first. Still, it was an impressive bit of alchemy. Next time though make sure you read all the warnings that go along with it," Coltyn praised, leaving the three fillies befuddled. "You were also willing to admit to your mistake and even try to fix them, which is why I'm not angry with any of you. You all will grow into fine young mares. But the real reason I came here was to tell you, Applebloom, that I will be leaving town for a while and that your potion training is going to have to wait until I can come back to Ponyville." Raising a hoof to silence the filly as Applebloom opened her mouth to object, Coltyn explained, "This trip has nothing to do with your experiment... I already told you I'm not going to punish you. It's a critical, and personal, matter that I need to resolve, and I must complete my research as soon as possible. Your training will continue when I return, and if your friends are interested, I will teach them as well."
Coltyn left the three fillies sitting in their clubhouse nodding as their minds try to figure out what just happened. Coltyn teleported back into Ponyville and began to prepare his cart for the trip to Canterlot. Finishing the circle he lifted the cart into the center, letting his magic envelope the cart and him. In a bright flash he was gone. ***
Coltyn appeared before the towering gates to Canterlot on a beautifully warm spring day and proceeded to head for the archives. He made his way through the maze of streets leading to the castle. However, before he made it to the castle; he stopped - the air around him chill as his breath became visible.
"You!" an icy voice snarled.
"Greet..." Coltyn began, but was silenced by Thunder Snow hitting him.
"You have some nerve, leaving abruptly then showing back up," Thunder Snow chastised. Coltyn lifted his head to look at her but was greeted by another hoof to the face. "I thought you might be different, but you're like everypony else. Worthless!"
Coltyn turned away from her as a crowd began to gather. "I'm sorry."
"So you think a simple apology will make it all better? It won't!" Thunder Snow bellowed, the air growing colder.
"I deserve that. I understand your anger, but it was a matter of great urgency. I can't explain yet, but I hope to have the answers you seek soon," Coltyn explained, humbly.
"You will explain yourself now," Thunder Snow commanded.
"This is not a conversation to have in public. Nor is it completely my decision, Princess Celestia must make the final call."
"Then let's go and pay her a visit."
Coltyn lowered his head. "Lead the way." Coltyn followed Thunder Snow - flanked by her two guards - to the castle gate. ***
Thunder Snow walked the familiar path to the Royal Audience Chamber. Coltyn followed, his head hanging as if he was being led to his execution. A small group of ponies were leaving as they approached. The elegant hoof-crafted double doors lead to a large and magnificently decorated room. Stain glass windows of recent events allowed the sun light in making the white tiled floor come alive. The room was divided by a long red carpet with golden silk trim that ran the entire length of the room. At the other end of the room atop a set of steps sat the princess of the sun who was tending to some business with a unicorn who levitated sheet after sheet up to the princess for her signature.
"Your Majesty! I would request an audience with you," Thunder Snow called, stepping into the room.
"Of course, I can always..." Princess Celestia stopped, seeing Coltyn behind Thunder Snow, then finished, "...make time for my captains." Celestia was a little shocked to see Coltyn but what puzzled her was the defeated look on his face.
"He claims to have information about me, but he will not talk. He said that you must authorize him to speak of it, and I would like to hear what he has to say," Thunder Snow proposed.
Celestia looked at Coltyn as her mind filled with her own questions. "I will hear what he has to say in private. Any information I deem worthy to pass on will be done so."
"I would rather hear it all now," Thunder Snow requested harshly.
"You forget your place, Thunder Snow. I will tell you what you need to know when you need to know," Celestia replied.
"But..."
"You're dismissed," Celestia ordered.
Thunder Snow turned and left, snorting in defeat. Coltyn raised his head to look at Celestia who glared at him.
"So what do you want?" Celestia asked.
"I wish to gain access to the Starswirl the Bearded wing," Coltyn said plainly.
"And why should I let you into the room containing some of the most powerful spells known to pony kind?"
"For Thunder Snow."
Celestia raised an eyebrow, her curiosity growing. "What does she have to do with your studies, Coltyn Pendragon? Of what interest is she to you?"
Tapping the tip of his own horn with his hoof, he offered, "She suffered a great injustice and long ago I dedicated myself to finding a way to correct it. Years of dead ends and fruitless research have given me no other choice. I humbly request access to the Starswirl the Bearded wing. I'm hoping that the answer I seek is hidden in one of his many texts."
The Princess studied him for a long moment, and then began, "You are aware that she is..."
"Yes, Princess. I know precisely who she is, but I will tell no one. You will be the first to know, if I find what I seek."
A fleeting look of hope crossed the white alicorn's face, before being replaced by a pensive frown, as Celestia pondered his proposal for several moments. "Very well, you may use the archive as you need, but you will be accompanied by a Royal Guard who will keep me apprised of your activities."
"That is all I can ask. Thank you, Princess Celestia," Coltyn bowed. "I would like to start right away if I may."
Celestia nodded, summoning one of her guards to take Coltyn to the library wing. He began the tedious task of going through the Starswirl the Bearded wing of the archives. He gathered useful scrolls and books and set to his studies. The guards seemed to pay little attention to him and basically acted like scenery until dinner time when they pulled him from his work to close the wing. ***
Coltyn spent the next week gathering and compiling notes but nothing stood out as an answer. He sent a few letters to Twilight telling of his meager progress. She also wrote back about the day to day life in Ponyville, commenting with pleasure on Rainbow Dash visiting the library more often to read her favorite book series. Another letter told of a misadventure that ended with Twilight wishing Pinkie would be little more tactful when new ponies, or in this case a donkey, moved to town.
Coltyn left for the day taking a book that seemed promising and headed out to the small restaurant across from the cafe where he first met Thunder Snow. He asked for a table where he could easily watch all the ponies passing by and even had a view of the cafe. Coltyn ordered and opened his book and began pony watching. He listened and watched picking up any random information. He was shocked to see Thunder Snow and Shining Armor round the corner in their armor, laughing. He couldn't make out their conversation as they made their way to the cafe but Coltyn found himself bemused by this new aspect of Thunder Snow. The pair sat at a table outside the cafe, placing their helms next to them, continuing their conversation.
"He sure knew how to move up in the world," the tan-coated unicorn waiter commented acerbically, placing Coltyn's food on the table. "Went from seeing the pegasus captain to a princess."
"Shining Armor is involved with Princess Mi Amore Cadenza?" Coltyn asked.
"You're not from Canterlot are you?"
"No, but I would like to know more about them," Coltyn pressed.
"Well, Princess Cadence, as she prefers to be called, is dating Shining Armor. Evidently, they met after his relationship with Thunder Snow ended. From what I've heard, he's about the only real friend the pegasus captain has, and the three of them meet at that cafe regularly, to have drinks, sometimes a meal, and just visit," the waiter said, turning to leave.
"I see," Coltyn said, taking a bite of his meal.
Coltyn observed Thunder Snow and Shining Armor talking and laughing, and not long after their drinks were served, Princess Cadence arrived, greeting Thunder Snow with a smile before hugging Shining Armor and giving him a quick kiss. An air of seriousness fell over the three as Thunder Snow talked to the couple, glancing casually over in the direction of Coltyn. He wanted to know what she was saying because he was sure it was about him. The somber tone of their discussion lifted after a few minutes, however, and he watched as they chatted for near an hour, their jovial conversation ending when a pair of guards walked up to the table. Thunder Snow and Shining Armor put their helms back on and tossed some bits on the table before hurrying off toward the castle.
Princess Cadence finished her meal with a contained elegance seen only in ponies who had attended finishing school, before paying her bill and heading back to the castle herself. Coltyn turned his attention back to his neglected food and slowly ate; his mind fixed on the three of them.
Coltyn pondered the potential ramifications of the bonds between the three ponies as he finished his meal, and left a sizable tip for the waiter allowing him to stay uninterrupted. He entered his cart and quickly wrote himself a quick note to study the possibility of Princess Cadence and Shining Armor in some way helping to regrow Thunder Snow's horn. As his research was at a bit of an impasse, he decided that the notion was worth examining. Perhaps he would find the right formula to use the bonds of friendship between the three as a catalyst. At the very least, he might find a way to help her control her wild magic long enough to find a real solution. ***
Early on Tuesday morning as Coltyn was waiting for the guard to come and open the library he felt a disturbance. It was strange because he was certain he recognized the shift in the fabric of magic that he'd sensed. Racking his brain, he sought to recall when he had felt a similar flux in space time before. Then it hit him, 'when' was exactly the key. Somepony had used Starswirl's time travel spell. He paced in front of the gated wing, his mind racing, 'who could have used that spell? What was it used for? I hope that this doesn't affect the time flow.' Coltyn continued to question the disturbance pacing back and forth until he heard the hoof steps of the guard approaching. Realizing that he couldn't do anything, he focused on his research into using the 'brotherly love' references, and how they might apply to his quest. Coltyn was startled when Shining Armor turned the corner instead of one of the regular guards.
"Hello, Captain Shining Armor. To what do I owe the honor?" Coltyn asked, nervously.
"I'm here to check up on... whatever it is that you're doing," Shining Armor stated, opening the gate.
"Well I'm trying to further my understanding of how unicorn magic works, and how the bonds between ponies can influence it," Coltyn answered, walking to the desk he had been using.
"I'm going to need more information than that," Shining Armor insisted, locking the gate behind him.
Coltyn stepped back, looking at the captain. "Thunder Snow sent you to pump me for information, didn't she?"
"No, this is for Princess Celestia," Shining Armor responded not missing a beat.
"Very well. I'm looking for a way to repair the magic core of unicorns, in other words to repair any damage to the horn, and restore the magic abilities of a unicorn. I thought I found a solution but the sacrifice," Coltyn shuddered, "would not be worth it. Defeated, again I came here to see if Starswirl had any information regarding the use of, as I've seen in text, 'brotherly love'," Coltyn explained, pulling books from the shelves.
"Thank you. Now I want to know why Thunder Snow is so adamant that you know some information regarding her."
Coltyn was once again blindsided by his query. "She's still angry that I left without warning at Hearth's Warming," he sighed. "I'm afraid that my pressing her for her name and then suddenly taking off upset her, for which I have already apologized."
"That's not what I asked you, Pendragon. Stop dodging the question," Shining Armor scowled. "What do you know about her?"
"Nothing," Coltyn answered coldly.
"Liar!"
"I've met her once and asked her name that is all."
"Tell me what I want to know or I'll..."
"Or you'll what? Drag me away? Lock me in a dungeon? Torture me? Ponies today don't know the true horrors of the past," Coltyn snapped. "I've been through war. My past is not stained but drenched in blood. I have ended countless lives that still haunt me to this day. I've been a prisoner in your very dungeons and survived without leaking a drop of information. Do you understand?" Coltyn snarled, flaring his nostrils. "I'm a monster trying to find a small bit of redemption."
"I understand that you shouldn't be allowed here," Shining Armor said calmly.
"Trust me; I didn't want to come here before I had the answer."
"Answer to what?" Shining Armor pushed.
"THAT is none of your business," Coltyn replied, growing tired of his questions. "I have work to do and I'm sure you do as well."
"Don't think this is over," Shining Armor threatened, leaving Coltyn to his studies.
Coltyn tried to focus on his work but the magical disturbance and argument with Shining Armor cluttered his mind. He realized that getting anything done would be impossible with his mind in disarray. He put the books back and headed to his cart. Using a technique he learned from a zebra shaman long ago, he gathered candles and placed them on the floor. Lighting them he pulled out a balancing staff and gracefully positioned himself balancing on his head upside down. Then, focusing his magic, his horn lit as he picked up the candles. Quieting his mind, Coltyn began to move the candles around him allowing the gentle warming glow to refocus his disordered mind. ***
Coltyn spent the week finding many references and definitions of 'brotherly love' but couldn't figure out a way to use it. Feeling dour, he headed back to his cart Monday night and penned a letter to Twilight saying not much of anything important. He relaxed by the potbelly stove and began reading the books he borrowed.
Coltyn woke up during the night and feeling a strange urge to head back to the Starswirl the Bearded Wing. He made it to the castle just before sunrise and proceeded to the wing. He was shocked to see the door to the wing open. Peeking inside, he saw Twilight, Pinkie Pie, and Spike. Twilight was casting the time spell. Coltyn didn't want to interfere and let the events play out. Waiting for Twilight to return, he smiled slightly as he listened to her explanation of how she thought that she was trying to warn of some impending disaster but how it was her trying to tell herself not to worry so much.
"Oh, my stomach," Spike groaned in pain. "I think it was all that ice cream. I thought the stomach ache would be future Spike's problem, but now I am future Spike."
Twilight and Pinkie giggled at the dragon. They turned their heads when they heard Coltyn chuckle, approaching the group.
"You look like you've seen better days, Twilight," Coltyn chuckled.
"Yeah, let's say it's been one crazy week," Twilight smiled, lifting Spike onto her back. "I thought you were going to check... your... You're related to Starswirl?" Twilight asked, amazed.
"Yes, he was my grandfather. I grew up wanting to be just like him," Coltyn sighed. "But I haven't even come close." Spike drew his attention, as the little dragon continued to groan in agony. "Come back to my cart, I have something that will take care of your stomach ache."
"Hehe, thanks," Spike moaned.
The group headed out to Coltyn's cart and he began to rummage through his supplies. He pulled out a small flask filled with a viscous pink liquid. Pouring a small amount into a measure, he offered it to Spike who swallowed it, and sighed with relief as he felt his stomach begin settle. Pinkie Pie kept Spike company, while Coltyn and Twilight talked.
"So what brings you all to Canterlot? Other than experimental time travel," Coltyn asked.
"Well, it began when I was visited by myself last week, and I got so excited about the idea of time travel that I didn't let myself get a word in edgewise, so I ended up getting all worked up over an impending disaster that wasn't even going to happen and... well, to make a long story short, I've learned that it's best not to worry about the future and just solve problems as they come," Twilight explained. Then, she cocked her head curiously, and asked, "So you're the grandson of Starswirl the Bearded?"
"Yes, just like your lineage can be traced back to Clover the Clever."
"Really?"
"Yes. Everypony in your line possessed the spark of greatness. However, not many were ever called upon to access it, and most have lived out their lives in peace. But, like you the spark of friendship ignited in Clover, allowing her to do great things that nopony thought possible."
"So you're saying I was predestined for greatness? I'm not sure how I feel about that. But Coltyn, Starswirl was so great, why didn't this spark of destiny choose him?"
"That's the thing to remember, Twilight. Destiny chooses those who will be remembered for all time. Starswirl told me that some are born great like the Princesses, some achieve greatness like he did, while others have greatness thrust upon them like Clover and yourself."
"So I had no choice? I was going to become who I was no matter what?"
"No. You made choices that led you here. Granted, Princess Celestia helped push you in the direction that would lead you to greatness but in the end it is your choice."
"I see. That is a lot to take in."
"I understand," Coltyn said, looking out the window, and smiling slightly. "The dragons will be migrating soon."
"They will? When?" Twilight asked, intrigued.
"In a few days. I'll bet you and your friends would enjoy watching it. It's a once in a lifetime opportunity. If memory serves, they fly over Ponyville right around noon."
"That sounds exciting. I can't wait to tell my friends," Twilight exclaimed.
"Let me know how it goes since I won't be able to attend this time."
"I will. Come on, let's go home," Twilight said, picking up Spike and heading home with Pinkie Pie. ***
Coltyn retired to his cart after another long day with no progress. He settled in next to his potbelly stove and settled in slowly drifting off to sleep.
~Dream~
Coltyn stood in front of his grandfather.
"You have disgraced me, your family, and all that you claimed to stand for," Starswirl criticized.
"I did what I thought was best," Coltyn defended.
"You foolishly took my longevity spells and committed an atrocity to the natural order."
"But with immortality I can forever..."
"You only weep for the past because you have no future."
"You're wrong," Coltyn screamed, tears streaming down his face. "I've only tried to fix the big mistakes."
"Yet with all your knowledge you still fail. You're a failure and nothing will ever..." Starswirl was interrupted and cast away.
Coltyn looked to where Starswirl had been standing and saw Princess Luna.
"Princess L-Luna," Coltyn stuttered, looking around. "This is a dream."
"Indeed it is," Luna soothed. "After our first meeting in Ponyville, I began to monitor your dreams, and your nightmares. You have much weighing on your mind causing your distressed sleep."
"I apologize, Princess. I should not have concerned you."
"Be untroubled, Coltyn Pendragon, it is but one of my responsibilities to care for the dreams of the citizens of Equestria. Thy nightmares are especially distressing, and there are many aspects of them that give me pause. In truth, there is another purpose to my speaking with you this night. I would ask you... I wish to know why you seemed to know me when first we met, and why it distressed you so that I did not know you."
Coltyn felt his heart catch in his throat. "I... I don't know where to start."
"Why not the beginning," Luna smiled.
"The first time I met you and your sister was during the war with the griffons. I told you where the griffon leaders were so I could lead a strike against them. What I never told anypony was how I got that information," Coltyn cringed.
"If you wish the nightmares to stop you need to face your inner demons."
Coltyn drew a nervous breath. "There was a camp of griffons not far from the base I was at. I listened in on the general's meeting and found that they had raided what is today Manehatten and where my parents lived. I didn't wait for orders and left to find the griffons. They hadn't set up a secure watch and I was able to slip in unnoticed but what I saw shook my very core; skinned ponies beheaded and hung to let the blood drain," Coltyn recalled, tears streaming down his face. "I saw the skins of my parents and went from horrified to enraged; I slayed their entire encampment... all except one of the leaders. I took him to the butchery and tied him down."
Coltyn stopped weeping as a sadistic smile crossed his face. "I began pulling his feathers out and then shaved his fur off. I told him to tell me why they started the war but of course he didn't speak so I tortured him. I tortured him and enjoyed it... I... I..." Coltyn choked. "I did horrible things to that griffon and I... I'm sorry. I didn't want to, I just..." Coltyn couldn't finish as sadness overtook him.
"Gave in to your darkness, you carry many heavy burdens," Luna cooed. "Your past is not pleasant but do you not feel better for opening up to another."
Coltyn nodded getting his breathing under control. "The next time we met was when you gathered my friends and I to help overthrow Princess Celestia. I was one of your generals who led your troops into battle. But we... I mean Nightmare Moon and I took it farther. We were going to bring about a new era of peace not as prince and princess but king and queen."
"I see. You fell in love with the darkness that consumed me," Luna deduced.
"Yes, I held onto the hope of seeing you... I mean Nightmare Moon again so we could overthrow Celestia and rule in her stead. But after centuries of reflection I saw that it would be folly and started to help others," Coltyn said. "May I ask a favor, Princess?"
"What is it, my little pony?"
"Would you take on the form of Nightmare Moon so I... can say goodbye?" Coltyn asked, cautiously.
Luna understood his motive and changed her form to that of Nightmare Moon. Coltyn looked up to see his Princess of the Night. "I'm sorry. I should have never left your side; it's because of me you were banished. It's entirely my fault, could you ever forgive me?" Coltyn asked, hanging his head in shame.
"Of course, my friend. I forgive you of your past. Now let us work toward a better future," Nightmare said in a deep feminine voice, her gentle smile seeming at odds with her fierce appearance.
"Thank you. Goodbye... my love," Coltyn smiled as Luna shifted back. "Thank you, Princess Luna. I feel my burden has become lighter."
"I'm glad to help and thank you for filling in some of the blanks for me. Now get something you have been denied for many nights, peaceful rest," Luna smiled, and Coltyn's heart felt lighter as the world around him turned black and faded to nothing.
~End Dream~
Coltyn woke the next day feeling lighter on his hooves than he had for many years. He also had something important to do, apologize. He left his cart and walked around Canterlot looking for Thunder Snow. He found her sitting at the cafe she frequented with Shining Armor and Cadence. Coltyn stopped considering what he was about to do. With a deep breath he approached Thunder Snow.
"May I join you?" Coltyn asked, approaching Thunder Snow.
"No, I have nothing to say to you," Thunder Snow snorted.
"Then I ask that you just listen." Thunder Snow raised an eyebrow but didn't want to pass up a chance to get more information. She motioned for him to sit. "First, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to leave so suddenly during Hearth's Warming but it was for a good reason," Coltyn began, knowing he couldn't tell her everything and choosing his words carefully. "The reason I've been spending so much time in the archives here is the same one that took me so abruptly away, and I was trying to be considerate when I sent a messenger to tell you I was leaving, but instead I managed to offend you somehow. For that I'm truly sorry, and hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me." Coltyn sighed. "I was in earnest when I spoke to you in the cafe, but then I managed to put my hoof in my mouth. Again."
The general state of melancholy Coltyn displayed was much different from the proud and silver-tongued pony she met at Hearth's Warming. 'Maybe I misjudged him.' Thunder Snow thought as Coltyn continued.
"I wish I could tell you everything, but I can't. Please understand that the secrets I'm keeping aren't mine to tell, and sharing them could bring great harm to somepony else. I'm hoping maybe that we could start over?"
Thunder Snow pondered his proposal before slightly nodding her head, deciding to give him the opportunity to satisfy her curiosity. "I guess I could give you another chance," Thunder Snow offered, with a half-smile. She looked at him, then looked down and poked the ground with her hoof. "Maybe," She said cautiously. "You could join Shining Armor, Cadence, and I for tea sometime."
"I'd like that very much," Coltyn smiled. |
Journey from Darkness | Chapter 7: Preparations | Coltyn had taken Thunder Snow up on her offer and for the last month has been building a friendship with her and her friends. After getting to know Thunder Snow more he realized that it would take an immense amount of power to regrow Thunder Snow's horn with 'brotherly love'. Determined to find a solution, he was reading and had just come across a passage that gave him pause when his concentration was broken by the sound of hooves approaching. Looking to the door he wasn't expecting to see a small squad of guards and Shining Armor enter the study.
"Is something wrong Captain Shining Armor?" Coltyn inquired.
"Yes. Princess Celestia would like to speak with you," Shining Armor stated. "Please follow me."
Coltyn looked at the nervous guards, slowly nodded and followed Shining Armor to Princess Celestia's meeting hall. He was surprised to see Luna and Thunder Snow also in attendance. 'This is bad,' Coltyn thought as he bowed to the Princesses.
"Do you know why you are here?" Celestia asked.
Coltyn looked at the captains and princesses, all conveying an air of seriousness. "No, but I assume it's something very bad."
"You are correct," Luna informed him. "One of my night guards has brought dire news."
Coltyn turned his full attention on Shining Armor as the white stallion lifted a scroll and began reading. "The fall of the capitol will mark the beginning of a new age. The end is closer than you know."
"This is serious. A direct threat to Canterlot will not be taken lightly," Thunder Snow stated coldly.
"Do you know who would make such a threat?" Celestia asked.
Coltyn wasn't about to reveal one of his greatest secrets. "No, I don't. But why bring me in? Is this not a matter that is handled by the Royal Guard?"
"It is," Shining Armor bit off, brusquely.
"However, I thought that given your talents of discovering information that you could aid in finding the pony who wrote this. Think of it as me testing you," Celestia explained.
"I see. I would like the chance to redeem myself," Coltyn said.
"However, until we discover the source of this threat we will be locking down the castle and library," Luna said.
"Extra watches will be posted throughout Canterlot," Shining Armor added.
"Aerial surveillance will be increased," Thunder Snow continued.
"And I would ask you to not leave Canterlot," Celestia finished. "I will be more at ease knowing where you are."
Coltyn didn't like the thought of not having access to the library but wasn't about to argue. "I will comply," Coltyn answered. "And maybe unravel this mystery."
Celestia smiled slightly. "Very well. You may go, Coltyn."
Coltyn bowed, then turned and made his way out of the castle. The last phrase he read echoed through his mind, 'Destiny reveals itself when the time is right.' "That isn't helpful," Coltyn muttered, annoyed. "I thought I was on the verge of the answer but now I'm stuck here with nothing." He wandered back to his cart and began rereading books on rituals and circle magic. He made several diagrams but didn't know how they would be useful. Annoyed he drew an herbal bath to help clear his mind and then went to sleep. ***
The next day, Coltyn found himself at loose ends and eventually just began to walk around Canterlot, listening for anything useful. He mostly overheard general gossip, including speculation about the sudden increase in guards and aerial patrols. When he passed by a jewelry shop and overheard the two clerks talking about Shining Armor buying an engagement ring two days ago, an idea occurred to him. He made his way to the cafe that the Guard Captain frequented with Thunder Snow and Cadence, hoping to find the other stallion. He was in luck, as Shining Armor was sitting at their usual table as Coltyn approached.
"May I join you?" Coltyn asked, walking up to Shining Armor.
"Sure, I'm waiting for Cadence and Thunder Snow," Shining Armor told him.
"Then I will be quick. I think you should propose to Cadence, you two seem to be a great couple," Coltyn said, plainly.
Shining Armor looked inquisitively at him. "I don't think that now is the best time for such things."
"Sometimes what might seem like a bad time is actually the best time. Keep the little ponies distracted so that others can focus on bigger issues without causing a mass panic," Coltyn offered. Coltyn saw the conflict in Shining Armor. "Of course it's your decision, I just think there is no time like the present," Coltyn said, leaving the Captain to wait for his company to arrive. ***
Coltyn had been working in his cart for a week, somewhat broken up by the occasional visit from Thunder Snow, after her shift, when the message box on his table began to glow. Opening it he retrieved the letter and read it.
'Dear Coltyn;
I have been informed of my brother's wedding. My friends and I are going to be helping with preparations and I was hoping that we might catch up. We will be on the first train out tomorrow. I need to talk to my brother first but I would like to get together afterwards. I'll see you soon.
Your friend,
Twilight Sparkle'
"Who was that?" Thunder Snow asked.
"Twilight Sparkle. Shining Amor is marrying Princess Cadence," Coltyn said, rolling the scroll back up.
"I know," Thunder Snow smiled. "He proposed yesterday at lunch. I was wondering how much longer he was going to wait. They make a good couple."
"That they do," Coltyn said, waving goodbye to Thunder Snow. "I'll talk to you later."
Coltyn was excited to see Twilight again and have somepony else to talk to who was as knowledgeable about magic. He was also happy that Shining Armor went through with his proposal. Coltyn spent the rest of the night trying to figure out a way to use 'brotherly love' but nothing was coming together.
The next day he made his way to the train station, but was stopped by the guards. Not wanting to cause a problem, he waited for the passengers to depart. Twilight was the first out of the station but her determination blinded her and she walked past Coltyn without stopping. Coltyn wondered what had her so focused when the other five ponies and Spike exited the station.
"Hi, again!" Pinkie Pie shouted, pouncing on Coltyn, startling him with her hug.
"Hello," Coltyn smiled, then pushed Pinkie back gently and nodded to the rest of the group, before asking, "What's got Twilight so uptight?"
"She's a little steamed that her brother didn't tell her directly that he was gettin' married," Applejack explained, as they began to walk into the city.
"I see. That would explain why she didn't seem to notice me when she walked by."
"Yes, it would. She didn't take the news at all well," Rarity agreed.
"I'm sure she just wants to get more info. She doesn't like not having the whole story," Spike defended.
"I see," Coltyn said.
"Well, it was nice seein' ya, Coltyn, but we got to get to work if we want to get this weddin' together on time," Applejack said.
"Alright. I'll let you all get to work; I've got my own business to attend to. I'll see you all later," Coltyn smiled, turning down a side street.
He made is way over to the Cafe knowing that Thunder Snow would be having a break soon. He waited for an hour but there was no sign of Thunder Snow. Pulling his bits on the table he saw Twilight walk by now less determined but more upset. "Hey, Twilight. How have you been?" Coltyn greeted.
"Oh, hi Coltyn. I've got to make sure that everything comes together for the wedding," Twilight trailed off.
"I'm sure your friends can handle things for a while. You look like you need to get something off your chest," Coltyn said, offering a seat. "Now what's wrong?"
"My brother is marrying my foal-sitter and didn't even come to tell me. I had to find out from the invitation."
"Well he proposed only three days ago. He has been here doing his job which doesn't really allow him to go to Ponyville to tell you."
"Well it was ok till I met Cadence again. There's something different about her. She is acting weird and she didn't even remember the little dance we made," Twilight said.
"Well, sometimes as we grow up we forget the fun from our childhood," Coltyn offered.
"No, Cadence is the princess of love, she could never forget something that gave me so much joy," Twilight retorted.
"Well preparing to get married and the increased security might be affecting her. She's probably stressed, so try not to take it too hard."
"I'll try not to," Twilight said, getting up. "I've got to get over to the kitchen and check up on Applejack."
"That's fine. It was nice to catch up," Coltyn smiled as Twilight left still frustrated. 'If anypony would have insight on changes in Cadence's behavior it would be Thunder Snow,' Coltyn thought, leaving the bits for his bill on the table.
Coltyn wandered the streets of Canterlot looking for Thunder Snow. He searched for a few hours and finally found one of the Pegasus Guards. "Excuse me," Coltyn approached. "I was wondering where Captain Thunder Snow was."
"She is on duty," the guard replied, stiffly.
"I knew that. Where is she?" Coltyn asked.
"That isn't your concern, citizen," the guard simply stated, remaining at his post.
"Well thanks," Coltyn said annoyed. Heading back to his cart he decided to scry for Thunder Snow.
Coltyn pulled out his crystal ball and setting it on a gold holder he looked deep into the ball. Focusing a clear image of Thunder Snow in his mind, he searched. After a few minutes he saw Thunder Snow, she seemed to be flying with four other guards. Not wanting to startle her while she was flying, Coltyn waited for her to land before calling out to her.
"Hello, Thunder Snow," Coltyn whispered into the ball.
Thunder Snow looked around confused. "Who's there?" She demanded, looking around confused.
"Are you alright, Captain?" one of her guards asked.
"It's Coltyn. I'm using a spell to communicate with you," Coltyn explained, quickly.
"I'm fine," Thunder Snow addressed her guards. "I'm getting a message from Coltyn."
"Where in Equestria are you?" Coltyn asked.
"I'm just about to cross Everfree. You're supposed to be in Canterlot," Thunder Snow said, realizing he was using magic.
"I'm in Canterlot. Twilight told me that Cadence was acting weird and I was wondering if you noticed anything to confirm her suspicions before you left."
"Well this morning, Shining Armor told me to take a squad and do a distant sweep to see if we could find out more about this threat. It was top priority as he needed to stay and continue his protection spell so I left before seeing Cadence. Last time I saw her was when Shining Armor proposed and she wasn't acting strange then."
"Thanks for your help. Something might be going on so try not to wander to far from Canterlot - I might need your help."
"I'll try. Keep me informed of what's happening at home."
"Not a problem," Coltyn said, ending the spell.
Coltyn pondered the events and something wasn't sitting right. Thunder Snow is gone on a mission away from Canterlot, Twilight was upset about Cadence's behavior and Shining Armor is continually reinforcing his spell. He couldn't put his hoof on it but something was off and it all revolved around Shining Armor, his friends, and family. He needed to talk to Shining Armor and Cadence and hopefully find out what's going on. ***
Coltyn spent the next day gathering reactions from Twilight's friends who all insisted that Princess Mi Amore Cadenza was fine and that Twilight was just being protective of her brother. He didn't share their enthusiasm but without any evidence he couldn't approach Princess Celestia. He tried to talk with Princess Cadence, but she brushed him off, saying she had more preparations to check on.
The day before the final rehearsal Coltyn was lucky to find Shining Armor leaving his post for the day.
"Hello, Shining Armor," Coltyn greeted.
"Hello," Shining Armor replied. "What can I help you with?"
"Well I was hoping that you and I could talk over a drink," Coltyn offered, slowing his pace.
"That's nice but I need to get home. I've got a big day tomorrow."
"That is actually something I wanted to talk about," Coltyn said seriously.
"But you're the one who said I should ask her in the first place."
"I just want to know one thing. Has she changed?" Coltyn asked, looking him in the eye.
Shining Armor looked curiously at Coltyn. "No, she seems fine to me. A little more stressed but pulling together a wedding on such short notice will do that."
"Fair enough," Coltyn nodded, noticing a bar across the road. "Come on, I want to buy you a drink to congratulate you."
Shining Armor shrugged, following Coltyn to the entrance.
"I thought you were coming straight home?" Princess Mi Amore Cadenza called out from the nearby crossroads, before Shining Armor and Coltyn could enter.
"Oh... Hi, sweetie. Coltyn just offered me a drink..."
"And you were going to skip out on all the work that needs to be done by tonight?" Princess Cadenza reprimanded.
"That's alright, Shining Armor. I'll take you for a drink another time," Coltyn smiled. "Have a good evening," Coltyn turned and walked into the bar.
Coltyn took his drink and sat out on the patio, lost in thought. 'Cadence is acting more aggressive, but that could easily be explained because pulling a wedding together this quickly is stressful. It's strange though, that she didn't seem to have the same grace she normally exhibited. Something is off about her, but she doesn't seem to be under any spells that could have changed her.' Coltyn continued to ponder how or what could have changed her. The moon was high in the sky when he noticed Twilight walk by. Coltyn called her over and invited her to join him for a while.
"I'm starting to think you're right about Cadence," Coltyn started.
"Of course I was!" Twilight exclaimed. "She was horrible to my friends and they just call it nerves and think I'm being over protective. It's like she's brainwashing them."
"Unfortunately feelings without proof aren't enough to convince Princess Celestia. There just doesn't seem to be any hard evidence so nothing can be done," Coltyn admitted.
"I was just on my way to see my brother because this has me really worried not to mention that he and my friends don't seem to notice her bad behavior."
"Well then, I'll let you go. Try to stay calm and don't jump to any rash conclusions and do something you'll regret."
"I won't," Twilight said with a small smile.
Coltyn paid his bill and began wandering the streets, the strange events of the past week replaying in his mind. Something about Cadence's behavior wasn't sitting right and it might have something to do with the threat to Canterlot, 'But how?' That question had been plaguing him since Princess Celestia asked him to look into the matter.
"Howdy!"
The sudden greeting snapped Coltyn from his pondering, turning to see Applejack. "Hey there, Applejack. What's happening?"
"Well, I'd hate to impose," Applejack said, poking the ground with her hoof. "But I've got to be at the rehearsal tomorrow and my sister and her friends are going to need to get their dresses. I love my brother but he has as much love of fashion as I do. So I was hoping that you might lend a hoof to make sure Rarity doesn't go crazy about this and that not matching."
Coltyn smiled. "I'll see what I can do. Besides I would like to catch up with my little apprentice."
"Thank you kindly, Coltyn," she smiled, tipping her hat. "Their train arrives at nine in the morning."
"I'll be there," Coltyn nodded as she departed. He smiled at the thought of seeing Applebloom again. Walking into his cart a thought crossed his mind and he pulled out his crystal ball. The mist in the ball cleared as Thunder Snow came into view.
"Hello, Thunder Snow," Coltyn called.
"Oh, hey Coltyn. What's up?" Thunder Snow asked.
"I was wondering when you would be getting back to Canterlot."
"I won't be back until the night before the wedding. We're over Dodge Junction now and as long as we don't run into any signs of trouble, I'll be back for the wedding," Thunder Snow said, relieved to soon be done with the reconnaissance mission.
"I was wondering if you would join us. I've been asked to take the flower girls in to get their dresses," Coltyn said. "I'll see you at the wedding."
"If I make it back in time, I'll come along, but I can't promise. If I don't make it before the wedding, I'll see you then," Thunder Snow replied, continuing her reconnaissance. ***
Coltyn stood on the platform, waiting for the train carrying Applebloom and her friends. The clock in the station began chiming nine as the train whistle sounded announcing its arrival. The train slowed down coming to a stop with a loud release of steam setting the brakes and with another push of air, the doors opened. Coltyn didn't have to wait long as the yellow filly pounced at him in a hug.
"I missed you too, Applebloom," Coltyn said, pulling the filly from his neck.
Her friends came galloping and with Applebloom began bouncing around him unable to contain their excitement. Coltyn noticed Big Macintosh step off the train loaded down with all three fillies' baggage.
"Hello, Big Macintosh," Coltyn greeted. Big Macintosh nodded as the fillies finally calmed a bit. "Why don't you head to the castle and unload the girls' things. You can meet us at the Boutique afterwards." Another nod and Coltyn and Big Macintosh went their separate ways.
"So are we going to see my sister?" Sweetie Belle asked.
"No, we are going to the Best of the Best Boutique. Rarity is busy at the rehearsal, but Hoity Toity has the best seamstresses at his disposal," Coltyn explained, exiting the train station.
"We're going to have to stand around while they poke and prod us aren't we?" Scootaloo asked unenthused.
"Most likely, having dresses made is a time consuming and invasive process," Coltyn chuckled as Scootaloo stuck her tongue out, making a gagging noise. "So how's school been for you all?"
"Oh, where to start," Applebloom began. "I had this brilliant idea for us to get our cutie marks as journalists. But our Editor in Chief, Diamond Tiara, turned us into her gossip columnists."
"Things just got way out of hoof faster than we realized," Scootaloo added.
"Yeah, before we knew it, we didn't have any friends and were shunned by everypony," Sweetie Belle continued.
"Luckily we were able to repair most of the damage we did. But Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon have increased their teasing since Miss Cheerilee demoted Diamond Tiara," Applebloom said.
"Yeah, but seeing her slip and get covered in ink was worth it," Scootaloo grinned. "It took her almost a week to get it all out of her coat."
Coltyn chuckled with the three fillies for a moment before his face took on a more serious expression, and he commented, "I still don't understand how foals can pick on those who have blank flanks when they were once blank themselves." Coltyn looked up noticing they arrived. "Well, here we are."
The four passed through the extravagant glass doors, a tinkling bell announcing their arrival. Sweetie Belle noticed some familiar designs from Rarity's shop, while Applebloom and Scootaloo were mesmerized by the extravagant and elaborate dresses on display.
"Ah, there are the three little flower fillies," Hoity Toity exclaimed, coming from the back. "Rarity sent the designs for your dresses with preliminary measurements. Now each of you will be with one of my seamstresses - Needle, Spool, Thread," Hoity Toity called. In an instant three unicorn mares stood at attention. "Take these young fillies for their final fitting." Each of the three took one of the fillies into a different room to begin the fitting. "Now I was expecting a large red stallion to be with you all but I suppose he'll be along shortly. I'll take care of getting you fitted, first."
Coltyn was taken off guard by his comment but before he could react he was pushed into another room. He was quickly measured and soon found himself in a black tuxedo with a red collar, a golden silk band across the middle, red cuffs with golden cufflinks, and a light blue belt with a golden latch.
"No, this is a total faux pas," Hoity Toity exclaimed. "The bold colors don't fit at all with your natural coloring." Hoity Toity pondered for a minute before clapping his hooves together. In a flash, a male unicorn with a sewing machine cutie mark was standing next to Coltyn. "Fetch me the azure, purple, and silver fabrics, both silk and cotton." He paused for an instant, and added, "I'll need the indigo velvet as well. I think that will be just the thing for this stately looking stallion." With a quick nod the pony was gone. "I do apologize, but it would be terribly remiss of me to send you to a wedding in something that doesn't fit."
Coltyn raised an eyebrow, annoyed. "But this jacket fits fine."
"For your frame yes but not you. The clothes and the wearer must be as one otherwise it looks terrible," Hoity Toity explained. "And I will not have any customer leave my shop in anything less than the finest haute couture."
Coltyn shrugged agreeably. The world of fashion had always confused him and the ponies that followed the fashion path always seemed to speak a different language. Soon Coltyn was being covered by the different fabrics as Hoity Toity prattled on about color, cut, and style. Eventually, the fashion pony seemed satisfied with his fussing, and before Coltyn's eyes, the tailor made a magnificent coat of indigo velvet trimmed with violet silk and silver buttons. Looking in the mirror, Coltyn saw the high class stallion he could have been had he made different choices in the past.
Coltyn walked out of the dressing room to find the three fillies waiting for him. Their dresses were light pink with purple flower accents. Sweetie Belle's had more layers to extend her figure and leave room for her more bushy tail. Applebloom's was a straight dress that pulled in tight at the flank with a few ruffles on the bottom with the purple accents. Scootaloo's flowed from her back to the floor in a gentle curve extending her body and had the end ruffled with purple flower accents. He was amazed at how pretty they looked... right up until Applebloom tried to walk, catching her hoof on the edge of her dress, and face-planting into the floor.
"It's harder than it looks isn't it?" Coltyn chuckled, walking into the main foyer.
"Yeah, I don't know how Rarity does it," Sweetie Belle insisted.
"Well I guess..." Coltyn began, interrupted by the door bell ringing as Big Macintosh walked in.
"Excellent," Hoity Toity exclaimed. "Come with me, we have so much work to do." Big Macintosh was escorted back to one of the fitting rooms by the same pony that helped Coltyn.
"Well, that was interesting," Coltyn said, looking toward the fitting room. "I'll show you how to walk in those dresses," Coltyn said, turning back to the girls.
Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle looked confused but Applebloom was really worried. "I don't think this is going to end well," Applebloom stated warily.
"I'm sure it will be fine," Coltyn encouraged. "Now you will need to hold yourselves in perfect posture," Coltyn explained, demonstrating by holding his head high with his neck parallel to the floor. "Your front hooves must not stray farther apart than your shoulders and your hind hooves have to be next to one another. Now to move is more like dancing than walking, no hoof moves with another and you shouldn't need any more space than a tile." Coltyn demonstrated, gracefully walking a line of tiles without looking down. "Now why don't you all give it a try?"
The girls lined up to try walking again when an aggravated Hoity Toity came from the fitting room. "That stallion is stubborn as mule and without a lick of fashion sense," Hoity Toity exclaimed.
Coltyn quickly stuck his hoof in Applebloom's mouth. "What's wrong?" he asked, not wanting to cause a scene.
"He simply refuses to take that eye sore of a fashion disaster yoke off his neck. I will not have anypony wearing such a monstrosity to this wedding," Hoity Toity explained.
Coltyn grabbed Applebloom with his magic and levitated her off the ground so she couldn't attack the fashion designer. "I'll have a talk with him," Coltyn said, looking at Applebloom. "So just stay here and work on walking in those dresses."
Applebloom snorted in disgust but slowly walked back to her friends who tried to cheer her up. Coltyn on the other hoof had to get Big Macintosh to cooperate. He walked into the fitting room where Big Macintosh sat stoically silent.
"I understand that you don't want to remove your yoke," Coltyn began.
"Eeyep."
"Would you care to tell me why?"
"Nope."
Coltyn studied Big Macintosh's usual responses with diligence. "I'm sorry. I know something that holds so much meaning is hard to set aside for anypony. But if for nopony else, do it for Twilight."
Big Macintosh turned, raising an eyebrow at Coltyn. Coltyn smiled gently; Big Macintosh turned to a mirror, letting out a sigh and slowly began to lift the yoke from his neck. The fur where the yoke sat was matted and worn showing that he only took it off to bathe and sleep.
"I'll have Applebloom hold onto this until your done getting fitted." Big Macintosh nodded. Coltyn levitated the yoke out to the main foyer and laid it down next to Applebloom. "Hold on to this for your brother." Applebloom nodded. "Hoity Toity, I think he will be more cooperative. Just don't push it too far and don't mention the yoke." Hoity Toity was skeptical but took his tailor back into the fitting room.
Coltyn watched the girls get to the point of not tripping on their dresses every step but were far from perfect. After forty minutes Big Macintosh walked out of the fitting area. He was dressed in a form fitted black jacket with golden collar and bordered with red lattes and buttons to accent. Big Macintosh was uncomfortable but he looked amazing.
"Another tres chic design. I knew he had the stature of greatness; he just needed the right couture," Hoity Toity said proudly. "Now everything is in order. The wedding will start at three o'clock tomorrow; be ready no later than one."
Coltyn nodded as he and Big Macintosh took the girls back to the castle. "I'll see you all tomorrow," Coltyn said, leaving them at the gate and heading back to his cart. |
Journey from Darkness | Chapter 8: Deception | The night was cool and clear, allowing the moon to shine brightly in the sky. Coltyn was readying himself for bed, laying out everything he'd need for the wedding, when a pounding came on his door. He opened it to see Big Macintosh, who looked very worried. Coltyn immediately beckoned him in and asked. "What's wrong?"
"Have you seen Twilight?" Big Macintosh asked in reply.
"No, I haven't seen her all day. Did you ask Applejack? She was at the rehearsal," Coltyn asked, confused.
"Eeyup."
"Didn't she know where Twilight was?"
"Nope, and she didn't seem to care, either," Big Macintosh choked, confusion warring with betrayal on his open face.
"That's strange. Well, let's see if I can find her," Coltyn offered, pulling out his crystal ball.
Big Macintosh watched as the crystal filled with smoke. Coltyn looked into the ball for nearly twenty minutes before letting out a deep sigh as the smoke faded.
"I can't find her. Somepony or something is blocking my spell," Coltyn said.
Big Macintosh snorted in frustration, stomping his hoof.
"I'm not giving up. Listen, there has been a threat to Canterlot. I'm not supposed to tell you but you need to know. Twilight and I had a feeling that Princess Mi Amore Cadenza is connected to this threat but I don't have any evidence to support that claim, or I would already have gone to Celestia with it." Coltyn drew a breath, as Big Macintosh calmed his temper and began to listen intently.
"Twilight might have found something and was taken for her knowledge. She could be anywhere with somepony keeping up a non-detection spell. However, I know of only one place in Canterlot that can naturally defuse a scrying spell: the Canterlot Gem Mines," Coltyn explained. "I'll help you search Canterlot in the morning. But if we can't find her by the time we're supposed to be at the wedding, I want you to go to the Gem Mine and look there while I go to the wedding. If someone has kidnapped Twilight, it was to keep her from interfering in whoever is planning to attack the city, and since the only reason she's in Canterlot at all is to help with her brother's wedding, I have a bad feeling that whatever is going to happen will be either using the wedding as a distraction, or taking place at the wedding itself," Coltyn continued, pulling out an old trunk and digging through it. He pulled out a matching pair of earrings which attached with magnets. "Here, these earrings are enchanted to allow two ponies to communicate telepathically, even if neither of them has the ability to use magic. You will wear one, and I the other. Just think my name and I'll be able to hear your next thoughts."
Big Macintosh nodded, attaching the earring to his ear. "Be careful," the massive draft pony said, before heading back out into the night. Coltyn pulled out a small box and removed several different herbs, to compound a very specific incense recipe. Once finished, he placed five censers containing the mix at the points of a pentacle he had long ago etched into the wooden floor. Lighting them, Coltyn sat in the middle and breathed deep the smoke, falling into a deep trance. ***
Coltyn roused from his trance completely refreshed just as the moon began to set, and began to prepare for the day to come. He very carefully dressed in the jacket Hoity Toity had created for him. While he was looking in the mirror, he saw the open trunk holding his battle armor. Coltyn looked at the armor and levitated a small pin with a crescent moon design out of the chest. 'I shouldn't need my armor,' Coltyn thought, placing the pin back into the chest. 'Although, I need to be ready for anything,' he argued, lifting the pin back out of the chest and placing it under his collar. Looking in the mirror, he braided his mane and tail. Satisfied, he set off to look for Twilight as the sun broke the horizon.
Coltyn trotted through the streets, conducting a visual search, as well as maintaining a detection spell in the hope of finding his young friend. He combed a small part of the city by noon when a voice echoed in his mind. 'Have you found her yet?' Big Macintosh asked.
'No. I haven't found any sign of her or magic that would conceal her location,' Coltyn responded.
'Neither have I. I should have come with her,' Big Macintosh thought.
'We will find her. You should start heading in the direction of the mines. I'll head for the castle.'
'Alright, be careful.'
'You, too.'
Coltyn continued to systematically search, always moving in the direction of the palace. The clock was ringing two when he finally got to the palace. He was ushered into the Grand Hall and casually looked around. When he noticed Thunder Snow among the guests who had already arrived, he approached her.
"Hello, Thunder Snow," Coltyn greeted.
"Hello, Coltyn," Thunder Snow said.
"Have you seen Cadence or Shining Armor?" Coltyn asked, looking around.
"No," Thunder Snow replied, confused. "We got back only an hour ago. I only had time to get dressed and come here."
"Please take your seats," Princess Celestia said, taking her position.
"I'll talk to you later," Coltyn said, heading to the back of the hall.
"After the ceremony, I hope?" Thunder Snow said, moving toward her place in the third row.
"As you wish," Coltyn smiled. ***
Big Macintosh searched the city as he made his way to the entrance of the Gem Mine. He reached the entrance as the clock struck three. He galloped hard knowing that time was short and he had to find Twilight soon. He got to the mine to see it boarded up with a 'KEEP OUT' sign posted in front. Not deterred by the sign he turned and kicked the planks that blocked his path.
The pieces of wood splintered apart and fell to the ground as Big Macintosh peered into the dimly lit cave. He could see large gem formations protruding from the walls, ceiling and floor. "TWILIGHT!!!" Big Macintosh bellowed into the cave, but the only sound he heard in response was the echo of his own voice reverberating off the gems. Realizing that it would be useless to call out only to hear the echo of his voice, he began to descend into the mine.
Big Macintosh wandered the labyrinth, searching desperately for Twilight. He noticed that the walls, ceiling, and floor seemed to be made up almost entirely of large crystalline gems. After trotting down several passages which led to dead ends he came to one that had a large gem sitting in the middle of the walkway. Examining the structure he found that it was covering up a hole in the floor. He put his hooves against the structure and pushed but it didn't yield. He studied the structure of the gem and found where the gem had been broken off and firmly kicked it with his hind hoof. The giant gem cracked but still stood firm. Big Macintosh smirked as he put all his weight on his front hooves before bucking with all his might, causing the gem to crack and shatter and revealing a continuation of the mine.
"I want it!!!" Echoed through the hole as Big Macintosh looked inside.
He looked down to see a pink alicorn with a disheveled mane who was supposed to be getting married in the palace at that very moment, accompanied by the mare he'd been seeking.
"Twilight!" Big Macintosh called, tears forming in his eyes. Cadence looked at Twilight who smiled as she teleported up to where Big Macintosh was waiting. Big Macintosh wrapped his head around the back of Twilight's neck as she rubbed her head along Big Macintosh's strong neck and chest. "You're safe," Big Macintosh whispered.
Twilight broke the embrace, giving Big Macintosh a distressed look. "But my brother's not. We need to stop that wedding."
Big Macintosh nodded as he motioned them to follow him as he galloped back to the entrance. ***
Coltyn was in the back of the congregated ponies, looking back to the main door and waiting nervously to hear from Big Macintosh. Twilight's friends and Luna were standing on the left side of the hall while Spike and the groomsmen were on the right. Shining Armor had just finished his vows as Big Macintosh's voice rang through his head.
'I found them!'
'Good, you need to get up here now. Cadence is reciting her vows and this will be all over soon,' Coltyn thought.
'As soon as we clear the mine entrance Twilight will teleport us. Try to stall the wedding.'
Coltyn looked around and thought to himself, 'how am I supposed to do that.' He noticed one of the mares had a lipstick case sitting in her bag and quickly 'borrowed' it. 'Well inflicting mass panic might do it,' Coltyn thought as he began to scribe a rune to induce fear, making sure to have the rune not affect Twilight, her friends, the princesses, Big Macintosh, Shining Armor, Thunder Snow, and the guards.
"Princess Cadence and Shining Armor," Princess Celestia announced. "It is my great pleasure to pronounce you..."
"STOP!!!" Twilight yelled, entering the Grand Hall.
The crowd chattered about the inappropriateness of the intrusion while Twilight's friends looked ashamed and embarrassed by their friend's actions.
"Why does she have to be so possessive of her brother," Cadence snarled. Realizing what she said she started crying. "Why does she have to ruin my special day?"
"Because it's not your special day! It's mine!" Cadence asserted, entering the room with Big Macintosh right behind her.
The crowd gasped at the sudden appearance of another Cadence while Coltyn put the finishing touches on his rune.
"This isn't possible!" Cadence insisted.
"I don't understand. How can there be two of them?" Applejack asked.
"She's a changeling. They take the form of somepony you love and gain power by feeding off that love," Cadence explained.
Coltyn looked up to see Cadence's eyes glow green as a wreath of green flames surrounded her. 'No time like now.' Coltyn thought as he watched the crowd shift back as the pony in front of him touched the rune. Everypony in the room except for the ones Coltyn exempted from the rune's effect screamed in terror as they dispersed. The pegasus ponies took wing and flew out the windows while some of the unicorns teleported away as the earth ponies and unicorn's that didn't know how to teleport fled through the entrance leaving only the small group of ponies in the hall.
"Right you are, Princess," the changeling gloated. "And as queen of the changelings it is up to me to find food for my subjects." Chrysalis looked around at the emptied hall. "Equestria has more love than anyplace I've ever encountered. My fellow changelings will devour so much of it; we will gain more power than we've ever dreamed of," She sneered.
"They won't get that chance," Cadence protested. "Shining Armor's protection spell will keep them out."
The other ponies took that as a relief until Chrysalis laughed. "I doubt that. He is under my control now. Isn't that right, dear," Chrysalis asked, turning to Shining Armor who nodded in agreement. "I've been feeding off his love for you and soon his spell will fail and Canterlot and all of Equestria will be ours."
Thunder Snow having heard enough ordered the guards. "Guards! Seize her!" The six guards approached but encircled Thunder Snow and lowered their spears. "What is the meaning of this?" She asked.
"Oh, I forgot to mention... I dosed the guards' supper with a powerful sleeping potion," Chrysalis explained as the guards dropped their disguise revealing their true forms.
"How did you escape from Tartarus?" Coltyn asked, approaching the group.
"Ah, the long lived one. I just had a little help from Equestria's hidden princess," Chrysalis said.
Everypony looked at Luna who retorted. "Tis a lie! I would never aid a monster like you!" To which Chrysalis rolls her eyes.
Princess Celestia quickly glanced at Thunder Snow before returning her attention to Chrysalis. "Who told you of my other daughter?" Celestia snarled.
The entire room now looked at Celestia. "Mother?" Cadence asked. Twilight's friends stood shocked to hear that Celestia was Cadence's mother.
"It doesn't matter at the moment," Celestia insisted.
"Funny, how secrets find a way into the open isn't it, Celestia?" Chrysalis sneered.
"SILENCE DEMON!!!" Celestia bellowed, charging the changeling.
Coltyn teleported Thunder Snow to his side.
"What's happening?" Thunder Snow demanded.
"I'll explain later. Right now we need to deal with them." Coltyn readied his magic.
Two of the changelings charged at Coltyn and Thunder Snow while the others attacked Twilight and her friends. Spike pushed Cadence to a corner of the room as to not get caught in the crossfire. Coltyn and Thunder Snow showed their talents in combat as they dodged the changeling's charge and in sync knocked the changelings into each other. The other ponies didn't seem to have trouble with the normal changelings which put all attention on Celestia.
Celestia charged to gore the changeling queen with her horn but was parried. Rearing up on her back legs Celestia swung her hooves at Chrysalis who also reared up to deflect the blows. Pushing off each other and skidding backwards the two charged again, locking horns and staring into each other's eyes with determination.
"You will provide much food for my subjects," Chrysalis taunted.
"You won't have the chance," Celestia retorted, using her wings to gain distance.
Celestia's horn glowed as a beam as bright as the sun shot forth. Chrysalis responded with a beam attack of her own. The sheer amount of energy meeting pushed all the ponies back away from the collision point - the brightness causing everypony to shield their eyes. Coltyn looked on, his magic shielding his eyes; he saw Celestia was succeeding in pushing back the changeling Queen, until Shining Armor's eyes suddenly glowed green. Then, Chrysalis pushed back against Celestia's beam until she hit her horn. The scream of pain pierced the ponies' ears as the blinding light faded. Princess Celestia's body fell limp on the floor.
"Princess Celestia!" Twilight cried, running to her mentor.
"Get the Elements," Celestia commanded, smoke rising from the scorched crack that had split her horn. "Defeat the queen."
Twilight nodded to her friends, and the six of them ran out of the Grand Hall for the Temple of the Elements, accompanied by Big Macintosh, who was determined to protect Twilight. Chrysalis laughed maniacally. Coltyn, Luna, and Thunder Snow ran to Celestia's side.
"Will she be alright?" Thunder Snow asked looking at the scorched and bleeding horn.
"Yes," Coltyn said, stopping the bleeding. "Stay by her and protect her. I'll deal with the changeling." He spat the word out like it tasted bad, scowling at Chrysalis.
"You can run but you can't hide," Chrysalis called to the seven fleeing ponies.
"I'm not running and you will pay for your crime," Coltyn stated, activating his pin. Coltyn's body was covered in a dark aura as the pin centered on his chest. From the pin a metal chest piece wrapped around his neck as metal plates rolled down his spine extending around wrapping his chest and belly in metal. Reaching his flank the metal burst out into two plates to protect his hind quarters. Bracers and enclosed battle shoes adorned his lower legs as the metal wrapped his face and head. Opening his eyes wisps of black flowed from the corners; his horn glowing ready to cast. "For Equestria!" he shouted, rearing up in preparation to attack.
Luna's eyes widened. "General?"
"What?" Thunder Snow asked, cringing at the loud cracking sound.
"I remember... my past," Luna whispered, looking at Coltyn, her eyes reflecting pain.
Chrysalis snickered at the sound of Shining Armor's shield falling. "My army now moves on the city. Soon, we will take over all of Equestria."
"Not while I still defend her!" Coltyn screamed, charging.
As Coltyn locked horns with Chrysalis, his ears swiveled back, catching the sound of more changelings approaching. Chrysalis let out a blast of energy knocking Coltyn back. He recovered almost instantly, and faced Chrysalis once again, the Queen now surrounded by her changelings.
"You lose," Chrysalis sneered. "Get them."
Coltyn grinned as the hoard charged, his horn glowing. Coltyn let loose with a volley of concussive force bolts, knocking the charging changelings back. However, with each one he knocked back, two more took its place. His magic glowed around his neck then, after taking a deep breath, he let out an ear-piercing shout knocking a fair amount of the changelings out of the way, giving him a clear path to Chrysalis. He charged the queen, even as a few of the changelings tried to intercept him, but with flash teleports landing blows on any changeling that got in his way, he locked horns with the queen again.
"You are just as powerful as I've been told," Chrysalis said.
"Then you know I will win," Coltyn said coldly, breaking way.
Chrysalis's horn shone as she drew power from Shining Armor. "Sooner or later you will run out of energy, but I have a constant supply."
"We shall see," Coltyn snarled, charging.
Coltyn was lunging at the queen in a straight gore attack, when gravity changed and he found himself falling up. He hit the ceiling hard, but before he could recover gravity returned, sending him plummeting toward the floor. Before he reached the floor, he teleported at the queen, slamming his body into hers and knocking them both to the ground. Chrysalis regained her hooves, shaken from the sudden blow as Coltyn rolled onto his hooves.
"That was an interesting use of teleport, mage," Chrysalis growled.
"That was a simple change in momentum," Coltyn replied, looking around. He saw Celestia being encased in a green cocoon while Luna and Thunder Snow were being cornered.
"But if you want to defeat me you'll have to sacrifice those you held dear," Chrysalis said.
"What do you know of me?" Coltyn challenged. "Who are you to speak of what I hold dear?"
Coltyn charged firing bolts of energy at the changeling who deflected them, laughing maniacally once more. He locked horns with her once again but his strength was beginning to wane as he broke away. Chrysalis grinned at the sound of the main doors opening. Coltyn saw a chance and charged. Before reaching the queen he was hit by a magic bolt, knocking him off his hooves. Tumbling across the floor he was struck by several more which slammed him into a wall. He felt the sticky slime coat his hooves keeping him in place. Looking over the hall he saw that the changelings had dragged Celestia to the ceiling in a full cocoon while Luna and Thunder Snow were covered in the same slime restraining him. Cadence and Spike had been found and they were restrained by Shining Armor.
"You won't get away with this! Twilight and her friends will..." Cadence began, before seeing that Twilight had been captured.
Twilight and her friends had been bound in the slime and were dragged in by several changelings.
"You were saying," A deep, sardonic voice echoed through the chamber.
Coltyn's head snapped in the direction of the voice as the cloaked figure entered the Hall from the balcony, his eyes widening in recognition. The black unicorn pony stood as tall as Luna. Her mane and tail were distinctive - a white-streaked, deep blue - and cut short. She looked over to Coltyn with a malevolent, twisted grin.
"Hello, Father." |
Journey from Darkness | Chapter 9: Bitter Truths | Everypony turned to Coltyn, who cringed at the utterance of that word. The black mare dropped her hood and looked around the room. Celestia was encased in a cocoon being drained of her love, while everypony else was held down by the changeling's slime.
"Looks like everypony is here." The black mare smiled harshly. "Excellent work, Chrysalis."
"Thank you, Midnight Vengeance," Chrysalis smiled, bowing slightly. "With everypony caught up in wedding planning they didn't realize that Twilight was correct in doubting me," Chrysalis said, lifting Twilight's head to look into her eyes.
Applejack turned to Twilight. "We're sorry Twilight. We should have listened to you."
The others apologized as Twilight turned her head back to Chrysalis. "It's not your fault. She fooled everypony."
"Which is why I freed her from Tartarus. I needed a creature that could naturally change forms," Midnight Vengeance explained, walking up to Coltyn. "Isn't it wonderful? You get to witness the dream set down by mother so long ago come true," Midnight exclaimed, her horn glowing. "The world shrouded in darkness!" The moon rose and centered itself in front of the sun causing an eerie red glow to fall on Equestria.
"You know nothing of her dream," Coltyn retorted. "The world free from war and tyranny was her dream. We won! Though it took time to see the victory; we were victorious none the less." Coltyn hung his head. "Though it seems that the darkness has fully consumed you," Coltyn said, looking into his daughter's crimson, dragon-like eyes.
Midnight broke into maniacal laughter. "Consumed? No dear father, I welcomed the darkness. It gave me power and showed me the way to make the true dream mother had a reality. You on the other hoof betrayed everything you once held dear: your friends, your mate, me," Midnight bellowed. "You even murdered the only pony who stood by me." She turned to Twilight. "So maybe I should do the same to you."
"No!" Coltyn screamed. "I'm the one who did you wrong. Don't punish them for my mistakes," Coltyn pleaded.
"Hmm? Very well, I won't kill her," Midnight said, her magic grabbing Twilight. "She'll kill you."
"What?!" Twilight exclaimed.
"Or I kill your friends. Starting with her," Midnight said, holding a spear above Fluttershy's head.
"Do it, Twilight. Your friends' lives are more valuable than mine," Coltyn smiled.
Twilight lifted a spear and leveled it to Coltyn's chest. Tears streamed down her face. "I can't do this. I can't do this," Twilight repeated, the spear shaking.
Tired of waiting, Midnight threw Twilight aside and with her magic she pushed the spear into Coltyn's chest. Coltyn smiled. "Love freely given can conquer the darkness." With his final words his eyes fluttered shut, his life blood running down the spear. The ponies gasped as tears formed in every eye.
Midnight began to laugh maniacally as Chrysalis looked over the changelings in the city. Twilight found herself next to Cadance and quickly freed her from the slime. "Go to him while you have a chance."
Cadance nodded and ran to Shining Armor. Tears fell as she embraced him. Her outpouring sparked her magic, and her horn lit as a small heart floated in front of him. His eyes returned to normal as he shook his head. "Huh? Where? What? Is the wedding over?" Shining Armor asked confused.
"It's all over!" Midnight sneered.
"Your spell! Perform your spell!" Twilight shouted.
"What good would that do? My changelings roam free," Chrysalis retorted.
"No!" Shining Armor said, concentrating on his magic. His horn flickered but nothing happened. "It's no use. I don't have the strength to repel them."
Cadance, remembering Coltyn's words, turned to Shining Armor. "My love will give you strength."
"Preposterous," Midnight scoffed, turning to a window.
"What a lovely but absolutely ridiculous sentiment," Chrysalis mocked.
Cadance and Shining Armor looked at each other, faces set with determination, as their horns touched and glowed together. A small sphere formed at the tips of their horns growing to encircle them both. Everypony looked on in awe until a voice called out.
"Open your hearts to them. Power the spell!" Coltyn shouted, freeing himself from the wall.
Coltyn saw the opportunity he had waited for and quickly, with Twilight's help, freed everypony who was stuck. The love spell began to draw the ponies in as Coltyn looked at Midnight. "I need you," Coltyn snarled, grabbing her with his magic. Coltyn's horn lit and a magic circle appeared under Cadance and Shining Armor, who had floated up above everypony's head. The spell put Midnight across from Coltyn and Thunder Snow across from Celestia at the cardinal directions. Power flowed through the circle starting with Coltyn on the south and moving right through Applejack, Fluttershy, Thunder Snow, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Midnight Vengeance, Princess Luna, Rarity, Princess Celestia, Twilight Sparkle, and Big Macintosh. A square formed connecting Coltyn, Princess Celestia, Thunder Snow and Midnight Vengeance. Coltyn took on Celestia's broken horn, concentrating on repairing it, even as Midnight Vengeance lost her horn and Thunder Snow grew one. With the spell done, Coltyn released the power of the circle into the love spell, causing a heart shaped explosion as the barrier forced the changelings out of not only Canterlot, but beyond the boundaries of Equestria and all the way to the edge of the known world.
Midnight, Celestia, Thunder Snow and Coltyn fell to the ground. Coltyn cringed in pain, his horn split to the skull. Looking around he saw that his gamble had paid off. Then, a choked sound drew his eyes to his daughter, and he felt as though his heart were being crushed in a vise.
Everypony tensed as Midnight spoke, reaching for Princess Luna. "I... I tried... moth... er," she gasped, her last breath escaping her lips with a soft, lost sounding whinny.
Coltyn couldn't hold back the tears, dropping his head between his front hooves and covering his face in an attempt to hide his weeping, as Celestia got to her hooves with Twilight's help. "I'm fine. You and your friends have a real wedding to put together," Princess Celestia said, coaxing her student to take her friends out of the room.
Twilight nodded. "Come on girls, we have a lot of work to do," Twilight said, leading her friends out of the hall.
Luna approached Coltyn, kneeling beside him and wrapping her wing around the distraught stallion. Coltyn looked up to the Princess. "It wasn't supposed to be like this," Coltyn choked, his throat tight with grief.
Luna looked at the lifeless body of Midnight. "She was born in darkness. She couldn't survive in the light," Luna offered, understanding why he wept.
"No matter how much she went astray, I... I still loved her," Coltyn cried. "I should have been able to save her!"
"'Tis only natural to mourn your child," Luna said gently, lifting his head to force him to meet her eyes. She smiled, even as he noticed she also had tears misting her eyes. "I remember how proud you were when she was born." Coltyn looked at Luna confused. "Seeing you in your armor sparked the awakening of my memories. I have many questions as - I'm sure - do the others."
Coltyn looked at Thunder Snow, who was running her hoof along her new horn. "Would somepony please explain to me why there is a horn sticking out of my head?"
Cadance was staring, wide eyed, at the blue mare. Then, she turned to look at Celestia. "Mother? What's happening?"
Celestia let out a long sigh. "A miracle." She turned to Coltyn. "I was told that the damage to her horn was too extensive, and that it would be impossible to salvage it." Turning to Thunder Snow, she continued, "You were foalnapped on the day you were born, and when you were returned to me, your horn had been snapped off. The best doctors in Equestria examined you, and told me that letting you keep what remained of your horn could cause you serious harm as you grew. Allowing it to be removed was the hardest decision I ever made." She paused, taking a deep breath. "I gave you up to your foster parents. Let them raise you as a pegasus because I was told that you would never get your horn back, and I wanted you to have the most normal life possible."
"A normal life?" Thunder Snow snarled. "My life was a nightmare." Turning to Cadance. "Did you know? Is that why you didn't join in the teasing I received daily."
"No! I didn't know any of this," Cadance replied, paling.
Thunder Snow turned back to Celestia. "Have you any idea of the hell I went through?"
Celestia lowered her head. "Yes, I couldn't do anything without risking having you discovered."
"Would that have been so terrible? If you would have been honest with everypony I wouldn't have had to suffer the ridicule that was heaped on me every day. My special talent," she sneered, "is summoning freak snow storms. Even in the summertime. When I was a filly in Vanhoover, living with the ponies I called my parents, it was possible to hide the occasional accident, but here, in Canterlot? If you wanted me far away, why did you make us move back here just in time for me to go to school with cruel, bullying unicorns that thought it was the most fun thing in their lives to torment me, calling me names and attacking me whenever they thought they could get away with it? I've had to fight for every bit of respect I've ever had, and now I find out it was ALL a LIE?" As Thunder Snow raged, the room gradually darkened, and a cold wind began to blow. Her eyes were flashing, her nostrils flaring, and as she shouted, rumbling came from outside. "You LET me be treated like a freak, when all you would have needed to do to stop my pain was to TELL THE TRUTH!" Suddenly, a great blue bolt of lightning flashed, striking Celestia and knocking her off her hooves.
The deafening thunder clap echoed throughout the chamber causing everypony to cringe. Everypony stood in silent shock at what they had just witnessed. Cadance ran to her mother, tears in her eye as Princess Luna addressed Thunder Snow. "Come walk with me. You will do nopony any good in a blind rage," Luna offered.
Thunder Snow snorted, rolling her eyes, before following her evident aunt out of the Grand Hall. Coltyn slowly got up and walked over to Celestia, Shining Armor, and Cadance. "Is she alright?" Coltyn asked, rubbing his throbbing head.
"Why would she do this? After all we've been through, how could she turn on us?" Cadance asked openly.
"She just realized everything she knew was a lie. She is going to need time," Coltyn answered. "She is going to need you all more than ever before." Coltyn saw the small scorch mark on Celestia's chest. "We should move her to her chambers for some rest."
Shining Armor lifted Celestia onto his back. "What about that one?" Shining Armor asked, motioning towards Midnight's lifeless body.
Breathing heavily, Coltyn replied in a tight voice. "I will see to her burial."
Shining Armor and Cadance looked at each other, confused. "You want to give her a burial?" Shining Armor asked.
"I owe her that much," Coltyn said, looking up to the heavens. "And to lay the burden of my past to rest."
Cadance and Shining Armor exchanged another look, and quietly left to get Celestia to her chamber. Coltyn grabbed one of the white banners with his mouth and wrapped Midnight Vengeance's body in the cloth. He lifted her body onto his back and slowly trudged out of the hall. As he was making his way down to the halls, he met up with Luna and Twilight.
"How's Thunder Snow?" Coltyn asked wearily.
"She is out flying while she tries to figure out what to do," Luna explained, with a sigh. "She is understandably confused, and feels betrayed. It will take some time."
"Umm... Coltyn?" Twilight began.
"Yes?"
"Your horn. It's... well..."
"Split. I know. I fixed Celestia's horn by taking the damage onto my own."
"Does it... hurt?" Twilight asked, cautiously.
"It's nothing headache potions can't help," Coltyn sighed, clutching his head as a wave of pain hit him. "Lots of potions. It will heal... eventually."
"So what are you doing with her?" Luna asked, tilting her horn toward Midnight's body, sidestepping nervously for a moment.
"I want to lay her to rest, with your permission of course," Coltyn asked, lowering his head.
"Where?" Luna asked.
"I was thinking of returning her to Everfree, to the ancient palace where she was born. It just seems... right," Coltyn said.
Luna looked down for a long moment, and then lifted her gaze to meet Coltyn's. "I would... choose to be present when she is laid to rest. It's only fitting."
Coltyn smiled slightly. "You would be welcome. I would teleport us there but my magic isn't stable with my horn like this."
"I can get us there and back," Twilight offered. "I've been studying that augmentation circle you taught me for long distance teleportation, and I know I can get all of us back to Ponyville. The ruined castle is only a short distance from there."
Coltyn looked to Luna who nodded. "Whenever you're ready," Coltyn said, smiling weakly.
With a flash of Twilight's horn the three ponies were standing at the edge of Everfree Forest. Coltyn slowly and silently walked into the forest with Twilight and Luna flanking him. The somber mood among the ponies was reflected as the forest seemed to sing, mourning the passing of a creature of darkness. Approaching the ruins, Twilight couldn't help but notice that they were being followed. Looking back, she noticed bats, crows, timberwolves, manticores, and further back more shapes she couldn't distinguish moving through the shadows.
"I think we're in trouble," Twilight whispered to Coltyn, panic evident in her voice.
"They are just here to pay respects to the Dark Princess. They won't hurt you," Coltyn said, continuing forward.
A nod from Luna helped ease her worry, but Twilight stayed on guard, just in case. The ruins came into view and they saw that a few creatures had built a funeral pyre on the top stair to the castle. Accompanied by Luna and Twilight, Coltyn walked up to the pyre and laid Midnight upon the wooden frame. Coltyn then walked in front of the pyre and looked out to the gathered creatures.
"Fellow creatures of darkness and the night, we gather here to mourn the passing of the Princess of Darkness, Midnight Eclipse. She showed great determination in trying to fulfill Nightmare Moon's dream for Equestria. To her misfortune, her plan failed and she paid the ultimate price. Though we mourn her passing, we also hope that she has found peace in what lies beyond this life." Coltyn then walked behind the pyre, addressing Twilight and Luna. "Light the pyre, please."
Twilight and Luna's horns lit as small sparks ignited the tinder, a gentle breeze fanning the flames. Once the fire was established, Coltyn intoned:
"This fire in the night,
Bright pyre light,
Take this soul of dark,
And welcome it to your ark.
Cleanse the body and soul,
Make her finally whole,
Let her shine forever in the sky,
Star of a mournful good-bye.
Creatures of darkness now free,
No more your call to heed,
Your service is fulfilled,
Freed from our will.
Go now and live your life,
Fellow creatures of the night."
Coltyn looked down at his daughter's body engulfed by flames. "Good-bye, my Midnight Eclipse."
The three ponies watched with silent tears streaking their cheeks dark as the body burned. The fire began to die as Coltyn, Princess Luna, and Twilight slowly left the forest. Upon reaching the forest edge, Twilight had many questions and wanted answers.
"Coltyn," Twilight said, getting his attention. "What are you?"
Coltyn sighed. "That is a long story. We should return to Canterlot, I'm sure many wish to hear this tale." Coltyn looked to Twilight, with a quick flash of her horn, the three of them were standing outside of the castle.
"I will see to preparations and we shall meet tomorrow and hopefully everypony's questions will be answered," Luna stated, taking wing.
"Could you help me back to my cart?" Coltyn asked wearily. "I've used a lot of energy tod..." Coltyn trailed off as his legs locked and his head fell.
Twilight cringed at the pain-filled whinnies Coltyn made as his exhausted body stood in the street. She lifted him gently with her magic and took him up to an empty guest room. She laid Coltyn on the bed, and as she covered him with the blankets the pain seemed to lessen and the whinnies turned into the heavy, even breathing of deep slumber.
*****
Coltyn woke as the sun shone on his face; the smell of fresh tea filled the air. He rolled to his feet, his head pounding as he grabbed the cup and after a few blows took a sip. It was rejuvenating and seemed to have some pain relieving plants mixed in. He slowly enjoyed the unexpected tea. As he realized that he was not in his cart but still in the castle, a knock came at the door.
"It's time to revisit history," Celestia's voice called from the other side.
"I hope this doesn't end in tragedy," Coltyn said, opening the door.
"We must have faith that they can forgive the sins of our pasts so we can all work to a brighter future." Celestia smiled as the two walked to the meeting chamber. "I also want to thank you for your dedication in finding a way to repair my daughter's horn."
"You're welcome," Coltyn said as they approached the door. He took a deep breath and let out a long sigh. Coltyn pushed open the door to see Twilight and her friends, Big Macintosh, Luna, Thunder Snow, Cadance, and Shining Armor sitting around a large circular table.
"Thank you all for coming. We are here to answer your questions. Who would like to start?" Celestia asked.
Twilight slowly raised her hoof and with a nod from Princess Celestia asked. "Coltyn, what are you? I saw you impaled by a spear. You should be dead, not sitting here answering questions."
"I understand your bewilderment," Coltyn began. "A thousand years ago I looked for a way to avoid death. In dark and depraved magic I found my answer, a jet black stone from the other side of the world known as Darksteel. With a mixture of magic and alchemy I produced a potion that gave me what I sought, unending life." Coltyn looked up to his split horn and pointed at it. "Even wounds like this will heal in a week or so."
"So..." Thunder Snow frowned. "Why have there been so many secrets?"
Celestia sighed. "The answer to that is a long and complex story. It was the night after you and Princess Cadance were born that you disappeared. I had every available hoof looking for you." Celestia turned to Coltyn. "I think you can fill in some blanks for us."
Coltyn nodded. "I had returned to Canterlot in hopes of taking advantage of the weakened state Celestia was in."
"What do you mean by 'taking advantage of'?" Shining Armor asked.
Coltyn let out a long sigh. "I planned to kill her." Looks of horror spread across everypony's face. "But when I overheard the guards talking about finding Celestia's lost foal, I knew I needed to find that foal. After the end of the war between Celestia and her sister, my own infant foal was gone from me, and I understood the pain of losing a child. I quickly tracked the foalnappers to Manehatten, where they'd gone to ground. I didn't expect to find my daughter there."
"Your daughter?" Cadance asked.
"Her name was Midnight Eclipse or as she called herself yesterday, Midnight Vengeance. She was born of darkness and pride, consumed by vengeance. I looked in to see Celestia's stolen filly lying on the floor, horn broken and quivering in pain," Coltyn voice carried the torment of this memory. "In a split second decision, I chose to give up my own vengeance in favor of saving your life, and took you away from her." Coltyn looked guiltily at Thunder Snow. "With only a small knowledge of healing magic I knew there was nothing I could do but seal your wound and return you to Celestia. I promised myself to return with a cure but all these years of study failed to reveal to me the answer... until yesterday. I'd been finding references to the power of 'brotherly love' to heal great harm, but it wasn't until the moment that your own twin and her beloved created their spell of pure love that I realized how I could use love to correct the harm done so long ago. My daughter took your horn, and her sacrifice returned it to you."
"I see... I think," Thunder Snow said, beginning to understand.
"After you were returned," Celestia began. "I knew that there would be so many difficulties for a Princess without magic, and I wished for you to have a happy childhood, not a lifelong string of disappointments as you watched your younger sister be groomed to inherit the birthright that should have been yours as the eldest. So I did what I thought was best, I gave you up to my most trusted guard and his wife. I did it because I loved you, and because I wanted you to have the best opportunity possible to grow up into the best pegasus you could be, regardless of your birth," Celestia said with a tear in her eye. "We changed your name from Belle de Wintra to Thunder Snow, something more befitting a pegasus. No matter your name or circumstances, however, I wanted to be close to you, which is why I had you and your foster parents return to Canterlot for your schooling. I know your life has been hard and I wish I could have saved you from it but I had to keep my distance."
"So why didn't you tell me I was an alicorn, Coltyn?" Thunder Snow asked.
"If I did you wouldn't have believed me, and if you did believe me and I had failed, you would be disappointed. I didn't tell you because I wasn't sure myself if any attempts to heal you would work."
"So why did Midnight attack Canterlot?" Shining Armor asked. "What was her motive?"
"Revenge for the death of her mother, Nightmare Moon," Luna replied, her chin dropping sadly. The room went eerily silent as the ponies processed what she said. "I took the name as an alias but time and war gave that alias life. I lost myself to the rage and hate it harbored and would not be satisfied until I ruled as queen, Coltyn as my king, and our princess to carry the line."
"So what was this war about?" Twilight asked. "How much of history is a lie?"
"Please don't think ill of me," Princess Celestia said. "Luna and I had been at war with the griffons over land and resources. It was actually Coltyn and his two friends that forced the griffons to surrender. I tried to be reasonable and fair in the conditions but some of the noble houses weren't pleased. I started to fear losing my position, my power. I enacted more laws restricting everypony's freedoms because I didn't want to lose the power I had won. I didn't even trust my dear sister, I became a tyrant." Celestia had tears running down her cheeks.
"I couldn't stand what she was doing so in secret I gathered Coltyn and his friends to overthrow my sister." Luna frowned. "I knew she wouldn't just give up so I built an army headed by Grand Strategist Golden Blade, Captain of the Shadowbolts Fire Mane, and Master Mage Coltyn Pendragon. For two years the fighting raged, we were pushed back to the ruins in the Everfree Forest. It was Coltyn's decision to try to hinder the royal guard's advance."
Coltyn sighed. "I did something that nopony should have been able to do. I infused the entire forest with wild magic, freeing it forever from pony control. But it drained me to the point of unconsciousness; I awoke inside the Canterlot Dungeon. I survived several days of interrogation and torture to find that the whole army had come to save me and been destroyed for their efforts."
"Torture?" Twilight asked. "Who could do a thing like that to another pony?"
"I did," Celestia said softly. The ponies were shocked to hear this. "I needed information, so I used any means necessary to get it."
Twilight was at a loss, heartsick at hearing the truth of what her beloved mentor did in the past. "How? How can this be? What about the histories?" Twilight stammered, betrayal choking her as she asked.
"Twilight, please understand that she only did what she had to do. War is not pleasant and will force even the most noble and honorable ponies to do things that they wouldn't normally do," Coltyn stated.
Celestia and Luna nodded. "When I faced Nightmare Moon, she was easily my equal that day, and may well have beaten me," Celestia said. "So I used my backup plan, summoned the Elements of Harmony and banished her to the moon. However, in a split second I saw my sister under that sinister form; I never had so many regrets as I did in that one moment. The elements turned to stone once I realized what I had done, and then they vanished. I tracked the elements back to the castle in Everfree but they rejected me, in the process making it clear to me that only those who truly represent their spirit could wield their power."
"So that's why you sent me to Ponyville, to collect the Elements of Harmony?" Twilight asked, feeling used and betrayed.
"That was part of it," Celestia admitted. "I also knew that Nightmare Moon would be returning. Even in a weakened state she would have been too powerful for a normal pony to take on. Once I admitted you to my school I began to look for the ponies that held the spirit the other elements. Fortunately, most of them already lived in Ponyville, I only had to make sure Rainbow Dash was assigned as Ponyville's weather pony. All the pieces were in place, I just had to wait to make the first move."
"So what were you doing during this time, Coltyn?" Thunder Snow asked, quizzically.
"I was hiding. But after Celestia stopped looking for me I began to learn magic from others. I even traveled to the Zebra's homeland to learn their shamanistic ways," Coltyn said. "Ultimately, I was developing my magic in order to slay Celestia... until you were foalnapped. Then I searched for a way to undo the damage done by Midnight Eclipse. I went to Ponyville after hearing about Discord's escape. After helping Twilight and her friends I continued my studies, and after a few more dead leads and learning how to make a Gem of the Archmage, I came here."
"This is our past," Celestia said. "Our mistakes have been paid for and we learned from them."
"The sins of our past forever remembered," Luna said.
"Our true selves revealed. The darkness now brought to light," Coltyn finished.
"We are ponies who have made many mistakes on a grand scale, no more, no less," Celestia said, turning to Thunder Snow. "Since that time we have all made efforts to make amends, but the past can never be undone. We can only endeavor to learn from the past in order to build a better future. If you are willing, I would begin the process of formalizing your status as a princess and return that which is yours by birthright."
"I've never had anything given to me. I had to earn everything with my own hooves," Thunder Snow said plainly. "I am Thunder Snow, Captain of the Pegasus Guard." She pointed to her new horn. "This doesn't change anything."
Celestia frowned, unhappy with the response, but willing to accept it. "Very well, if anypony wishes to consult further we will be in our rooms." She turned to go, then looked at her elder child once more and added, "Should you change your mind, I will never deny you, my daughter." In the ensuing silence, Celestia took her leave. |
Journey from Darkness | Chapter 10: Take Two | Coltyn retired to his cart, exhausted. As the effects of the medicinal tea wore off, his head began to throb with pain. He gathered the ingredients for his best pain relief potion and set to making a large amount for the days to come.
Twilight set in and he heard the sound of rain hitting the roof. The sad notes they played as they hit the roof seemed appropriate given the events of the last couple of days. Coltyn worked on his brew into the night and began to measure it into separate containers. He put the last of his brew away as a knock came on his door. Thunder Snow was standing there with a dark blue cloak covering her entire body. Coltyn quickly welcomed her in from the weather.
"To what do I owe the pleasure?" Coltyn asked, curiously.
"I just need to get away for a while," Thunder Snow stated, annoyed.
"Would you like to talk about it?" Coltyn asked, warming a kettle of tea.
The silence hung thick in the air, only broken by the whistle of the kettle. Coltyn poured two cups of tea and brought them to the small table where Thunder Snow was sitting. Thunder Snow picked up the tea, gently blowing on it before taking a sip. She set the cup down then, and stared dully into it.
"I'm sure you didn't come out here in this weather to have tea," Coltyn said, taking a sip from his cup. "What troubles you?"
Thunder Snow sighed, "Everypony has been acting differently. My guards seem confused as to how to address me," she explained, irritation evident in her voice. "Now my best friend, who I just discovered is my sister, wants me to be her bridesmaid! It's just too much."
Coltyn looked into Thunder Snow's eyes, a lump formed in his throat. "I'm... sorry."
"Look, I know why you did it but I just wish somepony would have told me something before changing my entire life," Thunder Snow stated. "Not to mention, I feel like everypony thinks that I should be able to use magic when I have never used it."
"I could aid you learning how to use magic," Coltyn sighed, pulling a book from the shelf. "Make up for dumping this whole, 'you're an alicorn,' thing on your head. But you will need to start at square one," Coltyn stated, pushing the book toward Thunder Snow.
"I was afraid of that. It's just so hard to swallow the fact that everything about my existence - up until two days ago - was a lie," Thunder Snow snorted, taking another sip of tea.
"Not everything was a lie," Coltyn replied, gently. "You are the Captain of the Pegasus Guard, an excellent soldier, and a great friend." He smiled. "I think it would help ease your mind if you talked to Princess Celestia. I'm sure she would be willing to do almost anything to have you by her side, the same could be said for your sister as well."
"I'll have to think about it. Thank you for listening and for the book," Thunder Snow said, pulling on her cloak, the book tucked under her wing.
"You're welcome. My door is always open for you," Coltyn said, waving good-bye.
Coltyn smiled as he closed the door. He knew that even though there was much work ahead of him, his past was finally being forgiven. Turning back inside to clean up from his potion making, he blinked when a scroll with the royal seal materialized and landed on his table. Opening the letter, he read:
'Coltyn Pendragon;
Your presence is requested. Please come to the castle as soon as you get this.
Princess Celestia of Equestria'
Coltyn looked at the note and noticed that even with the elegant brush work the note was written in a hurry. Coltyn took another dose of his headache potion and put a dose into the pocket of his cloak to take with him. "This is going to be a long night," Coltyn sighed, walking out the door.
The walk to the castle was uneventful, until he arrived at the gate where two guards quickly escorted him to Princess Celestia's private meeting chamber. The smaller room was lightly decorated with a small set of pillows on the floor and a raised platform with a golden representation of Celestia's cutie mark inlaid. The princess was sitting rigidly on the platform, lost in her thoughts, staring out into the weeping sky before Coltyn announced himself.
"You summoned me, Princess?" Coltyn asked, bowing.
Celestia turned her head to see Coltyn before letting her head drift to the right. "I'm losing her." Celestia's voice was tight with distress.
"Thunder Snow?" Coltyn asked, quizzically. "She may not warm up to the whole princess thing..."
"No, Twilight," Celestia interrupted. "She locked herself in her room and hasn't come out since she finished getting everypony set on tasks. I was hoping that you would go and talk to her on my behalf. I have a letter from her that I think can set you on the path to reasoning with her."
"I can't guarantee anything but I will see what I can do," Coltyn said, accepting the proffered scroll. He bowed and headed to Twilight's room.
Coltyn wasn't surprised to see Spike sitting outside Twilight's room, a worried expression on his face.
"Coltyn!" Spike exclaimed. "Boy, am I glad to see you. You've got to help, Twilight is..."
"I know," Coltyn interrupted. "Princess Celestia asked me to help."
Spike sighed with relief as Coltyn turned to the door and knocked.
"Twilight?" Coltyn called, only to hear silence. "Twilight, I know you're in there. Your magic is emanating like a beacon on a dark night."
The silence continued. Coltyn pulled out the scroll he was given and began to read it aloud.
"Dear Princess Celestia,
My friends and I all learned an important lesson this week, never judge a book by its cover. Someone may look unusual or funny or scary, but you have to look past that and learn who they are inside. Real friends don't care what your cover is; it's the contents of a pony that count and a good friend like a good book is something that will last forever.
Your faithful student,
Twilight Sparkle"
Coltyn's ears perked up hearing hoof-steps behind the door, Twilight had begun pacing.
"Princess Celestia, just like everypony in the world, has to make mistakes. I know it's hard to consider the idea that the mare you admired could have such a dark past. After the whole love potion fiasco which loosed Discord and the conflict with the dragons and griffons, anypony would feel scared. She was doing what she thought was right, but her mistake was not listening to the advice of her sister. Miscommunication and lack of trust led to the civil war, and ever since Luna's banishment, Celestia has worked to improve communication. Lots of problems sprung up over the last thousand years but she quelled each by listening to all sides, pondering the evidence, and drawing reasonable conclusions."
Twilight's magic had begun to quiet, her mind turning over Coltyn's words.
"If nothing else, know that she trusts you."
"But how can I trust her?" Twilight asked, harshly.
"Why can't you? You did what was asked of you because you trusted her judgment. She wanted you to know the truth, which is painful. That was another life and she has forged herself into the ruler we ponies need. Please let me in and we can discuss this like ponies."
There was a long pause before the door clicked and slowly opened. Twilight looked an utter mess; her mane was in disarray and the bags under her eyes showed that she was tired. Spike followed behind Coltyn as the door was closed again.
"How can history be both true and false? I don't understand," Twilight sighed, pacing.
"That depends on who you ask. After the Griffon War, ponies saw us - warriors I mean - as heroes, but griffons saw us as vermin who just got lucky."
"So which is it?" Twilight asked.
"It's both. One side sees the good while the other sees the bad. Then history writers get their hooves on information about given events and blow it out of proportion. It's all perspective; I'm sure you've had moments you regretted. The trick is to learn from the past so as to avoid making the same mistakes in the future."
Twilight looked down, sighing. "Yes, I think I understand now."
"Good." Coltyn smiled warmly at her. "Now you have a lot to do to reorganize the wedding."
"I should get started then. Spike, prepare to make a checklist," Twilight smiled at her assistant.
Spike quickly produced a quill and parchment and furiously began writing as Twilight listed the things that needed to be done. Coltyn, having snapped Twilight out of her depression, left the two to their work. ***
The recovery of the castle and Canterlot proceeded quickly. Twilight organized the necessary repairs on the Grand Hall and the garden where the reception was going to be held before getting down to the task of redecorating and setting the other preparations in motion. Coltyn was asked to watch over repairs while Twilight continued her rounds. He was not much help to the workers; his horn was healing but his magic was still unpredictable. He stayed out of the way as the construction workers finished the last of the repairs to the hall.
With repairs complete, Coltyn left to check on the progress of the garden but was met by Princess Celestia outside the hall.
"Hello, Princess Celestia," Coltyn greeted.
"Ah, Coltyn, I have been looking for you. Where are you heading?"
"I was on my way out to the gardens to check on the repairs."
"Do you mind if I accompany you? I have something I would like to discuss," Celestia stated, walking in the direction of the garden.
"It would be a pleasure," Coltyn smiled, joining the princess.
"First, I wish to thank you for restoring Thunder Snow's horn."
"It was the least I could do. It was my fault that she lost it in the first place."
Celestia looked at him. "You seem to blame yourself for the acts of others. Were you not the one who sealed her magic, saved her life, and returned her to me?"
"Well... yes," Coltyn muttered.
"And did you not thereafter devote all of your time to finding a way to undo what had been done and of course, eventually succeed?"
Coltyn nodded.
"Then I forgive you," Celestia stated. "I talked with Luna and she agrees that your wealth of knowledge and skills are rare and valuable. We would like to offer you a position as an advisor to us."
Coltyn stopped. "You want me to be an advisor?"
"Yes," Celestia plainly stated. "You have on numerous occasions shown your loyalty to Equestria and the ponies. You defended me and even healed the damage I received."
"I do what needs to be done," Coltyn respectfully said.
"That is why I am asking this of you. I know it's a big decision, so I will give you until the wedding to give me your answer."
"Thank you," Coltyn smiled, approaching the doorway to the garden. "On a somewhat related note, you may want to do something about Thunder Snow's training, Princess. Thunder Snow may have her horn but she is no more than a newborn filly in her knowledge of using it."
"So you are offering to be her tutor?" Celestia asked quizzically.
"I've built a friendship with her and would be more effective at guiding her in the ways of magic than putting her through the training that young unicorns receive might, owing to her age." Coltyn let his head fall to the right. "I gave her a book on the mechanics of unicorn magic when she came over last night."
Celestia thought about the prospect, he was the most learned mage in her kingdom, and he could well be the best possible choice of teacher for her daughter. "It seems we both have important changes to consider. I will consult with Thunder Snow and let you know what we've decided before the wedding."
Coltyn nodded. "That will do. Princess Celestia, I feel I should mention a concern Thunder Snow brought to my attention."
She cocked her head. "Go on."
He took a deep breath, and explained, "She came to see me last night with a personal concern." He hesitated, and then sighed. "She was most discomfited by her pegasus guards not knowing how to address her, whether to call her captain or princess. She took great pride in the position she earned for herself amongst Canterlot society, and feels... cheated, or perhaps insulted? At least, she seemed somewhat offended that they were treating her differently simply because she'd suddenly grown a horn. I believe that if you make too much of her status as your daughter, and fail to make her see that you have not forgotten her own real accomplishments, you may drive her away."
Celestia frowned. "I see. I hadn't realized that she might be upset by being treated as the princess she was born to be. I will have to think carefully about that. Thank you for bringing this to my attention."
Coltyn smiled. "I do what I can, Princess."
She smiled. "I'm beginning to understand just how true that is, Coltyn Pendragon. Until later."
Coltyn bowed formally, and waited as the princess took her leave before returning his attention to the repairs with a lighter heart. ***
The day before the wedding Coltyn's horn had almost fully reformed from the trauma but his magic was still weak. He was grooming himself when a summons appeared. Reading it over, he quickly gathered himself and headed for the castle. Coltyn was brought to one of the small chambers where Luna and Celestia were waiting.
"You summoned me, Princess," Coltyn said, bowing.
"Yes," Luna began. "Have you considered our offer of becoming our advisor?"
"I have," Coltyn stated, rising. "It would be an honor to serve you both once again."
"Very well, we will take care of the formalities later," Celestia said. "We have a matter of Princess Wintra's coronation to deal with and I would like you to stay as a witness."
Coltyn nodded and on queue the doors opened and Thunder Snow walked in. She trotted up and bowed, "You wish to see me, your highness?"
"Yes," Celestia began. "With your horn restored it is only right that you are given back your birthright and name, Princess Belle de Wintra."
"I appreciate the offer but I don't want a new name. I had to work hard for what I have and I prefer not to take handouts," Thunder Snow replied respectfully.
"It's because of your hard work that we give you your birthright back," Luna stated plainly.
"I will not give up everything I earned to become somepony else," Thunder Snow argued stubbornly.
"Thunder Snow," Celestia snapped. "This is neither about your pride and accomplishments nor about my failures. This is who you were born to be. It is your duty to Equestria to take up your responsibilities and stand beside me as my daughter and heir."
Thunder Snow recoiled, startled by her mother's sharp tone. "I'm no princess, I'm a soldier," she said sheepishly. "I don't know anything about being a princess."
"That is why we ask for help," Celestia replied, understandingly. "You will remain at your station as Captain until Shining Armor returns from his honeymoon. Then you will receive any training you need to perform your new duties."
Thunder Snow bowed, "As you wish, your Majesty. If you don't mind, however, might I make one request? I would like to be called Wintra Thunder Snow."
Celestia nodded. "It does sound nice. I will have Princess Cadance announce you at her wedding and we'll have your official coronation after Shining Armor's return."
"Of course," Thunder Snow bowed, turned, and left the hall.
"That went better than expected," Luna smiled at her sister.
"But she does have a point," Celestia frowned. "She doesn't know the duties and responsibilities of being a princess."
"Actually, she might be surprised to realize how much she does already know, simply from being associated with the royal household for most of her life. But if it helps, I will assist her in adjusting to the best of my ability," Coltyn offered.
"I'm sure that Princess Cadance will be willing to aid in her acclimation to her new role, as well. And of course, she will have us for guidance at any time she should require it," Luna added.
"Thank you both," Celestia said, rising from her seat.
Celestia left the room leaving Coltyn and Luna alone.
"It amazes me how strong she is," Luna stated.
"She had to endure a thousand years by herself. She didn't even consider having foals until Cadance and Thunder Snow," Coltyn informed.
"I would inquire... what of you? Are you still drawn to the darkness that once consumed me?" Luna asked - her tone colored with concern.
"No, Princess. I laid that to rest when you allowed me the opportunity to say good-bye," Coltyn frowned. "Nightmare Moon was my first love and there will always be a place in my heart for my memories of her. She is part of my past and I will remember her, but I can't live in the past. I must look to the future," he smiled.
"Wise words from a wise pony," Luna smiled. "You have gained much wisdom over the course of your many years, and that is why I asked for you to join us as our advisor."
"I'm honored by your praise. I never thought of myself as wise because of the many mistakes I've made," Coltyn demurred.
"True wisdom springs not from being perfect, but from accepting one's imperfections and learning from mistakes. Trust me, I wouldn't have asked if I didn't believe you could handle the task. Now I must go and get some rest before the day is over."
"Of course, Princess Luna," Coltyn bowed, turning and leaving the hall to prepare for tomorrow. ***
The day of the wedding finally dawned, the entire castle was buzzing with activity. Food was being taken down to the gardens, pegasi were clearing some clouds that had moved in overnight, and hundreds of little details were being taken care of by the staff. Coltyn made his way to the dressing room which also was alive with activity. He could hear the idle chatting of Twilight and her friends along with the three young fillies hoping to get their flower tossing cutie marks. Coltyn smiled; the entire atmosphere was filled with joy and excitement.
"Coltyn?" Shining Armor's voice called from the other side of the curtain.
Coltyn slide the curtain aside, Shining Armor was already dressed. "Yes?"
"I was asked to inform you that you will be standing up as one of my groomsponies," Shining Armor said seriously.
"I'm flattered but I don't see it as my place in such an occasion," Coltyn politely deferred.
"It's a personal request from Princess Wintra Thunder Snow, but if you're sure I will inform her of your declination of her request."
Coltyn's face flushed slightly. "Well I wouldn't want to disappoint the princess," he hurriedly said, his voice cracking slightly. "It would be an honor to participate in such a momentous occasion."
Shining Armor smiled. "You'll need to be at the entrance to the hall in thirty minutes."
"I'll be there," Coltyn promised, and watched thoughtfully as Shining Armor left the room.
'What was that?' Coltyn thought, placing a hoof on his chest. 'My heart felt so tight at the thought of disappointing Thunder Snow.' Coltyn shook his head. 'My heart may be falling but I must stay strong and let her make the first move.' Steeling himself once more, he made his way down to the hall entrance.
Everypony in the wedding group was gathered and talking amongst themselves. The only ponies missing were Thunder Snow and Cadance. Coltyn arrived as the doors opened to let the groom enter with Twilight, Big Macintosh, Spike, and Coltyn. They took their places, Twilight quickly adjusting Shining Armor's chest piece. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna walked into the hall from a side door and took their places in the center. With a slight nod from Princess Celestia Fluttershy's songbird choir sang the wedding march, the doors opened, and Twilight's five friends approached the dais and took their places. Thunder Snow preceded the three fillies, who danced down the aisle, skipping and strewing flower petals before the bride. Thunder Snow and the fillies went off to the side as Cadance stood next to her groom.
"Mares and gentlecolts," Princess Celestia began. "We are gathered here today to witness the union of the real Princess Cadance and Shining Armor. Their commitment is clear and the power of their love is undeniable." She turned to Shining Armor. "Do you Shining Armor take Princess Cadance to be your wedded wife, to have and to hold, through good times and bad, for as long as you live?"
"I do," Shining Armor replied without hesitation.
Princess Celestia nodded and turned to Princess Cadance. "Do you Princess Cadance take Shining Armor as your wedded husband, to have and to hold, for richer or poorer, for as long as you live?"
"I do," Princess Cadance replied, a tear of joy in her eye.
Princess Celestia smiled turning to Spike. "May we have the rings please?" Spike presented the two rings upon the pillow. She slid the rings on the newlywed's horns announcing, "I now pronounce you Stallion and Mare."
Applause rung through the hall, bells chimed, the newlyweds proceeded to the balcony and before the crowd of ponies outside shared their first kiss as husband and wife. Rainbow Dash sprung from the balcony and above the city performed her Sonic Rainboom. The crowd hushed as Princess Cadance looked out over the gathered ponies.
"Thank you for coming," Cadance smiled. "It's an honor to see so many gathered for this celebration. I have joyous news to share with all of you. The tragic events of the recent past have brought to us an unexpected reward. I, after all these years, have been reunited with my lost twin sister. Many of you may know her as the Captain of the Canterlot Pegasus Guard, my sister and best friend, Princess Wintra Thunder Snow."
Thunder Snow was gently nudged forward to stand beside Cadance. The roar of approval and stamping of hooves made her a bit more at ease as she waved scanning the crowd. She noticed that the high class ponies weren't as excited as the majority of the others. Her eyes then fell upon two ponies, one she knew from having to be present at high class affairs, Jet Set, and the tormenter of her foalhood, Upper Crust. The pair gaped at her in horror. Thunder Snow took in the look of appalled dismay from Upper Crust and felt all her long-standing, pent up frustrations swelling inside her.
Coltyn noticed the buildup of magic in Thunder Snow but Princess Celestia acted before he could, drawing away the wild power her daughter was generating. The sudden pull caused Thunder Snow to rub her head. She gave one last wave to the gathered ponies before retreating back into the castle. Coltyn exchanged a look with Princess Celestia, and they turned and followed the distressed mare.
"That was close," Princess Celestia said gently. After a moment, she asked, "Would you mind telling me what set you off?"
"I'm sorry, Princess. I noticed my former tormentor from school in the crowd," Thunder Snow replied. "I thought I'd gotten past letting her make me angry years ago. I guess I just lost focus."
"I see. Well, we'll have to work on keeping that from happening again. I'm going to task Coltyn with guiding you in the ways of magic and learning to control it," Celestia informed the two.
"It would be an honor," Coltyn smiled, turning to Thunder Snow. "That is, if you wish."
Thunder Snow blushed slightly at Coltyn's charming response. "If I'm to learn quickly, it should be from the best, shouldn't it?"
Now Coltyn was the one blushing. Celestia smiled, "Good. You can begin tomorrow."
"Yeah, because tonight we're going to party 'til we can't stand," Pinkie Pie exclaimed from the doorway of the anteroom the three had withdrawn into.
The rest of the wedding party had gathered nearby, and there was an amused air to the group as they followed the pink party pony out to the reception. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna pardoned themselves briefly, as they needed to set the sun and raise the moon. Lovely music filled the gardens with a soft, emotional atmosphere as Princess Cadance and Prince Shining Armor walked into the center. The two looked deep into each other's eyes before wrapping their heads around each other and gently swaying to the music.
Celestia and Luna descended, watching the new couple dancing with not a care in the world. Coltyn stood next to Thunder Snow. "It's a rare sight to see two ponies so drawn to each other."
"Maybe it was just meant to be, and no force in Equestria could stop their union," Thunder Snow said, with a note of envy in her voice.
Coltyn looked at how the couple moved as one. "Yes, I do think that it was destiny."
The slow music faded as an anxious Pinkie Pie dove over the DJ station and pulled from behind it the famous DJ - Pon3, known to her friends and family as Vinyl Scratch. She slid a record onto the turntable as Pinkie Pie tossed a microphone to Twilight, who began singing. The energetic music set everypony to dancing. With a little nudging, Coltyn even got Thunder Snow to join him on the dance floor. Coltyn and Thunder Snow danced, ate, and drank throughout the night. Cadance and Shining Armor boarded their carriage and, just before it took off, Cadance leaned out and with a heave threw her bouquet. Thunder Snow wasn't expecting it, but when the bouquet came flying at her, she reached up and caught it, simply to keep it from hitting her in the face.
"Congratulations on catching the bouquet," Coltyn said, smiling.
"If I didn't it would have hit me," Thunder Snow chided. "I still don't get why mares get so worked up over catching these."
"Supposedly it's a sign that you'll meet your true love and get married," Coltyn chuckled. "Silly but that is the way with traditions sometimes."
"Mm-hmm. Well, it's getting late and I have to be up early," Thunder Snow yawned.
"May I escort you home?" Coltyn offered.
"I would be glad of the company," Thunder Snow smiled, walking toward her home.
The two walked in silence, enjoying the quiet night that had differed from the bright festivities from before. They approached her home and Thunder Snow opened the door with her hoof, stopped and thought for a second. "It's quite a walk back to your cart from here. You could rest on the couch tonight if you like," Thunder Snow offered.
"I would gladly accept," Coltyn said, smiling. The day had been long and he wanted to rest.
Coltyn wiped his hooves and proceeded to the soft inviting couch. Thunder Snow made her way to the stair case that led to her room.
"Good night," Thunder Snow said, before entering her room.
"Good night," Coltyn replied, drifting to sleep. |
Journey from Darkness | Chapter 11: Teachings | Coltyn woke in a familiar looking home, looking around he noticed the room he was in belonged to a colt from the color and general clutter of toys. It didn't take him long to realize this was his room. He knew that it couldn't be after having sold the place and hearing of the numerous buildings built in its place over the centuries, but here it was all the same. Curious, he headed out down the hall and it was like walking through an expansive display of his past.
Pictures of him graduating school, his last good-bye before heading off to join the army, him proudly displaying his armor, all hung as a testament to him. Then he saw pictures of scenes nopony could have taken pictures of, the lost look he held upon finding his mutilated parents, his 'convincing' the griffons to surrender, his success with his immortality potion, the proud soldier standing next to Nightmare Moon, the loving father at his child's birth, his torment by Celestia. Pain struck in his heart. "These are my memories," he breathed.
Coltyn continued the journey through is past. His escape and self-imposed banishment, living with a zebra tribe and learning their ways in magic, developing devastatingly powerful killing magic, Thunder Snow. He looked long and hard at the picture of himself standing before his daughter and her friend standing above the tiny injured foal. That was the moment that all the hate, anger, and loathing for Princess Celestia vanished.
Coltyn then noticed a glow down the hall. The light was on and there were ponies talking, familiar ponies. Coltyn walked into the familiar dining room to see his mother, father, and grandfather. Their idle chatter stopped as his mother galloped to him, and threw her forelegs around him.
"I'm so proud of you," his mother cried, hugging him with sobs of joy.
"We all are," his father added, putting his hoof on Coltyn's shoulder.
"But how are you here?" Coltyn asked, befuddled at the sudden family reunion.
"Well they're here because they wanted to see the stallion you grew up to be," Starswirl replied. "But I'm here on a more personal task. You have found the element of magic," Coltyn nodded. "And she holds the key to finishing my last great work. It's missing something that is locked in her very being and she will be called to make a great sacrifice to have it surface. Once she is deemed ready you must not interfere and you must be vague in her ultimate task."
"But how will I know when she is ready?" Coltyn asked, quizzically.
"Lucky for you, you're just the messenger. The Princesses are the ones who will make that final call, but the first challenge is already determined. Fate has chosen her opponent and he is not one to be taken lightly," Starswirl warned.
"What can you tell me? I will make sure she is ready and can triumph over this opponent," Coltyn prodded, impatiently.
Starswirl shook his head.
"Coltyn?"
"Our time is up," Starswirl smiled, fading away. "Good luck."
"Grandfather!" Coltyn exclaimed, sitting up on the couch in Thunder Snow's living room. Letting out a frustrated snort, he laid back down only to look Thunder Snow in the eyes. "Yaaah!" he shrieked, surprised to see her.
"I didn't think I'd startle you that much," Thunder Snow scoffed.
"Sorry," he grimaced slightly, and explained, "You woke me from an intense dream."
"Evidently. I didn't see you bring this book in with you."
Her comment drew his attention to a book that had been lying on the small table beside the couch she'd let him use the previous night. He blinked at the sight of his grandfather's cutie mark emblazoned on the cover. "I didn't," Coltyn said, looking at the book.
Thunder Snow looked at him quizzically. "What is it about?"
Flipping through the book, he smiled at the familiar quill strokes of his grandfather's unique script before getting to the last pages. There was no title or description; only an attempt, from what Coltyn could tell, to change destinies. "I need to get this to the princesses," he mumbled, gathering himself to leave only to have Thunder Snow block the door.
"You wake up in my house with a mysterious book, flip through it, and want to just waltz out without explaining? I don't think so," Thunder Snow informed, frowning at Coltyn.
Coltyn stood frozen opening his mouth to speak before closing it. "It's a request from my grandfather." Thunder Snow's expression of annoyance fell to a blank stare. "This is one of Twilight's tests," Coltyn acknowledged. "Something is coming and I don't know what, who, or why," Coltyn sighed.
"She shouldn't face something that nopony knows anything about. She isn't that grown up yet," Thunder Snow replied. "That sounds more like a job for the Royal Guard."
"I don't disagree, I'd rather ponies that were trained handle this, but without more information all I can do is inform Princess Celestia and hope," Coltyn smiled.
"Keep me informed, something doesn't set right about all this," Thunder Snow said, frowning.
"Of course, I will meet you at my cart after lunch to begin your magic training."
"Alright, I'll see you then." Thunder Snow agreed, moving aside.
Coltyn trotted to the castle and was escorted by the guards to the royal dining hall. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna were having breakfast with Twilight and her friends.
"Princesses, may I have a word with you, in private," Coltyn asked, bowing.
Celestia and Luna looked at each other quizzically. "I don't see why not," Celestia said, standing from the table. "Excuse us." The others nodded; Celestia and Luna took Coltyn to a small hall off the side of the room.
"I had a dream," Coltyn breathed heavily, lifting the book to show the Princesses.
"Is that?" Celestia asked.
"Yes, Starswirl's work journal. The last pages contain an unfinished spell which he has determined to be one of Twilight's tests," Coltyn stated. "However, she still has much to learn and do, but this will be a true test of her knowledge."
"I see, so this will be her final exam," Celestia pondered. "I honestly was wondering what it would be."
"There is also something else, something is coming. I don't know what, but I have a feeling it's dangerous. I will keep my eyes peeled for this threat that," Coltyn drew an uneasy breath, "Twilight must face, alone."
"Unacceptable!" Luna exclaimed. "She is not a force to be thrown at whatever problems rear their heads."
"I agree with you, Princess Luna," Coltyn replied firmly. "However, my grandfather must have a reason. I can only assume it's to further her understanding of sacrifice. His spell is not complete and he mentioned a sacrifice to call upon the power locked inside her."
"I think I understand how things will unfold," Celestia acknowledged, deep in thought. "Luna, I want you to hold onto the journal."
"Me?" Luna asked confused.
"Yes, I'm her teacher and want to push her to be all that she can. However, I know that this is not something to be taken lightly. So we will only bestow the task of rewriting Starswirl's last spell when you think she is ready," Celestia replied.
"Of course, sister," Luna nodded, taking the book from Coltyn.
"Then I shall see myself out," Coltyn bowed. "I have to prepare some lessons."
"Thank you for bringing this to our attention," Celestia smiled. "I will be in touch with you."
Coltyn bowed, and took his leave from the hall. He returned to his cart to start planning lessons for Thunder Snow, knowing that it was going to be a challenge for both of them. A knock came from the door shortly after noon and he welcomed Thunder Snow inside.
"Have you read the book I gave you?" Coltyn asked.
"I did. I'm realizing that unicorn magic is hard to control and from the amount of focus it seems to require even more difficult to use in combat," Thunder Snow admitted.
"Well that is why we practice. I have decided to start where all foals usually do, telekinesis," Coltyn explained. "The concept is very simple; you reach out with your magic and manipulate the object." Coltyn took out a glass and set it on the table. "Focus, extend, grasp, lift, and set the glass on the table."
Thunder Snow looked at the glass and closed her eyes. She focused on the image of the glass like the book instructed and she could feel an extension of herself touch the glass. She grasped the glass and her concentration was broke by the sound of it shattering. She opened her eyes to see the glass had been crushed inward; causing her to snort in frustration.
"That wasn't bad for your first attempt," Coltyn said, using circle magic to repair the glass.
"What do you mean? I broke the glass. That isn't right, it's like there's too much power behind it," Thunder Snow stated.
"Exactly, if you use too much force you will crush what you're trying to manipulate. It's knowing how much force to use and you already can focus and extend your magic which is going to make our progress that much quicker." Coltyn smiled. "Try it again, and this time only put half as much energy into grasping the glass."
Thunder Snow focused again, her horn lighting as her magic wrapped around the glass. The glass cracked but Thunder Snow was beginning to feel how things were reacting to magic. She let her grasp fall to just a fraction of her power as she lifted the glass from the table. She opened her eyes to see the glass wrapped in a blue-white aura floating just off the table. Excited, she smiled, lost her focus, and let the glass fall, shattering.
"It's not easy," Thunder Snow sighed.
"No, but the more you practice the more it will become like second nature," Coltyn encouraged, repairing the glass. "I know you will get this down in no time and then will be moving on to combat and weather training."
Thunder Snow cocked her head. "Weather training? I think I got the hang of that," Thunder Snow replied, with an amused snort.
"I mean making weather. It is clear that you can summon the same type of storm that you are named after," Coltyn recalled. "So it seems only reasonable to explore the possibilities and potential uses of your skills. But for now let's work on not breaking the glass."
Thunder Snow nodded and once again focused on the glass. They practiced into the early evening and she had gotten to the point of being able to lift the glass without cracking or chipping it. Coltyn was pleased with the progress she made and ended the lesson. The two said their good-byes and Thunder Snow left for the day. ***
Coltyn made his way to the castle early wondering what his new position would involve. Coltyn was met by the guards and was brought to a meeting hall were Celestia was about to start her Day Court.
"Good morning, Princess Celestia," Coltyn announced, bowing.
"Good morning, Coltyn," Celestia responded. "Are you ready to start?"
"I wish to observe how your court is run and I'll also need to sit in on one of Luna's Night Courts to know how I might best advise you and your sister," Coltyn admitted.
Celestia nodded. The first order of business was to see what the majority of the ponies wanted answers too. Not surprisingly most of the day's questions involved Thunder Snow and what was going to happen because of this revelation.
"This is going to be a long day of repeating myself, again," Celestia sighed.
"Well if I may, why not have them all come in, address the general question, and then move on to specific questions?" Coltyn asked.
Celestia pondered the idea and told the guards to let everypony in. The crowd was directed to take seats as they entered. Coltyn noticed many of the same ponies who were at the wedding had come to question the situation. He took a deep breath and steadied himself as he sat behind Celestia on her right side.
"Don't let them intimidate you," Celestia calmly whispered. "You'll do fine."
"I hope so. I haven't been this nervous in a while," Coltyn replied, noticing several ponies glance at him and start talking to their neighbor.
One of the guards stood in front of Celestia. "The Court of the Day will now begin. Many of you have questions as to what Captain Thunder Snow's fate will be in light of the recent revelations of her status as Princess Celestia's daughter, and the regeneration of her once destroyed horn. Princess Celestia will address this concern and if any clarification is required please raise your hoof and wait to be called."
The guard left to resume his post; all eyes turned to Celestia.
"Thank you," Celestia began. "My daughter, Princess Wintra Thunder Snow, will remain at her post as Captain of the Pegasus Guard until Prince Shining Armor returns from his honeymoon. After command of both branches of the Royal Guard is turned over to him, Princess Wintra will be assuming full command of the Royal Weather Service, and thereafter will oversee all weather plans that need approval as princess of storms."
The nobles began to talk amongst themselves, most confused and some surprised. Coltyn noticed two whose looks of anger and resentment never faded; a grey stallion with a black mane and a butter-yellow mare with a light pink mane with a white streak. He recognized them from the wedding, and knew them from circulating amongst Canterlot society. They were social climbers, and the mare had a long-standing grudge against Thunder Snow. He mentally shook his head at their obvious discontent. He'd seen that look on ponies before and it always meant trouble.
"I know there will be many questions," Celestia continued, "which is why I have recently hired an advisor." Celestia motioned to Coltyn who stepped forward. "He will be training Thunder Snow, as well as assisting us with the upcoming transitions, so any questions that concern my daughter should be addressed to him."
The statement fired up the crowd as the room came alive with chatter. Coltyn was able to hear questions like, 'Why him? I've done more than anypony else! Who is he to jump that high?' The noise grew to an uninterruptable roar as it seemed everypony tried to yell over each other. Scanning the room of yelling ponies he noticed one, a white stallion with well-groomed golden mane and tail, who seemed to want his voice heard, saying something about, 'Aunt Celestia'. Coltyn wanted to explain but realized it would be useless unless he could be heard. He sighed, waiting for them to quiet down when he noticed Princess Celestia raise her hoof and stamp it hard onto her dais. Everypony's ears folded back to block the harsh ring that emanated.
"This gathering was to discuss Princess Wintra. If you have questions about Coltyn and his position you will have to wait as you have before. Since it seems that there are no questions at this time you are all dismissed and we will continue as normal." Princess Celestia looked onto her subjects, glowing with the authority of the sun. The nobles slowly started to file out, most grumbling under their breaths but none acting outwardly other than an angry glare as they left.
"Well this will be interesting to read in the morning paper," Coltyn snorted as the last of the nobles left.
"It's normal. They will try to ruin me and fail as they have for years. My only fear is the slander they will use against my daughter," Celestia stated, worried.
"I will try to curb her icy rage but I will not lie to her. She has been hurt enough by lies," Coltyn sighed.
Celestia nodded. "Then I trust you to make sure we don't have an unexpected blizzard on our hooves," Celestia smiled, looking down at Coltyn.
"Of course, your highness." Coltyn bowed.
"Good. I had a room set up for you to conduct your business as advisor and a suite set aside for you to use when you are in Canterlot. Space has been allocated in the royal carriage house for your cart, of course."
"You're very generous. Thank you, Princess."
"I can handle the rest from here. You should get settled into your office so you can begin handling the many visitors you'll have tomorrow," Celestia chuckled.
"I can't wait," Coltyn said sarcastically. "I'll start getting things in order." Coltyn bowed as he left via a side hallway.
Coltyn was led to a small study located near the main library. The room was lightly decorated with the royal symbols emblazoned on the drapes hanging on one wall. A small desk and a few small pillows were in the center of the room and pair of bookshelves containing some law books lined one of the walls. The back wall's window had a view of the palace labyrinth and the statue garden.
Coltyn went back to his cart to pack supplies he would need; quills, paper, and a few books of his own. A knock came to his door as he was finishing his packing. He welcomed Thunder Snow in as he placed the last of his books into his bag.
"Going somewhere?" Thunder Snow asked, looking at the saddlebags.
"No, just moving a few things into the new advisor's office," Coltyn said. "I'm to be dealing with the nobles and their most likely endless list of complaints about you and me."
"Why do you say that?" Thunder Snow asked.
"Well most of the nobility seemed indifferent about your new station, however; the fact I was appointed advisor got under some ponies' fur. I have this feeling that we are going to be the front page news in the gossip columns tomorrow."
"Well that is just a great way to start out as a princess, being slandered in the press," Thunder Snow snorted.
"Well, if something really gets to you don't hesitate to come to me or one of the other princesses. Sometimes a little reassurance can help," Coltyn smiled, closing up his saddlebags. "So shall we continue our lesson from yesterday?"
Thunder Snow nodded. "I've been practicing and I think I've got levitation down."
"Well then let's see what you got." Coltyn pulled down a glass and a pitcher filled with water.
Thunder Snow picked up the pitcher and poured a glass and set it back down, picked up the glass and took a slow drink before setting the glass back down.
"Well done. You must have practiced a lot," Coltyn said, smiling.
"Not really." Thunder Snow shook her head. "Once I figured out how to control the amount of force I'm exerting it just seemed to come naturally. I even used my magic to put my armor on today."
"I see," Coltyn said, rubbing his chin. "Well then maybe we should start looking into more specific uses of your magic."
"Excellent, I've kind of wanted to see what my magic can do." Thunder Snow smiled excitedly.
"First the basics, then we'll move on," Coltyn replied.
The two practiced into the evening and Coltyn gave Thunder Snow a few different books on elemental magic and advanced magic before parting ways for the evening. Coltyn retired early to be well rested for the day ahead of him.
Coltyn pulled his cart to the royal carriage house as the sun was breaking the horizon. He gathered his bag and a few other things he would need and went to his new office. Upon entering he noticed the Canterlot Chronicle sitting on his desk. Setting his bag down he began to read, focusing on the big news and gossip columns. Reading the random accusations, he shook his head in bemusement at the terrible gossip, including one editorial letter claiming the entire series of events was the result of a conspiracy by the entire royal family, who had been replaced by changelings and the Elements of Harmony were subsequently under their control. He shook his head in disgust, discarding the paper, and began to pull some quills and parchments from his bag.
"You have a visitor," a guard said, knocking on the door.
"Come in," Coltyn replied, setting a quill into his ink jar.
"Have you read today's paper?" Thunder Snow asked, closing the door behind her.
"I have and the absolutely ridiculous ideas these ponies have come up with is simply disturbing," Coltyn sighed.
Thunder Snow breathed deeply and exhaled slowly. "I trust the other princesses to take this new slander with grace. But the fact that they call me out on abandoning the guard is absurd and the column that claims I'm a windigo is just... painful," Thunder Snow said, hurt evident in her voice. "I'm doing what I'm supposed to do as a princess of Equestria."
"You are and they will figure it out, in time, but there have been some big changes in such a short time that it scares them," Coltyn said softly. "I'll have a talk with the editors and see if I can convince them to not print such nonsense."
"That would be appreciated," Thunder Snow smiled. "I have to get back to my station. I'll come by later and we can have another talk."
"As you wish," Coltyn smiled, as she left.
He worked on filling out the paperwork to make his new position official as another knock came on his door. "A reporter from the Chronicle here to see you," the guard announced.
"Come in," Coltyn replied. A young earth mare, gold coat with a slivery mane and a fedora with a reporter tag on the side, entered the room. "How may I help you?"
"I would like to ask some questions," the young mare said in a very serious tone, picking up a small recorder and set it on the table. "First off," she cleared her throat, "why does Princess Celestia suddenly feel the need to have an advisor and why you?"
"Well I'm not sure on the answer for the first, but I have known her for a while and she trusts me," Coltyn replied in a flat tone.
"I know there are others who would object to such claims. Where are you from? For somepony to ascend to such a rank without any history is very odd."
"You mean without any evident social standing, do you not? Most of the objection to my advancement by the Princesses is due to the fact that I do not bother playing the status game with the upper echelons of Canterlot society. I was born in the Manehatten area," Coltyn began. "I left to see the world and learn what I could from various places. When I returned, I came to study from the archives here."
"So you're a scholar? What area do you focus on?"
"Magic and augmentation, it's a passion of mine." Coltyn replied. He was getting the disquieting sense that she was digging for more than simply the reason Celestia and Luna had promoted him to be their advisor.
"I looked into finding out more about you but there isn't anything," the reporter said, looking at a small notepad. Coltyn nodded. "I looked for anything at all, but found nothing until a few years ago. It's just interesting that no school records exist on you when you have a passion for magic. I would have thought that Celestia's School would have a record of somepony like you."
"I didn't attend her school. My early training was handled by my grandfather," Coltyn offered, feeling cornered. Then he looked pointedly at the clock, and stepped away from his desk. Ushering the reporter to the door, he smiled professionally and said, "I would love to continue our discussion, but I have other matters to attend," he smiled, moving some papers into his bags.
"Very well," she said, taking the recorder and placing it in her bag. "By the way, I will find the truth." She left but before the door closed he finally got a look at her cutie mark, a magnifying glass with a question mark inside.
"She's going to be trouble," Coltyn sighed. Grabbing his bag, he left his office. "Please tell Princess Wintra that I would like to meet her at the cafe." The guard at the door nodded and walked away.
Coltyn made his way to the cafe, but had a feeling that he was being followed. Turning his head, he looked for anything, but nothing stood out. He wasn't going to concern himself with ghosts that weren't there and continued to the cafe. Taking his seat he pulled out some paperwork and took to looking for what might have caused him to feel like he was being followed. Seeing nothing, he set to finishing the paperwork for his new position.
"Hello," Thunder Snow said, approaching Coltyn's table.
"Hello Princess," Coltyn said, standing up till Thunder Snow sat down.
"That still feels weird to be addressed as Princess," Thunder Snow stated.
"I'm sure you'll get used to it."
"So why are we here?"
"Two reasons. One, I needed to get out of the office and two, I've got a feeling that the reporter who came to my office may be prying for information."
Thunder Snow's interest peaked, raising an eyebrow. "You were approached by Truth Seeker?"
"So that's her name," Coltyn said, pondering.
"She's very persistent and will do almost anything to get the answers she wants. You're going to have to be extra careful as long as she's on your tail."
"I just hope she doesn't get in trouble. I've stirred a few nests back in the day and I'd hate to see another pony get hurt in the crossfire."
Thunder Snow nodded as the two enjoyed lunch together, Thunder Snow showing her abilities to use magic.
Unbeknownst to them, a cloaked figure in an alley nearby smiled, whispering a triumphant, "Bingo," before disappearing into the dark. |
Journey from Darkness | Chapter 12: Black Claw | Coltyn picked up a paper before heading to his office. The front page had a sideline dedicated to the new advisor's background. It wasn't too long but basically gave the general information on where he lived and that he was not trained under a school. What did set him a little on edge was the fact that she asked for any information available due to lack of evidence. "She is persistent," he muttered, shaking his head, returning to his suite.
Coltyn was going to sit in on Luna's Night Court that night, so he decided to take the afternoon off and catch up on some reading and maybe take a nap. He was relaxing when somepony knocked on his door. Looking through the peep hole, he opened the door, "Welcome, Princess Wintra." Thunder Snow stepped inside, Coltyn closing the door, "To what do I owe the pleasure?"
"I know that you will be up late with Luna attending her court, so I thought I should come by and get some training in before you must leave for the night."
"Of course," Coltyn smiled, retrieving the lesson book from his saddle bag. "Let's see," he hummed, looking through the book. "Protection and shields, this will be our next focus."
Thunder Snow nodded, "I'm ready."
Coltyn explained how to summon a protective barrier and the basics of continuous spells. Thunder Snow worked on the casting but was only able to create a small shield. But as they continued she was able to summon the shield bubble but it wasn't able to take a hit without collapsing. She snorted, a little frustrated but pleased.
"I'll have to keep working on this. This kind of spell is a lot harder than levitation and other quick spells," Thunder Snow said, looking towards the sunset. "I think you should be getting ready for your time with Princess Luna."
Seeing the sun setting, Coltyn nodded. "Yes, it's going to be a long night."
"I'll see you in the morning, maybe get breakfast?" Thunder Snow asked.
"That would be wonderful," Coltyn smiled, walking her to the door.
"I'll meet you in the Royal Guard's dining room, if that's alright?"
Coltyn nodded, turning back into the room to gather his bag before setting off. His walk to Luna's Court room was nothing like the castle during the day. It was quiet and somber with the occasional guard making his rounds. The door to the chamber was emblazoned with stars and the moon in its four major positions. Opening the door, the room was decorated in deep blues and violets with the moonlight shining in giving a calming ambiance. Princess Luna sat upon her dais, eyes closed, beneath a banner adorned with her cutie mark. Coltyn approached the princess, noticing that she was flanked by her bat-winged guardponies. She was in a trance, walking the dreamscape of one or more sleeping ponies.
"Greetings Coltyn," Luna said, her eyes slowly opening. "I'm glad to have you here."
"Thank you, Princess," Coltyn bowed, "it's an honor."
"There isn't much happening tonight. Many had questions for my sister and I will not answer them in her place."
"So, if I may, what do you do on nights like this?"
Luna smiled brightly. "I wander the dreamscape, dispersing nightmares and keeping watch over dreams. But of course, there might be an unexpected commotion that requires attention but usually nothing that can't be handled."
"Well I don't think I can help much in the dreamscape," Coltyn admitted. "But I will help in any way I can."
"Well in that case," Luna said, grabbing something with her magic. "Would you like to help me learn this game better?" Luna set an elegantly crafted checkered board down and set up the chess pieces. "My sister tells me that it was developed shortly after my exile and was a big hit."
"I remember. I bought one because it had a little figure of you, something to keep you close to me, I guess," Coltyn said, setting up the white pieces. "I learned the rules but I never actually played the game."
"Well then shall we have a try at it," Luna smiled, placing the black princess on the white square.
"It would be an honor," he said, grabbing a pawn and moving it two spaces forward.
The night wore on as the two continued their game. Coltyn was falling behind and had his princess on the run before getting cornered.
"Checkmate," Luna said, triumphantly.
Coltyn sighed, smiling as he reached out to knock over his princess with his hoof. Just then, a guard came through the door. The two unicorns brought in an earth pony Coltyn recognized as the reporter from before, Truth Seeker.
"Your highness, we caught her in the royal carriage house, trying to enter Advisor Coltyn's cart."
Luna looked down at the mare. "What do you think you would have found by illegally entering his cart?"
"The truth," Truth Seeker stated plainly. "He's hiding something and I want to know why."
"My poor little pony," Luna shook her head, "sometimes you should trust our judgment. He isn't hiding anything."
"With all due respect your majesty, I'd rather hear it from him."
Coltyn sighed, turning to Luna. "I'll take care of this." Luna looked at him a little shocked but nodded. "Please, let's return to my cart. I will be able to better answer your questions there," Coltyn offered, proceeding to the door. The guards turned to follow but Luna bid them stay.
The two proceeded down to the royal carriage lot and stopped in front of Coltyn's cart. Without turning Coltyn asked, "Why do you persist in this goal?"
"Unraveling mysteries is my forte and I think that the world should know the true nature of those who lead," Truth Seeker smirked. "But for you I made an exception."
Coltyn turned, looking quizzically at her as a slight pain hit his neck. He quickly grabbed the object that hit him and noticed it was a dart before the room started spinning. "What's going on?" He asked falling to the ground. He tried to focus, get to his feet, but his body felt boneless as he lay on the floor. He looked around as two cloaked figures emerged. His ears began to ring, making it hard to hear what was happening. He saw one of the figures extend a claw out holding a pouch that Truth Seeker took with green magic and saw them arguing but he couldn't make out what. The pony left as the cloaked figure turned to Coltyn and pulled a cloth from a small jar and placed it over his muzzle. The vile smelling cloth caused his eyes to roll back in his head and the world to go black. ***
Princess Wintra Thunder Snow arrived early to the dining hall, hoping to spend some time with Coltyn. She had gotten her food and sat down where she could easily see when he came in. She slowly picked at her food staring intently at the entry way. The morning guard rotation came in, ate their meals and headed off to start their day, while she continued to wait. When the night watch began to enter she cleared her table and with quiet fury made her way to Coltyn's office.
She knocked on the door and without waiting for a response opened the door with her magic. She looked around and didn't find him anywhere and the office looked like it hadn't been touched since the previous night. 'Maybe he went to rest and just fell asleep.' She rationalized, closing the door and heading to his suite.
She knocked and waited and when no answer or commotion came from the other side she tried the door, only to find it locked. She called one of the unicorn guards who passed by to unlock the door for her. The guard complied, unlocked the door, and continued his round. She opened the door and proceeded to search the room. The suite looked like nopony had been here, the bed was still made and a few dishes were in the sink. Now she was starting to worry. "Where in Equestria are you?" She snorted in frustration. Locking and closing the door, she made her way to the royal carriage house.
She approached the carriage house, opened the door, and looking at the ground in front of Coltyn's cart her eyes widened. She quickly called her guards who came running. "Nopony gets in or leaves this area," She instructed. The guards saluted and took their watch over the scene as Thunder Snow took wing to inform the Princesses.
Thunder Snow landed on a balcony closes to where the princesses had their dawn meal. Quickly navigating the halls she came to the door where the princesses were and without knocking entered the room. They turned, shocked to see Thunder Snow.
"I apologize for the interruption," Thunder Snow said quickly. "But there is an urgent problem. Coltyn is missing."
"Are you sure?" Luna asked, guiltily.
"Yes," Thunder Snow nodded. "There was an imprint of some type of magic in the Royal Carriage house."
"Please take us there," Celestia asked. "We need to get to the bottom of this quickly."
"I need to know what happened before he disappeared," Thunder said, leading the princesses to the carriage house.
"Late last night my guards brought in Truth Seeker. She was trying to break into his cart," Luna informed her sister and niece, the three of them approaching the carriage house.
Thunder Snow turned to the guard. "Bring Truth Seeker in for questioning." The guard saluted and with a quick nod the two went to find her. "Was there anything else?"
Luna shook her head. "The rest of the night was uneventful."
Thunder Snow nodded, opening the door and began to take a closer look at the scene. As she carefully walked around the area she noticed several details.
"It looks like he was led here, where two winged ponies waited in the dark rafters. Wait," Thunder Snow looked closer at a print in the dirt, "griffons?"
"What would griffons want with Coltyn?" Celestia pondered.
"I might have some insight on this," Luna said. "But we must talk in private."
"Of course," Thunder Snow nodded. "My primary concern at the moment is finding out how they escaped."
"I'm not sure," Celestia said. "But if I know my student, she will have the answer quickly."
Thunder Snow nodded as they left to talk in private. ***
"Ugh," Coltyn groaned, trying to open his eyes. "What happened?" He voiced, trying to move. "Why can't I move?"
"That's probably the muscle relaxer," an old ragged voice answered, "and with the amount of potions they inject you with I'll bet your horn won't work ether."
"Where am I?" Coltyn asked, trying to turn to the voice.
"A place that makes Tartarus sound like heaven," the voice chuckled. "Welcome to Flock Prison."
"Flock Prison?" Coltyn asked surprised, turning his body to see where the voice was coming from. "In griffon country?"
"None other," an old greyed out griffon acknowledged, stepping into the light of the single torch that lit the hall. "Awful long ways from home aren't you."
"How long have I been here?"
"I'd guess about half a day, you were brought in late last night."
'How did I get here that quickly? It's a three day journey even for a pegasus.' Coltyn thought, as he heard the door from down the hall open.
"Play dead and you might live another day," the old griffon said before disappearing back into the shadows.
Coltyn took the old bird's advice and lay motionless on the floor, drawing slow steady breaths. He could hear the guards taking.
"Why is this prisoner so important?" A young female voice asked.
"Look newbie," an older male voice answered. "It's our job is to keep these wastes of space contained and if the head of a clan tells you they're dangerous, listen. Do as you're told and you'll do alright, now give this thing his shot and let's go."
Coltyn waited and felt the prick on his neck. The injection burned fiercely but he managed to not move and draw attention to himself. After a short while the door in the distance closed allowing Coltyn to grunt in pain.
"So I got to ask before you pass out, why are you here?"
Coltyn turned his head, his eyes groggy. "I don't know." Coltyn's eyes rolled back into his head and passed out. ***
"That might be a factor in this," Luna finished, recalling what Coltyn told her of the night he lost control.
"I never thought he would be so vicious," Thunder said, shocked by the less graphic description Luna offered. "Still that was a long time ago and we need to find him."
Celestia and Luna nodded as a knock came at the door. The guard opened the door and Twilight led Spike into the chamber.
"What's the emergency?" Twilight asked.
"Coltyn is missing and the abductors used magic to get away," Celestia informed. "I need you to find out what you can about how they escaped."
Twilight thought for a moment. "I'll need to do a little research, but it shouldn't be a problem."
"Very well," Celestia smiled. "You'll have all resources available to you. Please hurry, time is crucial."
Twilight began to dictate to Spike a list of things she would need. Twilight turned to leave as a guard entered. "Truth Seeker is waiting for you, Captain."
"Thank you," Thunder Snow said, dismissing the guard. "I'll keep you apprised of our progress." Thunder Snow stood and left the chamber and headed to the interrogation room.
Thunder Snow entered the watch room which had a special glass that allowed ponies to see through one side but the other, and also had a camouflaged section that allowed the conversation to be heard in the room.
"Has she said or done anything suspicious?" Thunder Snow asked a guard.
"No, Captain," he shook his head. "She was found at the Canterlot Chronicle. She looked groggy and tired as if she was up late."
Thunder Snow nodded and entered the room. "Have a late night did we?"
Truth Seeker looked up at the princess. "What am I doing here? I've got work to finish." She said rubbing her head.
Thunder Snow looked over the lethargic earth pony. "What were you doing last night?"
"I was working late trying to get through the sudden flood of mail I got regarding the new advisor. I got some coffee to help stave off sleep. I don't even remember falling asleep. I woke up just as your guards collected me and brought me here."
Thunder Snow rubbed her muzzle. "Is there anypony who could confirm your claim?"
"Yes, the night janitor, Clean Sweep, came by to empty my garbage can."
"Very well," Thunder Snow said, standing up. "We'll have to confirm with him that your story is accurate, but until then we will have to keep you here." Thunder Snow informed as she left the room.
"Find Clean Sweep and bring him in. We need to confirm if she's being truthful." The guard saluted, turned, and left. Thunder Snow sighed, "Coltyn, where are you?" ***
Coltyn slowly began to regain consciousness. "Ugh, my flank burns," Coltyn voiced, feeling a dull pain.
"Welcome back," the old bird squawked. "So what's the story with you and The Black Claw Clan?"
"Black Claw Clan?" Coltyn asked, still regaining his senses.
"Nasty bunch if you ask me. But you seemed to have a past with their leader's ancestor."
"I do?" Coltyn asked confused, turning to see the old bird.
"Yep," he nodded. "Burned off your star design and gave you that nice muzzle harness."
Coltyn reached up and touched his face, leather straps wrapped around his muzzle, up between his eyes, around his horn, and fastened behind his head. His hoof touched the locking device and was given a shock.
"Oh yeah, don't touch that. Gives you a nasty shock and I think that one must prevent the use of magic, too."
"What makes you think that old crow?" Coltyn snarled, rubbing his hoof.
"The fact that you didn't get any more injections, I wouldn't be surprised if they hauled you out to the coliseum so you can be torn to bits for their amusement."
"Great," Coltyn snorted, feeling a rumble in his stomach. "I doubt that they feed us here."
A loud snap was heard above, a shriek, and the sound of something hitting the floor in the old birds cell. "No, but the pest traps dump into the cells." The old bird walked over and brought a dead owl back to the edge of his cell. "Want some?" He offered.
"No thanks, we ponies are vegetarians." Coltyn politely refused, hearing another snap before something fell into his cell.
"Well then you might die of starvation. No plants grow down here."
Coltyn snorted in frustration before hearing the door down the hall open. His cell mate disappeared and he closed his eyes and lay motionless except for controlling his breathing. He heard two griffons walking toward him, coming to a stop right behind him.
"Get up!" A male voice shrieked.
Coltyn lay still hoping they would leave but the sudden shock to his horn caused him to convulse and scream in pain.
"Get up!"
Coltyn complied, lightly putting weight on his hind legs that still stung from the branding. He looked through the bars seeing a middle-age griffon, brown body and wings and greying feathers on his head with a scar over his left eye, and a younger female griffon, deep amber body and wings with black tips on her wing feathers with red accents on her head.
"What's your name?" The male asked.
"Why am I here?" Coltyn replied.
The griffon glared at Coltyn, before pulling out a controller and pressing a button. The button activated Coltyn's muzzle sending a jolt through his horn, causing his legs to buckle.
"I ask the questions," the male said. "What's your name?"
"Coltyn," he answered, getting back on his hooves.
The male pressed the button again, causing Coltyn to fall on his side from the jolt.
"Your full name," the griffon stated.
Coltyn groaned as he pushed himself back onto his hooves, again. "Coltyn Pendragon."
Coltyn noticed that the female seemed uncomfortable with the situation as she notated his answers.
"What do you eat?" The male asked.
"What all equines eat," Coltyn started, but was interrupted by another jolt to his horn.
"I'm not in the mood to play games. Just answer the question," the male snarled.
"Hay, oats, flowers, sweet grasses, and so on," Coltyn replied from is back.
The male nodded and turned to leave as Coltyn got back on his hooves and let out a frustrated snort. The male stopped and glared at Coltyn before pressing the button with his claw and not letting go.
"I'm being nice and finding out what you eat so you don't die of starvation," the male grumbled. Coltyn thrashed on the floor screaming as his horn was assaulted by the electric jolts. "The least you could do is appreciate it." The male let go of the button, Coltyn lay on the ground twitching and gasping for air.
"I'm sorry for Warden Ironbeak's behavior," the female apologized.
"Maria," Ironbeak bellowed. She quickly ran to catch up and shortly after Coltyn heard the door close.
"Are you descended from the Pendragon who brought about the end of the war a thousand years ago?" The old griffon asked.
"I think," Coltyn groaned, "I recall something like that."
"Now it all makes sense."
"What makes sense?" Coltyn asked confused.
"The reason you're here. Black Claw's ancestor was killed by a unicorn named Pendragon and their family has wanted revenge ever since."
"What else do you know?"
"That's it. Basic history, we aren't allowed to forget; but I'm sure you'll get more details soon."
Coltyn shifted uncomfortably. "I'm not sure I want to find out." ***
Thunder Snow was taking down some notes on what Truth Seeker said when somepony knocked.
"Come in," Thunder Snow welcomed.
"We found Clean Sweep," a guard announced, entering the room. "Although I doubt that he will be of aid in this investigation."
"Why do you say that?" Thunder Snow asked, dreading the answer.
"We found him bound and gagged in his closet," the guard informed.
"I see. Well he may be able to lead us to the pony that actually was there that night."
The guard nodded as the two left and made their way to the interrogation room. Inside the room sat a grey earth pony nervously looking around. Thunder Snow entered and slowly approached the pony.
"You're Clean Sweep, correct?" Thunder Snow asked.
"You're one of them, aren't you?" Clean Sweep exclaimed, backing away from Thunder Snow. "Please don't hurt me." He cowered in the corner, trying to hide from Thunder Snow.
"It's ok," Thunder Snow said, trying to comfort the panicked pony. "Nopony is going to hurt you."
"You're with them," he shouted, before curling up in the corner. "I don't want to die," he whimpered.
"Nopony is going to hurt you," Thunder Snow assured. "But we need your help. Somepony has abducted the new advisor, Coltyn." Clean Sweep looked up to Thunder Snow. "I need your help. I need to know who hurt you because I'm thinking that they are one and the same."
"I can't. They'll kill me if I tell."
"I promise that we'll protect you, but I need you to tell me who did this."
Clean Sweep thought for a minute before turning to Thunder Snow. "It was a black pony-like creature with sharp pointy," he shuddered, "fangs and horn with insect like wings."
"A changeling? Are you sure?"
Clean Sweep nodded.
"Was it acting alone?"
He tightened his posture, shaking his head. "There were others."
"Please, tell me what you can remember about them."
"I didn't see their faces."
"Anything you can remember will be helpful," Thunder Snow pleaded.
"One of them had claws like an eagle; he was the one who blindfolded me."
"Was it just the two of them?"
"There were three voices, but all I recall is that one spoke with the air of a noble. All he said was that if I talked I wouldn't see the next dawn." He curled up tight. "That's all I know."
"Thank you. I will arrange for your protection immediately." Thunder Snow left and informed her guard to gather three others to watch over Clean Sweep. The guard saluted and left as Thunder Snow stood in the watch room, keeping an eye on him. The guard returned with three others and was ordered to have two inside the room and two out guarding the door.
Thunder Snow made her way to Celestia's meeting chamber. Approaching the chamber, she arrived as Prince Blueblood was leaving. He gave a slight bow, accompanied by a small, mocking grin, to which Thunder Snow nodded, continuing into the chamber. 'I've never liked him,' she thought. "Princess Celestia, I have an update."
"What have you learned?" Celestia asked, curious.
"It seems that a changeling was the one who tricked Coltyn into walking into the ambush."
"That is disturbing news."
"Well it wasn't working alone. My initial discovery was right; a griffon is involved. But there also seems to be somepony among the nobility who may have also had a hoof in this."
Celestia raised an eyebrow, "What makes you think that?"
"Clean Sweep said that he heard a male voice that had a noble accent."
"Well that doesn't help narrow the search very much," Celestia stated as Twilight entered.
"I have my report on the scene," Twilight announced. "It seems that there was a basic levitation spell cast and a teleportation spell. Two beings teleported but one was not like the pattern left by unicorn teleportation. The pattern was similar to the changeling's magic, but the method the griffon used eludes me."
"I see," Thunder Snow said. "With your permission, Princess, I believe we need to find this changeling and find out who's behind this."
"Of course, but please be careful," Celestia nodded.
"I'm going with her," Twilight said firmly.
The princesses looked at her, shocked. Thunder Snow shook her head, arguing, "No, I won't risk your safety. It's too dangerous and I will not risk a civilian's life."
"You'll need my help, Princess Wintra, or more specifically my magic," Twilight stated plainly. Thunder Snow raised her brow. "Changelings feed off the emotion of love. But a text Spike found mentioned that their fangs can be used to drain the essence of a being. I can cast a spell shielding our emotions from them, and two horns are better than one."
Thunder Snow turned to Celestia. "I don't want to endanger her," Thunder Snow argued.
"Unfortunately she's right," Celestia sighed. "Please make all haste to find Coltyn."
Thunder Snow and Twilight bowed, turned, and left the hall.
"I thought it was going to be harder to convince you," Twilight said, trying to break the tension.
"Normally it would be, however I've begun to realize that I can't solve every problem by myself," Thunder Snow stated, making their way to the carriage house. "I'm realizing why your brother asked me to join him on so many missions. Gather what you need and meet me at the Carriage house in half an hour."
Twilight nodded and went to gather her supplies. Thunder Snow did the same as she put together a bag with some rations, a small bag of bits, and her new throwing daggers. She attached the holder to the inside of her bag to conceal them, and wanting to test her pull, she reached and grabbed one with her magic and threw it at the wall. The butt of the dagger hit the wall as it fell to the floor. 'Well at least it pulls smoothly without hurting me,' she thought, lifting the blade and sheathing it before heading to meet Twilight.
Thunder Snow approached Twilight, standing outside the carriage house. Twilight sighed, "This will feel weird. I'm going to shield our thoughts and emotions so the changelings can't feed off them. I've traced the line of the changeling's teleport and it went a long way. We'll have to do it in sections."
Thunder Snow nodded, "Whenever you're ready."
Twilight nodded and closed her eyes. Her horn glowed as she wrapped their hearts in her magic. Thunder Snow felt the spell seal away her happy and joyful thoughts. The only thing she felt was the need to complete the mission. When she finished the spell, Twilight opened her eyes, which were empty and seemingly lifeless.
"Let's go," Twilight said, dully.
Thunder Snow nodded as they were enveloped in purple magic and flashed away. ***
Coltyn sat in his cell, close to the bars, conserving his energy and pondering a way to regain access to his magic. He softly knocked the lock against the wall only to be given a slight jolt.
"Well smashing the lock won't work without giving me a serious headache," Coltyn sighed, frustrated, hearing the door open.
Coltyn looked down the hall and saw Maria carrying something on her back. She stopped, grasped a rod in one claw, and the cell keys in the other. "Please stand back," she ordered, trying to sound authoritative.
Coltyn complied and moved to the back of the cell. She opened the door, placed a tray with some grass clippings and dandelions down, and locked the door.
"You don't have the personality for this," Coltyn commented, approaching the tray.
She stopped and turned to Coltyn. "What makes you think that? I've been doing this for almost a year."
"I saw the look on your face while your boss was talking to me," Coltyn explained. "You should be doing something better with your life then watching over prisoners."
Maria looked away. "You may have that luxury but I don't. I've got to become more like my father, strong, fearless."
"You mean heartless," he said flatly, taking a small bite from the tray.
Maria looked at him with raised brow. "What do you mean by that?" she asked, sharply.
Coltyn swallowed, hesitated a moment, choosing his words carefully. "It's a lesson from the past. Wrath and revenge brings nothing but suffering and hardship." Maria stood there, looking thoughtful as his words turned in her head. "It's disheartening to learn that your clan has suffered for so many years, but I can't change the past. But maybe together we can work for a better future."
"Easy for you to say," Maria scoffed. "You don't have to watch fellow griffons suffer and starve because of poor harvests and lack of game."
"I'm sure there are others out there that would be willing to help."
"That's not how it's done."
"Are you satisfied with how your clan is taking care of its members?"
"Well..." Maria trailed off.
"I'm offering you my friendship, and hope to change your clan's situation," Coltyn smiled, extending a hoof.
"Friendship is weak," Maria stated coldly.
"I've seen friendship do amazing things and what's the harm of trying?" He asked gently. He waited as Maria seemed to contemplate his words. With a tilt of his head, he urged, "Nothing will change unless someone tries."
She didn't say anything but extended her claw and shook his hoof. His warm smile sparked a cautious smile in return, which quickly faded when the door down the hall opened. Maria quickly retracted her claw and turned to leave Warden Ironbeak called.
"What have I told you about conversing with the scum?"
"To not to," Maria recited, lowering her head.
"You know the punishment for disobedience."
Nothing else was said; Coltyn strained his ears then heard the crack of a whip on flesh. The whip cracked twice more as the faint whimpers from Maria cut at his heart. His glare down the hall was soon met by a pair of old, angry eyes. The Warden came over to Coltyn's cell and presented the control for his muzzle.
"You are nothing but trouble," He stated, pressing the button. Coltyn tried to fight it but the pain overwhelmed him, causing him to thrash on the ground. "I would have ended you long ago but his Lordship has something special planned for you." Warden Ironbeak let go of the button and left the hall.
Coltyn gasped for air, hearing the griffon in the next cell call out. "You're in major trouble now. Once Warden tells on you, you'll die and I'd bet my wings in a grand way."
"What happens to me isn't important," Coltyn stated, regaining his hooves. "It's her that will set in motion the change that your country desperately needs." |
Journey from Darkness | Chapter 13: Reunion | Twilight and Thunder Snow appeared in a valley just below the black jagged peaks of the Mountains of Desolation which formed the southern border of Equestria and the western border of the Griffon Kingdom. Twilight held her composure but Thunder Snow knew that they would need to be ready for whatever lay beyond.
"We'll rest here and continue tomorrow," Thunder Snow ordered coldly. Her feelings were still locked away.
Twilight nodded. Looking around she saw a cave they could use for shelter. With a quick flash the two were standing outside the cave. Thunder Snow signaled for Twilight to wait while she checked the cave. Drawing a dagger, she slowly entered checking both sides and the back of the cave as the sun set. Seeing nothing dangerous she called Twilight inside. Twilight placed an illusion on the entrance making it undetectable as the two of them settled down for some rest.
Thunder Snow was awoken by a strange buzz echoing through the cave. Seizing a dagger with her magic, she approached the barrier. The sun had just risen as the red-orange hues of dawn filled the sky. Looking up she saw a small group of changelings hovering over their location. She wondered what they were waiting for before looking out to the east horizon. A lone griffon flew towards the group and stopped before presenting a scroll. To her shock, Queen Chrysalis emerged from the group and took the letter. The queen seemed insulted as she cursed at the messenger loud enough for her to hear that Coltyn was in the griffon's territory.
Thunder Snow woke Twilight hurriedly. "We need to move quickly. There is a commotion outside about Coltyn," she whispers.
Twilight nods and the two look through the barrier in time to see Chrysalis tear the letter to pieces, and let it drift off on the wind. Twilight, not wanting it to get away, teleported the letter into the cave and began putting it back together. One of the changelings started to make a hissing noise but a quick stern look from their queen silenced it. Chrysalis turned back to the messenger, said something, and her squad attacked the griffon, digging their fangs into its flesh. The shriek of pain echoed across the mountains as the changelings fed, and then Chrysalis took hold of his head and spat on his face before encasing him in a green ball and hurling him back towards the Griffon Kingdom.
Thunder Snow watched as the changelings retreated back to their lands, breathing a sigh of relief. Twilight had pieced the letter back together and was scanning it over and over as if the words were tricking her. Thunder Snow looked over and read the letter.
'To the Changeling Queen;
I, lord of the Blackclaw clan, have recently captured the pony who handed you defeat in Canterlot. We extend an invitation to his execution which will occur in the Battle Stadium. He will be pitted against opponents until he slays them all or more likely dies. This grand display will take place at the end of the week. We hope to see you here for the bloodbath as revenge is finally served.
Lord Nathanial Blackclaw'
Twilight looked at Thunder Snow who couldn't believe their luck. Now that they had a place and a time and all they needed to do was get there.
"Thinking of a lover?" A familiar voiced called out.
Twilight and Thunder Snow turned to see Chrysalis blocking their exit.
"What's it to you?" Thunder Snow asked flatly.
"To me? Nothing, princess," Chrysalis sneered, "I just felt your heart leap for joy. You should be more careful."
"But how?" Twilight questioned. "I locked our feelings away."
"You of all ponies should know that even magic as strong as yours can't hide true love."
Thunder Snow blushed at the revelation of her innermost secret feelings. "So you know I care for him. I'll tell you that if you hinder us you won't see the next sunrise."
"So quick to judge, that's not how a leader handles a situation."
"What do you mean?" Thunder Snow asked through gritted teeth, annoyed that her abilities where now being questioned.
"I just handed you everything you were looking for, the least you could do is show some gratitude," Chrysalis remarked.
"What, you mean like payment?" Twilight asked, warily. Chrysalis's smile confirmed Twilight's guess.
"We don't have anything in the way of bits or gems..." Thunder Snow began, but was cut off by the queen.
"No, I don't need wealth," Chrysalis replied slyly. "I haven't fed off of love since being tossed out of Canterlot."
"I will not allow you to use us as livestock," Thunder Snow objected.
"And I don't have to allow you to leave this cave alive," Chrysalis retorted.
Chrysalis and Thunder Snow engaged in a staredown, only interrupted when Twilight spoke.
"If you are allowed to feed, you will let us leave and not impede our travel and never attempt a large scale invasion of Equestria again," Twilight laid out the terms.
"I guess that's an acceptable bargain..." Chrysalis smiled coyly, then continued, "But only if I can feed until satisfied." Chrysalis began eyeing Thunder Snow. "New love is so deliciously sweet."
Thunder Snow shuddered in disgust.
"That may be, but you want to be satisfied," Twilight retorted, seeing the Queen's intentions. "I have a bountiful amount of love."
"Twilight, I can't have you doing this," Thunder Snow protested.
"It's better that only one of us is weakened rather than both of us," Twilight retorted.
"She has a point. This will take a lot out of whom ever I choose," Chrysalis added.
"Don't worry," Twilight smiled, "I'll be alright."
"I've never had an audience when I fed so don't go anywhere, but interrupt and it will be the end of both of you," Chrysalis said, looking at Thunder Snow.
Thunder Snow sighed. "Understood."
Chrysalis turned to Twilight, her horn glowing sickly green for a moment as her form changed into that of the familiar earth stallion. Thunder Snow watched helplessly as the changeling's disguise worked on Twilight, whose eyes began glowing green. Thunder Snow looked on helplessly, just wanting to have this end so they could save Coltyn. ***
Coltyn was resting in his cell when the hall door opened. His eyes couldn't comprehend the horror before him. Maria had brought another tray of random vegetation - whichever griffon was creating his meals seemed to relish giving him weeds and bruised or overripe food - but the bruised eye, lacerations, and other welts told him that she had paid dearly for talking to him.
"Who did this to you?" Coltyn asked, concerned.
Maria said nothing, placing the food in the cell. Coltyn noticed a collar around her neck and figured it was similar to his and didn't press for more information. Maria turned and left, leaving Coltyn alone, nibbling at his food.
"She got off easy," the old griffon said.
"What makes you say that?"
"She's still alive - most likely let her live for now to make her see what's in store for you. It probably won't last, they'll kill her eventually. No griffon gets off easy here," he commented before returning to the shadows.
The hall door opened again, admitting Warden Ironbeak and two fully armored griffons that accompanied him.
"Your presence is required," Ironbeak stated coldly.
"By whom?" Coltyn asked.
Ironbeak didn't respond as he opened the cell, the two griffons entered and placed leads on each side of the halter about his muzzle. The two guards yanked harshly on the leads, straining Coltyn's neck as they
pulled him down the hall. Coltyn tried to memorize the path they were taking but all the halls were decorated so uniformly that nothing stood out, and when he would look in one direction too long his head would be jerked forward.
After about ten minutes they arrived at a set of lavishly embellished doors depicting two griffons facing each other on their hind legs, beaks open and claws ready to strike. Upon entering, Coltyn examined the dining room, which was decorated in tapestries of reds and purples, all bearing the image of a claw holding the world. The table was large with swirl patterns embroidered along the borders. Several violet pillows were placed around the table. Coltyn was led to the one at the end of the table and commanded to seat himself. The cushion was covered in very soft silk. The guards anchored his leads to the table legs and took their places on either side of the door.
Coltyn tried to lift the table to see if he could slip the leads free but the heavy construction was more than his hooves could move. Contemplating what to do, he was distracted as chefs began to bring forth a banquet - roasted pork, ribs, bread, fruit, vegetables, puddings, and pastries all filed in and were laid before him. A sudden flash of Princess Celestia sitting at the other end of the table sent a chill down his spine before his host appeared.
The griffon stood taller than the others he'd seen and his defined and sculpted brown body showed his strength but what stood out were his black claws. He approached the table as Coltyn's eyes locked onto him but diverted when he noticed another enter the room - Maria.
"Welcome to my table descendent of a murderer. I'm Nathanial Blackclaw," he welcomed, taking his place at the head of the table. "I know you've met my daughter, Maria."
Coltyn nodded as he looked at her injured body.
"Such a spiteful youth, thinking of such foolish things after talking to you," He grabbed her beak, looking her in the eyes. "That's why I had to punish her. Isn't it?"
Maria nodded, closing her eyes as a stray tear escaped. Coltyn felt his blood boil as he was nearly overcome with the desire to avenge the harm done her, but he sat silently, gritting his teeth. Nathanial watched him knowingly, a malicious smirk twisting his beak. He let go of Maria and filled a plate with food. Almost conversationally, he said, "Now I suppose you're wondering why you're here."
"That thought had crossed my mind," Coltyn replied.
Nathanial placed a box on the table, pulled out a simple carving knife and slid it across the table having it stop just in front of Coltyn. "Do you recognize this?" he asked, taking bites from his plate.
Coltyn looked at the knife as memories of a bloodied griffon flashed through his mind like so many snapshots. "No," he answered flatly.
"There is a grand story behind this," Nathanial began, dabbing some food off his beak with a napkin. "This knife was found thrust deeply into the heart of my ancestor. His son was only a few years from adulthood when the news of his father's death was received along with the murder weapon. The story goes that a unicorn by the name of Pendragon murdered the entire platoon and tortured my ancestor with this blade and not a week later was able to bring the entire kingdom to its knees."
He poured a goblet full of wine and took a drink before continuing. "The blade glowed just prior to the end of Equestria's Civil War. However, when the son arrived in the place that our mages had determined the swell of power originated, there were no ponies anywhere. So he watched and waited to find the one who killed his father and fulfill his thirst for revenge," he shrieked, stabbing a chunk of meat with his fork.
"So what does your vendetta have to do with me?" Coltyn asked, feigning ignorance.
"His blood runs in you. So when your blood decorates the ground and your entrails are strewn about, revenge will be done and justice finally served," Nathanial stated.
"How are you so sure I'm related to the one from so long ago?"
Nathanial pointed to the knife before Coltyn. "It glowed brightly as you cast a spell from Canterlot and with a little help I found a way to arrange for your trip here. Some ponies will do anything to try and forward their own pathetic ambitions," he chuckled. He seemed to relish Coltyn's start of surprise as he finished his main course. Coltyn was startled to learn that the griffon had a pony collaborator.
"So why didn't you kill me already? You've had plenty of time. Even now it would be as simple as picking up this knife and stabbing me."
"I've a much more entertaining fate planned." Nathanial began, filling a plate with desserts. "You will entertain my subjects with a gladiatorial battle. You see, most of the time our arena is used by griffons, settling arguments by first blood." He took a bite of cake. "But I want a real bloodbath. So you will fight an opponent of my choosing to the death."
Coltyn shivered at the thought. "Without using my magic I assume." Nathanial nodded. "Then you won't be in for much of a show." Nathanial raised an eyebrow. "I don't know how to fight like an earth pony."
"Don't worry I'll make sure that it will be a show worthy of its meaning." Nathanial smiled slightly. "With that knowledge I'll make sure your opponent is smart enough to take orders." He pushed his empty plate aside. "I know just the ones to take this task. If you'll excuse me, I must inform them." He stood and walked to the door, Maria silently followed.
Coltyn ground teeth, his blood boiling; he swatted the plate to the floor. Snorting in frustration, he heard the door behind him open.
"Great, a dweeb pony," came the sarcastic voice of a female griffon.
Coltyn turned to see a young griffon, brown body and white feathered head with a distinctive fire pattern around her eyes. "Who are you?"
"The unlucky one who has to deal with you," she sneered, "and why do you care?"
"I was hoping you knew what fate Maria is facing."
"Why should I tell a dead pony anything?" She loosed his leashes from the table but kept a firm grasp.
"She may face the same fate because I spoke with her."
She led them down and out to the grounds around the castle wall. Giving a derisive eyeroll, she said, "That foolish hatchling was always soft. She should've been smart enough to know that it was going to get her in trouble sooner or later."
"You know each other?"
"She attended the same preliminary school as me. We were both approached to attend the Junior Speedsters Flight Camp, but her daddy said no and that was that."
"Why? It is an honor for a flying youth to be accepted there."
"It's run by ponies and I'm sure that you've seen Lord Blackclaw's position on your kind."
Coltyn nodded. "What is your name?" Coltyn asked, walking down a row of cells.
"Private First Class Gilda. Who are you?" she asked as she opened a cell door.
"Coltyn Pendragon," he replied, just before he entered the cell.
"Well enjoy your stay, however short it may be," Gilda drawled, leaving the holding area.
Coltyn sat to think he had maybe thirty-six hours to prepare and didn't like his situation. He began to pace thinking of what to do, but his thoughts always led back to one thought, 'I wish Thunder Snow was here.' That thought gave him strength and he settled down and in the dirt made a list of what he needed to work on to try and be victorious. ***
Thunder Snow had looked away but the sound was unbearable; waiting what seemed like eternity before the Queen finally released Twilight from her spell and regained her normal form. Thunder Snow galloped over to Twilight as the unicorn collapsed to the ground.
"I can't feel my legs," Twilight said dizzily, leaning on Thunder Snow, who was holding her in her hooves.
"That was truly divine. Much more satisfying than your brother," Chrysalis practically purred, licking her lips. A faintly bitter look came into her eyes as she commented, "I bet your red stallion doesn't half appreciate just how pure your love for him really is. Lucky me."
"You're a monster," Thunder Snow snapped, "punishing her like that."
"That's how it is. Now I'll take my leave," Chrysalis glowed, heading for the cave entrance.
"Who betrayed Coltyn to the griffons?" Thunder Snow asked before the queen left. Twilight drifted asleep.
"A pompous lying aristocrat trying to forward his own goals," Chrysalis scorned, spreading her wings.
"What was his name?" Thunder Snow asked, her anger evident.
"What would you do if I told you?" Chrysalis asked, looking over her shoulder.
"I'll destroy them," Thunder Snow replied, the air around her growing colder.
Chrysalis watched Thunder Snow's eyes turn a deep ice blue, the warm walls starting to ice over.
"Hmm, maybe I'll let you take care of that Blueblood fool. Save me the trouble of dealing with him myself."
Thunder Snow recalled the look Prince Blueblood gave her just before leaving, causing her anger to spike. Chrysalis took wing and left Thunder Snow and Twilight.
"That arrogant fool," Thunder Snow whispered, gritting her teeth. "I'll deal with him later." She took a deep breath, shaking her head to calm herself. "Right now I need to get to Coltyn."
Twilight had lost consciousness, leaving Thunder Snow thinking on a way to get moving. She quickly gathered a few stray clouds that were overhead, compacting them so they were dense enough to hold Twilight's weight. She laid Twilight on the cloud and took wing using the cloud for cover as they made their way to the griffon's territory.
It was going to be a long flight especially if she didn't want to draw attention to them. She remembered Coltyn saying that they would work on her abilities to control weather. "No time like now," she muttered. She focused and after a while was able to make it look like stratocumulus clouds drifting across the sky without losing the integrity of the cloud holding Twilight. 'Now I just have to get to the Battle Stadium and rescue Coltyn,' she thought as she propelled the clouds across the sky.
She made it to a small grove, a few hours from the griffon kingdom. She lowered the clouds creating a thick fog around the grove. She placed Twilight under a tree and gathered some of the heavily dewed foliage for Twilight. Feeling that Twilight was safe she went off to practice, not wanting to disturb Twilight.
She reached out and gathered water from the clouds, trying to get it to freeze. She stared at the water for what seemed like hours, not getting it to freeze. Frustrated, she threw the water at a nearby tree and saw hundreds of little icicles sticking out.
"How'd that happen?" Thunder Snow asked aloud.
"Focused emotions," Twilight explained weakly.
"You should be resting," Thunder Snow said gently. "You were taken... fairly harshly."
"I'll be fine. But to answer your question, magic is an exercise in not only focusing the mind but also your emotions. Magic is powerful and if the right emotions are focused with the spell, it can produce extraordinary results," Twilight explained before she realized she was lecturing. "Sorry, my friends tell me that I shouldn't go on long lectures to answer simple questions." Twilight blushed.
"Please, continue. If I'm to be of any help, I must know all I can." Thunder Snow encouraged. "I'm merely a student and you had the best teacher, so please, continue."
Twilight gladly obliged, explaining the mechanics of attack spells and focusing emotions to create more powerful spells. Thunder Snow listened intently, asking questions and practicing various techniques, including using telekinesis on multiple objects. The moon was past its zenith when they quit and turned in for some rest. Tomorrow they would rescue Coltyn then deal with the betrayer back in Canterlot. ***
Coltyn spent his time the next morning strengthening his body preparing for the inevitable confrontation; stretching to loosening his body.
"Hey, dweeb," Gilda called, lacking her former attitude. "Here's your last meal."
Coltyn took the plate and set it down. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing," she snarled.
Coltyn lifted his head and raised an eyebrow. "I've seen that look. Something's bothering you and I've got time, if you want to talk," he offered.
"You'll have company tomorrow."
"Who?" Coltyn asked.
"Maria," Gilda replied, scowling darkly.
"Has she ever seen battle?"
"She's not a fighter and I've been forbidden to attend on the grounds that I might aid her."
"What do you want me to do?"
"The opponents will delight in torturing you as long as possible. I don't want her to know that kind of horror." Gilda tried to hide the tear rolling down her cheek.
"You want me to kill her?"
"Only if there is no other way," Gilda clarified.
"From what I understand, there is no way out of this except in a box," Coltyn replied coldly.
"Just don't let her suffer," she demanded, sounding distressed as she turned away, taking her leave.
Coltyn sat processing the information. He ground his teeth in fury, appalled that Blackclaw would send his own daughter to her death. He kicked the cell door but it held firm against his anger. 'It's one thing to send me, but to send his own daughter; he must be insane,' he thought. 'I won't let another soul die because of me.' Coltyn readied himself as best he could, body and mind alike. Rehearsing the circle magic he knew along with preparing his body for tomorrow. He went to the corner, having readied the best he could, he eventually lay down to get some sleep before the nightmare began.
Coltyn woke the next morning to the sound of clanging metal entering the room. He looked up to see Maria - her wings bound - hitched to a platform with anchor chains. Warden Ironbeak and two others walked in behind her.
"Get on the platform and don't move while we secure you," Ironbeak ordered, showing the control for Coltyn's muzzle.
Coltyn complied and climbed up on the platform and waited as they chained his hooves and neck to the cart. He saw that Maria's back was freshly lacerated and the hitch dug into the wounds.
"She needs her wounds tended," Coltyn stated concerned
Ironbeak backhanded Coltyn. "She's dead. The dead don't need tending."
Coltyn clenched his teeth together, blowing his breath out through his nose and keeping his silence. He hated knowing that he couldn't do anything, yet. Ironbeak checked the irons holding Coltyn. Satisfied he turned to Maria, "To the stadium."
Maria didn't move immediately which caused her to be whipped by one of the attending guards. She pulled hard, the harness digging into her flesh, and made her way to the exit. The bright sun caused Coltyn to blink, and he took a moment to let his vision clear before he looked out on a crowd of griffons. The uproar as he appeared became an unintelligible sound as they cursed and berated him; Coltyn folded his ears down to trying to block it out. He kept his eyes moving trying to find a way to escape; when a tomato hit the side of his face. He turned and saw a group of young hatchlings with a bag of rotten fruits and vegetables, following alongside him, pelting him.
It didn't take long for others to join in. Coltyn found himself being hit on all sides, the smell of the foul vegetation turning his stomach. He didn't know how long he was subjected to the public torment, but soon he was pulled into a large stadium. Maria and Coltyn were unhooked from the cart and put into a holding cell and left alone.
"I'm sorry I got you involved," Coltyn said, wiping off the vegetation.
"I chose this fate," Maria stated.
"What?!"
"He gave me two choices, either live like a griffon or die like a pony. After meeting you, I feel disgraced to have even been born." She looked away, tears forming.
"No, you must live," Coltyn exclaimed, lifting her head. "You are the heir to the clan and they will need a leader who can bring them out of this dark shadow and into the light."
She gently pushed his hooves away. "I'm no leader and we won't live to see another sunrise."
"You know how to listen and that is the first step to becoming a great leader." Coltyn explained. "We'll get out of this and with your leadership; you can lead your clan to greater things then trying to settle a thousand year old vendetta."
"But there is no way out of this," she retorted.
"Sometimes you just have to have faith," Coltyn said as the stadium gate opened. "Stay close, stay alive."
Coltyn and Maria walked out into the full stadium, insults flying out of every beak. He observed the open air design and protection wards around the field of battle, protecting the spectators. Across from them near the top of the stadium an elaborately designed box stood out; Nathanial looked out on the stadium.
"Greetings fellow griffons," Nathanial exclaimed. "Today we'll see justice done for the crimes against our clan. Coltyn Pendragon is guilty of murder and Maria Blackclaw for conspiracy and treason."
"She's innocent," Coltyn bellowed in protest which went unnoticed.
"This being the case," Nathanial continued, "the guilty will face the three dragons that were brought down for invading our territory."
Coltyn turned to Maria. "We're facing dragons?" Maria nodded. "Of all creatures, it had to be dragons." Coltyn sighed, watching warily as the gates across from them opened.
The first dragon was brown and heavy, two blue horns protruded from his head, and a sphere with small spikes at the end of his tail. The second was purple and spindly, golden hair covered his eyes, and small spikes ran from his the middle of his head to his tail. The third was red and strong, an orange crest ran from the middle of his head down his spine. The dragons walked slightly unevenly, as all their wings were bound.
"Let the execution begin!"
"So, which one of you wants the griffon?" The red dragon inquired, looking at his companions.
"I want her," the purple one exclaimed, licking his lips. "She looks delicious." Maria shuddered in disgust.
"I'll take the pony," the brown one stated, "more meat on his bones."
The two dragons started to close on Coltyn and Maria who backed away. "We'll charge them and just before you get within their reach break right and I'll go left behind you."
"Are you mad?" Maria asked.
"We need to get these two out of this fight. Please, trust me." Maria nodded as they took another step back. "GO!" Coltyn shouted. Maria ran straight at the dragons as Coltyn kept pace with her. The dragons quickened their approach, their prey drawing closer.
"Break!" Coltyn shouted. Maria complied and quickly planted her hind legs and maneuvered right. Coltyn hesitated for a moment to let Maria past him and took off to the left. The dragons turned to follow their claims causing them to slam into each other.
Coltyn stopped and turned, seeing the two dragons fighting but couldn't find the third till his fist connected to his face.
"Bet you think you're really clever, don't you?" the red dragon sneered.
"Not really," Coltyn replied, rubbing his face.
"We'll see how far that'll get you," the red dragon stated, grabbing Coltyn's back hoof. "Hey numbskulls, deal with the pony first." Coltyn found himself flying towards the two bickering dragons.
"What's that, Garble," they said in unison, turning just as Coltyn made contact.
Coltyn quickly gained his hooves, seeing that Maria was safe, turned his attention to the two dragons on the ground. Coltyn galloped toward the brown dragon that was on his knees, planting his front hooves, turned and bucked the dragon's face. A sickening crack was heard; the dragon screamed holding the side of his head, blood flowing down his face. Coltyn reared up again and connected with the dragon's chest, breaking some ribs. The brown dragon was down; Coltyn looked for the purple one but didn't see him until his tail struck his side.
"You're going to pay for that!" the dragon threatened.
Coltyn slowly got to his hooves, holding his side. "Most likely," Coltyn replied, spitting blood.
The purple dragon charged; Coltyn tried to dodge the attack but the pain in his side caused him to hesitate and the dragon's tail connected again, sending Coltyn tumbling. He knew that he couldn't keep his focus on surviving while dealing with the pain in his side and quickly drew a rune in the dirt. A soft white glow emanated from the rune and Coltyn's side, relieving the pain.
"Your pony tricks won't save you," the dragon threatened, turning to attack.
"They don't have to," Coltyn stated, charging the dragon.
The purple dragon wasn't expecting Coltyn's charge. He was moving too fast to turn and tried to jump over Coltyn. Seeing this Coltyn threw his head up, his horn embedding in the soft underbelly of the dragon. However the sudden change in momentum swept him from his hooves, flipping him over and causing him to land hard on his back.
Coltyn coughed as he rolled to his hooves, regaining his focus as he approached the dragon. The purple dragon lay clutching his side, shuddering in pain and trying in vain to hold his intestines in as blood flowed freely from his wound. Coltyn looked down on the dragon who was about to speak. Coltyn's hoof hit his head, robbing him of consciousness.
Coltyn looked around trying to find Maria. She had been captured by Garble, who was holding her so her neck was exposed.
"You don't seem to know how this works," Garble stated. "We kill you, are let go, and can continue on to that little pony town to deal with the ones who humiliated me."
"What little pony town?" Coltyn asked, catching his breath.
"Ponyville," Garble hissed, "to deal with a baby and his pony friends."
"Then I can't let you win. They are my friends too, and I'll not let a dragon like you bring harm to them."
"Then you'll be the first casualty, narwhal," Garble sneered, tossing Maria aside, tensing to attack.
"Do your worst, lava brain," Coltyn taunted.
The two started to circle, sizing each other up. Coltyn planted his back hoof and charged; his horn down. Garble closed quickly; planted his front claws and swung his body around hitting Coltyn's front hooves. Coltyn fell on his face, trying to get back up he felt claws dig into the back of his neck. Garble spun Coltyn lifting him off the ground and bringing him back down on his side hard then throwing him to the side.
Coltyn coughed and gasped, trying to fill his lungs. He staggered, scrambling to get his front hooves under him. Before he could Garble grabbed him by his throat.
"I'm an alpha dragon," he hissed, lifting Coltyn. "No one is better than me." Reaching back, Garble buried his fist in Coltyn's stomach.
Coltyn struggled, his body trying to vomit, but Garble clenched his throat shut. He threw Coltyn to the ground, his body coughing up a mixture of food and blood. Before he could catch his breath his tail was grasped and the sharp yank sent him skyward. Coltyn felt weightless, his back legs refusing to move, before falling back to earth. The impact caused him to cough up more blood; he lay there, gasping for air when he was lifted by Garble.
"See, no little pony is a match for a dragon," Garble stated, punching Coltyn's face.
"It'd be different if I had my magic," Coltyn wheezed.
"I doubt that," Garble scoffed, raising his fist. "You're just a weak little pony," he stated, punching Coltyn with every word; the last hit letting Coltyn fall to the ground, bloodied. "You've saved no one, Ponyville will burn, and that griffon will be my slave."
Coltyn couldn't help but let bloodied tears flow. He was held up to Nathanial; Garble standing victoriously.
Nathanial's beak twisted with glee. "Finish him!" he roared.
Garble set Coltyn down and raised his fist. A sudden chill wind made Coltyn look up, and he gasped as he saw a bank of fast moving storm clouds rolling in overhead.
"It looks like snow," Coltyn whispered in slight disbelief, blinking as the revelation of his imminent rescue struck him, an instant before Garble's fist slammed into his throat, collapsing his windpipe and sending him tumbling across the field to land in front of Maria.
"COLTYN!!!" A voice thundered from the clouds. A streak of lightning impacted near Coltyn's body as forms appeared.
The gathered griffons shifted in their seats, chattering excitedly at the sudden turn of events. Garble was holding his head as the thunder clap had deafened him temporarily. Nathanial had been warned that there might be another pony to deal with as a sadistic smile cross his beak.
"Kill the intruders!" Nathanial commanded.
A volley of spears fell where the lightning had struck but all bounced off a purple, opaque bubble that had formed.
Under Twilight's protection, Thunder Snow was instantly by Coltyn's side.
"Who did this to him?" Thunder Snow asked the griffon.
"The dragon was ordered to by my father," Maria answered, pleading. "Please help him, he saved my life."
Thunder Snow was skeptical but she didn't have much time as Twilight was still recovering. She grabbed the locking mechanism of his muzzle, crushed it with her magic, and pulled it off Coltyn. Immediately his horn glowed black as wounds started to mend themselves.
"Take her back up to the clouds. Stay in cover until it's safe," Thunder Snow explained.
"What's happening to him?" Maria asked, curious.
"It'll be alright. Go!" Thunder Snow ordered.
Twilight nodded and with another flash only Thunder Snow stood by Coltyn's body. The dust cleared from where the barrier once stood as Thunder Snow looked out seeing many confused griffons, a dragon and up in a spectator box a griffon that looked down upon the battlefield.
"Welcome Princess," Nathanial announced. "I'm sorry you weren't here to see his demise but I've been expecting you." A sadistic smile crossed his beak. "Garble, half my treasury is yours if you kill the princess."
"Now that's a deal I can't pass up," Garble grinned, feeling the bonds fall from his wings.
"You will stand down, dragon," Thunder Snow ordered, not backing away.
"You've a better offer?"
"You get to leave in one piece," she replied softly, the air around her growing colder.
"I like his offer better," Garble smirked, charging the princess.
Thunder Snow looked down, her horn glowed as she lifted the dragon off his feet. "I'll only say this once. Leave!"
"Not a chance." Garble took a deep breath, releasing a line of fire at the princess.
She released him to dodge the fire. Garble took wing and dived for the princess. She charged her horn and loosed lightning bolts at him. She was able to catch one of his wings, sending him tumbling. He landed on his feet and charged her. Her eyes glowed white, the ground under the dragon's feet turned to ice sending him sliding into the wall. He turned as u-shaped icicles pinned his neck and arms to the wall, a dagger leveled to slit his throat.
"You're out of your league, dragon," Thunder Snow warned.
"Please don't kill me," Garble pleaded.
"So you believe that it's acceptable for you to murder others, but when your own life is on the line you plead for mercy?" Thunder Snow berated, letting him feel the blade. "You are the lowest kind of coward."
"I'll do anything, just please spare me."
Thunder Snow thought for a moment, sighed, sheathed her dagger, and let the icicle start to melt. Garble let a sigh of relief before a spear buried itself deep into his chest.
"I knew he was a weak fool," a griffon stated. He was clad in heavy armor with gauntlets that covered his claws, reinforcing them.
"So you're the one who ordered this?" Thunder Snow asked.
"I am."
"Who are you?"
"Lord Nathanial Blackclaw and what's your name, princess?"
"Princess Wintra Thunder Snow, why did you abduct Coltyn?"
"He's the descendent of a murderer. We wanted justice to be done."
"What's your proof?" Thunder Snow inquired, wondering how much he really knew about Coltyn.
"When he uses magic," Nathanial began, pulling a knife from a box, "this blade glows, like this."
Thunder Snow smirked as the blade in his claw glowed with a dark aura. Nathanial looked at the blade in bewilderment as it was pulled from his claw and hovered by Coltyn who had gotten back on his hooves.
"How are you alive?" Nathanial demanded.
Coltyn pointed to his horn, "Magic. Now give up your position to your daughter, Maria."
"Never! I am Lord of this clan!" Nathanial screeched, charging Coltyn.
Coltyn teleported over to Thunder Snow, smiling weakly, "Thanks for coming."
"I'm just glad I found you," Thunder Snow whispered, blushing slightly.
Nathanial turned around, anger and hate filling his eyes.
"End this before more blood is spilled," Coltyn pleaded.
"No, I will see you dead even if I must tear your head off myself," Nathanial exclaimed. "Guards! Kill them!"
"I'll handle the cavalry and keep Twilight and the griffon safe; you deal with the boss," Thunder Snow said, flapping her wings.
Coltyn nodded; Thunder Snow took to the sky. He turned his attention to Nathanial.
"You dare face me alone? You're even more foolish than I thought," Nathanial said.
"You're the fool," Coltyn hissed. "Sentencing your own daughter to death, you have no right to lead. Step down." He leveled the knife at Nathanial.
"You don't get it; I have to die for her to claim my title." Nathanial laughed. "That weakling couldn't hurt a fly let alone take my life."
"Then my task is clear," Coltyn said, dark wisps emanating from his eyes.
Nathanial took wing, spreading his claws. Coltyn readied the blade with his magic. Nathanial dived, swinging a claw at Coltyn's head. He blocked the strike with the knife seeing that metal protected his palm; the other claw swiped for his midsection. His claws struck a ten-pointed star shield, Coltyn head-butted the griffon. Nathanial stumbled backwards but quickly charged bringing both claws down to rend Coltyn's face. Coltyn retrieved the spear from Garble's chest to catch the blow as he teleported above and landed on the griffon's back. Breaking the spear, Nathanial proved to be stronger than Coltyn thought. Taking to the sky, Nathanial spun and rolled, shaking Coltyn from his back and causing him to drop the knife. Coltyn teleported away, landing on a disk of energy.
"You're more formidable than I thought," Nathanial said, flexing his claws.
"You have no idea," Coltyn replied flatly.
Nathanial laughed manically, charging Coltyn. Coltyn conjured two shields blocking his strikes. Waiting he let one of the strikes swing past him before hitting his wrist with a bolt of force, causing him to shake his claw to remove the slight numbing feeling.
"You can't win," Coltyn screamed. "End this!"
Nathanial charged, "It will end with your death," he shrieked, burying his claws into the conjured shields.
Coltyn grabbed him with his magic, "You can't kill me. I'm not the decedent, I am The Pendragon. There has never been another. Your ancestor's troop killed my family and I ruthlessly slaughtered them all," Coltyn sneered, seeing the shock on Nathanial's face, "blood for blood."
Coltyn pushed him away. Any strategy Nathanial had disappeared and was replaced by blind rage. Levitating himself, the two charged each other, sparks flying every time magic and claw clashed. Coltyn, wanting the conflict to end, charged. He parried Nathanial's reaching claws and placed his horn to Nathanial's head. Wrapped in his black aura, Coltyn whispered, "Avasculate," causing Nathanial to purge blood from every orifice.
"FATHER!" Maria shouted, his bloody body falling back to earth.
Coltyn teleported to where Nathanial landed. "You'll pay for your crimes and what you did to Maria," Coltyn said coldly. Nathanial's body was levitated, his limbs and wings stretched out, as runes were cast onto them.
In a flash Maria was holding onto her father's bloodied body, Twilight teleporting next to Coltyn. "What are these runes for?" Twilight asked.
"It's a spell I made. It will kill him." Coltyn explained darkly. Seeing Maria's eyes full of tears, he added, "I can either finish the spell or let him go. It's your choice."
"I have to slay him to take his title," Maria said. She looked up at her father, taking up the knife. "I, Maria Blackclaw, claim my father's title as lord of the Blackclaw Clan." Tears flowed from her eyes as slit her father's throat. "I'm sorry."
Coltyn released Nathanial, letting his body fall with a smile on his face. The guards began chanting, 'Hail Lady Blackclaw', causing Maria to blush, through the tears. Thunder Snow spiraled down, back winging to land beside Coltyn.
"Congratulations, Lady Blackclaw," Coltyn smiled. "Hopefully we can begin settling our differences and together work for a better future."
"That sounds wonderful," Maria smiled, wiping the tears away, "and thank you, Princess Wintra and Miss Twilight, if you hadn't shown up, I fear things would have turned out much worse."
"It was the least we could do," Twilight demurred.
"Well, for coming to the rescue you're all welcome to stay in the castle tonight and head home tomorrow," Maria offered.
"That would be fine," Thunder Snow accepted. "I have some questions about who helped abduct Coltyn."
"I'm sure my father has records somewhere, he keeps them on everything that happens in his lands. Well, kept, anyway," Maria stated, showing them to the castle. "I'll begin searching for them right away."
Twilight and Maria started off toward the castle. Coltyn looked at Thunder Snow, who reared and knocked him to his rump with a foreleg kick to the shoulder.
"That's for scaring me," Thunder Snow snapped, then leaned in and kissed his cheek. "That's for everything else." She wheeled then and galloped to catch up to Twilight and Lady Maria, leaving Coltyn pondering what happened. Touching the spot she'd kissed, he smiled, got to his hooves, and followed them. |
Journey from Darkness | Chapter 14: Nobility Falls | They were led to the baths so they could wash up from the battle. Afterwards, Maria led the ponies to a large guest chamber in the castle. "Please make yourselves comfortable. I'll see to finding what documents I can find about recent events and have food and beverages sent up. Please excuse me."
Coltyn turned to Twilight and Thunder Snow, "How did you find me?"
"We had some help," Thunder Snow began, taking a seat, "from the changelings."
Coltyn raised an eyebrow, and Twilight clarified as she settled into her own seat. "One of Chrysalis's changelings was hired to lure you into the trap. We were able to figure out where they went, and followed."
Coltyn noticed that Twilight shifted uncomfortably and changed subjects. "Thank you for coming to my rescue." Coltyn smiled, sitting next to Thunder Snow. "I know Nathanial mentioned a pony helped him, do you have any leads as to who it could be?"
"Yes," Thunder Snow hissed. "But it's only Chrysalis's word, and the fact that Nathanial expected me makes me wonder if he was working alone."
Twilight cocked her head. "What makes you think that?"
"I know a few ponies that would be very envious of the position I've been elevated to," Thunder Snow explained. "Canterlot's elite have a pecking order and set ways of ascending in standing: accumulation of wealth, being accepted by those above you, or marrying into a standing."
Twilight scratched her head. "I don't remember reading anything like that?"
Coltyn chuckled. "You stood at the top as Princess Celestia's personal student."
"Not to mention that your parents were high elite ponies in their own circles and your brother now stands equal with Princess Cadance," Thunder Snow added. "The fact that I ascended from a working class pegasus to Princess all of a sudden would have gotten under some ponies' fur. I have my guesses as to whom, but without evidence it's not worth worrying about."
The doors opened and a griffon brought in a cart filled with an assortment of fresh fruits and vegetables, and a large carafe of water. The ponies continued chatting until they finished their meals.
Twilight yawned. "I think I'm going to curl up and sleep. I'm still exhausted."
Thunder Snow and Coltyn nodded as Twilight took a pillow to the corner and laid down. Coltyn looked out the window and the sun hadn't touched the horizon yet. "What happened to her? She's usually not tired before the sun sets," Coltyn asked, curious.
"She paid dearly to get us here," Thunder Snow replied. "She allowed Chrysalis to feed from her love for Big Macintosh without restraint in order to let us rescue you."
Coltyn felt a pang of guilt. "That's a high price to pay."
"I found you, so it wasn't for nothing," Thunder Snow admitted, blushing slightly.
Coltyn placed his hoof on hers. "I'm glad you came for me."
Their moment was broken when the doors open and Maria entered holding a stack of papers under her wing. "I think I have what you'll need."
Thunder Snow and Coltyn joined Maria to go through the papers. "I found the contracts that he drew up," She explained, pulling out a folder. "This is the one that caught my eye."
She pulled out a document that explained the conditions of payment and was signed with three names. The first was Nathanial's, the second was in an unfamiliar language which the ponies presumed was that of the changelings, but the third was elegantly written by Prince Blueblood.
"The prince?" Coltyn queried. "Why would he stoop to such a level?"
"My best guess is jealousy," Thunder Snow offered, her face drawn into a pensive frown. "Or maybe something else. But with this we have a starting point."
Coltyn nodded. Maria pulled out another page and summarized. "This was a payment arrangement. Nathanial paid half up front to have Coltyn led to the trap and upon his death the final payment was to be delivered."
"Does it say where the delivery it to take place," Thunder Snow wondered.
Maria nodded, "It said, 'Behind Joe's Donut Shop', three days after today."
"Are you thinking of catching these ponies in the act?" Coltyn asked.
"If we can get them at the deal we'll have a solid case," Thunder Snow informed. "May we have these for evidence?"
Maria nodded, placing the papers back into the folder. "I'll leave you to your business. Please inform Princess Celestia that the Black Claw Clan would like to open negotiations for trade."
"I'm sure she will welcome the news," Coltyn accepted.
Maria took her leave. Thunder Snow opened the folder and examined the contents again.
"What's on your mind?" Coltyn wondered.
"I just get the feeling that Blueblood wasn't the only player in this game," Thunder Snow admitted.
"What makes you think that?" Coltyn queried. "His name is on the paper."
"It's never simple with Canterlot's elite," Thunder Snow explained. "He may have just been made to think his position was in jeopardy. There are more subtle ponies in the elite game that would be overjoyed to see us both out of the picture. You were a relative non-entity before you were suddenly appointed as Royal advisor, and I have some old enemies among the beau monde of Canterlot society. There are those who would cheerfully see me dead, purely because they fear I would tell my mother of their past sins."
Coltyn gave her a considering look. "You know, I think that's the first time I've ever heard you call Princess Celestia your mother."
Thunder Snow sighed. "It's ... an adjustment ... to think of her as such, but if I am to fully accept the changes in my life, I have to acknowledge that I am her daughter. I do not love my parents any less for accepting my mother into my life, and she has not asked me to reject them."
"I don't think she would, actually. The Princess is a compassionate leader, and she has to know you love the parents she chose for you."
Thunder Snow nodded, her attention only half focused on the conversation as she read the contract again, a plan taking shape in her mind.
"Apprehending Blueblood won't be a problem. It's getting the one or more others Nathanial was to pay without raising suspicion," Thunder Snow muttered.
"Disguises," Coltyn suggested.
"Where are we going to get disguises?"
"I have potions that can copy another's appearance, flawlessly," Coltyn offered proudly.
"How flawless," Thunder Snow queried.
"I did slip through the ages without raising suspicions and was undetectable from Princess Celestia's best mages," he pointed out.
"So what do you need?"
"I have a clear image in my mind, which will be enough."
Thunder Snow nodded, and with a glance at the moonlit sky framed by the window, gave a short yawn. "We should turn in."
Coltyn agreed; they took pillows and joined Twilight each getting comfortable before drifting to sleep. ***
The next couple days Maria, Gilda, Coltyn, Twilight, and Thunder Snow began to strengthen their friendship. They took a tour of the Black Claw's territory and shared past experiences. Maria seemed curious about unicorn magic and how it worked.
Soon, they had to part ways. While saying their goodbyes, Maria offered a scroll to Thunder Snow. "I have written a brief statement to Princess Celestia, explaining the situation and that if needed we can be reached for further questions."
"I hope this is the beginning of a long allegiance between us," Thunder Snow smiled, taking the proffered scroll.
Maria nodded, offering to provide transportation back to Canterlot. Thunder Snow declined in favor of showing Coltyn what she learned while he was away. Maria nodded, waving farewell as they walked to the outskirts of the town.
Thunder Snow gathered a few clouds with her magic and compacted them into a dense mass that was able to hold both Coltyn and Twilight. With their cloud ride ready, the three of them began the trip to Canterlot. ***
They arrived before dawn on the day of the payment. Thunder Snow slowed the cloud pulling close to the mountain, blending in with the static clouds that surrounded the peak. Two quick teleports and Coltyn had his special shapeshifting potion and a sack.
"You should go to the castle and apprehend Blueblood. I'll meet you there with our mystery pony," Coltyn offered.
"Will you be ok?" Thunder Snow wondered.
Coltyn nodded, "Even though I'll look like a griffon, I'll still have access to my magic."
He uncorked the bottle. Thunder Snow noticed the unpleasant smell before he consumed it. Slowly Coltyn transformed, his body becoming longer and muscles increasing. His hooves changed into recognizable black claws, his body extending and taking on the lion form as his head took on the appearance of a very familiar eagle.
"Does it hurt?" Thunder Snow questioned.
Nathanial shook his head, "No, but the potion tastes horrible," he joked.
They had a short laugh before Twilight teleported herself and Thunder Snow to the castle. Coltyn glided in the direction of Joe's Donut Shop and landed a few blocks away. Walking through the back alleys to Joe's Donut Shop he rounded the corner into the alley, and watched as a cloaked pony came from the other end.
"Were you satisfied with the gift?" a female voice asked with a high class Canterlot accent.
"Indeed," Nathanial smiled, "he proved very entertaining."
"What of the other one I warned about?" she asked.
"She has satisfied three very unruly dragons," he smirked evilly, "in many ways."
The mare let out an evil chuckle, "And you have the payment," she asked, eagerly.
Nathanial nodded pulling the sack from under his wing and offered it to the mare. She took the sack and upon opening it manacles launched outward, clasping onto her neck and front hooves.
"What is the meaning of this?" the mare demanded.
"You're under arrest by authority of the Princess Wintra," Coltyn said letting his disguise fall.
She recoiled as Coltyn pulled down her hood with his magic, revealing a butter yellow mare with a purple mane and a white streak. She glared at Coltyn, anger and hatred in her eyes. "How did you survive?" she snarled.
"If you knew me, you'd know," Coltyn sneered dismissively.
She began to charge her magic and let a bolt of raw magic fly at Coltyn. It struck the side of his head causing him to turn but he didn't lose his hooves.
"Sloppy execution and woefully underpowered, you barely had enough behind that to hurt a fly," Coltyn criticized, looking down at the mare. "Now come quietly and this doesn't have to end poorly."
She snorted angrily, firing more force bolts at Coltyn. "I won't be taken easily," she scorned, pulling on the shackles.
"That's why I brought the shackles," Coltyn explained, lowering a shield.
Then, unexpectedly, she charged slamming into him, knocking him off his hooves. She set to pulling off the shackles with her magic. She freed her hooves before movement pulled her attention from freeing her neck.
"You should have come quietly," Coltyn scolded, standing up.
"You don't scare me," she spat, throwing down the last shackle.
"You tried to kill Princess Wintra by using me. I take that very personally." Coltyn approached her.
"Awe, the nopony likes Windigo," she mocked.
"You will show her respect," Coltyn commanded.
"You wouldn't dare lay a hoof on me," she challenged.
"In another time I would've done much worse." An evil smirk crossed his muzzle as he circled her. "Physical torture, mental distress," he chuckled, "so many ways to turn the strongest willed ponies into sniveling heaps."
"I'm not afraid of you," she sneered. In spite of her bravado, he could see that she was shaken, though she still stood her ground. "You are a nopony. You can't frighten me."
"I don't have to; fear can take many forms," Coltyn responded, approaching her - his horn glowing.
With every step his shadow grew around him and she tried to back away but backed into a wall. He let his shadow grow and tower over her, blocking out all the light, as his aura pushed down on her. She tried to hold but her knees buckled under the oppressive force of his presence. She felt like she was being crushed and her heart pounded in panic. Then suddenly, it was gone; she looked around, quivering. She only saw the alley and Coltyn who she averted her eyes from.
"Now, come with me," Coltyn ordered.
She nodded, fear evident in her movements. Coltyn covered her face before teleporting her back to the castle. ***
Twilight and Thunder Snow appeared in Twilight's personal library in the castle. Spike was overjoyed to see them, embracing Twilight in a hug. She gently broke away letting him know that there was still important matters to attend to. The two headed to see Princess Celestia, who was holding court. They arrived and Thunder Snow quickly looked inside, immediately spotting Fancy Pants and Prince Blueblood talking with the Princess. Thunder Snow ordered the guards to follow her, opening the doors. Celestia looked up, seeing Twilight and Thunder Snow; she wondered what news they had.
"Prince Blueblood," Thunder Snow announced. The prince froze, the arrogantly bored expression on his face instantly turning to shock and fear, as he slowly turned to look at Thunder Snow. "You are under arrest." Thunder Snow stopped, allowing the guards to restrain Prince Blueblood who was silent.
"If I may inquire as to the charges?" Fancy Pants requested, raising his monocle to his eye.
Floating the scroll out of her saddlebag, she unrolled it to show Blueblood's signature, "We'll start with treason and conspiracy to commit murder," Thunder Snow replied flatly.
"Father, I..." Blueblood began only to be cut off sharply by a gesture from Fancy Pants.
Celestia frowned. "Those are very serious claims. What proof do you have?" she asked. Thunder Snow levitated the parchment to Celestia who carefully read and scrutinized the page. "Where is Coltyn right now?" she asked, looking around the room.
"There's at least one other pony involved. He's gone to apprehend them," Thunder Snow explained. "He'll return here with the perpetrators."
Looking at one of her pegasus guards, Celestia commanded, "Get a message to Princess Cadance and Prince Shining Armor in Saddle Arabia. They will have to cut their honeymoon short as we need them to return immediately." Turning to Wintra she asked, "Who are the other two signatures on the page?"
"One is the late Lord Nathanial Blackclaw and the other we assume is written in changeling," Twilight clarified. "This parchment outlined payment after Coltyn's execution."
"How deeply were the changelings involved?" Celestia worried.
"We're not sure," Thunder Snow admitted, "but whatever deals were made, Queen Chrysalis didn't like the results."
"You dealt with her?" Celestia questioned, cautiously.
Twilight nodded and shivered, looking away, "She helped us get to Coltyn before it was too late."
"I see," Celestia nodded, realizing from Twilight's body language that there was more than what she was being told, but willing to wait for an explanation. "Did you know that changelings were involved?" she asked Blueblood.
"Yes, the griffon hired it to lure Coltyn into the trap. I was there to make sure the trap worked," Blueblood explained. "The payment given to the changeling was a fraction of the proposed price. The griffon threated to kill it and it quickly teleported away."
"What made you do this?" Celestia asked.
"I thought I was saving Equestria," Blueblood admitted, looking chagrined. "The griffon claimed that Coltyn was a cold-blooded murderer and the cloaked pony with him claimed that Princess Wintra was part windigo and was trying to plunge Equestria into chaos."
Celestia nodded, turning back to Wintra, "What happed to Lord Black Claw?"
"He threatened my life and Coltyn defeated him. The new Lady had to claim his life in order to take his place," Thunder Snow explained.
"I would like to have reports on what happened so I have a clearer understanding of events. Those responsible will remain in custody until Shining Armor and Princess Cadance return. They will handle the sentencing," Celestia specified. Giving Blueblood and her guards a commanding look, she waited until he had bowed and allowed the guards to lead him away.
"Why? We have all the evidence we need to convict them now," Thunder Snow objected.
"Be that as it may, you were directly involved," Celestia explained. "We will wait for the return of Princess Cadance and Shining Armor; it will allow us to deal with the situation rationally without anger clouding our judgment."
After a moment's thought, Thunder Snow nodded, "That makes sense. I have something else here for you, as well," she added, retrieving another scroll, "This is a letter from the new leader of the Blackclaw Clan."
Celestia looked over the scroll before rolling it up. "I will reply to her later. Right now I would like you two to begin work on your reports," Celestia instructed.
"Of course, Princess," Twilight and Thunder Snow replied, bowing.
They left to return to Twilight's room to let Spike know what was happening. Coltyn rounded the corner down from Twilight's room and joined them.
"Did you get them?" Thunder Snow asked, hopeful.
"I did. I just gave her to the guards. I was just on my way to see you," Coltyn confirmed, smiling as they entered Twilight's room.
"I'm still confused, there are only a few ways gain the title of prince," Twilight commented, gaining the other ponies' attention. "He hasn't married into the family and with Fancy Pants being his father; I don't think he's a descendent."
"Then the only conclusion is that Fancy Pants was Princess Celestia's consort," Coltyn offered. Thunder Snow and Twilight gave him matching looks of confusion. "An ancient law that states that any consort a princess chooses will be formally granted the title of Prince. It's likely that Fancy Pants doesn't use the title because it would harm his social status. He is quite successful, and socially powerful in his own right. As Prince Consort, however, his social capital would actually diminish, as his standing would be entirely dependent upon the favor shown him by the Princess. But his son, Blueblood, would be eligible to use the title because of his father, and as his own accomplishments are... effectively nonexistent, he would see value in cultivating a close relationship with the Princess. If that is the case, then anypony who rises above him in status could be perceived as a threat to his own position in society," he explained.
Thunder Snow looked thoughtful for a moment, and then asked cautiously, "So you're saying that my father is Fancy Pants?"
"That's a question only Princess Celestia can answer," Coltyn deferred. "I'm just making an educated guess based upon what I know of the laws."
"I'm so lost," Spike admitted.
"That's okay," Coltyn smiled, "royal lineage can be very confusing."
After a round of nods in agreement to that pointed statement, their conversation moved on to other topics. After catching up and answering Spike's many questions, Coltyn took his leave to take care of the work that had no doubt piled up during his absence. Twilight asked Spike to go with Coltyn and help him with anything he could, which Coltyn gladly accepted.
Twilight noticed the way Thunder Snow looked after Coltyn as the silver stallion left. "You should tell him," she said bluntly.
Thunder Snow looked at Twilight. "Tell him what?" she asked, confused.
"How you feel about him."
"I couldn't," Thunder Snow sighed.
"You should." Twilight smiled, and explained, "I remember being that loner bookworm who didn't put any effort into making friends." She let out a short laugh. "Princess Celestia had to force me out to socialize."
"But it's not the same," Thunder Snow argued.
"No, it's not and yet... it is. The fact is that you have to put forth the effort," Twilight countered.
"He's so much older than me, not to mention he was with Princess Luna."
"That was a long time ago," Twilight offered. "If you both care for each other age shouldn't matter."
"But what if he doesn't feel the same way? I've been through that once and I don't want to do it again."
"Well," Twilight chose her words carefully, "You have deep feelings for him and the only way you'll know is to ask him. Otherwise you'll make yourself miserable wondering, and you'll never know."
Thunder Snow tried to find a retort but couldn't. Twilight's logic was sound. Thunder Snow sighed. "You're right. I'll have a talk with him later," she finally decided, determination ringing in her voice.
Twilight smiled. "Good. The sooner you find out the better; it'll set your mind at ease." She pulled out a quill and paper to begin writing her report.
Thunder Snow nodded, excusing herself. She slowly walked the path to Coltyn's office thinking about what she wanted to say and how best to broach the subject of what she needed to ask him. She stood at his door, wanting to know the answers but also fearing she may not like them. After a short debate with herself, she knocked on the door.
"Hello, Princess Wintra," Spike welcomed warmly, opening the door.
"Hi, Spike," she greeted, smiling at the little dragon. "Would you please excuse us? I have some matters to discuss with Coltyn."
Spike nodded and left the two ponies alone. Coltyn, upon hearing Thunder Snow at the door, put his quill down.
"I have to know something," Thunder Snow began, deciding to dispense with any preliminaries in favor of getting directly to the point as she approached his desk. "Do you like me?"
Coltyn was caught off-guard by her question. "Of course I like you," Coltyn responded carefully.
"So you just like me, like a friend," Thunder Snow frowned, dropping her chin and averting her eyes from him, her stance becoming despondent.
Coltyn blinked, realized what she was asking, and walked around his desk to approach her. Placing a hoof under her chin, he lifted her head to make her meet his eyes. "I'd give up all eternity to spend one lifetime with you," he said softly, looking seriously into her blue-violet eyes.
She smiled, a bit uncertainly, and leaned forward, pressing her head against his neck. Coltyn pulled her in tightly against his chest, laying his head across her neck. Time seemed to stand still as they shared the embrace, expressing their feelings for each other for the first time. Eventually, Thunder Snow pulled away, a worried expression on her face.
"I must know... do you still have feelings for Princess Luna?" Thunder Snow asked, dread in her voice.
Coltyn shook his head. "Not the way I once did. I still care about her, and am honored to call her my friend, but the love we had was a very long time ago. Those feelings were laid to rest long ago."
"Have you... been with anypony else?" she queried, hesitantly.
Coltyn shook his head again, "No. Nightmare Moon was my first intimate love, and afterwards my life was about revenge... until you. You were my salvation, and you have become my hope. My saving grace, if you will." Coltyn blushed, and then declared. "I'll have to inform Princess Celestia that I wish to court you."
"Court?" Thunder Snow questioned. "I thought we would just go on a date or something."
"Relationships, like nearly everything else, are a little different when you're royalty," Coltyn said gently. "Everypony in Equestria is watching you, looking to you to set an example. There are traditions to be followed. It can be very difficult."
"I don't think it needs to be. Well, not yet, anyway. We shouldn't have to worry about other ponies' opinions."
"Perhaps not, but I would still prefer to do this right. I don't want anypony mistaking my intentions. You are far too important to me to allow that. We can wait on going public for a while, though," Coltyn chuckled. "I still think we should tell your mother."
Thunder Snow nodded, "Yes, that's probably a good idea." She turned and headed for the door. "See you tomorrow?"
Coltyn nodded, once, before closing the door behind her. He placed his head against it, his eyes overflowing with tears as his emotions overcame him, "Thank you for saving me," he whispered, heard by none other than himself. ***
Having made himself presentable, Coltyn approached the doors to the royal dining area. He was hoping to catch the ruling sisters at their evening meal. He was nervous about asking to court Thunder Snow but with a few steadying breaths he entered, seeing Princess Celestia and Princess Luna announced himself.
"Princess Celestia, may I have a word with you? In private?" Coltyn asked, bowing.
Celestia raised her brow at his behavior before turning to her sister. "I'll be back in a moment," she smiled, leading him an adjoining room. "What brings you here at this hour?"
Coltyn looked down, scraping the ground with his hoof, before taking a steady breath. "Princess Celestia, I, Coltyn Pendragon, ask your permission to court Princess Wintra Thunder Snow," Coltyn recited, the same way he recited it in his head over and over.
Celestia stepped back, questions filling her mind, but quickly regained her composure. "Why do you ask?"
"I want you to know my intentions are pure. Princess Wintra approached me first," Coltyn clarified. "At first it was just getting to know her. But at the wedding when Shining Armor asked to have me join the wedding party, I initially refused. But when he told me that Princess Wintra had requested it," a stray tear escaped his eye, "I couldn't say no."
Celestia smiled, "You have my blessing."
Coltyn bowed deeply, "Thank you, Princess. I would ask that this not get out until after the sentencing is finished."
Celestia nodded, opening the door and returning to the main room where she resumed her seat beside her sister. Coltyn headed for his suite a smile on his face. |
Journey from Darkness | Chapter 15: Trials | Shining Armor and Cadance returned to Canterlot just before sundown. Wintra, Twilight, and Coltyn filled them in on why they were called back.
"You had to deal with that bug, again?" Shining Armor fumed.
"Shining, please," Cadance soothed, trying to calm her enraged husband.
"We didn't want to, but she caught us before we could leave the caves," Wintra explained.
"Please don't be upset," Twilight pleaded. "She didn't give us a choice."
"Well at least you're both safe," Shining snorted. "So who caused this whole mess?"
"The two ponies involved are Prince Blueblood and Upper Crust," Coltyn answered.
Both Shining Armor and Cadance looked surprised. "Are you sure?" Cadance asked, having known both of the accused from social gatherings.
Wintra nodded. "The prince had his name on a contract and Upper Crust was caught red hoofed."
"Well, even though I would like to banish them from Equestria," Shining Armor sighed, "we should hear what they have to say to defend themselves."
"We'll deal with that in the morning," Wintra stated. "Let's get some sleep so we can deal with this with clear minds."
The others nodded as they returned to their rooms.
The next morning they all gathered with Princess Celestia to hear the sentencing. Prince Blueblood and Upper Crust were brought in; special magic dampeners were attached to their horns. The prince refused to make eye contact with any of the royals while Upper Crust looked angry and irritated.
"You both are here for acts of treason," Princess Celestia began, "what do you have to say to defend yourselves?"
"You don't have any evidence against me," Upper Crust exclaimed. "I was at the wrong place!"
"Don't give them that," Blueblood sneered.
"What do you know of any of this?" Upper Crust demanded.
"Plenty," Blueblood spat. "I didn't recognize you when that griffon confronted me and wove those tales. But I now know that it was you. You turned me against my own blood and convinced me that it was all to 'Save Equestria'. I've lost everything because of you!"
The others were surprised at Blueblood's sudden defense.
"Speculation won't get you anywhere," Upper Crust scoffed. "Besides he used his magic on me." She pointed an accusing hoof at Coltyn.
"You resisted," Coltyn responded flatly.
"You hexed me with your dark magic!" Upper Crust exclaimed.
"A simple compulsion enchantment hardly qualifies as a hex," Coltyn retorted.
"Not to mention that you've had a grudge against Princess Wintra since your foalhood," Blueblood snarled. "Stooping to use an enemy of the land to get your petty revenge; that is wicked."
"Too bad there's not a changeling here to back your claims," Upper Crust frowned sarcastically.
"Actually," Celestia drawled, as on cue the doors opened revealing two ponies nopony present recognized. After the doors closed they dropped their disguises, revealing themselves as the queen of the changelings and one of her drones.
Twilight shrunk behind her teacher while all others turned to Celestia. Upper Crust was shocked at the changeling's arrival while Blueblood smirked at his small victory.
"Have you lost your senses, Princess?" Shining Armor roared.
"After reading the reports from Twilight and Princess Wintra on what transpired," Celestia responded calmly, "I wanted to hear from the source."
"I've missed you too," the queen teased Shining Armor. Cadance stared daggers at her causing the queen to roll her eyes. "I'm only here to settle a little debt and I'll be gone, Princess."
Cadance and Shining Armor stared at the two changelings like a predator waiting to pounce.
"Thank you for accepting my invitation, Queen Chrysalis," Celestia nodded. "So how were you involved?"
"This mare offered a satchel of fire rubies if I allowed one of my drones to, as she put it, 'aid in disposing of an annoying windigo and a nopony,'" pointing toward Coltyn and Wintra. "She even had a few on hoof as a good faith payment. But after the job was done the griffon gave my drone a small purse of coins. Needless to say we are not happy."
"She... she's lying!" Upper Crust exclaimed.
"Oh?" Chrysalis questioned. "Shall I have them cast truth spells on me? Take a truth potion? It will all turn the same tale; you betraying the very ponies who would lay down their lives for you."
Upper Crust was finally silent, not wanting to dig a deeper grave for herself.
"Why fire rubies?" Coltyn asked curiously.
"There is a reason that they're shaped like hearts. They're nothing compared to the real thing but they do satisfy the hunger," Chrysalis explained, thoughtlessly licking her lips.
Celestia pondered this information before speaking. "It seems that you are quite in debt to the Queen," she pinned Upper Crust with a cold look, "therefore, after you are branded for your treasonous acts you will work to pay back this debt threefold." So saying, she commanded the guards keeping Upper Crust contained to leave with their prisoner. She studied Blueblood for a long moment, though he kept his eyes downcast, shame and fear evident in every line of his body. "While I understand, and accept your desire to protect our home, you have participated in treachery and conspiracy against our royal Heir. Your loyalties are in question. Would you submit to a small test?"
Blueblood blinked. "What-" he cleared his throat and tried again, "what manner of test, your Majesty?"
Turning to the Changeling Queen, Celestia considered her for a moment, and then asked, "Can you reveal somepony's deepest love without harming them?"
Chrysalis smiled. "Of course I can. Even feeding is not harmful unless it is excessive. I'm afraid I have never had a voluntary meal before..." she trailed off, noticing how uncomfortable Twilight suddenly looked. "Well, in any case, I can reveal the deepest heart of anypony, and refrain from feeding, though doing so would get unbearable for me if you ask it of me too often."
Celestia nodded. Returning her imperious stare to Blueblood, she asked, "You have a choice. If you cooperate with our experiment, you may redeem yourself. If you do not, you will share your co-conspirator's punishment."
Looking nervously at the Changeling Queen, Blueblood gulped audibly, then nodded. "Yes, your Majesty." Visibly bracing himself, he crossed the room to place himself before Chrysalis, and closed his eyes. When the Queen changed form, a gasp echoed through the hall. Celestia looked nonplussed as she met the eyes of... herself. A long moment of silence prompted Blueblood to open his eyes, and then hang his head in embarrassment.
Celestia studied the young stallion, and then asked him, "Can you explain this?"
Blueblood blushed, the reddening of his face all the more pronounced under his carefully groomed white fur. He lifted eyes shining with moisture to meet Celestia's. "My mother died when I was a foal, your Majesty. I don't really remember her, but..." He glanced at the twin Princesses, and hung his head. "After you chose my father, you cared for me, as a mother. I was afraid when you found your other daughter that you would forget me. And when that mare approached me, and told me that you had been bewitched, and that Wintra was a windigo in disguise... I feared that when the trick was revealed, that it would break your heart. I wanted to protect you, and Equestria, from an imposter. I didn't know then that I had always had two sisters." He averted his eyes again, and said softly, "Whatever punishment you give me, I will accept."
Silence followed his confession, and he waited for the judgment of the only mother he'd ever really known.
Celestia considered for a long moment, before she said simply, "We will discuss this further before any sentence is imposed." Turning back to Queen Chrysalis, "After that, perhaps we may devise an arrangement that would benefit both our lands."
"We shall see," Chrysalis offered, donning her disguise and leaving with her drone.
Shining Armor waited for the door to close behind the changelings before he turned to Celestia, frowning darkly. "You're not actually thinking of allying with the changelings, are you?" he asked worried.
"They managed to infiltrate our land and didn't even raise suspicion until it was too late. I'd rather have them as allies then as enemies," Celestia explained. "Wouldn't you agree?" she asked Coltyn.
"I do admit that their natural shifting and ability to infiltrate are valuable. I still question how loyal they can be and wouldn't give them too many secrets," Coltyn clarified.
"I will continue talks with the changeling queen," Celestia declared. "I will keep you all informed of what becomes of it."
Princess Celestia took her leave as the others followed. Coltyn retired to his office to catch up on the work that had piled up.
*****
The next day Wintra invited Coltyn to join her, Twilight, and Spike on their trip to Ponyville. None of the backed up work needed his immediate attention and he agreed to join them.
Upon reaching Ponyville, the four walked over to Twilight's home. Twilight walked in front and opened the door.
"SURPRISE!!!" shouted a large group of ponies.
The library had been decorated with a banner saying 'Welcome Back', steamers and balloons placed strategically, and everypony donning a party hat.
"What a wonderful welcome," Twilight smiled at her friends.
The girls gathered in a group hug. Twilight was very glad to be surrounded by her friends. Coltyn and Princess Wintra were bemused by the truly tight bond they had. Her friends broke away as Big Macintosh approached Twilight. Twilight's eyes widened not with joy, but fear. Without a word, she averted her eyes, and spun toward the stairs, racing up to her room.
"What in tarnation was that all about," Applejack asked. The ponies turned to Coltyn and Wintra for answers.
Coltyn sighed, "She had a run in with the queen of the changelings."
The girls gasped in disbelief. Big Mac, on the other hoof, approached Coltyn with narrowed eyes.
"Why?" Big Mac snarled, his voice angrier than anypony in the room, including his sister, had ever heard.
"To save me from some griffons who ponynapped me," Coltyn admitted.
The red stallion snorted hard, blowing his breath out in fury, planting his hind legs and squaring off to Coltyn. He reared up to lash at the silver stallion with his forelegs, but only managed a single blow, punctuated by a sickening crack as Coltyn's jaw broke, before he was stopped by Princess Wintra. She ignored her own surprise as he was frozen in his enraged rear by her own pale blue magic aura as she stared down the angry stallion.
"She did her duty to protect a Princess of Equestria as well," Wintra explained. Big Mac raised an eyebrow, and his hooves hit the floor with a resounding double thud as her spell dissipated. "She sacrificed herself to keep us from both being killed by the changeling queen. She offered her love, and when the queen took it, she took on your form. She's been traumatized by the experience; I'll have a talk with her, but you should know it will take time to heal."
Princess Wintra headed upstairs after Twilight as all eyes turned to Big Mac. Big Mac turned to leave. "Where ya' going?" Applejack asked.
"Home," he snorted, continuing out the door.
"Sorry about my brother's behavior," Applejack apologized. "However I think we'd all like to know what happened."
Coltyn steadied his breath, repairing the fractures in his jaw, before he told of what he knew happened. ***
Wintra opened the door to Twilight's room. She was sitting on her bed, head buried with her comforter around her body, crying. She placed a hoof on Twilight's shoulder causing her to turn and hug Wintra, sobbing.
"You should talk to Shining Armor when he gets back. You both went through the same thing," Wintra offered.
"But it's not!" Twilight choked. "He didn't know. I knew, and I willingly opened my heart to that monster." Twilight hugged herself, fresh tears flowing down her cheeks. "I felt so empty."
"It was torture to know I couldn't help you. I wanted to rend her apart, but I wouldn't risk your safety."
"What do I do? When I looked at Big Mac, it was like the entire room went cold."
"I think you should tell him everything. What happened and how it felt, because he attacked Coltyn for putting you in danger."
"But Coltyn had nothing to do with it. Why would Big Mac turn on Coltyn?"
"I'd say because when it comes to it, you were in danger because of him. Big Macintosh cares deeply for you and he should get the whole story from you."
"I don't think I can look him in the eye without feeling dirty. It's just... what she did to me... it feels like I betrayed him." She looked up, her face twisted with self-loathing and heartbreak. "What if he doesn't want me anymore?"
"If he loves you, he will help you through this, Twilight. You have to trust him with the truth, or you will drive him away." Wintra pondered for a moment looking around. Her eyes fell on a desk with an ink well and parchment. "If you can't say it, write about it. That way you can edit and say exactly what you want to without having to think on the fly."
Twilight pondered her suggestion before nodding. "Please tell my friends that I just need some time."
"Of course," Wintra accepted, turning to leave. "I'm sure if you need anything your friends will help."
Twilight smiled slightly, moving from her bed to her desk as Wintra headed back downstairs. ***
"... Now we are working on an alliance with the Blackclaw Clan." Coltyn finished relating his story as Princess Wintra came back downstairs.
"Well that explains a bit but why did she leave at the sight of him?" Rarity asked, worried.
"She will tell you when she is ready," Wintra explained, trotting across the room to stand beside Coltyn. "However, I think that she'll need the most reassurance from," she looked around for Big Mac, "where did he go?"
"If I know him, working," Applejack replied.
Wintra nodded, understanding his intent. "Please let him know that she does love him and she will need him."
Applejack nodded, turned, and left at a quick trot. The others gave a worried look upstairs before filing out with Coltyn and Wintra leaving last. ***
Applejack found her brother where she expected him to be, harvesting the first apples of the season. "Big Mac," Applejack called, approaching her brother. He didn't react, focusing exclusively on his work. "Jonathan Macintosh Apple!" she bellowed, annoyed that he was ignoring her.
He looked up, a bit surprised that she had used his full name, but went right back to loading the last basket into the cart. "Don't you be ignoring me," Applejack snapped, getting in his face. "The mare you care for is in trouble and you just stormed out here to work?"
"Nope," Big Macintosh replied, sighing.
"Then what are you doing?"
"Thinking."
"Well let me help. Twilight went through a terrible ordeal and she needs you. I honestly think she'll resist but you have to be strong. She'll need a shoulder, your shoulder."
He closed his eyes, raising his head to the sky, sighing before nodding at his sister and giving her a small smile. Shaking his mane, he trotted off toward Ponyville. Applejack did what she needed to; now the rest was up to him. ***
Twilight snorted in frustration, crumpling another piece of parchment, and discarding it into the overflowing bin. Her eyes were red from the tears as she forced herself to recall her encounter. She sighed, setting down her quill, as nothing she wrote seemed to justify her actions. She hung her head as fresh tears stung her eyes; her soft sobs hid the sound of hooves approaching her door.
Big Macintosh took a steady breath before knocking on Twilight's bedroom door.
"I don't wish to be disturbed," Twilight replied to the annoying knock.
"I need to talk to you," Big Macintosh responded.
"NO!" she shouted, the fear renewing itself. "I don't want you to see me like this." Twilight galloped to her bed, wrapping her blanket around her.
"I need to be with you," Big Mac began, "even if I have to break this door down."
Twilight covered her body completely before opening the door with her magic. "You shouldn't be here," she coldly stated, not looking at him.
"I need to be here, with you."
"You should hate me for what I did," Twilight angrily retorted.
"I don't," Big Mac began placing a hoof on her shoulder.
Twilight, startled and outraged, turned and knocked his hoof away. The anger and sadness reflected in her bloodshot eyes expressed a wide gamut of emotions.
"I willingly opened myself to that monster! It took your form and drained me of my love! My heart felt so dark and empty; I can't even begin to explain how invasive that was. It used me for its own pleasure and then discarded me once it was satisfied. I'm filthy and," Twilight paused, looking him in the eye, "You should hate me!"
Big Mac was processing what she said, but after her rant her strength left her. She ran back to her bed covering herself in shame. ***
Wintra, Coltyn, and Rainbow Dash trotted around town as Rainbow explained the basic weather needs of Ponyville.
"Basically, Sweet Apple Acres needs some rain every week to ensure the best crop yields," Rainbow Dash explained. "The main town only needs rain every week and a half to two weeks. We also schedule two or three really big storms to replenish the reservoir."
"That doesn't sound too bad. I'll have a better picture once I get reports from the rest of the towns," Wintra acknowledged.
"That's, of course, the best of conditions. It doesn't work out that way usually," Rainbow clarified, sighing. She hesitated a moment, then said tentatively, "Princess Wintra, I know you were the Captain of the Wonderbolts before you joined the Royal Guard..." Wintra nodded, wondering about the sudden change of topic. "I was hoping you might put in a good word for me."
Wintra stopped, rubbing her chin, Rainbow and Coltyn turned, looking at her. "Maybe," Wintra mused, loosening her wings. "But I'll have to see if you've got what it takes."
"What do you have in mind?" Rainbow asked, confidently.
"Once around the town," Wintra spread her wings, "GO!"
Wintra took off at full speed. Rainbow wasn't far behind, having pulled the same trick on her friends before. The two blue streaks sped off leaving Coltyn alone. He shrugged, deciding to put up a finish line to pass the time. ***
Twilight's crying tore at Big Macintosh's heart. He walked up to her, wrapped his forelegs around her, and hugged her.
"Let me go," Twilight cried, weakly thumping her hooves against him.
But he didn't, he just pulled her in tighter, arching his neck over hers and holding her as close as he could, his eyes tearing up.
"I'm filth," she whimpered, "hate me."
"No," he replied firmly.
She pulled away, twisting her neck to look at him. "WHY?" she demanded.
He looked at her, his eyes full of pain. "Because I love you," he replied softly, pulling her back to his chest tightly.
Twilight was shocked hearing those words. She cuddled into his chest, returning his embrace. "I love you," she replied, feeling the words fill her horribly empty heart.
They held the embrace for what seemed like forever. Twilight gently pushed away when the evening sun shone through her window. "You should probably head back to the farm," she offered.
He thought about it a moment before responding. "They'll be fine without me for one night."
Twilight smiled, nuzzling into his chest. "Thank you." ***
Coltyn watched as the two came back into view. Wintra still had the lead but Rainbow Dash had closed the gap and was still gaining. He had set up a line to determine a winner, having a feeling they would want to know, but it was going to be close. He cast a spell that slowed the passage of time as they approached the line. The two mares skidded to a halt, panting heavily.
"Who. . . won?" Rainbow asked between breaths.
"Princess Wintra won, but only by a small fraction," Coltyn acknowledged.
Rainbow scuffed the ground realizing she lost. "Had this been a fair race you'd have won," Wintra offered, having recovered. "It's Captain Spitfire's decision, but I'll give her your name with my recommendation."
"Really?" Rainbow's face lit up. Wintra nodded. "Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh!" Rainbow repeated, unable to control her excitement.
Wintra rolled her eyes, amused at the young mare's excitement. "You should get an application to the Academy sometime in the spring. Just fill it out and return it."
"Don't worry, I will and I'll be in a Wonderbolt uniform before you know it," Rainbow boasted.
"We'll look forward to it." Wintra smiled. Coltyn nodded. Wintra sighed, glancing toward the sun as it sank toward the horizon. "If we want to catch the train back to Canterlot we should go."
"Shouldn't we check on Twilight?" Coltyn asked, worried.
"When I passed the library I saw her and the red stallion hugging," Wintra smiled, closing her eyes, "hugs are always good."
Coltyn nodded as the two headed for the train. ***
Blueblood sat on his bed, confined to his room until a decision was made. He looked up as the door opened to see Celestia. He quickly threw himself to the ground, head bowed.
"I have made my decision," Celestia stated, walking into the room.
"What is my fate," he didn't look up.
"Your intent was good, misguided though it was. If you had brought this to me I would have told you about Princess Wintra."
"What are you saying?"
"I'm saying that you were manipulated. You must be held accountable for your actions but those are not as severe." She took a steadying breath. "You will pay one satchel of fire rubies as the fine and will perform some community service to give you a feel for the work common ponies have to perform to maintain the higher lifestyle. In addition, you will take the time to get to know your sisters, and help Wintra learn how to find her way around in the social circles she will be expected to understand." She offered him an ironic smile. "From what I understand, that will take some effort. She's got some rough edges to smooth out. Spending time with Cadance might help you improve your manners, as well. I know of at least one unicorn you personally owe an apology, for your boorish behavior last spring."
"Yes, Your Majesty. With your permission, I would like to begin immediately."
Celestia nodded, and summoned the head of the Royal Household, the palace butler Top Notch. Celestia explained that until further notice Blueblood was his newest employee. With a nod the Royal Butler led Blueblood out to begin his service. Celestia felt that he would learn a lot from the ordeal and will become a better stallion for it. ***
Deep in the frozen north, beyond the Crystal Mountains, far from the last train depot, amidst the vast empty tundra where the windigos ruled, a fell wind began to blow. A dark mark appeared upon the endless white terrain as the skies grew black with clouds. A long forgotten evil stirs from its long slumber as a blizzard begins. The earth quakes as the thick ice of centuries fracture, a stream of black smoke oozes from the crack. The silence shattered by a single sibilant sigh, "Crystals." |
Journey from Darkness | Chapter 16 (Finale): Return of the King | Spring was upon Equestria and all the towns were wrapping up winter. It had been several months since the changeling attack on Canterlot and the backlash that shook the palace, but finally everything seemed to be at peace again. Blueblood had kept his word, working faithfully to earn the forgiveness of his family, and getting to know his younger half-sisters. Princess Wintra and Coltyn had formally announced their courtship after settling the mess Upper Crust had caused, though they made it very clear that they were not in any hurry to follow Cadance and Shining Armor's example.
As the last of winter melted away, Princess Wintra looked over the city from her room in the castle with a smile. She saw the first of the birds returning with the morning sun when somepony knocked on her door. Trotting back into the room and opening the door, the mail-pony delivered an envelope and continued on her way.
Opening the letter, Wintra recognized the familiar scrawl of her adoptive mother's writing. She smiled as she read the first lines, praising her for her accomplishments and having her birthright returned and a short apology for not being able to make it back from their home in Van Hoover. But as she continued reading her smile faded, then worry pulled the corners of her mouth into a slow frown. The town seemed to be in a losing battle as winter continued and there were numerous reports of unnatural wails haunting ponies outside of town. Wintra gathered a few things before setting off to wake Coltyn.
Coltyn had mostly been assisting Princess Wintra with the weather and the two of them had been able to increase food productivity in the last months before winter so there was plenty to last until spring. He was combing his mane when an urgent knock came.
"Who is it?" Coltyn asked.
"Pack some things. We're going to Van Hoover," Wintra's voice informed. "It's going to be cold."
"Okay, I'll be right out," he replied. 'This doesn't sound good,' he thought, putting some of his heavier cloaks into a saddlebag. Wintra was pacing in front of his door when he opened it. "So what's wrong?"
Wintra began walking as she explained, "My mother wrote me and it seems that winter won't end there. They get the ground cleared by mid-afternoon and the next morning there's a new blanket of snow." She was trotting quickly through the morning crowd as they made their way to the train station.
Wintra had a short talk with the clerk and was given two tickets to Van Hoover. They boarded the train and were led to a private car.
"This is the first time I'll meet your parents," Coltyn pondered aloud.
"Heh, yeah," Wintra answered, her mind obviously elsewhere.
Coltyn nodded, as he wracked his mind for possible causes of such a hard winter. One possibility was windigos but they hadn't been seen in Equestria since the unification of the tribes. But as they drew closer to Van Hoover that thought began to feel more and more plausible.
The train rolled to a halt at the southern end of town. Coltyn and Wintra exited the train, and a pair of earth pony guards saluted the princess. Taking in the surroundings Wintra saw several unicorns melting snow as the pegasi cleared the rogue clouds from the sky.
"Welcome Princess Wintra. I'm Captain Ironside and this is Commander Sentry," the Captain greeted.
"What has been happening here?" Wintra asked the group heading out of the train station.
"We're not completely sure. We finished changing the season as scheduled, but when morning came it looked like it was still winter," Sentry explained. "We've been wrapping up every day only to have the snow back by morning."
"Hasn't the night watch noticed anything?" Wintra asked.
The captain shook his head. "It seems that about 0300 a horrible shriek is heard, the temperature drops sharply, and a mass of clouds roll in and drop almost a foot of snow, all in a single hour."
"What could cause such an event?" Wintra wondered aloud.
"Windigos," Coltyn answered, flatly.
The other ponies looked at Coltyn, as if hoping it was a joke. It wasn't.
"Explain," Wintra demanded.
Coltyn took a steadied breath and recited, "Remember what you know about Hearths Warming night. Windigos are half-horse spirits that seem to thrive on fighting and hatred. The more hate in the heart the colder the world becomes 'til the body is as cold as the heart inside."
"Well, I can't say that there isn't the occasional struggle and strife, but why now?" Ironside wondered.
"They've never come this far south," Coltyn offered. "There hasn't been any sign of them within the borders of Equestria for centuries - not since the war between the tribes ended."
"Something must have driven them here," Wintra posited. "I think we should get some rest, it looks like we're going to be on third watch tonight."
The two guards nodded, returning to their barracks. Wintra led Coltyn down the streets to her parents' home. Wintra approached the door and knocked; an older mare answered and immediately embraced Wintra.
"I've missed you so much," she said, a stray tear rolling down her cheek. "You must be the young stallion who's courting her."
"Yes ma'am. I'm Coltyn Pendragon."
"Well please come in," she offered with a warm smile. "Stormbreaker, we have company," she announced, ushering them to the living room.
"Who is it Gentle Breeze?" A rugged voice called from upstairs.
"It's Thunder Snow and her colt-friend Coltyn." Gentle Breeze replied, going into the kitchen.
A moment later a well-built stallion descended the stairs.
"Well this is a pleasant surprise," Stormbreaker smiled. "What brings you out this way?"
"The weather unfortunately, we've come to see if we can get this winter weather to stop," Wintra explained. "I was hoping we could use the guest room; we'll need to be up all night."
"Of course, but before you leave, I want to catch up a bit." Gentle Breeze set down a tray with a tea kettle and cups.
Wintra and Coltyn regaled her parents with tales from their lives, making sure to leave out the more unsavory parts. Coltyn noticed that Gentle Breeze didn't seem to notice the leaps in the stories but a slightly raised brow on Stormbreaker's face confirmed that he knew he wasn't getting the whole story. Their idle chat was sidetracked when the front door opened.
"Mom, Dad, I'm home," the young mare called, knocking the snow from her hooves.
"Lightning Dust dear, your sister is here," Gentle Breeze said, going to retrieve another cup.
A young mare walked in to the living room, Coltyn figured she was in the same age range as Twilight and her friends. The teal fur and bicolored yellow and gold mane and tail with the sleek musculature showed that she was very athletic. She nodded at Coltyn and Wintra, taking a seat across from them, as Gentle Breeze placed another cup in front of Lightning.
"So how was your day?" Stormbreaker asked.
"Slow as usual," Lightning Dust drawled. "I can't wait to get to the academy."
"You were accepted to the Wonderbolt's Academy?" Wintra asked, pride in her voice.
Lighting smirked, "Yeah, going show all those noobs how it's done."
Wintra took a thoughtful sip from her cup. "I think you might have some competition."
"Really? I doubt that," Lightning scoffed. "I'm the best flyer in Van Hoover."
"I don't doubt it; just know that you're not the first pony to make that claim." Wintra placed her cup down. "Sadly we have to be up for third watch and need to get some rest. Please excuse us."
Nodding a polite farewell, the two headed towards the bedrooms. Just before they reached the end of the hall, Lightning Dust called out, "Congrats on the whole horn thing, by the way."
"Thanks," Wintra smiled before heading to bed.
"Sibling rivalry?" Coltyn asked teasingly.
"You have no idea." ***
The moon was taking its place in the night sky as Coltyn and Wintra met with Captain Ironside and Commander Sentry. They decided to meet back together at 02:45 in the northern part of town to try to find the winter spirits. The time passed without incident; everypony was locked in their homes, not wanting to meet any of the spirits. The four gathered together at the appointed time and waited, Wintra took the highest building top giving her a clear view of the sky while Coltyn and the guards patrolled the outskirts.
At three o'clock the temperature dropped sharply, everypony scanned for the cause. The three on the ground didn't see it, but Wintra did. A spark of light glowed dimly in the distance, the moon light reflecting off something, followed by the whine of Windigos. She saw one of the peaks of the Crystal Mountains shift and a growing darkness form beyond the light, as if it was attempting to swallow the light, then a louder cry echoed across the town. Massive storm clouds built around the shifting mountain growing rapidly as the wind picked up and snow began to fall. The mountains were soon obscured as the blizzard formed, covering the land in snow and ice. Wintra, having seen enough, descended, meeting with Coltyn and the others.
"There is a disturbance near the Crystal Mountains which seems to be the reason for this weather. We must go and find the cause if we are to stop this endless winter," Wintra decreed.
"When shall we leave?" Coltyn inquired.
Looking out to the mountain, "After the weather stabilizes," Wintra confirmed.
"It won't be too long, this usually only last an hour," Sentry informed.
"Then Coltyn and I shall leave then," Wintra nodded.
"I would recommend that you take Sentry with you," Ironside proposed, "He knows the lay of the land and will help get you there safely."
"That would be appreciated," Wintra smiled, "Captain Sentry you are now a Royal Guard."
Sentry snapped to attention, saluting, "Yes, Princess."
"Good. As soon as the weather lets up we are leaving." ***
The weather let up and by five o'clock the three ponies were on the road to the Crystal Mountains. They walked using a Haste spell, allowing them to cover the almost three day trek in one day. They reached the valley which due to the raging windigos was covered in snow, except for a patch of land just at the foot of the mountains. The three exchanged looks of confusion and approached with caution. They reached the perimeter, looking at the massive snowless area.
"What happened here?" Wintra pondered aloud.
"I have no idea," Coltyn replied, stumped.
"It looks like a huge city just up and vanished," Sentry commented.
Coltyn's eyes widened, "It can't be." He walked to the barrier and reached out a hoof. He felt the familiar residue of black magic that seemed to permeate the area.
"What is it?" Wintra asked.
"This area reeks of black magic. A powerful spell was cast here," Coltyn shivered.
"Could you undo the spell?" Wintra queried.
"I don't know what will happen. This is extremely powerful magic."
"Do it. I don't want this evil sullying the land."
"Stand back." Coltyn's horn flared as whips of purple energy flared from the corners of his eyes. He let the magic flow, slowly reconstructing the seal that covered the land. The outline of a giant snowflake appeared in the valley and with a final push of power the valley was bathed in a blinding light.
As their vision returned, the three ponies stood before a huge city sprawl, three gems floated between two crystal pillars, marking the entrance. A huge white crystal castle stood at the center of the city surrounded by the many businesses and homes of the residents.
"This is incredible," Sentry uttered in amazement.
"This entire city was here this whole time?" Wintra questioned with bewilderment.
"Oh no. No! Not him. This is bad," Coltyn gasped, suddenly panicked. "Sentry, return to Canterlot and tell Princess Celestia that 'IT' has returned."
"Coltyn, what is the matter with you?" Wintra demanded.
"This empire was lost over a thousand years ago - before I was foaled. I don't know much except that it was ruled by the most evil unicorn to ever walk Equestria," Coltyn explained. "Celestia must be informed immediately, time is of the essence."
"Very well, Sentry, return to Canterlot and pass on Coltyn's message," Wintra ordered.
"It's a long run back to Canterlot," Sentry stated.
"I'll teleport you to a cart in the royal carriage house, please tell Princess Celestia that 'IT' has returned."
Sentry nodded as Coltyn wrapped him in magic, teleporting him to Canterlot.
"So now what?" Wintra asked.
"Now, we have to protect this city until the others arrive. We should go to the castle."
The two walked into the town hoping to find the ponies that lived there and get some information but it wouldn't be so. Everypony seemed to be in a deep magical slumber. Coltyn was amazed that none of them seemed to have aged a day in the over one thousand years they were gone. They reached the castle and nopony was inside, this put both Wintra and Coltyn on edge.
"I would have thought that somepony would be here," Wintra pondered, walking into the throne room.
"They're most likely in some kind of trance elsewhere. We need to let the others know what's happening." Coltyn pulled a card and quill from his pack and quickly wrote a letter.
'To Cadance and Shining Armor;
Princess Wintra and I have gone to confront the windigos; there are other dangers that exist. Please keep the empire safe.
Coltyn Pendragon'
He set the parchment on the throne and turned toward the door.
"So we're just leaving a note and leaving?" Wintra asked confused.
"We have to try and stop him from returning here," Coltyn sighed. "I will go and face him alone if you wish to wait for your sister."
"I lost you once already, I'm not about to have that happen again," Wintra teased.
Coltyn nodded, smiling as the pair made their way out into the frozen tundra. ***
After a few hours of trudging through an ever raging storm they reached the center. Looking up they saw countless windigos circling a black crystal. Coltyn knew that the crystal contained the same dark magic that was used to conceal the empire. But before they could inspect it further a black pulse fired up from the crystal, exploding and causing the windigos to disperse. Coltyn and Wintra noticed that the crystal was cracked. Viscous black smoke seeped out of the crack, pooled together, and began to form into a translucent pony.
"Ah, I'm free," the pony grinned, then noticed Coltyn and Wintra. "And I even have escorts to bring me back to my empire."
"No," Wintra scowled, "we're here to stop you."
The pony broke out in maniacal laughter. "Even in my current state I, King Sombra, can defeat both of you."
Coltyn didn't hesitate to prove him wrong and fired an energy blast for his head. Sombra turned into black smoke, avoided the attack, and retreated away from them. Wintra took to the sky and began firing ice blasts at Sombra while Coltyn chased firing his own energy blasts. Wintra was able to close to point blank range when suddenly Sombra leaped at her, engulfing her in his smoke body. When she reemerged black crystals had grown from her horn and she seemed to be disoriented as she crashed to the ground. Coltyn rushed to her side lifting her head to his.
"What did you do to her?" Coltyn demanded.
"Just a little gift to keep her magic in check," Sombra smirked. "Now return me to my empire, foal!"
"You'll never reign over those ponies again," Coltyn affirmed.
Coltyn charged firing his horn at the smoke body but Sombra made holes allowing the blast to pass through unharmed.
"You'll never beat me if you can't hit me," Sombra mocked.
Coltyn composed himself, breathing heavily, "Then let me show you something special."
Coltyn gather energy in the tip of his horn, allowing a dark mass to form. His eyes turned black as the whips of purple formed around his eyes. Sombra looked on with intrigue as the energy sparked around Coltyn.
"Dark Force Blast!" Coltyn shouted, releasing a massive wall of dark energy at Sombra.
Sombra countered by creating a shield causing a massive energy struggle as the two pushed against each other trying to gain the upper hoof. Coltyn could feel that he was pushing Sombra's spell back but it was taking a lot more energy than he though it should. He continued to push more energy into the spell, focusing on the point of resistance, trying to break through the shield but he could feel that he was reaching his limits. But he felt so close that he continued to push until there was no more in him, causing him to collapse. He looked up through the snow to see that although Sombra's smoke form had weakened; he hadn't killed him.
"So close," Sombra huffed clearly exhausted, turning toward the Crystal Empire. "Have fun freezing to death."
As Sombra's form faded into the building snow storm Coltyn laid in the snow completely spent. A single tear froze against his cheek as his vision faded to black. ***
Wintra rubbed her head as she regained her senses. She watched as Sombra faded into the white tundra. She immediately looked for Coltyn who lay in the snow, motionless. She ran to him holding him close. She saw his chest rise and fall; she sighed with relief as she tried to teleport them but felt her magic cycle back upon itself. She looked up at her horn and saw little black specks across the length of her horn.
Wintra cursed under her breath as she pulled Coltyn onto her back. She saw a cave in the ice wall and dragged Coltyn inside before the windigos howled, announcing their return. Wintra covered Coltyn with her body as she felt the temperature plummet. She held onto him feeling the icy chill of the windigos aura around her, but her love and want to protect Coltyn shielded her from their powers.
She held him for hours before the chill wind stopped. She finally looked up to see that they were sealed into the cave. Wintra kicked the entrance but the ice wall was extremely thick. She snorted in frustration as she returned and curled up at Coltyn's side. Knowing that there was nothing to do, she drifted off to sleep. ***
Coltyn awoke with the motion of something curling into the side of his chest. When he looked down he saw Wintra pressed against his body, most likely to keep them both warm. He looked around and noticed that they were in an ice cave with no visible exit. He sighed as Wintra turned, looking up at him.
"Glad to see you're finally awake."
"Yeah, I really need to stop expending my magic like that," Coltyn realized. "So where are we? What happened to Sombra?"
"We're stuck in an ice cave thanks to the windigos that returned after Sombra began making his way to the empire."
"I hope we delayed him long enough for your sister and her husband to get to the empire. How long was I out?"
"So do I," Wintra sighed, leaning into Coltyn. "You were out for I figure two or three days. What's his story anyhow?"
"I asked that same question a long time ago. I was browsing my grandfather's library when I came across one of his old journals that mentioned an Empire of Crystal. I looked other places but it was the only tome that mentioned this empire. When I asked him about it; I could see the pain on his face. He simply said, 'Nopony likes to discuss their failures.' I was shocked, my grandfather, Starswirl Pendragon, had failed.
"I wanted to know what could have hurt him so much that he would completely shut me out. He was almost too willing to regale stories of his life, except this one. I knew of only two others who would know the truth so I sought an audience with Princess Celestia, as she was Starswirl's closest friend. She told me that a unicorn had gone to the empire, enslaved the crystal ponies, and brought misery and despair to the empire. He was defeated and the kingdom disappeared with him. She then asked me to, 'let the wounds of the past heal.'
"I couldn't leave it though; this had only raised more questions. I searched the archives looking for some answers only to find that any information about the empire ether didn't exist or was removed. Shortly before my graduation Starswirl passed away, leaving everything to me, his only grandchild. As I dug through the scrolls and notes I found his personal diary, as I read it all became clear.
"Sombra was an apprentice of Starswirl's who was skilled and craved knowledge. He eventually found tomes on how to harness negative emotion to gain more power with the use of dark magic: Necromancy, Blood Magic, and Curses. He used that power to enslave the citizens of the Crystal Empire. The battle between him and Celestia's and Luna's parents was fierce, ending with his imprisonment but it cost them their lives. Starswirl was able to reclaim the tomes before the empire was lost with Sombra's defeat. He locked the tomes and the journal in a secure chest and hid it with magic. I only found it because I knew he had a habit of hiding things that way. As I read through Sombra's tomes I realized that without protecting the user's soul the dark magic corrupts and drives the user mad.
"I learned the maddening magic but refused to use it. I needed a way to protect my soul from the corruption which is when I looked into the rare element known as Darksteel. I thought it would make me invincible but I was wrong. It basically froze me in time, I don't age and after Nightmare Moon's defeat I had no purpose. I was dead but couldn't die so I focused on the only thing that seemed to give me reason, revenge."
"So what happened; what changed?" Wintra ask curiously.
"You happened. You gave me purpose and a reason to continue. You saved me from self-destruction and a dark path had you not been born before Nightmare Moon's return."
"I'm afraid I don't understand. What did I do?"
"When you were taken by Midnight Eclipse and I saw you, quivering and blood-soaked, I saw the true result of my dark heart and deeds. I took you away and sealed your wound but with all my knowledge I couldn't do anything to save your horn. I looked at you and realized that I had to find a way to heal the damage. So upon returning you to Princess Celestia I set out with renewed purpose, to return what is rightfully yours. I relentlessly pored over tomes and medical journals for years, hoping to find an answer but broken horns were never something that was researched. As with you it was a matter of file down the horn and live as an earth pony or pegasus in your case. I could fill a library with the scrolls I've made but until I discovered the bond you shared with your sister, I couldn't find the answer: love. Love is a truly remarkable force."
The earth began to tremble under them, looking around Coltyn formed a shield around them just as a blast hit the front of the cave, revealing the exit. The two walked out greeted by a cool breeze and a bright azure sky on a winter afternoon. They looked up to see vivid streaks of magenta, blue, and yellow cross the sky.
"They did it," Coltyn sighed with relief.
"Then let us return. I'm sure my sister is worried," Wintra smiled, looking at her undefiled horn, walking back to the valley. ***
Looking down over the valley the Crystal Empire gleamed as streams of pink, blue, and yellow energy extended from the castle's peak. Coltyn and Wintra made their way down to the entrance and the entire town felt live. They looked around, feeling a completely different vibe then when they first arrived. There was life here again and all the ponies looked as if they were made of crystal rather than plain fur. Making their way up to the castle, they were greeted by a surprising sight; Cadance, Shining Armor, Spike, Twilight, and her friends all were crystalline as well.
"What happened?" Wintra asked in disbelief.
"That is a long story, which I think would best be told over the feast the crystal ponies offered to arrange," Cadance smiled, showing signs of exhaustion.
"It'll be held in the main dining hall this evening," Shining Armor added. "We must retire until then." Shining Armor urged Cadance back to the castle to get some much needed rest.
Wintra and Coltyn were taken by the others and shown around the town. As they made their way to the different sights Coltyn couldn't help but notice that Twilight seemed down hearted, though she wore a smile. Something was bothering her and given whom they had just fought, it could be any number of reasons. But that would have to wait until after dinner. ***
Over dinner Spike regaled the with - and from the exasperated look on Twilight's face every once and a while, embellished - their journey to find the Crystal Heart. Though his story was grand Coltyn felt that something was off; how did they find the secret staircase and what other traps did they find? Coltyn knew any mage worth his salt wouldn't just let the answer be straight forward. What Spike left out was probably the source of Twilight's quietness earlier. He would make sure she was alright when the others weren't around. ***
Late that night Coltyn wandered the castle to see if his suspicions were correct. He almost thought that he was wrong until he came to the throne room. There was Twilight, staring at the floor just in front of the throne.
"How are you holding up?" Coltyn asked, approaching her.
"I don't know," she choked. "So much happened in such a short time, I just don't know."
"You faced a powerful dark magic user. Maybe you'd feel better if you told me what really happened."
She nodded. "It was horrible. The first time I tried to cast a dark spell it was hard, I struggled to cast the spell Princess Celestia used to show me what would happen if Sombra took the Empire. My test was to save the Empire but I failed. I utterly failed," she sobbed as tears flowed down her cheeks.
Coltyn tried to find the words to comfort her.
"How do you keep control?" She turned, looking at Coltyn with her bloodshot eyes. "All it took was one little annoying door to use that magic again. It's such a violation of everything I've been taught. My soul feels tainted and I fear what might happen if I lose control or get angry again. I don't want to hurt my friends." She shuddered, the memory she saw flashing through her mind. "I don't want to fail Princess Celestia."
"I don't know," Coltyn admitted. "The first time I used dark magic was against a griffin. I didn't have control. I was fueled by rage and it consumed me and unleashed all my hate upon him. I told nopony of what I did and kept it all secret. It took a long time for me to assert my control over the magic alone."
Twilight looked down, "So I'm going to be alone in this battle."
"No, you have ponies who care for you and want you to be safe and happy. You are lucky, they can help keep the darkness at bay by being a light for you and I will be there as well as a guide through the darkness."
"My real concern is that now that I've used it I'll want to learn more. Kind of a downside to being an academic when it comes to magic. I just can't get enough and when I learn of something new I want to know all there is to know about it."
"I understand, but know this, Twilight: I will not teach you any dark magic. I can show you how to control the urge to use it but that is all," Coltyn firmly stated. "However, if after careful consideration and a comprehensive discussion of the risks and potential benefits of such knowledge, the Princesses agree that you should learn, then I will... but not before."
Twilight nodded, "I can understand that, especially after what I've seen it do."
"I can tell you that the journey from darkness isn't easy but the light you find at the end will make it worth the trip," Coltyn smiled, putting a hoof on her shoulder. "I believe that with your friends by your side there is nothing that you can't do."
Twilight nodded, smiling. "It's late and I have to catch the train tomorrow. Goodnight." She gave a quick hug before returning to her room.
Coltyn looked up at the throne, "Though you learn a lot about yourself on a journey through darkness, there is nothing better than finding the light of redemption." |
The Canterlot Tails | pre | Fluttershy smiles sheepishly and looks right at you in the dark. "Thanks, I'm glad you, uh, really liked me that much."
You laugh lightly and put your thumbs in your belt loops. "Oh, believe me, that was amazing. Hey, I imagine a star like you has things to do. If you want though, would you want to, maybe, grab a drink?"
Fluttershy perks up, blushing slightly. "Oh, um, I'd," she twirls her hair with one long finger and looks into your eyes. "I'd love to. Where would you like to go, John?"
Hearing her say your name, it's amazing. You feel light-headed for a moment. "Wha-what do you think about the bar here? We, we could go anywhere in town."
Fluttershy's eyes go wide, wider than before and stare past you. "What? What's wrong?" You turn and see Jake and Dash, Rainbow Dash?, exit through a back door. "Hey, YOU DROVE ME HERE! Dammit. So, uh, Fluttershy. About that drink, what's your poison?"
"Oh, um, I like, well, appletinis, tequila, margaritas, long islands, sex on the beach, stuff like that. How about you?"
"Bourbon and coke, usually. I like vodka and voltage alright, though. Come on, I'll buy tonight."
Fluttershy stands at your side. Her pink hair is fragrant and looks really soft. You have trouble keeping dirty thoughts at bay. "John?" Fluttershy asks you softly. "Can we go to a different place? I don't like some of the men around here. Too, too grabby. You seem really nice, though."
"Sure, I understand. The Carlin is just two blocks from here. Or my appartment is just another two blocks past that, I have tequila and margarita mix there."
Fluttershy grabs your arm suddenly. She may be a little tipsy already. "What's your place like? I mean, if you'd want to drink from your own cabinet."
You hold her hand on your bicep. "I love to sing, but..." She trails off, resting her tired head on your shoulder. "But sometimes mean and drunk guys really get to me. You're nice though, I can tell."
"Yeah? I guess there are plenty of jerks out there." You pause and inhale her intoxicating essence discretely.
"How about we just head to my place for a quiet night alone. What do you say? You, the best performer I've ever seen, and me, some lowly actor fresh out of college. We ought to make a sitcom."
Fluttershy laughs and looks up at you with those soft-boiled eyes. "Uh, sure. You're an actor then?"
"I'll tell you all about it on the way," you begin to walk towards the rear door. "So, you been in Ponyville long?"
* * *
"I love the classics," Fluttershy says as she's sitting on your couch with a glass of tequila and limeade. "I really do, but I sing and memorize them everyday. This stuff, on the other hand, this is nice. It's soothing," she looks at her drink, then into your eyes again. "Just like you, your eyes. They, when I look at you I see so much, emotion, safety. Oh, I'm sorry, I'm going on and on. I'm such a chatterbox." She stares into her drink and pouts, her bottom lip makes her all the cuter.
"Aw, not like I mind being flattered or anything," you assure her from the other side of the couch. You sip the last of your soda and vodka, it was a vile concoction. You feel pretty drunk as you set your empty cup down, unfortunately. Fluttershy's beauty is rather sober. It's delicate and ideal, you define her figure as the embodiment of perfect beauty. Fluttershy's is a talented and quick mind. She also has a kind and gentle demeanor, soft, wide curves and beauteous eyes. You just sit and watch Fluttershy watch her glass, letting the music play around you for a song.
At last, you say "Fluttershy?"
"Yes, John?" she replies, her curious face and steal your heart all over again.
"How do you feel right now?" You lean back and rest your head on the back of the sofa.
"I," she hesitates, blushing a deep rosy pink. "I'm tired of going to bed alone! There, I said it." You sit up a little and look to Fluttershy. "And you're fantastic and smart and interesting and tall and handsome, I, I,"
"I was just curious as to if you wanted another drink." You sit up, losing a bit of balance but holding on. You scoot close to Fluttershy and take her hand. You sway just a bit when you sit up. "I understand, Fluttershy. I've officially moved in here as of a week ago, I'll be here for you." You damn your alcoholic drinks, slurring your speech in the slightest. "Either that or at the Smoking Salmon to watch you." You shift in your seat and take her other hand. "I, the moment I met your eyes tonight, I knew you were special, and I hoped you saw something in me. Oh, Fluttershy you have no idea how happy you've made me tonight."
"John, I..." She trails off, sipping and setting down her drink. Panic and fear runs up your neck. "I, I can't tell you how amazing you are." Fluttershy flings her arms around your shoulders and knocks you on your back. You lay looking up into her pretty, fragrant pink hair. You hold her petite frame close, drinking in her large chest through three layers of fabric. She just holds her face to your shirt for a moment, then moves to lay her head on your shoulder. You rub her back and arms with strong hands. Her bare shoulders are very warm and soft. You want nothing more than to sit her up and kiss her lips.
Fluttershy turns her head and whispers in your ear. "John, I hate this dumb fabric." She pauses and breathes deeply, you can feel her torso rise and fall on top of you with her hot breathing. "I don't want to move too fast, but I really want," she pauses, you can feel the heat radiating from her cheeks. "I want to have your bare chest touching mine. Can I take it off? I mean, if you want me to."
"Yes, Fluttershy." You hold her head in one hand rub your cheek against hers. "I'm ready for anything you want."
Fluttershy moves to your face and presses her lips to yours, briefly but hard. You break to meet her eyes again, those fantastic, bottomless eyes. Her timid face hovers for a second, then she moves in for a longer, gentler kiss. You hold her waist and face in either hand, kissing her back with passion.
Fluttershy moans softly and breaks the kiss, breathing deeply. She looks at you, smiling, and turns to unbutton your shirt. She gets through them quickly and exposes your chest. Fluttershy sits up and rests her hands just above your belt, lightly running her slender finger up and down your skin. "J-john, I'm no girl. I, I want to feel good tonight. How about you?"
A tightness develops in your black slacks as her weight presses into your legs. "I'm a man, Fluttershy. I got urges to satisfy, and I got urges to satisfy your urges, too." You unconsciously press up with your legs a bit, massaging your hardening length a little.
Fluttershy blushes crimson red and stands up on the carpet. "Just, be gentle, okay?" Fluttershy asks.
"Nice and slow, I promise." You turn and take your shirt all the way off, watching as Fluttershy lifts her dress over her head. You stand quickly and catch it out of her hands just before she throws it aside. You put a free hand on Fluttershy's slender, curvy waist and drop her dress. Your vision fades around the edges, you feel blood finally return to your head.
"Oh, John. Take me, take me anywhere tonight." Fluttershy grabs your waist and pulls herself close, her round breasts press into your chest. She buries her face between your mandible and shoulder, kissing and nibbling at your neck. You look down and inhale the sweet scent of her fine hair. Your hands move in opposite directions on her back. One goes toward her shoulder, the other to her round plot. You feel Fluttershy's hot breathing flutter for a moment as you gently grab her soft rump.
Fluttershy pushes softly on your chest with both hands and looks into your face. "John, you're," she trails off, smiling and sighing with love or some other exasperated emotion. "You're magical. Touch me, everywhere."
You let Fluttershy sink into your chest again as you caress her back, working down to her soft pink striped panties. Your fingers dive underneath easily, allowing you to feel her soft skin of her fantastic ass. You grip it firmly and pull her up and towards the couch with you. As you sit down, you slowly slide the underwear off. Fluttershy giggles and helps you. She doesn't join you on the couch, however.
Instead, she saunters to the stereo system and bends way over, swaying her delicious hips as she turns the volume up only two notches. You watch from behind and take off your belt. Fluttershy stands up straight and expertly opens the clasp of her bra. She turns around, holding her brassiere to her chest. Her dainty hands seem like they can barely hold up her amazing rack.
Fluttershy laughs and lets her bra fall down, off her arms. She stands before you nude, a private display more beautiful than a roman statue. Fluttershy puts one foot in front of the other, making her the short way over to you. She kneels down and spreads your knees with her hands, staring at the bump in your pants.
"Does, does it hurt to have it trapped like that?" Fluttershy asks. "Poor thing, I bet he just wants to come out and play." Fluttershy looks up at you with a shy, lustful grin, taking the button of your pants in her fingers. You simply smile back while your heart beats a thousand times per minute.
Fluttershy slowly unbuttons and unzips your pants, then you help her remove them. Your erection indignantly bulges your boxers. Fluttershy's eyes grow wide as she gazes down at your penis.
"That feels so much better, Fluttershy. Can I call you Shy?" You sit up a little and watch Fluttershy as she prepares.
"Mm hmm!" Fluttershy eagerly replies. Fluttershy remains silent and gently touches your shaft through your underwear. She admires it silently, taking it out through the slit of your boxers. She squeaks when the full length emerges, rigid and proud. "Oh my..." Fluttershy stands and moves to straddle you on the couch, rather awkwardly.
"Want it now, Fluttershy?" Words are barely necessary now, you can feel her womanly lust in the air dance and tease your own hunger.
Fluttershy nods and gently massages your shaft under her glistening lips. "Get some blankets and let's fuck on the floor." Her timid nature had transformed to be surprisingly assertive. You nod and move to a hall closet to retrieve a thick blanket that was banished to storage. It's thick, warm and soft to the touch.
"I want that cock, John," Fluttershy says, sitting on the blanket you spread on the carpet. "Just lay back and fuck me."
You undress completely and lay down on the soft blanket, the soft fabric soothes the skin on your back. You adjust and fidget to get comfy. You look down to watch Fluttershy mount you, but you see that she has moved her wet sex over your face, her shoulders are facing towards your feet. "Is, is this okay?" she asks, looking over her left shoulder.
You respond with a playful lick that draws another squeak. Her wet lips adorn your tongue with the familiar taste of a vagina, ready for penetration. The complex and organic flavor is somewhat more mild than you expected, bringing tea to mind, of all things. You grab Fluttershy's taut ass in both hands and pull your muzzle to her dripping slit. You generously massage her clitoris with circular motions, enticing high-pitched moans and shaking hips. Fluttershy bends over and stands on all fours, but you don't stop for a second. You feel her hair tickle your head. Fluttershy's hot breath flows around your sensitive soldier, she's breathing irregularly due to the pleasure.
You feel her hot tongue move around on the head of your cock. The soft wetness sweeps around your sensitive tip, stimulating and lubricating it. She kisses the head and sucks the end into her lips. She slowly laps the head and slips it further into her skilled mouth.
You breath deep and lick her entire slit from the clit to the other end. Your tongue slides in between her wet petals, which spread a little for your tongue as you tease her entrance.
"Ah! Ah, John, that's it." Fluttershy's voice is weak, she only breaks for a moment before sucking again.
You flex your mouth muscle and push into Fluttershy's hot twat. Her muscles flex and clench your tongue reflexively. You flick your tongue around inside her in the pattern of the alphabet.
As you reach "z", you retract your tongue and rest your tired jaw. Fluttershy is soaking wet. You breath deeply and rest your neck and mouth, watching Fluttershy's hips sway slowly. She doesn't stop sucking your rock hard erection as you rest.
You lay back and enjoy her warm, wet mouth. Fluttershy can get most of it in her lips, sucking hard and massaging with her tonge as her head bobs up and down. You rub your jowls and go back to Fluttershy's glistening petals. You admire their perfect shape, tenderly kissing and nibbling her soft pink lips. You lick and kiss Fluttershy's clit for a bit, drawing highi and stressed moans from her.
Fluttershy pushes her ass into your face and sits up a little, letting your cock out of her warm mouth. "J-john, I need you." Fluttershy turns around, sitting on your chest. "Do me, any way you want," she says quietly, her low volume is deafening to your highly aroused mind. Countless positions and scenarios flash through your mind, but then you decide. Nothing would be more perfect than to see the beauty of Fluttershy moaning and panting underneath you.
"Lay on your back, Fluttershy. You're going to love this." And you know she will. Her tight pussy is positively parched for a prick. Fluttershy lays down and lays her head on a pillow, then spreads her legs wide to show off her perfect pussy.
"Be gentle," she implores you with her small voice and large eyes. You nod assent and position your tool between her legs. The tip pokes her sopping slit the slightest bit, causing Fluttershy to jump slightly.
You smile to reassure her, slowly entering her. The tight walls part for your head, the wet entrance sucks your cock in slowly. You push inside, gently yet firmly into Fluttershy's tight vagina. She feels so hot and great inside. You start to move your hips slowly, thrusting deep inside Fluttershy. Your cock reaches all the way into her close cunt, sliding wetly in and out.
Fluttershy throws her head back and shrieks with her high voice. You begin to really hump her, your sensitive organ reaches all the way to her cervix. You stop when you feel about to burst, Fluttershy's snug sex sucks you deep as you can go. You feel her lips wet the skin around the base of your thick shaft, you're so far inside.
"I-I'm so close, John! Finish me! FUCK ME HARD AND MAKE ME CUM!" Fluttershy screams to you. You feel almost to busting already. "Fuck me and fill me, cum inside John!"
You grunt and slam her pussy hard, disregarding rest. She's not concerned about being gentle, obviously. You pull out to the very tip, relishing the tingling sensations it brings, and pound your head home.You retrieve your tool and thrust again, again, each time harder and faster, bringing growing cries of pleasure from Fluttershy. You feel her cunt tighten aroung your pumping shaft. Her hot hole is briniging the highest pleasure to you both. Your cock throbs deep inside, you are unsure how many seconds more you can hold back the tide.
"F-Fluttershy, I'm near my limit," you hoarsly say. You haven't made a noise for a few minutes, so making a smooth tone is tough. "I'm gonna cum, are you, ah, are you clo-"
"I'm so close, just a little mo-oar! Yes, Jo-ohn, right the-ere!" Shy's voice shakes with every thrust. You take one hand and massage her clit, your other finds her sopping-wet breast. You rock back and forth quickly with your hips. You watch one of Fluttershy's heavy breasts bounce up and down underneath you, her fists clenching the blanket and her mouth open, her eyes clamped shut. You pick up the pace, finding just the frequency to make her tits fly up and down the most. The one in your grip is amazingly soft, you carefully squeeze it with all your fingers.
"Jo-o-ohn! O-oh J-o-ohn! Y-e-es- A-aa-ah!" Fluttershy cries out with every thrust now. "I'm go-on-na c-c-cu-UUMMM!!" Fluttershy arches her back and her cries are caught in her throat. You keep thrusting, letting all resistance go and focussing only on bringing about maximum pleasure. You feel a trigger pull in your groin. You thrust hard and push deep inside Fluttershy's pulsating cunt just as the base of your cock flexes. You feel your hot, milky seed speed out into Fluttershy's shaking pussy, the relief of climax is the best. One shot, three, six, eight, nine amazing spurts of white relief fill Fluttershy's fine feline.
"Ngah!" You gasp and breath heavily, sweat running down your back, chest and forehead. Your testes ache from unloading so much, and your abs are burning a deep, good burn. "Fluttershy, how are you doing?"
Fluttershy lies panting under you, her slick skin glistening in the soft light from the kitchen. "That was," she stops to breath and collect her thoughts. "Nice. I feel, I feel so amazing." She turns to look straight up at you. "You're so amazing, John. Hold me?" She stretches her arms up at you.
You leave your exhausted dick inside and lean down to kiss and hug and fondle. Your lips tiredly move with Fluttershy, you feel suddenly drained. When her tongue searches for yours, you eagerly meet it and return her affectionate kiss. Finally you break, you need to answer a call of nature, and there's no call waiting.
"Hold that thought," you whisper into Fluttershy's face. Your flacid member slips out, along with an impressive amount of thick cum. You need to piss, but the sight of the semen flowing out of Fluttershy's fucked hole is perversely tantalizing. You kneel back down and spread her pussy with two fingers. A little more flows out in response. A small puddle collects around where Fluttershy's skin contacts the fuck-mat.
"John," Fluttershy says seductively. "Can I have a taste?" You return her half-lidded gaze with a blank expression. Then the meaning strikes you.
"Yeah, hell yeah." You dip two fingers deep inside Fluttershy, she giggles to cover a pleasured sigh. You draw out two stained fingers, pulling out plenty of semen with them. You take all four fingers and dip them into the pool, collecting a small amount. You carefully bring them over the center of Fluttershy's chest, losing a few drops on the way to her mouth. She opens wide and lets several hot strands of cum fall onto her tongue, teeth and lips. This is some kinky shit, you think.
Fluttershy pulls your sticky fingers to her mouth and sucks each one dry individually. She opens her mouth wide, showing off the cum. Fluttershy closes her mouth and dramatically gulps, then proves she finished it all. "Oh, was that wierd?" She asks, timidly. "I like the salty taste. Is that odd? Tell me it isn't odd, John."
"Hey, Shy. If you like to eat cum, I have nothing wrong with it. I think it's fucking sexy." You lean in close to her face. You whisper: "Just don't expect a kiss."
You stand and move to your own bathroom. You rinse your hands and proceed to piss in the pot. The relief is fantastic, you were holding several glasses of scotch and a vodka drink in for hours. You notice Fluttershy in the doorway just as you flush.
Fluttershy lifts her shoulders and looks down shyly. "Oh, oh my. Do you have an extra toothbrush?" Fluttershy asks sheepishly from the doorway, looking up at you with her pouting eyes.
"Yeah, yeah," you tell her pointing with one stained finger at the medicine cabinet. "The one with the blue handle is new, never used it." You your fingers and wait for Fluttershy to ready her toothbrush. Your dick is wet and slimy with cum and female orgasm, but you don't really mind that much. This is partly because you just had sex, and partially because you're still slightly drunk. You decide to push your luck, Fluttershy's so beautiful and seems to like you so much.
"Hey Fluttershy, that toothbrush could be yours, if you wanted. I mean, if you wanted to live here, with me." Your heart sits on the top of your throat in anticipation. You try your best to contain it.
Fluttershy stops brushing and looks at you with her enourmous eyes. White foam hangs on the corners of her mouth. Tears seem to come to her eyes. She squints to keep them back, batting those long lashes, too. She carefully wraps her arms around your shoulders and hums, agreeing. You hug her tight around the waist, feeling every inch of her nude skin against yours. She's such an angel, here in your home, in your arms, your seed flowing out of her sacred hole and onto your favorite blanket. You don't care about the last part, the rest is too good to be true.
She lets you go and holds up a finger, then goes back to brushing, smiling gently. You decide to use the tub to rinse off your dick and go attempt to clean up.
With about a dozen tissues, all that remains of your coitus is a crusty stain that will wash out. Fluttershy catches you from behind when you to toss the wad, feeling your toned abdomen and pressing her breasts into your back. You feel a tired stirring in your groin and hold her face that rests on your shoulder. "Fluttershy," you whisper.
"John," she replies even softer.
"Wanna sleep on the floor with me? Just holding each other?"
Fluttershy slowly nods, rubbing her beautiful face on your neck. Her fragrant hair is soft and nice. "We can do it again, if you feel like it. I'm tired, but I still want you." She snakes one hand down to your semi-flacid member and softly rubs the underside with two fingers. "I want you, not just this."
You turn around and kiss her fresh mouth, passionately pressing your lips to the mintiness of hers. You break, a bead of saliva hangs between your close face as you stare into Fluttershy's beautiful eyes. "Fluttershy, I..."
Fluttershy stands on her toes and presses her lips to yours, briefly but firm. "How about we share a drink and snuggle, John?" |
The Canterlot Tails | Applejack | "Come on, you piece of..." you grumble to yourself. "I just put coolant in and changed the air filter. What more cou-"BANG! Thick white smoke billows out from under the hood of your wounded trans am. Your once fast and sexy ride is on its last legs. "Mother fucker." You pull over on the side of the dirt road and pop the hood. Again. You step out into the dry, sweltering heat. The tall grass to either side of the road waves at you, mocking your misfortune in the hot summer breeze.
You fan the smoke away and lean over the sick engine. "What's wrong with you this time, Jessie?" you ask yourself as much as your vehicle. You spend most of an hour trying to discern the cause of the trouble, the rest of it reliving your best night with her. A warm summer night overlooking Ponyville, a case of beer and your first love. You shift your uncomfortable length and slam the hood shut. You find no cause or fix for the trouble, just a dirty shirt and a dry throat. You wipe your hands again with a greasy bandanna, swallow the last of your warm water and remove your shirt. Jessie refuses to start, no surprise. You lock your door and begin your trek towards Ponyville.
After a three mile hike, you see a big red mail box next to a wide driveway. You tiredly slap it, the metal twang satisfying. You finally arrive at civilization, the residence of the "Apple" family, so say the orange letters on the mailbox. You turn and walk up the driveway, you're exhausted and have stopped sweating. You know that's a bad sign, but at least you're almost safe.
You spy the farmhouse at last, a large red building with green shutters and white posts supporting an awning over the porch. You wipe your brow, the back of your dirty hand sticks to your hot forehead. You lift your fist wearily to knock on the door three times. A cute little red-haired child answers within seconds, crayons in her hand.
"Uh, howdy mister. Can ah help ya?" she asks. She can't be more than twelve years old. She timidly averts her eyes from yours, looking at your shoes.
"A-" you try to speak, but you have no voice. You swallow painfully, your hot throat hurts. You cough hard and try again. "I'm Tristan, and my ca-ar broke down. Ca-ahem. Can I have some water, miss?" You hold your shirt up a little in front of you. "Please?"
"Sure, uh, mister Tristan." The little girl scampers inside. You stand in the doorway. You realize your shirt has been off this entire time, you slip it on hastily. The conditioned air wafting out of the entryway to the farmhouse is enjoyable. You notice that the inside is clean and modestly furnished. In the kitchen, you hear conversation in southern drawls. You take one step inside and spy the little girl with a big blue cup, followed by an elderly woman, likely her grandma or an aunt or something. "Granny said to invite you in," the tike tells you. "And my name's Applebloom, it's a pleasure to meet ya, Tristan."
"I try to teach her manners, and what does she do?" Granny, as she's called, pauses her speech and looks at you. "She leaves a thirsty stranger standing on my doorway! Why lookitya, yer face is as red as a plum dropped in red paint!"
She leads you inside, rambling on and on about how in her day, she would help an entire town if it meant she'd be worked to the bone and didn't get paid more than a ha'penny. Granny takes the cup and hands it to you, sitting you down on an old couch. Applebloom shoots you an apologetic shrug and skips off. You slurp greedily from the cup she gave you, water has never tasted so delicious. "Why, they made me walk ten miles, uphill, through ten feet of snow! If I had my w-well lookit! You WERE a thirsty drink ah water. Come, help yourself to the kitchen sink, sonny." Granny helps you up, unnecessarily, and points you to the kitchen. "Ah'll fetch little Applebloom to go an' git one of mah gran'kids out from the orchard. APPLEBLOOM!"
You hear the patter of feet as you drink from the cold tap, drenching your short black hair as well. Granny sends her to the orchard to find Applejack or Big Macintosh, little Applebloom's older siblings.
Instead of staying in and hearing tales of Granny Smith's past, you decide to venture out into the orchard after Applebloom. You follow a white fence in the heat of high noon for a while. The endless rows of trees to your right and the big red barn to your left located on the far side of the fence are quite a sight. You haven't ventured into Sweet Apple Acres, as Applebloom calls it. All your life, this nice place with plenty of work and shade has been hidden away in the hillside mere miles from your hometown. You feel tired in the heat, but the drink has definitely refreshed your body.
"APPLEJACK!" Applebloom cries out, running swiftly into the orchard. You pick your feet up and give chase. Soon, two figures come into view. One is a hulking mass of muscle, burly and wide. He appears to be carrying a large crate towards the barn. The other one is a thin, ladylike figure. She's standing near a tree and wiping her brow. While one forearm wicks away the sweat, her opposite hand holds a brown Stetson.
You slow from a quick jog to a lazy saunter. She seems tired, but not exhausted. Her plaid shirt is unbuttoned and tied in a knot, revealing her slender waistline. It, too, is glistening with sweat in the late morning sun. You try to not stare, but her abundance of curves and skin make that a very difficult task. To make things worse, or better, she doesn't realize you're in the vicinity. You watch Applebloom playfully walk in front of the fine woman and help her pick up apples. The full grown, gorgeous girl bends down to pick up apples as well. Her short denim shorts look ready to burst. Her ass is so tight in them, you witness her shorts rise up her toned, spotless legs. They ride high enough for you easily imagine the shorts on the grass instead of her ass.
You adjust your stiffening member in your jeans through your pocket and approach. You crouch down to pick up a delicious looking apple and place it in the basket. "Uh, hello?" you ask.
The blond girl looks up, her big green eyes are half lidded with boredom. They perk open slightly when they meet your eyes. Her small nose and feminine features are gorgeous.
She blinks twice, breaking her dumb gaze to pick more fallen apples. "I'm Tristan," you tell her. "My car, uh, it broke down three miles west on the road. I could use a tow, probably a mechanic after that."
She adjusts her hat and looks over an apple with a bruise. She shines and bites into the undamaged side.
"Name's Applejack." She stands straight and extends a hand. You take it, receiving an unexpectedly firm grip and shake. She takes another large bite and tosses the damaged fruit over her shoulder. Despite her perspiration, maybe even because of it, she has a very pleasant scent.
"Tell ya what, sugarcube," she says as she picks up the heavy basket with some strain. "Heft that other basket to the barn fulla apples and we'll get that car back. Applebloom, help him fill it up, won't ya?"
"Sure thing, sis!" Little Applebloom jumps at the command, scrupulously tossing only good apples into the wooden basket at the base of a nearby tree. You turn to help, but let your eyes linger, admiring the eye candy as it saunters away. You watch her shapely legs flex as she walks, her strong calves and thighs support her full, round ass. She's barely thirty feet away when your eyes vault up to her face, catching her sly eyes. She grins, then looks forward. Applejack sets the heavy load down, protruding her nice behind for you to admire. She caught me gazing, you think to yourself. Applejack caught me, and now she's showing off her goods?
Applejack stands and shakes out her sore fingers. She places her right foot to the side, as if she's posing for a photo. She cracks her knuckles and bends down again. Her tight ass looks so fine and full in those tiny denim shorts. She strains to lift the basket and continues
A heavy fruit splatters on your shoulder, breaking your stupor.
"Quit standin' around!" Applebloom picks and drops an armful of apples from the tree she's in. "We have to finish harvestin' the south field by sunset, get movin' already."
"Wow, seriously?" You wipe mushy yellow goop off of your t-shirt. "How many more trees do we have to go?" You curse yourself for admitting to share the work by saying "we".
"Big Mac said it would take the three of us all day. He's gonna work north from the fence, while me an' AJ work south from the side closest to the barn. Hey!" Applebloom drops heavily from the tree, landing hard. "Oof!"
"You okay, AB?" You kneel and offer your assistance.
"Ah'm fine!" She indignantly stands and brushes dirt off of her own shirt and pants. "Just lost my grip." She's tough, you think. At least she wants to seem that way.
"Anyway," she continues. "Ah was sayin' that we could probably be done in no time with you helpin'."
"I don't know," you tell her, trying your best to treat her as an equal, a coworker. "Seems like a lot of trees. And I have to go get my car towed."
You walk over to the over-filled bushel of apples. It looks heavy, but you're sure you can heft it to the red barn. You take a moment to gaze across the orchard. All of the trees to your right are bare of apples, but many of the ones on your left are dotted with bright red globes of sweet, fleshy fruit.
"We ain't gettin' any closer to done when you just stand around, get movin'!"
You heave the basket up, lifting with your legs. The barn seems farther than you remember. The rope handles sting even your hardened hands. You reach the barn, your hands red and your arms aching slightly. Just inside is Applejack, leaning on the wall and drinking from a canteen.
"Nice and cool in the shade, huh?" she asks you. "Want a swig?"
You wipe your forehead and take the canteen. You eagerly bring it to your lips. The scent of alcohol just touches your nose as you take a sip. The drink is sweet, like apple pie with plenty of cinnamon. You take a larger sip, then a gulp. The aftertaste is the only part that holds any flavor of booze.
"Hey, hey!" Applejack swipes the canteen from you quickly. "Apple moonshine ain't cheap to make, ya know."
You lick your lips and savor the lingering flavor. "You made that?" You can feel a faint wave of inebriation wash over your eyes as you wipe your mouth.
"Yup, this here's the last of the batch. It's the weakest part of the barrel, but the sweetest." She replaces the cap and slings the long leather strap over her opposite shoulder. She sets the strap so that it separates her large breasts under her shirt. The added definition is hard not to stare at. Up close, here in the hot shade of the barn, you can't help but to look over her amazing curves once more. Your eyes swiftly fall to her short denim shorts, they're unbuttoned and unzipped slightly. A small bit of blond hair is visible, she's not wearing any panites. Her flat stomach and smooth, hot and tanned skin looks fine and fun to touch. You can just make out a small pink nub, but Applejack shifts her feet together and stands straight.
"Hey, Tristan, eyes up here."
"S-sorry." You can feel your face redden. "You're fly's down, by the way."
"Dammit!" Applejack quickly fixes it. "Get yer ass in the house and look up a tow truck in the phone book."
You hastily make your way to the house, eager for something to take your mind away from AJ's fine body. She follows close behind, but passes you and ascends the stairs, leaving you to the yellow pages.
You find a company in Ponyville and give them a try on the old house phone. After frustrating negotiations and directions giving, Long Haul is on his way. You hang up, releasing a long-overdue snicker at the potential for a new adult film star name. AJ still hasn't come down the stairs, from her room, you presume.
You wait around for fifteen or so minutes, helping yourself to a drink and mulling over your automotive troubles. No matter what rabbit trail your mind meanders down, all paths lead to Applejack's body. The thought of her hot skin bare against your own, your body on top of hers makes your pants tighten. Her full, round breasts would yield to your fingers and your pectorals, her tired thighs would part just for you.
Time passes by at an agonizingly slow pace. God damn, you think to yourself. I could have walked to my car and pushed it here by now. You pace to redistribute the blood in your body. Your dusty shoes clack on the hardwood, accompanied by a faint pair of feet above.
A creek comes from the top of the stairs. Another, followed by a rhythmic thunder of practiced feet. Applejack flies down the stairs she's obviously descended millions of times before. She expertly lands at the bottom, lazily marching to the nearby kitchen.
"Find a tow, Tristan?" she asks as she leans one arm on the doorway, crossing one foot over the other. She looks the same as she did earlier. Her short shorts are still short, her shirt still revealing plenty of her naturally tanned skin.
"Yeah," you reply. "Ten minutes ago. What took you so long?"
AJ stands and walks to the phone, standing very close to you. "Just had to take care of somethin', don't worry. So, what are we gonna do? Walk to your car, wait for the tow, get it into town?" You smell a sweet fragrance floating from her. It's not sweat, not perfume, it's something much more natural and clean. You can't tell what it is, but it's enthralling.
You hastily collect yourself. You don't want to leave this place sooner than you have to, AJ is too fine to just let go. She hasn't hinted at a boyfriend, at least you couldn't tell. And she seemed honest.
"Actually," you say back. "If it isn't too much to ask, I'd rather have it dropped here. Then I could work on it and get it into town myself, save a few bucks. Know anything about Firebirds?"
Applejack crosses her arms under her breasts, lifting them slightly. She leans on the counter with her tight butt. You've never envied a flat surface more in your life. "I know plenty," she says. "Mah big brother knows some more about cars, though. I can change oil and then some, but that's about it."
"Well," you reply. "It threw up quite a bit of white smoke when it died on me. I'm thinking it's the carburetor or something. I don't know. How good is your brother with cars, anyway?"
Applejack rocks forward onto her feet. "I don't know," she says in a low, quiet voice. "Quite a bit, I'd wager." Applejack steps behind you, her lips extremely close to your ear. She chuckles lightly, then slaps your ass hard.
"Get movin'" AJ shoves you toward the front door. You catch yourself and turn to look at her. She's wearing a devious grin, but it's not malice on her face. It's mischief.
You smile modestly and continue forward. You turn forward, meeting a thick neck and a whiskered chin.
"Who're you?" a deep, manly voice questions. It belongs to a plaid-clad man whose physique exudes burliness. Paul Bunyan would be proud, save for the small beard.
You step back, your butt bumps into Applejack clumsily. The corn-haired guy uncrosses his arms and places them on his side as he raises an eyebrow. He stares down at you like a bouncer.
"My, my name's Tristan. Uh, my car broke down up the road about three miles, and Granny Smith and Applebloom let me in. I helped Applejack out in the fields for a bit. A tow trucks comin' out now, so we're go-"
"Ah heard y'all on the phone." He seems to relax a bit with your honesty. "Now," his voice seems a lot less defensive, now. "What's wrong with your Trans-am?"
"The, I think it's either the coolant or the carb. Not sure. Think you could take a look?"
"Ah know you could do it," Applejack interjects, appearing at your side. "We'll go and tow it here, you go and get to work finishin' up that harvest. If we can't get that done," Applejack glances to the living room, noticing Granny Smith snoring in the rocking chair. "Then the after-harvest party tonight is probably gonna suck." She finishes with jerking her head towards the back door.
AJ's big brother submits, walking between you two towards the kitchen. He grabs your sleeve firmly, pulling his head near yours. He whispers low to you: "You touch mah sis without consent, and ah'll make sure you're limpin' home. She'll probably do worse to ya herself. Somethin' like holdin' you by yer manhood and cuttin' off the rest of yer body. Clear?"
A right hook would be bad, but you definitely don't want to tarnish his honor or his sister's purity. "Crystal, uh," you trail off.
He stands straight and releases your sleeve, extending his huge hand toward you. "Big Macintosh." You shake his hand, grip his hand as hard as you can and shake. He easily matches your strength and then some. You set a degree of mutual respect, like an alpha male wolf to a fellow male.
"See ya in a few, Big Macintosh." You resist the powerful urge to shake out your hand as you turn for the door.
Applejack waits standing in the doorway. "He's not lyin' ya know. Come on, let's get steppin'." Applejack easily trots down the porch steps and saunters down the driveway. You slowly jog to meet her, matching her step on the path. Sun baked gravel crunches under your feet.
"How far down are ya, anyway?"
"Just a few, uh, miles."
The three-mile trek is long and hot, but you have plenty to talk about. An apple farm has many more interesting facets than one might imagine. You get a master class on proper harvest times, planting, techniques for yielding tasty, healthy, fertile fruit, and how to best harvest a field. You stow away a few tips, you are likely gonna use them later.
At last, you reach your car. It seems untouched. The black hood is scalding hot in the high noon heat. You unlock and open the door, reeling at the blast of cooked air rushes up into your face and nose.
"Jesus," you groan throatily. "How long did that walk take, AJ? Two hours? Three?" You pop the hood with a quick movement.
"Hmm," Applejack replies. "I'd say closer to one and a half, two."
"We're gonna be here a minute, then. Tow truck is gonna leave at noon, be here around one o' clock, probably."
Applejack tips her hat up to look at you."Did ya plan this down time, Tristan?"
"I, uh," you trail off, unable to hide a grin. You honestly hadn't, but what was one hour? Just one hour in the hot sun, the two of you alone, Applejack wearing barely two square feet of clothing, there wasn't anything wrong with that. She was already sweating, so were you. "No, I didn't. Why? You complaining that you get to wait instead of work?"
Applejack releases a pleased chuckle, smiling wide. "Well, when ya put it that way," she leaves the sentence hanging like a leaf on the wind. She slowly walks over to the driver side door, behind which you stand. She places her forearms on the top, leaning heavily into the glass with her large chest.
AJ reaches her face out towards you, less than a foot away. "Ya know, I caught you gazin' about a dozen times on the way here."
You gulp and avert your eyes. Her tone is extremely seductive, but that could easily be a trap. "Well, uh, you do have, ah how to put this." You scan the clouds for an answer. "You have a great fucking rack. Do you get me?" Your eyes meet and you await to meet your fate.
AJ's face is a mixture of shock and amusement. She pushes on the door and stands up straight, making her tits jiggle just the slightest bit. "Hay, at least you can be honest 'bout it," she replies nonchalantly. She pulls her chest to the door again, pressing her breasts without shame into the glass. She whips her long, braided ponytail over her shoulder and bites her lip, looking directly into your eyes.
"We got an hour, and a canteen fulla' moonshine." Applejack pulls the collar of her plaid work shirt open slightly. "And it sure is hot out. Mind if I take this off?"
"AJ, we're on the road! Anyone could come by and spot us!"
AJ takes off her overshirt, moving her chest under her tight, soft, and stained undershirt. "I don't think any car's gonna come by here anytime soon," she says in a faintly pleading tone. "We could go in the grass and make out, if you'd rather."
You glance toward the waving grass that mocked you earlier. Now, you wonder if this is the field's way of apologizing. It's a silly notion, but you grin at it anyway. "Fuck yeah," you tell her.
Applejack giggles throatily, making her way around your car door to you. She pulls herself on top of you as you lean back against the left rear quarter panel. Her big breasts heave under her tight green shirt. You watch and put your hands on her hips, pulling her waist to yours. Two of your fingers rest on her hot skin, just above the sexy slim waist of her incredibly short shorts. You want to slide your pointer fingers under her pants and slip them off, but you just trace the skin above her belt loops instead.
"God, I'm hot in this heat," AJ whispers in your face. "Take 'em off. Take all my clothes off, here and now. Or in the grass, I don't fuckin' care."
You look up into her eyes. Her expression is crystal clear, AJ's face is pained with surfacing anticipation. "I have a soft blanket in the trunk," you say back. "Let's take that into the grass. But first..."
You trail off, slowly kissing Applejack's lovely mouth. The soft and moist lips taste of sweet spiced apples. You can feel AJ's hot breath in your mouth every time you kiss her again, it is almost too much not to just grab her ass and pull her close to you. Applejack exhales hotly through her nose and falls into your arms. You find her tongue tracing the inside of your lips and force yourself to just tease it with yours. Your hands and groin ache to touch Applejack's naked body. You push on AJ's shoulder gently, breaking the kiss.
"Tristan, oh god." Applejack pauses to breathe hard. "Touch me, just touch me everywhere." She moves forward, pressing her big, soft breasts into your chest to kiss and suck on your neck. Her magnificent front compresses into your hard chest, the fine fabric of her thin shirt feels soft. Heat easily flows from her tits to your bare, sweaty chest.
She bites down gently, and your hands move to her lower back. One slides to her round, barely covered ass. Your fingers slip under her pants to feel her tight skin over the toned muscles. It's hot and damp with perspiration. You squeeze, gently at first, but then quite hard. Applejack gasps with pleasure, her mouth wide and panting over the bite marks.
Applejack looks over her shoulder, watching your fingers grope her slick skin. She fishes your hand out and raises herself up to eye level. She guides it to her waist, looking at you with her permissive eyes. Without a single word, you know she wants, needs more.
Your other hand slowly slides up underneath her shirt, gliding along her flat stomach. You reach one breast, cradled in a modestly sturdy bra cup. You give it a healthy squeeze, forcing a loud moan from the bottom of AJ's lungs. She's more horny than you could have anticipated.
You quickly pull Applejack's shirt over her head, exposing her tender, smooth skin.You ignore her hat as it tumbles into the driver seat.
She's breathing heavily, leaning her legs and hips against you. Her upper thigh presses on your stiffness fairly hard. The bra she's wearing looks to be bearing a heavy load. You lick your lips and move your fingers up her back.
Blindly, you fumble with the magic lock. AJ rests her head on your shoulder, panting softly. Her sweaty scent clouds your mind and hardens your manhood. Your slick fingers slide over the clasp repeatedly. You curse and brutishly use more force. Applejack pushes away and grins up at you.
"Maybe we oughta move now?" she suggests. "I promise, it'll be fun."
You silently nod assent. You reach inside the driver side door and open the trunk. Applejack bends down just as you stand up, taking her sweet, sweet time to retrieve her hat from the seat. Her round butt is sticking straight up at you, and you feel compelled to touch again.
You forsake judgement and give her quasi exposed cheek a hard pinch. Instead of yelping and jolting upright to rebuttal with a hard slap, AJ groans and supports herself on the steering wheel.
"Ah, save it, asshole." Applejack's response was much more playful. The risk had been well worth it. You decide not to push your luck.
In the trunk rests a thick, large blanket and various car accessories like jumper cables, a jack, some leftover coolant and other engine fluids, three spark plugs, a few decks of cards and your last stash of water bottles. You figure you can refill at the farmhouse, so you pull the last full one out.
You slam the trunk closed and heave the hot blanket over your shoulder. Applejack is idly watching the horizon while playing with a shoot of grass as you walk to the edge of the road.
"After you, AJ."
Applejack, shirts in hand, climbs over the barbed wire and disappears behind a wall of tall, waving yellow vegetation. Applejack leads you by hand only a dozen steps into the thick grass. Somehow, it's even hotter in the dry country jungle.
"Here's good enough, just flatten out this damn grass and let's lay down already." AJ commands, her voice irritated and anxious. She rests her hand on the front of her shorts, fidgeting with the button. You both take long swigs and kiss briefly, wetting your dry throats.
You hold up your blanket high and push forward, moving the high grass behind it. It's at least seven feet tall here. You manage to create your own plot of flat land to lay down on. Applejack happily helps you flatten everything by rolling around on the soft, hot blanket. She ends up underneath you, smiling up at your face.
You quickly peck her lips once. Then twice. The third time, she holds your head down and presses her lips firmly to yours. You waste little time slipping your tongue into her sweet mouth. Her tongue dances with yours, her hips also move and dig into your waist.
You roll over onto your back, enjoying the full weight of Applejack on your body. Her big breasts nearly spill out on their own. You try again at the clasp. Finally, you comprehend the contraption and her brazier slips off easily. Her great, round tits bounce as you lay back on the soft black blanket. Applejack giggles throatily as she watches you reach up to hold them. The full globes are really warm to the touch, they yield to your fingers, flowing around them as you squeeze. You take the left nipple between your pointer and thumb and pinch, hard. AJ shrieks briefly, stifling her pained pleasure.
The cloth wicks away some of your sweat, but not much of the odor. Applejack is so engrossed that she probably doesn't mind. She puts her palms down on either side of you for support and smiles, prompting you to continue. You take your right hand and pull Applejack's ass up so that she's sitting just above your waist. Your rigid cock is so close to her holy hole, you have to physically shake away images of injecting it into her slit. Her tits now hang down on your face, so you take the tortured nip into your mouth. You lick it once, then suck lightly. Applejack's hot moans entice you to suck a little harder, you can manage to flick the tip of her erect nipple with the tip of your tongue. You trace a pattern quickly around it, vaguely similar to the alphabet, and AJ can't hold back jittery laughter.
"Ah, ah! Th-hahat tihickles!" Applejack falls a little bit onto your face, her chest convulsing with hysteria. You let her breast out of your mouth with an audible "smack".
You lightly fondle her tits and catch your breath. "Whatcha think?" you ask her suavely. "How far are you rearin' to go?" You punctuate your question with an interrogative finger directly between her legs. Her femness radiates just enough heat through her jeans so that you can feel it with light pressure.
"I," Applejack attempts to respond, but her tight jeans pressing against her hot slit seem to delay her. "Ah, jesus, I don't know. I haven't even seen how big ya are." Applejack sits up and presses her groin into your lower torso with the weight of her strong, slender figure. "I haven't ever had a man, uh..." she trails off, looking away. "I've never had anything other than my fingers inside me."
You can't believe what you're hearing. Applejack, the strong, seductive, slender, sexy, super hot thing grinding on top of you, has never fucked before. Your dick is painfully hard, throbbing in your jeans, like an excited greyhound in the gate. "You've never had sex?" you ask her. "Haven't you ever had a boyfriend, or a girlfriend, or something?"
Applejack rolls onto her side, looking deflated and gazing into the sky. You immediately regret your abrasive tone.
"Ah had a crush back in high school, but..." She trails off again. "He left, right when things were gettin' nice. I really missed him, for the longest time, too." She laughs, dejectedly. "It's kinda silly." She rolls over, still gloriously topless, and looks at you."He's in the Wonderbolts, now. He never remembered my address, so he's never written." Applejack sits up, an angry expression on her face.
"He had my home phone on his cell, but he's never called. I mean, just who can' remember ten num-"
You shut her up with a finger to her lips. "AJ, he's probably some big-shot, now. You're wonderful, and I'm here." You pull her close enough so that you can feel her hot breath on your lips.
"You're right," she whispers. "It was just a crush, anyway."
You back off a little, staring down at her chest. Her full tits, those two perky nipples sticking out draw your attention away from winning her over. You grab one fully in your palm and lightly massage it. Applejack leans back on her straight arms and sticks her chest up.
You trace her slim belly down to her short denim shorts. The button would be so easy to undo, you think to yourself. I could just reach down, undo it, the pants are so tight, i bet it would come undone if I just did it myself.
Your free hand begins to move towards her zipper on its own. You quickly catch yourself and look up at Applejack's face. Her eyes are closed, her mouth hangs open slightly, breathing deeply. Her chest heaves as you fondle her breast lightly. They must be sensitive. You store that nugget of information away for future reference.
He's just a crush... That was what AJ had said last. Now was the time to tell her. Now was the time to seal her for yourself. "AJ?" your voice catches a tiny bit, but you let it stay in the immediate past.
She opens one eye and pants. "Y-yeah?"
"What're you doing tonight? I mean, after the sun goes down and the south orchard's all finished." You stop groping and move behind her. You could easily slide two fingers down and pleasure her, that thought stays in your mind vividly.
"Ah, uh," she says and wiggles around in your arms. "Well, this is a secret, but, my friend Pinkie Pie's fixin up a party in the barn. Me, Big Mac, Pinkie, some of her friends and I were plannin' on sellin' the last barrels of apple pie moonshine there. You're invited, of course, but don't let on to Applebloom or Granny. If she found out her twenty-year-old daughter were gettin' drunk on the farm, I don't think she'd spank me, but I'm sure she'd give me chores to do until I'm older than her."
The image of Applejack getting a vigorous spanking lingers in your mind. "Sounds great," you reply softly in her ear. "I can't wait for tonight."
"Yer gonna hafta help with the harvest, ya know," AJ retorts as your hands slide up to her big, round breasts again.
Fuck. You reluctantly accept that reality as you caress her from behind. "Gladly, Applejack. Do I have to pay for my share of moonshine, or can I just pay you in, touch?" Your right index finger glides straight down to her navel, following the slight dip in the center of her abdomen. You stop, circle around her belly button, squeezing her entire left breast at the same time. Applejack breathes deep and hard, moaning softly. Her smooth, sexy voice excites you even more. You slide your finger down to just above her pants. You can feel the smooth skin of her belly is hot, yet a miniscule bit rougher, she must have recently shaved.
You smile, lick your lips, grab her breast hungrily, lifting and moving it around, and slip your finger under her pants. You feel her soft panties rise over your fingernail, you're so close to her hot slit. There's no hair down there, not even bumps.
Applejack hotly, yet softly moans out your name. You kiss her neck and take the plunge. You bury your fingers deep into her pants. Your middle and pointer fingers encounter her soft, fleshy bump, you infer it's her clit from the way she flexes her legs and abs. Applejack relaxes and undoes the button of her pants, then quickly drops her zipper.
"Help me with my shorts, Tristan," AJ asks you, barely loud enough to be heard. She lifts her legs, her nicely shaped thighs stick up in the air like a practiced playboy model. You pick her up off of the blanket briefly to get her shorts up on her legs. Once they are to the knee, you circle around and swiftly pull them all the way off. You examine them, there is a large wet spot just below the zipper. You look back to AJ's flushed face; she's now in nothing but her small red panties. You admire her strong and submissive form. She's watching you with her big, curious green eyes.
You grin back and lick the wet crotch of her jean shorts. The strong, organic flavor is mildly revolting, but you don't care. In the heat of the moment, not to mention the day, the wet cotton tastes like the sweetest apples. You can't wait to dive under her panties and get a taste from the orchard.
Applejack giggles as you toss aside her pants and move your face between her legs. Her thighs are slick with sweat and other juices, so you tease her by lapping those up. Your dry throat now runs with saliva. Applejack moans excitedly as your tongue presses against her slit through her thin, soaked satin. You reach up and hastily pull them off, taking a long whiff and another lick for your own sake. Her scent is so strong, it's driving you bat-shit insane with lust.
Gently, you move back in and kiss the smooth skin just above her virgin vagina. Her soft petals glisten with sticky wetness, beckoning for you to try and enter. You can't hesitate anymore, you kiss the top of her cunt and continue down her slit. Applejack's heated moans fall away as she tosses her head back. You touch a finger to her lips and gently slide them apart, feeling for her clitoris. The hard nub is easy enough to find, so you slip your finger down her wet slit. With your tongue, you lick and tease her clit as you prod her tight entrance with your fingertip.
Your groin is aching for a chance to enter, it's been months since you've had a poke. Traveling hasn't granted regular opportunities to masturbate, either. It's been nearly a week since you've rubbed one out. You quickly adjust your dick with your free hand and concentrate on pleasing AJ. You bend your wrist and spread Applejack's soft pussy lips with two fingers, then lick her hot slit from the hole to the clit, using plenty of pressure. As planned, Applejack cries out briefly with extreme pleasure. Her pussy secretes just a little more fluid. You massage up and down with two fingers, then spread her lips again. Your tongue travels heavily up and down three times. Applejack is panting now, it's obvious she really wants more than to feel every wet, glorious bump of your tongue.
"Ready, AJ?" You peer up, then a bit higher to see over her heaving chest. She nods assent, her big green eyes are even cuter when her face is crimson.
You return to her wet petals, gently parting them with two fingers again. You tickle her entrance with the tip of your tongue and slowly push it inside. Her cunt is so tight, it squeezes hard around your tongue. You force it to go in, as deep as you can. Her fresh fluids hang onto your taste buds and her scent shoots straight up your nose to your brain. Your vision fades slowly to white, you just go crazy inside her, licking and tasting her insides with your tired tongue.
Applejack's cry breaks your fury. Her hips are flexing, and she looks close to climax. You open your eyes to see that the black blanket has a little wet puddle on it, and AJ's cunt is contracting sporadically in pre-orgasm.
Your jaw is completely exhausted, but you don't care. You open wide and suck her pussy lips inside your mouth, her pussy squirts a little bit of orgasmic fluids into your mouth.
"GAH! Tristan, I'm, I'M COMING!! Ah, OH GOD!" You penetrate firmly with two fingers, turn your wrist so your palm is pointing up and massage with your fingertips vigorously. Her g-spot is difficult to find, especially through the haze you're still climbing out of. Soon enough, however, you find it.
Applejack cries out in pleasure again, but her clitoral orgasm has plateaued just before the peak. Her cunt is hot and extremely wet, exuding copious amounts of juices. Wetness flows down your forearm. You press up and rub her g-spot faster and harder. The little bulge is growing inside of her. Your fingers are beginning to fatigue, but AJ's nearing her limit. You're sure a quick pinch on her clitoris will send her sailing into orgasmic release, but you want to make her very core cum. Hard.
"What, ah, whatever you're do-doing, do-don't st-stop! DON'T ST-STOP! Ah, oh god that's good. I'm, ah, I'M GONNA CUM, ah FUCK!" Applejack pants, shivering in the hot heat. "Fuck, god fucking, GAH! T-TRISTAN, MAKE ME CUM!!"
You resist the urge to just bite her clitoris and be done with it, the noises she's making are too cute. AJ's exasperated moans fly all around, fading into the waving grass around you. You thrust your two fingers as deep as they'll go, draw them back quickly and push them back in. You do this a few more times while AJ hovers just under the threshold. Your fingers stop on her hardening bulge inside her soft, wet cunt. You pinch and play with her orgasmic button until she seems close to bursting.
"OOOAAAAAAAH! FUCK! FFFUUUUUUUCCK!!!" Applejack finally explodes, showering your forearm and thick blanket with feminine ejaculate. Her hips seem to lose control, her thighs flex and open wider than before. AJ's abs tense up, and her contorted and screaming face would be looking down if her eyes were open. Several successively smaller squirts spurt out, and you cannot resist opening your mouth and catching a mouthful. The liquids taste vile, yet extremely erotic. You spit it into the grass and rub your jowls with your wet hand.
Applejack rubs her red and wet cunt with four fingers in a circular motion and looks up to you, a big, dim smile on her face.
"That was fucking amazing, Tristan," AJ hoarsely coos to you. "I don't wanna know where you learned how to do that, just as long as you do it to me again."
You smile back, just watching her cool herself down. Her pussy looks perfectly fuckable, you just want to whip it out and penetrate Applejack.
Before you have time to act on that thought, AJ gets up and kisses your mouth. Your lips mingle briefly until Applejack makes a soft "mmm" noise and inserts her tongue into your mouth. She briefly explores your mouth, but pulls away shortly.
"Reminds me of Dash," AJ mutters, wiping her chin. You long to kiss her mouth again, push her down and lay your weight on her and penetrate. You move closer to kiss again, but a faint rumble makes Applejack perk up. You ignore it, and instead kiss her cheek, move down to her neck and grab one breast.
"Shh! Stop, Tristan! Ah, D'ja hear that?"
You nod, breathe heavily onto her shoulder and lick her hot, sweaty skin. "Yeah, I heard it."
"Stop it already! I think the truck's comin'!" Her southern drawl is so sexy to you, her words are almost just a soothing, sexy song in your ear. Your primal brain steps aside to let you process the situation, and you sit up as well.
"Fuck! We gotta get dressed." You kneel in front of AJ and search for her clothes. Her hat, shorts, bra and shirt are all found immediately, so is your shirt.
"Where's my underwear?!" Applejack asks hysterically.
"They must be in the grass somewhere, just go commando, we don't have time!"
Applejack slips on her bra and shirt hastily. How her big breasts don't just tear the shirt to ribbons is beyond you. Her soft shirt is so tight it looks like she was born in it. You remember she had an over shirt, and she quickly finds that as well.
"Fuck me, I don't have a choice, do I?" Applejack whines as she slips on her shorts. You relish the image of her pristine pussy sliding into the cover of her skin-tight shorts. If they were made of nylon or some elastic material, you are sure they'd show her lips perfectly.
You and AJ hastily fold up the stained blanket and you hoist it on your right shoulder. You step to the road through the tall grass and over the fence just as the tow truck stops behind your vehicle.
* * *
A large bead of sweat falls from your brow and onto the earth inside the barn. Your palms are rough and red from hefting rope-handled baskets all afternoon. After Big Mac confirmed that the distributor cap had indeed been split, you happily agreed to work for the rest of the day for a free meal and bed.
Your job in the harvest was primarily hauling apples. Applejack and Big Mac would shake and pick the fruit from the trees, Applebloom would help with making sure all the good apples were in the right baskets. The close siblinghood brings a very warm feeling to your gut, and AJ's tight body brings a hot feeling to your groin. The mind-numbing manual labor makes the hours drone on, causing the orange sunset to surprise you with its arrival.
You lean your bare shoulder on the frame of the barn door and just look down over the gently rolling orchards. The south field is completely finished, all but one basket you left for Applejack to finish. You spot her now, sweaty and breathing hard, making her way up the slope toward you. Her arms are flexing, hefting the extra-full bushell.
You wave at AJ from a ways away. "Need any help, Appleja-"
"Nope," she replies quickly. "I c'n get it. This here's the last bushell." You stand up and feel the breeze cool your sweaty skin. You notice Applejack's face redden when her eyes meet yours. She averts her eyes and smiles, stealing a few looks at you as she walks up. You feel more secure in your appearance, seeing as AJ's noticeably interested. Maybe the explosive orgasm earlier has her hooked, you can't decide.
You follow her into the barn. A stack of barrels serves as a makeshift bar, complete with many stacks of red plastic cups. Tonight's party is ready to serve hundreds, but AJ said that only a few dozen at most will show. You're tired, so you hope that's the case.
"How many barrels do you plan on selling, anyway?" you ask AJ.
She straightens up and scratches her head. "Between four and six, I think. I don't plan on sellin' 'em all, gotta keep a reserve through the winter to sell at a mark-up, and a personal stash."
She was quite the salesperson. The first batch would go by quick, people would stock up some. Before long, however, people would crave more liquid pie and be back. It would make a great holiday gift, so drunks undoubtedly needed a jar for their loved ones. "Alright, I guess." You hop up onto a barrel and rest your legs. "Sun's goin' down, when's the party start?"
Applejack laughs playfully and saunters toward you. "Not for a bit. Pinkie's still gotta show up with the gue-"
"HAY, AJ!" A bouncy and voluptuous woman with crazy pink curls yells from the barn door. "And, uh, AJ's friend!" She gasps and skips inside. "I haven't seen you for years! How are ya? Huh? Is it, Trent? No! Tyler? Nah, Tim! It's Tim, right?"
You remember her from your last time in Ponyville. She's Pinkie Pie, one of the best partiers. If she's here, you can't wait for the party to kick off. "Close, it's Tristan."
"AAAHH!" Pinkie Pie looks genuinely disappointed. "I woulda had it if you didn't give me a hint! Now, what are youuu doing in Ponyville? Or, Sweet Apple Acres, I suppose, hee hee!" She's exuding jubilation at this point.
"My car broke down this morning, so I've been working all day here, hauling in apples. So, Pinkie, where's the party?"
Pinkie's excited, gigantic eyes close halfway, showing off a thick layer of eye shadow. "Hmm, I thought the fun was just coming up from ponyville. But now I think a big hunk of fun was waiting for me here." Her eyes work over your naked torso, bringing a genuine blush and an exaggeratedly seductive smile on her cute face. A figure appears at the door, stopping the interrogative dead on arrival.
"Hiya, Fluttershy! Hey, John, how you two doin'? Ready to party?!" Pinkie Pie litterally jumps at them, holding the couple in her arms from behind. "AJ and Tristan are gonna serve up some real liquor! Aren'tcha?"
"Heh, sure are, Pinkie Pie," Applejack replies in her modest southern accent. "Y'all are covered, but don't share. I gotta buy materials for next year's batch, after all." AJ moves to your immediate right and leans her elbows back on the barrel next to you. From your vantage point, you can easily see down her buttoned plaid work shirt. Her breasts are bare underneath, but a glance would betray the truth; they're still perky despite their size.
"Really?" a timid voice says. You look up quickly, cursing yourself for staring in front of company. "That's so nice of you, Applejack. I mean, I appreciate it and everything, I really do..." The strikingly beautiful girl's voice fades into nothingness. She shies away into the guy's arms, John, you remember.
Then it hits you: he's your best friend from elementary school. His slender body is a far cry from his pudgy appearance in the fifth grade.
You throw your sweaty shirt back on and greet him. John recognizes you after a moment, and you happily share tales of adventures past. From exploring the ditch behind your old house to leaving to Canterlot for college, you share vivid and life-changing stories. Fluttershy leaves after a bit to mingle or something, and she instantly becomes the token of conversation. You find his story of a one night stand turned into a fruitful, sexy relationship hard to believe. Either way, he's doing well, and you hope your night ends much the same.
Before you know it, the music is pumping and pretty annoying, and you realize that you haven't had a drink. At some point, a stereo was set up without you noticing. You've been so engrossed in conversation, you're startled by Applejack when she shows up with a small jug in her hand and a sway in her step.
Applejack's friendly smile has since turned slightly more pleased as more and more people trickle in. Some chairs and various party accessories are set up and occupied around you. A few faces are familiar, yet off. It's been years since you've been in Ponyville.
At least thirty, maybe forty party goers are in the large, loud barn, years older since you've last seen them. You recognize a few, yet no one recognizes you.
"Here, sugarcube, on the house." Applejack leans on you and hands you a glass jar full of liquid that looks like cider. You carefully take it and have a sip. It tastes just like fresh apple pie, if pie were in the form of cider. A strong, minty and volatile aftertaste stings your throat, this is pretty strong stuff. You hope no one drove here.
"Oooh, that's strong. How much alcohol is in this AJ?"
Applejack snickers and rests both hands on the back of your shoulders. "Enough. Hay, Tristan. Ya look, you look kinda tired. Wanna take a load off? I know a nice appletree we could sit under." Applejack has obviously dipped into her own barrel a bit. She's not too drunk, however.
"Sorry, John, I'd love to hear about how that cartoon's goin'. Buuuut, I guess I got a jar of moonshine to drink and a tree to sit under." Applejack giggles and looks over your shoulder at John, who's smiling widely. "It was great catchin' up, though. I'll see ya some other time."
"Sure," John says back. "Since you're staying here in Ponyville, I'm sure I'll run into you again. Take it easy, drink responsibly."
"Sure, mom," you retort, as per the usual way you used to interact. You look forward to rekindling a long dormant friendship, but you look forward to penetrating AJ's tight pussy even more. Besides, you could catch up tomorrow.
You turn to the left to leave with Applejack, but Pinkie Pie blocks your path, wearing a very sexy tube-top. Her delicious curves are exposed, and her shirt leaves little to the imagination. "Hey, you two." Her party voice has been replaced by a playfully seductive one. "Heehee, wanna party? Just you, me, Applejack, a quiet hill out in the moonlight, plenty of screaming. Just us!" As she talks, her heavy steps make her tits bounce wildly. "I can keep a secret if you two can." She's now directly in front of you both, her hands on your shoulders.
Up close, her waist is much more sexy than you first remember. Hers is not quite as flat and tight as Applejack's stomach, but still sexily contrasts her wide hips and her large breasts. Pinkie Pie takes the jar from your hand, touching your fingers clumsily, and takes a long draft of your moonshine. A fair amount dribbles down her chin and trickles down her long cleavage line. You look over to Applejack, she's licking her lips hungrily.
"Ah! Ya know, AJ? That's GOOD!" Pinkie's silly speech is slightly sluggish. "Mmm," Pinkie licks her lips and closes her eyes. Applejack looks to you, catching your eyes. Her face is as red as the barn doors behind Pinkie Pie. "Well? What do you two think?" Pinkie Pie stands with her chest out and hands on the hem of her skirt.
"Uh," you hesitate. "I, uh, should ask AJ."
Applejack turns and you make a little huddle so Pinkie can't hear. "Tristan, I gotta lick up that moonshine on her tits, I just gotta!" Applejack quietly screams to you. "I know girls shouldn't be into each other and all, but I need to get that shirt off. It'd mean a lot if you came and we all had, uh, a nice time and such." Applejack's face is a deep, deep red. "I, uh, I really wanna pick up where we left off today, too." Applejack's eyes dart around nervously at that remark.
"Okay, so it's settled. We both wanna have some sort of threesome with Pinkie?"
Applejack nods and moves a hand from over your shoulder to your belt. "Heheh, yup. I never got to see your prick either, Tristan."
"OOOH! Oh, how long is it?!" Pinkie's large right breasts presses into your shoulder as she peers over your arm. "No wait! I wanna be surprised! Oooh, the suspense is killing me." She put's a slow infliction into the word killing.
"Uh, I guess you'll find out, heh, if you wanna."
Pinkie Pie simply nods, in time with the throbbing music. Her hair flails about with her headbanging, you notice now that the metal playing was actually pretty heavy. You join in, on a whim.
"YEEEAAAH!" Pinkie Pie's high wail is almost akin to the early Slayer, but she's far too happy about it.
"Tom Araya would be proud, Pinkie!" The other guests are either jumping and flailing around the speakers or sipping far from them. Where you stand is someplace in between, nearer to the door.
"Who now?"
"Ah, never mind. You know Slayer, righ-"
"We goin' or what?!" Applejack interjects. "I mean," Applejack quietly rebukes, walking to Pinkie Pie. The wild pink-haired babe graciously accepts Applejack's arms around her waist. "I just don't want you to spill any o'that moonshine on the dirt. You know, wastin' my special brew and whatnot." AJ bends her neck to Pinkie's soft skin above her breast and kisses it. She kisses again, lower and closer to the cleavage line. Applejack licks up between Pinkie's tits up to her collar bone.
"Mhmm! AJ, that tickles!"
Holy fuck.
"Mmm, mmmm! I c'n taste that bit you spilled earlier. Hay, wanna spill some more on yourself, out in the grove down offa the south orchard?" Applejack isn't being very shy with her approach. Several onlookers giggle and point. You notice a pair of ladies in sexy dresses hug each other close and whisper themselves. The blonde one giggles and kisses the other with plenty of tongue.
"You better believe it, cowgirl. Let's bring your friend out there, too. I'm sure he's a ton of fun on a hot cross bun." Pinkie Pie and Applejack move as a unit up close to you.
"After you, ladies." Pinkie giggles and shares a swig with you.
The midnight air is warm and sweet on the late summer wind. A bright moon illuminates the orchards beautifully. The leafy trees dance on the breeze, the only sound is the beating bass in the barn and a soft rustling of grass and branches. Applejack takes you by the hand, and Pinkie follows you by yours. You walk a mile or so to a little bunch of trees on the top of a hill on the edge of the orchard. Applejack leads you through a small path to a calm, quiet clearing. Here, the grass is thick and green, the trees encircling the patch are tall and strong.
"How romantic!" Pinkie Pie skips into the center and stands straight, her feet double the width of her shoulders. "Oh, the moon! It's so bright tonight. Did you two plan this?"
"Nope," AJ answers. You shake your head. "It's my little slice of heaven, I come here any night or day I wanna get away. This is the first time I've shown this place to anyone besides me or Rainbo-er, dammit, Rainbow Dash." Applejack walks to the center of the circle. Her long, strong legs are illuminated as she does so, her tanned skin glows a bright, healthy orange. "I come here when I get lonely, too."
AJ grabs Pinkie's waist as she says so, pulling her close. They share a slow, passionate kiss. Your manhood stiffens at Applejack's moaning. You walk behind them both and put both hands on AJ's waist, then slide down to her tight ass.
"MmmmAH!" Applejack looks over her shoulder at you, her face red in the moonlight. "I almost dropped the jar, asshole!" Pinkie Pie kisses AJ's shoulder, moving her own hands to Applejack's ass.
"Ah, let's get these off, AJ. I'm so horny right now!" Pinkie Pie hurriedly asks her. "Mmm, you're so hot, AJ!" Pinkie falls to her knees and quickly undoes Applejack's pants and slides them down. Pinkie's eye's bug out when she see's AJ's bare lips. You slide Applejack's over shirt off, then her undershirt. She's standing naked in the moonlight, you fondling her amazing breasts from behind as Pinkie plays with her pussy.
"J-jeez, you two," Applejack moans hotly. "Oh, god, oh my god, Pinkie, just, ah, right there! Ah!" You pinch both her nips hard, pulling away from her center. Applejack cries out, her whimpering voice fading as you relent.
"Fuck this," you say. Your rock-hard cock is pained with it's confinement. Applejack whines when you stop, but not displeased, thanks to Pinkie Pie. You stand back and take your shirt off, then your jeans.
"Mm-woah! Now THAT'S a dick!" Pinkie giggles and looks at your member from the other side of AJ. "Applejack's all nice and wet for ya, Tristan. So tasty, too. Mmhmm! One more lick!"
"Ah!" Applejack doubles over with both hands on Pinkie's pink curls. "Oh my god, Pinkie!"
You stand directly behind Applejack with your penis resting on her back. She jumps up once she feels your tool on her, but a look of understanding anticipation washes over her crimson face.
'Lemme kneel down first, alright?" Pinkie is now laying on her back, staring up at Applejack's naked body, herself still clothed. She clamores out and strips herself, looking on as you prepare to penetrate from behind.
You feel between AJ's thighs, finding her leaking slit. "God, you're like a waterfall, AJ." Applejack pants on her hands and knees as you play with her. You slide a finger deep inside her and feel every inch of her hot, wet cunt. You stop and circle her g-spot, kick-starting her orgasmic climb. "So easy to please, too."
Pinkie Pie appears under your legs, peering up at Applejack's drenched pussy. "Oh, oh my. That's hot." She reaches up and plays with AJ's lips, you also notice her shoulder undulating. You infer from Pinkie's grin and ragged breathing that she's masturbating herself at the same time. "Oh, AJ, I'm so jealous. Tristan's, ah, Tristain's hung like a horse. I bet you'll cum like, three times. Minimum." Applejack just moans nervously.
"It's alright, AJ," you say, trying to sooth her. "I'll be gentle. At first." You take your rigid member in your hand and just barely touch the tip to AJ's pink pussy lips. Applejack whimpers a little, partly from anticipation, partly from nervous energy leaking out. Pinkie grins wide and gently grabs the base of your cock from below. She simultaneously strokes it and guides it into Applejack's wetness.
"E-easy now, ah, the head's so wide!" Applejack gasps in response to your girth pushing its way inside. AJ's tight pussy lips suck your head inside, inch by inch. Slowly but surely, most of your shaft is enveloped inside Applejack's body.
Pinkie Pie's moaning is nearly as loud as Applejack's when you begin to pump back and forth, driving your piston deep and hard inside AJ's virgin hole. Her wet vagina has yielded to much of your length, squeezing unbelievable tight so far, but you encounter her maidenhead, she's a real virgin!
"I, I can feel it, AJ! God, you want me to break it? It might hurt." Applejack collapses onto Pinkie's lower body, bringing you clumsily with her. The both of you land in a pile, your member still nestled deep inside.
"S-sorry!" Applejack blurts out. You carefully slide out, amazed that you're unharmed and wondering if AJ and Pinkie are okay. "I just got tired, I've been workin' all day, an' all." Applejack stands carefully and helps you up.
"You guys done, yet?" Pinkie Pie just lays on the ground, bored, watching.
"Sheesh, Pinkie! No patience. Here, Tristan, lie down, let me ride that stallion you're packin'." Applejack guides you down onto your back, permitting you grab her round ass for help. Applejack stands on her knees, her hot hole directly over your rigid cock.
Pinkie Pie sits up, wearing nothing at all. She's feeling her heaving breasts and pink pussy lips with her fingers, looking on as Applejack mounts you.
"Just allow me, Tristan." Applejack slowly descends onto your rock-hard cock. Her soft lips press on your sensitive skin, they're just as wet and hot as before. The part a bit, allowing an inch, then two, then four inside.
"Uh, guys?" Pinkie Pie says.
"What?" You respond. "You wanna get some, too?"
"Duh!" Pinkie hops over and bends down to kiss your lips. She clumsily sucks your bottom lip and passionately slips her tongue into your mouth. Her sweet saliva lingers on your taste-buds when she hops up and turns around. She suggestively giggles and kneels over your face, facing Applejack, who has impaled this whole time. "Make me purr, baby. Make me explode like you made Applejack!" Pinkie Pie wiggles her glistening petals over your mouth.
You gladly pull her ass down to your mouth, her scent is extremely overwhelming. You lose most of your sense of your surroundings. Pinkie's pungent pussy and the tight virgin squeezing your dick make everything sort of unreal.
You plunge into Piinkie's pussy right away, tasting her sex juices and feeling her hips flex and hearing mixed moans from a distance. Applejack picks up the pace, grinding up and down at a swift rhythm. Her cunt is drenched. Time after time, you feel AJ's hymen, and it hurts some when you impact it. You blindly feel around for her legs, finding her upper thighs, and pressing down. You can just make out a sharp cry as she lowers more weight down.
Applejack accepts your entire length with a little thud, you did it! You deflowered this virgin, a pure and honest, gorgeous blond woman. It was somewhat painful, her landing, but it must have been much more so for her. Pinkie Pie sits up off of your face to help her. There's not much to help, now. You feel a trickle of sticky, warm blood flow down your inner thigh. She's not pure anymore, she's yours.
"Holy shit, Applejack! You alright?" Pinkie has a tone of genuine care in her voice. She's very worried for AJ's first time, she wants her to be happy, obviously. "I've never came blood before! Well, I got horny on my period once, but that's another story I don't think you care so much for. Anyway, how are you?" Her chipper voice turns morose with concern. "Did it hurt? Did it feel good?"
You look down, er, up, really, to see Applejack wincing with pain. She sits up slightly so only your head is inside. "Y-yeah, I'm fine. That was," AJ wipes her brow and smiles triumphantly. "That was the best thing ever. Oh, god, I need to go deeper.
"YAY!" Pinkie Pie shouts and hugs Applejack close, pressing both pairs of large tits against each other. "AJ's not a virgin anymore! Hey, Tristan? How did it feel? Huh?"
"Pinkie, shut the hell up and sit on my face."
"Yes, sir!" Pinkie holds her tush out again, and again you bring her fragrant fuck-hole to your face. You slide your tongue in deep and pump your hips up. Applejack makes a sort of whine and falls into your rhythm. She takes over soon, she has a better position to lead. You hear the sound of lips smacking, a wet cunt getting pounded, and a pair of deep moans.
You idly grope Pinkie's ass in one hand and push on AJ's thigh with the other. She puts her hand on yours, then begins riding faster. Her tight twat sucks your manhood deep with every fall and rise. Each time, your head finds a new barrier: her cervix. Your cock fills her up completely.
"Mmah! Ah, oh god, I'm gonna, I'm getting close, Tristan." Applejack grinds harder and faster on top of you, moving her hips in a really sexy way. Pinkie just giggles and keeps lightly bouncing on top of you.
Applejack keeps going faster, completely in control. You let her ride and focus on Pinkie's pink. Deep inside, you feel every bit of her pussy with your tongue. You open your jaw wide and take her reddened lips into your mouth. Pinkie Pie laughs uncontrollably when you suck and tick on her slit. "Th-that feels soo good, Tristan. Oh, th-that's the spot! Oh, yeah!" Pinkie Pie leans back so your tongue can more easily touch her g-spot. "GAH! Oh, god, don't make me cum just yet, keep me waiting, torture me by not letting me explode! FUCK!"
"Ah, ah, oh, T-Tristan!" Applejack's hips convulse slightly, she's only partly in control of herself. "Fuck me! God, just fuck me hard, pound me harder!" AJ leans forward, putting her hands on Pinkie's thighs. What's sad is that you're not sure if you can outlast her. The increased weight on Pinkie pushes her cunt harder into your face, making Pinkie moan audibly. AJ uses her leverage to pull her ass into the air, then drop it down. She picks her ass up again, and slams down, driving your cock deep again, then again.
"I'm so, so close!" Pinkie Pie's hips shudder, her wet cunt twitches and contracts a bit around your tongue. Your jowls are tired again, but you fight on. "NO! N-NO-OT Y-YET!" You can't pull your face away, it's hard to get your face out her slit, let alone breathe. Pinkie Pie's hips flex, she's trying as hard as she can just to lift her cunt out of your face, but a trickle flows down onto your forehead.
"Pinkie, just finish already!" It's all you can do to hold back your own climax. Applejack is sitting upright now, just letting your thrust upward, as deep inside her as possible. You seize the chance to watch her absent face and bouncing tits. AJ's completely absorbed with pleasure.
Pinkie adjusts and sits up as well. You enter again deliberately. Pinkie's vagina tastes so sweet, you eagerly lap up her excess juices. "Ah, Tristan, you're so gooood." Pinkie Pie has fallen into a hot trance as well. Her lips flex and twitch reflexively as you lick her g-spot. Her scent, her deep moaning, AJ's tight cunt and bouncing tits and vacant expression are all piling up on top of your own sensations. You feel your rigid cock ready to shoot a shower of thick, pent-up seed at any second.
Pinkie kisses Applejack with blind passion, her hips convulsing uncontrollably. AJ begins to move her hips up and down, going faster and faster. Your groin aches, your cock is sliding quickly in and out of AJ's tight, wet pussy. She just keeps slamming down, swallowing your entire shaft, only to pull it out to the tip and fall again. The most ultimate sensation washes over your core. You can't hold back any longer.
You arch your back, exhale into Pinkie Pie's cunt and thrust your hips up and holding Applejack in place instinctively with your hands. At last, the floodgates open and torrents of thick, hot semen spurt into AJ's cherry. You feel your entire shaft shoot load after load, two, three, five, seven, you lose count how many ropes of white cum you launch. You relax and fall to the ground and the girls fall heavily on top of you. Applejack catches herself somewhat gracefully, put Pinkie yelps and falls over.
The three of your pant hard, you suddenly are aware of a stinging pain in your jaw and hips. Applejack slumps forward, hugging your chest tiredly. You are eager to let her and just lay still for a moment, rubbing her back and feeling her large breasts press into your hard chest. She gasps, and her eyes go wide. Pinkie Pie is crouching behind her, all you see is her torso and her fingers grabbing AJ's round ass.
"That was a-freaking-MAZING!" Pinkie Pie giggles and bends over behind AJ, spooning her close. She reaches around and gently grabs Applejack's breasts. "You know you got cum in you, right? Ya probably wanna get that out." Pinkie Pie rolls over and lays right next to you, but stares into AJ's soft green eyes from point-blank range. She whispers: "Can I suck it all out?"
You can't hold back a laugh. Pinkie snickers, then joins you, at least twice as loud. "No, no no no! I was totally serious, though! AJ, can I cuck Tristan's cum out? There's already so much on the ground, I mean, I bet you have plenty in you still."
AJ sits up, you can still feel your semi-flaccid cock inside, a milky substance flowing around it. "Uh, I guess," she responds, her first words in a while. "But, uh, why do you wanna taste it? Is it, is it good?"
Pinkie jumps up and sits on her knees, she's really cute when she's nude, you think. Applejack still has a much more appealing, earthly and modest radiance about her, making her the more beautiful, simply. "You bet, AJ. It's kinda salty, kinda gooey, and great when it's hot and mixed with vag juices. Now get up slowly when I say so, and I'll make sure you two don't have to worry about the price of diapers." Thankfully she leaves it as plain as that.
"Holy fuck! There's sooo much cum on the grass, oh my god!" Pinkie Pie giggles and starts playing with small handfulls, the thick, off-white goo falls off her fingers in thin strands. "Still steamy!" She catches a strand on her tongue and holds it there. Applejack looks over her shoulder between your legs in horror. You sit up yourself to look.
The sight makes you feel suddenly dehydrated. A pool of thick semen coats the grass under AJ's ass. You've impressed women before with big loads, but this time, you astonish yourself.
"I didn't think your cock would be such a cum cannon!" Pinkie's voice is a desperate treble. "AJ, you better hop off.
Carefully, AJ stands on her knees, her dripping slit over Pinkie's face. Pinkie Pie puts her hair in the cum and shamelessly catches every thick drop from AJ's pussy. Applejack flexes her core muscles and pushes a large bit more out, nearly filling Pinkie's mouth with more hot cum and female ejaculate.
Pinkie Pie clamps her lips shut and lifts her head before it's all done, getting cum on her eyelids. All she can do is hum, so she hums away hysterically. Pinkie leans back on her hands and gulps loudly. "Slimey, yet satisfying. Thanks for that, Tristan."
"Eh," her enthusiasm for DNA puts you off a bit, even if it is kinky as fuck. "Glad you like, uh, me."
"Yeah, you must have been holding that back for weeks, or months!" Pinkie Pie burps and falls back, her hair sticks to her shoulders and the grass.
Applejack laughs tiredly. "I c'n get the rest, Pinke. Jesus, you came a ton, Tristan." Applejack stands up all the way and inserts two fingers inside her milky pussy. She pulls out glob after glob of thick cum. Once it seems as if she's as clean as she can get, AJ timidly takes a lick. Her face turns to a grimace, then a shy grin. "Must be an acquired taste, I gue-"
"What are you getting at?!" Pinkie Pie sits up and inquires furiously. Her facade fades quickly, and she grins, then bursts out laughing. "Ha ha, I suppose, AJ. Well? You gonna acquire a taste for thick, sticky, hot cum?" Pinkie licks her lips and puts on a pouty frown, strands of jizz bridge both of her upper cheeks and eyelashes. "Come on, AJ, take another taste. Really savor it."
You can't believe your ears or your eyes. Applejack gets down and licks your cock clean, twirling the sticky sperm on her tongue. She holds it in her mouth and moves it around. "Mm, eh's sorda saldy, and id feels, really weird." Pinkie Pie giggles when AJ swallows. "That's not, well, so bad. Kinda gross, but not horrible." Pinkie sits up next to her and kisses her, firmly pressing their lips together. They make out for a short while, moaning and lightly groping each other.
At last, AJ breaks it and stands up. "I'm gonna go rinse off in the stream, you two wanna come?"
"I gotta take a piss, then I'll join you girls."
Pinkie Pie hops up, too. "Sure, AJ. We're both pretty filthy."
Applejack puts her hat back on and leads Pinkie Pie down a little path, so you take the chance to piss on the edge of the grove. Your sack aches with fatigue, but you massage it and the pain fades. You leave your clothes behind, but grab the jar of moonshine and head down the same path.
The dirt trail winds downhill, the roots and rocks dig into your heels. You come across a beautiful scene: Applejack is washing your seed from Pinkie Pie's hair and body with small handfuls of cold water in the moonlight. They stand, ankle deep in a quiet moonlit glade, with a small waterfall and green vegetation. Pinkie's round nipples pucker as the water flows over them. She breathes deeply and massages her large, perky breasts.
You dip a toe into the water, it's cold, but not frigid. It's so clear, the moon illuminates even the stones on the bottom of the pool. You carefully step into the water.
"Oh, AJ, it's so cold!"
"Relax, Pinkie. Quite fidgeting, or I can't get the jizz out of your hair." Applejack and Pinkie Pie haven't spotted you yet, even though you stand naked in front of Pinkie Pie. Applejack bends over, facing away from you, inadvertently showing off her fucked slit. The pristine light-pink lips are a dull grey in the moonlight, but they look less perfect than before. You wade in deeper, the water rises just to your leg hair.
"Why don't I just do this?" Pinkie gets on her hands and knees and rolls over, dipping her hair in the water. AJ gets down on top of her, intimately helping her wash the bountiful curls of pink hair. Once her hair is completely soaked, Applejack kisses her deeply. You feel your penis stiffen slightly at the sight of the two of them, sharing spit and lightly humping in the shallow water. The waterfall masks your steps towards the women.
Applejack notices you first, but she isn't startled at all. She sits up and beckons you wordlessly. You get on your knees behind her and wet your fingers. You gently rub her soft, large breast, circling outwards from her nipple and hold the half-full jar to her lips. She carefully takes a long draft as you kiss her neck, listening to her swallow. Applejack takes the jar away from her face and out of your hand, giving it to Pinkie Pie. Thankfully, she remains silent and takes a drink.
AJ brings your face to hers, her breath smells strongly of apple pie and alcohol. You relish it and kiss her mouth, tasting her tongue and greedily touching her body. She moans into your mouth and falls into your embrace.
Somehow, you manage to stumble onto the soft earth on the edge of the glade, making out with intimate, slow passion. Your muscles ache from a long day's work. Applejack's wet skin slides and caresses your own. She moans in response to your exploring fingers, and she soon has to break away to pant hard.
"Tristan," she whispers. "Take me slow, I want to feel you all night."
You stare up into her big, green, beautiful eyes, the moon full behind her hair. You smile happily, stroking Applejack's strong, slender back. "Anything for you, Applejack."
Your lips slowly come closer and closer, until at last you press together in a long, meaningful kiss. Somewhere, Pinkie Pie is wiping a tear away, still stark naked and holding a glass jar with a little bit of liquid inside. |
The Canterlot Tails | Rarity | Finally. At long last, you're ready to move out of your cunt girlfriend's place and make a proper homestead. That battle ax has given you enough grief about the way you do things, how you aren't rich and famous, how you aren't a football star, this, that, and the other thing. Thankfully, she has been addicted to sex, something you don't mind giving out so much.
As you stroll down the street towards the realtor's, you mull over your finances and past sexual experiences. The one you are most fond of crops up the most: the third time Blossomforth tied you up. You relive the sharp pain in your ass when she whipped you with a riding crop, her cries of delight when you made her orgasm repeatedly, the trickle of blood you drew from her vagina. It's all vividly fresh in your mind as you approach the victorian-style building. You shift your shaft in your shorts and stride inside.
The ding of the bell alerts the fine woman at work, but she doesn't bother to pause for a simple greeting. She instead holds up a finger as to say "one moment, I'm in the zone," or something along those lines. You don't mind waiting, her slender figure manages to fill her fine clothing. The thin white blouse hugs her waist and chest very well, leaving little to the imagination, yet still makes a professional statement on its own. Her long black skirt showcases her round behind and amazing legs.
The sign in the window confirmed it, she's a realtor, at least part time. Rarity is also a designer, the various posters, spools of thread and bolts of fabric would indicate. She seems busy now, however, creating an outfit of silk.
"One moment, madam, I'm nearly finished!" the purple-haired beauty says towards you. Her voice is sophisticated and, rather sexy. You excuse her slip and slip off your expensive sport coat. With a cast of blue magic, the dress in progress floats through the air and onto a mannequin. The sleek red thing looks expensive, but on the right woman, it would be unforgettable.
"Marvelous, is it no-oh!" Rarity is startled that a man is in the store, as opposed to the opposite gender. "Pardon me, sir, I do apologize for calling you, er, madam. My name is Rarity, and how may I assist you today?" She puts her hand on her waist and adorns a helpful face, the red reading glasses on her nose sag just a tiny bit with her winning smile.
"It's a pleasure, Miss Rarity," you say as you step forward, gently taking her hand. "My name is Bow Strings, and I'm looking for a new place to live." You try your best to match her level of intelligent politeness, annunciating slightly more than normal and keeping your posture straight. "You see, my current love interest and I aren't seeing eye to eye. I want to, let's just say, have a place to go if and when things fall through. Which they will. Soon, fortunately." You maintain eye contact, Rarity seems very engaged with you.
"It's a shame how things work out, isn't it, Mister Strings?"
"Please, call me Bow," you reply. Your deep voice seems to have found it's mark, Rarity's cheeks are slightly rosy, her chest rises and falls quickly. Your own heart is in your mouth, you're anxious to hear how she will react.
"Oh, oh well alright, Bow." She trails off, gazing right at your eyes. "Oh! Well, what kind of accommodations were you in the market for? A, bachelor pad, of sorts?" She entrusts her hand from your amorous grasp for another moment.
"Not quite." You glance around and let Rarity's warm fingers go. Taking a better look around the shop, you begin walking around slowly. "I am tired of paying rent. I want my own place, with a few beds, a garage, a nice yard to keep, maybe even a pool, a basement..." you trail off, feigning transition into deep thought as you stare at the striking red gown. It's quite nice, and very easy to imagine Rarity's curves filling it out.
"Do you like it?" Rarity appears at your side and begins selling unconsciously. "It's inspired by the finest French designers, but I used my own ideas, and a bit of oriental influence. That's why it almost looks like a kimono, yet you could, well, not you, per say, but a fine woman could wear it to any formal event. I'm quite proud of it, actually. Oh my, but what are your thoughts, Bow?"
You look up and down it, fantasizing about running your fingers up Rarity's leg, slipping the silk up her thigh, her waist, her chest, then all the way off. You scratch your chin and collect your thoughts. "It's exquisite, to be sure. I really enjoy the way this part looks, this, what would you call it? This part here."
"The overlap, on the breast? You can undo it like this." Rarity easily undoes three concealed clasps and the front of the dress slides open easily, exposing the off-white mannequin underneath.
"So one can easily get in and out of it, you see. It's designed for dating women, or, I suppose, ladies looking for companionship, such as myself." She blushes and covers her mouth with one hand as if in shock. "Oh my, did I just say that, that last part?" Her face reddens deeply, and you find it hard to conceal your smile.
Rarity turns away and magically fixes the claps on the dress with a flick of the wrist. "Well then," she reprises. "It's out there, now. No changing that. Let's move on to your house, now." Her face is rosy when she turns to face you again, but not the deep crimson from a moment ago. Rarity aims one hand in the general direction of a rear door, while offering her other for you to take. "Shall we, Bow?"
"Of course, miss Rarity." You take her hand and give it a gentle peck. A delicate scent lifts off her skin and to your nose. When you look up, Rarity's hand rests above her breast, her face is quite flustered. You may just get quite a deal out of her yet.
Hours pass, and browsing the town for suitable lots and houses has turned up two possible choices. The first a sturdy home right off of the marketplace with two bedrooms, two bathrooms, an attic and little furniture. The second, a tall, stately house with three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a large basement, a nice yard and a clean garage. The choice is obvious, as the second home has enough space around it so that screams of pain and pleasure will go unheard by the neighbors.
"784 Hoofington Street, that's quite an investment," Rarity says. "The residents moved into a new home in Canterlot, I believe. It's a shame, really. They threw quite elegant soirees, especially for Ponyville folk. Pray tell, Bow, what are your plans for such a place? Surely it won't be lived in by only one person all the time."
You sip your gourmet coffee and look across the table at Rarity. She's still in her nice blouse and skirt. "Of course not," you set your mug down carefully. "Besides holding a few private concerts, I want to use the basement for my private studies, a nice room for myself. The top floor will be for my bed and a guest bed, the main living space downstairs, well, we'll just have to find some sort of use for that. Maybe set up some acoustic panelling, I'm sure I can find a use for it. I really like high ceiling here. I can see it now, yes! A nice leather couch, another facing it, soft white carpet, I'll slide all the comfy dining room chairs out, and I'll have plenty of room. My own concert hall, in my living room! It will be perfect."
"That sounds positively marvelous, Bow. I can't wait to start the paperwork to make this home yours." Rarity stands, her back remains straight. She bites a pen cap, thinking about the sale, and runs one finger along the buttons of her blouse, accentuating the roundness of her nice, full breasts. "I'll grab my portfolio now."
You gladly watch her tight ass as it sways away to her office. Looking down the straight hallway, her office door is open. Rarity bends over, keeping her legs straight, and opens a filing cabinet. You greedily take in the shape of her backside for the time she's stooping over the drawer, swaying from side to side. At last, she stands up, a large folder in her arms, and kicks the bottom file closed. You turn around to face the table before you're caught.
"Here we are," she says from the hall. "All the documents needed for you to officially own your new house. Let's begin, shall we?"
* * *
"FINE! I've been cheating on you anyway, asshole! Get the fuck out!" Blossomforth, in her underwear and one of your old t-shirts, isn't happy to hear the news. You knew of the affair, but it was a non-issue. You stopped truly caring about her weeks ago. Ever since you began making payments on the new house, the bills were hard to hide. Luckily, the expensive stuff, the tv, the two cellos, the camera and the femdom equipment were already in the new place on Hoofington.
You block out the yelling and get the last of your clothes packed. Tristan, your old friend from high school orchestra class is helping, but he's having a tougher time ignoring the ear-battering Blossomforth is belting out. The last box is packed, your nice ties, shirts and rope.
"Jeez, Bow Strings. What's with all this S&M shit?" Tristan asks as he hefts the last of your luggage into the car.
"It's not your stuff, is it?" You retort and slam the trunk.
"Fuck no it isn't! I don't want some dominatrix using me to put out ciggare-"
"Then shut the fuck up! I paid money for my things, and I don't question why you buy all that, that pony merch."
In the passenger seat, Tristan opens his mouth to rebuttal, but closes his mouth and squints his eyes. He sighs and buckles his seat belt. The drive across town is short, Ponyville isn't very big at all.
Hoofington is a side street in the wealthiest part of town. The neighborhood is sort of ritzy, but not too flashy. It's the perfect breeding ground for future sadists and perverts, the recluse and excess is fuel for the young's boredom. The house for sale was posted less than a week before you bought it. You've already moved most of your things; this is the last time you'll ever have to go to see Blossomforth at her home. Your mind, however is running wild with intense sessions the two of you had.
The stunning brightness and spaciousness of the living room does much to take your thoughts away. The tall windows that looks over the backyard face west, as do the windows higher up on the wall. All of the windows let in the afternoon sun in abundance.
"No question why you bought this place, Bow." Tristan sets the box down on the carpet and looks up to the vaulted ceiling and the room in general. "You could throw some crazy fucking parties in here. Hey! If we do, I swear, if you do have a rager in here, I'll help you clean up and kick everyone out in the morning."
"No, no wild parties here," you yell up from the staircase which leads to your basement. "The furniture I ordered is way too expensive to play beer pong and make out with sluts on."
Tristan is audibly saddened, but you pay no attention to him. The final box lays open in front of you. Its contents bring back sick, fantastic memories. You pick up a stained sleep-blinder. You remember the exact session it became soiled, and you'll never clean it. The bits of the black felt are bloodstained.
It must have been four months ago, the third time Blossomforth agreed to fuck using ropes and gags. She's a bitch, a controlling, cruel bitch with a jaded heart; she's just the type of bitch that loves inflicting pain in the people she loves. She definitely loved you.
"Shut your fucking face!" Blossomforth punctuates her command with a painful slap to the face. "Beg! Beg to put your tongue in my pussy, you bitch." She slapped your face again, harder.
"Y-yes, mistress! Please, please let me taste your slit." Blossom smacks your cranium with a crop, but you can't see a thing. You right yourself in the chair you sit in. The rope digs into your wrists harshly.
"Excuse me, slave?"
"Please, mistress, let me taste your pussy, mistress."
She takes your chin gently with one hand, pretending that she cares. "That's better. Open up, slave." Blossom lets your chin go.
You open your mouth open wide and stick out your tongue, just like at the doctor's. You feel a pinprick on your forehead, Blossomforth's gloves are tipped with metal claws, the tips razor sharp. You bend to her whim, a trickle of blood drips down onto the blinder. The pain is sharp, but equally so is the rush of excitement it brings.
She grabs your hair with her other hand and draws her claws away. You can taste your own blood drip onto your tongue.
"Swallow," she commands you. "I don't want your dirty blood to touch my cunt, slave"
"Yes, mistress." You obey, drinking down your own blood. You immediately stick your tongue out again.
"All clean, slave. It's almost as if you don't want to be punished." Blossomforth says, a little too sweetly. "If you don't make me cum hard, you don't get to fuck me, and I decide what hard is."
"Yes, mist-" Blossomforth stops you with an open hand to your cheek, harder than before. You sit up again, your cock stands rigid out of your lap.
"You speak only when spoken to!" She slaps your face again, hard. The left side of your face burns with pain. "Isn't that right, worthless slave?"
"Yes, mistress!" You can feel the cut on your face has opened again, warmth trickles down your nose under the blinder and around your mouth.
Blossomforth uses a cloth to wipe it away. "You better love thi-
"Bow Strings, you done down there?" Tristan asks from somewhere upstairs. "I gotta get going!"
You look back to the box full of leather and stainless steel and velvet. Your cock is rock-hard from the memories alone. "One minute, Tristan," you yell back. Your deep voice echos slightly in the concrete confines. Your mind swirls with possibilities, but you drown them and head back upstairs.
* * *
The party is winding down upstairs, the well-to-do need their beauty sleep. The partiers you left upstairs with a full bottle of wine were Tristan, in a tux, thankfully, a few seemingly available women and a handful of other acquaintances and neighbors. Rarity, however, had your eye all evening.
You and her remained in contact since the sale of the house, casually chatting at the grocery store, arranging for coffee, then a nice night out.
Then came the fourth date, a nice night alone on a warm summer evening, watching the stars on a hillside. She wore her silk faux kimono, the red thing you saw her finish when you met. Your fingers intertwined whilst reaching for the champagne.
The accidental touch was not quite an accident, of course, but Rarity played innocently naive. You poured two glasses, gave a toast, sipped and closely conversed thereafter. Rarity had finished her drink rather quickly.
The rest of the evening was pleasant, but that was it. You denied her a kiss at her doorstep, and instead you offered an invitation to your first house party. Tonight, she's yours, moderately drunk and very frisky. She's wearing a sexy and stylish cocktail dress that leaves little to the imagination.
"I knew you were gifted from your performance, Bow Strings, but I didn't know you were so well hung!"
"Thank you, miss Rarity."
Rarity sits back on her knees, looking up into your eyes. "Bow, I'm eye level with your penis, you hardly have to call me miss."
"My apologies," you reply, gently touching her expertly fixed hair. "Respectfulness is a vice of mine."
"And I have mine," Rarity says hotly. She grabs your hardening shaft by the base, sticking her pinky out. She gently squeezes and starts rubbing the entire length of your rod, and soon it's hard as steel. You have abstained from masturbating since you moved in, you want a mammoth load for Rarity.
She flips her hair out of her eyes and begins using two hands, her dainty fingers aren't enough to do the job adequately. "Oh, miss Rarity, I have an idea. How would you like," you pause to draw her curiosity. "What would you think of being in total control? Of having me and my cock completely at your mercy? What would you do to me? What, my dear," you touch a finger to her chin and tilt her head up."Would you have me do to you?
Rarity lets go of your ironclad and stands up, her dress rides high enough on her thighs that you can glimpse her purple panties. You are unsure, but you think, and hope, that there is a wet spot on them. She lifts one of her fine, shapely legs and clings to your shoulders, her face inches from yours. Rarity rests her thigh on yours, her warm region presses into your bare shaft.
"Bow, are you asking for what I hope you are asking?" Her sweet breath entices you as much as the heat from her crotch touching your erection.
"Miss Rarity, on the other side of the basement is a hidden room. Inside is a wooden chair and a very comfortable bed. Please, bind my hands and feet and, and dominate me. Treat me like a slave, use me, release your pent up anger on me. Then fuck me."
The words hover in the air for an agonizingly long time. Rarity's face is unreadable. She backs away an inch, still holding you. Her gaze drops to your aching shaft briefly, then to you. Rarity's lips purse and twist into a wicked grin.
Rarity presses her entire body into yours, her heavy breasts are compressed between you. She breathes in you ear: "I've never done that before, but I absolutely love that idea." She leans up and bites your ear gently, but slowly chomps with her front teeth hard enough to bring intense pain.
You yell reflexively, the unexpected bite distracts you from your sex drive momentarily, but the ache that follows makes your blood boil and your cock throb. You turn and pin Rarity against the wall, she's breathing harder than you. You press your hands on her heaving breasts and your lips firmly to hers. Her lips are sweet like her breath, the silk of her dress is thin, soft and heated by her bare breasts underneath. She grabs your face, breathing deeply and moaning with anxious longing.
You work one hand up to undue the swift clasps, but she pushes your face away and slaps it hard. "You dare think you are worthy to see my bare chest?" she inquires with hostility. "You are lucky to even see my eyes looking at yours, you worthless puddle of vitriol!" Rarity's face softens a bit, then she says: "Am I on the right track?"
You touch your face where she slapped you. It stings, but the pain is fading fast. "Yes, that was perfect. The safeword is always 'clef' when I play." You shift your stance, preparing your mind for submission.
"Clef it is. Now, lead your mistress to the chamber."
"Yes, mistress Rarity, this way." You walk to the gap in the wall between the second and third bookcase and push the false wall open. A flick of a switch bathes a small room in white and red light. The chamber is filled by a fastened chair with leather restraints, borrowed from an insane asylum no less, a large bed with silk sheets, a sink with a mirror and an inverting rack near a large trunk, which rests at the foot of the bed. You step inside and let Rarity in. You notice as she walks in that your semi-flaccid penis still protrudes from your pants. You begin to sheath it, but Rarity stops you with her hand.
"Did your mistress tell you to put that long cock away?" Rarity says quietly.
"No, no mistress Rarity." You can feel it begin to harden. Her gloved, slender fingers lay still on the soft, warm skin.
"Do you want your lady to stroke, Bow?" Rarity asks in a silky voice.
You look up, her raised eyebrows and pursed lips make her look suggestively genuine. "Yes, mistress Rarity. If you wish, that is-"
"You're damn well right, if I wish!" She flicks the nearly rigid head, sending intense pain into all of your privates. Rarity slaps your face. The palm of her hand leaves a stinging pain on your cheek, but it is hardly noticeable to the deep pain in your erection.
Rarity lifts her finger and walks toward you. You try to back away, but you hit a wall after two steps. "I'll touch your laughable hard-on when the mood strikes, maybe. Until then, I shall do as I wish. As I wish, I will never ask you for your two cents. Do I make myself clear, slave?" She's nearly in your face now, her warm breath swirls into your lips. You taste it eagerly and suck it into your lungs.
You smile through your fears and say: "Yes, mistress."
Rarity slaps your face again, then steps back. "Next time, I'll wipe that grin off your face with a club! Now sit down and tell your mistress where the fun things are stashed."
This time she uses real force. Your right cheek stings harshly. You fucking love it.
"In that trunk, mistress. It's unlocked. Shackles and ropes on the right, gags and other restraints on the left. There's a whip and a riding crop, too." You wonder what she will spring for. Will Mistress Rarity make you strip and blindfold you in the chair? Or maybe she'll bind your wrists to the headboard and deny you climax repeatedly. You shudder at the possibilities.
Rarity opens the chest, her eyes widen at its contents. "Oh, tonight we will have fun!" Rarity is giddy with sadistic excitement. "And I know just how this evening will unfold. Trash!" You realize she's addressing you.
"Yes, mistress?"
"Are you sure your guests upstairs will leave and not come down here?"
"Yes, mistress," you reply. "The only one bold enough to venture down here is drunk and flirting, and these walls are concealed and soundproof. This is my sanctuary, my lady." You stand in place and resist the powerful urge to take Rarity slowly in your arms and suavely speak closely with her. "I am your prisoner tonight. We won't be heard, no matter how loud we scream." You can't help but feel proud and irked by your own words. You feel a carnal surge rush through your body at the idea of turning the tables and raping Rarity. She knew some magic, so maybe it wouldn't be that easy. You knew a bit as well, but you were new in town. If Rarity brought out an accusation, even just to her closest friends, you, the male, would definitely be persecuted.
"No matter how loud we scream, what, slave?" Rarity breaks your train of thought, probably for the best.
"No, no matter how loud we scream, mistress Rarity," you hastily correct yourself.
"Better," Rarity chides. "Sit, slave."
You obey and take your seat in the chair. It's hard back and seat are just a bit uncomfortable. Rarity orders you to cross your arms behind your back, and you do so. She uses the police handcuffs with a thick linen padding. You are still in your party-wear, your rigid penis proudly protrudes from your pants.
Rarity ties your ankles to the chair. She holds a sleep blinder, the sleep blinder, in her hands and sits on your lap. You are enthralled by her closeness, her weight on your thighs, the tip of your cock occasionally touches the silk gown just so slightly.
"How much money do you really have, Bow?" Rarity quietly inquires. "Can this tux be ripped to ribbons? How much would this whole outfit cost as mere rags?"
You smile at that question. This particular tuxedo was a cheap one, but the thread count was high. You anticipated you clothes might not be in the best condition at the end of the night. "This old thing?" you breath back. "I wear this when the good ones are all at the cleaners. Rip it up, mistress, I'm hot anyway."
Rarity laughs poshly in your face. She leans forward within an inch of your face and just barely whispers: "I'm getting that jacket off, I want to see your bare chest."
Rarity closes her eyes, her hands on your shoulders, and drifts closer for a kiss. You hesitate to return it, but move forward to meet her lips. Rarity kisses you fiercely. You are swept up in her scent and taste immediately. She sucks on your lower lip, a bit too hard. She bites down on it, painfully. You grunt and move forward to alleviate the pain, but she pulls back faster, her front teeth dig into your flesh.
Rarity releases you and stands on her knees over your rigid cock. She looks like she's about to speak, but subsides. She moves in slowly, gently offering another kiss. Your lip pains you and you refuse her, clamping your mouth shut. She grasps your throat with force.
"Let me taste your blood, Bow," Rarity half commands and half pleads. "I won't bite much more. Give it to me, my sex slave." Rarity lowers herself carefully. Your erection slides between her dress and the hot skin above her panties. The pleasure is agonizingly light, like the pain of a needle, the soft silk parting around your head and Rarity's silken skin caressing the sensitive, bulging underside. Rarity leans forward into it and pulls your face closer by your neck. Rarity tilts your head down so the blood will fall forward.
You can taste your own blood in your mouth and Rarity's sweet, champagne-laced breath on your lips. She sucks her lips to yours and snakes her tongue into your mouth. You open wide, gladly having it in your mouth. You suck in gently, enticing Rarity to explore your mouth. She plays with your tongue briefly, but slowly follows the line between your bottom teeth and your lip to taste the saliva and blood that is pooled there.
Rarity exhales hotly in and around your mouth. Her soft skin caressing the underside of your shaft is hot, you can feel the warmth from liquid trickling down the very base of your shaft.
Rarity draws back, her face is a shade of scarlet brighter than her dress. She sits up, the tiny amount of friction from her dress and herself makes you gasp. It's so sharp, so easy, you feel your cock throb several times.
Rarity gets down on her knees before you. She's smiling ever so slightly. Rarity puckers her lips and places her hands on the insides of your thighs and without a word pushes them out, lifting herself. She bends her head down and opens her mouth over your aching member, her breath tickles the skin ethereally. You can just see the tip of Rarity's tongue sticking out, pointing to the end of your stiffness. A strand of bloody spit descends down to your dickhead. The pink-tinged saliva flows out more and more, Rarity's coating your penis with her own saliva slowly, without actually touching it. The warm spit cools on your hot skin; the feeling is strange, but sort of nice.
Rarity looks up, her tongue is out and her mouth is open wide. You wish you could cum right this second and cover her face and lips with semen. You can picture messing up her perfect makeup, weighting her long eyelashes, which are likely fake at that volume. God, the urge is too fucking powerful to bear.
Rarity's coaxing, beaming smile turns into a wicked grin. "You want me to suck your long cock, don't you, Bow?" Rarity teases you with seduction. "Mmm, you want the head of that creature to poke my throat, make me choke and spit straight down into my stomach? Or maybe you want my pretty little face desecrated with your hot, sticky cum? Oh, I could never do that to my hair. If you came in my hair," Rarity goes silent, pouting, pondering. "I'd most likely whip you until you bled." Rarity stings you with a reminder: you're her bitch. "Then I'd make you lick it out. Don't get any sperm in my hair, okay, slave?"
You gulp to wet the back of your throat. "Yes, mistress Rarity. I'll cum wherever you wan-"
"And whenever I want!" Rarity stands suddenly, the trail of saliva on her chin falls to make a tiny stain on your almost expensive pants.
"Now we'll get started." Rarity moves behind you and starts unbuttoning your shirt hastily, her practiced fingers undo the fastening without fumbling. She pulls the sides apart to reveal your somewhat muscular chest. Rarity traces your collarbone with a finger on each side. You can hear her deep, uneven breathing.
Rarity slips something made of lovely soft fabric over your eyes. You wriggle in protest, but not sincerely. Rarity is gone from behind you, but you have no clue where she is. She is silent, and so you remain.
"Sit still and I won't cut you." You feel a twinge of genuine fear run down your spine, making your gut seem to float. You feel a pull at the shoulder of your jacket, and the fabric loosens around your arm, then comes off completely. The sound of tearing fabric the for the second arm comes to your ear, this sleeve comes off more quickly. You sit forward and let Rarity remove your undershirt as well.
You sit heavily, relieved and excited and horny as hell. The few wooden rungs that make the back of your char support you.
A pair of sure hands pull your forehead back and your chin down, a ball is thrust into your mouth forcefully. You choke from the spit it sends into your windpipe, but the holes allow enough ventilation. You feel a few hairs pinch painfully as Rarity fastens the ball gag strap behind your head. Rarity pinches your nose, giggling maniacally at your desperate reaction. The peril makes you want to fuck for your life even more.
Rarity laughs and walks away. "I'm going to go use the upstairs washroom, slave. I'll be back in a moment. Don't go anywhere!" Rarity giggles like a schoolgirl who heard her favorite boy band mentioned by a stranger.
The false door opens somewhere to your right, sending mortal terror into you. You feel suddenly dizzy, thirsty, you need to pass water, you need to fuck and cum in something living badly. You writhe in place, trying to loosen a binding, any binding. The left ankle knot feels a bit loose. You try to simply force that one undone, to no avail. The rope is tough nylon.
You slump in the wooden chair. The ball gag makes your jaw uncomfortable, and breathing is difficult. The plastic is more or less tasteless, it was sanitized just after the move.
Doubts begin to swirl in your mind. What if Rarity is swept up and taken to another party? No, it's a little late for that. Rarity would be fueled by adrenaline by now, but she wouldn't want to associate with people who denied themselves their beauty sleep. Maybe. Would she invite others down here, unintentional or otherwise? No, Rarity had a silver tongue, among other fine features. You feel a renewed lust for her body. You want to turn the tables, tie her down and penetrate her. She's horny, too, she would most likely agree to such a fuck. You want to cum in her hair, too. You want to keep her tied up, fuck her and cum on her night and day.
You absent mindedly hump the air as best you can. Just making the thrusting motions makes your cock harder.
Is she going to bring someone down to help? That idea puts anxious excitement and fear into you. Another woman, torturing you and then pleasing you, maybe letting, or forcing, you to pleasure her.... That would be good. You could probably get away with decorating her fa-
You jump at the hand tracing the base of your spine. Fingers glide upwards after your first spasm. Her hand runs to your neck, and she wraps her arms around you, pressing her bare chest into your shoulders. Her soft skin is warm, you wish to caress it and massage it, to lick and bite it, to rub your hard cock against it. She draws her palms to your shoulders and leans forward to bite your ear. Her teeth dig in slightly, but with more force than foreplay.
You shudder, pain turns to fucked up pleasure inside you and flows down your core to your groin. You feel her hands leave, but one follows your back to the opposite shoulder. She clasps it and pauses.
"I can tell you're excited, Bow." A voice says. It's Rarity's you're sure, but not the same as before. Her masochistic side is slightly sated, you guess. Her voice is sweet and laden with lusty promise. She twirls around deftly and straddles you. The silky soft skin brushes along your throbbing member. You breathe hard through the holes in the ball gag, you just want to break out and hold her, to either fuck her raw or make slow love with Rarity. You can easily imagine that she'd love both.
She rubs her wet slit up and down the underside of your shaft. Rarity pulls herself up on your shoulders, you feel her drip all over your cock. She lowers herself gently, just prodding her clit with the tip. Rarity gasps lightly, you shake. You can't take it anymore, you want to press into her and spread her walls apart.
Rarity slides down, pressing her hot pussy lips against the bottom of your length. She sinks into your chest and moans in your ear: "I'm going to milk you all," she pauses to bite your ear lobe. "Night," again, harder. She just breathes: "Long."
With that she pulls her head and licks up some of the drool from the outside of the gag. You wish you could see her taste your spit, maybe drip it out onto her chin, or her breasts.
Rarity breathes hotly on your neck, you feel her hotness lift off and her knees by your waist. Her calves, her lovely toned calves tensely brush your thighs. Her breasts press into your right shoulder, you feel another drip. Rarity's fingers wrap around your shaft and adjust it, then the change of pressure on your chest. An intense sensation shoots through your crotch and up the base of your spine. You shudder again, making Rarity laugh listlessly. You picture her exasperated smile. It's really sexy, maybe even cute.
Rarity uses her hand and hips to move your head along her lips, drenching your cock, and her fingers, with her juices. She pulls on your rod, finds her wet entrance and presses down with her hips. You feel her tight hole open for you, and your head slips in forcefully. You grunt, the feeling is too great. Rarity lets out a whining sigh into your ear.
Rarity props herself up with her hands on your shoulders. The rolling motion feels amazing inside her, her hot walls spread around the head of your thick shaft. Rarity begins easing herself down. She's tighter than you'd imagined, hotter, too.
You lean your head back in pleasure, Rarity keeps going deeper and deeper. You feel a new pressure as her lips squeeze around the base of your cock.
"Ah, god fucking dammit, Bow! You're so thick," Rarity's hair falls about your face, you feel her forehead rest against yours. She pants heavily in your face. "I took it all, though." Rarity leans back up, resting her weight down on your hips and cock. She leans forward, just a little, and lifts her ass, then slides down on your rigid cock. Her tight pussy squeezes your dick, pushing her up yet sucking you in at the same time. The feeling is so much to take in.
Rarity lifts up again, further. You feel her wetness cool on your dick, but her hot vagina swallows you up again. She keeps fucking you, raising her hips and falling again at a slow rate, no semblance of a rhythm to be found.
Rarity descends again, leans back, pressing your head against her womb. "Bow, it's time. You've been enjoying this too much, time for you to do the work." Rarity pants lightly, lingering on your length a little longer.
She climbs off of you. You are stunned by the suddenness of the stoppage. Rarity was writhing and riding one moment, making you feel so close to bursting, then just stops and lets her fluids cool on your hard tool. Rarity unties the ball gag, unbinds your ankles and opens the cuffs. You rub your wrists and take off the sleep blinder. Before you stand. Rarity, her hair almost perfect, her small, pink nipples standing out on her full breasts turns about in the dim light. You can just barely see her ribs on her nude figure. She's thin, but not unhealthy. Her hips aren't very wide, but petite and so seductive, so alluring.
Rarity offers a playfully poignant hand to help you up. "Do you want to keep the whole slave act going, or do you want to ravish me at your pace?"
You swallow to make sure your mouth works before speaking. "Doesn't your asking answer your own question?"
Rarity just laughs daintily, her tits bounce just the slightest bit. "Okay, then, Bow. How would you do me-EE!" Rarity shrieks out playfully as you wrap your arms around her, lifting her up. You move one forearm to her ass and hold her up entirely that way, draping her over your shoulder like fresh game. Rarity giggles all the way to the bed, and feigns indignant loathing at the act of throwing her down like meat.
You remove your pants, stained as they are. You slip off your boxers and socks and dive into bed with her. She wiggles around on the black silk. You enjoy the softness of the sheets on your forearms, but only for a moment. Rarity smiles up at you. A million suggestions and scenarios fly through your mind, but you just abandon all of them for whatever feels right.
You carefully lower your body on hers so that your erection won't actually touch her. Her breasts press into your collarbone, Rarity wraps her thin arms around you. You kiss Rarity's soft skin, lick her neck and bite her shoulder like it's just your first time together, and caress her warm flesh, kiss her nude body lower and lower. Rarity pants and writhes at your touch, her hands absently grasping and touching your back and head.
Rarity gasps as your hot breath tickles her hotness. You bend your knees and go to work between Rarity's legs. Her wet pussy smells rank as any other, yet fantastically feminine and sexy. You kiss her lower lips and lap up her juices; there's little need, she's already drenched. You stop and move up to her navel again. You grab one of her full breasts and look into her face. Shes beautiful and picturesque, her pretty face should be on advertisements and fashion magazines. Now, her perfect hair is mussed and spittle is on her chin. You laugh inwardly and kiss her mouth.
You keep massaging her left breast, the spilling flesh fills your palm. Your right hand ventures south along her body's trails to her wetness. You thrust a finger in, Rarity sucks in your breath and touches your face. You begin fucking her with one finger, leaning on an elbow whose hand plays with Rarity's boob.
You slide in another finger to really coax her. You want her to cede to you. You begin to use technique, moving your fingertips in opposite circles and pressing into her g-spot. She arches her back, breaking the kiss; it never fails.
Rarity bites her finger and breathes hard for a moment. Finally she writhes and submits. "Fuck me! Stop playing and stick it in me again, Bow!"
You grin down at her. "Let me get the rope." Rarity gasps, surprised and disappointed at the pause. You stand up, your erection gloriously protruding from your waist.
You quickly tie Rarity's wrists to the headboard, but leave her feet. She's ready and willing, you just want less resistance to really ploughing her.
"Why do we still nee-"
"Shut the fuck up." You hold her face in one hand and give your most malicious glare. A spark of fear is on her face, but she still smiles. This must be like a scary movie to her, but the film's climax is her own, and it will be hard.
You smush her face between your fingers, her dainty cheeks contorted by your thumb and fingers. You smile and laugh demonically. You contemplate getting the blinder, but leave it. You stick a finger to Rarity's lips. She kisses it, playing along. You put your other pointer finger on her chin and open her mouth. Rarity sucks your first digit in her lips. You let her fellate it for a moment, then give her your second finger to suck. She moans and sucks that in deep. You add force, and Rarity gags a little before taking them all the way to the base. Her throat is hot around your finger tips. Rarity looks up at you, teary eyed. You quickly pull your fingers out.
"What the fuck?!" Rarity yells between coughs. "I nearly vomited, you sick monster!"
You roar with laughter, your body holding Rarity's own, flailing. "The way you moaned, it seemed almost as good as fingering your cunt. Don't tell me you don't like sucking on cock, now."
You don't let her respond, you press your lips against hers. She whimpers in her throat and doesn't return the kiss. Her sweet lips are tight in defiance. You pull back and smack her with an open palm.
You move down between her legs, ready to fuck her vulnerable body hard. "Who's your daddy?"
Rarity stares at you with mock hatred. "Fuck you."
You put your rock-hard cock head on Rarity's soaked pussy. "I said who the FUCK is your daddy, bitch?!"
"Go to hell, fuck-beak."
You penetrate her pussy, just past the head. Rarity grimaces in pain, but can't hide her smile. You lean forward and pinch one nipple hard. Rarity screams in agonized pleasure. "Who's your fucking daddy?"
"AAAH! BOW! You are! Fuck me, Bow!"
You smack her again, a little lighter. "Fuckin' ass, I will." You pinch and twist her other nipple. Every muscle in Rarity's figure flexes in retaliation. The way her arms strain the rope makes you unbelievably horny.
You lean back and start thrusting. Using Rarity's hips as handles, you push your penis deeper into Rarity's pretty pink. You feel her tight pussy walls clench your cock, her wet cunt feels so hot and good. You turn your hands and use her thighs for better leverage and pick up the pace.
Rarity's screaming has subsided to dull moans. She mouths an expletive every so often, especially when you reach her cervix. You feel ready to burst inside. Rarity's not a virgin, but she's as clean and tight as one.
"Ah! Bow! Fuck me harder!" Rarity's screams from nowhere, her voice becomes everywhere. You look up to see her drooling, her round breasts bouncing rhythmically. You lean forward and pound her, really pound her.
"GAAAAH! MMMYUEEEEEESS!" Rarity moans aloud every time your cock pushes her womb. You feel the wet on the base of your cock like sweat on your brow on a windy day. Rarity can't take it all, but fuck her if she isn't trying.
Rarity's free legs stick up in the air while you drive in her. Her eyes are clamped shut, her mouth in some fucked up culmulation of emotions. Rarity's cries turn to shrieks, then to full on screams.
You grunt every time you thrust. Your balls ache, your cock feels ready to shoot a huge load. You slow down to put off your own climax. "You alright, ah, Bow?" Rarity coos, panting.
"Shut your mug, slut." You stop and rest for a moment. You lay down on Rarity's sweaty skin, your own perspiration trickles down and mixes with hers. You feel good, stopping to rest pushes your climax a bit into the future.
You sit up again and stare at Rarity's ravaged body. Her face reflects her horniness, her insatiate need for cock. You rock and thrust again, making her smile.
Suddenly, you inject your dick deep into Rarity. She shrieks in response, but her smile only grows. You want to smack it off her face, but the want to please is just a bit greater. You thrust hard again, then again. Her raw cunt lubricates your shaft all the way. Your insane pleasure mounts more and more as you hump faster and harder.
Rarity's screaming resumes, but subsides. You grunt and shut your eyes to try and hold off a bit longer. Rarity's legs stick up in the air again, you grab her ankles and lick her calf. Her salty sweat lingers on your tongue, and you suddenly thirst for her pussy. You lick her other calf instead, and fuck harder.
Rarity's legs tremble and tense randomly, and she begins moaning louder and louder. You hungrily fuck hard, staring at her tits as they bounce in their limited range. A small wave washes over you, then another. The pleasure increases as your cock rams deep into Rarity's tight cunt. She's staring up blankly now, whining with insane pleasure.
A third swell passes through your core, your climax is mounting. It becomes harder and harder to keep up the pace. You compromise and fuck deeper and faster. Rarity's knees twitch and her toes curl as she sends one last shrill scream to the ceiling. A final wave of incredible release hits you, you feel your throbbing cock twitch.
A final spasm hits your spine. You press as deep as you can inside, you feel yourself release. A spurt of hot cum shoots into Rarity's spasmodic cunt. You feel another shot, a third, bigger one, a fourth, a sixth, eighth, eleventh, then a last couple of twitches. Rarity, sucking air, lays her head down heavily, silent save her ragged panting. You relax, letting your consensual victim's hips fall to the black, slick sheets. You sit back, feeling the milky presence inside Rarity's pussy around your quasi-erect cock.
Rarity tries to say something, but all that comes out is a jumbled mix of sex words. You chuckle inwardly, selfishly taking in the view from between Rarity's legs. Her bound wrists have limp hands, her heaving, beautiful chest and thin waist, her heavenly hips, her perfect thighs and ass all make you grin. The little alcohol in you has evaporated; Rarity isn't a drunken one night stand or a desperate lay. Well, maybe a little desperate, or perhaps just picky.
You pull out and piss in the pot, not bothering to wash up. You're fine with filth tonight, you can shower later. Rarity is between dozing and dreamily watching you as you untie her. She takes her wrists in her hands, they are a bit raw, red, but not too damaged. There might be a mark tomorrow. You're glad regardless. Rarity's perfect complexion, intellectual prowess, generous self-reliance and divine beauty are all perfectly molded into a uniquely fine woman.
You lay by her, smiling. You look in her tired eyes and see more than sated lust. You see desire, or something like it, taking root. You hold her hip and gently massage her side. Minutes ago you would have loved to drip hot oil on it, or whip her back, or put the handle to the crop in her cunt and take pictures. Other than mildly regretting not capturing photos, you feel content not doing all that. Rarity's special, especially if she wants a little abuse now and again.
You try to find words, but none come immediately. You move closer anyway and whisper: "We don't need to wait for my next dinner party to fuck, you know."
Rarity bites your ear playfully, but not gently. You fight her will by grabbing nipple and squeezing. She responds by biting harder, rather painfully. You begin to twist, and she immediately submits.
"Ah! Okay, Bow! Okay!" She had somehow rolled on top of you, tangling her legs with yours. Her deep violet hair hangs down over your face. Its fantastic scent, combined with her beauteous weight on your waist stirs your genitals. You feel yourself begin to harden under Rarity's touch.
You feel a warmth, then a cool sensation on your ear. It's bleeding, not too much. You don't care at all. Rarity does, and she bends down to such it off your lobe. She touches the little wound with her tongue, then wraps her lips around it. You grab her round ass with both hands and play, squeezing and moving her flesh.
Rarity sits up and swallows your essence. She licks her lips and says : "Mmm, nice, tasty blood." She takes one of your hands in hers and uses it to palm her full breast. "Are you busy tomorrow? I was thinking of making you a new suit."
"Actually," you reply without skipping a beat. "This fantastic bitch I like is planning on designing me a new tux, I'm not sure if I can squeeze you in." At the word "squeeze" you forcefully squeeze Rarity's breast, making her smile and buckle.
Rarity doesn't respond with words, just a roll of her eyes and massages her other breast. You take your other hand, adjust your stiffening rod, and lightly play with Rarity's pussy lips. The heat of the soft, caressing silk on your back matches that of her pussy.
Rarity moans and leans forward on your chest. You kiss her neck and spread her lips with two fingers, and insert your middle finger. You dive it deep inside, drawing a heavy breath from her. Rarity moans deeply and reaches down to massage your slowly hardening shaft. You lay like this for a small while, moaning, breathing on each other's necks and touching your genitals.
Rarity whispers in your ear: "I'm yours, Bow. Do me any way you want."
From her trembling voice, you can tell she means anything. You're sleepy, but very horny. You sit her up and stare at her body sitting on yours. "I wanna fuck you like an animal, Rarity." You touch her hot pussy again, a bit of your cum gets on your fingers. You hold up those fingers, and Rarity sucks them clean, finishing with a loud gulp. She grins a pretty, innocent grin and slowly massages your steel shaft.
You grab Rarity's waist and slide out from under her. You kiss her mouth furiously. She reacts with a startled, muffled yelp, but fades into a pleased moan. You suck her tongue into your mouth and bite on it gently. Blood and another tiny organic taste float onto your taste buds, but they are just compliments, or pollutants, to her sweet saliva.
When at last you let her go, Rarity hangs her tongue out of her mouth and looks at you lustfully. You stand on your knees, rock hard again. "Bend over, Rarity."
She smiles and submits, wiggling her perfect ass at you. You grab her rump in each hand and press your head on her pussy lips. Rarity coos over her shoulder at you. You push forward and penetrate, more easily than before. Rarity's painfully tight cunt has loosened slightly, still naturally lubricated enough to make it easy. Your shaft drives in a few inches, making Rarity moan aloud. You rock back and forth, parting her walls and feeling every inch of her bare flesh.
You pull hard on her hips and penetrate all the way to the hilt of your cock. Rarity releases a short scream and a tiny bit of vaginal fluid in response. You pull back and push on her ass, then pull her to you and thrust deep. You hump and pull faster and faster, her tight pussy squeezes your shaft hard. Rarity can't stop moaning and panting, screaming and tossing her head around.
Your hips and arms tire out fairly soon. When you slow down to a gentle andante, Rarity stands up on her knees. You grab her breasts and help support her as she straightens her back to your chest. Without even really thinking about it, you play with her lips and her breast with either hand, licking and biting her neck with the other. Rarity turns her head away, but she's deeply engulfed with hot passion. Or maybe it's just cheap lust. You can imagine her horny, flushed face perfectly.
You rock your hips forward, pressing deeper up into Rarity's tight, hot cunt. The sensitive underside of your shaft rubs against her g-spot forcefully. Rarity moans tremulously and bends her back more, pressing against bottom of your bulging erection and pushing her shoulders into your chest, thrusting her breasts outward. You relax and flex your hips a few more times, sliding out and into Rarity. Her back curves at an acute arc, but her flexible form just showcases her sexual prowess.
You sit back and push her back to her hands and knees. Rarity weakly objects, but her face is flooded with shock as you push a single finger deep into her anus.
"B-Bow! Not there! That's just," she turns in place to glare and beg at you. "That's just downright vulgar! I won't, I can't. I, I. . . ."
You grab the riding crop you hid between the mattress and the wall. "If you don't grin and bear it, you'll get forty on the ass." You stand and place the end of the whip on her belly, just above the sexy triangle of hair above her slit.
"I have anal lube, Rarity." Her reaction to the ease of your words is priceless: a sour mix of childish shame at the vulgarity, a deep discomfort at the idea, and shock that this might be happening. "It feels amazing, from what I've seen. That cunt Blossomforth's ass shook like an earthquake after a minute or two. I read it's like an orgasm throughout your body."
A wanton belief flashes across Rarity's, she seems to love the idea. "But, it will hurt." She touches her own back door lightly. "Won't it?"
You don't answer immediately. Instead, you spread her thighs with the riding crop admiringly. You get up, dig in the trunk for the lube and coat your cock in slick jelly. You wipe the excess from your hand on her hole.
Rarity feebly objects and closes her legs. "No. No! I can't! I just, your cock is so thick, I just can't, Bow. Plee-eease?" Rarity begs. She claps her hands together in front of her chest, pleading.
You grab your stiff phallus in your left hand and touch the riding crop to her round, perfect ass. "Flip over or spread 'em." Your flat tone surprises you, you sound truly heartless. "Aren't you curious why those sluts love getting dick in their asses? It's gotta be for a reason. Aren't you, painfully curious?" You cruelly smack her ass to drive your point. Rarity whimpers once. "Flip over or spread 'em."
Rarity does so and bites her lip, she's at least curious, and very horny. "Can you just play with it first? Loosen," Rarity gulps, finding courage born of curiosity. "Loosen my asshole a bit first?" She puts on a genuinely desperate grin to appease your mercy.
You smile back. "Safeword's clef.." Rarity closes her eyes and sighs. Her legs relax and part slowly. She's anxiously nervous. You smack her sensitive, milky, delicious thighs with the riding crop. It leaves a perfect red outline.
Rarity's little yelp at your touch is sexy and adorable. She groans and tilts her head back, covering her face with her hand. You push your first knuckle in, Rarity reacts verbally. You wiggle your finger further in, her tight muscles squeeze your fingertip hard.
"Relax, Rarity. How's it feel?"
She only moans in response. You stick the rest of your finger in, draw out to the fingertip and thrust in quickly, the lube making a small, wet noise. Rarity moans out, unmuffled by her arm. You thrust again. Her asshole flexes spastically. You keep going for about ten or so pushes with your first digit, completely burying it time and time again. Rarity moans in weak protest and intense stimulation.
You feel less resistance on your finger the last time. You push inside again, making Rarity cry out again, and feel her hole. You use your fingertip to play with her anus, pulling on it.
You ease your first two fingers inside, making Rarity twist. "Oohh, gently, please!" Rarity begs. You just smile and slowly push your two fingers inside. Her slippery hole slowly yields to you.
"GAH!" Rarity goes tense with strain.
"Rarity, focus," you gently command her. "Just relax your muscles, that's the most important thing."
"But dicks aren't meant to go there," she mutters in retort. You disregard in and thrust again, punishing her snideness.
"I won't ease up until you relax." You emphasize with a lunge and a deep, writhing inside her. Rarity flexes all over, arching her back and crying out loud.
"Oh, okay. I'll relax," Rarity says with shaking breath. You leave your fingers in her, applying slight pressure straight up into Rarity. She eases her back to the silk sheets and bends her elbows above her head. Her thighs slump down and you can feel the squeezing tension relent. You begin to slowly move your fingers in an inaudible rhythm.
Rarity's muscles tense involuntarily, but she's starting to get the hang of making them ease up. You squeeze in your third finger, making Rarity cringe. She makes herself relax effectively enough to allow it entry.
"That's my little slut," you whisper to her. Rarity breathes in shakily, but fails to retort. You push all three fingers in forcefully and spread them into a line. Rarity shouts in agony, but her voice falls to a loud, tantalizing moan. You can't believe she hasn't tried the safeword yet. Maybe she has, but hasn't the ability to speak. You smile wickedly at that thought and thrust again.
You pull your fingers out suddenly and watch Rarity's asshole remain hideously open for another moment. You use your dirty hand rub your steel rod. Some excess lubricant comes off on your hands, so you put that in Rarity's asshole. You don't warn her about the penetration, she knows what's coming.
Rarity's breath catches as you push your head in. Her ass is somehow tighter than her cunt. It's slow, messy, deafening work, but Rarity screams in pleasured pain as you sink deeper and deeper inside.
You are halfway or so in when you begin to register that Rarity's loving this whole fuck. You slowly push deep and pull back, press again and recede, advance and retreat in and out of her tight ass. Rarity's voice fails her. She makes it known to the entire tiny soundproof room that she loves getting her asshole fucked. Rarity praises your girth, your length, your speed, your every inch and movement inside her. You push all the way inside; her asshole clamps down on every inch of your cock.
You feel a hot stirring inside her, she's trembling a bit. You move deep inside, pressing deeper and relenting rhythmically. Rarity tosses out random swears, words of affirmation and adoration. She's completely blissful with anal sex.
"Ah, Bow! I can feel every movement inside, it feels so good!" Rarity cries out. You carefully turn her on her side and shut her legs. Your cock wetly twists inside, making Rarity shake. You go back to pounding away, occasionally twisting. You feel close to cumming again.
Rarity grips the pillow as hard as she can and begins moaning and mumbling. You smack her ass, but she only drools a bit more and speaks the word "whip" before mumbling dreamily. You feel her entire body twitch and spasm. Her spine trembles and you feel it rock your own nerves. Rarity's ass is about to make you explode, you can feel it.
Rarity writhes in place, squirming around. You thrust hard and fast, making her moan and cry out constantly. She tosses her head around wildly, fucking up her fine hair.
You feel yourself nearing your climax quickly. You grunt and pant and fuck harder. Bestial lust overcomes you, forcing you to go deeper and harder into Rarity's tight ass. She arches her back and screams as loud as she can.
Rarity shouts at the top of her lungs, incoherently convulsing with extreme orgasm. Her hot flesh pulls on the sensitive head inside her ass, and you feel a jolt rush up your shaft. It throbs twice, then finally explodes. You feel spurt after spurt of hot cum jet out into Rarity's asshole. You manage to slip out and release the last four or five shots on her round, red cheeks.
You massage out the last bit of semen from your cock and let it fall on her back. Rarity rubs her face with her hands and tries to stop her shaking. The bed is soaked between where you kneel and where she lays.
"Oh, my head," Rarity whines. She rolls onto her back and rubs her temples. "It feels like everything's spinning still."
"Really? I just took your asshole's virginity, and you're complaining about a headache?" You rub your sore neck idly and watch Rarity's twitches recede.
She smirks and tries to stand on her knees, but they fall from under her, Rarity comes down clumsily on the softness of the bed. You sit down next to her and hold your semi-rigid dick to her lips. Rarity frowns, but tentetivly licks some of the stringy cum off the head. She spits it out on her chin immediately.
"Tastes like me," she grumbles tiredly. Rarity sits back on her thighs, you can see her pink and white pussy between her ankles. Sperm is smeared across the dark silk. "I'm sorry for just, losing it like that." Rarity meekly fixes her hair and wipes her face. "It was just like you said though, my entire body felt like it was tingling. God, it was amazing."
You move to the side of the bed and stand up again. You move behind Rarity and touch her hair, she gently grabs your hand in hers and looks up into your eyes. Her face is a priceless mixture of satisfaction and other things. Rarity gets up, too, regaining her elegant grace, to a diminished degree.
Rarity immediately rinses her mouth and washes her face, so you use the time to piss. You and her trade places, shamelessly taking care of your bodily needs after sex.
"That was," Rarity turns off the faucet and shakes her hands dry. "That was an experience." The beautiful, naked woman bends over the end of the bend, her palms on the sheets, and looks straight at you. "What now?" She asks in a hushed voice.
You look around, the torn clothes strewn on the ground, the bits of leather and plastic laying about randomly, the stained sheets, Rarity's perfect hair mussed; all are pieces of a fuck gone right. You can't hold back a satisfied sigh. "I'm fucking tired."
"Me too," Rarity says. She pouts and looks at the bed, the soft, comfortable bed. "We can always bathe in the morning, can't we." Rarity climbs onto the mattress and lays on her side seductively. Her elbow is perfectly in a little cum pool.
"Want to join me, master Bow Strings?"
You walk to the bed and lay next to her, kiss her mouth gently and wrap your hands around her waist. Rarity giggles and embraces you, holding her full breasts to your chest. You break away, feeling almost hard again. "This time," you whisper in her ear. "Let's do it slow."
You roll on top of Rarity and move off of her, then pull her to you, spooning her. Rarity sighs hotly and leads your hands to her inner thighs. She giggles as you bite her ear, touch her breasts and her wet pussy again.
You feel tired, but slowly love Rarity's flesh anyway. She lays her head back and lightly rubs her body on yours. The silk suddenly feels devine, soft and warm and inviting. You close your eyes and feel Rarity's movements slow, and stop. You rest, feeling the soft embrace of sleep. Rarity says something, but you can't make it out. She squeezes your cock with her hand, waking you up immediately.
Rarity rolls over and kisses your mouth, you return it eagerly. She draws back, screwing her fingers around your once more rock-hard erection."Encore, Bow." |
The Canterlot Tails | Pinkie Pie | The last speaker thuds heavily down onto the stage. You've always hated hauling those 1600 Watt subs, but they're definitely worth it. Those were the things that made the walls and the floor shake.
"Thanks, Beau," you say tiredly. "I know how much you hate modern music, you can go sip caviar and smoke champagne, or whatever now."
Beau Strings wipes his brow and simultaneously waves a bird at you. "Hope your stupid speakers explode, Axel. At least I got a steady job and a steady girl."
You push the shaggy light cocoa hair out of your eyes with a vigorous bird of your own. "Thanks, ass. Hey, if you're done helping set up, you can le-"
"HI BEAU!" A shrill voice called from the other end of the floor. "And Helloooo, Beau's new friend! I'm Pinkie Pie, and I'm here to welcome youuu to Ponyville."
A pink-clad, go figure, girl bounces up to the stage where you stand, her big breasts bounce in a big way. They're so perky, they look enormous in her little tube top. She's wearing her hair up in a cute ponytail and has some skin tight jeans.
"You're playing tonight, huh? Let me guess, metal? No, no drums or guitars. Oh! You're a rapper! Hmm, nah, you don't really look like a rapper, you don't have that rhyme vibe, ya know?"
Beau was gone.
"That leaves DJ! YEAH! Those huge speakers are gonna make the place shake! Oh, I love DJ's. I'm Pinkie Pie, I work here at Sugar Cube Corner, but you knew that I bet. What's your name?"
You pick up your jaw and search your brain. "Uh, Axel. My stage name is Accelerandea. I do dubstep and stuff. Nice to meet you, Pinkie. Can I call you that?"
"Yeah, sure, everyone I know does, and I know everyone in town. You're on first tonight, so it's cool you're here already." A yellow flyer materialized in her hand. "Then we got two metal bands and the night ends with another DJ. Weird set list..."
You occupy your eyes and mind with moving speakers and equipment. Pinkie's rack and hourglass figure are hard not to stare at. Her cleavage isn't helping much, either.
"Anyway," she continues, her dynamic voice is too cute. "Need some help? You're not up for an hour. If we get done we could, maybe, roast a bowl?"
You nudge a 15"speaker into place atop a 32" sub and hook up the amp. "Fuck yeah, wanna match?"
"Aw yeah!" Pinkie Pie yells loudly. "And drinks are free to performers, too. You're 21, right?"
"Who cares?" You are, but it's the principle that matters.
Pinkie laughs again. "I know right? I think one of the guitarists in the second band is still in high school! Can you believe that?! I hope he doesn't miss his precious study time!"
You and Pinkie Pie laugh voraciously for a few seconds. Her jugs bounce as she chuckles. The big, round breasts seem to point out on their own. You think they might just do that without a bra, and naturally want to test that hypothesis.
"Hey, Pinkie, if you're not doing anything, mind helping me move all my crap back here?"
"Sure! But you're loading the first bowl."
* * *
"This is the stickiest shit I've eve-" COUGH COUGH!
Pinkie Pie's coughing fit overlaps the amazing metal playing from a small home stereo system. "You okay, Pinkie?" Pinkie Pie's chronic pales in comparison to your G-17. This shit was expensive, the Cadillac, no, the Lamborghini of bud. Still, when a bombshell girl rolls along and needs impressing, it does the trick. The snicklefritz would have been just fine, but Pinkie Pie looks like she loves to party.
"I th-think so. Shit, what is this shit? Alien bud?" Pinkie laughs and sits back in her bean bag chair, passing her bong to some other girl and her boyfriend. The guy, Trent or Tristan, you couldn't even hope to remember, cracked his knuckles and lit the torch.
"Careful, Tristan," the blond girl says in a southern drawl. "If Pinkie couldn't handle it well, I don't have much hope for you."
Tristan just smiles and focuses on pulling out two big lungfuls. The chamber on the pink and purple water pipe becomes hazy, then opaque with smoke. Tristan takes out the bowl and slowly inhales a quarter of the hit, then almost half, and then coughs violently. His gorgeous girlfriend took the bong quickly and tried her best to finish. She took in just as much before holding it in successfully, sputtering and coughing out tiny bits of smoke.
You snatch it up quickly and replace the bowl piece. You use your own lighter to reignite the still green and white skunk bud, adding a fresh hit to the smoky chamber. The inside begins to turn a solid white, the other three in the pink, naturally pink, bedroom are still sharing one coughing fit, Tristan more so than anyone else. You remove the bowl and inhale as fast and as hard as you can. The smoke hits your throat like a fist, then falls deep into your lungs. The haze burns from the inside. You instantly feel lightheaded and queasy, but the THC rushes to your brain nonetheless.
You count to four before exploding like the rest. You cap the remaining smoke with your palm and stifle your cough in the same arm's elbow.
"Ho-oly fuck on a fi-iddle!" Pinkie Pie coughs. "That's really the stickiest shit I've ever-" COUGH COUGH!
"Jeez, Axel," the other girl with a great rack says. "I bet it's radioactive or somethin'." She's amazingly beautiful, too. She's taken, it seems. Unfortunate. Her cowboy hat would look great hanging on the bedpost of the headboard, and her tiny plaid shirt would look great on the floor.
You pass along the bong and slump back against the wall. Darkness replaces your peripheral vision. You shift the tunnel that is your sight on Pinkie Pie and relax. The cannabis is too potent for its own good.
Blood flows along paths of its own choosing, it seems, and you feel your groin tense up as you watch Pinkie giggle and take the bong again. You pull yourself up and watch her inhale gingerly. Her chest lifts up, pushing her tits up and out in a glorious way. She's actually managed to get a full hit of the strongest grass known to man! The dark tunnel fades and Pinkie Pie continues to captivate you as she passes the glass.
"Oh my fucking god, Pinkie! I've never seen anyone take that huge of a hit of G-17 in my life!"
Pinkie Pie grins wide, showing off her perfect white teeth. She squints her eyes a bit and snickers, making smoke snake out between her pearly whites. Then she lunges forward, releasing the full tank into your face. You reflexively inhale all you can, also tasting Pinkie's breath. The warm haze fills your lungs. Your salivary glands kick on, you really want to kiss her full lips.
Tristan and his woman do the same as Pinkie did. Tristan took in a large drag, but not too impressive, and blew out slowly into the southern belle's mouth.
Pinkie sits "criss-cross-applesauce", in her words, right in front of you, her knee touching your left leg. You smile at her and watch the other chick take a conservative pull of smoke, filling her nice, tanned and toned torso with mostly fresh air. Jeez, her tits are great, too. So is that sexy waist of hers. To your surprise, she turns to you and winks. You take one glance at the gruffy boyfriend. To your greater surprise, he gives a nonchalant wave of his hand in approval.
The blond girl comes forward and closes her eyes. She purses her lips, her cheeks redden from a combination of nervous arousal and oxygen deprivation. You meet her halfway and not only meet lips, but return a deep kiss. She slowly releases most of her breath into you. Her shoulders shake in your hands, but she remains up on her own throughout the exchange. Finally, she opens her eyes and pulls back, the last bits of smoke fall from her lips.
"Not bad, sugarcube," she quietly replies. She tips her hat at you, using her hand to block a sly wink from her man's view.
"Not bad yourself," you respond. She arches her back as she hands you the bong, not being shy in the slightest.
You carefully inhale the rolling bowl and take in a hit almost as large as Pinkie Pie's. The thick smoke shoots down into your lungs, and you force it to stay against your body's will. Pinkie swiftly leans forward, places a strong hand on your upper thigh, and pushes her nice lips to yours. You can't hope to hold the smoke in, and release it all into her mouth. Pinkie sucks the hit in eagerly, almost all of it. You both cough the last bits out.
A brand new wave washes over your brain. Pinkie coughs twice more than you and instantly kisses you again, deeply. She moans a little into your mouth and sucks on your lips. You kiss back and move back to the wall. Pinkie follows obediently, placing her other hand on your shoulder. You feel the light grace of her tongue on your upper lip, but she vanishes from your touch before you can lick back.
"Who is it?" Pinkie Pie gleefully calls, stifling a little cough. The door knob turns, you didn't hear any noise at the door before.
To the left, her door opens and lets in another woman, this one young and attractive like the other two. She has medium length hair, but it's two tone neon blue, almost glowing with its own fluorescence. "Hey Pinks. Hey, uh, Alex?"
"Axel." You pick up the bong and sit up as best you can. Tristan and what's her face have gone back to macking. This new chick is too familiar, forgetting her name has made you feel downright rude.
You smile and hand her the bong. "You performing tonight, too?" you ask, trying not to mumble. The cannabis is so potent, it's a real challenge. What was her name? you ask yourself. Dammit, Tristan, cut that shit out.
"Yeah, I'm the headliner, jackass." Her voice is a true rockstar's: just a bit gruff to make her seem badass and just a lot sexy. She and her glowing hair sit on the floor between you and the door. She takes the bong impolitely. This suddenly familiar cute chick picks up a lighter, whoever's, and begins taking a serious rip.
Pinkie Pie mouths "pony" at you behind a hiding hand. "Oh, DJ PON-3? Fuck, I shoulda recognized you! Hell, I love your mixes!" You feel like a bit of a kissass, but that's okay. Smooching flank in the music business is seldom a bad idea.
You turn back to Pinkie. She's beaming, again, but her eyes are half-full with sedated glee. "Careful, Scratchy," Pinkie Pie says quietly, then breaks down to a little violent snicker. You can't help but laugh, in response to the name if nothing else.
"Scratchy" doubles over in her sitting position and tries in vain to keep her hit in. She coughs roughly three times and calms herself. "No one calls me that!" she says, her cheeks red as roses. "It's DJ PON-3 or Vinyl Scratch, not SCRATCHY! Only one person calls me that."
"Sorry, Vinyl," Pinkie says genuinely. The famous DJ smiles into the bong and clears the chamber with deceivingly great ease. Vinyl holds her lungs full for ten seconds, then coughs out the last of the smoke. "'sgood, huh? Axel got some stuff called G-17, It's the stickiest shit I've ever cough, cough!"
You and the lovebirds bust out laughing when Pinkie Pie actually says "cough cough". Vinyl tries to laugh, but just coughs twice, coincidentally with the same rhythmic accent as Pinkie used.
"It's pretty fucking good, Axel," Vinyl says, "I'll give ya that. I'd say you should sell weed, but I haven't even heard your set yet. You're on first, right?" Vinyl passes the bong to Pinkie Pie. She hops up in her spot in slow motion to receive it, making funny spaceship sounds.
"Yeah, I'm up first." You slink back against the wall and just stare in Pinkie Pie's general direction. You observe her gingerly pull some thick white smoke into the glass tube, rubbing her bare upper chest like she's got Vick's or something. Her big breasts rise with her ribs in a magnificent way, incidentally hugging the neck of the bong between them. You lift up one knee to hide the inevitable hard on that's on its way.
"Atta girl!" Vinyl praises. "Hold that hit in like pro!"
Pinkie Pie's cheeks swelled up like she was smuggling nuts. Her face was happy regardless as she held her breath in her chest. You sit up to watch, but Pinkie's eyes bug out joyfully and she leans forward, making her heavy tits point to the floor boards. Pinkie walks on her hands to you and brings her lips to yours again, slowly letting you inhale her breath. When it's not hot and smoky, Pinkie's breath is sweet and inviting. You carefully suck it all in, fighting the dark feeling pulling at the sides of your brain. You stay awake and take in all of her hit, not letting any smoke escape. Fresh THC wades into your high head again.
"Kinky, Pinkie," Vinyl's seemingly distant voice says. You fight your eyes open and exhale. The sheer volume you let out amazes you, and so does the light feeling you get. You can't tell if you're still conscious. A need for water and another kiss, maybe some more touching, that's all you can think about.
"Wa-water. I need some liquid refreshment," you somehow say suavely. You can't help but laugh thickly and shake your head awake.
"Ya alright, Axel?" Pinkie asks, suddenly in front of you. Or was she there already?
"Yeah, I'm fine," you reply honestly, looking into her big blue eyes. They look really pretty, you want to explore around inside them some. "It's just good shit. And cotton mouth. Because.... Europe." You snicker and slap your leg at your own hilarious randomness. Pinkie giggles, too. That's good, she's cute, or hot. Fucking hot. Nice rack, too. Fucking hot rack, maybe she could cook some steaks on that. You laugh again and find your eyes looking at some wood, the floor. Right, the floor. That's like, the Earth or something, somehow. Whatever.
"Pinkie," you manage to say.
"Axel!" she replies giddily.
You sit up and see every girl in the room. So many girls, this should be everyday. "I need liquid Earth. No, wait. I need liquid refreshment. Also, when am I on?"
Pinkie Pie hops up and says: "Bottle of Earth, coming right u-oh jeez. One sec, I'm, I gotta, woah." Pinkie Pie leans on a bed post and holds her head. "I need to stop seeing black," she laughs. "Oh my god, that stuffs potent."
"Y'alright, Pinks?" Vinyl Scratch asks.
Pinkie Pie grins wide and shakes her head. "I'm fine, just got up too quick. I'll get us all some sodas. Tristan, Applejack, you want, uh, maybe you want the room. Guys, let's all get out for the rutting couple, 'kay?"
You look right and see that Tristan and Applejack, that's her name, are really making out passionately. Tristan's knee is creeping up Applejack's bare thigh quickly. You feel a powerful lust for some tan skin.
"Thanks, Pinkie," you think you hear. A hand drops down between you and them, the nails are painted red and blue. It's Pinkie Pie's.
"Come on, peeping tom, time to make de muziks!"
"No Eiffel Tower?" You say laughing.
"No what? What are you smoking?" Pinkie Pie helps you up and pushes, making you stumble to the doorway. The world fades to darkness briefly and your knees feel like jelly. You find the doorway with your blind hands and stabilize yourself before continuing.
The world quickly comes back to you. Vinyl leads you and Pinkie Pie downstairs and backstage.
"What's an Eiffel Tower?" Pinkie asks in the darkness. "I mean, not the French landmark. What you said? Or was it just high rambling bullshit?"
You turn and take a glass full of water from her, gladly draining it in four seconds. "Ah, thanks," you say as you wipe your lips with a forearm. "Uh, it's sorta a sex move. Basically, one guy goes at it on a girl from doggystyle while a different guy gets head, and they high five."
"What?!" Vinyl clutches her sides and laughs. "That's ridiculous!"
Pinkie falls victim to another one of her intense bouts of laughter. "I was just joking! It's, it's just funny, I wasn't serious."
"Oh man, that's good. I gotta try that!" Pinkie says, then falls into another rolling bit of laughter. "Sounds fun!"
Before you can say anything, Vinyl Scratch disappears out the side entrance. You stand with Pinkie Pie, high as hell and alone stage. You wonder how long it is until you go onstage. "Hey Pinkie P-"
"Yeah?" she interjects.
"Ha, how long until I go on? Do we have time for a drink? I'm buyin'."
Pinkie just turns around and starts walking. "Yeah, for the price of zero dollars, you better! I can't afford that kind of luxury." The walk to the bar is short. You can see the stage easily, the area in front has about two dozen metal heads and live music goers. Almost all are from Ponyville, you suspect.
"What d'ya want, Axel?" Pinkie Pie asks from behind the bar. She turns, again, and looks up and around at the assortment of the veritable rainbow of colored drinks and liquors. "We got, Applejack Daniels, Royal Crown, you name it. I even got a bunch of drinks named after me and my friends! I like Scratch the best, it's actually two shots in a row. Want that?"
You look up from her round butt in her tight jeans and register whatever question she just asked. "Uh, sure, sounds good. Why not?"
"One Scratchy coming right up!" Pinkie turns back and grabs a bottle of Irish creme and some rum, and four shot glasses.
"Pinkie, that's, uh, fuck it. Let's get drunk!" You slap the table and listen to whatever track is playing to keep the people around. Something too grumbly, but that's okay.
"Just wait," Pinkie says. "I still gotta make 'em!" She dexterously puts down a bottle of gin, blue curacao and lemon juice with one hand and begins pouring irish creme and rum into a shot glass with the other. She pours another shot, then fills the other shot glasses with gin and curacao. Pinkie tops off all four shots with a squirt of lemon juice, making the creme curdle in the first two.
"Quick, slam this one, I'll do this one!" Pinkie pushes the first glass towards you and picks up the second, both have the creme and rum. You take it and toss it back, the thickening creme sticks to your teeth and lets the rum shoot back. You down the liquor and use your tongue to get the sticky cement off of your teeth. It tastes pretty delicious.
"Now the second, do it!" Pinkie downs the third glass, so you grab the fourth brightly colored shot. You slam that one back, too. It's tougher, but you manage the liquor pretty easily.
You swallow again and feel good. You meet Pinkie Pie's eyes again, so adorable and bright blue. There's a trail of curacao and gin on her chin, and it drips onto her shirt, just at the seam, barely missing the bare skin of her cleavage.
"Pinkie, ya got a little something here," you say and point at your chest. She looks down with a look of shock at her large tits.
"Where?! Can you get it for me? I don't see it," Pinkie Pie says.
"Sure, just, lean forward and," you reach forward and use your thumb and first finger to pinch the little damp spot of her shirt, pushing a knuckle into her large left breast.
"Ah! Thanks!" Pinkie smiles at you, her cheeks suddenly rosy, and licks her thumb and blots out the spot. "I'm so messy sometimes. It's a shame, really."
You sit on a stool and simply watch the way her boobs move as she pulls on her shirt. "Believe me, I don't mind in the least."
Pinkie Pie suddenly finishes and looks up, catching you stare. "Hey, I didn't welcome you to Ponyville, yet, have I?"
You blink at her sudden suggestiveness. "Uh, kinda, you gave me a free drink and let me use your bong."
"No no," Pinkie says with a wave. She leans over the bar and gets really close to your face. "I mean, I haven't welcomed, you to town yet."
"Wha, uh, I don-" Pinkie Pie shuts you up with a sudden kiss, sloppy and full of tongue. She quickly thrusts her tongue into your mouth, making you taste her sweet saliva. It tastes just like the drinks you just shared. Pinkie leans back and moans slightly as she pulls on your tongue with her lips. You lean forward and eagerly return her movements, leaning on the bar and holding her chin in one hand. Her smooth face graces your fingertips as she pulls away.
"Woah," she whispers at you, her face is crimson from her eyebrows to her upper lip.
"Woah," you whisper back, exchanging smiles. Your face feels really warm, too.
Pinkie adjusts her tank top and looks toward the crowd. You sneak another glance at her cleavage and look back too. Some of the dark area backstage is visible, but the couch is obscured well. "Axel?" Pinkie Pie asks.
"Pinkie!" you reply playfully.
"Heh, wanna make out?" She puts on a winning smile and turns her head slightly, holding your eye. Hers are tinted pink, like the rest of her personality.
You glance at the slowly growing crowd and look back. "Sure. Could you bring two bottles of water, and maybe some Jager?"
Pinkie's eyes pop and her shoulders lift as she chortles once. "Finally, someone who knows how to pronounce it! I mean, it's just German for crying out loud, how hard is it to put a little throat into the a?" Pinkie turns and stands needlessly on her tippy toes to grab the dark green bottle with the orange stripe and white label. You gladly give her round rump a proper gaze.
Pinkie Pie snags some waters and you sneak backstage, wasting no time to sit on the couch. Pinkie pounces and lays her body on yours, making you fall back. The old, dusty couch creaks as you lay your head on the armrest and let Pinkie suck on your lower lip. Her large breasts sink into your chest, but she only kisses faster. You run one hand along her side, your fingertips finding bare flesh on her hip. You slowly slide your hand under her shirt and feel her warm, soft skin and groan a little into her mouth. Pinkie exhales deeply and falls into your more, sinking her chest and hips onto you. Pinkie moans and slowly slides her fingertips to your belt. She suddenly pulls back, but keeps your hand where it is.
"Mind if I take this off?" she quickly says.
"Not at all, go for it, Pinkie."
Pinkie Pie swiftly pulls her pink top over her head and lets it fall on your face. You inhale her scent as quickly and deeply as you can, then throw it on the ground, a little disappointed that she wasn't talking about your pants. Your eyes are greeted by a pair of amazing breasts barely contained by a black push up bra. Pinkie playfully squeezes them together and lifts, then lets them fall, bouncing until the rest.
"C-can I try?" You curse at yourself for stuttering.
Pinkie Pie tosses her short ponytail over her shoulder and says: "Go for it, Axel." Her instantly sultry voice makes your hardening rod stiffen fully. You reach up and take them into both hands. They're almost too much to handle. You stare at her surprisingly slender waist, then back to her tits. You squeeze and lift, then let go, letting them fall heavily. The way they jiggle makes Pinkie Pie giggle. She licks her lips and squeezes them again hard in her fingers.
"Ah, you're gonna have to be a little rough with them later. I haven't horsed around for too long."
You push your hips up and adjust yourself, then grab her big breasts again. "May I?" you ask.
"Go for it!" Pinkie says, beaming wide as she can. You slowly squeeze, sinking your fingertips deep into the soft fabric over the softer flesh. Pinkie moans, a little loudly, and arches her back a bit. You let up and squeeze harder, making her moan again. Her tits are spilling out between your fingers like bags of rice.
"Oh my god," Pinkie Pie moans and leans forward. "No more! I can't take it, we need to stop before we get into it."
"Jeez, Pinkie," you whisper in her ear, which is just next to your mouth as she breathes heavily on your neck. "Are those things that sensitive?"
Pinkie nods her head and says: "Uh huh." She kisses and sucks on your neck for a bit, slightly grinding her big thighs on yours.
"Axel?" Pinkie moans into your ear.
"Pinkie!" you say back quietly.
She tosses her head back in laughter, whipping her hair into your face. "Axel, you gotta go on in five. It's past seven."
"How can you tell?" you ask.
Pinkie Pie simply points over your head. You arch your back, incidentally pushing your chest into Pinkie Pie's, and crane your neck to look. A digital clock with bright red numbers above a closed doorway reads five after. "Oh."
"Well," Pinkie pie says, giggling. "We'll meet up after your set. It sucks that I have to wait, Axel, I'm so fucking ready. And this banana in your pants feels ready, too." Pinkie rubs along your steel shaft in your pants with her thigh, making it twitch.
"Pinkie?" you ask, smiling almost as wide as her.
"Axel!" she screams like she's suddenly about to orgasm. She's a great actor. "Ha ha, what? I'm just joking, jeez.
You crack up for a bit, then look at Pinkie's amazing, sensitive tits. "I was gonna ask, what if Tristan and Applejack aren't done?"
"Don't worry about that," Pinkie says. "You've got forty minutes. If they're not done by then, we'll kick 'em out. That's plenty of time. Hey, they might be done already."
You crack your neck as you lay on the sofa. "Cool."
"Cool," Pinkie Pie says back. You share another long, wet kiss, plenty of tongue. Pinkie relents, letting her nice, full lips and her tongue drip your and Pinkie's mixed spit back into your mouth. You swallow it away and watch Pinkie get up and slip back into her shirt. The thing looks full to bursting, especially now that you've seen the melons partly unwrapped.
"Kick some ass, Asshole! I mean Axel!" Pinkie says and takes a swig of Jager.
"It's Accelerandea, bitch. I mean Pinkie Pie!"
She wipes her big lips and hands you the dark green bottle. "Same dif," Pinkie says nonchalantly. "Break a leg!"
You take a long swig, and then she was gone. You catch a glimpse of a nice, full butt near the bar through the door, but that's it. You cap the bottle, shift your dick so it's aimed down your right thigh, and grab both bottles of water. You grab your shades and mutter your mantra to yourself: "Lezdodis."
You walk out onto the raised stage and wave. The dance floor is occupied by at least fifty people. A little sparse, but at least it isn't vacant. More keep trickling in, others are walking over or to the bar. So, you assess, at least seventy. Not bad, you might just make a profit. The club is preparing for the real party later on. The house lights dim quickly and neon glow sticks of every color are the primary light source. Still, there's just enough light to make out individuals. Most are packed front and center, chatting and smoking and drinking and standing.
You don't say anything, no one announces anything, but that's okay. You pull out a vinyl and put it on the turntable, then turn it on. A simple melody begins, hauntingly minor, yet playful, like toddler twins in a horror movie. You kick up the bass on your switchboard and begin the first real song. Yours and Vinyl Scratch's high quality bass weapons make the floor rumble and the bodies congeal towards the front of the stage. You slip on some headphones and lose yourself to the wub-wub. You start a double kicker, the metal heads oughta love that.
The drinks make things more fun, not sloppy. The grass makes things just awesome. Before you know it, the hard vibrations and amazing music have gotten you rigid again. You look over the equipment and down to the crowd. Front and center is Pinkie Pie, throwing her round ass around like it's insured. You sip some water and watch as she bends over to pick something up, glasses for another pariter, a nice looking blond wearing a top that's barely a sport bra. Her rack isn't very large, however, so it might as well be. They slap shoulders and dance some more together.
You kick up the bass and lower the beat. The floor shakes as you queue the next song. You swipe on the turntables some, showing off your rhythmic skills. The shaking floor makes your cock even harder. You peer over the setup and watch Pinkie again. This time she's grinding with that same chick. She looks up and meets your eye. She winks and sorta humps, grinning wide. You feel your erection throb, hard. Already, just two songs in, you feel close to the inevitable result of every great performance. You put your sunglasses back on and concentrate on making the song kill. The next track kicks in over the fade away of the last one. You smile and scratch the record a few times, then let the song play. You adjust the equalizer some and sit back, trying not to let the music arouse you too much. It just feels so amazing, the heavy base shakes the floor, in turn vibrating your shoes, then your knees and all of your body. It's so exciting, and your passion for music too easily translates into sexual arousal.
The beats drag on, song after song goes by, the crowd is loving it. The dozen or so times you've let yourself look, Pinkie Pie was dancing just as hard or harder than anyone else. And her bright pink hair was always easy to spot. You glance at the time on your computer. It's almost time to stop, and you haven't even came. You kick up the volume, as much as you can, and the bass. The next song has to be your last. You select your favorite and put on a double bass overlay for parts. You salute at the crowd with a middle finger and bang your head, like the music should make you do. About a dozen bodies are thrashing and mashing against each other in a circle in front of the stage, the first mosh pit you've ever started. You step back behind the set and feel your pants almost massage the tip of your cock. You feel your upper thighs tense up, so does your abdomen. It feels like your going to explode any second, it's amazing.
Climax looming, a hand taps your butt. You concentrate on not cumming and turn around. Pinkie Pie is standing on her knees behind you, out of sight of the crowd.
"Hey!" she yells over the music. You quickly turn down the treble two notches so you can hear a bit better.
"What's up?" you scream back. You hope there's no precum stain on your black jeans.
"Just thought you'd want some help with that!" She points right at your hard cock. It's hardly concealed. "I didn't see AJ, but I bet we could still steal my bed back from them. Wanna go?"
"What about the e-end of my set?" Your voice cracks, partly from the need to yell over the music and partly from the way the bass shakes the base of your rock hard cock.
"Just put another song on in the playlist and let the roadies pack everything out!" Pinkie is still on her knees, her great cleavage exposed for you to drink in. You don't hide your staring this time.
"Fuck yeah! Let's go!" You turn to set up another track and feel a hand inside your belt. You look down and see a darkened image of Pinkie Pie, her mouth open and her tongue hanging out like a panting dog.
You lift up your glasses and smile down, letting the music make you harder. It's so hard, it almost hurts. "Or," Pinkie mouths. She doesn't speak, she only pantomimes jacking you off, then sucking your cock, bulging out her cheek with her tongue hilariously. She finishes off with licking the air and masturbating your air-cock fast. She closes one eye and holds out her tongue, swirls it around in her mouth and grabs her breast. She uses her other hand to wipe up the invisible sperm on her chin, then she gulps, perfectly in time to be heard between parts of the song. It's so fucking hot, you almost cream your jeans right there.
"N-No!" You stop her long fingers before they touch your sheathed erection. "No, the music, I might, uh, do something that happens when the music is playing."
Pinkie just sits back and pouts.
"We can still go fuck, come on let-"
"No," she says. "If your so close already, just let me finish you, then we can start again upstairs. Is that-"
"Okay!" You grin down, then turn to the crowd again. The next song has picked up already. You set on another, even though you're already over time. The crowd is still into it, grinding and bumping and moving on each other. You watch some sexy ladies dancing with each other, and two are making out, right there in front of everybody. You watch for a second, but a touch right on your erection averts your gaze. Pinkie Pie is on the ground, looking up into your eyes.
She undoes your belt and your pants quickly. You carefully help her fish out your long cock, it bounces as it slips over the waistband of your boxer shorts.
"Holy guacamole!" Pinkie Pie says loud enough to hear. You step back and let her sit in front of you. The bass is still shaking your erection, even more so in the open air. A hot breeze brushes along your cock, making it feel great. You look down to watch Pinkie Pie lick the tip, the warm softness caressing your head clumsily. Her saliva cools your head as she massages the shaft with her soft tongue, and then she takes you in her mouth. She sucks in about a third and just rocks back and forth, side to side, humming and smiling and sucking.
The song's tempo kicks up, and suddenly, Pinkie opens her mouth wide, then goes deep on your shaft. Pinkie Pie takes an admirable three fourths of it in before she gags on it. She goes as deep as she can. Then, with much effort, takes the rest into her throat. The top of Pinkie's esophagus squeezes hotly on your dick head, making your hips go weak. Pinkie relents to the pink helmet and slowly licks that, recuperating.
Pinkie Pie coughs and grabs the base of your slick shaft. "I got it," she tiredly says. "I got the whole thing. Myah, how close are ya, Axel?"
You reach down and rest your hand on her head. "Damn close. Where do you want it, Pinkie?" It's hard not to look down and give away what you're doing. It doesn't matter much, the music is loud and the lights are dimmed, and no one is really looking up. Pinkie sucks on your pink helmet and jerks you off in half time. It feels great, but you're not really getting anywhere.
Pinkie Pie lets you go with a probably audible "ah" and jerks slightly faster, her spit coated fingers create an amazing mixture of softness and friction. "No no," she insists, "this is your party. Where do you wanna blow that load? A cannon this size has to blast a lot of shot, I think I'd love it anywhere!"
The party girl begins jerking in time, twice as fast as before. Her smack talk makes zero hour go by so much faster. "Ah, ya hungry?" You manage to ask. Her slurping up a thick load and playing with her food sounds too appealing.
Pinkie Pie puckers her lips on the pink head of your penis and pronounces her approval. "Yeah! Oh, Axel, wanna shoot all your hot cum right in my mouth?" She jerks off with the eighth notes, double time, twice as fast as before. Her hand is almost a blur, but it still feels so soft and fuckable. Pinkie spits on the head again and laps up some of the precum. "Ah, lemme taste that thick stuff right now, come on! Jizz on my face some, too, I wanna have some heavy cream all over me. Come on, cum for Pinkie! Shoot your stuff, tough guy, such a big cock, better give me a big load."
You don't have time to give a warning. The dirty talk makes you shoot that much faster. Your core muscles shake and you feel yourself begin to explode. Thick ropes launch into the air, flying the short distance from your head to Pinkie's lips. You watch the first shots impact on her tongue and lips and cheeks, but you look up at the ceiling in intense ecstasy. You feel like you're releasing a year's worth of cum, your brain is on fire. You try your best to just smile and nod your head while Pinkie rubs and sucks out the last of your seed out of your mostly hard cock.
Pinkie Pie sucks hard and let's go with another "Ah", her lips smack loudly. You look down and meet one of her eyes, the other has a thick coating of semen holding onto the eyelashes. "Mmm, juicy. Thanks," she says. "Uh, song's done, Axel." Her face is splattered with thick snakes of semen and thin, shiny coatings on her chin. A little pool is right on her tongue.
You look up, now noticing the small crowd cheering. You quickly wave at the crowd and put on another record. The beat comes back on, you adjust the equalizer during the intro: a clip from a self help video that fits all too well.
"Good save," you say down at Pinkie Pie, who is licking her fingers.
"Ya," she says with a full mouth. "Wea-hee?" Pinkie sits with one hand on the ground, the other wiping cum off her eye and into her mouth.
Your tuck your still wet length into your pants and bend down. "You really gonna swallow all that?" you ask her.
"Why?" she manages to say. "Wan -e hoo?" She's so bubbly, especially with her mouth full of man juice.
You look up, the crowd is going crazy, then back down. "Fuck yeah!"
Pinkie Pie smiles wide, showing off the load in her mouth. She collects all she can off her chin and moves the cum, an amount that spills around in her mouth. She gets most of the thick sperm sauce onto her tongue, then swallows it all with one grandiose gulp. "Tada! It's gone!" It is gone, her pink tongue is clean, sort of, in her pink mouth. Her left eye is still covered, however. You leave that nugget of information for her to find.
"Like pure motherfucking magic, Pinkie," you say back. "Just wait for this song so I can reload, okay? Then I'll be right up. Pinkie..."
"Axel...?" Pinkie sits up and looks into your eyes. A tiny white strand hangs down from her eyelash.
"You're fucking dynamite."
Pinkie rolls, actually rolls once towards backstage. "That means you'll be fucking dynamite before long!" Then she disappears into the dark shadows.
* * *
You reach down for the metal knob, but the bedroom door swings open before you. Applejack, that one really attractive girl from earlier, nearly walks straight into you.
"Woah! Didn't see ya there sugarcube," she says in a southern drawl. Applejack's voice is kind of sexy, but you imagine it might get old after prolonged exposure. She blushes deeply and averts her eyes. "Uh, Pinkie just sent us ta find ya, Axel. Come on-"
"Axel!" That voice is unmistakable. "Come iiiiiiinnn~!" Pinkie Pie sings.
Applejack's slim waist moves aside. The room reeks of sex, weed, booze and candy. Tristan is pulling on his overshirt. It's stained at the collar.
"What's up in here, everybody?" you ask, doing your best to hide your nervousness. Being a semi-professional DJ doesn't automatically make your tongue silver.
Pinkie Pie slams down the bottle of Jagermeister on the nightstand and climbs out of bed. "Us!" Pinkie skips over, nearly falling, twice, hilariously swinging her arms. Her tits bounce up and down in that tight tank top, but her pants are nowhere to be seen. The cum on her eye is gone. Her little cotton panties are, surprisingly, dry and light purple. You find a Pinkie Pie clinging to your arm, holding it to her breasts, letting them sink into you. "Tristan and AJ were busy when I got up here, but that's cool. They can use my bed anytime. Except now, cos now it's Axel's party."
She giggles and pecks your cheek. She stands on her toes and whispers into your ear: "Unless you wanna have a four way. They're cool with it and everything." She licks your earlobe for emphasis. You feel your face heat up like magic. You find Pinkie's big, bright blue eyeballs, she's smiling and playfully biting her lip.
You can only nod dumbly in response, your grin wide and your face flushed. Pinkie Pie jumps up and pecks you on the cheek again. "I knew you'd say yes! Or, well, I guess you didn't say yes, but you did communicate it. But really, who cou-"
"Pinkie!" Applejack yells, slamming the door shut. "We get the picture. We doin' this or not? Cos I'm rarin' to go."
Pinkie Pie pantomimes zipping her lips shut, nodding. She cartwheels and shakily flops onto her wide bed. She bounces to rest, laughing voraciously, her round ass pointing right at you. There's a small white stain on the left cheek.
"Uh, Pinkie?" you say to her. "You got a little something, right here." You turn and point to your own ass, looking back at her over your shoulder. She quickly slaps her ass, the clean cheek, and looks over her shoulder. The way her flesh jiggles kicks off s stirring in your genitals.
"Did I get it? What is it? Where?" She looks over her other shoulder and pulls up on her panties like there aren't three other people in the room. "What, oh! That's just some love-stain I sat in." She snickers and rolls over, squishing her tits into the ruffled blankets. "Wanna make some more?"
"Hell yeah I do. But, uh, how's this gonna..." You look left to the door and see no one. To the right, where you sat stoned off your mind earlier, AJ and Tristan are already holding each other's waists and kissing, moving hands under shirts and pulling at belts. You wonder why they bothered to put their clothes back on. "work."
Pinkie Pie beckons you to her bed with a dainty finger. You walk over as she sits up, you can hear soft moans and wet lips smacking from the other side of the bedroom. Pinkie's pants are beside her bed. You step over them and jump up, straddling Pinkie's nice, shapely legs. A familiar tension is beginning to form in your groin as you rub your hands up and down Pinkie's back. Her skin is fleshy and soft to the touch, even through her shirt.
"How attached are you to this, Pinkie?" you ask, holding the collar of her shirt in both hands from behind.
"Not at all," she asks. "Wh-ah!" You quickly rip it in two down the back, exposing her sexy back. You feel her smooth, bare skin for a moment before leaning down to kiss Pinkie Pie's shoulder, then her neck, making her tremble and moan softly. You suck hard on her neck until a hand touches your shoulder.
You let go of Pinkie's neck with a smack and look up to meet Applejack's eyes. She's shirtless, and braless. Her perky tits are round and full, as well as youthfully smooth with small, erect nipples. You cringe at your cock begging to be unsheathed. You stare for a bit longer, until Pinkie Pie begins gyrating her hips, pushing her big ass into your ready groin.
"Axel," Applejack says in her thick accent. "We had a plan worked out before ya came up here. I'm gonna need you ta move."
"Can I at least get the rest of her clothes off first?" you ask, mockingly serious. You pull your stiff, sensitive member up so that the head is restrained in your belt and thrust along the crevice of Pinkie's nice butt. You drag your mostly sheathed length along her cheeks again, then a third time, enjoying the sensation in full. AJ takes a swig of German liquor as you continue dry humping, working on Pinkie's bra strap. It comes off with little work, and help from Pinkie.
Pinkie Pie moans hotly and looks back. "Oh Axel," she half whispers. "I'm nice and wet for your long, hard cock. And believe me, that heat you're packin's definitely is a rifle. No snub nose revolver, that gun's a fucking sniper."
She lifts her ass up and pulls at her own panites. "God damn, Axel!" she moans into the blanket. "Stick somethin' in! Fuck I'm horny. AJ, let's DO this!"
You gladly sit up and pull her smelly panties down and take in the full view of Pinkie's bare ass from behind. You grab Pinkie's right cheek, AJ grabs the left, and the both of you get a long, healthy look. The lips are soaked, slowly dripping slick fluids down Pinkie Pie's inner thighs. Her pussy is nice and tight looking, healthy and ready for a poke. You can almost feel your cock growling at the bitch in heat within spitting distance.
Applejack lets go and slaps Pinkie's ass cheek hard, making her scream, then giggle. "Alrighty, Axel," Applejack says. "Time's a wastin'. Get yer butt up and lemme get that belt off for ya."
You begin to climb off of the bed. AJ bends down and puts her beautiful fingers on your big buckle and begins unbinding your belt, then the button of your black britches.
"Pinkie wasn't kiddin'," AJ murmurs to herself. She drops your pants, you step out and stand in your boxers. Your rigid dick is still pointing straight up, the glans slightly exposed to the air. AJ yanks your underwear down, letting your erect member fall to point at her face.
"I'll get it nice and wet for ya, Axel. Then you'll get to rammin' inta Pinkie from behind. Or," she stops herself, blushing and staring straight at your erection. "Ya could fuck me if ya wanted. I mean, if Tristan's cool with it. Hun?"
"Huh?" Tristan was busy getting his meat stick sucked by Pinkie Pie. "Yeah, whatever. Just don't get knocked up."
You look down at AJ, smiling, her hand wrapped around the base of your cock. "What'dya say Axel? So many options, so man-"
"Pinkie," you say flatly, feigning seriousness.
Applejack looks up, deflated. "Huh? Jus' like that? You haven't even seen my goods. How can you make such a decis-"
"I want to eat her pussy some, then I'll fuck you, whether you're wet or dry." Applejack just stares, smiling up at you, your steel rod staring at her face.
"Ya got it, Axel. It's your party, after all." She kisses the head once. A little precum cling to her lips as she pulls away, making a strand sway as it bridges the gap. It falls onto her bare chest. Applejack cleans it up with a finger and samples it, sucking hard enough to draw in her cheeks. You feel your cock twitch, blindly urging for a new warm hole.
"Pinkie, flip over." You kneel down on the floor by the bed and put a hand on her round, soft ass. "Please?"
"Sinf yew puh- eh- ah- way," Pinkie says through a mouthful. She slurps up her excess spit and pulls the dick out of her mouth with another loud "Ahh". Pinkie Pie rolls over onto her back. Gravity pulls her large and perky breasts down and away from her sternum. Applejack hops up onto the bed, fully nude, and slowly caresses and plays with her large breasts
You don't bother with watching. Instead, you put both hands on the hot, wet thighs and push lightly. Pinkie Pie voices her approval wordlessly, mumbling gibberish of consent. You trace the skin on either side of her fat lips, making her vagina leak out a little more juice.
"Wait!" Pinkie Pie says, looking down between her tits. You pull your tongue in and meet her eyes. "Take a drink, Axel. It's your party, and you haven't even had any booze since we started!"
"Yeah, then pass me the bottle," Tristan says.
"Uh, okay, sure." You lean to your right and grab the mostly full container. You take a swig of the sweet liquor, then another. You down four large gulps in all. The alcohol burns your throat briefly, but it's easily bearable.
Applejack takes the bottle you offer and sips before handing it to her man. He takes some swigs and hands it down to Pinkie. She swallows some skillfully from her back and hands it up to Applejack, who gulps twice before handing back to you. You watch Applejack slowly stroke Tristan's dick and drink to your jealousy.
At last you can taste Pinkie's clean shaven vagina. You don't even bother with touching, you go right in for her sweet, organically intoxicating flavor. Pinkie Pie moans as your tongue graces her soft petals lightly. You lick from the bottom to the top twice, the second time pushing until you feel the hot pink center. As your flat tongue moves over a little nub, Pinkie really moans. You swirl your tongue wetly around her clitoris and back down to her hole. Using two fingers, you spread her lips open wide and tickle her entrance. Pinkie's moans are muffled. Her mouth is undoubtedly filled just outside your view.
You stick in your first finger swiftly, coaxing out a thick moan. You suck on Pinkie Pie's stiffening clitoris and slip in a second finger. Pinkie Pie moans between little gurgles as you rub her g-spot with two fingers. You nibble on her clitoris, enjoying the scent and flavor her cunt gives to your mouth.
At last, you come up for air, slowing your working fingers in Pinkie Pie's tight vagina. You look up from between Pinkie Pie's nice legs and are greeted by a close view of Applejack's nice ass. Her's is a little less full and more toned, but very, very nice regardless. Three of her fingers are at work playing her wet pussy. They circle quickly around her clitoris, dripping an occasional bit of fluid onto Pinkie's lower stomach. You lap up the small pool happily. It tastes less sweet than Pinkie's pie, yet still perversely delicious. You gulp it down and go back to work with your mouth.
"Myah, why'd ya stop Axel?" You look up, tongue an inch from her lips. She meets your eyes, her crazy hair tickles Tristan's undercarriage. Applejack wanted a turn, it seems, and is rocking her head back and forth as she sucks away.
"Just wanted a view of the party," you say back. Your fingers resume thrusting and flexing, pulling on Pinkie's g-spot. You kiss her lips and snake your tongue in again, finding her clit in the hot folds. You flick and search and manage to sneak under the small hood protecting it and hold the covering skin in your teeth. Pinkie's thighs tighten up around you, cupping your ears. You can't hear the praise she gives, but you can feel it. Her hips shake, so you push and pull with your fingers harder and faster. You slip your tongue to her tiny exposed cum button and press as hard as you can, shaking it to make her climax as hard as possible. You slip in a third finger and feel her extremely tight walls clench even tighter.
At last, Pinkie's thighs and hips shake in climax. You move your head up and pull up on her clitoris, your tongue is a hook pulling her up. Your first three fingers are moving in crazy little quarter and half circles against her stiff little g-spot, lightly pressing against it. You spread out your pinkie painfully and barely penetrate her anus. Pinkie cums immediately. A spurt of girlcum hits youu right on the nose. You're helpless to move as your head is held in place by two big, shapely thighs. You gladly open your mouth and catch the clear fluid as it squirts onto your face. You flex your three fingers harder and slip in your fourth, deftly stimulating her clitoris at the same time, careful not to block the ejaculation. Pinkie Pie squirts again, harder than before. Clear fluid shoots out and impacts on your tongue, cheeks, forehead, everywhere. You rock your hand, all four fingers back and forth quickly.
Pinkie lets go of your face, so you sit up some and watch her face. "Ooooohhhh," Pinkie Pie moans. "Ooohh, ah, keep it up, keep going Axel!" She tosses her head left and right, her crazy curls careen to and fro.
You move your hand as fast as you can, feeling Pinkie's little g-spot with light pressure. Her cunt twitches a few more times, then really clenches down painfully. You push on her spot with two fingers and still move your hand fast and hard. You hear her cry out harshly down at you, her hips and tits shaking like mad.
"I'm gonna, oh Axel! YES!" Pinkie can do nothing but hump her hips and arch her back as she orgasms for the second time in five minutes. You push on her spot hard and feel her cunt contract. Pinkie's abs, legs and vaginal walls all tense up, then she squirt again. You watch from a point-blank distance as clear fluids shoot out from her vagina. The first spurt is caught inside her lips, trickling down to the hardwood, so you spread her wet petals wide with your free hand. The ejaculation is still going strong, shooting up a thin stream of clear fluid. You don't shy away from the spattering. The most of it mattes your hair to your forehead and lands elsewhere.
"Ngyah! Ah, oh Axel, stop, please! It's too much," Pinkie moans
You pull out immediately. Your first two fingertips are slightly pruned, the olive skin a little wrinkled. You lick your sore fingers and look up. Applejack is tongue kissing Pinkie Pie deeply, passionately rubbing and grabbing Pinkie's flesh. Pinkie, however, is kissing back like she already came.
You wipe off your face with your stained shirt and stand up, stretching your sore knees. "Need a drink, Pinkie?"
Applejack's and Pinkie's heads nod at the same time. You grab your boxers and are halfway to slipping them on when Tristan opens the door.
"Guess he's got ya covered," you say to no one in particular. Your cock has never been more rigid. Standing behind two amazingly sexy ladies going at it, one that has just gone through an intense double orgasm, and you're soaked in female ejaculate.
You put one hand on Applejack's full, round ass. "MMmmmphhah! What the heck are ya doin'?"
"Pinkie just squirted like a fucking fire hydrant, and you want me to starve you?" you ask. "Come on Applejack, I know you're wet as hell. Tell me you don't want cock, and I'll fuck Pinkie Pie instead."
Applejack adjusts herself so that she's perfectly straddling Pinkie Pie and stands up on all fours. "Okay," she says in her southern drawl. "Let's do this. Just, uh, don't shoot it in me, alright?"
"I promi-"
"Do it on my face!" Pinkie Pie yells out. "Cum on my face! I love facials, because it really makes guys smile. Just, ah, do it, when you need to. Sorry! Continue, please."
You look over Applejack's shoulder and meet Pinkie's big blue eyes again. "Pinkie Pie, you are so random! And kinky, too."
You turn back and look down at Applejack's back. Her long blond ponytail is flayed across her back. You'd like to cum all over that, too, give her split ends. The thought makes another bubble of precum slowly dribble down your shaft.
"Ready, AJ?"
"Yup," she says. "Come and get some, Axel. Put that rock hard cock in me and fuck me like an animal. Ram that fucker deep inside, let my cunt squeeze on you until you blow a big, hot, thick load of cum all over Pinkie Pie's cute little face."
Applejack pants hard and rubs herself again. "I'm so fuckin' hot for that dick, Axel. Hurry up and make me scream, I wanna see ya shoot, too. Ah, I wanna kiss Pinkie again and get a mouthful of that jizz. Oh my fucking god, fuck me as hard as ya fuckin' can!"
You can't take it anymore! Her filthy mouth needs to get filled almost as much as her vagina. You grab AJ's amazing hips and put your pecker to her pussy. The flaring head feels like it's on fire, it needs to be doused badly. You begin pushing into her slit, but it dumbly shoots up towards her asshole. Grumbling, you grab the base and push inside, just like you should have fucking done. The head is immediately soaked and squeezed in the amazingly tight cunt. If she wasn't a virgin, she was close. Her tight cunny clenches your rock-hard erection as you slowly slip inside. Applejack moans to herself as you rock back and forth in an effort to go deeper and deeper.
Applejack begins really panting and moaning just as half of your shaft slides inside. "Ah, Axel! Ungh! Ah, you're so fucking huge, ah! Just, just take it slow, 'kay?"
"That's what I was telling you before!" Pinkie says like she's insulted. "Axel's so big, I could barely get that thing in my mouth, I had to deepthroat deeper than I've ever gone before on a cock! I've taken a banana deeper, but that's shaped a little differently, an-"
"I GET THE PICTURE!" Applejack lets her head fall back down and looks Pinkie Pie in the eyes as best she can. That isn't very well, considering her whole body is rocking back and forth as she's getting fucked, a thick erection rubbing her g-spot with every thrust. "Sorry, Pi-inks, but ya te-End ta, ugh, oh my f-uh! Ah, ya tend ta ramble som-oh my fuck-ing GOD!"
You reach deeper and deeper with each thrust. A band has begun to play downstairs, some loud group. The bass kicks and the riffs reverberate their way upstairs and into your rhythmic mind. It's the perfect humping music. You fill in the missing tones you wish you could hear and fuck away, making AJ's pussy obey. You let your inner animal take over and do whatever comes to mind, fucking harder and harder, reaching deeper into Applejack's tight vagina. The soft walls suck you in, almost begging for you to fill her up from the inside.
You slap AJ's tight ass with your left palm and watch the flesh jiggle. "HEY!" Applejack yells over her shoulder. "Slap harder!" You smack her on the other cheek as hard as you can, timing it so you slap as she coming at you full speed.
"AAAHH!" Applejack cries out in pained pleasure. "Fuck me! Ah! Yes, Axel, fuck me hard! Fuck me as hard as you FUCKING can!"
You grit your teeth and smack her as hard as you can, making her shriek out and moan again. You grab her hips again and thrust harder. Your cockhead nearly exits her hot vagina, then flies into her with frightening speed. AJ's tight walls slow your penis as it rams inside until it barely pokes a fleshy wall. You keep pulling on Applejack's slim hips in time with the hard song, but it's almost over, for you and the band. Their drummer is going nuts, picking up the tempo steadily until they are nearly doubling their beats. You suck air to keep up, your abs and arms are burning deep.
Applejack begins to say something, but you can't make it out. Instead she just moans as loud as she can at the ceiling. Her tight cunt isn't even deep enough to take your entire shaft, but it's contracting all the same. You can feel a small nub rub along the underside of your shaft as you thrust and thrust and thrust. You change up and push down against it with every stroke, it feels like her amazing pussy is really milking you. The thought of her walls deliberately pulling on your sensitive tool for the purpose of being coated in white paint makes you want to fill her up even more. Applejack's moan rises in pitch, breaking into a squeal every so often. Her shaking elbows are sure to give out.
Your groin begins to tense up again. You can barely keep up with the crazy fast tempo. You suck air and focus on that little nub that's hardening and poking your shaft. Then it hits you: you're actually rubbing along AJ's g-spot. You grin wide, allowing for mass volumes of air to travel into and out of your lungs. You grit your teeth and grunt through the pleasure, staring hard at the bright and colorful poster directly in front of you.
"Ah-ah-ah A-xel! O-oh I-'m go-o-o-n-na, ah, cu-u-u-U-UM!!!" Applejack's ass and elbows shake, her vaginal walls clench down spasmodically. Her arms cave and AJ rests her tits on Pinkie Pie's for support. You feel ready to burst, too. You stop thrusting suddenly and stoop your torso over Applejack's back. You pull your cock out, then carefully stick the head back in, making Applejack moan again. You reach around and put a hand and rub her clitoris as fast as you can, simultaneously pushing your head into her inner cum button.
Applejack cries out in pleasure and orgasms. Her tight cunt clenches hard, almost painfully on the three inches you have inside. You clench your teeth and focus on not cumming. Applejack's ass shakes randomly and violently, her cunt pushes you out. Nevertheless, she cums hard. Her pussy flexes open and closed and spurts out a little girlcum. It impacts directly on Pinkie Pie's pussy, splashing into the air. You rest your hips on her round ass and play with her clit until she stops doing anything besides panting.
"Did he cum?" Pinkie asks quietly.
You climb off and stand on the other side, aiming your goo canon at Pinkie's face. "Guess not," she says. "Fee fi fo fum, I'm not going to make that stupid joke!"
Applejack laughs dumbly and slumps to the side, spent. Pinkie reaches for your dick and finds the base. "Oh my god, Axel! You're so fucking hard! Do you have another huge load for me?"
Like magic, Pinkie Pie picks up on the pace of the piece and perfectly pets your dripping penis along the bottom portion. "It looks bigger from this angle! I'll still make you cum, just lemme, ugh." Pinkie Pie struggles to jerk correctly. She twists her hands around and manages to get a good hold of the long member. She slowly massages the entire shaft, taking special care of the sensitive helmet.
"This good?" she asks.
All you need to do is nod down at her curious eyes. Pinkie smiles wide. There's something about that funny, lifting smile that makes her special. She isn't a bubbly whore. Well, maybe she is, but she's more! She's a great bubbly whore. Your drunk and stoned and primally pleased mind can't picture what exactly, but it's great and more. You feel your core muscles turn to raspberry jelly.
"Pinkie!" Is all you can think to mutter. You open you shut eyes, you don't even remember looking up and closing them. Pinkie is sucking the head of your cock, obviously tasting all of Applejack's fluids on it. "Pinkie, I'm so close, ah, how do you want it?"
She pushes you the two inches out of her mouth. "What did I say earlier? It's your fucking party, cum where ya want! Just not on Rarity's hair, she hates that."
Before you can even say "Who?", Pinkie Pie sucks your long cock into her mouth. You feel about to blow, so, naturally, you do the first thing that comes to mind: you grab her face in both hands and push as deep as you can into her throat. Pinkie Pie barely gurgles in protest, or maybe just surprise. She swallows your head. Her amazing neck bulges around your head as you slowly penetrate deep. The sight alone is enough to make you shoot your load. Shot after long shot erupt into Pinkie's warm, wet esophagus, directly flying into her stomach. You swear you can hear a splash. Your entire length flexes, unloading several relieving loads into Pinkie's face.
The sensation and sight are amazing, but a wave of fatigue quickly washes over you. A finger punches blindly into your scrotum, making you jump back. Pinkie carefully pushes you out of her face.
"Gah!" Pinkie Pie pants heavily and sits up, holding a hand to her throat. "You kinky mo-guher fucker! You fucking went all the way into my fucking throat and came right into my stomach!" Pinkie stands up, gagging, and pushes you into a wall, a fist raised. "That was fucking SUPER HOT!" She instantly smiles, unintentionally showing off her throat. "Do you have any clue how INTENSE that was for me? Do ya? I was all 'gurgle gurgle oh man, there's this giant dickin my throat! Whaddo I do abou-OH! HERE COMES A BIG LOAD RIGHT IN MY THROAT!' I didn't even have to swallow! Man, if that wasn't a choking hazard, and actually pretty painful, I'd do that EVERYTIME I give a bj! I-"
You stop her with a gentle yet firm finger on her lips. "Pinkie?"
"Ahewl?" She attempts to say, draping her arms over your shoulders, her bare tits prodding your chest.
"You're kinda amazing. I bet any girl out there couldn't do that, and anyone who could wouldn't like it unless they got paid extra. Pinkie, I-"
"Gep yer pfinner moff my miwpf, Ahewl," Pinkie manages to communicate. You put both of your hands on her sides. "Don't say it, just enjoy this."
"Enjoy what?" you ask Pinkie.
"I dunno. Just thought I should say something like that, I guess." She leans forward and leans her head on your shoulder. You hug her back, gladly feeling her breasts compress into your chest. "I guess we could enjoy this," she says quietly into your neck. "Just being close. Sometimes, when I'm with my gal pals, we just sorta cuddle. It's nice, but kinda boring most times. I really just wanna listen to the music and cuddle with you, Axel."
Your fatigue returns as you let Pinkie's hair tickle your nose, sending her sweet essence into the tired pleasure receptors in your brain. The band downstairs is talking to the crowd, probably setting up for the next half of their set. Or maybe they're changing bands. You want to find out, but for one, you're nude, second, there's two smoking hot chicks who could use more sexing. Besides, two times is hardly enough, right?
"Pinkie," you whisper down into her thick, crazy, hot pink cotton candy curls.
"Axel?" she half moans.
"Wanna just fuck one more time, then go see the bands downstairs?" You accidentally get a little hair in your mouth, so you pull that out with your fingers. Oddly enough, it actually tasted, well, sweet. Not like sugar, but still sort of sacchariferous.
Pinkie Pie turns and looks at the bed, then back at you. "You're not a bad mind reader, ya know. Wanna come inside? I'm on the pill and everything, clean too."
You recall the way her cunt squeezed your fingers tightly, then the way she exploded. Twice. "Yeah, ya taste clean to me."
Pinkie Pie laughs, but stops quickly and touches her neck. "Oooh, that's tender. Maybe that face fuck wasn't so worth it." Pinkie gulps and grimaces. "Ah, who am I kidding? It was totally worth it. I feel so full. Oh Axel, that spunk did wonders to cure my munchies."
You don't have much of a response, so you don't reply. Instead, you just hold her by the waist and look her over, admiring her curvy yet plush body. Some guys would call her doughy, but she's so full of energy that any real buildup of fat would burn away instantly. You smile to yourself and slowly reach for one of those great big tits. They're just more than a handful, not enourmous to the point of being grotesque, but could never be called small. Pinkie Pie grins her toothy grin as she watches you take both into your hands.
She exhales hotly when you slowly squeeze harder and harder, making her flesh spill around your strong fingers. You push them up and together, making her erect nipples push into your palm. Your need to piss takes passenger seat to your need to fuck again. You move them around in opposite circles, just enjoying them and their weight. Pinkie's breath shallows and quickens at your touch.
"Ah, Axel," Pinkie Pie whispers. "You're getting hard again, just for me."
"You know it, Pinkie." You bend your neck and kiss her cheek. You remain near and whisper: "Are you wet, yet? Or am I gonna have to lick you until you gush?"
Pinkie just shudders in your arms. "Ah, Axel, j-"
"Pinkie Pie."
She looks up at you, her big blue eyes are partially hidden by her wild cherry pink hair. Wordlessly, she smiles and brings you to her bed. Applejack gets up and dresses as you make out passionately, moving your lips and hips and hands everywhere and feeling everything. Pinkie's nice waist and her amazing breasts get a healthy massaging, her round butt gets a hard a squeeze, her nice back and thighs are caressed and pulled on. You feel her hands run all over your chest, back, but, shoulders, legs, face, neck, and every other body part.
At last, Pinkie rolls on top, her hot sex is dripping wet. "Wow," she mutters.
You just pant with her and stare at her bare body. "Pinkie, I-"
"Axel. Shut up and let me ride that thing, will ya?"
You just nod and say: "Yes Ma'am!" Pinkie hoists herself up by pushing down with both hands on your wide chest. She carefully perches her pussy above your penis and slowly uses gravity to help penetrate herself. Pinkie lets out a long moan with every inch that slides inside. No need to be extra gentle as she's already had fingers make her have one long, rolling orgasm. Pinkie manages to get all but the very base inside her tight vagina. She rests her whole weight on you and just smiles, content and full of cock and her belly full of cum. Your tip prods her womb well, and Pinkie's vagina seems more than eager to squeeze its soft flesh around your entire member.
Applejack and her assets are long gone. You feel thirsty, so Pinkie Pie must be starving for water. You pull a pillow and put your head on it to watch. Pinkie lifts her hips up slowly, making most of her vagina empty. She slides down onto it again, crushing your cock ever so fantastically with her walls.
"Oh my god, Axel, I've never had someone fill me up like this." She lifts her hips again and again falls down, a little faster. Her wet cunt is more than happy to lubricate the operation, making the hot work wet work.
"Like how?" you ask, pushing your hips up as she comes down. Pinkie Pie giggles, smiling so wide.
"Like THIS!" Pinkie pulls herself up again and falls hard onto your cock, making the tip jab at her fleshy cervix and her breasts bounce more than normal. She winces in pleasure. Pinkie Pie looks up and goes back to riding, holding her big breasts together. You reach up and hold them for Pinkie, allowing her to bounce up and down quickly. She lifts her hips quickly, exposing your entire shaft, then falling onto it, engulfing you in flesh again. Pinkie Pie keeps riding for some time, squeezing your cock and slipping around it hotly over and over and over again. She arches her back as she bounces, moaning at the ceiling. You release one breast and watch it bob up and down behind her body's tempo. You occupy your free hand by pinching and playing with Pinkie's clitoris, pulling her moving skin to expose the brighter pink button hidden underneath.
"Ah-Axel! Oh, yes! I'm feeling something, ah, I'm gonna cum soon. Ah, your turn! Fuck me hard from behind, I wanna feel what AJ felt, whatever made her cum like that! Whatever she's having, I want some!"
You try to wet your dry throat by swallowing, but only succeed in making it hurt some. "Ah, okay Pinkie. Fuck, get up."
You help Pinkie off of you, quickly slipping out of her. She moans, expressing a need for her aching desires to be filled. Pinkie bends over on shaking palms, showcasing her fine behind begging for a big cock to fill it. You grab yours and waste no time obliging. Pinkie Pie inhales sharply as you push into her tight hole. Again, the walls feel like they want nothing but to pull out whatever seed remains.
You begin to thrust, Pinkie gladly turns her head and moves with you, sharing your inaudible rhythm. You pull on her hips harder and harder with each rocking motion, slowly filling her up push by push. Pinkie falls forward onto a pile of pillows, sticking her posterior up into you. You adjust and pick up where you left off, ramming her pussy ferociously. Pinkie's soft flesh jiggles each time your hips smack into her cheeks. The slapping flesh is the only noise besides your combined panting.
Pinkie's shaking hips are like tiny, short jerks of a wrist that make you so close to climax. You pull out all the way and penetrate again to put off the point of no return. But again, there's a little hard nub rubbing the sensitive underside of your cock. It really feels like Pinkie is deliberately trying to make you bathe her insides in a fresh load. Your brain feels cloudy again, yet all you can do is ram and ram and ram to make your dick feel nice in the hot, wet hole.
Pinkie is muttering a string on incoherent curses and praises into the pillow under the noise of flesh slapping together and your collective grunting and moaning and mumbling.
"Ah Pinkie! I'm g-gonna," you can't finish your sentence on account of you finishing. Pinkie uses the last of her strength to push her butt up as to encourage you.
"Inside, hehehe," Pinkie mumbles to herself. You thrust as hard as you can, that perfect little button milking the underside of the base. You release another seemingly enormous amount, this time deep inside Pinkie Pie's pink pie. It feels as if your brain is charred, now. You grunt as your entire cock blasts out round after round of hot cum, one, two-three, four, six, nine shots, then a tenth little one. A few more twitches, then you're spent. You feel a liquid presence around the head of your shaft as you pant, doubled over Pinkie Pie's full ass, completely engulfed inside. Not one inch of your cock isn't being harshly squeezed by Pinkie's quivering pussy.
"Oh my fucking god," you say quietly, then lazily slip out and fall next to Pinkie. Your head hits a pillow the moment the band downstairs drops an extreme power chord.
"I know, right?" Pinkie Pie whispers, her ass still comically in the air. She falls on her side and faces you. "Axel, you were so deep inside, and the way you just kept hitting my spot, I came like three times. The last time, with you." She stares, the bottom half of her eyelids raised in tired bliss. Her hand lazily traces your arm, stopping at yours. You gladly intertwine your fingers with hers and just stare into her big, blue, fun eyes. She smiles and giggles a little from her diaphragm, a truly pleased laugh.
"What is it, Pinkie?"
She swallows and licks her lips. "It's just, you didn't even notice Applejack. She's standing right behind you, Axel." Pinkie Pie giggles quietly, truly fatigued.
"Should I be worried?" you ask, not caring if the building was on fire.
"You should be thirsty." Applejack's southern accent carries easily in the shaking room. The band downstairs is trying to make the concrete foundations turn to pudding. The entire room is vibrating rhythmically, mystically. You're much too tired to keep up if you were in front of the stage, but up here, it's a nice hum and a comfortable, loosening massage.
"Me! I'm thirsty!" Pinkie Pie sits up and holds herself right with her right arm. "Ah, AJ, you're the bestest friend a cotton-mouthed just-got-fucked-so-good girl like me could ever have."
"Shucks, PP," Applejack says in her now-starting-to-get-on-your-nerves southern drawl. "Ya do me too much praise. 'sjust water."
"No! This is more than 'sjust water, it's water! Liquid refreshme-" Pinkie Pie swallows hard and touches her free hand to her neck. "Liquid refreshment. Just gimme!"
Applejack hands her two big bottles of water, gloriously dangling her nice rack over your face. The plaid-clad sweater puppies are still glorious when covered. "How ya feelin', AJ?" You ask up into her slightly bouncing tits. The entire building is pulsating in a wild way.
She looks down over her boobs as Pinkie Pie gulps. "A little sore. Oh yeah, Axel. Don't, uh, don't tell Tristan this, but your rod's a bit bigger'n his. I don't know how the hell Pinkie could take that thing. You too, Pinkie, not a word."
Pinkie wipes away the dribble on her lips with a forearm, disregarding the trickles on her chest. "You and me both, sister. Axel's hung like a horse. But not really, because, that'd be weird, and gross, and probably painful, an-"
"Pinkie!" you and AJ say in unison. You exchange a surprised glance and share a smile.
"Oops!" Pinkie says in a new, tiny voice that's entirely adorable. "Sorry. Axel, drink!"
You sit up and gladly take the unopened bottle that Pinkie Pie shoves in your face and down a third of it. Your sandy throat needed a drink more than you realized. You also really need to piss.
You wipe your mouth and just look over Pinkie as she sits. She stares back, her blue eyes linger on your groin. The bass keeps shaking the room, driving you wild with curiosity and a need to see who's making the noise. You may specialize in DnB, but metal is another fantastic, angry and emotional genre.
"Hey, Pinkie."
"Hmm?" She sits criss-cross-applesauce again, inadvertently showing off the fine folds of her lower lips. "I mean, Axel?" She snickers at your stupid inside joke.
"Who's playing right now? They sound, er, feel really good."
Pinkie scratches her nose and says: "Iunno. I can't remember who's on when, but the drummer in one of the bands is from here. She's pretty famous, she's in a few other bands, too."
A dark green bottle appears on your shoulder, freezing your hot skin. "Get dressed an' we'll go see 'em," Applejack half commands, that accent is still taking a minute to grow on you.
You snatch up the liquor and take two long drafts. Your mind is only barely inebriated, it seems. Pinkie takes three.
Applejack steals the bottle and saunters out, showing off her assets. Dear god, those assets. She tosses her blonde ponytail over her shoulder and tosses a flirty, knowing look as she closes the door behind her.
You find your pants, the bag of your extreme weed is still there. You dress with Pinkie quickly. She puts on some new, unstained panties and a slightly different outfit. A simple pink t-shirt with the words "Fallen is Baby-lon" on it. There's a graphic of a baby with a scepter and a long braided beard with a bloody binki hanging down from it. She explains that her friend's band is actually named "Babylon", but they played on the rephrasing enough that they took the new joke seriously enough to change the name. Most of their inscrutable lyrics were about some epic battle and civilizations falling and space colonies and aliens destroying each other. Regarding the newest album, Pinkie Pie had novels worth of stories to tell. Often times, she would sit in the studio and drink in the sounds that were made.
You and her continue discussing the equipment used on the way down. It's very fascinating to you, the technology and techniques in creating quality: real, inspired music. You answer the call of nature and head to the mosh pit.
Before you know it, you're thrashing about and jumping and banging your head to the banshee fingers and complex chords and machine-like double bass pedals. The whole set, or what you and Pinkie catch of it, is mind blowing. The band performs two encores before getting almost literally pushed off stage by security.
Pinkie stops you from following backstage to smoke and drink. As the piped in music occupies the bruised and battered moshers as well as the pussy onlookers, Pinkie Pie pulls you over and says to you: "Scratchy is going on next. You wanna go backstage and meet Baby-lon or stay out here and watch her?"
The choice is hard. Meet members from an awesome and somewhat local band, or listen to one of the world's most famous DJ's, who happens to be a sexy native of ponyville?
"Why not both?" you ask. "I bet Vinyl is backstage waiting for the roadies to get all the equipment out."
"Oh yeah," Pinkie Pie replies. "Come on, let's go!" |
Sunset of Star Strider | pre | Cadance blinked in surprise at the unexpected and heavily stuttered proclamation. Slowly she turned her head to look at Sunburst where he and Thorax stood looking almost comically bemused, beyond them their squad of guards not looking much better. Though they at least seemed to be trying to get their bearings and assess the situation, much to Shining's satisfaction.
Flash Sentry however... he was discreetly looking over Sunset when he could and with a particularly cold glare. He clearly recognised her as well, but it seemed he was keeping his mouth shut for now. Cadance made a mental note to ask about that later, it was a long shot but if Harmony had any mercy he might know something to help Sunset shed her bad attitude.
"She's S-sunset Shimmer your highness, Princess Celestia's personal student," Sunburst reiterated, his need to explain starting to take over from shocked realisation. "Uh, that is to say she was, before your sister, Twilight Sparkle," he continued, seeing Shining's confusion.
"Wait-wait-wait-wait, you're Princess Twilight Sparkle's brother?!" Sunset exclaimed in wide eyed horror, having only just recovered from her giggle fit. "Damn, that just killed any and all interest I had. Too bad, you're a hilarious dork as well as fit. Oh, but I do play guitar! So we're still on for that rock battle!" she remarked eagerly back, rebounding quickly.
That vague insinuation didn't do anything to alleviate Shining's concern over the abrasive mare, rather it left him hunching forward and aggressively staring Sunset down. "Wait, what is that supposed to mean? What's my sister got to do with this?!"
Cadance let out a deep sigh and placed a hoof firmly on Shining's shoulder, locking eyes with him as he looked her way. It worked to calm him somewhat. "Please Shining, let me handle this," she whispered to him, leaning in close for a moment. "Trust me when I say Twilight represents some bitter issues for Sunset, for understandable reasons even."
Turning to Sunset, Cadance began to trot around the fire to better address the unruly old acquaintance.
"Sunset, please, I'm not sure if you know why we were sealed away but dire circumstances conspired to trap us down here. I'm... not sure how long it has been but danger might still linger outside," Cadance explained in a pleading tone as she sat before her. "I ask that we put any old grievances aside at least for the moment while we work out what's going on."
The amber unicorn shifted uncomfortably under her teal coat for a moment before grumbling out her response, "Fiiiiine." Her more hostile demeanour quickly melted away into something much calmer and more professional. "I'll cut the theatrics. We are working against the clock right now anyway. And it's not like I haven't learnt half of what's going on already, but I am short on a lot of details. The last pony I talked to - if you could even call him that any more - made for even less pleasant conversation then I do."
"Sombra!" Shining spoke out in shocked realisation a moment later, legs dropping into a tense battle stance as he scanned the thick darkness of the cavern wearily, circling around the crib of his baby daughter. "Where is he?!"
"Cool your jets," Sunset replied, entirely unconcerned as she dismissively waved off their worries with one hoof. "He's just sulking in the corner because he lost a bet with me. As if I couldn't pull apart his crystal fuckery safely enough. Did a better job than he would have bothered with. You can thank me any time for that, you know."
"If he's here he should show himself," Shining said firmly, eyes still darting around the ominous darkness, as it ebbed and flowed with the flickering of Sunset's bonfires. In that moment it seemed all the more foreboding to the ponies present, now they knew what was waiting in the inky blackness obscuring the distant walls of the cavern.
Their fears were realised when a deep rumbling laugh rang out through the chamber, immediately pushing everyone besides Sunset into a far more tense state of alert. It did not help that the way it echoed gave no clear indication on what direction it came from.
"You must have lost a great deal of your vision since we last talked young colt," Sombra claimed as he strode tall and proud out of the thick shadows that seemed to cling to his charcoal grey coat for a moment before falling away, "if you cannot see the shadows all around you. For I am wherever they are, and the shadows... are everywhere."
Immediately - as soon as Sombras first hoofstep landed with a deafening clack on the crystal floor - the cluster of guards jumped around to face him and started edging back. They fell into a combat stance, one meant to ready a pony to charge but they looked anything but ready, involuntarily shaking in their armoured boots as they backed away from the confident and now quite solid form of their dreaded former tyrant.
Sunset meanwhile was looking on at the poor display of discipline in disbelief. Naturally a critical barb came to her tongue, "Wow, who trained those jittery foals? I would say they need to grow a backbone but that would be insulting to all the molluscs I've met."
Her comment was pointedly ignored by the royal couple beyond an errant ear flick from Shining, much to Sunset's chagrin. Instead, the royal couple were laser focused on the dark furred stallion.
"Sombra," Shining Armor spoke, practically spitting out the name once more. He had dropped into a well braced combat stance himself and his horn was flickering dangerously, Cadance standing strong and similarly grim beside him. Unlike his comrades Shining Armor let no sign of fear taint his features. "You said you wouldn't be able to reconstitute your body. What changed?"
Sombra raised a single incredulous brow at the Captain and his accusatory tone, regarding him with a detached contempt. "Matters of sorcery well beyond your meagre purview, boy. I have had much time to divine the deeper secrets of magic while you have been sleeping, and have fortified my skill all the more for my efforts. You would do well to address me more carefully."
The statement left the group looking him over with apprehension... until Sunset loudly scoffed. The scornful look Sunset shot at Sombra left no illusions as to the equal measure of contempt she held for the stallion playing himself up in such a fashion, no matter how hypocritical it might have been for her to criticise.
"What the old bastard isn't telling you is he blackmailed me into bailing him out, otherwise he's just blowing hot air up our asses. Fortunately for us, I managed to turn the tables on him, so unless he wants to know what flying through a supercharged thunder cloud feels like - for the second time - he, is going to behave," she indirectly instructed him, with a tone that promised no hesitation on delivering her threats. "And if you so much as think of exploiting the other ponies trapped down here, know that I could have every one of them free in a moment! It won't be painless, but I can do it."
The stallion levelled an equally scornful death glare back at the mare, bristling in anger so much so a purple smoke began to gently waft from his eyes. He faltered at making his displeasure known, unable to contradict her claim, not to mention how her reassurance for their fellow ponies' safety seemed to galvanise all else present. However that hardly meant he had nothing to say.
"You had best be most careful when threatening me mare!" he snapped at her, a growl underscoring his words. "Your victory was a fluke that was only made possible because you had the element of surprise! Now however you are alone, and cut off from all but one of your mechanical thralls. Do NOT, try my patience, else you might meet a very sticky end."
"Except she isn't alone!" Shining Armor spoke out loudly and firmly, equally perturbed by the former Kings' threats and showing his displeasure by readying his horn. "I might not know her but by Harmony I trust her far more than you. If you turn this little spat into a fight, you had better believe it's not your side we are taking! Stand ready, Guards," he ordered more softly but with no less resolve.
Much to his satisfaction - and to a lesser extent Sunset's for that matter - the six Crystal Guard formed up around him, eyes hardening into focused glares as they aptly swallowed their fear, their sense of duty reaffirmed by the words of their Prince and Captain. Meanwhile Flash Sentry was no different, taking to the air and hovering just behind Shining, wings and hooves gently crackling with small sparks of lightning in a subtle show of force.
Again Sombra was left quite literally fuming in anger at this apparent betrayal. Fortunately someone else decided to intervene before more fuel could be added to the fire. Cadance - while certainly equally weary of Sombra - had had more than enough of the verbal sparring, an opinion she decided to make known loudly and firmly.
"Can we please cease all this pointless bickering! This childish posturing is getting us nowhere. Sombra, we had a deal and I have every intention of honouring it; you shall have amnesty from your past crimes until and even after we have dealt with these invaders. Sunset's assistance makes no difference to that. In turn we expect you to uphold your end of the bargain and keep your temper in check," she both conceded and warned firmly. To back up her words she shot a silent pleading look at her husband.
Reluctantly he nodded back at her before raising his horn and letting it dim once more. His troop followed his lead, relaxing and backing away to once more take advantage of the warmth from Sunset's bonfire, though they still remained weary and far more ready to act then they had been before.
In return - with one last irritable growl - Sombra closed his eyes and forced down his anger, eyes returning to normal before he once again looked to the Princess expectantly.
With a relieved sigh Cadance relaxed a little more now she once again had control over the situation. Looking back to her old acquaintance she decided to seek answers to their current situation.
"Sunset... I can only dare to hope, but can you please tell us if the crisis is over? Has Equestria managed to defeat the invaders?" Cadance asked gently, eyes beseeching Sunset with unspoken pleas for good news.
Sunset - switching demeanour once more - shuffled uncomfortably on the spot for a moment, frowning and looking down and away from Cadance in a fashion that was unusually remorseful for the mare. Cadance, Shining and their eagerly listening retinue didn't need to hear her answer to know what it would be at that point.
"I'm afraid not. I only just got here a short while ago and the city is still abandoned and feeling very spooky," she explained somewhat nervously, recalling all too easily the desolate sights and lack of sounds surrounding the many abandoned homes and businesses.
"Yes, I myself have not seen any intelligent creature in months," Sombra added in confirmation, far more stoic but still betraying a hint of discomfort with the fact.
"P-p-pardon me ma'am," the strange insectoid creature Cadance had named Thorax spoke, addressing Sunset with what scraps of courage he could scrape together, "but, I thought you said you were here to rescue us?"
"That I am," Sunset said seriously as she looked over the group, doing her best to put on a show of stead-fast confidence. "I know I haven't come here with the best of news, but I do have a way out of what's right now looking like a hopeless situation."
"The mirror," Cadance murmured in realisation, quickly connecting the dots and widening her eyes in surprise as she ran the idea through her head. "You mean... it's open? It's safe?"
Sunset snorted and rolled her eyes at the tepid question. "Of course it's open, I'm here aren't I? And you think Celestia would leave the thing practically on open display if it weren't safe? Of course it's safe. More importantly it leads somewhere a very long way from Equestria, so it's safe from these invaders to."
"Look," Shining butted in, brow furrowed as he glanced between Sunset and his wife in suspicion, before settling more firmly on Sunset. "I don't know what you're talking about but it doesn't sound like a lot. Besides, I would be lying if I said I trusted you enough to follow one of your plans right now, not without a good explanation."
"Really. You trust me less than the literal tyrant?" Sunset replied sarcastically, not missing a beat as she levelled a pointed look at him that questioned the integrity of his intelligence. "I get you didn't have a choice before but you do now. Stay here maybe for centuries locked in a crystal controlled by a damned slaver king or come with me where we will have the freedom, resources and maybe even allies necessary to take back Equestria from a technologically and likely numerically superior foe. Again; wait around for the slim possibility of rescue, or take action."
"Unfortunately that's not quite true," Sombra spoke up as he chuckled with dark amusement. "As irksome as she is to converse with, I fully intend to take the young sorcerer's offer. As little as I trust her - like you - and as sparse on details as she has been, she makes an excellent point. Action is always preferable when the alternative is to merely sit and hope fate deals you a kind card. So in effect, without myself to guard your sleeping forms, your alternative choices become gambling on the mercy of the invaders or a slow cold death huddled down here."
An uncomfortable silence settled over the room. Most of the ponies present were naturally disturbed by this sudden removal of any real choice. Shining and a number of the guards however were now visibly angered by the prospect of being forced to follow this mare.
Sunset meanwhile stared disbelievingly at the former king, only to break the silence with a pained groan that quickly turned into a scream of frustration before ploughing her fore hoof into her own face even as it contorted with outrage.
"You just had to turn this into a life and death decision!" she shouted scathingly at him as she snapped her head up to look at him once more, fuming. "Here I am, at least trying to inspire some sense of confidence and hope, and you go and knock it all to pieces!"
"Your sympathies are once again getting in the way of performing the task at hoof," Sombra said dismissively, looking away from the mare with a tired expression. "I once again suggest you do your best to prune away such weaknesses from your mind."
"Ugh! You utterly moronic bastard!" Sunset screeched at him. "I have had it up to here with your brutish sociopathic shit! You never heard of morale? Ponies tend to work harder towards something when they have something to look forward to! No wonder your stupid empire of pain, misery and fear collapsed in on itself at the first sign of serious opposition! Who the hell would willingly stand up for the likes of you?!"
The room was left stunned and captivated by the budding shouting match, with the exceptions of Cadance - who had quickly put a soundproof bubble around her daughter - and Shining Armor who's patience had already worn thin.
"Enough!" the stallion bellowed at them, his patience well and truly worn through. He looked towards Sombra with a hateful glare and accusatory hoof pointed right at him. "You can keep your damned muzzle shut even if you think you have something useful to say." He then turned his fiery gaze on Sunset. "And you can give us an actual explanation! None of this vague, manipulative promising what you think we want road apples, especially if you actually want any of our trust. What is going on and where in Tartarus did you come from and are planning on taking us? Without any of the bad attitude. I am in charge of these ponies' safety and I won't compromise that safety on the word of some arrogant little filly I only just met."
"I-I... I am not being-" Sunset sputtered before she cut herself off, looking off into space as she came to a realisation. She groaned to herself and her face fell into her hooves. "Sunset you stupid mare... falling into Celestia's bad habits... swore I would never... ugh, fucking riddles," she muttered almost incoherently to herself as she massaged her own temples.
Shining was about to press her for answers when Cadance's hoof came to rest on his shoulder once more. He looked to her and she looked back with a face that begged for a moment of patience. Fortunately that moment was what Sunset needed to pull herself together. She took a deep breath and sat tall upon her hunches once more, her teal eyes meeting the glaring stallion's angry deep blue eyes with a firm but calm gaze.
"I take issue with being called arrogant and especially a child, but you're right," Sunset admitted with a straight and serious expression. "I was indeed being vague and I apologise."
"Thank you, Sunset," Cadance said calmly, stepping closer to reassert herself as a part of the conversation in her attempt to cool tempers. "However I can't help but share my husband's curiosity. Just what is there on the other side of that mirror that managed to convince Sombra of all ponies to follow you through it?"
Sunset smirked and shared a venomous chuckle at the question that had been asked in good humour. "Oh, old king Smogra over there knows nothing. He's assuming he could survive fine over there just because I can."
"Again with the inflammatory tangents," Shining interrupted once more, glaring lightly at Sunset who had the good sense to appear at least a touch bashful this time. "And what is this mirror you two keep going on about?"
Cadance sighed tiredly, feeling all too overwhelmed by everything, especially knowing how Shining would react to this piece of information.
"The one Celestia sent to me - well, to us - to protect. She found out that Sunset shimmer had been visiting the castle through it, somehow avoiding tripping any of the alarms and... and suspected of stealing things from the castle. Mostly books as I understand," the mare admitted reluctantly, but added with a slightly amused murmur a moment later; "Though the royal cake repository was notably raided around the same time to."
As expected, Shining was left scowling and struggling to hold back harsh words over the news but nodded in understanding anyway as he recalled it, choosing to focus on gathering information to abate his growing grievances with Sunset. "That old thing. Why wasn't I told about this? I knew it was important, anything belonging to Starswirl would be but this was a serious security hazard to the palace."
"Glad to see the boy has some sense," Sombra muttered to himself with an amused huff.
His comment was naturally ignored by the Prince, getting Sombra little more than a disdainful glance from Shining. "That mirror should have been under much tighter guard if some thief and traitor could come waltzing through it at any moment."
Sunset snorted derisively, face warped in a bitter grimace as her anger rose in response to his ignorance. "Celestia was the one who betrayed me I'll have you know. Practically promised me the world growing up and not only failed to deliver but ruined my life, publicly humiliated me, tossed me out of my home and on to the street with nowhere to go, all over a trivial but impossible task she couldn't even fulfil herself, the hypocrite! I was just collecting on a mere fraction of what that contrary lying manipulative hag owes me!"
The irate rant garnered no sympathy from Shining Armor, a loyal soldier of Celestia's Royal Guard to the end, no matter his current position in life. However Cadance did her best to project an apologetic look to Sunset after a sympathetic wince that fortunately seemed to calm the unicorn a little.
The Princess stepped up before Shining could launch a rebuke that would no doubt have only stoked Sunset's anger further. Gently she placed a hoof to her husband's chest as she did her best to explain.
"I won't excuse Sunset's wrong-doings but Celestia did make a mistake in how she dealt with her afterwards. One of many mistakes she made in how she treated Sunset, truthfully. Because of her harsh punishment Sunset eventually broke back into the palace to travel through the mirror, though I don't exactly know why," Cadance admitted as she shot Sunset a questioning glance that briefly interrupted her soft spoken explanation. "When we realised she had been returning, we agreed a more passive or welcoming approach was needed to reconcile. The hope was that if Sunset was uncomfortable revealing herself in Canterlot with Princess Celestia and the threat of punishment bearing down on her, she might instead be comfortable coming to me."
"Really now?" Sunset asked rhetorically, knowing her bitter feelings were plain to see upon her face. "And just how exactly did you two plan on luring me back into Celestia's web? Because she made it perfectly clear to me she had nothing left she was willing to offer me, in spite of everything she promised."
"We weren't trying to lure you anywhere!" Cadance stated firmly but without anger, carefully raining in any frustration, though a groan did escape her. "If... you really wanted to stay where ever you found on the other side of that mirror then, well I convinced her we should let you. All three of us made mistakes back then. We - Celestia and myself - we just wanted a chance to see you again, to talk things out, maybe mend what went wrong. And if all you wanted in exchange for a chance to do that was a few books and materials we were both more than happy to provide that. I already left a few for you as a gesture of good will! Information on the Crystal Empire, material I know you have never seen before... but I take it you never saw the letter I left with them."
As Cadance beseeched her, Sunset refused to seem even remotely convinced, her critical expression holding fast even as her eyes wondered in thought. Cadance couldn't help but despair at the sight, that even after all this time she was still weary of Celestia's and her own intentions. Though maybe that was to be expected considering those books were essentially a bribe, or even bait from Sunset's point of view. Her dour mood however, was quickly derailed when Sunset's expression abruptly changed to one of both realisation and confusion.
"Wait, what? When? I mean, where? Where were these books?" she asked rapidly in surprise, an ever so subtle greedy glint reaching her eyes at the mention of previously long lost magics.
"In the room with the mirror, you can't have missed them," Cadance explained with an eager smile, more than happy to have the mare's attention and maybe even a mutually interesting topic of conversation, given the magic was a part of her heritage. However in the next moment she quickly realised how strange it was Sunset would have missed something so obvious, feeling her own face fall as her thoughts shifted to that of concern. "I left a whole bookshelf full of books and scrolls, even a fresh linked diary too. The letter was on a lectern in front of it, addressed to you."
"Yeah, there was a bookcase," she murmured in remembrance. Cadance could almost see the gears turning in Sunset's head as she put together what had happened, a sour expression clouding her face as she did. "I guess that makes sense, they took them too. I'll admit I had a wonder around the city after fetching Sombra's horn. I stopped by the library but... it was empty. These invaders, they didn't just take ponies but emptied the library and even a book store I visited. I guess they looted the castle for them as well, but there were still books around in other shops, out of obvious line of sight, so they can't have been too thorough."
Sombra took this moment to add his own confirmation, concerned by the invaders' actions for his own reasons. "That is true. After they abducted every member of the population they could lay their greedy eyes upon, they did loot the city of any obvious literature."
"But why?" Cadance asked, perplexed by the notion. "I don't understand... I thought maybe they might want our ponies as slaves but... why take our books and then nothing else?"
"If I were to make an educated guess, magic," Sombra supplied simply. "They used many strange mechanical weapons not unlike the young Sorcerer here levelled against me, but their methods were entirely devoid of any manner of magic I could sense."
Shining discreetly eyed over the amber unicorn at the mention of her possessing weapons and Cadance couldn't help but do the same with a less trained eye. She didn't know what they were looking for given the vague and somewhat strange description of mechanical weapons. Following conventional thinking she obviously did not have any kind of cannon on her person and absolutely was not dragging around any kind of siege engine - not that it stopped Pinkie Pie from conjuring those out of thin air. However the invaders and what little they had seen of them had changed their notions of how small and compact non-magical weapons could be made to be. It made Sunset's spacious winter wear an unsettling option for concealing nasty surprises.
"Seems likely, I guess," Sunset admitted with a dismissive shrug, though not before Cadance caught a brief look of serious consideration pass over her features. "Magic opens the way to much that might otherwise be considered impossible and they wouldn't be the first to covet our abilities. But we can't know their motives for sure. Not with how little information we seem to have. Could maybe lure some of these invaders into an ambush to catch and interrogate but I doubt any of you want to take that risk right now. You have more pressing issues; the royal concubine here was right, you need to know where you're going before you follow me there."
There was an angry huff from Shining and Cadance felt an equally irked feeling - not to mention a deep blush - overtake her at the joke, and the guards bristled with irritation likewise at the insult to their commander but no one interrupted her.
An uneasy look passing over Sunset's face told Cadance the unicorn almost wished they had. Especially so given the next few moments were spent waiting for the amber unicorn to continue, as she sat there, eyes darting about as she silently thought and struggled to put words together. Cadance couldn't help but feel concerned, it was most unlike Sunset to be caught without one response or another. It only spoke to the enormity of what she had to reveal to them.
"Well?" Shining eventually prompted, drawing Sunset's attention back to the waiting crowd.
Sunset fought back both a blush and a scowl at having been caught lost in thought and called out on it. She cleared her throat and straightened herself up, quickly doing her best to scrabble together an explanation.
"Sorry. It's just... it's hard to explain. The truth of it is just so... immense. Our history and culture has very little that quite compares to it!" she exclaimed, gesturing wildly, not able to clearly articulate her thoughts on the matter.
With an irritated sigh Sunset actually began to pace back and forth, much to Cadance's surprise. It was a nervous tick Sunset rarely showed in her experience. Sunset even began to mutter incomplete thoughts under her breath much to everyone's concern. Things Cadance had only ever seen her do behind closed doors and never with such an audience.
Then - quite suddenly - she stopped, abruptly turning to face them all with a scrutinising look.
"Are you familiar with Light Reader's distant suns hypothesis?" she blurted out, seemingly out of nowhere. In truth it was something of a rhetorical question; one Sunset clearly did not actually expect anyone to know.
As expected, Sunset was met with looks of confusion and gentle shakes of the head... with two exceptions. Shining had a distinct glint of recognition in his eye but said nothing. The other was none other than Sunburst. He had hummed to himself thoughtfully and was now staring down through the floor ponderously, before his eyes went wide with shock.
"I-I'm sorry if I'm reading this wrong but... do you mean to say he was right?" Sunburst asked hesitantly, nervously darting eyes looking over her making it clear he was still apprehensive of Sunset.
That said, behind that apprehension was a burning curiosity that won out over any fear. It was a rare something that Sunset showed respect for.
She rewarded him with a pleased smirk and a nod of approval. "That he was. A whole lot more than even he knew."
"Uh, sorry but would you mind explaining it?" Cadance spoke up, voicing the rest of their group's curiosity. "For those of us who don't know," she mentioned as she glanced at Shining, having caught the look of familiarity in his eyes herself.
"You know I don't think I caught your name. You want to do the honours on this one?" Sunset asked the stallion with a sudden interest. "Kinda rare I run across a stallion smart enough to be so well versed in such obscure topics."
"Oh! Uh, sure, if you really don't mind... and my name's Sunburst," he stuttered out, introducing himself with a friendly - if shaky - smile.
"My pleasure," Sunset purred with a mildly flirtatious smile and half lidded eyes. "Love the goatee by the way. Real cute."
In the distance - as Sunburst stuttered and spluttered at the sudden and unexpected advances - Cadance gave a tired sigh. She knew Sunset was likely just teasing the poor colt, maybe because he had done something to upset her and was setting him up for a fall, or because she was just curious. Much to her chagrin Cadance had seen Sunset do both before. Too much like a cat, playing with its prey.
Meanwhile her husband was less amused, as evident by the irritable grunt and sigh he let slip.
"Tangents. If you would Sunburst, please ignore her and explain," Shining ground out with displeasure. "I would rather listen to her as little as possible."
"Oh, how charming," Sunset sarcastically muttered back with a scoff, giving Shining the stink eye.
Sunburst looked back and forth between the two for a moment before daring to continue. He did not want to get caught between the two and whatever grudge was building between them. So instead, he cleared his throat and did his best to dive into the subject matter; hopefully distracting them both in the process.
"Ah... well, Light Reader's hypothesis suggests that some or even many of the stars in the night sky are in fact other suns, much like Celestia's, simply very far away. Ah, very far being something of an understatement here," he mentioned with an uncertain chuckle that surprisingly earned him a sympathetic laugh and a knowing nod from Sunset before he continued.
"He wasn't the first pony to suggest this; the idea had been around for a very long time. He did however do a great deal of research into the possibility, more so than any other pony before; travelling the known world to collect records and performing experiments just to prove his theory. Unfortunately he never quite managed to get solid enough data, from what I remember at least," Sunburst continued to explain, quickly slipping into the comfortable role of reciting knowledge.
"And he was laughed at and ridiculed for it," Shining declared quietly, with venom in his voice. He glanced between the gathered ponies, noticing their questioning looks before answering with a reluctant sigh. "Light Reader was my great grandfather; he left quite the impression on Dad who followed in his hoof steps, studying astronomy. He used to love telling stories about his expedition. Though I think he might have exaggerated and made up a few things to make it more exciting for a young colt. He made himself sound like a real life Daring Do at times, though this was before those books even came out," Shining recalled with a nostalgic chuckle.
However his head fell low with melancholy as he recalled more, a bitter frown twisting his features. "I decided to do an essay on him for some family history assignment or something; I forget what exactly, wasn't even ten at the time. That's how I found out the truth about how it ended. The expedition wasn't supposed to be a huge deal but he got a hefty commission from the crown to do his research. Railways weren't so well developed back then and airships weren't common, so he had to hire a lot of ponies to help him haul equipment across the country and even beyond it. When he came back without solid proof, his peers - or rather rivals - went to the press with it and he got smeared by them something nasty for his so-called 'flights of fantasy' and wasting so much public money on them. He was laughed out of his job, forced to leave the Royal Astronomical Society to protect their reputation and universities refused to talk about his work for years."
The miserable admission left the room in awkward silence as all the formally frozen ponies sympathised for their friend's distant relative and his woes. As for those who had not been entombed in crystal, Sombra was unsurprisingly unbothered by the tale and only silently wished they would decease with the pointless moping. Sunset on the other hoof was - much to everyone's surprise - looking far more remorseful. Feelings she soon put into cautiously spoken words.
"He's... not around anymore, is he?" Sunset asked tentatively, gaze flickering over the stallion with a far more compassionate light behind them.
Shining levelled a sour but searching look at her for a moment, before softly shaking his head.
"I'm... sorry to hear that. I wish he could have been here, to see his work vindicated," Sunset admitted softly with a sad smile.
"Why do you care?" Shining muttered at her, again scrutinising the mare with a critical glare.
"Because I know what it's like to have to fight jealous foals with money and influence just to prove your worth. And I'm not talking about Celestia." For once, Sunset's defiant words were spoken plain and calmly. There was the usual angry fire deeper behind her eyes but it was seemingly tempered by her sympathies.
Shining's glare lightened and turned into a more searching look. It seemed - much to his disbelief - that the petulant punk of a unicorn who had been sitting there moments before, was making an honest attempt at empathy.
"Hay, uh, Sunburst," the distinctly not-quite-equine voice of Thorax whispered quietly, "I... I don't get it, how are you supposed to prove something like that without going there? Was he looking for a special scrying spell or some... thing?"
Thorax quickly huddled in on himself when all eyes turned to him, realising that as quiet as he tried to be, he had just drawn all attention to himself.
"Uh, good question!" Sunburst spoke up far more loudly, apparently trying to distract from his friend who was visibly uncomfortable in the spotlight. He slipped quite easily back into lecture mode. "To put it simply, triangulation. Light Reader's plan was to determine the distance to a number of stars by measuring the difference in their observed angle from different points and combined with the distance between those two points, calculate their distance. The distance was expected to be substantial so to increase accuracy he had to measure those angles from as far apart as possible. Once he had a distance he could then compare the brightness of those stars to the sun. If - after accurately compensating for distance - their brightness matched, we would have strong evidence that they are in fact the same or at least very similar objects!"
"Except," Sunset continued with less enthusiasm now knowing the reception his results received, "he could never create precise enough equipment to measure those angles accurately enough, or get enough distance between measurement points to compensate for that. Turns out there's more that might have tripped him up later. Like I said, I've learnt that our star system - if we can even technically call it that - is pretty anomalous. However this is all background information. The important part is the larger implications of Light Reader's work."
Sunset couldn't help but turn up the theatrics a bit, quieting her voice and looking about, catching the gathered ponies eye to eye to help communicate the excitement behind the more profound epiphanies gained from her travels.
"If the stars were simply distant suns, then those suns might orbit - that is to say, rise and set over their own worlds. Worlds with their own forms of life. Turns out it's supposed to work the other way around, planets like ours normally orbit their much larger suns but again, the point is he was right. There are other worlds out there, with other peoples living on them. Alien creatures with alien societies and alien values. Ones that have perhaps been around far longer than we have, and might have even advanced further than we have... that might already be exploring the stars for other life to befriend, or to conquer," she explained, finishing on a more ominous note.
"...so the invaders truly are aliens from beyond the void," murmured one of the crystal pony guards in dumbstruck realisation. "That's just so... insane! It sounds like something out of one of those Equestrian comic books."
Shining actually chuckled at that, though the laugh was almost mirthless. "Well, that might be because my great grandfather helped inspire a lot of those stories. The press, nobles and academics didn't take his work seriously but in the end many writers and artists did."
A proud smile tried to work its way across Shining's muzzle for a moment, however it was quickly fought down as he turned his attention back to Sunset.
"Anyway, how does this all relate to that mirror and where you've been? I mean, I can kind of guess where this is going now, but I want details," Shining asked her, his voice firm but no longer quite as demanding.
Sunset nodded promptly in response, her more straightforward and professional demeanour returning. "Right. Mostly wanted to make sure everyone was on the same page because this is where things get a little more complicated."
Another guard - a rather blurley mare this time - snorted out loud, perhaps inspired to speak out because her comrade had. "More complicated than astronomy and alien life coming to kidnap us and our books? I find that hard to believe."
Sunset just rolled her eyes and ignored her, proceeding with her explanation without the slightest stumble. "The mirror that I came though was created by - controversial opinion here - the idiot savant Starswirl the Bearded. It... well it actually does a lot of things. It's frankly a frankenstinian- uh, that is to say, chimeric mess of experimental magical enchantments under that pretty frame. Most importantly to us however, it maintains a long distance portal. The other end is anchored to a statue that allegedly used to sit outside some school on a distant planet known to the locals as Earth. That crazy bastard and Celestia have been sitting on proof of alien life for well over a millennia now and never bothered to tell anyone," Sunset explained, her more composed demeanour starting to fade as she griped about the ancient unicorn and her former mentor.
"If either of them had done something with that information, well we might just have been prepared to fight off these invaders. But no, that safe stable status quo was apparently more important to her and going by his writings Starswirl dismissed it as a mere curiosity... all because he could find no trace of magic use on the other end of that portal!" Sunset ranted out of frustration, her anger taking over as she seemingly forgot she had an audience. "Then again, I might not have jumped through the first time if I had known that at the time. Glad I went anyway. What they've got in spite of that is just too amazing for words."
"So... we're going to take refuge on this Earth? A world without magic?" Cadance asked, feeling - and likely sounding - far more tepid about the prospect. Looking around, she could see she wasn't the only one concerned by this.
"What? No! There's magic there," Sunset corrected quickly, voice a little frantic. "Or rather it can be accessed like anywhere else. In theory. It's just that no Earthlings ever evolved a means to use it. Their technology however, that is the stuff beyond even some of our wildest science fiction. Some of it is so advanced it might as well be magic to us anyway given how most ponies take it for granted, which brings me to the next big complication. The statue tethering the other end of the portal is no longer on Earth."
Cadance found her eyes narrowing at Sunset. She had brushed aside that little detail about magic too quickly for her liking. Unfortunately for her concerns however, Sunset had also succeeded in changing the topic, another speaking out before she could press her for details.
"So you just put us all through a lecture about a place we're not going to?" the same sceptical guard's mare asked, face showing her lack of faith in Sunset's state of mind.
Sunset huffed as an aloof expression pulled at her features. "It's necessary information; context. The anchor to the other end of the portal didn't change or move by itself. Earthlings mastered artificial flight and furthermore space travel a very long time ago; travelling to their moon, mining out asteroids, collecting the energy of their sun up close and beaming it back to their homes and colonising the other more barren worlds that orbited their sun alongside theirs. Eventually, they moved on to making the journey to other stars themselves, ironically using miniature bottled up artificial stars. However they don't have the benefits of magic to just disappear and reappear on a new world, they had to make those long slow journeys on ships. Fleets of massive colony ships, full of people, farms, factories, resources and technology centuries or even millennia ahead of anything non-magical we have in Equestria. One of those ships is where the anchor to the other end of the portal ended up. That, is where we're going."
The room was left in relative quiet at that point, save for the ambient crackling and pops given off by the two magical fires. No one could yet muster the means to put their thoughts into words. Sunset seemed content to leave them to begin murmuring amongst themselves though Cadance kept an eye on her... and how her attention seemed to slowly drift off in thought as she discreetly scrutinised all the ponies and their reactions.
It took Cadance a moment to realise Sunset might be reminiscing. After all, Sunset had been through all these revelations herself once upon a time. Only back then she had to go through it all alone.
She was drawn from Sunset by her husband gently touching at her leg to get her attention. Cadance cocked her head questioningly as she examined his less than usual expression; he looked rather haunted by some realisation on his mind.
"Cady," Shining whispered quietly but urgently to her, "I hate to be the bearer of bad ideas but, what if... the invaders and these Earthlings are the same? She hasn't exactly described them yet and by the sounds of it Sombra hasn't told her much yet about the invaders."
Cadance nodded thoughtfully, before smiling a little as her gaze travelled back to the still distracted Sunset. "Well then, let's ask her. It really couldn't hurt to do that much."
Shining didn't look so convinced. He didn't trust Sunset, and Cadance had to admit Sunset had not given him much reason to do otherwise. But he didn't know Sunset like she did... or at least she hoped she did. The Sunset Cadance remembered while belligerent had her own moral code and a well-hidden soft side, things that would never allow her to be knowingly complicit in such an atrocity, she reassured herself. Ready enough to restart the conversation she made a show of clearing her throat to catch Sunset's attention.
The mare's eye immediately came back into focus as Sunset stiffened up, ever so slightly blushing in embarrassment at being caught daydreaming.
"While you have presented us a golden opportunity to act," Cadance said, addressing Sunset with uneasy scepticism, "I think I can safely speak for most of us when I say we're not entirely certain about placing ourselves or our ponies in potential danger. There's also... other concerns, regarding these... Earthlings you called them, yes?"
Sunset nodded, without verbal comment, not looking entirely certain on where the Princess was going with this.
Cadance shifted uneasily from hoof to hoof as she struggled with saying what came next. "Right... well, is there a possibility that these Earthlings are the invaders? That they took all our ponies?"
Blinking rapidly in surprise Sunset baulked at the hesitant accusation, if Cadance had to guess she would have thought Sunset was about to spit out a firm and even offended, no. However she seemed to catch herself and agonise over her answer for a moment before finally grudgingly answering with a pained groan.
"There's a farfetched chance that a group of Earthlings I don't know about could have done all this," she replied, stressing the uncertainty of such a thing, before she waved one hoof in Sombra's direction, accusingly. "Like I said, I haven't been given many details so far so I can't outright deny the possibility. However it's unlikely in the extreme as I'm sure no other group from Earth has had the time to travel to Concordiae Cunabula. On top of that I am absolutely certain the group I've been travelling with, have had nothing to do with it. They've been in deep space for decades before I even joined them, nowhere near anything but empty void. But hey! You all think there could be a chance right? So, why don't we settle this for sure and one of you finally tell me what these guys looked like?" Sunset finished with the sarcastically toned questions and eyes glancing between the members of the group expectantly.
"Well, I can't say I personally got the best look at them," Cadance admitted, uncertainty glancing at the others, hoping someone would contribute. "My husband and I were trying to keep them out, helping power the city's shield."
"Except some massive metal airship that had no business floating around the way it did, came gliding in and fired a volley of burning bolts of red and green energy that overloaded us in a single salvo," Shining continued for her, sparing them none of his bitter frustration. "That was when their smaller air ships came swooping in to... well, Like Caddy said, we weren't in the best shape to actually see what was going on by then. The backlash from the shield failing wasn't pleasant."
Sunset nodded thoughtfully at that, then gave a sympathetic wince at the aforementioned backlash, as did Sunburst and Thorax, all knowing that particularly nasty brand of pain.
"I got a good look, your majesties," the buff guard's mare piped up again before looking to Sunset sceptically, "and ma'am. Was on the rear guard as we evacuated into these catacombs."
Sunset merely rolled her eyes at the disrespectfully hesitant address. "Well then, do share uh... you got a name? Or do I just call you guard filly number thirteen?"
She bristled at the more overt rudeness from Sunset - amber yellow eyes narrowing dangerously - but held her composure. "Sargent Hail Hooves of the second Royal Crystal Guard Cohort, Ma'am. As for what happened next; like his highness said, their smaller airships started flocking in. Stupidly nimble things for their size; three times the size of a train carriage at least and almost as nippy as a small air chariot. Boxy things apart from these strange curvy blisters on them, all painted white with swirling black patterns on them. Can't say I don't wish we had some, would make patrols and logistics so much easier," she said almost wishfully.
"Heh, you would think that," Sunset murmured with amusement. The looks she drew prompted a quick explanation. "Vehicles like that are complicated things. Like a train engine only hundreds of times more so. They also tend to need fuel like a train too, so it ends up a trade off. If you had them and could walk wherever you need to go, chances are you'll be walking because rations are cheaper."
That got a humourless chuckle out of Hail Hooves. "Figures. The more things change, the more they stay the same. Anyway... troops started jumping off them into the streets, making a lot of noise, blasting their weapons off into open air and letting loose these trilling wails like nothing I've ever heard before. Naturally the civics all panicked but... that quickly started to look like it was intended. They were hearing them. Splitting up bigger groups, keeping them in manageable pockets and surrounding homes and businesses where others were hiding. Shot and smacked around anyone brave enough to stand up to them but didn't kill anypony. I think... I hope," she recalled uncomfortably trying to remember the details of something she would rather not.
"I see," Sunset said softly, with a growing sense of sympathy, picking up on the subtle tremors behind Hail Hooves' professional demeanour. "And what did they look like?"
Hail grunted in irritation before continuing, seeing the sympathy but not quite believing it. "Was hard to tell from that kind of distance but... there were three kinds I could see. One looked like some sort of messed up cross between a porcupine and a gorilla, except it had no head. Its face was in the top of its torso instead. It had four eyes and a vertical mouth filled with a bunch of large, plate-like teeth. Coloured grey and black with a bit of orange thrown in, all wearing some dull iron looking armour with some bits of fabric hanging off in places. There was the most of them, they seemed to be their front liners, being big and strong and scary. Half expected them to start eating ponies on the spot, the way they salivated all over the place" she recalled with visible disgust.
The mental image caused most shiver in revulsion, though Cadance noticed Sunset simply appeared sceptical towards the idea. Still, that was barely a reason to interrupt Hail Hooves' report.
"The second was these tall leaping fellers, all upright on two legs with two arms but nothing like a minotaur. They were jumping all over the place, clinging to walls and wouldn't stand still so didn't get a good look. Could tell they were skinny though, and it didn't look like they had any fur. Green, grey or blue skin and not wearing a whole lot. They were scary flexible though, the way they bent it didn't seem like one side or the other was their back or front. Their heads just... flipped up and over to look backwards! They seemed to be watching mostly, except when they were chasing down the odd pegasus, grabbing them right out of the air," she recalled with a visible shiver. "Was downright unnatural the way they did that, can't say I appreciated the screams either..."
With a tired sigh she shook off her discomfort once more and continued, "Then there were the officers. Or at least the ones that acted like them. Long lizard-like things, though they were teenaged dragons at first but none of them had wings. Snout was the wrong shape too, long and kinda pointy. Eight legs, or four legs and four arms given how they walked most of the time. Not so sure on colour because they were the most dressed up, all had what looked like fancy long coats but their heads were anything from blue and green to purple, red and black in a bunch of patterns. And like I said, they were the officers. Some of the last on the ground and seemed to be giving all the orders. I think a few of the first guys were a bit like that too, maybe NCOs but... well, it were hard to tell with all the chaos."
"That's 'bout it," Hail Hooves finished with a tired shrug. "We all disappeared down here before we could see much more and I was one of the last, leading the rear guard and all that."
All the while she explained, Cadance discreetly watched Sunset; she sat patiently, nodding along and mentally taking notes. Cadance watched in fear of any signs of realisation or betrayal or... something. Thankfully however, the closest Sunset came to that were thoughtful frowns. In the meantime though, they were all left in uncomfortable silence.
"Larger, more clumsy airships followed the first," Sombra spoke, interrupting the silence with his matter-of-fact tone. "They looked much like your Sargent described, except they were entirely black. Landing on the outskirts of the city, they organised their captives into groups, taking pains to separate out all the tribes before coaxing them onto those black ships. After that... they merely swept the city, looking for stragglers and loot before leaving themselves. I will admit the brutally efficient display held my attention enough so that I failed to notice the princess and her refugees sneaking into my sanctum."
"I see," Sunset said with a nod after a moment, before dropping back into silent thought.
"Well?" Shing prompted her after it became clear she wasn't going to offer her thoughts on her own initiative.
"Huh? Oh, right," Sunset blurted out as she jolted to attention. "Well, the whole truth is a bit more complicated than a simple no but... I've never seen anything like what you described. Were there any robots? Mechanical metal golem like things walking around? Or perhaps flying around like metal birds or insects?" she asked, probing them with clearly simplified terminology.
The gathered ponies all looked amongst themselves, collectively shaking their heads and murmuring in the negative. It was enough to paint a satisfied grin across Sunset's face.
"Definitely not any operation run by typical Earthlings," Sunset replied with certainty. "And it's safe to say my hosts aren't involved, even tangentially. I would have heard about it. News travels fast and freely in the fleet. On top of that nothing there matched their descriptions and that doesn't even remotely resemble what I know about Earthling military doctrine. Not to mention most Earthlings' sense of morality wouldn't abide by something like this."
Her words put Cadance's worries to rest enough to visibly relax her, and that in turn seemed to put most others at ease much to her relief.
But not all of them.
"But you don't know they aren't responsible for certain? How can you even know that much? In fact, how can we even trust anything you say?!" Flash Sentry burst out, a cold and furious glare locked on Sunset. "For all we know you could be working with them and just want to lure us out of hiding."
The hostility caught Cadance and everyone else off guard. She liked to think she knew Flash reasonably well. He was always a kind and unfailingly affable stallion, not to mention a competent and upstanding example of a career guard's pony. Lashing out like this was disturbingly out of character for him, however Cadance had to silently admit to herself, if anyone could get under his hide, Sunset was a likely candidate.
Sunset growled to herself, clearly irked by the guard's pony's apparent paranoia and bias against her. Cadance couldn't help but cringe at the tell-tale signs of Sunset's anger being set alight and braced herself for the coming rant.
With a condescending sneer levelled at Flash she began; "Firstly - let alone that I would never stoop to serving some foreign power to undermine Equestria nor the planet - if they knew well enough where your little group was why would they bother sending a double agent to come and pick you all up? Secondly, do you want another lecture on the nature of the universe and how incomprehensibly vast it is? That the easiest way to measure the distance between stars is the number of years it takes light itself to travel between them? How that even given the millenia Earthlings have been travelling the stars, even they can't have possibly had enough time to reach as far as Concordiae Cunabula? Or are you just looking for holes and excuses to pick apart my story for... whatever reason you have?"
Flash's eyes bulged in disbelief, incredulity taking hold of him as his features twisted in anger at the disparaging remark. "Seriously? You don't even remember me?! You make a big talk about how Princess Celestia ruined your life after you started practising illegal magic behind her back but completely forget about the lives you casually trampled? Like Mine?!"
The enraged rant didn't seem to have the intended effect, if Flash intended to accomplish anything with his words that was. Instead it only left Sunset looking more bemused, scrutinising the Stallion with a frown.
However they weren't going to be left to sort it out on their own.
"Stand Down Lieutenant!" Shining barked out, cutting off any further comments. "We don't have time for petty arguing and your behaviour is unbecoming of your position."
Flash bulked at the order for a moment, his emotions pushing him to lash out further. Fortunately his training was far stronger than his impulses and he reigned himself in, though not so much as to withhold his thoughts entirely.
"Sir, I apologise for letting my anger get the better of me, however I insist I have good reasons for not trusting this mare. Sunset Shimmer is manipulative and deceitful in the extreme," he insisted firmly, holding back his more volatile emotions regarding the mare. "I would be bereft in my duties if I did not warn you of as much."
Cadance had to hold in a sigh at the developing news. It was abundantly clear Flash was one of the ponies Sunset had wronged in the past.
"I appreciate your caution Lieutenant, and while what you say is circumstantially true, I feel comfortable in trusting Sunset. I know her well enough to understand she would never lie over such things."
Out of the corner of her eye Sunset seemed to swell somewhat under the indirect praise. Flash Sentry however was hardly placated, an ugly grimace pulling at his muzzle.
"With all due respect Princess, I don't believe you do. We cannot afford to be naive with her," he reaffirmed with a suppressed air of desperation.
The condescending demeanour that carried his comment however, lit a fire in Cadance's heart in that moment, sparked by what he implied or even outright said if she assumed malice. It was an attitude Cadance was all too painfully familiar with, one she had thought she had escaped after leaving Canterlot for the Crystal Empire. Remembering those unkind words she unleashed a near wrathful glare upon the guard, who out of instinct shrank back a little before correcting himself and bringing himself back to attention.
"That, will be quite enough Lieutenant," Cadance ordered all the more firmly, an unmistakably stern and most displeased undertone. "You will put aside whatever grudge you might hold until we actually have the luxury of addressing such personal issues. Until then, I expect you to contribute only what is needed to secure our safety and most certainly not to poison any discourse or so publicly question my sense of judgement!"
The cavern was left in shocked silence at Princess Cadance's rebuke. After all, it was not often the kindly princess of love was stirred to such firmly spoken anger. Though it seemed, that shock didn't extend equally to all the ponies watching.
Sunset, blinking away her astonishment rather quickly, let out a low whistle while her muzzle broke out into a devilishly delighted grin. "Damn Mi-Moe, you grew a backbone. So proud of you right now. Hope you gave that attitude to those old farts back in Canterlot."
Cadance locked Sunset with a firm look, silently rebuking her childish chortling. "Sunset, the portal. What more do we need to know?"
Sunset grunted unhappily and nodded, reluctantly letting go of her amusement. "Right, right. Honestly, there's not much more to tell anyway. The mirror applies a disguise as you pass through it, even providing clothing if needed so going unnoticed isn't too much of an issue. I've got a nice base of operations set up right on the other side with room to expand, so we have a safe place to stay. I also have the money to cover food and stuff for a while, though I'll eventually need you all to pull your own weight one way or another if we want to make progress. I can't say it's going to be the most comfortable arrangement for the time being but, well, it beats this little frozen hell hole and your asthma inducing neighbour here," she explained almost off-hoofedly, gesturing at Sombra as she mentioned him.
"That's not exactly a lot to go on, you know?" Shining asked rhetorically, trying to prompt her to continue. "How much space are we talking here? What kind of disguises? What exactly do you plan on having our people do for you?"
With an exasperated sigh Sunset rolled her eyes and addressed him with an irritated glare and a bored tone as she got up and started to walk away. "In order; about one hundred and sixty square qubits of warehouse plus two or three more we can use if we shift some stuff around. Magical obviously, what other kind of disguise would Starswirl use? And nothing if they don't want to, besides cooking their own meals and pooling their universal basic income for the sake of efficiency once I can get them set up with it. There? Are we done for now? I'm going to have to play twenty thousand questions again when we wake this lot up anyway so why bother saying everything twice? I'm probably going to have to explain everything I've said so far again anyway. Just tell me when you've made your damn minds up and we can get this show on the road."
As Sunset talked and trotted she stopped periodically, casting a spell to bring more magical bonfires into existence. Spacing them out so as to create a circle around the centre of the room, she continued even after she had finished her dismissive explanation, ending the conversation. It only took Cadance and Shining a moment to figure out Sunset was preparing to give the soon to be released ponies the same warmth they themselves had woken up to.
"I really don't like this," Shining muttered to his wife. "I get the feeling she's not telling us something. Something important."
Tiredly Cadance sighed, knowing how right he likely was. "I know... but for what it's worth I know Sunset well enough to trust she's not leading us into harm's way. Not on purpose."
"You did know her. She said it herself, that was twenty years ago. That could have changed since then," Shining argued back grimly.
Cadance sighed again. She knew he was only looking out for them but the lack of trust grated on her nerves. It didn't help that he had a valid point; it really had been a long time since she had last seen Sunset, even if the familiarity of her attitude made it seem like yesterday. She could have gotten worse... but at the same time Sunset could have changed for the better as well, in spite of the bad attitude.
"Maybe she isn't trying to keep secrets from us exactly..."
The raspy, whispering voice made Cadance jolt upright as she glanced around to see who had spoken. A little to her surprise it was Thorax standing there and looking more than a little sheepish at having startled her, a similarly bashful Sunburst not much further behind him.
"S-sorry, your majesty," he murmured, refusing to meet her eyes out of embarrassment.
"It's alright. I trust your council Thorax," she murmured back kindly. Thorax brightened up a little bit, her friendly smile helping shore up his confidence and letting him stand tall again.
Shining nodded in agreement, speaking just as quietly, catching on to the changeling's implied need for discretion. "Yes. Now what were you saying? Do you think there's something she doesn't want some of us hearing?"
Thorax frowned, keenly glancing around for a moment as if looking for something, relaxing a little when he seemingly found it.
"In a manner of speaking. I just wanted to remind you, we're not entirely in friendly company," Thorax said uneasily, discreetly nodding his head and glancing in the direction of where King Sombra was standing, observing Sunset's spell casting from the edge of the quickly receding shadows. "I know from experience it's sometimes necessary to keep secrets or lie to allies so someone else doesn't overhear. I uh, I think you can guess why," he admitted, shying away once more.
"Don't worry, we all know that's behind you now," Cadance reassured him, giving him a beaming smile and resting a fore hoof on his shoulder. "Right now? I'm actually happy for the unique insight you can bring us."
"Well! Now that's finished, how about we hurry up and start getting the hell out of dodge?" Sunset called out loudly as she approached the group from the other side, having finished creating her circle of bonfires and sounding far too excited. "Guards first I imagine, you'll want ponies who can keep their cool to help thaw out the others. Oh! Actually wait a sec, I had better introduce you to someone first..."
Sunset turned off to face into the darkness and whistled loudly, before calling out in a chipper tone, pre-empting anyone getting a question in edgeways. "Come on out Atlas, got new friends for you to meet!"
Following Sunset's gaze out into the dark depths of the cavern, none of them missed the single large, luminous, blue eye that blinked to life in the company of a couple of synthetic chirps. All of them - with the exception of Sombra who was rolling his eyes at Sunset's theatrics - flinched at the heavy, almost thundering footfalls as whatever that blue eye was attached to strode closer.
Cadance found herself flinching back with the first few heavy foot-falls as the clanking metal monstrosity emerged into the light. The metallic, bipedal figure with its eyeball shaped head was as strange as it was intimidating, especially given it might be able to look down on even the towering figure of Celestia.
"Don't be shy Atlas! Why don't you come over here and warm up with the rest?" Sunset asked it, mischievous grin a mile wide as she gestured to the space within her circle of fires.
With another affirmative chirp the whirring, clanking thing strode past them, long arms gently swinging with its motion as it made its way to the indicated spot and paying little notice to the stunned group of ponies. Once there it turned about to face the ponies, standing there impassively beside a smug Sunset Shimmer.
"Mechanical weapons," Shining murmured wearily, the first to shake off his stunned expression for an analytical frown. "She's got a robot right out of a damn sci-fi comic."
"Indeed," Sombra affirmed. "Do not let its behaviour fool you, that thing is devoid of life."
Sunset huffed indignantly at that and shot Sombre a withering look. "I'm offended at how shallow your definition of life is! You're all going to have to be a little more open minded about that sort of thing if you don't want to end up a social pariah where we're going," she said, mixing mock offence into what might in fact be legitimate advice. In the following moment she side-stepped closer to her mechanical companion and patted it on the thigh affectionately. "Don't listen to the mean old king of collecting tacky crystals; you're a good boy Atlas!"
The towering robot chirped happily in response, sparing its mistress a glance before returning to vigilantly watching over all the others once more.
Sombra huffed irritably before stalking off once more, probably to think and plot. Cadance did her best to ignore him as much as was safe to do so, instead carefully examining Sunset and the way she looked up at the thing. Surprisingly enough, under the exaggeration Sunset did seem to harbour a measure of genuine affection for the machine. Matters of the heart were her area of expertise and Sunset had never been the best at keeping her stronger feelings hidden. Not for long or not without some sort of plan in motion that required she wear one mask or another.
"So! Are we going to get on with this or not?" Sunset asked, with an air of casualness unbefitting of the situation. "I mean, it's not like the fate of Equestria and beyond is on the line here. Oh, wait."
"Are you even capable of taking anything seriously?" Shining griped at her, with a shake of his head and a tiered sigh. "Never mind. Can you wake the others safely?"
Sunset shot a glare at him but visibly fought down her irritation. "Yes. Or at least as safely as I did it for you. They'll be groggy and disoriented when they wake up, but otherwise alright," she answered straightforwardly, before offering further advice. "I was planning to wake up the other guards first, if they've had even half decent training they should be able to keep calm and make themselves useful the quickest. With them helping the civies I can pick up the pace while you lot provide some familiar faces to help them stay calm and get oriented."
Shining bristled a little at being told what to do by her, but couldn't offer any counter to what was honestly a logical and straight forward plan. Seeing this, Cadance quickly butted in to prevent any more hasty harsh words or bruised egos.
"It certainly seems like a sound idea, though I wonder how easy it would be for you to teach us to free them ourselves. Might be able to get to everyone quicker. What do you think Shiny?" she asked him, knowing the likely answer but wanting to reinforce the fact he was actually involved in the decision making.
Shining snorted unhappily as he relented once more, head hanging a little as he spoke. "No, she's right," he admitted. "It would take too long for no real gain. Better to stagger the wake up process and only deal with only a few disoriented ponies at a time. That said, I really would like to know exactly what you've learnt about our... equally trusted friend over there," Shining finished more quietly, gesturing discreetly towards Sombra with one hoof.
Sunset looked back at him thoughtfully for a moment before nodding in full agreement. "I would be more than happy to, given the sucker punches he threw at me during our first round. That said, I'm not sure we have time right now. Until we do however; Atlas!" she abruptly barked out, switching to an unknown alien tongue and startling Cadance a little in the process. "Guardian protocols, if Spoopy Creep so much as twitches aggressively towards the ponies gathering in the circle don't hesitate to lay down the hurt."
"What?" Cadance blurted out as the machine, Atlas shifted and chirped in affirmation.
"Just telling Atlas to keep Sombra off your ponies. Language barrier is something else we're all going to have to overcome. Ugh, not to mention all the cultural crap. Now come on," Sunset explained, complained and prompted them, already trotting off to the nearest crystal containing a pair of guard ponies.
With a stern stare at the back of the mare's head Cadance reluctantly followed Sunset's lead into the darker recesses of the crystalline cavern. She could only hope this plan would turn out to be one of Sunset's better ones, it was after all very rare any idea dreamt up by the amber unicorn ended unspectacularly.
Only ever in sensational success, or calamitous and often explosive failure. |
Sunset of Star Strider | Chapter 4 - Stepping Through Light Years - Part 2/2 | Fortunately the next few hours went as smoothly as could be hoped for. The remaining guards were roused promptly, adding to their horsepower. However waking and herding the more civilian ponies proved a slightly greater challenge, some breaking out in panic attacks, still stuck hopelessly sobbing or shocked into near catatonic stupor. Cadance didn't miss the looks Sunset spared them, the mare oscillating between contemptuous disgust and awkwardly sympathetic. Eventually they were left with a few hundred ponies, a mix of guards, maids, cooks, administrators and even non-crystal pony tourists that had been fortunate enough to be in or near the palace.
All the while Sombra skulked around the perimeter of the room, eyeing the activity with nought but cold analysis and the occasional disdainful sniff whenever some pony behaved in a manner particularly pathetic in his mind. Everyone present did their best to steer clear of the prowling former king, only daring to gaze wearily in his direction when they were certain his attention lay elsewhere. Many were still terrified of the dark king, his mere presence agitating old traumas that had hoped to be forgotten with his apparent death.
Meanwhile Sunset's mechanical companion - Atlas - provided a similar source of trepidation due to its intimidating stature, or at least it did at first. Word that the machine was there protecting them from the tyrant and rumours that it had helped best him in a fight gradually turned those opinions around to ones of admiration and gratitude. Feelings that gradually extended to its mistress, most having seen the fiery maned unicorn trotting around releasing ponies from their macabre crystal prisons.
Soon, came the most difficult part. Informing and organising the ponies present for the tumultuous - if thankfully brief - journey to come.
Cadance, Shining, Sunset and a couple of the more senior guards gathered at the arbitrarily chosen 'head' of the circle, while Sombra seemed to be content to lurk in the shadows behind them. The crowd looked up to them with a nervous mix of hope and trepidation, their uncertain expressions begging their bedraggled Princess for good news. With a small gulp, Cadance resigned herself to the fact she was delivering less pleasant news first.
Her scuffed, gold plated shoes clattered and echoed loudly through the now largely empty crystal cavern as she took a couple of hoof stomps to gain the complete attention of the crowd. The noise quickly abated at the unspoken command of their Princess.
"My dear subjects," Cadance addressed them, stealing her voice with confidence and certainty she did not feel. "It is with grave reluctance I have to inform you our struggles are not yet at an end."
A cascade of mournful whispers radiated outwards through the room. Cadance put on a stern face and loudly stomped her hoof upon the ground thrice more to regain order, determined not to allow the mood to mature into outright despair.
"However! Circumstances have changed, and thanks to an old friend of mine a new opportunity has emerged," she explained, gesturing with one hoof to Sunset, who was suddenly busy looking uncharacteristically bemused at being called a friend by the alicorn. "Sunset Shimmer - one of Princess Celestia's past students - has returned from studying far abroad, offering safe shelter in the most distant... location, she has been exploring. The means of travelling there being a magical portal Princess Celestia entrusted me to protect until Sunset returned."
At that point Cadance felt herself stumble. In truth she wasn't sure what to say next, how to pose the need to leave perhaps indefinitely, or the fact they had been given little choice in the matter due to Sombra's current lack of cooperation. Unfortunately somepony took this as an invitation to interrupt with a question, and not a comfortable one at that.
"B-but why didn't we just use this portal before then?! Is it not safe or something?" a stallion called out, one of the less senior cooking staff if his greasy clothes were anything to go by. "Can anywhere truly be safe from those monsters?!"
Much to her embarrassment, Cadance silently fumbled over the question for a moment too long. The mirror was after all supposed to be something of a state secret, and not one she was terribly familiar with, let alone what awaited on the far side. In fact, Sunset's earlier explanations were the most information she had ever received on the mirror.
Fortunately Sunset interceded at that moment to save the Princess from more serious embarrassment.
"No, it's not dangerous. Not directly at least. It is however a very old and somewhat temperamental artefact with a number of idiosyncrasies to its function. One of those quirks is it is only able to open every thirty moons, a fairly detrimental drawback born of its ancient reliance on the cycles of the moon to power itself. That, is why I have only been able to return to Equestria now rather than any time earlier, for better or worse."
The straightforward and calmly delivered explanation seemed to put the stallion at ease, or at the very least made him worry about looking like a fool trying to argue with her.
"Thank you, Sunset," Cadance said warily, grateful but surprised by the unexpected diplomatic save from the fiery mare.
However she mentally swept the matter aside. Not that she didn't appreciate the gesture, but she was privately busy lambasting herself for slipping up like that. The finer details of their earlier talk should not have already degraded into a disorganised soup of information in her mind. Furthermore she couldn't let a fumble like that become a regular occurrence and erode their trust in her and by extension their rather delicate morale.
With what Cadance hoped looked like a determined expression she continued, "As a result, our current plan is to take this lifeline, retreat to this foreign world to recuperate and plan how to retake the Empire and Equestria from these other-worldly invaders."
"W-we're just leaving? Just like that? But this is our home!" one much younger mare - on the cusp of exceeding her teen years if Cadance had to guess - exclaimed with distress.
"Isn't there some way we can stay and maybe fight Your Highness? I don't want to give up yet," one of the guards spoke up next, echoing the sentiment with a more aggressive edge.
"This is not defeat!" Shining spoke out firmly, trotting forward to take centre stage to speak. "Pony kind is facing a foe unlike any we have before. Magical monsters and powerful entities the likes of Discord and Tyrik are familiar threats, but a numerically and technologically superior foe like this? Never. We need time. Time to research our options, time to study our enemy and time to plan our counter attack. That is what this opportunity gives us! We will overcome this threat like we have all others before and return to the peace and prosperity we once knew. We just have to have a little patience and perseverance."
Silently, Cadance couldn't help but ponder how her husband's impassioned speech mirrored Sunset's own arguments so closely. She wondered if he realised that they shared a common line of logic or not; hoping it might be a nice point to start building a friendship at, and worried if he might instead resent that commonality.
"The Prince is right!" Flash Sentry spoke out, backing up Shining's words much to their relief given Flash's previous sour attitude. "We might not know how to defeat these invaders but we overcame every other foe laid before us! Nightmare Moon, Discord and Changelings in recent years, foreign warlords, Windigos and worse in times long past. If we overcame them, we can overcome these invaders and survive! We just need to take what chances we can get to see that day come."
The gathered guards ponies cheered in agreement with their Prince and his Equestrian attache, more in tune with the more aggressive variety of rousing speech but the civilians weren't far behind with determined calls rousing each other. Discreetly Cadance stole a glance at Sunset, confirming what she knew she would see. Sunset was glaring at the guard thoughtfully, but did not stand still for long.
"This is one of those chances," Sunset said, stepping forth to take her own slice of the speech and all the prestige that she could pridefully soak up, just as Cadance expected. "I can't say it'll be easy or comfortable, at least not at first, there's a lot to do and that's after just as much that you'll all need to adjust to. I've established myself a modest if not-so-little home on the far side of the portal but it will take time to reorganise things for a larger population. On top of that you will need to adapt, not just to a whole new, literally alien society but to a new body as well. But the rewards are well worth it. What we can learn there, and assets we might bring back with us," Sunset mentioned, gesturing at Atlas, "might very well give us the edge we need to overcome these vile foalnappers and revolutionise life in Equestria and the Empire in the process."
Cadance reluctantly prompted Sunset to continue, as while this only encouraged Sunset's opinion that the current crisis revolved around her, she really was the only expert on their temporary new home to be. Flash certainly did not seem too happy about this but held his tongue, reluctantly so given how he continued to wearily glare at Sunset.
There were a lot of uncomfortable murmurs as Sunset continued to explain. Initially she tempted them with the fact that both familiar and exotic new luxuries awaited them with only a little hard work in the short term; an expansive variety of food, theatre you could watch anytime and anywhere, new music, and games both athletic and mental among them. Meanwhile in the longer term the technologically superior weaponry of the Earthlings - some of which was briefly demonstrated by Atlas - truly gave them a fighting chance for reclaiming their homes and neighbours.
Once they were captivated with the idea, she swiftly moved onto the practical information they needed to know. Namely that the mirror portal would disguise them as one of the bipedal natives and moving on to the improbable fact that the new world they were going to was not really a world at all but a void ship on a mission to colonise the stars. Naturally there were questions from the sceptical audience, mostly revolving around how safe this new place would be, whether these other aliens were violent or if machines like Atlas might accidentally step on them.
Unfortunately, as informative as the session promised to be, there was the threat of it dragging on. A fear Cadance's husband shared as they exchanged knowing looks, followed by a few private words of confirmation and nods of agreement.
"As much as I would like to learn more myself," Shining began, interrupting between a round of questions, "we can't have much more time here. We need to get organised and moving if we're going to succeed."
"Agreed. I'll need to be one of the first through. Need to make the place safe," Sunset spoke up quickly. "A rear guard might also be a good idea too, if any of the invaders unexpectedly turn up."
"Sending you in alone with all the civilians while all the guards stay behind?" One nearby pony questioned with barely suppressed suspicion, a maid who was close to a now embarrassed looking guard - likely family given the foal between them - who had been initially awake among the six with Cadance. No doubt he had gossiped to the mare about Sunset's less friendly first impressions. "That doesn't sound like a terribly safe idea to me."
"Yeah, and didn't you just say this place was safe?" another maid close to the first - likely a friend and fellow gossip - asked next, though more fearfully rather than accusingly then the first.
Cadance caught a flash of anger or frustration pass over Sunset's features, thankfully quickly enough that most would not notice. Surprisingly to Cadance, the normally temperamental unicorn had brought herself under control in but a moment. In fact, the longer Cadance watched the more she realised Sunset was behaving almost like an officer of the guard, as if she had received training on how to deal with such crowds. She couldn't recall if the mare had ever gone out of her way to learn something like that all those years ago while still living in Canterlot palace, but it seemed unlike her at the time.
"Safe is always a relative term," Sunset spoke apologetically, before continuing loudly and clearly enough for all to hear. "My home is also my workshop and laboratory. A bit like foal-proofing a kitchen with a baby on the way, I need to tidy away my tools and materials to help prevent any accidents, especially when you might all be unfamiliar with what is and is not safe to handle. I know it's not the most flattering comparison but it's the truth as I wasn't exactly expecting so many visitors, especially ones bringing a number of actual foals with them. Additionally, I am the only one present with experience to help orient newcomers. This is not some attempt to swindle you out of what little safety you have down here, I am very much trying to help you."
The seemingly earnest plea for cooperation placated the vast majority present. However any with a keen eye would have noticed Flash Sentry still looking on suspiciously, and it seemed a hoof full of guards tentatively trusted his opinion regarding Sunset.
Clearing her throat to bring attention back to herself, Cadance moved to speak once more. Sunset with but a glance and a nod complied with her wishes, stepping back.
"This is not a decision we have made lightly. Yes, we must proceed with haste but we are not proceeding without caution nor care," Cadance spoke out again, comforting in her display of self-assured confidence. She only wished she felt every bit of that confidence she had put on display. "Shining, would you care to manage our ponies into groups?"
He nodded and stepped up, an intense and serious expression across his muzzle. "Alright, I want families to group up. Guards, into your squads. Everyone else, into groups of no more than six..."
It took a while to get everypony ready to move, to the point where it was well into the dimly lit early morning before the first of them re-emerged into the palace. The guards quickly spread out and set about securing a clear path to the mirror portal, ready to keep their civilian charges safe and moving in the right direction. Flash Sentry led the way by wing, scouting out the planned route before beginning to patrol back and forth along it, quietly ensuring everything was continuously in order and checking via what windows were easily reachable that no threats went unspotted from beyond the palace.
The lumbering mechanical form of Atlas followed soon after, crossing the threshold between the jaggedly hewn shaft and the pristine throne room with an ungainly stride from climbing the stairs that were smaller than comfortable for it. It quickly took up position near the largest exit; the open doors to the corridors and balcony beyond. Its eyeball-like 'head' swivelling back and forth at a dizzying rate between points of potential interest, searching for threats.
Right behind it was its mistress, leading the Crystal Princess, Prince Consort and their personal guards. Their own eyes nervously shiftied about as Sunset led them with a more confident stride to her hoof steps. Almost forgotten was Sombra, left trailing behind. His eyes were equally alive and searching though he was far more cold and arrogant in his overall demeanour, as if anything that might surprise him would be quickly crushed. Accounting for his range of allies however, he might not have been wrong to assume such.
They were so nervous and on guard, that it almost came as a surprise when they all arrived at the mirror portal without incident.
Cadance stood there in the doorway, allowing Sunset and her Husband to wander ahead. The mess that had been left by whoever had ransacked the castle drew her attention most. The empty bookcase and broken lectern stood a sore reminder of all her giddy hopes back when she was planning for reuniting with Sunset, and how remorselessly they had been crushed under the weight of the current crisis.
"So, what now?" Shining asked, eyeing the mirror sceptically before switching his gaze to Sunset. "You are the expert here, so how do we do this safely?"
"At most two at a time through the portal, with at least a few minutes between transits. Don't run or jump and try to keep your eyes shut and hold your breath when you step through," Sunset replied quickly and curtly, sweeping her eyes over the guards present to check they were all paying attention. "The whole thing is harmless but pretty damn disorienting. We'll need the time to get people on their feet and out of the way of the next to come through. Unless we want to embarrass ourselves by getting hurt in a pile up on the far side that is. On that note, might want to give me and Mi-Moe a little extra time so we can actually get ready to help whoever comes next."
"Wait a minute!" Shining called out, hoof held out in a halting motion. "Since when were we sending Cadance through first? It's my job to take those risks and make sure everything is safe."
"No, and for good reason," Sunset replied back curtly, looking him dead in the eye to convey her seriousness. "No offence but you don't trust me. If I tell you to do something, even if it's for your own good, you're going to be second guessing me. Cadance won't have that problem. She at least trusts me far enough to know I'm not going to do something asinine like boiling her brains by sticking her head in a working microwave. We also need you here to watch Sombra and make sure he waits his turn."
Shining grunted under his breath as he considered her point, even if he didn't understand the details. "Fine, I can't really argue with-"
"Oh? And exactly how long do you plan on making me wait, little sorceress?" Sombra butted in pointedly glaring at Sunset, as if promising a violent and sticky end should she slight him once more.
"Last," Sunset said firmly, head whipping around to stare down the stallion. "Second to last if you want to include Atlas. No negotiation. I'm not letting you through, only for you to pull off some bull shit and leave your rivals here cut off and alone for the invaders to deal with for you."
"You dare dictate to me-!" he immediately burst out before being cut off just as sharply.
"We, Sombra! We dare to dictate to you," Shining Armour announced back, interrupting Sombra in turn with his own steely gaze. "Frankly I share her concerns, even if I weren't predisposed to getting all of our civilians through first."
"And how exactly am I to know you plan on no similar betrayal against myself?" he seethed, returning their glare with a malicious venom, one that seemed to leak from his eyes in a purple haze.
Shining scoffed back at him. "Because you very well know we would never behave so dishonourably. We have an agreement and we will stick to it, no matter how inconvenient you make yourself in the meantime."
"So quiet down and drop this argument before we get bogged down in it and you only end up waiting longer," Sunset said with firm finality.
To punctuate her point Atlas took that moment to loudly stomp closer with a far more grating, electronic bleating noise. Arms tensed to move into action he made for an even more intimidating figure, towering over the dark stallion who was already overtly tall for a pony.
Cadance meanwhile could not help but indulge in a weary smile. Besides how amusing it was watching them verbally tag-team Sombra, it seemed the two of them - Shining and Sunset - were beginning to trust one another just enough to work well together, whether they realised it or not. It was a small something to warm her heart in the midst of these cold and abandoned halls.
Sombra was clearly reaching the end of his patience, snarling and putting his fangs on full display. However it seemed his sense of discretion prevailed as he simply turned about with one final growl, stalking off back into the Crystal palace.
They all followed him with weary eyes until he was well and truly out of sight. A tense moment later Atlas made a set of more familiar, far less aggressive tones and seemed to relax. This seemed to draw Sunset's attention who looked up to the mechanical hulk with a smirk.
"Heh, couldn't have said it better myself Atlas," Sunset replied to the uninterpretable noises.
Before either of them could enquire as to what had been said, Sunset sharply turned to Shining with a serious look.
"I'm giving you the authority to command Atlas," she said sternly. "Its Equestrian isn't great so keep it simple, but if you tell it to wait somewhere, patrol between a few points or attack something you point it at, it will."
Shining was more than a little taken aback by the sudden offer. "Your robot soldier thing? You're just giving it to me?"
"No," she said with a snort, shaking her head. "I'm letting you give Atlas orders. They won't supersede my own of course and I expect you to try and bring it back in one piece if things get dicey but Atlas will be there if you need the extra firepower, especially against Sombra. That said... as much as I value Atlas, pony lives - including yours - do come first. It'll toss you through the portal and hold whatever off if needs be," she explained further, casting a glance and a wink in Cadance's direction.
"Right..." Shining gave the robot an uneasy look as he accepted her words. "So it'll do what I tell it to?"
Sunset shrugged. "Sort of. Look, if it helps, think of it as a well-trained dog. Atlas is about as smart as that anyway. Keep it simple, and it'll do it," she explained dismissively, clearly trying to end the conversation and move on. Something she achieved by switching her attention to Cadance. "Come on Mi-Moe, let's get this over with. The sooner we're gone the better. Getting kind of tired of saying that too."
Shining sighed and scraped his hoof against the floor irritably. "I don't suppose there's any way to talk you into sending someone else in your stead? I wouldn't dare volunteer anypony but... I don't know a guard who wouldn't step up in a moment, myself included," he asked his wife, clearly knowing the answer already but reluctant to accept it all the same.
Cadance felt the loving concern role off of him and shared a reassuring smile as she trotted up closer to the stallion she loved so dearly, for exactly this sort of reason. She cupped his cheek with one hoof, prompting Shining to look her in the eyes as she spoke. "It will be okay, Shiny. I promise Sunset will take care of me. She's a difficult pony to get along with, but not a bad one deep down. You worry about taking care of our ponies and I'll see you again soon."
With that, Cadance leaned in to kiss him, deeply and warmly communicating her love and confidence in him as best she could with the intimate gesture. It didn't last nearly long enough, but alas - Cadance lamented - such moments where true love was meaningfully put forward never did.
He sighed more gently and put on a forlorn smile. "Alright. I'll hold down the fort. It's what I'm good at. Just... stay safe. I love you," Shining murmured warmly to his wife.
"You stay safe yourself," she said with a friendly smirk, "and I love you too."
Cadance continued to stare as he disappeared out of the room and around the corner with Atlas stomping along in tow before she turned back to see Sunset waiting with a pensive stare.
"Sunset? Is something the matter?" Cadance asked uneasily with one raised eyebrow when the mare did not react. Some sort of crass joke over their display of affection would not have been out of character for the amber mare right about now.
"Uh, nothing," Sunset replied, instead dismissing the query with a shake of the head. "You know, I wasn't lying. He's a nice catch. And don't worry, Atlas will watch his back."
Blinking heavily in surprise, Cadance felt herself rear back a bit. The reassuring words were rather strange coming from Sunset's mouth, but after a moment Cadance accepted them with a weak smile nonetheless. "Thank you. I appreciate that."
Sunset reared back herself and sharply turned away to hide her light blush. "Yeah well... you're annoying when you get sulky and cry. And there would be a lot of that if he died fighting off an army of alien goons in some heroic last stand. Something as cheesy-tragic as it would be awesome and full of explosions," she said quickly, in a desperate attempt to further herself from any kind of sentiment.
It was enough to get Cadance to giggle at her immature bluster.
"Anyway!" Sunset shouted to drown out Cadance's laughter. "Portal time."
Promptly the amber unicorn trotted the short distance up to the mirror and Cadance followed promptly, only to halt there. She found herself wearily examining the strange artefact once more, its comfortably alicron proportions and horse shoe shaped frame, studded with gems that seemed to pulse with magic, its wide circular base and unnaturally perfect sheen. She had imagined greeting Sunset by it so many times, running through all the different ways their meeting might hopefully, or probably would, pan out. Never had she actually thought about using the mysterious artefact herself, not since Celestia's vague warnings over how dangerous its use was.
Looking back at Cadance questioningly, Sunset made a curious comment. "Almost thought you were going to ask for one last look around before we left. If things go as planned... well you're not going to see this place again for a while."
Cadance glanced back past the doors again briefly but quickly turned her eyes back to Sunset and shook her head. "No. I would rather have fewer memories of my home like this," she said, head dipping with the bitter admission.
Sunset looked up thoughtfully for a moment before nodding. "Yeah, I can get that. Now come on," she said, tilting her head towards the mirror. "Might be leaving this mess behind, but there's whole new worlds to see."
Uneasily Cadance strode forward and lined up beside Sunset. "Uh, so how do we...?"
The unicorn nodded understandingly as she began to recap her instructions once more, "Just walk. Keep it slow and steady and hold your breath when you enter. The... currents - for lack of a better word - in the portal's space between here and there can affect movement pretty randomly. Run and it might spit you out like a cannonball. Or spinning like a boomerang. Or just do nothing at all but you don't really want to gamble on that."
"O-okay," Cadance murmured with an uncertain nod, glancing between Sunset and the reflective surface of the portal.
Sunset smirked as she nodded back at her. "Good. Then just follow me... and allons-y!" she cried out before gently skipping right on through the portal, seemingly in defiance of her own advice.
The mirror flashed causing her to wince and flinch away as Sunset passed through, the dazzlingly bright colours from the mirror unpleasant to the unexpecting eye.
With a gentle frown and one final deep reassuring breath Cadance steadied herself and took the plunge, stepping forward through the still rippling portal, eyes clenched shut as she pushed past its strangely liquid like surface.
Immediately her senses were assaulted with a violence that made the earlier display seem so very tame. Painfully bright swirling colours, some she had trouble putting a name to that flashed and ebbed away filled her vision. Meanwhile a cacophony of assorted sounds that crashed and cascaded like white water rapids penetrated her ears. To add to the confusion she felt herself tumbling endlessly in a way that made her native pegusi instincts protest in horror; falling, swirling and spiralling in contradictory directions according to her eyes and inner ear. Compounding her panic was the budding burning sensation in her lungs as she tried to breath, feeling the sensation of her lungs filling but gaining nothing from it in some paradox of asphyxiation. Beyond all of that was the marginally more familiar stretch and contorting of transformative magics playing itself across her body.
And then, just as it was starting to feel like it would never end, Cadance suddenly found herself able to breathe once more. It was a liberty she took a great deal of comfort from indulging in, gasping in deeply even as she fell from the portal and awkwardly landed in the blissfully dark room.
It took a few moments for her head to stop spinning and notice the next thing that demanded Cadance's attention, namely her body. Knowing what would happen in advance made the sensation no less strange, but now she was left awkwardly propped up on four limbs, two of which were far too long to stand straight as her front two did. Not to mention her head now naturally rested facing down towards a cold, hard floor of smooth concrete.
The final thing to become apparent was the string of curse words from a distinctly Sunset sounding source not far in front of her.
Craning her head up - with what felt like a frustratingly short neck - Cadance saw a sight jarring enough to leave her speechless, and cause her legs to collapse beneath her into an awkward kneeling position. The pose did however provide her with a clear view of Sunset, sprawled out on the floor, still wrapped up in her winter wear on top of more clothing that seemed to have materialised with her new body from transiting the portal.
"Blyat! Stupid fucking portal! If you weren't a few thousand years dead smeg-for-brains-Starswirl, I would turn you into a tartarus damned worm and feed you to Philomena!" she swore with a snarl while throwing a hoof boot off her clearly un-leg-like forelimb.
As Sunset wrestled and wriggled in her tangled mess of mismatched clothing - including a pair of ripping hoof boots stretching over a pair of differently shaped boots - Cadance couldn't help but break out into giggles. The sight of the previously suave and confident mare swearing up a storm in multiple languages while looking like a filly that had got tangled up playing dress up in her mother's clothes, was an innately amusing - if rather crass - display.
Almost immediately Sunset's head whipped around to stare venomous daggers at Cadance, as a blush began to bloom across the honey skin tone of her now oddly flat face. An oddly flat face that Cadance quickly realised they now shared as she instinctively brought up her fore limb to stifle her still growing giggles. Indeed, Sunset's embarrassment only spurred on her laughter much to the fiery maned girl's fury.
"You can either learn to walk in the next five seconds and help me, or shut your pretty little trap, you feather brained home wrecking whore!" Sunset shouted out in furry, snarling as fiercely as any beast.
Immediately Cadance's laughter choked up and died down, the vile vitriol robbing the situation of any humour as she felt her own face scrunch up in disgust at the foul language. It was a poignant reminder that sunset did not respond well to any kind of humiliation.
With a commiserating sigh, Cadance distracted herself with something more immediately pressing to herself. Namely her new form and especially the odd claw like appendage she had just been pressing to her face. Turning it this way and that with wide eyed fascination Cadance quickly began to experiment with moving the new groups of muscles in a series of erratic twitches that reminded her far too much of a flailing spider. It very quickly became apparent that it would take some time to master the perturbingly complex thing, but thankfully basic grasping motions seemed simple enough.
She was quickly distracted by the faux coughing of Sunset trying to get her attention, who was now casting a somewhat foreboding shadow as she loomed over Cadance. Uneasily, Cadance looked up to see a now much taller and imposing Sunset Shimmer, rid of her surplus clothing, glared down at her with a disgruntled look.
The imposing new bipedal form was more than a little intimidating from her position kneeling on the floor, and Sunset's silent expression left the atmosphere tense enough that Cadance flinched when a forelimb abruptly extended towards her. It took Cadance a moment to figure out the outstretched limb was an offer of help. Taking a small steadying breath, Cadance clumsily extended her own foreleg to take it, placing her new claw against Sunset's own which clenched around hers as Sunset began to pull her up.
With unexpected ease Cadance felt herself come to a shaky two legged stand. If she was entirely honest the tall pose gave the foreboding feeling she might become overcome with vertigo at any moment. Fortunately that didn't seem to come, though a primal part of her did decide her new forelimbs might be better thought of as wings, stretching them out to her sides for balance.
With a tired sigh Sunset brought Cadance's attention back to her just as she released Cadance's hand and turned away a little, seemingly embarrassed.
"Look... I'm sorry for snapping at you," she said, easing out the apology with a sour expression. "But I think you know how I get about people laughing at my expense."
Cadance accepted the apology with a slightly stiff nod, even if she could not help a discreet roll of her eyes at the hypocrisy of Sunset's attitude.
"I suppose I do. And for what it's worth I'm sorry too. Still feeling... rather disoriented," she uneasily apologised with partial sincerity, distracted as she compulsively kept glancing down at the now much more distant ground.
That also brought to her attention the elegant if simple white dress she was wearing, along with gilded white boots, bracers and belt. She also felt a chunkey segmented necklace resting around her neck but that was almost impossible to see with the limited length of her now short and inflexible neck.
With a discrete glance towards Sunset, she quickly realised that even with her shaky posture she was still a good half a head taller than her, something she had to suppress a small smirk at. Sunset had always liked to hold her head high, and pointing out Cadance was seemingly forever just a little taller than the mare was yet another means to light the fuse on her explosive temper.
Abruptly Cadance shook her head to dismiss those less then relevant thoughts and bring her attention back to the here and now. The rather expansive room she found herself in was dimly lit but thankfully not entirely dark. She could make out a few familiar shapes in what furniture was present, including a set of stairs running up along the far wall. But there were many more objects scattered around the area she could not recognise, especially with the lack of light.
Fortunately she didn't have to wait long for that issue to be resolved as Sunset parted from her and marched off to a box on a far wall. Flipping a number of switches causing long light fixtures hanging from the rafters high above to gradually fade to life. It was surprisingly warm and comfortable compared to the jarring flickering Cadance had experienced from the rarely used electric lights of a similar scale back in Equestria.
The room revealed was both simple and alien at the same time. Walls composed of flat, featureless, light grey cladding between metal support beams painted a dark blue, occasionally interspersed with well organised wires and pipes of red, black and yellow fixed to those walls. The staircase meanwhile seemed to lead up to an overhanging second floor that looked down on most of the area with large windows. It was starkly strange in how utilitarian it was, and yet somehow Sunset had made her home in this distinctly un-pony-like place.
True, most of the area was scattered with strange contraptions with many blinking lights, work benches, odd tools and a few tarpaulin covered shapes but there was also a space set up like a crude drawing room. The floor there was covered with a collection of mismatched rugs and composed of three large, blanket-covered sofas in a semi-circle around a low table and a strange black, squat mirror.
Even as she examined the space with wide, cautious eyes Sunset rushed about, muttering and grumbling to herself as she tidied away things and adjusted the controls on machines. Cadance couldn't help but notice how deftly she manipulated things with those strange grasping claw like appendages they now shared, or just how practised she was at moving on two legs. It truly brought home that Sunset had been living here for a good twenty years. Twenty years away from Equestria and whatever Sunset might have called home there. It left Cadance wanting to give the mare a tight warm hug, though she doubted the gesture would be appreciated.
With a sigh Cadance shook off her musings. It seemed she had temporarily been forgotten by Sunset, so with a few shaky steps she took her new situation into her own hooves as she did her best to mimic Sunset's walking motion. It was a passable enough attempt as it at least got her to a nearby work bench where she could use her new fore-limbs to steady herself.
Any further attempt to teach herself was forestalled by a cry of panic and the distinct sound of metal clattering to the hard floor. Cadance turned her attention back to the plinth just in time to see a another newly transformed pony - a maid going be the dress that had morphed with the pony to fit their new form - screeching as she fell out of the portal and atop the poor transformed gardspony that was still gathering his faculties.
"Damn it! I should have asked for more time," Sunset called out irritably as she turned away from her work and strode back towards them all. "Cadenza, I'll need your help here."
Cadance couldn't help but bulk at the curt demand. "Sunset, I can barely stand myself right now!"
"That's better than these two can handle! We don't want anyone getting hurt in a crush, that would just be embarrassing," Sunset yelled back at her as she gently took hold of the maid's arms and cajoled her up onto two legs.
Cadance did her best to stumble over to and provide support for the fellow former mare, no easy task as she was still trying to find her balance herself. Unfortunately the end result was monarch and servant alike left awkwardly leaning against each other and mutually avoiding eye contact, quietly too afraid to move in case they should both fall over. Still, at least the closer look allowed Cadance to recognise the maid as her head maid, Jade Standard, something that perhaps should have been more obvious given her distinctive green and black striped mane. The strikingly dark, ebony brown skin tone threw her off given her previous coat of more faded lavender fur.
Sunset catching sight of this as she more roughly helped the guard to his feet and out of the way of the portal, could not help but sigh in exasperation. Still, a somewhat sympathetic look lingered behind her frustration and as she left the guard there leaning on his spear for support. Her next words were delivered with more patience.
"Okay, I know this is going to sound strange but the best thing you can do to maintain your balance is focus on your hips," she instructed - with the smooth professionalism she had previously used when addressing the crowd - as she offered a hand to both women. "Unintuitively, because you're so much taller now your centre of balance is actually lower in your body. Namely around your tummy area rather than up over your hunches. Stand up straight, avoid looking down too much, concentrate on balancing through that and the rest should follow much easier."
Uneasily Cadance accepted Sunset's hand in getting out of the awkward lean-to she had found herself in with Jade Standard and did her best to follow the advice. Her legs were still somewhat shaky but she could at least hold herself upright in one place without feeling like she was narrowly avoiding falling over.
The fact Sunset moved so fluidly on two legs helped reassure her it was possible. Furthermore it appeared rather graceful as a form of motion, certainly a lot more so than the more lumbering motion Minotaurs made with bipedalism.
Shaking off the distraction Cadance offered a sheepish smile to Jade before doing her best to support her journey to the same nearby table she had lent on earlier. Cadance left her there just in time for the next pair to come tumbling out of the portal.
Steadily a sort of routine was established. Those who had been there longer - especially guards who often came with a spear ready to lean on - helped newcomers up and passed advice around. Meanwhile Cadance grabbed another transformed pony - Glistening Page, an aid - she tasked with keeping a head count on everyone. Sunset herself had soon absconded from that duty to continue to make her workshop safe for them, or rather, make sure it was safe from them, given Cadance caught a murmur from her about not leaving her stuff out for idiots to break.
Immense relief filled Cadance when a pair of the maids that typically acted as nanny for Flurry Heart came through with her crib. Unfortunately the arrival was naturally accompanied by a lot of crying from the confused infant who had just had to endure the horrible sensations of the transit without any understanding as to why.
"Hay now, hush now, you're safe sweety. It's all over now. You're safe," Cadance cooed at Flurry as she drew closer and reached out an arm to gently comfort the child flailing in her blankets.
Cadance flinched back when her baby only screamed louder at her close approach. The fear clear in her eyes especially stung Cadance to see directed at herself. In front of her she could not help but notice once more her now recoiled hand and it hit her just how frightening she must have looked to her own child in such a strange form.
With a reluctant sigh she turned to some of the other former ponies standing nearby. "I need someone to help get Flurry out of the way and someone else needs to help these two get up as well please."
That help was quickly rendered by Jade Standard and they lifted the crib clear into a less occupied corner of the room, where Cadance made to once again confront her still wailing child.
"Stay back a moment, I have an idea," Cadance said, doing her best to stay quiet but that was not exactly easy given how healthy a pair of lungs Flurry had.
Cautiously Cadance dropped down to her knees, edged around the crib so she was out of sight of Flurry, and with a deep breath in, she began to softly sing.
"My little child, be not afraid. The Rain pounds harsh against the window, like an unwanted stranger... but there is no danger, for I am here tonight."
As the mellodey began to waft through the air Flurry steadily caught on to the familiar tune and the voice behind it. Cadance couldn't help but smile as her child began to calm, though Flurry was still making nervous babbling noises.
"My Sweet little child, be not afraid. The storm clouds mask your beloved moon. But its candlelight beam, still keep pleasant dreams, and I am here tonight..."
Cautiously, Cadance made to peek around at Flurry, locking eyes with her still distraught baby girl. The sense recognition at the bob of three tone hair and purple eyes further reassured her that mother was close.
"And some day you'll know, that nature is so, and the same rain that draws you near me, falls on river and land, on forests and sands, makes the beautiful world that you see, in the morning."
Playfully, Cadance used a hand to flick a lock of hair towards Flurry who quickly reached out a limb to bat at it, only to murmur in surprise at the sight of her own new limbs. Briefly she shook it around, as if trying to throw the strange little pink worms off. Seeing her confusion Cadance rose up a little to show Flurry her own strange transformation, uneasily raising a hand and wiggling her own hand in mid air. She sighed a little in relief as instead of bursting out into more crying Flurry stretched her own arm out in front of her and mimicked the wiggling movements before turning her attention back to Cadance and reaching out in her direction with a burbling cry of desire.
Carefully, and with a reassuring smile fixed in place, Cadance reached out her hand towards Flurry who ended up grabbing one of Cadance's fingers in her hand. The burble of surprise and laughter as she tugged it closer prompted a giggle from Cadance at her daughter's newfound curiosity.
Glancing back at the other ponies present and the many dour faces, Cadance couldn't help but feel a bout of envy at her daughter's innocent naivety.
With a sigh and a sad smile she lent down to gently stroke her daughter's hair and - a little awkwardly - plant a kiss on her daughter's head. That resulted in another bout of giggles as Flurry made to grab onto Cadance's strange little nose next.
Soon though, she had to pull away, much to her daughter's protests. "Can you take care of her for now Jade?" she asked the still waiting maid who had been struggling to keep her own laughter at the adorable display of affection contained.
"Of course Princess," she replied with a sympathetic smile.
Reluctantly Cadance turned and made her way back into the crowd, intent on returning to helping her subjects.
After a while the warehouse was beginning to feel rather well filled by the time the last two members of their party arrived. The lounge area was being used to contain all the children while Sunset was left to run around glowering at or chewing out anyone who looked like they were about to touch something or open some cabinet they were getting curious over. Her barely contained neurotic frustration was something Cadance could not help but inwardly chuckle at, in spite of the potentially real danger.
However both Sunset's rushing and Cadance's amusement were quickly dispelled by a new surprise.
Out from the portal came a pair of more masculine screams and one blurry black blob that was flung across the room at significant speed. The resulting crash caused a cascade of yet more cries of both surprise and pain as many former ponies on shaky legs were bowled over by the speeding ball of chitin.
Immediately the two rushed in to help get people up and out of the way, heaving people off of one another less anyone be left asphyxiating under the weight of numerous others. What they were left with once the pile cleared up left everyone in shocked silence.
"Ooooow... anyone catch the plate on that cart?" Thorax mumbled out in pain. "Wait, I wasn't pulling the cart was I? Oh no, not again..."
Blinking away her surprise, Cadance knelt down to gently lift and place a few comforting pats on Thorax's still very much Changeling body. Even though the form was familiar Cadance could not help but let her eyes wander over him, examining him for anything out of place. Everything was exactly as she remembered it, from pointed horn to all four holey hooves.
"Well, that's interesting," Sunset commented, similarly eyeing the changeling up and down with shameless curiocity once more. "And interesting always leads to the best discoveries," she declared with an all too eager grin.
"Oh wow... right, the mirror," Thorax murmured as he steadily came back to his senses and started sweeping over the crowd with his luminous blue compound eyes. "Huh, she wasn't joking when she said humans were weird. Uh, but not bad weird! You all look fine! Really!" he commented, speaking all the more frantically as he tried to reassure them all from some imagined slight.
It was only then that Thorax realised what had happened, catching sight of his own forelegs as he flailed them in a calming movement. Looking between his hooves and the staring crowd of humans, blinking a few times in surprise, he calmly and rationally let out a long, shrill scream.
To make the matter worse, Flurry Heart began to make her displeasure at the loud noise known with a few sharp cries that were working their way up to something worse.
"Fuck!" Sunset cried out the foreign curse in irritation before she dove forward and clapped her hands around his muzzle. Notably she showed no fear of his protruding fangs. "What the tartarus is wrong with you?!"
The only answer she got was a few stifled mumbles and a gulp.
"Are you going to scream your little buggy head off again? Or am I going to have to muzzle you?" Sunset asked her captive, aggressively getting in his face with her own to stare him down more closely.
The now cowed changeling could only wiggle his head from side to side a little in Sunset's grip.
With a grunt she released him, backing off but keeping her displeased and expectant glare locked on him.
"Not a bug..." he mumbled as he straightened himself up. "You, uh, I... caught myself by surprise?" he explained uncertainty, sheepishly smiling back at her.
"You got freaked out... by the fact you didn't change?" Sunset asked as she pinched the bridge of her nose, face further twisting up into a scowl. "This had better be some sort of weird instinctual reaction because there's no way I'm putting up with someone that stupid around this much delicate machinery."
"Uhhhh.... Maybe? That would make sense since, you know, changeling, surrounded by strangers... exposed..." Thorax tried to reason, trailing off as Sunset's continuously scrutinising glare derailed his thoughts with anxiety.
"Whatever!" Sunset declared loudly after a moment of silence, throwing her arms up in the air in exasperation. "I don't get paid enough to put up with this."
Cadance could only sigh and roll her eyes and held back a snarky comment about no one getting paid for this as Sunset stormed off to continue fiddling with her equipment. Meanwhile she busied herself with reassuring Thorax, finding him a place to regain his senses on one of the couches and then getting back to her other subjects and their needs.
However, before she could get much further than that, the sight of her beloved finally emerging safely through the portal put all other concerns on hold and sent her rushing back towards the strange statue's plinth.
"Shiny," Cadance greeted him with a sigh of relief as she hastily stumbled closer.
He merely groaned and shook his head with a groggy expression, as he stood there. On all fours. His confused looking around prompted a giggle from her just as he caught sight of her feet and began to crane his head upwards to look at her. Cadance promptly offered him a hand up.
Shakily, he too - with her help - pulled himself uneasily onto two legs.
"This... this is going to take some getting used to," he said wearily as he looked down at his own trembling knees. "Feel like I should be getting vertigo or something."
"Believe me, I know," Cadance affirmed with a mirthless chuckle. "Just... try to imagine there's a string pulling you up like a puppet, keeping you straight. Then move with your hips, that's where your centre of balance should be."
Meanwhile, Sombra who had been left to help himself out of the collective fear and resentment of the present company only had Sunset to grudgingly help him up. This happened to suit him just fine, given the girl's terse and direct instruction, compared to the needlessly emotional prattling and hand holding the others exchanged.
It was not more than a moment after they had gotten up and moved away from the statue that a familiar mechanical whirring and stomping resounded through the room. Atlas, having been deposited into the room via the portal itself, rapidly looked about as it identified all the faces present before giving a friendly chirp and a wave in the direction of the largest congregation of people staring on. A few of the less skittish young even dared to wave back to which the robot chirped happily at, levelling two thumbs up at them.
It was a little strange to Cadance but the mechanical figure while still taller, broader and likewise imposing seemed a lot less intimidating now it more closely matched their height.
"So," Shining spoke up uneasily, as he examined the room with analytical eyes. "This is where we're going to be spending at least the next few years?"
Those words set the wheels in Princess Cadance's head turning. No matter the circumstances, these were her people and she was their ruler. She had a responsibility to guide and protect them to the best of her abilities and at the moment... it seemed she had led them into somewhat bleak living conditions. Not that Sunset's home wasn't exactly homely even given its improvised nature, but it had only been one person here before. It was extremely tight quarters for so many.
"Bunkbeds will be a must in the long run," Cadance murmured. "Ones larger than we're used to as well," she added, looking down at her much longer form.
"You're... you're saying this is all we'll have between us!? Uh, you're majesties?" A nearby maid, one of the younger ones spluttered in disbelief before hastily adding the honorific.
Cadance couldn't help but wince at her blunder of so publicly highlighting their new living conditions. Worry was visibly overtaking her and several nearby people too who had overheard.
Shining meanwhile glanced about, searching for Sunset for confirmation or hopefully reassurance to the contrary. Unfortunately she had now run off to attend to her robot, hooking Atlas up to a large yellow support frame, connecting numerous wires to him while trying to answer a volley of questions fired at her by a couple of the braver children.
"Not quite... Sunset Shimmer mentioned more space we could move into but only another two or three rooms like this," Cadance admitted.
With a defeated sigh Shining added his own two bits. "I'm afraid we're all going to have to get used to being considerably more cosy with each other. All theoretical talk of void travel reasoned ships would need to be pretty tight quarters, given they would need to take literally everything ponies would need to survive with them. Much like a regular ship but worse; food, water and even the very air, not to mention fuel to keep everyone warm. Honestly I'm surprised we have as much space as we do. To have this much unused real estate on a spaceship implies it has to be pretty damn huge," he explained, eyes darting around as he began to appraise the space with greater regard. "In fact... I'm starting to really want to know how they do it all. Recycling all the water they would need and not to mention the air as well! The first is an easy enough task with a little Earth Pony magic, enchantments and all sorts of spells but I have no idea how they could probably manage the latter with the hugely impractical task of hauling a whole forest along with them. Air freshening spells can only take you so far... and they don't even use magic for any of this?"
Despite their situation Cadace could not help but chuckle ever so slightly as her husband began to geek out over his enduring love of science fiction speculation. "Dork," she said to him teasingly.
"Ah, you know you love it," he countered dismissively. "I make it at least half as adorkable as Twily."
Unfortunately their brief moment of humour meant little to the crowd of former ponies and their growing murmurs of discontent. With a sigh Cadance made to speak up and deliver an impromptu speech about solidarity and how this was a temporary state of affairs while they adapted. However Sunset quickly blew those plans out of the water as she strode by loudly making light of their situation.
"Oh me, oh my! Woe is Us! Whatever will we do crammed into so few square qubits per person?!" she moaned out, dramatically waving her arms and pressing the back of one hand to her forehead sorrowfully as she ploughed through the crowd to the far wall.
She turned on the spot, standing there between a door and a set of long panels that composed a large span of that wall, looking back at the crowd with a lazy smirk. Uneasily, Cadance, Shining and the others better acquainted with Sunset's antics edged closer through the crowd to get a better look... or easy access to intervene if needed.
"At the very least we have a decent sized closet to leave all our spare things in," she said teasingly as she reached up to a yellow box fixed to the wall at chest height.
Grabbing and twisting a knob on that box the whole crowd jerked with surprise as a soft clunk rang out and those metal slats began rolling up into the ceiling. The bright, natural light of the outdoors shocked all of them as it started spilling in, leaving many blinking away the spots in their eyes from having been confined to low light conditions of the catacombs and this new warehouse for so long.
When Cadance's eyesight finally cleared up they were rewarded with the sight of water, a whole lake's worth of it just beyond a short wharf and down a ramp flanked by concrete piers. As the doorway continued to creep up and up more came to be revealed. Along the far shore of the glittering lake lay a gleaming city.
Distantly it resembled Manehattan or one of the other built up coastal cities. Many a tower rose from its skyline and there was a modest amount of water traffic along the shoreline that itself was smattered with docks to support such. That was where the similarities vanished. Unlike Manehattan naked concrete seemed a rarity, though not entirely absent. Some buildings were towering shards of glass, be it blue, green or black in tint. Others beckoned to older architecture looking like sandstone or marble structures with pillars and reliefs while bright but deeply coloured banners hung down their many stories. Another common architectural style were the starkly white buildings from which an abundance of greenery hung from like a multitude of hanging gardens. The variation didn't end there with many more examples such as the black, gothic style hall complete with flying buttresses and gargoyles.
It was a magnificent sight that spoke of not just material wealth but rich cultural diversity, not to mention a display of the superior technology present as flying machines visibly zipped overhead, landing, taking off and weaving through the buildings. However it quickly became the second most astounding thing that came into view.
Beyond the lake and the city the horizon did not disappear in a flat line. Instead, to their left and right, fields, forests, rivers, roads and even further more distant settlements curved upwards into the sky above in a massive circle that stretched forwards beyond the city for many miles before terminating at a blue disk, dotted with concentric lights and containing an enormous crystalline flower-like structure at its centre.
Cadance's mind struggled to make sense of the situation, to the point where edging forward to peer directly up at the ground above her invoked a bizarre sense of vertigo, even as she felt gravity pulling towards the ground. The ground that she spent a moment gazing back down at just to reassure herself it was still there.
Somehow, they were standing inside a ginormous cylinder.
In the background Cadance heard barely stifled laughter break out into full blown bellowing. Turning uneasily to face the source, Cadance predictably found Sunset grinning ear to ear. However her expression strangely seemed devoid of the tinge of cruelty that accompanied her pranks in the past. There was amusement at their expense certainly but... the expression was ultimately joyful in nature.
"Sunset... what? Wh-what's going on?" Cadance asked uneasily, doing her best to straighten up and regain a posture more appropriate for a Princess.
With a further chuckle, Sunset stroad out the door and turned to face the crowd, smile wide and excited.
"Mares and gentelstalions! Colts and fillies! Whatever that Throw Axe, bug guy is!" Sunset called out, arms raised wide as if announcing to some hidden fanfare. "It is my pleasure to welcome you to the interstellar colony ship, Star Strider!" |
Sunset of Star Strider | Chapter 5 - A World in a Bottle in a Ship - Part 1/4 | Sunset could not help but grin in mischievous glee as she looked back at the gathered group of now human shaped ponies... and one changeling.
That was an oddity she would need to investigate later.
Each were stumbling forward, a little shaky on their two long legs, not unlike freshly born fawns. That was kind of amusing by itself, however what Sunset truly relished was their faces; each looked up and around with disbelieving but wondrous stares at a sight they couldn't quite make sense of.
Sunset herself couldn't help but lose herself in the view for a few minutes too. How vast empty meadows filled with wild flowers, rolling hills, scenic sparkling rivers and lakes of perfectly blue water, distant mountain like formations all blended together occasionally intersecting with roads, regularly dotted with villages or individual homes and a few scattered patches of farmland. And then it just all curved up. The horizon never visible as the land gently peeled upwards until it was directly overhead and then started to curve back down again towards you from the other side. But what was more, it wasn't some product of universal laws and nature's slow work, it was made, crafted by thinking and relatively mortal minds.
Again she looked back to her new companions. Their faces mixed with barely believing fascination, wonder and just a touch of fear - not to mention a little vertigo - as they looked up into the sky and at the ground above them, eyes falling around in circles as they surveyed the lush cylindrical vista before them.
"That look's never going to get old," she murmured to herself, empathetically basking in their sense of awe, remembering all too well when she first emerged out of the underworks and service tunnels below, into the light of the habitat.
The break in the silence, however small, seemed to break the spell the sight wove over Cadance's faculties. Her now muzzle-less head turning slowly to look at the grinning woman, she struggled to articulate her thoughts.
"Sunset... how... what is this?" Cadance stumbled out her question uneasily.
Everyone began looking to Sunset to answer the question Cadance had so helpfully voiced for them, as vague as it is.
Sunset merely shrugged, grin growing cocky and gestured to the view before them. "Told you. This, is the colony ship Star Strider. Flagship of the forty ninth galactic colonisation fleet; Endless Venture. Locally? Cylinder A, section two, generally known as Catalonia District. That little city over there? Great Sticks. Don't ask me where the name comes from, believe me, I tried pretty damn hard to find out and came up empty anyway," she explained, as one thumb stuck out pointing out across the glimmering lake at the small city with its shining spires beyond. Dropping her arm she turned back to look around for herself once more, before adding her own thoughts more wistfully. "Quite the view isn't it? Been living here years and... and I could still just... stand here for hours looking at it."
"We're on a ship? Just... how?! And the sky, or the ground, how can it just... wrap around like that?! Without falling... at least the water should be," Shining sputtered out in turn, mind reeling as it struggled to comprehend the seemingly impossible sight.
"And just how big is this ship? How could anyone possibly build something this big?! And this is only one section you said? Only one ship in a fleet?!" Sunburst - uneasily stumbling up next to Shining and decked out in a more human fitting variant of his usual star spangled robes - asked far more excitedly and looking very interested in the answers to all their questions.
With a continuously excitedly smug grin answered simply, "Approximately thirty seven kilometres long, a bit over five wide and three tall. As for the how of," she paused to gesture all around her at the scenery that curved up and over them, "that takes a little explaining."
"C-c-c-can we m-maybe start w-with why the sky, uh, the ground? The.... why isn't it falling on us?!" a young mare - presumably an accountant of some sort going by her scales and coins cutie-mark embroidered on her rather official looking blazer - stuttered out while staring up with visible agitation and fear behind her eyes.
Sunset could not quite hold back the giggle that worked its way out from her lips. The chastising glance from Cadance certainly helped her cut it off though.
"Don't worry! The whole place has been like this since long before I got here and I've been living on Star Strider a good twenty years. The ground isn't going to fall down on us or anything," Sunset loudly and confidently clarified, using her dismissiveness over the issue to help put everything to rest. It didn't seem to work too well but she continued anyway with a shrug. "Now as to why, gravity doesn't exist out in space. Sorta. The details get complicated. Point is, normally you need a planet like ours for that, but great big balls of rock and dirt are expensive and super slow to move. So instead you have to get creative and, well, create it. Imagine! You got a bucket full of water on the end of a rope. You swing that bucket around in a circle and it creates a constant force on the water inside so whichever way the bucket swings, it stays inside, pinned to the bottom. Now instead of a bucket, imagine you have a giant cylinder. You spin that cylinder at a nice constant speed and everything sticks to the insides like it was the ground. That's... well that's what you're looking at right now!" she explained with somewhat staged excitement and more than a few wild gestures.
It was all old news to her, but she recalled just how mind bending it was the first time it had been explained to her. Sunset could even imagine she had a similarly half disbelieving look of astonishment back then the same way her audience did.
"This... this is amazing!" Sunburst cried out as his sense of wonder won out over his trepidation and he stumbled forward as if trying to get a closer look at it all. "It's absolutely immense! And all.... Artificial? These Earthlings created all of this? Even the gravity! Ha ha! Just think about it, using centrifugal force for something so mundane, that we simply take for granted from birth. And on such a scale... though I suppose it would have to be if they didn't want the tangential force from the rotation to be noticeable. I wonder how long it took to build."
"Sure did. They don't think small, and not just because some of them are twenty or so metres long whales. Colonisation is a big task. They're building a whole civilisation from scratch every handful of decades. This isn't even the only ship, there's a small fleet of them travelling alongside the Star Strider. Fortunately for us, that means there's plenty of cracks for us to fall into and hide. Plenty of scraps left over for us to build ourselves up with."
"And that's what you've been doing, haven't you? All these years, learning from these people..." Cadance said as realisation dawned on her, and she looked back over the room with a smidge of amusement. "It's no wonder you've built yourself a laboratory here."
"And where you've been able to build your army in secret," Sombra added sharply, a small grin breaking out when his words caused no small number of eyes to look between Sunset and him uneasily. "Though I fail to see where exactly that promised force is now."
Sunset did not like the negative attention, but she had been expecting this. And desperately held back her grin as she feigned confusion at his comment. After all, where was the fun in setting someone up for a fall, if you couldn't toy with them a little first?
"Army? Whatever army are you talking about? Oh, you don't mean... surely you aren't talking about my little bluff?" she admitted as she finally let her lips peel back into a mocking smile.
The growl that overtook Sombra - as stilted as it sounded with human vocal cords - caused the vast majority of the gathered former ponies to edge backwards. He strode towards sunset, fingers curled into claws and teeth barred, using his physical stature to tower over the woman in an attempt to intimidate. Sombra had taken care of his physical body in life unlike some warlocks, so it was reflected in both his magically reconstructed body and his new human form here, leaving him with substantial muscle mass, though not too much. Sunset had to admit he made for an extremely attractive man in the traditional tall dark and handsome sense.
However Sombra's posture didn't phase Sunset in the slightest, she confidently soaked up the attention the confrontation gained them. It helped that she felt his outburst was likely artificial, something to help publicly smear her image and authority with.
"You mean to tell me, that you are merely some posturing coward?! That you cannot bring to bear the force you promised?" he questioned pointedly, confirming her suspicions before his tirade even reached its conclusion. "How, perchance, are we to trust you can deliver on any of your promises? Your word is clearly a flimsy facade, you only hold a shallow mirage of the ocean you promised us."
"I hardly lied. Not to the Princess and not to her ponies anyway," Sunset said, brushing off his claims, with the flick of the wrist. "Atlas is a nice proof of concept, a prototype we can easily build on once everyone is up to speed."
"We need an army!" he roared in her face, continuing his power play. "Thousands, hundreds of thousands! Not what pitiful mob we can cobble together in our sparse free time from working to survive this new... place."
Sunset scoffed and rolled her eyes. "You're thinking too small, not that I expected you to do otherwise. We don't build the robot soldiers, we build the robots that build the robot soldiers. A constant tierless workforce creating weapon after weapon until we have the numbers we need."
"A very pretty picture you paint," Sombra admitted sarcastically - though the sharp eyed easily caught the look of genuine intrigue that passed over his face for a moment. "However, any plan needs competent execution. Something you have shown no ability to deliver on. And if you cannot deliver your promised victory, I would propose new leadership is required. Leadership that has actual experience fighting a war and managing an army."
In a move to begin his little planned coup, Sombra raised his right arm in an instinctual gesture of power, focused a nasty grin on Sunset and reached for his magic... only to find nothing at all.
"Wh-what?!" he sputtered out, confusion taking over as his features as he oscillated between fearful confusion and anger. "What did you do to my magic?!"
Sunset's smirk twisted into a snarl as in less than the blink of an eye she dropped forward into a fighting stance, lunged forward and lashed out with her hand, holding it straight and driving it finger first like a spear right into the man's solar plexus.
Sombra, taken unawares by a weak spot he did not know he possessed, cried out weakly as the wind was knocked out of him and he doubled over in pain.
The crowd gasped in shock at the sudden and vicious attack, but no real pity was spared for the former king as the initial shock wore off. Many of the guards shared a small, less than friendly laugh at Sombra's expense and a few of the watching children even cried out in excitement, cheering on Sunset for laying low their collective boogeyman. That attention was enough to distract Sunset for a moment, long enough for her to flash the kids a charming grin and mischievous wink.
Sombra however needed far more than a moment to recover so had no opportunity to strike back before Sunset was once more in his face, leaning over him to glare at him straight in the eyes.
"Listen here you sorry excuse for a Sauron knock off," she demanded of him harshly. "First off, I'm not in charge here and you sure as hell aren't either. That honour belongs to the Princess and her arm candy over there. Secondly, I hold all the fucking cards right now. Your magic - don't worry, it's not gone for good - is nicely locked away by this transformation, but all of my many non-magical tricks and weapons are plenty effective. So, don't think you'll get away with using violence to take over or even intimidate anyone - and I mean anyone, I'll damn well find out if you do - into playing your games. You're going to behave, learn to play nice and you might even earn a few privileges. And if you don't like it..." Sunset's stern look turned into a nasty grin, "well, the portal should still be open for a bit longer, I can offer the same alternative choices you gave all your former subjects here; a slow cold death, or gambling on the mercy of the invaders."
With that all said she stood and stepped back, regarding Sombra with a sneer even as he glared daggers at her.
Abruptly she turned to face the stunned crowd, especially focusing on Cadance and her entourage and gave them a cheerful smile, mood having flipped from vicious to friendly in the blink of an eye. "Well! Now that that's dealt with, why don't I get a head count? Boys, girls and children separately. Then I'll see about ordering us all some pizza!" |
Sunset of Star Strider | Chapter 5 - A World in a Bottle in a Ship Part 2/4 | The promised pizza arrived fairly promptly once an order with the top five topping choices had been argued out. The real surprise was how it had arrived. Sunset was once again left smirking at everyone's wide eyed expressions as the three buzzing machines - each easily the size of a small chariot - descended towards them.
That began the first round of questions soon after they had dropped off the recognizable pizza boxes and side drinks on a pallet, only pausing for Sunset to verify her identity to one using a small pad on an extendable arm.
"They work a bit like an autogyro. Well, similar principles at least. You all saw those whirling circles on the ends of those six arms right? Well each one of those is just a set of spinning wing blades. They just have an internal power source instead of needing to be towed up by a pegasus or dropped off somewhere high," she explained nonchalantly. "That and a small fraction of the intelligence Alas has to navigate."
Naturally that gave way to questions about what an autogyro was, which Sunset elected to ignore and leave to the Equestrian ponies to explain. She was seemingly more interested in setting out the pizza and drinks on a couple of cleared workbenches with the help of a couple of drafted guards and maids.
Fortunately, the excitement for hot food was more than enough to distract everyone from their question for the moment. A moment which led Cadance to observing Sunset collapsing into a chair, hidden away and alone next to some bulky, long, tarpaulin covered object, looking absolutely exhausted.
Glancing back at the pile of pizza and the collection of paper plates and cups, she decided to do her old acquaintance a favour. No one protested when their Princess nudged in ahead of the que and started piling up two plates worth of food, in spite of any apparent unfairness.
When Cadance approached, Sunset seemed not to notice her, leading to a brief awkward pause. Gently Cadance cleared her throat and a glance of suspicion was promptly shot her way.
With a gentle smile she simply spoke, "Here," and offered up the second plate.
Blinking away her surprise, Sunset took the plate with a sigh and a small smile. "Thanks."
Awkwardly grabbing a stool and bringing it close she sat with her and the two began to quietly eat. Conversation not coming so easily as hoped, Cadance took to people watching; carefully studying her transformed subjects as they all awkwardly tried not to make a mess of eating their food. Uncertainty, thoughtfulness and curiosity were all abundant, which she was thankful for opposed to the alternatives of fear and despair. She had had enough of that back in those catacombs while bargaining with Sombera.
"So, you've been busy," Sunset eventually spoke up. "Crystal Empire huh? And I thought I was the ambitious one, Empress Mi Amore Cadenza."
Quickly pushing her surprise aside at Sunset starting the conversation, Cadance rolled her eyes and huffed dismissively at the playful jab.
"I don't hold the title of Empress, just Princess, Sunset. The Crystal Empire is, well, barely much more than the one city now days. The name is a holdover from a time long since passed. But... I suppose you are right. I have been busy."
"Yeah. Got married, conquered a whole new country, held the Equestria games there, then went and squeezed out an alicorn foal to add the impossible cherry on top the improbable cake," Sunset listed out humorously.
Cadance glanced slyly at the mare before adding to the list, "My wedding was also crashed by an invasion of shape shifting emotional vampires. And participated in a musical number with a bed ridden Discord. But I suppose those are just details."
"You're kidding," Sunset said back, blinking owlishly at the now confidently grinding Cadance, who merely pointed towards Thorax. "Okay, you're not kidding. How the tartarus did I miss that?"
"I suspect... because the Canterlot Times doesn't deliver subscriptions this far outside of Equestria's borders," Cadance commented innocently after a moment of thought. Sunset's deadpan glare was exactly what she was aiming to provoke.
"The Times? Are you kidding?" she asked, bristling with exaggerated anger. "No way I would pay bits for that sensationalist and elitist trash. And I was reading through the newspapers, the respectable ones, in the archive."
"Oh? So that framed article of them accusing you of launching a coup against the crown and nobility was stolen then?" Cadance continued, now feigning an astonished gasp.
"Damn straight it was! Straight from Celestia's breakfast table," Sunset asserted with mock outrage.
The two fell into a giggle fit a moment later, knowing full well the sorts of stories that frequently worked their way into the newspaper that pretended to be so much more distinguished then it actually was.
"Ugh, seriously, I accidentally set some drapes on fire and those rumour mongers jumped straight over arson to treason," Sunset complained, recalling one of many rumours that had run amuck back in her day.
"To be fair, you really annoyed the editor's nephew in law earlier that week. Namely by emptying a bowl of custard over his head," Cadance reminded her with a titter.
That reminder only prompted further aggravated nostalgia from Sunset's past. "Oh now he totally deserved that! Narcissistic twat wouldn't take no for an answer. Then pretending otherwise, as if I couldn't hear him boasting to all his friends about taming the 'wild flaming flower of Celestia's bosom'. The prat was almost literally asking for it, tempting fate with a lie like that in public, at a party I was actually attending."
"Wait what? Celestia's bosom?" Cadance asked, struggling to contain her laughter. "I hadn't heard that one before."
Suddenly Sunset's amusement evaporated. "Yeah. One of those rumours were going around back then. About me being Celestia's secret love child or something," Sunset explained bitterly.
Cadance's expression similarly sobered. Silently she cursed herself for trotting right into that minefield of a topic.
"Uh, miss Sun Shims?"
Both mares immediately snapped their heads to look down towards where a young child with mixed strawberry pink, golden blond hair and deep green eyes was shackally standing, looking up at the pair nervously.
"Ah, y-your highness," the child added hesitantly with a clumsy bow, one that promptly sent her off balance.
"Woah there!" Sunset called out as she lunged forward to catch the girl before she fell, catching her beneath the shoulders and gently pulling her back to her feet. "Heh, I don't think Cadenza here minds if you pass up on the courtly manners until you all adjust better. And it's Sunset. Miss Shimmer if you really gotta be formal. Please don't."
The gentle if slightly awkward smile from Sunset fortunately did plenty to reassure the now blushing child.
"S-sunset. Uh, we were wondering if... is your big metal friend okay?"
"Huh?" Sunset boggled in confusion for a moment before looking over at where the child was now pointing to see Atlas hanging in his maintenance frame. Looking back and around to see some of the other children near by peeking around the edge of a work bench, she could only chuckle. The way they were holding their hands in fists while making little nervous gestures was particularly adorable.
Cadance likewas couldn't help but giggle a little.
"Don't worry. Atlas is fine. It's just recharging, or resting if you like," Sunet explained happily enough. "But it's not my friend exactly. More of a pet really. If you like I can teach you guys how to give him orders later."
That seemed to intrigue the other children to edge out closer a little more.
"Yes, it's alright to come out," Cadance encouraged. "Sunset is an old friend of mine after all."
The comment once again got Cadance an odd, slightly suspicious look from Sunset but she refrained from questioning Cadance.
"Yeah... I only smack around people my own size or bigger, and only if they deserve it. Old king smoggy certainly counts."
The silly name got a few chuckles and smiles out of the small group.
"So, what do you little gang of monkeys want?" Sunset asked teasingly.
"Wha- we're not monkeys!" one young boy - or former colt - objected loudly.
"Yes you are. Humans are just funny looking monkeys and we're all human," Sunset continued to tease with a growing smirk. She swiftly cut herself off however when she caught a couple of them looking frightened and moist-eyed. "For now. Don't worry, like I said it's not permanent. Until then... there's perks. Like hands. Humans are scary good at climbing you know, and there's plenty of trees around. Swimming too, surprisingly enough. Uh, but don't go doing that without supervision yet."
The uncertain platitudes Sunset was now awkwardly sprouting seemed to somewhat help... but not entirely. The shaky smile that was steadily growing more forced certainly did not.
So Cadance decided to step up and pull her out of her own rut.
"Sunset's quite right. This isn't something we wanted, but it is an opportunity to learn new things. We'll get home in time but until then we can make the best of the situation, even have a little fun. If we're all lucky we might make some new friends too," Cadance added, giving them all a more natural smile and wiggling her fingers at them. "Speaking of which, I'm sure you all came here for more than one question. What did you want to ask?"
Hesitantly one young boy with grey hair streaked with bright blue waddled forward a step or two and began to ramble bashfully. "Oh, uh, well, some of the grownups were talking all about how this was impossible and stuff and maybe it was some kind of trick but they don't think the princess, uh, you your majestyness could be tricked by something obviously fake and... and we're all just kinda confused."
Sunset butt in with a grunt, and a mouth half full of pizza much to Cadance's dismay. "Gona' havta be a bi' more sp'cific." She thankfully did not take another bit after swallowing. "I mean, there's a lot of stuff here I can imagine you got questions about, so got to start somewhere."
"Sunset, please don't talk with your mouth full," Cadance chided.
Sunset merely levelled a blank stare at Cadance... before poking her tongue out at her. Their audience of children broke out into scandalised gasps and giggles not more then a second later. Meanwhile Sunset just took another large bite of pizza while keeping her eyes locked on Cadance.
The Princess couldn't suppress the sigh and role of her eyes, but could not hold back a smile either when she caught sight of the children's amusement.
"Really, you would think you were raised in a barn, not a castle with manners like that," Cadance huffed with pretend annoyance, nose pointed skyward.
"Clearly you've never seen Celestia when she thinks she's alone with a pile of cakes," Sunset argued back before cringing and pretending to shiver. "There are some things that cannot be unseen Mi-mo."
"Then lets not discuss that," Cadance replied curtly, ending the mock bickering so she could turn her attention back to the children, a kindly expression replacing her show of snootiness. "So, what was the matter exactly?"
"Uh, well, Miss Crystal Drops kept saying that Equis wasn't a ball but a big flat plate and the stars were just big gems floating up there like the sun and moon," their little leader said hesitantly.
"Mhum, and Mr Bronzer said that wasn't true and it was one big flat plane that goes on forever," the one boy with the grey blue hair said. "Oh, and like, the night sky was just a sort of curtain with holes in it and those were what stars were."
"Yeah, and then Miss Drops was all, like, well if it goes on forever where does the sun and moon go when the Princesses lower them!" another former filly added exuberantly, clearly wondering the same thing herself.
"Uhuh! And then Miss Amythis Polish said that means we must be in some place like Tartarus because this is all so impossible," the fist continued. "A lot of them started looking kinda worried after that."
As they talked Sunset grew increasingly disgruntled. "Yeah, bet they also said the moon wasn't real and was just a hologram, and Nightmare Moon was an inside job," she snarked quietly before straightening up and abruptly launching herself forward and up onto one of the work table in the middle of the room.
"Alright! Listen up!" Sunset called out loudly, scowling lightly at the crowd.
Immediately every eye in the room was on her. Most nervously considering her angry tone, but Shining and a few others were more cautiously waiting for misbehaviour.
"I've heard there's been a lot of talk about how everything I've said is a bunch of Minotaur crap," Sunset accused the crowd collectively, sweeping her gaze over many of them. "But I'm not going to tell you you're wrong, I'm going to teach you you are. Then, when we got time, I'll show you you're wrong just to drive the point home. So! Lets get started! First of all, we don't live on bucking Equis. That name was invented by a stuck up society of Unicorn Nobles who preached that pony kind had inherited the earth and all upon it. They even actively advocated for the slavery of so called lesser species. Given your history, might want to think twice about using it. The proper term is Cunabula Harmonia, or Cradle of Harmony if you don't like ancient Pegasus fancy speak. Now, onto gravity and orbital mechanics one oh one..."
The ensuing lecture was informative to say the least, including a fun little demonstration where she recruited a few guards into holding out a blanket and left a large bal representing a sun in the centre weighing it down then let the children take turns throwing marbles representing planets around it to give a crude facsimile of how gravity and orbits worked. Apparently it wasn't very accurate given it was a force that allegedly operated on at least four dimensions, and was more of a pulling force then the pushing force one imagined when picturing a blanket of space-time pressing down on you, but gave a good impression of how things worked practically speaking.
Then she bounced onto how this entire place could probably be built and where that much metal could probably be found. The answer she delivered was naturally delivered as disturbingly as possible.
"You see, Stars don't live forever. They sure live a long time, longer than even Celestia has been alive for but they eventually burn out. But they don't just smoulder into nothing, no. They Explode!" she announced with a grin and wide-spread arms. "This throws bits of rock and metal and dust and gas all over the place! Some of this has enough gravity to attract other bits to each other which draws in more and more stuff and if there's enough, the gravity starts crushing all that gas together and they light up with something called nuclear fusion. The rest though, kinda settles into an orbit around the new star. Sometimes you get enough to make a planet, one made out of dirt or a great big ball of gas. But a lot of stuff is left sort of just... floating around. Asteroids, meteors, or shooting stars if you like. Stuff you can mine," she explained smugly, having happily mimed out all the crushing and swirling motions associated with it.
Of course, she was not done yet. Sunset just had to elaborate on how they mined in space, in her own disturbingly intriguing style.
"Smaller ships, mining ships, that extend an array of spider-like limbs around the asteroid. Then! Like some sort of deep sea jellyfish it extends a membrane around the asteroid as if extending its stomach around it to digest it... which is kinda what it's really doing when you think about it. It makes the place safer for people to go out and start mining the asteroid, pulling it apart and feeding it to the furnaces of the mining ship. Maybe they'll use a few explosive to break it up if it's a tough one," she happily explained, mimicking the enveloping with one hand over a fist and the explosion likewise with a mimed boom. "That said, if they really need the raw materials they'll just eat entire worlds instead."
Naturally the first horrified question was how.
"Oh! I am so glad you asked," Sunset exclaimed in a singsong voice and a giddy grin. "You see, humans learnt to create artificial suns a while ago. They actually use special bottled up stable ones to power this ship. But to crack a world apart? They use special short lived ones that unleash all their energy in one, brief explosion! They still need a lot of them to do something so titanic as break apart a planet, but the rewards tend to be worth it as often the more valuable and heavier metals they want have sunk into the core of the planet while it formed. Denser stuff being heavier and all that."
She finished up with a pleased smile, eyeing the now uneasy looking crowd. "But don't worry. They wouldn't do something like that to Cunabula Harmonia. They've only ever done this to barren, airless, lifeless rocks and the fleet has never needed to do it anyway. They're crazy, not evil. Something like that would be a reprehensible crime of the highest level. Not to mention a waste of good real estate. And just impractical now I think about it, takes a long time to set something like that up."
"Oh? And dare I ask why you have not suggested procuring a few of these weapons to use against our enemies?"
The uneasy crowd once again turned their attention to the speaker, an extremely disgruntled - but now also curious - Sombera who had been glaring daggers at Sunset for her whole speech.
"Because, using such things as weapons have consequences," Sunset replied without hesitation, voice becoming stern and entirely down to business. "Ones beyond just the immediate destruction they cause. You of all ponies should understand power comes at a price. That's what we have the opportunity to gain here. The power to create and destroy in astounding measure. The price to gaining that power, is the time it takes us to learn how to use it... and more importantly the consequences of doing so. The Earthlings are here now, but there were times when they almost weren't. They learnt their lesson, now we don't have to."
Sunset let the uneasy atmosphere sit for a moment before turning and jumping off the table she had been using as an improvised stage.
"Anyway, that's enough questions and lectures for now," she called back grumpily. "I have an appointment with some cold pizza and my bed." |
Sunset of Star Strider | Chapter 5 - A World in a Bottle in a Ship - Part 3/4 | Sunset collapsed onto her sofa with an exhausted sigh, relaxing into the black faux leather and mixed cyan and red pillows that adorned it. Not the hangout spot's patchwork sofa that had been pulled out of a recycler and tidied up, her sofa. A sleepy smile tugged at Sunset's lips at the thought, reassured by her more private domain. Said hang out spot was quickly turning into a creche for the children while the rest of her workshop was becoming a community centre. Much to her annoyance. The sooner she could set up dormitories in the disused boathouses she was not actively using as a laboratory, the better.
At least now she could rest after so many long hours awake, with so many expectations for her sparse time in Equestria having gone so horribly sideways.
"Oh, easy now! Yes, forward, wait, hold up! Let them catch up..."
Or at least she hoped she could soon, Sunset corrected her thoughts with a groan as she heard Cadance's voice, echoing up the stairs along-side the excited shrieks and babbling of her child. It was an abrupt reminder of having agreed to host the little royal family in her own little apartment area. At least it seemed the baby wasn't much of a cryer and was instead enjoying its jolty trip up the long flights of stairs to Sunset's more private quarters in the former office space.
Forcing down her frustration Sunset swung her legs over to leave herself sitting upright on the sofa and facing the bay windows that overlooked the warehouse and its open entryway. She focused on the view to help calm her, as limited as it was from this angle. A few moments later the noise of awkward footsteps and the shuffling of people carrying something bulky filled the air as Cadance and her current entourage entered the room. Sunset declined to look at them, content with her peaceful - if narrow - view of the lake and the pod of dolphins jumping out and across the water in the distance.
"Ah, Sunset. Where can we...?" Cadance asked after her, trailing off awkwardly.
"Three doors ahead of you. Furthest to the right is my room. Don't go in there. Middle is the bathroom and the one to the left is a guest room. You can set her down in there," Sunset directed her flatly, still not looking over. She really didn't have the energy left to try to be nice, or get annoyed either for that matter. Now she didn't have an audience to keep up appearances with, she could finally relax a little.
"Ah, thank you," Cadance said stiltedly as she lead both Shining armour and a guard who had volunteered to lug the crib over to the room in question with a single maid in tow.
That left her with Sunburst and the rather short form of Thorax hovering awkwardly.
"Uh, thanks for the lunch by the way!" Sunburst said, trying nervously to look and sound friendly.
Sunset's only acknowledgment was a quiet grunt. Again the two were left standing there, sharing awkward glances for a while. She guessed he was probably hoping to start a conversation too, given he had expressed no shortage of curiosity for every tiny little thing of hers he saw, let alone the rest of ship around them. Sunset knew she would have to keep an eye on him less he became the first pony to have a close encounter with an industrial electrical socket.
"So, um... any idea why I didn't change?" Thorax asked tentatively, taking his own turn at starting something.
"Yes! Quite ironic that, the only one who didn't change was the changeling," Sunburst added with a chuckle.
Sunset felt herself sigh in frustration as she looked over to stare at them blankly. It was obvious they were not going to shut up so she resolved to put the bare minimum into satisfying them.
"You're a changeling right? I'm guessing that means you're some sort of shape shifter," Sunset reasoned, waiting only a moment to see Thorax nod. "Whatever mechanism you use to transform must interfere with the portal's own transformation... thing. Matrix. Spell set. Ugh, I'm too tired for this. Definitely not for technical details."
They were left in awkward silence for a moment as Sunset slumped back into the sofa, eyes shut and head back.
"Truth be told, I thought something like this might happen with Sombra. It's another reason I wanted him going last, as fighting him on his own turf with other ponies still at risk and in the way was a bad idea," she continued to explain idly.
"Well, good to know you actually somewhat care," Shining Armour's far more steady voice rang out, surprising Sunset a little. Not that she missed a beat in responding.
"Sure I do Prince Shining Dork. I can stroke my own ego all day but it just gets boring after a while without others to admire my magnificent, crazy ass," she said with a smirk, quickly adjusting.
Shining only snorted at that, striding around to take a seat at her second couch where he collapsed, not unlike Sunset had.
"Ugh. Come on, why don't you two help yourselves to a seat already," Sunset groaned to the two standing occupants, gesturing to the empty comfy chair done up in the same style as the couches and a somewhat out of place tie-die bean bag.
Uneasily Sunburst took the seat and Thorax the more height appropriate bean bag. As they did Cadance reemerged - alongside the guard - with a tired but relieved sight.
"Finally asleep," she murmured to herself before asking the guard to keep watch over the crowd outside. Unceremoniously she stumbled around the seating to collapse alongside her husband and snuggle up to him sleepily.
"So, uh, what now?" Thorax said eventually, breaking the silence.
Sunset grunted irritably, head still laying back with her eyes shut. "I get some shut eye before I have to march out there and sign for the supplies I ordered and organise a team building exercise where we all build bunk beds and camping stoves and... ugh, some fucking latrines or something. Hygiene and personal stuff like that is going to be a headache with so many people to look after."
"You know, you still have a lot to explain," Shining said sternly. "And new stuff seems to come up every time you act. For example, exactly what kind of stunt were you trying to pull with Sombra?"
The probing was enough to raise her heckles and produce a growl. Abruptly snapping to her feet loom over them and levelling a glare at Shining she wasted no time making her brewing irritation known. "I don't have anything to explain until I get some fucking rest! But you know what? I'll do you the courtesy of explaining why I don't have to explain shit! I have been up for close to two days straight now. I got my ass handed to me by Smogra when he was still a demented cloud of smoke, I had to hike miles through the snow to find his bloody horn while mine was infected with his dark magic crystal crap because I offered to help him and consequently you, I had to unlock his maliciously neglectful spell work that would have left half your ponies with heart attacks or suffering pneumonia, and then I had to organise an evacuation to my home where my privacy will be ripped to shreds and no small amount of delicate equipment is no doubt going to be wrecked by curious idiots who want to stick their newly acquired fingers into electrical outlets, band saws, welders or worse!"
The brief and furious rant left Sunset red faced and panting from the effort, and her audience sitting in silent shock. With a deep breath she did the best she could to shed the stress and tension from her body and slumped in on herself. Without ceremony she turned on the spot and strode into her room, slamming the door for good measure.
There, in the blissfully quiet and dark room she let out one last sigh of relief before collapsing onto her bed. The frustration from the constant accusations and suspicion were more than enough to drive her mad. It fed back into itself as she thought about the hypocrisy of it, as if they never acted in the best interests of themselves and what they cared about. That even when she acted charitably towards others it was either ignored or rebuffed with suspicion. At the same time, perhaps that was hypocritical of her to complain. After all, it was all she had ever known since a time when she was too ignorant to see past the two faced double dealings of every pony around her, something she had accepted a long time ago.
She tossed and turned restlessly atop her bed, trying to get comfortable while her mind raced. At least all the trouble would be worth it and her own first share of pay off would come much sooner than theirs, she thought as she peeked open her eyes. There, at the side of her room sat the backpack filled with her pilfered magical supplies. A smile tugged at her lips as they slid shut once more and she finally stated drifting off to sleep. |
Sunset of Star Strider | Chapter 5 - A World in a Bottle in a Ship - Part 4/4 | Cadance sighed deeply, the fatigue of the day catching up with her. She lent over the railing, staring out across the lake and the multitude of glimmering lights that reflected off of it. Dusk had come, or at least what passed for it in this strange artificial world. The translucent flower shaped structure that sat at the centre of the end of the cylinder revealed its purpose now as it ever so slowly closed, enveloping the artificial sun, filtering its light into dimmer oranges and reds. If she strained her eyes carefully she could even see the thin guide wires or tracks that the thing ran along, crossing the length of the cylinder, allowing the vague imitation of a real sun that crossed the sky.
It was a thought that Cadance could not help but smile at, not so much for the content of the amazing fact, but for how she had learnt it. After Sunset had slept for a good four hours, she had finally marched out - grumbling about needing more sleep the whole way - to receive another drone delivery. One she apparently wasn't entirely happy with, though never clearly explained why.
Still, what had arrived was quickly unpacked, giving the group a project of setting up almost a hundred triple bunkbeds. They weren't terribly luxurious, but they were more than sufficient for the time being, even having thick, sound dampening privacy screens so each bunk could become enclosed. While the group project of building and arranging them went on, Sunset had relented in answering more questions about their temporary new home. She had taken to it surprisingly well, explaining with wild gestures and genuine excitement over a number of things that made this place work, tiredness momentarily forgotten.
Not for the first time Cadance wondered if Sunset was bi-polar or something similar with the way her mood could flip on a bit. Regardless of that however, she was glad this place had brought out those better, more joyful sides of Sunset's personality.
"Hey there."
Cadance jumped a little as her thoughts were interrupted by the call. Looking back, Shining Armour approached her, doing his best to put on a happy face as he joined her leaning over the railing. She greeted him with a smile of her own as he experimentally wrapped an arm around her shoulders in a hug. Both of them had to adjust their position a few times before it became entirely comfortable, as were the awkward trials of adjusting to entirely different bodies.
They stood there for a time, watching dusk turn to twilight, and the range of activity that accompanied it. The city became alive with lights, as did a number of the roads and other towns all around the inner surface of the cylindrical habitat. What appeared to be a light show started up, accompanying an open air performance or rave along the lake side. Much to their surprise the lake itself came to life as well, with vague leviathan like forms lit with bioluminescent lights alongside pods of smaller ones that drifted in and out of view. It lent credence to the claims by a number of their people that they had seen whales out in the salt water lake.
"This is crazy..." Shining murmured as his gaze dropped down to his unoccupied hand as he flexed and stretched the still alien appendage. "I mean I'm living it and I still can't quite believe it. I almost think we're still back under the empire dreaming while we're all sealed away but... there's no way Sombera has this kind of imagination. Not when every rational idea for space travel I've heard described it as cramped and spartan."
"I'm... not so sure," Cadance replied back, as quietly but more thoughtfully. "Not about the dreaming bit, I'm with you there but when you think about it... a pony needs a lot of space to live happily. Living on a ship like the sea going ones we know, is fine for weeks or even months but not for decades or longer. I... hate to think of having to get used to such tight quarters, I think it might drive me mad. If you could, if you had the choice, why wouldn't you make mini cylinder worlds like this if you needed or just wanted the living space? Even if you weren't going anywhere, it seems a lot easier than finding a planet to live on, and Sunset did imply there weren't very many of those, not with an atmosphere we could breathe. It makes an abstract kind of sense."
"Maybe," Shining admitted with a shallow nod. "But we don't know for sure yet. There are still a lot of questions waiting for Sunset."
"I think... I don't think she's going to answer them," Cadance admitted, prose still thoughtful. "Not all of them anyway. She's not that kind of teacher. I believe she'll give us the tools and teach us how to use them and find it all out on our own."
"Oh? And how would you know that?" Shining inquired wearily. "I'll admit I'm more than a little curious how you know her so... so well you feel safe trusting her like this."
Cadance sighed and shook her head tiredly, staring down into their faint reflection in the deep, dark waters sloshing gently below. "Sunset can be a prickelly character to get on with. But she's a good pony deep down. As for how I know that, well for starters, she taught me how to use magic in the first place. Even when Aunti Celestia of all ponies couldn't."
Shining screwed his face up in disbelief at that. "Okay now this is a story I got to hear. How the heck does that little punk out teach Princess Celestia?"
His wife couldn't help but giggle a little, both at Shining's adorably boyish look of bewilderment and her own memories of the story. "Because while Celestia has plenty of experience teaching unicorn foals how to use magic they've already had their whole lives, teaching an adolescent who's never before had access to it, let alone used it, is a different matter entirely. I did start out a pegasus after all."
"Okay, I follow why you were an unusual case... but then how did Sunset solve that?" Shining accepted with an uneasy nod.
"Simple. She literally threw the rule book out the window, screwed up my homework into a ball and threw it at me," Cadance replied succinctly, without hesitation nor doubt... but also with an all too innocent smile.
Shining refrained from commenting, simply staring back at her with one eyebrow raised sceptically. As expected, Cadance broke out into giggles under the steady, inquesting gaze.
She did, however, manage to compose herself and explain eventually. "Well, she did do that, and then told me to try levitating that, instead of constantly breaking Celestia's tea cups, or messing around with those annoying precision training spheres that only respond to the correct amount of magical pressure. According to her, I was pretty much a foal using magic for the first time. Instead of trying to regulate it carefully, to only use as much force as necessary, I first needed to get used to using my magic at all. So, I practised with her on a bunch of screwed up paper balls which I could compact into little wooden marbles, bounce off walls or set on fire without worrying. Soon enough I was doing little aerial obstacle courses with origami birds, racing through rings of fire, being chased by little illusionary dragons and all sorts that Sunset provided to make it less boring."
Slowly Shining processed the mental image, accepting it with a slow nod. "Okay. I'll admit that sounds inventive. And kinda fun for somepony figuring out magic for the first time. But... why'd she do it? I mean, she doesn't seem like the charitable sort. I can tell the only reason she's putting up with us is she has something to gain from it all."
"I don't think that's true," Cadance objected gently but confidently, even as she mulled over her memories of Sunset. "I mean, she did say the only reason she was helping me was because she was sick and tired of watching me embarrass myself, but... she changed. She really got into things, encouraging me and challenging me and seemingly enjoying the whole ordeal herself too, even if she denied it later. I think that was the first time I saw an honest smile on her face. And it was hardly the last or only time she helped me either. To be honest I owe her a lot for teaching me how to keep the nobles off my back without causing an incident... and for taking the fall for a few times I did offend or embarrass someone. Though now I think back on it, given how she did that, it was usually just a way for her to annoy the various nobles further," she admitted with a giggle.
"Well I guess I can't begrudge her for that," Shining admitted with a sigh. "Especially with how my own interactions with the higher nobility have gone. Not that they're all bad ponies but... they're almost always... entitled? Up tight? Snobbish?"
Cadance could not help the chuckle that escaped her lips.
"So... mind explaining the Mi-Mo thing as well?" Shining asked next, causing Cadance to stiffen up and gently glare at him. It had little effect on Shining and his barely suppressed smirk.
Groaning in defeat she resigned to explain it as briefly as possible. "I suppose it goes back to how we first met. Celestia was... quick, to adopt me as a niece. To make me close, both to keep me safe politically and... I think because she was lonely, for any kind of company that might last. This... didn't exactly ingratiate myself to Sunset, as in short I was getting between her and Celestia. The details aren't really mine to share however."
Shining nodded slowly, wanting to ask more but at the same time aware of the firm boundaries Cadance had when it came to spilling other's secrets.
"Anyway, this meant she did her best to stay distant, always remaining stiffly formal and addressing me with my full name or title whenever she had to talk to me. Backhanded compliments and veiled insults were sprinkled in whenever Celestia wasn't in ear shot. It was some time later when Celestia began to introduce me to various Princessly duties when she came up with it. I was on edge at the time, trying to take myself as seriously as possible. We got in a spat over... ugh, something I can't even remember any more and the topic of how formal she always was came up. She just came up with it on the spot, used it to baby me and I hated it. It sounded so silly and immature when I was trying to be everything but that. Naturally she caught on to how much it got on my nerves, and from then on Sunset did her best to call me that, especially in public. Threw my previous insistence on her calling me something shorter and less stuffy then my full name back in my face every time I complained about it." Cadance could not help a derisive snort as one memory in particular surfaced. "She even managed to get a group of kindergartners to call me that when they were struggling to say my full name. This also happened to be the first time Celestia ever heard it and naturally thought it was adorable, especially coming from a group of excited foals and started using it to tease me too. At least she was more tactful."
Shining was now looking far more uncomfortable. "And you just put up with it? And all the other things like it? I remember some of the things she said back in the catacombs."
Cadance snorted in half amusement, the memories exasperating and souring her mood. "Of course not. I tried to give as good as I got but... well, I was never very good at tearing others down. In Sunset's own words my insults were; cute, like a naughty foal demanding icecream. So... I suppose that is the other side of my relationship with Sunset. On one side, tutor and political protector, on the other a jealous bully."
Shining sighed and wrapped his arm around her once more, pulling her into a hug. "And of course, you being the wonderful, beautiful mare you are can't help but put all your faith in her better side."
The compliment was enough to bring a light blush to Cadance's face. "She did get better, her teasing became friendlier and I think she no longer blamed me for Celestia's growing distance in the end. It's almost funny really. I've had so little family since... back then. I guess I got attached and she became like a bratty, know-it-all, older sister to me. I think she might even feel the same way, even if she doesn't realise it. Sunset doesn't exactly have any family of her own."
"Orphan?" Shining asked quietly at the morose admission.
Cadance simply nodded with a bitter-sweet smile. "I suppose it's one thing we have in common."
"And she saw you as getting between her and Princess Celestia," Shining murmured as he thought through the situation to its logical conclusion. "Because she adopted you but not her."
Cadance tensed up, even before Shining had come to the full conclusion pulling away and beginning to fidget. "Please Shiny, don't say anything!" she spoke up worriedly, looking back at him with darting eyes that couldn't seem to decide whether to stare him down or look away in shame. "That's not supposed to be my secret to tell. I realised it myself of course, but Sunset is very sensitive about it."
Shining sighed tiredly, eyes staring off thoughtfully before responding. "I won't. But I can't pretend this won't colour how I think about-"
"Yo! What up Mi-mo."
The pair jumped at the unexpected greeting and spun around to see Sunset strutting towards them, hands buried in the pockets of a lightly worn charcoal hoodie, decorated with the silhouettes of red flames. They both gaped at her a little, so suddenly being interrupted by the subject of their conversation.
"Don't tell me, talking about me right?" she guessed correctly with a smirk, having caught their weary looks at being interrupted. "Can't blame you. Not like there's anything more impressive around to talk about," she boasted as she strolled over to join them, a distinctly relaxed sway to her steps.
Cadance couldn't quite tell if she was serious or not, though she strongly suspected not given Sunset had taken a moment to pointedly look up, over and around at the miniature cylindrical world surrounding them as she spoke. She then proceeded to collapse onto the railing and stare out at the city beyond with a slightly dopey smile. Now Cadance thought about it, the way she had looked at them had a distance to it, like she was looking through them, rather than at them. It was a drastic contrast to her typical, sharp and searching gaze.
"Are you alright Sunset?" Cadance asked tentatively, remembering her erratic mood over the day, and especially how she allowed her frustration to surface in more private company.
"Peachy," she replied cordially and seemingly without a care. "Still need more sleep but I'm not holding myself back from biting everyone's heads off anymore. Hummm... biting. You know humans are kinda cool but I always wanted to try out being a dragon. Rawr~"
Cadance couldn't say she was entirely convinced of Sunset's wellbeing, especially with that non-sequitur comment. Something to add to her confusion was the slight smell of something oddly pungent she briefly caught wafting off of her. Not that Cadance had an opportunity to ask thanks to her husband.
"Don't suppose you're up to answering more questions then?" Shining asked with a tentative expectation, though schooled of any hostility.
Sunset groaned and rolled her head on her shoulders. "Yeah, I guess so. What about?"
He was actually taken aback by the quick agreement, needing a moment to blink away his surprise that she didn't waste further time griping about it. "Well... you were pretty determined back in there we had nothing to worry about. That survival was guaranteed. That we'll never be discovered or found out."
"Never said that last bit, just that it was unlikely. At least in the near future. But I guess I did imply that, and to be fair guaranteed survival is almost true," Sunset argued back, firmly correcting him but not without an understanding look cast his way. "We're not going to starve even if we have to resort to chowing down on ration packs and we're not going to go without housing even if we have to go squat in one of the emergency shelters. Just as importantly, there's enough to go around and enough to do, no one is going to notice a couple of hundred extra mouths and working hands unless we do something drastic to advertise ourselves. And even then, well no one is going to try and kill us just for being here. They'll be suspicious and invasively investigate us down to the muscle strands of our sphincters but they won't be out to harm us."
The explanation seemed to satisfy Shining for the moment, who nodded as he mulled over the implications. "Emergency shelters huh?"
"Yeah. Sealed habitat pods in case of a serious hull breach. Through all four of them plus armour, gas tanks and more," she said with an amused snort. "Cramped quarters and basic amenities only. To be honest we're not any better off now besides having immediate access to the outdoors, but they're there and no one really keeps too close an eye on them. The plan I'm working with for now is hiring some people to build a bunch of apartments inside them," Sunset said as she pointed a thumb back at the row of other abandoned warehouses, all connected by a much longer, squatter building behind them. "But ultimately I guess it's up to you what you do. As long as it gets everyone out of my lab, I don't care."
"And the authorities here won't notice or mind all that construction?" Shining asked a bit more pointedly, not quite able to ignore the dismissive comment. "Do you own the whole place or are you just a squatter?"
Sunset's face scrunched up once more and she grumbled under her breath for a moment before weedling out a response. "It's... complicated. I don't own the place and private property doesn't really exist here the same way it does back in Equestria. There's a hard cap on real estate in a spaceship after all, even one as big as this. But the place is practically mine to do with as I please so long as someone more important doesn't decide it's needed for something else. Since there isn't any reason to fear a famine it's not going to be turned back into a fish factory any time soon and it's not much good for anything else right now so... yeah."
"Fish factory? Right. You did say they were meat eaters," Shining mentioned uneasily. "I suppose there are worse ways to get meat."
"Well, we are just using the boathouses if it helps. Apparently the idea behind this place was they could fill the lake up with fish for food, turn it into one giant farm. I didn't mention it because I know how squeamish most ponies are but the area in back is where they would gut them and can them. The boats are long gone, but there's still some old machinery in there so I'll reiterate; Don't. Go. Back. There," Sunset explained, her finishing stern warning delivered with a hard glare and a finger wag to drive it home.
"Don't worry Sunset, you've made it quite clear it's dangerous, and locked up for a reason," Cadance reassured her with a tired smile, having heard her the first couple of times she had made the warning that day.
Sunset merely grunted in response, before giving over her attention to the distant, steadily dancing lights below the water. It was then, far off near that distant light show that one shape began to rapidly ascend. Breaching the surface with a distant crash of water, an echoing moan reverberated across the lake, closely followed by a distant round of cheers. Cadance watched, slack jawed as the wale of some breed or another soared almost airborne for a moment before flopping over and crashing back into the water. She found herself looking to her husband, silently asking if they had really just seen that, only to receive the same questioning look in return.
"Heh, drama queen," Sunset merely murmured with a smirk.
"What are they like?" Cadance asked blearily after a moment, still blinking away her amazement. After all, what kind of species would bother to bring along such massive creatures to other worlds?
Sunset looked to her questioningly for a moment, prompting Cadence to give a gentle hand wave to the city across the waters.
"Huh," Sunset actually scrunched her face up in thought as she stared idly at the city. "Not the easiest question to answer."
"Why not?" Shining prompted. "Are they just like ponies? Are they more or less violent? Who are their rulers?"
Sunset sighed and shook her head. "Not that simple. I mean, could you sum up all of ponykind in a sentence or two? Without sounding racist towards the different tribes? Sure, I can sprout the same old song and dance as old as Equestria itself about us being one harmonious family, in tune with nature and whatever, but then I would be spending the next decade listing all the edge cases and other points of view. And don't even get me started on fleet politics. Their government is a multi-tired mess of lottery appointed experts, different overlapping elected positions and a theoretically neutral, theoretically meritocratic hierarchy of ship officers. Nepotism still ends up playing a big role there though, even if they would never admit it. The colonies and Sol are even worse, being much larger population centres."
"Well why not just try to explain the here and now then? What's relevant to us in the immediate future," Cadance asked, trying to tease out an answer of any kind, if only to have somewhere to start with.
Sunset hunched over the railing and reluctantly nodded at the idea. "Well I guess I can try that... I could certainly use the practice before everyone starts demanding to be let out of the play pen," she griped out before starting. "To concede to some stereotypes... humans are generally more aggressive than ponies. They're omnivorous predators after all, so it's kinda in their nature, a bit like Griffons or Dragons."
That last comment drew out some worried looks from both Cadance and Shining, which Sunset quickly caught and groaned at.
"Oh, stop fretting!" she near enough demanded of them, shooting a light scowl their way. "They've long outgrown hunting and even farming cattle. Mostly. I don't think I even know any humans who have killed something before. Griffons or Diamond Dogs are way worse. I know I kept the menu vegetarian but you could even give meat a try yourselves as it's all pretty much grown in a vat these days. Don't ask for details, it's... a bit gross, if ethically clean. Moving on... They're curious to a fault, so expect them to go gaga over us when they finally find out, we'd be their first contact, first sapient life not from Earth."
"Well, I can't say we would be any different, under better circumstances," Cadance added, with a bitter sweet smile.
"Maybe. Having the benefit of the two to compare, most ponies are a lot more reserved, or just skittish," Sunset argued back with scepticism lingering in her voice. "Anyway, they can be incredibly creative, imaginative and driven, as you can no doubt see," she continued with a gesture up towards the surrounding habitat. However her expression fell into an uncomfortable frown. "Friendly most of the time too, being highly social creatures. However they can also be greedy, cruel and capricious. Though their greatest pitfall might be their tendency towards paranoia. It's likely the biggest reason they might refuse to help us."
Cadance felt a more confused frown overtake her as she absorbed that line of thought. "Their paranoia, not their greed means they might not help us...? I don't understand, how could they see a few desperate refugees as some kind of threat? A drain on resources, maybe but-"
Strangely enough, that statement caused Sunset to break out into laughter. "Ahhhrg! The pretty pastel ponies are here t' take 'er jerbs!" she called out in a strange faux accent between guffals. "Don' git too close, you might catch dem diabetes!"
After a moment of steadily subsiding laughter, Shining lost his patience. "What in Nightmare's name are you raving about now?!"
Sunset stifled her remaining giggles and shook her head, a little out of breath from her own outburst. "Sorry, sorry. You'd have to look at some old human history to get it. Suffice to say they can find or fabricate malicious intent anywhere," she began to explain more rationally. "For example, they might suspect our presence here to be some kind of ruse to trick them into attacking our enemies. They might even consider ponies in general to be fake, a deliberately engineered form to play on their sympathies and protective instincts. Weirdly enough they have pretty good reason to think that considering non-intelligent equines exist on Earth, and ponies as a species coincidently fit the human definition of cute to a T."
"So... we might come across as too good, or too unfortunate?" Shining summed up thoughtfully, the more tactical side of his mind chiming in. "A honeypot trap of sorts."
"Something like that," Sunset agreed glumly with a nod. "Even if they take us at face value they might suspect we're at fault somehow, that we attacked first or did something to piss these other aliens off. And they might have a point, as they might be right."
"What?!" Cadance felt herself burst out. "We would never! Equestria, the Empire, we've long since resolved towards peaceful coexistence with other nations! Celestia has even set a precedent for permitting cities or regions to secede from her rule! Given valid motivation to of course."
Sunset snorted and shook her head, implying Cadance wasn't understanding something she did. "Yeah, I know that. And I sure as hell don't believe we attacked them first, even if we could. But we still might have done something to provoke them. It might be something subjective, like magic or moving stars around is against their religion. Or it might be something more serious, like them actually knowing more about magic than we do, and came to stop us from blundering into some unknown danger. Hell, magic could even be poisonous to them and they're here to stop us polluting their space or something. Not that it justifies what they've done to us. Just explains it."
That explanation left Cadance standing there in shock, and as the idea sunk in she felt herself go limp against the railing, staring down into the dark waters below. She had never thought about it like that before, nor was she inclined to, she realised soon after. It was not natural to think of oneself as the perpetrator of their own victimhood, yet somehow Sunset had managed.
"I see," Shining murmured, looking troubled. "I think I understand what you mean about paranoia. That kind of combative thinking would make peace... difficult. Are you sure we're going to have such an easy time hiding ourselves?"
Sunset shrugged a little dismissively, still unconcerned by the prospect. "Yeah. They can be paranoid, it's not their default state of mind. As long as we don't draw attention to ourselves no one is going to start pointing fingers or jumping to conclusions. As far as they're concerned we're just some weird comune getting back from reconnecting with nature or some bullshit like that. Way more feasible than hitch-hiking aliens that jumped aboard their ship mid-flight via magic portal."
"That still doesn't explain a lot... let alone let us know how we should act around them," Shining was quick to point out. "We still risk setting off that paranoia if we appear too out of place."
Sunset let out a deep exasperated sigh, head rocking back as she stared up at the sky, or rather the ground above them. "Honestly? The easiest path would be to just not. Hide up here and keep interaction to a minimum. Make a little hermit community of ourselves, it's not entirely uncommon. But that would hardly reap the best rewards."
"So? What are we supposed to do then?" Cadance urged. "I'm not entirely keen on isolation on principle. Building bridges is always the better option."
"Well, in the near future, learn the main language. A little bastardised amalgamation of several popular languages they call Iglish. After that Pan-Asian Lingo if they're feeling more adventurous. But immediately..." Sunset trailed off for a moment as she looked over the two of them carefully. "I'm probably going to regret offering this tomorrow but I'm going to need to go out, sign for some camp stoves among other things. There's some stuff they refused to ship in quantity and by drone without an in person contact, for safety reasons and other red tape crap. You - or some of your little court - could come with me... see it all for yourselves up close. It would be a start at least."
"That sounds..." Cadance trailed off, not actually quite sure what it sounded like. Her eyes drifted to the distant city of lights.
"Daunting, to say the least," Shining finished for her. "But I can't say I don't want to confirm everything with my own two eyes."
"Not quite the word I had in mind," Cadance corrected, "If only because I have no idea what to expect."
Sunset smirked back at them yet again. "Yeah, that's pretty much where your expectations should be. There's a lot I have yet to tell you just because there's so much to tell. We turned your world upside-down with the big impossible stuff, now we get to spin it around with all the little improbable stuff. So... you in?" |
Tales From Day Court | pre | It was decided that it would be the best use of the resources we had, to lay a trap for Troubleshoes. The dam was a perfect place where we could block him in and capture him, without putting anypony else in unnecessary danger. The only way across the dam was by the railway tunnel which ran through it. Ponies were not supposed to cross the line, for obvious reasons, but it was possible. A path for repair gangs ran alongside the track, dotted with manholes. Thus, there was a good chance Troubleshoes could get through. If he did, he'd be over the river, and out in open country.
Being closer to Canterlot, we'd received a few more guards to help with the hunt. The signal box up in Canterlot had set all the signals between Ponyville and Canterlot to danger, stopping all the trains. I'd say we now had a decent chance of catching him.
Strong Shield and I, along with a few other guards, set up shop in the control room of the main dam complex. Perched on the top of the structure, it allowed us to look down on the railway, without being observed. We were planning on using this as a way to spot Troubleshoes without him spotting us. After all, for our plan to work, he needed to go into the tunnel.
We'd now been sitting here for over an hour. I was starting to think that he wasn't coming. Perhaps we'd been wrong? Maybe he'd deliberately gotten himself spotted to fool us? It would certainly be a blow if it came to light that he'd duped us, again. I was startled out of my thoughts by Strong Shield.
"Look! There he is!" he said excitedly, pointing far down below. Getting up from the desk I was sitting at, I joined him at the large, panoramic window. Squinting a little (my eyes are starting to play up, I need glasses for reading in any case), I saw the large Clydesdale stallion far below.
"Quick, get that signal torch ready!" I ordered. We had something of an ambush set up around the dam. There were two teams of guards, one on each end of the tunnel, well concealed. The plan was that once Troubleshoes went into the tunnel, we'd use a torch, or flashlight as they all insisted on calling it, to signal both groups to head into the tunnel. We'd then catch Troubleshoes in a pincer, leaving him nowhere to go.
"Wait for it," Strong Shield warned, still watching the stallion below. Troubleshoes was evidently cautious. He was looking around, searching. Presumably, he was looking for us, or any sign of a pursuit.
"Come on, come on," I muttered, egging him on. Finally, with one last careful glance around, Troubleshoes headed into the tunnel. "Alright now, now, now!" I called.
"Come on, get that light going!" Strong Shield added. The changeling turned guard quickly seized the light in his magic and began waving it frantically, first on one side of the room, and then out the other side.
The reaction was almost immediate, dozens of gold and blue, and grey and silver spots appeared from bushes and trees around each tunnel entrance. They quickly tore inside, even up here, we could hear shouting for Troubleshoes to surrender.
"Right c'mon; let's go!" Strong Shield said excitedly, adrenaline rushing at the imminent capture. The four of us ran out of the small office and began to all but jump down the metal stairs to the ground level. Reaching the soft grass again, we all hurried into the tunnel, following the wave of guards.
Running as fast as I could to keep up with the ponies, I cursed my lack of recent exercise. Getting into my mid-fifties I simply wasn't up for running that much. Hell, by the time we hit the first manhole, I was already getting a stitch.
The tunnel echoed with shouted cries of 'Royal Guard! Stay where you are!' and other short phrases imploring Troubleshoes to give up without a fight. However, as I ran, one thing struck me as odd. The tunnel was almost straight; you could see the guards coming the other way quite clearly. What I couldn't see was Troubleshoes. Even in this light, I ought to have been able to see the massive brute.
As we neared each other though, I feared that we may have blown our chance. That fear was confirmed when the two packs of guards met in the middle. And there was no Troubleshoes to be found.
"You've got to be kidding me," Strong Shield muttered, before raising his voice. "You have got to be kidding me! Where the hay is this idiot! You guys get him?"
"We got nothing, sir," one of the guards called back.
"Well where the hay did he go?! He's not Celestia damned Hoofdini!" The guards all quickly backed away and started working their way back along the tunnel. Seeing as there was little else to do, I joined in to help.
The tunnel was quite unremarkable in design. A long concrete passage, with a few lights here and there, as well as some drains to help keep the line from flooding when rainfall came down from Canterlot. Other than that, there was nothing.
The only remarkable thing was that one of the drain covers was slightly disturbed; having been forced out of its usual flush position. It now rested awkwardly, rocking back and forth in the wind. I was about to discard it when my ears picked up on something. A faint sound of splashing. Initially, I thought it was just run off water from the damn below us, but it didn't sound quite right.
"Hey, hey, everypony. Quiet a minute," I called out. But over the general noise of the other guards, it was hard to be heard. Luckily, Strong Shield saw that I had found something and brought out his own sergeant major voice.
"QUIET! Everypony, be quiet," he ordered. With this newfound silence, we all listened. There was indeed a splashing sound. But it wasn't regular, and it was getting fainter, moving away. Quickly, Strong Shield and a few others surrounded the grating, before Strong Shield cast it aside with his magic. Now, we could hear the sound of hooves splashing clearly. Strong Shield let himself smile.
"We got a gofer." He, along with myself and a few other guards, then dived into the drain pipe.
The drain, unfortunately for me, was not particularly tall. For the ponies that were with me, it was no issue, although taller ponies such as Strong Shield found it necessary to duck a little. Me on the other hand, I was virtually doubled over in order to avoid hitting the ceiling. For the most part, Equestria is quite accommodating to someone of my height; 5'11 in Equestria is quite tall after all. However, there are times where it can be difficult. Trains, closed carriages, tables, countertops and so on, tend to be just a little too low for me. It seems this extended to drain pipes.
Still, there was no time to complain. Troubleshoes was perhaps no more than fifty yards ahead of us. The trouble was that, due to the confined space, and the constant echo of our voices and the splashing water, it was difficult to work out where he had gone. We didn't really know where we were going, for all I knew, this tunnel was a dead end around the next corner.
The four of us who had leapt into the pipe finally reached a fork in the line. Still unable to work out where Troubleshoes was, we were left with an even chance. Troubleshoes had to have gone one way or the other.
"Alright, alright. You two, head right! Roger, you stay with me!" Strong Shield ordered, making a snap decision. Our group quickly split up, with myself actually taking the lead as we followed the pipe.
At length, I began to notice that it was getting lighter in the tunnel. We had to be coming up on an exit. I just hoped that we had actually followed Troubleshoes, and that he hadn't escaped through the exit. Rounding the last corner, fortune swung in our favour. There was Troubleshoes, standing on the proverbial, and literal, precipice. This drain pipe evidently led out of the dam, and right back into the river. At a rough guess, the drop had to be the better part of a hundred and fifty feet to the river below. He had nowhere to go.
"Troubleshoes!" I bellowed, catching the stallion's attention. Troubleshoes briefly threw up his hooves in a gesture of surrender. Inwardly, I breathed a sigh of relief.
"Turn around! Lie down on the ground! Hooves behind your head!" This would make it easier for Strong Shield to restrain him. Troubleshoes however, didn't move, only glancing at the water.
"Troubleshoes, do you want to get shot?" I warned. Strong Shield lit his horn up, solidifying my threat. "Get down on your knees! Right now!" I could see the desperation in his eyes. There was nowhere for him to go though. Finally, in a deep southern voice, Troubleshoes spoke.
"Ah didn't wreck those rodeos!" he called over the sound of rushing water.
"I don't care!" I answered. Regardless of his guilt, he was wanted for questioning; we had to bring him in. Guilt would be determined later.
It seemed though, that that was enough to push him over the edge. With almost no warning, the stallion walked to the edge of the pipe, took a breath, and jumped. Both Strong Shield and I made an attempt to grab him, but he was long gone. Looking down below, I lost him in the spray.
"Sweet Celestia!" Strong Shield exclaimed. At that moment, the other two guards, who had evidently realised that they had gone the wrong way, joined us.
"Captain, Mr. Owen, what happened? Where's Troubleshoes?" one of them asked.
"The guy did a Peter Pan right here off of this dam, right here," I replied.
"Wow!" one of them exclaimed. Strong Shield was still looking down.
"Yeah, boom!" I added, quite shaken up myself. Strong Shield, having satisfied himself that Troubleshoes had kicked the bucket, turned to me. After all, ending things was my call.
"Okay, can we go home now?" he enquired.
"No!" I shook my head emphatically. "No." Go home? Hell no! This whole mess started because we thought he was dead. We had probably lost him, but we could still let others take up the search; maybe even make him think that he got away.
Just to be safe, we did do a search at the bottom of the dam, including airborne pegasi but we found nothing. With the exception of myself, everypony agreed that Troubleshoes was undeniably now fish food. If he had survived, by now the river would have carried him far away from Ponyville. So, I agreed to call a temporary halt.
We finally returned to Canterlot just as it was dropping dark. I delivered my report to Celestia, who was just about to lower the sun. I stated my belief that Troubleshoes might have survived the fall, given that we found no body, and his previous success at surviving a serious accident.
Unwilling to let me continue tearing around Equestria after him, Celestia decided to pass matters of to the sheriff down in Appleloosa, as well as the Appleloosian Rangers. They were skilled trackers and could raise posses to go after Troubleshoes should he ever show up down there. With that decision, the case left my desk. Or rather, it went to the archives, marked as 'Unsolved'.
And that was the closest I came to making a fugitive arrest. |
Tales From Day Court | Chapter 4 - Playing the Game | About a week or so after the incident at the dam, my suspicions about Troubleshoes were confirmed. Somehow, by luck, wit, cunning, or random act of chance, he had survived the fall and made his way to Appleloosa. However, it was then that things took a turn for the odd. It was not the local sheriff that brought him in. Nor was it the famed Appleloosian Rangers. It wasn't even a posse that had been raised by the locals. No, believe it or not, the ponies who found Troubleshoes were the 'Cutie Mark Crusaders'. They're a group of foals from the school in Ponyville where my wife works. One of them, Apple Bloom, Applejack's younger sister, lives with my son on Sweet Apple Acres. Applejack had gone down there with them to participate in the rodeo. Through a series of incredibly complicated events, they had found Troubleshoes and managed to exonerate him.
You see, when he first appeared on my radar, I understandably attributed all of his acts to a malicious intent. After all, he had been going around wrecking rodeos up and down the country. But when those fillies explained, it came to light that it was actually him being a bit...well, clumsy. Yep, I guess for a stallion as large as Celestia, it wasn't too hard to cause accidents like that.
Anyway, I quickly realised that at least some of the blame could be attributed to my...shall we say slightly overzealous, manhunt. He'd panicked and run, our pursuit had only made things worse. In light of the revelations brought forth by those fillies, it was decided to drop the charges. Okay yes, technically, I still had a case, but I had no intention of kicking a pony when he's down.
With his wanted status being lifted, I hear he's actually doing quite well for himself. He's gone to work with the rodeos as he always wanted. He's one of the rodeo clowns. And I must say, having seen his act, he is the only clown that I do find genuinely funny, rather than deeply unsettling.
The successful closure of that case then left me with something of a void in my schedule. The Grand Galloping Gala was not too far off, about a fortnight or so away. But there were no major cases, no important visits, or anything else really that required my attention. So, I fell back into the monotony of paperwork for a few days. Troubleshoes' case certainly made for an interesting report.
A few days later, I found myself heading out of the castle to go for a walk around Canterlot. Having caught up on the bureaucratic side of things, it seemed a little pointless to just sit in my office. I wasn't playing hooky, mind you. Before I left the castle, I stopped by the Royal Guard barracks looking for Buttercup, to let him know where I would be going. If a case did come up that required me to be in the throne room, he could easily find me in Canterlot proper.
However, before I had a chance to find him, I ran into Shining Armor, who had also just stepped out of his office.
I count Shining Armor amongst some of my closest friends. Given my position in the Equestrian government, the two of us regularly cross paths on a number of matters. We first met when my family and I arrived in Canterlot to meet with Princess Celestia. When we got out of the chariot that had flown us there, Shining was there, along with a few guards to escort us.
Initially, I didn't think much of him. His general personality gave off that vibe of 'high school jock', you know the type. The one who fails every class, yet still graduates and gets a better job than those who worked hard, and gets a hot wife to boot, all because he captained the football team. I'd seen enough of that type on Earth.
The only bit of that that turned out to be true was the part about the wife. He has managed to net himself the lovely Mi Amore Cadenza. Aside from that though, I misjudged him greatly. He was actually quite the nerd as a colt and not particularly popular. He'd joined the Royal Guard as soon as he could and had steadily risen through the ranks, eventually becoming their CO. Working with him, I'd found him to be extremely able and talented; particularly when it came to magic. In that area, I suppose he takes a little bit after his sister.
He also holds the title of Prince of the Crystal Empire, his wife being the princess. As a result of holding these two prestigious offices, he frequently commutes between Canterlot and the Crystal Empire as and when he needs to. He'd just gotten back the week before, after having been up north for almost a month, helping Cadance in negotiations with Yakyakistan.
"Shining, good to see you again," I greeted as I spotted him. Shining seemed to have been lost in his own thoughts, as he suddenly started, producing a sharp whinny.
"Oh, you spooked me," the white stallion replied, doing his best to appear unruffled.
"Sorry, didn't mean to." Since he didn't seem busy, I started up a conversation. "So how's life for the Captain of the Guard then?"
"Oh you know, the usual," Shining replied, smiling. "Training, paperwork, training." We both laughed at that. I will say this; Shining does have a fondness for practice drills. Canterlot has been 'attacked' no more than twelve times this month. And each time it has been successfully defended I might add.
"And how's Cadance been? I know there's been a fair bit of chatter about the political situation up there." While Shining is an accomplished soldier, Cadance is just as an accomplished politician, presumably from her time with Celestia.
"The Yaks are giving us a bit of a hard time, but she managed to convince them to send a delegation down at some point. I sure am glad she did, their army is quite legendary. After all, not even Sombra bothered them when he was in power." I could see why we would do well to have them as allies, along with the griffons. "How about you anyway? I heard you almost captured Troubleshoes near Ponyville."
"Close but no cigar, though," I replied. "We chased him right into the dam before he got away." Shining nodded.
"I heard that he took a jump off the end. And that everypony else figured he wouldn't be coming back. Never pays to bet against you does it?" I smiled at that.
"Anyway, so what are you up to now?" I asked. "I was just looking for Buttercup; let him know I was going to head into the city for a bit." Shining pointed to the courtyard outside the barracks.
"Today's inspection day. I get to walk up and down the line and make sure everypony is up to standard on how a guard behaves. You can come along if you like. It shouldn't take too long." Why not?
"Yeah, sure. It'll save anypony having to head down to the city to look for me." With that, I followed Shining out onto the courtyard.
The Royal Guard is Equestria's first line of defence. It's an odd mix really; on the one hand it's merely a police force, protecting ponies domestically. But it also acts as an armed force against foreign threats, with much greater force. Hell, Shining once showed me the sheer number of plans they have for various eventualities. Everything from another coup attempt, a second changeling incursion, all the way to war with the Crystal Empire (in the event Sombra had managed to retake the place) was planned for. Unfortunately, it is a rare thing that Equestria has to deal with a conventional foe on equal footing.
Still, while not recognised as much outside Canterlot, they are the pride of the city. Like my mother country's own royal guards, they took great pride in the way they presented themselves and in the exact correctness of every procedure. Anypony wondering needs only to watch Celestia's birthday celebration to see the level of perfection they practice.
I peeled off and stood near the archway Shining and I had come through, whilst the captain himself began the inspection.
The courtyard was filled with around forty ponies in full armour, as well as one griffon exchange officer. The moment Shining entered, they all, as one, snapped to attention and presented their weapons for inspection. While ponies have not developed firearms, aside from the odd canon, they are still a fighting force to be reckoned with. The ceremonial spears are plenty sharp and the ponies who wield them are skilled in their use. Unicorns also have a number of spells to call upon, while earth ponies can rely on their brute strength rather than weaponry.
Keeping his face serious and neutral, Shining made his way along the line. With a practiced eye, he examined each pony that he passed, taking in every detail. Every now and then, he would stop, either citing a pony for a minor error, or simply quizzing a pony on their knowledge of procedures. For the most part, things went perfectly smoothly. Until he reached one pony.
It had been a while since I'd last seen that orange pegasus, it took me a moment or two to recall his name. Flash Sentry stood out like a sore thumb in the formation. A lone blob of orange amongst a sea of white and grey. He was apparently a temporary transfer from the Imperial Crystal Guard. Up there, the enchantments on the armour that altered a pony's coat and mane were not in common use; the spell had, after all, been introduced some five hundred years ago, when the Empire was still absent.
I'm not quite sure why, but for some reason Shining, as well as my son if I'm honest, seem to have something against this particular pegasus. As I said, he stuck out like a sore thumb visually. He was also a little undersized next to his comrades, and didn't really give off the impression of a pony that it would pay to get on with. This slight bias became apparent when Shining passed him.
With little to no warning, Shining paused in his inspection, wheeled round and seized Sentry's spear from his hooves.
"Four inches from your chest, Sentry!" he yelled, referring to the way he held his spear. "Four inches!" The pegasus, who now looked quite frightened, further dispelling his guard image, quickly corrected himself. Shining scowled at him before moving on. Finally, he passed the last guard in line. Turning around, he addressed them all.
"Excellent work, everypony," he said, keeping his tone professional. "I'm glad to see that," he lowered his voice a moment. "Most of you continue to uphold the highest traditions of the Royal Guard. Dismissed." With that, the assembled ponies dispersed, either back to their barracks, or to their postings in the castle. Shining meanwhile returned to me.
"You've got some good lads there," I commented. Shining removed his helmet before he responded.
"They've all been taught well," he replied. "And aside from that foal Sentry, they carry themselves well." I nodded in agreement.
"Yeah, what was the deal with that just now?" I enquired. Shining sighed and put a hoof to the bridge of his snout before he replied.
"I've worked with lots of ponies over the years, Roger. Some good, some bad. But that foal can sometimes be in a class of his own. You know, the other night, I caught the idiot sleeping at his post. Just standing there, snoring!" Shining tossed his head in irritation.
"I'm sure he'll come around eventually," I offered. For Flash's sake I hope he did.
It was at that moment that we were interrupted by the arrival of somepony else.
Off to the side of us, there was a sudden bright, white light and the signature sound of a teleport spell. I quickly found myself wrapped in a bear hug.
"Roger, there you are!" a voice declared happily. "I thought you might be down here with soldier boy." Shining bristled at that. Another way he can be a little like my son, is that he can have a short temper at times. Releasing me from his grip, I turned to face my assailant.
"Hello, Discord," I greeted.
Standing before me was the serpentine, mish-mash form that was Discord. He is a draconequus; a being of pure chaos that holds the title of Spirit of Chaos and Disharmony, the polar opposite to the Elements of Harmony, and possibly one of the most dangerous beings in the world.
Also my best friend. Yes, you read that right.
"What brings you down here, old man?" I enquired. Like Sombra, Discord tends to bother me when he wants something, or he's bored and needs entertainment.
"Why it's time for games, my friend," the draconequus replied. "Cellie sent me down here to look for you. I don't suppose you've seen the gyroscope have you?" Ah yes, the game.
Every now and then, when we have time, Celestia, Luna, Discord, and I all get together to play Mornington Crescent. It's a nonsense game, but nonetheless a fun way for the four of us to relax. Discord enjoys it half due to the game's chaotic nature, particularly under the 1976 rule set, and also due to the number of rumours ponies have come up with trying to explain it.
Shining, like most ponies, was quite confused by our conversation. After all, how many games need a bloody gyroscope?
"I think Twilight should have one in her castle, Discord," I replied. "But if not we ought to be able to manage without it."
"Hang on, hang on," Shining broke in. "What the hay are you two talking about?"
"Just part of a game Discord and I play with the princesses," I explained. It was then a thought occurred; Shining was technically a senior government official. I suppose we could include him in the game. Twilight had quickly stopped playing after she realised the true nature of the rules, whist Cadence didn't usually have the time for a full game. Yes, it couldn't hurt to let him have a go. Plus, it was always fun to watch a new player find their feet.
"Tell you what, Shining," I said. "If you aren't going to be too busy for the next hour or so, why don't you join us? We could always use a new player, right, Discord?" Discord however, seemed far less accepting.
As I said before, Discord is my best friend. However, our relationship is an odd one. The best way I can describe it is that it's similar to that of House and Wilson. Take a guess which of us is Wilson. At times, the millennia old draconequus can be quite jealous; friendship is a new concept to him after all. The two of us have maintained a strong 'guys' relationship for a while, since Discord spends most of his time interacting with females, as do I. As a result, he can get a bit uncomfortable with anything that potentially threatens that unique friendship.
"Oh, come on, Roger," he said, nose turned upward. "This oaf couldn't cross Tower Bridge if everypony else was in the Nidd." Whilst this served to only further confuse Shining, I merely rolled my eyes.
"Discord, don't be like that," I implored. Still, he kept his back to me. "Hey, don't make me call Fluttershy down here. Because I will." The fear of Fluttershy being disappointed in him is one of the few things, aside from re-imprisonment, that can bring him to heel. Quite a feat considering he is the physical embodiment of chaos. Still, I got no response, so I tried a different tack.
"You don't think he's going to beat you, do you?" I asked slyly. That quickly got a rise out of him. He wheeled round to face me.
"What?!" he exclaimed. "Him beat me? Me who has no less than fifteen championship victories across six dimensions? Bah!"
"Then let him join us for a game. Don't be so childish." Discord turned to study Shining for a moment, with the captain staring straight back at him, something few ponies manage to do without their knees knocking.
"Fine," Discord said at last. Honestly, for a creature supposedly thousands of years old, he acts like a six year old at times. I quickly moved to capitalise on this success.
"Good," I said triumphantly. "Now that that's sorted, shall we head on up. I'm sure the princesses are getting impatient." This, however, let Discord back into his element.
"Ah yes, allow me," he said. Before Shining or I had a chance to object, he snapped his talons and we were teleported up to the dining room.
A moment later, the three of us rematerialized at our destination. I quickly felt a sudden sense of sea sickness; teleports and me don't mix very well. I staggered for a moment before finding my balance.
"Dammit, Discord!" I complained. "How many times have I asked you not to teleport me? You know it plays havoc with my stomach!"
"Oh don't be such a drama queen," Discord replied. "Come on, the game's afoot." Summoning himself a deerstalker, he sidled over to the table where the two princesses were sitting.
Celestia was, as ever, calm and collected and contentedly sipping a cup of tea. Luna, meanwhile, despite looking a little tired, was raring to go it seemed, having already set up the board and chosen her playing piece.
"Yes, yes, do get along," she said, encouraging Discord no doubt. It was then she noticed Shining at my side. "Captain Armor? You wish to play do you?" she enquired.
"Er, do I?" Shining asked. Having little to no idea of what he had agreed to do, Shining was still at a loss.
"Don't worry, Shining," Celestia reassured him. "While it may all seem complex and intricate, any foal with a halfway decent imagination can play, and even excel. Right, Roger?" I nodded in agreement.
"Yes, you'll have a great time, Shining. This is a game of strategy after all." That seemed to perk his interest, as well as his ears. Ponies are so easy to read sometimes.
Discord summoned forth a fifth cushion for Shining, and we all settled ourselves down around the board. Before us was a map of London, with the Tube network superimposed over it. There were, of course, a number of appendices and context sensitive playing parts that would take far too long to list here. In addition to the gyroscope, there was a pocket watch, twelve dice; six six-sided, two twelve-sided, three eight-sided, and one colour coded die, as well as a jubilee sovereign, a harmonica, a pack of playing cards, and of course, the all too necessary rule book, in the event there was a dispute.
We each chose our playing piece and starting station. Personally, I went for the Aga oven and Woolwich Arsenal; it lets a player use a variety of different openings and allows you to control most of the rightbottom wing stations for at least the first fizzbin, plus it gives you easier access to the bus routes for the end game. I doubted this would be an overly long game so I didn't have to worry about advanced shunts. Everypony else quickly made their own selection, leaving Shining, as the newcomer, to take the bishop and start at Bank.
"Right, Shining," I said. "Allow me to clue you in. This is the game of Mornington Crescent. It's a game from my old world. It's set on an underground railway network in a major city. Each player takes their turn moving between various stations. The object of the game is to reach Mornington Crescent." I pointed to the station in question. "Here. The only catch is that you cannot move to Mornington Crescent, you have to get there via alternative means."
"Okay," Shining said, still quite befuddled. "So how does the game work then?" I allowed myself a small smile.
"That you have to work out for yourself," I replied. "We'll all happily tell you if a move is valid or not. But you have to discern the rules yourself." I then addressed the other players. "Alright, everypony. Celestia is the main dealer today. We'll be playing with the Amsterdam rule set; Docklands Light Railway is out of bounds and double hop captures are only valid if the offside rule isn't in effect. Your move, Luna."
With that, Shining's foray into the London Underground began.
Thirty five minutes later, and we were in the end game. We had been for a good thirty five minutes. It often confuses new players that the end game begins after the first move. Still, at least we didn't have to worry about teams; the game can be played in a team fashion with up to thirteen players per team, including senior conductors and sergeants.
As was often the case, us four veterans were locking each other out rather than moving forward much ourselves. I'd been stuck in the topside rightbottom section of A6 ever since Celestia played that Hullender's Defence against my move on Shepherd's Bush. That's what I get for trying to claim three territories though.
Shining meanwhile, had done quite well as the new boy. Okay, he had naturally lost a few points when he dithered at the start. But that is common for new players. There are after all hundreds of openings to choose from. Though I don't know what made him think he could go to Chalk Farm when the N76 was out of service for the night. Still, he had been quite shrewd when he took Putney Bridge. It had thrown Discord in the Nidd and brought into play the Nijmegen Exception.
There had been one minor disagreement though. Luna had been called out of order under the offside rule. She went straight from Euston to Aldgate in one move. That of course meant there was only one base between her next but one shift zone. As the Amsterdam ruleset incorporated Morton's Convention (only the 1867 Quebec system disallows this, hence why it is disliked among grand masters) this was an entirely illegal move on her part. As a result she was declared under-struck and called out of line and out of order, leaving her consigned with only seventy six points before final scoring in addition to taking a Bakerloo Redress and missing a turn. I leaned over to talk to Shining.
"Well, things are heating up aren't they?" I said. "It's going to be either Celestia or Discord who takes this one I think. You've done quite well so far though. What do you make of it all?" Shining looked at me with an expression that could probably be described as a thousand yard stare.
"This is the single most complicated game I've encountered in my entire life," he replied in a monotone. "I can see why Twiley didn't care for it."
"Don't worry, Shining. You'll catch on soon enough. You've actually given quite a good account today. I certainly didn't do as well on my first go."
"Roger, in this one half hour long game, I've heard no less than thirty four different references to conventions, exceptions, redresses, diagonals, offsides, and something called the topbottomrightwing. Not once have any of them been repeated, or shown any indication of a pattern. It's all complete gibberish!" I nodded.
"Exactly," I replied. And with that, the penny dropped at last.
"Your turn I believe, Shining," Celestia stated. "Here's a jack of hearts for you." Shining grinned, finally understanding, and possibly enjoying the fact that he'd learned something his younger sibling had been defeated by.
"Okay," he said. "I'll trade the jack for The Knowledge so I can use roads for the next three turns." He paused as Discord whistled in surprise. "And I'll head for Dagenham East." He promptly moved his bishop chessman across to the District line. "That puts you in the diagonal I believe, princess." We all turned to Celestia, who studied the board carefully. I had expected her to win this game, but Shining's move had released the wing topside diagonal which reversed the direction of travel for the Victoria line.
"An interesting tactic, Shining Armor," she commented. "But it shan't stop me. I'll take Morden, and thanks to Roger putting Discord in the Nidd, I can use my remaining fare to coast all the way to..." She triumphantly moved her potato piece. "Mornington Crescent."
The rest of us cheered in approval; it was a clever move after all; I sure hadn't spotted it. Still, it was lucky; before long we would all need to get back to work, or bed, as the case may be.
"Well, good game, good game," I said as I began to collect the various flotsam and jetsam from the board and pack everything away. "I think we should certainly consider including Shining Armor in our next game."
"Here, here," Luna declared. "He is a fine tactician and a worthy opponent." Celestia and Discord also voiced their agreement. Shining meanwhile, took the praise with a quiet dignity.
"Thanks, everypony. It certainly was an...interesting experience." That got a laugh from everypony.
"Just remember though, Shining," I warned gravely. "The rules of this game cannot be divulged to anypony, with the exception of Rule 1 and 77A. Otherwise it would be most boring." Shining, of course, gave his word to keep quiet. I'd hate to see all the rumours go after all. With that, our party broke up. Shining headed back to the barracks, Celestia returned to court, and Luna headed off to bed. As for Discord and I, we had little to do, and headed off to go for a wander.
"So," Discord said as the two of us wandered through the maze in the castle gardens. "I hear that you took Celestia up on that second job offer." I nodded.
"Yes, it certainly helps me sleep easier at night. Knowing that everyone down there is still safely under lock and key," I replied. Discord meanwhile, was wringing his talon and paw.
"So I suppose you see Tirek every now and then?" I was surprised at that; usually, Discord loses his temper if you so much as mention Tirek's name near him. It was odd that he brought the subject of the imprisoned centaur up.
"I tend to make a habit of checking on him first. He doesn't do much though. He just throws a few idle threats out and tries to frighten me. Frankly, at this point it's starting to become quite tragic." I stifled a giggle. "Why do you ask?"
Honestly, Tirek was the very definition of a Saturday morning cartoon villain. He didn't want to rule Equestria as Chrysalis or Discord had. He didn't want to enslave ponies for his own gain like Sombra either. His entire plan consisted of stealing all magic, destroying all of Equestria and then ruling over the ashes.
How he planned to do that last part is beyond me. His continuous rhetoric about how worthless friendship is just adds to his cringeworthiness. I really have a hard time taking him seriously now. Hell, the only reason my son despises him is because he blew up the library.
"I just wondered how he had been spending his time," Discord replied. "Does he say much about me?"
"Every now and then he swears vengeance on you for giving Twilight the clues to defeat him. But he does that to everypony. Me, you, Twilight, the princesses, anypony really. Honestly, you ought to stop thinking about that idiot. He's utterly harmless; he's had his one chance and blown it. Keeping this whole issue going just wastes your time and messes with your head."
Like my son, Discord is the type to hold a grudge. Though at least he personally knew the being he held a grudge against. For most of the first year we were here, my son had a serious problem with changelings. He even went after Strong Shield when he found out he was a changeling. It all came to a head when he was inadvertently sent back to when the whole problem with changelings began; the Royal Wedding. He never told me exactly what he did, but it caused a paradox that sent him back. Afterwards, he was a changed pony, and promptly let go of the whole matter, even patching things up with Strong Shield. I hoped the same could happen to Discord.
"You know," I said. "Before I took the job, Celestia told me that you had been the one she originally intended to use. But you turned it down. She said that you said you 'wouldn't be held responsible for your actions' if you went down to Tartarus."
"Yes," Discord replied. "I didn't want to do something I'd later regret." I posed the obvious question.
"What would you do?" I asked him. "If we went down there right now, what would you do? I mean, you've been keeping up the constant torment for months now. But what would you do? Kill him?" Discord remained silent. "Beat him up; knock six bells out of him? Would that make you feel better?"
Discord stopped walking and summoned himself a chair to recline in. Leaning back, he closed his eyes and formed his talon and paw into a steeple. He stayed in this state of deep thought for quite some time. Eventually he came to again.
"Alright," he said quietly. "I know what I need to do." I looked at him curiously. "I can see the point you're trying to make, though did you have to make it all sound like an after school special?" I laughed a little at that. "I'm going to go down there, and do what I should have done months ago."
"And that is?" I asked.
"Forgive him, and then forget him." With that, he snapped his talons and the two of us appeared in Tartarus.
I expected this to go a number of ways. Most of which involved a quick visit to Tartarus, a couple brilliant one liners from Discord, and then leaving Tirek to himself.
That was not what I got.
As soon as we arrived, we could hear the screaming, no threats, no shouted demands, just screaming.
"Jesus, Discord! What did you do to him this week?" I asked over the noise. Discord had been continuously changing the method by which he made Tirek's existence hell, but he'd never made him scream in such agony before.
"It's not me," he replied. "Or he's having a very severe reaction to Pinkie Pie singing at him on a looped tape." Were we anywhere else, I would have found that funny. Running towards the source of the screaming, we quickly found our way to Tirek's little island.
The centaur was still in his cage, but instead of leering through the bars as he usually did, he was now on the floor of his cell, rolling around and screaming almost constantly. Getting closer, I could see tears streaming down his face, he was crying. As we hurried over, he began to shout again.
"Scorpan, please no! Please don't leave me here! Scorpan! Scorpan!" He then rolled around to face us, and I saw what was wrong. Tirek's eyes were usually unsettling enough, being yellow points in a black abyss. Now though, the whites of his eyes were green and purple vapour poured from the sides.
"Dear God," I muttered. I'd heard about this, this was the work of Sombra, his infamous fear spell. Twilight had once been caught by it, as had Spike, when they inadvertently triggered a trap in Sombra's castle. It was also the way he prevented the crystal ponies from remembering anything prior to his rule. Tirek was currently being forced to see his worst fears over and over.
"Well, there goes my plan," Discord said quietly. Sombra had evidently beaten him to the punch. The two of us quickly went to find Celestia. |
Tales From Day Court | Chapter 5 - Double Bluff | Luckily for all concerned, Celestia was able to use her alicorn magic to bring Tirek out of whatever nightmare he was being forced to relive. Hitting him with a blast of her magic, his eyes quickly lost their unnatural hues and the screaming and weeping slowly tapered off. We weren't particularly concerned about the possibility of him trying to drain the magic. For one thing, he couldn't in his current state; his entire cell is devoid of magic, to the point where Celestia had to add more power to the spell to ensure it reached Tirek before dissipating.
Brought out of his own personal hell, Tirek lay where he was. His breathing was heavy and laboured. Celestia spoke to him.
"You will be alright now, Tirek. The spell has been lifted." Tirek twisted himself to look at Celestia. For once, instead of looking angry, his face had an expression of confusion. Celestia elaborated. "You were placed under a fear spell, forcing you to see your worst fears." Tirek snorted before replying.
"Is that your newest game, Discord?" he asked bitterly. "I knew you were vindictive, but I did not think you were that cruel." Discord made to answer, but Celestia stepped in again.
"What happened to you was not Discord's doing, Tirek. The fear spell is a specialty of Sombra. For whatever reason, he chose to use it on you." Unlike Tirek's cell, Sombra's cell is not magic proof. Until now, we all believed that he was too weak to use such spells. After all, he had sacrificed most of his magic in reconstructing himself, a difficult spell even by the standards of dark magic.
"I was actually the one who found you, Tirek," Discord added. "I came down here with Roger to speak to you, and found you like this." Tirek quickly switched back to his typical twisted personality.
"Oh, so you finally plucked up the courage to visit me again, did you?" he asked venomously. I could see Discord's talon quietly snapping every now and then, half casting magic.
"Yes, I did. We do need to talk after all," he replied. Discord then turned to the two of us. "Er, Princess, do you mind if Tirek and I have a moment?" Celestia considered for a moment, clearly in two minds. Discord had after all, implied he would do something terrible if let near the centaur again. Catching her eye, I gestured to her to allow it.
"Very well, Discord," she said at length. "Roger and I will be near Sombra's cell. Come and find us when you are done." The two of us then left Discord and Tirek alone, and headed across Tartarus to where Sombra now resided.
Once again, Celestia declined to join me in visiting Sombra in his cell, claiming that her presence would colour his reactions and responses. So I ended up going in alone, only this time unannounced.
I had hoped my unscheduled arrival would at least give me a fleeting glimpse of the real Sombra, seeing what he did when left to his own devices. However, when I entered the large cavern, I found the dark king standing just behind the metal bars, waiting for me no doubt. Behind him was an image at least, of the throne room of the Crystal palace, as it appeared during his reign. He regarded me coolly with those piercing red eyes as I walked in.
"You really should consider investing in some better quality shoes, Roger," he commented. His use of my first name unsettled me. "I know you species' feet require protection as mine do, but I could hear those soles clanking all the way in here. You should visit Soft Step's shoe shop. He's a cobbler in the Crystal Empire, and quite a talented one too. I'm sure he could adapt his work to make something suitable for you." I took the jab in my stride. I was in no mood for games.
"What did you do to Tirek?" I asked bluntly. I expected Sombra to admonish me or throw out some vague hint. Instead, he actually answered for once.
"I merely saw that he received just punishment," he replied. "I despise rude ponies, Roger. But I also cannot abide thieves. That and, personally, I find the centaur to be rather insulting." That piqued my interest.
"Insulting?" I asked.
"Tirek uses, or did use, dark magic in order to take magic from the ponies of Equestria," he explained. "With that magic, he could have done anything he wished. He had the chance to rule the world. And then he squandered it all." The dark stallion shook his head in dismay, making his lion like mane sway somewhat. "He could have erased Canterlot from existence, and instead he left his foes to themselves and destroyed a small section of forest. It is that act of pure idiocy that wounds me most."
"So you cast a fear spell on him?" Again, Sombra nodded.
"If you wish to use such a juvenile term, yes. But I spent a good portion of my time simply chatting with him. It's amazing how emotionally fragile he really is." He smiled again, exposing his sharp looking fangs that had no place on an equine. "I was surprised you lifted the spell. Would it really make much of a difference given his current sentence?"
"That is not your call to make, Sombra," I replied.
"In prisons on your world, didn't fellow inmates harm, and even kill one another though?"
"They didn't force each other to see their worst fears over and over." Sombra smiled and began to walk away. I got up to leave, thinking that he had said all he wished, but Sombra called me back.
"Oh, before you go, do take this. I think your colt will find it interesting." The hairs on the back of my neck stood up at that.
Rule number one of being a solicitor; never talk about family or friends, ever. You don't talk about where you live, where they work, go to school, or anything else. Just in case. I had never told Sombra about my son, Blade Star, never mind his interest and research into dark magic. Wheeling round, I faced the unicorn king. He looked me in the eye, knowing he had rattled me. He passed me a large tome with his magic, which I took in my unsteady hands. I then immediately left and headed back to Celestia and Discord. Sombra watched me all the way; I could feel his eyes on me until the last.
I found Discord and Celestia just outside of Sombra's cell. Sadly, I had missed Discord's dismissal of Tirek as something to concern him. That, however, was beside the point. Sombra had done this to get our, or possibly even my, attention. I quickly found myself back in the throne room in Canterlot, explaining what had happened to the princess.
"Sombra is up to something, your highness," I declared. "Whatever he did to Tirek, it was not in the name of justice. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if it served no purpose at all. He wanted to speak to me again to throw this at me." I handed her the large, old tome Sombra had 'gifted' me to give to my son. Celestia examined the book closely before replying.
"I would agree with your assumptions about Sombra's action," she said gravely. "It would not surprise me if Tirek did nothing at all to set him off. He might have just done what he did in order to amuse himself. However, his knowledge of your family is indeed troubling. I do not believe for a moment that anypony is in imminent danger though. Sombra was only able to harm Tirek since the two are within line of sight of each other. You can rest assured that Sombra cannot reach your family here in Equestria." I breathed a sigh of relief.
"So why did he do it then? He must have some sort of plan in the works." I'd known from the moment that I met him, that Sombra was horribly intelligent. At a rough guess his IQ was probably somewhere around one hundred and eighty.
We knew little of how he thought. Of course, it was obvious that he was a psychopath; unable to feel emotions or empathize. But I couldn't really say how his mind worked. Attempts had been made to analyse several inhabitants of Tartarus, with little success. But while Tirek and other more violent prisoners simply howled and raged at doctors and ripped up any tests they were given, Sombra calmly folded them into origami; evidently at some point he studied oriental culture.
"Sombra has little to gain from such an exercise," Celestia replied. "The Crystal Empire is beyond reclamation, and his strength, whilst still more than most unicorns, is a shadow of his original power. I wouldn't be surprised if Twilight could handle him on her own now."
"What is the book he gave me anyway?" I asked. I was admittedly a little curious. My son studies theoretical dark magic as a sort of side project. He occasionally practices some very basic spells, but does no more than the odd one for analysis purposes. The effects of prolonged use are...well, we only need to look at Sombra to see them.
"'A Study in Crystal Magic' by Obsidian Glass," Celestia read. "It's a study of the magical crystals within the Empire, looking at how they react to varying forms of magic. It goes on to speculate on the Crystal Heart."
"It doesn't sound like it has much to do with dark magic," I replied. "Why would Sombra think it would interest my son?" Celestia sent the book back to me, wrapped in the golden hue of her magic.
Out of habit, I flicked through the pages. It was mostly very small writing, with a few plates showing what I think were magical equations. Nothing to suggest a malign intent, but nothing to alleviate my concerns either. As I continued to search for an answer, Celestia spoke up.
"Have you considered that this may well be just another wild pony chase?" Celestia asked. "You said yourself that you believed Sombra was toying with you when he asked for you. Perhaps this is all just an elaborate game to him. He sends you down dozens of dead ends searching for a threat where none exists. And all the time, you are in fear of him." I stopped my frenzied reading and vain search for clues.
She did make a good point. After all, this was a pony that had spent a millennium trapped in ice as a shadow. Like Discord, he was talented when it came to the long game. Was that the reason he had first summoned me? Entertainment? Was I that easy a mark?
At first, I wanted to deny such an idea, and continue searching for whatever Da Vinci like hint there was. But Celestia did make a good point. Sombra's actions did nothing to help him. As a psychopath, he was incapable of showing true kindness. But, as was seen with what he did to Tirek, he did do a good job of making his own twisted fun.
"I suppose that does make sense, your highness. The best thing to do then is to ignore him. Next time he asks for me, he'll probably try something new anyway. But think we can ignore him for the moment."
"I'm glad that you think so, my advisor." I bowed and prepared to leave the throne room. "Oh, speaking of letting things go," Celestia said, causing me to stop where I was and turn around. "I'm glad you were able to help Discord see reason today. It is a dangerous thing for a pony to get wrapped up in a need for vengeance."
Taking the train back down the mountain to Ponyville, I was still in two minds in regards to Sombra. Celestia did make sense; he couldn't get out or do much directly, so he was trying to mess with my head instead. On the other hand though, Celestia didn't believe that Tirek would ever be a threat until he got out.
Skimming over the pages of the old tome now in my possession, I resolved to opt for a middle ground. There was little I could do right now, and at this precise moment, I had no reason to be worried. However, as I said before, having been kept in ice for a thousand years, Sombra is undoubtedly patient when it comes to his plans. He was up to something, I just didn't know what.
It was almost completely dark by the time the train finally pulled into Ponyville's railway station. Celestia had probably lowered the sun and passed the safety of Equestria over to her sister not five minutes earlier. It was quite overcast tonight, though that was to be expected given the time of year. And, of course, the Weather Patrol was still removing the remains of all the snow Dash had inadvertently thrown at them; a task that was best achieved through the natural method of melting it and turning it into rain clouds.
Stepping down from the carriage, I bade a good night to the conductor and began to head into town. Usually, I would just head straight home. However, tonight I had an extra stop to make. I was going to pay call on Twilight; regardless of the book's seemingly benign nature, I wanted her to run a battery of tests on it before I put it anywhere near my son.
The unusual castle that Twilight now calls her home shone noticeably against the darkening horizon. She usually kept the place open to all. I found the front door open and after heading past her version of King Arthur's Round Table, made my way into the large library, where she spent most of her time.
"Twilight?" I called out. "Are you in here?" Somewhere towards the far end, a few piles of books shifted and the small purple alicorn pony emerged. Evidently she'd been engrossed in one of her study sessions. Following up behind her, was her assistant, Spike, the baby dragon.
"Oh, hey, Roger," Twilight greeted. "What brings you here?"
Now obviously, I had to tell Twilight where I had gotten this book from. But Celestia had asked me, for reasons that I still don't fully understand, to not mention Sombra. I had of course, protested at that. Why the hell would she not keep Twilight in the loop about one of Equestria's foes that she helped defeat? However, the princess was resolute in her decision, asking me to trust in her good judgement. While I wasn't entirely happy with that, she was several centuries my senior, and my boss. So, I compromised.
"I came across this book in Tartarus, Twilight," I said. See, technically that's the truth. "It seems like the sort of thing you or Bones might be interested in. But I figured it would be best if I let you double check it for magic or enchantments. We don't want a repeat of that 'Inspiration Manifestation' spell after all." Twilight nodded. I let her take the book in her pink coloured magic.
"Hmm, this is interesting," Twilight said, after she had finished reading a few pages. "I don't think I remember coming across this in the library in the Crystal Empire. Spike?" She turned to her assistant/little brother/son/pet. "Do we have any record of this book? I'd swear that I've never read it before." Spike briefly took a look at the ancient tome.
"You would know, Twilight," he replied jokingly. "You've read every book in this castle at least five times." That got him a glare from the Princess of Friendship. "I think you're right though. I don't remember seeing this here either. And we have the whole catalogue from Cadence." Twilight's brow furrowed. There was a conundrum to be solved.
"I guess you were right to bring that here, Roger," she said. "Ordinarily I'd just say it must have been misfiled or something. But the fact that you found this in Tartarus is a reason to worry. Give me a couple of days, and I should be able to give it a thorough once over."
"Thank you, Twilight," I said, smiling. "I appreciate the help. I know you have enough on your plate as it is with that map sending you all over the shop." For some reason though, Twilight frowned at that. "Anyway, I best get going. Thanks again for the help." I then left the two, heading back outside and on towards home.
I got home and found she who must be obeyed in the kitchen working on the dinner. I was noticeably later than I usually was, and I was starting to feel quite tired. Honestly, some days are almost exactly like my days back on Earth when I had my own firm, commuted four hours each day, and usually dragged home a metric ton of paperwork.
"I'm back!" I called as I closed the front door and hung up my coat on the nearby hanger.
"You're home late," my wife responded. "Busy day?" Ah yes, our usual discussion when I got back. 'How was your day with the pastel coloured ponies, dear?'
"Sort of. One of the prisoners in Tartarus raised hell. Me and Discord had to fetch Celestia to help us break it up. I tell you, it's like custody cells on a Friday night down there sometimes." That quickly brought my wife running out of the kitchen and straight out to me, fussing like a mother hen.
"What was it? What happened?" she asked. Undoubtedly, she wanted to know, partly due to actual concern for my safety, but also so she could use it as evidence to stop me having to go down there. As such, I didn't tell her about how the supposedly dead pony Hitler had attacked a magic sucking sociopath by making him see his worst fears come to life.
"Just a couple of them taking swings at each other. We just needed Celestia to help reverse a few magical effects." Really, aside from the terrifying nature of Sombra's dark magic, it was just a fight between inmates, and you saw that routinely in the drunk tank.
I'm not saying Tartarus isn't dangerous; because it is, and quite scary at times. But I'm quite safe down there. Knowing Discord, he's usually never far away, and Celestia has to be close to watch and maintain the portal to and from Equestria. Over my career, I have had clients kick off on me. I even accidentally got hit by pepper spray once when one guy just went haywire in the interview room. It's a risk, yes, but there is always security. If worst comes to worst, I can just yell for Cerberus. All the denizens of Tartarus are scared of him, even Sombra.
"You know I worry about you going in there," she replied. I wrapped an arm round her in a hug.
"Oh come on, it's no worse than back on Earth. And none of those fruitcakes are gypsy glue boilers that cut their brother's head off when they get in a fight over a football." True story that is. That got her to roll her eyes.
"Still doesn't mean I have to like it," she said in a sing song voice. I changed the subject, I didn't want to keep thinking about Sombra, or any of the other nutters I deal with on a regular basis.
"So how was your day, anyway?" I asked. The two of us began to walk back to the kitchen, which also doubled as the dining room.
"Oh, you know; same old, same old," my wife replied. "They're certainly a lot better behaved than those buggers back at St. Michael's!" I laughed at that, and before long, we sat down to dinner.
My wife is an excellent cook, for the record. I can cook, sort of, and I do from time to time. But she's always been more talented at that sort of thing. Equestria doesn't really have much in the way of processed foods. They do exist, of course. But out here in the sticks, most of our food is bought from the local market. All of that is fresh produce, all very Cotswolds.
The only thing we can't get as easily of course is meat. Ponies are herbivores by nature after all, although pegasi do occasionally go in for fish. To get around that issue, Fluttershy kindly volunteered to keep us supplied, and in turn I gave her a little money to keep her feed stocks up. Despite her sweet nature, she's quite skilled when it comes to gutting and dressing animals. She has a whole shed behind her cottage filled with deer carcasses for goodness sake! They all died naturally, mind you. I don't even want to think about what the normally shy little pegasus would do if anypony tried to go hunting any of her animal friends.
We were just about to have dessert; my wife's homemade sticky toffee pudding, when there was a knock at the door.
"I'll get it," I said, dabbing my mouth with a napkin so that I looked at least somewhat civilised.
Heading out down the hall to our large front door, I quickly undid the deadbolt and opened the door to let whoever it was in. However, to my surprise, initially there seemed to be no one there.
"Er, hello?" I called, looking out. I was expecting Discord to jump out at any moment to scare the living daylights out of me. And ask if he could crash on our couch. Again. As it turned out, it wasn't Discord though.
"Down here," a young voice called. Looking down I realised that my visitor was Spike. The baby dragon is small compared to the ponies, so you can imagine how easy it can be to accidentally overlook him when you're 5'10. I stepped back a moment and bent down.
"Oh, hey there, Spike. What brings you out here this late?" I asked kindly. The purple dragon held up a pair of golden tickets in his claw.
"The princess sent these with Twilight's invitation. There's one for you, and one for Margaret too." Taking the two tickets from him, I looked them over. There was only one thing these could really be if they came from Celestia herself. I promptly read the writing on the ticket.
"Admit one - Grand Galloping Gala," I read. My eyebrows might have shot up a bit. "Wow, thanks for this, Spike." The dragon merely smiled before saying he needed to head back to the castle for bed, he is still a youngster after all.
Closing the door again, I quickly headed back to my wife, who had just about polished off her dessert, and was already pouring herself a coffee.
"Who was that then, dear?" she asked.
"Spike," I replied. "He was delivering these; came through his fire breath." I put the two tickets on the table. "We've been invited to the Gala." |
Tales From Day Court | Chapter 6 - Grand Galloping Gala | For those of you who are unaware, let me impress on you the high profile nature of the event known as the Grand Galloping Gala.
Officially, it is a party for the nobility and other old money types to come together and stab each other in the back. However, in recent years it has been opened up more. Government types like myself were invited, as were celebrities such as the Wonderbolts, who do a display afterwards. Representatives from other nations, such as the Griffon Kingdom, Saddle Arabia, and the Crystal Empire were also invited to attend. At this point, the whole thing is quite cosmopolitan in nature.
However, that doesn't mean it has exactly improved much. Celestia herself had confessed to me that the Gala was almost always awful and a very tedious chore for her. After all, she has to wear her 'princess' mask all night long, put up with nobles such as Blueblood, and deal with any other problems that might come up. She told me the first time Twilight and her friends were invited, the end result was the near total destruction of the banquet hall.
So, she does all she can to make it 'entertaining' as she puts it. To that end, she invites ponies from all walks of life and locks them in the castle for about four hours for the Gala. The results are usually quite interesting, or so she tells me.
Nevertheless, across Equestria, invitation to the Gala is still something ponies will scratch each other's eyes out for. It was this party that I had been invited to. Well, that and my 'plus one'. I could hardly turn up without she who must be obeyed, now could I?
After I told my wife the news, and convinced her to stop squealing, the two of us began to plan out what we needed to do. I had a perfectly fine suit already. I usually go suited and booted when I go to Day Court.
However, for such an event as this, I would probably be better off with a dinner jacket. Whilst Rarity is an excellent seamstress, her speciality is mares and mares' styles. She made some excellent clothes for me when I first got here, but since then, I've done a lot of my clothes shopping via a tailors in Canterlot which she admitted would serve me better.
My wife, on the other hand, had no qualms about visiting Rarity and purchasing one of her dresses. I've actually heard mutterings in Canterlot that she is planning on opening a new store within the city itself, with some big name in the pony fashion world helping her manage it potentially. In any case, Rarity had made Gala dresses for all her friends the last time they had been invited. Celestia had been forced to, at least temporarily, blacklist them all due to what happened the last time she invited them. They were now, of course, allowed to return again, in light of the incident with Tirek. I was sure that Rarity would have no trouble cooking up something suitable for her.
The next day was Saturday. With a whole day free to do as I pleased, I decided to go and get my suit for the Gala made up. My wife was doing something similar; she'd already headed off to Carousel Boutique to see Rarity about making something for her.
Taking a somewhat later train, mainly because I tend to sleep in a little on Saturday mornings, I headed up to Canterlot. Normally, I would arrive in the city quite early, hail a cab, and be up at the top of the hill, heading through the palace gates before you could say 'boo'. This time however, since I would be spending a fair bit of my time in the city proper, rather than the castle, I decided to walk.
In spite of how long I have been here in Equestria, and how long I have been an adviser to the princess herself, I still get odd looks from time to time. In other cities, I'd expect it; there are only two humans on this planet; to most ponies we remain something of an oddity. But you might expect that the ponies of Canterlot would have gotten used to me by now.
As I made my way along the open cobbled streets, I spotted a few faces here and there that I recognised. Mostly members of the nobility or other high society types that tended to frequent the castle. Most have at some point tried to sway me to their favour to some degree or another; a consequence of court intrigue I suppose. Quite a few of them would undoubtedly like to see the back of me. Mind you, there are plenty who I get along with. It would be wrong to write off all the nobles as being self-serving, uptight, backstabbing jackals. Quite a few I got on with, some I even call friends.
Working my way down a few side streets and back alleys, I quickly found myself in a less densely populated part of Canterlot. There's no real lower class area; only the rich can afford to live in the city after all, but this neck of the woods was definitely far less frequented than other parts.
As I passed by a certain old oak door, with a red coloured lantern hanging near it, I made a right coming out into a moderate side street. I knew the 'pony' that lived and worked there, and had had a couple of dealings with her. I didn't partake in her services of course, but every now and then our paths crossed.
Anyway, making one last turn, I finally reached my destination. This particular shop had been recommended to me by Rarity as an excellent gentlecolt's tailors. Like its neighbours, the shop was tucked away and was quite unassuming with only a small hanging, hoof painted sign to advertise itself.
'Elusive's of Canterlot - Established 964 CR. Fittings and Alterations.'
Pushing open the modest front door, I heard a bell jingle above me slightly. Closing it behind me and making my way into the shop, I searched for the proprietor.
"Elusive?" I called out, he may well be in the back of the shop working on his designs. "Elusive, are you in here?"
The shop front was modest, but nevertheless indicated that I had come to a fairly high end establishment. There are many tailors and fitters in Canterlot, and other major cities like Manehatten. However, I still believe Elusive to be one of the best in his craft; certainly far superior to many of the larger stores that will try to send you on your way with a slightly altered off the rack jacket.
The whole storefront was lined with walnut panels, and luxurious red and gold wallpaper, and lit by a few magic lanterns scattered along the walls, with plush red carpet underfoot. Jackets, waistcoats, greatcoats, hats, scarves, and cloaks hung on mannequins arranged around the shop floor, with a number of styles on display; everything from formal evening-wear, right down to more mundane jackets and shirts. In a world where mass production is not commonplace, and often looked down on, ponies like Elusive still retain their status as artisans.
At the far end of the shop was the counter; a wood and glass affair that displayed a few other trinkets, such as cuff-links, tie clips, and watch chains. On the top sat the ancient, old fashioned till, along with a couple of fabric books for clients to look through, as well as an old sewing machine and a phonograph, which was playing some classical pieces. Off to the side, there were a couple of full length mirrors for ponies to try different styles. Behind the counter was the door that led to the back of the shop, where Elusive did most of his work, and also where he had his dressing rooms.
As I approached the counter, Elusive emerged, evidently having been working on some project or another. He was a short and lean unicorn stallion, with a white coat and well-trimmed purple mane, and large blue grey eyes that showed a keen intellect. He actually reminds me a fair bit of Rarity, although in contrast to her diamond cutie mark, his was that of a tape measure. There was an actual tape measure hanging around his neck, sitting in the collar of the deep red velvet waistcoat he was wearing. Elusive quickly recognised me.
"Ah, Roger, my old friend," he said, greeting me with his usual accent, a mix of Manehatten with hints of Sifillyan. "Here for some alterations, are you? Or is it a bit of repair work?" I came here with a certain regularity, I must admit. Elusive is excellent at fixing minor damage, to the point that you would never guess that the rip or tear had ever been there. And I have an unfortunate knack for getting myself snagged, or finding myself running hell for leather though a drainage pipe as the case may be.
"No nothing so trite this time, Elusive," I replied, smiling, and holding up my Gala invitation. "I need something befitting of the Grand Galloping Gala and I was told you could provide." Elusive took on a look of surprise before quickly recovering.
"My, my, you are moving up in the world, aren't you?" he said. He quickly made his way from behind the counter to come and stand with me. "So, do you have any ideas what you are looking for then?" I nodded.
"I've been to parties like the Gala once or twice on my old world. Usually I'd go with a full dinner jacket or something like that." Elusive nodded, agreeing with me.
"Yes, most stallions that do make it to the Gala tend to go for a formal shirt and suit. Although I know a few who can get away with just a collar. But you, yes, you need a full suit I think. What about material?" Ah, here's where I tend to fall down. I'm not that knowledgeable about fashion, even of my own gender. Luckily, Elusive is an expert. He quickly picked up on my silence.
"Hmm, well I think a lighter colour might suit you better first of all," he offered. That made sense; my work suit was more of a charcoal grey; wearing a black suit just made me look horribly pale. Elusive briefly popped back behind the counter and retrieved one of his fabric books. Flicking through the pages as it hovered in his magic, he began to offer some suggestions.
"Here, this might be something that would look good on you; Sifillyan wool. It's fairly strong, comfortable to wear, and breathes well." I felt the sample piece, running the material between my fingers. It was very soft to the touch and felt thinner than it appeared. The material in this instance was much lighter than my work suit, but still a ways off from touching silver. I nodded to Elusive.
"Yes, it certainly seems a good bet. Do you have it in stock at the moment?"
"Not enough to do both the jacket and the trousers, I'm afraid. But I should be able to get it sorted and made up within the week." Even with alterations, that would be plenty of time before the Gala. "I do think, though, that there may be a large sized jacket around here somewhere." The stallion began to skirt around the mannequins in the store.
"Here we are," He said, levitating a jacket off of its stand. "I know it's not ideal, but this will give you an idea of how the colour will go and how the jacket sits." A pony's build is naturally quite different to my own. But in a pinch I can wear a jacket or jumper.
Settling it on over my shirt, the jacket draped loosely over me. The shoulders were naturally too wide and the sleeves too thick, particularly around the wrists. However, as Elusive said, it did give me an idea.
"Oh yes, very nice," I said approvingly. "Gives a sort of Bond villain look." I smiled, though my reference was lost on Elusive. I removed the jacket and passed it back to him to place back on the manikin. Elusive rubbed a hoof under his chin.
"Right then, that's the material. I've got your measurements on file, though I would like to double check all that to be on the safe side. This suit will be a slimmer fit than your other suit; less room for error. You should be fine with a white shirt. Tie?" I thought. I had a few of course, but most of them wouldn't go with the more formal nature of this gala suit.
"I'll definitely need a bow tie for the dress code," I replied. Elusive nodded in understanding.
"Yes, and it'll have to be black to, or very close to it. I'm just a bit worried that a black tie will have the same effect as a black jacket, and make you look pale." He paused for a moment. "Let's try a couple for a moment, shall we?"
Rooting around in a couple of boxes, Elusive picked out a couple of bow ties. Proper ones too, not those clip on things. I just hoped I could still remember how to tie them. He passed one of them to me in his magic.
"That's a light as I dare really, I'm afraid," he said. "It has to be a dark colour, but it shouldn't draw too much colour from your face."
Tying a quick bow and pulling it taught, I turned to the mirror again. It looked perfectly fine to me. Elusive can be something of a perfectionist at times. So, I now had a white shirt, light grey jacket and a very dark grey bow tie. I looked the part.
"I think I can pull this off, Elusive," I declared. "What do you reckon?" The white unicorn nodded in agreement and smiled.
"Right, that should be everything," he said as he finished his notations. "If you'll just come on back to my dressing room and we can double check your measurements."
A few days later, and I was retracing my steps back to Elusive's shop. Court had broken up for its usual lunchtime recess. I'd actually been quite busy today, with a couple of quite serious cases requiring my attention, and seeing me summoned to the throne room. The first had been an extremely bitter land dispute from way out in the bayou country, which had taken the better part of two hours to fully resolve. And the second was one of several new proposals from the princesses to roll back the more hard line anti-changeling laws that had been brought in after the Royal Wedding. With no signs of any further attempts at attack, and strong evidence to show that the changelings were a spent force, it was deemed time to start reducing some of the more extreme measures, which only served to add fuel to the paranoia fire.
With both of those cleared out of the way, I had decided to grab a quick lunch at Donut Joe's, and then head to Elusive's to pick up my suit. Following the familiar path through side streets and alleyways, I once again found myself outside his humble shop. This time, as I entered, the alabaster unicorn was busy hoovering the shop floor. He shut off the 1950's looking appliance as I walked in.
"Ah, wonderful, perfect timing!" he said as he trotted into his back room. He returned a moment later. "Well come along, come along! Your suit's all set up and ready for you to try on." I followed him back to his dressing room.
Slipping the suit and tie on I turned to look at myself in the mirror for a moment; it certainly looked brilliant. Elusive had really outdone himself this time. Pulling back the plush curtain of the dressing room, I stepped back out into the shop to see the suit in a better light.
"As you can see," Elusive said. "This is quite an improvement over the last suit I made for you. See, hoof crafted wool, reinforced seams, invisible stitching, and, naturally, silk linings." I paused for a moment to examine myself in the full length mirror near the counter. Turning around a full three sixty, I smiled.
"As ever, Elusive, you outdo even yourself." The stallion was still however double checking everything, ensuring the whole suit sat on me properly without any signs of sagging or tautness. Still, he quickly satisfied himself on that front.
"So, how much do I owe you?" I asked. I'd gotten a rough idea of pricing from last time, though naturally, given the materials he'd used this time, I expected it to be noticeably steeper. Elusive thought for a moment.
"Hmm, call it three hundred and fifty all in, I think," he said. I was actually expecting a lot worse. I'd gone and asked Rarity about the material Elusive had been using, and she'd told me it was very high end, as in Savile Row high end. I quickly fished a bag full of bits out of my briefcase and counted out the amount for him.
"Right, you should be all set, my friend," Elusive said, as he placed the suit in a specialised suit bag to protect it from the elements outside. "I hope you have a good time up there. Oh, and give dear Rarity my best." I smiled and nodded as I made for the door.
"Will do. Thanks again, Elusive." The bell jingled as I departed.
A couple of nights later, the wife and I were waiting outside our front door for our ride. As an advisor to Celestia, I was entitled to a ride in a castle chariot to and from Canterlot for the Gala, with she who must be obeyed along for the ride.
I was all set to go with my very nice looking dinner jacket, complete with matching trousers, dress shoes, tie, cuff-links, and even a display handkerchief. As one famous writer put it; I was neat, clean, shaved, and sober. And I didn't care who knew it.
Margaret was equally done up, dressed to the nines in a very nice deep blue dress and cardigan made for her by Rarity for a nominal fee. This was complemented by a small faux pearl necklace, one of the many trinkets that had come through the portal when it had opened last new year's. She'd even gone for a pair of high heels too; although being only five feet tall, it only raised her to about 5'2.
The clock in town was just beginning to strike half past five when the chariot descended from the clouds and touched down on our front lawn. It was the usual gold and white design that Celestia and the Royal Guard commonly made use of, with two pegasi in their resplendent armour hitched at the front.
"Good Lord!" I exclaimed. "And here was me thinking you two would be taking the night off tonight." The two pegasi that would be our cabbies tonight were Duck and Cover. The two pegasus ponies were long serving members of the Royal Guard. They'd been transferred to pulling chariots after the pair, whilst on patrol in heavy fog, lost their bearings, almost collided with another patrol and nearly found themselves being scraped off the castle's outer wall. Still, they are both good fliers and guardsmen.
"No such luck tonight!" Duck called back as we boarded.
"The princess is pulling out all the stops for the Gala. Security is pretty tight, so they needed a few extra hooves to help with transportation," Cover added.
"Well, it's only a short trip to Canterlot," my wife replied consolingly. "At least you won't be stuck standing at attention all evening." The pair laughed at that.
"Very true, Mrs. Owen," Dusk said. He then turned to his colleague "Right, let's get going. On three okay?" And with that, we took off into the evening sky.
Canterlot Castle shone and glittered against the darkened horizon as we steadily descended to land in front of the palace gates. It was Celestia's long standing policy to greet everypony when they arrived, whilst the ever present guards checked their tickets. The two pegasi that had hauled out chariot up here had done a great job. In spite of the cooler night time temperatures, and the wind, the ride had been smooth and comfortable for the two of us. As we came into land, the ponies flapped their wings harder to check out descent, ending with a gentle landing just outside the gates.
"Alright, here we are," Duck said. "Just follow the queue to the main doors. Enjoy your evening, and we'll pick you up in a few hours to take you home."
"Thanks again, you two," my wife said pleasantly. "Hang around when you get us back and I'll fetch you a little thank you for your troubles." With that, the duo departed, allowing the next chariot to land.
"Right, come along, dear," I said. Taking her by the arm, the two of us worked our way along the path to the large main doors at the front of the castle. We soon found ourselves in a mid-sized queue that led up the steps. Evidently we'd arrived just as the big rush was starting. The ponies around us were dressed in attire similar to our own, with the stallions wearing expensive looking dinner jackets or collars, whilst the mares were resplendent in a menagerie of dresses, a few of which were undoubtedly of Rarity's design. As we continued to work our way forwards, I saw two ponies that I recognised.
"Bones! Applejack!" I called out. The two ponies ahead of us promptly turned around to see who it was. Much to my enjoyment, my son quickly tried to conceal himself when he spotted me. I do love embarrassing him though. With Applejack dragging him along, the pair came over to say hello.
"Hey, Dad," my son said, speaking with his marked southern accent that he'd adopted ever since he started living with the Apples. He was gussied up in a very nice jacket and shirt combo. An aqua coloured jacket, with an off white shirt. And for good measure, a light orange bow tie. The oddest thing though was his mane; for whatever reason, he dyed it so that it was bone white.
"Bones, you look positively ridiculous," I declared jokingly. Still, at least it was formal attire.
"Ah thought the colour change might make me look a bit more distinguished," he replied, fluffing his mane a little. It was odd to see him without his Stetson hat on, never mind his usual blue mane. "Besides, at least it doesn't look as though my collar's gonna cut off my air supply." Luckily, at that moment, my wife turned our attention to Applejack.
"I see you sprung for one of Rarity's dresses too, Applejack," she said. The orange farm pony nodded.
"Rarity was kind enough to do a little work fixin' this up. She made it for me back when we all went to the Gala that first year." It certainly was a sight. Unsurprisingly, the mare had gone for an apple theme for her dress. It was very pretty, I'll give it that, but anything more stretches far beyond my knowledge of fashion.
It was at that point that the four of us reached the front door and the princess. Unusually, she too had dressed herself up for the occasion. Celestia is not one to be seen to indulge in passing fashions. At previous iterations of the Gala, she had appeared in her typical crown, horseshoes, and regalia. Tonight though, she wore a rather impressive purple, violet, and lavender ensemble that hung loosely over her larger frame.
"Applejack, Blade Star," she greeted the two ponies before us. "Wonderful to see you again."
"Likewise, your highness," my son replied, touching the brim of an invisible hat as a sign of respect. Celestia then turned her attention to the two of us.
"And my dear advisor. Welcome to the Grand Galloping Gala. Thank you for coming along too, Margaret." The two of us bowed as protocol dictated.
"Thank you for inviting us, princess," my wife replied.
"With Applejack here, that makes all of Twilight's friends accounted for. Although I'm starting to wonder where Discord has gotten to. I sent him an invitation this year as well. Anyway, I shall see you two inside."
We then left the princess to continue greeting all her guests, something she insists on doing personally, I might add. Heading inside, we found ourselves in the large open ballroom. The place was filled with ponies, all mixing and mingling. As we came in, a castle servant announced us both, which made she who must be obeyed blush quite adorably.
And so, the two of us happily mingled amongst the attendees of the gala. Having become friendly with a fair few of the nobles, as well as government types, and ponies within the Royal Guard, there were plenty of ponies for me to introduce my wife to. Quite early on, we joined my son, who had peeled off from Twilight and her friends with Applejack, to talk with Major Hartwin, a griffon officer temporarily seconded to Equestria as part of an officer exchange program. We also had a chance to talk with Twilight and her friends as well, including Fluttershy, who had brought along a friend of hers; Treehugger. I'm fairly certain the hippy mare was high as a kite. Ketamine maybe? They all seemed to be enjoying the gala a bit more than last time. I then ran into a very good friend of mine.
"Hello there, Steel!" I called as the two of us walked up to the unicorn. Wrought Steel was one of the top dogs in the CPS, a crown prosecutor. When cases were brought up to Day Court, he was usually first choice for prosecuting on behalf of the Crown. He was an average looking unicorn, with a silvery mane similar to the ghastly dye job my son was currently wandering around with. His cutie mark was of a balanced scales; a fitting emblem for somepony with such strong beliefs in justice and the law.
"Roger!" he replied, trotting over to us. "I heard that you'd been invited. And this must be Mrs. Owen." He bowed slightly. "Charmed, I'm sure."
"Wrought Steel here helped us put Trixie away for a year or two," I explained. "He's a damn fine prosecutor." Steel smiled.
"Yes, one who currently takes orders from somepony who used to work for the dark side," he replied, referring to my previous occupation as a solicitor.
There was only one person who was conspicuous by their absence; Discord. I hadn't seen him all evening, despite Celestia's insistence that she invited him. I assumed at first that he had either blown off attending because it would be too boring, or something had held him up. Neither was impossible. Princess Luna for instance, didn't usually attend the gala as she had to continue holding her Night Court, since, with the moon high in the sky, the governing of Equestria now lay with her.
However, whilst I was mulling over this, the usual hubbub of conversation was drowned out by one of Celestia's servants announcing Discord's arrival.
The draconequus entered wearing a rather ostentatious orange suit. However, that was the furthest thing from my mind. Coming along with him was this...thing. It was a large blob of green gunk. Wearing a small bowtie and top hat, it appeared to be sentient, and followed Discord around. He introduced the odd looking creature as 'The Smooze'. That got my son's attention.
Bones went storming over to Discord and this 'Smooze', grabbed the former by his suit collar with his magic, and dragged him down to his level.
"Discord," he said, in an oddly calm, quiet voice. "Please, tell me that is not what Ah think it is."
"Oh, have you two met before?" Discord replied, grinning at the human turned pony. "You should have said something, dear boy." This only served to irritate him more, not that any of his own magic could have much of an effect on the Spirit of Chaos and Disharmony.
"Ah'm sure this sounded like a good idea in your head," my son continued. "But please, for the love of Celestia, take that thing away, and stick it back in the volcano ya found it in!" Discord merely nudged my son away, easily overcoming his magic.
"Oh pish posh, dear boy. The Smooze and I are good friends, like Fluttershy and...Treehugger." His eyes narrowed for a moment as he glared at mare from the 1960's. "It would be a shame to exclude him, don't you agree." Seeing he was getting nowhere with him, my son stormed off again.
And right over to Princess Celestia.
"Your highness," he declared, interrupting her conversation with Twilight. "You need to get every single pegasus you can lay your hooves on in here right now. Royal Guard, Weather Patrol, civilians, even colts and fillies, everypony! Maybe that way we can get ahead of this thing." The rest of that conversation was lost to me as I went to talk with Discord myself.
"Hello, Discord," I greeted, smiling. "I was starting to think you weren't going to show up." Much to my surprise, Discord wrapped himself around in what I imagine he thinks is a hug.
"Oh hello, my dear friend," he said with a false tone of happiness. Once again, he leered in the direction of Fluttershy.
"Erm, are you alright, Discord?" I asked, eventually managing to free myself from his boa constrictor move. This was odd, even for him. He was definitely mad about something, and judging by the veiled looks he was giving Fluttershy and her friend, it was about them. He did tend to spend a lot of time with the soft spoken pegasus. I had actually half expected him to attend the gala with her. Jealously maybe? She was his first friend after all.
"Oh, I'm perfectly fine, now that I'm with my good friend." Yeah, something was definitely wrong with him.
Discord hung around me for a while before disappearing off with his gelatinous friend. My son meanwhile, was galloping around panicking about what Discord's friend might do to Canterlot, leaving Applejack to tag along with her friends until he calmed down.
As it turned out though, my son was right on the money. Matters came to a head when The Smooze, engorged with shiny things it had eaten, covered most of the Gala in ooze. Worse still, the material seemed to possess magic dampening properties, so nopony, not even Celestia, could do much about it.
Discord continued to make trouble, eventually blowing up at Fluttershy over how Treehugger had taken precedence over him as her best friend. Then, in a rather idiotic move, he threatened to throw her into one of his pocket dimensions. For the record, this was still in this reality; despite his incredible magic Discord cannot reopen the portal back to Earth.
Luckily for all of us, Treehugger in particular, Fluttershy was able to calm the draconequus down again, and made him see reason. He was then kind enough to rein in The Smooze by way of an apology, though of course, it was too late to save the Gala. My wife and I, like everypony else and the entire room, were covered in sticky, gelatinous goo.
So, the party unceremoniously broke up. Most of the nobles had run for the hills as it was. However, I did need to talk to somepony rather crucially; a certain cello player who was, in some circles, known to take unusual requests.
I found Octavia packing away her cello, along with the rest of the small band that had been playing for the gala. Understandably, she looked quite annoyed, and was muttering something about how her roommate would have loved all of this.
"Octavia, can we talk for a moment?" I asked as I walked up. The grey mare looked up from her work.
"Oh, Mr...Owen, correct?" she replied. "Of course, what can I do for you?" I now changed my voice to a harder, more business like tone.
"You can take a message to Marelone for me." Octavia balked, almost dropping her cello's bow. Quite suddenly, she grabbed me and hauled me around to behind the stage, out of sight, and earshot, of anypony else. Getting on her hind legs, she pinned me against the wall.
"Do you want to repeat that? Just in case anypony didn't hear you!" she exclaimed in a shouting whisper. "What business is it of yours in any case?"
"I have some work both you and him ought to be interested in," I replied, doing my utmost to sound unruffled.
"Which is?" Octavia demanded.
"I need somepony lifted. Some of his ponies would be a great help," I said. Dear God, I was walking an old road tonight.
"You have plenty of guards at your disposal," Octavia countered. I shook my head.
"This one is much more elusive, and time is not on our side. Plus, your ability to operate outside certain norms is most useful. I assure you that all parties will be well compensated." Octavia thought for a moment before replying.
"Alright, I'll pass your message on. But tell me first, who is it?" I stared the mare down.
"You'll be told. In good time." Octavia held my gaze for a moment before releasing me and returning to her work.
That was another avenue opened; Marelone would contact me in his own time. He's very human in his own way, hence why the two of us occasionally cross paths. As for the other possibility, it had actually been Celestia's idea rather than mine, I would head down to Tartarus tomorrow.
With my little errand done, I returned to the little group of friends that had formed; Celestia, Twilight and co, Bones, and my wife. With the party over for all intents and purposes, we decided to head out somewhere in Canterlot. We eventually found ourselves at Donut Joe's, a good little bakers and coffee house. There we all talked the night away until it was time to head home.
And that was my experience of the Grand Galloping Gala. All I will say is; never again. And I rather think the wife agrees.
> Chapter 7 - Quid Pro Quo, Clarice
"So how did the map know?" I muttered to myself.
"What was that, my advisor?" Celestia asked as she turned to me. She was sitting in her throne, and I was beside her. I promptly shook myself out of my reprieve.
"Oh, er, nothing, your highness. I was just pondering something," I replied. We had just finished up with another petitioner. I'd been called in and was just about to depart back to my office when I got to thinking.
Twilight and the others had been alerted to Starlight Glimmer's equality cult by the odd magical map that now sat in Twilight's new castle. It had alerted them by suggesting that they go to where the town was. It did nothing to tell them why they needed to go there. The same could be said for all the other times it had activated. It always knew when a problem was going to occur, or if there was serious imminent threat to harmony. It alerted them all to Starlight's plan to spread her nonsensical message by force, and it had notified them of a few other incidents. The question was how?
Equestria is a far cry from a police state. Aside from the few remaining emergency acts from back after the Royal Wedding, as well as the typical DORA type legislation, Equestria did little to invade its citizen's privacy. So how could this map thing possibly work? It needed to know what was happening, and be able to both determine if there was a threat, as well as prioritise the danger. Most computers on Earth couldn't perform that kind of task, not over an entire country.
"What was it you were pondering then? You've been sitting there lost in thought ever since young Braeburn left." I thought for a moment, unsure of whether it would be right of me to ask Celestia about it so directly. After all, on some occasions in the past, she had kept some pretty important matters under her crown.
"Twilight's map," I replied at length. "I'm trying to understand how it could work. I can't even think of a magical explanation for it. I was just curious." Celestia smiled.
"Well," she said. "I suppose it is fair that you know. You are supposed to ensure I run Equestria in a fair and just way after all. Though I fear I cannot fully answer your questions. Perhaps we should go and see the source."
Getting up from her throne and announcing a brief recess of the court, Celestia headed out of the throne room and bade me to follow her. We headed out of the main thoroughfares of the castle and towards some of the more private areas. Passing by the princesses' personal dining room, the two of us made our way up several spiralling flights of stairs. Eventually, we arrived outside a door which bore the emblem of the moon; Luna's chambers.
I have had a few dealings with Princess Luna in my time here. She's Celestia's younger sister and looks after Equestria during the night, raising and lowering the moon, as well as protecting everypony's dreams. And that's in addition to the Night Court she holds. She is a stark contrast to her older sister in almost every way. Some ponies see her as quite intimidating and stern compared to the ever maternal Celestia. She is also noticeably more direct in her actions.
When Celestia is confronted with a problem, she prefers to guide ponies to the solution, rather than solving the problem for them, Luna is the opposite. In fact, she regularly has voiced her dissension to Celestia about her use of Twilight and her friends to thwart several enemies of Equestria, particularly Tirek, who became as dangerous as he did for that exact reason.
Celestia rapped on the large doors with her hoof, prompting a few sounds of life from within.
"My sister should be able to answer your questions I think, Roger," she said calmly. "I'll head back to court now. I believe I have a meeting with the Prench ambassador."
The solar alicorn then departed, leaving me to stand alone against the darker princess. Just before she passed out of sight, I called out to her a spot of advice that has been passed down through the generations.
"The Prench cannot be trusted!" That got her to giggle. A moment later, I heard the lock on the door unlatch.
The door opened and Princess Luna herself stepped out. She is a little shorter than me; round about Sombra's height actually, and a little taller than Cadence. Still, she does have quite the intimidating visage. How my son has become so...well, borderline obsessive towards her I will never understand.
"Ah, Roger. What brings you to my door so late in the day?" Luna is awake through most of the day, but her body clock is somewhat reversed due to her nocturnal nature.
"Sorry to bother you, your highness," I replied. "But I wanted to ask you a few questions about that map of Twilight's. Celestia said you might have some insight." Luna smiled slightly in a knowing way, before stepping back and inviting me in.
Heading inside, I found Luna's room to be just a little messy. Star charts were scattered everywhere, as were maps of Equestria, as well as maps of its principle towns. Along the far wall was a small library of books. There was also a large blackboard in the far corner of her room (her bedroom, as with Celestia's chambers, was beyond a second door) which was covered with notes and photographs of ponies I didn't recognise. Finally, in the far corner was a telegraph ticker. I asked her how precisely the map worked; this is a summary of what she told me:
You are being watched. Equestria has a secret system. It spies on you every hour, of every day. I know because...I've seen it. It was originally designed to detect threats to harmony, but it sees everything; minor incidents involving ordinary ponies. The system identified them as irrelevant. Luna, however, disagreed. The Elements couldn't act, so she decided she would. But she needed a partner; somepony with the skills to intervene. Kept hidden from the authorities, they work in secret. You'll never find them, but victim or perpetrator, if your number's up; they'll find you.
Long story short; the map was part of a wider, passive, closed surveillance system, created by the Tree of Harmony. That was why it never gave details, only a general location, to preserve privacy. Princess Luna had assembled a rag tag band of brothers to help her, since she couldn't always go off to sort these matters out herself. I suppose you could call them a backup to Twilight and her friends.
Firstly, there was an agent who, arguably, does not exist. Known normally as the gifted author, A.K. Yearling, Daring Do was Luna's first choice for this kind of work. She's done work for Celestia and Luna long before this, dealing with the likes of Ahuizotl and other wannabe megalomaniacs.
In addition to her, there was somepony closer to home. Whilst Luna would not give me her alias, a Special Agent Sweetie Drops of Equestrian Intelligence operated out of Ponyville, covering more domestic issues, and assisting with issues closer to Canterlot. She'd apparently been placed there for her own safety too; something about a bugbear, I think.
And finally, there was old Strong Shield. That didn't surprise me in the slightest. With his espionage and surveillance training from his time in the Changeling Hive, as well as his shapeshifting ability, he made an excellent spy, as well as a contact inside the Royal Guard.
So, Luna had these three ponies acting on her behalf. My next question was how she knew where to go; I didn't regularly see her going to Twilight's home to examine the map. And it only activated when it summoned the Elements. To explain that, she pointed to the nearby maps, which were covered in various annotations.
"This," Luna announced with some pride in her voice. "Is my version of Twilight Sparkle's map. Not as decorative perhaps, but functional nonetheless." I looked around; the only map to be seen was a typical OS map of Equestria.
"So how do you get your tip off?" Luna gestured to a small telegraph ticker in the corner.
"The map tells me through that," she explained. She was about to continue, when all of a sudden, the ticker whirred into life. Luna promptly trotted over and examined the line carefully. Reading the message, I was quite confused. It read as follows:
'Uncertainty, R, K. Family, A, M. Reflections, J, O'.
Thoroughly confused, I watched as the night princess moved between the various bookshelves, picking up books as she went. At length, she returned to the chalk board, and laid three books on a reading table.
"Right, 'The Age of Uncertainty: Between the Griffon Wars', 'The Importance of Family', and 'Reflections on Mirror Technology'," she said, more to herself than me. The princess began to flick through the books, her horn glowing a soft blue, looking at the first pages of each, and noting something down. With that done, she then turned to a map of Equestria and began to plot a point using coordinates. I was utterly bewildered by what she was doing. The princess quickly spotted my confusion and explained her little setup.
"For all its power, the map does not possess a voice. Telegraph is the only way it has been able to communicate with me after I reached out to it. But, given that the network is accessible to the general populace, it encodes its messages. You are familiar with a library's cataloguing system, are you not?" I nodded. "The filing codes provide coordinates, allowing me to discern roughly where the problem lies."
"Impressive," I replied. I was genuinely impressed too. Whatever this map really was, it was certainly more than a little clever. Luna however, then changed her tone to become more serious.
"I hope you understand the importance of security here. Even with this set-up, I doubt ponies would be happy to find out this is how they are kept from harm." I nodded, agreeing to keep quiet.
"Ain't that the truth." Ponies felt safe knowing that they were protected from the likes of Tirek or Chrysalis. However, they didn't like to know how. If anypony found out about this, including Twilight, there would be an uproar and everything would be most likely shut down. And then, we'd be back at square one, blind to any future threats. Luna finished identifying the new location.
"Rainbow Falls," she declared, sticking a pin in the map. "It's not been that long since I visited there." She then turned to me. "I'm sorry, Roger, but I need to handle this now. If I remember correctly, you were going down to Tartarus today."
"Yes, your highness," I replied. "I had best return to Celestia so she can open the portal." Today would be something of a change to the norm. Starlight was becoming a major concern, with a reported sighting of her in Canterlot itself. Thus, we wanted to bring all our guns to bear. At the gala, I had already enlisted help from Octavia and her associates, and I was waiting to hear back from Marelone. Now though, at Celestia's request, I would try to involve one of the few ponies who also eluded Equestria's authorities; Sombra.
Arguably, it was a pointless move, Sombra had little reason to help me, or anypony else. I could hardly offer him a deal to reduce his sentence now could I? However, he himself had said he found me interesting; he had been the one to ask for me after all. Perhaps, with luck, I could convince him to help. It was certainly a better shot than asking Tirek.
"There's no need to cross half the castle to see my sister," Luna said. "I can easily open the portal for you here. Though I must ask you not take too long. I will need to depart soon." Thanking Luna for her help, and her explanation, I allowed her to open the portal and hurried inside.
At this point, the charms of Tartarus have worn off on me. I'm no longer spooked by the sudden ominous noises, or the unsettling beings that call this place home. Still, I knew to tread carefully, particularly around the likes of Sombra. As I walked, I sung an old tune to myself.
On a cold and grey November morn,
As I left Belfast town.
In a cold and lonely prison van,
For Long Kesh I was bound.
But my spirit was unbroken,
My heart was still afire.
For soon I knew I would be with,
The men behind the wire.
Passing Tirek's cell, and ignoring, what was at this point, the merely irritating centaur within, I made for Sombra's little cave. Heading inside, I once again found a stone chair waiting for me, with the dark king standing behind the bars. However, this time, the illusion Sombra applied to his cell was different. Instead of the corrupted throne room that I had previously seen, the cell now seemed much smaller, appearing to be an old study of sorts, with dark stone walls, old wooden book cases, and small lectern for reading books. He was doing research.
"Hello, Sombra," I said as I walked in. A good enough opening, he had addressed me informally the last time we spoke, so it made sense to do the same. He opened his eyes and smiled.
"Roger, so nice to see you again. Has it been a month already?" Damn, he already knew my visit was out of the usual routine. I wondered how, with no clocks or stars to measure the passage of time.
"No, I'm here to see you specially," I replied, sitting down. I tried opening with a different subject. "Twilight showed me the article you wrote in Scientific Equestrian, on controlling the corrupting effects of dark magic."
It was published under a pseudonym, naturally. It had been one of Sombra's few requests besides my continued visits. All were checked carefully before they were sent out. Celestia even went as far as hiring somepony to play Sombra's alias in interviews and the like. As with the map, it was probably better if ponies didn't know that an insane unicorn king was still alive, and writing academic articles in his spare time.
"And?" Sombra enquired.
"Very interesting, even to a layman," I replied. Sombra laughed and shook his head, his lion like mane swishing back and forth.
"You aren't a laypony, Roger. For goodness sake, you are friends with three of the most advanced magic users of your time. I'm sure you've picked up more than most." True, probably. Between the knowledge I needed to deal with the laws governing magic, and my son who never shuts up about it, I know quite a bit about magic. Enough to at least vaguely understand what Sombra wrote.
Sombra had complimented me, so I had to do the same; it made for an ideal opening.
"I need your advice, Sombra," I said bluntly. Sombra however, got up and walked to the far wall, scanning the books on the shelves.
"Starlight Glimmer. You want to know where she's hiding, don't you?" he said knowingly.
"You evaded capture for almost as long as Tirek. I thought you might have some ideas." He turned his head to look at me, evidently curious. I continued.
"I thought you might enjoy the challenge; a chance to see if you are smarter than her." Sombra slowly turned around and walked back to the bars. I knew I'd made a bad move. He stopped just shy of the metal bars and stared me dead in the face. He spoke in a calm, quiet voice.
"Then, by implication, you and your princess friends are smarter than me, since it was they who put me here." He snorted in vague disgust.
"I'm not smarter than you," I replied, attempting damage control. Sombra however, cut me off.
"Then how do we find ourselves in our present roles?" he enquired. Well, I suppose there was a simple reason Sombra lost.
"You had certain...disadvantages." Sombra looked half curious.
"Oh? What sort of disadvantages?" He smiled in that sick way he does when he knows he's winning.
"You're insane." I did my best to get back on track. Sombra however, continued to block me.
"You will not persuade me with such compliments, nor with appeals to my intellectual vanity, Roger." Ah, here was my chance. Sometimes it's acquiescing rather than pushing them that gets results.
"I'm not trying to persuade you. Either you'll help me or you won't," I said simply, keeping eye contact with him the whole time. Sombra sat down for a moment, and formed his hooves into a steeple, staring at them intently. Eventually, he broke from his reprieve.
"Is that her file there?" he asked, gesturing to the manila folder on my lap. I did my best to mask my relief, but I'm sure he picked up on it. Lighting up his horn, his black aura gently took the folder from my grasp. Opening the small lock on the file, he began to skim over the finer points.
"Hmm, this will take some time. I shall need privacy too," he said. "I suggest you call back in a few days." He then left me, going to the small lectern in his 'study', and levitating over a few books and some half-moon spectacles. With little else to do, and with him having apparently ended our conversation, I left.
Heading out again, I walked out of the portal and found myself back in Luna's chambers, with the alicorn herself standing nearby. I thanked her for her help. Really, it was quite an inconvenience for her. She had to stay there, maintaining the portal, instead of doing anything else; she still had her little mission to direct off in Rainbow Falls. With that, she departed and I had a moment to think.
Sombra had, for whatever reason, probably his own amusement, or simply because I 'complimented' him, accepted my request for help. One of the finest minds in Equestria was now helping us determine where Starlight might be holed up. He would go over all the information we had on her, and hopefully offer up some insights. It wasn't exactly a guarantee, but it was a start.
A few days later, in the early evening, Fluttershy dropped by my house. She had found another note on Cerberus' collar. As ever, it was addressed to me. It merely stated that Sombra had completed his 'evaluation' and wanted to 'compare notes'. Insha'Allah, that meant he had come up with something useful for me.
The next day, I decided to head straight down to Tartarus. Sombra would probably consider it rude of me if I didn't come running. And there was no need to waste any time with pretences of delays. As ever, Celestia opened the portal, and I stepped through.
I followed the familiar route to Sombra's cell. Sometimes I do wish that it was possible to move where the portal came out. But, for obvious security reasons, it had to be near the entrance and near Cerberus. Taking a moment, I went over to the great three headed dog. He seems to like me, having gotten used to my repeated visits. His three heads all lean down to be petted and to have his chins tickled. Really, he is like any other dog. Except it goes where it wants. And it sits where it wants. And it eats what it wants.
Making my way down the long passage and into the cell, I was confronted with another change. On every other occasion I have had to visit the psychopath, Sombra has always been waiting for me, either standing at the bars, staring unsettlingly in the direction I come from, or sitting on his imaginary throne, pretending he is still king. This time, it seemed as if I caught him off guard.
The backdrop was again that of his study, only this time, he was deeply engrossed in reading something, part of the file he borrowed I assumed. His eyes, whilst not glowing with dark magic, nonetheless sparkled with interest. A soft chuckle escaped him.
"Oh, very clever, my dear. Very clever," he said to himself. "And yet so foolish and infantile. A pity. But still, useful." I decided to startle him.
"Good morning, Sombra," I called out as I walked in. However, the stallion did not move. He merely replied.
"And a good morning to you too, Roger." I had expected him to be caught at least a little off guard. But it was as if I didn't warrant his attention anymore. "If you want to surprise me, you'll need to do better than that. I've had two alicorns come bursting through a window to kill me; very little surprises you after that." Feeling like a fool, I took my usual seat.
Sombra closed up the file he was reading and left it on his small lectern. Walking over to the bars that separated us, he sniffed at the air like a terrier at a rabbit's burrow.
"That's the same atrocious aftershave you wore at our last meeting," he said. I took the jab in silence; there was nothing to be gained from it. Instead, I tried to get some control of where our conversation went. The dark unicorn would not make this easy.
"I got your message," I began, drawing a line under my embarrassment. "I take it you have something for me." Closing the book he had been studying, and placing all the papers back in the folder they had come in, he turned to me.
"Yes, she is a most interesting mare this, Starlight Glimmer. So very strange; intelligent and yet so stupid and reckless. A full grown mare, and yet still a foal crying for her mother. I doubt she will be a serious problem for your friends. Still, tick tock, tick tock."
"Do you know where she is?" I asked, impatience creeping in.
"The answer is right in front of you, dear boy," he replied, gesturing to the file.
"I need your opinion," I countered irritably. "Now!" That seemed to annoy Sombra.
"I've given you my opinion," he replied coolly. "I did so when you walked in here. I've even told you what she's planning."
"No more riddles, Sombra! Tell me!" I snapped. Sombra didn't take to kindly to this.
"No!" he barked back. His eyes, for a moment, took on their unsettling hues as his dark magic manifested again. His voice then softened a little. "I showed you a courtesy, and you responded rudely. Before I tell you anything more, you will make certain arrangements." I did my upmost to repress my anger.
"What sort of arrangements?" I hissed back. Sombra smiled at me; at this point, he called the shots, and the bastard loved it.
"Shall we say...dinner and a show?"
I left Sombra immediately after; if I hadn't I would have probably have said something that would offend him beyond all hope of repair. He soon sent a note detailing precisely what he wanted. In Tartarus, he knew no hunger or thirst. But, he still had an enjoyment for the finer things in life, and eternal damnation does get boring after a few centuries. It wasn't easy finding guards to volunteer to go down and pay call on the former king; particularly when most thought him dead.
I next visited him, by his request, as he was getting his ransom. Both Celestia and I were keen to get the information from him quickly, lest we be made to look foolish. Walking down into Tartarus, the usual quiet was replaced by the sound of an orchestra and the strains of a Neightalian opera. At least the twisted demon had taste.
Heading into his cell, I found the illusion was now switched to that of the great dining hall in the crystal palace. Sombra sat at the head of the table, facing away from me. He was just dabbing his mouth with a napkin and listening to the climatic point of whatever opera was playing when I entered. This time, I was determined to keep a better handle on my emotions.
"Are you ready to talk now, Sombra?" I asked. He set down a glass of wine and turned his chair to face me.
"I suppose so, Roger," he said, sounding half interested. Activating his magic, he turned off the record player.
"Do you know where Starlight is?" I asked. Sombra cocked his head.
"Well, I've read the files on her. Have you? Everything you need to find her is right there in those pages," he replied, being his usual cagey self. He knew, almost certainly, or at least had a rough idea. But for whatever reason he wasn't willing to share. Yet. I tried appealing to his innate superiority complex.
"Then tell me how." Sombra got up and shook his head before replying.
"First principles, Roger. Simplicity. Read Marecus Aurelius." He levitated a book from a nearby shelf and opened it to a certain passage. It was amazing that he could create books like that with his magic from memory alone. I'd finally allowed Bones to look over the one he'd 'gifted' me a few days earlier.
"Of each particular thing ask; what is it in itself? What is its nature? What does she do, this mare you seek?" The answer seemed obvious.
"She takes cutie marks from ponies, forces them to conform to her 'Equality' philosophy." Sombra glared at me in irritation, his red eyes glowing, and increased the volume of his reply.
"No! That is incidental!" His voice then returned to its usual calm state. "What is the first and principal thing she does? What need does she serve by robbing ponies of their destiny and identity?" Oh great, all of a sudden I'm in a psychology seminar. I did my best to come up with possibilities.
"Erm, anger? Acceptance? Frustration?" I was about to go on, but Sombra, again quite clearly bored, cut me off.
"No, she covets," he declared. "That is her nature. And how do we begin to covet, Roger? Do we seek out things to covet? Make an effort; you haven't exactly been a star pupil. Answer now!" I snapped at him.
"No, of course not, we..." Sombra again cut me off. I did my best to calm my emotions, lest I take a bad step.
"We begin by coveting what we see every day." Sombra smiled again. "Every day another foal gains their cutie mark, discovers their destiny, their purpose, their raison d'etre, their place in this world. And she hates them for it. So she takes them from ponies."
"That makes no sense though," I countered. "We know Starlight has a cutie mark. That was what made her a hypocrite. She made everypony but herself give up their marks. Why would she covet that which she already has?"
In response, Sombra got up and walked to the centre of his little study, sitting down again on the floor. He closed his eyes in what was perhaps genuine frustration.
"It isn't the marks themselves, dear boy. It is what they represent to her. Uncover that and you will understand her, and know her next move." With that Sombra turned and walked away. The room before me morphed back into that of the throne room of the crystal palace. Sombra made his way up to the dais and climbed the excessive stairs, before settling on his throne again. After that, he paid no more attention to me. Taking the files he had returned to me, I left.
I believe the expression is 'one step forward, two steps back'. |
Tales From Day Court | Chapter 8 - Omerta | Sitting in my high backed chair, I stared down at my desk. I contemplated getting out the bottle of scotch I kept on the bottom left hand drawer for special occasions. I didn't want to risk it though. I needed to be sharp for my next meeting; and it wasn't going to be with your usual petitioner.
As I said before, I had two avenues to explore in regard to finding Equestria's second most wanted fugitive. The first had been enlisting Sombra to help. The second had been something more direct. I had spoken to Octavia at the Grand Galloping Gala, and had her pass word to her employer that I needed to speak to him.
Equestria has quite a low crime rate, and there are many reasons for this. Aside from the more peaceful nature of ponies, and the efficiency of law enforcement, there was another factor to consider. In certain cities such as Manehatten and Chicoltgo, there existed another body that kept low level crime down; a body that I like to refer to as 'Cosa Nostra', though that isn't what the ponies involved call it. But yes, Equestria has organised crime, although it has stayed much closer to its old routes than its human counterpart.
The organisation deals mostly in protection rackets, picking up the slack from the local lawmen, as well as contract work. Ponies don't really have that much in the way of controlled substances, so smuggling wasn't really a thing. Their big money was in the unions though, particularly where there was any big construction work. They also tended to prosper in places like Las Pegasus, where they owned, or rather controlled, a few of the casinos and hotels.
Anyway, as a result, small time crime was exceptionally low, given that any time somepony messed around with these ponies, they tended to go for a walk in the Manehatten Harbour, wearing concrete horseshoes. It was rather advantageous to me as well. After all, these criminals were much more open to partnership, in a manner of speaking. They kept crime low in the rougher areas in exchange for the Royal Guard and other groups not interfering too heavily. It was a case of better the devil you know, and it was in everypony's interest to not create too much of a mess. As a result, there was something of a detente.
Similar things had happened on Earth. During the war, the Americans had employed Mafioso types to protect shipyards in New York from sabotage. This was no different; as long as Cosa Nostra didn't do anything too drastic, such as measuring somepony up for a wooden suit, we allowed their activities to continue. In turn, they helped us when asked.
With their experience then, they were well suited to tracking down a wily fugitive. The Royal Guard and other law enforcement agencies simply didn't have the resources to run a nationwide manhunt. On the other hand, these ponies could supply us with well-trained operatives who could. Bounty hunters, if you will. There was a price on Starlight's head after all; if I remember correctly, somewhere in the region of fifty thousand bits upon her delivery, alive, to the Royal Guard.
Mind you, this was not a regular occurrence. Celestia was certainly not in cahoots with these ponies, nor was I. Someday I would hopefully see the lot of them in the dock and sent down the river. As useful as they were, they were still a criminal organisation and I never fully trusted them. But at present, they could be of use to me.
I was expecting a visit from Marelone today. He was one of their higher ups, akin to an officer, but a far cry from the boss; a 'capo' to his native Sifillyan tongue. He lived and worked in Manehatten and he was the pony Octavia dealt with. In fact, I rather hoped that she would take up this contract. After all, I had called on her services in the past, and she had never let me down yet. I'd made it clear that I wanted the following in terms of manpower, or ponypower:
Rustlers, cut throats, murderers, bounty hunters, desperados, mugs, pugs, thugs, nitwits, halfwits, dimwits, vipers, snipers, con men, Buffalo agents, Mexicolt bandits, muggers, buggerers, bushwhackers, hornswogglers, horse thieves, bull dykes, train robbers, bank robbers, ass-kickers, shit-kickers, and Methodists.
I fear that that last one may have thrown them a bit. Still, I expected that they'd be able to find somepony willing to do the work.
Then there came the knock on the door. I was briefly started, but quickly settled myself. The last thing I wanted was to come across as being on edge. Long experience has taught me that you can't show any hint of weakness around these guys.
"Enter!" I called out, staying at my desk. The door opened to reveal Buttercup, with another pony standing behind him.
"There's a pony here who says he has an appointment with you, sir," he said, looking ever so slightly worried. I figured that he had recognised who it was that had come to pay call on me. While they were technically villains, a good many of these ponies, particularly old Speakeasy, were quite well respected in their home cities. I asked Buttercup to show him in, and then to head back to the court.
The stallion that entered was not what you might necessarily expect. He was about my son's size, though much more wiry in appearance. He was an earth pony, with a chestnut coat and a jet black mane and tail. The suit he wore was clearly expensive, as was undoubtedly the amount of gel that was in his mane. His eyes though were what got your attention the most. While they didn't hold the same evil that I'd seen in ponies like Sombra, he did have the eyes of a predator, waiting for his chance to strike. He was a wiseguy.
He stared at me across the expanse. I'm quite sure that he would like to have had me done away with some time ago, as would I him. Still, for the moment, there was an uneasy truce between us, just as there was between his people and the Manehatten police.
"Good day, Mr. Marelone," I greeted neutrally, nodding slightly. The stallion responded in kind.
"Mr. Owen," his Sifillyan accent plain to the ear, though with a hint of Hocklyn to it. He proceeded to remove his hat and coat, hanging them up on the nearby coat-rack. Silence hung in the air for a moment as we sized each other up.
"Have a seat, please," I suggested, motioning to the chair across my desk. He stared me down for a moment before complying. The tension was almost palpable. I smiled as I noticed he had dressed casually.
"Drink?" I asked. Marelone shook his head.
"Thank you, no." He eased himself into the chair and relaxed himself for a moment.
Marelone, as I have already said, is well connected to the less reputable side of pony society. And whilst I may despise him, I still understand him and his somewhat vigilante approach to justice. Conversely though, I despise other aspects of his operation, particularly his little extortion racket we found out that was running in Little Bitaly. In this instance though, he had something I wanted. I could deal with this wop another day.
"I was surprised when our mutual friend brought me your letter," he said, opening our little dialogue. "It's not every day the legal advisor to the princess herself comes looking to place an order." This took me back. How long had it been since I ran an ASU? Marelone spoke carefully, giving no specifics. Everything he said was circumstantial, and open to interpretation. Understandably, he found the whole situation highly suspect. He was right to be suspicious.
"Desperate times call for desperate measures," I replied. "Would you be able to furnish my request?"
"I might," Marelone answered, cagily. "How much are we talking?" I shook my head.
Grabbing a scrap of an old scroll and quill, I quickly jotted down a number for him. After letting the ink dry, I pushed it across the desk to him. I saw his eyes widen at the five figure offer.
"This is to clip her and bring her in, not push a button, Marelone. I want that understood," I warned gravely. "Screw this up, and there will be consequences." Marelone nodded in understanding.
"Things will be settled up when the job is done. Your superiors will be compensated for their services, as will the associate who does the work. Until then, our agreement does not exist, and is completely off the record."
"Is that what you want me to tell my superiors and The Commission?" he asked. The Commission was the combined body of Cosa Nostra's leadership. Whenever problems or conflicts came up, the heads of each territory would meet up to discuss and ideally solve the issue. Think of it as a dark, twisted version of the Royal Summit.
"That's the job," I replied, nodding. I then leaned forward. "But impress upon your friends that this is a one-time deal. Any funny business, anything at all, and I will drop the Royal Guard on their heads." Equestria did have laws against organisations such as Cosa Nostra. But as I said before, it was better to exist in detente. "Contact me when you have an answer and have people lined up. I'd like to brief them myself."
Marelone leaned back in his chair for a moment, looking at me, searching for a tell. Understandably, he didn't trust me anymore than I did him. On the other hand, the sum which I was offering was much more than usual, and he undoubtedly wanted the funds. It was certainly more than I had paid Octavia on the rare occasions I used her services. This constituted much more than your average 'Hector' type job. A fetch and retrieve job was infinitely more complex than the Neanderthal methodology of removing a few teeth. At length, Marelone reached a decision.
"Alright. I'll pass the word," Marelone eventually said. "I'll wire you when you need to come up to Manehatten." Ah yes, no phones in Equestria, and few had access to the sort of instant messaging that Spike could provide. Telegraph was the most common way to send messages long distance quickly.
With that, he got up from his chair, retrieved his hat and coat, and departed the way he had come. I allowed myself to breathe easily again. I despised working with bastards like that. But they had the resources and the remit to do what the Royal Guard couldn't. I also didn't like it for the memories such meetings invoked. I'm no Italian, but I'd been in a version of that life many years ago, and it was not something I cared to think about. Shaking my head to clear my thoughts, I headed to the court to sit in; it would help take my mind off things.
But just before I left, I reached down under my desk, and clicked off the tape recorder that had been running.
Nothing personal, Marelone.
Just business.
Several days later, Marelone wired me to come up to Manehatten. He'd spoken with his boss, who had in turn spoken with the other members of The Commission. They'd all agreed that this arrangement would be mutually beneficial and had agreed to put some of their best contractors on the case, setting up a meeting in Manehatten's industrial district.
I headed up there as soon as I could, begging temporary leave from the princess. Celestia would have to manage without me today. But given that she's been doing that since before my great-great-great-grandfather was in nappies, I was sure that she'd be fine. All the major cases for the week were done and dusted, or at worst could be put off until I got back. I would only be in Manehatten an afternoon, heading back to Ponyville that evening, and back at work tomorrow.
Leaving the comfortable and familiar surroundings of Canterlot Castle, and after hailing a cab, I headed back down the mountain toward the railway station. Despite being the capital, and the end of one of the main lines, the station isn't that large. I got on another gaudy looking train and took my seat amongst the other passengers, most of whom were equally bound for Manehatten.
The train took me back down the mountain towards Ponyville. However, this time I went through my usual stop and followed the line east, towards the coastline. Geographically speaking, Canterlot is pretty much in the dead centre of Equestria, hence its place as the capital. Manehatten was north east from there, sitting right on the coast, a little to the north of Baltimare and Fillydelphia. In fact, as I learned on the train ride there, the city itself was actually its own island; only accessible by crossing the Hocklyn Bridge, or by sailing up the coast.
The city was much like the version I was familiar with, albeit somewhat anachronistic. I'd say it fitted with the New York of the early 1920's. It was certainly quieter than the modern day New York, though still quite a shock compared to Canterlot, never mind Ponyville. It was city of towering spires, huge bridges, and bustling ponies. I imagined it looked even more impressive by night.
Getting off the train, I found myself in Equestria's version of Grand Central Station. It made Canterlot's own terminus seem tiny by comparison. There had to be almost a dozen tracks running in from all different directions, some of which connected with Manehatten's nearby airfield, where dirigibles and even the odd Griffon zeppelin weighed anchor. I've never trusted those things myself though, certainly not enough to fly in them. Aside from the R-101, a zeppelin had killed my old home town's lady mayoress in the war.
Stepping down into the opulent station, I was instantly stared at by the natives, not an uncommon occurrence really. Despite my odd appearance though, they all treated me to the same Manehatten hospitality. Either in carriages or on foot, Manehattenites are pushy, foul tempered, and foul mouthed little buggers. The number of times somepony yelled at me to watch where I was going, or simply cursed me out in a manner that would startle a Cornish harbour, was exceptionally high as I made my way out toward the exit.
Unwilling to endure the four foot tall balls of angry any more, certainly not all the way to my meeting point, I hailed a yellow cab. They're actually dogcarts painted in the yellow, black and white livery of New York cabs, with a single stallion pulling. After about twenty minutes, I was finally able to get one to pull over for me. Thank God it wasn't tipping it down today. Clambering inside, I spoke with the driver.
"Get me to 2271 Industrial," I said. "The cider bottling plant."
The place was disused and now functioned as an 'off the grid' meeting point for Cosa Nostra types. Marelone told me that he, along with a few of his men would be there, as well as the 'contractors' that had agreed to take the job. I felt slightly uneasy going out there, but I doubted even Marelone was stupid enough to try anything. Celestia knew exactly what I was doing in this city, and would come down like a tonne of bricks on Marelone and The Commission if I didn't come back.
The cab quickly set off. We slowly weaved our way through the midday traffic, and headed away from the more tourist part of the city. The Statue of Harmony quickly disappeared from view. The streets began to change, becoming far less residential and much more industrial. Large factories dominated the skyline in this part of town. However, in this particular neck of the woods, a great many were currently empty, with letting signs from various estate agents out front. About twenty minutes later we arrived.
"Here we are," the cabbie said bluntly. "2271 Industrial. That'll be ten bits, mac." I quickly passed him a small sack.
"I shouldn't be here long. Mind waiting around? I'll throw in an extra twenty on top of my return fare." It was times like this that I thanked Celestia for my ability to charge work based expenses to the crown. Tips and the like get you a long way in Manehatten, and that included this cabbie.
"Sure, I can hang around for a bit," he replied casually. With that I got out of the dogcart and headed toward the plant.
On the surface, the place looked closed and shut up tight, just like all its neighbours. However, a closer inspection showed one way inside. A side door was propped open, and a small plastic bag was hung on the doorframe. Good, that meant it was safe to head in.
As I approached, I slipped into the same character I had used to deal with Marelone in my office. Call it acting, or regressing to a past self, or whatever; I couldn't deal with these ponies with my own friendly personality. Perhaps I should have turned up with sunglasses, a buzz cut, and a black pork pie hat.
Heading inside, I was quickly confronted by two thuggish looking earth ponies. This was what passed for security to Marelone. I allowed them to search me, since I had nothing to hide; they were nonetheless intimidating though, perhaps a show of force by Marelone. The pair then silently escorted me deeper into the plant, eventually taking me to the factory floor. It was here that I found Marelone, more goons, as well as the ponies I assumed were taking up my job offer.
"Hey there, Roger," Marelone greeted, sounding slightly less suspicious this time. I guessed he assumed that my being here constituted incriminating myself. I guess he's never crossed paths with an undercover cop...or a supergrass.
"Marelone," I replied. I then gestured to the assembled ponies. "Is this all of them?" He nodded.
"Yeah, these are the ones who were interested in your finder's fee."
There was quite the motley collection assembled before us, seven in all. A few I recognised; Octavia for example was here, in her 'work suit'; a black, unbuttoned suit jacket, and a black fedora with a purple trim. Sitting behind her was a cello case, which I sincerely doubted contained her prized instrument. Well, not the cello in any case.
Then there were a few I didn't recognise. Most were not ponies; as a rule they aren't that well suited to the dirty business of sending people to sleep with the fishes. There was a griffon, a minotaur, a pair of diamond dogs, and even a draconequus.
Wait.
"Discord?" I exclaimed. "What the hell are you doing here?!" The draconequus appeared unphased by my surprise or my question.
"The same as any of these bozos," he replied. "I'm looking for some work. Or at least a distraction." I was surprised, even by Discord's standards this was out of the norm. He was dressed in a black suit with a deep red tie. The outfit looked decidedly strange on his serpentine form.
"Since when have you been working for this lot?" Discord merely shook his head.
"I don't work for them," he replied, sounding a little offended. "And that's rich coming from you, Mr. senior government official. You're the one using this lot to do a guard's work." He had me there. "I'm just curious to see how long it takes the others to find her." This drew the ire of a few of the other assembled contractors.
"Alright, alright, settle down," Marelone ordered, the group quickly fell silent. "Now, Mr. Owen here has some work for you all, and he wants to place the order personally. So pay attention." With that he turned to me. I began to walk back and forth in front of the assembled ponies.
"The mare you are looking for is Starlight Glimmer. She's a political idealist turned cultist. A few months ago, she was found holed up in some backwater town with a bunch of ponies that had had their cutie marks removed, replaced with an equals sign. Attempts were made to bring her in, but she disappeared into a nearby cave network. Since then, she's been in the wind. I am looking for someone who can bring her in to stand trial. But we also believe that she may be planning a larger scheme, hence why I am looking to you." The various bounty hunters were all giving me their undivided attention, so I continued.
"There will be a substantial reward for the one who finds Starlight Glimmer. You are free to use any methods necessary, but I want her alive." At this point I turned to Discord. Deciding to have a bit of fun, I pointed an accusing finger at him.
"No disintegrations!" I warned sternly.
"Fine," Discord huffed irritably, giving me a fake glare.
I was about to go on, when I was interrupted by the arrival of the cabbie. Evidently he'd seen me go in through the open side door, and was getting a bit bored of waiting. Still, I'll bet you dollars to donuts he wished he'd stayed hitched to his cab. The Manehattenite found himself being stared down by a boatload of Cosa Nostra thugs, not to mention the merry band of misfits I had been addressing.
"What the...?" he exclaimed. Marelone quickly pounced on him.
"How the hay did this idiot get in here?" Letting out a sharp whistle, Marelone motioned for two of his goons to grab the unfortunate cabbie.
I know for a fact that these people don't approve of witnesses; particularly when they see a government official seemingly employ a bunch of mobsters and hitmen to bring down an enemy of the state. Like it or not, this little stunt crossed a few legal boundaries. That didn't mean I'd abandoned my principles though.
"Hey, hold on! Hold on!" I ordered, waving my hands around. The heavies relented and I turned to Marelone. "Why don't we settle this quietly, eh?" Marelone merely cocked his head. I walked over to the still restrained cabbie, leaning down a little to talk to him.
"Alright, friend. Here's what's going to happen. You are going to turn around and go back to your cab, and wait. When I'm finished here, you'll take me back to the station? With me so far?" The frightened pony nodded. "Good. Now, you may not know this, but I can be quite a generous tipper, with the right quality of service. Do you get what I mean?" Ah the old tricks, it's always better to pay them to shut up than to shut them up yourself. I think I feel nostalgic.
"Yeah, yeah. I get you, mac," The cabbie replied.
"Good. Then you can wait out front." I gestured for the two earth ponies to release him. As soon as he was free, he made straight for the exit.
"Not bad," Marelone commented, having watched my handiwork. I turned to face him.
"He gives you any trouble, you call me first. Understand?" I replied. I doubted he'd try and blow the whistle, but you never know. I straightened out my jacket.
"Right, unless there is anything else, I'll drift. Marelone is the only one to contact me about this. Other than that; good luck to you all."
With that, I took my leave, walking at a modest pace and not looking back. The act had to be kept up until the last. Only when I reached the cab did I let myself relax and slip out of the act I had been putting on.
The trip back to the station was noticeably more tense than the outward journey. The cabbie was sweating buckets, and not just because of hot afternoon sun. I did my best to appear relaxed. We soon found ourselves back in outside Manehatten's railway station. The cabbie tried to wave my fare, but I insisted that he take the small sack of bits. It was certainly more than the ride was worth, and should be enough to keep him quiet for all day.
Conversely though, if push came to shove, he would be a good ace in the hole to prove what had really happened sometime in the future. After all, after Starlight, these scumbags were next on my list. Grabbing my notebook, I jotted down his number. What had happened today could put Marelone, and quite a few others, away for a long time.
Getting on the next train bound for Canterlot, I headed back home. Since it was almost half six when I reached Ponyville, I decided that I would get off there, rather than continuing on to Canterlot.
Heading to the library, I had Spike send Celestia my report on what had happened. It was probably more secure than taking it to her personally, as my copy was incinerated as soon as it was sent. Spike was like a walking, talking Enigma machine.
With that done, I set off for home. However on the way, Discord dropped in and began to walk with me. He seemed fairly subdued for once.
"Well, that was an interesting day, eh?" he commented as we turned onto Stirrup Street.
"Sure was, old man," I replied. "I certainly didn't expect to see you there." Discord chuckled lightly.
"I could say the same for you. I certainly didn't think you had it in you to hang out with those lowlifes. But you rather fitted the bill." Snapping his talons a moment, he changed my usual suit into something far more expensive looking that better fitted a Chicoltgo gangster.
"Eh, some things you never forget." I quickly realised that I'd spoken without thinking. Discord, naturally caught on. Luckily though, he didn't seem to believe me. In fact he burst out laughing, even going so far as to hover in mid-air as he doubled up in agonising laughter.
"Oh, that's rich," he said, after he recovered himself. "Imagine you as a gangster."
"Well, you represent criminals long enough, you pick up a few things," I replied, recovering things well. "It always helps if you can speak their language."
We continued chatting idly as we made our way towards my house. I stopped at the garden gate.
"Well, this is me," I said, with an air of finality. "I'll see you tomorrow sometime. Drop by my office when you're done bugging Celestia." Discord smiled. Snapping his talons, he disappeared in his usual flash of white light.
Closing the gate behind me, I walked up the garden path and unlocked the front door. The long day, and very basic lunch on the train, had left my hungry for a decent dinner.
It was nice to get back to being me again. |
Tales From Day Court | Chapter 9 - Meet and Greet | With my 'order' placed with the relevant ponies, and with Sombra unwilling to offer any further information, I could afford to stop thinking about Starlight for a while. After all, as much as a potential threat she is, I did have other issues and cases to deal with. Celestia's legal advisor can't just bunk off to go chase pony David Koresh. As ever there were other petitioners, cases and meeting to deal with.
The Royal Summit was getting ever closer, meaning I would soon be very busy, meeting with representatives from all over Equestria. And in addition to that, given that Cadence's negotiations with Yakyakistan were still going well, it was possible that we would be having a delegation come to Equestria within the next month or so. Really, things had been quiet for the most part since Hearth's Warming.
However, my role as a government minister, as you have already seen, often extends outside of court. If there's a big political show, I, along with everypony else in the castle, are usually required to make an appearance. For example, I found myself sitting with Shining Armor for Celestia's birthday celebrations last year, when the Royal Guard conducted their regular Trooping of the Colour. It was a similar ceremony that I would be called to attend next.
I was startled from the paperwork I was finishing up by a knock on the door to my office.
"Come in!" I called out. It wasn't too often that I got visitors, aside from Buttercup when the princess dispatched him to bring me to the court. I occasionally got a visit from the odd noble, either a social call, or the odd political move. I try to keep myself out of court intrigue, but it isn't easy.
In this case though, it was neither Buttercup nor a member of the nobility. It was one of the senior officers in the Royal Guard; the head of the general staff in fact. His uniform was a little different to that of your common or garden variety guard, but more toned down than Shining's captain uniform. The stallion was a pegasus, his coat white due to the enchantment on the uniform, with the usual blue mane and tail. His expression was stern, though not in a threatening way. No, this particular stallion was more bureaucrat than soldier, and consequently had a serious stick up his rear end. Doing my best to suppress a sigh, I addressed the stallion as he stood before my desk.
"What do you want, Darling?" The stallion's left eye twitched slightly. It was as if a knife was buried in his chest, and every time somepony called his name, it was twisted a little more. He spoke in a tone laced with acid.
"It's Lieutenant Sweet Darling to you!" he snapped back irritably. "You're to attend a military procession tomorrow; visiting griffons." That peaked my interest.
"Oh, because of that business up in Griffonstone, right?" I asked. Griffonstone had once been one of the more prosperous city states that made up the Griffon Kingdom, though it had fallen by the wayside many years ago. Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie had been sent there by the map, and somehow, the two had managed to turn the settlement around quite a bit. Magic of friendship and all that.
"Yes," Darling replied, still hating the fact that he was playing the messenger. "The king himself cannot attend, but he is sending some of his most senior military officers as an envoy to thank Princess Celestia for sending those two mares. We are going to put on a little show for them, along with a few meetings. Call it a dry run before that dammed summit."
"I take it all the ministers and advisors are required to attend then?" Darling sneered at me.
"No, it's all just a special show for you," he replied sarcastically. "Just dress well, turn up on time, and be prepared to meet and greet with those feather brains." Luckily, before Darling could treat me to any more of his lovely personality, Princess Celestia arrived. Poking her head through the door, she spotted the two of us.
"Ah, there you are, Darling," she said. "I was wondering where you'd got to." She then turned to me. "Well, Roger, I guess you'll be rubbing shoulders with a few high profile griffons in a couple of days. It should be an interesting experience."
"It'll certainly be nice for Hartwin, your highness," I agreed. "He doesn't get to see that many of his own kind." Major Hartwin was a griffon exchange officer, temporarily seconded to Equestria as a gesture of goodwill, and as a way of keeping up foreign relations. The kingdom is Equestria's greatest ally and also a key trading partner.
"I suppose," Darling responded sourly. The princess looked at him sympathetically.
"Oh, come now, don't be like that, Darling," she said encouragingly. "This will be a chance for us to demonstrate the effectiveness of the Royal Guard to the griffons. We'll do a welcoming ceremony, a short inspection parade, and then move on to the meetings."
"Well, it certainly sounds like you'll have a lot on your plate, your highness. I guess you'll have to skip tomorrow's game then?" Celestia nodded.
"Sorry, but my princess duties come first." She then turned to the lieutenant. "Come on, Darling. We'd best be off. I'll see you around, Roger." With that the pair left.
"Bye, Darling," I called after him.
Well, it sounded like it would be quite the big shindig tomorrow. Hopefully things would go better than they did at the gala. This was more of a diplomatic visit though. I decided that I had better make a start on research. Since there was little on my plate at the moment, I left my office and headed downstairs to the archives; there was bound to be a few books on griffon history and culture, and law as well. If I had some time when I got back, I could stop by Twilight's castle and ask her to give me a quick summary lecture.
The day of the visit was quickly upon us. Twilight did indeed give me a lecture on Griffon history.
Several lectures.
With clip notes.
And PowerPoint slides.
I now knew pretty much all I needed for meeting and greeting with the envoy; everything from greeting customs all the way to the history of the various factions and city states that made up the kingdom.
Of course, I wouldn't be required to do too much. This was a state visit, so Celestia and Luna would be handling most of the events. We, as in the various advisors and ministers, were mainly there for show. Although I expected we would all be expected to mingle at the reception that would be held in the evening. The griffons would turn up and stay for two days; the usual press stuff, fact finding missions, keeping up foreign relations, the same old game. The two events I would be required to attend would be the military parade when they arrived, during which Celestia would invite the leader of the envoy, some big wig general in the Griffon armed forces, to inspect the Royal Guard, and the reception in the evening.
I was now standing on one of the balconies in the castle, along with the both the princesses and Celestia's other advisors, as well as Shining and a few other high rankers, Darling included. Below us was the main castle courtyard, in which two sections of the Royal Guard were lined up Nos. 3 and 5 Royal Guards respectively, one each from both halves of the guard.
They were all lined up and waiting at attention, and would present their arms when the envoy disembarked. The courtyard was also ringed by yet more guards, this regiment was on watch, providing security. Pegasi were also in the air and would escort the griffons into Canterlot.
From what Celestia had told me, there were a total of five griffon dignitaries visiting; three general officers and two ministers of his majesty's government. They would all be flying in by carriage, under escort from four griffon flyers. Not that there was any real danger; the last conflict between Equestria and the griffons occurred back when the kingdom was still the Griffon Empire, several hundred years ago. Still, security remained tight, with some of the old changeling detection protocols being brought back into use.
We had been waiting on the envoy for some fifteen minutes when one of the sentries spotted them approaching. Across from the Royal Guards was the Guard band. This now began playing a piece I quickly recognised.
The griffons made a single dummy run over the courtyard, with their rear escort flyers peeling off and landing at the far end. The carriage and its two forward outriders then touched down at its designated landing point. Unlike Celestia's own chariot, this vehicle was much more subdued, with a roof rather than being open. It was coloured slate grey, with black griffon markings on the side, as well as two small flags perched by the lamps. The two griffons pulling it, along with the two outriders, were dressed in the usual slate grey uniforms of the griffon military.
With the band still playing the familiar airs, Major Hartwin walked down the line to open the door and greet our visitors; a gesture by Celestia. Opening the carriage door, which I noticed was armoured, Hartwin switched to his native tongue to greet his commanding officer.
"Herr Reichsmarschall," he greeted, saluting the larger griffon. The combination of uniforms, language, and them music playing unsettled me a bit; too many similarities to Earth. The griffon in question returned the major's salute and disembarked.
Unlike his counterparts, Reichsmarschall Riverbill wore a more ornate uniform. It was still the usual grey, but with many accents and many more lines, signifying rank, on the epaulettes, which were a mixture of gold and red. He also boasted a chest full of medals, sufficient to make even a Russian think it a bit much. The marshal was the second in command of all of the Griffon Kingdom's military forces, made up of the varying militia groups that were centred around each territory. The country was a federal one, though it lacked a fully unified government or military below that of the king and his ministers.
Hartwin then led the marshal and the other dignitaries along the line of waiting guards, who promptly drew themselves to attention and presented their arms for inspection. Griffons take military discipline very seriously, and Shining had taken great pains to ensure everything went well. The larger griffon seemed quite impressed, regarding each pony along the line with a stern expression.
At this point, we were all ushered off. Following behind the princesses, we all left the balcony and headed downstairs to meet with the griffons. Celestia would do the talking for the most part; we were just there for show mainly. Arriving on the ground floor, Celestia strode out to meet Riverbill, greeting him like an old friend.
"Riverbill, a pleasure to welcome you to my home, as always," she said, smiling in her usual, practiced way. The griffon politely bowed to her, as did the others behind him. Hartwin meanwhile returned to stand with myself and the other advisors and military brass.
"Thank you, princess," Riverbill replied loudly, in an accent that was an odd combination of Slavic and German. "Your ponies are very impressive. It is certainly fortunate that we are allies together!" He then laughed loudly, reminding me of a Russian with his humour.
"Now, please," he went on. "Allow me to offer the greetings of his majesty. He again apologises for his absence here. But regrettably, matters have compelled him to remain in the capital."
"That is quite alright, Riverbill. Come, take lunch with my sister and I." The griffon smiled at that, and followed Celestia off into the castle. He was about to head inside, but as he passed me, he did a double take. Turning around, he stood before me.
"Ah, princess! Is this the alien being you've recruited for yourself?" he enquired. I didn't much care for being spoken of as if I were absent, but did my best not to let it show, putting it down to griffon temperament. Compared to the ponies of Equestria, they are a great deal more direct in everything they do, with less time for social niceties. Celestia returned to stand with the marshal, briefly sending me an apologetic look.
"Yes, this is my legal advisor, Mr. Roger Owen. He comes from another world, known as Earth." The griffon stuck his claw out, fearing a little for my hand, I shook it.
"A pleasure to meet you, Reichsmarschall," I said, still feeling a tad uneasy at using such a rank. The old griffon smiled at me. Well, at least he approved of me and didn't seem inclined to try and kill me.
"A fellow soldier too, it seems," he replied. "I know the eyes of a man who has seen battle well." That made my heart skip a beat. I quickly began damage control.
"No, sir. I'm no soldier. A tactician of board games, perhaps. But I've never been in the service." Riverbill regarded me a moment longer, before smiling again and heading off with Celestia into the castle for their first meeting. Hopefully I managed to play his comment down, and nopony would ask questions.
While Celestia was busy entertaining the griffons for a few hours, I had to get back to work. Blueblood had approached me yesterday, asking for an appointment. Not an uncommon thing. He usually manages to get himself in enough trouble to warrant my attention about once a month.
It isn't so much that he is any worse than any other member of the nobility; it's the fact that he's a prince. Compared to his counterpart, Shining Armor, Blueblood leaves a lot to be desired. He doesn't break the law; often it's a case of him annoying somepony enough that they wind up breaking it. And whenever that happens, he usually comes to me looking for legal advice, or just help in general.
The last time it had actually involved Rarity. In the past, before she and him crossed paths, Rarity had had something of a crush on Blueblood. That of course, had promptly evaporated at the Grand Galloping Gala, and she'd held disdain for him ever since. I think it was some party in the castle, some fashion show or something, and she'd taken my son along as a sort of chaperone. Blueblood had walked up to her, apparently tried to make a pass at her that would make most pick up artists gag, and gotten a punch in the mouth for his trouble.
It took the better part of an hour to convince him that he might at least be partially at fault. Sometimes I think he might have Asperger's, since he always seems to miss common social cues. After all, he didn't seem to understand precisely why Rarity had slapped him, and it took me an age to make him understand.
This time though, it was a little more serious. Somepony had lobbed a bomb at him. Well, not exactly a bomb, more of a balloon filled with paint. But it had been enough to rile up the guards that were with him. Naturally, the pony responsible would be up in court before long for disturbing the peace. My job then, was to help Blueblood with the court proceedings, since he would be required to speak and give a statement. The white unicorn sat in the chair across from me, running a hoof through his blond mane.
"I don't know, Mr. Owen. Are you sure that pony was trying to kill me?" In addition to having all the manners of an ill-tempered dragon, he isn't particularly bright. Taking a breath to calm myself I replied.
"Yes, your highness. I'm quite sure. The reports given by your guards made that quite clear." It irks me no end that I have to address this idiot the same way I would Celestia or Luna. Thank goodness he's sixth in the line of succession.
"What makes you think that?" Blueblood asked. He was genuinely curious; I certainly don't think he's aware of his own reputation. He seems to be under the delusion that he is held in the same high regard as Shining. Burying my annoyance, I tried to keep the sarcastic tone out of my voice. I failed.
"Well, my suspicions were first aroused by his use of the phrase 'death to the stupid prince'." I had to struggle to avoid laughing at that. In reality, it wasn't much of an assassination attempt. But the Royal Guard does love to blow things out of proportion.
I then spent about half an hour listening to Blueblood's statement. There was certainly enough for a trial. Since it involved a member of the royal family, the case would have to go up to Day Court, meaning I would have to be there acting as a second judge. It would mean a lot of work over the next few days, meeting with the CPS, briefing Celestia, meeting with the defence, and sitting through the trial itself. And the mad thing was that it would all probably end with, at worse, a six month suspended sentence.
With everything written up for the moment, Blueblood thankfully left my office, leaving me to my own thoughts. I would have to think about getting changed soon for the formal reception. The plan was that I'd bring up some clothes and stay in the castle tonight, and then catch the train home tomorrow evening as usual. Given how long this reception would probably go on for, the last train would have gone by the time I left the party.
Closing up all the files and putting them away in one of the filing cabinets that lined the back wall of my office, I tried to relax a little. Riverbill's comment had caught me off guard. I certainly didn't think that I gave any indication of being a soldier. I'd left that life behind a long time ago.
And let's be honest 'soldier' was stretching it a bit, wasn't it? Still, it made me think back; back to my days as a young man, when I had held a gun in my hands. Those were not pleasant memories. No one knew of course, not Celestia, not my children, not even my wife. It was a life I no longer wanted; a life I had walked away from.
Sighing to myself, I leaned back in my comfortable swivel chair. Taking off my jacket, I rolled up the right sleeve of my shirt. I only have the one tattoo, and few have seen it, I have a good cover story for it too, since so few people recognise what it means, even more so here in Equestria. It was a simple design; four letters in faded black ink, on my bicep. It read 'F.G.A.U'; I'd gotten it back in the day with a couple others when we joined up and took our oath. I'd thought about having it removed, but it always seemed too damn costly. Maybe Twilight had a spell that could do it? Or did it pass for my cutie mark now? That made me laugh hollowly.
Rolling the sleeve back down, I covered the old mark up. I wondered what it was that Riverbill had seen that had tipped him off. What had he seen in my eyes? Well, hopefully I would have a chance to talk with him this evening. Speaking of, it was about time I went and got changed.
Changing into the dinner jacket that Elusive had made, and later repaired, for me. I left my office, locking up as I went, and headed down to the main hall of the castle. The reception was already in full swing when I got there. It had the same general vibe as the gala, only with a few more griffons and less chance of an untimely disaster. There was a small quartet playing at the far end of the room for the sake of ambience, and there was a decent buffet to be had. Much to my delight, I noted there were some halfway decent cold meats available. Griffons are, naturally, carnivorous beasts, so it was to be expected. Most of the ponies were taking great pains to go anywhere near the table, aside from Celestia, who seemed immune to its effects.
Stepping in through the open doorway, I heard the easily recognised sound of a teleport next to me; it was Discord.
"Oh, hello, my friend," Discord greeted. "I see you managed to get dragged into this as well." I smiled and turned to my friend.
"Could be worse, Discord," I replied. "At least it's only us government types and some guard brass here. No nobility to worry about. Besides, I figured you'd enjoy the chaos this lot would bring."
It was true, as much as Equestria and the Griffon Kingdom are allies, they do have massive cultural differences that often cause slight disagreements. For example, two guards were looking on in horror as one of the griffons wolfed down the better part of a whole pig in no less than a minute.
"Yes, but do they have to force us to 'mingle' with each other?" Discord complained. "I know Celestia likes to promote 'friendship is magic' and all, but we're probably not going to see half these bird brains ever again."
"Jesus, it won't kill you to make small talk for half an hour, will it?" I exclaimed. "Besides, I thought you were off being a bounty hunter." Discord had, along with a few others, taken up the contract to find and being in Starlight. Discord huffed and crossed his arms.
"I'm working on it," he replied, sounding like a teenager talking about the homework that was due tomorrow. "I can multitask you know." To be fair, he did track down Tirek in under a day.
"Really?" I replied, deciding to mess with him a bit. "I didn't know you were a mare." The draconequus quickly cottoned on to my somewhat outdated joke, and responded by sticking his serpent tongue out at me.
"Alright, let's get this over with," he said, with an air of finality. Snapping his talons, he summoned himself what looked to be a US Army uniform, complete with general's stars, three of the too, and an old GI helmet. He actually looked a bit like General Patton. With that we headed off to go mingle.
Discord quickly left me on my own, whilst he went off to see Celestia, either to make conversation or to annoy her. As for me, I sought out Major Hartwin. He and I were on fairly good terms with each other, and the battle scarred griffon had also met with my son once or twice. I found him, as luck would have it, in conversation with Riverbill, the two seemed to be chatting fairly amicably, or at least, as amicably as possible when they are separated by almost a dozen pay grades. I made my way over to them.
"Hello, Hartwin," I said as I walked up. The younger griffon quickly brought me into the conversation.
"Ah, Roger," he said. "I wondered when you were going to turn up. The Reichsmarschall and I were just talking about your old world as it happens." Hardly surprising, I've gotten used to it being a common topic of conversation when talking to new ponies, or in this case, griffons.
"Oh, what about the old blue marble?" I asked.
"I was just telling the Reichsmarschall here about some of the conflicts your country had been involved in." Don't mention the war. Don't mention the war. Don't mention the war. "We were discussing some of your more advanced aeronautical contraptions, given your species lack of innate flight abilities." Oh thank God.
"Oh, yes. Well, it's been almost a century or so since they were first used. Why, when I left, we had aircraft that could fly without a pilot to guide it. It could even drop weapons on its own and land back at its base, flying thousands of miles."
"Very impressive," Riverbill commented. "I know in my younger days I led the odd raid into hostile areas. But I can't imagine flying for that long, certainly not without rest or losing my bearings."
"Well, the first aircraft were much more primitive, sir," I replied. "They were made of wood and canvas, they were much slower, and they were liable to blow up at any moment."
"Still, an attack from the air can be decisive against an entrenched enemy," Riverbill offered. There was a certain irony to this whole conversation, I realised.
"Not if the enemy has aircraft to go out and meet them. I know my country has its own large network of detection equipment to spot enemies coming well before they could reach bases or cities. And of course, there is the issue of the aircraft's range. It can all end up in a battle of attrition. Then it comes down to the skill of the pilots."
"Ah yes," Riverbill said, smiling. "Technology and advanced weapons can still be trumped by a fighting spirit. Look at this nation for instance. By your standards their weapons may be comparatively primitive, but these ponies are able warriors when the need arises. Were your world and ours to ever lock horns, I would be unwilling to put decent money on either side. It would certainly be a very close run thing."
"Well, let us hope such a day never comes," Hartwin offered.
"Hah, indeed, major," Riverbill replied loudly. Hartwin looked off to the side for a moment.
"Excuse me, Reichsmarschall, but I would like to have a word or two with Captain Shining Armor." The elder griffon smiled.
"No problem, major. You go and see your captain. I should like to have a good talk with Mr. Owen here." The major then promptly departed, leaving the two of us to talk. Riverbill turned to me with a look of sympathy in his eyes; something you don't usually expect from a griffon, even one you consider a friend.
"Come, sir, why don't we talk out on the balcony?" He gestured at the large open veranda that led out into the cool night air. Since he clearly wanted to talk, and assuming it was the subject I thought it was, I wanted privacy; I hesitantly agreed and followed him.
The night air was cool, with clear skies. Canterlot was lit by the full moon that hung large in the sky, whilst stars were dotted all around. I can see why Bones spends so many nights just looking up. I leaned on the edge of the balcony and looked down to the city below. I felt Riverbill's presence beside me.
"I've seen a lot of them like you, sir. Those who've seen too much, too soon, or fought on the wrong side." He didn't offer anything more, so I turned to him and replied.
"What do you see then?" I asked half-heartedly. I'd expected to have this conversation one day, but I didn't expect it to involve a talking griffon.
"As I said when we first met; you are a soldier, or were rather. You have the look of one; your actions, your body language, even the way you speak. You never really forget."
"I haven't been one in a long time. And I certainly wouldn't call myself a soldier. A soldier is part of an army. He follows the laws of war and protects his own people from harm. The lot I was with might have claimed to do the latter, but they sure as hell didn't do the former."
"Nor did the foe you faced, I assume," Riverbill replied. "Speaking from experience, dirty wars are not the sort of thing you want to crow about from the rooftops. But nor is it something you should bury or lock away." I clenched my firsts irritably.
"Respectfully, Reichsmarschall. I've heard this speech before. And that part of my life, it was...well, it was a lifetime ago. I was a different man then. I hadn't met my wife, I had hardly any family. I was young and stupid. If I told anypony, I doubt they would understand."
"Possibly true," he conceded. "But do you want to keep hiding it and wait for someone to find out?" I thought to myself.
As I said, the past we were talking about was a lifetime ago. I hadn't met the wife, I lived in a different country, and at the time I thought I was doing the right thing. If I told her, she either wouldn't believe me, or she'd never want to see me again. Relative good guys or not, the side I had fought with was just as bad as our enemies, only we'd lost the political war. Seeing my pensiveness, Riverbill continued.
"I was talking with that Shining Armor fellow a while ago. He told me about one of his officers. He had a bad experience when the changelings attacked, it messed with his head. He tried to bury it, and it almost cost him his career. I'm not saying go sit on a sofa with some therapist and talk about your feelings. I'm just saying to talk to someone. I've seen too many griffons walk the road you're on, and it only ends in one way."
Sighing to myself, I straightened up again and looked at Riverbill. Half of me wanted to tell him to mind his own sodding business, damn the diplomatic consequences. But, on the other hand, he was right, I suppose. Sometimes the best way to cope with feelings of guilt and shame was to confess one's wrongdoings. Confession and penance, there's irony for you.
"You make a good point," I said quietly. "Talking from experience?" The griffon shrugged.
"All of us can find a maggot in our past, Mr. Owen. It is our failure to accept our mistakes that tends to cause problems, not just the mistake itself." I smiled a little.
"Come on. It's dropping chilly out here," I said. "How about I get you a drink?" With that, the two of us headed inside.
After the reception, I sadly didn't get to see much of Riverbill. His time, as with the rest of the delegation, was eaten up by the long meetings he had to sit through, along with Celestia. With Griffonstone's revival, some ripples had formed within the Griffon Kingdom, and it was always good to keep up relations with an allied power. They were not legal matters, so I was neither privy, nor particularly interested in the proceedings.
Still, I did get a chance to talk to him not too long before he left. He had suggested that I tell someone about my past deeds, so I elected to tell him. It took a fair bit of prior explanation of course; after all, the griffon wasn't too well versed in Earth's history, never mind the intricate history of my mother country. Nonetheless, I told him what had happened. Ponies are far less violent by nature compared to humans, but as a griffon, Riverbill took my stories quite well. As he had said, he'd been involved in the odd dirty war himself. And he was right, if I'm honest. After I had 'spilled' my secret to him, I did feel a lot more relaxed. Of course, it didn't change what had happened, but it did lighten my heart a bit.
Before we parted, Riverbill told me that at some point I would have to tell someone closer to me than him. I promised him, and myself, that I would.
The griffons' departure was far less grandiose than their arrival had been, though Celestia insisted that she would see them off. I naturally joined her, along with Shining, and a couple other advisors who had sat in on the meetings.
"Well, it is a shame to go, your highness," Riverbill said. "But I can't be away from my old home for too long." Celestia smiled in her practiced way.
"It's been a pleasure having you here, Riverbill. I would welcome you back any time." The griffon smiled as his subordinates boarded their carriage to head back home. |
Tales From Day Court | Chapter 10 - Slice of Life | Three weeks or so after Riverbill's visit to Canterlot, I found myself with a day off. Celestia and Luna were both heading down to Ponyville to attend a wedding there. I get on well with most ponies in town, but it isn't just ponies who call the place home. In addition to Zecora living a little ways out in the Everfree Forest, and the wife and I living in town, Ponyville also has two resident donkeys; Cranky and Matilda.
We actually aren't too far from their house where we live, and the two of us visit them every now and again, and vice versa. Cranky and I are on fairly good terms with each other. Ponyville does have a rather noticeable bias towards females in terms of population, so it is nice every now and again for us gents just to meet up to get away from them all.
He's a nice old boy is Cranky, he's several years my senior but had never married. Like something out of a story book, he'd met the love of his life many years ago at the Grand Galloping Gala. Sadly, the pair had lost touch soon afterwards, and Cranky had devoted his time to searching for her, becoming something of a nomad. He'd actually moved to Ponyville, having given up his search, seeking to live out his retirement in peace.
Pinkie Pie, of course, was having none of that. By a pure stroke of luck, Matilda, the pretty young jenny he'd been searching for all those years, had also settled in Ponyville. With the crazy party pony's help, the two had found each other and instantly reconnected.
I had known Cranky for a couple months. As I said, the two of us got on well, having similar interests, and both being of an older generation. While I might not be as old as him, my hair is getting quite grey at this point, and starting to thin here and there. Having had such a long and stable marriage, Cranky often came to me for advice when it came to Matilda. Advice I was happy to give. Aside from Shining and Cadance, I don't think I've ever seen two people more in love.
Much to everypony's delight, last month, the pair officially announced their engagement, and the planning had began. The two donkeys are friends with pretty much everypony in Ponyville, so the guest list quickly swelled. This only increased when the many ponies Cranky had met in the course of his travels also got wind of what was happening. Even the princesses agreed to attend, since it was at Celestia's gala that the two met.
The wedding was to take place just after lunch today. Derpy had delivered the invitations yesterday. Personally, given how much time had been invested in the whole enterprise, I thought it a bit soon. Plus, I figured it would be better to do things on a Saturday rather than a Friday. But hey, I haven't planned a wedding in many years.
While I was getting my suit all sorted, I heard a commotion from outside our bedroom window. Looking out I saw this...thing. If I remember correctly, it was something called a bugbear. It looked like a panda that had been mixed up with a wasp. They can be nasty buggers and quite destructive. Still, by the looks of things, Twilight and the others were on top of it. At this point you just sort of get used to the occasional monster attack. As long as you stay out of its way, the girls tend to sort it out in about twenty minutes or so.
"Wow, looks like a bugbear's wandered into town," I called out to my wife, who was in the en suite.
"Well, as long as it isn't another pack of timberwolves and it isn't coming this way, I don't mind," she replied.
Twilight and the others did seem to be gaining the upper hoof; Twilight was blasting it with her magic, Rainbow was buzzing around at near supersonic speeds, Fluttershy was giving the beast her infamous stare, and Applejack was doing her best to hogtie the creature's limbs.
Throwing on my jacket, I straightened my tie and checked myself in the mirror. I looked presentable, I decided. And it was nice to give Elusive's suit a further workout.
Just then, I heard barking coming from downstairs, and paws skittering along the wood tile floor. The nearby bugbear was setting off the dog again.
Oh, yes, the dog. I haven't said anything about that before, have I? About a fortnight or so ago, in order to counteract the absence of children, Margaret and I took in a dog. Well, 'dog' might be taking things a bit far. I mean, it looks like a dog, acts like a dog, barks like a dog, and it has about the same level of intelligence. But our pet, if you can call it that, is certainly not a dog. I'm not even sure if it counts as a mammal. Let me explain.
I was sitting on Day Court. A couple lower ranking guards had gotten into a fight in the barracks, and Celestia was promptly disciplining them. I was there to oversee the case and to ensure everything went according to procedure; military law, after all, is quite different to the civilian. Shining had already given them a severe dressing down himself, and Celestia was merely hammering the point home.
The large, snow white alicorn didn't shout, in fact I think that was what made it worse. She merely told the two guards how 'disappointed' she was in them both and that there would be consequences for their actions. Strong Shield was standing with them; no doubt he too would be telling the pair exactly what he thought of them later on, only with much more shouting. In the end, after consulting with me, the princess agreed with Shining's recommendation and busted the two corporals back down to privates, and assigned them garden duty, one of the dullest assignments in the whole of Canterlot Castle.
With the two guards dismissed and marched off. Buttercup opened up the large throne room doors and let the next petitioners in.
This time, it was a small family group from way out in Mexicolt, one of Equestria's poorer provinces. The ponies out there though are very friendly in my experience; very hospitable and welcoming. There were five of them; a father, mother, two small kids, and a young stallion, presumably the older brother of the two foals. Strong Shield passed them all as he departed with the two disgraced guards. As he passed them though, something spooked him.
The usually calm guard stopped dead in his tracks. His ears perked up, his eyes went wide, his muscles tensed, and he briefly whinnied in surprise. A moment later though, he had a handle on his reactions again, with a friendly, relaxed smile appearing on his face. He turned to the passing family and greeted them. As a specially trained infiltrator, Strong Shield has quite the grasp of the many languages spoken in Equestria. He greeted the five ponies in turn.
"Hola, senor. Como estas?" he said to the father. The stallion smiled, returned his greeting, and shook his hoof. Strong Shield then moved on to the mother.
"Bienvenido a Canterlot, senora." The mother also relaxed. He then leaned down a little to speak to the two foals, both of whom were quite calm; a moment earlier they had both hidden behind their mother's legs when Strong Shield approached.
"¿Dónde has venido? San Maretonio?" The two small ponies nodded.
The whole family was now smiling, and seemed much more eager to go and speak with the princess. As Strong Shield walked over to the last of the five ponies, who was straying a little behind, he kept up his calm and friendly demeanour.
"Que dices si te rompo la cara?" he enquired.
Instantly, the smiles of the other ponies vanished. I'm not too well versed in the language, but I think he just threatened to punch the guy's lights out. However, the pony in question continued to smile as if Strong Shield had greeted him as he had the other four. The guard chuckled to himself and, subtly, motioned for the other guards to come over. He then placed a hoof on the stallion's shoulder.
"No hablas ni una palabra del Espanol, verdad, amigo?" he asked.
The stallion merely continued to smile as if he and Strong Shield were joking with each other. The captain turned to the other guards who had cautiously moved in to surround them both, whilst another group formed a ring around the princess and me. Celestia herself seemed unconcerned, though I was utterly confused.
"Ready?" he asked the other guards, switching back to Equestrian. They all nodded.
Suddenly, without warning, Strong Shield fired off a spell from his horn at point blank range. It hit the stallion clean in the chest and sent him flying across the room. The guards all reacted instantly, moving the family out of the way, surrounding the princess in a tight ring, and piling onto their foe, even as the green, fire like magic of the changelings washed over him, deactivating his disguise. The beast was soon restrained.
It was only the second time I'd seen one at such close quarters, the last time being when Strong Shield had been inadvertently unmasked. The creature was restrained by half a dozen guards, all holding it down with their combined body weight. The creature hissed irritably and writhed in an attempt to get free, but it was no good. It was quickly locked in irons, with an inhibitor placed on its horn to block off its magic, and hauled back on its hooves.
"How the hay did this thing get in?" one of the guards demanded. "Arrest those ponies!" The four ponies that had come with the changeling backed away nervously. Luckily for them, Strong Shield intervened.
"You'll do no such thing!" he shouted back. He then turned to the family in question and shouted something at them in their own tongue and they quickly bolted. The throne room doors were locked behind them, whilst the changeling itself was brought before Celestia and me.
"Changeling, identify yourself," I ordered sternly. I could see the nearby guards growing concerned. What if this was another infiltrator, or worse, an assassin? Strong Shield however, seemed far less concerned. The changeling didn't answer my question, and simply continued to hiss and spit like an angry cat.
"You aren't going to get much of an answer from it I'm afraid, sir," Strong Shield offered. All ponies, and myself, stopped to look at him.
"Why do you say that, captain?" Celestia enquired. She had been the only one who seemed unruffled by events thus far. But then again, Celestia has developed her self-control into an art form. The reason Strong Shield would know was obvious. He was a changeling himself, except only Celestia and I knew that. The other guards, aside from Shining, had no idea of his true nature.
"I believe that this is a drone, your highness," Strong Shield replied. The captain had, anonymously, helped understand and classify the various types of changelings that we had encountered, allowing us to understand them better. "They're the most common type of changeling, but they aren't particularly intelligent. They lack the capacity for speech."
From what Twilight had told me, and from what I had read, there were a total of four types of changeling. Firstly, the queen, Chrysalis; the queen led the hive and acted as the controlling force, with intelligence on par with an above average pony. Then there was the 'under queens' as they were called. We hadn't seen any of these in Equestria, aside from the one that was allowed to be in Canterlot. These were smaller than a true queen, but assisted her with ruling the hive, looking after and raising new changelings.
Then, there were soldiers; which was what Strong Shield was. These were about the same size as the drones, but with dark blue chitin like armour on their backs, thicker than normal. These were also intelligent and were used to fight, as well as infiltrate potential feeding grounds.
Finally, there was the drone, or worker. This was the most common type of changeling, the one many ponies still have bad dreams about. They are the size of the average pony, but they are nowhere near as intelligent. At best, they could understand a simple series of instructions and directives. As seen in Canterlot, they were not that smart, but had strength in numbers. They could not speak outside of hissing noises and body language.
Having accepted Strong Shield's suggestion that the changeling was, as a solitary drone, quite harmless, Celestia called off the guards, ordering everypony bar Strong Shield and myself to leave the throne room at once. Naturally, the guards weren't entirely comfortable with that.
"Your highness, we can't just leave you alone with that...thing!" one of them exclaimed. Celestia raised an eyebrow at him; a warning signal that he'd said the wrong thing.
"Private Steel Pike, you are a unicorn, correct?" she asked calmly.
"Er, yes, your highness," the grey and silver guard replied.
"And you believe that you can restrain this changeling for me?" The guard nodded. Her eyes narrowed. "So, if you have no difficulty with it, why should I have any trouble, as an alicorn? If I wished I could fling this changeling back to the Badlands it came from." For effect, she opened her wings and briefly let her horn glow. Steel Pike quickly withdrew his concern and departed with the others.
With just the three of us remaining with the small changeling, Celestia turned to Strong Shield.
"Captain, if it knows who you are, will it obey you?" she asked. Strong Shield looked a little surprised. I suppose he expected to throw it in the dungeons.
"Erm, it's possible, your highness," he replied. "Drones were always taught to obey soldiers."
"Good, then you may drop your disguise a moment and let it see you."
Still quite confused, Strong Shield deactivated his disguise spell. Green flame like magic washed over him, burning away his grey coat, his armour, everything but the eyepatch he wore. The changeling's reaction was instantaneous. As soon as it saw him, it looked up excitedly and did its best to walk over to him. It then sat down on its rear and, I think, smiled at him, its empty blue eyes looking quite pleased.
"Do you know who I am?" Strong Shield asked it, his voice now with a more buzzing cadence to it. The drone nodded. Strong Shield continued.
"Have you been sent here by our queen?" The changeling shook its head, looking a little sad.
"So you aren't here to spy or steal love form the ponies?" Again, the small creature shook its head. Strong Shield tried a different tack.
"Are you hungry?" This time, the changeling nodded excitedly and began looking at Celestia and I. Strong Shield turned to the two of us atop the dais.
"Well, I guess this is just one that has gotten lost somehow. Maybe it didn't meet up with the others when Princess Cadance's love shield went up. In any case, it doesn't seem to be dangerous. It's just looking for some food for itself."
All of a sudden, the changeling began to hobble its way over towards us. Still clapped in irons, it couldn't move around too easily, but it could walk in a peculiar fashion. As before, it didn't act in a malicious way; in fact it seemed more curious than anything. It walked up the steps to the throne and stopped in front of me, looking at me with those big blue eyes. It then began to sniff at me.
"Er, Strong Shield?" I called. "What's it doing?" The sudden invasive investigation was just a little uncomfortable.
"Don't worry," the larger changeling replied. "My guess is it's just picked up the scent of your love. I know this may sound odd, but if you let it have a little, it'll be more inclined to trust us all." I wasn't particularly on board with that idea. Queen Chrysalis had fed on Shining Armor and left him severely weakened.
"Isn't that dangerous? I read about what their queen did to Shining." Strong Shield shook his head.
"No, a single drone won't need that much. At worst you'll feel dizzy for a minute. Chrysalis stuffed herself; she nearly drained Shining dry. That was why it affected him so badly."
"Do not worry, my advisor," Celestia chipped in. "If this changeling does attempt to harm you, both Strong Shield and I will step in. You will not come to any harm in any way." Reassured by that statement, I lowered my guard and allowed the drone to step closer.
What happened next was quite odd; I did indeed feel light headed for a moment. The drone seemed to draw out a green coloured vapour from me, which it inhaled through its mouth. The process only lasted for a moment or two though, and the small creature was soon satisfied. I walked down to Strong Shield and was about to ask him what to do next, when I realised the small drone had followed me down the steps.
"Huh, I think it likes you," he commented.
"Doesn't it just see me as a food source though?" Changelings are predatory creatures, referred to as 'emotivores', it seemed unlikely that one would take to its own prey.
"Well, this one hasn't been near a queen for some time. It could be that it's willing to follow anypony."
"Why wouldn't it follow you though?" Celestia asked. "Surely it would show preference towards its own kind. You said yourself that drones look to soldiers for leadership."
"True, but I can't feed it," Strong Shield replied. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but this drone seems to have decided to become symbiont with you, Mr. Owen." Celestia's eyes widened. Symbiosis was the goal she hoped to one day achieve with changelings. They needed food as much as any creature. The only reason they were enemies of Equestria was that they sought to take it by force.
We took a few minutes to test Strong Shield's theory. The changeling followed me around the throne room and, for the most part, did what I asked it to do; it acted kind of like a dog really. That was when it hit me.
"Princess," I said. "It seems clear that this changeling is no threat to anypony. But we can't just let it roam free." Celestia was way ahead of me.
"You want to care for it, I assume?" she answered, wearing a knowing smile. I nodded.
"And I think I have a way for it to stay incognito. It couldn't do what Strong Shield has done, but maybe..." I turned to the changeling. "Can you turn into a dog?" The changeling thought for a moment. Then, green fire washed over its form. When it receded, there stood before me not a changeling, but a large dog; a mix of Alsatian and Collie.
I was surprised at just how believable it was. Changelings are masters of disguise, but there are usually chinks in their armour. Usually, their personalities don't match with the real thing, and they eventually come unstuck if somepony looks carefully. That and they can't alter the signature green colour of their magic. Still, the canine that stood before me seemed real enough. It barked, followed commands, wagged its tail, lolled out its tongue and scratched at itself. Strong Shield said that, as long as I kept it well fed, it would stick with me.
So, at the end of the day, I took it back on the train and introduced Charlie (named for one Charlie Barkin) to she who must be obeyed.
That was an interesting conversation.
Anyway, back to the present. I was just about ready to head off down to town hall with my wife and see old Cranky finally tie the knot with Matilda. All of a sudden though, there was a knock at the door.
"I'll get it!" I called out. With my tie still hanging loosely around my neck, I headed out of the bedroom and went downstairs into the hall.
Charlie was already standing at the front door, presumably looking for that bugbear. I hoped that the girls would have that all wrapped up before the ceremony started. Still, as long as an army of changelings didn't try to disrupt this one, we would probably be fine. If they can fight them, they can certainly deal with that bugbear. Opening the front door, I found the venerable Time Turner; Ponyville's clockmaker and resident scientist. And resident Timelord I might add, but we keep quiet about that.
"Hello, Time Turner," I greeted. "What brings you down this way?" The stallion, who is on a par with Celestia and Luna in terms of his age, looked quite agitated. Across his back and draping down his sides was a suit, held in a dry cleaning bag.
"Roger, glad I caught you here," Time Turner hurriedly replied. Like Twilight, Time Turner is prone to fits of sudden excitement and anxiety. He held up the suit with a hoof. "I was wondering if you could help me out with this." I was a little confused.
"And I can help you how?" I prodded. Time Turner's brow furrowed and he gestured to the suit.
"This is my old suit from when I was humanoid. It won't fit this new body. I was wondering if you could perhaps put me in touch with that tailor of yours? Do you think he could lend me something?" I shook my head.
"No, even if you could get up to Canterlot, you'd never get back in time for the wedding." Internally, I was slightly criticising the old clockmaker for not checking his suit beforehand. "Well, why not try Rarity? I know she's more of a dressmaker, but she might be able to jury-rig a temporary fix." In response, the chestnut stallion pointed out the window. Rarity was currently lashing out at the bugbear with her magic, doing her best to help Applejack tie it up.
"Oh, right," I said, feeling a little silly at forgetting the small skirmish going on outside my house. "Well, try a few other stallions in town. Big Mac won't have anything, but Caramel might, or maybe Thunderlane." Thanking me for at least trying to help, Time Turner set out again to continue his quest.
As he left, I could hear him chattering away to himself. He was saying something about flameless fireworks or something like that. The stallion really treads that fine line between being brilliant and being mad as a bloody march hare.
Closing the door, I headed back upstairs, sending Charlie back into the kitchen. He would be coming with us to the wedding as well. We were planning to introduce him to everypony. As a dog, mind you; we were only going to tell ponies we could trust not to blab or panic that he was actually a drone. He seemed quite happy with the new arrangement. In the fortnight he's lived with us, he's settled in quite well. It's hard to believe that these creatures are also one of Equestria's most feared enemies.
Heading upstairs again, I found that my wife was now ready to head out. She'd gone for a semi-formal outfit for the wedding; the sort of thing she used to wear to church. This would actually be the first civil ceremony we had attended, since Equestria doesn't have organised religion as we know it.
"Ready to go?" I asked as I grabbed the house keys from the dresser. Our plan was to leave a little earlier than needed so we didn't end up rushing there if we got delayed. Experience had shown me just how easy it was for such a thing to happen, particularly when you have kids.
"Yes, yes, I'm ready," my wife replied, throwing a cardigan on. "Come on, let's get a move on!" After returning once to pick up her handbag, we headed downstairs and out the front door and set off for town hall. Naturally, I had to carry the wedding present.
Ponyville was already quite busy as it was; bugbear attack or not. Everypony in town seemed to be pitching in to help out with Cranky and Matilda's wedding. Looking skyward, I saw that even the weather was being taken care of.
High above, a lone dark blue pegasus, with a long brown mane, was busily busting up a few clouds. That's apparently how they get rid of them when they're not needed; they literally kick them out of existence. She seemed to be making steady progress and enjoying herself too.
That was my youngest daughter; Lizzie. Originally, it had only been Bones that had been transformed into a pony, and a unicorn at that. When we first arrived in Ponyville, Fluttershy, one of Twilight's friends, had offered to take care of her, as there wasn't enough space at the library.
The pair quickly became friends and, with little else to do while we were waiting to see Celestia, Lizzie began to help Fluttershy look after the many animals that she cares for; the mare is like some sort of equine version of James Heriot. However, at times, her lack of wings restricted her from helping Fluttershy as much as she wanted.
At some point in late March, Discord had dropped by to see Fluttershy. He'd already become friends with me, and found great delight in annoying my son (something we have in common), and so quickly introduced himself to Lizzie. She happened to comment, according to Discord, that she felt bad about not being able to fly. Since the next day was April Fools' Day, Discord decided to pull one of his infamous pranks. In addition to temporarily turning my son into an alicorn, much to his annoyance, he also turned her into the pegasus she is today. Originally, the spell was meant to wear off after seven days, but after spending a week as a flying pony, my daughter decided that she liked the unexpected change. Discord then extended the spell making it permanent.
With wings and a cutie mark to her name, Lizzie continued to live with Fluttershy, helping her when she could. But, insisting that she pay her way, she took Rainbow Dash up on the offer of full time employment with the Weather Patrol (the pegasus had helped teach her basic flight skills when she first changed and found that she had an aptitude for weather work).
And so, today, she has a full time paying job with the Weather Patrol. She even helped out with last year's big tornado. I waved up to her as we passed by.
"Hey there, Lizzie!" I called up. She quickly broke off from her weather duties and floated down towards us.
"Hi Dad. Hi Mom," she replied, hovering a few feet off the ground. "You two heading off to the wedding?"
"Yeah, we thought we'd get an early start in case of that bugbear thing," Margaret replied. "What about you, keeping the sky clear for the big day?" Lizzie nodded.
"It was supposed to be a few of us. But Dash is helping Twilight and the others, Cloud Kicker's kid is sick, and Thunderlane...actually I think he's just hung over." She chuckled at that last part. "Don't worry though. I'll manage. I'll see you and your pet idiot at the wedding though, right?"
"Don't call your brother that, sweetie," I implored. With that, she took off back into the sky.
Heading along the path to town hall, we passed an unusual looking building. It was as if two houses had been melded into one. The left hand side was not too far from the ordinary, a conservative brick design, with a few musical notes adorning the front of the house. The other side was a completely different story, with wild, bright colours and maddening designs all over the walls.
This was the home of two of Ponyville's more famous residents, Octavia Melody and Vinyl Scratch, also known as DJ Pon-3. The two lived together as roommates, splitting the large house between them when they pooled their resources to purchase it.
Neither pony was from Ponyville originally. Octavia, as I have said before, hails from the picturesque town of Trottingham, a little way to the north. Vinyl meanwhile...well, actually I'm not entirely certain. Though I do know she spends a fair amount of her time away, either in Canterlot, or Manehatten, or Baltimare, or Fillydelphia; really anywhere that there's a club venue for her to play at.
I've attended some of Octavia's performances, either with my wife, or with Celestia and a few other ponies. Occasionally, she does solo concerts or as part of a string quartet, but most of her performances are as a part of the Royal Canterlot Symphony Orchestra. She is certainly very talented, just as much as she is talented in her other profession.
Vinyl's style of music is...not exactly my cup of tea. Her style of music was coming to the fore when I was busy raising my son. While on the surface it appears to be quite crude; merely a series of loud electronic noises, I will admit that it does hold some merit. On occasion, I have heard her composing new pieces (she is sensible enough to keep with the noise ordinances and doesn't keep half of Ponyville awake in the night) every now and again, and they did get me bobbing my head to the beat.
When you put the two ponies and their styles together though, you get something truly remarkable. For that reason, they had been asked to play at the reception. I had to admit, I was looking forward to that.
As we continued on, we entered the centre of Ponyville and town hall itself came into view. The wedding wasn't for another half hour or so, so I figured that we could do our best to help out. Heading inside and telling Charlie to find somewhere to sit, the two of us began to help out putting up the decorations inside.
Most of the work was already done, but there were a few odds and ends to finish up. As we were working though, I picked up on a conversation between Lyra and Bon Bon, the former of which was something of an institution in Ponyville, her interest in humanity being virtually unrivalled. The two seemed to be in a bit of a heated argument, and I couldn't help but listen in.
Luna had told me she had an agent here in Ponyville, but of all the possible choices, I had never expected it to be Bon Bon. She explained to Lyra that she had been on the trail of the bugbear currently attacking the town for some time, and that her real name was indeed Sweetie Drops. The bugbear was in town looking for her after all this time. Both Lyra and I were taken aback, even more so when Bon Bon abseiled out the window to go and fight it.
Half an hour later, everything was almost ready to go. We were only minus the music and a few guests; quite a few had arrived with Octavia and her DJ friend when they came crashing through on their sound system. Celestia and Luna had arrived about ten minutes ago. In an unusual turn of events, I got to see a side to the two princesses I had never seen before. It seemed that the pair had forgotten to bring along their wedding present; Celestia had left it on the counter. The two of them descended into arguing like the sisters they are. Luna insisted that it was Celestia's turn, since she got the present for Cadence and Shining, whilst Celestia was fretting over looking foolish, having turned up with no gift.
Heading to sit down with my wife, I came across Shining and Cadence. The usually stern captain of the Royal Guard was currently bawling his eyes out. Cadence looked a little haggard as we walked up.
"Sorry, Shining always cries at weddings," she explained as the stallion continued to weep like a filly.
"Why couldn't my wedding be like this!" the Prince of the Crystal Empire lamented. Ah, yes, that would explain it.
Time Turner then arrived, sitting down a few rows ahead of us. Evidently, he hadn't been able to get a suit, since he was currently wearing a very long and familiar looking scarf. He was still fretting about his flameless fireworks he'd set up, still having no idea how to ignite them.
Time Turner, along with a few other ponies, quite a lot in fact, had all arrived with Vinyl and Octavia. The pair had arrived on Vinyl's large DJ system, which had somehow ended up hurling along the road towards town when the two mares realised they were running late. The contraption had blasted through into town hall with half the townsfolk on board, including the lovely couple themselves. What with all the craziness that had happened today, at this point I was happy to just let it slide and get on with the wedding.
Our two children came to sit with us as well. It was odd to see the pair together, but since both Fluttershy and Applejack were still busy with the bugbear, they had decided to sit with us. My daughter joined us without incident. But as my son walked up, he stopped dead in his tracks and stared and the seat behind me, where I had left Charlie.
"What the sam hell is that thing doing here?!" he exclaimed. "Can't you varmints let one wedding go through without messin' things up?" Turning around to look at Charlie, I quickly saw the problem.
He was no longer disguised.
The changeling was sitting there in full view, though as yet unnoticed, happily sucking up love from all around. A few feet away from him, the foals that had previously been making a fuss of him, were now trying to sit as far away as possible.
"No, Charlie! Back as a dog! Back as a dog!" I exclaimed, waving at him wildly. Luckily, the little tyke seemed to catch on and quickly returned to his previous form. I had planned to tell both my kids about him, but now I was forced to hurriedly explain why I had a changeling pretending to be my pet dog. Like me though, I think both my kids were too worn out from everything to really give a monkey's.
With that, the ceremony began.
It's been a long time since I went to a wedding. Since both the wife and I were the youngest in our family, these days the only time we meet up with more distant family was when yet another relative passes. I remember, not too long before we ended up in Equestria, my wife pointed out that there were only five people on our wedding photo who were still alive.
So, it was nice to go to this one, even if it was a little unusual for us. My son may be a rampant Dawkins level atheist, but our family as a whole is CoE Protestant. Equestrians though, don't really have that much in the way of a religion; let's face it, much of the mysticism here can be explained by magical science; ponies move the very sun and moon every day for goodness sake. So, it was more along the lines of a civil ceremony, with Mayor Mare presiding over things.
Still, it was a lovely ceremony. Mayor Mare gave a lovely, heart-warming speech about how we had all come together for this happy occasion. In this one room, there were princes and princesses, Royal Guard officers, government advisors, famous musicians, a secret agent, an anthropologist, weather ponies, farmers and cowponies, a changeling, teachers, scientists, mailponies, shop owners, vets, doctors and nurses, and two very happy donkeys.
As the mayor declared the two officially jack and jenny, Time Turner's fireworks suddenly burst into life. It turned out, according to both the good doctor himself and Princess Cadance, that the trigger was love. The flameless rockets shot up into the air, exploding merrily amongst the rafters.
That was pretty damn close to your normal day in Ponyville. And I wouldn't trade it for the world. |
Tales From Day Court | Chapter 11 - A Brief Holiday | Two weeks after the wedding, it was a case of all hands, or hooves, on deck. The long awaited Royal Summit was upon us.
Equestria's political system is remarkably similar to that of Britain, albeit with a monarch who actually has the ability to exercise political power. It's a strange mix of a federal and unitary system. Each region has its own governing body which handles domestic day to day matters. Each year, all of these different ponies come together to discuss matters at a national level. In a way, it's a bit like Parliament. Each city or region sends a delegation to represent their interests at the summit.
The point of the summit is to address major issues affecting one or more region and to provide solutions, encouraging cooperation. Everything is covered in the summit, from education, to common defence, to financial matters, and of course, matters of the law. Celestia, Luna, and their respective advisors, myself included, would oversee the various meetings. Delegates would also vote on proposed changes to national policy, subject to royal endorsement, and take part in the usual fact finding and strengthening relations exercises.
The upshot of all this, was that soon Canterlot Castle would be flooded with ponies from all over Equestria, as well as representatives from its protectorates, such as the Crystal Empire. The big finish would be the unveiling of a statue built by the crystal ponies as a gift to Equestria as a whole.
As you might have guessed, there was quite a lot of preparation to do beforehand. I myself would be meeting with quite a few legal bigwigs including the Captain of the Royal Guard, Shining Armor, the Chief of the Manehatten Police, and the CO of the Appleloosa Rangers, as well as quite a few judges and prosecutors, including my old friend Wrought Steel, who was representing the Canterlot CPS. All my plans had to be presented to both Celestia and Twilight, who was organising the summit this year, and loving it.
Heading along the corridor to the throne room, I became aware of raised voices coming from within. The great doors were too thick to make anything out, a security measure on the part of Celestia, but I could definitely hear an argument. I approached the guarded double doors.
"What's going on in there, chaps?" I asked the two guards on duty. "Sounds like a real shouting match." One of the guards prepared to open the door for me.
"The princess granted Discord an audience, sir," he replied, a little wearily. Yeah, that'd do it. Discord can be like an eight year old at times. When he wants something, he demands it, and when he doesn't get it, he can throw a right tantrum. Perhaps I could help.
Heading inside, I was barely fazed by the scene before me. Celestia was out of her throne, standing on the dais, glaring angrily at Discord, her eyes narrowed in annoyance and her swan like wings open. Discord meanwhile, was surrounded by a pack of guards and was shouting angrily.
"Attica! Attica! Attica!" he shouted, stamping his foot indignantly, and pointing an accusing claw at the guards, several of whom were unicorns with their magic ready.
This was a new one.
Walking in, Celestia spotted me quickly enough, relief becoming evident on her features. Aside from Fluttershy, I'm one of the few people the draconequus will listen to. Remember what I said about our friendship being like that of House and Wilson? I guess that makes Celestia Cuddy. Standing behind the still angry draconequus, I cleared my throat. This got his attention and he turned around to face me.
"Erm...Attica?" he offered. I pinched the bridge of my nose in an effort to quell the impending headache.
"Alright, Discord. What's going on here?" I asked. Discord quickly leapt at the opening.
"Ah, brilliant!" he declared. "Roger, will you tell sun butt over here that she can't ban me from the summit." Celestia was coming close to losing her temper; Discord is the only being I've come across that can really get under her skin. I could see where the argument had come from.
"Discord, why do you even want to go?" I asked, tiredly. "The whole thing is just a couple of days of lots of boring bureaucrats meeting up to swap notes. What possible reason could you have for wanting to go?"
"Why the chaos, my friend!" he replied. Leaning down, he wrapped his form around my shoulders. "A whole day of ponies arguing, complaining, debating, and throwing petty insults at each other. I need to be there!" He did have a point; Manehatten was sending a delegation after all. And at times, Celestia had told me, things could get quite heated.
Having heard Discord's side of the story, I turned to the princess.
"And, respectfully, your highness, why can't Discord attend?" Celestia seemed to have gotten a handle on her temper now, and was sitting down in her throne again. Her expression was back to its calm default setting.
"My advisor, you of all ponies should know just how...disruptive Discord can be. This is one of the most important, and trying, political events of the year, without his presence. I have no desire to see further disharmony amongst my little ponies." I turned back to Discord.
"She does have a point, old man," I said. "Your brand of fun isn't exactly suited to something like this. We need ponies to work together, not start fighting with each other. Nor do we need any of your unique form of comedy." Discord wilted, literally. I tried to find some way to compromise.
"Look, Discord," I said, rubbing the back of my head. "Why don't you help me out with my part of the summit? Leave the political side of things to the princess." I knew I was sort of enabling him, but if I didn't do something, he'd probably start some sort of guerrilla campaign or Occupy Canterlot movement. Still, it seemed to satisfy him. He quickly perked up again.
"That does sound like fun!" he declared. "After all, at my age, I am just as well versed in the law as you are." He snapped his talons, prompting a judge's wig and gowns to appear on him, along with a pair of spectacles. I addressed Celestia again.
"Is that acceptable to you, your highness?" I asked. Celestia was halfway between frowning and smiling at the situation. On the one hand, I was encouraging Discord to compromise, maintain his friendships, and cooperate with me. On the other though, I was effectively rewarding his juvenile behaviour. Still, it's not like I can take away his chaos powers, so we're kind of stuck.
"Very well," she replied eventually, still not sounding entirely confident. "Discord may join you during your meetings. But I ask that he not disrupt proceedings, and that he not use his chaos magic too frequently." Discord pouted. A pleading look from me got him on side though.
"Agreed, Celestia. I shall not use my chaos magic to disrupt the summit."
I'll be honest; that really worried me. But he had given his word, and since the incident with Tirek, Discord has been quite good at keeping his promises. With that, the two of us left the throne room.
Discord followed me back to my office, sticking to my side like glue all the way. Having him around would certainly make things more tolerable. As much as he can be a pain at times, he is also serves as a great counter to boredom. And, in my case, he is quite fun to be around, though I'm sure many ponies who aren't such close friends with him would disagree with me on that one.
In any case, there was plenty he could do to help out. As long as he was occupied doing something he viewed as fun, Discord was quite manageable. Plus, who better to co-chair discussions on Equestrian law than the being who knows every possible way of breaking them.
Heading into my office, I explained my plan of action to Discord.
"Right, old man," I began. "The two of us are going to be looking after the legal delegations during the summit. There'll be a couple of meetings on general law and order and crime levels, one discussion on proposed changes to Equestrian law due to new case law, and one on rehabilitation. Those are the big ones I'll need to oversee anyway."
"Sounds interesting enough," Discord replied, having peeled off to examine the trinkets and nick-knacks scattered about my office, as well as the small library of legal texts.
"And here was me thinking you'd be bored out of your skull," I answered, smiling. It should have occurred to me the moment he agreed to help that he was up to something. "Still, nice to have you on board to help." Discord turned around to face me, smiling like a cat with the cream.
"Well, I thought it a fair exchange, my friend," he said, forming his paw and talon together into a steeple.
"Exchange?" I parroted. This only made him smile more as he walked over to me.
"Yes, a little exchange. I agree to take a walk in your shoes, and you get to walk in mine." I was now completely befuddled.
"Discord, what on earth are you..." I didn't get to finish my question, as Discord snapped his talons.
I felt the familiar sensation of magic hit me, though it was stronger than anything I'd felt before; even stronger than a teleport. My feet suddenly gave way beneath me, and I only just managed to grab the nearby desk to steady myself. A few moments later, things returned to normal; my balance was regained, my vision stopped swimming and the odd tingling sensation under my skin faded.
"Argh," I exclaimed, putting a hand to my forehead. "What was that for? You know I don't react well to your chaos magic. You can't just go snapping your talons will-nilly." For effect, I snapped my own fingers.
It was at that moment, I saw a bright flash off to one side. That was Discord's magic signature. Whereas unicorns and alicorns used spells that gave off a particular coloured aura, Discord's magic manifested in a white flash. Turning to see what it was, I found that the potted plant on my desk was now alarmingly sentient, and snapping irritably at me like a rabid dog. I turned back to Discord.
"And the point of that exercise was?" I asked. Discord, still smiling, held up his various appendages.
"Wasn't me," he replied. "I didn't snap my talons for that. Interesting little beasty though."
I sighed; of course it was him! He was the only being on this planet that could perform chaos magic. The only other person in the room was me, and I have no magic. Snapping my fingers would do absolutely jack.
Then, with an insufferable clang, the penny dropped. Discord had hit me with a spell. I had then jokingly snapped my fingers, mimicking him when he used his magic, then the plant had turned into a Triffid.
I turned back to the still snarling house plant.
Focusing for a moment on what I wanted, I snapped my fingers again.
Instantly, the plant was engulfed in a white flash of light, and when it receded, the plant was back to normal again.
I think 'bugger' is a suitable word for summing up this situation. I turned back to Discord.
"Discord," I said, in a calm voice. "Tell me what you just did. Then undo it." Discord rolled his eyes at my seriousness.
"Oh, don't be such a drama queen," he replied. "You're perfectly safe. I just transferred a small amount of my magic to you, giving you some token chaos powers. I told you before; I'm going to walk a mile in your shoes, so you can take a walk in mine. It's a bonding exercise."
I was going to kill him. My mind had already thought up a dozen different ways to beat the living daylights out of him. Luckily, saner heads prevailed. I'm not even sure you can kill Discord.
My best bet was to see Celestia, or Twilight, or anypony who knew how to fix this. For goodness sake; the summit started in a few hours! I quickly made for the door.
"Going somewhere, dear boy?" Discord asked. "I thought we needed to plan out all those meetings." You know what's crazy; Discord wasn't doing this out of spite. Either he thought he was genuinely helping me, or was trying to teach me a friendship lesson. Resisting the urge to crush the door knob, I turned back to him.
"I'm just going to see Celestia first, Discord. I'll be back in a few minutes." I then proceeded to open the door.
"Well, at least save your legs. You can teleport yourself now after all," he offered. Hell no.
"You know what, Discord; I'm good." With that, I headed out the door, and pretty much ran toward the throne room.
With the summit still a few hours away, Celestia was still in the throne room finishing off some paperwork of her own. Everything has to be signed and approved by either herself or Luna; so when she isn't hearing petitioners, she's signing documents. As I walked in through the double doors, she looked up from her work.
"Are you alright, my advisor?" she asked. I imagine the look on my face was something west of murder. Even the guards backed off a little as I walked up. Stopping before the dais, I took a breath and explained the situation.
"Princess, we have a serious problem," I reported. The alicorn did her best to repress a sigh at the news and rolled her eyes. Sending the small mountain of paperwork elsewhere with her magic, she stepped off her throne and stood with me.
"What has he done now?" she asked, referring to Discord.
I then explained what the prat had done to me, and the fact that I now had innately unstable chaos magic coursing through my body. Celestia's response was thus.
"Discord!" she bellowed, briefly dipping into her own version of Luna's infamous 'Royal Canterlot Voice'. The guards and I all grabbed our ears in an effort to preserve our eardrums.
A moment later, the insufferable twit I call my best friend materialised in the throne room. This time, he was wearing a light brown chauffeur's uniform, complete with hat.
"You rang, milady?" he asked in a poor imitation of a Trottingham accent. I sank my head into my hands. Why oh why did I let him watch Thunderbirds? Celestia promptly began questioning Discord.
"Is there any particular reason you needed to give one of my advisors access to your chaotic powers?" she asked. Holding up a paw, correcting her, Discord replied.
"Sporadically uncontrollable chaotic powers," he added. Celestia's eye twitched. He went on. "Hey, it's not my fault, everypony new to magic gets surges, look at unicorn foals. I mean really what harm can he..." I cut him off.
"Hang on, Discord. What do you mean 'sporadically uncontrollable'?" I asked worriedly. Celestia answered for him.
"When innate magic activates in a pony, it takes time for them to gain control of it. In unicorn foals, until they get to about one year old and their magic becomes dormant until early adolescence, it can manifest in uncontrolled and powerful surges." That didn't help alleviate my worry
"How serious are we talking?" I queried, looking at both of them. Celestia too, now looked decidedly concerned.
"Well, a unicorn foal can inadvertently perform spells that even Twilight might consider challenging. Their magic is unrestrained and undirected."
"Exactly," Discord broke in. "He'll be fine; stop worrying."
"Discord, if a unicorn's magic can be that powerful, what kind of results do you think might arise from uncontrolled chaos magic?" she demanded.
I understood what she was getting at. This magic could fire off at any time. And given its greater scope, whatever I was thinking about at the time could happen. Literally anything. Well, I suppose there had to be a limit; Discord had said I only had some token powers. Still, I've seen the stuff he can do with just basic abilities.
"Oh, it'll be fine, Celestia," Discord replied. "He can't affect gravitational fields or the planet. Worst case scenario he summons some terrifying demon from his subconscious."
That, of course, was all it took. The passing thought, triggered a surge, which caused the magic to activate. A moment later, in the middle of the throne room, there was a terrifying gestalt demon roaring the place down.
"And with that," Discord said, snapping his talons and producing a top hat. "I take my leave." And the bastard vanished in a flash of light.
As terrifying as it was, the demon I had inadvertently created was no match for Celestia. Activating her own powerful magic, she hit the creature square in the chest, knocking it down. She then encircled the creature with thick iron chains before teleporting it away, presumably to the dungeons. Comically, she paused to blow a stray hair out of her eyes. She then turned to me.
"Right, we will deal with that later," she said. "For the moment, I think it's best if we ensure your safety, Roger."
"I wholeheartedly agree with you, your highness," I replied. "Is there anything you can do to reverse what Discord has done?" Unfortunately, Celestia shook her head.
"Alicorn magic cannot easily override chaos magic. It certainly can't remove it from a being. And I doubt that any kind of magical restraint or deactivation spell would help either. The only thing that could undo such things would be the Elements of Harmony." I pinched the bridge of my nose.
"So what do you suggest I do, Tia?" I asked. "I can't cancel my portion of the summit. Everything's already set up, and it's too late to cancel anything now; the delegates will be here in," I looked to my watch. "Four hours." Celestia thought for a moment.
"That is true, my advisor. But in your current state, I do not think it would be wise to let you continue with your duties." She placed a hoof to her chin. "I suppose I could ask Twilight to take on your meetings. She knows the material almost as well as you do."
I quickly considered Celestia's suggestion. It certainly sounded possible. Twilight had studied a fair bit of Equestrian law with me when I first started as Celestia's advisor. A qualified solicitor I may be, but I was in need of a refresher course on the Equestrian legal system; there are more differences than you might think. In any case, she could probably manage it. If worse came to worse, she could come to me with any questions.
"That does sound like a good idea, your highness," I replied. "Twilight knows her cookies, and she can come and find me if she gets stumped. What about me though?"
At that moment, we were interrupted by a flash of white light as Discord returned. This time, he was dressed in one of those CDC bio-hazard suits, complete with gas mask.
"Is it safe yet?" he asked, his voice slightly muffled through the mask and suit.
"If you mean, 'has Celestia gotten rid of the terrifying demon you caused me to inadvertently create?' then yes. Still, old man, if I were you, I'd take off running just to be safe." Behind me, Celestia was already on her hooves, staring the mismatched draconequus down.
"Discord, undo your spell right now. You promised me that you wouldn't disrupt the summit," she said, pointing an accusing gilded hoof at him. At this, Discord snapped his talons, removing the suit and returning himself to normal.
"And I haven't disrupted the summit in any way, princess. Why, it hasn't even started yet," Discord replied defensively.
"You have however, virtually incapacitated one of my advisors and the chair of several meetings. So if you want to keep that promise, you'll undo your magic now!" Discord made a sucking sound through his teeth; the sort of sound a plumber makes before he tells you that the cost is going to be a bit more expensive than you thought.
"Well, I would," he said, sounding almost apologetic. "But I may or may not have put a lockout on that spell. The only way to get rid of it is for it to wear off on its own. That should be in about a day." He then changed his tack. "If you like, I could take him off your hooves for the day; somewhere nice, far away from Canterlot for example."
Celestia undoubtedly saw where this was going. Discord was attempting to play her, appearing to be friendly and helpful. In reality, he was just being his usual self-interested self. Still, given the current situation, she was left with little in the way of options.
"Fine," she said, through gritted teeth. Even though her anger was directed at Discord, and not me, I still felt pretty scared of the usually calm and maternal alicorn. "We'll deal with this after the summit." She then turned to me, softening noticeably.
"Roger, I'll send a note to Spike to deliver to your wife, to let her know you won't be back until tomorrow. I take full responsibility for this." Snapping his talons again, Discord summoned both me and himself a couple of suitcases.
"Oh don't worry, princess. He'll be back before you know it. I'm sure you, Luna, Twilight, and that other pink airhead can manage."
And with that, we left the throne room in a dazzling flash of light.
When my vision cleared, I found that I was no longer in the throne room. I was outside, that was for sure, for there was an early evening sky above me. So, either we'd travelled through time, or much more likely, we were a somewhere to the west of Canterlot. Looking around a moment, I found that Discord was standing beside me, with a big grin on his face too.
The pair of us were standing in some sort of alleyway between two large bricked buildings. It was about the width of a carriage. I also decided that we were probably in a major city, for all around, their seemed to be nothing but concrete, tar, and bricks. Listening, I picked up the slightly muffled sounds of a busy city. I could hear clattering carriage wheels, chattering ponies and dozens of other bells and whistles.
The last of those gave me a good clue as to where we were. I turned to Discord.
"So, let me get this straight," I said, looking squarely at him. "You wanted to go on holiday with me. And rather than wait one or two days for the summit to finish, or for a regular holiday, you decided to give me potentially dangerous chaos powers, so Celestia would be forced to send me away. Are any of your plans not incredibly convoluted and sociopathic?" Discord put a talon to his chin in thought.
"Now that you mention it, no," he replied, grinning. He saw my dour expression. "Oh cheer up, dear boy. You'll have a great time here. What's done is done; you might as well enjoy the turn of events. And don't worry about your chaos powers; I undid that as soon as we left." I looked around again.
"Where the hell are we anyway?" I asked. Discord gestured to the end of the alley, which led out into the street. The two of us starting walking, and within a minute, I knew precisely which city I was in.
Stepping out onto the thoroughfare, I was all but blinded by millions of flashing lights, and my ears assaulted by the endless cackling of thousands of bells, whistles, and other exciting sounds. Ponies cheered, groaned, shouted, and chattered to each other over the noise. The busy city, along with the dozens of signs left no doubt in my mind.
"Las Pegasus?" I exclaimed. "You brought me to Las Pegasus?" Discord nodded.
"Well, where else can two guys go for a fun night out?" he asked. "You'll love it here. Oh, and while I'm thinking about it..." Discord snapped his talons and I suddenly found myself holding a large sack of bits. "That's about five hundred, should be enough to get you started."
"Started?" I parroted. Discord rolled his eyes.
"We are in Las Pegasus you know," he replied, sarcastically. "C'mon, let's hit the tables!"
I found myself being hauled along the street, through the bustling crowd until we reached the nearest place. I was still semi-blinded by all the lights and camera flashes, but I think the place was called 'The Silver Cloud'. Luckily, it wasn't Cosa Nostra owned.
Heading inside, Discord led me through the hotel lobby and out into the casino proper. I've been to the odd casino before, the last time though was in 1989 for a party, though I do like to gamble every now and then.
The interior of the Silver Cloud was what you might expect. The decor was fairly stylish, with plush carpet underfoot. Directly ahead of us, were rows upon rows of slot machines. Neither Discord nor I were much interested in those, so we headed on through to the tables. At a glance, I picked out roulette, blackjack, poker, craps, and a few others that I didn't recognise right off the bat, as well as a sports book at the far end.
"So," Discord said. "Where do you want to go first?" I thought for a moment, rubbing the bridge of my nose; the noise was giving me a splitting headache.
I wanted to argue with him. I wanted to tell him he was being a stupid twit and a jerk to Celestia. I wanted to be running my portion of the summit that I had spent over three months planning, not wasting my time in some bloody casino out in the desert.
Okay, maybe not that last one. If I'm honest, I was sort of glad to have dodged that particular bullet. But, I did feel guilty for effectively pawning my work off to Twilight; she had enough to do as it was. Discord was right though. In his own peculiar way, he was being nice and doing me a favour. There was little point pouting now. The only way back was through him, and he wasn't budging.
Besides, Celestia would kill him when we got back. I might as well enjoy my day off. Sighing and throwing my hands up in the air, I pointed to the craps table and headed over there.
"You know how to play?" I asked as I walked up to the odd bathtub shaped table and, after checking the table, set fifty bits down and asked for change. Discord though, looked confused.
"Er...no?" he answered. I rolled my eyes.
"Seriously, you're what, in four figures at this point, and you don't know how to play craps?" Discord shrugged his shoulders.
"I'm more of a roulette person," he replied. Since the dealers were still busy reorganising all the bets and sorting my own chips, I decided to give him a quick explanation.
"Okay, the shooter throws two dice so they bounce off the far end. You want to roll so they add up to seven or eleven, and not roll a two, three, or twelve. If you roll any other number, it becomes your point, and you need to roll it again before you roll a seven to win. If you do roll a seven before your point number, you lose and somepony else gets to roll the dice. Make sense?" Discord nodded.
At that moment, the dealer passed me my chips, which I quickly counted, and then picked up and set on the rail. Looking around, I spotted that a grey coated pegasus stallion down at the far end was the shooter at the moment, and judging by his mood, he was on a hot streak.
I was surprised to see pegasi and earth ponies playing. I'd figured that without hands, unicorns, with their magic, would be the only ponies able to throw the dice. But this pegasus was using his wings, remarkably like hands, to throw the dice. It was even weirder watching the earth pony dealers manipulate the layout with their hooves.
Lack of hands aside, the pegasus was still making passes. So, I stuck a five bit chip down on the pass line. Discord mimicked my action, though I explained that it was fine for him to watch if he wanted. Since he was insistent however, I briefly explained the basic bets.
The pegasus did well again, rolling himself a natural and bagging the two of us a few more bits. However, all good things must come to an end and a few minutes later, he started to lose. First he rolled boxcars, and then he seven'd out after a couple of goes at chasing a nine.
I took the dice for a while, since the sudden change of fortune had put more than a few gamblers off. As I waited for the dice to be passed back and for the dealers to redistribute the bets, I noticed a few things.
I think I've said before that ponies don't have CCTV, but they obviously needed a way to watch for cheaters. The dealers even used the same exaggerated movements as their human counterparts at a table. Looking up, I clocked their own version. Instead of cameras, the roof of the casino was lined with catwalks, along which walked ponies with binoculars, looking down on the tables. Quite clever if I do say so myself. And you had the usual pitboss types roaming around looking for troublemakers. I wonder if ponies have a version of The Box?
Just as I rolled a six and stuck another five behind the line, some cocktail waitress turned up to offer us some free booze, which we readily accepted. Given that I was up twenty bits anyway, I tipped her and threw down another five bit free odds bet for the dealers.
I did well for a while, but eventually my luck turned. Still, I was up around fifty bits; not too shabby for an ultimately unwinnable game. I had the dealer colour me up, and Discord and I moved on to new games. From what I remember, I was drinking a bit more than I ought to have been by then, we played a bit of roulette, as well as some blackjack, and we might have ended up in some poker tournament.
After that, I think things started to get out of hand. I distinctly remember being comped for a few things to get us away from the tables. I blacked out at some point in a luxurious hotel room up around two hundred and fifty.
The next thing I knew, I was waking up, back home, sprawled out on my sofa. My head was pounding, I guess I did drink a bit too much; in fact, I don't think I got that blasted since Bob Lawrence's wedding party. On that occasion I'd downed half a dozen pints of Guinness, several fingers of whiskey, and an alarming amount of red wine. According to my wife, I'd left the party fairly coherent too. This time though, I was out for the count. It was painful to open my ears, never mind my eyes.
My groaning in agony attracted the attention of she who must be obeyed, who didn't look best pleased. She came into the living room and sat down on the sofa next to me.
"Well, good morning," she said. "Or should I say 'good afternoon'. It's gone one, you know." I groaned in response. My mouth was too dry for much else.
"Celestia told me what Discord did. But I was hopeful that he'd at least drop you off when you were done." I asked the obvious question.
"What...what happened last night?" I slurred. "And what day is it?" Margaret passed me a telegram, dated yesterday evening. It brought back a few hazy memories and explained why she was probably just a bit mad at me. It read as follows:
'MARGARET STOP
DISCORD KIDNAPPED ME STOP IN LAS PEGASUS STOP
GOT IN FIGHT WITH PITBOSS STOP IN JAIL STOP
NEED 500 BITS TO MAKE BAIL STOP
- ROGER'
Hesitantly, I looked up from the message. However, my wife seemed to be a little less angry now. I ventured a response.
"Oh good God!" I exclaimed as I read the message again. My wife laughed a little, bringing back my headache.
"Don't worry, it's all settled up and Celestia said that the casino won't press charges." At this point her tone became serious. "But they took your winnings, you also aren't welcome in Las Pegasus anymore."
"What about Discord?" I asked, my desire to murder him, bury him in a shallow grave, dig him up and kill him again becoming stronger by the minute.
"I'm fairly certain Celestia's still yelling at him," Margaret said. "Although speaking of your best friend, you should look at what else you did last night." She pointed to my hand.
Looking on my ring finger, I realised, to my horror, there was a new ring there. As my eyes presumably went wide, and my pupils shrunk to pinpricks, my wife began to giggle.
"Who did I marry?" I asked hesitantly. That got my wife to just burst out laughing.
"Discord!" she exclaimed between laughing fits. I expect I went white at that point. Luckily, after she calmed down, Margaret reassured me. "Don't worry, it's already been annulled. It's invalid anyway. Nice band though."
I got a further brief telling off from the wife for my escapades. But she did agree that I needed a break, though she wished she could have come along. In any case, I managed to get away with a stern warning, both from she who must be obeyed and the city of Las Pegasus.
My thoughts then turned to the Royal Summit. It turned out, when we received another message from Celestia via Spike, that I had definitely dodged a bullet in regards to the summit. Everything had turned out alright in the end, but things had almost come crashing down when Spike, acting on his own to avoid having to bother a sleeping Twilight, caused a few serious incidents in Canterlot. The issues included a busted water main and the crystal statue had been all but destroyed. Luckily, that was the catalyst for bringing all the arguing delegates back together; Twilight got them all into a team building exercise to put it back together.
It certainly sounded like I had skipped over one hell of a party. I wrote the princess back, assuring her that I would be back in Canterlot as soon as possible. It was nice to have a brief holiday, but it was time I got back to work. Before long, much more serious matters would put me in the firing line. |
Tales From Day Court | Chapter 12 - Three Days of the Alicorn | The fallout from the Royal Summit luckily wasn't too serious. Discord did indeed get a colossal telling off from Celestia, though I doubt he listened to half of it. He was more concerned with his busted lion's paw; a consequence of trying to cheat at roulette. Still, given that the world had not ended, and that there were other matters to attend to, the princess let the matter drop, leaving Discord with a stern warning.
A mere few days after the end of the Royal Summit, we received word from Princess Cadance up in the Crystal Empire. For the past few months, she had been engaged in initial talks with representatives from the isolationist state of Yakyakistan. This small, secretive nation, further north than even the Crystal Empire, had recently reached out with an olive branch toward Equestria. With a strong military force, Celestia saw them as excellent allies, along with the Griffons.
However, Yaks, as a people, are remarkably fickle beings. They remind me of Tellarites; they're deeply argumentative and quick to anger. As such, any false move in the negotiations could lead to dire consequences. For safety then, it had been decided that initial negotiations for the opening of diplomatic relations would take place in the Crystal Empire, which despite it being a protectorate of Equestria, the Yaks recognised as a neutral party.
These initial talks had now begun to bear fruit it seemed. Cadence reported that the Yaks were now willing to send a delegation to Equestria proper to discuss the possibility of opening trade routes with Equestria. However, they wouldn't be coming to Canterlot; they insisted on conducting all business in Ponyville with Twilight, given that she was a relative of Cadence. Family it seems, as well as honour, plays a big role in what little we know of Yak culture.
Now, I personally wouldn't have much to do with this. If all went well, then I might soon be meeting up with my counterpart in the Yak government, but for now, I was just a bystander. Still, everypony in the castle was quite tense at the news.
From what we understand, the Yaks have two outlooks on other civilisations; friend or foe. If they are offended in any way, they can go off at the drop of a hat, and their army was believed to be quite formidable, certainly more than a match for the Royal Guard. So if things did go wrong, it would be extremely serious.
Still, there was little I could do about it at that moment. Like most other ponies, Celestia included, all I could do was simply wait and watch, and hope that things went smoothly for Twilight back home.
Unfortunately for Celestia, the ongoing talks were not the only issue on her plate that day. Day Court still had to go on. She was still having to deal with the backlog caused by not holding court during the summit. As always, every type of pony from many walks of life was descending on the throne room for an audience. It was about half- eleven, not long before the usual recess, when I was summoned to the throne room.
"Hey, Buttercup," I said as the guard walked into my office. "I take it the princess has need of me?" Buttercup nodded.
"Very much so, sir," Buttercup replied, passing me a file containing the details. It wasn't a trial or anything, I was just needed to advise on the finer points of the law. I let out a low whistle as I read.
"This looks to be a tough one," I commented. "Still, fun times." Throwing on my suit jacket and straightening my tie, I headed out the door with Buttercup following me. As we walked, I skimmed over the case.
The petitioner was a cherry farmer from out in the desert; from a larger settlement called Dodge Junction. It's a railroad town, hence its name, that provides access to all the smaller settlements in the region. All the produce from the south goes through that way to reach cities like Las Pegasus, Applewood, and other major cities along the west coast.
The issue at hand, or hoof if you prefer, was the local buffalo tribe. Unlike their human counterparts, the ponies and the buffalo have done quite well to co-exist. The buffalo retain their land in its entirety, and aside from one minor spat a few years ago, there has been no real conflict. There's still plenty of space for pony settlements to expand without trespassing too.
However, that now seemed to be causing an issue. As I said, the pony settlements, including their farms are slowly expanding. One of them, a cherry farm, wanted to plant a new orchard on nearby fertile ground. Fertile ground that was over the line on buffalo territory. Looking at the map, the orchard already went up to the border, which was a sort of bulwark. Buffalo territory pushed about one mile deep, and two across, interrupting the otherwise straight rows of cherry trees. When the buffalo got wind of what was happening, they stormed on down there, and a standoff had ensued between them and the farmers.
The owner of the orchards was now standing before Celestia, along with representatives from the buffalo tribal council, asking her to provide a ruling on the matter. As Equestria's ruler, she is viewed as a neutral party by the buffalo, and they agreed to accept her decision. However, since there are no less than forty-seven different treaties covering the issue, she had requested my assistance.
Making my way along the open, sunlit hallways, I whistled a tune to myself, vaguely remembering the words.
Our parade set off,
Twas a sight to see.
Our flags and banners,
Flowing gently in the breeze.
We had marched to churchyard,
On the hillside at Drumcree.
When we were stopped,
By the Army and RUC.
I soon arrived at the throne room. With court in session, the main doors were closed. Buttercup and I instead entered through a smaller side door in order to avoid the queues and questions from other ponies. Heading inside, the situation seemed fairly peaceful. The cherry farmers were looking a little impatient and scuffing their hooves on the marble floor, but were otherwise calm. The buffalo meanwhile, seemed to have lapsed into some sort of meditation, each sitting with their eyes closed. Hopefully, this whole dispute would stay civil.
Closing the door behind me, I quickly bowed to the princess.
"You summoned me, your highness?" I asked. Celestia looked up from her thoughts.
"Ah, yes, my advisor," she replied. She then turned to the two parties before her. "Everypony, this is Mr. Owen, my legal advisor." I quickly went around the two groups and shook hands and hooves. I then turned my attention back to the princess.
"I've read the file on this petition, your highness. I take it you have some ideas you wish to put forward?" Celestia nodded.
"Indeed. Ms. Jubilee here wishes to, as you know, expand her cherry orchards onto a small area of buffalo territory." I nodded in understanding and turned to the earth pony in question.
"And I take it that you put this request to the buffalo's tribal council?" I enquired.
"Well," Jubilee replied. "No, actually. The land's only two square miles. I didn't think there'd be too much of an issue." I wanted to slam my head into my desk. You'd have thought ponies who lived near the territory would at least vaguely understand the rules.
"Ms. Jubilee," I began. "If you did not have permission to enter, never mind build on their territory, then you were most definitely in the wrong. Buffalo lands, under the Equestrian Internal Nations Act, are sovereign territory of the buffalo tribes. To enter without permission constitutes an incursion into another state. You need to evacuate your ponies immediately."
Ms. Jubilee nodded her head. When ponies and buffalo came to an understanding, tough laws were drawn up to prevent aggressive expansion, however slight. Under the act, and various treaties, the lands of the buffalo tribes were marked as effective protectorates of Equestria, but retained their sovereignty as independent states, with their own government, judiciary and police. The lands were granted to the buffalo, to quote the treaty 'for all of time'. Since this looked like it could develop into something of an issue, I decided to pitch in a bit more. While purchase or unlawful entry into buffalo lands was forbidden, there was nothing about renting and trade.
"However," I went on. "It may be possible to acquire a lease to the land from the tribal council. You would be required to pay rent, of course, or possibly a share of your revenue, and it would be subject to the approval of the tribal council. But you could feasibly plant and farm there." I then turned my attention to the two buffalo.
"Unless, of course, there is any special significance to that particular area, or the council has any such objections." Thinking for a moment, the two shook their heads. Celestia smiled.
"Excellent. I agree with your recommendations, my advisor." She turned to Ms. Jubilee. "You will be required to remove all your farmers from buffalo lands, within the next twenty four hours. After that time, they may face arrest and incarceration by buffalo authorities. You are forbidden from entering, even in passing, the buffalo territories near your land.
"However, it would be beneficial for both parties to reach an agreement to either farm the land on lease, or to embark on a joint-enterprise in order to farm the land. Are there any objections to this ruling?" There were none. "Good. Then this matter is settled."
The ponies and buffalo, along with myself bowed as we departed. I would need to head back to my office to do the write up for the matter. Official records demanded such. Of course, it was Murphy's Law that I'd end up heading back to court for another case. I did have a criminal case coming up; an attempted robbery down in Rainbow Falls. I wondered if that was the case Princess Luna had gone after.
In any case, I would be meeting with Wrought Steel today to discuss the prosecution's case and check testimonies and such. Most of my job really is dotting the i's and crossing the T's.
Wrought Steel arrived just as I was finishing up on my paperwork. As I said, he's the top prosecutor in the CPS; the Crown Prosecution Service. He's a silver-grey unicorn, with an equally silver mane; hence perhaps the 'steel' part of his name, with piercing blue eyes. His cutie mark is that of a balanced set of scales, which explains his current vocation.
Personality wise, he is quite the bloodhound. If he thinks he can win a case, he'll move heaven and earth to do so. He sticks to the evidence over witnesses, and has a very diametric view of right and wrong. Like my son, he doesn't give much room for a grey area between the two. I've seen him kick the stuffing out of defence witnesses during cross examinations, and turn supposedly unwinnable cases into convictions.
As such, when a serious case like a foiled robbery lands on my desk, he's my first port of call. While I suspected Luna was behind the capture of the robbers, along with her agents, I couldn't rely on them to speak, and was sworn to secrecy myself. So, we would need to find other evidence.
The three masked ponies in question had all been unceremoniously dropped off at a nearby hospital, hogtied, their saddlebags still bulging with the stolen loot. Each one had been seemingly caught unawares and suffered a solid kick to their back legs. That had essentially crippled them all. Needless to say, they'd all been arrested on the spot when the Royal Guard had arrived.
Given how they were all but gift wrapped for us, the evidence was pretty overwhelming. We had them, dressed for a show, carrying the stolen goods, and one was still carrying the crowbar he had used to knock out the security guard. What was of concern though, was how they had been apprehended.
"Well, Mr. Owen it looks like we've got some vigilantes on our hooves," Steel said as he examined the photos and statements. "And damned clever ones at that."
"What makes you say that?" I asked curiously. Steel pushed a photo towards me.
"Their injuries," he replied. "All three of them were taken down with perhaps two or three blows in a blitz attack. There were no defensive wounds suggesting that they fought back either. And one of those ponies had a weapon; a crowbar, which he never got to use."
"So, what are you saying?"
"I'm saying that whoever did this, had training. Royal Guard maybe, or at least some form of military training. Sufficient to sneak up on three hardened criminals and disable them in a matter of seconds. And also smart enough to not leave anything behind. No hoofprints, no hairs or blood, nothing."
"Did our three new friends say anything about it?" I asked. Steel nodded.
"Yeah, though it doesn't help us much. One of 'em, apparently the last one to get knocked out, said it was an earth pony in a suit." I barked a short laugh.
"Very descriptive," I replied. "Do you want to put out the description, or shall I?" Steel laughed as well and shook his head.
"I know it isn't much, but it is a pattern." Reaching for his briefcase, Steel pulled out three more files. "Take a look at these," he said.
The files were from cases all over the shop; Manehatten, Whinnyappolis, and Applewood. Each one was an easy arrest and conviction. Because the villains had been pretty much hoof delivered, either to a hospital, or some form of law enforcement. It was the same MO too; the bad guys got jumped and were quickly disabled, regardless of how careful they were to avoid detection, and were then bound and dropped off. Nopony saw who it was and descriptions were spotty at best.
There did seem to be more than one of them though, making me suspect Princess Luna's agents even more. The stallion in the suit seemed to change species with each witness, so I hypothesised that that could be Strong Shield, it would certainly explain the military training. Then, there was a report of a pegasus mare, with an unparalleled skill with a whip; presumably Yearling/Daring. And finally, one of the captured crooks said in a statement that, before they got caught, he could have sworn that they were being followed by a cream coloured earth pony mare with dark sunglasses. Presumably, that was the 'Sweetie Drops', who I now knew lived three doors down.
I was just about to finish wrapping things up when the two of us were rudely interrupted.
Without knocking, which I personally consider to be extremely rude, never mind that this is a legal office and had held many a confidential discussion, three pegasi of the Royal Guard, led by Strong Shield burst into my office. I quickly stood up, whilst Wrought Steel pivoted around to see what was happening.
"What is this, captain?" I demanded angrily. Strong Shield however, didn't answer.
Gesturing to Wrought Steel, two of the other guards grabbed my prosecutor and hauled him out of his seat and began to drag him toward the door.
"Strong Shield! What in the name of Celestia do you think you're doing? Halt at once!" I exclaimed. I do have some authority and can order guards about if I need to. This time however, they simply ignored my protests, as well as Steel's. Strong Shield turned back to me.
"Sorry, sir. But that's classified until he's out of here," he replied, pointing at Wrought Steel. I bristled at that.
"Captain Strong Shield. Tell me what is going on, right now, or I will have you written up for disobeying a lawful command!" I warned. Strong Shield merely shook his head.
"The case will be instantly kicked under the Preservation of Equestria Act, sir," he replied. What? Preservation of Equestria? That was an emergency powers act, the sort of thing you use in wartime, suspension of habeas corpus and that sort of thing.
At that moment, the two guards finally forced Steel out of the room, closing the door behind him and bolting it. They then stationed themselves there, blocking anyone entering or leaving. Reaching into a pocket in his armour, the changeling turned guard fished out a piece of parchment that bore Celestia's royal seal. Opening the scroll, he began to read.
"By order of Her Grand Royal Highness Princess Celestia, and Her Grand Royal Highness Princess Luna, and with the consent of more than one third of the nobility, a state of national emergency is hereby declared for Canterlot and all northern cities, including the protectorate of the Crystal Empire as of today at 12:00pm local time. In accordance with existing plans as stated in Royal Emergency Directive 2159-B, all personnel essential to the maintenance and continued function of the Equestrian Government are hereby required to evacuate immediately to assigned locations. Authentication is as follows. Twelve Omareha Solemn Certainty. Day word: Cottonmouth. Command word: Trinity. Action word: Jericho."
My eyes went wide as I listened to him calmly read the notification. Instantly, I scrambled to one of my filing cabinets on the far wall. Grabbing the key from its hiding spot under the window sill, I opened the locked cabinet and retrieved the folder marked 'Continuity Procedures'. Flipping through sections, I quickly found the authentication list; a list of code words that would be used at the end of such a message to prove that it wasn't a fake. Each one would confirm the date, clarify the nature of the emergency, and refine my course of action.
"Okay," I said shakily. "Day word...Cottonmouth. Confirmed and valid as today's date. Command word...Trinity. Confirmed. Indication of hostilities with another nation; war now imminent or unavoidable. Action word...Jericho. Emergency relocation to place of safety, further communication through emergency wartime procedures. Dear God."
Not long after Tirek's brief escape, Celestia, working with Shining Armor, had drawn up plans for continuity of government in the event of a similar disaster. Whilst they may have protected their magic by giving it to Twilight, the government as a whole, as well as what was left of the Royal Guard, ground to a halt, nopony knew what was happening.
Under this plan, when a state of emergency was declared, all the advisors, high ranking officers, and other VIPs were evacuated and dispersed around Equestria, keeping in contact by a special provision of the mail service. The idea was that the country and its military could still be run even if the worst happened, at least until the Elements could be brought to bear. I sat down in my desk and looked to Strong Shield.
"What the hell is going on?" I asked quietly.
"The Yak delegation has said they are going to declare war. We don't know the details, but something ticked them off. Supposedly, they're just waiting for a train back north to deliver the news. Celestia is heading down there now to try and save things. Until then, I'm under order to stick to the plan and get you out of here."
"Where?" The Yaks were in Ponyville right now. For God's sake my wife was probably still teaching in school! Never mind my kids.
"I'm not allowed to know that," Strong Shield replied. "Now come on, get what you need, as long as you can carry it. Leave everything else. You leave in fifteen minutes."
I hurriedly set to work, grabbing important documents on ongoing cases, including Starlight's file. I didn't have anything terribly important in here; I imagine Shining was probably destroying half his office before he left. Grabbing a couple personal things, photos and such, I forced it all into my briefcase and locked it.
"Right, let's go," I said. Strong Shield nodded and motioned to the two guards at the door. They undid the bolts and moved to one side.
"Good, now get back to your normal post," he instructed, he then turned to me. "Roger, try to look a little less frightened." I scowled at him.
"We're going to probably be at war in a couple of hours, Strong Shield." He nodded.
"True, but nopony else needs to know that, do they?"
One of the provisions of this emergency plan was that it was kept quiet. The evacuation would be subtle and done quietly to prevent a panic amongst ordinary ponies. I imagine that most of the castle staff didn't even know what was happening yet.
As we walked down the corridor, heading towards the guard barracks, where all the chariots were kept, a thought occurred to me. There was another possibility as to why everything had suddenly kicked off. It was a long shot, but within the realm of possibility. Plus, if I was right, it would let me go back to my office and stop panicking. I turned to Strong Shield as he walked beside me.
"Captain Strong Shield. I have a question. And you are required to answer it, even under these conditions," I said. The unicorn looked over to me.
"Shoot," he replied.
"Is this an exercise?" For a moment, he almost smiled. Then however, he shook his head.
"No, sir. This is not an exercise. This is the real deal I'm afraid." Damn it, then I guess we really were up the creek without a paddle.
"Worth a shot," I replied. Dark humour for a dark situation.
I'd looked over these plans in the past. I had to know how they worked in the event a day like today came to pass. They always struck me as being incredibly soulless. You weren't allowed to visit, or even attempt to contact family. You had to simply drop what you were doing and go to wherever the hell you were supposed to go. I didn't even know if it had started yet. Were the Yaks already pouring south towards the Crystal Empire?
Strong Shield did his best to hurry me along. I would know more after all when I got to wherever the hell I was going. Presumably, once there I'd meet up with the other ponies involved in the legal aspects of government; judges, clerks, and so on. As mad as it was, you would need such ponies to keep running the country. Particularly if Day Court was suspended and special courts set up. We might even end up operating under martial law.
Turning left, we found ourselves in the open courtyard. A number of chariots were already set up to go. Strong Shield directed me to board one with a few other ponies already on board. I recognised a couple of them; a couple judges from the lower courts and two secretaries, and a clerk. Enough, including myself, to run a very basic court system. Evidently, I was the last to arrive, for no sooner had I stepped on board than we were off into the air.
Gaining altitude quickly, our two pegasi flyers kept up a good rate of knots as we left Canterlot. We soon descended rapidly toward the ground and began weaving in an odd irregular pattern, sticking close to one side of the valley. We weren't heading for Ponyville, but we were going to pass fairly close to it. I even saw the edges of Sweet Apple Acres, and could just about make out a grey blob, probably my son, working in the orchards.
We had soon passed Ponyville though and began to work our way around the edge of the Everfree Forest. I expected that we would be heading further out, but surprisingly, we suddenly turned sharply and heading into the forest itself.
Skimming just above the treetops we eventually came to a clearing and set down. I quickly recognised where we were; there was only one clearing large enough to land a chariot in. We were at what was left of the old Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters. It was perhaps half a mile from here that I'd first set foot in Equestria, having been knocked unconscious. My son had led us here and then, with a little help from Twilight and her friends, navigated a way out of the forest and out to Ponyville. It was certainly an odd place for us to be dropped. However, it was out of the way; one of the main reasons Celestia and Luna originally settled here, and a good many of the rooms were still intact and serviceable.
The guards pulling our chariot advised us that somepony from the mail service would arrive soon to set up communications with the other groups that would be scattered across Equestria. I had no idea where any of them were; I didn't even know where Celestia was. It was absolutely mad.
With little else to do, we began to set up in the old castle. Whilst several rooms were unsafe, and the roof of the throne room had almost completely collapsed, plenty of other rooms, particularly in the lower levels were perfectly serviceable. We set ourselves up in three of the larger rooms; one acting as a meeting area and ad hoc courtroom, one area for sleeping (we didn't know how long we'd be stuck out here), and one area for all our important papers. There was little else to do. While military and political bigwigs would be scrambling to prepare themselves, we didn't have nearly as much responsibility. So we ended up just waiting for our representative from the mail service to arrive.
She arrived about twenty minutes later. They say every cloud has a silver lining. In our case, it was who we got to deliver our messages; Derpy. She's Ponyville's local mailmare. I regularly see her in the mornings when I head out to the station to head up to Canterlot. A grey pegasus with a bubbles cutie mark, and the one lazy eye, Derpy is a great pony. Okay, at times she can be a bit clumsy, but in the time I've lived here, she's never lost or damaged anything of mine in the mail, nor has she ever been late or been stopped by poor weather. Landing, she greeted us with her usual enthusiasm.
"Hey, everypony!" she called out waving as she landed. She soon spotted me. "Hey, Roger!"
"Derpy!" I replied happily. "I take it you're our delivery pony for this mess?" the grey pegasus nodded.
"Yeah, I don't get what's going on though. I got pulled off my normal mail route by a couple guards and they said I had to go here and then to..." she trailed off. "Oops, I can't talk about that. They said that was really important." She scratched her head in a somewhat adorable manner as she concentrated. Her antics perked my spirits up a bit. "Anyway, they said I had to deliver this to the ponies out at the old castle. What are you guys doing out here anyway? Team building exercise or something?"
Reaching into her brown saddlebag, Derpy produced a scroll, again bearing Celestia's royal seal and tied with a red ribbon. I expected that this would tell us precisely what we were supposed to do now that we were out here, and tell us how to get in contact with the other groups. Opening the scroll, I skimmed over its contents, which read like this:
'Day word - Cottonmouth
Authentication - Eight Neighbraska Confidence High
The state of national emergency is hereby lifted as of 13:30 hours today for all regions and cities listed in the previous activation alert. All groups are directed to await retrieval for return back to Canterlot.'
I was...surprised to say the least. An hour ago, it said that the Yaks were committed and that we were going to war. Now, it was fine; all was well. I checked the authentication, but it was all valid. Only Shining and the four princesses knew those code words, and the order to use them in. So, it was definitely real. I turned to everypony else.
"You're not going to believe this," I said, grinning to myself.
Twenty minutes later, we were indeed picked up by some now far more relaxed guards and flown back towards Canterlot, this time passing over Ponyville. We all had the same question; what the hell had happened? Things had gone from a hundred to zero in half an hour, from war to peace. The guards however, were just as much in the dark.
Arriving back at Canterlot Castle, we were all ushered down to the throne room to see Princess Celestia. Once we were all present, she explained what had happened.
Whilst in Ponyville, the Yaks, who are apparently temperamental at the best of times, had been offered a number of imitations of their culture by Twilight and her friends, particularly Pinkie Pie. However, each time, they found some flaw and lost their cool. After this happened a few times, they decided to take it all as an insult. That got the prince who led the delegation to make the threat of declaring war on Equestria.
As soon as word of this had reached Celestia, she'd moved to take preventative measures. This turn of events was, obviously, the outcome she hoped for. Twilight had luckily been able to recover the situation and made a sufficient peace offering to the Yaks. As such, just as suddenly as the emergency plans had been activated, they were deactivated, as the crisis had been resolved.
She did apologise profusely for the disruption and upset caused by the day's events. However, she did also point out that it had been an opportunity to test out the continuity plans in a real emergency. For the most part they had worked well. Everypony had been evacuated quietly and without trouble. The groups that had had time had been able to get in contact with each other and coordinate effectively. The government then could continue to function under the circumstances.
Still, I think we were all in agreement that we not do it again.
I got home that night a little later than usual. The day's events had actually generated a sizeable amount of paperwork on my end, requiring me to catch a later train home. Still, I was back before ten and was just in time for supper. As I climbed into bed, Margaret asked me her usual question.
"So, how was your day, dear?" I smiled and shrugged my shoulders.
"Eh, the usual," I replied. The 'extra work' had been getting the better part of a hundred DORA statements signed by everypony who was involved in the continuity procedures, to make sure nopony blabbed about what had happened. It was one of those stories that nopony would ever tell. |
Tales From Day Court | Chapter 13 - Life Could Be a Dream | We all have bad dreams, to some extent or another. It just so happens that, when our brains go into their sleep mode and randomly generate images and sounds from memories and experience, sometimes the scenario that results can be quite frightening. But that is all they are; dreams, a fantasy of our minds. Once we wake, they cease to bother us, aside from perhaps an unsettling half remembered memory.
In Equestria however, dreams are a little different. Firstly, they are often much more... real, in my experience. You tend to wake up remembering your dreams more often than not, with crystal clear images and memories. Secondly, they often have some purpose, other than just random synaptic firings. Apparently, the world of Equestria has yet to discredit Freud and Jung in regards to dream analysis. While not always clear, dreams often carry some sort of message or meaning in them.
But by far the most interesting thing is that dreams are in fact connected to magic. When we dream, we actually enter the dreaming world, a sort of sub-level of Equestria, inhabited by thousands of different dreamers, each with their own dream. Nightmares are often caused by such magic, in an attempt to direct our attention to something. However, given the more lucid nature of dreaming in Equestria, the experience can be quite frightening, as I ended up learning myself.
In addition to her role as Princess of the Night, Princess Luna is also the guardian of dreams. Through magic that even my son can only just about understand, she is able to walk through the dreaming realm and enter the dreams of individual ponies. She often helps them, defeating nightmares when they become a problem, and doing her best to help ponies understand their dreams, and what they mean in the waking world. The princess helped remove the malignant nightmare from my mind, allowing me to sleep peacefully.
However, this time, I would find myself in more dire need of her assistance, and she mine.
I found myself reliving one of my darkest days; the day Tirek got loose. And Discord, my best friend, betrayed everyone he knew and sided with him. I later came to the conclusion, based on his actions of past and present, that this was most likely a scheme of his, but it ultimately came unstuck. He's never told me, but I like to think he saw what Tirek was up to, and was planning to stab the oaf in the back, only the oaf moved first.
Still, on that day, we were no longer friends. I was standing outside my home when he and the magic sucking centaur came through town. Neither my wife nor I had much to fear from him. We had no magic to steal and so Tirek pretty much disregarded us. That didn't stop him from taking the odd pot shot at me when I challenged him though. I remember, I was standing in front of my house, wishing I had a gun, so I could put a round right between the centaur's eyes.
"I don't know who you are, or where you came from," I bellowed at the centaur. "But I do know that you are going right back to whatever hellhole you crawled out of!" I then turned to Discord, he actually looked a little uncomfortable, but I was too mad at him for his apparent treachery to notice.
"And you!" I went on, pointing an accusing finger at the draconequus. "You are going right back to a statue the moment this is over. And I will take great pleasure ensuring that every single bird in Equestria takes a dump on you, until the end of time!"
Of course, there was very little I could do to back up my threats. Twilight's friends hadn't managed to last long against him, nor had my two kids. Even Bones' desperate use of dark magic hadn't helped. Tirek grabbed me with his magic and threw me against the wall of my house. At fifty eight years old, that had left me crumpled on the floor in pain. Still, that didn't put the fire out in me.
"You hear me, Discord?!" I called out, getting halfway on my feet. "My 'best friend'? I'll kill you for this! You hear me? I'll kill you!"
The dream then jumped forward to after Tirek's defeat, like a scene change in a film. As dangerous as he was, the bastard hadn't lasted long. He was dangerous, but ultimately proved to be quite stupid, sparing the Element bearers and letting them blast him.
Discord had found himself double crossed and ultimately came hat in hand to Celestia to beg forgiveness. And, much to my surprise, she had forgiven him. It must be something to do with pony nature; they just don't hold grudges as much as humans do. Their philosophy seems to be 'forgive and forget'. I didn't sign up to that.
The next day, when court had reopened to oversee important reconstruction work, Discord had dropped by my office. He said he was sorry, that he was wrong, and that he deserved whatever punishment I thought necessary.
The world around me shifted again, and a moment later, I found myself to be an observer of the conversation. I could see myself and Discord facing each other across my desk. I suppose you could call it an out of body experience.
I, as in the me I was watching, remained sitting at my desk, looked my best friend in the eye, and said this, in a cold, heartless voice.
"Discord, you're nothing to me now. You're not a mate, you're not a friend. I don't want to know you or what you do. I don't want to see you in this castle, and I don't want you near my house. When you go to see Celestia, I want to know a day in advance so I won't be there. You understand?" I then turned back to my work, ignoring the draconequus completely
"I..." Discord couldn't form a response. Through all his tricks and pranks, I'd always been in his corner. And now, here I was turning my back on him. He face looked beyond hurt.
Knowing him now, I wanted to intervene. I wanted to tell him that I accepted his apology. I wanted to tell myself that I was being an ass. But I couldn't move, nor could I speak. I was completely immobile and mute, incapable of doing anything. It hurt me to relive this moment, I even began to feel the beginnings of tears as Discord slowly walked out of my office. It would be a good week before we reconciled. It wasn't just remembering this that hurt, the dream triggered other, older memories. Memories that were far more painful, and of which I had far more reason to be ashamed of. I wanted to be done with this.
Luckily though, help was at hand.
I felt a presence behind me. I couldn't quite describe it, but it felt comforting somehow; warm and gentle. I turned to look around. As I did so, the dream suddenly became unstable, warping in and out of focus. I found myself suddenly lucid and aware. The world continued to distort, and ultimately changed from my own office, into a strange void. It was as if I were in space. There were glittering stars all around, and the ground beneath me, which seemed to be a winding path across the sky, was now a sort of nebula; cloud like. And standing just behind me, a comforting smile on her features, was Princess Luna.
"Be at ease, my friend," the dark alicorn said calmly. "The nightmare has passed." She wrapped a comforting wing around me, helping me to steady myself. She was smiling kindly and seemed in no hurry.
"Thank you, princess," I said as I steadied myself at last. The night alicorn stood beside me, looking out into the infinite expanse.
"It was not a particularly strong nightmare. But it was a nightmare nonetheless, hence my presence."
"It was... just a bad memory, your highness. Probably brought on by that incident with the Yaks." Luna nodded.
"Hmm, yes. My sister can be a little overzealous when it comes to military matters. I was certainly surprised to be roused from my sleep I can tell you." That made me laugh a little and crack a smile. "But I think that there might be a little more to this dream than that. You were reliving more than just a bad memory; there was great trauma behind it." I shook my head.
"It just reminded me of another incident," I replied. After all, that had been the second time someone had double crossed me and betrayed my trust.
"Still, you feel guilty for your actions," Luna prodded. I found myself half looking for the psychiatrist's sofa.
"Of course I do. Both times, it wasn't right of me to treat them the way I did. I guess I worry that I'll just do it again. React that way I mean."
This seemed to affect the night princess rather profoundly, for she fell silent for a few moments, simply sitting with me and letting me relax on the strange star covered path. Eventually, she spoke up again.
"Yes," she said softly. "Dreams can act in such a way. After all, those who forget their history are doomed to repeat it." She paused for a moment, looking up at the moonless sky.
"Still, it has ended now, and you are in no danger. Will you be alright now?" I nodded my head.
"I'll be fine, princess. It just shook me up a little; old memories and whatnot. You understand."
"Very well, Mr. Owen," she said, rising to her hooves. "Since it will be morning before long, I shall return you to the waking world." Her horn began to glow with the same white light that had struck down my nightmare. A moment later, a door appeared not too far away from us. It resembled the door to my bedroom. The princess gestured for me to step through.
Grabbing the handle and turning the knob, I opened the door. And with that, the whole world went white.
With a sharp gasp, I woke with a start. I found myself sitting bolt upright in my bed. It was early morning; the sun was just beginning to peak over the horizon. A quick glance at the clock on my bedside table told me it was just after six. Next to me, my wife continued to sleep, evidently more peacefully than I had.
On Earth, I'd begin to forget a dream from the moment I woke up, with the memory of it fading to mere vague images in a matter of minutes. However, in Equestria, I find that I remember them much more clearly. While Princess Luna had undone the nightmare, the experience had still left me rattled, stirring up old memories the way it had. Okay, sure, I had told that griffon, Riverbill, about the whole experience, but I hadn't thought about that time since I left the old country.
Getting up, I pulled back the covers and swung myself round to the side of the bed, taking great pains not to disturb my still sleeping wife. I know from long experience that waking her up before she's ready is a recipe for disaster. Unless of course, a celebrity has died, or it's snowing.
Putting on my slippers I got up and headed for the bathroom, grabbing my dressing gown along the way to keep warm. Shuffling along the hall, I headed inside, flipped on the light switch, and examined myself in the mirror. Unsurprisingly, I had the look of a man who hadn't slept well. My face was haggard, with bags under my eyes, and I had clearly been sweating profusely. Turning on the tap, I splashed some cold water onto my face, waking me up. I took a look at myself in the mirror again, now looking somewhat more human. Still, I had half a mind to take a quick drink to settle my nerves.
However, before I could head downstairs and sneak a drop, Margaret awoke from her own slumber. Finding the bed empty, she soon set out looking for me.
"Oh, there you are, Roger!" she declared happily as she trotted down the hallway. "I was wondering where you got to." She then paused for a moment. "Are you feeling alright, dear?" I nodded.
"Yes, I'm fine," I replied. "Just woke up a bit earlier is all; had a bad dream last night."
"Oh? What was it about?" she asked.
For the life of me, I will never understand why my wife insists on talking about each other's dreams. Usually at least twice a week I'll get 'I had this really weird dream' from her. Right. What am I supposed to do about that? Tell Princess Luna, not me. Then she'll go into details. One time she came out with; 'it was our house...but it wasn't our house. And you were there too...but it wasn't you'. I ask you, what is the flipping point? So, whenever I make a passing comment about a dream, I get cross examined. But there was no way I was telling her; it would be far, far more trouble than it was worth.
"I don't really remember too much," I lied. "It just shook me up a bit. Princess Luna dropped by to help me though. So whatever it was is gone now." That seemed to at least temporarily satisfy my wife. She grabbed her toothbrush and began to clean her teeth.
One thing did occur to me though, that seemed a little odd; Luna. She seemed...distracted, I suppose. When I'd been troubled by nightmares in the past, she stayed and talked with me for hours to help me overcome my fears. After all, time is accelerated when dreaming, a couple hours often translates to just a few minutes in reality, so she was never in any real hurry. Last night she seemed unusually pensive and lost in her own thoughts. Still, given what I had dreamt about, it was probably for the best. I didn't want to have to talk about that time again anyway.
Still, her unusual behaviour stayed in my mind the whole day. Being the start of the weekend, I had little to do anyway. I went to bed that night expecting a typical peaceful night. Instead, I would find myself quite busy and with many a question answered.
I found myself in the middle of Ponyville at night. Not an unusual start to a dream. However, in this instance, I was not alone. Everypony in town seemed to be here, all in unusual forms. Lyra and Bon Bon were now a strange conjoined pony, Big Mac was a unicorn, and Derpy had to be about ten feet tall to name just a few.
In the middle of it all was Princess Luna, surrounded by a sphere of light, with white tendrils extending from her forehead. I quickly found myself to be entirely lucid; I knew I was dreaming, and apparently so did everypony else.
I quickly found my wife, and amongst the gathering crowd spotted my son, who now wore a duster coat along with his Stetson, and had a rifle slung across his back. I also managed to pick out my daughter; she was with Fluttershy and was wearing armour worn by the ancient knights of the Crystal Empire, complete with an affixed lance.
Quite quickly, we all found ourselves gathering around the princess, as well as Twilight. The younger princess explained the situation.
"So let me get this straight," I said, when she had finished. "We're all dreaming right now. And this Tantabus thing is going to try and turn all our dreams into nightmares."
"Never mind the nightmares," my son chipped in. "If this thing gets out into the real world, it'll be a full blown Kobayashi Maru; Equestria can't survive in a permanent nightmare."
"Right," Twilight went on. "So we need to all work together to capture it and stop it from escaping. Just remember, this is a dream; you can do anything you want." My son now, pushing his Stetson back on his head, began to enjoy things too much.
"Yeah, this world has the same basic rules as the real world, rules like gravity. But here, those rules are no different that the rules of magic; some can be bent, others can be broken."
At that moment, the creature appeared and began its assault. It was a small vapour like creature, like a will-o'-the-wisp, that resembled Luna's flowing mane. We quickly saw its frightening ability, as it turned a simple thatched house into a snarling monster that tried to eat nearby ponies. It was imaginative, I'll give it that.
Bones was the first amongst us to make a move. His relationship with Princess Luna is an odd one. The boy idolises her, seeing her in the same way that Twilight does Celestia. He looks up to her as a sort of mentor. However, at times he can be something of a zealot, quite odd for a rampant atheist such as himself. Seriously, if you speak a word against Princess Luna in his hearing range, he'll drop down on you like a tonne of bricks.
Unsurprisingly then, he took a rather dim view of this Tantabus. He takes just as much a dim view of Nightmare Moon, the princess' dark alter ego. The Tantabus flittered to and fro around the square near Town Hall, with Twilight and the others doing their best to corner it, and undo any attempts it made to escape. Deciding to take a stand, he called out to it.
"Nightmare!" he bellowed. It seemed to catch the creature's attention, for it stopped in its tracks and turned to face him.
Rearing back a moment on his hind legs, Bones activated his magic. His cutie mark is that of a pair of crossed swords. His talent then lies in defensive magic, similar to Shining Armor. However, on the side, he has also studied dark magic. He very rarely uses it outside of researching spells due to the inherent danger, and he isn't that powerful. But Twilight has told me that he has some skill.
As he reared up, his eyes took on an unsettling state, the whites of his eyes turned green, and purple vapour began to pour from the sides. The aura of his magic turned black, and as he landed again, obsidian crystals shot up from the earth around the Tantabus.
"Bones!" I exclaimed "What the hell are you doing?" Whether he was studying it or not, that kind of magic was dangerous and corrupting. As the Tantabus dodged his attacks, my son deactivated his magic and turned to me.
"It's all a dream, Dad!" he replied. "Ah'm not using dark magic, just dreaming 'bout it. It's perfectly safe." I quickly understood what he meant. Since we all knew we were dreaming, we effectively all had the same powers as Discord. I watched as my son switched back to his own magic, and unleashed a light blue beam at the Tantabus.
Twilight encouraged everypony else to join in as well. This resulted in the stalwart Big Mac turning from a mere unicorn into a full blown alicorn. And with a signature 'eeyup', he charged after the Tantabus. That got everypony else to follow suit.
Fluttershy turned herself into her infamous Flutterbat persona and took chunks out of the Tantabus, whilst Twilight brought back her old library and sent avian books flying at the creature. Bones continued with a mix of his own and dark magic based attacks, while my daughter joined up with Spike, who had turned himself into a sort of knight as well, and charged into the Tantabus like knights of yore.
We seemed to be steadily gaining the upper hand as the Tantabus was cut off at every turn. A lot of ponies, Bones included, began to even enjoy themselves. As he and a few other ponies launched themselves into another charge he yelled out.
"Come on you horses! You wanna live forever?!"
However, just as things began to turn in our favour, the Tantabus regained the advantage. Princess Luna, despite being an alicorn of immense power, was exempted from the battle. She was needed to hold the dream together. Otherwise, we would all be returned to our own dream and be unable to fight the Tantabus. Forced to be nothing but a bystander, she lamented what was happening.
As she did so, I saw the Tantabus throw off our attacks and seem to gain power. It turned from a mere wisp of nebula, into a shadowy alicorn, and seemed more resistant and more powerful, threatening to open up a number of rifts into the real world. Twilight and the others found themselves pressed to keep the creature at bay. Worse still, as the Tantabus gained ground, Luna seemed to weaken, finding it harder and harder to keep the dream together. Tears streamed down her face as she fought to keep control.
"This is all my fault!" she lamented, struggling to keep her magic going. I ran over to her in the middle of the square.
"What do you mean, princess?" I asked. Off to the side, I saw that Bones had broken off from his own fight and joined me. Twilight explained.
"Princess Luna made the Tantabus to give herself the same nightmare over and over, to remind herself of what she did as Nightmare Moon." I was shocked to say the least. The idea of a pony torturing themselves like that, however serious the past mistake, seemed extreme. As Luna continued to blame herself, the Tantabus gained more and more power, getting closer to opening a portal. Her confession also drew my son to her side.
"Luna, in the name of your moon, why? Ya think Equestria hasn't already forging ya for what ya did? You are not the demon that sought night time eternal. Nopony here thinks that." As he spoke, the Tantabus lashed out again, now taking the form of a huge alicorn. "That's it: time to put this thing in the ground." Lighting up his horn, he disappeared in a teleport.
I meanwhile stayed with Luna, doing my best to console her. While I couldn't be sure, that Tantabus seemed to be tied to her somehow. Every time she became more despondent, it grew more powerful. It was almost like the ancient Windigoes; creatures that fed off negative emotions and used them to create vast snowstorms. I thought that, if I could lift her spirits a little, it would weaken the Tantabus, and give everypony else a fighting chance.
However, as I stood by her, I spotted something out of the corner of my eye. Twilight was still flinging living books at the Tantabus from her old library, but a little way off to the side, there was another mare. She had a light pink coat, with a dark purple and aqua mane.
It was Starlight Glimmer!
If she was in this dream, then she had to be in Ponyville right now! She was at last within my reach. I could catch her here, and then find her in the waking world. From what I could tell, she was simply observing what was happening. My guess is that she'd been pulled into the dream when Luna connected everypony's dreams together. Since she was in town, she got pulled in. Thus she was here.
In any case, I had an opportunity to capture Public Enemy Number 2 (In case you were wondering, Chrysalis remains in the number one spot, since we were never able to confirm what happened to her). I acted quickly, crouching down and doing my best to stay concealed.
Now, normally, I'd be extremely cautious when apprehending such a mare. She had access to powerful magic, and was on par with Twilight, by the princess' own admission. After all, she'd managed to temporarily steal their cutie marks when she caught them off guard. However, in this dream, we were equals in terms of strength. I could use magic if I wished, even dipping into alicorn or dark magic without risk, as my son currently was. Instead though, I decided to stick to a more human approach; speak softly, but carry a big stick. There was a good chance I could get her to come quietly.
Concentrating for a moment, I summoned forth a suitable instrument; her 'Staff of Sameness', in actuality, a well carved tree branch used to hide her magic from unsuspecting ponies. Still, it should do well when used to deliver a solid rap to the head. Sneaking up behind her, I tapped the mare on the shoulder.
"Hello, Bob," I said calmly. A fitting quotation, considering I was currently holding her own weapon.
Her ears promptly perked up and her whole form tensed as she felt the tap at her shoulder. Turning around, she and I 'met' for the first time. Her eyes, for a moment, were filled simply with curiosity at the strange being the stood before her. They darted from my head to my toes, taking in the odd, distinctly non-pony body. Quite quickly though, it dawned on her that she was in trouble. Her eyes widened and she let out an ear piercing scream, though annoyingly this was drowned out by the nearby battle, so nopony else heard her.
Unsurprisingly, she then took off, galloping away from Twilight's briefly resurrected library and further away from Ponyville. I did my best to keep up with her, though with this being a dream, I was able to increase my speed to keep pace with the proverbial prancing pony. Starlight briefly turned around a couple of times and took the odd pot shot at me with her magic. Luckily, on that front, I was able to dodge her inaccurate attacks.
I briefly got to wondering how large this dream was. Did it have a boundary of sorts? Or could this idiotic chase go on until we hit the sea? I didn't get a chance to find out as Starlight suddenly peeled off. We were on the outskirts proper now, and nearing Twilight's castle. The place, in my experience, is a goddamn maze. I know of three rooms in the whole castle, the throne room, which is also the front hall, the library (left, left, right, left, straight, right, and then the second door on your left), and the bathroom (ironically next door). I assumed that that was what Starlight was counting on, using the building as a way to lose me and then slip between the cracks once again.
Starlight darted in through the open front door. Quickly following, I found her staring at Twilight's map contraption, which was in its active state for some reason, with all the cutie marks centred on Ponyville. I guess in this dream, the map knew there was a threat to harmony and had identified it. I quickly moved in on her and made a grab for her.
"Hold it right there, Starlight," I warned. The mare however, simply took off again into one of the corridors.
Thus began a rather impossible game of cat and mouse. Neither of us knew where we were going and we didn't know where the other was. What I did know though, was that this castle had one way out and one way in; the front door. I therefore stayed fairly close to the entrance to the castle, listening for the sound of hooves on the crystal floor.
I also decided that I needed a more suitable weapon. Concentrating for a moment, I swapped out the large stick I had been carrying for a tried and true Webley service revolver; six shots, accurate and loud. It would certainly scare the living daylights out of Starlight, even if I missed.
Carefully, I probed my way through the maze of corridors, checking each room carefully in case the blighter had gone to ground. Unfortunately, I had no luck in finding her. This whole escaping malarkey seemed to be a skill of hers; she'd eluded Twilight and her friends last time by disappearing into a network of caves near her messed up vault.
As I was working my way back to camp out on the front door however, I heard hoofsteps. Tensing up a little, I pulled back the hammer on my revolver; a hair trigger. Creeping around the corner, I caught a fleeting glimpse of the light pink unicorn. I let off a single shot, missing her by inches. The sound reverberated through the castle and made me grab at my ears. I'd forgotten how loud these things could be indoors; it's not like in films. It was only due to it being a dream that I didn't blow my eardrums.
Chasing after her, I ran back through the throne room and out the front door. She was running back towards town and the ongoing battle. To my horror, the Tantabus was now a giant alicorn apparition and looked poised to step through a massive portal.
Raising my gun and pointing it skyward, I deliberately fired a shot into the air.
"Stop, Starlight!" I called out. "Stop or I'll kill you!" That got her attention. She at last checked her headlong flight and with her sides heaving, turned to face me.
At that moment thought, the whole dream shifted and the huge form of the Tantabus seemed to vanish. I later learned that the Tantabus was indeed gaining more power from Luna's negative emotions. Despite the time that has passed since her redemption, she still apparently blamed herself for what happened when she became Nightmare Moon. This only extended to the current crisis, since the Tantabus was her own creation. It was only when Twilight and the others, my son included, told her that they had long since forgiven her actions that she began to let go of her regret. This deprived the Tantabus of its power, but also altered it. Turning to a shadowy mirror image of Luna, she and it reconciled and it returned to her.
One the one hand, this was all well and good; the crisis was over and the apocalypse was no longer upon us. However, it also meant that we would now wake up. And I didn't yet know where Starlight was in the real world.
"Wait, princess, wait!" I called out. But it was too late, the world slowly began to fade out and I had no choice but to watch as, with an evil smirk, Starlight slipped through my fingers.
It was early morning when I awoke. This time, I quickly bolted out of bed, not caring too much for inadvertently waking she who must be obeyed. Quickly getting dressed, I made for Ponyville's train station and boarded for Canterlot. While Starlight may have eluded me, we still had a better chance than before of nabbing her. The journey up the mountain would take an hour, but that would be all the head start she'd get. I could then come back with half the Royal Guard in tow and go hunt her down. Now we had a recent last known location, it was no longer a case of a needle in a haystack.
After what seemed like the slowest morning commute in history, and the longest cab ride to the castle, I eventually made my way to the throne room. Celestia had not even opened court yet when I burst through the doors, startling one of the maids, who dropped her tea tray and scampered off like a frightened rabbit.
"Princess!" I exclaimed. "We have a situation!" Celestia nodded as she dismissed the guard she was talking to prior to my sudden arrival.
"Indeed, my advisor. I hope I can trust you to aid Shining Armor with the investigation?" That confused me greatly and caused me to pause. How did she know already?
"Er, investigation? Your highness, we need to get down to Ponyville right away, there's chance we can catch her if we move quickly." Now it was Celestia's turn to look confused.
"Oh, I see. It seems that we are talking about two different incidents," she replied. "I was referring to last night's break in at the Archives. The staff there are doing inventory now, but I fear something may have been taken. What case were you referring to?"
"Last night, your highness. In Princess Luna's dream." The mention of the incident made Celestia grimace; I imagine she didn't take the news that her sister had been torturing herself for the past few years well. "I saw Starlight Glimmer; she has to be in Ponyville." My thoughts then turned to the incident Celestia had just related. Who the hell would break into an old glorified library?
At that moment, we were interrupted by an old beige stallion with a silver mane, who was announced to be the head archivist. Evidently, they had finished up with their inventory.
"Ah, Proper Place," Celestia greeted warmly. "I take it you have completed your inventory and refiling?" The elderly stallion nodded.
"Everything has been accounted for, your highness," he answered in a tired voice. "Except for one spell." Celestia now stood up from her throne.
"Which spell?" she demanded, sounding genuinely concerned. An understandable reaction; there was a lot of stuff in there under lock and key with damn good reason.
"According to our records, it was Starswirl the Bearded's Time Travel Spell. It allows a sufficiently skilled user to travel back in time roughly one week; though with the spell itself to hoof, a less refined user might be able to simply charge the scroll itself to properly manifest it." I turned back to face Celestia.
"Princess, I fear that these are not isolated incidents," I offered. "Starlight may have travelled up here not long before myself and broken in during the guard shift change just before dawn. We did fear that she was planning something serious," Celestia nodded in agreement and quickly summoned Shining Armor to the throne room.
The gallant white unicorn had been busy working with the rest of the guard assigned to investigating the break in. Celestia now though, gave him new orders.
"Shining Armor," she began, her tone serious. "It is my belief that Starlight Glimmer was responsible for this break in, and that she may still be in the area; either here, or near Ponyville. You are to search the city for her immediately. She has stolen a potentially dangerous spell from the archives." Shining nodded and I continued.
"We'll need everypony you can get your hooves on, Shining," I added. "No holidays and no other incidents today. Get the Royal Guard to go through this valley, section by section, blade of grass by blade of grass, and find that Equalist fruitcake if she's out there." |
Tales From Day Court | Chapter 14 - Troubles, Struggles, and Fatherhood | Important disclaimer - This chapter contains material some readers may find offensive. The views expressed herein are those of the characters, and in no way represent those of the author. All names, characters, and incidents portrayed in this chapter are fictitious, and any resemblance to any persons, living or dead, is unintended and entirely coincidental.
Unfortunately, much to my annoyance, we were not able to find Starlight, despite the best efforts of Shining and the Royal Guard. It was like trying to find Afghans in Tora Bora. Every time you got close, the buggers just disappeared back into the woodwork. Irritably, I clenched my fists on the desk. She tasks me. She tasks me and I will have her! I'll chase her round the dreams of the Night Princess, round the Everfree maelstroms, and round Tartarus' flames before I give her up!
Initially, I was extremely concerned; Starlight had taken a time travel spell after all. I've seen enough movies and Doctor Who episodes to know it's a dangerous game. However, my concern was alleviated somewhat when I learned a bit more about the spell that she had taken. Twilight had used it herself once, inadvertently creating a closed time loop. She went back one week and tried to warn herself not to waste time getting worried about the message her future self would tell her. But the spell expired before she could finish, thus setting in motion the chain of events that led her to travel into the past in the first place.
There were two bits of good news. One was the range. Starswirl had never, not even with alicorn magic, been able to extend the range of the spell beyond travelling one week into the past. So that was as far as Starlight could go; she wouldn't be able to do much. Secondly, you only got about between thirty seconds and a minute before the spell degraded and the caster was sent back to their point of origin. While it was still a concern, I couldn't see what Starlight could do with the spell, regardless of where she went. She certainly wasn't going to be able to go back in time and destroy all cutie marks, or prevent the princesses coming to power.
So, the matter returned to the background again. I was still very keen to nab her, and there was still quite a bounty on her head, plus Discord was after her, but there was little I could personally do right now.
The only thing I needed to do was, you guessed it, more paperwork. The nobles were demanding an enquiry into how the break in happened; a lot of those scrolls did belong to various members of the nobility after all. So, I had to form a commission of enquiry, chair the meetings, make a decision, write up a full report and present it to Celestia and the nobles in question at Day Court, all within the week. And that was in addition to my usual workload of everyday petitioners and criminal cases.
As I was steadily working my way through the files and subpoenaing various nobles and Royal Guard officers to testify, there was a knock at my door. I actually was quite glad for the opportunity to talk to somepony, at that point, I wouldn't have minded if it was Blueblood or that tosser Jet Set.
"Come in." I called out as I continued to finish up the letter I was writing. The door opened and, much to my surprise, in stepped Shining Armor.
It was a rare thing that the Captain of the Royal Guard paid call on me. Yes, we were friends, more so now that he was regularly joining the princesses and me when we played Mornington Crescent, but it was unusual that he'd come and see me in my office. I set the letter I was writing to one side, leaving the ink to dry.
"Shining," I greeted, getting up from my seat and walking around my desk. "What brings you down here?"
The white unicorn stallion looked a little apprehensive at my question. I sincerely doubted that he was here in need of legal advice. The stallion is Eliot Ness on four hooves and, unlike some groups on Earth, the Royal Guard is not an organisation that routinely comes under fire for misconduct. In my entire time working here, I've only known of two, that one case of two guards fighting in the barracks, and another that turned out to be an exercise in reporting corruption.
"Something the matter, Shining?" I asked when he remained silent. He closed the door behind himself and locked it with his magic, the handle briefly being encased in his pinkish aura.
"Can I talk to you about something?" he asked me. "In confidence and off the record." I nodded, frowning a little.
"Yeah, of course you can," I replied. "I'm technically your legal counsel too; everything you say in this office is bound by confidentiality rules." I gestured for him to take a seat and pulled another chair from the far wall so I could sit alongside him; sitting behind my desk felt a bit too adversarial. "What's the matter?" Shining scratched the back of his neck for a moment before replying.
"Well...I just talked to Cadence; she sent me a letter through that new snowflake system she's set up." Ah, yes, it was a similar enchantment to Spike's ability. Only instead of burning a letter with dragon fire, it was placed in a large snowflake and sent drifting to the recipient. A clever and quite pretty system if I do say so myself. Anyway, I digress. Shining continued.
"She says that she thinks...she might be pregnant." I'm certain my eyebrows went up at that. Not in surprise; the two have been married for a while now, it just seemed odd that he was telling me. I expected that Twilight would be his first port of call. Still, I followed standard social niceties.
"Oh, wow, congratulations, Shining," I said, patting him on the back, realising too late that I was doing it as if I were petting a horse. "Sorry, force of habit."
"Well, the thing is, I'm one of about a dozen stallions in the entire Royal Guard that are married. And, as captain, I can't really go asking them for advice. So, I was hoping if you could...give me some hints...about becoming a father I mean." I leaned back in my chair a little.
"Oh, is that all?" I asked smiling a little to myself. Honestly, Shining might as well have asked me what the meaning of life, the universe, and everything was. It certainly warranted some thought. Still, I suppose I could impart a bit of wisdom. But like they say; kids don't come with instruction manuals. That's how I started.
"Well, Shining. First things first, I can only give you tips from my experience, and nothing I can tell you is guaranteed to work. It isn't like becoming a guard. In nine months, you're going to get this little bundle of joy; you're not qualified, you've got no experience, and there's no owner's manual to look at when you're stumped. A lot of it it's just going to be playing it by ear; sticking with your gut.
"It's the hardest job I've ever had; long hours, no pay, and at the end they might even turn around and say 'you screwed me up'. But, it is also the most rewarding; I'm proud of both of my kids. They're where they are today, in part, because of the way my wife and I raised 'em. You're going to be winging it, and you will make mistakes along the way. But I think you and Cadence will manage." I paused, I realised I was just spouting cliches. I shifted in my seat a little and laid a hand on Shining's shoulder.
"Shining, trust me; you are great father material. I've seen bad dads, and you aren't one. You have a kind and caring personality, you're firm but fair in everything you do, you're intelligent and wise, and you have the level of commitment to keep trying even when they lock themselves in their room and blast rock music for six hours." That last one made Shining laugh a little. He then went quiet again and asked me another question.
"Roger, what do you think about being a soldier, as well as a father?" he asked.
I don't know why I said what I said. I guess I just needed to, and felt that it was the right thing to do. I think it certainly helped.
"I would hope," I replied quietly. "That being one has made me better at the other." Shining looked at me curiously.
"I thought you were a lawyer before you arrived in Equestria and Celestia made you her advisor," he said, sounding a little thrown. "You never mentioned being a soldier before." I sighed to myself.
"It isn't something I'm particularly proud of, Shining," I explained, sounding a little weary. "But the lesson I learned from it made me a better father." Turning slightly, I removed my jacket and rolled up the sleeve of my shirt, exposing the old tattoo.
"See this?" I asked. Shining squinted at it in an effort to make out the faded, and to him foreign, letters.
"Er, yeah. I think it says 'FGAU'. Right?" I nodded. Somehow it was strange to hear a pony say it, particularly when he tried to pronounce it as a word.
"Shining, what I'm about to tell you, is a secret. In all of Equestria, only one other pony knows about this; my wife doesn't, nor do my kids, not the princesses, not even Discord. Can I ask you to keep this between us?" Shining frowned for a moment, obviously not approving of my deception. Eventually though, his curiosity won out.
"Alright," he said. With that, I began.
"Well," I said. "For starters, Owen isn't my original family name. I changed it not too long before I met my wife. Until I moved to England, it was Rowain. In case you don't know, that's an Irish name. And in my younger days I was indeed a soldier, of sorts. I was arguably though, and according to my own government was, a terrorist and a criminal." Shining let out a sharp whiney at that. I then went on.
"FGAU is an acronym; For God and Ulster, it's the motto of the Ulster Volunteer Force; a paramilitary group. We were stuck in a near stalemate with another group, the IRA; ended up in a bloody tit-for-tat guerrilla campaign. I left before I met my wife. But one incident while I was there helped me as a father."
Belfast, Northern Ireland - 1973 - Twelve Months after the Springmartin Gun Battle
I'd been in the Volunteers for a few years by that point. I'd risen up through their ranks and been given command of my own active service unit, essentially a 'crew' to use modern criminal vernacular. As much as we all pretended to play soldiers, we spent very little time actually combatting the IRA directly. Most of the time we relied on a campaign of collective punishment against Catholic civilians.
We lacked the resources, manpower, and intelligence to do any real damage to the Provisionals; even the British Army and MI5 took their sweet time infiltrating the dozens of cells, it was the SAS ambushes that really hurt them and ultimately, bled them white.
So, we took what we could. Whenever the IRA acted, be it a bombing, drive by, kidnapping, robbery, or anything else, we would respond. Usually, this involved finding a suitable target; someone we suspected of supporting the republican cause, and doing something nasty to them. This could range from killing one man, to blowing a hole in an electricity substation, both of which I took part in at one time or another.
However, even without provocation from our friends from Dublin, the UVF did all it could to keep Catholics and Protestants divided. It was this that I was about to do.
We were currently driving through the streets of Belfast in what was regarded as a Protestant area. I was in the front passenger seat, and there were three other guys with me, all part of my ASU. We were on our way to an off license, and we weren't planning on buying ourselves a drink.
The place was owned and operated by a Catholic man, and to the UVF, that meant he supported the IRA. In turn, that meant he had to go. Other groups had approached him in the past, but the guy had apparently been quite insistent that he was staying. As such, we were now moving onto more serious measures. Hence the baseball bats in the back. We'd been told not to kill him, just to rough him up as a final warning to get out while the going was good. However, as I stared out the window, I doubted that that would be the case when we were finished with him.
Today, I don't have any problems with Catholics. I don't hate them, I don't dislike them, and I'm sure that most would be welcome in my home. Back then though, I was angry. In 1967, I'd lost my Dad to Irish nationalism. He wasn't involved in anything, but the IRA had killed him anyway. They'd grabbed him off the street as he was coming home from work, beat him to death, and dumped his body in a ditch.
That was why I had joined up. By the early 1970's, there had been something of a regime change in the UVF's command; Brigade Staff. A lot of volunteers believed we weren't doing enough. Until then, we only targeted the IRA and its supporters directly, and we weren't having much of an effect. Since the IRA seemed to have no qualms about blowing up civilians, neither did we. The old guard were replaced by more hawkish officers, with closer connections to the criminal underworld. Targeting shifted to be more open. To paraphrase, the only good Taig was a dead one as far as the new UVF command was concerned. Plus, given that a lot of volunteers were getting locked up, there was a need for an increase in recruiting; in the past you had to be invited to join by Brigade Staff. I joined up in 1968 and took part in my first real operation a year later.
Anyway, we soon reached the off licence in question. It was a large enough place, with a single front entrance and large, covered glass windows on either side. Like most places in Belfast, it looked a little worse for wear. In particular, the soot and scorch marks around the doorframe made it look particularly rough. Presumably, the UDA, another Loyalist group, had also given this guy fair warning to disappear.
Still, the lights were on, the door was open, and the place still seemed to be in business. So, we set to work. In spite of myself, I warned the guys I was with to be careful and not kill the idiot.
We left our van and piled out. Two of us had baseball bats slung over their shoulders. I meanwhile, just in case, had a revolver hidden under my jacket. We each pulled on a ski mask to prevent anyone getting identified. Kicking the door back on its hinges, we made our entrance. The man behind the till, who looked to be in his late fifties, turned white as a sheet.
I gave him the usual spiel. He'd been warned that this would happen, he'd been given his fair share of chances, and that now he'd be made an example of. I suppose it's a testament to how angry I was back then. I stood by and watched as two of my guys broke not only his jaw and an orbital bone, but also fractured three of his ribs before they finally let up.
That was who I was, and that was how I did business. They'd been wearing gloves, so they dropped one of the now very bloody bats next to him, a calling card if you will. We then smashed up his shop, and stole what we could from the till. Not exactly the behaviour you'd expect from freedom fighters, is it?
We peeled out just as the RUC, the police, were coming around the corner. My guess is someone heard what was going down and called 999. We all ended up piling back into the van and going a bit of a merry chase, with a police Land Rover nipping at our heels. Luckily, the armour plating slowed him down, and we gave him the slip not long after. As brutal and vicious as it was, that was a pretty successful outing to my younger self.
Once we got back to report, I let the matter drop. We'd all done what we'd been told to do, had a bit of twisted fun into the bargain, and done our supposed duty. I hardly even really remember it. You see one guy beaten within an inch of his life, you've seen them all.
I went home that night in pretty good spirits. Like a lot of the volunteers, I lived around Shankill way. My home was a decent sized terraced affair. I stayed there looking after my mother; someone needed to be with her, just keeping her company since Dad died. The money I made was split between looking after myself, and looking after her. I never told her how I came by my funds; though I think she suspected it, at least toward the end. The various 'friends', phone calls late at night, and the fact that I was often looking over my shoulder were probably less than subtle clues. I know she probably disliked what I did, but I was well past talking about it all. The night Dad had been killed, I'd set my heart on joining up and getting revenge. I hope that, wherever she is now, she's been able to find some way to forgive me.
Like I said, The Troubles were a tit for tat affair. Each side responded to the other, claiming to act purely in defence of their own people. I'd been with the Volunteers for a few years, it wasn't unexpected that my number came up.
I'd left Mum watching the news and stepped into the kitchen to make her a cup of tea. The house was laid out so that the kitchen was at the back of the house, with a couple of walls between it and the street out front.
The first thing I knew about it was the chattering of the automatic rifle, along with the sound of shattering glass. I quickly followed what I'd been taught about this kind of situation, and hit the deck. The firing seemed to last an eternity. When it finally stopped, I heard the sound of screeching tires as a car tore down the street. All told, the whole thing was probably over and done with in less than thirty seconds.
As soon as I was sure that it was safe, and that they hadn't lobbed any surprise presents in along with the bullets, I made for the living room. The thick walls had kept me mostly safe, though a ricochet had nicked me on the cheek and leg. My Mum however, hadn't been so lucky. Sitting right in the line of fire, she'd been hit badly. She was covered in blood and the gore made me sick to my stomach. There was nothing I could do for her, apart from call for an ambulance.
That was the second time I lost someone close to me. I vowed that it would be the last.
The RUC bumbled about in their usual way, turning my house upside down. I actually had to scramble to remove a few incriminating articles lest they get uncovered by plod. I wasn't known to the police at that point; I hadn't been arrested and I wasn't suspected of being involved with anything.
Ultimately, the detectives decided that my Mum was the victim of a random drive by. Who says lightning doesn't strike twice?
As soon as they left me alone in my ruined front room, I got on the blower to my OC, my senior officer. He'd already heard what had happened. The Provisionals had had the balls to announce their little stunt beforehand, just to gloat about it. They'd said that they were going to kill 'a puppet of British oppression and an obstacle to the freedom of a united Ireland'. Well, guess they didn't quite manage that.
The next day, I was invited to pay call on The Eagle Fish Bar, a chip shop whose upstairs was the location of Brigade Staff's headquarters. It was a rare thing for a lowly thug like myself to meet with the top men of the UVF. They expressed their sympathy for my loss and asked me if I would be willing to take part in a counter operation. I readily agreed.
For once, we had actually managed to find a serving IRA member, and an officer to boot. Apparently, the car that shot up my house had run an Army checkpoint a few miles down the road. A squaddie had clocked the number plate and passed it to the RUC. It turn, certain elements in the RUC passed it to us, along with the registered owner's address. The car wasn't nicked, and the plates came back to a known IRA suspect named Jack Doyle. Until now they'd never been able to prove anything against him. The authorities were planning on approaching him and attempting to turn him informant. The UVF had other ideas, blowing him away for example.
I would not be in charge of this operation, but I would be the trigger man; the man who actually did the shooting. In the past, I typically had a more senior role, running my own ASU with a degree of operational freedom. This time though, I'd be the second most junior member of a three man team. In addition to myself, there would be a driver, who would provide our means of escape when we were done, and the senior officer who would be give the order and act as a backup shooter if things went wrong.
The driver was actually someone I knew, much to our mutual surprise. It was Sam Farrell. He was the same age as me and had been involved in the cause since his mid-teens, having joined the YCV's; the UVF's youth wing, early on. I'd gone to primary school with him and we lived only a few doors down from each other. He was a tall, lanky fellow with a messy mop of dark brown hair.
The OC was a stranger to me, and Sam. He wasn't UVF, but rather, was a member of the Red Hand Commandos. The Commandos were a smaller, nastier loyalist group. They shared the UVF's militaristic outlook and had allied themselves with us, ultimately reaching a mutual agreement to share not only operational control and personnel with Brigade Staff, but also weapons and intelligence. His role would be to act as a sort of safety net.
I was being given an old Webley army revolver, six shots at close range would be plenty for the job. I'd have preferred a machine pistol, such as an Uzi, but those were hard to come by without getting picked up. Most of our kit was war surplus or smuggled. Springmartin had actually seen a couple of our snipers using old Lee-Enfield rifles after the bomb went off. The RHC man however, had himself an AK with two magazines. If Doyle tried to make a break for it and ran for his car, he'd find himself staring down its barrel.
This RHC man, who called himself Cullen, briefed us on how things were to go down. We'd pull up to the front of the target's house. It was a large place with its own parking courtyard. The entrance would be blocked off by the car, with Cullen and his AK ensuring nobody got in or out. Sam would keep the engine running and be ready to make off as soon as the job was done. I meanwhile, would get out as soon as we pulled up and approach the front door.
This was the clever part. Our mutual friends in certain parts of the RUC had lent us a uniform. I'd walk up to the front door disguised as a typical beat bobby. When Doyle opened the door; which he would for an officer of the law, I'd kill him. It would then be a simple case of driving off before the real RUC turned up.
So, that was the plan. It seemed simple enough. And, while I wouldn't be getting the bastard who shot up my house, I would be hurting the IRA in Belfast pretty badly. But, as I had long ago learned, no battle plan ever survives first contact with the enemy. And the scale of which things were about to go sideways...well, it was a doozy.
Due to time constraints, it was decided that the operation take place the on Monday morning. While we were all ready and raring to go, we needed to wait for our RUC contact to smuggle out both a legitimate uniform and a warrant card. So, for the rest of the weekend, Cullen, Sam, and I, practiced and refined our plan. We needed to be in and out in no more than ninety seconds. That meant that in that time, we had to pull up, I needed to go to Doyle's front door, get him to open up, shoot him half a dozen times, then run back to the car and disappear before anybody had a chance to react.
Two solid days of training, combined with a refresher on unarmed combat, and driving practice for Sam, and we were ready. We got the RUC uniform first thing Monday. We were due at Doyle's front door at half nine.
We would be using a 'procured', read stolen, vehicle, which would be dumped and burned when the job was done. Still, Sam and Cullen both took precautions, wearing gloves, to be safe. Cullen also would be ducking down in the rear footwell of the car for most of the journey. Unlike Sam and me, he was well known and didn't want to take the risk of being made on the way in. When we got to Doyle's he'd don the usual ski mask in case he did have to open up.
Once we were all ready, and I was disguised as your not-so-friendly Belfast copper, we got into the car. It was an old Ford. The VIN was filed off, but the plates were valid, so we wouldn't be picked up by the RUC or Army on the way. We would be passing through at least one checkpoint, since we'd be crossing into a catholic area on the other side of the wall.
The journey took us about twenty minutes. We left Shankill and headed for west Belfast, passing a few murals painted on the sides of houses which depicted various Loyalist groups. The IRA liked to throw literal shit at them from time to time. It wasn't too long before we came across one of the ironically named 'Peace Walls' that divided the city. An RUC officer vouching for them, i.e. me, easily got us through the checkpoint. Personally, I didn't fancy tangling with the wicked looking Scorpion APC that sat nearby; armoured Land Rovers were bad enough.
We soon reached Doyle's place. It was certainly a lot nicer than anything I'd ever seen. It had a large courtyard for parking off the road, and the house itself was a very modern and stylish affair. Undoubtedly, Doyle had acquired it through less than legal means. Most of the IRA got its funds the same way we did, by extortion and robbery. But they also got 'donations' from sympathetic yanks, and by smuggling.
Sam wished me good luck and I got out of the car, putting on RUC cap and doing my best to look professional. I briskly walked up to the front door and rang the bell, as well as knocking on the door.
I'd seen pictures of Doyle, so I quickly recognised him when he came to the door. He was a late middle aged man, with silver hair, and a nasty scar running down the one side of his jaw; a consequence of a rather nasty encounter with a YCV's blade. I quickly made with the usual spiel, flashed my warrant card and asked if I could come in. Doyle obliged; the paddy even offered me a cup of tea.
My plan was to follow him into his front room, put two in his chest, then one in his head to finish the job. But as I said before about battle plans; they never survive first contact. No matter what, you can't plan for everything.
I followed Doyle and prepared to draw on him. But as I entered, I saw something that stopped me dead.
A kid.
He couldn't have been more than seven or eight years old. He was sitting on the sofa, minding his own business. Doyle even introduced me; this was his son, Billy.
That was when it hit me, why I was here. This whole war was about revenge. We weren't looking to end anything, just keep the cycle going. They killed one of ours, so we killed one of theirs, over and over. I was here, about to kill a father in front of his son, because my mother had been killed in front of me, because I'd roughed up a shopkeeper, because they'd set fire to a pub last week. There was no sodding rhyme or reason any more, no politics, no religion; it was just revenge. And what would happen to me in the end? I'd almost found myself bumped off, and the next time could very well be the real deal. What had I done with my life? Nothing, that's what.
In that moment, my own desire for vengeance dissipated somewhat. All I needed to do was break the cycle. Maybe inspire someone on their side to do the same. Somebody needed to simply say 'enough'. I was supposedly a senior officer, and officers were supposed to lead by example, to teach those below you to do your job someday. That was exactly what I would do.
I was thinking of what I could do now. I couldn't tell Doyle why I was here, and I couldn't simply walk out without killing him. If I tried to bungle the job, there was still a good chance I'd get killed. In the end, fate stepped in.
The three of us in the house were startled by the sound of screeching tires and sirens. I heard a series of shots go off outside. Sticking with my RUC disguise, I told Doyle that I'd go out to investigate. It definitely stopped me having to shoot him in front of his kid.
Heading outside, I found myself staring down quite a few SLRs, British Army issue. The car that had been blocking Doyle's driveway entrance had been smashed to one side by an armoured Land Rover with some bull bars, painted army green. Cullen lay dead on the ground, the rifle still in his hands. Sam meanwhile, was standing with the squaddies. A sergeant called me by name and ordered me to throw out the weapon I was carrying. You didn't need a master's degree to read the situation.
Sam, a guy I'd been friends with since childhood, was a bloody supergrass! He was an informant. As soon as he'd heard that we were planning this number, he'd blown the whistle. With no other option, I surrendered myself to the small army before me.
I was quickly arrested on conspiracy and locked up. Sam had apparently been rumbled by Special Branch about six months ago. In exchange for a full pardon, he turned informant. I've...never forgiven him for that. It meant I had to stand up and face the music, on everything. Not only was I charged with conspiring to murder Doyle, but I was also done for everything I'd done in the last year or so. In the end, the charges were, being a member of a prescribed organisation, possessing firearms without a licence, concealment of firearms, impersonating a police officer, assault, intimidation, racketeering, GBH, conspiracy, and possession of bomb making materials.
The only upside was that they'd managed to book Doyle at the same time. It later came to light that, at that moment, he was acting OC for a large chunk of West Belfast. The Dáil were supposed to be mad as hell for losing someone so experienced and high up in the IRA.
Anyway, unlike Sam, I had the sense to keep my mouth shut. The judge sent me down for fifteen years in Long Kesh.
I won't talk about my time in the infamous H-Block. Suffice it to say, life as a POW wasn't pleasant. On the other hand though, it did hammer home my earlier disillusionment with the Loyalist cause; the UVF and UDA were killing more of each other in feuds than they were the enemy. The whole cause seemed to be shifting to the right too, taking in crazy neo-nazi skinheads and other levels of scumbag, a far cry from Gusty Spence's original idea for a armed citizen defence group. The Troubles descended from a stalemate to complete and utter pointlessness.
I was eventually released a decade later on good behaviour. I resigned my commission in disgust and decided to get out while I could. The laughable 'peace' of the 1990's was still a good decade away, and CLMC had little interest in negotiating with the enemy, or with the British Government.
So I left. There was nothing left for me in Northern Ireland anyway. I changed my name to Owen and tried to start with a clean slate.
I took a breath as I finished my story. Then, I got up and walked around my desk. In addition to keeping important files in the locked bottom drawer on the right, I also kept a bit of booze, just in case. Grabbing a glass as well, I poured myself a finger or two.
"When I got out, I was still pretty broken. Okay, I'd turned a corner, but there didn't seem to be much round it. I didn't have much to my name; knowing how to shoot and make homemade PE4 devices aren't really marketable skills either. So I ended up working as a driver for a local shop; doing deliveries and such, and living in the flat above the store. A little while later, I met Margaret, and we fell in love. Seeing as how a driver's salary wouldn't get us far, I went back to school. I got my law degree and started working for a firm, I went straight. Eventually, me and few other friends were able to go into business ourselves.
"Not long after we started the business up in 1995, Margaret told me she was pregnant. I'd mellowed out since I'd met her, but I was still the same man; in fact, at that point I felt pretty depressed. It wasn't until I met my son for the first time that I realised it." I took a quick swig of whatever it was that had been sitting in my desk drawer. I looked the unicorn in the eye.
"Shining, the moment the midwife hands you your baby, you'll go through a range of emotions, everything from joy to despair. I've seen grown men cry from it. Me, I suddenly found myself with a new priority in life. From that moment on, all that mattered in my life was my child. Not God, not country, not politics, and not my own demons. All that mattered was protecting that tiny life.
"Until then, I'd thought my time in the volunteers had been a waste. I'd spent over ten years as nothing but a politically sanctioned thug. I robbed people, smuggled and used guns on a regular basis, I even got so good at making letter bombs the rozzers still have my designs on file. For a long time, I thought that was all I was good for. But when my son was born, I found a way to put it to use.
"A father's job, amongst other things, is to raise his children right. Teach them right from wrong. He does that by example. Just like a soldier, you lead by example. You raise a kid, teaching them to hate, and that's how they'll turn out. But, if you raise them well, you'll have done your job. I mean, who knows, maybe me staying my hand convinced Billy not to follow in his father's footsteps. Or, look and Bones and Lizzie; both great ponies who work hard and live right, and who knows, maybe they'll do just the same with their own kids someday.
"So yes, Shining. You can be a soldier and a father. And you'll be a good one both."
The two of us sat there a little while longer, Shining presumably still processing my story, and me still nursing a stiff drink. Eventually though, the young captain spoke up.
"I really appreciate you telling me all," he said. "It...it helps."
"Good," I replied calmly. "So what are you going to do now then?" Shining perked up a little at that.
"Cadence and I were going to head down to Ponyville in a day or so to tell Twilight and have a little party. You're welcome to join in if you like." I smiled but shook my head.
"Not my place, Shining. Besides, I'd never be able to keep quiet about it if I was with Twilight all day."
"Fair enough," he replied, getting to his hooves. Before Shining left though, he hesitated a little.
"Roger...if you...if you ever want to talk about that stuff...come find me. Okay?" I nodded.
"Sure."
With that Shining left, leaving me to myself for a little while. I'd told Riverbill that I'd run with the Volunteers, but I hadn't told him that story. I hadn't told anypony. It felt both good and bad all at once. One the one hand good, because it finally let me close that chapter of my life, but bad for the same reason.
In any case, either the booze or the sudden emotion disagreed with the other, and I quickly found myself in one of the toilets puking my guts out. After that though, I sort of settled down. I had a little cry and just sat there thinking for a good long time. Still, I think it helped Shining in the long run. Every now and then he still comes to see me, looking for a bit of help. It wouldn't surprise me if Cadence was doing the same.
It was almost time to pack up and head home when I pulled myself together. Leaning back in my chair, I tried to clear my head. |
Tales From Day Court | Chapter 15 - Countermanded | The next morning, I woke up a little groggy. I'd gotten back at my normal time, but I was shattered even before I had dinner. Call it mental exhaustion or whatever you like. The moment my head hit the pillow I was out like a light. Despite that though, and in spite of getting my required eight hours of sleep, I still wasn't that well rested when I awoke the next morning.
Still, I needed to get up. I had to catch the milk train in an hour or so. Pulling myself out of bed, I shuffled downstairs in my dressing gown and slippers. I'd have a decent breakfast and then get dressed, grab my things, and start walking to the train station. After saying goodbye to my still sleeping wife, of course.
The first few rays on sunshine were pouring through the kitchen window when I got downstairs. It's usually quite pretty in the morning, and quiet too since I was alone.
Or at least, usually I'm alone.
On this particular Friday morning though, I had a guest. Sitting in one of the chairs at the table, with his mismatched feet propped up on its surface, and apparently having helped himself to a jar of jam, was Discord.
A little off to the side was Charlie. He'd got out of his basket and was standing his ground against Discord, growling angrily at him and bearing his teeth. The Spirit of Chaos and Disharmony however, wasn't particularly concerned and seemed entirely oblivious to the angry canine.
"What the hell are you doing here?" I exclaimed as I walked in, pulling my dressing gown close out of instinct. "And don't eat the jam from the jar!" I quickly walked over and took the tea spoon and jam jar off him. The draconequus seemed unphased.
"What? Can't friends just drop by to say hello?" he asked with his usual slightly unhinged tone of voice.
"Not at six in the morning, Discord." I replied. I patted Charlie on the head and got him to stop growling. Evidently satisfied that I was aware of the intruder, the changeling turned dog contentedly went back to his basket and curled up to go to sleep.
"What do you want anyway?" At this, Discord shifted a little, having the common courtesy to take his feet off my breakfast table.
"How come I didn't get to hear the story of how my best friend is a terrorist?" My eyes went wide at that and I froze in place for a moment.
"Jesus, old man! You want to say that any louder?" Discord merely grinned.
"Sure." Snapping his talons, he produced a bullhorn. "I SAID!" I cupped my ears at the loud noise.
"Christ, shut it will you?!" I shouted back. Luckily, he did. And, by equal amounts of luck, it seemed that we hadn't inadvertently woken Margaret. I took a moment to calm myself before I spoke again. Grabbing the back of the opposite chair, I sat down.
"You know, in some cultures, this gross invasion of another person's privacy would be considered almost...rude," I said sarcastically.
"Not this one though, right?" Discord countered, gesturing to the ground with a talon.
"Why do you even want to know about that? More importantly how do you know? I told Shining to keep in secret." Discord grinned.
"Yeah, about that. If you're going to hold 'legally privileged' conversations in that office, you might want to invest in a fly swatter or some bug spray. You didn't notice me for three hours."
Snapping his talons, Discord seemed to disappear. However, I quickly spotted him, buzzing around my kitchen in the form of a fly. I put my head in my hands and slammed it down on the table.
"You've been spying on me?" I asked, sounding a little muffled. I heard Discord's magic kick in as he presumably returned to his usual form. He lifted my head back up and looked me in the eye, a cocky grin on his face.
"Oh, spying is such an ugly word, dear boy. I prefer to call it checking in on you," he replied. I frowned.
"Well, whatever you call, you really shouldn't, Discord. How would you like it if I was snooping around in your personal life?"
"As I recall you did. The whole talking me out of slowly torturing Tirek thing, ring any bells?" he replied, a little testily.
"I didn't spy on you to do it. In fact, as I recall, you brought that up. I sure as hell didn't follow you without your knowledge to learn your secrets. I did this thing that ponies do called 'talking'. You should try it sometime!" Discord was unphased by my ranting.
"I was just worried about you," he replied sulkily, folding his arms and pouting like a child. I sighed to myself.
This is the problem with Discord. He has no understanding of social graces. Or if he does he doesn't bother to follow them. His spying on me was actually him being concerned about me. The more he knew about me, the more he could understand me and, by his logic, be a closer friend. There was no real malice behind his actions; it was just the way he acted. Despite his age being in the four figure ballpark, he still has a lot to learn on the whole friendship front.
The problem at hand though, was that as a result, a lot of his behaviours could appear malicious when they were actually benign. Okay, don't get me wrong, at times, he is just a plain old jerk and acts a bit like his old self to prove a point. But in many instances, such as the Grand Galloping Gala, he acts the way he does, simply because it makes the most sense to him.
I realised that I was perhaps therefore, being a little hard on him. Don't get me wrong, I was still mad at him for essentially stalking me, but his intentions were honest, like a child listening in on a conversation between his parents. I sound like I'm defending a badly behaved kid don't I? In a way, that is what Discord is, at times at least. Sometimes the draconequus can be as wise as Celestia herself.
A little while later, the two of us came to something of an understanding, and I did repeat a watered down version of what I had told Shining; just the facts, not what had happened at Doyle's place. It sated his curiosity in any case. And not long after that little talk, he took his leave, vanishing and leaving behind a literal pile of autumn leaves.
Very funny, you daft bugger.
Discord's surprise visit threw off my normal morning routine. I was certainly glad that it was a Friday today. I needed this weekend to recuperate. After quickly calling upstairs to my wife to say goodbye, I headed out the door. I had enough time to cross town to get to the train station to catch my early train up the mountain. Charlie quickly got up and followed me out the door. This is something of a routine for him. He follows me to the station after I feed him, and then he watches me go, and then returns home. Today, the little fellow had to quietly feed on the go.
As I made my way through town with the dog following behind, I came across Twilight and Spike, both heavily weighted down with books. Twilight was carrying the better part of a ton or so in her pink magic. Spike meanwhile was pulling a cart of books behind him. The baby dragon was probably coming close to moving his own bodyweight in books. Charlie yapped excitedly at seeing his two friends and quickly bounded over to Spike, almost knocking him over before I called him off.
"What's all this, you two?" I asked as I walked up, grabbing Charlie's collar to pull him off. "Taking the catalogue for a walk or something?" Sorry, Dad jokes, comes with the territory. I should have warned Shining about those. Luckily, while Spike groaned at my deeply unfunny remark, Twilight was unphased.
"Oh, I'm so excited," she exclaimed, almost bouncing on her hooves. "Spike and I are going to be spending the whole weekend reorganising the castle's library. These just arrived at the post office from Canterlot." Her unsettlingly wide grin and manic expression told me all I needed to know. Twilight was having one of her episodes. Best bet is to back away slowly, make no sudden moves, and not make eye contact. I cast a pitying expression at Spike; the things that poor drake has to go through.
Leaving the egghead and her caretaker to go on their merry way, I made for the train station, with Charlie trotting alongside. Most of Ponyville was just beginning to wake up. There were a few ponies milling about the market, setting up stalls and so on. I spotted Big Macintosh at the Apple's stand and waved to him. I haven't been able to look at him the same way since that whole Sisterhooves Social fiasco, but he's still an okay guy in my book.
As I continued on, I picked out a couple more familiar faces up in the sky. We were due for some rain next week, so the pegasi of Ponyville's Weather Patrol were starting to bring the storm together. I always find it fascinating, watching the ponies physically create clouds, putting them together like Legos. I quickly picked out the prismatic mane of Rainbow Dash shooting around the sky, but I also picked out another. It was a pegasus mare with a dark blue coat and a flowing brown mane, with a cutie mark of a winged music note.
"Lizzie! Dash!" I called out, catching the pair's attention. Talking to Rainbow for a minute, Lizzie floated down to talk to me.
"Hi, Dad," she greeted, hovering just a little above me. "What's up?"
"Just about to head off to work," I replied. "I'm taking Charlie for a quick walk too. Hey, have you seen Twilight this morning?" Lizzie giggled a bit behind a hoof.
"Yeah, she's been acting crazy...well, crazier. Dash and I spotted her about an hour ago. She okay?" I nodded.
"Something about reorganising the library in her new castle. You know what she's like when it comes to books." At this point, Dash called down from her work.
"The princesses should have made that egghead the Princess of Books if you ask me," she yelled from her position atop a medium sized cloud. She then turned to Lizzie. "C'mon, kid, we've gotta get this built up into a rain storm before lunch. Mayor Mare is gonna have my head if we ruin her weekend again."
"Okay, Dash," Lizzie called back. "Sorry, Dad, gotta go. See you when you get back though." She slowly began to climb back into the sky.
"Okay, I'll see you this evening," I said. "Bye, Rainbow Dash!" Charlie yapped a farewell too.
Leaving the two pegasi to their work, I continued my journey toward the station. Normally, I had the train pretty much to myself. Canterlot, despite being fairly close to Ponyville, was not a place most normally visited. Ponyville was a small town, but it had everything you needed. It wasn't like back on Earth, when I'd go with my wife travel down to Shrewsbury for some retail therapy. Canterlot was a place of government and rich buggers. Unless you had business with one of them, there wasn't too much of a reason to visit.
The station was almost completely empty at this time of the morning. Heading the ticket office, I showed my pass (since I'm employed by the crown, Celestia pays for my ticket to and from work) and got myself the usual day return up to Canterlot. Heading out onto the platform, I sat myself down on one of the benches. Charlie hopped up and lay down next to me, whimpering a little.
"What's the matter, Charlie?" I asked him. Unlike an actual dog, Charlie understands everything I say, he just can't talk back. He opened his mouth and then gestured to his stomach. Ah, I hadn't fed him yet.
In my rush to get here on time, I'd forgotten to let the poor changeling have his breakfast. He doesn't take that much from me; just enough to keep him going for the day. I've been happily married for over twenty years, so I have love to spare anyway.
Looking around, I checked to make sure there was nopony else about. While Charlie is completely harmless and perfectly friendly, I doubt ponies would be that accepting of him, at least right now. Like Strong Shield, his true nature is kept secret from everypony but a select few. To most, he's just my faithful pet dog. Since it was all quiet, I decided that it would be fine to risk it. The poor lad needed his breakfast after all.
"Alright, boy. Go on then," I said, Charlie smiled, lolled out his tongue and wagged his tail. He's really gotten good at imitating dogs, even Winona, the Apple's collie hasn't got wise to him.
Opening his mouth, Charlie drew out the unusual green mist from me. That is apparently what condensed emotion looks like, or whatever it is he's eating. The changeling inhaled the vapour for a few moments, and I felt myself grow a little light headed. However, as he's just one drone, Charlie doesn't eat much, and almost as soon as it had started, he was done.
It seemed to have a visible effect on him too, his coat looked to be in better condition, his eyes seemed to sparkle more, and he seemed to be more energised and excitable. I fished a tennis ball out of my bag for him to play with. He happily bounded up and down the platform, though he was smart enough to stay off the tracks, bringing it back no matter how many times I threw it.
Eventually though, the small electric bell on the platform rang out, signalling the approaching train. I got to my feet and called Charlie back to me.
"Alright, chap. Get on back home now. I'll see you when I get back, alright?" Charlie yapped once and then set off. It really is like having my own version of Lassie at times. I certainly trusted him to get home on his own.
I quickly picked up the sound of the approaching train reverberating through the tracks. A minute or so later the gaudy train pulled in. I still can't believe you can fit so many hearts and so much pink paint onto a railway locomotive. Nopony got off; anypony who was on board would be heading for Canterlot and certainly wouldn't be inclined to get off in a two bit town like Ponyville.
Climbing into one of the carriages, I greeted the guard and showed him my ticket, along with my rail pass. With that done, I headed for a seat and settled down for the comparatively short journey. After a minute waiting for any stragglers, the guard gave the driver the right away and we were off.
My main job today was head back down into Tartarus. With Starlight's recent escapades, Celestia wanted to see if I could coax anymore information out of Sombra. I highly doubted it, and told Celestia as much, but she insisted that I try, even if it meant letting Sombra know that we were getting desperate. As soon as Day Court was opened, Celestia came with me to my office and opened up the portal for me.
Heading down along the all too familiar path, I soon found myself approaching Sombra's cell. The room was the same study I had become accustomed to, as opposed to the throne room which he sometimes created for himself in an effort to relive the glory days of his reign. He was, as always, waiting for me when I entered, having either heard my approaching footsteps, or possibly picked me out with what little remains of his magic.
"Back again already, my friend?" he enquired as I walked in. "Finally growing tired of Discord's company perhaps, or have you come to seek yet more of my wisdom?" I bit my tongue to stop myself rising to the bait. I took the nearby seat before I spoke to him.
"Starlight Glimmer broke into the archives," I stated. "We think she's taken Starswirl's time travel spell." Sombra smiled a little to himself and went off to examine of few volumes in his collection.
"Ah yes, dear old Starswirl. A more cowardly and closed minded stallion the world never knew." Sombra chuckled to himself. "Still, every now and again the old fool could come up with something interesting. Time travel you say?"
"According to the princess, the physical copy of the spell can be charged..." Sombra cut in.
"With a unicorn's own magic to activate the spell without the higher level skills." He smiled at me. "Yes, my friend, I studied magic as well. Although I wasn't allowed to pass on the fruits of my labour."
"With good reason," I countered.
"Yes, yes, yes," Sombra replied, waving a hoof dismissively. "We must protect all the stupid ponies from any kind of knowledge that might encourage them to rise up against their benevolent dictators." The psychopath seemed to be in an unusually good mood today for some reason, or he was giving me an easy opening.
"That's a bit hypocritical isn't it? Coming from a tyrannical dictator such as yourself."
"There's not that much difference really, is there? Not even between your own friends and Starlight. They both wish to make the world a better place, do they not?" Like an idiot, I took the lure.
"You know what she's planning?" Sombra smirked a little.
"Given your little update, I have an idea. Just remember what I told you about her motivations, and I think you'll do fine. Now, if you'll excuse me, I was about to have dinner, such as it is."
I took that as my cue to leave. Getting up from my seat, I grabbed my briefcase and headed for the exit. However, just before I was out of sight, Sombra called me back.
"Say, Roger. Do you play chess that much?" he asked, sounding genuinely curious.
"Once in a while I suppose," I replied. "I was never that good at it though." Sombra's gaze now became colder, and the familiar aura of darkness once again surrounded him.
"Then let me leave you with a little hint. The queen is the most powerful piece on the board. But even she may be used as a sacrifice." With that, he took to his shadow form, and headed back towards his throne.
The rest of the day, and the ensuing weekend passed by pretty much uneventfully. The only unusual thing that happened back in Ponyville was that Discord stopped by. He does that every now and again. I know for a fact that he regularly takes time to visit Fluttershy. He also occasionally stops by to bother one or both of my children, mainly Bones, since he can be quite easy to rile up.
However, on this occasion, he chose to 'crash' at my place. He has his own personal pocket dimension, which Celestia even lets him keep as a tax haven. It has pretty much everything a physical embodiment of chaos might want or need. And yet, I came home on the Friday, to find him lounging on my sofa.
I suppose this is his way of showing friendship, in his usual twisted way. Discord may be my best friend, but dear God is he annoying when you're stuck under the same roof as him. Still, I tolerate him; it's much harder to get him to leave than to put up with him. Plus, if I did try to kick him out, it would just make him dig his heels in more. And I've at least managed to get him to clean up after himself. Or at least, my wife has.
He split his time over the weekend between sitting on my sofa watching films, and visiting Twilight's friends. He went out and spent most of Saturday at Sweet Apple Acres. By the sounds of things, all of Twilight's friends got together there spontaneously. And judging by their suddenly improved relationships, they'd all gotten on well with Discord. Perhaps he really was turning a corner, or he'd just used his magic to mess with their heads, either was a decent possibility, though since none of them had become monochrome, I doubted the latter.
The only pony I didn't see all weekend was Twilight, along with Spike. True to her word, she'd holed herself up in her library and spent the entire weekend re-shelving and reorganising the place. Bones actually got a little concerned, worried that she might be slipping back into some old bad habits of putting books before ponies. Still, come Monday, she emerged at last, none the worse for wear and stepped back out into the sunlight.
That was when things first started to go off the rails. Naturally, Twilight had missed out on a fair bit, being absent for most of the weekend. I think she felt a bit left out, or felt out of the loop. It was a perfectly understandable reaction, but not one that she felt was becoming of the Princess of Friendship.
She tried to simply catch up with her friends, but sometimes it is a case of 'you had to be there'. And I think the incident with that snake, as humorous as it was, qualified as such. So, she started to have one of her funny turns; princess or not, she is still Twilight Sparkle.
I happened to be passing by the cafe where Twilight and the others, along with Discord, had met up. I wasn't eavesdropping, I just happened to overhear the conversation. Twilight was trying, like a good little scientist, to recreate the previous weekend in an effort to overcome her feelings of being left out. Now, I would have expected Discord to merely find such antics amusing. Instead though, he seemed to be slipping back into old habits.
I know before I said that Discord is chaotic, not evil. But the way he was acting toward Twilight was downright vindictive. In a cruel reversal of her recreation, he pointed out that the one different variable was Twilight's own presence. That got the poor mare to up and leave. I'd never seen her look so down.
Well, in addition to being Discord's best friend, I guess at times I have to play his conscience. As the ponies all departed, I called out to him.
"Discord!" My serpentine friend turned around and quickly spotted me. Smiling he began to walk over to me.
"Well, hello there, my friend," he replied. "And how are you this..." I abruptly cut him off and started to give him a proper telling off.
"You want to tell me what the hell that was all about?" I asked sternly, gesturing toward the group of departing ponies, and the solitary mare heading back to her castle. "Seriously, Discord, that's not on."
Discord turned and looked over to the still crestfallen Twilight. He may be crazy, but Discord is able to feel remorse. Not today though, as it turned out.
"Oh don't worry, she'll be fine," he replied, waving a paw.
"Discord, you do know what you just did, right? You verbally eviscerated the poor girl. What was that for anyway?" Now, Discord folded his arms.
"Oh, don't be such drama queen," he said dismissively. "I was just trying to stop her from being so clingy. You know she was actually trying to recreate the whole of the weekend. The poor filly goes from so self-absorbed that she has no friends to desperately needed to be with them twenty four seven. It's ridiculous."
"And your solution to this was to continue to isolate her from her friends?" Discord may no longer be looking to take over Equestria, but he still loves his little social experiments it seems. "What, are you going to see how long until she snaps?"
"If by 'snap' you mean, until she learns her lesson, yes." I clenched my fists, my anger starting to boil. I can normally tolerate Discord's antics, but this was going over the line.
"Discord!" I snapped irritably. "In the time I've known you, you've been an ass, an idiot, and a manipulative sonofabitch. But you've also been my friend, and I've never known you to be cruel. So tell me, what the hell is this?"
The draconequus seemed to go into deep thought for a moment, weighing his options. Like Celestia, he can think twenty moves ahead when the mood takes him. Eventually, he seemed to reach a decision and his demeanour softened. Snapping his fingers, an odd translucent bubble surrounded us. The world suddenly became quiet. I guess it was some sort of sound proof bubble. Evidently he wanted this conversation to be just between us.
"You asked me to help find that Starlight pony," he said.
"Yes," I replied, nodding. "What about her?"
"Well, I have a good idea of what she's planning. And it involves that little purple book smart."
"And you were going to tell Celestia, right?" I enquired. Discord frowned.
"I was, until I was told to stop." That threw me. Discord barely listens to Celestia or me, with only Fluttershy really having much influence over him. Who on earth could stop him in his tracks like that.
"Who told you to do that?" I asked, now genuinely curious. Suddenly, Discord was unable to meet my gaze.
"The Tree of Harmony," he replied. I'm fairly certain that raised an eyebrow. I had often wondered whether or not Discord was sane.
"A tree...told you to psychologically torture a pony?" Discord sighed, pinching the bridge of his snout.
"No. She just needs to learn this lesson, for her showdown with Starlight."
"What? What lesson?" I half shouted, now getting quite alarmed.
"I'm putting her in that crazy mare's horseshoes. She feels like she's losing her friends right now. Don't worry, she's not going to. But she needs to know what it feels like if she's going to help Starlight."
"And that helps how?" I asked. "We don't even know what she's planning. We can't predict what she might or might not do. We don't even know her motivations. How can you doing this possibly help?" snapping his fingers a moment, Discord summoned himself a chair and sat down.
"Tell me, Roger. Do you know much about temporal mechanics?" I shook my head.
"No, aside from a bit gleamed from the odd Star Trek episode."
"Well, let me give you a little bit of background. Time is fixed. Events in the future have happened, will happen, are going to happen, and are happening right now. With work you can alter the past, but it takes a lot of work to have even a slight effect on the future. And even then, there's the whole problem with paradoxes.
"The Tree knows what is going to happen, because it has already seen it happen. Due to this, and its own interference, a lot of events require its input. Sitting back and doing nothing can affect the past just as much as actions can. In short, everypony has to stick to their scripts. And right now, my part is to do this little act of unkindness, and get my just desserts, in order to prepare Twilight."
Well, that was...a lot to take in. Issues of free will aside, it sure hurt my head to just think about it. It did make sense though. At least, as much as Discord can ever make sense. I think even by his standards this was a bit taxing. Still, it explained his odd behaviour.
"So, what happens now?" I asked. Discord shrugged.
"I don't know that, dear boy. I may know we're following a natural progression of events, but I don't have a list here in front of me." I shook my head in disbelief.
"Look, just don't be any more unkind to Twilight than you have to be," I implored. At that moment, I saw the lavender alicorn herself marching over. "That's it, old man. I'm out of here."
With that, I left him to continue in the name of preserving the universe as we know it.
I saw Discord a little later that day, as he left Twilight's castle. Unsurprisingly, his little stunt had driven Twilight almost around the bend. She'd come to the, somewhat logical conclusion, that her friends were being manipulated somehow by Discord's chaos magic. She'd then gone charging off into the Everfree Forest to see Zecora. The zebra has been working on a few potions here and there that could benefit us all in the near future. In addition to perfecting an anti-hypnotic, which she gave to Twilight, she's also part way developed a salve which can disrupt changeling disguises.
Anyway, Twilight had her friends drink Zecora's non-Royal Medical Society of Equestria approved potion, and it seemed to have no effect.
Luckily, that was when Twilight began to come to her senses. The group, minus Discord, began to laugh and joke about what had happened. In hindsight, Twilight's near meltdown was quite funny. This had the effect of both putting my best friend in his place, and also, as he predicted, helping Twilight learn a valuable lesson about friendship.
I was waiting for Discord when he came out.
"You," I said, pointing a finger at him. "Had that coming." Discord rolled his eyes.
"True," he replied. "I must say, it takes a lot of effort to be that evil. Even in my glory days I don't think I was ever quite that...vindictive. Mean perhaps, cruel, twisted, and of course, deeply artistic and talented." I cut him off before he could really get started.
"Alright, I think you've stroked your own ego enough. Is that the end of it? Are you done being an ass?" I paused to reflect on that question before adding. "To Twilight?" Discord stretched and yawned a little.
"Yes, that's it. I'm done. For now anyway." With that, he disappeared, hopefully to somewhere other than my couch.
I, meanwhile, headed into Twilight's castle. The girls had all gone a little further in than the throne room, probably the great hall. This left me alone with the map; the strange contraption that seemed to monitor Equestria like a hawk. It seemed intelligent in some capacity; it made its own decisions and acted accordingly. Did that make it a sort of magic AI, or a construct, like the Tantabus? I lay my hand on the map table.
"I hope you know what you're doing." |
Tales From Day Court | Chapter 16 - Catch and Release | I was standing in my office, facing away from the door, and looking out of the window, to the city far below. My hands were clasped behind me, and I was doing all I could to appear intimidating, with good reason too.
The long search for Starlight was at an end. Believe it or not she was turning herself in. Twilight had come with her and had told me what happened. Apparently, Starlight, after being forced out of her Equality village, had turned all of her displeasure against Twilight Sparkle. She blamed her for everything that had happened, not even acknowledging the trauma she put the ponies of that town through.
I had known she had been planning something drastic since I encountered her in Luna's dream. Stealing a highly secret and forbidden spell did not bode well. It transpired that Starlight had broken into Twilight's castle in Ponyville, after secretly sitting in on a lecture she gave in Canterlot on the subject of friendship.
Using the map as what my son referred to as a 'focal point' she used the time travel spell she had stolen to go to Cloudsdale, the home of Rainbow Dash, when she was just a filly. The six mares who would come to wield the Elements of Harmony met due to a singular event; namely Rainbow Dash inadvertently performing a sonic rainboom while in a race. It was seen by the other five, allowed them to gain their cutie marks, and set in motion a chain of events that would ultimately unite them in Ponyville on the eve of the Summer Sun Celebration.
Travelling back, and dragging Twilight and Spike with her, she stopped Rainbow Dash from performing her stunt, thus altering the past. The spell she was using, one of Starswirl's, slightly modified, compensated for the ensuing paradox and forced the alteration to the timeline.
This led to near disaster, spawning several alternate timelines in which some of Equestria's most dangerous foes emerged victorious. Despite Twilight's attempts to warn her, Starlight refused to listen and battled with her every time she attempted to repair the damage Starlight had caused.
Ultimately though, their conflict ended in a draw, with neither pony being able to soundly defeat the other. It was this that got a reluctant Starlight to show why she did what she did.
Her reason for altering the timeline was to ensure Twilight never met her friends. Just that. She didn't intend to create the hostile alternate realities, which she was ignorant of. And her reason for doing this you ask? Because Twilight and Co. destroyed her Equality cult.
She then took Twilight back to her own childhood and explained her reason for despising cutie marks. It was rather...pathetic honestly. A friend of hers gained his cutie mark in magic, and consequently left for Canterlot to study at Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns. Starlight evidently had some abandonment issues, for this one incident made her bitter and resentful, despite her gaining her own mark not long after. It was this alone that gave rise to her Equality philosophy and resulted in her every action since.
It completely stumped me. Nightmare Moon acted due to jealousy toward Celestia and sought power for herself. Discord wished to cause chaos across the world, because that is his role as the embodiment of chaos. Chrysalis wanted to use ponies to feed her species, and elected to take things by force. Sombra sought to reign over the Crystal Empire due to his own mad lust for power and greed brought on by corrupting dark magic. And Tirek viewed ponies as beneath him, and merely a source for him to achieve world domination. All of these villains, tyrants, and despots had grand ambitions.
Starlight though...she sought to undo Equestria itself, in order to get back at Twilight, due to a friend once leaving her. I think I ought to retract my earlier judgment of her; Starlight is quite clearly insane. Or at least she was. Somehow, some way, Twilight had been able to talk her down and offered to teach her the ways of friendship.
I'll be honest, that annoyed me. She forgave her, overrode my arrest warrant, and dismissed my case summarily. Then, she effectively rewarded this madmare by making her a student. She had kept ponies, without their marks, their souls, for years. It bordered on psychological torture. She had attacked a princess in her own home. For God's sake, she had almost destroyed Equestria in her quest for vengeance. She needed to be punished!
Luckily, after much arguing, haranguing, and bartering with both Twilight and Celestia, I had managed to reach a compromise. I would be allowed to speak with Starlight for half an hour; taking the opportunity to explain a few things to her.
This brings me back to the present; with me standing looking out over Canterlot. I heard a knock at the door. I prepared myself, psyching up for the occasion, and hardened my tone.
"Enter!" I barked out in gruff voice.
The latch lifted and Buttercup entered. He stood stiffly at attention and reported, his armour clanking slightly as he moved.
"Sir, I've brought Starlight Glimmer to see you." I didn't turn around to face him and kept my voice hard.
"Very well, Buttercup. You can wait outside." My tone left no doubt that this was an order to be followed.
"Respectfully, sir, I shall have to lock you in," he replied, shakily.
"Then do it!" I snapped back. Buttercup quickly backed off
I heard him order Starlight in and then heard him close the door behind him, locking it. That left just me and Starlight.
I caught her image in the reflection from the window. She was a fairly normal looking unicorn mare, and matched the image I grown used to seeing in photographs. She looked quite scared, remaining right by the door and looking around warily. Still not turning to face her, I gestured to the chair opposite my desk.
"Sit," I ordered sternly. Starlight, however, didn't move.
"We can do this the hard way if you prefer," I continued. Snapping my fingers, two menacing thestrals, on loan from Princess Luna's guard, emerged from the shadows and flanked Starlight on either side.
The mare slowly moved to take a seat on the chair. She curled her tail around herself, perhaps in a comforting mechanism. The thestrals meanwhile, retreated to the shadows again, and stood at their parade rest. I paused for a moment, letting her own fear build up a little, and then began.
"Do you know why you are here, Starlight Glimmer?" I asked, looking out at the view.
"Princess Twilight...said you wanted to speak to me...about what I did," the mare replied shakily. I allowed myself a smile, but still didn't face her.
"In a way," I replied. "I'm going to tell you what could happen next. Tell me, Starlight; do you understand how much trouble you are in?" I looked in the window's reflection again. Starlight was looking down at her hooves and didn't reply. I walked over to my wall lining bookcase and retrieved a few texts, flicking through the pages as I spoke.
"Well, let's start with the biggie, shall we?" I continued. "Assaulting a royal, namely, Princess Twilight Sparkle. In days gone by, that alone would be enough for me to have a noose wrapped around your neck." I heard Starlight gasp. "However, today, it is merely a sentence of twenty years.
"Then there is the matter of your time travelling. Under the Restriction Against Dangerous Magic Act, time travel is forbidden outside of research and theoretical study. That is another thirty years.
"After that, your little stunt breaking into the Canterlot Archives and stealing a rare and possibly priceless ancient scroll, now destroyed. I'd say that's at least another five years." Starlight now looked visibly worried.
"And that doesn't even begin to cover your earlier actions. Theft of cutie marks, wrongful imprisonment, assault. That pushes your sentence over the one hundred mark, my dear. Now normally, this would mean banishment from Equestria, for life. However, given your abilities with magic, and the continued risk you pose to the safety of Equestria, I would not recommend such an action to her majesty. Instead, I would suggest life imprisonment, here in Canterlot."
"What?!" Starlight exclaimed. "But..."
"You're lucky you're not in Tartarus right now!" I snapped back angrily, compelling her to silence. I walked back to the window, my hands clasped behind my back, and continued.
"You almost destroyed Equestria. In fact, you did. You still have in other realities. You have caused untold misery to millions of ponies, griffons, dragons, minotaurs, diamond dogs, and changelings." At this, Starlight cut me off.
"But Twilight undid all of that. She repaired the timeline so she and her friends would meet and stop all those evil ponies." I smiled. Time for a demonstration.
Before this talk, I had met with Time Turner and asked him a few questions about time travel and the risks involved. He told me quite a few interesting things that can happen when you prevent a paradox from manifesting properly. He was even kind enough to lend me his ship's owner's manual, which has quite a few sections on the intricacies of fifth dimensional flight.
"Starlight," I said. "Try and remember, think carefully. What did you do today?" The mare seemed stumped by my question.
"Well, I got into a fight with Twilight. I..." All of a sudden, she trailed off. Putting a hoof to her forehead, she groaned in pain. "I was fighting the Crystal soldiers. Ooh. We were hiding from the changelings; they were going to find us. Argh. We were all so cold, why was there no sun anymore? I...I...I...Oh, dear Celestia!" I decided that was enough.
"Starlight," I called out, this time a little more softly. She looked up at the window; her muzzle was now covered in light red blood. I turned to face her for the first time and offered her a handkerchief. "You're bleeding."
The mare quickly placed it to her snout and cast a spell to stem the bleeding from her nose. She then looked at me, seeming deeply frightened.
"What the hay was that?" she demanded. "What did you do to me?" I shook my head.
"I did nothing; that was all you." She tilted her head curiously. "You remembered. The other timelines; you remembered existing in them. You remembered being a soldier, a slave, even being dead. The mind cannot cope with the paradox. Dwell on it too long and it will eventually drive you mad." I took a seat at my desk again, resting my clasped hands on its surface.
"I think by now you understand my concern. Whether or not your actions were ultimately 'undone', they still pose a risk. You still pose a risk. I don't trust you, Starlight Glimmer, and I probably never will. However, higher powers have compelled me to release you. So, I will give you one final warning." Reaching into my desk drawer, I brought out a small stack of papers. Some of them had a CPS seal, one had a Royal Guard one, and another had the emblem of Ponyville hospital.
"What is all that stuff?" Starlight asked curiously. I looked up from arranging the papers.
"Insurance," I replied. "Here's what's going to happen Starlight. In a minute, you are, much to my annoyance, going to walk out of that door a free mare. Twilight believes that you have changed, I do not. Thus, I intend to keep a close eye on you for the foreseeable future.
"At the first hint of you stepping out of line, I will submit these." I turned the papers around and passed them to her. "The first is a fresh arrest warrant to bring you in post haste. The other document is a hospital order. Given your actions earlier today, I doubt I would have any trouble finding a doctor to declare you mentally unfit. Step out of line, screw up just once, and I will have you thrown in the looney bin for the rest of your days."
Starlight was understandably taken aback at my threat. However, crazies usually tend to be more scared of the psyche ward than they are of prison. It would mean exposing Twilight somewhat, and there would undoubtedly be questions, but it would work. Given my past experience, reformation was something of a hit and miss, and I had no desire to see Starlight standing next to Equestria's next foe a year or so down the line. Eventually, the mare spoke up.
"I understand, sir," she muttered, looking over the documents with some concern. I leaned back in my chair, assured that my warning would be heeded.
"Good," I replied. "You can go now then." Starlight got up and headed for the door.
"Starlight," I called out, causing her to stop and turn to me. "I will be watching you." I then called out to Buttercup on the other side of the door to unlock it and let her out. Once she was gone, I dismissed the two thestral guards as well.
The whole thing had gone as well as I had hoped. Starlight was definitely scared of me and that ought to keep her in line. Plus, it brought home to her just how lucky she had been when it came to deciding her fate. Punishment on its own is all well and good, but to know that the Sword of Damocles is dangling just above her head...I think, it will make her a model student for Twilight.
On the other hand, who knows? I have been wrong before. It may be that Starlight is truly reformed, or at least on the path. By the same token, I may soon be compelled to release Trixie on good behaviour. While she still possesses something of a deep loathing toward Twilight Sparkle, she doesn't seem to be a threat to society at large. I even heard she's planning a sort of 'apology tour' all around Equestria.
But, if you ask me, people don't really change. Nor do people forget, nothing can ever be entirely forgiven, certainly not creating an insane cult that goes directly against pony nature and forces ponies to remain there without their very souls. Perhaps it is just the nature of ponies to be more forgiving. Does that make them better than humans, or just naive?
I was startled from my deep, philosophical thoughts by a sudden flash of white directly in front of my desk. Discord appeared right in the seat Starlight had been sitting in moments ago. It was fortunate; I needed somepony to talk to.
"Hey, Discord," I greeted, collecting the papers from my desk. "What brings you this way?" The draconequus leaned back in the chair he sat in, talons forming together into a steeple.
"I just saw Twilight's most recent nemesis out in the hall. I thought I might collect my pay." I barked out a short laugh.
"You know you have to find her before she turns herself in, you know that, right?" I replied. "Sorry, old man. Better luck next time on that front."
"Why was she here anyway?" Discord went on. "I was under the impression that Twilight was taking her under her wing. A case of the blind leading the blind if I ever saw one. Or, crazy unicorn leading crazy unicorn, whichever you prefer."
"I just brought her in to put a shot across her bow, just in case this is some feint or something. It was the only thing Celestia would let me do after Twilight let her off. This whole change of heart was very sudden." The draconequus before me shrugged his shoulders.
"So was mine," Discord replied. Snapping his talons, he produced a projector and a stopwatch. Whirring into life, the projector showed a brief film from the time he officially began to reform; the moment he realised that if he didn't, he'd lose Fluttershy as a friend. The stopwatch merely timed it.
"I think you'll find," he said when the short film finished. "That I reformed in just under three minutes. Over a thousand years of chaos and disharmony down the drain in three minutes. By that ratio, Starlight took an age."
"Yeah, and look what happened a few months later," I replied. I quickly caught, and mentally kicked myself for the snap reaction. Discord took on an expression of genuine hurt. I know for a fact he is still ashamed of what happened, despite his efforts to put the whole matter of Tirek behind him. I cursed under my breath at my insensitiveness.
"Sorry, Discord. I didn't mean that." Discord shook his head.
"It's alright," he replied simply. "And you could be right, too. Starlight doesn't have much more experience than I do when it comes to making friends. All it would take is the wrong pony to lead her astray. Still, if you want to use my case as an example, the reason she may go off the rails is if she feels that she's being led like the proverbial pony to water. At some point, you'll have to take a chance." My eyebrows went up at that.
"Since when did you become all wise and learned?" I asked, smiling. Discord laughed a little.
"Well, dear boy, I am over a thousand years old. When you've been around as long as I have, you pick up a few things. Though I must admit, I stole that particular line from an old bearded idiot who used to hang around with Tia and little Woona."
"So come on then," I went on, gesturing toward him. "What should I do; she still needs to be punished. Do I watch her like a hawk, or sit back and let her loose for a while and then pop out when she least expects it?"
"Well," Discord replied. "Given that she's going to have pretty much everypony except Twilight against her, I'd say that's punishment enough. She's always going to have that black mark on her record. Everypony will know her as 'that crazy equality mare'. I like to think that that is punishment enough. Twilight took her to that odd town before she brought her here anyway. They seemed to forgive her." He then softened his tone a bit.
"I think it might help to start on the road to reformation, to have somepony in her corner. And it might help if that somepony was one of her severest detractors." He made a fair point.
"Well, we aren't going to find out sitting here talking. I'm just about to head off to the station anyway. Fancy riding the train back home with me?" Discord thought for a moment.
"Sure. Why not."
Discord stayed the night. We got into town not long after Twilight had introduced Starlight to everypony. They seemed to react pretty well, by and large, but then Twilight at that point hadn't told everypony about her time travelling escapades. Starlight seemed, embarrassed if anything, feeling out of place in the warm and friendly atmosphere of Ponyville. For the moment, she would be staying in Twilight's castle along with Spike. I figured though tomorrow would be the day she gets a proper introduction.
As we walked towards my house, I was suddenly set upon by a pony. With no warning, an unsettlingly large pair of baby blue eyes filled my vision. I stopped dead where I was, well knowing who this was, and that any sudden movement might set her off.
"Pinkie," I said calmly, keeping quite still. "Remember that little talk we had about personal space?" Equestria's premier party planner nodded, but didn't back off.
"Yah-huh," she replied, nodding. "You were really shouty." I did my upmost to remind myself that she meant well. "I was just wondering if you and Discord might want to come to Starlight Glimmer's Welcome to Ponyville party tomorrow." Off to the side, I heard Discord desperately whispering 'nooooo' and waving his talon and paw about in a similar gesture. Well, what are friends for?
"Sure, I suppose we could come, Pinkie," I agreed. I heard Discord facepalming and groaning in annoyance. "I'd like to have a word with her anyway."
Satisfied with our verbal RSVP, Pinkie withdrew and bounced off to ambush the next pony she came across. Discord meanwhile, gave me a punch on the arm.
Heading along the road, we soon found ourselves at my house. Fishing the keys out of my pocket, I let Discord in. The wife wasn't best pleased about having him in again, but since I insisted that he was here by invitation, she relented and set a place for him.
Since it was a Friday and I didn't have anything to do tomorrow, the two of us stayed up late. For once his magic proved quite useful, as he was kind enough to cast a sound proofing spell around the living room, so we didn't disturb Margaret.
The two of us decided to just let our hair down. I grabbed a couple bottles of cider from the fridge and stuck Con Air (which thankfully came through the portal along with about a hundred other films) on the projector. I'd just been so busy these past couple months. Aside from Starlight, there'd been all sorts going on, with one thing following pretty much on the heels of the other. Hopefully now I'd have something of a break.
By the time the credits rolled around I was...nicely drunk, while Discord was just his usual self.
Actually, I'm not even certain it's possible for Discord to get drunk.
More to the point, do you really want to be around a drunken demigod? No tar.
Anyway, eventually. Sometime around three, well after our little soiree had crossed over into 'that bit from Apocalypse Now' territory, we decided to turn in for the night. Discord took the sofa again, and I tiptoed upstairs and did my best to sneak into bed next to my wife.
Pinkie Pie had scheduled Starlight's little shindig for just before lunch the next day. While Discord feigned gastro-intestinal distress and locked himself in my bathroom to avoid going, the wife and I both decided to head out. I wasn't planning on talking to Starlight just yet; I'd made my point perfectly clear in Canterlot. However, it would be an opportunity to test her reactions, and see if she really was attempting to change.
The party was being held over in Sweet Apple Acres. Since the Apples' have a large, and at present empty, barn at their disposal, Pinkie liked to commandeer it for parties. It was a bit of a walk, but no more than I was used to, and at least there weren't any hills. Heading along the dirt road we soon found ourselves in front of the odd barn/house that was both the Apples' home, as well as their largest storage barn for their harvests. Bones was outside the large barn doors, presumably taking a break. Busy parties, particularly loud ones, tended to wear him out quite quickly.
"Hey, Bones!" I called out, waving as we walked up. The cowpony looked up from his thoughts and trotted over.
"Pinkie caught you two as well did she?" he asked.
"In her usual way," I replied. "Why, did she do the same to you and Applejack?" Bones nodded.
"Ah still can't make out how she got into my room. Never mind how she managed to hide herself under my bed." At that particular memory, he shuddered.
"So who's in there at the moment?" my wife asked. Bones thought for a moment, pushing his hat back on his head.
"Well, Twilight and her friends are there, along with Starlight. Big Macintosh is there too, so are AB and the Crusaders." He did his best to recall a few more names. "Er, Cheerilee, Milano, Lyra and Bon Bon, Derpy, The Doc, Bulk Biceps, pretty much everypony in town really. Lizzie too, I think she came with Fluttershy. C'mon, you know how Pinkie gets when it comes to parties." With that, he turned around and beckoned us inside.
Walking into the barn, we found it to be pretty busy. The place was all but packed, and the party was beginning to spill out the side doors and back outside the barn again. The setup was your usual Pinkie Pie fare; balloons absolutely everywhere, along with lots of confetti from her party cannon, a couple of tables with drinks and snacks for everypony, and a record player blasting out some high tempo party music. The music though, was pretty much covered up by the hubbub of conversations going on.
I picked out Starlight fairly quickly. She'd changed a little since I saw her last. She'd redone her mane, letting one side of it fall across her face a little. She still looked a little nervous and out of her depth. However, with Twilight standing next to her and chatting with her, she seemed to be doing alright.
For the moment, I think I have to agree with Discord. Either she's a brilliant actress, or she is actually trying to change. Still, a bit late in the day if you ask me. The two of us quickly started mingling, picking out Lizzie and Fluttershy amongst the crowd. The shy yellow pegasus was actually not attached to the nearest wall and Lizzie was standing by the punch bowl talking to...Dewdrop, I think his name is. He and Lizzie seem to have become good friends. We quickly headed over to the trio.
"Lizzie!" my wife called out, quickly wrapping the navy blue pegasus in a hug.
"Yeah. Hi, Mom," she managed to reply with her dwindling air supply. "Enjoying the party?" Luckily, at that point, she was released and dropped back onto all fours.
"Yes, fine," my wife replied. "Though we haven't seen Starlight yet." Fluttershy now jumped in a pointed off with a hoof.
"I think she's just over there with Twilight," she said, actually sounding audible over the noise.
Now, since Margaret didn't know about my previous meeting, she dragged me along too, despite my protests. She insisted that I meet and greet with the ex-political fruitcake and megalomaniac. After pausing for a moment to grab a glass of punch or two, we both headed over to the pair.
Twilight seemed to have positioned Starlight smack bang in the middle of the party. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if she'd actually worked out, through some complicated formula, the perfect position to achieve optimal visibility to party-goers...or something like that. The wife seems to come down on Twilight's side of the fence in regards to Starlight and wants to give her a second chance. Twilight spotted us approaching and quickly introduced us to Starlight. When the poor mare saw me, she almost went white.
"Hello, Starlight," I greeted, after my wife had shook hooves and so forth. "Enjoying your party?" The mare paused for a moment, clearly a little rattled, but eventually nodded.
"Oh, er, yes. Thank you for asking," she replied a little hesitantly.
Having seen her reaction, I left her Twilight and my wife and went to again search out Bones and talk with him. I found him talking with Octavia of all ponies. In his younger days, my boy played the violin, and the pair were now talking music.
"Hey, Bones," I called out as I walked up. The pair stopped their talk for a moment and turned to face me. "Any chance I could steal you away from Octavia for a minute?"
"Er, sure, Dad," the grey unicorn replied. "Ma'am." He nodded to Octavia. We walked to a quieter area of the party, away from listening ears. I quickly answered my son's questioning look.
"So. What do you make of Starlight, Bones?" I asked, Bones thought for a moment.
"Well, Ah heard what happened. Ah actually wouldn't mind talking to her a bit later; see how she changed that spell of Starswirl's. But at the moment she seems alright. A little off perhaps, but not evil.
"She kinda reminds me of a pony called Snowfall Frost; she tried to cast a spell to remove Hearth's Warming Eve. Misguided, but enlightened. Ah'd say she's just as smart as Twilight is, and is about as powerful as she was when she was a unicorn. Trouble is, her value system is all messed up. She puts power and control above friendship. That's a dangerous road to walk. Given time though, Ah reckon Twilight can help her."
I'd asked Bones since I figured, with more experience of ponies, he might a better judge of character. After all, I remember when Discord had first reformed, he'd written a good page and a half of reasons on a blog on why he'd go off the rails within a year. I let him continue.
"Don't get me wrong, the mare was clearly nuts not too long ago. But Ah reckon she's willin' to try friendship again. Anyway, if y'all will excuse me, Ah've been meanin' to go ask her a favour, and it'll be a good chance for her to meet somepony new."
He then trotted off towards the pink unicorn. I was actually quite surprised. Bones wasn't exactly Pinkie Pie when it came to meeting new ponies. Perhaps their shared curiosity of magic had encouraged him.
I saw him walk over to Twilight and her new apprentice, while the party was for her, more than a few ponies were giving her a wide berth. He shook hooves with her and began to chat with her about magic. I couldn't hear what they were saying over the hubbub, but Starlight seemed interested, while Twilight was more anxious. As they headed for the barn door, I picked up Twilight's voice.
"Blade Star, no!" she exclaimed. "I know you have an interest in dark magic, but I'm not letting you use Starlight as a test subject."
"Ah'm not, Twilight," the cowpony replied. "Ah just need somepony to practice it with. Come on, Starlight."
At this point, the discussion had garnered the attention of more than a few ponies, and a small crowd had gathered to follow them out. They headed outside into the farmyard where Bones and Starlight stood at dueling positions. I was by now pretty curious myself as to what Bones was up to.
"Right, Starlight," he called to the unicorn. "Ah want ya to hit me with a spell; any old spell will do. If Ah'm right, it should stop and dissipate. But just be ready for a feedback loop." Starlight nodded. Twilight meanwhile looked on with a mixture of scientific fascination and severe concern. "Alright, kid. Let's see what ya got."
Starlight let loose a spell from her horn. I expected my son to either dodge, or put up a shield. Given his cutie mark, he specialises in defensive magic, a bit like Shining. However, instead of doing that, he did something far more unexpected.
Tapping into what limited dark magic he had, he cast some sort of spell and reached out with a hoof. With his horn glowing black, I looked for a result. Twilight's and Starlight's jaws dropped.
The spell, now in the form of a bolt of energy, hovered between the two ponies. It just hung in the air, occasionally juddering back and forth a little, like a paused video tape. Opening his eyes, my son looked at his work, though still concentrating and struggling to maintain the spell.
"Yes!" he exclaimed. "Now let's see ya try and steal my magic, Tirek!" He stepped to one side and then deactivated his spell. The magic quickly started up again, and Starlight's spell shot by him, impacting a tree not too far away.
"How did you do that?" Starlight asked in amazement.
The two ponies, along with Twilight, soon fell into discussion of magic that went well beyond my meagre knowledge. While Starlight seemed to lack more than a few social graces, and at times still seemed a bit unhinged, my son seemed more than willing to talk magic with her and Twilight, particularly on the alterations she made to Starswirl's spell.
In any case, it seemed as if my concerns were unwarranted. Still, I resolved to step lightly, just in case. I was glad to finally have her off my plate though. I heard the name Starlight Glimmer enough to last me a lifetime. Hopefully, I would not need to follow up my threat.
I now had a couple other more pressing matters to attend to. |
Tales From Day Court | Chapter 17 - Loose Ends | Today, I stepped through the portal, and down into Tartarus for the final time. After this last visit, I would be able to revert back to my normal occupation. While Celestia had told me that I had done an exemplary job, she said that she had found somepony better suited. And while it felt like I was being fired, the solar alicorn assured me that I had done no wrong in my time there, and that I had performed my new duties admirably.
I was certain that she who must be obeyed would be more than happy at the news. I must admit, I didn't exactly enjoy going down there to converse with the inmates. Still, I found myself feeling a little sad that I would never again walk those rocky paths between the cells, or get to make a fuss of Cerberus.
I asked Celestia, out of curiosity, just who it was she had found to replace me. I half expected it to be Discord; he was her first choice after all, and with him now having turned a corner regarding Tirek, he seemed to be in a much better position to serve as Tartarus' warden. But no, Celestia told me it was not the Spirit of Chaos and Disharmony, nor was it Time Turner, or Starlight, or Twilight, or even Maud Pie. In fact, she was keeping very tight lipped about who it was. All she would tell me was that she was sure the place was now in good hooves, watched over by someone with 'past experience'.
Anyway, I slowly made my way along the well-trod path. As ever, I came upon Tirek's little cage first. And, as per usual, the centaur within began hurling insults at me and promises of terrible vengeance that had been uttered so often that they had lost all meaning.
I'd tolerated this idiot for several months now. And since it was my last day on the job, I decided to go and, for once, have a little chat. I decided that I ought to explain the finer points of life to the decrepit magic hog. I walked right over to his cell and stared at him. To my surprise, the centaur actually fell silent. I suppose he was curious, given that I had pretty much ignored and refused to engage him the entire time I was here.
"Are you gonna bark all day, little doggy?" I asked in a quiet voice. "Or are you gonna bite?" Tirek snarled at me.
"I have nothing to say to you, you miserable ape!" he howled.
"Inside voice, Tirek," I chided, only making him angrier. "And if you've nothing to say, you certainly have a funny way of showing it." He snorted at me.
"Fine. What do you want?" he asked, glaring daggers at me.
"I wanted to explain a few things to you, old man. I think life, the universe, and everything is a good starting point. What do you say? Would you care to know the nature of reality?" Now, Tirek looked at me, as if I were the madman. I continued.
"It's my last day down here, you see," I went on. "We haven't talked that much, so I decided that I ought to let you in on a little secret. Something that not even Celestia knew until I told her." That seemed to get his attention.
"What could you possibly know?" Tirek replied sneeringly. Unphased, I continued.
"Tell me, Tirek, what do you know about me? Where did I come from?" Tirek made no reply. "I'm actually not from Equestria, not even from this world. I came here from another world, another reality, perhaps even another universe." Tirek now seemed marginally interested.
"In that world, there was a thing called 'television'; sort of like those projectors ponies have to watch movies. And there was this show, about six mares, living in Ponyville, who wielded the Elements of Harmony." Tirek was now leaning forward, curious. Even if he thought I was lying, it was still a decent tall tale.
"They used the Elements to defeat evil villains; Nightmare Moon, Discord, changelings, and so on. But the show soon needed a new villain, somepony our heroes could fight and defeat, an evil character whose sole purpose was to be evil and fall to the forces of good." I paused. "That character, Tirek, was you."
"You expect me to believe that nonsense?" the centaur asked incredulously. I nodded.
"It's the truth, I assure you. I have no reason to lie to you. I just thought you should know. And I figured it would prevent you from writing humans off as 'magicless apes' so quickly."
Reaching into my inside pocket on my jacket, I pulled out a few sheets of paper. Discord had acquired them for me. They weren't from this world, or my own, but it was apparently a close approximation. They were initial design sketches. The character's name was still Tirek, and he had a sidekick called Scorpan. Bones had told me that they were from something called 'G1'. I passed the pages to Tirek.
"Here's another version of you. You might even call this fellow your father. Writers and designers drew on this image and character to create you, as an evil despot who despises friendship and seeks nothing but destruction."
I passed him a few more sketches. They slowly evolved from an odd, goat like creature, into the being that now stood before me.
"That is all you are Tirek, a caricature to be despised. You were created to frighten little children, nothing more."
This seemed to finally get through to the stubborn fool. He backed away, looking deeply unsettled. Though I suppose anypony would after being told that their entire life up to this point was a work of fiction, created solely to amuse people. I leaned down, close to Tirek.
"Remember this, Tirek, whenever you think of me, or my species. You are nothing but a work of fiction. You exist, because we allow it. And you will end, because we demand it."
Tirek was now deeply frightened, as any rational being would be upon being told that they were a fictional character, and their every action up to this point had been controlled by an omniscient and omnipotent creator. Of course, it wasn't really true. While the show was identical to what happened in this reality, the two were not linked. At worst it was a cosmic coincidence; think of the 'infinite number of monkeys on typewriters' idea. Tirek probably did appear in the show according to Bones, even acting the same way as he did here. But nonetheless, we all had free will.
But Tirek didn't need to know that. I left him sitting in the middle of his cage, staring off into space, contemplating the futility of his own existence.
Leaving the centaur to his existential crisis, I headed off towards Sombra's cell. It had been a clever plan of his; to escape without escaping. It had even caught the approval of the typically unflappable Princess Luna. As soon as we had realised the true nature of Sombra's little plan, Celestia took action. He had lost the few 'privileges' that he had in Tartarus, and apparently now enjoyed accommodation almost identical to that of Tirek, courtesy of Tartatus' new management.
Walking down the familiar stone corridor, I emerged into Sombra's cell and took my usual seat. I didn't speak to him, or treat him to the usual pleasantries we normally exchanged. With an air of overwhelming confidence, I sat down in my chair and crossed one leg over the other. This time, I had the upper hand, I had the advantage. I allowed myself a small smile.
"Your cell looks bigger with no books in it," I commented.
Indeed, Sombra had had his magic completely cut off; he was now unable to create any more illusions. That meant no more library, no more private study, no more throne room, just his cell's true appearance, which was no different than the rest of Tartarus.
He'd also been stripped of his royal attire as well. His crown was nowhere to be seen, nor was his armour. Even his fine robes had been taken from him, and the stallion now sat on the floor of his cell, his blank flank, for he had no cutie mark despite his age, exposed for all to see.
Still, he maintained some quiet dignity. He was lying on his stomach, with his forelegs splayed out in front of him, one crossed over the other. His lion like mane was still in excellent condition too, and he remained an intimidating character. He was very much like a lion really, or some other predator. Even stripped of his material things, the dark king radiated an aura of power, particularly from those malignant red eyes.
But having known him, I now knew I had little to fear from him.
"Really?" Sombra replied quietly, his tone controlled, but still with an acidic aftertaste. "I hadn't noticed."
He paused, fixing his eyes on me. Tilting his head back, he sniffed at the air. Smirking for a moment, he quickly returned his gaze to me.
"And I see you have still yet to find a better aftershave," he remarked dryly, attempting to parry my own insult. Since I no longer needed him, I decided to indulge him.
"Yeah, I keep getting it for Hearth's Warming," I replied. Sombra's head tilted a little to one side.
"Hearth's Warming? Ah, yes. Did you get my card?" I'll admit that that actually did spook me. He had the courtesy to sign the card simply as 'S', but the attached letter, and the flowing handwriting, left no doubt as to who the sender was.
"I did, thank you," I answered. Sombra nodded in approval and looked off into the distance.
"It was so nice of the Royal Guard to forward that to you. They wouldn't give me your home address." That was because none of them knew anything other than my P.O Box in Ponyville, with good reason. Undoubtedly, he tried more than a few dirty tricks to extract information from the guards that occasionally visited him.
I decided to confront the matter at hand.
"It was a brilliant scheme, if you don't mind me saying, Sombra," I offered.
"No, no, not at all," the dark unicorn replied, smiling in a way similar to his mocking tone.
"Believe it or not, it took a Timelord to work out what it was you had been planning. It was clever; simply waiting for reality to change around you. When Starlight changed the past, you went from a captured prisoner, all but stripped of his powers, to a reborn tyrant, fighting a bloody war in northern Equestria."
"Time Twister's Temporal Alternation Blocker was by far the hardest part," Sombra declared. "And it was nonetheless disorientating, even without my memories being affected. I had to move quickly to learn my new place in time and the new position of my empire. The mind control helmets were inspired; I amazed even myself."
"But then the timeline was restored," I continued. Sombra scowled at that. "And you found yourself back in your old cell once more." Sombra's glare now became strong enough that I worried that he would melt the bars between us.
"Yes. And if I had known you would check me for time travel magic, I would have used a mage wash too!"
"Hence, we find ourselves here. Once again, you have nothing to offer me. I see no reason that my visits should continue." I was about to get up and leave, when I was startled by another voice.
"True, my advisor," Celestia said, as she strode into the cell. "However, I myself may make one or two trips down here from time to time."
The two of us fell into a stunned silence.
In the entire time I had been keeping an eye on things here in Tartarus, Celestia had joined me on only two occasions. And each time, she had refused to go anywhere near Sombra's cell. I didn't know for sure why, but judging by the look on her face whenever she had glanced at the tunnel that led down that way, I had guessed that there some history between the alicorn and the mad king. Celestia walked past me and stood toe to toe with Sombra. For the first time ever, I saw him at an utter loss. A few moments later though, he recovered. Looking her in the eye, he smiled at the alicorn.
"Celestia," he said, eventually. The snow white alicorn smiled and bowed her head slightly.
"Sombra." Another long pause, I moved out toward the edge of the room, though I didn't leave.
"It's been a long time," he went on, his red eyes fixated on her own magenta ones. "Did you miss me?" Celestia frowned.
"Not particularly," she replied. "How are you taking to your new living arrangements?" Sombra snarled at that. A moment later though, his expression switched.
"Oh come now, Tia. Surely you're pinning for me after all this time? Not even a little fantasy?" Celestia scowled.
"Hey, watch your mouth!" I snapped at him. Celestia raised a hoof for me to stop.
"You are not him, Sombra. You barely even look like him. Never mind your personality," she replied.
I could see now why Celestia had not come with me to visit Sombra before. His reactions were radically different, he was trying to get under Celestia's skin the whole time. His comments threw me though. Initially, I assumed it was just one of his usual tricks, trying to shock Celestia and provoke a reaction. Unlike myself, Celestia could see just as far ahead in the great game as Sombra could. They were like two chess players of equal skill.
However, I later learned that there was a vague shred of truth to Sombra's words. Sombra and Celestia were indeed once upon a time, lovers. It was not this Sombra though.
You see, Celestia had, several months before we arrived in Equestria, begun experimenting with Starswirl's mirror portal magic. Essentially, it created gateways, in the form of mirrors, between various realities. One had led to a mirror version of Equestria, where everything was the exact opposite. Celestia and Luna were the evil villains, whilst Sombra was the benevolent king of Equestria, with some of the ponies we would recognise as villains helping him maintain harmony.
Celestia had had a relationship with this version of Sombra, repeatedly visiting his own reality. However, repeated use of the mirror portal made it grow unstable and before long, the two realities began to merge, with possibly disastrous consequences. To save Celestia, Sombra used a spell to absorb the dark magic of the mirror Celestia and Luna. This stopped the realities merging, but also made him into the Sombra I knew here. He might as well have been killed.
The loss had hurt Celestia badly, and Sombra had been more than willing to use it to his advantage. She visited him only once before asking me to keep an eye on Tartarus. In that visit, he attempted to fool her into believing that he was actually a part of the good Sombra she knew, given that, it terms of realities, both were now one and the same. Celestia didn't fall for it, but that didn't stop Sombra from trying.
"I wouldn't say that, my dear. We share the same form, the same voice, the same mind. Is there really that much if a difference?" Celestia now expertly took control of the conversation.
"I think I've indulged you long enough, Sombra," she declared. "And I'm afraid I've no interest in your foalhood crush." That got Sombra to turn scarlet and bear his fangs.
"The stallion I cared for had no interest in petty games or feeble attempts at manipulation. He had gained his position on merit and trust, not by force and mind control spells. He was wise, learned, and noble. You were never anything like him, Sombra. You are just what you always have been; a shadow, a shade, a poor reflection, and nothing more."
And with that, Sombra snapped.
With no magic to call upon, and no real weapons to hoof, he grabbed what he could. Taking a few pebbles in his hoof, he hurled them towards the two of us. Celestia easily caught the crude projectiles in her golden magic. In a remarkable display of power, she compressed the rock with such force that it was turned into a diamond. Both Sombra and I were speechless.
"Sombra," Celestia said softly, when he had finally calmed down. "You were once a threat to me, my sister, and my ponies. That is no longer the case; with no magic, you can harm nopony. However, you still have my pity." Sombra growled at her like an animal, seething at his inability to strike back at the alicorn. "I feel sorry for you."
Again, this seemed to anger Sombra. Having seen how ineffective projectiles were against the alicorn princess, Sombra now resorted to hurling himself at the bars. He shouted, swore, called Celestia and her sister horrible names, and promised that he would kill them the next chance he got. Celestia was unamused and took her leave without giving Sombra so much as a backward glance. I however, stayed where I was, watching the frenzied stallion. As Celestia walked out, he fell silent, his sides heaving from the exertion. I decided to goad him one last time before I left.
"Sombra," I called out smugly. The dark unicorn looked up, rage clear on his face. There was only one thing I could say at this juncture. Leaning down and looking him in the eye, I smiled; I was going to enjoy this.
"Long live the king."
He didn't respond, and merely glared daggers at me. Cracking a smile at my vanquished foe, I followed Celestia back out into Tartarus. His raging soon started up again.
The two of us headed back out into Tartarus proper, with Celestia leading the way. Even outside the entrance to his cell, we could still hear Sombra's howling madness. It had shocked me, to say the least. All this time, I had dealt with a pony that, while twisted and evil almost beyond measure, was still civilised, calm, and ordered. But in one short meeting, Celestia had managed to coax him into revealing his true colours. He was as mad as Tirek, if not more so.
"I can see why you didn't join me when I visited Sombra, your highness," I said, turning to Celestia. The alicorn nodded.
"He despises me, and my sister. No matter his control, if you do not acknowledge him, and fear him, he quickly loses his temper. He needs that fear to validate himself. By ignoring it, and instead pitying him, I caused him to show his true self. I certainly doubt either of us will be calling on him again." I let out a sigh of relief.
"I'm glad to hear that, your highness. Sombra, caged or not, he's the only being down here that ever truly frightened me. He's very human in a way. He doesn't have the restraint most ponies have, or even most humans."
"A psychopath," Celestia summarised. "It is a shame. He has, even now, such talent in magic, both practice and theory. Once upon a time he may have been a good stallion." Celestia fell silent; her look once again became wistful and nostalgic.
I let her remark hang in the air. That particular issue was private to Celestia, and even as her friend, it was not something I would go poking my nose in.
A few moments later, we came upon the open portal, guarded by Cerberus. Ol' Fluffy leaned down to be made a fuss of. He seems to like both me and Celestia. According to Fluttershy, he felt very bad about not being able to release them when they were wrongfully imprisoned here, and does all he can to make up for it.
Stepping back through the portal, we emerged back into my office. With a quick flick of her horn, Celestia sealed the portal behind us.
"There," she said happily, glad I think to be back in her kingdom. "Now, I had best return to Day Court, my advisor. Is it a busy day for you as well?" I raised a hand and made the so-so motion.
"Sort of," I replied. "The Chief of Police in Manehatten wired me this morning. They picked up Marelone without trouble. He should be in an interview room within the hour. Other than that though, I should be available to advise you, as ever." Celestia smiled.
"Then I shall leave you to deal with Mr. Marelone, my advisor. Good day."
"Good day, your highness," I replied.
With that, she departed.
As the princess left, I heard her greet Buttercup in the corridor. A moment later, he appeared in my doorway. The earth pony guard was standing there in his usual armour and greeted me.
"We have Marelone waiting for you downstairs, sir," he reported. By 'downstairs', he meant the castle dungeons, which boasted cells and several interview rooms. I nodded in understanding.
"Good," I replied, sounding a little disinterested. "Make sure he stays under guard."
"Yes, sir," Buttercup replied. He then stepped back a little from the door to allow me to follow him. "Er, coming, sir?" I shook my head.
"In a little while, Buttercup," I said, sitting down in my chair again. The guard tilted his head to emphasise his confusion. It did seem a bit of an odd reaction from me after all.
"Sir?"
"I want to let him sweat for a little while. And remind him who has the upper hoof here. Let him stew for another hour, then come and find me." Buttercup nodded and then departed.
I meanwhile took a chance to catch a breath and fished out a copy of a Shadow Spade story; I think it was 'The Mareltase Falcon'. Marelone wasn't going anywhere, and I needed to brush up on my interrogation technique.
After I had made Marelone wait another hour for me, I headed on down to the dungeons. It's a bit of a mix down there really. One the one hand, you have Victorian era prison cells that are about as comfortable as a debtors prison, but you also have comparatively modern interview rooms, complete with low level lighting, metal chairs and table, and one way mirrors to allow ponies to watch from outside.
However, much to my delight, there were two things those interview rooms didn't have; cameras and microphones. In Britain, at the time I left, you were interviewed by two officers when you were nicked, and it was all recorded and taped to ensure no intimidation occurred. But back in the good old days, all that had to be done was the suspect had to sign the officers' report at the end, confirming it was true. As long as they could still use their hand, you were fine. Unsurprisingly, quite a few criminals, particularly ones with weaker cases, experienced unfortunate accidents. Some of them would fall pretty hard, and bang their head about five or six times, or break their hand in the door.
Of course, I wasn't about to do that. But it might help for Marelone to believe that I had that option open to me. After all, I'd previously shown him that I knew how to play the game. As a matter of fact, I was going to use a similar tactic to the one I had used with the cabbie.
I opened the door and walked into the interview room, telling the two guards to wait outside. I then closed it behind me and turned the latch, locking it tight.
"How do, Marelone?" I greeted cheerfully. The earth pony glared back at me, but didn't reply. His suit, as well as his mane, was ruffled from being manhandled up here, and he no longer looked like a respected Mafioso. "Sorry to keep you waiting, but things have been rather busy down here recently." Marelone snorted.
"Your pet gorillas out there still haven't told me what I'm being charged with," he replied. "If you want to hold me, I'm fairly certain you have to charge me with something." I nodded.
"Very true," I said. "And on that note; Bugsy Marelone, I'm arresting you on suspicion of conspiracy to kidnap. You do not have to say anything, but it may harm your defence if you do not mention, when questioned, something which you later rely on in court. Anything you say may be given in evidence. Do you understand?" Marelone bristled at that.
"Yes." I smiled.
"Good. Do you want your brief here? Or would you rather we just have a chat between ourselves?" Marelone leaned back and formed his two front hooves into a steeple.
"Let's talk. Just yous and me," he replied, his Manehatten accent becoming more pronounced.
Opening my briefcase, I fished out the small, old fashioned tape recorder and spooled it up. Playing it back revealed a recording of the conversation between Marelone and me, asking him to help capture Starlight. He went decidedly pale when he heard it.
"Now," I said, after I had stopped the tape. "I can easily explain away our little arrangement as a sting operation. Nopony will believe you anyway. You however, are on tape, agreeing to help kidnap somepony. I doubt I could find a judge in all of Equestria that won't send you down the river. And when they do, I'll be sure to tell The Commission how cooperative you were with my investigation. How long do you think you'll last on Whickers?" 'Whickers' was Whickers Island, just off the coast, an infamous prison for Equestria's criminals.
Marelone saw how the land lay. Either he could go to prison and before long be bumped off by The Commission, or...
"Is there a deal to made here?" he enquired resignedly. I smiled and leaned back in my seat.
"That there is, old son," I replied. "And a very simple one at that. I will let you out of here, drop the charges against you, and overlook your criminal past. In exchange, you will work for me." I leaned forward on the table and explained. "I want to bring down The Commission; not just the ponies involved, but the whole organisation. I intend to gather enough evidence to charge The Commission itself with racketeering, smuggling, and anything else I can dig up. I intend to send every last one of you down the river." Marelone tilted his head to one side.
"And suppose I simply go back to Manehatten and tell my boss all this?" I smiled.
"Then I'll have you picked up just like I did this morning. And I'll make the indictment official. You'll rot on Whickers Island for the rest of your days." Marelone however, seemed unruffled. So, I chose to play my last card, hoping that he didn't call my bluff.
I laid a polaroid photo on the table. It was a picture of a young auburn coated mare, with a cute little filly following at her heels.
"Well, if you aren't up for it," I said darkly. "I suppose I could always talk to this pretty young thing. Though I couldn't be held responsible for what The Commission might do if she was seen talking to the Manehatten Police." I wouldn't really of course. If Marelone called my bluff, that would have been it. I would never dream of putting anypony in harm's way, least of all a mare and her foal.
Still, the tactics worked. Marelone's pupils shrunk to pinpricks as he looked at the photo. A moment later, he looked up at me, murder in his eyes.
"You son of a Diamond Dog!" he seethed. "Fine, I'll help you." I leaned back again and let myself relax.
"Good. Glad we could come to an understanding," I replied cheerfully. I passed him a business card. "Leave any messages you have for me here. It's a P.O Box on West 59th Street. I want names, places, dates, and amounts. Then, when things go down, you and your family get to slip away, start a new life. Deal?" I extended a hand across the table. After a few moments of consideration, Marelone responded.
"Deal," he replied, taking my hand. With that, the stallion broke his omerta; his code of silence. If I remember correctly, this made him a 'pentito'; his soul would now burn in hell for breaking his word. I had a stallion on the inside.
I left Marelone downstairs and headed back up to my office in good spirits. Today had been a case of 'two birds, one stone' as they say. I'd been able to close the book on Sombra, and see him get his metaphorical arse kicked by Celestia. And now, I'd just set in motion my plan to, hopefully, tear down the blight of organised crime in Equestria. Not bad for my first year.
Things did seem to be settling down in general now. Starlight was no longer a problem, and seemed to be doing okay in Ponyville, though I fear she has a long road to understanding friendship. Sombra had once again been bested by Celestia. Tirek was contentedly rotting in jail. Troubleshoes had been exonerated. Rainbow hasn't made any further attempts to hold off the various seasons. Everything just seems to be settling down into idyllic tranquillity.
My son, at this point, would point out that that is usually when the ground gives way from under you. But the way I see it, with the map even going quiet, we all might as well enjoy this quiet spell while it lasts.
Heading back into my office, I grabbed what few files I needed to take home, drew the blinds, turned off the lights and locked up for the night. I briefly stopped by the throne room, where Celestia was just stepping down, having officially closed court for the day.
"Right, I'm just about to head off," I said as I walked into the throne room. I try and make a point of saying goodbye to Celestia at the end of the day.
"I could say the same myself, my advisor," Celestia replied as she dismissed the guards from the court. Stepping down off the dais, she walked over to me and gestured for me to continue on.
"Before you leave though," she went on. "I was just about to lower the sun for the day. My sister is in her tower preparing to raise the moon, but I could do with some company. I don't suppose you'd mind staying for a few more minutes?" I shook my head.
"No, of course I don't mind, Tia," I replied. "And hey, it would be interesting just to see you do your thing. Land of magical talking ponies or not, your party trick still makes my jaw drop." Celestia chuckled at the complement.
The two of us headed up to Celestia's own chambers. While Luna had her own tower, Celestia maintained her own suite somewhat closer to throne room. After all, the younger princess needed a vantage point for when she was examining the night sky and fine tuning her moon's position.
Heading inside, Celestia opened the double doors which led out onto the balcony. Being on the western side of the castle, you could see both parts of Canterlot, as well as the valley below, and, of course, the setting sun.
I stood a little way off to Celestia's left, giving her room to work. Looking across the expanse, I could just about make out Princess Luna, standing on the balcony of her own tower.
With the sun now just barely floating above the horizon, Celestia reared up onto her hind legs, her hooves pounded through the air out of reflex. Lighting up her horn in its usual golden aura, she began to move the vast nuclear reactor. I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. I can't say I believe in God, and Celestia herself is certainly not a deity, but there was still something awe inspiring about the power she wielded.
In a single fluid motion, the sun dipped below the horizon, and the sky turned to twilight. Celestia returned to all four hooves and slowly deactivated her magical hold. Across the way, I saw Luna's horn glow a light blue, and in the same fashion, albeit in reverse, the moon smartly rose above the horizon and began to make its way up into the sky.
I was speechless, really, I was. I'd seen Celestia raise the sun last year at the Summer Sun Celebration. But...to be so close...you could feel the magic in the air. It was just incredible.
I stayed a few minutes more with Celestia, as the stars began to phase into view. I of course, thanked her for letting me see the spectacle and wished her a good night. I then took my leave and headed for the train station. Home for tea. |
Tales From Day Court | Epilogue - A Little Celebration | A few weeks later...
Putting all my papers together once again, I filed everything away neatly in my briefcase. That was the last case of the day, and it hadn't even been that much of a challenge. Just a nice simple attempted burglary for us to sort out. The only reason it got kicked up to Day Court was due to the value of the gems that had almost been pinched. I tell you, that map thing really seems to get a bead on villains. Luna's little band dropped them off near the castle, and it was a simple matter of parading the evidence in front of the court.
Don't get me wrong, I love a tough case from time to time, but it is nice to end your Friday with a quick little number. After all, I'd been busy as hell with the big trial going on up in Manehatten. Well, Manehatten, Fillydelphia, Baltimare, Chicoltgo, and Las Pegasus. Marelone had been invaluable, and with his insider information, I'd been able to pull a real 'Five Families' deal on Equestria's biggest organised crime group. The fact that all the raids happened during little Flurry Heart's Crystaling was just the icing on the cake. With the help of the Royal Guard, and a lot of local law enforcement, we'd cut off the head of the snake when it came to Cosa Nostra. In fact, now, my plate is pretty much empty.
Celestia announced that Day Court was closing for the day when the CPS boys left and the guards took their newest prisoner down. That was effectively the last bell for me. I was off the clock. When the doors closed, I turned and spoke to Celestia.
"Well, that was a good little case to finish up with, your highness," I commented. Getting up from her throne, Celestia nodded in agreement.
"It certainly has been an easier day today, my advisor," she replied. As ever, with the doors closed and locked, she removed her princess mask. "It's always nice to have a quieter court. I even had a few petitioners today who just wanted to thank me for my help." I smiled.
"Honestly, Luna ought to appreciate her Night Court. She gets what, five or six petitioners a night?"
"Perhaps the two of us should trade places sometime?" Celestia remarked, smirking for a moment before breaking into a laugh.
It was still fairly early as well. With court quiet and closed up for the day, we all had some free time to play with.
"Well, since it's all quiet here, Tia," I said, gesturing to the empty throne room. "How about we have a quick round of the game upstairs? It would certainly be a nice way to kick off my weekend." Celestia thought for a moment. Like Twilight, at times she can be a bit of a workaholic.
"Hmm...I was planning on sorting out those trade agreements for Mareitania." My look became a bit more pleading. "But, I suppose I could put that off until Monday." I smiled at that. I've still got it.
As we made for the door, a bright flash of light appeared in the middle of the room as Discord appeared.
"Did I hear talk of games?" he asked excitedly.
"Only if you planted more bugs since I found those last four, Discord," I replied jokingly. "You free for a bit are you? No important chaos like errands to run?" Discord shook his head.
"Nope. Everything's done and dusted. Now I can just kick back and relax. Though I can't say the same for Blueblood."
Somewhere in the castle, we all heard a very un-stallion like scream. I decided that I didn't even want to know what Discord had done to the imbecilic prince. Just as long as it was legal and he didn't kill him.
"Since when do you do anything of the sort?" Another voice broke in. Standing behind Discord, smiling a little, was Luna. "I heard that the court was quiet for the moment, Sister." Celestia nodded.
"Yes, my sister. Now I know how you feel when you hold your court." Luna rolled her eyes. "Speaking of though, I was just talking with Roger about possibly swapping shifts from time to time."
"What do you mean?" Luna replied curiously.
"I mean you could perhaps take a day or so each week to hold Day Court, while I catch up on other issues. You always say you want to help more ponies in the court." The smaller princess considered for a moment.
"That may well be an interesting idea, Sister," she agreed. "Though it will all depend upon how busy I am with my little side project."
"Oh yes, we just finished sending down those two bozos your guys dropped off for us; nice work, princess," I complimented. "You've really got a good thing going there." At this, Luna became somewhat concerned.
"While the 'cutie map' as Twilight Sparkle calls it has been invaluable these past few months, it has grown silent as of late. I have not had a new number from it for quite some time," she said, her ears splayed back in concern. "I fear the actions of Starlight Glimmer may have caused some issues it must resolve before it begins anew."
"I'm sure it'll start up again soon, princess," I replied. "And if not, I'm sure Twilight will be able to jump start it."
With all four of us already together (Shining was up north for a while, looking after his newly arrived daughter) we were ready to head off to play our usual game. However, an idea struck me.
"Say, princess," I asked, turning back to Celestia. "If you don't mind, I'd like to try something a little different this time."
"Oh?" Celestia replied.
"How about you three come by my place instead. We can have a little party to celebrate everything that's happened these past weeks." Discord readily agreed, though both princesses took some convincing. Eventually though, I managed to persuade them to the idea and we all agreed to meet up again at my home in Ponyville later that evening.
I headed home on my own that evening, by my usual train. Getting back to the house, I informed she who must be obeyed that Celestia, Luna, and Discord would be coming by tonight for a little get together. That got my wife into something of a tizzy. Like most ponies in Equestria, my wife does rather tend to put the princesses on something of a pedestal. I guess having been around them for so long, I've gotten used to treating them informally. For me, going to see Celestia is an ordinary occurrence. Whereas for most ponies, it is something mired in protocol and perfection in all aspects.
Luckily, with a bit of effort, I was able to calm her down. After all, Celestia had visited here before. My wife had thrown a sort of house warming party not long after we moved in, and asked me to invite some friends from work. On the night, much to her surprise, in addition to Buttercup and a few other guards I knew, I also brought along Discord and Celestia, the latter of whom was disguised. She and Luna would be doing the same thing tonight, just to be safe.
With my wife calmed down at last, the two of us started to make up dinner for ourselves, as well as a few snacks for when our guests turned up. Since the game was going to be the focus of the party, I invited my wife to join in as well.
The two princesses and my draconequus friend arrived just after seven in the evening. As I had told Margaret, both of the alicorns were now in disguise. Celestia was an average sized white unicorn, with a light pink mane. Luna meanwhile, had gone down the pegasus route, with her usual dark blue coat and a light blue mane similar to the one she had when she first returned. Humorously though, I noticed one major difference between the two disguised alicorns. Whilst Celestia was of fairly average size in her disguised body, Luna had gone for a more leggy form, and consequently stood around half a head taller than her 'big' sister.
"Now, I'm going out on a limb here," I said jokingly. "But I'm guessing you two are my bosses in disguise?" Celestia rolled her eyes.
"Yes, my advisor. It's us," Celestia replied, sounding a little irked. I was surprised at that.
"Oh don't worry about 'Sunny Skies' here, my friend," Discord said, taking great pleasure in ruffling the disguised alicorn's mane. "She's just a bit sore about being the little sister at the moment.
"I must admit," Luna broke in. "It is nice to be able to look down on you, sister." She and Discord burst into giggles, with the latter scooping the princess up in his arms and giving her a noogie. The 'unicorn' snarled and teleported out of his grasp.
"Can you two please behave normally?" she implored desperately.
"Oh, don't worry, Tia," I assured her. "You can drop the disguise in the house. Just mind your head." With that, I let the three of them inside. Turning down the hall toward the kitchen, I called out to my wife.
"Darling! Celestia and the others are here!" I heard some cutlery clatter.
"Just a minute!" her voice called back.
I lead my three friends into the living room, where the two princess settled on the sofa, whilst Discord made his own high backed armchair to sit in. My wife appeared a moment later with the customary tea and biscuits; the traditional standby in any British home when visitors are around. It might not have been some fancy chamomile leaf from far off lands, but it seemed to suit the princesses just fine, as did the digestives. Discord however, was being his usual self; amusing to me, not so to she who must be obeyed.
"Discord! Can you please drink the tea and not the mug?" she asked, sounding like she was scolding some errant foal. To be fair, Discord was pulling one of his party tricks. He was drinking the mug itself, leaving the liquid of the tea behind, which somehow held its shape despite the mug no longer being there. Rolling his eyes and sighing, the draconequus obliged. Unfortunately, that meant him regurgitating the mug back into form, something my wife didn't approve of too much.
After that though, things settled down. The five of us happily talked amongst ourselves. Discord and I chatted about this and that, whilst Celestia talked to my wife about how her time at the elementary school was going, she also asked after Lizzie. Luna meanwhile, asked after one of her more unhinged fanatics; my son. She'd apparently not had a chance to talk with him since the Tantabus incident, and was planning to possibly drop by Sweet Apple Acres before she returned to Canterlot.
"Honestly, princess, I know he's my son, but what on earth do you see in him? Doesn't he come across as just a bit...off," my wife asked. While that does sound a little harsh towards her own child, Bones' connection with Princess Luna does border upon religious fanaticism at times. Luna set down her teacup before replying.
"On the contrary, Margaret," she replied. "I find your son to be fine companion and a good friend to me. Believe me when I say that he is far from as devout as some of my thestral guards. There are quite a few ponies all over Equestria like him. Ponies I can visit on quiet nights, when the dreamscape is at peace, and just relax with. A bit like how we are all relaxing at this very moment." I let that sink in. She does certainly seem to like him, though their friendship doesn't go beyond that. 'Best Princess' as he puts it, or not, nopony can take his attention away from Applejack.
After tea and biscuits, we all turned our attention to the large coffee table in the centre of the room. On it sat the usual map of the London Underground and all the relevant paraphernalia. We each chose our playing pieces and quickly set everything up. Discord would be the umpire tonight for a change, it was decided. I also found myself, for the first time, playing in teams. We ended up splitting into three teams; one being Celestia and Luna, the other my wife, the newcomer to the game, and myself, and finally Discord, who promptly produced a clone of himself to even things out.
The game ran long as each of our pairs attempted to outfox the others. I must say, Margaret acquitted herself rather well as my team's senior conductor. In the end, with the hour growing late and Princess Luna needing to return to her Night Court, we called a draw between the lot of us.
As the five (though technically six) of us sat around talking for a little while longer, I reflected on the strange turn our lives had taken. Here I was, playing a nonsense game, not only with my loving wife of almost thirty years, but with two magical, talking pony princess, who I happen to work for, along with the near omnipotent physical embodiment of chaos, who happens to be my best mate. At times...it just seems so ludicrous; I have to pinch myself to convince myself that I'm awake.
Still, as strange a road as I am now walking, I think that I'm certainly on the right path. I have a good job, an nice house, friends and family all a stone's throw away. I've even made peace with the darker parts of my past. It's fair to say I've gone up in the world. In this one year, I've met ambassadors, generals, princes and princesses, monsters, tyrants, despots, fugitives, and one very crazy draconequus.
As the two of us saw the princesses and Discord, now back to just the one of him, off, Charlie came scampering in from the kitchen, his tail wagging. The three of us curled up on the sofa to watch a film before bed.
All in all, I think it's safe to say that, by the time I'm done and called off to glory, I'll have quite a few tales to tell from my time in Celestia's Day Court. |
Brand New Dusk | pre | We must work so very hard
It's just so much to do!
Winter Wrap Up! Winter Wrap Up!
Let's finish our holiday cheer
Winter Wrap Up! Winter Wrap Up!
'Cause tomorrow spring is here
Winter Wrap Up! Winter Wrap Up!
'Cause tomorrow spring is here
'Cause tomorrow spring is here!
They had what they needed now: they knew about all of the roles that each team played, what they did to bring in spring. Now, as he sang the last few notes together with Twilight, Dusk had to find his place among it all, to do his very best to bring in spring.
Now that we know what they all do
We have to find our place
And help with all of our hearts
Tough task ahead we face
How will we do without oue magic
Help the Earth pony way
We wanna belong so we must
Do our best today,
Do our best today!
Winter Wrap Up! Winter Wrap Up!
Let's finish our holiday cheer
Winter Wrap Up! Winter Wrap Up!
'Cause tomorrow spring is here
Winter Wrap Up! Winter Wrap Up!
'Cause tomorrow spring is here
'Cause tomorrow spring is here
'Cause tomorrow spring is here!
"Well," said Dusk breaking the brief silence, "everpony has a place to belong, so let's get started before they bring in spring without us."
"Hey, there goes Rainbow Dash!" Twilight pointed, as a gust of wind swept past them. "Let's see if we can help her!"
"Twilight, wait, think for a moment." She seemed to be getting a little too swept up in it. "The weather team are all Pegasus ponies for a reason. Unless you're er... secretly an alicorn, I don't think there's much we can do there... not that I'm saying you're stupid, or anything..."
"Oh, right yeah..." She giggled a little. "It's okay Dusk, you make a good point..."
Dusk soon thouht of something, hoping to make her fee better. "I know! Carousel Boutique isn't too far from here. Maybe Rarity is doing something there."
"Yeah, good idea. Let's go."
Pleased that she hadn't taken his statement negatively, they trotted off to the fashion store, shaking Spike awake as he tried to take a nap. They may have ruled out one team, but that still left plenty of others to choose from and find a place in, so Dusk wasn't disheartened.
Twilight seemed to be a different story. He hoped that what he said hadn't made her upset, but she did look sad that they couldn't help with the weather. She wanted to do her part so badly, that Dusk really felt for her. She always applied her best to everything she did, and he was sure that she, at least, would find somewhere to fit in without her magical talents.
"It'll be okay, Twi," he consoled. "Sure we can't move the clouds around, but there's still so much to see. You'll see, you and I will find somewhere... if not me, then you at least..."
"Yeah... yeah, you're right." She smiled appreciatively at him, as they neared their desitnation. "Thanks Dusk, I needed that. You'll find a place too, I'm sure of it."
"Nice to know you have confidence in me, when I never do," he replied.
"Well, somepony has to." They both chuckled, as they halted before the fashion pony. "Rarity, please tell me there's something, anything I... well, we can help you with," she added, glancing at Dusk.
"We, eh?" Rarity's eyes seemed to twinkle for a moment, before giving a smile. "Well, how would you two like to help create Ponyville's finest birds' nests?"
"Birds' nests?"
"Why yes." She gestured to all of the materials around her, and to a completed nest. "When the weather team guides the birds back north for the spring, they'll need a place to live and lay their eggs."
"That's a fine nest, Rarity," Dusk remarked, as she gave him a grateful smile. "But... I don't think I can be much help here..."
"Oh, Dusk, whatever makes you say that?"
"I was never much good at arts and crafts, I can barely do anything with my magic, let alone my hooves." He inclined his head politely. "Thank you, but I'll try something else... but I'm sure Twilight would love to help, right Twi?"
"Well, if you're sure." She looked pityingly at Dusk, before turning to her friend. "Well, Twilight? Would you like to try your hoof at a nest?"
Would I? Yes!" She gave Dusk an appreciative look. "Where do I begin?"
Dusk and Spike stood back and watched, as Twilight was given the materials to get started. She organised them nicely and set to work, Rarity providing direction where she could. However, she had some difficulty with hoof dexterity, so that the finished result wasn't exactly... well... neat...
There! It looks just like... yours." Her face fell when she saw her's and Rarity's were in no way alike. "Oh my..."
"That nest needs to be condemned," Spike decided at once.
"Spike!" Dusk snapped at him. "She tried her best, nopony can fault her for that."
"Exactly Dusk." Despite her assurance, she didn't exactly look too sure herself. "Besides Spike, it's not so bad, ah, maybe birds can use it as a..."
"An outhouse?"
"Spike,please stop that! You're not helping!" Dusk snapped again, feeling awful at how forlorn his friend looked.
"Yes, Spike really..." She gave him a disapproving look, then approached a flushed Twilight. "It's just fine. It's just a little rough around the edges. Let me lend you a hoof..."
As Rarity set to work, attempting to repair the damage, Dusk walked up to Twilight, who looked thoroughly ashamed of herself. Doing his best to cheer her up, he gave her a gentle nudge and his best smile, trying to say, without words, that she had done her best to try. She returned it weakly, grateful at his attempt. When it became clear that Rarity wasn't going to be done quickly, they left her to it to try and find somewhere else to fit in.
"Well, that could've gone better," Spike said when they were away.
"Spike, come on..." Dusk turned to Twilight, who was hanging her head in shame. "It wasn't that bad... it was... well, it was-"
"A complete disaster." She sighed, but smiled anyway. "It's okay Dusk, I'm fine now. I think I saw Pinkie at one of the lakes, let's go and see what she's doing..."
"Good idea. And... Twi?" She lifted her head up. "Okay, so neither of us are much good with nest making. At least you tried. Chin up Twi, there's a place for you here somewhere, I can feel it."
"Thank you Dusk." Giving him a smile that made him feel so warm, he could probably melt the snow, they approached the frozen lake.
As promised, there was their pink partying friend, wearing ice skates and dancing gracefully on the ice, as easily as anypony else would be walking. At first, Dusk didn't see the point of this activity, but then he noticed that she was cutting lines in the ice in specific chunks. It didn't take him long to figure it out from there.
"Helooooooo Twilight aaaaaaand Dusk! Wheeeeeeee!" She spun in a rapid circle at this.
"Wow Pinkie Pie, you're quite the skater. Probably the best skater I've ever seen," praised Twilight.
"No arguements from me," Dusk agreed. "You take to ice as easily as a Pegasus pony does to the sky, Miss Pie."
"Hey, that rhymed!" She giggled as she halted before them. "Thanks guys, I've been doing this since I was an itty-bitty little-wittle Twinkie-Pinkie. Just comes natural. Which is probably why they designated me the lake scorer. I-"
"You use your skates to carve out chunks of the ice so they break along the lines, therefore making it easier for when the Pegasus ponies bring out the sun to melt the lakes," Dusk said at once. He then realised he'd cut her off and felt a little embarrassed.
"How does he do that? He's psychic, I tell you," she murmurer to Twilight, who sniggered.
"It's certainly a clever system, figured out by a clever pony." Dusk flushed as she giggled again. "Well you sure have a lot of work ahead of you, there's quite a few lakes in Ponyville..."
"Ha, tell me about it. Hey, Twilight, wanna help me out?"
"Would I?"
"Come on, put on those skates over there. I bet you'll be a natural too."
"Okay. Wish me luck Dusk." She trotted over to the skates, leaving Pinkie with Dusk.
Pinkie seemed to suddenly remember him, and looked apologetic when she saw he'd been left out
"Sorry Dusky, I only have one spare pair of skates. Do you wanna take mine, so you can try?"
"It's fine Pinkie. I'd probably be terrible anyway... I'll watch Twilight and you, offer moral support," he decided.
"Okie-dokie-lokie." She skated off again, as Twilight finished putting on her own skates.
As soon as she set hoof on the ice, however, her legs started to wobble like jelly, like she was about to collapse at any moment. But Dusk had promised to be supportive, so he stayed close-by, just in case he needed to stop her falling.
"Uh... maybe on second thought..." She slipped a little, as Dusk caught and righted her. "Thanks..."
"What are you talking about? You said you wanted to be helpful," pointed out Spike.
"Now get out there." He moved to push her, but Dusk held him back, gesturing that he should handle this.
"He's right Twi. Just get out there, and do your best. I'll cheer you on... I might as well be slightly useful..."
"Okay... okay... I can do this. Dusk, a little push please?"
"Certainly... good luck..." He gave her a gentle push, just enough to get her going.
Watching from the edge of the ice, it became quite clear to the male unicorn that Twilight wasn't a great shakes at skating. Even though Pinkie tried her best to give pointers and Dusk offered his best support, she had no control over her movements, skidding and swerving uncontrollably.
The final nail in the coffin came when she skated rapidly towards Pinkie, crashed into her and then both of them hit Spike, who had wandered onto the ice, causing them to crash in a heap by the side of the ice, as Dusk hurried over to help them.
"Ha ha, you are a natural, Twilight. A natural disaster." Spike guffawed at the whole thing, but stopped when Dusk kicked a bit of snow in his face, proceeding to lift Twilight to her hooves.
"Twilight, you did a great job your first time around," Pinkie said, shaking herself down. "I'm sure my first time was just as wobbly and bobbly and crasheriffic as yours."
Really?"
Pinkie looked unsurely, before admitting: "No." She realised how sad Twilight looked and put on a bright grin. "But did I make you feel better?"
"Mm-hmm, yeah, I guess," Twilight said.
"I think you'll be super awesome at something that keeps your hoofs on the ground. You too Dusky," she added. "I know, Fluttershy could probably use your help with the critters."
"Well... I'm pretty good with little animals." She looked more hopeful, turning to face Dusk with a smile. "Dusk, you are too. We could find our place there!"
"I er... I suppose I am, yes... yes, let's go and help her. Woah, watch it!" He caught her again, as Twilight started to slide off again.
Helping her out of her skates before she crashed again, they proceeded to where all of the animal burrows in Ponyville were, hearing the pleasant sound of a ringing bell as they approached.
For the first time, Dusk felt confident about this Winter Wrap Up business. He had, after all, helped Fluttershy put these animals in hibernation in the first place. He was sure he would be a dab-hoof at waking them up as well. From what he could see, it looked simple enough.
They saw Fluttershy with her head down one of the burrows, stepping back as a pair of hedgehogs yawned and awoke, waddling out into the open. It was an adorable sight, to see them awake again from their long sleep.
"Awww, how cute," cooed Twilight.
"Aren't they?" Fluttershy looked after them, like a caring mother. "This is my favorite task the whole season, when I get to see all my little animal friends again."
"Uh, what's "hibernation"?" Spike asked curiously.
"It's a natural stage of animals in winter," Dusk explained. "They go into a non-active state by sleeping, to conserve energy, because there's so little food growing in winter. By eating less by sleeping, they can keep the energy they have to keep their bodily functions going until, of course, they wake up in spring."
"Hey... I definitely like the idea of hibernation, uh, except for the "eat less food" part."
"You would," Dusk chuckled. "Anyway, can Twilight and me lend a hoof Fluttershy? We need to find our places in Winter Wrap Up and you do have a lot of warrens and dens to clear, by the look of it..."
"Oh yes, that would be wonderful!" She gave them a pair of bells to get started. "Just ring them to wake up the animals, and coax them out... gently though..."
Splitting up to take separate dens, Dusk approached his first and rang his bell over the entrance, the sound echoing down below. Hoping that would be enough, he peered inside as something stirred.
"Wakey wakey down there," he called out. "Spring is here, so shake a leg."
He stepped back as a family of fluffy white rabbits hopped out, stretching and yawning. When they finished, they gave little smiles at Dusk, which he returned with a tip of his hat and hopped off to find some food.
He'd done it. He'd actually helped and it worked! This was definitely Dusk's task in Winter Wrap Up, waking up the critters. It was so easy and so rewarding, seeing their little faces. Twilight would manage this as well, so they could both join in with it. He wondered how she would be-
"AGH! SNAKES, SNAKES!" He whipped around to see her backing away from the yawning reptiles.
"Twilight, look out!" He warned her too late, as she backed into a burrow.
Screaming again, she was chased out by a flock of screeching bats, galloping head first into a tree. A beehive was dislodged from the impact, landing on her head as she ran around blindly. Dusk rushed forward to try and help, but she ran straight into another den, waking up the skunks that had been sleeping inside. Dusk heard her groan in pain from inside.
"Spike, get back to the library and get some tomato soup and some baking soda," Dusk ordered, peering into the warren.
"Odd time to be thinking about eating, isn't it?" Spike asked.
"Believe me, I have no intention of eating it..." Hoping the bees weren't still angry, he ventured down to pull out his friend.
Back at the library, they proceeded to treat Twilight for her injuries. After removing the bee stings, Dusk had applied baking soda to the wounds, as well as some for himself. There had still been a few of the stinging insects left when he'd pulled her out.
Spike and Dusk then placed her in a wooden bath with tomato soup in it, a remedy that would at least mask the smell of the skunk spray. They would have to apply a different treatment later, possibly a spell to cancel out the stench, which was so strong both Dusk and Spike had clothes pegs on their noses. Even then, Dusk's eyes were watering from the smell.
"All this Winter Wrap Up stuff is a lot harder than it looks," commented Twilight, as Spike brushed her mane.
"Right, because there's no magic," pointed out Spike. "Why don't you just use magic, Twilight, and get it done the right way?"
"No, Spike, I have to do it the traditional way," she insisted firmly. "Ponyville has never needed magic to wrap up winter."
"Well, they never had you here before, either. Think how much quicker they could wrap up winter with your magic."
"Spike, drop it," Dusk said. "We need to do this their way, by their rules. Twilight respects that, and so do I."
"Precisely. I'm gonna find some other way that I can help out if it kills me." She turned to Dusk. "Besides, you seem to have found a place just fine. Fluttershy said you weren't even scared by the snakes."
"Well... there was no reason to be, they were harmless. But still... do you really think I... fitted in there?"
"Of course, you were great with the animals," she praised. "I told you that you would, didn't I?" Now that you've found your place here, I'm sure to find mine!"
"That's the spirit Twilight!" He grinned, scrubbing her ears. "There's still the plant team to go to, you can head there... once we're done getting rid of Odour Le Skunk, it really doesn't suit you..."
"I didn't think so," she laughed, in spite of herself. "You don't have to worry about me, just go and get your vest once we're done."
"Okay... I didn't want to feel like I was leaving you alone..."
"You won't be. You found your place, and I'm proud of you. You'll be a great addition to the animal team, I know it."
"Thanks, Twi... sorry that you can't join me."
"Don't be, it's no problem."
"When you two are done, can we get this over with?" Spike said irritably. "This peg is hurting my nose..."
Dusk chuckled a little, returning to cleaning up his friend, with a little bit of a blush to his cheeks now
It took them a full half an hour to get rid of the stench and even then there was a little bit left. Waving goodbye to his fellow librarians, Dusk found the leader of the animal team, proudly donned his own tan vest, took a bell and worked with Fluttershy to awaken the animals. He could at least do it with pleasant company.
"I'm so glad that you're helping me here Dusk," she said happily. "And that you fit in somewhere."
"Me too Fluttershy," he replied. "I just hope Twilight can find her place..."
"Don't worry, I'm sure she will. She's very clever, so she's bound to."
"Yes, she will..." He grinned at her. "Now then, these animals aren't going to wake themselves. Let's get to it!"
"Right. Come on, this way..."
It was a very pleasant activity, as Dusk did his best to wake up all of the critters, including raccoons, rabbits, squirrels, snakes, bats and many many more, as well as leaving baskets of food out for them and fixing up their homes, but he preferred just waking them up.
Despite Fluttershy's assurances, Dusk couldn't help but be concerned for Twilight. The only tasks that remained were with the plant team, which required strength and stamina... something she didn't really have. But, she was quite determined to help out in anyway, so Dusk had faith in her. She would succeed... she had to.
But it seemed that, no matter how quickly they were moving, there always seemed to be more warrens, more animals to rouse from their sleep. Dusk feared that they wouldn't get them all done in time for the rest of the teams... and he was right.
They got a signal from a Pegasus pony, meaning that it was time for them to clear the clouds so the sun could melt the snow. Fluttershy and Dusk, knowing that they weren't ready yet, hurried back towards town to stop Rainbow leading her team off before it was too late. Thankfully, they made it.
"Rainbow Dash, y'all on the weather team need ta melt the rest of the snow here on the ground and the trees, pronto," Applejack was saying.
"Got it!" She was about to fly off when-
"Stop no! We're not ready yet!" Dusk shouted.
"He's right. My poor little animals' homes will get flooded if the snow melts too fast," Fluttershy warned.
"Got it." Dusk breathed a sigh of relief, until...
"Ah'm tellin' ya Rainbow, ya gotta melt that snow now."
"No, you simply must wait," Fluttershy cried.
"Okay..." Rainbow and her team were starting to look confused. Pretty soon, it descended into chaos
"Go."
"Stop."
"Go."
"Stop."
"GO!"
"STOP!"
"Ugh! Make up your minds!" She yelled in frustration.
"Oh! What in Equestria are all you arguing about?" The Mayor had realised what was going on, and looked furious. "This sort of silliness is why we were late for spring last year, and the year before that, and the year before that."
Dusk could only watch as the full extent of the disaster hit them. The ice chunks were too big, Rarity was behind on nest-making, the animal team was going too slowly, the plant team needed to get their seeds in the ground, somepony had lost their seeds, a pegasus pony had gone the wrong direction. It was close to sundown, at this rate winter would be late again.
Setting his mind to work, Dusk began to think, drowning out the arguing ponies around him. It was complete and utter chaos, they needed organisation, efficiency, direction. They needed... they needed...
"Of course, that's it!" He shouted aloud. Everypony stopped arguing and looked at him like he'd gone mad.
"Uh... what's it?" Applejack asked unsurely.
Dusk became embarrassed from his outburst. "Oh um... just an... an idea..."
"And what might that be?" asked the Mayor. "If you have something to say, now is the time to say it, for we certainly need all the help we can get."
Dusk, at first, was silent and didn't want to say anything for fear of looking like a fool. But then he saw the expectant, supportive expressions of his friends and decided that he might as well say it.
"Well, it;s just..." He cleared his throat and gathered what little confidence he had. "We can't afford to argue, we don't have the time. We need somepony to organise us, somepony who can use her skills to make sure we can work together to bring in spring on time. We need... we need..."
"Who? Come on, spit it out already!" demanded Rainbow.
"Okay... we need Twilight Sparkle." Everypony fell silent at this and Dusk was already starting to feel stupid for suggesting it. Who um... last saw her?"
"Right here." There she stood, Spike by her side with a quill and checklist. "Great minds think alike, it seems."
"Well, yours at least..." He looked around at them, trotting over to his friend and regaining lost confidence. "You want to listen to anypony... listen to her. Go ahead, Miss Sparkle."
"Thank you, Dusk," she said, as he took his place by her side. "I know you all want to complete your jobs on time, but arguing is no way to go about it. Dusk is right. What you need is organization, and I'm just the pony for the job."
Feeling even more bolstered than when the Mayor gave her speech, Dusk set to work with whatever modifications that Twilight made to the process... and she did not disappoint.
With her in charge, the tasks went ahead a lot more smoothly. Rarity was able to catch up on the nests that she had failed to make, with assistance from everypony else on the animal team, the ice scorers were able to cut the ice into much more manageable chunks for be melted when the sun came up and the snow cleaners worked in sync with the seed planters, ensuring quicker planting of their food.
They also implemented a much more efficient waking system, whereby several bells could be rung at once to wake up multiple critters at the same time. It worked extremely well, as Dusk proudly rang one of the bell systems in place. He tipped his hat to a few snakes that slithered by, one of them politely bowing in return. Twilight, however, ran to hide up a tree until they passed. Dusk even used a colour flash of his own to signal the weather team to move the clouds.
They did this in seconds, even managing to sweep away some more snow in a wind cyclone they created, allowing the sun to stream down over Ponyville. As the snow and ice began to melt, Dusk was reassigned to the plant team, as was everypony else on the animal team, to help plant the remaining seeds and water those already planted, as well as transporting food around. While doing this, he caught Twilight's eye in the midst of it all, the two of them exchanging proud smiles with one another.
By the time the rest of the weather team returned with the southern birds, everything was ready. The rivers were flowing again, animals were at play, the bird nests had been completed and everything that was warm and green had returned to the land. They had done it. Spring was on time. Dusk was standing beside Twilight, gazing over the town at all of their hard work, as the Mayor joined them, along with everypony else in town.
"I can't believe it. Spring is here! On time! And we have you to thank for it," she said proudly. "If it weren't for your organizing skills we would still be arguing. It seems your friend Dusk's faith wasn't misplaced."
"Ai-yup," said Big Macintosh, making everypony laugh while Dusk blushed a little from the praise he received, which was added to with a warm smile from Twilight.
"It was a team effort," Twilight reminded them.
"And since you helped every team, we have an official vest for you. We give you the title, "All-Team Organizer!"" A vest with every team colour was presented to her by Rarity, as she glowed with pride.
"Gosh, I don't even know what to say. Thank you everypony. Especially you, Dusk. You never lost faith in me."
"Not once," he said truthfully. "After all, somepony has to."
"And hereby I declare that winter is... wrapped up on time!" The townsponies cheered at the declaration, as Dusk and Twilight shared a hoof-pound and a smile.
"Spike's sure gonna be in for a hog-sized surprise when that last piece a' ice melts," Applejack pointed out, seeing him asleep in the middle of a lake, sparking more laughter.
When the crowd dispersed, it was just Dusk and Twilight left, still wearing their team vests, as well as still feeling proud.
"Well Twi, we did it. Even me," he said proudly. "Once again, I'm in a job in which you're in charge, as is the natural order." She giggled at that. "I'm proud of you, and you did it without magic."
"I'm proud of you too, Dusk," she said sincerely. "Two Canterlot ponies finding their place in Winter Wrap Up. Not bad, I'd say. Do you think we should wake Spike up?"
"I don't know... he did make all of those jibes at you and I've not quite forgiven him yet," he said slyly. "Besides, a little water never hurt anypony."
"If you say so," she giggled. "I want you to come back to the library when he wakes up, I want you to hear my report to the Princess."
"I'd be glad to. My holiday's over anyway."
"So it is. That means it's back to work now, so I expect you tomorrow on time," she ordered in a mock authoritative tone.
"You know me, Twi," he replied smartly. "I'll be there on time... just like spring this year."
He gazed proudly up at the clear blue sky, as the sun streamed on his face, happy and satisfied that he had played his part in wrapping up winter, along with all of his friends. Spring was here, a new beginning... time to see what it held in store for him. |
Brand New Dusk | Out For A Walk | Placing his last dandelion and grass sandwich into his saddlebag, Dusk checked over one more time to see if he had everything that he needed. Water, lunch, a notebook and quill, picnic blanket. Okay, so he had everything now, so it was time to set off.
Locking his door as he left, he stepped outside and looked around, deciding to go off to the right, towards the centre of town, perhaps take a route towards Whitetail Wood. He rather liked that place.
This was one of Dusk's hobbies that didn't involve reading. Every now and again, he would go out on a walk, to get some exercise and to explore the area a little. There'd been some good places in Canterlot, but he hadn't done one for Ponyville yet. So, that's what he was going to do today, early on in spring.
He thought about the places he could possibly go. There was the mountain where Fluttershy had stood up to a dragon, but he didn't feel like climbing. The Everfree Forest was definitely out of the question, maybe Sweet Apple Acres... no, the wood would do for today, he thought to himself, as he greeted the occasional pony that walked by and waved at him.
As he left town, walking back on the country roads, a familiar face was floating along in the opposite direction, humming a tune to herself as she fluttered her wings gently to keep herself aloft.
"Good afternoon, Fluttershy," he greeted as he reached her. "Where are you going?"
"Oh, hello Dusk," she said. "I'm just on my way to one of my favourite spots where the animals play, I just love it there." She noticed his saddlebag. "Are you going somewhere... if you don't mind my asking?"
"Not at all. I'm just going for a stroll. It's something I like to do, sometimes. Keeps me fit and lets me explore." He suddenly had an idea. He usually did this on his own, but now he had friends so maybe... "Hey, you're not too busy, are you?"
"Um... not really, I suppose. Why?"
"Well, if you want to, would you like to join me? I wouldn't mind some company."
"You wouldn't? Oh, I would love to, it sounds like a nice idea... if you're sure you don't mind..."
"I told you it's fine. In fact," he continued, "I'll wait here, you go and find some of our other friends, see if they'd like to come along too. You'd better try and bring some extra food too... I only packed for me."
"Alright then, see you in a bit." With that, she flew off to find the others.
As Dusk waited for her to return, he couldn't believe he didn't think of this before. These walks were usually a time when he could be alone with his thoughts, along with the beauty of nature. Now, it might be even more enjoyable, if nopony was too busy of course.
After fifteen minutes, the cream-coloured pegasus returned, with Applejack and Rainbow Dash in tow, both of whom were wearing their own saddlebags, though Applejack's looked the heaviest.
"Sorry the others couldn't come," Fluttershy apologised. "Twilight's studying, Rarity's busy at the Boutique and Pinkie's got a big order of muffins to finish."
"It's fine, the more the merrier," Dusk said cheerfully. "I take it you two weren't too occupied then?"
"Nope, taday's a day off fer me, an' this seems like a mighty fine way ta spend it," Applejack replied.
"Yeah, and I was just taking a nap. This sounded like a better idea though, so I figured, 'why not'?" She hovered up to him. "So, where are going?"
"I usually just pick a direction and walk in it, to be honest," Dusk replied. "I was thinking of going up to Whitetail Wood, then see where we go from there."
"Lead the way then," Applejack insisted, as they set off once more.
"So uh... what's the point of this walk anyway?" Rainbow asked, hovering next to him.
"There isn't really a point, to be precise," Dusk explained. "I just feel like taking one, that's all. It's just something else I do that doesn't involve reading."
"Well, at least you're not a total egghead then," she remarked with a grin. "I guess it's kinda like me, and my need for speed."
"Yes, only this is safer. A lot safer," he emphasized, still shuddering remembering his skyward trip he took.
"Well, like ah said, it's good way ta spend the day." Applejack had joined in the conversation. "Ah packed us plenty-a apples an' apple snacks for eatin' later, so nopony's goin' hungry."
"I hear that the flowers that grow in Whitetail Wood are beautiful in spring," put in Fluttershy. "I hope they're in bloom, that'd be great."
"Hey, if this trip is gonna turn into flower picking, I might as well just jet off now," Rainbow warned.
"Oh um... sorry, Rainbow... I guess it doesn't matter..."
"To each their own, Miss Dash," Dusk pointed out smartly, smiling encouragingly at Fluttershy. "Let's just wait until we get there, shall we?"
"Well said, sugarcube. C'mon everypony, let's get walkin'," Applejack declared
Dusk found this was even better than he first thought. Now they were on the peaceful country road, it was just him and his friends, with the birds chirping happily and the sun up high in the sky. He would have liked if they were all here, but they were still good company anyway.
Fluttershy would stop, every now and again, to witness a bird or mouse or any other critter scuttle by. She would always apologize afterwards though, hoping they weren't mad. On occasion, Rainbow would get bored of the pace they were going at and do a trick or two in the sky, sometimes asking if they were there yet. Applejack strode right next to Dusk, engaging in pleasant chit chat, catching up since Winter Wrap Up a few days ago.
"So, Twilight actually used magic at one stage?" Dusk asked her.
"Sure did, an' it didn't turn out well, ah can tell ya. Not only did she crash the plough, but she also caused an avalanche that we had ta clean up."
"You weren't... too hard on her, were you?"
"Ah guess, maybe, but she had ta learn there was no place fer magic in wrappin' up winter, 'specially not on ma team," she said firmly. "'Sides, she found her place in the end, ya both did, which ah think is jus' dandy."
"I thought so too. I really enjoyed working with the animal team. Do you... think I did a good job, Fluttershy?"
"Oh yes, you did a wonderful job," she said eagerly. "He was so gentle with all the little critters, even ones like snakes that most ponies would be afraid of."
"Eh heh..." He rubbed the back of his head. "They were harmless... it was no big deal..."
"Ya helped ta wrap up winter, ah'd say that's a big deal, sugarcube," the country pony said.
"I agree," Fluttershy voiced. "It's always nice when somepony says something nice about you. Take a compliment, Dusk... I mean, if you want to... of course..."
"No, you're right... as always... thanks girls." He smiled warmly at them. "I find it hard to imagine a time when I didn't know any of you."
"That's... nice of you to say so," Fluttershy said shyly, blushing a little.
"Sure is. Thank ya kindly, Dusk." She tipped her stetson to him. "Fer what it's worth, ya make a fine addition ta our friendship."
"Yeah yeah, enough with the sappy stuff," Rainbow said impaitiently. "Can't we find some other way to pass the time till we get there? You guys are gonna make me puke."
"We could sing," Fluttershy suggested. "A nice song to put a spring in our step."
"No no no, I didn't mean-"
"Yeah, why not? Ya know any good songs, Dusk?" she asked him.
Dusk thought for a bit. He had read a book of songs that were good to hum or sing to one's self while walking. One immediately sprung to mind, a favourite of his, and with some alteration of the lyrics, he could make it even better.
"Okay, I've got one," he said. "I think you might like this one Rainbow, it has a fight in it."
"Eh... all right then," she said reluctantly. "Let's hear it."
Humming the opening notes and hearing the music play from somewhere,Dusk struck up this tune as they strolled through the woods:
To the town of Appleloosa rode a stranger one fine day
Hardly spoke to folks around her didn't have too much to say
No one dared to ask her business no one dared to make a slip
for the stranger there among them had a big pie on her hip
Big pie on her hip
It was early in the morning when she rode into the town
She came riding from the south side slowly lookin' all around
She's an outlaw loose and running came the whisper from each lip
And she's here to do some business with the big pie on her hip
big pie on her hip
In this town there lived an outlaw by the name of Troxas Red
Many colts tried to take him and that many had pie on their head
He was vicious and a splatter though a youth of twenty four
And the notches on his pie plate numbered one an nineteen more
One and nineteen more
Now the stranger started talking made it plain to folks around
Was a Ponyville ranger wouldn't be too long in town
She came here to take an outlaw back on a poster she had read
And she said she tracked him here she was after Troxas Red
After Troxas Red
Wasn't long before the story was relayed to Troxas Red
But the outlaw didn't worry colts that tried were forced to bed
Twenty colts had tried to take him twenty colts had made a slip
Twenty one would be the ranger with the big pie on her hip
big pie on her hip
The morning passed so quickly it was time for them to meet
It was twenty past eleven when they walked out in the street
Folks were watching from the windows everypony held their breath
They knew this brave young ranger was about to meet her death
About to meet her death
There was forty feet between them when they stopped to make their play
And the swiftness of the ranger is still talked about today
Troxas Red had not cleared metal fore the pastry fairly ripped
And the ranger's aim was deadly with the big pie on her hip
big pie on her hip
It was over in a moment and the folks had gathered round
There before them lay the body of the outlaw on the ground
Oh he might have went on living but he made a fatal slack
When he tried to match the ranger that they call Applejack
They call Applejack!
"Awesome! AJ splatted somepony with a pie!" Rainbow laughed, as the pony in question flushed.
"Now, ah can tell ya that ain't true... but it sure was clever of ya ta mix up the lyrics a lil'."
"I thought so," Dusk remarked, as he chuckled, gazing at his surroundings. "Twilight was right, this place is lovely, even better in spring."
"Hey, we never really did settle who the Iron Pony was, did we?" asked Rainbow curiously.
"Guess it don' matter now... unless ya wanna have a lil' race right now?" Applejack challenged.
"You're on! First to that tree and back!" She dashed off with a gust of wind.
"Hey, no wings!" Applejack shouted, sprinting after her.
"Those two..." Dusk chuckled. "Right Fluttershy?" He looked to see she was gone. "Fluttershy?" He spotted her by a clump of orchids growing nearby.
"Look at all of these beautiful flowers," Fluttershy said, sniffing one of them. "It's a shame the others couldn't come, this is wonderful. I know, I'll pick some for them, show them they haven't missed out..."
He smiled after her, as she picked them delicately with her hooves. She really was something... they all were. He sighed, thinking of Twilight in the library. He wished she was here... she would love this.
Dusk approached one of the flowering bushes, sniffing them. They certainly had a pleasant fragrance. He spotted one of them, a bunch of lilacs, as some bees flew out of them. Feeling compelled do something nice, he picked them and put them in his saddlebag for Twilight. He hoped she would like them.
"Yes, I won!" Rainbow Dash yelled, making Dusk jump.
"Okay okay, ya beat me this time," panted Applejack. "Well, don't know 'bout everypony else but ah'm famished. Who wants lunch?"
Following Fluttershy, who would join them later in the meadow after she was done picking her flowers, Dusk set out the picnic blanket he'd bought along, pulled out one of his sandwiches and sank his teeth into it. Rainbow pulled out a pair of sunglasses and lounged on the blanket, whilst Applejack hoofed out a few apples for everypony to eat as well, including candy apples.
To entertain them while they ate, Dusk made a puppet show for them all, just depicting some animals running around and playing in the long grass, adored by Fluttershy as she chased after them. If he had known how his little talent would make so many ponies happy, he would have shown it a long time ago.
Fluttershy soon came and sat beside him, helping herself to an apple, whilst Rainbow had another nap and Applejack rested herself against a nearby tree, her hat over her closed eyes, relaxing peacefully.
"This really was a lovely idea, Dusk," she whispered. "Thank you for inviting me along."
"I was glad to," he said, casually floating his trilby into the air, glancing at her flowers. "That's a good bouquet you have there, who's the lucky pony?"
"Dusk..." She blushed heavily at his joke. "You know... these are for our friends..."
"Don't worry, I'm just joking," he assured. "Though, for the record, I think anypony would be lucky if they did ask for your hoof."
"Um... that's sweet of... you to say so..." She still blushed, but there was a little smile to her now. "But... I'm not looking for romance... that's more Rarity, than me..."
"Fair enough," Dusk agreed, shrugging. "I'm not saying you have to but, someday, I like to think you'll find that special somepony... it just takes time."
"I didn't take you for a romantic, Dusk."
"Well... I sort of am, I suppose..." He smiled more to himself than her. "I've never really thought beyond making friends,but now... I guess it's something else to strive for... if I meet somepony, that is."
"I'm sure you will, and she'd be lucky to have you too." she said kindly, making him blush now. "If you do... and you need help... you can always ask us."
"I'll bear that in mind... thanks." Smiling at the Element of Kindness, he placed his hat back on. Then, her eye caught something in his saddlebag.
"Are those for Twilight?" she asked, looking at the lilacs.
"Yeah... do you think she'll like them?"
"I'm sure she'll love them, especially if they're from you."
"What do you mean by that?" Dusk asked a little too quickly.
"Oh um... nothing..." Embarrassed, she lowered her head and became more interested in her hooves.
Not mentioning the subject again, they enjoyed the rest of the day in that little spot. Once they woke up, the two athletes suggested a game of speed and reflexes, wherein Dusk conjured up colour shapes and they had to reach them as fast as they could, before they vanished. Rainbow and Appplejack finished in a dead heat, though Rainbow insisted that she won. When Dusk went up against Fluttershy, who was nervous at the prospect, he allowed her to have a close victory by a few points, which surprised her greatly.
Soon, the sun began to dip lower in the sky, painting the horizon with an orange hue. It was time for them to head off home, Dusk rolling the blanket back up into his bag and picking up their scattered cores.
"Wait a sec..." Applejack picked up one of the cores, extracted the seeds with care and delicately planted them in the a spacious patch of the meadow. Dusk helped her dig a hole, covering it up a few seconds later. "There... now there'll soon be a nice new apple tree in this here spot."
"New life in spring, a wonderful thing," Dusk mused to himself, making Applejack smile. "Thanks for today AJ, it was... memorable."
"Ah sure hope so," she chuckled. "No problem Dusk, ah had fun with y'all."
"Can we get home now?" Rainbow called out. "I'm bushed."
"Rainbow, you were asleep for the past hour," Dusk reminded her as they set off once more.
"Yeah, I know... but still." She shrugged and sped off, leading the way back to town.
Dusk let Fluttershy go off ahead of him, her bunches of flowers in her mouth. She gave him a grateful smile and floated away like a leaf in the breeze. As she did, Dusk thought back to what she had said earlier...
Even though she probably just meant it in a friendly way, Dusk's mind still whirled at the possibilities that were now open from their previous conversation topic, even as they set up to leave back for Ponyville, at a much gentler pace this time. She'd said that any mare would be lucky to have him... did she mean that?
And Twilight... he'd never thought of her as anything more than his good friend but now... no, that would be stupid Dusk, he told himself. She'd already made clear her views on romance and love, she would never even consider... well, that... he would just have to stop thinking about it like that, he was just getting these flowers for her because she was his friend...
So why couldn't he stop? |
Brand New Dusk | Feeling Pinkie Keen | "So, let me get this straight," Dusk was saying, lifting books down to Spike, "Pinkie has the ability to predict the future by way of random specific bodily vibrations?"
"Pretty much," the dragon affirmed. "It really is incredible! She predicted something was gonna fall twice, then a frog fell on Twilight's face and she fell into a ditch! Then, she predicted that Twilight'd get dirty and she did! She's getting herself cleaned up right now..."
"I see..." Dusk's mind processed this information, as he passed down more books. "How does she feel about it?"
"Well, you know Twilight. If she can't explain it, she can't believe it." He hoisted the books that were piled up. "Well, better get these outside, thanks for the help Dusk."
"Thanks for the update. Here, I'll get the door..." He pushed it open with some force, as the dragon scampered off with the books, running past the pink pony they were just discussing. "Oh, hello Pinkie. Is Twilight with you?"
"Sort of... she's a little behind things at the minute," she said, pointing at the door, which had swung to reveal a flattened Twilight on the other side.
"Oh my gosh, Twilight!" He helped her up to her hooves, feeling mortified. "I'm so sorry I... I-I didn't realise that you were... well..."
"It's okay, I'm fine Dusk... thank you." She looked at Pinkie, rubbing her head. "You said that combo meant 'beautiful rainbow'..."
"Oh no-no-no-no-no. You're thinking of an ear flop, then knee twitch, then eye flutter. This was an ear flop, then eye flutter, then knee twitch. That usually means "look out for opening doors"."
"Combo? Twitching? Is this the uh... Pinkie sense that I've been hearing about?" Dusk asked.
"Oh you know? Isn't the whole thing ridiculous? I mean... it doesn't make any sense, it's impossible!"
"I suppose... maybe..." Dusk looked thoughtful for a bit. "Perhaps... not entirely..."
"Oh Dusk, don't tell me you've gotten caught up in this nonsense too," she said desperately. "How can you possibly believe this?"
"Well... when I first met Pinkie, she started twitching in the tail. I moved and, seconds later, a piano hit the spot where I'd been standing. I'd heard someponies discussing it, so I just acted on a hunch."
"Ooh, I get those! That usually means that you shouldn't have the hay fries today. Or was it the grass muffins? Hm..."
"O...kay." Dusk shook his head. "Anyway, maybe there's some truth to this, that's all I'm saying."
"Not you too! I thought you'd be on my side! I don't believe this..."
"You don't believe because you don't understand," countered Pinkie, hitting the nail on the head.
"Hmm..." She tapped her hoof to her chin.
"I know that look, what are you planning?" Dusk asked her.
"Dusk, Pinkie, down to the basement. I know just how to settle this." She bolted off, Dusk following unsurely and Pinkie bouncing along behind.
Within a few minutes, they had Pinkie hooked up to a neural scanner, a machine that is used to detect the precise electrical signals that the brain sent to the thousands of nerves that control bodily functions. That was what Twilight told him anyway, as he had no idea what the machine did. Science didn't intrigue him as much as other things did, not all aspects of it anyway.
"This is some pretty high tech equipment," Dusk remarked from the console he was placed at.
"I only use the best," Twilight replied, plugging in a wire.
"So, why am I still here then?"
"Dusk-"
"I know, I know, I was kidding. I know that you appreciate my assistance in any way."
"Exactly. This library wouldn't be the same without you," she said sincerely.
"Keep telling yourself that," he replied with a smile, returning his attention to the console. "Okay, um... I have no idea what any of this means. Sorry."
"Here, let me see." Twilight quickly came over. "Okay, sensors at at optimum focus, power outputs are normal and brain activity is being recorded and transmitted. If Pinkie so much as sneezes, this thing will pick it up in a second. Just if any of these metres suddenly rise or any of these numbers change, let me know."
"Oh. Simple enough," said Dusk.
"Excellent. Now when you get another twitch, we'll have all kinds of scientific information," she said to their subject.
"Okey-dokey-lokey!"
"Let's see what makes Pinkie tick," Dusk murmured, feeling anticipation growing.
Seconds passed, that dissolved into minutes. They had expected results soon and, while Dusk could be patient when he needed to, his was wearing thin and he was getting bored. Twilight was also growing increasingly annoyed at the lack of results. Pinkie supposedly had no control over them, but Twilight refused to believe anything that she couldn't explain.
There was one near twitch, but it turned out to be nothing. Then, Twilight said there was a spike in her chemical signals, but this just turned out to be her stomach growling. After this, Twilight lost her temper.
"Urgh... You know what?" She yanked out the cable for the main receptor, causing the machine to lose power. "Just forget it! I don't need to know if this is real or not. I don't need to understand it! I don't even care!"
Hurrying away from the console, Dusk matched her pace to keep up.
"Twilight, please, calm down," Dusk placated, as they walked back upstairs.
"Don't tell me to be calm! I am calm!" she snapped back.
"I know you like to understand any aspect of everything but... maybe this is something we can't explain. Like my magic, we can't explain why I can do my puppetry, I just can."
"But Dusk, you can control that and we can actually gather data and research on it, but this..." She growled angrily. "This is so frustrating..."
"It is, I suppose... but don't go trying to catch smoke," he advised simply, as they reached the door.
As they did, Pinkie made strange gibbering noises and began to twitch again. Despite what Twilight had said, Dusk watched her. Ear flop, eye flutter, knee twitch... that combo meant...
"Look out!" He shoved her away from the door and felt a sharp pain all over his body, as he was slammed against the wall by it, his hat and body flattened.
"Oh, there you are Twilight, hey Pinkie. Where's Dusk?" The door swung back and Dusk landed on the floor in a heap, his flat hat floating to rest on his head. "Dusk? What were you doing back there?"
"Ow..."
"Dusk! Did you two plan this?" Twilight helped him up, as he shook his head off and righted his hat.
"Plan what?" asked a bewildered Spike.
"Urgh! This is ridiculous! This can't be happening! This makes no sense! I have to figure this out."
"But how?" Dusk asked, when his head stopped hurting. "We've tried scientific equipment, unless you want to try tailing her and documenting what she does as she goes about her day, then draw a conclusion from the results."
"You know... that's not a bad idea." She beamed at him. "You see Dusk? If you weren't here, we wouldn't have great ideas like the ones you come up with. Come on, let's go!"
"But... but I..."
Sincerely regretting what he had just said, Dusk followed her reluctantly as she grabbed her notebook, a pencil, a pair of binoculars and an explorer's hat kind of like the one that Daring Do would wear. Leaving Spike to watch the library, they set off on the trail of 'Pinkius Piecus' to see what they could learn.
They ended up following her disguised as a bush, shifting along whenever she changed position in the town. Dusk felt utterly ridiculous doing this, wearing crude camouflage on his hat, but he knew there was no arguing with Twilight.
"Remind me, why am I here?" Dusk whispered to her, as he noted down an nose itch.
"Three reasons: one, you're my second assistant. Two: you're as avid a learner and as astute as I am, and three: I believe you're the only pony who isn't completely convinced by this whole 'Pinkie Sense' nonsense. I mean, this was your idea."
"If you say so..." he murmured, neglecting to mention that he wasn't as knowledgeable in science as she was and preparing to note down again. "What's she doing now?"
"A-ha, that makes no sense. See?" She gave him the binoculars, where he saw her hiding and cowering. "She's hiding like something's about to fall out of the sky, but a twitchy tail means that something's about to fall from the sky, not an itchy nose."
"That is fairly conclusive... wait, I'm getting something..." He heard a buzzing, saw a yellow and black mass swarm towards them. "Move!"
Without waiting for her permission, he pushed her out of the bush and into another one, just as the swarm of bees passed over where they had been hiding seconds before. If they had stayed in that bush...
"Phew... that was close."
"Um... Dusk? You can er... get off me now." He looked to see he was lying on top of Twilight. Both of them blushing heavily, scurried off and let her get up. "Let's er... get back to the investigation..."
"Of course..." Silently moving along, more out of awkwardness than anything else, they followed their quarry onwards.
They tracked her next to Sweet Apple Acres, where they took cover next to the barn behind a stack of hay. Still feeling wary of danger, Dusk stood ready to take more notes on Pinkie's behaviour.
"Status update?" he requested.
"Smelling a flower," she reported.
"Inconclusive information, normal activity." he noted down.
"Indeed... wait, I'm getting something... Ear flop, eye flutter, knee twitch."
"Uh oh... that's the doors opening combo..." His eyes flickered to the nearby barn door,
"Dusk, please, don't tell me that you're starting to believe this nonsense," she begged. "We need to be objective."
"Okay... let's see then..." Not wanting to let her down, he went and stood next to the door. He waited but, to his relief, nothing happened. "There we go then, it seems you're right."
"You see?" she smiled at him, as he walked away from the door. "I keep telling you, this business is nothing but a load of-"
But what exactly it was a load of, Dusk didn't hear. At that moment, the ground vanished beneath his hooves and he tumbled down a flight of stairs, crashing into a pile of apples at the bottom and scattering them everywhere.
Aware that the pounding in his head was getting worse, he picked himself up, to see the smiling face of his farm pony friend, as she set down some more apples in another pile nearby.
"Dusk! Ya came ta visit ma new apple cellar, how nice!"
"Hey AJ, sorry to drop in on you like this." She chuckled as he dusted himself off and rearranged her apples. "This is a good apple cellar, if I ever saw one... which I haven't."
"Glad ya think so. Next time though, watch the firs' step."
"Dusk! Are you alright?" Twilight called down.
"I'm fine, don't worry! Slight bruising, that's all!"
"That's a relief... quick, Pinkie's on the move again!"
"No rest for the wicked," he murmured, then louder: "Coming! See you around, Applejack."
"Have a good one Dusk." Hurrying out of the dark, he soon caught up with Twilight again, as they got back on Pinkie's trail.
As much as Dusk wanted to be a source of support to Twilight at this time, he thought it was high time that she tried to face facts. Those facts pointed to the conclusion that, somehow, Pinkie could predict random events with random twitches. His aching head was proof of that.
But she was absolutely determined to prove Pinkie and everypony else wrong, and it was impossible arguing with her once her mind was set on something. So, sitting behind a park bench, Dusk took notes when instructed on the activity of Pinkius Piecus.
"Are you sure you're fine Dusk? You took a nasty fall... I know this was your idea, but I can get Spike to fill in, if you want." Concern was ebbing in her voice, so much that Dusk blushed a little.
"Don't worry about me, anything in the name of science," he replied lightly. "I stay committed, if I need to."
"Okay... thanks for sticking with me." She peered through her binoculars again. "Right, take this down: twitchy tail."
"'Twitchy... tail...' that one was... things falling!" His eyes darted skyward, looking for any sign of... well, anything.
"Dusk, calm down, you're overreacting," Twilight said reassuringly, but it wasn't enough for Dusk.
"No, I'm not!" He saw something whizz downwards towards Twilight.
Before she could say anything, he pushed her out of the way, having just enough time to move himself. They then watched as a plant pot, an anvil, a cart full of hay and a piano all fell in sequence on their observation point.
Dusk looked up to see, with some surprise, that same removals van that had almost hit him with their load when he first arrived, with the same crew in operation. Somepony should do an official enquiry into that company, that was just plain dangerous.
They both looked at each other, utterly bewildered at what had just happened. Before either of them could say anything, they heard Pinkie talking nearby.
"Oh, letting Twilight and Dusk secretly follow me all day, without me knowing."
"You mean you knew all along?" Twilight strode over angrily, Dusk following warily, his eyes flicking towards the sky. "Why didn't you tell us?"
"Silly, that would've spoiled the secret!"
At that sentence, Pinkie wasn't the only one that was twitching. It looked like poor Twilight, her mind unable to cope with all the nonsensical things that had been happening today, was about to blow a fuse. Concerned for her safety, and his own, Dusk asked Pinkie about her tail, if it was still twitching.
"All done, clear skies from here on in, as far as I can tell- Hu-bu-bu-bu-bu-bu!" Her whole body suddenly shook violently.
"Woah... what was that one?" Dusk asked.
"Dunno, never gotten any like it before, but whatever that shudder's about, it's a doozy." For the first time since he'd met her, Pinkie sounded scared. "Something you never expect to happen is gonna happen!" She had another bout of shuddering. "And its gonna happen... At Froggy Bottom Bog!"
"That's where Fluttershy was headed!" Applejack realised with a gasp.
"From what I've read, the Bog isn't the most hospitable of environments," Dusk murmured. "Is there any indication that Fluttershy may be in danger?"
"Um... I'm not sure," Pinkie said, still sounding fearful.
"We'd better go and make sure she's okay." With that, Applejack lead the way to the bog, followed by Dusk, Pinkie and, surprisingly, Twilight. She ran beside Dusk, matching his speed and looking determined.
"So, does Pinkie have you convinced?" he asked her.
"Of course not!" He directed her hard gaze to Pinkie. "I just want to be there to see the look on Pinkie's face when we find out nothing's wrong."
"Okey-dokey!" she replied cheerfully, as they hurried into the trees.
They continued to gallop at a rapid pace for a few more minutes, then slowed as they neared where the Bog was situated. Dusk became aware of every sound, every squeak and crack that could possibly be a threat.
His anxiety was also centred around Fluttershy. Gentle and timid, if something did happen to her, Dusk doubted she would be able to cope on her own. Just this once, he sincerely hoped that Twilight was right and Pinkie was wrong.
"You feelin' alright?" asked Applejack.
"Yes... just trying not to think about what's happened to Fluttershy... what might have happened."
"Same here," she said, looking grim. "Ya said ya read about the Bog, didn't ya?"
"I have. Its inhabitants are mostly frogs, some that have grown to the size of small houses. But, from what I've read, there's some nastier creatures lurking in here too... I just hope we don't meet any of them."
"Me too. We jus' find her, check on her an' get out. Good plan?"
"Couldn't have thought of a better one myself. Plus, we can find her in the quickest way possible." As they neared the swamp, Dusk thought positively about their lost friend and conjured up a puppet of her, which flew off of its own accord.
"Oh... fergot about that. Lucky ya came along." She shouted to the others: "Come on everypony, follow that puppet!"
Picking up speed again, Dusk replaced Applejack at the head of the pack. The buzz of a dragonfly met his ears. The unpleasant smell of the bog reached his nostrils, making him grimace. Bubbles of gas grew on the surface, bursting with disgusting squelches. Mangrove trees grew with their roots in the murky water, leaving mysteries as to what lurked in the murky depths beneath.
Hurrying as fast as they could, Dusk saw his puppet had halted over a form on a nearby rock, green frogs hopping around it. It faded away, but Dusk knew who it was and felt warm calm spread through him. It was Fluttershy! She was okay!
"Fluttershy! Thank Celestia, you're okay!"
"Of course..." She looked unsurely around at them all, but nopony gave her an explanation.
"I'm so glad everything's alright." Pinkie had her bright smile back.
"Sorry, I know it's not nice to gloat but... AHA!" Twilight's shout of triumph made Dusk jump. "I told you there was nothing to worry about and I was right. Pinkie Pie said whatever she was shuddering about was a-" She halted to cough, "-doozy, and-" She coughed again, "-and the only-" Another cough, "-doozy here is how right I am!"
As she spoke, Dusk became aware that the smell of the swamp was getting stronger, far more repulsive, downright toxic. He looked around for the cause of this happening, followed everypony's gaze to something above... and what he saw made his stomach contract.
A long, orange, scaly neck had risen out of the murky water behind Twilight. Seconds later, it was followed by a second... then a third... then a fourth. At the top of these necks, the heads had sharp wicked chins, a fierce mane of red spines, piercing green eyes and pointed teeth, as they towered over them as high as the clouds above. Twilight still hadn't noticed it and continued to gloat gloating.
"...no point in believing in anything you can't see for yourself," she was saying. She had to know.
"Speaking of seeing and believing... check behind you," he warned, feeling terrified.
She turned, her eyes widening. "I see it... I don't believe it!" The heads gave a loud, simultaneous roar that shook Dusk's ears.
"Is that a hydra?" Pinkie asked in disbelief.
"It is... at least, I think so." Despite the situation, Dusk was still a little curious. "I mean, it's quite amazing one is here but... I thought they were supposed to have eight heads. This one has half that..."
"Who cares how many heads it's got? RUN!"
Snapping himself out of it, Dusk took Applejack's excellent course of action to heart and ran as fast as his legs would let him, though Twilight had to drag Pinkie along, who was frozen in terror.
The very ground beneath them shook, as the hydra pursued them hungrily. Dusk jumped from path to rock to root to rock, trying to put as much distance between him and this monster as possible. Just one bite of its poisonous fangs and that would be it.
The hydra's heads tried to snap up his friends, narrowly missing them and only sinking their fangs into boulders or trees. One of them went for Dusk. He just managed ducked between a clump of thick trees. The result was it banging its head on the ground. It had brute force, but the beast lacked finesse. They just had to stay ahead of it.
A dead end! And Dusk was falling behind. Legs aching, lungs burning, he pushed himself to keep up... and felt his hoof become stuck in a deep bit of mud. He tried to yank it out, but it was too sticky. He whipped his head around. It was coming! Had... to get... free.
"Coming Dusk!" Twilight was hurrying back, but she wouldn't make it in time.
He whipped his head around, looking for something to fend it off. He spotted a boulder. His one chance... concentrating, he levitated it out of the swamp, then flung it at the head that swooped down to eat him. Hearing a satisfactory crack, he gave his efforts to wrench himself out of the mud, with Twilight's added strength.
"Good work. Up the hill, come on!"
"Higher ground, good thinking!" Not even daring to look back, he galloped alongside Twilight, hurrying up the steep hill.
Barely even acknowledging that Pinkie was still shaking, Dusk shoved her along, as the hill began to level out. If they could make it to the border of the swamp, the hydra wouldn't dare to follow them out. They kept running, they could make it-
-his heart sank when they reached another obstacle, in the form of a very high gorge, with nothing but the water or the rocks to break their fall. Stone plinths, that looked like they could support their weight gave them a way across... if they could reach them.
"Ugh, he'll be up here in no time!" The hydra was beginning to follow them up the hill. "Quick, one at a time, cross!"
"Right. Fluttershy, you go!" Dusk commanded.
"Okay... a hop, skip and a.. jump!" She leaped across, making good progress.
Pinkie almost shook herself off the cliff, but Applejack grabbed her just in time. Dusk whipped his head back. The hydra was steadily making up for lost ground. It was too close, it would reach them before they made it across.
"It's too close! I'll distract him, you three, go!" Applejack and Pinkie jumped across, but Dusk paused mid-jump.
He looked at her and across the canyon. He was scared, scared of dying, but also scared for her. What mattered more to him: his own safety, or hers? In the end, the decision was easy, despite his crippling fear. He couldn't just leave her here, he'd never be able to live with himself if anything happened to her.
He turned and ran in front of Twilight, bowing his head to the monster. "Dusk, what are you doing?"
"What does it look like I'm doing?" He glanced back at her. "This is my job, not yours. You go, quickly. I can distract him..."
"Dusk, no! I'm not leaving you!"
"Twilight, please, go! At least if I'm eaten, you'll still have Spike. Please, just go! I'll be fine." He gazed imploringly at her. He didn't want to see her get hurt. She gave in.
"Fine... but you'd better not let me down." She turned to run, and Dusk turned to fight, swallowing his fear as best he could.
His mind spinning like a dynamo, Dusk began to formulate strategies. His magic wasn't powerful enough to hurt it. He couldn't run past it, there was no room. Had to think... despite how many heads they had, hydra weren't the most cunning of predators. He doubted it would have seen this before...
He made a colour puppet to test his theory, a Pegasus pony. One of the heads tried to snap at it, to no avail. Satisfied, Dusk made even more, one for each head. As he hoped, it had stopped trying to go for him and started trying to eat his puppets. Naturally, it didn't work. He commanded them to swoop, dive and dodge in every direction, keeping it guessing and snapping until-
"Ha!" He grinned when he saw it had tied it's necks up in a knot, just as he planned. Satisfied, he tipped his hat to the beast and turned to make his escape, until he saw somepony still on the his side. "Twilight, I told you to run!"
"Technically, you can't tell me to do anything. Besides, I couldn't leave you to face that thing alone. I wouldn't have been able to live with myself..."
"Twilight... I..." He heard a roar getting close. "Jump!" They leaped over the head that snapped at them, landing on the neck. "Come on, time to-"
He stopped in horror. That last attack had hit a chunk of rock, that created a domino effect on the other plinths. The gap that it left was too wide to jump, there was no way for them to get across now...
"T-t-t-twilight! D-d-d-dusk! You have to jump!" Pinkie was still twitching. Could this be the doozy? That he and Twilight would... no, not that.
"We'll never make it!"
"You'll both be fine!"
"We will not!"
"It's your only ho-o-ope!" Another roar sounded. The hydra was coming. "You have to take a leap of faith!"
Twilight looked back at the hydra, then to Pinkie, then to Dusk. She gazed desperately at him, as if hoping for him to tell her none of this was really happening. Dusk wanted that too... but it was... they only had one option. She seemed to read his mind before he spoke.
"Are you crazy? We'd never make it!"
"Nothing important can be achieved without risk," Dusk said. "We have to try. It's either we fall to our deaths or we're hydra lunch."
"Dusk... we can't... I can't..."
"Yes, we can." He held out his hoof to her. "Let's take the leap. Together. Trust me."
She stared at it for a while, then at him. Finally, returning a somewhat confident smile, she grabbed it. Feeling a twinge that had nothing to do with fear of the hydra, they took a running start, galloped forward, then jumped with all of their might, as the hydra gave them extra air from hitting the rock they jumped from. The plinth was close... they might make it...
They fell short. They both screamed as they plummeted towards the swamp. Towards a large gas bubble that was forming below. Yes, this might work! If they could stick the landing... they hit it... the bubble popped, propelling them up, up, up. Then down, the bounce, bounce and one smack into a cliff-side.
Shaking their heads clear, they revelled in their victory, the others cheering in relief that they'd made it across. They had made it! Against all odds, they'd escaped certain death!
"Dusk, we did it!" She positively beamed at him and hugged him.
"I told you we would," Dusk murmured quietly.
"Yes, you did..." They held their gaze for a few moments, then remembered they were still holding each others hooves. They abruptly let go, blushing furiously.
"I knew you could both do it!" Pinkie grabbed them both in a one-armed hug.
"I don't know how it happened," Twilight began happily, "coincidence, dumb luck, or what, but you said there'd be a doozy here at Froggy Bottom Bog, and I'd say we just had ourselves one heck of a doozy. I mean that hydra-"
She was cut off, as Pinkie violently shuddered again. Dusk felt his stomach churn.
"Pinkie?" she asked unsurely
"That wasn't it." Dusk felt like he had just hit the rock face again.
"You mean... there's still something going to happen?" Dusk asked timidly.
"Yep. The hydra wasn't the doozy."
They heard a raspberry being blown, as the hydra slunk off back to its murky home, deprived of dinner. Ignoring it, Dusk continued to listen to Pinkie, hoping it wasn't going to come around again.
"I'm still getting the shudders." She shuddered like a milkshake once more "You see? There it is again. Whatever the doozy was at Froggy Bottom Bog, my Pinkie Sense says it still hasn't happened."
"Huh? But I- WHAT?" She sounded like she was about to lose what was left of her common sense."The hydra wasn't the doozy? How could it not be the doozy? What could be doozier than that?"
"Dunno, but it just wasn't it."
Twilight, unable to keep it in any longer, levitated into the air and spontaneously combusted, literally bursting into flames with rage. Dusk reminded himself to never ever get on her bad side. Then, singed and smoking, a resigned look grew on her features. "Ooh... I give up..."
"Give what up, Twi?" Dusk asked, as he helped her up, flinching from residual heat.
"The fight." She sighed, gazing up at him with a lost look. "I can't fight it anymore. I don't understand how, why, or what, but Pinkie sense somehow... makes sense. I don't see how it does, but it just does. Just because I don't understand doesn't mean its not true."
"Y-y-y-you m-m-mean you b-b-b-believe?" Her shuddering seemed to have increased exponentially.
"Yep, I guess I do." Before Dusk could say anything, several things happened at once.
Pinkie's shuddering reach a kind of climax. In rapid sequence, she bounced up, hit the floor, expanded, bounced again, hit the ground, landed on her hooves...and stopped. No further shuddering. It just... finished.
"That was it. That's the doozy!" She grinned again.
Dusk was at first confused, but he quickly figured it out. "Twilight believing... was the doozy?"
"Exactly, Mr Psychic Pony. That was the doozy, oh and, oh what a doozy of a doozy it was!"
Without another word on the matter, she pranced off back to the town, singing a cheery tune. They all looked around at each other, utterly bewildered and promptly followed her back. Dusk couldn't help but smile to himself. Spike was never going to believe this...
Trotting back to the library after a rest at home, Dusk opened the door to see an odd sight. Spike was running off upstairs with a roll of parchment, while Pinkie and Twilight stood at the centre of the room, wearing rainbow-coloured umbrella hats.
"Dusk, you're back! I've just finished my report to the Princess." She smiled at him, gesturing to her hat. "What do you think of my new look?"
"It suits you," he chuckled. "Pinkie's tail twitching?"
"Yep, what else can I do?"She approached him, still smiling. "I never got the chance to thank you, Dusk."
"Me? For what?"
"In the swamp, it was you who gave me the courage to take that leap. If it wasn't for you, I don't think I could have done it."
"I'm er... I'm sure you would have... I mean er..." He felt rather flustered now. "I mean we did... have a hydra on our tail... pretty big incentive to jump, I'd say..."
"Maybe, but still, you helped a lot. You can be really brave sometimes you know. Thank you." She gave him a gentle embrace, which he was more than happy to return. "Now, me and Pinkie are heading out. You want to come?"
"I'll pass thank you. Have a nice time, I'll keep an eye on things with Spike."
"I trust you both. Oh, and one more thing." He looked back at her at the door. "Thank you for the lilacs, they were lovely."
"Heh... no problem." She gave him one last, warm smile, before leaving with Pinkie.
As he watched her go, Dusk thought of all that had transpired today. When Twilight took his hoof, he'd felt something like electricity shoot up his leg from the contact. What did that mean? And the flowers too... she'd liked them, but did she see it as a romantic gesture or as a favour from a friend? If the former, did she think he liked her... like that (If he did, of course)? Did she mind?
Dusk decided to try and figure it out later. For now, he needed a rest. He looked up curiously at the sky. What would fall now? He saw Spike at the window, about to send off Twilight's report... and something slammed into the balcony beside him.
"What the... Princess Celestia?"
It was indeed the Bringer of the Day. She personally took the letter, heard Dusk's voice and smiled down at him.
"Hello there Dusk," she greeted happily. "I hope you don't mind me dropping by. I like the hat, it becomes you nicely."
"Thank you, Princess," he replied, tipping to her. "And don't worry, I know the feeling," he said, thinking back earlier on.
"Indeed," she smiled. "I look forward to reading this. Farewell, for now." With that, she flew off back into the sky back towards Canterlot city.
Dusk and Spike exchanged confused looks with one another at this random appearance... then fell about laughing. It was certainly never a dull moment in Ponyville, that much could be guaranteed. |
Brand New Dusk | New Routine | "No way! A full-sized hydra?" Rainbow Dash asked in disbelief.
"Yes way," Dusk replied. "A fully-grown, four-headed, toxic-breathed hydra and a very long jump between me and Twilight. It's either stay, or get eaten."
"You didn't try to jump it?"
"We did. Luckily, as we're falling, a big swamp bubble forms beneath us. We hit it, we shoot up like rockets from the force..."
"... and land on the other side, without a scratch. Awesome!" She gave him a hoof pound out of respect. "That is pretty cool, Dusk. You're almost as brave as me... almost."
"Well, it was just kind of luck we made it and... well... I couldn't let the hydra hurt my friends," he said modestly.
"Yeah, but you still stood up to it." She raised an eyebrow at him. "You've really gotta get yourself an ego."
"I would, but your's is big enough for our whole group," he countered, as they laughed.
It was coming to the end of another day in Ponyville. The sun was just touching the tip of the horizon. Dusk had finished another day of work, and had come here at Rainbow's request, as she'd found him just as he was leaving the library. They were at the spot on the edge of the Everfree Forest, where he had first helped her with her flying practice. Remembering how well that had gone, Dusk tried not to think about it.
While she had asked him to recount the tale of what had transpired in Froggy Bottom Bog just yesterday, the real reason she had brought him here was to finally begin trying to incorporate his colour manipulation talent into her routine for the Flyer's Competition in Cloudsdale. While he still felt nervous at the prospect of it, Dusk was determined not to let her down.
Once she stopped laughing, she suddenly became brisk and began to hover in the sky before him.
"Okay, so we got that outta the way. Now, let's get down to business of radicalness."
"Yes ma'am," Dusk agreed, saluting her. "Where should I start?"
"Hold on." She raised a hoof. "First off, have you found a spell that'll allow you to get into Cloudsdale? I can't have somepony carry you the whole time."
"One step ahead of you," he replied. "I've already found a book with the spell in mind. It'll enable me to grow wings so that I can fly up with you to Cloudsdale."
"Great! Does it work?"
"Well um... I er... haven't tried it out yet, but, once I tell the others, I'm sure Twilight will be able to perform it."
She sighed. "It'll have to do for now. For these practice sessions, you can stay on the ground. Just be sure to keep up."
"Right. So, how's this going to work? You said that there are three stages to your routine?"
"Good memory," she commended coolly. "Yes, there are three phases I need to pull off. Let's start with phase one: the slalom. I want you to make some rainbow pillars in the sky... about the same size as those trees."
He looked to where she pointed, nodded and conjured them up swiftly, with decent sized gaps between them, each one a different colour of the rainbow. Keeping his focus on maintaining them, he let Rainbow fly to the head of the pillars.
As the name gave away, this phase was a maneuvering challenge, weaving in and out of the gaps in-between the pillars he'd made. As she passed by each one, Dusk made it vanish, until she reached the end. She looked back, a disappointed look crossing her features.
"What's wrong?" he asked, as she flew back down.
"Well... do they have to vanish like that? Do you have trouble keeping them there?"
"No, but I think I know what you mean." He thought for a moment, then hatched on idea. "What about making them glow brighter when you make it through one?"
"Okay, let's see how that looks." She flew back to the start, as he remade the pillars.
This time, when she went past them, Dusk added a little more brightness to them, just to make them stand out more that she'd made it. When Rainbow came back down, he showed her what he did and she seemed impressed.
"Yeah, that looks pretty good. Let's keep that in. Not a bad start." She gave him a satisfied smile, then became serious again. "Now then, for phase two: cloud spinning. Make three colour clouds up there, big ones too."
He let her fly off to a good height, then did as she instructed, making a green, blue and red cloud for her routine. He couldn't interfere too much with the routine. This was showcasing Rainbow's skills, not his, otherwise that would be bordering cheating. He was just... well, the lighting guy.
"Do they have to be so bright?" she called out to him.
"Sorry, I can't control that very well!" he shouted back. "Just don't look at them directly, you should be fine!"
Nodding, she proceeded to begin a rotation around the clouds he'd made, making it spin faster and faster. Then she crossed over to the next one, making that one spin rapidly in a circle. Then, onto the third...
Dusk was having a bit of trouble though. He couldn't quite make up for the speeds she was moving them at. They even flickered a few times. Eventually, he couldn't hold it and cancelled the spell, clutching his head.
"Dusk, what happened? Why'd you stop?"
"Moving... too fast... can you go... slower?" he asked her weakly.
"Sorry, I have to go fast, I need to show off my skills. Come on Dusk, I need you ready for this. It's only a week away!"
"It's... it's okay... I'll get... used to it. Let's... let's go again." Trying to look determined, he watched Rainbow soar back up, then had another crack at it.
This one took them the longest to get right. One cloud at a time, Dusk needed to get used to the speeds that Rainbow was going at in order to maintain the clouds and keep them there. It was hard, exhausting for him, but he needed to get this right... she was counting on him to be ready.
Finally, after about forty-five minutes of trying, Dusk was able to hold all three clouds, just long enough for Rainbow to finish spinning them. Even then, there was still the occasional flicker from them, the odd vanishing.
"Okay, you definitely need to work on this one," she told him firmly. "I can't have them flickering like that in the show, I need them perfect. I know it's tough Dusk, but we're gonna win this."
"I know... I won't... won't let you down," he assured her. "Mainly because... I know you'll... rip me to pieces if I do..."
"Hey, hey, nothing that extreme. I'll probably just dump clouds over your head for a week," she said jokingly. "That sound fair?"
"Agreed," he chuckled. "Now then... phase three?"
"Not yet. Let's try those two together. I need you to make the pillars, somehow, flow along with me so they become clouds when I'm done. Can you do that?"
"I can try. Off you go, I got this."
They went through those two stages again about ten times before they got it right. They didn't do the whole of stage two, they'd focus on that on its own another time. For now, they needed to get the flow of the colour right, making them fly alongside her, then form into clouds when she was high enough. That meant Dusk had to beat her to the end, to have them ready before she made it.
He'd never had to exert himself like this before with his magic, not since his days back at the school. Even then, he sometimes had a bit of trouble with tests that were done, though he always passed. He hadn't even begun fully exercising this talent until about a month ago, not with anything like this. But he was doing this for a friend, the first who had seen his talent. He would adapt. For her.
On their eleventh attempt, they got it just right for her and him, making her look more spectacular than ever before and successfully doing it in synchronization with the rest of the routine.
"Great work Dusk! We might just pull this off," she expressed, as Dusk lay down to have a rest.
"No... we will pull this off," he said confidently.
"Don't get ahead of yourself yet," she reminded him. "We still need to practice stage two, and we can't slack off 'cause we got the rest of it right so far. We keep sharp, keep practicing. Good you have the right attitude though."
"No problem... stage three then, what do I do for that?" he asked.
At the mention of that, a cocky smile grew on her features. "This is the part where you kick back and watch. I can take it from here."
"Are you sure? Wait," he realised suddenly,"you haven't told me what stage three is yet. What are you going to do?"
"Just you watch. Now, the routine again, with stage three this time. Let's make this the last one for today, it's getting kinda late anyway..."
"Good idea." He watched her fly off, ready to go.
She flew through his colour pillars, making them glow. Then, she sped upwards, Dusk making streams of red, green and blue fly after her, beating her to the end and making clouds. She spun these around, with some flickers in place and an aching head, but Dusk could breath a sigh of relief when she was done. Now it was the mysterious phase three. What did she have planned now?
She did a few loops, climbing higher into the sky. After these, she sped off, straight down to the ground. She really picked up speed, a mach cone forming around her as she flew, indicating she was travelling near the speed of sound. By Celestia, she was fast! Was this her goal, to reach insane speeds like this? He thought she would slow, as she neared the ground, but she didn't. She was going too fast, she couldn't stop herself. She was going to-
CRASH!
With an almighty noise, she smacked into the ground, leaving a pony-shaped crater where she had hit the surface of the earth. Dusk hurried over, helping her climb out, her eyes in a daze from the impact.
"Ugh... ow..." She furiously shook her head. "Darn it, too little height. I'll need more next time... thanks Dusk."
"Well, I won't be here everytime you crash like that, you know," he warned her. "You really need to be more careful, what were you thinking?"
"Relax Dusk, I made it out okay, didn't I?" she brushed off, giving him a throw-away smile. "I've had worse."
"So you always say," he reminded her. "What were you trying to do anyway? What is phase three?"
"Isn't it obvious?" He remained ignorant to her meaning. "I was trying to pull off a Sonic Rainboom."
"A... a what?" Had he heard her right? She couldn't be serious...
"I thought you were meant to be smart," she remarked playfully. "A Sonic Rainboom is-"
"- a very rare move, achieved by only the best flyers, whereby upon breaching the sound barrier, the Pegasus in question can reach hypersonic speeds, that doubles their current speed and also completely shatters the visible light spectrum, in the form of a powerful rainbow explosion of energy." He smiled at the bemused expression she had on her face. "Oh, I know what the Sonic Rainboom is but... you're saying you can do it?"
"Heck yeah, I can do it!" Her confident expression faltered. "Well, sort of... I only did it when I was a filly. But, for sure, I'm gonna pull it off for the competition. You'll see."
"Are you sure?" he asked her. "You're good Rainbow Dash... well, scratch that, you're brilliant but... the Sonic Rainboom? Are you sure you can do it?"
"Course I can. I've got a week to practice, so I'll be ready by then." He couldn't help but feel her confidence was somehow... forced. Before he could dwell on it further,she swooped off again. "I'd better get some shut-eye. See you tomorrow Dusk."
"Okay... have a good rest, you've earned it," he said earnestly.
"You too. Same time, same place tomorrow. Keep practicing." With that, she sped off back to Cloudsdale, Dusk setting at a gentle pace for his own home.
As the crickets began to play their nighttime tune, the owls hooted in the trees and fireflies flew across the meadows, Dusk considered all that had transpired that evening. Rainbow was truly an incredible flyer. In Dusk's opinion, with her skills and his own magic adding some more variety to her performance, she would win the grand prize hooves down. And yet...
The Sonic Rainboom... it had been one of the very first things he'd learned about in a book. Hence, he knew how difficult a move it was to pull off, even for Rainbow Dash. If she could though, if she did perform it... it would look spectacular. She had a week to prepare, as had Dusk. They would be ready by then... he hoped.
At least now he knew, once he told the girls about that book, they would have a good cheering section to accompany them. Rainbow said she hadn't been looking forward to just having Fluttershy in the stands. |
Brand New Dusk | Sonic Rainboom | "Are you sure you'll be alright without me?" Dusk asked once more, as Twilight shelved another book.
"Dusk, I told you, we'll be fine," she assured him. "I've got our friends helping me put away the books, so we'll be done in no time."
"Come on Dusk," Applejack put in, piling up some more books, "have a lil' faith in us. Ah do know that B comes after A, ya know, so ah can sort through a library as easy an apple orchard. 'Sides, y'all have an appointment ta keep with Rainbow."
"I know, I know, I just... don't like leaving my work when the job's not done..."
"Dusk, darling, it will be done and to a reasonable standard, I promise you," Rarity vowed. "Now, run along or you'll be late and I know how you like to be punctual."
"Okay, I'll get going." He halted at the door, glancing back a little. Then, he shrugged and hurried off to their usual meeting point.
Apart from leaving Twilight when he still had duties to perform, there was another reason for Dusk's apprehension. Today was the day of the Flyer's Competition, the day he and Rainbow had been practising towards. His nerves were on edge, his heart was pounding against his chest as he ran. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea, perhaps he should just tell her to use clouds, it would be easier.
No, he told himself firmly mentally. You've been training for a week now and it looks great. You even have stage two down without any flickers at all. You can do the whole of your actions in your sleep, so don't let her down now by backing out. That was the old Dusk.
He spotted Fluttershy not too far off, and galloped up to her, as she beamed at his arrival.
"There you are Dusk, thank goodness." She let him catch his breath before speaking again. "We were afraid you weren't coming... I mean, I wasn't, I knew you were coming... I mean, I was worried but er... don't be mad..."
"I'm not.. not mad Fluttershy, just nervous," he said in a would-be casual voice. "I mean, it's not like I have to do my talent in order to help my friend win the grand prize before thousands of watching Pegasi..."
"Oh my." She looked sympathetically at him. "It's very brave of you to do this, I don't think I'd be able to. I'm sure you'll both do great."
"Thanks... I needed that," he said, returning a smile.
"There you are, finally!" He looked up to see Rainbow atop a cloud. "You ready for this?"
"Ready, waiting and fully enabled." He prepared for phase one. "Whenever you're ready!"
"Roger that! Remember Fluttershy: control, scream, passion," she recited. "Alright, let's do this!"
With that bold declaration, she jumped off the cloud like a pony diving into a swimming pool, swooping and cutting through the air as if it were water, flowers and plants bending in the wind she created. Dusk tensed himself up. Time for phase one.
Dusk conjured up his colour pillars, making them glow brighter as she passed through around them all. Once she was done, she soared off, Dusk making the pillars dissolve and fly ahead of her, as she swept past Dusk and Fluttershy.
"Woooo," she cheered feebly. Dusk gave her a brief raise of his eyebrow, before returning his focus.
Phase two. He weaved the clouds with the colours, just as Rainbow reached them. Focusing with all of his might, he kept them there as she spun around them, not once did they flicker or fade. It was just right and looked brilliant.
"Way to go," came another quiet cheer from Fluttershy. Now that Dusk was done with his part, he could at least offer his own support.
"Come on Rainbow Dash! Show the Sonic Rainboom who's boss!" he yelled. Then, an aside to Fluttershy: "You think she can do it this time?"
"I don't know, but let's keep cheering. Maybe she will." That was the response she always gave... and the result was usually the same. "Go Rainbow, go."
Dusk had his eyes fixed on her performance. She was starting her descent, accelerating to incredible speeds. The mach cone formed around her, she was making progress. Come on, Rainbow, come on. The cone narrowed... just a little more speed... she almost had it.
Then, she stopped for a second... before the barrier bounced back on her, sending her careering away, screaming all the while. Well... that certainly hadn't happened in any of her previous attempts.
"Oh my. Do you think she's okay?"
"I don't know... let's see..." Checking her trajectory, he estimated that she'd hit somewhere near the centre of town. Ushering Fluttershy, they followed her trail back towards Ponyville, tracking her to the library. "Of course... come on."
They hurried up to the open window, where the trail of cloud ended and peered inside. Dusk was the first to arrive and it was a complete mess. Books and scrolls that might have been neatly shelved were scattered all over the floor, as were the ponies that had been sorting them. He jumped through the window, as Twilight spat out three scrolls in her mouth. He helped her up swiftly to her hooves.
"See, I leave the library for five minutes..." He dusted her down. "You alright?"
"Yes, I'm fine... thank you," she said sincerely. They gazed into each other's eyes for a few seconds in silence, lost in their depths, until Fluttershy caught up.
"Rainbow Dash, you rock, woo-hoo." She stopped cheering when she saw the state of the library. "Oh my... did my cheering do that?"
"Heh heh, sorry about that ladies," Rainbow apologised, as she stood up. "That was a truly feeble performance."
"Actually, it wasn't all bad," said Fluttershy. "I particularly liked it when you made the clouds spin."
"Ugh. I'm not talking about my performance, I'm talking about yours. That feeble cheering!" She put a leg around Dusk. "You should take a leaf out of his book. He can be just as shy as you, but at least he can give a good cheer."
"What are you two arguing about?" asked Twilight, as Dusk's cheeks flushed pink.
"Were we arguing? I'm sorry," said Fluttershy inconesquetially.
"We're preparing for the Best Young Flyer Competition in Cloudsdale," she explained, ignoring Fluttershy.
"What's that?"
"It's where all the greatest Pegasus flyers get together and show off their different flying styles!" Pinkie piped up. "Some are fast!" She zoomed around the room on her hooves. "And some are graceful." She tried to do a ballet-style demonstration, but lost her hoofing and fell, making Dusk chuckle a little.
"Golly. Ah'd love ta see you strut yer stuff in that competition," expressed Applejack.
"But you guys will be there!" They looked at her bewildered at this. "Dusk, didn't you tell 'em?"
"Oh..." He shifted his gaze to his hooves. "I meant to but... with all the practice it er... slipped my mind."
"It's cool," she said casually. "At least I know they're coming now. Fluttershy's a great support, but her cheering isn't exactly inspirational, and Dusk'll be backstage, so he can't do much hollering."
"OOH!" Pinkie popped her head out of the books again. "I'd love to see you make a sonic rainboom! It's like, the most coolest thing ever! Even though I've never actually seen it, but I mean COME ON! It's a sonic rainboom! How not cool could it possibly not be?"
"What's a sonic rainboom?"
"Come on Twilight!" Rainbow said impatiently. "Even Dusk knows what a sonic rainboom is, and he's even more of an egghead than you."
"Rainbow, please," Dusk said, flushing again. Twilight frowned at Rainbow and looked to him for an answer, but it was Pinkie who explained.
"The sonic rainboom is legendary! When a Pegasus like Rainbow Dash gets going soo fast... BOOM! A sonic boom and a rainbow can happen all at once!"
"Um... pretty much what she said, in laypony's terms," Dusk agreed. "From what she's told me, and from what I've read, Rainbow's the only Pegasus today who can perform the move."
"Dusk, I told you... It was a long time ago... I was just a filly."
"Yeah, but you're gonna do it again, right?" Pinkie asked hopefully.
"Are... you kidding? I'm the greatest flyer to ever come out of Cloudsdale! I could do sonic rainbooms in my sleep." There was that false confidence again, Dusk thought. If they'd actually seen her, as he had...
"Wow." Twilight smiled in admiration. "If you pull that off, you'll win the crown for sure!"
"The grand prize is an entire day with the Wonderbolts. A whole day of flying with my life-long heroes... It'll be a dream come true!"
"Yay," came another quiet cheer. Rainbow frowned at her friend.
"I'm gonna go rest up. Don't wanna over prepare myself, y'know." She laughed nervously, then rounded on Fluttershy. "You, on the other hand, better keep practicing. At least I'm guaranteed a cheering section to match my spectacular performance, when the rest of you get there."
"See you in Cloudsdale," Dusk promised, holding up a hoof, which she bumped.
"Better be there. Great work today Dusk, we're gonna be awesome!" She then soared back out of the window, Fluttershy about to follow.
"She's practiced that move a hundred times, and she's never even come close to doing it. I don't know if I can cheer loud enough to help her. I'll be so glad when you all arrive." Flying gently, she followed Rainbow Dash off.
Dusk watched them go, before turning to see that every eye, every inquisitive gaze was on him. He felt a little under the knife, before smiling brightly around at them.
"Right, let's get this all cleared up, we don't want to be late," he said brightly.
"Dusk, are you saying you actually found a way to get all of us into Cloudsdale?" Twilight asked.
"Indeed. I already found it in preparation to help Rainbow. It's right here on the..." He looked to see the respective shelf was empty, the books still scattered. "Oh... right... this might take a while. I did find a flight spell though..."
"Flight spell? One sec." Pinkie ran off, then came back a second later with a book, tossing it to Twilight. "Page twenty-seven."
"This is it! This is the book!" He gazed at Pinkie, amazed. "How did you do that?"
"It landed on my face when Rainbow Dash knocked me into the bookcase."
"Oh... well, lucky for us then." He let Twilight flick through it. "She has the right page."
"Here it is!" She halted at the correct page. "A spell that will allow Earth ponies to fly for three days. Ooh, it looks really difficult... I'm not sure I can do it."
"Come on Twi, I promised Rainbow Dash that we'd be there for her." He placed a hoof on her shoulder. "If anypony can pull if this spell, it's you. I know it.
"Yes Twilight." Rarity came to offer her support. "You've got to try!"
"Ok... if you believe in me, Dusk... I'll try." She gave him one of her warm smiles, then frowned. "But who's gonna volunteer to be the test subject?"
Nopony stepped up for the task. Even for Dusk, this was nerve-wracking. He didn't like the idea of wings just sprouting out of his back. He didn't really like flying all that much, not after... last time. But he was priority. He was about to volunteer himself, but was beaten to the chase.
"I will!" Rarity bravely stepped forward. "For Rainbow Dash, I will go first."
"Here goes..." With one last smile from Dusk, she stood to focus.
Shutting her eyes, grimacing in concentration, Twilight's horn began to glow. A strange blue aura snaked in from it, wrapping itself around Rarity. She stood determined, as she was lifted gently off her hooves, being further consumed by the magic. Soon, it engulfed her entirely, shrouding her from view. Once it had, a blue orb emerged from Twilight's horn. It shone brightly, then burst like a balloon, sending her flying backwards.
Dusk picked himself up, rubbing his eyes, as the force from the light burst had sent them all to the floor. The others picked themselves up too. He looked to the results. Had it worked alright? That answer was soon discovered, as he felt his eyes widen in shock.
Rarity floated before them. Only now, she had a pair of majestic, beautiful wings keeping her aloft. They were like the wings of a butterfly, delicate and lovely, shining light through the transparent colour spots on them, sparkling in the light.
"I think... it worked," said Twilight weakly. That spell had taken a lot out of her.
"My..." Rarity was in awe of her new wings. "They're... why they're... gorgeous! Oh this is wonderful, I'm as light as a feather, graceful as a swan. Oh, I could get used to this."
"Better not, it's only fer three days," Applejack warned. "Still... those are some mighty fine wings."
"Oooooh... shiny..." Pinkie was wide-eyed and staring. Wrenching his gaze from them, Dusk moved to support Twilight, who was having trouble standing.
"That was... that was tough..." she said, just as weakly as before. "I don't think I... have the strength to... do that again..."
"Take it easy Twi, you did beautifully. You're right though, another try at that and it may knock you out." He levitated the book over. "Let's see... let's see... ah, here we are! A much simpler spell to let Earth ponies walk on clouds. Even I could do this one."
"Wonderful! It's just a pity you can't all look as stunning as me," Rarity said ruefully.
"Pink, you still have that hot-air balloon from the Running of the Leaves?" Dusk asked her.
"Sure do! It just needs some air in it, and it'll be set!"
"Well, that's dandy," Applejack said. "Now we can all get ta Cloudsdale and Twah'light can take it easy fer a bit."
"Alright, let's go then!" Dusk paused and looked around, feeling a little more sheepish. "Right after we clean all of this up, methinks."
The time it took for them to clear up the books gave Twilight plenty of time to recover from the massive amount of energy she used for the spell, with Dusk making regular checkups on her to make sure she was alright, bringing her some tea and food to get her strength back. It was no trouble for Dusk. He would do anything to help her out, in anyway he could.
Whilst Pinkie and Applejack all lent their efforts to clean up, Rarity was being constantly distracted by her new wings. She'd already flown all around town,showing them of to everypony and, once she came back, she just kept admiring herself in the mirror, cooing and awing over them. Dusk didn't say anything, but she was starting to get on his nerves.
Soon, they had it all cleared away. Pinkie had her hot air balloon all gassed up, and Dusk and Twilight performed the cloud walking spell on Pinkie and Applejack respectively, then performed it on each other. Dusk, who wasn't as proficient in magic as Twilight was, needed a few tries to get it right. They all proceeded to climb into the basket, as Rarity flew on ahead of them. All, except Dusk, who paused at the basket, feeling his stomach doing flips again.
"Dusk? You okay?" Applejack asked.
"I um... well... um..." He wasn't quite sure how to explain. "You see the... the thing is I... I..."
"Dusk, are you afraid of heights?" Twilight inquired.
"Not heights, per say. Just... flying, I guess... a uh, recent fear..." He rubbed the back of his head. "Kind of stupid, huh?"
"Don't be silly, everypony is afraid of something." She held out a hoof. "Come on, it'll be fine. We're all going to be here with you, this'll be nice and gentle."
"Yeah Dusk, come on!" Pinkie encouraged. "It'll be as smooth as icing on a cupcake."
Feeling a little less scared with those assurances in mind, Dusk took Twilight's hoof and hauled himself into the basket with the others, as Pinkie took them up into the clouds. At least this certainly was a lot more gentle than last time... but Dusk still felt his nerves heighten, along with their altitude as they climbed higher. As such, he lay down on the basket, trying his best not to look over the side.
The girls were all excited, both to set hoof in the city of the clouds and to see Rainbow perform. Whilst Dusk was a little excited too, he was mostly nervous and scared. Even more than ever, his fear of somehow failing in his role at the contest plagued his mind. There were so many ways this could go wrong, so many possible trips or falls that could mean disaster. He just tried not to think about it... as best he could.
After a few minutes, they arrived at their destination. Dusk was still wrapped up in his thoughts, as the others all climbed out onto the clouds. Fear had now gripped him completely, so much so he couldn't move from the spot. He was feeling a strong trepidation to leave the balloon. He'd never walked on clouds before. How would it feel? Would he fall straight through them?
"Hey, where's Dusk?" Rainbow asked them, as he crouched low.
"I think he's still in the basket," he heard Twilight say. "Don't worry, I'm sure he's fine. You all go on ahead, we'll catch up."
"Okay... see you later then." Cringing at how almost disappointed she sounded, Dusk heard hooves approaching the basket. Why was he acting like this? Why did he have to be such a coward?
"Come on Dusk, it's fine," Twilight coaxed. "It's just like walking on the ground."
He popped his head up, enough to see Twilight smiling gently at him. Feeling a little braver, he stood up to the edge.
"Okay then..." Shutting his eyes, he jumped out of the basket and landed softly on the clouds. It felt like walking on a mattress, soft and plushy.
"See, you're just fine." She smiled at him. "Have a little more faith in me, I'm offended."
"Sorry Twi... I'm just nervous..."
"You'll be fine. It's natural to feel nervous for something like this. You're not even going out on-stage, you'll be on the sidelines."
"But what if I mess up?" All of his fears came spilling out at once. "What if I miss a cue, make her lose the grand prize? I've never done anything this big before! I've never let so many ponies see my talent!
"Dusk, we all think your talent is wonderful." She always had a knack for making him feel better. Rainbow Dash has already said you've done great in practice. You never let me down in the library, so I know you'll do great here."
"But this isn't the library, this is a big contest, with hundreds watching." He sighed, looking up at her."Do you really think I can do it?"
"Dusk, are you the pony that came for us in the Forest?" He nodded. "Are you the pony who stood up to a hydra?" Another nod. "Exactly. If you can be brave enough to do those, you can be brave enough to do this. For Rainbow."
"Okay... thanks Twi. I'm just being pathetic... still, that's me I guess."
"You're not pathetic Dusk, you're not even close," she said firmly. "You're a great assistant and a great friend, to do this for her."
"You... really think so?"
"Absolutely. You had faith in me in the Bog and on Winter Wrap Up, despite my doubts. I wouldn't be a good friend if I didn't do the same." She beckoned him along. "Now come on, Rainbow's going to give us a tour of Cloudsdale."
"Right behind you." Feeling much better now, they hurried to catch up with the group. Dusk felt his eyes widen again.
He'd read about Cloudsdale, seen pictures of it. But it was nothing until you saw it up close. It truly was the greatest city in the sky, with the buildings floating majestically in the air, elaborate pillars and columns adorning them. The ancient Pegasi had been masters at crafting and shaping the clouds into works of art, to make their city truly spectacular. Dusk was glad to see they hadn't failed to disappoint.
Rainbow, who was showing them the view from the cloud, grinned at the sight of him.
"There's my colour bender!" She gave him a hoof bump. "Glad to see you could make it."
"You know me Rainbow, I never break a promise, Pinkie or otherwise."
"Awesome. I knew I could count on you..." She murmured to him. "Thanks for coming through for me, I was feeling just tiny bit nervous."
"So was I," he murmured back, throwing a smile Twilight's way. Then, more loudly: "Okay then, far be it from you to pass off an opportunity to show off. A whole city in the clouds, just waiting for us. Where should we go first?"
"Well, since we're up here, ah'd sure like ta get a look at where the weather's made," Applejack suggested.
"Great idea! Come on girls, and Dusk," she added, "to the weather factory!"
The factory was just as impressive as the rest of the city's architecture. As they approached it across a long bridge, Dusk could see it as it towered over them. Rainbow falls cascaded to the clouds below, a trumpet-like device pumped out the shapes of clouds at regular intervals and fierce storm clouds reigned thunder and lightning all around them, making Fluttershy jump a little every time it did.
They were made to wear hard hats and jumpsuits, for their own safety and to ensure they didn't interfere with the weather operations being performed by the workers there. Dusk exchanged his own trilby for a white hard hat, to keep the place sterile, and followed the tour group inside, feeling excited to be part of such a unique opportunity to see this all happen.
The first room they entered was kept at low temperatures, where the Pegasi made the snowflakes. It was very quiet,to keep their focus on their incredibly delicate task, as each was hoof-made. Rarity's wings, however, blew a draught through the room and sent a good number of them scattering. Deciding to move on swiftly, Rainbow led them out, as the workers dashed around to get them back.
The next room was where they made the rainbows, that involved mixing all of the colours that made them up in large bowls in a sort of liquid state, that flowed from bowl to bowl via long shoots to be processed later. Pinkie actually dipped her hoof in to taste it, turning every colour of the spectrum, before running off to find some water whilst everypony laughed.
"Yeah, rainbows aren't really known for their flavour," said the suitably named Pegasus.
"Good thing too," remarked Dusk. "If they were, we might all be eating rainbow-flavoured cupcakes, courtesy of the Sugercube Corner."
"Woah!" Dusk turned to see three, stocky Pegasus ponies marvelling at Rarity's wings.
"Oh, where'd you get those amazing wings? I want a pair!" asked the chocolate-brown one.
"Hmm..." Rarity seemed to like getting all of the attention. "Yeah, I guess I could see that."
"Oh hey look, it's Rainbow Crash again!" Dusk felt his blood boil, to his surprise. While he had never experienced it himself, Dusk knew enough about bullying to know when he saw it.
"Heheheyeah! Rainbow... Umm..." He paused, apparantely unable to think of a witty edition. So, he just went with: "Crash!"
"Rarity!" Rainbow sounded scandalised, and Dusk couldn't blame her. "What're you doing talking to these guys?"
"Oh, they were just admiring my wings Rainbow Dash," she said casually.
"Yeah, you should forget the sonic rainboom and just get yourself some wings like these!" They all let off another round of stupid guffawing, before flying off to do... whatever it was they did here. Jerks, Dusk thought angrily, but he didn't have the courage to say that to their faces.
Or stand up for her, he thought guiltily. Still, he thought Rainbow wouldn't let their taunts get to her.
However, Rainbow seemed to have taken the worst of their taunting. She was hanging her head in defeat, her eyes fixed sadly on the floor. She needed her confidence, and all of this certainly wasn't helping her.
"Uhh... C'mon everypony. Why don't we go see how clouds are made?" suggested Fluttershy tactfully, walking alongside Rainbow. "Don't listen to them. You're gonna win that competition for sure!"
"Are you kidding? I can't DO the sonic rainboom, and just look at these boring, plain old feathered wings. I'm doomed!"
"Rainbow, come on." Dusk decided to try his hoof at cheering her up. "You and I have been training hard to win this. Despite all of my doubts and fears, I know that I'm ready for it and I know that you are too. Those guys aren't in the Flyer's Competition, they're just jealous of you because of how awesome you are. They know it, we know it and I know it."
"Thanks Dusk but... what's the point?" Feeling disheartened, Dusk didn't know what else to say. He just hoped that Rarity would stop showing off, as she was partof the problem.
Unfortunately, his hopes counted for nothing. By the time they reached the cloud bellows, where water was evaporated to make the clouds in the sky, the workers were all stopping to admire Rarity's wings, while she was acting like a celebrity among her adoring fans. All the while, Rainbow was becoming more and more stressed, crouching on the floor and shaking, her eyes wide with fear.
They tried telling her to put her wings away, but they'd really gone to her head, saying that they couldn't ask her to put away 'perfection'. She actually flew right up against the sun, so her wings created a kind of coloured disco ball effect. Dusk grudgingly had to admit to himself that it was quite beautiful, but Rarity wasn't meant to be the focus here.
Rainbow, who was shivering on the floor, looked like she was about to start crying. Dusk asked her if she was doing okay, as did Twilight.
"Of course! Why wouldn't I be ok? Everyone's so in love with Rarity's wings that they won't even notice when I totally blow itin the Best Young Flyer's Competition."
"Hey! There's an idea!" cried a Pegasus worker to Rarity. "YOU should enter the competition!"
"Yeah! I could watch you fly all day long!" agreed an older flyer, rather like Granny Smith.
"There really isn't anypony who uses their wings quite like me. Perhaps I should compete," decided Rarity, as she moved away from the sun.
"WHAT?" Both Rainbow and Dusk expressed their disbelief at the same time, though the latter more out of anger than fear. "What am I gonna DO? I'll never win the competition now..."
Dusk had to admit that, with her nerves and Rarity's vanity, this seriously decreased their chances of winning. He'd never lost his temper in his life, but it was near breaking point with all that was happening. All of their training, all of their practice, and it looked like it was about to be nothing.
He hoped that wasn't the case and told himself to believe in his friend... but it was becoming harder and harder to regardless.
Their tour of the factory was soon at an end. Leading a terrified Rainbow away with him, doing his best to console her, Dusk knew that the time they had been waiting for was now. It was time to fly. They separated from the rest of the girls at the viewer's stands, where they would be cheering her on.
Rarity had already entered herself in for the contest. They'd all tried to talk her out of it, to dissuade her from competing but her mind was set. She wanted to show off her wings to all and this was her chance to do it.
"Good luck Dusk," Twilight wished him, as they were about to head off. "Try your best to give support for Rainbow, I think she really needs it."
"So do I. Cheer for us." They exchanged a hug, then Dusk went to take his position.
The arena itself was, like the rest of Cloudsdale, a marvel of cloud-based architecture: wide, vast and huge, with flags adorning the top of it, seating for over five thousand ponies. Dusk watched the pre-contest announcing, as Princess Celestia arrived in the royal box, smiling and waving to everypony. Then came the Wonderbolts, true masters of the air. They swooped around in the sky, let off some fireworks and took their places in the judging box. That would no doubt put a smile on Rainbow's face.
Standing backstage, but away from the other flyers with a view of the vast arena before him, all Dusk had to do now was wait for Rainbow. He had a good view from where he was, but he was also unseen, out of the way. A shadow among shadows. This was perfect. It was almost like how he used to be, only now he was hiding with good reason. This was Rainbow's flight, not his. He would remain anonymous the whole time. If only Rarity could recognise that...
He couldn't help but be angry with her, even though she was one of his friends. She was going against the very point that she'd come up for in the first place, caught up in her own glory. Dusk wanted nothing more than to tell her what he thought of her, but he just couldn't pluck up the nerve to. So, he'd stayed silent, just glaring at her disapprovingly. If she had noticed, she'd ignored them.
So Dusk waited, tensed and ready for Rainbow's routine. He barely even acknowledged the other contestants, as they soared and showed off their stuff. Rainbow would beat them all, hooves down. But soon, they were nearing the end and Dusk had begun to feel nervous. Where in the world of Equestria was she? The contest was almost over and she hadn't performed.
Just as he was about to go and find her, the announcer called him back, had him tensed once more.
"And now, for our final competitor of the day, contestant number fifteen!" That was Rainbow! It was time to- "Uhh... And apparently contestant number four..." What, Rarity? She was going on with her? She had done her best to look as glamorous as possible but, in Dusk's opinion, she looked ridiculous.
Feeling more angry at her than ever, Dusk tapped into his power to get himself ready. Instead of the rock and roll track Rainbow had prepared, it was replaced with a ballroom waltz. Rarity, Dusk thought bitterly. He'd liked that music... anyway, time for phase one.
Ignoring Rarity's prancing, he set up the colour pillars, eliciting a few gasps from the crowd. She weaved in and out with ease, lighting them up as she did. That's it Rainbow, he thought, you can do this. Just one more...
Then, at the last one, she flew straight through it, as Dusk lit it up. The effect blinded her, making her crash into the side of the arena. Dusk cringed at the sight of it. Okay, one slip up, they could still do this. He twirled the colours around her, moving them up into the air for phase two.
Dusk held the clouds with all of his might, as she spun them in whirls of colour, making the audience marvel at them. This was going well, no slip ups here... but something went wrong in that instant. Somehow, she dislodged his colour cloud from the sky so it went spinning off towards the royal box. Celestia and her guards ducked as it approached, shutting their eyes as it exploded in a light flare.
Feeling rather alarmed that he'd almost blinded royalty, Dusk halted his spell. It was all up to Rainbow now. She had to turn this around now, because of she didn't... no, she would, he could feel it. Deciding that there wasn't much point in staying here, he hurried to the box the girls were in, so he could cheer on Rainbow with them. She needed the support, now more than ever.
"Dusk, that was beautiful," Twilight congratulated, as he sat next to her. "You really helped to make a difference in that performance, good work."
"Rainbow did the flying, I was just on the lights..."
"Yeah, but ya still did a mighty fine job on them 'light's-a yers," pointed out Applejack.
"Did you see that?" Pinkie squeed. "Rainbow was all like 'veeeeeow' and Dusk was all like 'bing'! It was absoluter-colour-ristic-super-flappy-docious!"
"I was merely the marble, Rainbow was the sculptor," he said modestly, chuckling at Pinkie's comment. "Now, phase three. Come on Rainbow, you can do it!"
He kept his eyes on her, as she climbed higher and higher into the sky. Rarity was climbing too, though Rainbow was faster. Soon, the former of the two reached the sun and stopped. Dusk knew what was coming... wait, what had Twilight said about the wings? They were made from gossamer and morning dew. That meant...
"Oh no," he said, louder than he intended.
"'Oh no' what?" Applejack asked, looking worried. "Somethin' wrong?"
"Very wrong..." Despite all she had done, she was still his friend. Could she hear him from here? "Rarity! Get away from the sun! Get away!"
"Look upon me Equestria, for I Am Rarity!" she cried, spreading her wings against the sun's rays, beaming coloured light down on them all. She hadn't heard him, she couldn't there was nothing he could do...
"Dusk what is it?" Twilight was looking worried too.
Though he wasn't much of scientist, Dusk knew exactly what this meant. "Twi, Rarity's wings are made from water-based components. So, what happens to water when it's hot enough?"
Twilight's eyes widened in shock, just as they heard a high pitched scream of terror. They all looked up to see Rarity, flailing her legs wildly as she fell from the sky, her wings completely gone.
"Oh no! You were right, her wings evaporated into thin air!"
They could only watch as she fell even faster. The Wonderbolts immediately leaped into action, swooping down to save her. Dusk couldn't really make out what was happening, but her hooves must have been flailing too much for them. She'd knocked them out, and now, they were falling too. They only had one, last hope before they hit the ground and became pony jam.
"Hold on Rarity, I'm coming!" In the blink of an eye, she was off after them.
Dusk watched with baited breath, as she flew faster and faster to catch up. The mach cone formed around her again, then it narrowed...wait, was that lightning forming around it? Dusk hardly dared to believe it. He gasped in time with the girls at the sight of it. They knew too... but could she actually do it? She needed to close the distance, this might be the only way... He saw hints of colour form around her, the lightning getting brighter. How much longer before-
BOOM!
An explosion of colour erupted below them, sending a shockwave for miles and making a far more spectacular show than Rarity did. Dusk's mouth hung open at the sight of it. An actual sonic rainboom! He had seen one! Yet... why did it look familiar, for some reason?
"A sonic rainboom! She did it! She did it! WOOO!" Fluttershy screeched unexpectedly.
They continued to gaze in awe, as she caught all four of the falling ponies just before they hit the ground, soared back up with a rainbow trailing behind her and made it so it crossed the whole of the stadium above. As she arrived back, and Pegasi relieved her of her load, all of the spectators went wild, cheering and whooping at the spectacular show that they had seen, confetti and streamers descending from above.
He and the girls also began to cheer loudly for their friend, jumping up and down and grinning like fools. Dusk, so caught up in the excitment of it all, swept Twilight up in a hug, which she, to his surprise, returned happily. After a few minutes, they suddenly remembered themselves and let go of each other, flushing heavily and looking at anything but the the hug recipient.
Once the crowds had cleared, they went down to meet her in the arena. Pinkie brought the balloon around, so that Rarity could climb inside. As she'd never had the cloud walking spell cast on her and the Pegasi holding her were getting worn out, this gave them a chance to rest and her a chance to put her hooves on solid ground. She was certainly a lot more humbled now than before, Dusk's anger for her faded along with her wings
"I want to apologize to all of you for getting so carried away with my... beautiful wings." She looked as if she would cry, but she got a hold of herself. "I guess I just lost my head..."
They assured her that it was all fine and that she was forgiven, even Dusk. She fixed her gaze on him, her expression softening further. She smiled thankfully at him, then turned to Rainbow.
"And I'm especially sorry that I was so thoughtless as to jump into the contest at the last minute after you two had worked so hard to win it. Can you ever ever forgive me?"
"Aw, it's ok," she said nonchalantly. "Everything turned out alright, right? I just wish I could have met the Wonderbolts when they were awake."
"Hold that thought Rainbow..." Dusk could barely keep a grin off his face, as he pointed behind her, to where her heroes stood waiting to meet her. She could barely contain herself at the sight of them
"So you're the little pony who saved our lives," said Spitfire, the fearless captain of the team. "We really wanted to meet you, and say thanks."
Rainbow gave out another rapid round of 'oh my goshes' at this, making Dusk grin even more at how happy she no doubt felt right now. The Wonderbolts, however, weren't the only important ponies that came to see them.
"Princess." Dusk sunk in a low bow, as the Princess and her royal guard arrived.
"Hello Twilight Sparkle, and hello to your friends too," she greeted warmly
"Princess Celestia, I am sorry I ruined the competition." She gave Rainbow a smile as she spoke. "Rainbow Dash here really is the best flyer in Equestria."
"I know she is my dear," agreed the Princess. "That's why for her incredible act of bravery, and her spectacular sonic rainboom, I'm presenting the grand prize for best young flyer to this year's winner, Miss Rainbow Dash!"
Rainbow's face lit up at this, the Princess proudly placing the golden winged crown atop her head. She knew that Dusk wouldn't want public acknowledgment of his contribution, but that heart-warming smile on her face that she sent his way was all he needed. He modestly tipped his hat to her, as she was paraded off by the rest of their friends, letting off more 'oh my goshes'. It had been worth it... just for that.
He stayed with Twilight, Rarity and the Princess, standing back to let Rainbow enjoy her victory... as well as to hear today's lesson on friendship. The Princess, however, sent him a conspiratorial smile. She knew who had done all of those shapes, but she said nothing. Feeling just as elated as Rainbow, Dusk smiled back at her, as he sat back to listen to Twilight (and Rarity's) report on friendship, taking it all in.
As he watched Rainbow Dash, being escorted away by two members of the Wonderbolts, Dusk found it hard to argue with her: this truly was the best day ever. Well, perhaps one thing could be said: the best day ever so far. They would no doubt celebrate back at ground level. For now though, his daredevil friend had a celebration of her own to attend. |
Brand New Dusk | Flora and Zecora | It was another glorious day in Ponyville. The sun was high in the sky, the birds were chirping in the trees and Dusk was spending it sitting under a tree in a meadow, munching on a dandelion sandwich. He was currently on lunch break, so he'd decided to spend it in the fresh air and sunshine. Twilight didn't mind, as long as he was back at the library at the end of it, which he always was.
As he consumed his lunch, Dusk thought fondly back to the events that had happened a few days ago. Rainbow had won the grand prize, spending the whole day with the Wonderbolts, her dream come true. They'd taught her how to do some of their best moves and she had shown off some of hers to them. They'd even all signed the book that Dusk had got her for Hearth's Warming. She'd been so ecstatic about it, so gobsmacked... and she'd thoroughly earned it. The only thing she hadn't told them was how she'd managed to make the coloured pillars and clouds.
As she had promised, once again never failing to betray his trust, Rainbow had kept that little bit of magic a closely guarded secret, mainly because Dusk didn't want so many ponies beyond his close friends knowing about it yet, and because Dusk didn't want to divert the Wonderbolts from her. This was her victory, her heroes, not his. She had, however, got autographs from all of them for Dusk, which now took pride among his personal possessions. He himself didn't think much of the Wonderbolts, but he knew it would mean a lot to his friend.
Before he could reminisce further on this, however, something caught his eye and brought him out of his thoughts. Not too far away from where he was eating came a figure, dressed in a long, hooded robe. He, or she, appeared to be digging in a particular spot for something. His curiosity getting the better of him, Dusk packed away the remainder of his food and approached the figure.
While he was perfectly happy with the girls as his friends, he thought about trying his hoof at talking to other ponies too. This particular one, out here on his, or her, own, engaged in this strange activity, seemed like a good place to start. Still... why was he, or she, wearing a robe in this warm sun?
The figure did not look up as he approached, nor gave any indication that he, or she, had heard anything. He, or she, just kept digging. He could, at least, put the question of the figure's gender to rest.
"Um... good afternoon sir, or miss. Beautiful day, isn't it?"
The figure paused in her digging, slowly lifting their hooded head. She, for he could soon see it was a she, lowered her hood, revealing a face with grey fur, criss-crossed with black stripes. A zebra, Dusk noted with interest. Her eyes were bright blue, shining exotically. A gold earring glinted on her ear, as did multiple gold necklaces around her neck. A smile graced her lips as she looked at him.
"It is a beautiful day, indeed. On that, we are both agreed," she said in a deep accented voice.
"Oh um... I guess that's miss then," he muttered with embarrassment. "Sorry about the er... the mix up..."
"Do not worry yourself, sir so good, I know it is hard to tell with this hood," she assured him. "But I am getting off track, I must return to my task." She resumed digging, making Dusk all the more curious.
"What are you um... digging for, if you don't mind my asking?"
"This, I shall tell to you, I am searching for a root, for a special brew. It grows in the earth so deep, where moles and badgers do hide and sleep."
Dusk didn't even know where to start with that. He wasn't exactly well educated in flora, only enough to know the basics. But even though he might not know what she was talking about, he still felt like he should help her search.
That got Dusk thinking. There were, of course, many roots that grew underground, as that was where they were in relation to the plant. She needed it as an ingredient for a potion or remedy, he was guessing and there was one particular root that he knew would be likely to be so desired after, due to its properties.
"I could help you dig it out, if I may..." She nodded and Dusk stepped forward to the patch she was searching in. "Just tell me when we find something."
Performing a digging spell, he began to move away the earth little by little, carefully searching for he was going to make friends with this zebra, this seemed like a good way to go about it. He saw something, a flash of pink.
"There is the root I have sought! My search has not been for naught. If you please," she prompted.
That got Dusk thinking. There were, of course, many roots that grew underground, as that was where they were in relation to the plant. She needed it as an ingredient for a potion or remedy, he was guessing and there was one particular root that he knew would be likely to be so desired after, due to its properties.
"Are you, by chance, searching for the Flower Root?" The zebra paused and looked up again. "I thought you might be, because it does grow deep in the earth. A unique plant, in that it takes the energy that plants make from photosynthesis to feed itself and, most curiously, the flowers grow from the root under the earth, even though there's no sun. They're hard to find, but they can be used in a wide variety of medicines and antidotes for sicknesses and poisons."
"Your knowledge is exact, you are most correct. It is indeed the root I seek, of which you speak," she noted admirably.
"I could help you dig it out, if I may..." She nodded and Dusk stepped forward to the patch she was searching in.
He grabbed hold of it with his magic and pulled out the gnarled root, with pink and purple flowers growing in places.
"There we go, miss." He levitated it to her and she put it in her bag. "I imagine it would have taken you a while to hoof-dig all the way to it, so that's saved you a bit of time."
He grabbed hold of it with his magic and pulled out the gnarled root, with pink and purple flowers growing in places.
"There we go, one Flower Root." He levitated it to her and she put it in her bag. "It would have taken you a while to hoof-dig all the way to it, so that's saved you a bit of time."
"It had, indeed, saved me some time. I thank you sir, for you are most kind." She looked at him curiously."Forgive my asking, but never have I seen you. Are you, by chance, new?"
"Relatively, I suppose." At least she seemed friendly, now he'd gotten her root for her. "I've been here since autumn, I moved from Canterlot so I could find work."
"Ah, Canterlot, a place I have not seen, but I someday hope to see. You are far from home, much like myself. Do you live here in good health?"
"I do yes," he said. "I have a nice home, good friends, a job I enjoy... I couldn't ask for more. Anyway, I have yet to introduce myself. I'm Dusk Noir, pleasure to meet you miss...?"
"Zecora, that is my name. In meeting you, I feel the same." She shook his hoof. "You are polite and friendly, it must be said and have a pleasant hat upon your head."
"Um... thanks, Zecora," he said, shifting it a little. "Sorry if I'm a little... well, tentative. I've never met a zebra before. You're even further away from home than me... that must be tough."
"Yes, there are times I miss my native land, more than you can understand..." She seemed to come over rather sad, before brightening again. "But, if I must last, I cannot dwell in the past. Ponyville is now my home, the place that I choose to roam."
"You couldn't have picked a better place," agreed Dusk. "This place is no Kubwa Tambarare, but it has good ponies living here, so... that's something." He looked to see Zecora was gazing at him with wide eyes. "W-what? Is there something wrong?"
"Can this really be... you know the name of where my home used to be?" Zecora sounded surprised at this, but pleasantly so. "If that is so... is there much else of my home that you know?"
"I've um... read a few books on it," admitted Dusk. "Described as a land of unique beauty and nature, where the sun blazes in the sky. Dry grass and trees cover the landscape, that is home to many different people. There are your people, the zebra, but there are also gazelles, antelope, giraffe. Fierce predators like lions and tigers, that prey on them... it's as harsh as it is beautiful, but it doesn't make it any less spectacular...or, so I've read..."
"You are quite right." She had tears welling in her eyes now, no doubt in memory of that place. "That is why I left, to be of danger bereft. To find a land of peace, where I may soundly sleep. I do miss those I have left behind, but I hope to see them again, in time."
"I'm sure you will," said Dusk confidently. "I haven't... upset you, have I?"
"I am neither depressed, nor sad. In fact, I am quite glad, to have met you, to have a knowledge of my home that is so true." She had a warm smile now, wiping away unformed tears. "You are clearly one who likes to look, and to learn things, from a book."
"I do yes." Pleased that he could recall so much of the time he did read those books, he continued. "I read, in detail, a book on your people. You usually live in small villages, constructed from wood or mud if near the river. I remember a few bits and pieces of the language, some greetings and farewells, and some parts of your culture, like carvings and songs."
"I almost shed a tear, I am so glad to hear," she said happily. "You say you know of songs, that my people sing. That is quite a wonderful thing."
"I suppose... I recall a part, or a tune, of one I rather liked. If you'd like... I can, well... I can't gurantee it'll be good..."
"Your judgement, I shall trust. Recite as best you can, my friend Dusk," she invited, sounding genuine.
Dusk delved into his memory, remembering the tune of the song that he had read. Some of the lyrics were a little blurry but... maybe Zecora knew it. If it would make her remember fondly of her home, then he was glad to. He hummed the opening notes of the song, remembering how much it reminded him of their own values of unity and harmony... friendship.
As you go through life you'll see
There is so much that we
Don't understand
And the only thing we know
Is things don't always go
The way we planned
The next part was lost to him, but then Zecora took up the part, singing part of it in her own language, but Dusk knew what it translated out to.
[But you'll see every day]
[That we'll never turn away]
When it seems all your dreams come undone
[We will stand by your side]
[Filled with hope and filled with pride]
We are more than we are
We are one
Now that his memory of the song returned to him, Dusk took up the next verse, now singing it together with Zecora, who was quite overjoyed to hear it.
If there's so much I must be
Can I still just be me
The way I am?
Can I trust in my own heart
Or am I just one part
Of some big plan?
[Even those who are gone]
[Are with us as we go on]
Your journey has only begun
[Tears of pain, tears of joy]
[One thing nothing can destroy]
Is our pride, deep inside
We are one
[We are one, you and I]
[We are like the earth and sky]
One family under the sun
[All the wisdom to lead]
[All the courage that you need]
You will find when you see
We are one
As the song finished, Dusk too found himself smiling, as if he had just been enriched with the pleasures of another culture in just a few minutes. He looked at Zecora, who was wiping tears from her eyes.
"It had been so long, since I have heard that song," she said happily. "I thank you very much, you see, for reciting it so well to me."
"It was my pleasure, Zecora." He inclined his head to her, suddenly aware of the time. "Right, I'd better be getting back to work. It has been wonderful meeting you."
"It is true, I can say the same for you," she replied sincerely. "My home, from here it is not far. I hope to see you soon, Dusk Noir."
"As do I." He tipped his hat to her, remembering a farewell in her own language. "Kwaheri, Miss Zecora. Kukuona karibuni."
"Kukuona karibuni, Dusk," she responded in kind, as Dusk set off at quick pace back to the library.
As he trotted back through the streets of Ponyville, he felt rather proud of himself. He'd managed to make a new friend, something he once thought to be quite impossible, and connected with her on a cultural level, her culture. Somehow, that just made it even better.
When he got back, he was a little later than he normally was. Hoping Twilight wouldn't mind, he stepped inside, moving to resume the task he had been doing before lunch. The unicorn in question smiled at his arrival.
"Hello Dusk, you're back a bit later than usual," she noted.
"Hujambo... I mean, hello Twi," he replied, realising he was still speaking in Zecora's language. "Sorry, I got a little held up."
"It's okay, I don't mind." She raised an eyebrow at him. "What language was that?"
"It's one they speak in the land of Kubwa Tambarare," he told her. "I've just been speaking to an native from the land, a zebra named Zecora."
"Oh, you've met Zecora?" Twilight's smile became brighter. "What did you think of her?"
"She's... very unique. In a good way," he added. "I was glad to meet her..."
"You should've been here when she first arrived," put in Spike. "Everypony thought she was an evil enchantress."
"No, really?"
"Yep. Twilight and the others got in some Poison Joke and they thought she'd cursed them." At the memory of this, Spike burst out laughing "Hey... hey,I never got to say... 'Twilight Flopple!'"
Dusk didn't know what that meant, but he figured that it was some effect of the plant. A wobbly horn was a common joke it played on unicorns that wandered into it. Twilight flushed at the mention of this, glaring at Spike, who was rolling around on the floor.
"Well, when we came into town, you thought everypony was hiding from zombies," she retorted. That shut him up.
"All undead aside," Dusk said, breaking the silence, "she was very pleasant. She invited me to visit her home sometime and I intend to take her up on it."
"Really?" Twilight looked relieved at the change of subject. "Well, now you mention it, I was thinking of going to visit her tomorrow. She makes this wonderful herbal tea, it's a favourite of mine. Do you want to come along?"
"Certainly," he agreed, pleased that he would get to spend some time away from work with her. "Where is her home, by the way?"
"She lives in the Everfree Forest. Now, don't worry," she said, as Dusk developed a stunned expression, "we'll be fine as long as we're careful."
"Okay..." Dusk felt reassured from that. "Yeah, you're right. As long as we don't do anything foolish, what's the worst that could happen?" |
Brand New Dusk | Matters of the Heart | "Well, that was certainly an... interesting day," Dusk remarked, as he went to get his saddlebag from the peg.
"I suppose you could say that, if you call being turned to stone for hours interesting," Twilight giggled.
"At least we know how it feels to be a statue," Dusk pointed out lightly. "Even better, no pigeons happened to be passing by."
"Dusk! That's disgusting!"
"What? It's the truth and you know it." They both fell about laughing at that.
It was the late evening now and they had both come back from Fluttershy's after having some tea and cake, where Dusk had taken down the letter for the lesson about friendship for the day, learned by both Fluttershy and Rarity: don't bite off more than you can chew. In Fluttershy's case, it had been assuming that she could be just as good with kids as with animals. In Rarity's, it was filling out a massive order for capes to Trottingham. A valuable lesson for them all.
However, he and Twilight had learned quite a different lesson: never ever underestimate the dangers of the Everfree Forest. The day had started pleasantly enough. They'd both went along to Zecora's, who greeted them warmly into her home. Dusk had noted, with interest, the decor she had from her home, various masks of different meanings and her exceptional skills as a herbalist.
Drinking her herbal tea, Dusk had told her how he'd come to be friends with the girls, a tale which she was quite intrigued by and even demonstrated his unique power, which she took an even greater interest in, though she knew about as much about why he could do it as the rest of them did: nothing. Even so, Dusk had enjoyed the day there, more because he was with Twilight than anything else. At one point, Zecora remarked how they made 'quite a couple', at which, flushing furiously, they insisted they were just friends. The zebra had apologised for her mistake, but there was still a hint of a smile as she did.
When evening began to settle, they'd thanked her for her hospitality and started off home. They headed back together, just talking about whatever they felt like, enjoying each other's company. A few times, they'd drifted close to each other without even realising it. It was only after their sides brushed together that they noticed and gave each other space. Yet... Dusk didn't really mind how close she got but... he couldn't figure out why.
Before he could, danger had chosen to rear its ugly head, in the form of a cockatrice that caught them unawares. Without really thinking, Dusk had pushed Twilight aside when he saw it coming and had been turned to stone. Despite his efforts though, the chicken-snake had got her too and they'd been frozen in stone for quite a while. Fortunately, Fluttershy happened upon them and, using a power known only as 'The Stare', forced the cockatrice to release them from stone. She'd had to tell them all of this back at her house, as they couldn't really remember much of anything. They'd just blacked out after being frozen.
"It was scary though, seeing you being turned to stone, I mean," she added. "If Fluttershy hadn't been looking for the Crusaders... we might never have been found."
"Let's not dwell on what has been, but remain in the now and look towards the future," Dusk remarked.
"You are just full of those pearls of wisdom, aren't you?" she noted with a smile. "It seems like you always know just what to say, to make me feel better."
"I wouldn't be much of a good friend if I didn't, now would I?" He returned her smile. "We just need to learn our lesson in future: keep a better eye out for cockatrices." They let out a fresh bout of laughter at that.
"Speaking of lessons, I think it was a valuable one that Fluttershy and Rarity learned today."
"I couldn't agree more. It seems like everyday, there's a new lesson to be learned about friendship's magic."
"Indeed yes." All of a sudden, she gave a little laugh. "Hey, I've just realised something."
"What?"
"You and I are both learning about the magic of friendship," she pointed out. "You and I have never had friends before, so we're both benefitting from the lessons when we discover them. I can't believe I never noticed that before!"
"Hey... yes, you're right!" His grin grew wider at the revelation of this knowledge. "Except... you have a head start on the lessons, so that's hardly fair."
"Oh yeah..." She gave a nervous chuckle. "Well... at least you're here now. Who knows, maybe you can catch up sometime on what you've missed."
"Maybe..." He shrugged and tipped his hat to her. "Anyway, it's getting late. Goodnight, Twilight. See you tomorrow."
"Oh. Right, yes..." Was it just him, or did she sound disappointed that he had to leave? "Goodnight Dusk, sleep well. Oh wait, just one more thing." He halted and looked back. "You know those stones you have at your home?"
Dusk cast his mind back to the last time she'd asked him that, all the way back in winter...
"Dusk, can I ask you something?" Twilight inquired, as he sipped on his punch and nodded. "What's with these... rocks here?"
He looked at where she pointed. She was referring to a set of pebbles, five of them no bigger than a cherry, rested on his windowsill. They were jet black except for a tiny patch of colour on them, varying in size and jaggedness for each of them. He could understand her curiosity.
"They're nothing really, I found them on little wanderings that I do," he explained to her. "I just happened to see them and I felt kind of... compelled to keep them."
"How come?" she asked, picking up one and examining it.
"I don't really know... they just seemed interesting," he told her. "I know, it sounds silly..."
"Not really, to each their own, after all," she said brightly, putting it back. "Do you just display them here?"
"Pretty much, yes. Sorry, I know it's not incredibly intriguing..."
"I suppose not. But... maybe we can find a use for them, perhaps?"
"Use?" He raised an eyebrow. "Use how? Fire them from a catapult?"
"No, nothing like that," she giggled. "I'll think about it and get back to you on it. Come on, let's get back to the party..."
"I do yes. I actually found another one, recently." He dared to ask: "Why, have you found a 'use' for them?"
"I think I have yes," she replied happily. "Bring them here tomorrow, and I'll show you." She then looked shyly away. "Anyway... I'll let you get home. Sleep well..."
"You too." He gave her one last smile, before stepping out into the night and making his way home.
His mind was now analyzing the last few seconds, so he slowed his pace to reduce chances of bumping into something... or somepony. Had Twilight really been disappointed that he had to go home for the evening, or was it just him thinking that? Was she always like that when he had to go home, and he just hadn't noticed until today, or was it something that had only just started today?
Twilight enjoyed his company, and he enjoyed hers, that much he could be sure about. They had lots in common, after all: they'd both lived in Canterlot, attended Celestia's school, were both intelligent and well read, reasonably skilled in magic (In his case anyway), shared the same company of friends, had never had friends before, read Daring Do, it was an extensive list of common interests that they shared. How could he have ever doubted that they wouldn't be the best of friends?
And yet... Dusk had been realising that, ever since that little mentioning that Fluttershy had made on their walk, he enjoyed Twilight's company far more than what might be expected from a friend. When he was around her, he felt something that he didn't when he was with any of the others. Twilight had made it clear to her views on... this particular matter but... could he really be falling for her?
As he crossed a bridge, a heavy rumble bought him out of his meanderings. He looked up to see black clouds blotting out the stars, forked lightning shooting across the sky. The rain fell hard and fast, forcing him to run and take cover under a nearby tree. Just his luck... he wasn't even close to home and he would be soaked before he got there.
"Dusk! Dusk, is that you?" He turned to see that the Carousel Boutique, not too far away. Rarity was at the door, frantically signalling to hurry over. "Quick, in here! Hurry!"
Realising he didn't have many other options, he hurried back into the rain and dived through the open door, feeling the warmth of the Boutique from the cold of the rain that had lashed against him. He heard the door slam shut, and hooves help him back onto his own.
"Oh my Dusk, you poor dear! You're absolutely soaking!" He felt a warm aura surround him, as Rarity cast a spell to dry him off. "Whatever were you doing, out in that horrible storm?"
"I was just caught out in it... my own fault, really I forgot they'd planned one for tonight." He paused to wring out his hat, flicked it and placed it smartly back on his head. "Thanks for the save, you didn't have to..."
"Don't be silly, I couldn't just leave any friend of mine in a storm like that and not do something about it." She checked him over. "Are you quite dry? Hat all wrung out?"
"Yes, I'm fine. Thanks again..." He gave her a grateful smile. "I suppose I was just lucky that I happened to be passing the home of Ponyville's most generous pony."
"Oh you..." She tittered a little. "Well, it's really no trouble. This storm is only going to last for an hour. You can stay in here, nice and dry, until it passes, then head off home."
"Are... are you sure?"
"Of course, of course, it's really no trouble. I shall be glad of a little company." She set off for the kitchen. "Now, come along. We can have a nice cup of tea and a chat, just like we did when you first visited."
"I'm touched you remembered," remarked Dusk, waiting by the same seat as he did last time, while Rarity boiled the water.
He had only really just started being friends with the girls, so they could still surprise him with these unexpected acts of kindness. It was hard to believe that, a while ago, he had no friends and didn't think he ever would. Hard to believe...
Holding out her cushion for her and sitting himself down, Dusk was the first to initiate conversation: "So, you managed to get all of those capes finished for the buyers in Trottingham?"
"Oh yes, you cannot imagine what a relief that was." She poured them some tea, stirred it and continued: "Yes, it took so long to finish, what with the time it took to make more gold silk, then to weave it into the fabric... well, let's just say I'm glad to be done with the whole business."
"I can see that," he noted with a smile. "Just don't take on that much work again, and you'll be fine."
"I couldn't agree more," she nodded. "I haven't felt so stressed than when I was designing my friend's dresses for the Gala. What a ghastly fiasco that was!"
"It couldn't have been that bad, you're a master of the needle and thread."
"That's nice of you to say so, but imagine this." She spread her hooves out before her. "Not only do you have to design six, orginal, stunning gowns for six different ponies, but you also have to alter them with every single tiny little addition that they bring forward because they're not happy with them until, eventually, the finished results are... well, quite frankly, ridiculous. I mean, Pinkie wanted streamers on her dress. Streamers!"
"Wow..." Dusk sipped his tea thoughtfully. "That would be tough, even for you. Still, it all turned out fine, right?"
"Oh yes, indeed... thankfully," she added, then smiling at Dusk. "I'm just glad that your suit turned out well, Dusk. I'd quite forgotten how much simple it is, designing clothes for the gent. I did my best to try and make it... you. You did like it?"
"Rarity, you did a wonderful job and I'm very grateful to you, as I've said," he assured her. "I think it matches me perfectly."
"That's what I thought, but it is kind of you to say so," she said, fluttering her lashes at him. "Yes, I wanted yours to be simple and modest, but also make it so you stand out a little in the crowd, to make it sparkle like your wonderful puppets. And it had to match your hat, darling, I simply cannot picture you these days without it. So, I gave you 'gangster' style look, simple and smart, but also dashing and refined, adding shine to the pinstripes and tie."
"I thought I recognised the style," noted Dusk. "I thought it really suited me just fine. Thanks again. What about the others? I haven't seen their outfits yet. Would you like to tell me about them?"
"Of course! Well, there's Applejack's, I 'spruced up' her old work duds, quite simple really..."
He let her carry on in her monologue about the design and thought process she went through for each of the girls gowns. He marvelled at how easy it was to talk to her, and the others, now, compared to months ago, when he would be pausing and stuttering all of the time. Just one of the changes they'd bought about in him that he was thankful for.
After a while, Dusk found himself drifting back into his mind, as he began to wonder about something... he had not yet seen Twilight in her Gala dress... how did it look on her? Did it fit her and increase her beauty? What did she think of his own suit? How did she-
"Dusk? Hello? Equestria to Dusk?" He blinked as he snapped out of his thoughts, Rarity looking at him curiously.
"Oh! Um... sorry, Rarity... I was um... lost in thought, I guess..." He felt rather guilty that he'd stopped listening to her.
"You are quite a deep thinker, aren't you?" she said, with interest. "Care to share your thoughts with the common folk?"
"It's um... nothing important..." He thought quickly, to change the subject. "You um... mentioned that er... you wanted to meet somepony at the Gala?"
"Oh, Dusk! Not just somepony... him..." Her eyes glazed over, as she gave a deep sigh.
"Um... 'him'?" Dusk didn't quite follow. She obviously meant somepony she had affection for, that was obvious.
"Yes... the most handsome, eligible unicorn stallion in Equestria... the nephew of Princess Celestia, Prince Blueblood..." Rarity looked as though she would faint from the very mention of his name.
"Blueblood?" Dusk said without realising. "I know him, well saw him in passing..."
"You've seen him?" She looked at Dusk as if he had just flown in through her window, to tell her that she was actually lost Canterlot royalty. "Tell me, what's he like? Is he every bit as dashing as they say he is?"
'Dashing' was hardly the first word he'd use to describe the Prince. He was certainly good-looking, he'd say that much, but it seemed that he had to sacrifice any manners for those looks. He remembered when he saw him...
He'd been carrying a large pile of books for studying, back in Canterlot. He'd just reached the door, when it suddenly burst open and hit him, causing him to drop them all on the floor. Dusk had just started to pick them all up, when the Prince strutted through like he owned the place. He'd glanced down at Dusk, but didn't even stop to ask if he was okay or to help him, even apologise. He'd just walked straight on, leaving Dusk in a heap of books, fuming slightly.
But... maybe he would be different with Rarity, if they met. He decided not to enlighten her with that incident, instead saying.
"I can't really say, it was just in passing. Let's say that he's everything that you may hope him to be..."
"Wonderful... soon enough, my love," she murmured, sighing again. Then, she shook her head and smiled. "But enough about my romantic fantasies. What about you, darling?"
"What about me... what?"
"Dusk, how can you even say that? A young, handsome and remarkable unicorn such as yourself, there must be somepony that you harbour affections for? Or, perhaps, one who already has her on you?"
Blushing heavily from those compliments, Dusk's brain went into overload. She knew, she had to! He would have to tell her now, there was no other way out of this. Should he tell her? Was he even sure about how he felt? Perhaps distract her from it...
No... just tell her. Who knows, perhaps she could offer an opinion... or just laugh and tell him this would be a waste of time.
"Well... I suppose that er... there is... somepony." He whipped his head up. "If I do say, you have to promise not to tell anypony, okay? Keep it between us... for now?"
"Of course, you have my word. Now, go on..."
"Okay... now I'm not too sure myself yet... anyway..." He took a deep breath and calmed his nerves. "I think that I... have feelings for... Twilight Sparkle." He hurried this last bit, diverting his gaze elsewhere.
There. He'd said it. He'd admitted it to somepony. When he dared to look back, he saw that Rarity was still smiling, more warmly now though.
"I thought so," she said knowingly.
"W-w-what?"
"What you just said," she clarified. "You and Twilight do have a lot in common, spend a lot of time together. I thought that, if anypony would have your affection, it would be her." She smiled even more warmly.
"B-b-but... I'm not sure if I do... feel that way, about her..." he went on pathetically. "I mean... I don't know..."
"Well, let's see then," said Rarity. "Do you often find your thoughts drift to her?"
"Um... quite a bit, I guess..."
"Do you often pass glances at her, one might say, even stare?"
"Um... perhaps..."
"Do you enjoy her company, to the point that it's almost difficult to think of leaving her side?"
"...Yes..."
"Then, there is no doubt about it," she said confidently, still smiling. "Personally, I think that the two of you would make a very cute couple."
"That's um... nice of you to say so. But," he added sadly, "she thinks romance is a waste of time... chasing after somepony who may not even return your feelings... I don't think I have much of a chance..."
"I don't think so dear. From what Twilight told us, she thought much the same of friendship once upon a time. Now look at her. I'm sure that, in time, she would start to look at romance in much the same light. It may take some time, but she will."
"But... how will I know if she even feels the same way?"
"Most times, you can't. But that's the thrill of love, not quite knowing but that elation you feel when you realise they do feel the same..." She sighed again. "There's nothing else like it..."
Dusk nodded at this. "So... you think I might... have a chance with her?"
"I don't think you will, I know you will," she said confidently. "We'll keep this between us, as I promised, but if there is anyway I can help at all, don't hesitate to ask."
"Okay... thank you, Rarity." There was one thing he felt he should ask. "Is there anything do you think I should do, you know... to show Twilight how I feel?"
"Dusk, quite frankly, you've been doing all of the right things so far," she informed him. "You two are already close friends, you share much of the same interests. You seem to go out of your way for her, can make conversation easily... oh, and the flowers, that was a wonderful gesture. I'm sure she was grateful for those."
"She was, yes... so, should I just... keep doing what I'm doing?"
"Yes, do. One thing that scares a girl off is moving too quickly. Take it nice and slowly, pay her the occasional compliment on her appearance or her work. You do that, I'm sure you'll succeed. After all, you have me helping you."
"Right... I'll bear that in mind." He shyly returned Rarity's smile. At least she was being supportive of his feelings. Now he admitted it, he felt quite sure that his feelings for Twilight went beyond friendship.
"Oh, look! The storm's passed." Dusk looked to see that the rain had indeed stopped. "I suppose all of our talk of romance chased the clouds away."
"Perhaps it did..." He finished his tea, then stood up to go. "Well, I'd better get home. I've kept you long enough. Thanks again Rarity... for everything."
"It was no trouble at all," she assured, showing him to the door. "Just remember, anything I can do, just say the word."
"Right..." Despite the heat that flooded to his face, he returned her smile. "Goodnight, Rarity."
And he left the Carousel Boutique, setting off home once more, in considerably happier spirits, and of lighter mind, than he ever had been. It seemed daunting, almost terrifying, what he now hoped to achieve. But then again, so had making friends. He would be patient and wait... for now. |
Brand New Dusk | The Show Stoppers | "Thank you Twilight, for letting me place this poster for the talent show in the library," Cheerilee expressed to the unicorn, as they approached the door.
"It's no trouble at all, Miss Cheerilee," she assured her. "I intend to come and see it on the night, so it'll be a reminder for me."
"Wonderful, I'll be happy to see you there. The children are, of course, very excited about it, it's a real opportunity for them to showcase their talents." She looked at Twilight. "I don't suppose you would be able to give any help in setting it all up?"
"I'm sorry, I don't think I'll have the time. But," she added quickly, "I'm sure my second assistant Dusk will be more than happy to help. We can ask him, if you like."
"That would be wonderful, I'd be most grateful if he could." They opened the door to the library and stepped inside, immediately confronted by Spike.
"I had nothing to do with this," he said straight away. Twilight soon saw what he was talking about.
"What is going on here?"
She looked over the scene, feeling quite scandalised to see so many books in such disarray in a large pile in the centre of the room. Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo and Applebloom were at the centre of the chaos, scanning through any book, parchment or scroll they could find. Close by, she saw Dusk, who was desperately trying to bring some order, sorting out any books that they tossed aside into neater stacks.
"Well, we sure ain't gettin' our cutie marks as librarians," remarked Applebloom.
"I should think not," said Spike sternly, earning a frown from Twilight. "What?"
"I'm sorry, Twi," said Dusk abashedly, looking up. "They were looking for a way to earn their marks... I didn't think it would do any harm in letting them try."
"It's alright, Dusk," she assured him, smiling gently at how forthcoming he was. "We can sort all of this out later. Girls," she said to the fillies, "I think you're going about this the wrong way. Instead of trying to do things in areas you're not familiar with, why not try doing things in areas that you already like?"
"And I have the perfect place to start." Cheerilee rolled out the colourful poster on the floor for them to see.
"'Showcase your talents...
'...for all to see...'
'Perform in the Ponyville school talent show,"' they each read in turn.
"There'll be all sorts of awards. Best dramatic performance, best comedy act, best magic act... Surely you can find your talent," their teacher said encouragingly.
"This would be the perfect place ta discover our talents," exclaimed Applebloom. "Jugglin'!"
"Acting!" procclaimed Scootaloo.
"Magic tricks!" piped up Sweetie Belle.
"Square dancin'!"
"Tightrope walking!"
"Tiger taming!"
"My little ponies! You're missing the point." Twilight cut off, refraining from laughing at their extreme suggestions.
"She's right." She looked up to see that Dusk had wandered over. She let him offer his own insight, for it was usually good. "From what you've told me, you've been attempting to find your talents in unfamiliar territory. Instead of trying new things, why not focus on what you're already good at, what you enjoy doing? That's how you find your talent."
"Sure! We can do that," agreed Scootaloo.
"Yeah! Sure we can," echoed Sweetie Belle.
"Well," said Applebloom, "whatever we do, we'll do it as..."
"...The Cutie Mark Crusaders!" Together, they raised their hooves to the sky. They then turned to Dusk. "Thanks for letting us try and be librarians. Sorry we messed up the books so much..."
"It's fine girls, nothing that can't be cleared away," he said gently. "You run along now, I think you've got some plans to make."
"We sure do! Come on, let's go!" Scootaloo lead the way, as they ran off to begin making plans for their performance.
"Well, at least they're enthusiastic," remarked Dusk, turning to Cheerilee. "Sounds like it's going to be a good night."
"I certainly hope so. Now, I was wondering Dusk, if you would like to help set it all up? We're about to start preparing the stage, if you'd like."
"I uh... certainly!" His own enthusiasm to help made Twilight smile. "That is... if Twilight doesn't mind?"
"Of course not," she said. "Well, first I want to talk to you about something. Is that okay Ms Cheerilee?"
"Yes, it's fine. just come along when you're ready, Dusk. You know where the school is, so I'll see you there." With a grateful smile, the school teacher left, leaving the three librarians with some tidying to do.
As soon as she did leave, they set to work rearranging all of the scattered books and parchment, though Spike was little reluctant, as it wasn't their mess. After some encouragement from Dusk and frowning from Twilight, he soon set to work too.
As they did, Twilight would occasionally glance at Dusk, who would be levitating several books at once, sorting them with a spring in his step, a smile on his face and humming an upbeat tune. She couldn't help but marvel at how different he was, to when she'd first met him. Instead of working in silence, almost brooding, he was now happy, eager to work and brought a different kind of air to the library whenever he was there. Friendship had really changed him for the better...
This occaisional glancing was something the both seemed to do. There were times, when Twilight's gaze flicked to him, that he would be looking somewhere else, diverting his eyes away from her and looking a little red in his cheeks. It could just be her imagination, but she could swear that he was doing it... but why was he doing it? For that matter, why was she doing it too?
"That's the last one," Dusk said, bringing her out of her thoughts. "Remind me never to let them anywhere near these books again."
"You got that right," Spike agreed, wandering off into the kitchen, leaving her and Dusk alone.
"So... Twi," began Dusk, "what did you want to see me about?"
"Huh?" She'd been a state of deep thinking again. "Oh, yes! Did you bring the stones, like I asked you to?"
"Of course." He levitated them out of his saddlebag to her, letting her examine them once more.
Just like she'd seen them last time: jet black, varying in appearance and a little in size, all with a tiny dash of colour on them. The newest one, she noticed, had the colour of her fur, purple. She still didn't know why they had these, nor why Dusk had collected them. But they were obviously important to him, so she wanted to do this for him.
"Curious, aren't they?" he noted, as she studied them. "I suppose that's why I collected them. So, what do you want these for? They're just knick-knacks really..."
"That's why I want to make them something more." She smiled at his raised eyebrow. "Remember when you got me those flowers?"
"Yes..." He flushed red again at the memory of it.
"Well, it really was a nice thing for you to do. So, I wanted to give you something in return. So... here..."
She levitated them before her, remembering the spell that she needed, engulfing them in a bright light. When it had passed, they were all joined together on a length of black rope, which she allowed to hover to Dusk and gently tie around his neck, as he gazed on, a smile growing on his face.
"Twilight... what's this?" He looked down at the necklace, wonder shining in his eyes.
"Do you like it?" Really hoping that he did, she pointed with her hoof. "It was a simple enough spell, I know it's not much but... you can wear it, for luck."
"I... I..." She could see his eyes watering a little. Then, he gave her a gentle hug. "Thank you Twi... I really like it. This is... a great thing you've done."
"I'm glad you think so." She let him step back, returning his warm smile. "You're very welcome, Dusk."
"You know... the things you girls do for me... you can still surprise me," he said, with a smile.
"We try," she giggled. "You can go help with the Talent Show, if you like." For some reason, she found herself hoping he would say 'no'.
"Right you are." He hurried to the door, giving her one last smile before he left. "Thanks again for this Twi, I'll be sure not to lose it."
"I hope not. See you later..." Once again, she felt a small amount of disappointment as he dashed off. But... why should she?
When Spike returned from the kitchen, munching on a sapphire, she had him fetch the book on magical theory that she'd been meaning to continue pursuing... the one Dusk had got her for Hearth's Warming. She'd already read throught half of it, and it was quite a fascinating read, with some new additions updated from the previous volume in the series. She opened the page she marked out, her eyes travelling over the words:
Starswirl the Bearded, possibly the greatest unicorn magician to have ever lived, always sought to push the boundariesof what could be done with unicorn powers, unlocking spells of huge power and potential. However, he also believed that these spells should never be misused, or the consequences could be disastrous...
Twilight nodded as she read the passage. She certainly found it hard to argue with Starswirl on that regard. She wondered if Dusk knew much about this field of study, he certainly did know quite a lot... what did he think of the ancient unicorn's views? What would he say? Would he want to discuss that with her?
Wait, why did that matter? Sure, they were best friends, worked in the same place and shared a lot of the same interests, but why did she feel the need recently to ask his opinion on things, get his view? She didn't need to ask him about everything... it was just because they were friends... and co-workers.
Shaking her head, she tried to return to the book. But, whenever she tried to immerse herself in it, her thoughts kept drifting to Dusk. No matter how much she tried, she just couldn't stop her thoughts wandering to him somehow... why was that? Maybe... maybe it was because he would normally be here, but he wasn't, so she was trying to just get used to it. Yes, that was it.
Not much happened throughout the rest of the day. The Cutie Mark Crusaders showed up again, to get a book called Ghosts, Goblins and Goulish Figures, leaving both her and Spike expressing their thoughts on what the fillies would need with such a book. And again, she couldn't help but think about what Dusk might have said about it. It felt strange, not having him around as much... well, he would be busy.
Not that it mattered to her, she didn't mind. Why should she?
Over the next days leading up to the talent show, Dusk was, of course, kept with helping out set up the show for Cheerilee, always making sure it was okay with Twilight first, before leaving to get more things organised. He was always considerate like that, she'd noticed. She'd noticed lots of things about him, since he'd moved here and started working... how did he ever think of himself as just some nopony? So clever, so well-read, so handsome...
Wait, handsome? She whipped her head up now, so hard that she hit the shelf above her with it. Rubbing it, she thought furiously why that description had come to mind. Why was she thinking like this? Why couldn't she figure it out? She had to know!
It was the day when, in the evening, the talent show would be taking place that Twilight decided that she needed to talk to somepony, about her constant musings about her stallion friend. She couldn't figure it out herself... she had to ask somepony. She needed to have some honest advice.
Asking Spike to watch the library, she trotted off in the direction of Sweet Apple Acres, arriving in just a few minutes, she was moving so quickly. Calming herself down, she searched for Applejack, who came through a thicket of trees, smiling at the sight of her.
"Well, howdy there Twah'light!"
"Hey Applejack, where've you just come from?"
"The CMC clubhouse. They're busy practicin' fer the talent show ah've jus' seen 'em," she told her with a grimace.
"How are they doing? Are they ready for it?"
"They're ready alright... everypony's gonna be 'speechless', let's jus' say..." She shook her head, before restoring her smile. "Anyway, what brings ya hear taday?"
"Well..." Did she have to ask her so quickly? No, get a hold of yourself, Twilight. "I wanted to ask you about something... well, somepony."
"Sure thing, hun." She beckoned her to a spot under an apple tree, sitting on the grass. "What's on yer mind?"
"Well..." Twilight felt the heat rise to her face. Why was she acting like this? "It's... it's about... Dusk..."
"What about him?" Her expression hardened. "He hasn't started actin' distant again, has he?"
"Oh no, no! Nothing like that," she said quickly. "He's actually helping to set up the talent show tonight."
"Really? That's nice-a him." Applejack smiled, nodding approvingly. "He's sure changed from that nervous lil' colt ah firs' saw in the marketplace, ain't he?"
"Yes... yes, he has." Twilight smiled fondly, happy that one of her friends thought the same as her, in that respect. "Anyway, I wanted to tell you something about him... that's happened with me..."
Twilight then proceeded to tell Applejack, who just sat and listened patiently, everything that she could put into words about how she felt around Dusk, how her thoughts always centred around him and, most importantly, that she just couldn't explain it herself.
All the while, Applejack just listened. However, with every word that Twilight spoke, her smile seemed to grow more knowing, more warm. Like she really did know something Twilight didn't. By the time she finished, she was positively grinning.
"What? What's so funny?" Twilight asked, a little annoyed that she wasn't taking this seriously.
"Nothin', sugarcube. It's jus'... well, it's kinda obvious really," she said, still smiling.
"What's obvious? What?" Why couldn't she just be straight with her.
"Twah'light, ah may not be an expert, but anypony'd tell ya.. well..." She paused for a minute, still wearing that grin. "You like Dusk."
"What? Of course I do, we're best friends!"
"No, not what ah meant... ah mean, ya like like him," she emphasized.
"Huh? What's that meant to-" She stopped when her mind finally revealed the answer. "Oh no... no, no no no, that can't be it."
"Why wouldn't it be? It's the only thing it could be."
"But it can't be!" She now found herself nervously pacing. "I can't feel about somepony... like that. Friendship is one thing, but romance? That's just silly! Absolute nonsense!"
"Why would it be nonsense? What's wrong with romance?"
"It's just silly. I mean, devoting all of your time trying to dote somepony, woo them, when they may not even feel the same way? That just doesn't make any sense, it's foolish!"
"Twah-"
"And why would he even feel anything like that for me? I'm not saying he does, but why would he? I'm not... well, it's just not possible! How would it affect us? Wait, why am I even asking? It's all just not possible!
"Okay, okay, calm down Twah." Applejack had wiped off her grin now, concerned at how distressed she now was. "Ah'm jus' tellin' you what ah think. Ya don't have ta believe me, ah'm sure there's a... different reason. You'll figure it out, if that's the case."
"Yeah... yeah, of course I will," she agreed, calming herself. "Maybe it's something else... I just need more time to think... sorry, I kinda lost it there..."
"Don't dwell on it, Twah." She gave her a well-known honest smile. "If ya like, ah can keep this between us fer now. Ah won' tell a soul."
"Thanks, AJ." She returned the smile as best she could, turning to go. "I'd better get going. I'll see you at the show tonight."
"Sure thing. Have a good one. And Twah?" Twilight turned back. "Jus' wonderin' here... what if ah am right?"
"Applejack-"
"Jus' if, sugarcube, jus' if," she repeated.
Twilight thought for a moment, being sure not to dwell too much on those words. It would be a waste of time, even considering it now.
"Then... you can say 'I told you so'."
"Duly noted. See ya Twah..."
As she made her way back to the library, returning to her studies once more, no matter how hard she tried, Twilight couldn't stop Applejack's words from resounding in her mind, echoing in her thoughts.
What if ah am right?
It was the night of the talent show. Everypony in town had turned out to see the little fillies and colts perform and show off their special talents and skills, to revel and share in the pride that they no doubt shared with them.
Twilight was backstage, crossing over to the three dark-robed figures that were Applebloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle. All the while, she couldn't help but cast her gaze around for Dusk, wondering where he might be back here... it felt like so long since she'd seen him...
No, stop thinking like that Twilight, she told herself. It's all silly... Glad for the distraction, she approached the girls.
"My little ponies! How are you doing?"
"Nervous..." They all admitted
"Don't worry," she said in a determined tone. "You're gonna be amazing. Remember, just stick to what you know best."
"See girls, just like I've been saying." She looked up to see Dusk, descend down a stage rope and landing before them. "Phew, glad that worked... anyway, hav-" He stopped and tripped, realising his leg was still stuck in a loop of rope. Red in the face, he disentangled it and cleared his throat.
"You okay Mr Dusk?" asked Applebloom.
"Fine thank you," he said with as much dignity as possible. Twilight suppressed a giggle at how flustered he looked and he tried again. "Anyway, haven't I told you everypony else would say the same? Focus on your strengths and you'll do fine."
Twilight wasn't entirely surprised at how supportive he was being to them, he was always good with words of encouragement. But still... it was nice to see him being there for the girls, as he apparently had been. It was why she had tried her best not to laugh at his slip-up.
Her feelings for him still felt confused, almost hidden. But she felt for sure the two of them were still good friends, she wasn't going to let a little confusion spoil that. She would just have to keep her feelings in check and under control.
"Yeah... you were right Mr Dusk. Thanks for the support, you too Twilight," Sweetie Belle said sincerely.
"It's no trouble." She exchanged a smile with her friend. "I can't wait to hear you sing, Sweetie Belle."
"Why does everypony always think I'm gonna sing?" she asked, annoyed.
"Actually, Twilight Sparkle," corrected Scootaloo, "I'm the main singer tonight."
"Oh?" She hadn't expected that. But there was more to come...
"And I'm the main dancer." Applebloom proceeded to perform a karate chop.
"Oh?"
"And I'm in charge of..."
"Costumes?" she asked, fearing the worst.
"And sets and props. How'd you know?" So... they'd taken her words to heart, but not in the way she expected.
"Really, girls?" she said nervously. "Are you sure..."
"Cutie Mark Crusaders, you're on next," announced Cheerilee. "Break a leg."
"Knock 'em dead, girls," added Dusk.
"Wow, the theatre sure has a lot-a violent ways-a sayin' 'good luck'," remarked Applebloom, as they scurried off.
"Break a le-" She stopped as she heard Applebloom trip. "Uh... good luck!" She turned to look at Dusk. "How do you think they'll do? I thought... well, you know..."
"That's what I thought too," he said nodding. "But, they're doing what they're comfortable with and we shouldn't fault them for that. Let's just see how it goes." He turned to smile at her, beckoning her up a set of stairs. "Come on, these are the bests seats in the house."
Twilight looked down to see they were up in the rafters, where the lights were shining down on the stage below, looking down from above. This certainly was a unique spot to view it from. She looked at Dusk, to see that the necklace she made for him was still there.
"Hey, you've still got it," she remarked.
"Of course, you made it for me. I'm not going anywhere without it now. I might get struck by a bout of bad luck," he joked.
"Dusk... I-" She was cut off, as the lights went down and the music began to play.
Twilight watched with Dusk as the girls began to perform their routine. It didn't start off well, as Scootaloo sang many notes off key, most of the dancing was uncoordinated and clumsy and the sets and props looked crude and tacky. She knew they were just fillies, but considering how well Applebloom had done fixing up their clubhouse she thought they would have done better at set design. She looked at Dusk, who was grimacing and gasping, so he thought much the same.
The routine started off badly and it ended just as badly, with the set the girls had made literally falling to pieces, the audience bursting into laughter. Dejectedly, the girls trouped off the stage. Twilight wanted so badly to go and make them feel better and, by the looks of it, so did Dusk. However, the girls were called back on stage for the awards, reluctantly mind.
They watched as Spike handed out the awards, as the CMC hid behind the other performers to avoid more laughter. They were just as surprised as the two unicorns, however, when they were given the award for 'best comedy'. Dusk and Twilight must have clapped the hardest out of all of them as they all gave a bow, quickly leaving the rafters to congratulate them for their efforts.
"Congratulations, ponies! Job well done," Twilight voiced to them.
"Seconded," agreed Dusk. "See, I told you you'd be great!"
"Thanks..." they all said sadly.
"Hey, why the glum looks?" Dusk asked gently. "You should be proud of yourselves."
Scootaloo sighed. "We worked really hard and won a prize, but we still don't have our cutie marks."
"Which is the prize we really wanted," moaned Sweetie Belle
"Oh, girls..." She couldn't help but feel disappointed for them. She couldn't imagine how they must feel. But still, she was surprised by what Applebloom and Sweetie Belle said next:
"But we think we know why."
"Yes. We know why."
"Oh? Tell me," she requested. "I'd love to make a special report to the Princess."
"Want me to take a letter in Spike's absence?" asked Dusk with a grin.
"It's fine, I'll have him write it up later," she giggled. "Anyway, go on girls."
"Well, maybe we were trying too hard?" started Sweetie Belle nervously.
"Yes? And..." she encouraged gently, making them think rather than spoon-feeding them the answers.
"And instead of forcing ourselves to do something that's not meant for us..." continued Scootaloo.
"Yes? Yes?"
"We each should be embracing our true talent!" finished Applebloom.
"And that is...?"
They all exchanged a glance, then proclaimed: "Comedy!"
Twilight's and Dusk's eyes widened simultaneously at this. Even as they ran off to see their elder siblings, 'idol' in the case of Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo, they relaxed and exchanged knowing looks of their own, knowing they were both thinking the same thing.
Like when Twilight would eventually figure out the real reason why she felt this strange way for Dusk, pushing down any notions of romance, the day when those three finally figured out their talents would be a proud day indeed. |
Brand New Dusk | Sweet Apple Sunsets | Ever since his discovery of how wonderful friendship truly was, Dusk had learned many things about its magic. One of them was that any time spent with any of your friends, no matter what it was you were doing, was time well spent.
That was why he had given up his Saturday, when he would normally be relaxing and reading, to help Applejack out on the farm, to bring in a large crop of apples from the orchards and into the barn. It was certainly tough work, but at least he was in good company.
He wasn't just with Applejack in this, as Big Macintosh and Applebloom also gave their help, the former taking the big baskets off to the barn for storage and the latter just brightening up the day and making it more fun, along with her big sister.
Dusk could see why Applejack enjoyed her life on the farm so much. She and her family supplied an important commodity to the ponies of Equestria, it got her fresh air and kept her in shape and she was surrounded by her loving family, all of whom were just as dedicated to their work as she was. The only real exception was Granny Smith, but that was permissible.
They all worked tirelessly for the majority of the day, stopping only to break for lunch and drinks, before resuming work. Dusk wasn't bucking the apples out of the trees, as he didn't have the physical strength to. He had tried his hoof at one, but he had to give the tree five good kicks before the apples were dislodged, with a few still left in the tree. So, his task was carrying the baskets under the tree, catching the apples in them and depositing them for Big Mac to move to the barn.
It wasn't too exhausting, though he did have to get used to how much the apples weighed in the basket. Fortunately, he did have just enough strength in him to haul them to the much stronger stallion. Thankfully, the job was almost finished.
"Here we are Dusk, las' one an' we can call it a day," announced Applejack.
"Right you are miss," he replied, placing himself under the tree.
Applejack raised her rear legs, gave the tree a good kick and let the apples tumble into the baskets Dusk had fixed around his body. Buckling a little from the weight, he carried them over to her big brother.
"Here you go, Big Mac," he grunted, setting them down and letting him take them. "You going to be okay from here?"
"Ai-yup," he nodded. "Thanks fer the help Dusk."
"No trouble at all, happy to. See you later," he called, as the stallion took them off to the barn. Then, he returned to Applejack, who was leaning against the tree with her little sister. "Phew, what a day!"
"Ya can say that again," she agreed.
"I would, but I don't like repeating myself," he remarked. "Well, it's almost sundown, I'd better be getting home..."
"Wait a sec Dusk, ya haven't seen the best thing about this place," perked up Applebloom. "Come on sis, let's show him!"
"Ya know, that ain't such a bad idea." She stood up from the tree, leading them through the glades. "Jus' follow me Dusk, yer gonna like this."
Remaining silent, Dusk simply followed them across the orchards, letting them guide him to what was 'the best thing' about Sweet Apple Acres. Applebloom trailed back to walk next to him, her little legs moving with more frequency to keep up.
"Ah hope ya like this Dusk, me an ma sister head up here, now an' again, 'specially after a long day workin'."
"I'm sure I will," he smiled. "Hey, congratulations again on your award for the talent night. You girls really put a lot of work into that performance."
"We sure did. We still didn't get our cutie marks though," she added sadly. "But now we've got comedy ta focus on, we should get 'em in no time."
"When you live in hope," remarked Dusk. "Didn't you try discovering your talent here, on the farm?"
"It was one-a the firs' places ah tried. Ah tried sellin' apples but... that didn't go so well," she admitted. "Ah jus' hope we do discover our talents... ah don' wanna grow up without a cutie mark..."
"That won't happen Applebloom," said Dusk straight away. "Everypony has a talent, a skill that makes them special. You're no different Applebloom, nor are your friends. In time, you'll discover it. I promise you."
"Okay... thanks Dusk," she said sweetly. "Hey um... ah heard from ma sister about yer... magic talent."
"Did you now?" he asked, glancing at the country pony, who winked. "And...?"
"Well... would ya mind showin' me? Please?" She gazed up with big adoring eyes.
Dusk didn't answer. He just smiled, tapping into his power and conjuring up an apple shape, followed by several more, until he made a filly-sized pony that looked like it was made up of apples. He then controlled it so that it pranced around, chased by a laughing Applebloom.
The puppet master couldn't help but laugh as well, at how much joy she found in chasing it around the orchards as they walked. Life was so much more simple as a child, still learning who you were and just having fun. And when you did discover your talent, earn your mark... there was nothing else like it.
"Thanks fer that," said Applejack, "she's been askin' about that fer a while, and ah don't think ya disappointed."
"I came to that conclusion myself," remarked Dusk. "Where are we going, anyway?"
"You'll see, we're almost there," she told him, leading him on.
Soon enough, they began to climb up a nearby hill, higher above the miles of trees. Was it the view they wanted to show him? It would no doubt be something along those lines at any rate... not that he minded, for nature could really be amazing at times.
After a few minutes, they reached the top of the hill and stopped, setting themselves down on the grass. Applebloom lay down close to her sister, snuggling up against her, as she placed her stetson on her head. The love between the two sisters... it really was something.
"Here we are... jus' look out there." Dusk did as she asked... and felt his gaze be fixed on the sight before him.
The sun was just beginning to set below the sky, painting the sky with colours of orange and yellow, bathing the landscape in the beautiful blend of the colours before them. The stars began to shine in the sky, twinkling up above them and adding a further beauty to this wonderful sight.
From anywhere, a sunset was could be a beautiful thing. But here, with nothing but the splendour of nature, the miles of apple trees, the long green grass and the down home, rustic setting, it was truly magical.
They were right. This was the best thing about this place.
"Hey look, the firs' star-a the night," pointed Applejack up above. "Make a wish."
They all shut their eyes, not saying a word. Dusk, who just went along with it for the fun of it, simply wished that he and his friends would remain together and happy, united in love against all odds. It was cheesy but... well, it was nice to be cheesy.
Dusk simply enjoyed the moment, watching as the sun began to set below the line of the horizon. Applebloom, soon enough, drifted off to sleep, resting gently against her sister's side, as she smiled fondly down at her.
"She's sumthin', ain't she?" she mused to him. "Sometimes she can be a hoofful but... ah wouldn't trade her fer the world."
"I can see why." Feeling inspired, Dusk made some colour trails fly across the sky before them, making them dance and twirl around, almost like faries. Then he saw Applejack gazing thoughtfully at them. "Something wrong?"
"Huh?" She blinked at him. "Oh, nuthin', don't stop on ma account."
"I know that look, that's the look Twilight gets and, me too apparently. That's a deep thinking look." He cocked his head at her. "Bit for your thoughts?"
Applejack chuckled at that. "You two... ya really are quite close, ain't ya?"
"Well, when you work in the same place as your friend, it's bound to happen," he agreed. He looked down at his necklace. "She made me this, you know..."
"She mentioned that, yeah," she said, looking at it. "Suits ya jus' fine, like yer hat. Really kind gesture, if ya ask me."
"I thought so too." Blushing a little, he cleared his throat and returned his attention to her. "Anyway... what are you thinking about?"
"Well..." She thought again for a few minutes. "It's jus'... that colour talent-a yer's... ah jus' thought-a sumthin'..."
"What?"
"Jus' a feelin like... ah've seen it before... or sumthin' like it, perhaps."
"Really?" This had him intruiged. If there was somepony else who had his talent, perhaps he could find them. "Where? Can you remember?"
"Sorta... yeah, a long time ago... when all firs' met, at the Castle in the forest... when Twah'light vanished..." She looked thoughtful for another few minutes, then she sighed. "Ah can't quite explain it, but ah'm sure that it was sumthin' like yer magic."
"That's it? There's got to be more," he urged. "Are you sure that's all you can remember?"
"Yeah... sorry, ah know it don't help much. Coulda been sumthin' else, ya never know," she shrugged.
"It's fine... maybe it was..." Dusk let out a sigh of resignation.
He had really hoped for a moment there, that there might be a chance of somepony else having his talent, perhaps if he could find them, have them explain why they could do it... perhaps teach him if they were more experienced with it.
His disappointment must have shown clearly on his face, because Applejack spoke up again.
"Sorry, ah shouldn't have bought it up, ah shoulda got ma facts straight firs'," she berated, looking like she was angry at herself. "Probably got yer hopes up fer nuthin'."
"It's fine, don't worry. I'll figure it out later," he told her.
"Ya sure?"
"Quite sure, just forget it..." They sat in silence for a while. As he looked out across the horizon, a question formed in his mind. "Hey, AJ, can I ask you something?"
"Sure, shoot."
"Well... you know how you're all my friends? You and the girls, I mean."
"Las' time ah checked." Her expression became concerned. "Why do ya ask?"
"It's just... well... that won't change, will it?" He didn't feel he needed to ask, but he still wanted to know. "I mean... you won't... leave me alone, will you?"
"Aw Dusk..." The look on her face softened further. "A-course we won't. Why would ya ask that?"
"It's just... I've spent my whole life without any real friends, wanting them, but never thinking I could." Wiping away tears, he continued. "I don't... I don't want to go back to that... not after meeting you... all of you..."
"Dusk, ah always say the honest truth an' this is no different," she said, placing a hoof on his shoulder. "We may have our squabbles an' feuds, things may seem bleak at times. But ah promise ya, no matter what, we'll never stop bein' friends... an' we won't leave you alone."
There had been no need to ask, no need to even consider the thought in the first place. Despite the pointlessness of it, however, that assurance had increased Dusk's belief in friendship tenfold. There was just no disbelieving her... it was quite impossible.
"Thanks, Applejack... I'll never forget that." Feeling a smile growing on his features, he looked back to the sunset. "You know what? Applebloom was right... this is the best thing about this place."
"Glad we agree." Exchanging a soft hoof bump and warm smiles, they returned to watching the sunset, in a far more comfortable silence.
Dusk still considered what Applejack had said, the possibility of another 'colour bender', as Rainbow had said. It definitely wasn't him, for he had been fast asleep in his dorm at Canterlot at the time. Perhaps... sometime... he would investigate the matter himself, go to the ruin of the Pony Sisters Castle... one day.
But, for now, he knew one thing: What he had said to Applejack... he had said that just as honestly as her... and he never would forget. Never. |
Brand New Dusk | A Dog and Pony Show | A knock on the door of the library distracted Dusk from the work he was doing, spilling ink all over the parchment he was writing on, a key for the library for book locations. Clearing it away with a spell, he controlled the feelings of annoyance that he had, as he opened the door. They vanished completely when he saw who it was.
"Rarity! Great to see you!"
"Hello Dusk, isn't it a fine day?" She seemed positively abuzz with excitement, barely able to contain it. "May I come in?"
"Certainly," he invited, stepping aside to let her pass. "You seem happy about something. Are frills back in fashion this year?"
"Even better!" She gave a squeak of delight, but conformed herself. "I've just been tasked by Sapphire Shores, and I mean the Sapphire Shores, to make outfits for her concerts!"
"Great, good for you," he said. "So, what are you here for? I take it this isn't just a social call."
"Indeed. I need some assistance gathering gemstones for her outfits and I was wondering if Spike would like to help me?"
"I'm sure he'd be happy to. We're just about to break for lunch anyway, so he should be free." He rounded to the stairs and called: "Spike, somepony here to see you!"
"Go away! I'm napping," came the sleepy reply.
"It's Rarity!" Dusk felt a wind rush by him and Spike was there in the blink of an eye. That was quick...
"Dusk, what's going on?" Twilight had also come downstairs, as Rarity explained what was going on to Spike, who had eyes for nopony else.
Once they were both done explaining the situation to one another, Twilight said that of course it was okay with her, just as long as they were careful. Rarity was very grateful to them both and promised that they would be.
"It's just a shame you can't come with us to lunch," Twilight said to her.
"I'm sorry Twilight. I know we made plans to eat together today, but this is simply too important. Sapphire wants these dresses made as soon as possible, and I need an ample supply of gems to get started."
"It's okay, I'm sure the others will understand." She waved them off from the door. "Be careful out there!"
"We will. Have fun, you two," she called, passing Dusk a quick knowing wink, before setting off with the baby dragon in tow.
Dusk felt his cheeks become a little hotter. A quick glance showed him that Twilight's cheeks were also a little pink. Did she pick up Rarity's meaning from the wish and the wink? Or was it just hot today?
Since asking Rarity for her advice, Dusk had taken it to heart and continued to just be himself around Twilight, as she'd told him to. He had sort of mumbled out a compliment at one point on how... lovely she looked one time, but he didn't think she'd heard him. He still needed to pluck up more courage before trying that again. He still asked himself that question sometimes, when he was lost in his thoughts...
Could something actually happen between them?
"Dusk? Dusk, are you listening?" Twilight's voice snapped him out of his thoughts. "Deep thinking again?"
"Yeah... sorry."
"It's fine, it just makes you, you. Well Dusk, as I was saying, are you ready to go to lunch with me?" she asked him.
"Let's see...trilby: check. Good-luck charm: check... I'm ready."
"Good to see you keep things in order," she remarked. "Off to lunch together then... I mean," she stammered suddenly, "not together together just... with each other. Not like that I mean. To meet the others because... well, it's not like this a... a date or anything, I'm not saying it is...I-"
"Twilight, it's fine, I know what you meant." He raised an eyebrow at her. "Are you okay?"
"Oh... um yes, I'm fine. Let's go..." Not saying anything else, she walked off, with Dusk wondering what all that had just been about... and what it meant.
"Mmmmm, that was a yummy lunch," Pinkie remarked, as they left the restaurant. "I love hay, apple and cupcake pizza!"
"Pinkie, how can you have cupcakes on a pizza?" asked Rainbow, disgusted.
"'Cause, cupcakes are great with anything!" she replied. "We should do it again sometime!"
"Yeah, maybe you could have cookies on your pizza next time," Rainbow said sarcastically.
"Hey, that's not a bad idea. Good thinking Dashie!"
"What? Bu-bu-but I... I mean you- ugh, never mind!"
Dusk burst out laughing with the others at the utter bewilderment on Rainbow's face from Pinkie's agreement on that decision. Coming out for lunch had been worth it, just for that. How had he ever made it through a day without these girls before?
Twilight had remained silent during most of their walk over there, but she must have come to some kind of resolution on her own, for she was soon back to talking to him and the others. Dusk was still pondering her odd behaviour before and what might have caused it. He would consider it more later because, for now, he just wanted to enjoy the time with his friends.
"It's just too bad Rarity and Spike couldn't join us," said Dusk, once the laughing subsided.
"It is," agreed Twilight, "but this is a pretty important client that she has. I mean, it is Sapphire Shores."
"Yep, this oughta be a big burst in business fer her," pointed out Applejack.
"How long did they say they would be gathering gems for Shore's costume?" asked Dusk. "I hear it can be dangerous up in that rocky forest..."
"Oh my, I hope they don't get in any trouble," fretted Fluttershy.
"Don't worry," comforted Dusk, "I'm sure they can look after themselves. Just depends how long they're up there."
"Eh, she said it would take a good few hours," answered Rainbow. "Should be good for Spike, alone all that time with Rarity."
"Yeah... I still don't get how that works," pondered Dusk aloud.
"Whaddya mean sugarcube?"
"Well... it's just... how can-"
"AGGGH!" They all turned to see Spike running towards them, looking frantic. "Rarity! Woods! Jewels! Dogs! Hole! Taken! Save her!"
They all exchanged confused glances with each other, as Spike began to hyperventilate. Dusk, knowing what to do, rushed forward to calm him down. Something had happened that had triggered this panic attack, something to do with Rarity.
"Spike, calm down, breath. I need a paper bag! Anypony got a paper bag?"
"Sure!" Pinkie walked over to a bush and pulled one out. "I have these stashed all over town, in case of paper bag emergencies."
Not having time to dwell on this random statement, Dusk took the bag and handed it to Spike, who started to breath into it and waved frantically in the direction of rocky forest, where he had just come from. If Rarity was in trouble, they needed to hurry.
Dusk levitated him onto his back swiftly and turned to the others.
"Come on, Rarity might be in trouble."
"Really? What gave that away?" Rainbow said sarcastically.
"I think it was Spike's panicked way that he mentioned Rarity, Dashie," said Pinkie. "You gotta pay attention more."
"UGH! I was being... ugh, never mind, let's just get up there..."
"Exactly. Spike, once you can breath again, fill us in on the way." Dusk let Twilight take the lead, as they all set off towards the forest.
Dusk couldn't help but feel worried for Rarity. The Diamond Forest wasn't as bad as Everfree, but there were still meant to be dangers lurking up there, just as unique to the area as the creatures of Everfree were. He just hoped that it wouldn't be anything too bad.
All the while, Spike was breathing into the paper bag on his bag, sweating, his eyes wide. Luckily, the baby dragon wasn't all that heavy, so Dusk could still easily gallop ahead of the others. He checked to see if Spike was okay to breath and, fortunately, Spike calmed down, enough to give them the full story.
"Rarity and I were in the woods looking for jewels when these creepy guys showed up."
"Creepy guys?"
"They called themselves the diamond dogs. They grabbed Rarity and disappeared down a hole in the ground."
"Well, that sounds mighty easy," said Applejack optimistically. "Jus' take us ta that their hole and we'll save Rarity."
"I wouldn't be too sure..." Dusk murmered quietly. He'd never heard of these 'diamond dogs', but he was sure they'd be bad news. He just hoped they'd be able to save Rarity in time before they might do anything. They neared the edge of the diamond plane and screeched to a halt and gasped.
As Dusk suspected, there were dozens of holes littering the landscape, making it impossible to tell which hole was the right one to venture down to find Rarity. Like regular dogs, these guys seemed to be rather good at digging and it showed. The dogs must have known they were coming and created all of these holes to confuse them.
"Holy moly, that's a lotta holeys," noted Pinkie.
"Dusk, can you use your puppets to see which one she went down?" asked Twilight.
"Hold on..." He conjured Rarity's form in the air. It cantered from hole to hole, apparently unable to decide which one to go down. Eventually, it stopped in mid-air, collapsed and faded. "No... there's too many possible points of entry, I can't pin it down..."
"It was a good try," bolstered Twilight. "Looks like we're doing this the old-fashioned way. Come on everypony."
They each took a hole, peering down into the murky darkness. Dusk could barely see a few feet before him, it was so dark. He leaned in closer, sure that he saw something glinting in the dark... a pair of eyes. A little closer...
WOOSH!
He was forced backwards, as a jet of earth sprayed him in the face, covering his face in a mud mask. He looked around to see other holes getting the same treatment, being filled up to prevent access. They needed to get down one before they all filled.
Pumping his legs as fast as he could, he galloped to the nearest one and tried to dive down it. He made it down it, but was shot back out by another jet of dirt from the underground. He hurried to another, but received the same treatment. They were being filled too quickly, they wouldn't make it!
All around him, he could see the girls all trying and failing to get into the holes. Fluttershy was too timid to take a risk, Pinkie tried bouncing down one but was ejected, Applejack attempted to force against the dirt jet, but was beaten out. Even Rainbow tried zooming down one, but stopped at the last minute.
"It's too late... they're all filled up," said Dusk dejectedly.
"Huh. Heavens to Betsy," remarked Applejack. "Now ah'm used to pickin' maself up and dustin' maself off, but Rarity won't even touch mud 'less it's imported."
"Poor Rarity..." despaired Twilight. They all gazed upwards, no doubt picturing what horrible fate Rarity was suffering right now. Dusk felt ashamed that he had given up so quickly... that was the old Dusk, not the new one.
"Well, I say we don't give," he proposed, raising his voice a little. "No time for considering what might be, we need to move."
"Dusk is right," agreed Applejack. "We gotta save her!"
"But they blocked up all the holes," reminded Fluttershy.
"Don't mean we can't dig 'em out. Come on!" Inspired by this, Dusk leaped on top of a dirt mound and set to work.
As was known to all, he wasn't much in the way of anything physical. He was relatively skinny and weedy by his own judgement, even a little under-sized compared to most stallions, but he still had the strength to dig. They'd be through in no time, they just had to keep at it.
Suddenly, something grabbed his tail, lifted him up and threw him off the mound, smacking into the floor. He looked to see a diamond dog, grinning and waving at him mockingly. He tried to jump at it, but it vanished back into the ground, causing him to smack into the mound. He ran for another mound, but a furry leg tripped him up and made him fall.
They were doing all they could to dig in the holes, but the dogs just kept getting in their way, distracting them, tripping them, grabbing tails, tricking them at every turn. they were toying with them, like playground bullies. Soon, they were all exhausted from the spectacle, panting on the ground.
"They're not... not letting her go without a... a fight," panted Dusk, forcing himself to stand.
"Oh, those scary monsters popping up everywhere," said Fluttershy. "Oh, poor Rarity must be terrified..."
"Exactly. That's why we need to find her, and fast," Dusk said, snapping them out of their reverie. "We're not going to let a bunch of furry mongrels beat us."
"It's good that you keep your determination Dusk, but we're still getting beaten by them," pointed out Twilight. "What are we gonna do?"
"We need a new strategy," answered Dusk. "Brute force isn't working, the dogs are cunning and devious. We need to beat them at their own game... somehow..."
"I got it!" declared Spike, pulling out a gem and grabbing a fishing pole. "I'll save you, my sweet!"
As he hurried towards an uncovered hole, the girls all exchanged confused looks. Dusk too was a little bewildered by this... but his sharp mind quickly went to work, and he soon realised Spike's plan, giving a sound of recognition and moving quietly to the dragon.
He didn't say anything out-loud, but these diamond dogs must have taken Rarity for her gem finding spell. If Spike were to use this gem as bait to draw them out, they'd be able to follow them to where ever they were keeping their friend.
"Spike, it is very noble of you-" Spike shushed Twilight abruptly at that. She continued more quietly, "to sacrifice the gem Rarity gave you."
"Oh, Lady Rarity. My damsel in distress... I shall save you." He gazed into the middle distance, no doubt indulging himself in a romantic fantasy. However, he became a little too immersed and made kissing gestures towards Dusk.
"Hold on there, Spike. I'm not that kind of stallion," said Dusk, snapping him out of it. Spike barely had time to look abashed, when there a fierce tug on the line.
"Whoa! Whoa whoa whoawhoawhoa..." Spike was being dragged towards the hole. "I got a bite! I got a bite!"
He was on the edge of the hole about to be dragged down. Applejack grabbed onto his tail, trying to pull him back, but she was being dragged down too. Twilight hurried forwards, adding her own strength, but that still wasn't enough.
"Twilight!" Dusk grabbed her tail, digging his hooves in as much he could. The dog, however, was very strong and began pulling him in too. He heard Rainbow shout his name, grab hold of his tail, followed by Fluttershy and lastly Pinkie, as they were all dragged down into the dark.
Holding on to each other's tails for dear life, they let themselves be dragged along on their rumps. Dusk felt the air rushing by him, could see the vast expanses of tunnels and caverns around them. They soared over a gorge, making his stomach rush up to his throat from the force.
They reached a hole in the tunnel and dropped down, letting go of the tail of the pony in front, falling towards the earth. Dusk ended up landing on top of Twilight, eliciting a groan from her.
"Oh my gosh!" He jumped off and helped her up. "I'm so sorry Twi I-I-... I didn't mean to land on you."
"I'm fine, don't worry," she assured, as she stood up, her cheeks flushed. "Thank you... for trying to save me."
"Oh hay..." He rubbed the back of his head. "You'd have done the same for me..."
"I know but... all the same. Thanks."
"You're welcome..."
They stood there for a moment, just gazing at each other, all else just being blanked out of existance. Dusk felt that rushing feeling again, even though he was no longer falling. Did Twilight feel it too? He couldn't tell... She seemed to be torn between two things, but he couldn't tell what. It was like... she wanted to return his gaze, but couldn't. Why was she-
"Haha! It worked! We're in!" Spike's voice snapped them out of it and they began to look at anything, other than each other. "Now we can finally save Rarity!"
"Um..." Twilight was still blushing, as she looked around. "Which way do we go?"
Dusk could see what she meant. There was next to no clear indication of where they should go, with various tunnels and shafts leading goodness knows where. The diamond dogs had certainly been busy. But, unlike up above, there wasn't as many possible points of entry to choose from. They could only go down, deeper into the ground.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" screamed Spike.
"Calm down, calm down," Dusk shouted over him. "You're forgetting who you're with." With a wink, he conjured a Rarity puppet. This time, it cantered down a tunnel, waiting for them. "Result."
"Great work Dusk." Spike hopped onto his back. "Come on! We're coming, Rarity. We'll save you. Just hold on."
Together, the galloped off down the tunnel, following the white and purple light that shone from the Rarity puppet, as it led them through the humid, dank tunnels. Dusk led the way, Spike bobbing up and down on his back.
All the while, he wondered about Rarity. The diamond dogs could be a cruel, ruthless bunch, once they had a way of digging up the gems that they so craved. He didn't know what exactly they would be doing to Rarity, but he knew it couldn't be anything good. This knowledge put an extra boost in his sprint, like it did when he was tracking them in Everfree, saving them from the Paraserpent's coils. Fortunately, the dogs were nothing like that vile beast.
The puppet shone brighter, indicating they were getting close. Soon, they could hear sobbing, as they emerged into a clearing in the caverns. Ahead was a rusty metal gate, from where the crying was originating.
"She must be in there! Let's go!" declared the always brave Rainbow.
Before he could, however, Dusk felt something else land on his back and felt cold chains being fastened around him. He looked to see more diamond dogs, heavily armoured brutes, on the backs of the girls. Two others converged on him, wrapping him in the chains and trying to drag him away, as he tried to struggle free.
"More workhorses!" grunted the one from Fluttershy's back. "Take the stallion first, he stronger than mare."
"Hey! Sexist jerk!" Rainbow yelled. "Let him go!"
"Dusk, no!" His eyes locked with Twilight's, as she watched him being dragged off.
"Ho, doggies," said Applejack dangerously. "If ya can take this bull ba the horns, ya better be ready fer a ride." Then, like a bull at a rodeo, she proceeded to try and buck off her rider, as the others joined in.
Dusk thought about trying that, but that would still leave the other two he had to deal with. He had virtually no experience in fighting, he'd never been in a fight in his life. The Paraserpent hardly counted, for he had run for most of that one. He couldn't do this alone!
But the girls were preoccupied right now. He was on his own, for now at least. Calming himself, his mind began to work away, formulating a battle plan. The world seemed to slow around him, as he looked over the scene.
Okay, so, three dogs. Two holding the chains, one on his back. They were in a hurry, the chains were still rather lose, he could struggle free if necessary. With some effort, he would be able to buck off the one on his back. The other two would need to be distracted. They lived underground, so they didn't like bright light all that much. A light flare! Then, just chase them away.
"Move pony!" ordered the one on his back, who was crushing Spike.
"Very well, as you wish. Spike, shield your eyes!" This would drain his strength, but if he kept it quick... he shone a bright white ball in the cavern.
He heard them whimper and yelp, as they staggered back and covered their eyes. They loosened their grips on the chains and on his back. Feeling a little weaker from the effort, Dusk bucked off the one on his back with one jolt, sending him flying into the wall and wriggled out of his bonds. Running on adrenaline now, he returned his attention to his remaining opponents, who had now recovered.
The world slowed again as he looked them over. Big, armoured and tough, those were their strengths. Weaknesses, they were heavy, most weight concentrated near the top. Armour was weak below the waist, adding more weight to their upper bodies. With enough force, they could be tripped over.
One of them charged at Dusk, throwing all of his considerable weight forward and raising his arms to strike. Dusk dived to the left, dodging the blow and hearing a crash as he hit the wall. Dusk turned, seeing the back of his knee as a weak point. He gave it a hard kick, causing the dog to buckle. He then ran up its back, kicked off the dog's helmet and slammed a rock down on it with a levitation spell, making him dazed.
The other dog charged too, his own arm raised to hit him. He levitated the chains up to him, spun them like a bandoleer and threw them at his legs, tying them up and making him trip. Dusk jumped off, as he bought his fist down on his companions head, the two of them falling to the ground in a heap.
Dusk couldn't believe it. He'd done it! He'd come out on top. The one he'd bucked off was watching the whole thing, looking rather tentative. Dogs: strong in packs, weak alone. Feeling guilty for having to hurt them anyway, Dusk looked to the remaining one, who stared dumbstruck.
"Look, I don't want to fight you," he said to him, "but if you do attack me, I... I won't hesitate to defend myself."
With a yelp, the diamond dog grabbed his friends and ran off with the others, whom the girls had bucked off now, as Dusk tossed his rocks at them, ensuring they kept running.
"Yeehaw!" cried Applejack in triumph. "Git along, lil' doggies!"
"Sorry, but you left me little choice!" Dusk called after them. Then he turned to see that they were all staring at him. "What?"
"Whaddya mean, 'what'?" said Applejack admirably. "Ya took on both-a them dogs an' beat 'em down faster than a cowpony on a bull at a rodeo!"
"I just er... made it up as I went along..." he mumbled.
"Really? Then... that's incredible!" Twilight praised. "You just beat them using your wits?"
"Um... I guess..."
"Dusk, that was amazing!" She smiled at him, clearly impressed.
"Yeah, where'd you learn to fight like that?" asked Rainbow.
"Um... I just er... improvised, I guess you could say," mumbled Dusk again. "It was a matter of... quick thinking and analysis of my enemies..."
"Well, it sure as hay worked," noted Applejack. "Talk about not judgin' a book by it's cover."
"Yeah, you look way too weedy to even throw a punch." Everypony glared at her. "What? I'm just saying..."
"No, she is right, I'm not exactly physically intimidating," said Dusk truthfully.
"I meant it in a good way," rectified Rainbow. "They thought they could take you and you sent 'em off, tails between their legs. That's pretty cool."
"I suppose... perhaps..." He cleared his throat. "Now, I believe we have a lady in distress to save."
A loud clanking from behind the door reminded them of their purpose. Dusk heard a breaking of rock and looked to see Spike, holding a sharp stone like a lance from his back. He sighed as he predicted what was coming. This would be a little humiliating but...he would want his chance to be the hero and Dusk wouldn't deny him that. He could a least go along with it. Might be fun...
"I'm coming for you, my lady," he cried like a knight of old. "Hi-ho, Dusk! Away!"
"Aye, Sir Spike! We ride!" Dusk whinnied, kicking his front legs in the air and charged forward, his head bowed low. The door, weak from rust corrosion, shattered on contact as he ran at it with all his strength
"Lady Rarity, I'm here to save you!" declared Spike. They were both, however, surprised as three diamond dogs, the leaders by their dress, hurried up to them, begging them to take away Rarity.
"Um... pardon me?" Dusk asked unsurely.
"So picky."
"And critical."
"She won't stop talking."
"And crying."
"We, uh, give her back. Yes."
Relief spread through Dusk, as behind them came, quite unharmed, unblemished and wheeling a cart full of gems behind her, Rarity. She wore quite a satisfied, triumphant smile on her features, walking as if she'd just left a garden party.
"Rarity! You're safe!" Spike jumped off Dusk's back and hugged her.
"Why, yes. Hello, girls and to our fine gentlecolt friend as well," she added to Dusk. "You are just in time to assist me."
"Assist ya with what?" asked Applejack.
"With those." She gestured with her head, indicating five carts stacked with gemstones, glittering in the light from the torches.
"You're letting us leave with all these... jewels?" Spike's mouth was watering at the sight of them.
"Yes. Take them. And her with them," begged one of the dogs.
"Please!" added his friend.
Still quite amazed as to how she had managed this, each of the girls took a cart (Dusk insisted on moving one for Twilight, despite her protestations) and found their way out of the tunnels and back into the open air, as the sun was beginning to set in the west.
"I can't believe you got all these gems!" squealed Pinkie.
"Heh. I can't believe you tricked all those dogs," said Rainbow.
"Just because I'm a lady doesn't mean I cannot handle myself in a sticky situation," Rarity told them smartly. "I had them wrapped around my hoof the entire time."
"I can't wait to write to Princess Celestia to tell her what you taught me today," said Twilight, who was walking beside Dusk.
"Me? What did I teach you?"
"Just because somepony is ladylike doesn't make her weak," she explains. "In fact, by using her wits a seemingly defenseless pony can be the one who outsmarts and outshines them all. Or his wits," she added, glancing at Dusk.
"I um... wouldn't say that," said Dusk, blushing again.
"Come on Dusk, you were great back there and you know it." She herself had a slight blush now. "It was... quite brave of you."
"Really?" He considered this, then smiled. "I um... I suppose it was, wasn't it?"
"Hm... "Outshines" is right." Spike was sitting in Rarity's cart, snacking on gems. "Now you have enough gems to cover Sapphire Shores's costumes."
"Not if you eat them all, Spike," she said, levitating it just as he tried to take another bite.
As everypony laughed at the spectacle, Dusk thought that maybe they were right. Just give him a few minutes to think and he would be able to handle himself in a fight... perhaps. Maybe it was just luck... or quick wits.
He shrugged mentally, chuckling to himself. Ever since meeting the girls, he'd done many things he'd never have believed he could do. What next, performing on stage? No... that would never happen... would it? |
Brand New Dusk | Annual Canterlot Magic Contest | "Is here just fine Rarity?" asked Dusk, as he stood on the other side of the Boutique.
"Yes Dusk, that's fine. Now, just stand absolutely still," she instructed lowering her head and making her horn glow.
Dusk stood his ground, as the black cloth piled up nearby began to whirl around him, obscuring his vision, like somepony had just turned off a light switch. After a few seconds, he shut his eyes to shield them from a bright light. When it subsided, he opened his eyes to see Rarity smiling. He looked down to see himself dressed in a tuxedo, complete with bow tie, frilled undershirt and a top hat.
He was acting as Rarity's 'willing volunteer' for her performance at the Magic Contest in Canterlot, which would be taking place the following evening. Both she and Twilight had been practicing hard over the past few days, using their unique attributes in magic to put on a show for the grand prize that would be awarded to the winner. It was just a trophy, but in Canterlot, it was the pride that you had won using your unique magic that counted.
Rarity had been using the girls and herself as practice for her performance, which was using her magic to create clothing from just the fabrics that she bought. She had also been using him to create male clothing, having already gone through quite a few practice runs with him.
"Marvellous spellwork, as always Rarity," Dusk noted, as he removed the tux and exchanged the top hat for his usual trilby. "I think you're ready."
"Yes... yes, as ready as I'll ever be," she said, with a slight tremor in her voice.
"What's wrong?" he asked, sensing her distress.
"Well... this will be my first visit to Canterlot," she said. "I want to make this display completely spectacular, to show the high-class ponies what I'm made of."
"And it is, your clothing is remarkable. You'll be sure to impress the elite of Canterlot with your performance."
"But Dusk, what if I don't?" She was starting to look distressed. "What if-what if they don't appreciate my style, that they think of it as uncouth, unsophisticated?"
"Rarity, do you remember what I said to you, that day we first had tea?" She nodded. "I said that you would fit right in at Canterlot, that you have the sophistication and grace to make it seem as if you'd lived there your whole life. And I meant it."
"You... you really did, didn't you?"
"Did and do," he corrected. "You're going to be just fine. We'll all be there for you, just like with Rainbow Dash, right there in the audience. Just have faith in yourself, I know I do."
He had good reason to tell her this. He'd witnessed performers at the competition many times. Some of their magic was flashy and eye-catching, some were more reserved but just as special. Rarity's fell into the latter category, but would still earn her recognition.
Like the Young Flyer's Competition in Cloudsdale, the Magic Contest was as much a display of skill in magic for unicorns as flying was for a pegasus. Do well enough and one could receive the top three prizes: the bronze ring, the silver wand and the golden staff. To receive these was a sign of recognition that the Princess acknowledged how special your magic was, which was truly a show of pride.
This year, it would be the first time that Princess Luna would be judging the contest along with Celestia, so that made it even more special. Dusk was rather looking forward to seeing what the younger princess would judge the acts.
Rarity, meanwhile, seemed to have regained her confidence that he knew she had and drew a more determined look on her features.
"Yes... yes, you're right." She drew herself up. "I've put on enough fashion shows to know how to cope with nerves. I shouldn't let them get the better of me. I'll show them I can be just as classy as they can be, just as graceful."
"That's the spirit," said Dusk happily. "You're going to be great."
"Thank you, Dusk, it's good to know I can rely upon you for support," she noted with a smile. "I shall also be looking forward to seeing your display in the competition, I'm sure it will be spectacular."
"Heh... no, it won't..." He didn't say anything further, not wishing to go into more detail about why. Rarity, however, continued to press on.
"But why ever not? Your displays are always spectacular, and I cannot wait to see what you've prepared for this show. I can see it as being large, breathtaking... beautiful. Would I be right in guessing?"
"I uh... I haven't been practicing... anything..." he mumbled pathetically.
"What? Then you'd better get started, we're departing for Canterlot tomorrow morning," she said in a worried tone.
"I know... it's just that... that..." He couldn't quite get the words out, didn't want to admit it to her. But she continued to gaze intently at him.
"Dusk, I can understand that you're nervous about getting up on stage, but once you get going, it'll be fine."
"Um... Rarity... I'm not going to be performing..." Dusk admitted quietly.
"What?" She seemed quite surprised by this news. "But... but how can you? Your puppets are a joy to watch, sparkling and sailing through the air as they do. It's like an undiscovered form of art. You simply must perform!"
"No, Rarity." He sighed sadly. "For one thing I... I've never performed on stage before... all of those faces staring at me... I just don't think I'd be able to cope with that... I'm not that kind of pony..."
"But you performed with Rainbow at the Flyer's Competition, using your talent in front of all of those ponies," she reminded him predictably.
"That was different. I was just brightening Rainbow's performance, remaining offstage the whole time," he told her. "When it was over, I never claimed credit for my part, it was Rainbow's moment of glory, not mine."
"But why didn't you? I could tell everypony loved the effect that you created."
"That brings me to my second point," continued Dusk. "It's sort of my old attitude coming back. You girls think my magic is great, but I'm still not sure what they might think about it... I kind of... don't really want to find out... in case they hate it..."
"Dusk, don't be silly, they won't hate it," she assured. "We all love it and I'm sure that they will too."
"But I don't know that, you don't know that, not for sure. I'm sorry, but I just can't face up to that... not yet anyway..."
"But Dusk-"
"Rarity, please just... drop it..." He shifted his gaze to the floor. Though he felt confident in his decision, he still felt rather ashamed of himself for telling her this, for making her so disappointed. When he looked up, she was still gazing at him in a sympathetic sort of way.
"Very well Dusk. I understand your reasons for not wanting to take part and I shall not question it further," she promised. "If you don't want to do something you're not comfortable with, then there's no point in me trying to pressure you."
"Thanks, Rarity..." he said sincerely, with a grateful smile. He cast his gaze to the horizon. "Well, it's getting late. We've got a big day tomorrow and you need your beauty sleep."
"Indeed," she nodded giggling. "Sleep well Dusk, I shall see you in the morning."
"Night Rarity." He made moves to leave back for his home, as the stars began to twinkle in the sky.
"And Dusk?" He looked back as she called from the threshold of the door. "I do think it's a shame, that you're not taking the opportunity to share your wonderful magic with everypony."
"Rarity-"
"I know, I know, you've said your reasons," she said quickly. "But... I would have really liked to have seen what you might have come up with." She gave him a sad smile. "I hope you enjoy spectating."
Without another word, she stepped inside her home. Dusk stood there for a few minutes, thinking on what she had just said. Should he reconsider his reasons for not taking part, perhaps actually enter himself in? He had a few ideas that might put on a good show, so perhaps...
No, he decided, shaking his head. He had his reasons and he was sticking to them. Even though it may indeed be a missed opportunity, it was one that he would be happy to miss and nothing was going to change that. Absolutely nothing.
Standing firm on that note, he set off back home, ready to wake up early tomorrow, to go back home... in a manner of speaking.
The sun was just beginning to rise over the horizon when Dusk and the girls boarded the train to depart for the royal city of Canterlot. Even though everypony was rather drowsy from being awoken so early, there was still a buzz of excitement in the air, that this would be the first time most of them would have seen the city up close and not just from Ponyville.
As Dusk sat with them in their carriage, he too found himself to be rather excited. This would be the first time he would be back home since he'd departed to Ponyville, all of those months ago. It was the same old city, but he was returning as something, somepony, very different. No longer was he brooding, lonely and silent. Now, he had ponies he could call his friends, something more to his life. Sure, he might still not be very interesting, but at least he had friends who thought that he was. That was definitely an improvement.
He found himself glimpsing towards Twilight at times, as she was in animated discussion with Rarity. Sometimes, she caught his glances and he looked away hurriedly. He found himself wondering what she would think, now that they were both going back to the city they had grown up in, both different to what they used to be. They had both been known at the school as the friendless ponies... the looks on their faces if they could see them now...
He smiled to himself again, turning his eyes elsewhere as Twilight turned in his direction again.
While the girls were all talking about what they might do while they were in Canterlot, Dusk took to gazing quietly out of the window, watching as they climbed higher and higher into the mountains. Just a few more minutes and he would be back at the place where he had grown up... with his friends... he gave a satisfied sigh, a smile on his features reflected in the glass.
"I'm a little glad to be going back home too." He looked to see that Twilight had come over to join him, smiling brightly. "Even if it's just for a day, it'll be nice to be back for a while. May I?"
"Of course," he said, as she sat beside him and he turned his attention to her. "Yes, it will be. It feels like so long, since I... since we," he corrected, "were last there. It feels strange, going back now... but in a good way."
"I know what you mean," she agreed. "We both used to be the secluded ones, back at the school. Can you imagine how they might react, after all that's happened since then?"
"That's just what I was thinking about!" Dusk said excitedely. "Once again, our thoughts seem to be one."
"Ooh, spooky," she said in a mock-scary voice. "I remember, before I left Canterlot, Moon Dancer was having a party in one of the courtyards. I was invited along, but I said that I had studying to do, which was kind of true. I almost wish I'd gone now... see what it would have been like."
"Maybe you can ask her, if you see her," suggested Dusk. "I remember hearing something about that get-together that day. At least you got invited... everypony just stayed away from me mostly..."
"Oh yes... sorry, I forgot..."
"It's fine," he said quietly.
"I'm sorry I did though," she insisted. "You were a lot more lonely than me at the School and I should have known better than to remind you of that..."
"I told you, it's fine, I don't mind. That's just how I was. Like you said though, you and I are both different now." Willing to change the subject, he asked her: "So, are you all set for your performance in the competition?"
"Ready as I'll ever be," she said brightly, glad for the change of subject. "It's gonna be like my entrance exam all over again, only with far more ponies."
"And hopefully a little less stony-faced?"
"Good point," she giggled. "Still, not meaning to brag, but I think I'm going to be fine. I'm going to at least put on a good show; do my best." Her look turned sympathetic. "You're still set on not taking part, aren't you?"
"No, I'm not," he affirmed. "You aren't going to try and convince me to take part, are you?"
"Not at all. I understand your reasons and I don't blame you one bit for feeling how you do. I'm just glad that you're coming along to watch at least... it wouldn't have been the same without you."
"I wouldn't miss you perform for the world." The two exchanged warm smiles, Dusk's from how well his friend knew him. "Thanks Twilight..."
"No problem..." Her gaze lingered on him for a bit, then her smile grew when she looked out the window. "We're here, look!"
Dusk turned to where she looked and he felt his own smile widen when his eyes locked, once more, on his home. It could be seen, as a speck in the distance, down in Ponyville. It was nothing, however, compared to seeing it up close.
It was truly majestic, regal enough to fit the Princesses and the elite that it housed. The towers climbed high enough to touch the sky, connected by lengthy bridges and walkways, built from the purest white marble, royal colours of purple and sparkling gold, capped with images of the sun and moon. Waterfalls, sparkling in the morning sun, cascaded down the cliffs below, falling to goodness knows where. High up in the peaks of the mountains, it seemed like it could overlook the whole of Equestria from its tallest tower.
Dusk had forgotten, or never truly appreciated, how beautiful it was. He glanced at Twilight, and she at him. They both had the same look on their faces, one that seemed to say the same thing: it was good to be home.
They stepped out of the train and onto the station, the very one Dusk had come to begin his new life. The girls were all awing, gazing around at the sheer majesty of it all. They said farewell to Rarity and Twilight, who were off to enter themselves in the Contest, arranging to meet at the School in half an hour, leaving Dusk alone with Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy, all of them looking around in wonder.
"I feel so small, everything is so big," gasped Fluttershy.
"Woah, would you look at all of this?" Rainbow marvelled. "And I thought Cloudsdale was awesome... I mean, it still is but this..." She gave a low whistle that she was impressed.
"Hey Dusk," Applejack called, "how 'bout givin' us visitors a tour-a the place?"
"Really? You want me to show you around?" As they nodded, he once again had that feeling of warm acceptance they always inspired on him. "Well, in that case, let me be the first to say 'welcome to Canterlot'! Our tour begins now, if you would kindly follow me..."
"Ooh, I hope there's a gift shop at the end," remarked Pinkie, as she bounced along.
"So, where we going first?" asked Rainbow.
"I think I know just the place," winked Dusk, as he led them through the streets.
The white stone buildings seemed to glow in the morning sun, making the city look even more spectacular. The girls got a few odd looks from some of the Canterlot elite, staring down their high-held noses at them, but they didn't seem to mind, nor did Dusk. That was something he preferred about Ponyville: here, everpony was too reserved and snobbish. He was reminded of that, rather annoyed too, as he saw them with their heads held high.
They arrived at their destination, which they could see from the path they stood upon. It was an oval-shaped ring of clouds set with red clouds flapping in the breeze, with stands containing ponies watching it. Inside the course, a group of very familiar Pegasi in blue uniforms were tensed and ready to fly.
"Here we are, the Wonderbolts Racing Derby!" Dusk announced, as Rainbow gasped. "And it looks like a race is about to start."
"Awesome!" Rainbow's eyes locked on her heroes, studying them. "Hmm... I'm gonna say that Fire Streak has this one."
"Really? I thought you'd bet on Fleetfoot," inquired Fluttershy.
"I would, but she's not having the best year at the minute, so she won't be on form," said Rainbow wisely. "Fire Streak's the second fastest in the team, so he's bound to win this."
"Shoot, ah'm gonna say Spitfire's gonna win this," Applejack decided.
"Spitfire?" Rainbow scoffed. "Come on! I know she's the captain, but speed isn't really her thing."
"Ah know ya know yer stuff about 'em, but maybe this'll be her lucky day."
"It's not about luck, it's about speed and skill, which Fire Streak has more of."
"Well, ah'm sticking ta it," Applejack replied stubbornly.
"Your loss," shrugged the Pegasus, as the announcer signaled the start of the race.
Dusk knew better than to argue with her about the Wonderbolts. She knew as much about them as he did about... well, not much beyond a few select things. He just watched silently as the Pegasi soared a few laps around the track, the wind whipping through their manes. Soon, it was the red-streaked mane of Rainbow's bet that zoomed across the finish line ahead of the others.
After Rainbow was done saying to Applejack 'I told you so', Dusk showed them around other areas of interest, giving them a little bit of history about the place, most of them they were required to stay outside, as they would need to pay to get in. He showed them the opera house, the art gallery, a few cafes that he frequented once upon a time, places that were of significance to either himself or to the city.
Though most of the places were high standing and sophisticated, in other words rather boring, the girls were happy to be guided wherever Dusk took them. It almost like, after they'd given him so much with the magic of friendship, he was finally starting to give something back, showing them the elements of the life he used to lead before he met them.
When they arrived at the Palace of the Princesses, this elicited the greatest expression of awe from any of them, seeing the high towers that housed Celestia, Luna and their royal court. They couldn't enter the castle itself, but they were allowed entry to the Canterlot Sculpture Garden, a place that Dusk had frequented quite a lot. The guard that let him in still recognised him, smiling in approval that he had found some friends at last.
He gestured to the various carvings that symbolised many important and noble qualities that ponies held in high regard: the three filles of friendship, the noble mare of victory, the stallion of bravery. It was when they arrived at the most unique one of the bunch that they stopped for a bit. It depicted a serpent-like creature, that was patchworked with many different body parts from other animals. It looked as if it was in the act of singing an opera piece.
"What the hay is this?" asked Applejack, raising an eyebrow at it.
"It looks funny!" singgered Pinkie.
"This is what's called a Draconequus, a chimera," explained Dusk. "It's a being that's made up of the body parts of different animals. Fluttershy, you're the animal expert. I think you can tell what animals they are." He could have just as easily told them, but he thought it would be good for her confidence to get her involved more.
"I... I think so." She bent forward to examine it, flying up to the face. "It's a pony's head but... oh my... the antler of a deer, the horn of a goat, wing of a bat and Pegasus, a lion's claw, a lizard's leg... none of these parts fit, this doesn't make any sense."
"That just about sums him up," Dusk agreed.
"So, what exactly is this thing?" Rainbow asked. "Did the sculptor just go nuts and throw a bunch of body bits together to see what would happen?"
"Well, girls," said Dusk, standing next to it, "you remember the Paraserpent?" Fluttershy gave a squeal of fear. "Don't worry, he's not here. Anyway, remember how I told you they had a master?"
"Sorta... wait a minute," Rainbow realised, "are you saying that this is their boss?"
"Indeed I am." He turned to gaze up at the statue's face. " Ladies, allow me to introduce you all to Discord, the spirit of disharmony and chaos, the former ruler of Equestria."
"That's the boss?" Applejack looked it up and down. "Well, he sure is an odd-lookin' fella, that's fer sure."
"He's meant to be, he's literally the personification of chaos," he went on. "When Equestria was under his control, it was complete and utter misery and disharmony. Ponies walking on ceilings, flying pigs, patchwork grass, clouds raining chocolate. It was-"
"Wait wait wait wait." Pinkie raised her hoof to stop him. "Did you say 'clouds raining chocolate?'" Dusk nodded. "As in 'chocolate chocolate'?" Another nod. "As in yummy scrummy, melt-in-your-mouth, great-with-a-glass-of-milk chocolate?"
"Yes... what's your point?"
"My point is why did they stop him? That sounds great!"
"Heh..." Dusk rubbed the back of his head nervously. "Believe me, it wasn't... there were also ponies that acted cruelly around one another, altered by his powers. Nopony was friends, they didn't trust each other."
"Oh." She frowned at that. "In that case, not so great then."
"One thing I don't get," Rainbow bought up, "if he's the old ruler of Equestria, the bad guy, why make a statue of him?"
"They didn't." They all looked at him, bewildered. "Well, technically they did, but not in that sense. When the Princesses used the Elements of Harmony against Discord, the magic they used was powerful enough to encase him in stone."
"Ohhhhh," Pinkie nodded. "So, this is the genuine bonified certified stonified ruler of chaos?"
"Exactly," Dusk affirmed. "This is the lord of chaos, in the flesh... well, limestone more like."
"Ain't that a little risky?" Applejack asked, gazing at it warily. "Ah mean, what if he busts outta there?"
"Oh my! That would be awful," squealed Fluttershy.
"Don't worry girls, it was very strong magic they used to imprison him, the power of friendship. The same magic you girls used to defeat Nightmare Moon." To make his point, Dusk rapped the statue with his hoof. "Believe me, he's not going anywhere any day soon."
"That's good to know but... what would happen if he did break out?"
"If he did, Rainbow..." Dusk looked back up at Discord again. "If he did... well, I'd rather not think about it. Anyway, I think Twilight and Rarity are just about done now. Let's go and meet them at the School."
"Okie-dokie-lokie," agreed Pinkie, bouncing alongside Dusk, as they left the sculpture garden behind.
As they left, Dusk considered further on Rainbow's question. Discord had been imprisoned with the power of the Elements, but that had been when Celestia and Luna had wielded them. They had now moved on to the girls. Would that mean that the magic would no longer keep him locked away in stone? Could he actually break free of his prison, to once again reign chaos around them? Again, he tried not to think about it... still...
They soon arrived at the gates of the school, as it wasn't too far away from the sculpture gardens. There, they saw their unicorn friends in an animated discussion with each other. They stopped and smiled when they saw them approaching, Dusk surprised to see Twilight lock eyes on him. He knew that look... that was her studying look... did he have something on his face? But then Rarity greeted him and he didn't have time to consider it further.
They decided to give them a small tour of the School itself, as he and Twilight were former students. Dusk noticed, while they were walking, that all the while, Twilight was still giving him that studying look, like she was analyzing every little bit of his actions. Why was she doing that? Had he done something wrong or said something wrong? The answer soon came when the group split up for a bit, leaving Dusk alone with Rarity, who managed to find a suitable excuse to do so.
"Twilight, why don't you take the girls off elsewhere, whilst Dusk shows me around separately?" she suggested.
"No!" She seemed to realise how loudly she had said that and recovered herself. "I mean... we don't have to split off, we can just stay together."
"Perhaps, but was our gentlecolt friend here who told me that I would definitely fit in at Canterlot and I would rather like him to give me something of a personal tour. If it's alright with you, of course," she said to him.
"Um... sure, I guess... I don't see why not," he said unsurely, wondering what she was up to.
"There, you see?" She began to nudge him off in another direction. "We'll meet you back in the courtyard of the school in a few minutes. Ta-ta for now."
"Okay then..." Twilight seemed to glare at Rarity for a bit, before smiling at Dusk. "We'll meet you in a few minutes then."
"Yeah um... see you later." Rarity ushered him along quickly, until they were out of sight of the others. "So, what did you want to see with me Rare?" he asked her.
"Never mind that, that was just a ruse," she said in a hushed voice, checking around. "I've just been talking with Twilight about a... personal matter. Concerning you."
"Personal matter?" He thought for a moment and realised what she meant. "Rarity, tell me you didn't-"
"Don't worry, your secret is safe still," she said quickly. "I kept that little detail out. I was merely testing her, seeing how she responded to the subject of you romantically."
"Right..." Breathing a sigh of relief, he too found himself checking that they were alone, as they approached a balcony overlooking part of the city. "And...?"
"It's difficult to say. It seems you were right about her views of romance. She denies anything but affection for you as a friend, but it is clear that she's not entirely comfortable on the discussion of the subject at all."
"Oh... right... so she doesn't... you know..." A stone seemed to drop in the pit of his stomach. She didn't feel the same way that he did and she most likely never would. Rarity sensed his distress and quickly elaborated.
"Now, now darling, I didn't say that," she corrected. "Despite her saying otherwise, there are some signs that she does harbour something stronger..."
"How do you mean?" he asked her, almost dreading the answer.
"Well, she gains significant colour to her cheeks, she stammers a little, loses her composure and she did agree with me when I mentioned some of your positive qualities," she elaborated smoothly.
"Wow..." He found himself blushing again at the thought of that. "She... kept staring at me before."
"I should think that she's trying to determine what your feelings are for her," she explained. "I think she's trying to calm her mind, because it's possible her own romantic feelings for you are conflicting with her own views on romance."
"Oh... that makes sense." He looked at her admirably. "You really have a detailed eye, don't you?"
"Thank you. In addition, I think you saw how she reacted with you and I going off alone. She was jealous, perhaps a little scared that I might have romantic intentions for you. Not that I do mind, no offense."
"None taken," he chuckled. "So... should I do anything?"
"Not really. Keep doing what your doing, of course, but Twilight will have to untangle her feelings by herself. That's just the way it is."
"Really? So... there is hope?"
"Of course there is," she said softly. "Soon enough Dusk, she'll come around, I am sure of it. Just give her time."
"Okay... you've not steered me wrong yet Rarity, I trust you," he told her. "Right, let's get to the courtyard and wait for the others. And... thanks."
"It was no trouble at all. Lead the way." He did so and the two of them set off, proceeding to discuss how Rarity was enjoying Canterlot.
Whilst they waited in the courtyard for the others, Dusk wasn't sure whether to feel hopeful or ashamed. In essence, it was his fault that Twilight was confused about her emotions like this, if indirectly. But also, there was a chance she might feel something for him... that seemed to light a fire of hope in his chest and raise his spirits a little. At least nothing would spoil his good mood.
Or so he thought.
"Well, well, if it isn't rats-nest moss-mane," said a high, reedy voice from behind them. "And you, that thing on your head. Is that a hat or did a bird's nest fall on you?"
"What? How dare you-" Rarity stopped as she saw their speaker. "Oh, I should have known that you would be here."
Dusk also turned to look at this newcomer. She was a unicorn, or at least he supposed she was, he couldn't see her horn under the pointed hat that she wore. Her fur was a dark blue colour, her mane a bluish white. The cloak and hat she wore were a deep purple, decorated with magical stars. Her eyes sparked with a contemptuous glow, her very stature radiating arrogance and self-importance.
He didn't like to judge, but she'd insulted him and Rarity without provocation. Dislike was brewing for her. Her description struck a chord in his memory however, something that Twilight had once talked about... a unicorn that matched her description... what was her name again?
"Of course I would be here," she replied in that reedy voice of hers. "I would never miss the chance to show how powerful I really am."
"You're still on that?" She turned to Dusk. "Come along Dusk, we don't have to listen to this."
"Wait a sec..." He looked back at the unicorn, who still regarded him with contempt. "By any chance, are you the pony who calls herself the Great and Powerful Trixie?"
"Trixie sees her reputation preceeds her, even amongst the little noponies," she cackled unpleasantly. "But, then again, Trixie would not have expected any less."
"What are you doing here?" Dusk asked, trying to keep his voice level.
"Well, Trixie was hoping to have a little word with her nemesis, one Twilight Sparkle," she elaborated. "Trixie saw her silly little friend here and assumed she would be nearby... but it seems she was mistaken. And who are you? Trixie doesn't recall seeing you in Ponyville with this one."
"My name is Dusk Noir and I was-"
"Oh, what does it matter what your name is. Trixie will vanquish you soon enough, with her show-stopping magnificence. Even an under-sized colt like you does not stand a chance against her might."
"Now wait a minute," said Rarity, stepping in front of Dusk, as he flushed from her insult, "Twilight has already proven just how much of a big-headed boaster you really are and yet you still insist that you're the best?"
"Oh but I am," she said, unperturbed. "Sparkle may have bested me with the Ursa Minor, but Trixie has entered in this contest for years and every year she has won first prize. What chance do you think you have?"
"Every chance," Dusk said firmly. "Twilight beat you that day and she'll beat you again."
"Hmph." She flicked her mane casually. "Sparkle is an amateur when it comes to the stage. Trixie has had years of experience and practice, amazing ponies from here to Las Pegasus. You see how futile your hopes are, to defeat me in the contest?"
"I wasn't talking about me. I'm not even entered, but Twilight-"
"'Not even entered?'" She laughed scornfully at him. "I suppose you heard that Trixie was competing and realised how pointless even trying was. A little cowardly nopony, just as Trixie thought."
"Trixie, I think you've said enough." Rarity stood between them. "Save your empty boasting for the performance tonight. Twilight isn't here and we certainly wouldn't tell you if she was. Now, if you're just going to insult us, I suggest you leave."
"Hiding behind others, I see," she remarked to Dusk. "Well, Trixie has better things to do anyway. I hope you enjoy my performance when I defeat your precious Twilight, little Dusk."
With one last flick of her cape, she strode away, around a corner and out of sight, leaving Dusk and Rarity glaring after her. Dusk's blood was boiling. He had hoped that, if he ever did meet Trixie, she wouldn't be as bad as Twilight had said, but now he had... she was truly unpleasant and rude. All those things she said about him, about his friends... about Twilight. Ooh, if he could get her back... but how?
Nothing physical or violent, nothing hot words could achieve. Only actions would win this, she had to be shown how wrong she was a performer, she loved the spotlight. That was how he could beat her, he was sure of it. Here, today, there was only one possible way he could do that. He did have a few ideas as to what to do...
Dusk's mind soon formulated an idea, a plan to prove her wrong. He would normally have never even considered this, but, in a way, Trixie had convinced him to see things differently. He was going to keep her from winning... he knew exactly what to do.
"I apologise Dusk," said Rarity, once she'd gone. "I assumed that her experience in Ponyville might have taught her a lesson, but she's just as boastful as ever. Are you alright?"
"Yes, I am," Dusk said in a confident tone, turning to go. "Would you excuse me Rarity? I have to do something."
"Oh... not at all," she said, surprised. "What is it, may I ask?"
"I'm going to enter myself in the Contest," Dusk answered. "Nopony talks to or about my friends like that, especially not Twilight, and I'm going to ensure Trixie doesn't even get third place."
It was the evening of the show. The stars were shining in the sky, the moon glowing like a magical orb. The stage was set, the performers were ready and raring to go and Twilight Sparkle was worried. Not so much for herself, but for Dusk, who was pacing nervously back and forth on the other side of the room.
She had been just as surprised as everypony else when they'd learned from Rarity that he would be in the contest, due an encounter with Trixie. They'd seen him briefly afterwards, to wish him luck and tell him he would be great, especially Rarity. After that, he had requested that he be left alone, so that he could practice and keep his display a surprise until the show.
Twilight, however, during all of the support for him, had been in a worried silence, only really giving a smile, but even that was rather forced. He'd made quite clear his views on performing, of getting up on stage and being stared at by all of those ponies. It even made her a little nervous. This sudden change of heart made her concerned for him. She just had images of him, appearing on stage and completely breaking down in front of the audience... in front of the Princesses.
She had managed to track him down before hand, practicing in his old room at the school. She had then desperately tried to talk him out of it, reminding him of what he himself said. He, however, insisted that he had to do it and had asked her to leave, so he could continue with his practicing. She had done so, but reluctantly. Now, it was her last chance to do so.
She walked up to him, but he seemed so engrossed in his own thoughts that he didn't notice her approach.
"Dusk, are you nervous?" He didn't answer. "Dusk?"
"Wha-? Oh!" He snapped out of his reverie and turned to face her. "Sorry Twi... guess I am, yes."
"I am too," she admitted. "No matter how many times I go over my routine, I'm still getting the jitters... I've never performed like this before."
"Really? You never even entered while you were being taught here?"
"I knew about yes," she said, "but I didn't think I was ready to do something like that. I still don't think I am."
"You are," he said simply, yet that was enough to calm her a little. "You're going to be great."
"Thank you... I'm sure you will be too..." She tried to say what she had meant to, but she found herself lost for words now. Dusk, however, seemed to sense there was something more and supplied for her.
"But..."
"You read me like a book," she said with a smile.
"I am as avid a reader as you are," he reminded her. "You still don't feel good about me taking part, do you?"
"Well... it's just... Dusk, you don't have to do this," she repeated once more. "Even if Trixie insulted you, you don't have to do this to prove yourself in some way to anypony."
"Yes, I do Twilight. It's not just because of that, you know I'm not really one for pride," he replied. "Ponies like Trixie, they need to be shown the error of their ways through actions, not words. I want to prove that."
"But there's me and Rarity competing, with our own unique magic."
"And now you have me too," he noted. "I know I'm not really needed but... I want to do my bit. It's... it's sort of personal. I feel like I need to do this, even though I don't have to."
"That doesn't make any sense!" she almost screamed. "Dusk, I just don't want you putting yourself into some kind of risk. Please, just think about this."
He didn't answer her, not at first. He stared at her, a kind of disappointed look on his face. "It's strange..."
"What is?" She was rather piqued by the almost cold tone his voice took.
"I thought you, of all ponies, would have faith in me, that you would do your best to support me in this. Like we've always done with each other up to now. I guess.. I was wrong."
"Dusk..." This caught her off-guard. She hadn't thought about that. "I'm not saying that I don't. I'm just worried about you, I mean... this is big Dusk. This isn't like you. I'm just... concerned."
"I understand why, Twilight. You're right. This isn't something I'd normally do. But... ever since I met you girls, I've done a lot of things I wouldn't normally do, things that have changed me for the better. So... why is that a bad thing?"
Twilight had no answer. While she stood by her argument, determined to look out for her friend, Dusk was right about that. She and him were best friends, sharing so many of the same interests. Was she looking at this wrong? Should she be a little more supportive, despite the circumstances?
"Dusk, I didn't mean to-"
"I thought I might see you here, Sparkle," cut in a reedy voice. Trixie had arrived on the scene. "Ready to be humiliated in front of hundreds by the show stopping skill of the Great and Powerful Trixie?"
"I'm ready to do my best, Trixie," she said firmly. "Are you?"
"Trixie is the best, you don't stand a chance," she boasted. She turned to Dusk. "And you... you decided to enter then? Thank you, you'll make Trixie look even better."
"Believe me, that's not my intention," Dusk responded quietly.
"Oh really?" She laughed dismissively. "So, Trixie sees your cutie mark is a scroll. What's your performance going to be? Reorganising a shelf or reading poetry?"
"Just you wait and see," Dusk said, in what he might have thought was a confident voice, but Twilight could hear his voice shaking underneath.
"Oh Trixie will. We could all do with a good laugh when you fail spectacularly," she cackled. Twilight had heard enough.
"Now wait a minute," she began angrily. "His magic is the most wonderful, beautiful thing I've ever seen. You wouldn't believe it if I told you, but it's enough to put your fireworks, bangs and flashes to shame. He's going to be amazing, just you watch."
Trixie seemed caught off guard by this sudden outburst. She recovered herself however. "Trixie supposes we'll soon see. Trixie shall see you at the awards ceremony, Sparkle, when Trixie will be taking first prize." She stalked off onto the stage, as she was called on to begin her performance.
Twilight glared after Trixie for a few minutes. She really had hoped she would have learned her lesson, but it seemed that her experience in Ponyville had just made her even more unpleasant. Perhaps it was a good thing Dusk would be competing, he would make her eat her words. They all would.
She looked back at him, to see him smiling gratefully.
"Thanks Twi, I needed that... I'm not brilliant with confrontations."
"Anything for my friends," she replied. "I'm still worried about you competing, but you are right. Trixie needs to be taught another lesson and we're going to make sure of that."
"Duly noted." He offered a hoof to bump and she did so, lingering for a little. "We go out, we do our best, we beat Trixie."
"Agreed." She felt happier now that bit of disagreement had been avoided. Then, she realised her hoof was still in contact with his and receded it, blushing slightly.
They waited together in silence, watching as other contestants were called out to perform. Afterwards, they were to go and sit in with the audience, so there were less and less ponies backstage by the minute. Rarity would be on before them, followed by Twilight and finally Dusk. She didn't like the idea of leaving him on his own like that, but she had no choice.
Soon, Rarity was called on to perform. She quickly passed by them before she had to leave.
"Well, time to show these Canterlot ponies true style and grace," she said smartly. "I'll see you both later, break a leg."
"You too," they both said at the same time, eliciting a blush from them both and a smirk from Rarity. She turned to Dusk.
"Just keep calm and remember what you've practiced. I'm sure it will be wonderful," she encouraged, stepping gracefully out onto the stage.
Twilight could still remember the conversation they'd had after they'd entered, as they'd been walking through the streets of Canterlot. They'd been discussing Dusk, but not in the way she might have liked. She'd asked her if she considered him to be attractive. At first, Twilight thought Applejack must have said something to her, but then caught herself. Of course she wouldn't have.
Rarity had been saying about how she considered him to be good-looking, intelligent, polite, good-natured, all-in-all a good stallion. Twilight agreed with her, though she didn't say it out loud and had tried to avoid questions directed at her about him. For some reason, she felt annoyed whenever Rarity mentioned anything she found attractive about him. Was she interested in Dusk like that? More to the point, why did that matter to her? She didn't have romantic feelings for Dusk... did she?
She had been trying to find other explanations for her constant thoughts about him, but she always came back to the same conclusion. Though she didn't want to, slowly but surely, she was being forced to accept that... maybe she did. But if she did... what was she meant to do? Did he feel the same? Should she tell him, ask what he thought? This was so confusing!
"Twi? Twi, you're up." Dusk's voice brought her back to reality. Butterflies fluttering in her stomach, she made her way there, looking back once more at Dusk, who smiled. "Break a leg."
"Thanks... see you later." Taking a deep breath, she stepped on stage to appreciative applause from the audience.
Her eyes travelled to see who was watching her, so many unfamiliar faces... then she saw her friends, waving and smiling at her and immediately felt better. The judges were seated before the stage, two of which really were part of the board that judged her for her entrance exam, though they seemed a little more bright now. Also seated was her teacher, Celestia and the younger Luna, who was looking a little bigger than when she last saw her. Both of them were smiling as Twilight began.
Using volunteers from the audience, she performed from her list of twenty-five different magic tricks she could do, demonstrating hair growth, minor and moderate levitation, alteration of an object, sheild magic, among others, and finishing off with teleportation to the back of the audience and back to the stage. She found herself flushed with pride, as everypony cheered her performance.
Still smiling, she exited the stage and went to sit with her friends, all of whom were supportive and amazed from her display of skills. Twilight thanked them, still feeling red in the face and sat to watch the final performance: Dusk Noir's
"Great performin' there," said Applejack. "Ya kept yer head, showed 'em yer stuff an' left feelin' proud. Ya put in some good work there."
"Yeah, sure as hay beat Trixie's performance," added Rainbow. "I think you got her on the ropes now."
"Fabulous performance, darling," Rarity remarked. "You truly outdid yourself and I think to managed to turn a few heads."
"Thanks, you were great too," she said to her friend. "The way you dressed that couple up in regal ball clothes truly showed your skill with cloth and fabric. I think you really helped brighten up their evening."
"Yes, they did seem quite flustered when they left, didn't they?" she noted. "I certainly hope that I did."
"Now... there's just Dusk..." She glanced at the empty seat they were saving for him. "Do you think he'll do okay?"
"Twilight, you and I have both seen his work and how unique it is, we all have. I'm sure he's prepared a spectacular puppet show for all to see, though it is somewhat more sophisticated than an entertainer with marionettes."
"You're always supportive of him, aren't you?" she asked.
"We all are, within reason," she reminded her. "He's had no friends for his whole life, so I would say that he's earned it, wouldn't you?"
"Yes... yes, of course..." Her eyes flickered again back to the seat and Rarity's expression softened.
"He'll be fine. You'll see," she assured her.
"I hope so... I just can't help but worry about him," she mumbled.
"I understand," said Rarity, in a way that let on more than what she said. She only gave a knowing smile at her blush and turned her attention to the stage.
"Alright, let's see what he's made of," whispered Rainbow, as he stepped nervously out onto the stage.
"Oh my, I hope he's not too frightened. I'd be terrified if I were in his position," murmered Fluttershy, who probably understood Dusk's feelings almost as much as Twilight. The two of them were fairly similar.
"Well, hooves crossed everypony, let's see what he does," Applejack said, ending the discussions, Dusk taking centre stage.
He stood there on the stage, removing his trilby so his horn was visible. He then nodded to somepony off-stage and closed his eyes, his horn beginning to glow. A formless red shape appeared in the air that began to mould itself, just as a dramatic orchestral piece started to play.
Everypony gasped as they saw what had taken shape, Twilight only recognising what it was from the books Dusk had shown her. It was the being known as Discord that took form before them, in a blood-red colour, sparkling in the night. Twilight knew it was his puppet show, but she knew the story that he was telling with it. She began to view it in the context of the show.
His mouth opened and he threw his head back in silent laughter. As he did so, he conjured up marionette holders and laughed further, as he played with little ponies that were attached to the strings, an Earth pony, a Pegasus and a Unicorn. They were jumping and dancing, helpless to stop him toying with them like his playthings: Equestria as it was under his rule.
Discord did this for a good few seconds, until two others crashed down from above. Bright white and darkest blue, she knew them as Princesses Celestia and Luna, there to challenge Discord's reign of chaos. Discord saw them, stopped his amusement, pointed at them and laughed further. The two alicorns stood their ground, ready to fight. Finally, Discord seemed to realise that they weren't kidding around and, rather casually, met them in battle, flying up above the audience, everypony craning their heads above to see.
As the music rose in crescendo, a choir singing in accompaniment, Celestia charged forward to attack, the power of the sun shining with her. The beam struck Discord dead-on in a bright flash, eliciting another gasp from the audience. The draconequus, however, caught the beam in his hands, turning it into a pile of custard pies. He promptly then pelted Celestia with them, seemingly exploding on contact, injuring her and knocking her down, Discord laughing all the while.
Luna was next up the plate, flapping her wings and charging with her horn before her. Flashes of lightning emerged from all sides, striking Discord. The lord of chaos countered this attack by holding an umbrella, the wrong way around, above his head and absorbing the bolts of electricity into it. Flicking it casually, the bolts were sent back at Luna, as she tried desperately to dodge them. Despite her efforts, she was struck three times and fell with her sister.
This part continued on, with each Princess trying and failing to fight Discord, with blinding flashes and streaks of colourful magic. Only once did they combine their powers, having Discord on the run for a bit, before he beat them again. Growing bored from them, Discord struck them down one more time, saw they didn't get back up and left them, forlorn and defeated. It seemed as if their fair rulers would have to give in, for Discord was too powerful tor them.
Then, six orbs of light appeared in the air before them, all of different colours. The Elements of Harmony. They gazed in wonder, as each shone in turn: Honesty, Kindness, Laughter, Generosity, Loyalty and Magic. They hovered around them, three to each Princess, before melding into them, making them shine even brighter than before, the Elements imbuing them with their power. The Princesses gazed at each other, nodded and flew off, halting before Discord once more.
He laughed to see them again. The music was beginning to build to a climax. They mimed actions, giving him a chance to stand down and surrender, but he refused, chortling scornfully. They nodded to each other again, glowing even more brightly. As they did, the encircled Discord, flying faster and faster. He seemed to grow wary, tried to leave, but he was trapped by a light, growing brighter with every second. Finally, he was consumed by it, forcing the audience to shield their eyes from the blindness, as the chanting reached its pinnacle.
When it cleared, the Princesses descended back to the stage, Discord now having changed colour to grey, frozen in place. He had been turned to stone. The statue vanished and the Princesses relinquished the Elements, sitting on golden thrones that had appeared behind them. They then vanished too; Dusk opened his eyes and the music now stopped. Harmony had triumphed over chaos. The show was over.
For a long moment, there was a silence. Twilight, who had been so absorbed in the puppets, was bought back to reality. She began to fret for Dusk, who looked unsurely around on stage. At first, she thought nothing would happen. She knew what to do. Beaming at him, she stomped her hooves in applause.
Her friends soon followed, as did the entire crowd after a few minutes, cheering the loudest they had for any other act. They clearly hadn't been expecting that. Dusk was red in the face, placing his hat back on and bowing humbly, before walking off-stage. It didn't take him long to reach their seats, with Twilight and the girls all greeting him, as everypony else was still in discussion of the performance they'd just witnessed.
"Bravo Dusk, bravo!" praised Rarity, who was closest. "That was utterly spell-binding, if you'll pardon the pun."
"Golly, ah knew y'all were good with yer puppets, but ya sure have outdone yerself tonight sugarcube," added Applejack.
"It was nice but... did it have to be so loud... the music made it scary," said Fluttershy timidly. "I mean, I still liked it but um... it was nice..."
"Oh come on Fluttershy, 'nice' is an understatement," berated Rainbow. "That was simply, truly, radical!"
"Radical is an understatement!" squealed Pinkie. "That was... that was... I dunno what it was, but I'm gonna find out, look up in a dictionary and find out, even if I have to make up a whole new word just to say how... whatever it was it was!"
All the while, Dusk remained modestly silent, simply smiling from all of the praise. His eyes sought Twilight, giving her a smile that made her heart glow. She returned it as best she could, silent praise and understanding passing between them.
Unable to resist, Twilight looked over to where Trixie sat, who had done pretty much the same stuff she'd done in Ponyville for her performance. She had looked dismissive of her own display last time she saw her, but it was quite clear she too was amazed by how well Dusk had done, though she was trying hard not to show it. She caught Twilight looking at her, put on her self-confident smug smile again and looked away. Now, they just had to wait...
After a while, everypony was quiet again. The judges were now up on stage to announce the winners, a startled looking Luna taking centre-stage at the encouragement of her sister. She composed herself, drew herself to her fullest height and spoke in a loud, booming voice.
"Fillies and gentlecolts, citizens of Canterlot! We have been in deep discussion, over who should take the prizes of this contest and we have come to our decisions! The envelope please!"
The startled, almost frightened judge levitated the envelope to her, which she opened with her magic. She read it, allowing for dramatic suspense.
"In third place, receiving the bronze ring... Treble Cleft!"
A green unicorn stallion, who had used his magic to play an orchestral piece with multiple instruments, by himself, stood up proudly to receive the ring, placing it proudly on his horn and standing on the stage.
"In second place, for the silver wand... Dusk Noir!"
Everypony applauded once more, as Dusk was utterly dumbstruck, his mouth hanging open. Though he had done his best, he clearly hadn't expected to win anything. A grin slowly growing on his features, he beamed at them all, tears shining in his eyes, as he hurried up to the stage, accepting the wand and standing next to Treble, returning to his usual modest expression and smile. All the while, his eyes never left Twilight and hers never left his.
"And finally, in first place, receiving the grand prize of the golden staff..." Everypony leaned forward, Trixie actually preparing to stand up and walk to the stage. "... Twilight Sparkle!"
The applause was even louder, as Twilight too was completely shocked. She knew she was good at magic, but she never would have expected this. Her friends were the loudest, clearly heard over the din. Somepony gave her a sharp nudge and, rather giddily, stepping up to the stage. She was unable to keep the smile off her face, as accepted the staff from the Princess, stood next to Dusk and beamed out across to her friends.
Then she saw Trixie, frozen in disbelief, at a loss for words. She glanced at Dusk, who grinned with her. How could she have ever been worried?
The train rattled across the tracks on its way back to Ponyville, back down from the heights of the mountains. The girls were all sleeping soundly in their seats, just until they got back. The only member of their group not snoozing soundly in his seat was at the back of the train, watching the lights of Canterlot fade and levitating his prize before him.
Dusk had never felt so proud of himself. He never even suspected that his talent would get him anything in life, let alone a prize at a contest. Yet here he was, holding the silver wand, which he had won. Him alone. It wasn't the golden staff, but he didn't mind. He was happy with what he had achieved.
There was one thing though. All the while he'd been on stage; Luna had been looking at him with a curious expression on her face. She never spoke to him afterward, apart from to offer brief congratulations, but had simply gazed at him, like he was some strange creature she'd never seen before... or something familiar. For now, Dusk paid it no mind. He was still revelling in his triumph and didn't want anything to spoil it.
Trixie had, of course, cornered him afterward and demanded to know how he did that. Gladly, he told her of the circumstances of his magic, how he had never learned it but it had always been with him. Then, he offered her a hoof to shake in friendship, as she had done her best too and he didn't want there to be ill feelings for each other. She had batted it away, vowing that, one day, she would get her own back somehow, on both of them, for stealing her 'rightful place.' Would she ever learn?
Pinkie had, of course, suggested a party to celebrate. They all agreed that it was too late and just decided to go home. That certainly sounded good to Dusk, though he would miss Canterlot. Now, when he returned, it would be for the Grand Galloping Gala. Only a few more months...
"I thought I might find you here." He turned to see that Twilight had joined him, a proud smile on her face and still with the staff. "Deep thinking again?"
"You know me," he replied. "Well done again for winning first, you should be proud of yourself."
"Oh I am, but that's not all I'm happy about." She walked beside him, leaning on the rails. "You won something of your own too and I'm very proud of you."
"It was just a contest," Dusk mumbled, "it's not that big of a deal..."
"Yes it is and I'm not just referring to the contest. You took something else away today."
"And what's that?"
"You learned a lesson that I did a while ago, that there are times when it's good to show off your talent, especially when you use it to stand up for your friends," she said happily.
"Huh... I guess so..."
"But I think you also taught me another lesson about friendship."
"Really? What?"
"That, sometimes, when something important needs to be done for a friend, you need to step out of your comfort zone, to do something that you might not normally do. When that happens, you shouldn't try to discourage them, like I did..."
"You didn't really..." he put in, but she shook her head.
"I think I did. I should have supported you more, had a little more faith in you. I'm sorry."
"It's okay," he dismissed, the incident already forgotten and forgiven, "you were just trying to look out for me, like any good friend would."
"You did a good thing today, and I don't regret you doing it." She cocked her head to one side. "You changed today, I think."
"How do you mean?"
"By doing something you wouldn't normally, you changed yourself for the better. you've become an even better pony and friend. You've really grown today Dusk and... I'm proud of you." She held out her legs and he accepted her hug. "Thank you, for standing up to Trixie with me."
"It was my pleasure. Anything for my friends, especially you."
"Yes, you do that a lot..." She gazed into his eyes for a few minutes, then remembered herself and broke away, her cheeks flushed. "Anyway, I'll write that report when we're back home. For now... I think you and I have earned a rest. Mind if I stay with you?"
"Not at all. I'm... glad of the company."
Together, they watched as Canterlot drifted away, both of them proud of the lesson they'd learned and the work that they had done. |
Brand New Dusk | Green Isn't Your Colour | Usually, Dusk would be in the library with Twilight and Spike, helping her with her studies, handing things to her or just reading a book. Today, however, he was at the Carousel Boutique with the two of them, along with Pinkie, Rarity and Fluttershy, assisting the debutante with a very important event. The famous photographer Photo Finish was coming, Rarity was displaying her work for her and Fluttershy was her model.
Dusk had never seen her so tense and worried before. Her temper was short, as was her eye for even the most minute detail that could spoil everything. He felt a little sorry for poor Fluttershy, who was under quite a bit of pressure in an environment she was uncomfortable with. Every now and again, her gaze would flick to him and he would give her a reassuring smile, so she was a little more relaxed.
Ever since he'd performed at Canterlot, Dusk had become something of a symbol of confidence for her. He himself was a little more outspoken as a result of it. he was still a little shy and equally modest, qualities he shared with the cream-coloured Pegasus, but he had gained some confidence since then. As such, he was there as a source of comfort for her, for obvious reasons. She'd actually come over to his house and asked him to be there, so that she might feel less nervous about it. He was only too happy to oblige.
"Hm... She's going to want to see attitude and pizzazz," Rarity was telling Fluttershy.
"A-a-attitude and, um... pizzazz," she repeated nervously.
"More light! It has to catch the sequins just so or the whole outfit is just a disaster." Twilight quickly obliged, using her magic to expand the light above Fluttershy. "Oh, and the headdress need more feathers. Pinkie Pie! More feathers!" Pinkie bounced over with a basket of feathers, that Rarity placed into the headdress. Her eyes examined the tiny jewels worked into it. "Dusk, gem simulation!"
Dusk swiftly obeyed, using his colour magic to create the effect of tiny sparkling gems. This was so Rarity could get an idea of what they would look like, before she tried working them into the dress. She instructed him where to place them, adjusting every tiny little detail. Finally, she fixed in a few more on the hem and shooed him away from the pedestal, Dusk renaming silent so not to aggravate her.
"And sequins! More sequins!" Spike pranced over with a bowl of them, which she sprinkled on Fluttershy. "And more ribbon!" He placed it on. "Oh no! Less ribbon." He removed it. "No! More ribbon." And back again. "Oh, this hem is completely off. PINCUSHION!"
Spike sped away, returning with pins stuck in his back. Dusk grimaced a little, despite his knowledge that dragon scales were thick enough to protect them from molten lava. Rarity placed them on the hem and shooed him away too, her expression softening a little
"Thank you all for helping me. I'm sorry to be so short with you, but I'm... I'm just so nervous."
"Understandable Rarity," Dusk voiced. "Don't worry, I'm sure Photo Finish will love this dress, along with all of your work."
"Thank you Dusk, that's nice of you to say so," she smiled at him. Dusk caught Twilight briefly glaring at Rarity, until Spike returned, still with the pins in his back.
"Oh, doesn't that hurt?" she asked him.
"Thick scales," he said promptly. "Can't feel a thing. And even if I could, there is no pain that would keep me from assisting the most beautiful creature in the world."
Twilight groaned in exasperation and rolled her eyes, Dusk merely smiling. Her reaction made him worry a little. Would that be how she viewed anypony who fawned over somepony else like that? Dusk pushed that thought aside before it could settle and fester.
"Hey Dusk, do you think we can trust these two?" Spike asked him, gesturing his head to Rarity. Dusk knew what he was referring to.
"I think so, my brother in library-assistantship," nodded Dusk.
"Okay then, bro." He turned to Twilight and Pinkie. "I'm gonna tell you two a secret, I've already trusted Dusk with it. But you have to promise not to tell anyone."
"I promise," vowed Twilight.
"Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye," promised Pinkie.
Spike beckoned them to come closer. Then closer again. Then again, until they were right next to his head. Although Dusk couldn't hear him from where he was, he found himself mouthing the words regardless, smiling again.
"I have a crush on Rarity!" Twilight reacted with a frown that said 'well duh.' Pinkie, however, gasped and shoved her hooves in her mouth.
"We won't say a word!"
"Give me a break. Everypony already knows how you-"
"Twilight!" Pinkie scorned, cutting her off. "You promised Spike you wouldn't say anything. He trusts you. And losing a friend's trust is the fastest way to lose a friend forever!"
"But-"
"FOREVER!"
"My lips are sealed. Though I'm pretty sure Rarity is gonna pick up on your feelings," she noted, as Spike wore a t-shirt with Rarity in a love heart at the centre. Wait, what? He hadn't been wearing that before. How did he-?
There was no time to consider this mystery further, as the bell rang to announce an entry of their esteemed guest, with two mare assistants. She wore a black dress, with white and pink finishes on the hem. Her white mane was set in a neatly organised bob, reaching up to ear length. Her eyes were covered by large-framed pink glasses, hiding them from view. She carried herself with self-assured confidence, as most elite would, but Dusk had to stuff his hooves in his mouth to stop himself sniggering from her get-up. Twilight noticed, stifling a giggle herself.
"I, Photo Finish... have awwived," she announced, with a thick accent, though Dusk couldn't determine its origin.
"Let me just say, what an honor-" Rarity stopped as Finish walked straight past her, rudely ignoring her and focusing her attention on Fluttershy. She popped a collpasable camera from her suitcase and pointed it at her.
"We begin... NOW!" she declared.
The photo shoot was over quickly. Rarity tried to mime to Fluttershy poses to do, but Finish didn't like them, apparently only interested when she looked her most timid and reserved, which was whenever she rejected a move. At least she was trying her best. After only about four or five photos, she collpased her camera again and moved to confer with the other two.
Dusk and Twilight exchanged a look. This didn't bode well. Either she only needed a few photos or she didn't like Rarity's work. The mare in question removed Fluttershy's feathered headress, looking forlorn.
"I'm so sorry. I tried my best," said Fluttershy sadly.
"Well, the headdress is too big for you and cape had too much sparkle," replied Rarity, equally disappointed. "I can't believe I ever thought I could impress her."
However, the photographer returned with surprising news. "It seems that I, Photo Finish, haff found a next fashion star here in Ponyville."
"Really?" Rarity asked, hardly daring to believe it.
"Yes. Really. And I, Photo Finish, am going to help her to shine all over Eqvestria. Tomorrow a photo shoot in ze park." She stood frozen in place for a few seconds then: "I go!" With that announcement, she dashed off with her stylists.
"Did you hear that?" whispered Rarity, looking after her. "I am going to "shine all over Equestria"."
"Clearly, she has good taste," remarked Dusk. "I told you she'd love your line of fashion."
"Yes... yes you did." She squealed with excitement. "Oh, this is absolutely marvellous!"
"Oh, Rarity. I was so worried I'd ruined everything," said Fluttershy, relieved.
"Oh, never. I knew you'd be perfect." Unable to contain her excitement, Rarity squealed and bounced up and down on Spike's tail, though the dragon in question was so love-struck, he didn't seem to care. Twilight nodded to Dusk, who promptly dragged him away.
A few minutes later, Twilight and Dusk were on their way back to the library. Spike had volunteered to stay behind to help Rarity clear up, hearts floating in his eyes all the while. Twilight had let him, with another roll of her eyes, leaving him to it.
"Don't you think it's a little, that Spike considers his crush a secret when it's so obvious how he feels?" she asked him.
"Not to him it isn't. I respect that and so should you."
"I do," she insisted quickly, "but you have to admit, it is rather obvious."
"I suppose you're right," Dusk nodded, "as usual."
"I'm not always right."
"Most times you are. As they say, Twilight's always right in love and war."
"Who says that?"
"I do."
"Dusk..." She giggled at his kidding, playing along. "Okay, how am I right where love is concerned."
"Well," said Dusk, "you spend months, doting and fawning with somepony, knowing how they feel about you, before discovering they don't feel the same and feeling devastated. Result: wasted time, broken heart and Twilight is right once more."
While he was playing along with this hypothetical discussion, he deliberately said it like that, as a way of a test of sorts. Would she disagree or perhaps disprove it, giving indication of how she might feel for him?
"I suppose," she said, making his hopes plummet, until: "But... that's not completely true."
"Really?" It was a chance, it had to be. "How so?"
"I don't think all romance is silly. If two ponies are right for each other and do feel the same way, then that's wonderful."
"I see, yes..." Would it be going too far to push further? "Any uh... examples?"
"Um..." Her cheeks went red and she avoided his gaze, quickly saying. "I mean, nopony we know but uh... it just makes sense! Uh, right?"
"Yes, I suppose so." He felt a little disappointed from the lack of result, but it had to be something. Deciding to change the subject, he said: "Do you think Rarity really will 'shine all over Equestria?'"
"Well, Photo Finish seems to think so." She seemed quite relieved to talk about something else, as they arrived back at the library. "We'll go and find out tomorrow how well it went."
"Good plan," he agreed, holding the door for her. "Right, back to work. Did you want to do that study session then?"
"Ooh yes!" she said excitedly. "I'll get the books and we can get started."
"As you wish, Miss Sparkle," he obeyed, pulling one down from the shelf and beginning to quiz her on transformation spells. His work might not make him famous, not that he wanted fame, but it was still enjoyable.
The next day, Twilight, Pinkie, Spike and Dusk dropped in on Rarity to see how the photo shoot in the park went. Dusk had went along quickly to offer support for Fluttershy, but he hadn't been able to stay for the whole thing due to work. So, he was just as surprised as the others when they discovered it wasn't Rarity Finish wanted to work with, but Fluttershy.
After sewing a dark, hooded robe, she'd asked to be left alone. Dusk did want to comfort her, but understood her disappointment. After all, he'd experienced it himself once upon a time. They obliged, though Dusk had to drag Spike out when he tried to sneak back in.
Fluttershy, meanwhile, became an instant modelling star overnight. Soon, everypony knew her name, as her pictures started appearing everywhere. She was on the covers of various, newspapers magazines, food and drink products. It was incredible how popular she had become. As such, they didn't get to see much of her anymore, as she was always being kept busy by different events and photo shoots.
Their group was all happy for her success, with the exception of two individuals: Dusk and Rarity. In the latter's case, it was rather clear that she was jealous of her success. Rarity never spoke much of Fluttershy and when her name was mentioned, her eye twitched and her smile was forced. She hid it well, but Dusk could spot it, if he looked carefully.
Dusk, however, was more concerned for Fluttershy herself. She couldn't stand being the centre of attention and now that was practically all she did. It seemed very unlikely that she was enjoying this, let alone that she'd agreed to it in the first place.
At first, he thought he was just being protective of her. Maybe she actually was enjoying her new-found fame and he was just worrying over nothing. However, that changed when he saw bumped into her on the streets of Ponyville, a panicked expression on her features.
"Fluttershy? What's-" He looked over her shoulder to see a mob of photographers and fans storming after her. "Quickly, follow me."
She complied quietly, as they sprinted down an alleyway, up ahead of the mob. As they turned and reached the exit, he pushed her behind a bin, instructing her to stay out of sight. Making sure his horn was covered up, he made a puppet of Fluttershy appear next to him, just as the mob rounded the corner.
"There you are! Look, there she goes!" He instructed it to run, which it did. "Hurry, you can still catch her!"
"You heard him, let's go!" Dusk had to leap aside not to be trampled underhoof from the sheer mass of ponies. Once they had gone, he beckoned her out.
"Oh Dusk, thank you so much," she said quietly, giving him a gentle hug. "I-I-"
"It's okay, I was happy to help. Go, run. Find somewhere else to hide, quickly!"
"Right, okay. Thank you again, I'm sorry..." She hurried away as fast as she could, leaving Dusk alone with his thoughts. That confirmed his suspicions.
"Well, ya never know Dusk," Applejack said, as he told her his views on this a few hours later. "Maybe she's gotten used ta the attention an' she's jus' enjoyin' it."
"I don't think so," he replied. "She looks rather miserable in those pictures to me and when that mob was chasing her. It isn't like her to do something like this."
"Ponies change Dusk, like yerself," she pointed out. "Ah mean, think about the contest. Ya wouldn't have normally done that, but ya did. Ya got on stage yerself when ya never thought ya would."
"I suppose so, maybe," he said unsurely, as he paid for the apple he bought. The box, once more, had Fluttershy's face on it. "I still don't know... by the way, that was a one-off. I'm never doing anything like that again..."
"Really, how come?" She cocked her head at him. "Ya did pretty well."
"I know and I did like that I achieved something, but I still didn't like getting up there." He shuddered as he remembered how nervous he felt. "All of those faces staring and watching, even if they did like it..."
"If ya say so," she said, not arguing with him. "Well, if ya are worried about Fluttershy, ya might get the chance ta talk ta her tomorrow. She an' Rarity have regular get-tagether at the spa."
"Hm... Twilight mentioned about going to the spa tomorrow. Maybe I'll go along with her then." With that thought in his head, he set off back down the road. "Thanks for the talk and the apple."
"No problem, sugarcube," she assured. When he returned to the library, he proposed his idea to Twilight, who thought it was an excellent idea and said she would be glad of the added company.
At first, Dusk had his doubts about it. This was mainly because that most stallions didn't exactly spend their time at spas. He even said so to Twilight, who reminded him that he wasn't 'most stallions'. A trip to a spa was just as good for stallions as it was for mares. Besides, he would be with his friends, so it wouldn't be so bad. His friends wouldn't think any less of him because he took in 'girly' pastimes and neither would she.
As such, Dusk felt better about it when they arrived the next day, leaving his hat and necklace with a spa attendant, telling her to treat them carefully and slipping into a woollen white robe. He followed her into main body of the spa, thinking maybe at least one of the baths would be quite relaxing.
They spotted Rarity in one of the hot tubs, a pink towel wrapped around her mane. The only surprise she expressed at the sight of him was a slight widening of the eyes, but she said nothing else, which Dusk was thankful for. At least Twilight was right about that.
"My hooves are getting positively pruney, I've been waiting here so long." She showed her one of them, her expression hardening. "Obviously Fluttershy's just too busy with her new career to spend time with her best friend."
"I'm sure she just got tied up," placated Twilight.
"Of course she did. She's a big bright shining star! I wish that star would burn out."
"Rarity!" Dusk knew she was jealous, but he never expected this. "How can you say that?"
"Fluttershy is your friend," put in Twilight, just as shocked.
"I know, I know. And I should be happy for her, but instead I'm just... jealous! Oh, please promise you won't tell her I feel this way. Please, please, pleasepleasePLEASE!"
"You have my word," Twilight vowed. "Losing a friend's trust is the fastest way to lose a friend."
"Forever?" prompted Dusk, with a chuckle, which turned into a yell when somepony burst out of the bucket of sponges next to him.
"Hey! Stop stealing my lines with your psychic powers!" yelled Pinkie, as she sank back into their yellow depths, glaring at him.
Deciding not to comment on this, Dusk removed his robe as Rarity stepped out behind a changing screen. Departing from the spa in a beautiful white dress, she left Dusk and Twilight alone, the latter of the two climbing into the bath.
"Have a lovely time, you two," she said to them as she left, giving a swift wink. Neither of them replied to this, they only blushed.
Dusk tentatively put his hoof in, testing the temperature, before sliding in himself. He let out a long sigh, as a wave of utter relaxation swept through his whole body from the warm water.
"I told you you'd like it." Twilight smiled in amusement, as she closed her eyes to begin relaxing herself. Dusk was about to follow suit, when they were disturbed once more.
"Rarity! I'm so sorry I'm..." She stopped when she saw it was only Dusk and Twilight. "Oh no. She's already gone, isn't she?"
"Sorry," Twilight said sincerely.
"Oh, I can't believe this. I am so frustrated I could just scream." She drew in a deep breath and let out her 'scream'. Even that was more of a quiet squeak.
"I don't suppose that did the trick?" asked Dusk.
"No." She fluttered up to them gently. "Can I tell you both something?
"Of course."
"What's on your mind?" prompted Dusk. This had been what he had come for after all.
"You promise not to tell Rarity?" she asked.
"We swear," Twilight promised.
"Pinkie Pie-swear?"
"Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my- AARGH!" She ended up poking herself in the eye on the last bit.
"Don't worry, I did that too," murmured Dusk quietly. "Anyway, go ahead."
"I don't like being a model. No, I hate being a model. All this attention is awful, just awful. And I'm only doing it because Rarity told me I must. I must! I MUST!" She gave a forlorn sigh. "I must..."
"Aw, Fluttershy... if it makes you feel any better, I'd feel exactly the same." He placed a comforting hoof on her shoulder. She gazed up at him gratefully for his understanding.
"I suppose it does... thank you Dusk."
"Ahem." Twilight's expression was rather hard, almost jealous, at first, but then it flickered back to casual, her cheeks flushed. " Anyway..." She checked around, then beckoned Fluttershy in closer. "If you wanna know the truth, Rarity-"
"Uh, Twi..." Dusk gestured silently to the sponges and shook his head. "Why don't we talk about this outside?"
"Oh! Yes, good idea," she agreed, eyeing the bucket as they exited the bath. Dusk felt a little disappointed their relaxing session had to be cut short, but his friends came first.
They stepped outside into Ponyville, Dusk once again wearing his hat and necklace. Fluttershy was also dressed in a wide-brimmed flowered hat with sunglasses on her face. The disguise, remarkably, seemed to work, as nopony mobbed her again.
Twilight was the first to speak up. "I was just thinking. If you really don't like being a model, you could always quit."
"Oh, no. I could never do such a thing. Rarity would be devastated."
"But Rarity told me... "
At this point, Pinkie Pie burst out of an apple cart. She glared at Twilight, chewing on an apple in a menacing way by way of warning. Dusk watched her warily as they continued on.
"Do you think her Pinkie sense warns her about secrets about to be given away?" murmured Dusk to Twilight.
"I wouldn't put it past her," she replied, looking rather frustrated at Pinkie's vigilance.
" Oh, if only all these ponies didn't like me so much. Photo Finish wouldn't want me to model anymore. She'd find somepony else with... the magic!" she gestured dramatically.
"I suppose so... wait..." That got his mind spinning. "Possibly... maybe we could... yes, that's it!" He faced Twilight, who had the same look on her face as he did. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"
"I think I might be," she said excitedly.
"What? What is it?" Fluttershy was looking from one to the other, unsure as to how to react.
"Well," began Twilight, "On your own, you can't do anything unattractive..."
"...but if Twilight and I use our magic to make you do something unattractive..."
"...no-one would want you to model anymore..."
"...meaning you can go back to normal!" finished Twilight, with a big grin to Dusk. "And I won't have to-"
"Exactly!" Dusk cut her off before she could say that bit next. "How does that sound?"
"That sounds like a good plan... do you really think it'll work?"
"Of course it will, trust us," assured Twilight.
"Okay, I trust you both. I'm going to get home, before anypony notices me. My next catwalk is tomorrow so...
"We'll see you then," promised Dusk with a smile, as she walked off tentatively. Once she had gone, Twilight let out an audible sigh.
"I really hope this plan works. Keeping both their secrets is hard, especially when just telling each other how they feel would fix this. Now, we can't even say."
"Quite a dilemma," agreed Dusk. "Don't worry, together we can pull this off. Come on, let's go and ask Pinkie what she thinks of this."
"You really think it'll work?" asked Fluttershy on the day of the photo shoot. Both Dusk and Twilight were standing backstage, which they managed to gain access to as friends of Fluttershy, waiting to act on their part.
"They love you for being you. So all we have to do is make you not be you."
"Just leave it to us," Dusk put in.
"Okay. Thank you, both of you..." Taking in a deep breath, she walked out to face the cameras and the ponies waiting for her. Once she was out on stage, Dusk and Twilight moved into action.
Using magic, both levitation and behavioural spells, they made Fluttershy as unattractive as possible. Dusk did things like make her slide along the floor, trip over and walk upside-down, whilst Twilight made her pick her nose, bark and scratch like a dog and talk like a mule.
Dusk hated doing this to Fluttershy, making her look so ridiculous and undignified. He kept telling himself that it was for her own good and that she would ultimately benefit from it. At least it was working, as the crowd was now starting to boo and hiss at her display.
The two of them exchanged a smile. Their plan was working, it would just need a little more-
"Bravo! I say bravo!" That was Rarity! She was actually cheering for Fluttershy, despite all that she had said, even if this was an opportunity to see her career end. "Such attitude! Such pizzazz! She's invented an entirely new kind of modelling! Bravo!"
"No!" Twilight despaired, as the crowd actually began to cheer and clap for her. They met her in her dressing room, where she looked more distressed than ever.
"This is awful. Just awful! Somehow I've become more popular than ever. Oh, I'm so frustrated I could just kick something!" She did so, but the offending vase merely wobbled without falling.
"I'm so sorry, Fluttershy," Dusk said to her sadly.
"It's okay Dusk, you and Twilight both tried your best." She sighed again. "If only Rarity didn't want me to be a model so badly..."
"But Rarity...!" Twilight shoved a hoof in her mouth, just as Rarity burst into the dressing room.
"Fluttershy! Are you all right?"
"I'm great!" she said in a strained voice. "I'm a super famous fashion model. Why wouldn't I be great?"
"Because you ha...!" Twilight shoved both hooves in her mouth, gazing desperately at Dusk.
"Don't worry, just a little longer," Dusk whispered to her. Out of instinct, he glanced around for Pinkie.
"Out there on the runway," continued Rarity, "everyone was turning on you and... Oh... oh, Fluttershy. It's so awful. I wanted them to."
"You did?!"
"Of course she did! Because...!" Now it was fruit from a basket that she used to muffle herself.
" I'm jealous!" admitted Rarity. "I wanted all the attention. And instead it was going to you. I even started hoping that you would do something silly so your modelling career would be over. But then, when it started happening, all I could think was how could I want you to fail at something you love so much?"
"But... Fluttershy doesn't... Ugh!" Barely able to contain herself, she shoved her head in a plant pot, Dusk completely at a loss as to what to do. Thinking some truths were about to be revealed, he simply sat back and watched the two of them.
"Love? Oh, Rarity. I hate being a model." she finally said.
"You do?"
"More than anything."
"Then why did you keep doing it?"
"I was afraid if I quit, you'd be mad at me for not wanting to... "shine all over Equestria"."
"And I thought if I told you how jealous I was of your success, you'd think I was a terrible friend."
" Never!"
Watching the whole thing, Dusk couldn't help but chuckle a bit, earning a curious glance from both of them
"What?" asked Rarity.
"Nothing," Dusk said. "It's just the irony that, if you had just been honest with each other, rather than keeping your feelings secret, this might never have happened."
"I suppose... it was rather silly of us," Fluttershy admitted with a giggle.
"I promise never to keep my feelings in secret again."
"Me too. " Then, they both vowed simultaneously. "Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye."
"You were brilliant. Brilliant!" Photo Finish had just arrived on the scene, beside herself with excitement. "I've already got six photo shoots lined up for tomorrow aloon."
"I'm sorry, Photo Finish, but I don't think I'll be able to make any of them," said Fluttershy with a smile.
"Wat?"
Mimicking Finish, both Rarity and Fluttershy said, "We go!" Laughing all the while, the two of them left, leaving only Finish, Dusk and Twilight, who still had her head in the plant pot.
"Vat has just happened?" asked the photographer unsurely.
"Spike has a crush on Rarity!" Twilight covered her mouth as she realised what she had blurted out, just as Pinkie Pie appeared... in the mirror.
"And you were doing so well," she said disappointedly.
"Okay, how did you even manage that?" Dusk demanded at last.
She looked around the mirror, then shrugged. "I dunno." Dusk sighed, gestured to Twilight and the two of them followed Rarity and Fluttershy out. "Hey! How do I get outta here?!"
The following day, the four of them all decided to have a trip to the spa to celebrate Fluttershy's end to her hated career. Her photos were still on magazines, but she'd drop out of popularity soon enough, when there were no more new pictures to take.
Dusk and Fluttershy were relaxing in the big bath tub, whilst Twilight was in one of the smaller Jacuzzis. Rarity was in a seaweed wrap with cucumbers over her eyes in the steam room, where Spike was fanning her as she lay there. Dusk would have pointed out that fanning her was pretty much pointless, as it eliminated the point of a steam room, but he seemed to be enjoying it, so he said nothing.
"It's good to have you back Fluttershy," Dusk said to her in the big hot tub.
"Thank you, it's nice to be back." She sighed and sank in deeper. "Now this is a wonderful way to spend an afternoon."
"Isn't it, though?" Rarity agreed.
"No arguments here," said Dusk, as he too just lay back and enjoyed the feeling of having no stress or worries.
Twilight, at this point, began to recite her report to the Princess. "Dear Princess Celestia, being a good friend means being able to keep a secret. But you should never be afraid to share your true feelings with a good friend. Did you get all that, Spike?"
"No. I did not." He lowered his voice so only he, Twilight and Dusk could hear. "I still can't believe you told someone about my secret feelings for Rarity."
"You're right. That was wrong of me and I'm very sorry."
"Apology accepted," he said happily.
"Now will you take down my letter to Princess Celestia?"
"I would love to. But... I'm a little busy at the moment." He resumed his fanning of Rarity, as Twilight sighed and rolled her eyes.
At this point, Dusk had a thought. Both Fluttershy and Rarity had kept their feelings hidden, when the easier solution would have been to be honest with each other in the first place. Could it be the same with him and Twilight? Could they harbour the same feelings of affection, but they were just too scared to say anything.
In the end, he shrugged mentally. Now wasn't the time to be taxing his mind with such dilemmas. Now was a time to wind down, forget his troubles and just relax. It was actually quite nice anyway.
Besides, he wasn't ready to tell her his feelings. Not yet, anyway... |
Brand New Dusk | A Matter of Perspective | It was another day at the Sugarcube Corner for Ponyville's most friendly, most well-known and most random citizen. She pulled out her latest batch of cupcakes from the oven, humming her song about baking them, as she set about delicately placing the icing on with an expert hoof.
Today's order of cupcakes was a custom made bunch. The main body of the sugary treats was a creamy colour, whereas the icing on top was pink. In short, it matched Fluttershy's fur and mane colour and had been requested to be made as such, by the dark-blue pony in his black trilby hat, who was waiting at the counter.
Pinkie liked everypony who was her friend; they were all just so likable. Dusk, however, was an exception: she liked him so much that the measure of which she liked him couldn't even measure up to the likability levels that she used to like everypony else that she liked. He was just so likable.
There was a reason for that too. Dusk had been such a lonely misery-pony before he'd met her and all of her friends. But now, he had just changed so much. It's like they had all helped to unlock something special deep down inside him, like he'd always wanted to the opportunity to show how much of a great pony he was.
Sometimes, despite how smart he was and how much more imaginative he was than Twilight, she got the feeling she still managed to make his head itch from just how Pinkie she could be. That was the same with everypony and, like everypony, he just accepted it and laughed along with it all. She liked it when he laughed. Well, she liked it when anypony laughed but still...
She gathered up the batch and bought out the cupcakes to him, putting on her brightest smile. "Here ya go Dusky! One batch of custom constructed creamy cupcakes. That'll be ten bits!"
"Thank you Pinkie, here you go." He hoofed over the money to her and took the cakes. "I'm sure Fluttershy will love these."
"I bet she will. It's nice that you're doing this for her on your day off."
"Well, Twilight and Spike are away in Canterlot, so I want to make the most of this." He smiled brightly. "I've got a busy day today."
"Ooh, what are ya up to?"
"Well, first I'm going to pay Fluttershy a visit and give her these cakes. Then, I'm going to help Rainbow with some flying practice, pick up Applebloom from school for Applejack and then go and see Rarity. So, quite busy."
"Wow, packed day. I'm surprised you fit it all in," she remarked. "Guess what I'm doing today!"
"Hmm..." He placed a hoof on his chin for a few minutes. "You're going to be working in Sugarcube Corner for most of the day, which will involve baking a birthday cake for a filly's birthday, as well as another batch of cupcakes and some eclairs for some visitors from Prance."
"Ooh, you're good Mr Psychic Pony!" She gave him a mock glare. "Too good, you might say."
"What can I say, it's my gift." He averted his eyes from the order form that rested on the counter and levitated the cupcakes up. "Have a good day, Pinkie."
"You too, have fun!" He gave her one last smile, and then departed through the door.
Pinkie smiled too. She obviously knew he wasn't actually psychic, but it was what she called him when she first met him. It stuck and he never actually corrected her. He just got that special kind of smile whenever she called him it. She loved seeing that smile.
Humming happily to herself, she went back into the kitchen and began to work on the eclair order, happy that she'd helped to make his day.
"There you go mama duck," said Fluttershy, dropping some worms beside the female mallard. "I hope your little babies like them." The duck quacked and picked up the worms in her beak. "You're very welcome."
She watched as the little family of ducks gathered around the mother to be fed. She had a particular fondness for this group of birds. It was the same group that Dusk had helped her to guide to the larger pond in Ponyville, on the day she'd first met him.
She'd been shy and timid when she'd first met him, as he had been with her. Maybe that had been why she'd been able to talk to him so much more easily later, because they were quite alike in that respect; both shy, a little awkward socially and not high in confidence.
He was a little different now though. She considered him to have far more confidence than she did and be way more clever, though he would modestly deny it, she knew. She liked how he did a lot to look out for her, to make her more involved and help her overcome her own low confidence, either by his presence or with encouraging words. They were more than friends she felt, but not in any romantic sense. He was more like... like...
Like the brother she never had. Yes, that seemed to fit. Of course, she wouldn't actually call him her brother. Unless he didn't mind, if he was of the same mind. Did he consider her like a sister? No, that was silly. They were just good friends.
A knock on her door bought her out of her reverie. She hurried back through her home to answer it, wondering who it could be. When she opened the door, she found it to be the exact pony she'd been thinking about.
"Hello Fluttershy, I hope I'm not interrupting anything," he inquired politely. She would have been pretty much the same.
"Oh no, not at all. Please, come in." He inclined his head to her, levitating a small bag onto her table. "Can I make you some tea?"
"That would be lovely, thank you." He waited patiently, as she boiled the water and poured him a cup, with a little milk and two sugars. Just as he liked it.
No doubt from his Canterlot upbringing, he waited until she was seated first before sitting down himself, that pleasant smile never once faltering. "I hope you don't mind my dropping in like this."
"Not at all," she repeated happily. "I'm always happy to see one of my friends."
"That's nice to know." He levitated the bag over. "I just came to check up on you. I take it your popularity has gone down somewhat."
"Oh yes, thankfully." She couldn't keep how relieved she felt out of her voice. "I'm still going to wait a while longer, but nopony is staring at me anymore. I'm just glad I'm not a model anymore."
"Me too. For what it's worth though," he added, "you did a wonderful job." She blushed a little from that comment, as he opened up the bag. "Here, I bought you these."
"Thank you Dusk. Oh my, these look delicious," she remarked, pulling out one of the cupcakes. "They even match my fur and mane."
"I asked Pinkie to do that," he explained. "I thought it might be a nice thing to do for you. It was, wasn't it?"
"It was a very nice thing to do Dusk, thank you." He seemed rather relieved at her assurance.
"Sorry, I'm still kind of learning about friendship really. Put it down to my inexperience, but I'm never completely sure, now and again..." A little bit of his old self showed through there.
"It's okay, I understand. You do a wonderful job of being a good friend though; at least that's what I think."
"You really think so?"
"Mmmhmm," she nodded. "You're as kind as you are clever." Now it was his turn to blush.
"Thanks Fluttershy, that means a lot to me." He took a sip from his tea, his smile returning to his features. "So, what do you want to talk about? I've got some time on my hooves."
"Actually..." She stopped herself. "No, never mind..."
"It's okay, speak your mind," he prompted. Well, if he wanted her to...
"Well... it's just we always talk about what I want to, Dusk," she noted. "Why don't you talk about what you want... I mean, if you like... you don't have to."
"Oh." He was caught off-guard by that. "Sorry, I never noticed. I just don't want to bore you."
"You don't bore me Dusk," she said gently. "Talk about whatever you like."
"You promise that you'll say that I'm boring you or if you need me to explain?"
"I promise."
"Okay... let's see then..." He thought for a moment. "Well, I'm looking forward to this trip we're taking to Appleloosa soon."
"Oh yes, I'm excited about it too," she told him. "I'll bet you know lots about it already."
"Well... I guess..." he said modestly. "They founded themselves about a year ago, a group of settlers who wanted to find their own way, but they've made great progress in that time. They managed to find fertilizable ground for them to grow an apple orchard, which is their main source of income and food, along with visitors from out of town. It's close to a buffalo stampeding ground, which interests me quite a bit."
"Really? Are you interested in the buffalo?"
"Very much so. They're a fascinating people, generations old and spreading back centuries. Some say their ancestors stampeded across those grounds when Celestia and Luna first began to move the sun and the moon. I hope we get to meet them, I would rather like..."
Fluttershy let him speak; now and again asking questions or making comment, happy that he was comfortable about this subject. From the way he cared about her and treated her, it further cemented her belief of him.
He really was like her big brother...
Rainbow Dash felt the wind whip through her mane as she rocketed through the sky, making sharp turns past the coloured obstacles that were in her path. Occasionally, she'd be caught by surprise as one appeared in front of her, but she'd turn quickly to avoid it. This was a sort of random obstacle course that Dusk was generating for her, to see how her reactions and dodge moves were.
The stallion really was quite a find with this talent that he had. She'd managed just fine in practices without him, just flying around clouds and stuff, but now he was around, she was able to pull off maneuvers that she'd never have been able to do with non-moving clouds.
Not that his colour talent was the only thing she liked about him. She thought it was kind of cool to have a guy in their group, even though he was sensitive enough to be a girl. He'd already proven he could be brave, like she always was, she could always count on him if she needed help with something, plus he was pretty brainy, enough to help her plan out some of her moves, as he knew quite a bit about flying.
Looking down, she noticed that Dusk was starting to shake a bit, hitting the reserves of his strength. She did one last loop-the-loop before coming back to land on the ground, without crashing this time.
"Okay Dusk, you can take a break. I don't expect your stamina to be anywhere near mine, so I understand," she bragged confidently.
"Your compassion is touching," he replied with a smile. "That was some nice flying Rainbow."
"I know, but nice of you to say so," she said with a grin. "That was some awesome work you did too."
"I was merely the one providing the obstacles," he said in that modest way he did. "You were the one who flew around them."
"Yeah, but you still did it." She cocked her head sideways at him. "How come you always do that?"
"Do what?"
"Whenever somepony says 'well done' to you, you always say like 'it was nothing' or something like that. How come?"
"Well..." He was silent for a good few minutes. "I don't know... I suppose I've never really thought about it."
"I know it's not that big of a deal, but I figure, you know, what's the point of doing something cool if you don't brag about it a bit?"
"Well... I suppose that's just two different mental and philosophical views of two differing individuals, who have been affected, both by what they've inherited and how certain stimuli in their environments growing up have treated them."
"English, professor."
"Sorry..." he said quietly. "Well, look at it like this. You've grown up loving speed and doing tricks, to the point where you know how good you are and have utter confidence in your abilities."
"Okay. But you..."
"Me..." He seemed to be searching for the right words. "Well, I've never really had any friends, not many people encouraging me, apart from my parents. They were always supportive of me, but they were still busy, so it was usually just me."
"Oh, right." She suddenly felt guilty from how sad he looked. "Sorry, I forgot..."
She couldn't help but pity him in that moment. It must have really sucked, to have grown up without any friends like he had. Even she knew that. She knew it was different now and that stuff was in the past but, every now and then, there were those little reminders, like unexpected gusts of wind in the sky. She noted to do her best to never forget that again.
"It's fine," he said. He recovered himself and continued. "So... I'm just not used to accepting compliments, that's all. Besides, I like being modest. It's what makes who I am."
"That makes sense," she shrugged. "See, wasn't that easier to say?"
"Maybe, I like saying it the other way too." He gave her one of his rare grins. "I don't need to use big words to prove my intelligence, but it's always fun using them anyway."
"Can't argue with that," she chuckled. "Okay, you ready to go again or do you want longer?"
"I'm fine. Unless, you want longer to rest," he bantered.
"What? You think I need more rest? Me, Rainbow Dash?" she asked in a mock outrage voice.
"Oh, I don't know," he shrugged. "You might need longer to rest up, to prepare for my next bombardment of colour missiles..."
"Oh, you wish." She quickly leaped back into the sky. "Let's do this Dusky!"
"Right you are, Dashie!" he called, as he sent more colours at her while she soared through the sky. Now, this was flying!
Applejack tossed her horseshoe towards the peg, where it landed just a few short feet of it, but further than Big Macintosh's.
"Pretty close Big Mac," she said, "but looks like ah win again."
"Ai-yup," he agreed. "Ya always were better at horseshoes than me."
"What can ah say, it's ma gift." She glanced up the road. "Ya think Dusk'll be back with Applebloom soon?"
"Ah'm sure he will, that colt's jus' as reliable as you are. Well, ah gotta move some apples into the barn, see ya later."
"Sure thing, see ya in a bit." Thinking she might as well relax a bit, she headed to tree facing the road, set herself against it and slumped to the ground.
As she lay back, her hat over her eyes and a piece of straw in her mouth, her thoughts turned to the pony that she had just mentioned. She'd always been a good judge of character with ponies and she knew that, from the moment she first saw Dusk in the market place, that he had a good head on his shoulders and a good heart to boot.
It just struck her now as to how much he had changed since she had first met him. In those early days, he seemed so lost, looking for something but he just didn't know what. She remembered how much his eyes seemed to shine whenever anypony openly regarded him as their friend, how distant he'd acted from his own mysterious reasons. Now though...
She smiled, just glad that he was much more happy. He was able to share himself in ways he never could before, his knowledge and whatever else he could offer. He would joyfully display his shining colour puppets to them, do any favour that was asked of him and provide assistance in whatever way could, not just with Twilight but with all of them.
His eyes still got that twinkle whenever he was acknowledged as a friend of theirs. When he was with them, it seemed like he cherished every single moment, as if he feared it all might suddenly end. She supposed he was still getting used to having friends, or he just cherished their friendship a lot. Either one was good.
She looked up at the sound of voices and saw her little sister enter the farm with Dusk, excitedly chatting away.
"So with this one," she was saying, "we're sure ta get out cutie marks."
"Okay, just make sure you don't hurt yourself, unless you want to get a cutie mark in getting bruises."
"Good point." She suddenly brightened up. "Hey, it's almost lunchtime. Ya wanna stay fer some food?"
"I'm sorry, but I've got somewhere I need to be." He gave her smile to counter her disappointed look. "Thank you for asking me though, it was thoughtful of you."
"Aw, okay then. Heya sis!" she called as Applejack walked over.
"Howdy young'un. She didn't give ya any trouble sugarcube?" she asked Dusk.
"Not at all, she was as good as gold," he assured her, as the filly gave an innocent smile.
"Sure was. Can ah go an' play fer a bit sis?"
"Sure thing, jus' be careful."
"Ah will. See ya later Dusk!" She scampered off towards the apple orchards, Dusk tipping his hat in farewell to her.
"Thanks fer pickin' her up fer me."
"Not a problem." He too turned to leave. "Well, I should get going, I've got an appointment to keep."
"Do ya have ta go so soon?" She gestured to where she'd been playing. "Ya got time fer a game-a horseshoes?"
"Well... okay, just one game." She gave him his three shoes, as he let her take the first pitch. "I've never played, so I might not be very good..."
"Ya never know till ya try." She watched him take aim and pitch a toss, which landed just short of hers. "Nice one." Her next shot landed far ahead of his, but missed the peg. "Shoot."
"Tough luck." His next shot landed much closer to the peg than his last throw. Applejack's, however, landed right next to the peg.
"Wow, good throw."
"Ah do have quite a flair fer it, ya know. Probably shoulda warned ya firs'."
"Yeah, I don't really stand much of a chance..."
"Don't count yer chickens before they hatch," she told him wisely. "Ya still got one more throw."
He said nothing, but studied the playing field. She watched as he remained focused for a few seconds, eyeing his remaining shoe and the distance to the peg. She was sure that, if she stood close enough, she'd be able to hear his brain whirring as it worked. He pitched his toss, it soared through the air...
... and landed with a clink right on the peg, beating her shots in one go. She sent an admiring smile his way, while he seemed quite surprised he'd managed to land it.
"Beginners luck, I guess," he remarked with a shrug. "Right, I really need to go. Have a good day AJ."
"You too!" She shook her head as he watched him go, moving to clear up the horseshoes. "Beginners luck indeed. If that boy were any more humble..." She just trailed off and decided to get some lunch. It was just a shame he couldn't stay for pie, he really had a liking for it.
"That's it Dusk, just follow my lead, you're doing marvellously," Rarity encouraged, as the two of them danced around each other.
"If you say so," Dusk replied unsurely, almost tripping that time and making his cheeks go red. Rarity stifled a giggle and continued to lead him through the waltz.
He had come over to her home for a visit and a chat, which she always looked forward to. He was always so polite and considerate, pleasant to talk to and it helped that he was rather easy on the eyes. There was a certain dignity that he carried himself with, nothing proud or boastful, but enough to show that he had been brought up well and taught good manners. That was rather rare these days among stallions.
When they arrived at the subject of the Grand Galloping Gala and Rarity commented on the dancing that was part of the Gala, Dusk had made a passing remark that he didn't really do much dancing. At this, Rarity had insisted that she give him a basic lesson, pulling out a gramophone and providing him with instruction on the matter.
"Tell me again, why do I need to know this?" he asked her.
"Because Dusk, the dance in the main hall is a big part of the Gala. When you go there, you can ask Twilight to dance with you."
"Um... why?"
"Because dancing, especially a waltz, is really quite romantic," she explained patiently. "Once you and Twilight share a dance together, I guarantee her heart will melt like butter and the two of you will be one step closer to becoming a couple."
"But I... I..." As always on this subject, he became flustered and embarrassed. He collected himself and started again. "I don't know if I can ask her to... to dance with me. I mean... what if she doesn't want to?"
"Why wouldn't she? You're a perfectly fine young gentlecolt Dusk and the two of you would look stunning together on the dance floor."
"But... but what if she doesn't know how to dance. I can barely dance now. What if I end up leading and I make a mistake or do something stupid? She'll think I'm a fool..."
"Dusk, you are nopony's fool," she said firmly. "You are my friend and I'm going to see to it personally that you can move as smoothly and gracefully across the dance floor as you can. You can do it Dusk, I know you can. Trust me."
He stared at her for a few minutes, letting her words sink in. Then, he gave a small smile. "Okay, I trust you... Rarity?"
"Yes darling?" There was a pleading note when he said her name there. Despite all of his qualities, he still lacked confidence, a trait that made her pity him somewhat.
"Do you really think that... that Twilight and I could ever be... together?" His voice had barely risen above a whisper at this point.
To answer, Rarity levitated off the necklace that Twilight had made for him. "Dusk, let me ask you something. Twilight made this for you, yes?"
"Yes she did."
"And do not you wear it every day, as often as you can?"
"I do... yes..."
"Exactly." She slipped it back around his. "The fact that you cherish such a gift proves how strong your feelings are for her and, considering that she made it just for you, I know that means she feels something too. You two will end up together, I can feel it."
"Okay..." His smile brightened now. "Thanks Rarity, I needed that."
"It was my pleasure dear. You're going to make quite an impact at the Gala, I just know it."
"If you say so," he repeated. "We'll try not to hit you when you start dancing with the Prince."
"Ah yes... Blueblood," she sighed, her heart going aflutter at the mention of him. "Two bright eyed young couples, dancing together... how romantic."
"I'm sure it will," he nodded. "Just be sure to invite me to your wedding, okay?"
"Oh don't you worry, I will." She started up the music again. "Now, let's try it again. Just loosen up and relax, follow me..."
Dusk, happy but exhausted from the day's events, started off back home, taking the scenic route that would take him past the library.
Both Twilight and Spike were away in Canterlot on business. As such, they had given him the day off, so he had chosen to spend it by doing favours for or just spending time with his friends. He always liked spending time with them and he liked doing favours for them. It made him feel warm whenever they expressed their gratitude.
As he passed the library, Dusk paused to look up at the tree that was both the container of books and Twilight's home. It felt strange, not having been in the library today with his two good friends. Maybe they were back now... it wouldn't hurt to drop in.
He opened the door and walked in, as he had been given the key for the day. "Twilight? Spike? Are you here?" There was no reply.
The only thing he did see were books, either scattered on the floor or piled up in places. Used quills and parchment also littered the floor. Twilight must have been studying, but not had the time to clear up. He was about lock up and set off back home, but he paused as a thought came to him. They hadn't asked to him to come and work today but... he might as well, since he was here. It shouldn't take too long.
He walked in, shut the door, levitated the first book he saw and set to work.
"Ah, good to be back," sighed Spike, he and Twilight getting down from the carriage. It was evening by the time they got back, the stars already beginning to twinkle in the sky.
"It certainly is," agreed Twilight, "although it took a little longer than we thought it would."
"You can say that again. At least we can go to bed when we get in, I'm bushed..."
"Spike, don't you remember?" she asked, as they neared the red door of their home. "We still need to clear up all of those books from before. We never had time to when we had to leave."
"Aw, man, that'll take forever," groaned the dragon.
"Not if we work together. If we do it now, we don't have to do it tomorrow."
"Alright... let's get this over with." He unlocked the door and turned on a light. "Or maybe it won't."
"Spike, what are you..." When Twilight looked around, she saw what he meant.
All of the books from her study session, that had been scattered and taken down, had all been placed neatly back into their proper places. Rolls of parchment had also been cleared away, the quills reorganized and rubbish had been disposed of. There was only one pony that would have done all of this for them...
"Hey, look, a note." Spike handed it to her and she unfurled it, seeing the neat writing that was upon it:
I know today was my day off, but I couldn't resist. Just so you know, it was no trouble, I was happy to do it. I hope you appreciate this chance to get to bed earlier Spike.
See you both in the morning.
Dusk Noir.
Twilight felt a smile grow on her face as the words sank in. That pony was just... amazing. An amazing friend that is, not that she was thinking about him... like that. Why did this have to be so hard?
"Wow, that guy really is something huh?" Spike remarked, as he read the letter. "For the record, I do appreciate it by the way."
"I know..." Twilight gazed fondly at the letter for a few minutes, then shook herself out of her stupor. "Spike, what do you think of him?"
"Who? Dusk?" He appeared rather confused by the question. "Well... I think he's great. He's easy to get along with, good to talk to and... well, I like him. He's a good friend, especially if it means I get to sleep more." He looked curiously at Twilight. "Why?"
"Oh, no reason, just curious," she insisted, forcing a smile and trying to seem casual. That was exactly what she thought about him too... and more.
"Well, what do you think of him?"
"He's... he's..." She paused, searching for the right words. "He's one of a kind... a wonderful kind."
"Ah, I see." The dragon gave as sort of knowing smile, before stretching and yawning. "Well, I'm gonna get some sleep. G'night Twilight."
"Goodnight Spike, I'll be up in a minute..." Her cheeks turned red again as she looked back at the letter.
She had tried telling herself again and again that she didn't have romantic feelings for Dusk, that the two of them were just good friends. But there were just things that said otherwise... she sometimes felt jealous when she saw him hug one of her friends or do a favour for them. When she was with him, she hung on every word he spoke and when he had to leave... she didn't want him to...
"Why does this have to be so hard?" she asked herself out loud, gently putting the letter down and heading upstairs to bed. Maybe things would be clearer in the morning.
Hopefully. |
Brand New Dusk | Over a Barrel | Dusk had never been more content, more happy and more at peace in his whole life than he was now. He was in a beautiful meadow, the sun shining high in the sky, colourful flowers in full bloom, birds singing with joy. More than that, he was here with the unicorn mare who had captured his heart, Twilight Sparkle, who was marvelling at the splendour of it all.
"Oh Dusk, this is all so wonderful," she whispered. "I feel like I could stay here forever."
"I feel the same." Dusk decided that now was the time, the best moment to tell her. "Twilight, I have something I want to say to you. Something important."
"What is it Dusk? You can tell me anything, that's what friends are for."
"But I want to be more than friends, Twilight." He touched her hoof gently. "Because I... I love you."
Her expression of bliss became one of shock. "You... you love me?"
"Yes, I really do. Do you feel the same?" he asked her.
She stared at him like she had never seen him before. Then, her face hardened into anger and she yanked her hoof away from his.
"What?! No, of course not! How could you even begin to think I would feel like that?
"B-b-but I... I thought that..." This was all wrong, it wasn't meant to be like this.
"You thought wrong." Her rage-filled face faded away, transforming into the others, who all looked equally as angry or disappointed with him.
"Dusk, what were ya thinkin'?" asked Applejack, shaking her head.
"You should have thought more about this," added Fluttershy.
"That was silly of you. Didn't your psychic powers warn you about this?" said Pinkie patronisingly.
"Do you know how lame that was Dusk? Now look what you've done!" yelled Rainbow angrily.
"Well, Dusk, it seems I was wrong about the two of you. I see it now, I don't know what I was thinking," said Rarity regrettably.
"Come on girls, I think we need to leave him alone for a bit," suggested Twilight, still furious at his confession. "To let him think about what he's done?"
"What? No!" They had already started walking away, leaving him in a white void of emptiness. "Please, don't go! Please! Don't leave me..."
They had gone, left him alone. Deep down, maybe he had known he never really fitted in with them, but... he was alone. Like before. Now, nopony would be his friend. He would be alone, forever. He did the only think he could.
He broke down and cried at how pathetic he truly was...
Dusk jerked awake, feeling cold sweat running down his face and breathing heavily. The steady clacking of the train's wheels on the track resounded in his ears. The girls were all still asleep in their beds, the sun streaming through the windows. How long had they been sleeping?
He slowed his breathing, calmed his mind. It had all been a dream, just a stupid nightmare. But... it had seemed so real. Then again, they all seemed real when experienced. It was just his mind, bits of his old fears and some new ones, creeping into his mind, to let his subconscious thoughts do whatever they felt like with them. Everypony has nightmares, Dusk, just breath... you're awake now...
But the nightmare... could there be some truth to it? Could that happen, if he did tell Twilight how he felt about her? Or was it just him being paranoid and imagining the worst-case scenario? He decided to go with the latter, and just tried to forget about it. It didn't do to dwell on dreams, especially when he had enough fears to deal with already.
Knowing he wouldn't get back to sleep, and that there wasn't much point anyway, he slipped quietly out of bed, placed Twilight's necklace around his neck and put his hat on his head. They were on their way to the settlement of Appleloosa, to deliver one of Sweet Apple Acre's trees, christened Bloomberg by Applejack, to her cousin there, to plant in their apple orchard. They'd all been looking forward to seeing the town and Dusk was no exception. He'd done some reading on the town, though there wasn't much, as it was only a year old.
However, it wasn't just the town he was hoping to see. As he had told Fluttershy, he was eager to see if he could meet the Buffalo tribe that lived nearby. He knew a lot about their culture, their traditions and much more besides. They were a very deep people and he longed for an opportunity to speak to one at least, to show them what he knew and to see what else he could learn. What an opportunity that would be...
At that moment, a sudden crash caused the train to shudder. Dusk fell out of his bed and onto the floor with a painful thud. Rubbing his head, he rushed to the window, the others all having woken up from the disturbance, to see-
"A buffalo stampede!" They hadn't even arrived at their destination, yet here they were.
They were a magnificent sight to behold; twice the size of any full grown pony, their bodies covered thick brown hair. He could see the points of their short, black horns, contrasting with the bright white feathers that adorned their heads. The very ground shook from the dozens of hooves that struck the ground, running together and easily keeping speed with the train.
"I just love their accessories!" remarked Rarity on their feathers.
"They're not just for show though," explained Dusk, remembering what he had researched. "They earn them, or are awarded them for acts of bravery among their tribe. It's a sign of respect and status."
"You mean like being awarded a medal?"
"Exactly," he affirmed. "The chief of the tribe has the most feathers; they adorn his headdress, just so you know who the boss is."
"They're getting awfully close to the train..." said Twilight warily. She was right, they were getting dangerously close. What were they-?
CRASH!
They smacked into the side of the carriage, causing it to rock and sway dramatically. As one mass, Dusk and the girls were sent bouncing and sliding around the room from the turbulence. Every time they tried to pick themselves up, they all went sliding around again, unable to stop themselves.
This didn't make sense. With the exception of acting in self-defense, the buffalo were mostly a peaceful people, yet they were attacking their train without provocation or reason. Why were they doing this?
"Oooh, looky! Now they're doing TRICKS!" They'd stopped attacking the train, but three of them were now standing atop each other, creating a small tower.
They watched as another buffalo, a young calf from the look of her, sprinted and jumped on top of the makeshift tower. Amazingly, they were able to remain like this while running at top speed, without falling off. But to what purpose?
"Ooh! Ooh! Ooh! Now do a back-flip!" The calf then jumped off of the top of the tower and onto the roof of the carriage. "Or... Just jump?"
They could hear her hooves hitting the metal, as she seemed to be running along the top of the train towards the rear. What was she up to?
"Hmm... something tells me this isn't a circus act." With a gust of wind, Rainbow hurried outside, to either fight or just reason with her.
"Come on," Dusk prompted, as they followed the sounds of the hooves on metal from below. Unfortunately, they couldn't hear the exchange between Rainbow and the calf.
Whatever Rainbow Dash tried, she failed to stop her. She reached the rear carriage, uncoupled the cart from the rest and whistled loudly. This must have been a pre-organised signal, as the other buffalo broke off and galloped away, gathering around the carriage and pushing it the opposite way.
"They've got Bloomberg!" cried Applejack. But Dusk could see someone else in the carriage. A certain purple scaly someone, desperately calling for help through the glass.
"And Spike!" both he and Twilight realised.
By the side of the tracks, they could see Rainbow Dash picking herself up. She gave them her cocky smile, then flew off after them back down the tracks, obviously in an attempt to save Spike from his captors.
"Ah hope this tin can on wheels gets ta Appleloosa soon," said Applejack urgently. "We gotta tell ma cousin Braeburn what's happened, he can help us fer sure."
"But why would they want an apple tree?" asked Fluttershy.
"I don't know, but they must have some reason for taking it." Twilight turned to Dusk. "What do you think about this?"
"Well... it is rather strange, to say the least." He swiftly recalled all he knew of the bovines. "I don't think they would just want the carriage itself, what would be the point? That means they must have known what was inside. They have food of their own that they've lived off for years, so they didn't take it for sustenance."
"Do you think it has something to do with the fact it was due to be planted in the orchard with the rest?" suggested Twilight.
"Yes... yes, you might be onto something there. Hold on, let me think..." He placed a hoof on his chin, voicing his thoughts out loud as they came. "They knew what was in the carriage, because that raid must have been planned ahead of time."
"That's right," agreed Twilight. "They distracted the drivers with the initial strike, took what they came for and left."
"They didn't want to cause unnecessary damage or injury," nodded Dusk. "The only thing they could want was the tree, which was due to be planted at the orchard... did they want to prevent it, but why? What's the point?" He turned to Applejack. "I think I might be able to figure this out, but I'd need to see the orchard itself first."
"Ya should be able to, but we need ta save Bloomberg an' Spike first," she reminded him.
"I think they'll be fine. From what I know, dragons are revered among the buffalo. But, I do agree, saving him is our top priority. They also don't take kindly to trespassers on their territory, so Rainbow'll be in more danger than he is. We need to-" He stopped as he realised something. "Um... where's Pinkie?"
"Pinkie? Why she's right here." Rarity looked to see that the pink pony had indeed vanished. "Where's she gone? She was right here!"
"Right, so ta recap: we've been attacked an' robbed by buffalo, Spike's been kidnapped, Rainbow's gone after him alone inta their territory an' now Pinkie's gone." Applejack stomped her hoof in frustration. "Well, that's jus' dandy."
"We should be able to get help soon. We're almost there," pointed out Twilight. "But it'll be late by the time we get there, almost dark..."
They spent the rest of the journey fretting and worrying about their friends. The sooner they got to Appleloosa, the sooner they would be able to get help. About half an hour later, they arrived at their destination, the train pulling to a halt in the station.
Dusk saw it and was reminded of the old settlements made in the cowpony days. The buildings were all made of wood and stone, the citizens going about their businesses in wide brimmed hats or bonnets in the case of some of the mares. He supposed they were settlers only here for a year, so it made sense they start with something basic, not to mention nostalgic.
They hurried off the train and onto the station and were immediately greeted by an Earth pony, with a wide smile, leather jacket and Stetson hat.
"Hey there! Welcome ta A-a-pplelooosa!" He raised his forelegs skyward at this greeting.
"Braeburn, listen - " Applejack tried to tell her cousin, but he cut her off.
"Cousin Applejack, mind yer manners, you have yet ta introduce me to your compadres! Shame on you!" he scolded her,
"Braeburn, listen, something terrible has happened -"
"Terrible is right, yer train is full seven minutes late!" he cut her off again. Dusk was starting to get annoyed. "That's seven minutes less for you to delight in the pleasures and wonders of... A-a-a-pplelooosa!"
With that, he dragged them off, ignoring their protests, clearly eager to show them around his home town. He told them many things that Dusk already knew, such as they built the town in just a year, but had still managed to cope and provide themselves with luxuries. He showed them the watering hole, the sheriff's office. All interesting, but otherwise they were wasting time.
It was when they reached the apple orchard that Dusk decided that enough was enough, but didn't know how to make themselves heard. Applejack had been trying to get a word in, but her cousin simply wouldn't listen, as he was so excited and eager to show them around. She was now trying another attempt, close to her breaking point.
"First harvest should be any day now," he was saying.
"Braebu -"
"Good thing too!"
"Brae - "
"'cause we need that grub to live on."
"BRAEBURN!" she finally shouted. That got his attention
"Uh, yes, cuz?" he inquired casually.
"Ya have a very nice town an' all, but we have a HU-UGE problem! Some of our friends are missing!"
"A stampede of buffalo," put in Fluttershy. At the mention of the buffalo, Braeburn's grin vanished and was replaced with a look of utter terror.
"They took Spike!" Rarity told him
"Rainbow Dash went after them!" put in Twilight.
"And we can't find Pinkie Pie," added Fluttershy
"An' we had an apple tree with us fer yer orchard, but they took that too!" finished Applejack. Braeburn stood there in silence, unable to make comment. Seeing an opportunity, Dusk stepped forward.
"As you can see," Dusk said, keeping his voice level and polite, "our situation is rather dire and we need to know what's happening here. Have you been having trouble with the buffalo tribe?"
"Trouble ain't the half of it." He let out an exhausted sigh. "Them buffalo, they want us settler ponies to take every single tree you see here off this land. They sure as hay don't want any new ones added in."
"But why?" asked Fluttershy.
"Beats me. We put a lot of hard work into this land, so we can feed our town, our families, our foals! And now they're saying all these trees have to go? T'ain't fair..."
"No... no it isn't." They were silent for a few minutes, then Twilight spoke up. "Well, we still need to find out more about why the buffalo are being so aggressive. Dusk, didn't you say you wanted to investigate?"
"Hm? Oh yes," he confirmed, feeling foolish he's forgotten. "With your permission, Mr Braeburn, I would like to examine the apple orchard."
"Sure thing, jus' be careful," he warned. Dusk assured him that he would be.
"What about poor Spike and Rainbow? Are we not going to rescue them?" asked Rarity.
"Well, sure, but not now." Braeburn looked to the sun. "It'll be night soon, so we won't be able ta go after 'em till tomorrow. The buffalo know the land better than we do, an' it ain't safe ta head out when it's dark. Ya can rest up here, then we'll head out in the mornin'."
"Right, I'll be down at the orchard, if you need me." He set off down towards the trees, bidding them farewell.
"Do you need any help?" asked Twilight.
Dusk considered this, but decided against it. After the nightmare that he'd had, he didn't really feel like being alone with Twilight at the minute. He would be able to think more clearly if he was alone with his thoughts.
"Thank you for the offer, but I'll be fine by myself. You all need to get some rest; we're going to have a big journey ahead of us tomorrow and you need your strength."
"Okay then." He could hear the disappointment in her voice, but it quickly passed. "We'll see you in the morning then."
"Don't stay up too late now," advised Applejack, as they made their way back and Dusk made his way down.
He walked alone through the shades of the trees, the dirt of the ground hot against his hooves, the sun lowering below the horizon, bathing the sky in an orange glow. He was reminded of the time he watched that sunset with Applejack back in Ponyville. Needless to say, it was just as beautiful here, as it was at the orchard.
He hoped that Twilight wouldn't feel too bad about wanting to be alone in this. She was smart, as clever as he was, even more so perhaps, but he didn't want to be alone with her right now. The dream had almost faded now anyway and he could no longer feel the terror he once did. He'd dealt with nightmares before, so he'd deal with this one too. He certainly wasn't going to tell the girls... they'd say it was silly anyway...
As he stopped, he began to examine his surroundings, already noticing the difference. Further out from the orchard, the ground was harder and thicker, mostly undisturbed by anything, other than a few desert animals. Here, the earth was softer, coarser. Like the ground had been bombarded and pounded multiple times. No doubt that made it good for planting and growing, not to mention the vast expanse the land provided.
He walked around the whole orchard, everywhere he went being the same story about the earth. Whenever he left the boundaries, the harder ground of the desert met him. There were some areas beyond the orchard, however, where the ground quality was the same. Almost like a path had been forged, visible only in the tell-tale signs of the earth. The pieces were slowly fitting together, there was just one last thing he could do...
Resorting to magic, he cast a spell that would show disturbances left by hoof prints or the like. These glowed with his fur colour as he examined them. Here and there were the hooves of ponies, but far more frequently, and far older, were smaller tracks, split down the middle from the top. He checked to see that these tracks also carried on in other areas outside the orchard. By the time he was finished, the stars had begun to shine and Luna's moon was high in the sky. Deciding he had all the information he needed, Dusk made his way back to the town.
So, that was what all this was about. If he was right and he rather hoped that he wasn't, the settlers had set their orchard on the buffalo's stampeding ground. No wonder the buffalo weren't happy with them, as they'd planted on their ancestral land without permission. The settlers, however, seemed completely ignorant of that knowledge, or at least Braeburn was. He decided to let it wait until after they'd rescued Spike. At least then they had a chance of talking to the buffalo and getting their side of the story. Still... if they didn't find a solution, this would get ugly.
The girls were all sound asleep at the watering hole when he arrived, a bed already being prepared for him. Slipping into bed quietly, he soon fell into a much more peaceful sleep than the previous night, hoping he was right about what he'd said about buffalo and dragons...
The following morning, they rose up early, alert and ready to move. Dusk was asked about his findings from yesterday, but he told them he would divulge the information after they'd rescued the others. They'd conceded and made their way to the outskirts of town.
Applejack was just tying on Rarity's saddlebag, which contained a good deal of supplies. They all had their own for the hike into buffalo land. Dusk had to admit that, in spite of the situation, he was rather excited. A chance to see the buffalo up close was quite appealing to him.
"Ow! Gently, please!" the debutante requested to the farm pony
"Sorry, Rarity, but our friends are out there and we have ta be ready for a long hike into buffalo territory if we're gonna save 'em. Let's go!" She led the charge out, but they'd barely gone a few feet when they found them.
"Hi guys!"
"Pinkie!" Fluttershy tackled her to the ground. "We're so glad you're safe."
Breathing a sigh of relief, Dusk hurried to greet them, as they all rejoiced at their reunion. Dusk exchanged a hoof bump with Rainbow Dash, before they got onto the crux of the matter.
"I knew you'd be safe," he said to them. "From the way buffalo revere dragons, I was hoping that influence would be enough to keep you safe."
"It sure did and that's not all!" Pinkie gestured to a rock and out hopped the calf who had been part of the raid yesterday. In contrast to her fierce determination from before, she now looked rather sheepish and shy.
Dusk, who was surprised and elated at finally having a chance to meet one, contained himself and stood back to watch what would happen.
"We promised the buffalo a chance to talk," explained Rainbow, confirming his hopes.
Applejack had a suspicious expression on her features. "Oh, yeah? 'Bout what?"
"Um... if I may." They all turned their attention to Dusk, who tried to ignore their stares and continued. "I discovered in my investigation yesterday what I had been suspecting for a while: the Appleloosans, through no fault of their own, have planted their apple orchard on the ancient stampeding grounds of the buffalo."
"On top of things as always," remarked Rainbow proudly. "We brought our new pal, Little Strongheart here, to explain to the Appleloosians why they should move the apple trees off buffalo land."
She pushed the calf forward, so she was nose-to-nose with Braeburn, who looked rather relieved.
"That information would be quite help -" He was cut off by Applejack, who pushed him in closer too.
"That's weird. 'cause my cousin, Braeburn, here, wants to explain to the buffalo why they should let the apple trees stay."
"That would be a useful thing to - " Strongheart began, but Rainbow interrupted her.
"The land is theirs! You planted the trees not knowing that. Honest mistake. Now, you just gotta move 'em, that's all."
"They busted their rumps here!" argued Applejack. "An' now they're suppos't ta bust their rumps again, jus' 'cause some buffalo won't stampede someplace else?"
"Plant the trees somewhere else!"
"Where?! It's the only flatland around these parts!"
"The BUFFALO had it FIRST!"
"The settler ponies need it to LIVE!"
They both dissolved into squabbling and bickering, which wasn't helping them in any way whatsoever. Dusk was about to try and step in, when Twilight stopped them.
"Look! Both the settlers and the buffalo have good reasons to use this land. There must be something we can do..."
"Hey! I've got an idea!" Pinkie jumped up and fell on the floor. "Bring all the ponies and buffalo to the outside of town in about half an hour and you'll see. Come on Spike, I'll need your help. We'll need a stage, a piano and some dancing ponies!"
With that, Pinkie grabbed his claw and dashed off to prepare... whatever it was she had in mind. Rainbow Dash hurried to convey the message to the buffalo, whilst Applejack and Braeburn went to round up the settlers. They were all confused, but they had little choice and they were rather curious to see what Pinkie had in mind.
Dusk was still pondering this about twenty-five minutes later, idly shifting the sand below his right forehoof. Pinkie was rather random and unpredictable, so he didn't have the faintest idea. He just hoped that, whatever it was, it was something good.
The buffalo were a peaceful people, for the most part. If they felt their ancestral land was threatened, however, they would take steps to defend their heritage. Violent steps if necessary. He was hoping that it wouldn't come to that. Violence, with the exception of self-defense, was never the answer to anything... that much he believed.
"Excuse me, Dusk Noir?" a voice asked behind him. He turned to see the buffalo calf, Little Strongheart, who had remained with them to wait, standing there, with a friendly smile on her face.
"Um... yes, er... that's me." Quashing his initial nervousness, he raised his head high and said, "May the ground stay strong beneath your hooves."
This was a formal buffalo greeting between two unknowns. Raising one's head was a gesture of friendship and respect. Lowering your head was more aggressive and hostile, indicating you intended to ram your horns at the recipient. Little Strongheart seemed rather surprised at his knowledge of this, but she recovered herself and responded in kind, gently butting their heads together to complete the greeting.
"Your friend Fluttershy was right: you have knowledge of buffalo customs," she noted admirably. "She said that you wanted to meet one of our people, so... here I am."
"Did she? Well, I'm grateful to her." He returned her smile, glad they were getting along so far. "Yes, I do have knowledge of your people, modestly speaking. But the things I've read from books can't hope to compare with your first hand experience of growing up as a buffalo. There's so much I could learn from you..."
"You are very kind," she said respectfully. "I only wish we were meeting under more peaceful circumstances."
"As do I," Dusk said regretfully. "I'm sorry, for what the settlers have done to your land."
"It's not entirely their fault, they didn't know." At least she was reasonable, thought Dusk. "I just hope that we can come to a solution. I would much rather be friends than enemies."
"The feeling is mutual. I'm sure that you and the settlers can come to an agreement that leaves both sides satisfied."
"I certainly hope so." She looked at Dusk curiously. "What do you think the pony Pinkie Pie has planned?"
"Honestly, I have no idea," confessed Dusk. "She can be quite... unpredictable at the best of times, I think you'll find."
"She certainly can," she agreed, laughing. "I don't think I've ever met anyone like her. You ponies, you say something different, don't you?"
"Yes, er... we do. We say 'anypony' and 'everypony', things like that," he taught her. "Unless, of course, we're talking to somepony who isn't a pony, in which case we just say 'anyone.'"
"That is simple enough to understand," she agreed. "How much do you know of my people?"
"Let's see..." Dusk tried to remember the most interesting things he could. "I know a formal greeting and farewell. I know that positions in a tribe are gained through one-on-one combat with another buffalo and that calves prove their worth by participating in a stampede with the whole tribe, without falling behind. Once that's done, they are awarded their feathers, an official membership of the tribe." He gestured to hers. "You've earned yours, I see."
"Yes, just last year," she admitted proudly. "That was before the settlers moved in and planted on our land... I am most saddened by it."
"I can tell, yes." He remembered her raid on the train. "Your athletic skills are very impressive though. I watched you from the train."
"Thank you and your intelligence is equally so," she noted. There was a pause as she considered something. "I am a little curious about you ponies too. You are an... an... alicorn, yes?"
"Unicorn," he corrected politely. "Alicorns have wings and can use a magical horn. I just have the horn, no wings..."
"Ah, I see." She seemed almost nervous to ask. "So, that means you can do magic, yes?"
"Yes, it does. Would you like to see a demonstration?"
"Oh yes, very much so! If you wish, of course," she added.
He smiled more warmly, levitating some pebbles that rested in the sand nearby and orbiting them around her. She watched in wonder as they circled her, glowing as the magical aura surrounded them. He placed them back down after a few minutes and she seemed quite in awe.
It really was quite amazing how different they were, yet in some ways, they were both the same. He'd hoped that, on the day he would meet a buffalo, it would go well, but he had never expected anything like this. He still marvelled at it, as they arrived at the time Pinkie arranged. A wooden stage had been set up in the desert, Spike sitting at a piano and wearing a bowler hat.
Dusk crossed over to the girls, whilst Little Strongheart stood by her tribe leader, who she told him was called Chief Thunderhooves. The impressive bull stood next to the sheriff, Silverstar, both of them looking impatient and tense. He actually sensed that from all the participants present.
Soon, Spike started to play and the curtains opened, revealing a clam. This slowly opened to reveal Pinkie, who was wearing the dress of a saloon girl, sparkling and glittering. She wasn't actually planning to... no, she couldn't be.
Then, she started singing and all doubt was eliminated... as well as all hope.
We may be divided
But of you all, I beg
To remember we're all hoofed
At the end of each leg
No matter what the issue
Come from wherever you please
All this fighting gets you nothing
But hoof and mouth disease
Arguing's not the way
Hey, come out and play!
It's a shiny, new day
So, what do you say?
You gotta share
You gotta care
It's the right thing to do
You gotta share
You gotta care
And there'll always be a way through
Both our diets, I should mention
Are completely vegetarian
We all eat hay and oats
Why be at each other's throat?
You gotta share
You gotta care
It's the right thing to do
And there'll always be a way Thro-o-o-o-ugh!
Dusk didn't applaud. Nopony applauded, except for Spike. It might just be him, but he could swear the tension between sides had increased. As creative as Pinkie's solution was it hadn't exactly been... well executed.
"It appears that Sheriff Silverstar and I have come to... an agreement," Thunderhooves said in his deep voice.
"We have."
They all leaned forward, everypony and buffalo waiting on baited breath for their leaders verdict. Would it be too much to hope that it worked?
"That was the worst performance we've ever seen," the chief said bluntly.
"Teh... Abso-tively!" agreed Silverstar.
"The time for action..." He paused to snort from his nostrils, a sign of aggression and anger, "...is upon us! Our stampede will start at high noon tomorrow. And if the orchard is still there, we'll flatten IT! AND the whole town!"
"But, Chief!" Little Strongheart tried to reason with him, but she was cut off.
"An' we Appleloosians say you'd better bring yer best, 'cause we'll be ready and waitin'," challenged the sheriff.
"But, Sheriff..." Braeburn didn't even get to finish, as both sides ran back to their settlements, to prepare... for battle.
"Oh... That wasn't the message of my song at all..." was all Pinkie had to say.
They all arrived back at town, where the settlers were already preparing for a fight. They stacked up hay bales, boarded up windows, created barricades and secured their town to withstand the coming storm
"Ah want ma kin ta have what they need ta live... But a storm's a-brewin' here. And I don't like the look of it," Applejack said grimly.
"We've just got to talk some sense into them before somepony gets hurt," Twilight suggested.
This plan, however, proved for nothing. Every Appleloosan, even the sheriff, was in no mood to consider negotiation or compromise of any kind. They were all so swept up in the anger of it all that their judgement was clouded and their hearts were ablaze with determination. Everytime they tried to talk to somepony, they were shot down and ignored.
At the end of the day, the settlers were ready with their weapons, carts of apple pies ready to fight. The pies themselves could do no damage, but they would confuse a charging buffalo and make him go off course. The resulting crash into a wall, however, certainly would hurt.
Rainbow Dash and Spike, who had been trying to talk the buffalo out of the stampede, came back and reported that it was the same story with the tribe. They weren't going to back down from this either.
"It's no use," Rarity despaired. "There's no way we can convince them to stop, let alone listen."
"There's always a way," Twilight insisted. "There has to be something, a middle ground, a compromise, anything!"
"I can't think of any," Dusk said. "What could the settlers have that the buffalo would want? All they want is their land and they will fight for it, make no mistake."
"An' the ponies'll defend their homes, no matter what," said Applejack.
"So... what do we do?" asked Fluttershy timidly.
"We wait until dawn... and hope." Dusk stated. It was all they could do. Maybe one of the sides would back down...
The next day came. None of them slept well. All was quiet. The ponies stood ready on the battlements. The buffalo stood ready on the ridge. It was one minute to midday. The time of reckoning had come.
"Come on, THINK. Think, think, think, think, think, think, think!" Rainbow told herself desperately.
Dusk also felt desperate. He and Twilight had both tried their best to think of a solution, but they couldn't come up with anything. He hung his head in despair. All of his knowledge, all of his supposed intellect, what good was it now? He felt so useless...
A hoof gently touched his shoulder. Twilight was smiling at him gently, as if to say 'at least we tried.' He couldn't help but return it and touched her hoof with his, grateful for the small warmth that he felt from her.
Then the bell chimed on the clock tower. It was noon. Time was up. But the buffalo didn't move, didn't charge. Dusk couldn't really see, but he could swear Thunderhooves lowered his head in submission.
"He's not gonna do it!" Rainbow realised. Yes! This was their one chance to-
...what do you say?
You gotta share
You gotta care
It's the right thing to do...
"No!" But that was all that was needed to set off Thunderhooves. Marvelling at how much he really didn't like that song, Dusk, even from here, could hear his fierce command of:
"CHAAARGE!" With the pounding of hooves, the whole herd stampeded, making the earth shake.
"Take cover!" Dusk hurried with the others to get out of the way of the fighting. A crash told them the buffalo had breached the perimeter and entered the town.
"Don't panic! Stay together!" Dusk's cries kept them close, as they crouched out of the way of the fighting. He could see Pinkie in the middle of it all, unable to find an opening and escape.
"You girls, stay here. I'm coming Pinkie!" His quick mind going to work, Dusk analysed the quickest route through the two warring factions to get to her.
Once this was done, he proceeded to run, duck, dip, dive and dodge around incoming pies, charging buffalo and falling debris. He reached her, grabbed her hoof and pulled her to the hiding place that they were all situated in. Her dress was in tatters and she looked a little shaken, but she was otherwise fine.
"Whew... that was close. Thank you, Mr Psychic Pony," she said, smiling brightly. "I'm sorry about all this..."
"It's alright Pinkie, you meant well. None of us wanted this..." They all looked and watched the battle unfold.
Everywhere there was fighting. The buffalo were charging, using their immense strength and sharp horns against their opponents, the settlers, throwing pies, using tricks or riding them rodeo style. When all that failed, they were fighting in hoof-to-hoof combat, fighting hoof and leg, strength and horn to gain an advantage.
All of this sickened Dusk. Both sides had been living for years in peace, rarely once resorting to violence for anything. Sometimes fighting was necessary, to defend your home or you friends, but this conflict could have been avoided... should have been avoided, if both sides had just tried to find some form of compromise. It seemed nothing would stop them... until Thunderhooves was hit by a direct shot.
Then the fighting stopped. The buffalo gathered around, weeping at the sight of their fallen leader, who lay defeated on the ground. Dusk and the girls all gathered around the body of the fallen chief too. Dusk removed his hat and placed it over his heart, raising his head high out of respect for such a noble creature. Even Spike started crying, hugging Twilight firmly.
A crust of the apple pie fell into his mouth. As soon as it did, his eyes snapped open and he licked the reminder off of his face, thoroughly enjoying it.
"Hey, I've got a much better idea!"
Dusk stood from a ridge, looking down on the apple orchard. There were less trees now, for a path was being cut through the middle of the orchard. It was near completion and the buffalo were almost ready to run. Dusk still couldn't keep the smile off his face. Even he could never have considered what had happened next.
A compromise had been reached. Thunderhooves had allowed the orchard to remain on their land, provided that the Appleloosans provide them a share of its fruit, in the form of apple pie. The two sides could now live together in peace. Incredible. That was the only word for it. A whole conflict resolved... by pie.
"It seems our best hopes have been realised," said Little Strongheart, who just arrived to stand with him. "I am quite relieved, to say the least."
"As am I," agreed Dusk. "The settlers keep their homes and source of food, you get to keep your lands and get a share in one of the most delicious baked foods in Equestria."
"Indeed." They both laughed out of sheer relief at their situation. "So, what will you do now?"
"Well, our train home leaves at eleven, so I've got the rest of the day here," he told her. "Why do you ask?"
"Because I wish to extend an invitation." She faced Dusk proudly. "I spoke about you to the chief, told him about your interest in our people. He has graciously invited you to spend the remainder of the day at our home among us, if you would like to come."
"R-r-really?" Dusk couldn't quite believe this. "You'd... you'd do that for me?"
"Consider it a sign of the new friendship between our people. Between us."
Dusk certainly hadn't expected this. She truly did consider him her friend and she had done this for him, when just a few hours ago there was fighting. Friendship truly was a powerful thing, if it meant opening the door for such opportunities and wonders as it did here. His smile becoming warmer, he offered a hoof to the buffalo.
"I would be honoured that you would do this. Thank you."
"The pleasure is ours." Softly, she pressed her hoof against his. It was amazing how much smaller it was. "I am glad we are friends, Dusk Noir."
"So am I, Little Strongheart." They butted their heads together and stepped apart. "After you."
"Very well, let us see how fast you can run." As the buffalo began to make their first stampede through the orchard, Dusk and and Strongheart ran among their numbers towards their home.
As they did, Dusk was quietly humming Pinkie's song to himself. It still had an important message behind it, one they had all taken to heart. Besides, it was catchy. |
Brand New Dusk | This Land | Dusk stopped to catch his breath as the buffalo herd finally reached their destination, after what felt like hours of running. His legs were numb, his hooves hurt from hitting the ground and his lungs felt like they were going to burst, but it had been worth it, to take part in such a time-honoured tradition as the buffalo's annual stampede through their ancestral lands. As far as he knew, he was the first pony to run with them. He had a feeling he wouldn't be the last either.
The buffalo settlement was just like how he had read in his books. It was a small collection of tents, the fabrics made from materials that grew in the desert naturally. They were simple, rustic, yet provided basic shelter for their inhabitants. They built only what they needed, nothing more or less. Dusk admired them for that, among other things.
Little Strongheart seemed quite amused at his exhausted state, as she trotted over to where he'd collapsed. "It seems you don't exercise your body anywhere near as you do your mind."
"You can... you can... say that... again..." he wheezed in reply. "It was... was an... an honor to... to... run with you..."
"I hope so," she said, suppressing a laugh. "Will you be all right?"
"I will... I will be... I think..."
"Good, take as much time as you need. When you are done recovering yourself, Chief Thunderhooves would like to welcome you to our village himself."
"I'll... be there in... in a few minutes..." He panted again, wiping sweat from his forehead. "Or an hour..."
Refraining from making comment, Strongheart waited patiently for him to recover his strength, before taking him to the most elaborate tent in the settlement. He was ushered inside, where he soon beheld the form of the great chief of the buffalo. His hot breath snorted from his nostrils, his sharp horns gleaming in the light.
Remembering his manners, Dusk raised his head high, baring his neck to the chief and halted before him. Thunderhooves regarded him silently for about a minute, then spoke in his deep voice.
"Dusk Noir. Welcome to our village," he rumbled. "May the ground stay strong beneath your hooves."
"And may the earth tremble at your coming, Chief Thunderhooves," Dusk replied. This was the formal response when addressing a superior among their number.
Apart from a slight widening of the eyes, the chief showed no surprise at his knowledge of this. "You are not the first pony to be among our number. Your friends, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie, have been here prior to you. However, you are the first to visit since our resolution with the settler ponies. You are our honoured guest and friend, young Dusk."
"Your words honor me chief," Dusk said respectfully. "I am glad that peace has been made between you and the Appleloosans."
"As are we all," he rumbled in his deep voice. "Now, is there anything in particular you would like to see during your visit among us?"
"Nothing that comes to mind. I would simply like to see whatever you wish to share with me."
"Then so be it," he declared. "Little Strongheart shall be your guide during your visit. I hope your time will be well spent."
"I'll make sure it is," affirmed Dusk. "Thank you again, chief, for this rare and unique opportunity."
"You are most welcome. May your feet be swift and your horns be sharp," he said in traditional farewell. Dusk responded in kind and left with the young calf, guiding him among the tents.
"You made a good impression on the chief," she remarked, when they were out of earshot.
"I like to think I do with anypony I meet," agreed Dusk. "Now, I am in your hooves, my friend. Where to first?"
She thought for a moment. "Perhaps you would like to see the sparring ground. It's not far from here."
"Lead on then." With that, they set off.
As they walked, Strongheart pointed out other places of interest. There was the tent of their healer, who Dusk knew administered treatments using tried-and-tested traditional methods, usually with herbal remedies and potions. There was the gathering commute, where the whole tribe would sit around the camp in the evening, to discuss important issues or for social gatherings. She seemed quite eager for the chance to show somepony new around her home and Dusk was more than happy to let her do so.
There was her own home which they passed, the two of them catching the attention of two other buffalo, a bison and a cow. Her parents, Dusk assumed, as they crossed over to meet them.
"Mother, father," she said warmly, as they embraced her gently. So they were, thought Dusk, as he stood back to let them have their moment.
It touched him to witness this tender moment. It only served as a reminder that, while they may be different in some aspects, fundamentally their two races were the same. It made Dusk feel a pang in his heart, when he realised he missed his own parents. It felt like so long since he'd seen them...
"My daughter," her mother greeted, in a gentle tone. "It always warms our hearts to see you."
"That it does," said her father, who cast his gaze to Dusk. "Ah, this must be our pony guest then."
"It is." She beckoned him forward. "This is my friend, Dusk Noir. Dusk, this is my father, Big Earthshaker and my mother, Big Gentleheart."
"May the ground stay strong beneath your hooves," Dusk said to them both. "It's a pleasure to meet you both."
"As it is you," replied Gentleheart kindly. "You are most welcome among us, Dusk. Few ponies have ever seen our home."
"Though we hope that will change soon enough," put in Earthshaker. "Now that there is peace with the settlers, we hope that they too shall visit us in our home, if they are as willing to see it as you are."
"I share your hopes and I'm sure that they will." He smiled fondly at Strongheart. "Your daughter is both strong and wise beyond her years. I'm happy to call her my friend and that she calls me the same."
"Your words gladden us," Gentleheart said. "She is a fine young calf and she will make a great cow one day."
"But know this Dusk, the trust and friendship of our people is not to be mistreated." Earthshaker glared down at him. "If I hear that you betray by daughter's trust, I shall ram you from here to the ends of Equestria as punishment."
"Um... duly noted, good sir," Dusk mumbled, feeling fear grip him.
"Come now, my love," Gentleheart scorned. "Is that anyway to speak to our guest?"
The bull's expression softened and he sighed. "You are right. Forgive me; I am simply protective of my daughter. The time for hostilities has passed and I do not wish there to be bad blood between us."
"The feeling is mutual, believe me," said Dusk, still wary of how much larger he was than him. "I would never forgive myself if I did anything to betray your daughter's trust of me."
The bull snorted. "Let us not let these grim words sour our mood. Come Dusk, sit awhile with us."
Dusk accepted the invitation and remained there for a while, making pleasant conversation with Little Strongheart's parents, answering any questions that they asked, either about himself or about pony society in general. They particularly were intrigued by his description of their own homes, such as Canterlot and Ponyville. They both expressed a wish that perhaps they could visit them someday.
"I am sorry about my father," Strongheart said, as they left her home a few hours later. "He cares for me greatly, as any father would. But it can get annoying at times," she admitted.
"I'm not disagreeing with him, especially not with those horns," Dusk said. "I'd rather like to remain on his good side."
"As you should, or he might make good of his threat," she warned him. "Now come on, I still need to show you the sparring grounds."
It was a short walk until they reached a spot where there was a large group of buffalo circled around a small stretch of desert. Two other bulls, in the centre of the circle, stood at equal distance away from each other, their heads lowered in an aggressive stance. A fight was about to commence.
Dusk himself was no fan of violence. There were some cases where it was necessary, in self-defense or defense of a friend of loved one, but most times there were better ways to go about resolving something without hurting each other. This, however, was an integral part of buffalo culture, fighting out matters of honor or a chance to win a cow's hoof. He wasn't going to pass judgement, nor did he plan to. He would simply watch.
He could feel the crash as the two of them clashed horns, while the crowd watching stomped their hooves and cheered them on. One of them seemed more experienced than the other. His horns were more worn, though this made them look even more fearsome and there was a scar over his right eye. He had rage, yes, but it was more of a controlled determination than blind emotion. He looked to be in control and it was likely he would be victorious.
He was. The third time the two of them clashed horns, he locked his own wicked points with his foes, flicked his head to the left and bought him crashing to the floor. His opponent tried to rise, but gave in and collapsed in defeat. The victor gave a great snort and a loud roar in celebration, as did all of the spectators.
"He seems quite formidable," remarked Dusk to Strongheart.
"He is. That is Big Sharphorns," she informed him. "He is probably the strongest of all of us, save for the chief. He has challenged and been challenged eight times and all times he has won."
"Quite an impressive record," conceded Dusk. "I wonder how Applejack or Rainbow would fare against him..."
"I doubt they would last long. He is larger and stronger than any pony, even among the buffalo. He is unbeatable."
"Size isn't everything and no-one is unbeatable," said Dusk. "He may meet his match, one day."
"What? You would doubt his strength?" demanded a nearby buffalo, who had been listening.
"What? No!" Dusk said quickly. "I... I'm just saying, that's all..." Unfortunately, Sharphorns had heard the comment and his eyes flashed in his direction.
"Someone doubts my feats in combat?" His eyes locked on Dusk. "You? You would question my strength, when you are no larger than a desert lizard?"
"No, no! I didn't say that," Dusk cried desperately. "Please, sir, I meant no offense."
"Oh really, pony?" He stomped his hoof on the ground. "I think you did. If you are so quick to doubt my strength, then face me yourself!"
"Sharphorn, are you mad?" called a spectator. "You would crush and kill him and our peace with the settlers would be ruined."
"He is our guest here, you should not threaten him!" added Little Strongheart.
"I am not threatening him, merely offering a challenge. He may choose to face me like a bull or bow like a cow and acknowledge my strength. Unless another of you would step in his place?"
None of them stepped forward. Clearly they feared his strength and power and he was sure of it. Dusk didn't know what to do. Refusing a direct challenge was a sign of cowardice among the buffalo and he didn't know how that would reflect upon him as a visitor here. Then again, he wasn't part of the tribe, he was just a visitor. Did Sharphorns have the ability to even challenge him? He did seem confident that he did, probably reinforced by all of his other victories and it showed...
But maybe that was the key. Perhaps he didn't have to fight him, but he could convince him to stand down if he did this correctly.
"Very well, I... I accept your challenge," he said as boldly as he could.
A collective gasp rose from the crowd and Strongheart gripped his shoulder.
"Dusk, what are you doing?!" she hissed. "You can't possibly be considering this!"
"Trust me, I know what I'm doing," he replied, before adding faintly, "I hope."
"Come then, runt!" roared Sharphorns, lowering his head. "Let us see this put to rest!"
"A moment, please," he insisted. He bared his neck as much as he could and hoped he wouldn't try to run his horns through it. "Is this really the course of action you want to take, mighty one?"
He snorted. "Do not patronise me, pony."
"I speak with utter sincerity," he continued. "I... I saw your display before. You truly are a credit to your race and your name. You have earned a respect in the arena that may be matched only by the chief himself and a reputation worthy of your ancestors. So, I ask you this: is that not enough?"
He looked a little confused. "What do you mean?"
"If you have all of this respect a-and all of this prowess," Dusk continued, "then... what is there to be gained from battling me? I-I would be no match for one such as you. You would crush me in an instant and that would no doubt earn you another victory, b-but what kind of victory would that be? What h-honour is there in battling an opponent who presents so little challenge? What p-prestige is there to be gained from defeating one who is little more than a calf in your eyes?"
Sharphorns didn't look as sure of himself as before. A slight murmur rose from the onlookers. Dusk gulped and pressed his advantage.
"A-and as one of your peers has said, peace with the settlers has been achieved after m-months of hostility. Is the best way to celebrate such a peace more fighting? Do you really want to risk the possibility of reigniting the conflict when you injure me in this battle? Or even worse?" He let that sink in. "Do you really want to risk losing all of that honour? Would you stain the memory of the spirits of your ancestors by bringing more war? I thought you would be better than that."
The buffalo shot up, his nostrils snorting. Dusk backed away, fearing the worst, thinking he'd gone too far. As such, he was surprised when the bull raised his head and gave a grudging smile.
"I bear you no ill will, pony... Dusk. I hope you can forgive my earlier transgressions, as I was caught up in my triumphs."
Dusk raised an eyebrow in disbelief, before offering him a hoof which he bumped. "You're forgiven. It wasn't exactly misplaced, considering how you look like you could crush me like an ant."
"I have no doubt of that, but I could never hope to match the muscle you have in here." He gave his head a rap, forcing Dusk to the floor. He laughed good naturedly along with the others and was helped to his hooves once more. "My father always told me that strength comes from the mind, not just the horns. Thank you for reminding me of that."
"My pleasure," returned Dusk. "I hope to see you at the commute tonight, where I hope... we might be on better terms."
"I would like to think we already are, but I hope for the same," he agreed. "I shall see you then."
Dusk tipped his hat to him and turned to Strongheart, who was staring at him in disbelief.
"You defeated him," she whispered.
"I um... I wouldn't say that."
"I would. You made him stand down. You did that without even raising a hoof against him." She shook her head, fighting to control a smile. "How did you manage that?"
Dusk considered the question before giving what he felt to be the best answer. "There's a saying I remember once hearing: words win wars."
She nodded, allowing that smile to grow. "I would certainly agree with that."
Looking on back that moment, Dusk knew that he was prouder deciding on taking the option he had. He was an intellect, not a warrior and though it wasn't his usual style, he thought it was good to have some pride in it. He also received food, in the form of a traditional buffalo dish and some Appleloosa apple pie. The former looked bad, but actually tasted quite good and the latter was just as good, though he preferred the Apple family recipe.
He was now gathered around the camp fire with the rest of the tribe. They had all eaten and had gathered at the commute as was routine. Dusk had already explained how it was he was able to defeat Big Sharphorns, which interested some of the other buffalo there. Right now, as they had requested a story, he told them the tale of how Equestria was founded, the story that was re-enacted every Hearth's Warming Eve. While Dusk didn't think of himself as much of a storyteller, the buffalo seemed nonetheless enthralled.
"... and so, when they finally emerged from the cave," he was saying, "they realised the value of harmony and friendship that would save us. In celebration, they named the land that they founded Equestria. The three sects of society then lived in harmony and peace and still do, today."
"A fine tale," remarked Chief Thunderhooves, who was close by. "And with a fitting and valuable message too."
"That it does," agreed Dusk. "I'm glad you liked it."
"If only we knew that story during our conflict. It might have been avoided," mused Little Strongheart, many others nodding in agreement.
"That was in the past," Dusk reminded them. "We are at peace now and long may it remain that way."
"Well said!" called Earthshaker and they all rumbled in agreement.
"Excellent. Now, if there's anything else that you would like me to share with you, please ask."
The Chief hesitated for a moment. "I have something else to ask of you, Dusk." He nodded to show that he was listening. "You are a unicorn, so you have magic. If you would, I ask you to show us."
Dusk smiled as he remembered Little Strongheart's echoed request from yesterday. Deciding to share something that was unique only to him, he created clouds of swirling colour that danced and played over the fire before them or soared around the watching buffalo. They gazed in amazement and wonder, some even trying to touch the clouds as they flew. And to think, he had once kept it hidden.
When he finished, however, he noticed that Thunderhooves had a different expression on his face, like he had recognised it from somewhere, a kind of familiarity... or something along those lines. Either way, Dusk had his interest piqued.
"Chief? What is it?"
Once more, the Chief hesitated. "That power... have you never found out where it comes from?"
"No it's... it's always been a mystery." He gazed imploringly at him. "You know, don't you?"
"You have shared much with us Dusk. Perhaps it is time we shared something with you." He stood and walked towards the fire, bathed in its glow. "Long ago, when our father's father's father's father's father's..."
"Chief, he gets it," Strongheart said pointedly.
"Of course." He rumbled deeply and resumed. "When our oldest ancestors first ran across the plains, they feared the night when it first came. They did not understand it, comprehend it and so stampeded blindly in the darkness. So it was that the Bringer of the Night came to them in their distress, to lift them from ignorance."
"Princess Luna," Dusk whispered. "Go on."
"It was she who guided them through the night, to help them understand. It was told that she could shift and bend the very colours of the night, even upon herself, to take different forms and shapes. Our ancestors were forever indebted to her and so we hold a yearly celebration in honor of what she did for us."
"The Stampede of the Stars," Dusk nodded. "When you run across the plains at night, when the moon is full and at its highest."
"Indeed. It was a great tragedy when her sister needed to imprison her in the moon, to prevent her corruption..."
"She's back," Dusk told him. "She was freed and healed by the Elements of Harmony. She's ruling again."
"She is?" The Chief smiled warmly at this. "This is... good news indeed."
"Yeah..." he agreed absently. "But... what does that have to do with me?"
"Do you not see, Dusk? She could bend and shift the colours of the night: deepest black, darkest blue and shimmering purple. You seem to have a broader range and it is less powerful but... I believe that your power may well be inherited, in some way, from hers."
Dusk was speechless. He just didn't know what to say to that. He never would have suspected this at all, he didn't even know. He remembered Luna at the Contest, staring at him intently for some unknown reason. Was this it? Did she recognise his power as something similar to her own? What was she going to do then?
Dusk was in relative silence for the rest of the evening, his mind grappling with this new revelation. When he returned to the girls in the morning, he told them about all that happened but left out both the fight and this new idea. He didn't want anypony to know yet until he was sure that it was correct.
He had to know, to find out... somehow. |
Brand New Dusk | A Bird in the Hoof | "Great work with the pies there Spike," Dusk said encouragingly, as he finished baking another batch with his flame breath.
"Thanks Dusk. It's nice to be using it for something other than sending letters for a change." He handed the pies over to Mr Cake. "How's things out there?"
"Unduly tense and uptight," he told him. "Everypony just seems to have a hard time relaxing."
"Well, it's not every day the Princess herself visits for brunch," he pointed out.
"Touche, my assistant brother. You seem all right though."
"Well of course. I'm in here and they're out there, so I'm just fine," he said with a chuckle. "Hope this goes better than the last time the Princess came to visit."
"Why, what happened?"
"Well, it was a complete disaster. Mainly because the town was overrun with Parasprites and they started eating everything, so yeah..."
"Yes, I can see how that would be a problem." Dusk turned to leave. "I'm off to mingle, keep up the good work."
"Will do, have fun!"
Dusk stepped back out into the brunch party at the Sugarcube Corner. As Spike had said, they were hosting it for Princess Celestia, who was visiting for the day. Dusk had been here on early hours, helping to set everything up and making sure Twilight kept calm. Her perfectionist attitude was making her jittery and irritable. Not so much with him, but he simply let it wash off him. He too had some nerves of his own about the visit.
He had stood at the door to greet the guests as they arrived. All of his friends were here now, except for Fluttershy who seemed to be running late. Rarity was telling anypony who stood nearby not to ruin her dress in anyway, Rainbow was hovering bored in the air, Applejack was still unsure about how to eat her food, Pinkie was bouncing happily around the room and Twilight was fidgeting nervously by the door though obviously trying to calm herself like he'd advised her.
"Oh Dusk, I hope this goes well," she'd said before the Princess had arrived. "I want everypony to make a good impression with the Princess, so she doesn't think badly of you."
"But she's already met us Twilight and you've told her good things about us in your letters," he'd reminded her. "Trust me, everything will be fine and I'm sure they'll all be on their best behaviour."
"Okay... but what if-"
"Twilight," he'd said firmly, looking right into her eyes, "trust me, it'll be fine. I'm nervous too, in fact I'm shaking in my knees, but I'm not letting it get the better of me, no matter how much I'd like to."
"Really?" She'd looked down to see his legs, which were shaking quite a bit.
"Yes, because I know how much this means to you and I'm going to do my absolute best to make sure Celestia's good impression of me, or at least I hope she has one, stays that way. I even combed my fur and mane specially, see?"
"I didn't notice." She'd smiled approvingly. "Thank you Dusk. You... you always go the extra mile for me, don't you?"
"Heh... I guess..." He'd shuffled on his hooves, and then made an excuse that he should wait by the door to greet the guests and hurried away, hoping that she didn't see his cheeks go bright red at that.
Deciding that there wasn't really much else he could do, other than be a good host to the guest of honor, Dusk turned away and made his way towards where Princess Celestia sat, sipping her tea.
Ever since Dusk had discovered about the relation that his powers might have to her sister, Dusk had been hoping for a chance to speak with either of them, perhaps find out what Princess Luna might be up to now. Besides, it had been a long time since he'd spoken to Celestia and he owed her a great deal. It would be rude to ignore her now.
She looked up from her drink and smiled as warmly ad the sun she raised at the sight of him. "Dusk Noir, how lovely to see you."
"Likewise, your highness," he replied, bowing to her. "I hope you're enjoying your brunch and if there's anything else I can get you, you need only ask."
"Thank you, but everything is fine." She gestured to the empty place to her right. "Please, sit with me. It's been a long time since we spoke."
"Of course, Princess." He placed himself next to her, looking up into her caring face.
"Well, you've certainly been busy since discovering friendship's magic. Fending off hydra, battling diamond dogs, participating in the Canterlot contest. You should be proud of what you've accomplished."
"I am, for the most part," he said humbly. "I would prefer not to think much on events involving violence. I'm a thinker, not a fighter."
"I would say that such things require a little of both." She smiled proudly at him. "It's good you don't take pride in violence though, when there are so many better ways to resolve problems."
"In this, we are like minded, Princess. I prefer intellectual pursuits to physical... not that there's anything wrong with a little exercise, now and again."
"Indeed," she laughed appreciatively. "From what she's written to me in her letters, Twilight seems to think you're quite clever. Would you say that you're clever?"
"Um... I suppose that I am quite intelligent," he said modestly.
"And that you have a wide and varied knowledge of different subjects, due to your reading?"
"I suppose... yes, I do."
"Interesting..." A cunning glint shone in her eye."Well, if you are as intelligent as Twilight Sparkle tells me you are, tell me if you can identify my pet here."
Knowing the Princess was just having a little bit of fun, he looked into the cage that she gestured to. Inside it, fast asleep on the cage floor, was a curious-looking bird. At first glance, one might mistake it for a chicken or a turkey, but Dusk knew better. From the books he'd read, he recognised the shape of the beak, the colour shade of the feathers, established what stage of its life cycle it must be at and his jaw dropped.
"Princess," he whispered, in complete awe of the creature before him, "is this really a... a phoenix?"
"Indeed she is, well done." She cast a fond gaze at her pet. "Not many ponies would be able to recognise one, especially not in her current state. It's a pity you must see her on a burning day."
"I know what you mean. They're meant to be quite majestic birds and one of them would certainly not look out of place in the halls of Canterlot."
"I'm glad you think so. Do you know much else of phoenixes?"
"Plenty," he said proudly. "Let me see... they now and again moult all of their feathers, burst into flame but are then reborn from the ashes. They can carry loads far heavier than themselves, their tears are said to have healing powers and they're quite intelligent animals, very faithful pets."
"Right on all counts, well done again." She cast a rather amused look at him."You and Twilight are more alike than I first thought."
"I like to think so too," he said in agreement.
"You said that you had hoped you would be good friends because you're rather similar. Would you say that it's worked out like you hoped?"
"Oh yes, Your Highness," he replied happily. "She's better than I ever hoped she would be. She's witty, caring, kind, clever, enjoys reading and learning, inquisitive and uh... beautiful..." He mumbled this last one, clearing his throat and levitating up his necklace. "She made me this, you know, a sort of good luck charm."
"What a lovely gesture," she remarked, examining it. "Strange stones, I must say... it seems that you're closer than I thought as well."
"Is uh... that a bad thing?" he asked nervously.
"Not at all," she assured. "I think it's wonderful that you share so much in common. It makes your friendship so much more special and perhaps..." She remained silent for a few seconds, and then brushed her words aside. "Oh, never mind. Regardless, the two of you are good friends and I couldn't be happier for you."
"Re-r-really?"
"Of course. Compared to the day I first met you, in the gardens of Canterlot, you've changed so much since then. Friendship suits you, Dusk and I hope it only makes you happier throughout your life."
"Thank you, Your Highness," he mumbled, seeing that glint return to her eye again. Trying to steer the conversation where he wanted to, he asked, "So... how's Princess Luna faring?"
"My sister is quite well. She still prefers to seclude herself than come out in public, but... some scars take time to heal." She looked slightly mournful for a bit, a shadow of sadness crossing over her face. It vanished as quickly as it arrived. "Why do you ask?"
"I'm just curious," he shrugged. "We don't really see much of her and I was just wondering as to why... making sure she's okay."
"Well, that's very nice of you to-"
"You gonna eat that?" Pinkie didn't wait for an answer, as she snapped up the Princess's cupcake in a single bite and was promptly dragged away before she could do it again. "Hey!"
"A thousand pardons, Your Majesty," begged Mr Cake, setting down a replacement cake and backing away, in case she might strike him down.
"That's quite all right, thank you." She glanced inquisitively at Dusk, who merely shrugged, trying to convey without words that she was always like that and he just went with it.
The Princess chuckled as she caught his meaning and delicately bit into the cupcake and drained her cup of tea. A rather comedic scene ensued, where the Princess finished a cup of tea, only to have it immediately refilled by the Cakes. Just to mess around with them, she pretended to take a sip and let them pour the tea and overflow her cup.
"Gotcha!" Then it was Dusk's turn to laugh, but he heard a groan next to him and saw Twilight beside him, along with Fluttershy at the head of the table.
"It's okay," he whispered to her, "it'll be fine."
"If you say so," she replied unsurely.
"Take slow, deep breaths," he advised her. "Trust me, it helps."
"Okay... slow deep breaths..." She began to comply, as Celestia turned her attention toFluttershy.
"And what about you, dear? Fluttershy, is it?" she asked her gently.
"Me?" She seemed quite surprised at being addressed."Oh yes, Your Highness."
"I understand from Twilight Sparkle's letters that you enjoy tending to the needs of woodland creatures."
"Yes, I love to take care of animals."
"As do I. As Princess, I care deeply about all creatures, great and small." At this point, a hacking cough came from the cage with the phoenix in it. "Nothing means more to me than the well-being of all my subjects."
The bird weakly flew up to its perch and stood atop it, wobbling alarmingly. Even though Dusk knew this was natural, he couldn't help but grimace at the state it was in.
"Ah, Philomena, my pet. You're awake. Do say hello to our gracious hosts." The phoenix Philomena responded with another wheezing cough.
"Oh... my," murmured Fluttershy in a concerned tone.
"She is quite a sight, isn't she?" Celestia was apparently oblivious to Fluttershy's reaction Philomena's state.
"I... I... I've never seen anything like it," she finally said.
At this point, one of the guards from outside cleared his throat and whispered something in Celestia's ear. "Really?" He nodded to confirm whatever he said. "Well, if I must..."
She rose gracefully from her seat. "I'm sorry, everypony. I'm afraid I have to cut the party short. The mayor has requested an audience with me. Royal duty calls. Thank you for a wonderful time. It's been a joy getting to know you all better."
With dignity and poise, she departed with her guards, everypony bowing to her as she passed. Applejack breathed a sigh of relief, her mouth-watering with anticipation.
"Now ah can eat someth'n!Ah'm starved!" To her dismay though, Mr Cake cleared the table by pulling on the cloth.
Dusk hurriedly drained the rest of his tea, scalding his tongue in the process and watched everypony leave the cake store, Pinkie doing a cartwheel and knocking over anypony that got in her way. Before anypony else could leave, they were stopped by a fiercely driven Rarity, who was also making her way out.
"Stay right where you are. All I want is a clear path to the exit. NOBODY MOVE and my dress won't get hurt! Stay back! Back, I say!"
Last to leave was Applejack, expertly balancing several food items on her nose and back to wearing her Stetson, leaving Twilight, Spike and Dusk standing in the middle of the room. Twilight relaxed visibly, drooping her head and wearing a resigned expression.
"Well, guys, I don't know for sure how things went with the princess, but at least no big disasters happened."
"I'm sure it went fine," said Spike. "If it didn't... I'm sure we'll be the first to know about it."
"Well said Spike," Dusk remarked. "Were you expecting any big disasters to happen?"
"Well, you never know, anything could have happened to spoil the day. You already know about the Parasprites from last time and the time before that was when Nightmare Moon was freed from her imprisonment."
"Oh. I can see where your concern came from then," he said. "But like I told you, it was nothing to worry about."
"Yeah... you were..." She sighed and looked at Dusk. "Thanks for making a good impression on her Dusk."
"No problem at all," he assured her. "I was happy to do it. Remember, it's thanks to her we're friends in the first place."
"Indeed it is." It sounded like a simple agreement, but he got the feeling that she was saying more than she was, enough to make him smile affectionately at her, which she returned.
After the moment had passed, they spent some time helping Mr and Mrs Cake tidying up everything that had been left over from the brunch. Once this was done, they decided to give themselves a little break. Spike went back to the library for a nap, whilst Dusk set off on one of his walks, accompanied by Twilight who requested to go with him, to which he had no objections.
"I just go on these when I feel like it," he explained to her, as they made their way through the streets of Ponyville. "It lets me get some exercise and I get to explore the area."
"That's as good reason for them, I guess. But if you wanted to know about the area, why not just read it in a book?"
"Oh I have, it's just that this way is more engaging and healthier."
"But if you've already read it in a book, what's the point of the exploration?" she asked him, a little confused.
"Because, Miss Sparkle, there are some things that can't be learned from any book. Most things can be, but others have to be seen with your eyes, held with your own hooves, like Pinkie sense. Who knows, you may find something else one day a book can't explain."
"I doubt it," she scoffed, though he noticed her cheeks went slightly red. "I may not have been able to explain Pinkie sense, but there's nothing else in this world that can't be explained by looking it up in a book. I'll stick to reading, thank you."
"If you say so, Twi," he shrugged. "I suppose that's the studious mind-set that comes from being the protegee of Princess Celestia... not that that's a bad thing, it makes you who you are and I like who you are."
"I noticed." The blush in her cheeks deepened at this point and she gazed warmly at him. "I heard what you said to the Princess... about me."
"Did you?" Somehow, Dusk's voice became even quieter than normal. "Well... um... I..."
"You did mean it, didn't you?" she asked. He didn't respond, just nodded mutely and her expression softened even further. "Nopony's ever said anything like that about me before..."
"N-n-nopony... at all?" he dared to ask.
"Nopony," she repeated. "It was very sweet of you, that you would say that... thank you."
"No problem," he murmured, but he was glowing inside that she would acknowledge this of him. They held their warm gaze for a few seconds, when Twilight faltered, breaking eye contact and flicking her head around nervously.
"I mean um... it's nice that, as a friend, you think of me like that um... not in any uh... you know..." She trailed off and fell into an awkward silence.
"Twilight, are you-?"
He was cut off when she suddenly asked, "You spend a lot of time with Rarity."
"Um... excuse me?" he replied unsurely.
"Rarity. You spend a lot of time with her, I've noticed. Not that it's a bad thing, it's great to spend time with your friends but... yeah, you just spend a lot of time with her, that's all." She said this all rather quickly and while trying to sound casual, but coming off as nervous.
"Er... I hadn't really noticed," he said, not really sure of what else to say.
"Really? Well, I noticed it, even if you didn't, you know because I notice things about my friends, especially you because you work with me. I mean, I notice what we all do, not just you and I just noticed that about you. You know?" She was getting rather mixed up in her words and not being too clear in her meaning.
"Well... do you want me to spend less time with Rarity?" Dusk asked, hoping to clear it up and calm her down. If anything, that made it worse.
"No, no of course not! I mean, you can if you want to; it's not up to me to tell you what you should do with your friends. I mean, if it was, I'd tell you that you should be spending equal time with all of your friends, especially if they're all girls and you're the only guy. If you do, they might start thinking that there's something else going on."
"What exactly... would that be then?" It seemed like she wanted to talk about something important, but wasn't quite sure how to.
"I just thought that maybe, if you and Rarity are spending so much time together, you two may feel... something else for each other. Again, not that that's a bad thing, I'm just saying... I mean, I'm not saying that you do but-"
"Wait, hold on," Dusk interrupted, finally seeing what she was getting at. "Do you think that I and Rarity feel... like that for each other?"
"Yes, yes that's exactly what I'm thinking!" she cried, sounding relieved. "Again, not that it's bad if you do, I'd be happy for both of you if you did. It's just that... well... what I'm trying to say is... do you?" A note of pleading made its way into this question.
Dusk remembered how Rarity said that she seemed jealous when they separated at Canterlot at the school and he had noticed that a look of jealousy flashed across her face whenever he did something like hug one of the others, or even say that he was doing something with Rarity. Had she been thinking all of this time that he had romantic feelings for her? And if she did, what did that mean for the two of them?
"No," he replied simply. "I don't have... you know... romantic feelings for Rarity. We're just good friends, like I am with the others and you."
"Really? Oh." She looked quite abashed now, but at least that hysterical note had gone out of her voice. He always got concerned when she was like that. "Well... um... good."
"Why is that good?"
"Oh, no reason!" she said suddenly, with a forced smile. "I'm just er... glad that this had all been sorted out, that's all. We're all just good friends, right?"
"Yeah... right..." He supposed it was too much to hope that she may harbor affection for him as he did for her, not yet anyway. He guessed she was still grappling with her emotions like Rarity said. Deciding it would be best to change the subject, he asked, "What do you think of Celestia's sister?"
Apparently just as glad at the change of subject, she relaxed visibly and a natural smile came back. "Luna? Well she's... she's..." Twilight went silent, thinking for a few minutes, and then frowned. "Come to think of it, I don't really know."
"Why not? You girls are the ones who freed her from her corrupting power."
"I know, but we didn't really get the chance to talk to her," she explained. "They left pretty quickly once the celebration was over, but I swear I could see Luna crying when they did."
"Oh... that's rather a shame," he remarked. "I suppose it was tough for her, returning to her normal self after so long wrapped in a shroud of evil and hate."
"Well put," she agreed, raising an eyebrow at his eloquence. "Add to that, she was stuck in the moon for a thousand years and the fact everypony thought she was a monster and..."
"I know what you mean... do you know much else about her?"
"Only what most know: she's Celestia's sister, she's just as magical as her, maybe less because she's younger, she always speaks loudly... why does she do that anyway?"
"It's the Royal Voice of Canterlot," he explained. "Both Celestia and Luna used it to address their subject centuries ago, but Celestia abandoned the tradition shortly after Luna was imprisoned in the moon."
"Is there anything you don't know?" she remarked admirably.
"Quite a few things, like the answers to complex equations... I never could stand maths that much. I don't know as much science as I'd like, among other things, like things I find boring."
"Really? You don't like science?"
"Only in that I don't find it as interesting as I do other things, it's personal preference. It's not that I don't understand it and I do know some basic information, I just don't find it as interesting as most other things. I'll leave that to you, if you don't mind." He decided to steer the conversation away from his personal views and back to the topic at hand. "And about Princess Luna, don't know much about her either."
"You didn't see much of her back home then?"
"Not really. She was secluded in the castle for quite a long time after that back in Canterlot and even now she seems... well... unsure of herself."
"You thought so too? And we've never really asked about her... I feel kind of bad, now that I think about it."
"Me too," he said. "But she'll show herself more when she's ready and it's best not to rush her until then. Still... it would be good if we did see more of her."
"I know, she would be unique to talk to at any rate." She hesitated for a moment. "Do you really think that there's nothing we can do?"
"I don't really know," he admitted. "Celestia knows her better than we do; she is her sister after all. If she wants our help, I'm sure she'll ask for it. Until then, we carry on."
"I suppose that makes sense," she said, a little regrettably. "Anyway, I'm going to go over to Fluttershy's house to thank her for making a good impression. Do you wanna come?"
"No thanks Twi, I'll wait for you two with the others near the centre of town." He made his way down an alleyway that would take him there. "See you later!"
She waved goodbye and was soon out of sight, though Dusk did regret having to leave her. He followed the alley until he reached the fountain statue of a smiling pony, where the others were all gathered. Rainbow was hovering in the air, Pinkie was eating a cupcake from the brunch, Rarity was styling her mane and Applejack was balancing an apple on the end of her nose. They all greeted Dusk as he arrived.
"Good afternoon ladies," he said politely. "Nice to see you all looking relaxed."
"You said it, sugarcube," Applejack replied, not losing balance of the apple. "Don't have ta worry 'bout no manners among friends huh?"
"Perhaps you don't, but the rest of us have some standards," remarked Rarity. Pinkie chose this point to take a huge bite out of her cupcake and swallow it almost whole. "Well, most of us anyway..."
"Eh, I'm bored," Rainbow announced. "There's nothing to do and nothing's going on."
"I wouldn't say that, there's always something going-"
"Excuse me sir, are you Dusk Noir?" He turned to see the imposing forms of Celestia's guards standing behind him.
"Wow, those psychic powers of yours are good." He ignored Pinkie's comment and faced the guards.
"Yes, that's me," he confirmed, tipping his hat to them. "How may I help you?"
"We are looking for Twilight Sparkle and we were wondering if you knew where she was. It is essential that she be informed of a dire emergency."
"She went to the house of Fluttershy on the outskirts of town. It's the one surrounded by all of the animal homes, you can't miss it." They thanked him for his assistance and made to leave. "If I may ask, sirs, what is this emergency? Is there any way I can help?"
"If you can, that would be much appreciated. The royal pet has gone missing and we would be grateful for any help you can provide. Have you seen her anywhere?"
"Philomena?" That surprised Dusk greatly. "No, not since the brunch, sorry. I'll keep an eye open for her though and inform you immediately if I see her."
"Very well, thank you." With that, the two guards left to find Twilight and Dusk was left thinking.
"Well that's weird," noted Pinkie. "Why would that silly birdie go wandering off like that?"
"It is rather peculiar," agreed Rarity. "Oh well, we'll keep an eye out for her, just as Dusk said and report if we do see her."
"Meantime, back to it," Applejack said, returning to balancing the apple on her nose.
Realising that they were all doing their own thing, Dusk figured he might as well do something to entertain himself. Allowing his magic to take effect and his mind to wander, Dusk began to deliberate all of the details, the minutes passing by.
As he watched the swirling colours, a thought crossed his mind. Everypony knew the story of how Princess Luna had been corrupted by dark powers. If his power was in some way connected to hers, could that possibly mean that he too might become... corrupted. A fear began to creep up inside him at this idea. His swirling images of colour had always seemed harmless enough, but what if they had been slowly changing him, like a slow acting poison? Could it be that, one day, he might... stray down the path of evil?
"Dusk? Dusk dear, are you all right?" Rarity's voice snapped him out of his thoughts. "You seem to be rather... preoccupied."
"Oh um... it's nothing, really," he lied, not feeling comfortable telling them yet. "It's just something rather... complex I'm thinking of."
"Mus' be, ah swear ah could hear the cogs turnin' in yer head," Applejack remarked.
"You thinking about the Princess's missing bird?" asked Rainbow. "That thing didn't look so good, did it?"
"No, it didn't," he agreed absently. "Yes um... I was thinking about it."
"Always thinking away, aren't ya?" said Pinkie brightly. "Come on, what's going on in that unicorn noggin?"
"Give me a few minutes," he requested, glad to be pondering something else other than his possible corruption. Besides, this might be a nice mystery to unravel.
Now, the bird had been safely in her cage when he'd last seen her and it seemed unlikely that the princess would have left the cage open or let her out since then. She was in no condition to do any flying. She could have been stolen, but why? Celestia had said that very few ponies would recognise a phoenix when it was about to burst into flame as part of the life cycle. Most would just see it as a sick bird and not bother with it.
But what if somepony did take an interest in the phoenix while she was sick? Maybe they would recognise the bird and realise how valuable it was. Or maybe they would try and help it get better if they didn't know. That would be the kind of thing that Fluttershy would... wait, Fluttershy. That look of concern that she had when she saw Philomena... the fact that she'd left rather quickly after the party... he didn't even see her leave.
"Oh she wouldn't... would she?" he said out-loud.
"Who wouldn't do what?" asked Rainbow. "Hey, there's Twilight and Fluttershy! They look they're in a hurry." She bolted over to the two of them as they hurried over.
Before Dusk could voice his suspicions, Fluttershy checked the floor beneath Pinkie. "Excuse me!"
"Hi!" said Pinkie, completely unfazed.
"Beg your pardon!" Twilight was doing the same with Rarity.
"Put me down!" demanded Rarity.
"What in tarnation?!" wondered Applejack, as Twilight lifted up Dusk's hat and checked underneath it.
"Pardon my intrusion," Dusk put in as she placed it back on his head, "but might I inquire as to what's going on?"
"Sorry, but we've gotta find-"
"The princess's pet bird!" It was the two guards from before. They were looking up to the top of the fountain, where Philimena stood, her feathers almost gone and looking worse than ever. Well, at least that confirmed his suspicions.
"Philomena, come down from there! You'll hurt yourself!" ordered Fluttershy.
The phoenix chose, at this point, to violently convulse and cough excessively. With an acted death rattle, she collapsed on the fountain. Then, she stood up again, coughed once more and proceeded to fall straight off of the statue and hurtle towards the ground.
"I'll catch you!" Fluttershy hurried forward, but Dusk knew it was futile. Any second now...
Just as the Pegasus reached her, Philomena burst into flame and landed in Fluttershy's hooves as a pile of ash. Everypony gasped, except for Dusk and Fluttershy, the former raising his eyebrows at the sight and the latter whimpering and crying, tears streaking down her face.
Dusk was about to try and tell her there was nothing to worry about and comfort her, but Princess Celestia chose that moment to arrive on the scene.
"What is going on here?" she demanded, as everpony bowed. "Twilight?"
"Yes, Your Majesty," she responded, proceeding to explain, "there's been a terrible accident."
"It's all my fault," interjected Fluttershy.
"No, Princess. Fluttershy didn't know any better. It was my fault."
"I'm the one who did it."
"But you were only trying to help."
"Some help I was."
"Will ya let me do this? She'll go easier on me."
"But it's my fault!"
"No, it's my fault!"
"No, it's my fault!" piped up Pinkie unexpectedly. "Wait, what are we talking about?"
"Thanks for trying to protect me, Twilight, but..." Nervously, she stepped forward and faced the princess. "Princess Celestia, I'm the one who took your pet bird. I really was only trying to help the poor little thing. Then I was gonna bring it back to you, honest. So, if you wanna banish me and then throw me in a dungeon in the place that you banish me to, then that's what I deserve."
At this point, the princess had crossed over to the pile of ashes that had once been Philomena. Dusk was now bending over and examining it too, nudging it a bit with his hoof and glancing up at the Princess.
"Shouldn't she have reformed by now?" he asked her.
"Reformed? What do you mean?" Fluttershy asked desperately.
"You'll have to excuse her," the Princess said, then addressing the ashes said: "Oh, stop fooling around, Philomena. You're scaring everypony."
The ashes rose into the sky as a thin tendril, gathering at a single point in the sky. Once this was done, there was a blinding flash of light and a majestic, red-and-gold feathered bird hovered gracefully in the sky, soaring on the wind, with everypony gasping and staring. Even Dusk, who had been expecting this, laughed in sheer joy of watching her fly.
"I don't understand!" Fluttershy stared at her, as she came to a rest on Celestia's leg. "What is that thing? What happened to Philomena?"
"This is Philomena," she told her. "She's quite a sight, as I said. But nothing unusual for a phoenix. Isn't that right, Philomena?" The bird gave a musical call in reply.
"A...A phoenix?"
"Dusk, why don't you explain?" invited Celestia. Honored that she would let him, Dusk stood next to Fluttershy and pointed as Philomena took flight once more.
"The phoenix, also known as the Flamed Bird and the Monarch of the Sky and well-deserved titles at that. Incredibly magical and rather rare, they can live for hundreds of years, usually looking like this until a day like today, when they need to renew themselves from the long years. When that happens, they gradually molt their feathers and spontaneously combust, burst into flame that is, at the end of it, essentially dying. But then, as you saw, it is reborn from the flames, just as majestic and glorious as before. A strange life-cycle it must be said, but a very unique animal."
"Well put. It's rather melodramatic if you ask me," the princess said in an undertone to them both. "I'm afraid, mischievous little Philomena here took the occasion to have a little fun with you, Fluttershy. Say you're sorry, young lady." Philomena, looking ashamed, made an approximation of an apology to Fluttershy.
"So... aren't you gonna banish me? Or throw me in a dungeon? Or banish me and then throw me in a dungeon in the place that you banish me to?" she asked nervously.
"Of course not, my little pony. Where on Earth would you get such an idea?" Dusk noticed that Twilight's gaze shifted away from them at this point and smiled to himself.
"I guess I have some imagination," covered Fluttershy, who also noticed and shared Dusk's smile.
"Fluttershy really did do everything she could to try to take care of Philomena for you," added Twilight.
"And I do appreciate that your heart was in the right place, child. But all you had to do was ask me and I could have told you Philomena was a phoenix and saved you all this trouble. Or you could have asked Dusk, as there seems to be no limit to his knowledge," she said in addition, smiling at him fondly, as he blushed and remained silent.
"I know. I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions. Next time I'll ask before taking matters into my own hooves."
Twilight suddenly had a thought, as her eyes widened. "Should I write you a letter about that lesson, Princess?"
"No, that's quite all right," assured Celestia. "I think I can remember."
Philomena chose this point to fly above Fluttershy's head and bestow one of her feathers on her, which came to nestle between her ear, as bright as a gold coin and as fiery as molten lava.
"It's beautiful." She gazed affectionately at the bird. "Thank you, Philomena. No hard feelings."
The two guards came back, this time with Philomena's cage. Rainbow Dash, hatching an idea, flew up to the bird and whispered something indistinctly. Philomena then landed in between the two guards and tickled their noses with her wings. Unable to contain themselves, they burst into fits of laughter and soon they all were, at the sight of the well-disciplined guards losing control of their composure.
Dusk couldn't help it. He laughed too.
Later that evening, back at Canterlot Castle, Princess Luna was bringing out the stars and the moon, in preparation for her vigil as Princess of the Night. While the spell did need much magic, it wasn't as much a toll on her strength as it usually was, for which she was glad. Smiling as the stars began to twinkle above, she waited for the return of her sister.
It was not just out of missing her, although that was part of it too. Before she'd left, she'd asked her to speak to the pony known as Dusk Noir. The abilities he'd shown at the Magic Contest were what had drawn her attention to the unicorn stallion. He had the power yes, but for his personality... she had to find out about that as well... to see if he matched completely.
She came a few minutes later, joining her at the balcony where she stood. "Ah my sister, you've done it again."
"Thanks Tia," she said, using the affectionate name for her sibling. "How was the visit to Ponyville?"
"Just lovely," she told her fondly. "The ponies were all very hospitable, Twilight and her friends are just fine and even Philomena has finally renewed."
"Ah, and about time too," she agreed. "She's been looking dreadful for days."
"Yes, I'm rather glad for it myself," she agreed. "How have things been here?"
"All quiet, nothing new," she reported proudly.
"Excellent." She was silent for a few minutes. "I spoke to Dusk Noir while I was there too."
"Oh... him?" She tried to remain casual on the subject. "So... what's he like?"
"A perfectly pleasant and intelligent little pony, much like my student," she said simply, as if that would be enough.
"Really? That's it?"
"Well, what else would you need to know?"
"Tia, you know what I need to know, I need to know if it all points to him," she said urgently.
"Luna," she said in a firm voice, "while I do support you in whatever you do, as your sister, I feel that this time you may be mistaken. Fore Sight's later writings were not as sane and stable as they once were and the text that you've been referring to falls into that category."
"But the rest of them were right, why would this one be?" she asked her. "He was so sure of what he saw, what he had foreseen..."
"I can't be sure, but it might be best if you let this go. He's a good-hearted young pony, no more, no less."
"But-"
"Luna, please." Partially pleading, partially ordering, the younger sister knew it was pointless arguing.
"Fine... if you say so," she sighed, admitting defeat.
"Thank you. Now, I need to get some rest," she decided, ending their discussion on the subject. "Besides, if you want to know more about him, why not speak with him yourself?"
With that question, Luna was left alone, staring out into the vastness of the night that she bought. She found it rather frustrating that her elder didn't support her in her belief of this particular pony, that it seemed like the ancient writing would highlight him. Although, this last question made her remark to herself:
"Perhaps I will, my sister, perhaps I will..." |
Brand New Dusk | Meeting of the Moon | "Dusk, what's wrong?" asked Twilight in the library while they were working. Dusk placed back the book he was levitating, but didn't turn to face her.
So, they had noticed. They'd noticed how he'd been acting a little distant with them since yesterday, while the princess was still here, after he'd had his... revelation. He'd been dwelling on it, not really listening when they'd been talking to him and had left earlier than normal. He hadn't missed the looks on their faces, as he'd acted similarly in the old days, before he'd saved them from the Paraserpent. Perhaps there was some kind of agreement between them for if he started acting like that again.
So Twilight, the one who knew him best and who he had deeper feelings for than any of them, had probably been asked to talk to him. The question was... how much should he tell her?
"Nothing, Twi," he said, trying to sound casual, "I just... have a lot on my mind, that's all..."
"Yes, I can tell, but that's not the whole truth." This was a statement, not a question. He felt a warm hoof on his shoulder. "Dusk, don't think you can hide anything from me. You shouldn't have to. Talk to me, please?"
He glanced at the hoof on his shoulder, and then turned to look right into her violet coloured eyes, which were shining with concern for him. She was right; he couldn't hide anything from her... except for perhaps how he truly felt for her.
"Twilight... am I a good pony?" he asked her.
She appeared confused by the question. "Well, of course you are. Is that what's concerning you?"
"No, it's just..." He paused, searching for the right words. "What if, one day, I wasn't? What if I wasn't a good pony anymore?"
"Dusk... what is this?" she asked, looking a little scared. "Why wouldn't you be good anymore?"
"Just hypothetically, what if I was?" He could hear a shiver entering his voice, but he tried to ignore it. "What if, like Nightmare Moon, I needed to be stopped to prevent me from harming anypony? Would you stop me, imprison me somewhere?"
"Dusk, what do you-?"
"Would you, Twiight Sparkle? Would you be able to do it, despite the fact that we're friends? Would be able to do what was right, what was necessary, for the good of all? Would you? Do you-"
"Dusk please stop!" He did, only to realise that she looked to be on the verge of tears... and that he was too. "How can you ask me something like that? Why would you? Please... stop..."
Dusk immiedeately felt guilty and turned his gaze to the floor. "I'm sorry, Twi I... I didn't mean to upset you... I just... I just..."
"Dusk," she said softly, raising his head up gently so he faced her. "Tell me what's really wrong. Just... don't ever ask me that again. I think you know the answer..."
It was as if those words had pressed some kind of switch inside him, because suddenly he was able to tell her what he had originally kept secret. He told her about what he'd learned with the buffalo, about his powers and where they might have come from. Then, he told her about this new fear he had of what they might do to him, if they might corrupt him. All the while she listened and waited, her expression becoming even more concerned.
When he was finished, she was silent for a few minutes. Then asked, "That's what you're afraid of, that you become an evil tyrant like Nightmare Moon?"
"Yes..." He wanted to look away from her, to hide the fear that was manifesting behind his eyes, but he couldn't.
"Dusk, that's not going to happen. That's not you, I know it isn't."
"How do you know?" he asked, his tone bordering on cynical. If she noticed this, she didn't comment on it.
"I just do... don't you trust me?" He couldn't even begin to say no to that.
"I do... I do trust you. Just, what if-"
"No."
"But, what if-"
"Don't talk about that, please, because it's not going to happen." She sounded so determined, so sure of herself, that Dusk found that he almost believed her. Almost. "It won't happen."
"Okay... if you say so..." The fear was still there, but it had been lessened slightly.
"Good, now why don't you try and take your mind off of this? It's not good to dwell on something that won't even happen." With one last smile and a gentle hug of reassurance, she headed off to the East wing, leaving him alone in the West.
He turned to look at his reflection in the window. An image flashed briefly across his thoughts, his dark blue fur now black, his green eyes becoming cat-like pupils, dressed in dark battle armour. Like Nightmare Moon. Then it vanished as quickly as it arrived. Maybe Twilight was right. He shouldn't be dwelling on this.
Having an idea of how to shake his thoughts away from this, Dusk went off to look for Spike, that darker image of himself flashing once more across the corners of his mind.
While Dusk did like to ground himself in fact and realism, he always thought that the imagination and stories could offer so much more than just cold hard fact, open up worlds unknown. Worlds where ponies rode dragons and had mental bonds with them, worlds where aliens and space travel were fact, with rooms bigger on the inside and mighty star ships, worlds where the of society had fallen to ponies rising from the dead to eat the flesh of the living and tales of survival against grim odds.
He also enjoyed having hypothetical discussions, usually with Twilight, on a variety of subjects, but mainly ones that related to her studies, such as the possibility of using time travel magic, experiments that had been performed with magic to try and resurrect the dead, if they could travel beyond Equestria to the stars above. Whether realistic or fantastic, he enjoyed thinking and debating on the possibilities and ideas that they had.
That was what he was doing with Spike in the library on their break, whilst Twilight was reading from a book on magic: discussing what they would do if zombies attacked and what their plans would be to defend themselves and survive, a subject that Spike had been introducing Dusk to. While Dusk wasn't a fan of violence, he always liked stories where the characters fought against unbeatable odds and came out on top. It was one of those subjects that he'd always wanted to talk about if he ever had friends and it was rather fun debating with the baby dragon on this.
"Well, they'd have a hard time eating me," Spike was saying to him. "Thick scales would really give them something to chew on, and then I'd get 'em with my flame breath."
"That wouldn't be such a good idea," pointed out Dusk. "They don't feel pain from what you told me; fire would just turn them into walking torches. Or shuffling rather."
"Oh, good point... even so, I'm fire proof, thanks to my scales."
"But the rest of us aren't and it would take a while for them to burn regardless. You might end up destroying more than they would."
"Right, I see the problem there," he admitted. "Oh well, maybe I'd just run for it. I'm pretty fast and they're slow, so they'd never catch me."
"But they don't get tired either," he mentioned. "You have your limits, they don't and they'd catch you if you're tired enough."
"Dusk, honestly," Twilight commented exasperatedly, but she was smiling, apparently relieved that he was taking his mind off his dark brooding. "How can you talk about something so ludicrous?"
"It's just a hypothetical discussion Twi, like the ones that you and I have."
"I know but zombies, really?"
"Hey, it could happen!" leaped in Spike defensively. "Organise before they rise Twilight, cause you never know."
"I do know because zombies don't exist, so you have nothing to worry about." She shook her head, giggling. "Honestly, you two..."
"Fine, but if you end up being munched on, don't come crying to-" He stopped to grab his chest and suddenly belched green fire, the smoke going right in Dusk's face.
"Spike," he coughed from the unpleasant stench, "what have you been eating?"
"Sorry bro," he said abashedly, catching the letter that had materialised and opening it.
"So, what's the princess writing about today?" asked Twilight as she walked over.
"Well..." He paused as his eyes travelled over the letter. "For one thing, it's from Princess Luna and it's not for you Twilight... it's for Dusk."
"I... beg your pardon?" whispered Dusk in disbelief, Spike handing the letter to him.
He was right, for the scroll came with the Seal of the Moon, rather than the golden Seal of the Sun Celestia used. This one was a deep black, with a crescent moon set in the centre, stars decorating it in the middle. His eyes travelled over the elaborate writing as he read aloud:
To Dusk Noir
Citizen of Ponyville, formerly of Canterlot
Thy presence is requested at the Royal Castle of Canterlot from six o clock forthwith. It is the wish of thy princess to meet thee and to know thee better.
A carriage will meet thee at the library where thou workest. At the time it is appropriate, thou shalt be returned home and our intentions will be complete. We look forward to meeting thee soon.
As written by thy ruler
Princess Luna
Bringer of the Night.
"Wow, a royal summons, from Princess Luna!" Twilight looked very excited. "Dusk, this is such an honor that she would want to see you personally!"
"Yeah... that's what I was thinking," he murmured, still trying to take it all in.
"Six o clock, that's only half an hour from now!" she exclaimed. "Oh my gosh, that's not a lot of time. Let me see..." She looked him over with a critical eye, assessing his appearance. "Oh... um... oh, I'm sure you look fine. At least, I hope you do, I wouldn't want-"
"Twilight, calm down," Spike said.
"Calm down? How can I calm down? Don't you want him to make a good impression on Princess Luna?"
"Well-"
"Exactly!" She pushed him urgently upstairs. "Come Dusk, you need to make sure you look your best for this."
Mainly for Twilight's benefit than his, Dusk let her comb his mane so it looked neat and presentable, make sure his fur wasn't too scruffy and talk him through some quick instructions on how to behave in front of royalty. It wasn't stuff Dusk didn't already know, but he was feeling extremely nervous about this and he hoped that this session would calm him down, as well as Twilight, who was fussing over him like his mother, while Spike sniggered in the corner.
"W-w-why do you think she wants t-t-t-to talk to me?" Dusk asked her, as she ran a comb through his mane.
"I think I can take a good guess," she replied nervously. "She wants to know about your powers."
"Y-y-you think so?"
"It's the only reasonable explanation. Now come on, we need to get you ready!"
That got the wheels in Dusk's head turning, if nothing else.
So, Luna finally had taken an interest in him, enough that she had requested him personally to meet her. All sorts of questions tumbled over each other in Dusk's head: what would she think of him? Had she made the connection between her powers and his? Would she issue a warning, a caution against them? All of it made it very hard to relax, so that by the time the carriage arrived, Dusk was still shaking.
"Okay," Twilight was saying, still fussing, "always address her respectfully and politely."
"Right."
"Take your hat off when you meet her too; I don't know how she might take it."
"Okay."
"Try to relax, breathe deeply and stay calm."
"E-e-easy for you t-t-t-to say," he stammered, trying very hard to control his breathing.
"Oh Dusk," she said pityingly, gazing softly at him. "Sorry I'm fussing so much, but I want this to go well for you."
"So do I..." he said quietly, climbing up onto the carriage, as she gave him a reassuring hug.
"Just be yourself and you'll be fine," she advised. "And... good luck."
"Yeah, good luck bro!" called Spike. "Let us know how it goes!"
"I will, see you later!" he cried, waving to them as the carriage took off into the sky, bearing him towards Canterlot once more.
He truly was thankful to Twilight for trying to make sure this went well. Her concern for him just served to show how deep their bond of friendship was; even it had made him feel a little more nervous as a result of it. Still, she had tried her best to prepare him and he was grateful for it. He just hoped that it would go smoothly, or at least not be a complete disaster.
In addition to his nerve-wracking fear, Dusk's fear of heights and flying was starting to kick in again. Trying his best to calm himself, he turned his attention to the Pegasi that were pulling the carriage. Their fur was the colour of grey and their eyes were yellow, their wings leathery membranes, like those of a bat rather than a bird. Princess Luna's Shadow Guard, her own elite warriors and chauffeurs. They must have started recruiting again now that she was back on her throne, for they hadn't been seen for over a thousand years.
They arrived at Canterlot as the sun was beginning to set beyond the horizon, landing at the foot of one of the tall towers. The guards reared and whinnied, bringing the carriage to a stop and, still shaking, Dusk climbed down from the seat and shuffled along. One of them strode forward to meet him.
"You will wait," he ordered and entered the tower the door slamming shut behind him.
Dusk was now left alone, with only the remaining guard for company. Aside from when he first met Twilight, he'd never been more apprehensive in his life and even this occasion seemed to top that. Celestia was relaxed and kind, but Luna was authorative and formal and would probably have higher standards of expectations where manners were concerned. Would she deem him passable with how he normally was? How would this go?
He was quickly checking himself in the reflection of the carriage when the guard came back downstairs and looked at him hard. Dusk stood straight and waited.
"Princess Luna is on the balcony at the top of this tower," he told him in a grim voice. "Be sure not to keep her waiting."
"I-I-I won't and thank you sirs," Dusk said quickly and hurried through the doors, trying his best not to run up the stairs.
Within minutes, he reached the top where the door stood shut. He took time to collect himself, catch his breath and do his best to stop himself shivering. Just remember your manners Dusk, he told himself, act normal and you'll be fine. I hope...
He raised his hoof and knocked on the door. "Enter!" a booming voice commanded. Gulping, he pushed it open and stepped out onto the balcony.
There stood Princess Luna, her back straight and her head high. She was bigger than Dusk, but not as much as her sister. Her fur, like his, was a dark blue, her mane having that strange gaseous quality that Celestia's did, though hers sparkled with starlight instead. A crown and crest of black adorned her chest and head, her horn was long and menacing and her wings were folded back. It was hard to tell her expression, as it was blank and stony.
Dusk remembered his manners and bowed to her. For the longest moment there was an eerie silence, no doubt as the princess was looking him over, silently judging him with her gaze. Neither of them said a word, Dusk not daring to say anything until she addressed him. It was Luna who broke the silence, Dusk refraining from jumping out of shock of her loud voice.
"Greetings Dusk Noir!" she boomed in the Royal Voice, "It is good to finally meet you in person! We extend our warmest invitation to you and welcome you to our home!"
Dusk promptly bowed lower, gripping his trilby and grimacing from the volume which she spoke. "M-m-my most humble a-a-and sincere greetings, Your Majesty," he replied, his voice shaking. "I-I-I am honoured t-t-to meet you."
"We are glad to hear it," she said more quietly. "You may rise."
Dusk did so, looking her in the face. The night sky behind her shone with the stars, the beams of the moon casting a beautiful glow around her. Her stony expression had gone, replaced by a friendlier smile. She crossed to a nearby table and sat one side, raising a hoof, upon which she wore silver shoes.
"Come, the night is beginning and we shall drink some tea, to warm us against the cold."
"O-o-of course, Highness," he said, rising and crossing to the table that had been prepared.
Luna poured herself a cup of tea and looked across at him. "So Dusk, are thou well?"
"Um... q-q-quite, Your Highness," he replied, spilling a little of his tea as he poured some.
"But why dost thou shake and quiver so?" she asked, sounding concerned. "Are thou cold?"
"I-I-I apologise a thousand fold, Highness," he said quickly. "I am... not cold. I-I-I just er... have some nerves with... meeting new ponies... sorry."
"Oh. Sorry, we did not realise..." she said, sounding rather abashed with herself. But she recovered herself and spoke once more. "You need not fear, for this is merely a friendly meeting between Princess and subject. We request that thou try to relax while thou are with us."
"Y-y-yes Your Highness, of course." Feeling a little better now, at least enough to stop stuttering, he took a few deep breaths and met her gaze. "I apologize, Majesty, for my lack of self-control."
"We take no offense, apologies are not necessary," she replied in a clipped voice. "We wish thee to simply relax, as we said and not act as if thou are facing a manticore in the fiercest of rages, for we intend no harm to thee."
"Of course, Majesty," Dusk repeated, taking a sip from his tea to calm himself. "It's just that... this is an unexpected pleasure, meeting you like this."
"We thought as much. We have heard much of you, from our sister and from the reports conveyed from her student, Twilight Sparkle. We were intrigued by this and many other things and desired to meet you in full, to learn more about you. Your tea is satisfactory?"
"Yes, thank you princess," he answered. "Well um... what would you like to know?"
"Well, thy reaction to us is not what we expected," she said, sounding almost surprised.
"Reaction, Highness?"
"Yes. While thou wert nervous, that was down more to the qualities of thy character, less so to do with ourselves and how we addressed thee."
"You mean... speaking in the Royal Voice, princess?"
"Ah, so thou knowest why we speak like this?" she noted with interest. "It is a mystery to most ponies apparently, for they do not seem to know."
"Well, the Royal Voice was used by both you and your sister thousands of years ago," he began to explain, his knowledge-filled head taking over. "It was tradition for you to speak using the royal 'we' and to speak in a high volume when addressing subjects."
"Correct, unless..." she prompted. Dusk realised what she was getting at and continued.
"Unless you are hosting guests at Canterlot, then the royal 'we' is still used but the speaker lowers the volume at which they speak to more respectable levels, so as not to deafen or damage the hearing of esteemed guests," he finished smartly.
"Correct once more," she said proudly. "Thou are to be commended on your intelligence, young Dusk. Not many ponies would have known such a thing."
"Your uh... words gladden me, Highness," he mumbled, sipping his tea and diverting his gaze.
"They should." She stirred her tea, placing another sugar cube in. "Our sister has also told us of thy deed in the Everfree Forest, where thou did brave the dangers of the Forest and of the minion of our foe to save thy friends."
"She um... she did?" he muttered quietly.
"Of course. It was a brave act that thou didst, risking thyself to rescue those closest to thee, not to mention thou helped to defeat a deadly enemy to Equestria. Paraserpents," she hissed with disdain. "Vile creatures, we remember..."
"Indeed..." Dusk cleared his throat and spoke up. "Well, it wasn't all down to me, I mean... I had help, quite a bit and you sister was the one who beat it, not me. I was uh... acting pretty stupidly anyway, I didn't have any kind of plan. I just... ran on in there and hoped for the uh... the best. Quite unlike me, really..."
"Then you do not take pride in thy accomplishment?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Not entirely," he admitted, "I know I did help, but I just um... just know it wasn't all down to er... me, that's all."
"I see..." She took a sip of her own tea, regarding him with added interest. "Thou art quite humble in thy words and actions, we notice."
"So I've been told. Is that uh... that a bad thing, Highness, if I may ask?"
"Thou mayest," she permitted rather unnecessarily. "No, it is not. Modesty is an admirable trait, something that most ponies lack these days. Still, thou shouldst still take some pride in what thou doest, shouldst thou not?"
"Of course, yes," agreed Dusk absently, wishing to move the discussion away from this. "Was there um... anything else you wanted to ask me?"
"Yes, and we think that thou knowest what we will ask of thee now," she said pointedly. "We have noticed, from thy performance at the Canterlot Magic Contest, the unique magic that thou possesses."
"Oh yes," Dusk said with some trepidation.
"Well, thou mayest have noticed that we were watching thee after thy performance was completed and this is why." She set down her teacup and closed her eyes, her horn glowing.
Soon, her body took on the same qualities as her sparkling mane, the same appearance as his sparkling colours. She moved as a tendril of blue, creeping across the floor like a snake, then leaping off the balcony and soaring like a bird over his head. All the while Dusk watched her fly and soar. She was magnificent, as at home in the air as an eagle and with all the grace of a swan.
She landed behind Dusk and reformed as herself, still smiling with satisfaction at the expression on his face.
"Princess, that was beautiful, if you don't mind my saying."
"We do not and thank thee," she said, dipping her chin. "However, our powers were much more... extensive when we were... we were..." She paused, unable to continue.
"When you weren't yourself," reasoned Dusk, not mentioning the name of the monster she was once known as. Then, his own fears surfaced once more. "Princess... may I ask you something?"
"Thou mayest," she said simply.
"Well... you know the similarities of your powers and mine?"
"We do know of this, as do thee. What is thy point?"
"Well... you became... Nightmare Moon," he said quickly and quietly. "And I was wondering... well, dreading more like if I... If I might..." Now it was his turn to stop, for fear of finishing, of the possible answer.
"Ah, thou wishest to know if, because of the similarities we have, that thou too mayest become corrupted, as we were?" He only nodded, unable to look up at her. "Then thy fears art ungrounded, for that shall not be thy fate."
Dusk felt his jaw drop and he whipped his head up to look at her. "E-e-excuse me?"
"Thou shalt not go down the same path that we did and close thy mouth, it is unbecoming." He did so and let her continue. "We shall not go into details, but it was due to the influence of another force that turned us into the mare of darkness you know from the stories. That force was destroyed when the Elements of Harmony were used against us. Unless that force returns and targets thee specifically, which we doubt it will, thou shalt remain as thou art."
"So... I won't be corrupted by my powers?"
"No, thou will not. Does that comfort thee?"
"Yes... yes it does... more than I can say." Feeling immense relief well up inside him, he gazed up at Luna's smiling face. "Thank you, Your Highness, for silencing my fears."
"It was only natural, but we are glad that this knowledge as relieved thee. Now," she added, "since there is no fear of thee becoming a stallion of evil, thy princess requests that thou demonstrate thy powers to us."
"It would be my honour," Dusk bowed and tapped into his own magic, sharing it with his... well, kindred spirit.
Luna watched as he put on his display for her, offering no comment but obviously intrigued by what he could do with it. She now and again requested forms for him to create, usually creatures that roamed Equestria or famous historical figures from pony history, Dusk adding little bits of information of what he knew about the animals or ponies he was asked to create, Luna always raising her eyebrows at how much he knew.
"Impressive, young Dusk," she finally said, when he didn't have the energy to continue. "Thy magic is very unique, even if we do share similarities where it is concerned."
"Thank... thank you, Highness," Dusk gasped, doing his best to remain standing.
"And thou hast only been able to manipulate colour before thee, not alter thine own body like we can?"
"Yes, Highness... ever since I was a foal... I wouldn't really know how to anyway..."
"Interesting, I wonder," she muttered to herself, looking thoughtfully at him. "Oh, never mind, it matters not. How is thy strength faring?"
"I'm fine now," he told her, "it just takes it out of me, depending on how long I do it and how big the shapes are."
"So we noticed," she commented. "Well, if thou art feeling well enough, let us walk. As thou art friends with the Wielders of the Elements, there is something thou mightest like to see. By the way, thou mayest wear thy hat, if thou art inclined?"
"Of course..." Letting her lead the way, Dusk began to follow her through Canterlot Castle, happy to be putting his trilby back on.
They walked back down the stairs into one of the adjoining corridors that took them into the rest of the Castle, all manner of doors lining walls leading to other rooms and places. Guards who were on the night shift, a mix of Celestia's Sun Guards and Luna's Shadow Guards, patrolled through the corridors, alone or sometimes in pairs. They bowed whenever Luna passed close to them, nodded to Dusk and resumed their march.
The layout of this building reminded Dusk of something that he'd read in a book on the Castle. "Princess, isn't the Starswirl the Bearded Wing?"
"Indeed it is, we must pass through it to reach our destination," she explained. "Besides, we thought thou mightest appreciate it. Havest thou ever been in the archive?"
"Unfortunately no, it's the most secure wing of the Castle," he recalled. "I wouldn't have the authority or the clearance. I wouldn't mind having a look though, if I could..."
"Oh yes of course," she said sympathetically. "Most unfortunate, but we thought it might appeal to thee. Look, here it is."
She gestured to a caged door to their right, through which Dusk could see long aisles of ancient and priceless scrolls and books, with a large hourglass in the centre of the chamber. Some of the most powerful and dangerous pieces of magic were contained in that room, which was why it was kept locked at all times and guarded around the clock.
"The works of the greatest unicorn that ever lived," whispered Dusk in awe of it.
"Quite a sight, is it not?" She gestured to the door opposite and led him through it. "Didst thou know, young Dusk, that the wing contains not only the works of Starswirl, but also the prophecies of Fore Sight the Uncanny?"
"The prophet of the unicorns?" asked Dusk, interested by this information. "No, I didn't..."
"We did not think so, though we are surprised that thou knowest of him, due to his obscurity in unicorn history. Dost thou knowest much of him?"
"Some things, but not a lot because there's so little on him." He took some time to recall what he knew. "He was apprenticed to Starswirl, along with Clover the Clever, gifted with the power to have glimpses of the future. It was he who first predicted the sects of pony society would come together. He married Private Pansy of the Pegasi after the union, they had children but then he left for some mysterious reason that he never explained, quite insane at the end of it. Then he died a few days after he returned. Quite tragic really..."
"Yes, it was," she agreed in a regretful tone, leading him across the starlit grounds. "We were taught by him, that is to say me and my sister, along with Clover, in magic before he left on his strange quest. He had a most unique and familiar way of telling the future, one that he taught to me when he discovered I had similar talents."
This latest piece of news shocked Dusk to an even further degree. "You mean... he had my, well our... colour power?"
"Exactly, his visions came to him in swirling images of colour that only he could interpret. He could do it at will, but his visions came and went at random. It was a closely guarded secret, so it would not have been recorded, much like the time travel spells." She gave him an admiring smile. "It is possible that thou are descended from him, as you have inherited his talents, though we are not sure as to what degree."
Dusk was shaking his head in disbelief, but grinning in spite of himself. How had he ever thought that his power was something ponies might find freakish and strange, when he held resemblances for it not only in the co-ruler of Equestria, but also a figure in unicorn history? It was one of those rare occasions when he felt genuine pride for himself, that completely crushed his earlier fears. Just wait until Twilight would hear about this, he thought excitedly.
Soon, Luna told him they'd arrived at their destination. It was Canterlot Tower, which housed the living quarters of the Royal Pony Sisters, but why did Luna bring him here? She led him up a set of stairs down a long corridor, where the coloured glow of stained glass windows graced the hall with a beautiful glow. Looking around at them, Dusk saw various records of pony history suspended in time: the reign of Discord, his defeat at the hooves of the sisters, Nightmare Moon's imprisonment and the rediscovery of the Elements of Harmony.
His gaze lingered on the last one, for he had been there at its unveiling. It was strange, seeing it again now after what had felt like so long. The night he had seen it for the first time was when his life had changed forever, when he'd begun to discover the Elements himself. Albeit in his own way, of course. Tearing his eyes away from the image, he continued to follow Luna up to the end of the hall, where a large door towered over him. At its centre was the image of the sun, with a hole at the centre of it.
"This," said Luna, standing by it, "is where the Elements of Harmony are kept safely hidden. This door, and the enchantment that protects it, can only be broken by Celestia or me."
Dusk stared at the door with renewed awe, his spine tingling in the knowledge that he was in the presence of the most powerful magical artifacts in all of Equestria. "Incredible, but... why have you brought me here?"
"If thou wishest Dusk, we would like to show them to thee." She smiled as his jaw dropped once more. "We trust thee not to steal them, if thou wouldst like to see?"
Dusk didn't reply, just nodded silently, feeling so honoured that Luna would trust him this much. He supposed that, since he was friends with Twilight and the others that he would like to see them. Dusk had to admit the thought had crossed his mind more than once, just to see what they might look like...
Luna lowered her head and inserted her horn into the hole in the door. A magical blue light shone at the centre, spreading along the grooves of the door and filling the whole room with a bright light. After six lights shone in unison, the door slowly opened to reveal a purple chest on a plinth, adorned with jewels and gems. Luna levitated this off and brought them down to Dusk's eye level. He hardly dared to blink as the chest opened, revealing its precious contents.
Dusk gasped. They were more beautiful than he could have ever imagined. Five were necklaces, gilded in gold with a different coloured jewel at the centre of them, each in the shape of the girl's cutie marks, the facets glinting in the light. The odd one out was a diadem, again in gold with a star-shaped purpled gem set at the top. This was no doubt Twilight's element, Magic. He moved to levitate it, and then glanced up at Luna.
"May I?" She nodded, her look saying that he'd better be careful.
With as much care as possible, he levitated the diadem up to his face, revolving it slowly and examining every little detail. He did the same with each of the Elements in turn, smiling as he could feel little essences of his friends in each one, shivering at the power that they radiated. He almost felt a sense of completeness in their presence, like they were the final pieces to a puzzle that he hadn't even been trying to solve. He supposed that was a natural state to feel in, as they were literally the vessels of friendship.
He didn't know how long he stood there with them, but it was deep into the night when he put the last one back and Luna shut the chest, sealing the room in which they were kept. He let all of his gratitude of such a privilege that she presented him come out in his smile, which she returned in perfect understanding.
"We knew you might like that. Now, we have kept thee long enough and thou art no doubt tired." Dusk opened his mouth to insist he was fine but a yawn came out instead and she nodded gently. "Our point exactly. We shall call a carriage to bring thee home."
She led him back outside, where a carriage actually stood waiting for them. Dusk felt rather disappointed at having to leave so soon. He'd enjoyed this evening with the princess and felt that they'd made a good connection with each other. There was a certain fondness in her voice that hadn't been there at first. He could at least hope he'd made a good impression.
"Thank you for taking the time to meet me, Your Highness," Dusk said sincerely. "It was wonderful meeting you personally and being your guest."
"It was good to meet thee as well, young Dusk," she replied. "We hope to see you again in future. Sleep well and know that we are keeping vigil across this land."
"I'll sleep soundly with that knowledge." He waved as the carriage took off into the night sky, already looking forward to telling Twilight and the others about this tomorrow.
Luna watched until the carriage became a speck in the distance, still wearing a gentle smile. Tia had been right about him; he was a good-hearted stallion and she had already taken a liking to him, taking pride at being able to put his fears to rest. She didn't know if it was possible for them to be friends, with her being royalty, but she certainly hoped so.
But establishing good terms with Dusk Noir had not been the only purpose of this meeting. Already, armed with this new knowledge, she was having the guard admit her into the Starswirl the Bearded wing of the Palace, making for the archives of Fore Sight. There, she pulled out one particular scroll, reading over the passage yet again.
Despite her sisters insistence otherwise, she knew this only confirmed the details that were written down here and they most definitely related to the young stallion. And the way those stones around his neck had sparkled in the presence of the Elements... She felt some satisfaction in the knowledge that, so far, she was right about this, as had been her former master.
Now, only two questions remained: when would the rest of the details come to pass and what would that mean for them and the citizens of Equestria? For the first time in a long time, Princess Luna was scared. For all of their sakes, she hoped that it didn't mean what she thought it meant. |
Brand New Dusk | Cutie Mark Chronicles | Dusk could barely contain his excitement, as he sat under a tree, idly creating swirls and shapes of colour before his eyes, now and again checking the time to see how much longer it was before he was to meet the girls at the Sugarcube Corner. It had been too late last night to tell them what he had learned after his visit to Canterlot, but in about an hour, he would be telling them about what he had learned from his ancestor, as well as apologizing again for worrying them all. That was going to become a habit if he wasn't careful.
He'd quickly looked up a family tree in the library before he'd come out here and had soon discovered that what Princess Luna said had been true, that he was descended from the line of Fore Sight the Uncanny, which gave something of a definite explanation about his strange power. He'd also discovered, to his pleasant surprise, that Twilight was a distant descendant from Clover the Clever, as he was from Fore Sight. The two had both been apprenticed to Starswirl in the old days and it made him wonder if the two of them had been good friends as well. It meant another kind of special connection between him and Twilight, even if it was by a thousand year difference.
He was still in his private musings when a loud crash brought him back to reality and something crashed out of the tree in front of him, he stood with a start when he realised it was the Cutie Mark Crusaders, wearing safety helmets and covered in leaves and tree sap.
"See anything?" asked Apple Bloom. They craned their heads and checked their flanks, which were stained from their fall.
"Tree sap and pine needles, but no cutie mark," noted Scootaloo sadly.
Sweetie Belle turned to look at her friends. "Plan B?"
"Yeah. You know where we can find a cannon at this hour?" Not sure if the Pegasus filly was joking or not, Dusk approached them, as they didn't seem to have noticed him yet.
"Are you three okay?"
"Oh, heya Dusk!" greeted Apple Bloom happily. "Yeah, we're fine don't worry."
"How did you even..." He looked skyward to see a long wire passing overhead. "Oh, tell me you didn't try zip-lining like Spike suggested, did you?"
"Kinda," shrugged Scootaloo, cleaning herself of tree debris. "We thought it might work to get our cutie marks, but no luck."
"I didn't think it would." Dusk helped to clean them, removing the leaves with a quick spell. "You really should be more careful with what you try to get your marks."
"That's what I said," Sweetie Belle piped up. "I'd never even heard of a pony zip-lining before."
"Well it doesn't matter anyway," Scootaloo said dejectedly. "No matter what we try, we always end up without our cutie marks. And, surprisingly often, covered in tree sap."
"Maybe we should do something less dangerous?" suggested Sweetie. "Like pillow testing. Or flower sniffing."
"Dusk, whaddya think?" asked Apple Bloom. "Yer pretty smart, can ya tell us how we might earn our cutie marks?"
"I'm not sure what to say, other than to keep trying," Dusk advised. "Sorry I can't be more help, but discovering your talents is something you have to find out for yourselves. After all, everypony else has."
"Yeah, ah guess," she said sadly. Then, she perked up. "Hey, that gives me an idea."
"What does?" Dusk asked, curious.
Well like ya said Dusk, this town is full-a ponies who have their cutie marks. Why don't we ask them how they did it?"
"That's a great safe idea... right?" she added to Dusk, glancing at him for his approval.
He nodded. "That is a good idea. The more you learn how others discovered their talents, the more of a good idea you'd have of how to find your own. And it won't result in being covered in tree sap."
"Yeah," giggled Sweetie Belle. "Thanks for cleaning us up Dusk."
"Yeah, and thanks fer givin' me that idea," Apple Bloom added.
"No problem girls." He tipped his hat to them. "Well, good luck Crusaders." He was about to leave them to it when:
"Hey Dusk, how'd you get yers?" Apple Bloom's question caught him off guard.
"You... you want to hear how I got mine?"
"Well sure, we need all the help we can get with this an' you gave us the idea, so why not?" The other two seemed to agree, as they were now gazing up at Dusk eagerly.
He considered this idea, then shrugged and smiled. "Why not indeed. It's not the most exciting or thrilling of stories, but if you want to hear it..." He placed himself on the grass and let them gather around and get comfortable.
"It's okay, we don't mind." Sweetie Belle glanced at Scootaloo who seemed less enthusiastic now he'd said that. "Well, me and Apple Bloom don't."
"Alright then," Dusk said, clearing his throat and casting his mind back. "Now, when I got my mark, I couldn't have been much older than you three. I was quite different back then...
He sat alone under a tree in one of the Canterlot courtyards, with nopony else around for a long way. He'd already checked, as he didn't want to be seen doing this. Casting one last furtive glance around, he made a bunch of colours appear in the air in front of him, making them swirl around like the froth in a milkshake.
Dusk Noir was scared, scared of what might happen in his future. It didn't help that his mane always looked so scruffy, that he was so shy, both with other ponies and at school, so he could barely speak, but there was this weird magic that he could do. The magic that he'd never shown to anypony, not even his mum and dad. How could he, when they'd obviously think that he was stupid. He already was.
He'd heard his parents talking about how he wasn't doing well at school, how he didn't speak up or say anything in class and that he had trouble with his work. They talked about getting him a tutor. He didn't know what a tutor was, but it sounded like it hurt. He didn't like making his mum and dad sad like this. He wished there was something he could do...
But what could he do? All he had was his untidy mane, his stupid weird magic and his shy feelings. He was a waste of space, a stupid pointless pony He had no friends, for he was sure nopony would want to waste their time on him. He could read and write and things, but what was so special about that? He didn't even have his cutie mark yet and already fillies and colts in his class were starting to get theirs. Why couldn't he? What was he talented in?
"Please, somepony, help me..." he whispered, already feeling tears beginning to fall down his face.
"Things seemed pretty bleak for me," he went on, as the girls looked at him pityingly. "I had no idea who I was or what I was supposed to do. I didn't have any friends to talk to and I didn't want to talk to my parents. It seemed like I was going to give up. Then, that's when I saw...
BOOM!
Dusk shot his head up and saw something wonderful. A wave of colours, red, blue, green, orange, yellow, all the colours of a rainbow, were flying over his head. He felt a powerful wind shoot through his mane and almost lift him off his hooves. But never took his eyes off it.
It wasn't just any old rainbow. It was something far more beautiful and powerful. He followed it as it passed over his head, sparkling and shining as bright as the sun, until it faded away on the horizon, leaving him standing and staring at the spot where it had been
Seeing it sparked something inside him. He didn't know what it was, but he knew how to find out. So, he stood up from the grass and galloped as fast as he could to the library. His dad had taken him there once, but he hadn't been for a long time.
He found it pretty easy. Once there, he hurried to the section about weather and found a book called Strange Phenomena of Equestria. He grabbed the book, set it down on a desk and began to read through the pages. He soon found a mention of what he saw, something called a sonic rainboom. But that wasn't enough, he had to find out more.
He started reading Legends of Cloudsdale and read more stories about the sonic rainboom. Then, he read a book on Cloudsdale and found out more about the Pegasus city. Then, he read about weather control, how they made clouds, famous pegasi, famous unicorns, unicorn legends, unicorn history accounts. Soon, he lost track of what he was reading and just enjoyed and absorbed the wealth of knowledge and information that he found.
He had no idea how long he was there for, but he had a large pile of books that he had completed reading and many more that he still wanted to read. When it was time to close, he went to go and check them out at the desk. The librarian looked over them and raised her eyebrows.
"Are you sure you want to read these books? These are more for grown-up ponies," she told him.
"They're fine for me, thank you miss," Dusk replied in his high pitched voice.
"If you insist, my little pony," she said, stamping them out and handing them to him, eagerly dashing off home to read them.
The following day, they were given a surprise test in their class. The others were nervous, even Dusk. But when he looked down at his test paper, he realised that these questions were easy. He understood the knowledge that he had been reading in his books and could apply it to this test. Picking up his pencil, he effortlessly moved it across the paper, answering every question as best he could.
When it was time to go home, his teacher had asked him to stay behind at the end of the day for a bit. Feeling scared, he approached the table to see that she had a proud smile on her face.
"Dusk, well done, you got full marks!" She handed him his paper, where there was a big red A+ on the front.
"I... I... I passed?" Dusk whispered.
"Yes you did. You must have been studying hard to do that, well done. You should be proud of yourself."
"I... I... I..." Dusk had no idea what to say. This was the first time he'd been good with anything before. It had just been so easy.
"Oh, would you look at that. That just proves it." He looked up and followed his teachers gaze to his flank.
But it was no longer blank. There, at the point where his leg connected by the bone with the rest of his body, was a rolled out scroll, with little minute writing set on it. His cutie mark. Seeing this made Dusk do something that he very rarely did, as he usually had no cause to.
He smiled.
"... and that was how I got my mark," he finished, glancing at its place on his rump. "I'd never been happier in all of my life."
"What about yer parents?" asked Apple Bloom.
"Oh, they were so proud of me," he said. "They didn't get me a tutor when it became obvious I wouldn't need one and made sure they got me a place at Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns."
"That's good," Sweetie Belle agreed. "What is a tutor anyway?"
"It's a pony who can give extra help in a school subject if the filly or foal has difficulty with it," Dusk explained, chuckling at the memory that he used to think it was some kind of painful operation. The innocence of childhood, he mused to himself...
"Well, not that this wasn't fun, but I think we need something with a little more... awesomeness to it," Scootaloo said. "Thanks anyway Dusk."
"No problem girls," he assured, knowing that she would have said something like that. "So, who are you going to talk to next?"
"Obviously, we're gonna ask the coolest pony in Ponyville," said Scootaloo in an awed tone.
"Applejack!" suggested Apple Bloom.
"Rarity!" put in Sweetie Belle.
"Twilight Sparkle?" asked Dusk, merely joking with them and smirking at the bemused expressions they offered him. "What?"
"Come on, guys, I said "cool"! You know who I'm talking about. She's fast. She's tough. She's not afraid of anything!"
A moment of thought, then: "Pinkie Pie?"
"No! The greatest flyer ever to come out of Cloudsdale."
"Fluttershy?"
"No! Rainbow Dash!"
"Oh!" Apple Bloom remarked. "Yeah, that makes much more sense."
"Of course!"
"Let's do it. Let's find out how Rainbow Dash found her cutie mark!" She turned to Dusk. "You know where we can find her?"
"Not currently, no, but she'll be around. Somepony's bound to have seen her."
"Okay, thanks anyway. See ya Dusk!" She and the others sprinted off together.
"Have fun girls and be careful!"
"Will do Dusk an' thanks again!" called back Apple Bloom. That filly really seemed to have taken a liking to him, he'd noticed. Well, he liked to think that they all had.
Dusk had a strange feeling that caused him to glance at his cutie mark. While he was proud of his intelligence, somehow this mark now felt kind of... wrong. Like it wasn't who he was meant to be, that he'd been hiding behind a facade for a long time and, only now, was his true self starting to show. But that didn't make sense. Once a pony got their cutie mark, that was that and instances of them changing were very rare. Maybe it was just him...
Despite this, he couldn't help but smile at the memory of the day. He could still remember that day clearly in his mind, from the moment he had first witnessed a sonic rainboom, that only Rainbow Dash could pull off... wait... he and the girls were roughly the same age and Rainbow had said that she'd performed the sonic rainboom when she was a filly. Could it be, that on the same day, she had pulled it off for the first time? It was possible... wasn't it?
He stayed in that glade for about fifteen minutes, then stood up once more and made his way towards Sugarcube Corner, still feeling eager about telling the girls his proud news. When he arrived, they were all there waiting for him and immediately spun to face him, concern on their features.
"Oh my Dusk, are you okay?" Fluttershy asked, looking the most worried about him.
"Fine, absolutely fine, magnificent, spectacular, all of those positive adjectives," he said happily. "Pinkie, my usual please."
"Coming right up!" She threw a cupcake at him hard, but it was too fast and splatted on the wall. "Oops, sorry. Here..." She threw another one, which he caught with a spell and bit into. He noted, with amusement, Pinkie sneaking around him, her tongue snaking up the discarded sweet and chewing on it eagerly.
"Thanks and, just so you know Rainbow, the Cutie Mark Crusaders are trying to find you so they can hear your cutie mark story."
"Yeah, the others already said. I mean, it's only natural they'd start looking for me for how I got my cutie mark, I mean, I am pretty awesome..." She nodded in self-satisfaction, and then shook her head. "Anyway, what was it you wanted to tell us?"
"Yes, you certainly seem to be in a good mood," noted Rarity with interest. "What's the occasion?"
"Gather around ladies and all will be revealed," he promised them, taking another bite of his cupcake, swallowing it and proceeding to tell them.
"Well hot dang," Applejack expressed when he had finished telling them. "That sure no wonder y'all were grinnin' so much when ya came in here."
"Dusk, this is incredible," Twilight gasped. "The fact that you and I are both descended from the apprentices of Starswirl the Bearded himself, at the very foundation of Equestria itself, not to mention that you share a brand of magic with one of the royal pony sisters, that's... that's... amazing!"
"I second that," Rarity remarked. "Though it would have been easier on yourself if you'd just told us this from the start, rather than keep it all secret."
"Yeah, I'm sorry again for worrying you all again," he apologized. "I just didn't really know what to think of it myself and I wanted to be sure before I said anything."
"Yes but friends shouldn't keep secrets Dusk," Fluttershy reminded him. "Remember what happened with me and Rarity?"
"I know... you're right, I'm sorry," he admitted. "I guess I still have a lot to learn about friendship."
"Sure right you do, ya numskull," Rainbow chastised, rubbing his mane with her hoof.
"Looks like you were right when you called me Mr Psychic Pony Pinkie, right?" He glanced around only to see that Pinkie had vanished. "Where'd she go?"
"I'm right here!" She came back in through the door, like she'd left and come back again. Dusk was about to ask her where she'd been, but then remembered who it was and shrugged. He'd probably just end up more confused.
Behind her walked the Cutie Mark Crusaders, Scootaloo's face lighting up at the sight of her idol. "Rainbow Dash! You're here!"
"I hear you're looking for my cutie mark story?" she asked, walking up to them in her confident swagger.
"You have no idea what I've been through today to hear that story." With the act of looking like she'd just run a mile, Scootaloo parked herself on the floor as Rainbow began her tale.
As she was telling it, a sneaking suspicion Dusk had had back in the glade was now confirmed and he allowed a smile to creep onto his face at the satisfaction. When she was done, the three fillies were in awe of this remarkable achievement, even Dusk giving an admiring whistle. Then Fluttershy spoke up.
"Wait a second. I heard that explosion. And I saw the rainbow too. Rainbow Dash, if you hadn't scared the animals, I never would have learned I could communicate with them and gotten my cutie mark." That was quite a coincidence, Dusk thought with an even bigger smile. But it wasn't over...
"I heard that boom! And right afterwards there was this amazing rainbow that taught me to smile," informed Pinkie, flashing her signature smile.
"When ah got ma cutie mark, ah saw a rainbow that pointed me home. Ah bet it was yer sonic rainboom!" Applejack declared.
"There was an explosion I could never explain when I got my cutie mark," Rarity put in.
"This is uncanny!" Twilight exclaimed. "If that explosion didn't happen when it did, I would have blown my entrance exam. Rainbow Dash, I think you helped me earn my cutie mark too!"
At this point, they all turned to look at Dusk, whose smile had turned into jaw-dropping disbelief at this news. He stammered for a bit, quite unable to take this all in.
"This... this is amazing... the sonic rainboom was the first thing I ever read about, because seeing it sparked my enthusiasm for reading. Your sonic rainboom... the one we've all seen..." He was now shaking his head and laughing.
"We all owe our cutie marks to you!" concluded Pinkie, tackling her tp the floor.
Fluttershy leaned in close. "Do you realize what this means? All of us had a special connection before we even met."
"We've been BFFs forever and we didn't even know it!" Rarity realised.
"Even... even me?" Dusk whispered, still unable to believe it.
"Even you, sugar cube," Applejack confirmed, holding out her forelegs. "Come here, y'all."
Caught up in the moment and emotion, Dusk enveloped himself in the warm, loving embrace of the six mares who had the kindness and patience to call him their friend, when he thought that he had never been worth much of anything, these wonderful ponies who had given him so much in his life, even if he wasn't an element of harmony... or a girl for that matter. They didn't care; they just loved him for who he was.
"I'm so glad we're friends!" Fluttershy said happily.
Pinkie hugged them even tighter. "I love you, guys!"
He heard Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle let out expressions of happiness, while Scootaloo's was one of disgust. "Ewwww... Gimme a break. Come on, Crusaders! Maybe we just need to try zip-lining again." Her suggestion, however, was ignored and she was pulled into a hug by her friends too, sighing exasperatedly.
"Hey. How about a song?" suggested Fluttershy, still caught up in the moment.
"NO!" cried Scootaloo, even as the others all agreed.
"I think I have the perfect one... if I may," Dusk asked politely. Nopony objected to his suggestion. Hearing the music start up, being caught up in the rhythm of it, Dusk moved around his friends, smiling at them, wrapping his legs around them or just exchanging signs of affection:
So no one told you life was gonna be this way
Your jobs a joke, you're broke, your love life's D.O.A.
It's like you're always stuck in second gear
Well it hasn't been your day, your week, your month,
or even your year
but..
I'll be there for you
When the rain starts to pour
I'll be there for you
Like I've been there before
I'll be there for you
'Cuz you're there for me too...
You're still in bed at ten
And work began at eight
You've burned your breakfast
So far... things are goin' great
Your mother warned you there'd be days like these ("Did she?" Pinkie asked, confused, ensuing with general laughter.)
Oh but she didn't tell you when the world would drop
you down on your knees but...
I'll be there for you
When the rain starts to pour
I'll be there for you
Like I've been there before
I'll be there for you
'Cuz you're there for me too...
No one could ever know me
No one could ever see me (He covered Rainbow's eyes from behind, as she laughed.)
Seems you're the only one who knows
What it's like to be me (He passed his gaze over Fluttershy.)
Someone to face the day with (He glanced at Applejack.)
Make it through all the rest with (He bowed to Rarity.)
Someone I'll always laugh with (He shared a hoof bump with Pinkie.)
Even at my worst I'm best with you, yeah (His gaze lingered on Twilight, then they both looked away blushing.)
It's like you're always stuck in second gear
And it hasn't been your day, your week, your month,
or even your year...
I'll be there for you
When the rain starts to pour
I'll be there for you
Like I've been there before
I'll be there for you
'Cuz you're there for me too...
I'll be there for you
I'll be there for you
I'll be there for you
'Cuz you're there for me too...
The cheers and the warmth of the second embrace they did were still in the forefront of Dusk's mind when he stood with Twilight in the library, as she made her report to the princess that day.
"Dear Princess Celestia, today I learned something amazing. Everypony everywhere has a special magical connection with her friends, maybe even before she's met them. If you're feeling lonely and you're still searching for your true friends, just look up in the sky. Who knows? Maybe you and your future best friends are all looking at the same rainbow," she finished, gazing up out of the window.
"Gross!" Spike voiced, making Dusk laugh. "When did you get so cheesy?"
"Just write it, Spike," she told him, shaking her head.
"How about that?" Dusk said, joining her at the window. "The Weilders of the Elements of Harmony, all connected before they even crossed paths... and the one guy who tags along with them."
"That doesn't make you any less special," Twilight told him.
"I thought you would say that." He turned to look at her. "I don't think I say this often enough but... you girls are the most wonderful ponies I've ever met, especially you Twilight." It took up all of his courage just to say that, so he hoped she would take it well.
"Really?" Twilight asked, her voice bordering on a whisper.
"Absolutely. I mean, you're just so... so..." He trailed off, averting his gaze from her.
Then, he felt a warm hoof touch his for a fraction of a second and saw Twilight, her smile saying more than her words could. "Thank you, Dusk..." All too soon, she remembered herself and retracted it, blushing. "I'm sure everypony else would be glad to hear you say that..."
"Yeah, I hope so..."
"What's gotten into you two?" Spike asked disbelievingly. "Oh Celestia, save me..."
They both blushed heavily and said nothing in response to this. Sharing a fond smile with her, but too embarrassed to say anything else that might be considered romantic, they returned gazed up into the sky together.
As they did, Dusk recalled something that he once said when he first met the girls, when they threw that surprise party for him after he got out of hospital. He had sort of hinted at the sonic rainboom then, that it had inspired him in a way. He wondered if any of them remembered what he had said then...
No, he decided, that was too unlikely. Then again, today just seemed to be a day for unlikely possibilities, so maybe... maybe...
In her home, a certain blue pegasus pony also happened to be recalling what Dusk had said at that party, as those words just seemed to have stuck in her mind. She'd always wondered what he had meant, and now she knew...
"I did always have the hope that, maybe, I would show it, that it would be as remarkable as... something I once saw, something special..."
"What's that?" Rainbow asked, as he smiled fondly.
"Nothing, never mind..."
He'd never said, possibly out of accusation of being cheesy or just out of his own modesty. He was just like that, Rainbow thought, a little sadly. Speaking as the performer of the sonic rainboom, she could say, with confidence, that it was as 'remarkable' as her own rainboom.
"Pretty awesome Dusk," she remarked, lying her head down to sleep. |
Brand New Dusk | Not In Any Book | "How 'bout that?"
"Huh?" Applejack's voice snapped Twilight out of her thoughts. "I'm sorry, what did you say?"
"Ah'm jus' sayin' how great it is, that all-a us had that special connection 'fore we even met." She smiled in a fond way. "Really makes ya think don't it?"
"Yes um... I suppose it does," she said unsurely in response, hoping she wouldn't notice her distraction. Applejack, however, didn't miss a trick.
"Sumthin' on yer mind hon?" she asked, concerned.
"What? No, nothing, why would you think that?" Her gaze flicked to what she'd previously been thinking about.
"Ya jus' seem kinda..." She followed her gaze and an understanding expression appeared on her face. "Oh, ah see..."
"See what?" she asked abruptly.
"Ya know full well what." Applejack leant against the table in a self-assured way. "Starin' at him again huh?"
Twilight gave herself a few minutes to think before answering, as another horn blew and confetti streamed everywhere, Pinkie bouncing past as she fired her party cannon.
They were at another of Pinkie's parties, this one she had thrown in celebration of their special connection for their cutie marks. As with all of Pinkie's parties, it was bombastic, entertaining and fun. Twilight was standing by the punch bowl, watching Dusk as he was in conversation with Fluttershy across the room. At least she was, until Applejack seemed to have noticed and came over to talk.
"I don't know what you're talking about," she insisted, sipping her punch and diverting her gaze.
"If ya say so," Applejack shrugged. "So, still say yer not in love with him?"
"I still say," she responded immediately. She thought the conversation might be going this way.
"So whaddya say it is then?"
"Well... I would say that... I think it's..." She trailed off, as she couldn't answer that question. "I don't know what it might be, but it's nothing to do with romance."
"Yeah, yer probably right." Applejack looked over at where Dusk was. "Hey look, Dusk an' Fluttershy are holdin' hooves."
"What?" Turning her head sharply, Twilight flushed when she saw that Applejack had fibbed and Dusk's hoof was nowhere near Fluttershy's. "Why did you-?"
"'Cause it's so obvious ya do," Applejack said. "Twah'light, when are ya jus' gonna face facts?"
"Because I know I don't, I just can't!" she said, her voice rising an octave.
"Cool it, sugar cube, ah'm jus' sayin... look ya can try ta deny it, but anypony can tell that what yer feelin' fer Dusk is love of the highest degree. Anypony'd tell ya, any book if ya read it."
"No, they-" She stopped as she thought about what Applejack had just said. "Wait... that's it..."
"What's it?"
"The answer, the solution to my problem!" She beamed at her friend. "You're a genius Applejack!"
"Ah am?" She was staring at her like she'd gone mad. "Twah'light, what are ya thinkin'?"
"Oh you'll see," Twilight said confidently. "Because, by tomorrow, I'm going to prove once and for all that I am right and you are wrong."
Twilight awoke at her usual early time the next morning, promptly lifting the covers off of Spike and practically bouncing downstairs. She had good reason to be in such a bright mood, for today was the day that the problem that had been plaguing her mind would finally be resolved. She even put it on her own personal checklist because it was so significant.
Today was the day she'd finally put an end to her supposed romantic infatuations about a certain stallion she knew. Speaking of which...
He appeared to be in some discomfort when he walked in through the door. His walk was a slow, shuffling step and he had a hoof pressed to his head, his eyes rather bloodshot. Twilight thought to try and lift his mood with her own good one
"Good morning Dusk!" Twilight greeted in the cheeriest of spirits. "Lovely day isn't it?"
"Morning Twi... can you try not to talk to loud? I have a splitting headache..." He groaned and clutched his head again.
"What's wrong?" she asked, concerned.
"I think I drank too much of Pinkie's punch last night... that'll teach me to indulge myself..."
"I did warn you about that," she reminded him. "I don't know what it is Pinkie puts in it, but she says that that particular brand has a 'special ingredient' added."
"It's certainly special all right," he agreed, grimacing in pain. "Ow... it feels like a buffalo stampede in my brain..."
"Pinkie punch overdose?" Spike asked, as he came out of the kitchen. "I feel your pain bro, it's a killer."
"You can say that again... ow..."
"Hold on, I got just the thing!" He dashed back into the kitchen and Twilight could hear the sounds of bottles clinking together and liquid being poured into a glass. A few seconds later, Spike re-emerged.
"Here, try this," Spike offered, giving him a glass of red liquid, smoking from the top. "Pinkie says it's the best solution for it and trust me, it works. Just hold your nose and drink it down in one."
"Okay..." Dusk pinched his nose with magic and swallowed hard. He retched, but managed to keep it down, gasping when he'd got it all down. "By Celestia! What's in that?"
"Trust me, it's best you don't know," Spike warned. "Your headache'll be gone in about half an hour, until then... just fight through it."
"Okay, thanks..." He coughed and Twilight could smell a strong spice coming on his breath, making her grimace. "Sorry... a perfect example that the medicine... is worse than the affliction."
"So it seems," she giggled. "I hope you'll be okay, just don't drink that much punch again."
"Don't worry, I won't," he agreed, trying his best to smile. "You seem to be in a good mood today."
"Why shouldn't I be?"
"Might I inquire as to why, other than contempt that you were right... again."
"I don't have contempt for you... well, maybe a little bit," she admitted, with a giggle.
"I thought as much," he replied, still smiling and taking it in good grace.
"Let's just say that I hope to have the answer to an important question soon enough," she deflected, hoping not to get into too much detail. "Well, I have a list of things that I want you and Spike to go for. You don't have to go now though."
"No, I will, fresh air might do me good." She was touched by how dedicated to his work he was. "So, what do you want us to get?"
Happy that she'd be able to get this done sooner rather than later, Twilight gave him the shopping list. After they went through it and she gave him the appropriate finances, she waited until he and Spike were far off. This would leave her alone in the library, to commence the second item on her personal to-do list, one that she had just added now:
Figure out feelings for Dusk.
Whether she was with him or just by herself, she was always wrestling with her emotions for him. She enjoyed his company, but only as a friend, she told herself constantly. She loved the sound of his voice, but only because he always had something intelligent to say. She didn't like it when he had to go, but only because they were such good friends. I do not have romantic feelings for him, she told herself, I do not have romantic feelings for him.
Yet... over the past few weeks, she'd been finding it harder and harder to believe her own words. Each time, the reasons she gave herself for why she couldn't possibly be having romantic feelings for him seemed more and more desperate, to the point when she felt like screaming in frustration from how completely irrational she was being. Why couldn't she just see that he was just her friend, even though they did have a kind of special connection, that they always just seemed to think exactly the same things, that they just fitted so well together...
She shook her head and rapped her head hard with her hoof. "No, stop it! Don't get caught up in that again!" Once she was convinced she could think clearly again, she tried to hold those previous feelings in contempt, as she thought over her plan.
Today, she was going to prove that once and for all. She didn't know why she hadn't just done this before, when she'd been battling with her feelings about him. She was going to look at some books that would tell her, for sure, that she didn't have romantic feelings for her friend and that was that. Having friends was one thing, but indulging herself in the outlandish dreams of romance? That was simply unthinkable.
"Right then," she said to herself, levitating Pony Psychology down from its shelf in the science section, "let's settle this once and for all."
She opened the book and turned to the page that she was looking for, confident that this emotional debate would soon be put to rest. Instead, she found more proof that the only feelings she could be having for him were those of love. Shutting the book, she set it aside and pulled down Deciphering the Mind instead. That one was probably just a fluke, perhaps this writer would have a different view on the emotions that she was feeling. She skimmed through it, found the appropriate section and read through it... no, this one said the same thing. No matter, she thought, starting to panic now. Maybe Feelings, Emotions and You would have the solution...
The pile of discarded books grew steadily higher and Twilight's mane grew increasingly dishevelled, as she desperately tried to find something, anything that would her prove her case against romance for her second assistant and best friend. Perhaps this one... no, nothing... this one? No, that was useless... This one was sure to have... no, there was nothing.
"There's nothing!" she screamed eventually, flinging the last book aside. "There's nothing at all! Nothing..." This last statement came out in a groan, as she bowed her head and crossed to a mirror.
Her mane was now in more of a mess than when she had woken up that morning, her eye muscles were twitching from the stress of her futile venture and she looked as if she would faint any second from how pale her face was. She smoothed herself down as best she could, looked firmly at her reflection and tried one last thing.
"I do not have romantic feelings for Dusk." Even before she had finished speaking, she knew those words sounded hollow. Clearing her throat she tried again. "I do not have romantic feelings for Dusk." That sounded even worse. One more time. "I do not... do not..."
She couldn't even finish that time. It looked like she was just going to have to accept defeat and succumb to the facts, the facts that she'd been trying to run away from and hide all of this time, even if it seemed so obvious. Her feelings for the pony who was just as well-read as she was, but so much more engaging in imagination, in the unbelievable, even when she herself simply refused to consider it...
Wait maybe that was it! Maybe the solution to her problem would be found from the pony who her dilemma centred around. If she found out how Dusk dealt with believing the impossible, then she would be able to find some way to apply that to her own predicament. It was perfect!
Dusk returned with Spike just as she put away the last of the books and smoothed down her mane, removing any trace of her desperate search from before. They'd taken just as long as she'd hoped. He seemed to be in a better state than when he left, as his smile was less forced and his eyes were returning to normal. He still was suffering from twinges by the look of it.
When he asked her if it would be okay if he went down to Sweet Apple Acres, she not only told him that yes of course it would be, but that she would go with him. That would give her time to ask him what his view was on his own beliefs. So, leaving Spike in charge of the library, the two of them headed in the direction of the farm.
"So, why the sudden visit?" she asked him, when they shut the door.
"We bumped into Applejack while in town and she told me that they'd just finished baking an apple pie down at the farm, so she invited me to come over for a slice." He licked his lips in anticipation. "I do so enjoy that pie."
"I can tell." She walked with him in silence for a bit, then asked what was on her mind. "How do you do it Dusk?"
"Do what?"
"How do you... believe things without little or any proof? You know like blind faith?" She cocked her head at him. "I've noticed that about you. You believed in Pinkie sense before I did, you walked out on a stage and performed, despite what you thought of yourself and you ran into the Everfree Forest to save us, even though you had no idea where we were or how to find us."
"You had to bring that up," he mumbled, blushing though he still smiled.
"Yes I did. I'm not saying it's a bad thing, I just want to know... why?"
"Well, I think we can rule out that last one, I was just in over my head that time and I still marvel that we escaped in the first place," he started. "But the rest... well... it's kind of hard to explain."
"Try me," she prompted. "We're both intellects, aren't we?"
"Okay then..." He thought for a moment. "Well, you know my colour talent?" He demonstrated by making a mini version of herself canter by.
"I do yes," she laughed, marvelling at it until it faded away. "Go on."
"You see, until recently, for the longest time, I could find no explanation for it, no reason how or why I had such a unique power. I delved into as many books as I could find, even the dullest science journals on magic, just to try and find something. In the end, I realised that I would never find the answer and... that didn't bother me.
"I realised that I couldn't explain it, but that didn't make it any less real, any less believable or good. I just had it and that was that. That was then I came to another revelation: there are lots of things that we can't explain in this world, lots of things that, even with science, we still find it hard to find explanations for. But just because we can't explain them doesn't mean we can't believe them, like with Pinkie sense.
"That's why I never really read into science that much, because it's too grounded and inflexible. I respect it, but I don't really have much interest in it. That's why I also read into novels that are fantastic rather than realistic, because they're so much more fun and exciting and make my mind imagine the impossible. Like when you read Daring Do. You know what I mean, right?"
Twilight was silent at this. She hadn't really expected something like that. She knew Dusk was intelligent, but that was rather... profound and it made sense. She still had her own beliefs, but now she understood better why he did believe in the supposedly impossible, or rather the things she thought was impossible. Like her having romantic feelings for him... suddenly, that didn't sound so bad now....
"Twi? Twi, you okay?" His expression of uncertainty had returned. "I'm sorry if I haven't explained it well but... that's just how I feel. That's not bad, is it?"
"No," she said softly. "No, not at all. In fact, I think it's quite remarkable."
"Really? You... you think so?" She had to suppress a giggle at how nervous he now looked, like her judgement decided everything.
"I really do. You've always had more belief, perhaps understanding, in the extraordinary than I have. I have facts and figures, so do you, but you have so much more imagination. It's one of the things I like about you," she added, smiling warmly at him. "It doesn't make you any less clever, it just makes you more... open."
"Really? Hm... I never really thought about it like that," he remarked, returning her smile. "Thanks Twi. Additionally, your belief in finding the facts is one of the things I like about you."
"That's nice to know, thank you." She looked up the road. "Oh look, we're here!"
"Ah, I can smell the pie already," he sighed at the sight of the vast barn. "You get the first slice though, I insist."
"How kind of you, good sir," she replied smartly, blushing at his politeness. She caught sight of the peach-coloured pony approaching them. "Hey there Applejack!"
"Dusk an' Twah'light, nice ta see ya both," she greeted happily. "Ya didn't tell me y'all were bringin' company Dusk."
"You don't mind, do you?" he asked her unsurely.
"'Course not, the more the merrier," she assured him. "Y'all head on in, ah want ta talk with Twah'light fer a bit."
Dusk didn't object, though he did flash a look of concern to Twilight. She gave him a smile that she was fine, he nodded and headed inside. Applejack promptly turned to look at Twilight.
"Ya seem like yer in a good mood Twah," she noted.
"Why shouldn't I be?" she echoed, feeling a sense of dejà vu. "What did you want to ask me Applejack?"
"Jus' if anythin's happened concernin' our friend." She gestured her head to the barn. "Anythin' you'd like ta tell me?"
Twilight considered telling her the conclusion that she had, at least partially, accepted, but decided she didn't want anypony to know yet until she'd figured it out completely. "No, I don't think so."
"You sure?" Twilight only nodded. "Well, if ya say so. Come on, before Dusk eats all the pie."
"I don't think he will, but let's go," Twilight agreed, surprised at how eager she was to re-join Dusk.
There were still some things that she'd like to figure out for herself before she made any kind of major decisions, but she found herself enjoying imagining the possibilities. Maybe having romantic feelings for a pony like Dusk wouldn't be so bad... it certainly wasn't impossible. |
Brand New Dusk | Owl's Well That Ends Well | It was a perfect division of labour between the two assistants of Twilight Sparkle in the library that evening. Dusk, in charge of library duties, was packing the quills, ink and parchment into the red cart that they were going to bringing up the hill, whilst Spike, who did the domestic duties, was packing up the food, punch and picnic blanket for after the shower would be completed.
Dusk was quite looking forward to the shower tonight. Though he didn't have a diverse of astrology, not as much as Twilight, he would be looking forward to the sheer beauty and wonder of the centennial event that would be taking place. It was meant to be spectacular, a cluster of sparkling stars shooting across the sky. How very fortunate they were that it would be happening tonight.
"This meteor shower tonight's gonna be amazing!" said Twilight from above.
"No arguments from me," remarked Dusk, as he levitated the quills neatly into the cart
"Awesome!" added Spike, throwing some bananas into the mix
"You know, this shower only happens once every 100 years," she informed.
"A centennial celebration!" noted Spike, as he juggled some apples into the cart, permitting a low whistle of admiration from Dusk.
"We better get a move on!"
"Don't wanna be late!" Dusk hurried forward as Spike had some difficulty with the punch bowl, placing it delicately on the top. "There. Thanks bro."
"No problem little bro," Dusk assured, sharing a high hoof with him.
"Dusk, did you grab my quill and ink?"
"Affirmative," saluted Dusk.
"Scrolls?"
"Placed and packed, as requested."
"Excellent! And Spike?" she turned to the dragon.
"I've packed a telescope, apples, bananas, fruit punch and my freshly baked home-made triple-decker nut-crazy vanilla cream cookies!" He held up the dish of sugary treats to prove his point, traces of crumbs around his mouth.
Twilight giggled at the sight of this. "I can see that." This prompted him to lick the crumbs off his face. "Once again you've read my mind, Spike. And that is why you are my number one dragon assistant." She proceeded downstairs, Dusk following behind.
"I'm sorry. I didn't hear you." Dusk chuckled, knowing full well that he had and he just liked having his ego stroked.
"That is why you are my number one dragon assistant," she repeated.
"Missed that! Huh...?"
"I said-" She stopped herself when she realised what he was getting up to. She giggled and shook her head. "Oh you... and Dusk, you've proven once more that you can be reliable, efficient and helpful."
"I try my best," he said modestly, shrugging as they reached the door. "Spike's been around longer than me though, he deserves the number one position more."
"He's my number one dragon assistant," she emphasized, "but you are my number one pony assistant."
"Really?" he asked, touched that she took him into consideration. "Number one pony assistant... I rather like the sound of that."
"Well, don't let it go to your head; you're supposed to be the modest one." They shared a laugh at that, as they reached the door. "Come on, let's get going. Wait! I almost forgot. I wanna bring the "Astronomical Astronomer's Almanac to All Things Astronomy"."
Spike expression changed to one of confusion. "The Astronomo-lomo homono what?"
"You know that really old big blue book on stars, moons, planets, the Universe...?" she prompted, as he finally recognised what she meant.
"Check!" He dashed off inside to get it.
"You don't mind that he's going to go and get it?" Twilight asked him. "I know the library itself is your realm, so to speak."
"Not at all, I've got a feeling tonight's going to be Spike's night anyway. Let him have a little bit of glory, I say."
"That's sweet of you Dusk, I'm sure he'd appreciate that," she noted, a slight blush coming to her cheeks at the mentioning of the word 'sweet.'
Dusk had noticed, since yesterday, Twilight had been passing compliments to him a lot more easily now and her gaze seemed to linger on him a little more so than normal. She was less hectic when she started blushing, more stable. Was it too much to hope that, perhaps, she had feelings for him that matched his for her. Probably not, she was most likely just being nice... it would be good to hope though.
"You know me, I am the modest one," he reminded her. "Still, I've just had a thought. Maybe we could mix up our duties a bit, Spike does more library stuff and I could do some house duties."
"Really? Do you know how to cook?"
"Well... um... no, but I could learn," he added.
"Thanks Dusk, but I'm fine with the way things are now. Still, if you ever want to get a lesson in cooking, I'm sure Spike would be happy to help you."
"Actually, considering what happened last time I went near a kitchen, you're probably right," he chuckled good-naturedly.
"If you say so," she giggled, looking back into the library. "Hey! What's taking my number one dragon assistant so long?"
A few seconds later, Spike returned, but without the blue book. He also seemed to have tensed up a bit, a small bead of sweat trickling down his face. If Twilight noticed this, she didn't comment on it.
"Where's the almanac?" she asked him.
"Sorry, I couldn't find it, oh well never mind, let's go!" He said all of this rather quickly, grabbing the handle of the cart and rushing for the door.
"Did you look in right place?" Twilight persisted.
"Yep, but it wasn't there. Real shame, but I guess we'll have to make do. Now come on, let's go!" Before Twilight could ask further, he'd hurried out of the door and into the darkened streets of Ponyville.
"What do you think's gotten into him?" Twilight asked Dusk.
"I haven't the foggiest idea, but he is right. We'd better get along if we don't want to miss the shower." He held the door open for Twilight. "Now, Miss Sparkle, I do believe its ladies first?"
"Why thank you, number one pony assistant." Dusk smiled at the way that sounded, as they exited the library, heading out to a hill area where everypony would be gathering to watch the show.
By the time they arrived, the stars were shining in the sky, the dark blue cloak of the night being stretched across the sky. It seemed like the entire town had turned out to watch the show, with little groups of ponies scattered all around the hillside, waiting eagerly to view the astronomical event. Dusk could see their friends already gathered at the top of the hill, walking alongside Twilight with Spike bringing up the rear.
"I was sure I put the astronomer's guide back," she mentioned again. "The book would have helped me identify different planets and stars tonight. You didn't take it out, did you Dusk?"
"Not really my kind of reading, to be honest," he admitted. "I know the names of the planets anyway: Mercury, Venus, Equestria, Mars, Tuchunka, Skaro, Cybertron..."
"I'm sorry, what were those last three?" she asked, giggling.
"Oh sorry, those were a few of mine I know," he mumbled. "I'll explain later."
"You and your imagination." She didn't sound exasperated, just amused, which made Dusk smile again.
"Well... Maybe someone borrowed it?" Spike suggested. "Besides, you don't need that book. You can already name all the planets and stars, cause you're super smart and astronomically awesome!"
"Thanks Spike. You're such a flatterer," she commented.
The baby dragon shrugged abashedly. "Yeah, I'm a sweet talker."
"And a number one dragon assistant, right?"
"Check! Go number ones!" He shared a high hoof with Dusk, as the two of them set out the picnic, Dusk laying down the blanket and Spike laying down the food.
At this point, Rainbow Dash walked over and took a bite from an apple. "Wow, Twilight! You're lucky to have not only one, but two rad assistants. I wish I had someone to do whatever I told them."
Scootaloo perked up at this. "Ooh! Ooh! Me! Me! Me! I'll do whatever you want, Rainbow Dash!
"Oh yeah, pipsqueak?" She tossed her the apple core. "How about taking out the trash?"
"Yes ma'am!" She picked it up and hurried off, surprising them all at her willingness to comply. No sooner had she left, the others all gathered around.
"Do we have Spike to thank again for this amazing spread?" asked Rarity, joining the others in gazing adoringly at Spike, Dusk stepping back to let him have the spotlight. "Isn't he simply amazing?"
"Oh, come on." He looked quite embarrassed, then his expression changed to one of disappointment. "I said come on."
"Little Spikey-wikey!" Pinkie gave him an affectionate noogie. "Who knew that big ferocious dragon started off so cutesy wootsy?"
"For the record, I couldn't imagine any other pony, or dragon for that matter, I would divide my duties with," Dusk commented, giving him a pat on the back. "He can be a little lazy and cheeky at times-"
"I thought you were saying good things about me," objected Spike.
"Let me finish," put in Dusk. But, despite that, he's as much a friend to me as you all are and kind of like my brother too."
"Aw gee... Thanks bud," Spike said sincerely.
"You deserve it," replied Dusk.
"Spike, you are such a little star that I had to make a little bow tie for you." Rarity levitated a red bow-tie decorated with little gemstones to fit around Spike's neck.
"Try not to eat it, eh?" remarked Dusk.
"Gosh. You guys are embarrassing me. Stop it." He paused for a second. "Twilight, your turn."
"Spike, that's enough.," she said sternly.
"Yes, I think your ego has received enough stroking for one night," added Dusk, provoking a smile from the dragon.
"All right. That's enough," he agreed reluctantly.
"Hey, everypony! The show is starting!" At Sweetie Belle's announcement, everypony hurried to get a good view of the sky and gazed up expectantly.
First there was one. Then there was two. It just continued to build, until the whole sky was full of them. Streaks of light began to shoot across the sky, shining just as bright as the stars that they flew past, passing an unearthly, yet beautiful glow across everypony's faces, as they all gasped and awed at the magnificent spectacle. They left streaks of starlight in their wake, darting across the night sky and out of sight, if only to allow more to sail by. It was strange that they seemed so close, when in reality they were so far away. Dusk had never seen anything more beautiful in his life. It even beat the sonic rainboom, if only by a bit.
He was so engrossed in watching the meteors that he didn't notice he was moving closer to his right. He only realised when he brushed against Twilight's side. They both darted their heads up and blushed, about to move away but... they seemed to both think that the other wouldn't really mind. After all, what was a bit of closeness between friends? So, they remained that way and returned to watching the shower, with the added warmth of their fur being shared in the chilly night air. Nopony even noticed how close they were. They were too busy watching the show. Secretly, they were both thankful for that.
After the show was over, everypony was in animated conversation with each other about what they had just witnessed. Twilight and Dusk were also part of it, though only after Twilight had showed him various constellations and planets through the telescope. It always surprised him how much she knew about this kind of thing. Dusk didn't say anything, but merely listened as she told him what she knew about them all. At the very least he was learning something, which was rather special as it was from her.
"The planet Venus," Twilight was saying, as she showed him it through the telescope. "The only planet to be named after a mare."
"Good for her," remarked Dusk quietly. "But isn't it incapable of supporting life?"
"It is, due to the high gravity and the acid clouds. It's a very hostile world."
"Yet the name makes it sound so gentle," mused Dusk pulling back from the eyepiece.
"I thought you would say something like that."
"You know me too well, Miss Sparkle."
She giggled at that. "Maybe some time, we could look at the stars like this again, just you and me," she suggested, rather shyly.
Dusk wasn't sure if she meant that romantically or just as friends, but he did like the idea either way. "I'd like that."
"I hoped you would..." They shared another warm smile, then returned in comfortable silence to the spread, where Pinkie wolfed down the last of Spike's cookies.
"Wow! These cookies are deeleesh!"
"Spike made them. Speaking of, Spike, can you bring us some punch?" There was no response. "Spike?"
They all looked to see Spike was sleeping soundly in the punch bowl of all places, snoring peacefully.
"Ooh, poor little thing," cooed Rarity.
"Aww... He's worked himself to the bone," added Twilight.
"And now the punch has been... spiked!" joked Pinkie, ensuing laughter from everypony present, yet still Spike slept on.
"I think it's time to go," Twilight suggested, levitating him gently onto her back and rolling up the blanket.
"Right behind you," whispered Dusk, taking the cart and bidding their friends farewell, escorting Twilight and Spike back to their home.
When they arrived back at the tree that housed the library, Twilight was saying about how she wanted to write a report on the study of comets before she went to bed that night.
"Don't you think you should get to bed?" asked Dusk, as they stood on the threshold of the door.
"I will, but I want to get this done now, while it's still fresh in my mind."
"Do you want me to stay up and help? I'm not..." He paused to yawn. "I'm not that tired..."
"I think you are. You should go home and get some rest, you've done enough today," she advised.
"Are you sure?"
"Dusk, you need your rest too. Now go home, that's an order from your boss," she said in a mock commanding tone.
"As you wish, Miss Sparkle," he bowed. "Good night Twilight."
"Good night, number one pony assistant." She gave him one last smile and gently closed the door. He lingered for a few moments, and then made his way home, humming a merry tune to himself.
Dusk arrived bright and early as usual next morning, still in high spirits from the previous night. At first he didn't notice anything strange, setting down his saddlebag and gazing around for either Twilight or Spike. Instead, he discovered that the library had one more additional occupant, neither pony nor dragon.
A plump little bird was perched in the middle of the room, with a square-ish body and bright orange beak. His feathers around his breast were a light brown, whereas the ones on his wings were darker in colour. Dusk had read enough about animals, specifically Fluttershy's Hearth's Warming present, to recognise an owl when he saw one, either screech or tawny, but he couldn't quite place it. He'd need to consult it again. The owl turned his beady black eyes to stare at him, which sparked with a strange kind of understanding.
It didn't seem like he'd just flown in randomly, it looked more like he was meant to be there. Was he a new pet that Twilight had acquired? But she hadn't left the house since last night, where had he come from? Deciding to ask her later, Dusk decided to at least be friendly to him.
"Hello little fellow," he greeted, walking over and stroking him gently. "Where did you come from?"
The owl gave a small hoot, not objecting to his hoof moving over his feathers. Well, at least he liked him.
"Oh, good morning Dusk." He turned to see Twilight emerging from the kitchen. "I see you've met Owlowiscious then."
"Owlowiscious?" He glanced at him. "That's a fine name. Where'd you find him?"
"He rescued my parchment when it flew out of the window last night. I didn't like having to send him back into the cold, so I let him stay with me. I've decided to take him on as our new junior assistant."
For some reason, that caused a jolt of fear to spike in his chest. It didn't take him long to figure out why, though he kept his calm expression as best he could.
"Well, they are meant to be quite intelligent birds," he noted, looking him over. "It might be fun having him around, as long as he doesn't... never mind."
"Doesn't what?"
"Well, replace me or anything..." he murmured.
Concern flitted across her features. "Aw Dusk, why would you think that?"
"It wouldn't be hard to, that's all..."
"Dusk, nopony could ever replace you or Spike," she assured him gently. "You have a special place here that I don't think anypony could ever hope to match up to. You're still my number one pony assistant and always will be."
"Really?"
"Absolutely."
"Well um... Thanks." They both smiled at the trust they had and Dusk looked for his fellow assistant. "Where is Spike? Shouldn't he be up by now?"
"He's still sleeping upstairs; last night really took it out of him. I let Owlowiscious do his morning chores so he could get some more sleep."
"Really?" He gave him an admiring glance. "Wow, he's good. Are you sure he's not going to replace me?"
"Pretty sure," she repeated, knowing he was just joking. "Anyway, I gotta head out for a bit. Would you mind rearranging the Classics section in the West wing?"
"You need only ask. Welcome aboard Owlowiscious," he added to the bird, as he set off to work, while Twilight went off upstairs to pack her things.
While he was pulling down all of the mismatched books, he heard the door slam a few minutes after Twilight left, probably Spike going off to pass the time in some other way now that his morning chores were done. He wondered if his friend had the same thoughts that he had, that the owl might replace them in the end. He resolved to talk to him later, returning his concentration to levitating the books he was piling up. Unfortunately, the pile wobbled precariously and one of the books fell from the top.
"Uh oh!" He tried to catch it before it hit the ground, but a pair of clawed feet caught it just in time. Owlowiscious hovered before him, lifting the book back up to the top.
"Oh... thanks for that," he said to the owl. He hooted in response, as if to say 'no problem.' Dusk gave the bird a fond smile. "I'm Dusk, by the way, Dusk Noir."
"Hoo," sounded the owl.
"'Who'? What do you mean 'who'? I'm Du-" He paused when he realised what he was doing. "Oh, I see what you did there."
"Hoo," replied Owlowiscious.
"'Hoo' indeed," Dusk chuckled, returning to his work. Maybe having him around wouldn't be so bad after all.
Later on, the girls all arrived to meet Twilight's new pet. Dusk joined them, happy to see they'd taken to him just as well as he did. Except for Spike it seemed, who leaned against a window above, reading a book on owls, with the attitude of somepony trying to learn the weaknesses of his enemy.
"Oh, what a fantastical, fluffelicious feathery little friend! I'm... HOOked!" They all laughed at Pinkie's pun.
"He's just wonderful," said Fluttershy, always having something to say on animals.
They were all rather taken aback when Spike repeated what she said in a mocking tone. "Uh, yes. Wonderful. He's quite... the charmer." He said this last bit through gritted teeth.
"And Owlowiscious is just such a star I just had to make this little bow for you." Rarity presented, rather tactlessly, him with the exact bow that she had made for Spike last night.
At this Spike raged in frustration and slammed the window on them. Knowing his worst suspicions would probably be confirmed, Dusk headed for the library door. "I'll go talk to him."
It didn't take long for Dusk to find him, stomping down the stairs and muttering to himself angrily.
"You okay, my brother?" asked Dusk.
"No, I am not." He turned to face Dusk. "Come on, you must have seen his little plan."
"Um... I'm afraid it's escaped me."
"Come on Dusk, he's trying to replace you and me as the number one's around here!" he said, as if it were obvious. "By the creed of the brothers in library-assistantship, we can't let him do that!"
Dusk blinked at this. "Spike, we don't have a creed."
"Well if we did, it would say that we shouldn't let upstarts try to replace us. But don't worry, we're just gonna have to work extra hard so that Twilight and Owlowiscious know who the top dogs are around here."
"Spike, I think you're overreacting about this. Twilight knows we can't be replaced." He looked to see that Twilight had returned, with Owlowiscious perched on her back. "Come on, we'd best get back to work."
"You got it, let's go into action!" Apparently he'd ignored everything he'd just said up to that point and hurried off, giving Dusk a knowing wink. Dusk just sighed and went back to the catalogue of their inventory he'd started earlier.
The rest of the afternoon passed by fairly uneventfully, at least for Dusk. Owlowiscious had retrieved a few books at Twilight's request, robbing Spike of his own duties, making the dragon even more frustrated. At one point, Twilight had broken her last writing quill and Spike had upended the house to hurry to find a replacement, obviously hoping to show up his rival this time. He even dashed out to find a new one, as Twilight tried to tell him that her pet had given her one of his feathers to use as a quill. Spike returned as Dusk prepared to leave, with a chicken feather, completely useless for writing purposes and had promptly fallen asleep on the stairs. Dusk just hoped he would be better the next day.
When that day came, Dusk was just arriving at the library when Spike strode out angrily, stomping off into town. He was so angry that he didn't notice Dusk and walked by without acknowledging him. Raising an eyebrow, he entered the library to find Owlowiscious sitting on his perch and Twilight levitating a blue bound book in front of her, shaking her head and looking quite perturbed about something.
"What's happened now?" he asked.
"See for yourself." She tossed the book to him and he only just caught it with magic. It was Twilight's astronomy almanac, but the pages had been burned away and the inside was blackened from soot. "Spike burned the pages out by sneezing and then tried to hide what he did from me."
"Oh dear..." Now he could understand why she was so angry. "How did you find it?"
"I didn't, Owlowiscious did, right where it was supposed to be." She let out a growl of frustration. "I can't believe that Spike tried lying to me, as if he could cover it up."
"I'm sure he did it with the best of intentions."
"That may well be, but he should know that he shouldn't lie to me like that." She growled again and shook her head helplessly. "He's been acting like this ever since Owlowiscious arrived."
"I've noticed that too." Dusk pressed his hoof to his chin thoughtfully. "Maybe he is jealous that Owlowiscious is around here, he thinks he's after his job, like I did."
"Yes, but you got over that and now you and Owlowiscious are fine." She sighed. "I just hope he doesn't let his jealousy get the better of him."
"Me too." Dusk suddenly had a thought. "Was he ever this jealous when I first arrived? He always seemed friendly to me, but was he ever... fuming when I wasn't here?"
"At first he was a little jealous," she explained. "But then he really warmed to you and you two are both good friends. Why can't he do the same with Owlowiscious?"
"Well, for one thing, he doesn't exactly say much." The owl hooted to prove his point. "I don't think it's really same scenario as it was with me."
"You may have a point there. Come on, we'd better go and find him before he does anything rash." She gestured and Owlowiscious flew onto her back.
"Right behind you Miss Sparkle." Together, the three of them set out to find the number one dragon assistant.
They ended up looking and asking all around town if anypony had seen Spike. A few had seen him, darting in-between hiding places and dressed in a cape and top hat, cackling to himself about something. They finally got a lead saying that they'd last seen him going back in the direction of the library, still laughing away and wearing his strange get-up. With this information, they proceeded back the way they came and entered the library. On the floor was a torn-up toy mouse, with red liquid poured around it.
Dusk approached it, dipped his hoof in and sniffed. "Ketchup. But why would-?"
He was cut off when Spike came from downstairs, dressed exactly as he was reported and laughing like a cliched villain. He had a pillow, no doubt from Twilight's bed and was throwing the feathers everywhere. Dusk figured out what he was up to even before he backed into Twilight and even he felt a degree of shame and disappointment for his friend.
"That poor little field mouse!" cried Spike with effected emotion. "Torn to pieces! It must have been Owlowiscious! You know, since owls eat, you know, mice. What a terrible, terrible bird! He must be punished! Right?"
Twilight only glared at him. "Spike! I don't know what upsets me more. That you deliberately tried to set up Owlowiscious or that you actually thought this pathetic attempt would work! You've let your jealousy get the best of you, Spike. I am truly disappointed. This is not the Spike I know and love. Come on Dusk, I think Spike needs some time on his own to think about what he's done.
"Right..." Dusk complied, proceeding to follow Twilight out of the door.
"But Dusk, wait!" He turned to look at Spike, not frowning or glaring, but with a look of disappointment. He made sure he never even raised his voice when he spoke.
"Spike, I understand why you're jealous, but this is a step too far. I would say that you've let me down, as a friend and my fellow assistant... but you've only let down yourself." Shaking his head, Dusk followed Twilight out and shut the door behind him.
"I can't believe he did that," Twilight fumed. "I've never seen him act like this before."
"Neither have I... I'll clean up the mess when we get back."
"Thanks Dusk, it's good to know I can rely on you at least." Dusk didn't take that as the praise it was meant to be. If anything, it made him more ashamed for Spike. She was supposed to be able to rely on both of them, not one or the other.
He only sighed in response, hoping Spike would be okay... and that he would resolve his issues.
When they thought they'd given Spike enough time to think about what he had done, they returned to the library as it was getting dark, Dusk intending to pick up his saddlebag and head home, after making sure that Spike was okay.
"Spike!" Twilight called. "Come down, I need to talk to you." There was no answer. "Spike? Spike, where are you?"
There was no sign of him, even the mess he'd made trying to frame Owlowiscious was gone. For some reason, Dusk felt dread form in the pit of his stomach, as Twilight hurried upstairs, while he searched the library. No sign of him in any of the separate wings, or the basement. A few minutes later they met up again, dread changing to fear.
"He's not in the library anywhere," reported Dusk, hearing the quiver in his voice.
"He's not in my room either and all of his things are gone! Dusk, he's run away!" Fretting and muttering, she started to pace. "What are we going to do? Where could he have gone?"
"Twilight, please calm down," Dusk prompted, even though he felt like panicking himself. "I can use my puppets to find-"
"Hoo!" Owlowiscious was flapping frantically, trying to get their attention. He landed and gestured his head to a set of claw prints stained red from ketchup.
"Or we could follow those. Good work Owlowiscious." The owl hooted and flew back out of the door, Twilight and Dusk following behind him.
While Dusk could have easily used his colour puppets to find Spike, though he'd never done it before with him, he wanted to save his energy. If Spike was where he thought he would be, he had a feeling he was going to need it. Sure enough, the footprints led them out of Ponyville and they arrived at the foreboding borders of the Everfree Forest.
"The Everfree Forest. Why did it have to be the Everfree Forest?" Dusk groaned, feeling his legs shaking.
"This is no time to be scared, Spike could be in trouble," Twilight reminded him, though she sounded equally afraid.
"I know but... why is it always the Everfree Forest?" Swallowing in his throat, Dusk galloped after Twilight, Owlowiscious leading the way in the air.
After battling through branches and brambles, but no monsters thankfully, they arrived at the mouth of a cave where the footprints went inside. A loud roar resounded inside, as did familiar cries for help. Dusk felt fear grip him even further. There was only one creature in all of Equestria that could roar like that...
"Come on!" Twilight's voice bolstered him a little, the two of them running to the mouth of the cave.
Filling up the whole interior was an enormous green dragon, one far larger than Spike. His scales glinted fiercely in the dark, the wicked points of his spiked tail as big as tree trunks. He was roaring in rage as Owlowiscious flew around his head, distracting him from a little purple shape that was crouched just behind his larger brethren.
Twilight began to wave frantically. "Spike! Over here!" He ran out of the cave past the dragon, his face a visage of relief.
"Am I glad to see you two!"
"Hurry! Hop on!" He jumped on Twilight's back, Owlowiscious flying out ahead of them, the dragon shaking the earth with his foot falls.
"Here we go again," muttered Dusk, then in a louder voice. "I'll distract him for a bit! Keep running, the trees will become too thick for him to follow!"
Twilight looked like she was about to argue, but she nodded and galloped away, Spike bobbing up and down on her back. Suppressing his fear as best he could, Dusk looked right up at the dragon, who was about to lunge at him. Hoping this would work, he conjured up colour words saying STOP. Surprisingly, it did, the dragon looking a little confused at this display of magic. Now that he had paused, perhaps he could be reasoned with...
"Okay... now then, Mr... Dragon," Dusk began a little timidly. "My uh... friend, he no doubt upset you in some way-"
"He ate my gems!" thundered the dragon.
"Right... um, anyway." Swallowing again, Dusk continued. "So um... I'm sure he didn't mean any uh... offense, sir so... maybe we could just... call this one an accident and uh... move on?"
"Perhaps." He snorted steam. "Or perhaps I could eat you instead, then we could 'move on.'"
"Ah... I was afraid you might say that..." Dusk started to back away slowly. "Well... it was nice talking to you, but uh... this where I remember I'm a quadruped equine and uh... make an immediate strategic withdrawal."
"You mean... run?"
"Exactly. Good evening!" Screaming at the top of his lungs, Dusk dashed away as fast as he could back into the depths of the forest, thinking of Twilight and conjuring a colour puppet to follow through the dark.
Behind him, he could hear the ripping of trees and the shaking of earth as the dragon pursued him, driving him to keep running. Fear was a great motivator. He just kept following his light, the trees becoming thicker all of the time, his chest burning from the physical exertion. Even after he could no longer hear the dragon's stomping feet, he kept on running until he reached the edge of the forest, spotting his friends by a tree. He stopped next to them, wheezing and panting, still feeling the fear in his chest.
"Dusk!" Twilight caught him a tight hug. "You're okay..."
"That's... debatable..." He was still catching his breath and could barely speak.
"I was so worried..." Her face was full of relief, then she frowned and punched him on his leg. "Dusk Noir, you might be the stupidest pony I have ever met."
"No...arguments... here..." he panted.
"How many times are you gonna throw yourself in front of a monster like that?"
"Believe me... I don't want to make a habit of it..." he felt bad for making her worry, but a little proud that he'd at least been able to try and protect her and Spike.
"I almost lost one of my number one assistants and best friends today... I didn't want it to be two..." It sounded like she was trying hard not to cry.
"I... I'm sorry Twilight..." he hung his head, but it was lifted up gently by Twilight, who held his gaze.
"Apology accepted. Just... try not to do it again, okay?"
"Yes... ma'am..." They both exchanged a smile at the tender moment, before Twilight turned to Spike.
"Spike, we were so worried about you. I was so worried about you. Why did you run away?"
Spike too now looked guilty. "I thought you didn't need me anymore. And that you didn't love me anymore." Pity for his friend welled up in Dusk's chest.
"Spike," Twilight began gently, "sure, I was disappointed, but you are my number one dragon assistant! And friend. And you always will be. It's just that sometimes I need some help at night. I can't ask you to stay up late. You're a baby dragon and you need your rest. I can't ask Dusk either, because he has his own home to get to. Owls are nocturnal. So I asked Owlowiscious to help. But not to take your place. No one could ever replace you, Spike. Not even when you are being a jealous numbskull."
"I'm sorry, Twilight. I never should have been so jealous," he admitted.
"And I'm sorry too, Spike. I should have been more sensitive," said Twilight.
"I'm at fault here too," Dusk put in. "As your friend and fellow assistant, I should have tried to help you with this, rather than let what happened happen. You're still my assistant brother and always will be." He offered his hoof to claw.
"Thanks buddy." Dusk was surprised when Spike hugged him instead, which he returned, patting him on the head.
Spike then looked up at his rival, who was perched on a branch nearby. "And Owlowiscious... I know now that you weren't out to take my job. Forgive me?"
"Hoo?" replied the owl.
"Me. Forgive me, Spike."
"Hoo!"
"He forgives you," Twilight told him.
"Hey! How did you guys know where I was?" he suddenly asked.
"It was your ketchup covered feet. Owlowiscious discovered your footprints and we followed them all the way to the cave," she explained.
"Funny how things work out like that," remarked Dusk.
"Oh yeah, the ketchup. It looked pretty real though, didn't it?" he said, referring to the earlier incident. Twilight just glared at him, making Spike giggle nervously.
With that, the four librarians set off for home, soon just being able to laugh about what happened, the jealousy incident completely forgotten. Dusk was just glad to have his little friend back. This was going to make an interesting report to the Princess for sure.
As they walked, he looked up at Owlowiscious, who was flying overhead. The owl had certainly proved useful in his own right. He was intelligent, loyal to his friends and rather good company, though not in the same way a pony was. It was a simpler kind of company, one that was inspired by loyalty and care, the kind of thing that only a pet could give. It occurred to him that the others all had pets too, with the exception of Rainbow Dash. For the first time, Dusk could see the appeal of them.
Perhaps he should get one... |
Brand New Dusk | White as Snow | "You're coming along very well Dusk," Rarity informed him, as they sat down to take tea after another one of her dancing lessons. "You've advanced admirably, compared to how you were when we first began."
"Don't I know it," remarked Dusk, taking a sip from it.
"You still need to improve a little bit more, but by the time Gala is upon us, you'll be able to sweep Twilight off her hooves with effortless ease," she said proudly.
"I hope so." He levitated the sugar across to her, expressing his gratitude in his smile. "Thanks for your patience in teaching me Rare."
"It was my pleasure dear," she insisted, returning the smile.
Dusk still remembered how embarrassed he was when these impromptu lessons had first begun. Drinking his tea, he began recalling how he had stood on her hooves quite a few times and knocked her over more than once. His own lack of confidence and being in such close proximity to a mare had meant that he had been largely unfocused and clumsy. Rarity's tolerance had been pushed to its limits at times, along with his own feelings of not liking to let his friends down or be the source of their anger. However, Dusk had gradually relaxed and picked up what Rarity was teaching. His movements were still rather jerky and he still stumbled, but he had to admit he was certainly better at waltzing that he had been.
He wondered how he would do at the Gala, provided he could actually pluck up the courage to ask Twilight to share a dance with him in the first place. Would it really be as romantic as Rarity claimed it would be? He hoped it would be... he imagined himself dressed in the suit Rarity had made for him, guiding Twilight across a sparkling dance floor, dressed in a spectacular gown, while the orchestra played a slow, romantic ballad. Encircling each other like feathers in a gentle breeze, having eyes for nopony else but the other. They would lean in, closer and closer, until their lips would meet. It would be perfect...
Dusk blinked and shook away those thoughts. One step at a time Dusk, he reminded himself, patience, just like Rarity had told him. It might not even work, she might not even want to dance with him in the first place... not that he wouldn't blame her.
He noticed Rarity was giving him that knowing smile across the table. "What's on your mind, darling?"
"Nothing... just uh..." Dusk felt his face become red. He decided to perhaps change the subject. "I've been thinking about um... getting a pet."
"Really? A pet?" She seemed a little surprised at this statement, but her smile brightened. "Well, that's just marvellous. What did you have in mind?"
"I'm not really sure yet, I'm still thinking about it." Something brushed against his leg and he looked to see Rarity's cat, Opalescence curl up under the table between them. "Would you say it's worth getting one?"
"Oh yes, of course, I couldn't imagine the Boutique without Opal here. Isn't that right Opal?" The cat opened her eyes lazily in acknowledgement and drifted back off to sleep again. "You see?"
"I certainly do." He would have reached to stroke her, but the last time he did he just received a nasty scratch. "What made you pick Opal?"
"I suppose... I never really thought about it," she admitted, gazing fondly at her pet. "As soon as I saw little Opal as a tiny kitten, I just knew that she was the one for me. It's one of those things that you just know at once."
"Intuition," said Dusk simply.
"That's it exactly. I'm sorry I can't be more help Dusk."
"It's okay, in fact..." He paused to take a sip from his tea, "you've given me something to think about at any rate, so thanks."
"I'm glad I could help. Biscuit?"
Dusk thought long and hard about what would make a good pet for him. There were thousands of different species of animal in Equestria, but only some of those were able to be adopted by ponies as companions. At the minute, he didn't have any kind of particular preference and maybe that was his problem. He didn't know exactly what he wanted from a pet and so he couldn't decide as a result. So, he eventually realised that he would need to get information from another source before trying to make up his mind, one who knew more about animals and pets than anypony else that he knew. So he was now arriving at Fluttershy's cottage, which was as lively with animal life as it always was.
He approached the door and knocked politely on it. Seconds later, Fluttershy's timid head emerged slowly, until she realised who it was. "Oh, hello Dusk. Please, come in..."
"I'm not bothering you, am I?" he asked her, as he usually did when he visited.
"Of course not. Can I make you some tea?"
"That would be nice, but I came here to request your assistance on a personal matter."
"Really?" She paused to give a nut to a squirrel, who chirped her thanks. "What do you need my help with?"
"Well, due to recent events, I have considered getting a pet, but am relatively unsure as to where to start looking." He smiled as her face lit up at the mention of the word 'pet'. "I was wondering if you could advise me as to where to start."
"A pet? For you? Yes, yes of course I can help!" She sounded positively ecstatic at the idea. "In fact, I can do much more than that. Come on!"
With that, she grabbed his hoof and took him outside to the garden behind her house. Here, Dusk could see that there were literally dozens of different animals to choose from, mammals, reptiles, birds, they were all gathered here in a kind of strange showcase of wildlife. Fluttershy floated gently up to the centre of them, spreading her hooves out wide at them all.
"You can choose a pet from all of the ones here! Don't you just love them? Isn't it wonderful?" He couldn't help but laugh at how happy she was at the prospect of it.
"It certainly is," he admitted. "Very well then, let's see what you've got."
"Oh my goodness, just you wait. I have so many wonderful choices for you to decide." Still in a bit of a happy daze, Fluttershy began to show him around all of the assembled creatures present.
First she showed him a few pets that most ponies would commonly own, such as dogs, cats and hamsters. While these were all cute, adorable and friendly, Dusk didn't really feel anything definitive for them. Something told him that he would prefer something a little beyond the norm, but not something too extraordinary. It didn't stop him feeling bad from turning down a rather friendly looking kitten though.
Next, she showed him a collection of reptiles, lizards, snakes and tortoises, slithering and hissing. Again, while these were interesting and not really commonly chosen as pets, Dusk declined once more. They were cold-blooded and scaly, not really what he was looking for. At one point, a rather hopeful tortoise plodded over and gazed up at him, giving him a rather wrinkly smile, as if saying 'please pick me.'
"Oh he's always hoped to be somepony's pet," Fluttershy explained.
Dusk smiled sadly back at him. "Sorry little fellow, but you're not what I had in mind. Besides, I think you were meant for somepony else. Your time will come."
The shelled reptile looked a little disheartened, but still kept that smile as he slowly plodded off once more.
Despite his rather difficult compliance, Fluttershy didn't seem in anyway perturbed or hopeless at this. In fact, it only seemed to make her more determined to find the perfect companion for him. It was like everything he said 'no' to just gave her a better idea of what exactly to look for. When he declined having an insect, or arachnid, as a pet, she stopped to think for a moment and suggested that perhaps he would like a bird as a pet. Feeling intrigued by this, Dusk obliged and was soon looking at all manner of creatures that flew or had feathers.
"Hmm... I don't think a flamingo," he declined, as the pink bird waddled by. "It's too... flashy."
"Don't worry, there's still plenty of choices," she said encouragingly. "Would you consider something along the lines of maybe a sparrow or a finch?"
"Too small. Maybe something a little larger."
"Like a falcon or an eagle, perhaps?" As she prompted this, the birds of prey landed beside her, glaring at him with fierce eyes.
"I don't think so... too aggressive for my taste, sorry." The birds bowed and soared off again. "This is harder than I thought..."
"Don't worry," she dismissed, "there's something here for you. I just know it. Think about something that you think would really suit you and appeal to you."
Now it was his turn to stop and think, his hoof touching his chin. A pet that truly reflected him... something with a degree of intelligence, but also capable of defending itself. Something that also had an aspect that was unique only to its particular species. Perhaps, if he found it, the animal might have a little bit of himself reflected in it. Really, there was only one type of animal he could think of that might have what he was looking for.
"I'd really like an owl, now that I think about it..."
"Like Twilight?"
"Indeed, though not the same breed, of course," he clarified. "Do you have any?"
Within seconds, he was carefully looking over what looked like every species of owl on offer. He was rather drawn to a barn owl, but eventually decided it wasn't quite right. The screech owl too was discarded, along with a tawny. Like the others similar to it, the eagle owl looked too fierce that he'd be comfortable with it. When it seemed like they were reaching the end of the choices, Fluttershy said that she had one more on offer. They crossed over to a tree, where there was a hole in the trunk, large enough for a bird to make its home.
"Come on out, there's somepony here to see you," she coaxed gently. There was no movement within. "I'm sorry, this one's a little shy."
"Really?" This alone appealed to Dusk. "May I try?" She nodded and he peered into the darkness. "Hello? Are you in there? Its okay, I'm not going to hurt you. I just want to see you."
He thought he could see something stir in there and knew he was making progress. Taking the advantage, he pressed on, as gently as he could.
"I understand you're a little shy, I can be too you know. Maybe that's something we have in common. There's no reason to hide, I'm an okay guy. Come on out... please?"
At first, there was nothing. Then, a pair of amber eyes opened and shone in the dark. Tentavively and shyly, the occupant of the tree stepped out. As soon as the bird was in the light, Dusk knew instantly that he'd found the pet for him.
"Wow, even I have difficulty getting her to come out," remarked Fluttershy. "I think she really likes you."
"I think so too," agreed Dusk, offering his foreleg for the owl to climb on. She stared at it for a few seconds, as if it might bite her. Then, she stepped out slowly and perched herself on it, giving a quiet little hoot.
"Perfect! Oh this is wonderful, you're going to be the best of friends, I just know it!" Grinning at her success, she gazed fondly at the two of them. "We're having a pet play date tomorrow you know. You can come along to that and show her to everypony."
"Well that depends... do you mind?" The owl seemed to hide behind her wing, but she shook her head. "Okay then, we will. Thanks Fluttershy."
"It was my pleasure. Oh, what are you going to call her?"
Dusk looked over his new companion, as she shyly hid behind her wing. "I'll tell you tomorrow..."
"Here we are Owlowiscious," Twilight said, as the two of them approached the group of ponies with pets.
They'd all gathered here for their first play date, or rather Twilight's first play date, with their pets. She had Owlowiscious perched on her back, Rarity sat proudly with Opalescence, Applejack was playing with her dog Winona, Pinkie had Gummy biting onto her head and Fluttershy was just arriving too with her rabbit Angel. Twilight could tell already this was going to be a fun day. It was just a shame Rainbow Dash and Dusk couldn't come along...
"That all-a us?" Applejack asked, as Twilight joined them.
"Not quite, Dusk is just coming now," Fluttershy told them.
"Really? Dusk has a pet?" asked Twilight, surprised at this news.
"Yes, he just got one yesterday. He wanted to keep it a surprise for today."
"Ooh, a new friend for Gummy!" exclaimed Pinkie excitedly.
"Oh, wait till you see... look, here he comes." She pointed to their one male friend trotting over. There was no sign of any animal with him though.
"Hey Dusky!" greeted Pinkie, still having Gummy clamped to her head. "Where's your pet?"
"Oh she's..." He looked around, bewildered. "She must be hiding again, hold on..." He turned around and called out. "Ophelia, come on out! I want you to meet my friends!"
They waited a few minutes after this call and soon heard the flapping of wings. They looked up and Twilight actually gasped. Whiter than winter's snow and sailing majestically on the breeze was a beautiful snowy owl, with a small, pointed black beak and brilliant yellow eyes. The way she flew it was more like a cloud was floating down from the sky, having taken on some strange life of its own.
She flew onto Dusk's outstretched leg and promptly hid her face behind her wing. Immediately, Twilight could see why he had picked this owl as his pet, treating her with a special kind of care and respect. It suited him so well.
"There we go, it's okay," he said in a gentle tone. "Ladies and pets, I'd like you to meet my pet, Ophelia."
"Oh Dusk, she's gorgeous," remarked Rarity, gazing with awe at the bird. "Oh isn't she a treasure?"
"Dad gum," commented Applejack. "Now that's a fine owl, if ever ah saw one."
"See, I told you they'd like you." At Dusk's word, Ophelia peeked out from behind her wing.
Gently prompted, she hopped off his leg and onto the ground, her amber eyes fixed on the floor. She let out a quiet little hoot by way of greeting, the other animals seeming to recognise her tentativeness and treating her with a gentle care and respect, as Dusk had done. Owlowiscious approached the closest, giving a more confident hoot of greeting. Ophelia dared to look up and returned the hoot as best she could, but looked shyly at the floor again.
All the while, Twilight just couldn't keep the smile off her face. Just when she thought Dusk couldn't get anymore remarkable, here he was, gently coaxing a shy owl into making some friends. It was rather like a reflection of how he once was. Watching as Ophelia retreated to Dusk's back, she knew the two of them worked together just perfectly.
"Good girl," he murmured to her, stroking her feathers. "Just give others a chance to be your friend and they will. I learned that a long time ago and I've never regretted it."
"You've definitely found something special with this little darling," agreed Rarity. "What made you choose her?"
"Well, owls are generally associated with being intelligent, not meaning to sound like I'm blowing my own trumpet," he added modestly.
"You might have at least told us you have a trumpet. I love trumpets!" Everypony stared at Pinkie. "What? I do!"
"Clearly. Anyway," he continued, "I also wanted something that had a unique aspect about itself. With Ophelia, it's her unique feather colour, with me it's... well..." He created a blur of colour, which his owl followed with a kind of entranced stare. "In a way, I suppose I was looking for... well, me. Just so I might take care of her and help her until she might become something even more beautiful."
"Aw, ain't that sweet?" remarked Applejack, Winona wagging her tail behind her.
"Well... I thought so..." Dusk's cheeks went pink. "I just want to show her she can be cared for and doesn't need to hide, like I once did."
"I'm sure you'll do a great job and we'll help you along with it too," encouraged Twilight proudly, her own owl hooting in agreement.
He gave her one of his warm smiles that he seemed to reserve just for her. "Thanks Twi, that means a lot..."
"Well come on then!" yelled Pinkie. "Let's go and have some fun." Bouncing off, the six of them set off to play with their pets together.
As they did, Twilight watched as Owlowiscious took off and flew alongside Ophelia, who had also taken to the sky. She let him fly in close and the two of them soared off into the sky, their respective owners watching.
"Looks like someone's found a friend," remarked Twilight to Dusk happily.
He just smiled, in a way that said he knew something that she didn't. "Yes, I guess she has..." |
Brand New Dusk | Party of One | Dusk sat in his home, quietly flicking through the pages of a book on animal care, which he had started reading due to his home's new occupant. She was currently sitting on a perch in the centre of his living room, her head folded under her wing, a sign that she was fast asleep. He smiled fondly at her, looking so peaceful and calm, then returned to the feeding habits of owls.
Ophelia had really helped to make a difference in his home. He had named her after a character in a Shakesmare play, mainly because he thought it sounded nice and it had nothing to do with what had eventually happened to her. He'd always felt lonely at home, without any of the girls to keep him company, especially when he was used to the presence of Twilight and Spike in the library. The snowy owl was another source of companionship, as he could 'talk' to her in a sense. She just sat and listened, but he knew, somehow, that she understood him and he her, in their own way. She would bring him something if he asked her to or play with colour shapes that he made in the air for her. There was no doubt his home was improved by her presence, though he knew he'd have to be mindful of animal skeletons she'd leave from her meals.
He was bought out of his thoughts by a knock at the door. Ophelia's head shot up from under her wing and her eyes fixed on the door. He crossed over the room and opened it to reveal a pink pony dressed up like a wrapped-up gift, wearing a tin-foil hat, her pet alligator near her feet.
"Oh, good afternoon Pinkie. How may I-" He didn't get to say the rest, as she suddenly burst into song.
This is your singing telegram
I hope it finds you well
You're invited to a party
'Cause we think you're really swell
Gummy's turning one year old
So help us celebrate
The cake will be delicious
The festivities first-rate
There will be games and dancing
Bob for apples, cut a rug
And when the party's over
We'll gather 'round for a group hug
No need to bring a gift
Being there will be enough
Birthdays mean having fun with friends
Not getting lots of stuff
It won't be the same without you
So we hope that you say yes
So, please, oh please R.S.V.P
And come, and be our guest!
Once again, Dusk wasn't sure whether to shake his head in disbelief or laugh out loud at Pinkie's random tendencies. In the end, he only smiled and nodded.
"I'll be there prompt and on time, as always."
"I hoped you'd say that! Or rather, I knew you'd say that 'cause I'm getting just as psychic as you are, if you know what I mean." She gave him a knowing wink.
"If you say so." He gestured to her head. "Why the tin foil?"
"In case you used your psychic powers to tell that I'd be coming, that way I could still surprise you. Did it work?"
"You certainly surprised me," he chuckled. "Well, I'll see you at the party then."
"Great!" He blinked and she'd changed into a top hat and suit. "Now I gotta get to Rarity's and deliver her singing telegram."
"You're doing this with everypony?"
"Yes indeedy!"
"Won't that get tiring?"
"Dusk, it's me, remember?" With that, she bounced off, humming the tune of her telegram as she went, Gummy following close behind.
Dusk chuckled as he returned inside. Sometimes, friendship was worth it for little moments like that. He was rather surprised to see that Ophelia had vanished from her perch. A quick call brought her tentatively out of hiding from behind his sofa, shivering in fear.
"Aw, did she scare you?" She huddled up close to him as he stroked her gently. "You'll have to excuse Pinkie, she's like that. A lot." He looked down at her. "I don't suppose you'll want to come along to the party?" She shook her head. "I didn't think so, that's fine."
On the play date that he'd brought her along to, Gummy had tried to snap at her constantly. Pinkie explained it was his way of being friendly, but that hadn't stopped his shy pet from flying well up out of his reach. She'd probably get used to him, but for now, she wasn't overly keen on the pet reptile. So Dusk knew that he'd be heading out on his own to Pinkie's party, making time for another commitment afterward.
He checked his calendar pinned up in his kitchen, which had two dates for this month circled in it: 27th May, something he was more nervous than excited about, the Grand Galloping Gala. But before that was 24th May, Pinkie's birthday, an event that he had been part of the planning for the past month. They would be holding a meeting in the library later this evening, after the party at Pinkie's, to go over the last minute details. He just hoped that Pinkie would like it...
For now, he wouldn't worry about it. A few hours later, he placed on his trilby and necklace, made sure Ophelia was fed and set off for Sugarcube Corner. He was greeted happily by Pinkie, being told that he was the first to arrive, as he usually was. Gradually, the others all began to arrive and the party was soon in full swing. Mainly due to their constant challenges, Dusk was doing apple bobbing with Rainbow and Applejack. The latter had just successfully pulled out an apple from the watery depths.
"Yer up Dusk," Applejack told him, as she swallowed the fruit.
"Okay, here goes nothing..." He took a deep breath and plunged his head in. Just when he had to pull up for breath, he managed to grab an apple and pull it out, his mane and hat soaking wet.
"Nice one! Now, let me show you how it's really done." Rainbow was just about to dunk when Pinkie came over to greet them
"Hey, girls and guy!" They all returned her cheery hello. "Just wanted to tell you how happy I am that you can make it to Gummy's party."
"You know me, always happy to attend," Dusk said, with an incline of his head.
"Are you kiddin'? Ah wouldn't have missed it fer the world," said Applejack.
"Me neither," put in Rainbow Dash. "When Pinkie Pie throws a party, I am there!" At this point, she dunked her head in the bucket and pulled out an apple a second later. "Ta-da!"
"Aw! It's just a boring old apple. Don't worry, there are plenty of other surprises in there."
Rainbow spat out her apple at this announcement. "What kind of surprises?"
"I can't tell you that, silly. Then it wouldn't be a surprise." While his two friends were re- invigorated to start dunking at this news, Dusk decided to step away. Knowing Pinkie, they would be very interesting surprises and not ones he'd want to sink his teeth into.
The rest of the party passed by with as much fun as Pinkie's parties always did. Rarity ended up doing a spit take in Pinkie's face after she discovered that Gummy was drinking out of the punch bowl in the punch bowl, he had to help Twilight out of the wall after Pinkie knocked her into it, along with Fluttershy and they all gathered around to dance with the birthday alligator to the tunes coming out of the gramophone. After their promised group hug, all too soon it seemed, it was time to leave, just as night was falling. Dusk was exhausted, but at least he'd had fun.
"Hooie! Ah am beat! Ah haven't danced that much since..." Applejack thought for a moment. "Well, since yer last party. Thanks again fer the invite!"
"See ya later, birthday alligator!" called Rainbow Dash.
"Bravo for hosting yet another delightful soiree," praised Rarity.
Dusk nodded at that. "I couldn't have put it better myself."
"It's been lovely," agreed Fluttershy.
Pinkie was peering out of the window, watching them all leave. "You sure you don't wanna stay? There's still some cake left."
Twilight was the one who answered. "Uh, I think I'm gonna pass. Great party though. We should do this again soon." At that point, they would have all gone home.
Instead, under cover of darkness, they all walked until they were far enough from the Sugarcube Corner. Once everything was confirmed that they were all still present, they hurried to the library, being ushered quickly inside by Spike. He shut the door as the last of the group was inside and joined them at the centre of the library.
"Right, let's get everything ready," Twilight said, taking the role as leader. "Spike, display the map of Ponyville here. Dusk, I want you standing here directing our movements as I call them. Everypony else, gather around."
The two assistants did as they were ordered and stood ready as Twilight took on well her other great talent of lecturing.
"Okay, so we all know that tomorrow is Pinkie's birthday and the day of the surprise party we've planned. Let's just go over our roles one more time so that we're all ready to act." She nodded to Dusk, who conjured up seven coloured dots on the map, corresponding for their fur colour. "Right, we all have our parts to play in preparation for the party. Applejack, do you have all the food and drinks ready?"
"It's all at the farm, ah jus' need ta set 'em up," she confirmed.
"Good, that's what you'll be doing in the barn then. Spike, you can come along later in the day and help her set everything up." The dragon nodded and she continued. "The rest of us will be bringing in the rest of the supplies from around town. Rainbow Dash, you'll be bringing the balloons and streamers in your saddlebags to the farm from your location."
"You got it!" saluted Rainbow.
"Dusk, you'll be bringing the banners and the music in yours from your own home. Remember, you need to move quickly and discreetly."
"Yes ma'am," affirmed Dusk.
"Meanwhile, I'll be arranging the transport of the cake." Dusk moved her dot. "I'll be collecting it from the bakery at a prearranged time and will then bring it the Carousel Boutique, where it will be passed on to Rarity."
"I shall be ready and waiting," said Rarity.
"Once Rarity has it, she'll bring it to Fluttershy at this location near the outskirts of town and give it to her. She'll then take it to Sweet Apple Acres."
"I'll do my best," she promised nervously.
"Once we've transported our goods, we'll remain at the barn and help set everything up. We should be ready by around noon and then we'll bring Pinkie along to surprise her with the party and the operation will be a success." She pointed at Sugarcube Corner. "Make sure your route to the farm takes you as far away from here as possible, we can't risk Pinkie following one of us before we're ready. Always check that she's not following you, just in case. Any questions?" They were silent. "Then good luck everypony, see you all tomorrow. And don't forget to bring your presents."
Dusk was all set to bring his own appointed supplies to Sweet Apple Acres at the time that had been set for him. As an extra precaution, he would be having Ophelia fly up above the town to scout out the least populated route possible for him on his travel. The less ponies saw him heading in the direction of the farm, the better. He'd also arranged signals with her in case he ended up being followed by Pinkie. One couldn't be too careful.
He had only fifteen minutes to go when there was a knock at the door. Opening it, he met Pinkie, who was wearing a basket hat filled with pink envelopes.
"Hey! Just dropped by to give you this!" He levitated an invitation out, which informed him he'd been invited to Gummy's After Birthday party, at three o clock this afternoon. "We had so much fun yesterday, I thought it'd be great to do another!"
Dusk felt his stomach clench. He hadn't been prepared for this! "This afternoon? As in 'this afternoon' this afternoon?"
"Funny, that's just what Twilight said." She shrugged this away. "So, can you come?"
"Um... I wish I could Pinkie, but er..." He desperately wracked his thoughts for an excuse, figured what Twilight might have said and told her, "I need to be at the library, to help Twilight with her studies. You know how she is, always... studying. Hitting the books, you know."
"What is it with you library ponies and the mistreatment of those poor books?" She didn't wait for an answer. "Oh well, I know how important your work is. That just means more fun for the girls! Bye!"
"Yeah, heh... bye." He let out a sigh of relief as she bounced off. He didn't like lying to her... it reminded him too much of his old days...
He shook his head, clearing out those thoughts. She'd forgive him when she saw the party that they were planning for her. Realising it was close to the time, he slipped on his saddlebag and whistled for Ophelia, who soon flew out to meet him.
"You ready?" She nodded her head nervously. "It's okay, you'll do great. Remember, two hoots if you spot I'm being followed. Now, off you fly."
She hooted and took off into the sky, Dusk emerging from his home seconds later and proceeding into an action he had once been an undisputed master at: moving around without being noticed or acknowledged by anypony.
Spying Ophelia from the ground, Dusk made his way through the streets of Ponyville, his route taking him down side passages and alleyways, all of which had little to no ponies in them, just as he had told Ophelia. He moved quickly and quietly, a shadow among shadows as he had once been and now he was again. It put him in the mind of those spy novels he'd read, sneaking around undetected. Just too bad he didn't have any gadgets to help him out... he'd just have to rely on his wits, as always. There was no kind of alerts of being followed until he was close to the outskirts of town. At this point, he heard Ophelia hoot twice and he dived behind a stack of crates.
Peering out, he scanned the area behind him for anything that looked out of place or strange. An apple-cart, a few houses, a stack of hay... wait, that hadn't been there when he'd passed through this area. It would have been easy to dismiss it as just something he missed, but if it was Pinkie, he didn't want to take that chance. He had to draw her off his scent somehow and get her away from here so he could move on. But how...?
He hatched on an idea. She was far away enough, so maybe this would work. Working quietly, he made as accurate a colour puppet of himself as he could. He then sent it out of his hiding place, looking shiftily around and sent it down an alleyway nearby. A few seconds later and the haystack grew a set of four pink legs and followed it down the passage. She'd taken the bait! He edged out of his own hiding place, keeping it going as long as possible. Then he cut it off and ran away, as quickly and silently as he could.
Once he was out on a country path, he whistled for Ophelia, who met him at the side of the road.
"Good work my pet, I knew you could do it," he praised. "I'll take it from here; you can head off home now. Thanks for the help." She hooted, gave him an affectionate nip and took off back home.
Rather disappointed that he was essentially alone again, he sprinted for the farm, still keeping to as many hiding places as he could, diving and skidding behind trees and bushes along the way. Soon enough, he saw the comforting sight of Applejack's barn and made one last run for it. Reaching the door and catching his breath, he knocked out a rhythm of four, the secret code they'd arranged for him. Seconds later Applejack stuck her head out, relaxing when she saw him.
"Lil' late sugar cube," she whispered. "Run inta any trouble?"
"Pinkie started following me at one point, but I managed to throw her off and came as fast as I could."
"'Kay, jus' so long as ya weren't followed here." She ushered him quickly inside.
Everypony except Rainbow Dash and Spike had already arrived. Pinkie's vanilla cake was already on a table, as were a stack of presents, a gramophone and a table of food. He deposited his bag on the floor and pulled out the goods he had been told to transport, placing his present for Pinkie on the table with the others. Once he had pulled out the banners, he set to work helping the others set everything up for the party
"Glad to see you made it Dusk," Twilight said to him.
"As am I. I almost didn't though," he mentioned, levitating the end of a banner up to a rafter.
"Did Pinkie come around to your house with an invite for Gummy's after birthday party?" she asked.
"Yes, but I was able to come up with an excuse." He gave her a knowing smile. "I told her that I was helping you with your studying."
"How did you know what excuse I made?" she asked, astonished at this.
Dusk tapped the side of his head. "I know you well, Twilight, as you know me. I suppose I was lucky that you did make that excuse in that sense."
"I suppose it was." She also offered him a warm look, apparently touched at how well he knew her. "Come on, let's back to it."
"Right you are." He reached for another banner and accidentally touched her hoof, as she went for the same one. It was only a brief moment of contact, but he felt a surge up his leg as they both jumped away.
"Sorry!" he cried.
"My fault!"
"I mean... I just-"
"I was er... just going to-"
"I didn't mean to... um-"
"Neither did I but I... I..." They stopped and stared at one another.
It only now just occurred to Dusk how, recently, Twilight had been acting a little differently around him. She had been kinder, more gentle and friendly, nothing too big, but enough that he noticed. Whenever she blushed or seemed to be considering romance, she let herself do it for longer rather than apparently stop herself. That close moment that they'd shared at the telescope, her asking him if he wanted to star gaze with her and just now, their hooves touching.
Would it be too much to hope that, after all this time, all this waiting, she might be having feelings for him too. It might be too soon to get his hopes up but... it was possible, wasn't it? At first, it seemed like they would allow the contact... then, the moment passed and they lapsed into an embarrassed silence, looking anywhere but at each other. He was just glad when somepony broke the awkward atmosphere.
"Well, at least neither of you had to plunge your heads into garbage cans full of filth to invent a credible excuse," put in Rarity. Was it his imagination or did she look disappointed?
"That sounds horrible," sympathised Dusk.
"That doesn't begin to describe it." She shuddered at the thought. "I can still smell it in my mane... it'll take weeks to get rid of the stench."
"What about you Fluttershy?" asked Twilight. "How did you get away?"
The Pegasus paused in the fixing in of the banner. "Oh, I and Rainbow said that we would be house sitting for a bear away on vacation."
"Ah, I see." Dusk paused to think about that. "Sorry, what?"
"Oh, well you see-" She was cut off as Rainbow Dash suddenly entered the barn, looking quite exhausted and panicked, followed by Applejack who slammed the door behind her. "Rainbow, are you okay?"
"Shh! She followed me here!" They knew full well what that mean and immediately became deathly silent.
Applejack also mimed them to be quiet. They all held their breath as they heard a fierce hammering on the barn door. "I KNOW YOU'RE IN THERE!"
Applejack opened the door a crack. "Oh! Howdy, pardn'r!"
"Mind if I... take a look inside the barn?" Pinkie asked aggressively.
"No! Uh, ah mean, yes, ah mean... ya can't come in here!"
"Rainbow Dash just went in there."
"Oh, well, she was jus' bringin' in some..." She paused, thinking of an excuse, "supplies! Yup, supplies for the... renovation! Fixin' up the whole thing, top to bottom..." The next part she said louder, addressed to the rest of them. "Uh, lots of construction goin' on in there right now!"
"You heard her! Construction!" Rainbow whispered urgently. Getting her message, they all began to mimic the sounds of various construction tools.
Dusk, though he felt foolish doing it, added extra affect by doing a rhythmic hammering of his hoof against wood, pretending that he was using a hammer. He even yelled in pain to make it sound like he'd hit his hoof with the hammer by mistake. They kept this up until they heard the sound of a door slamming and stopped to look up.
"Yup! Construction! That's my story, and I'm stickin' to it." Applejack let out a nervous laugh, then there was silence.
Once again they waited with baited breath for the verdict, the tension rising in Dusk's chest. Would Pinkie buy their story of construction or would she force her way in? She was doubtless suspicious of their activities, but it was if she was suspicious enough to investigate further. At first, Dusk thought the whole surprise party would be ruined. Then...
"Okey... dokey... lokey." They waited a few more seconds after this reluctant affirmation, before they cautiously moved to the barn door to look.
Sure enough, Pinkie was heading back down the road, Gummy riding on her back. They all breathed sighs of relief, Dusk taking a few more deep breaths to calm himself down after that close call.
"That was a lil' too close." Applejack shut the door and rounded on Rainbow. "What in the hay were ya thinkin', leadin' her back here?"
"I tried to lose her, but she was following me every step of the way!" retaliated Rainbow. "I didn't have a choice!"
"She coulda barged her way in here an' the whole shebang woulda been a scuffle!"
"Well obviously she didn't, so we're fine."
"Now, now ladies," Dusk said, stepping in before this got worse. "We got lucky this time and she didn't find us, let's be thankful for that. Let's just put this behind us, okay?"
They glared at each other for a good few minutes, then Applejack sighed. "Yer right. She didn't get in an' that's what matters. The surprise is still a surprise." She opened up the saddlebags and pulled out the balloons. "Come on, let's get back ta work."
Though there was clearly still some tension in the air from that close call from Pinkie, they all returned to getting things ready for the party. Dusk still got a little scared when he thought how close they were to having their best laid plans ruined. Anypony else would say it was just a party, but not to him. He still remembered that surprise party the girls had thrown for him, one that Pinkie had played a major role in putting together. In a way, he was helping to pay her back for that. He just hoped that she would like it.
Dusk was still considering the moment that he and Twilight had shared before. It was less awkward between them now, but they kept a respectable distance from each other since the incident. He decided that it was perhaps too much to hope that she felt anything like he did for her, as she was still mortified whenever it showed on the surface, or at least that was how it appeared to him. He still remembered that nightmare that he'd had... he didn't want to risk losing his friendship with her because of a stupid mistake. Just be patient Dusk, he told himself, be patient, you'll tell her someday when you're ready. Maybe at the Gala... maybe...
Spike arrived about twenty minutes later, a little later than he should have been. "Yeah, Pinkie pulled me in for questioning," he told Dusk.
"Questioning?" He realised what that might mean. "Oh no, tell me you didn't..."
"Don't worry, I didn't tell her a thing," he said quickly. "Not a thing, not any secrets or habits I've kept hidden, nothing at all. Nothing."
"You didn't tell her about the party then?" he asked, ignoring his rather shifty attitude.
"Nope, kept quiet about that. The secret is safe bro."
"Ah, excellent..." He let himself relax. "Good work Spike."
"Hey, you know you can count on me."
"Don't I just?" He exchanged a high hoof with him and picked up a deflated balloon. "Come on, let's get the rest of these balloons blown up and try not to incinerate them this time."
"I don't make promises," he shrugged, proceeding blow one of his own.
With all of them working together, it didn't take long for them to complete the preparations for their soiree, as Rarity would say. The balloons were inflated and floating, the presents were stacked and ready to be opened, music ready to play and cake good enough to eat. Now all they needed was the guest of honour. While the girls all got into position that was now Dusk's task to go and retrieve her from her home and bring her to the farm. Just invite her along casually and let them do the rest. It would be easy.
He reached the door of her home and knocked politely. He waited. There was no answer. Discovering it was unlocked, he pushed it open and a strange sight met his eyes. The house looked like it was set up with a party, decorated with streamers and balloons like the barn. At the centre was a table, laden with food and a cake at the end. Gathered around it, all wearing party hats, were a pile of rocks, a mass of lint, a bag of flour and a turnip. With these strangely assorted items sat Pinkie, looking a lot less bright and happy, her cotton candy mane sadly deflated and hanging limply.
Dusk couldn't help but feel wary. Something about this didn't feel right. "Good afternoon Pinkie. I hope you're well."
"Oh yeah, just swell," she said through gritted teeth. Now he felt even more uneasy.
"Well... excellent." He cleared his throat unsurely. "Anyway, I was taking a stroll down to Sweet Apple Acres and was wondering if you would like to accompany me."
She glared at him angrily. "No thanks. Should have seen that coming 'Mr Psychic Pony'. I'm spending time with my real friends. Isn't that right, Madame Le Flour?" Affecting a French accent, she gave the bag of flour a voice. "Oui! Zat iz correct, madame." Now Dusk's eyes widened in surprise. What was she-?
Then, it became clear to him. Feeling like he'd walked into a scene from a book where a mare fell into a world of chaos and madness, Dusk was beginning to understand what was going on. A delusional Pinkie had created these 'fake friends' for some reason. Was it because they'd been apparently ignoring her? The reason didn't matter, he decided, the question was how to move her in her current state. Perhaps a calmed, reasoned approach.
He slowly began to approach the table. "Look, Pinkie um... why don't you and I just pop down to the farm for a brief moment and you can come back... afterwards."
He tried to come closer but she shoved the turnip in his path and spoke in a high voice. "She's not going anywhere." Then, in her normal voice: "I most certainly am not. I'm having a wonderful time right here."
Dusk was starting to get a little scared now. "Pinkie, please, why don't you just-?"
"You heard the lady!" she cut in with the stack of rocks. "She ain't goin' nowheres, chump!"
Dusk knew this was getting out of hand. He needed to snap her out of this strange fantasy somehow... or he could use it to his advantage somehow. His quick mind soon came up with a solution, a sort of psychological approach.
First, just go along with the delusion. "Okay, I apologise Mr...?"
"Name's Rocky and don't you forget it, punk!" 'replied' the rocks.
"Right... Rocky... so," he continued, playing along, "I assume you're one of Pinkie's new... friends."
"You got that right!"
"And she's told you about myself and her old friends?"
"Yeah, she's said how you were all rude, making excuses to her and avoiding her, she knows what you're up to." Pinkie made an effect of Rocky slamming his 'fist'. "Well, we're gonna be better friends to her than you ever were."
"Exactly," Pinkie said in her normal voice. "You tell him Rocky!"
Seeing an opening, Dusk tried playing his game changer. "Well, if that's the case, wouldn't it be better to let the others know about you fine gentlemen and ladies first?"
Pinkie stared at him in wide-eyed surprise. "What?"
Knowing he was having an effect, Dusk pressed on. "Well, if these you lot are going to make better friends than we did, wouldn't it be better to tell them about you? Can you imagine how jealous they'll be when they hear about what great friends you all are? I know I would be, that's for sure."
"Monsieur does have a good point," 'put in' Madame Le Flour. "Per'aps zat would be... appropriate."
"Yeah, that'll teach them to be rude to our friend," 'added' the turnip.
"Oh, you may all be right," agreed Pinkie.
"But who should tell them?" asked Dusk. "Not me, I don't think they'd believe me, they might think I'm making it all up. That's why Pinkie should come with me to tell them personally about her decision. How does that sound?"
"No!" she screamed at once. "I'm not gonna go see them! Not after how you all treated me!"
Dusk felt guilty at this, but he kept up the act. "Really? Are you sure?"
"What do you think?" she answered bitterly. "Now, would you like some more cake Madame Le Flour?"
"If you say so, I'll just... go..." He acted out a sigh and turned to leave, then glanced back. "Mind you, I'd like to see what the rest of you might think about this. I'm just saying, it might be good for her to teach us all a lesson. Bye then."
He made his way slowly and deliberately towards the exit, keeping an ear open to listen for what Pinkie would be 'saying' to her friends. Sure enough, he threw her mind into a state of disarray, emphasized by her 'guests'.
"I hate to say, but the chump might be right," 'agreed' Rocky.
"What? You can't agree with him Rocky!" ordered Pinkie.
"Monsieur Rocky is merely saying zat he makes a good point, as I did," Madame Le Flour put in.
"I know Madame, but-"
"Indeed, I think you should go," 'suggested' the lint mass.
"I don't know Sir Lintsalot," mumbled Pinkie.
"Go on Pinkie, make zem go green with envy, zat will show zem. Do not worry, we will be right 'ere when you get back," 'assured' Madame Le Flour.
Dusk glanced back out of the corner of his eye as he reached the door. Pinkie looked like she was thinking it over, then sighed. "Dusk, wait." He did so, turning back to look at her, an expression of defeat on her features. "Fine, I'll go. But don't worry, I won't be gone long. Save me some cake!"
"Good that's good, come on," Dusk prompted gently, eager to get out of the madhouse and back to reality. He swiftly slammed the door and set off with Pinkie, who still glared at him.
"You may have got into their heads with your powers Dusky, but I'm not so easy." She leaned in close. "I'm watching you, no funny business... I'll know if you're trying to read my mind." She placed her tin-foil hat on, keeping her hard stare.
"Right you are... come along then." He let out a sigh of relief. That was no doubt the most disturbing moment of his life. He prayed that there wouldn't be any more like that or worse and led Pinkie to the farm.
He was glad when they arrived there,as the journey had been in an uncomfortable silence. He didn't like seeing the happiest member of their group looking so angry and mistrustful. It just wasn't right and he hated it, as much as he had lied to her... again. Perhaps her surprise party would perk her up to her old self. Unable to keep himself from smiling, he opened the door for her and heard a cry from everypony assembled of:
"Surprise!" Dusk looked at Pinkie but her only change was that she had become even angrier. Feeling a little scared, he backed away.
Fluttershy spoke up first. "I really thought she'd be more excited."
That blew her fuse. "Excited? EXCITED? Why would I be excited to attend my own farewell party?!"
"Farewell party?" Twilight asked, puzzled.
"Yes! You don't like me anymore, so you decided to kick me out of the group and throw a great, big party to celebrate! A "Farewell to Pinkie Pie" party!"
She slumped on the floor in a heap, Applejack crossing over to comfort her. "Why in the world would ya think we didn't like ya anymore, sugarcube?"
That sparked her rage yet again, literally leaping off her hooves and into the air. "Why? Why? WHY? Because you've been lying to me and avoiding me all day, that's why!"
"Uh, yeah! Because we wanted your party to be a surprise." At Rainbow's statement, her angry expression faltered.
"We've been planning this party for such a long time. We had to make excuses for why we couldn't attend Gummy's party, so that we could get everything ready for yours," explained Rarity.
"If this is a farewell party, why does the cake I picked up from Sugarcube Corner say, 'Happy Birthday, Pinkie Pie?'" Twilight gestured to the cake on the table.
Dusk followed Pinkie's gaze, as she looked around all of the assembled decorations and presents that they'd all set up for her. He could see the wheels turning in her head. Then, with a bright smile and a loud squeaking sound, her mane suddenly inflated again and her pink fur lightened in colour. Pinkie was back.
"Because it's my birthday!" She stretched out and pulled them all into a hug. "Ooh, how could I have forgot my own birthday?" Not for the first time today, they all sighed with relief. "And you like me so much you decided to throw me a surprise party!"
"That's what we've been trying to tell you, darling," said Rarity.
Pinkie let them go and beamed at them. "You girls are the best friends ever! You too Dusky," she added, Dusk inclining his head modestly. She then hung her own head in shame. "How could I have ever doubted you?"
Dusk was the one who moved forward to comfort her. "Think nothing of it Pinkie. Any of us might have made the same conclusion, I know I would have but... that's just me."
"Don't worry about it," added Fluttershy.
"I'm just relieved that my place hasn't been taken by a pile of rocks, or possibly a turnip," he added thoughtfully.
"Aw, you'd so be better as the rocks. A turnip's nowhere near the same league as you Dusky," assured Pinkie with her bright smile.
"Glad to hear it," chuckled Dusk, giving her another hug.
"What are you two talking about?" asked Twilight.
He and Pinkie exchanged a look. "Um... trust me, it's best you don't know."
"All right, ponies! Enough of this gab. Let's party!" Applejack turned on the music to make the declaration official and Dusk exchanged his trilby for a specialized party hat.
This party was probably just as fun, perhaps even more so, than any other previous Pinkie party he'd been to. The girls all followed each other in a conga line, which Dusk decided to leave himself out of, as it would have been rather inappropriate in his eyes and it made him blush just thinking about it. In the end, he just danced with Spike, helped himself to punch and cake and had a good time, something he always did whenever he was with his friends. At one point, Pinkie approached him during the festivities.
"Hey Dusk." She came over all ashamed. "I just wanted to say that... I'm sorry for acting all crazy. I know that must have been scary for you."
"It's okay Pinkie," he assured her. "At least you're not now and that's what matters."
"Yeah and thanks for persuading me to come along to this." She gave him a rap on the head. "You are a pretty smart cookie."
"Thanks, but remember I'm not the only one." He gestured to Twilight, who was standing across the room.
"Okay Mr Modesty." Her smile brightened. "Hey, Rarity said that she's been teaching you how to dance."
"Oh um... did she?" He was wondering if she 'mentioned' anything else, but he decided she didn't. He trusted her enough not to doubt her.
"Yep. Come on, let's see what you got!" Without waiting for his affirmation, she grabbed his hoof and pulled him into the middle of the dance floor. She was mostly frantic and erratic in her dancing, but that didn't matter to Dusk, as he just laughed along with her.
Now, another date had been crossed off on his calendar. It was rather daunting to think that it was just two nights away, the night that the girls had all been waiting for, the one they would call the 'best night ever.'
The night of the Grand Galloping Gala. |
Brand New Dusk | Gala Plans | The slow rhythm of a traditional waltz music played in Dusk's ears, moving in near-perfect time with the beat that it created, smoothly moving Rarity across the space that she had created in the middle of the room. He held her as gently as he could, allowing himself to be relaxed, no matter how much he wanted to tense up from how nervous he felt about making a mistake. This was the last dancing lesson that they could fit in before the Grand Galloping Gala the following evening and he wanted to be sure that he would be ready to offer Twilight the chance to dance with him, if he was able to pluck up the nerve to ask.
He gave her one last spin as the music reached its end, bowing to her once it was finished and she returning the gesture with a curtsy. Calming himself as best he could, he looked up to see her smiling radiantly and found himself returning it.
"Dusk, that was perfect," she declared proudly. "I don't think that there's anything else that I can teach you."
"So... I'm ready?" he dared to ask.
"You are ready," she confirmed. "Once you dance at the Gala with Twilight, I guarantee that she'll see just how wonderful you can really be, if she hasn't already."
"Thanks for the vote of confidence," he mumbled modestly. "And thank you, for taking the time out to teach me, even if it was a pain."
"Think nothing of it. I shall simply be happy once you sweep Twilight off her hooves, as I have no doubt you will." She removed the gramophone and put it away. "Are you looking forward to the Gala?"
"Very much so," he replied. "I've never been, but at least it's at home... well, my home at any rate. It'll be great to spend the evening with you all."
"Ah, yes." She looked a little unsure. "Well, that's an issue, you see."
"How do you mean?"
"Well, you already know how I intend to spend a romantic evening with Prince Blueblood, but the others all have... plans of their own for the Gala."
Dusk was starting to feel a little apprehensive now. "I don't understand, what do you mean 'plans'?"
"Well..." Rarity shifted a little on her feet. "You must understand Dusk, all of us have dreamed of one day attending the Gala. As such, we all have our own special plans or hopes to fulfill at the Gala, plans that may take up... most of the evening."
"Oh... okay I uh... I understand," he stammered, feeling a little downcast at this news.
"Dusk, are you all right?" she asked, concerned.
"I uh... I don't know." He picked up his hat from the hat stand. "I need to think about this, I'll uh... see you later."
"I see." She looked like she was going to try and stop him leaving, but something told him that he understood how he was feeling. "Well... take care, darling."
"You too," he said quietly, leaving the Carousel Boutique and stepping back outside.
Even though the girls were the best friends he could have asked for, he still felt like the odd-one out at times, even if he did share the same special connection. He was the only stallion in the group, he wasn't one of the Elements of Harmony and now there was this. He himself had never thought much of the Gala. It was a big social event that there was no way he'd be able to fit in with, so why would he? As such, he didn't have any kind of special plan like the rest of them might have. It made him feel left out, like he was missing the point of it...
Before he could think further on this, he decided it would be better to hear them from the girls themselves, just to be sure. Maybe it wouldn't be as bad as Rarity had said, or so he was hoping. As such, he was now scanning the sky for a tell-tale streak of colours that only Rainbow Dash could leave. He soon found her, snoozing away on a cloud. She was a little annoyed when she was awoken, but lightened up a little when she saw who it was.
"Heya Dusk!" She offered him a hoof to bump. "What's up?"
"I just wanted to say hello," he replied as casually as he could. "Looking forward to tomorrow night?"
"You know it, it's gonna be awesome!"
"Really? Because I thought... actually, never mind."
"No, come on. You said it now, you can't take it back," she told him. He didn't want to say what he had thought of, but he didn't think she would mind if that was the case.
"I didn't think it would be your scene, you know..." he tried to find the best way to word it. "Um... dressing up, if you know what I mean..."
"Eh, I guess not," she shrugged, not noticing how uncomfortable he was mentioning it. "I might not make a habit of wearing dresses, but just for the Gala, I'm gonna be wearing the coolest dress anypony has ever seen."
"I have no doubt of that," he agreed. She looked at him, her eyes narrowing slightly.
"You noticed I'm not much of a girly girl then," she pointed out casually.
"You could say that yes."
"So what are you saying?" she asked aggressively. "That I should be a girly girl, huh? Doing all hair and make-up?"
"What? No, no of course not..." He was taken aback at this, afraid he'd said something wrong.
"Then what are you saying, huh?" she demanded, poking him in the chest. "Come on, spit it out!"
"I was just er... just saying that um... you're not much of a um... a girly girl, as you say. Not that that's a bad thing," he said quickly. "I mean, it's what makes you who you are and I'm not sexist or anything of the sort I uh..."
Then, she laughed and rapped him on the arm. "Chill out Dusk, I'm just messin' with you. I didn't mean it."
"Oh right..." He rubbed the back of his head, feeling a little foolish. "Sorry, still getting used to that..."
"Yeah, you always end up stammering like that when you're nervous." She flew and looked at him upside down. "You're pretty sensitive for a guy."
"And you're rather um... tough for a girl," he countered unsurely.
"I know right?" She laughed again and gave him another rap on the leg, which he winced from. "Maybe I should try and toughen you up a bit."
"Perhaps..." He cleared his throat, returning to what he wanted to ask her. "So, will you be busy during the night of the Gala?"
"Are you kidding? I'm gonna be showing my skills off to the Wonderbolts! They perform at the Gala every year and this is gonna be the best chance for me to show off what I can do."
"Ah... I see..." She didn't notice what he'd said and carried on.
"Just you wait and see Dusk, I'm gonna show 'em what real flying is all about. The Buccaneer Blaze, the sonic rainboom, they're gonna be blown away and I'll be one step closer to joining them. Can you picture it? Me, in the Wonderbolts..."
"I can see it already," he agreed absently, not really listening anymore. "Anyway um, sorry to cut this short but I... need to be somewhere."
She gave a pout at this. "Aw, you sure? I was just gonna show you what I had planned for the Gala."
"Um... surprise me." He did his best to smile and turned to go. "Have a nice nap."
"Will do, seeya," she said, flying back up to her cloud and setting her head down to sleep, Dusk walking back down the road.
Despite the blow that the coolest of his friends would be busy on the night of the Gala, in a way, he supposed that he'd known all along. The Wonderbolts did perform at the Gala, so Rainbow would be a fool to miss out an opportunity to show off her skills to them once more. He wondered what it actually took to join the Wonderbolts. If he were Spitfire, he would have taken on Rainbow the instant after she performed the sonic rainboom, but for whatever reason she'd waited. He shrugged, putting the thought aside. The workings of the elite flyers didn't really matter right now.
Caught up in his meanderings, he didn't notice as he collided with something bright pink that suddenly jumped out of a bush.
"Oops, sorry Dusky!"
"It's all right Pinkie," he assured her, as she helped him up. "I was miles away, that's all."
"No you weren't, you're standing right here," she corrected brightly.
"No, I mean I was..." He let it go, knowing she was just being Pinkie. "Never mind." He looked over her to see that her fur was tangled with leaves and bits of twig. "What have you been up to?"
"I've literally been up! I wanted to see if travelling through the trees and bushes around town was any easier than taking the paths, you know, mix things up a little."
"I... see. And was it?"
"Mm, no, not really. Going on a path might be more boring, but I think it's a lot cleaner that travelling by tree." She knocked the side of her head, leaves falling out of her left ear. "So, what are you doing?"
Disregarding all that she had just said, Dusk returned to reality. "Nothing much, just wandering."
"I do that too when I'm bored. One time, I wandered so far I ended up in Torttingham. Didn't quite understand how that happened, but they do great fries there, but they call them 'chips'. What's up with that?" She shrugged and beamed at him again. "You looking forward to the Gala?"
"Sort of," he said noncommittally. "I take it you are?"
"Of course! Why wouldn't I? The Grand Galloping Gala is the biggest, fanciest, swingiest, cakiest, danciest, most funeriffic party in all of Equestria. It'll be great, especially when I'm there because I love parties, especially the Grand Galloping Gala because it's just so fun." In typical Pinkie fashion, she said all of this without pausing for breath.
"Well, I can certainly tell you're going to be having a fun evening," noted Dusk, unable to suppress a smile.
"I most certainly will. What are you planning for the Gala?"
"Nothing really, I don't have anything planned," he said honestly.
At this, Pinkie gasped dramatically, as if he'd just suddenly said all parties had been declared illegal by royal command. "But how can that be? You've gotta have a special plan for the Gala, you just gotta!"
"Um... why?" Dusk asked unsurely.
"We all have special plans for the Gala Dusk, it's what they expect!"
"Who, our friends?"
"No, them!" She pointed in a direction into the sky. "Them, watching us out there!"
Dusk, still unsure as what to make of this, looked in the direction that she pointed. He saw the clear blue sky, the odd cloud here and there and birds flying and chirping happily, but he couldn't see anything else. He looked rather warily at Pinkie, who still had a determined expression on her face.
"Um... Pinkie, there's nopony watching us. Are you... seeing them right now?"
"Not all the time, but sometimes I see 'em. They're really weird too. Their faces are too small, their eyes are tiny, and they've got no fur other than on their heads and these weird meaty things on the end of their hooves. I sometimes talk to them, but I don't think they can hear me. Shame really." She squinted back at the sky, as if something might appear there.
"Right..." Deciding this was going into strange territory, Dusk began to edge away. "I'm going to go and see er... Fluttershy now."
"That's nice of you," said Pinkie happily. "Have smiletastic day Dusk and remember, they're watching us." She tapped her face knowingly and bounced off in the opposite direction.
Dusk looked unsurely back into the sky again, then back at Pinkie and finally shrugged. She was just being Pinkie, as usual. As he set off for Fluttershy's cottage, he processed this new information. Should have a plan for the Gala like the rest of them supposedly did or was that just Pinkie in one of her odd moods? He supposed it might make him feel less left out but... what could he do at the Gala that he couldn't do anywhere else? What would make his evening special? Mentally noting to think about those details later, he continued onward down the road.
So Rainbow and Pinkie would be busy on the night, but he was fairly sure his emotional equal would be free. She was just as tentative about social events as he was, especially with a big group of strange ponies. Maybe Fluttershy would be free for the Gala, as he met her at her home and she invited him into her garden for some tea. At first, the conversation turned to Dusk's new pet.
"Oh she's doing wonderfully," he told her happily. "She's really made a difference in my home."
"I'm glad she is. The poor thing was so nervous and scared when I first found her, I didn't think she'd be a pet or friends with anypony."
"Remind you of somepony?" Dusk asked knowingly. "Maybe that was why I was drawn to her. We are quite alike."
"Yes, I noticed." She sipped her tea and smiled at him. "I'm sure you're doing a wonderful job with her."
"I try my best," shrugged Dusk, wanting to return to the topic he wished to discuss. "So... the Gala tomorrow night?"
"Oh yes, it's going to be wonderful!" she said dreamily.
"I didn't think you'd be so excited by a big social gathering," he noted curiously.
"Well, it's not so much the dance itself, but the gardens that surround it," she explained. "The beautiful flowers that grow in the garden will all be in bloom only on the night of the Gala, and that's not all. There are all sorts of animals that live in the gardens, all kinds of different critters and creatures for me to make new friends with."
"So... you'll be busy for the Gala too?" Dusk asked, knowing the answer.
"Yes, I'll be in the gardens all night." She noticed how forlorn he must look and her smile faltered. "Oh, I'm sorry. Did you want to do something?"
"No, no, I'm fine..."
"You could join me in the gardens, if you like. You're interested in animals too."
"Thanks, but I wouldn't want to bother you on your big evening," he declined, remembering what Pinkie had said to him. "Besides I uh... have my own plans for the Gala."
"Oh really? What?" Dusk suddenly realised what had come out of his mouth. Why had he said that? He had no such plans at all!
"I uh... um... I'd rather not say yet, it's a um... a surprise." He tried to cover it up with a smile, hoping she wouldn't notice. Thankfully, she didn't and didn't ask any more questions on the matter.
When Dusk left her home a few minutes later, he was thoroughly depressed. Even Fluttershy had a special plan that she'd been waiting for on the night of the Gala. If she had her unique dream for the Gala, there was no doubt the rest of the girls would too, even Twilight. They'd all be busy with them at the Gala, while he'd be on his own for the whole evening. He'd never be able to ask Twilight to dance with him now, not now she'd be so busy...
He sniffed and wiped away the tear that threatened to trickle down his cheek, as he stopped to rest under the shade of a nearby tree overlooking Sweet Apple Acres. Suddenly, he wasn't looking forward to the Grand Galloping Gala at all. He was now wishing that the night would come along and be over and done with as quickly as possible, just so he wouldn't have to suffer the embarrassment of having nothing to do for long, of being even more of an odd-one out...
"Yer lookin' a little bluer than usual sugarcube." He looked up to see Applejack, wearing her saddlebags and a tender expression. "You okay hun?"
He sighed, hoping his voice wasn't shaking from holding back tears. "Not really, no. You don't have to concern yourself with me though, you're probably busy..."
"That may be, but ah consider a friend in distress of much greater importance. Ya should know that by now." She placed herself on the ground next to him. "What's on yer mind Dusk?"
"It's um... it's silly, it's not important..."
"Ah'll be the judge-a that. Ah ain't leavin' till you tell me what's eatin' ya," she said firmly, in typical Applejack fashion.
Knowing she was telling the truth, Dusk looked at her. "Applejack... do you have plans for the Gala?"
She seemed surprised at the question but answered regardless. "Well, ah'm gonna be sellin' ma stock there from the farm. Apples, apple fritter, apple fries, apple pie, you name it, ah'm sellin' it. Should be able ta raise a pretty penny fer business here on the farm and do some renovations with it. Least, that's what ah'm hopin'." She tilted her head sideways. "Why do ya ask?"
"It's just... well... you all have special plans for the Gala, hopes or dreams to fulfil. And I..." He bowed his head in shame. "I have nothing."
"Nothin'? Nothin' fer what?" she asked.
"I mean no special plan for the Gala, no secret wishes or childhood dreams to finally live, not like you. I never thought much of the Gala, just as another big social event that I would have no chance of being invited to or enjoying myself at. Now that I'm actually going and I hear about what all of you are hoping to do... I just feel like I'm missing out on something when I shouldn't be." He broke eye contact with her, knowing how pathetic he must sound.
"Dusk... ah understand why yer feelin' like this." Her voice was still gentle and kind. "But ah think the fact that ya have no plan fer the Gala makes ya jus' as valid ta come as the rest-a us."
He looked back into her kind, honest face. "Really?"
"Sure, 'cause that means ya can jus' make it up as you go. Ya know, get in there, talk ta some new ponies, make some new friends an' jus' have yerself a good time like that. Yer a very different pony from when ya firs' thought about the Gala ah think."
"In a way... yes, I suppose I am," he agreed, realising what she was getting at.
"So ya can get in there an' show 'em jus' how different ya really are an' jus' enjoy yerself. Besides," she added, "we may not be busy all night with what we have planned fer the evenin'."
"Is... that so?" he asked, his spirits raising a little more.
"Well yeah, we may get some time ta spend tagether durin' the Gala. Ya never know, we'll jus' have ta wait an' see." She saw the smile that was growing on his face. "Feelin' better now, ah see."
"Much better, thank you Applejack." Giving her his warmest smile and a tip of his trilby, he turned to leave. "If you would excuse me, there's something I need to do."
"Sure thing, ah gotta get this stuff ta the farm anyway. Glad ah could help Dusk!" She called, as he galloped off towards the library, his hopes renewed.
This latest news was a great source of comfort for him. Not only did he not feel as bad about the upcoming Gala, but he was also relieved at the discovery that the girls might not be kept busy all night by their own plans, specifically one of them. He thought it would be best to ask her, right now, just so that he at least had something to hope for. It would be easier said than done, as his stomach was doing back-flips and every instinct that he had become accustomed to was screaming at him to stop. Doing his best to ignore them and remember all that Rarity had taught him, he pressed on towards his workplace.
Still smiling, but feeling butterflies begin to flap frantically in his digestive system, he slowed down when he reached the library, caught his breath and composed himself, entering through the door. They weren't in the tree itself, but he saw both Twilight and Spike at the top of a nearby hill. Taking a few deep breaths, he went out to meet them, Spike rocking back and forth on his feet, while Twilight had her head in a book, an apple standing before her.
Knowing she was busy, and secretly looking for an excuse to postpone the moment of truth for now, he watched silently. Twilight soon put aside the book and Spike suddenly watched alertly. She shut her eyes in concentration, her horn aglow with purple magic, an aura surrounding the apple. It suddenly swelled in size as if pumped full of helium, growing a set of wooden wheels and glass windows, as well as a set at the front for a driver to sit and a harness for ponies to attach themselves. Dusk marvelled at the apple carriage for about five seconds until it reverted back to its orginal state.
"Wow, nice work Twilight!" Spike praised. "This'll be perfect for the Gala."
"I hope so. I just need to try and do the other spell I'm working on, but I think we'll be ready in time for the Gala. Let's take a break for..." She stopped and beamed when she saw Dusk. "Oh hello Dusk!"
"Huh? Oh, hey buddy!" Spike said. "How long have you been there?"
"Not long," he admitted, walking over, trying his best to sound casual. "That was some great magic there, though I wouldn't have expected any less."
"Yeah, pretty awesome huh?" added Spike, as Twilight blushed at the compliment. "I get to be the driver, once Twilight gets the pullers sorted."
"You're a dragon of many talents Spike," said Dusk. "I'm sure you'll do a fine job. Looking forward to it?"
"Oh yeah! I mean," he added hurriedly, "I'm not into all that girly stuff, if you know what I mean," he muttered in an undertone.
"Don't worry, I do," he replied, winking. "But it'll still be a great evening."
"Sure yeah, especially seeing how us Canterlotians will all be back home. Maybe you and me could hang out there Dusk, see the sights and everything. Do you like donuts?"
"I don't dislike them," he said.
"Great," he said brightly, "cause you're gonna love this donut shop me and Twilight used to go to. And you can show us where you used to hang out."
"I didn't frequent many places apart from the library, but it could still be fun I suppose," he admitted.
"Yeah, it will be." He gave Dusk a hoof bump as Twilight came over. "So, what brings you here?"
Dusk felt the nerves come back once more, knowing the time was close. "Actually, I came to ask Twilight something?"
"Really? What about, is there something wrong?" she asked out of concern for him. He was touched by this and echoed her blush.
"Nothing, don't worry but... can I talk to you? In private?" he added pointedly to Spike.
"Huh? Oh right yeah, of course," he nodded, walking back down the hill, leaving the two of them alone. As he did, he gave Dusk his own wink and knowing smile, setting off back for the library.
Now he was alone with her, Dusk didn't really know how to begin. He opened his mouth a few times to start speaking, but shut it again when he thought about it a bit more. Twilight must have noticed his discomfort and spoke up instead.
"Are you sure everything's okay Dusk? You can talk to me, you know that."
"I um... already have," he said cryptically. "Anyway um... listen, I was wondering... do you have any plans for the um... for the Gala?"
"Oh." She seemed a little disappointed, but she covered it up quickly. "Yes, I intend to spend the evening talking to Princess Celestia. It's been so long since I've had a proper talk with her, that this will be a great opportunity to catch up on everything. I'm really looking forward to it. What about you, what do you have planned?"
"Nothing really, I'm just going to go along and see what happens," he said proudly.
"Good for you, I hope that works out well. I couldn't imagine going along without some kind of plan for the evening, but I suppose that would work for you."
"I hope it does..." Summing up all of his courage, he returned to the issue. "Anyway, the reason I asked was... well... I was wondering if um... if you weren't too busy, that um... you might... well..."
"Yes?" she prompted gently, not losing her patience with his nervous stammering.
"Um... if you would... like do have a... a dance... with me..." he said quietly. He diverted his gaze to the ground, not daring to look at her face.
"You... you want to dance with me?" she repeated. She sounded just as surprised about this, but he couldn't tell if she was angry or happy.
"Well um... I mean, it's just I've been taking lessons... you know, for the Gala, because it's a dance and I... I don't know how to dance so... I was taught and um... just thought you might..." He trailed off and sighed, thinking that he was just embarrassing himself. "You know what, never mind... it was a stupid idea anyway... I just thought... never mind." He was about to leave, staring at the ground when...
"Wait." He looked back, daring to look at her face. She was smiling. "I'd like that."
"P-p-p-pardon?" he asked, hardly daring to believe it.
"Provided I'm not too busy doing the evening then..." She paused, took an intake of breath and beamed at him. "Then yes, I would lo- I mean very much like to dance with you Dusk."
"Y-y-you would?"
"Yes, I would. I'm sure you're a great dancer," she added warmly, her own cheeks turning red. "I don't know much about how to dance myself but... I suppose I could just look at it in a book right?"
"I'm sure you could," he said, grinning all the while. "Well, I'll see you tomorrow then. Good luck with that spell and um... thank you for accepting my offer."
"I'll do my best and thank you for offering," she said, smiling widely herself. "See you tomorrow evening!"
Dusk absently returned the farewell as he headed back down the hill, trying his best not to leap and woop for joy until he was out of sight. She'd said yes! She'd actually said yes! Now, he was definitely looking forward to the Grand Galloping Gala just as much as everypony else. |
Brand New Dusk | Best Night Ever | Dusk stood in front of a mirror in a changing room at the Carousel Boutique, buttoning up the black with blue pinstriped suit that Rarity had made him all the way back in December. He pulled up his blue tie, adjusting it so that it was straight against his white shirt. He thought the scroll on his lapel looked a little out of place, so he adjusted it. Then thought it was better where it was and adjusted it again. On second thought, it actually looked smarter before and changed it once more. Still feeling the rising nerves in the pit of his stomach, he breathed deeply and looked himself over one more time.
This was it. The big night that they'd all been waiting for. The night of the Grand Galloping Gala in Canterlot. The night that, hopefully, Dusk would be sharing a dance with the mare of his dreams. The girls were all getting ready in their own changing room, putting on make-up, styling their manes, washing their hair and putting on their gowns. Dusk had just come into this room, put on his suit, combed his mane and tail as best he could and put on his hat. He was as ready as he would ever be. He also had a lilac in his front pocket, which he intended to give to Twilight. Rarity told him it would be a wonderfully romantic gesture and so far she hadn't steered him wrong.
Despite his fear, Dusk couldn't help but also feel excited by the whole thing. Perhaps the girl's ecstatic attitude for the Gala was starting to rub off on him or perhaps it was to do with the fact that, until he danced with Twilight, he had absolutely no idea what he was going to do at the Gala until he got there and even then he wouldn't have a clue. Either way, he was going to make sure that he enjoyed the night and made the most of it. He certainly wouldn't be going back any day soon, so he might as well.
Just as he was making sure his hat looked alright, he jumped as there was a knock on the door. Collecting himself, but not looking away from the mirror he declared: "It's fine, come in."
He heard it open and then Twilight's voice. "We're all ready to get going Dusk. Are you set?"
"Yes, let me just..." He straightened it up one more time and nodded. "Yes, I'm ready to-" His words caught in his throat as he beheld Twilight in her gown.
This was the first time he'd seen Twilight in her dress and he was completely at a loss for words. The main flowing body of her gown was a midnight blue, decorated with bright white and aqua blue stars at the hem that twinkled in the night. The saddle that held the dress in place was also decorated in the same way, as were the ice-blue shoes that she wore on her hooves. Another of these stars was being worn in her ear, shining as brightly as her radiant purple eyes. The whole image made it seem as if she had fallen down from the night sky, a pony from the heavens; come to grace Equestria with her enchanting presence.
"Um, Dusk?" Her voice brought him back to reality, where he realised that he had been openly staring at her. She herself was now blushing from his open staring.
"I um... I... sorry Twi," he mumbled, feeling like an idiot.
"It's okay." She turned on the spot and looked shyly at him. "How do I look?"
"Well um... you..." As usual, he was embarrassed to provide comment on this kind of thing, but he still said that first thing that had come to mind. "Twilight, you look... incredible."
Her blush deepened, as did his, but she still smiled. "Thank you and you look... very handsome yourself."
"You... you think so?" He hadn't expected this at all.
"You certainly do and... well, yes," she affirmed with a nervous laugh. She seemed too embarrassed to say anymore, as was he. "So... shall we go?"
"Um yeah... good idea." Scolding himself for how stupid he had been there, but still revelling in the fact she thought he was handsome, he walked with her down the stairs. "Oh, I almost forgot... here." He pulled out the lilac and put it behind her other ear.
"Oh Dusk, it's lovely." She glanced at it and gazed at him warmly. "Thank you, I'll wear it for the whole evening."
"That means a lot to me," he said sincerely, feeling a little more confident now. "Shall we?"
"We shall," she responded smartly, giggling as they arrived at the bottom of the stairs.
They reached the main entrance of the Boutique, where the girls were all waiting and ready to go. They all looked amazing in their individually styled gowns, but in Dusk's opinion, Twilight was the best of them all, though he didn't dare say this out loud. He faced them all and bowed, doing his best to step into the role of the gentlecolt Rarity so often referred to him as. If they were going to an event in Canterlot, he may as well behave by Canterlot standards.
"Good evening ladies. May I say you are all looking quite resplendent tonight?" There was the odd murmur of thanks and Pinkie cried out, "Sure!" in her shrill voice, Twilight blushing once more. "The Gala awaits you all. If you would follow me, I shall escort you to the carriage."
Holding the door open for them, he let them step into the carriage, crossed around to the front and attached himself to the harness. He would be pulling the carriage, along with one other stallion, as the mice that Twilight had turned into 'horses' had been chased away by Rarity's cat. This was a much more practical solution anyway. Spike sat in the driver's seat, holding onto reigns and dressed in a small black tuxedo with a red bow-tie.
"Ready bro?" asked Spike.
"When you are my scaley friend." At a light tap of the reigns, Dusk and the other stallion set off towards the shining lights of Canterlot.
On the way, Spike talked about how he had planned an insider's tour of Canterlot, mentioning how he would show Applejack the golden apple tree owned by Princess Celestia, Rarity the crown jewels and Pinkie his favourite donut shop. He would have liked to spend the evening with his fellow assistant, but tonight was about what he could do at the Gala, what he would see. So when Spike asked where Dusk would like to go, he only responded with:
"Surprise me."
"Then let's get moving!" He gave a hard flick of the reigns, making a sharp pain rise in Dusk's hind quarters. "Oops, sorry..."
"It's fine," Dusk assured, his eyes watering. "Leave it, it's not worth it," he added to the other stallion, who was glaring at Spike.
"If he wasn't friends with my neighbour Rarity," he grumbled, but didn't finish.
They reached Canterlot as the stars lit up the sky, though they were drowned out from the lights of the Gala. Somehow, the royal city looked even more majestic at night, sparkling like a diamond from the bright lights that shone against the white stone. They joined the line of other carriages bearing their own guests. Once they reached the drop off point, the other stallion offered to bring around the carriage for Dusk while he went inside.
"You sure you don't need help?" offered Dusk as he released himself.
"Nah, I'm fine, you go in and have a great time with your friends," he offered, smiling as he took the carriage around the back. Nice guy, thought Dusk, turning to face the girls who had all stepped out of the carriage.
"Wow! You all look... amazing!" marvelled Spike
They, however, were all looking in the direction of the Gala, transfixed by the beauty of it. "I can't believe we're finally here. With all that we've imagined, the reality of this night is sure to make this... The Best Night Ever!"
At Twilight's declaration, they all burst into song.
At the gala
At the gala
Fluttershy was the first to take up the tune.
At the gala, in the garden
I'm going to see them all.
All the creatures, I'll befriend them at the gala!
At the gala
All the birdies and the critters
They will love me, big and small
We'll become good friends forever
right here at the Gala!
All our dreams will come true, right here at the Gala! At the Gala!
As they began to march towards the Gala, Applejack took her cue.
At the gala, (it's amazing) I will sell them (that you heard of)
all my appletastic treats! (yummy yummy)
Hungry ponies (give us samples), they will buy them (we will buy them)
caramel apples, apple sweets! (Gimme some)
And I'll earn a lot of money
for the Apple Family!
All our dreams and our hopes from now until here after. All that we've been wishing for will happen at the Gala. At the Gala!
The stallion unicorns who had been singing back-up bowed so that their horns created an arch tunnel that Rarity graciously walked through.
At the gala, all the royals
they will meet fair Rarity
They will see I'm just as regal at the Gala!
At the Gala
I will find him, my prince charming
And how gallant he will be.
He will treat me like a lady, tonight at the Gala!
This is what we've been waiting for to have the best night ever. Each of us will live our dreams tonight at the Gala! At the Gala
Up overhead, Dusk heard a fanfare, a rumble like distant thunder and actually ducked as the Wonderbolts soared above, lightning streaking in their wake.
Been dreaming, I've been waiting
to fly with those great ponies.
The Wonderbolts, their daring tricks
Spinning 'round and having kicks.
Perform for crowds of thousands.
They'll shower us with diamonds!
The Wonderbolts will see me right here at the Gala~!
All we've longed, for all we've dreamed, our happy ever-after. Finally will all come true right here at the Grand Gala! At the Gala!
As ponies trailed into the Gala, one pink Earth pony bounced up and down in their midst.
I'm here at the Grand Gala, for it is the best party.
But the one thing it was missing was a pony named Pinkie.
For I am the best at parties, all the ponies will agree.
Ponies playing, ponies dancing with me at the Grand Gala!
Happiness and laughter at the Gala. At the Gala!
Now the music took up a slower, mournful tone that picked up in tempo as Dusk took up his part. His was more reserved, quieter than the others had been.
As wonderful and magical as this great night may seem
I have no secret wishes, no harboured hopes or dreams
This is the night my friends have all hoped and longed for
I just hope to share a dance with the sweet mare that I care for
As for other surprises this night has in store for me
I'll just have to wait and see.
A chance for a starlit romance at the Gala. At the Gala.
Feeling a little better, Dusk looked up to see Princess Celestia sail across the sky, Twilight watching her fly.
At the Gala, (At the Gala) with the princess (with the princess)
is where I'm going to be (She will be)
We will talk all about magic,
and what I've learned and seen. (She will see)
It is going to be so special,
as she takes time just for me!
This will be the best night EVER!
Into the Gala we must go
we're ready now, we're all a glow
Into the Gala, let's go in
and have the best night ever.
Into the Gala, now's the time, we're ready and we look divine.
Now they all marched to the Gala, taking up the chorus one at a time.
Into the Gala
Meet new friends
Into the Gala
Sell some Apples
Into the Gala
Find my prince
Prove I'm great
As a Wonderbolt is
As for me
just wait and see.
To meet
to sell
to find
to prove
to woop
to see
to talk
Into the Gala, into the Gala
And we'll have the BEST NIGHT EVER!
At the Gala!
"Yeah! This is gonna be the best night ever. You know why? Cause we're all gonna spend time at the Gala to-"
Dusk didn't hear the end of Spike's sentence, as he had dashed off in the infectious excitement of the others to see the wonders of the Gala. Later, he felt bad for leaving him behind, but decided that, for now, he would just try to enjoy the evening.
He walked into one of the sparkling hallways, packed full of upstanding, well-dressed ponies from all sects of pony society. Doing his best to remember his Canterlot standards, he walked with dignity, back straight, head held not too high and walked with the group to one of the halls. He paused at the door and held it open for two mares who were walking in behind him.
"After you," he said politely, bowing his head. The two of them seemed quite surprised at his chivalry, but smiled regardless.
"Thank you," one of them said, with a green coat of fur and matching dress. She was about to walk through, but then stopped and looked him over again. "Hey, did you go to Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns?"
"Um, yes I did," he answered. "Why, did you?"
"Of course! Me and my friend both went and I thought I saw you somewhere before," she remarked, only glancing at him, then turning her eyes impatiently to the hall.
"Did you now... wait a minute...?" Thinking back now, something came to mind.
That fateful day, when the Mare in the Moon had vanished, he had been walking to the library and two mares had passed by him as he went. They'd been talking about him, the green mare considering going over to talk to him, while her friend, the dark pink one, had advised her against it. How strange fate could be.
"I know you two." They looked quite surprised at this, so he clarified. "I mean er... in passing. It was the um... the Summer Sun Celebration, when Nightmare Moon was released from imprisonment. I was... walking to the library and I heard you two talking about... me."
"What? What the hay are you-?" The pink one frowned and then realised. "Hey yeah, I remember now. You were the little lonely stallion, always drifting around the place."
"Prim! That's rude!" hissed the green one and gave him a sympathetic grimace. "Sorry, I remember too. I would've come over to say hi but... you know..."
"Think nothing of it," said Dusk, waving it away. "I hold no ill will for either of you, though I might suggest we move. We're uh... blocking the door." Sure enough, the line was starting to build behind them, so they entered the glittering hall, lined with sculptures and ribbons.
"Well, it's nice to meet you in person. You seem so... different," remarked the green mare.
"I am different, though my name is unchanged." Feeling surer of himself now they were on good terms, he bowed his head again. "Dusk Noir, at your service."
"I'm Mirror Shine," introduced the green mare. "My friend is Prim Proper." Once again, Prim only muttered her greeting.
"A pleasure meeting you both," he said regardless of her reaction to him. "Are you with anypony or is it just you?"
"We're actually off to meet our coltfriends," pointed out Prim sharply. "Come on Mirror, let's go..."
"Hey, you're not busy tonight are you? Why don't you come with us?" she offered.
"Really? I wouldn't want to impose, that's all."
"Not at all, you can come with us. Right Prim?" she asked pointedly.
She looked as if she was about to object, but sighed and shrugged. "Whatever, sure. Just don't get in our way."
"That would be the last thing I would do." Keeping a polite smile on and pleased that things seemed to be going well so far, he followed them through the hall.
They soon met up with two stallions, one a Unicorn and the other a Pegasus, who bestowed their respective marefriends with a kiss on the lips, whilst Dusk patiently waited. He couldn't help but feel a twinge of envy for the two stallions. They had managed to capture the hearts of their mares, no doubt with the impressive muscles that they were both gifted with and probably with significantly less effort. He glanced down at his own legs and realised how thin they were. He wished that he had muscles as impressive as they did and was reminded at how much smaller he was compared to most stallions. Not by much, but enough for the two of them to look down on him. Maybe if he could just be a little taller...
After greetings were done, they introduced themselves as Jock and Muscles. Their eyes also seemed to linger at how small he was, while Dusk cringed at how tight their hoofshakes were. If they were bothered by his presence, they didn't show it.
"So what do you do Dusk?" Mirror asked kindly, Jock's foreleg around her.
"I have an occupation in Ponyville," he explained. "I-"
"A what?" asked Muscles rudely.
"It means a job," Prim said impatiently. "I don't know why you'd want to work in a little dump like that though."
"Oh, why didn't you just say?" He frowned at him. "Speak plain English dude."
"Right..." Dusk said unsurely, coughing uncomfortably. "So um... what was I saying?"
"You were telling us about your job," prompted Mirror. At least she seemed nice.
"Oh yes. Well, I work at the library there as second assistant to Twilight Sparkle." He took a sip from his drink. "I believe you know her, as she did attend the school."
"Oh yeah, unsociable Twilight Sparkle," remarked Prim. "Always studying but never making friends. I think she thought she was better than us because she's the Princess's personal student."
"Yeah, you said it babe," Muscles agreed. "I feel for ya dude, must be pretty boring working in a library all day."
"Actually, it's quite interesting." That resulted in the two of them raising their eyebrows in surprise. He saw Muscles lean and whisper something in Prim's ear, at which she giggled. Dusk didn't quite hear him, but he could make out something that sounded like 'geek'.
He remained with them as the evening passed on, passing the time with idle conversation, though Prim was still rather cold and distant with him. Sometimes he earned some admiration with a joke that he made or something that he said about his life in Ponyville, but most of the time they sniggered at how rather un-stallion like he was. One time he managed to succeed with the former was when Mirror remembered that he'd competed in the Magic Contest.
"Yeah, your performance was really good," she remarked.
"What kind of magic was that anyway?" asked Prim, her interest a little piqued.
"Mine," he replied simply, demonstrating it by making swirls of colour fly around their heads before vanishing.
"Hey, that's pretty cool," remarked Muscles, as he tried to touch it, but Dusk made it flinch like a living thing.
"How come it's not your cutie mark?" asked Jock, watching as one swirled around his legs.
"It um... it just isn't," he said feebly, cutting off the magic.
"So you got that piece of paper instead? Man that's lame," he sniggered, making Dusk flush.
As a result talking to them, Dusk was, needless to say, beginning to regret coming with them. He was only staying with them because he thought it might get better if he remained with them longer and that they'd warm to him. That didn't seem to be happening and consequently, he was losing his confidence and started to stammer and pause a little more, which wasn't helping his situation. Soon, he would have to leave and find something else that might occupy his evening.
That came when Mirror, who had been silently scolding the other three but saying nothing, asked him what he liked to do in Ponyville.
"Oh well um... reading in my home, going to the spa um... taking tea, just-"
"What?" guffawed Muscles. "Going to the spa? What do you like getting hooficures and seaweed wraps? Sad 'cause ya chipped a hoof?"
"I-I-I um... I..." Dusk stammered once more, unsure as to what to say.
"And taking tea, oh how lovely," said Jock in a mock posh voice. "You wear a frilly dress and a ribbon in your hair too?"
This made Dusk cast his head down in utter mortification. In all of this, he'd completely forgotten that the latter two activities weren't something that most stallions did in their spare time. He felt so humiliated and ashamed, the two of them laughing away, even Prim sniggering away while Mirror was in an unsure silence. Not wanting to stay any longer, he dared to glance up.
"I see... if you would excuse me, gentlemen, ladies..." Bowing his head, he fast-walked out of the hall away from them.
"Dusk, wait!" Mirror had caught up to him, her expression pitying. "I'm sorry about them they... they don't mean it. Please, come on back and I'm sure they'll apologise."
He tried his best to control the shaking in his voice. "Thank you, Miss Shine but... I would prefer some time alone, if it's all the same with you..."
She looked like she might argue, but gave him an understanding nod. "I get it... I need to get back, sorry again." But Dusk had already left, not looking back.
He stopped out in one of the hallways, which was mostly empty and rested his head on a wall.
"How could I have been so stupid?" he whispered scornfully. "This isn't what I had in mind for the Gala..."
He let a few tears trickle down his cheek, still grimacing from their hurtful words and laughter. He was meant to be having a good time here, yet all he had gained was scorn and ridicule, a reminder that he was a weak little stallion, not big and tough like the rest of them. There wasn't even any point in staying now, the girls would all be having a wonderful time. He didn't want to spoil their evening with his misery. Maybe he would just walk home, not bother them... they wouldn't want that... He'd never even got to dance with Twilight...
But something made him go against that, made him wipe away his tears and stand with a determined expression, gripping the good luck charm that was concealed beneath his shirt. Giving up like this, that was the old Dusk. Not this Dusk. This was one little slip-up, with one little group of ponies among hundreds. The evening was still young and he still had yet to dance with Twilight, possibly the only thing he did have planned. He wasn't going to let this put him down and spoil his night.
"I may not have waited and dreamed for this night, but somehow, I'm still going to try and make this... the Best Night Ever!" he declared. Then lapsed into an embarrassed silence when some nearby ponies stared at him strangely.
Walking around the halls, he debated as to what to do. He definitely wasn't going to go back into the hall where his mockers were and he wasn't sure he wanted to try his luck with anypony else. He really wanted to spend time with somepony he knew, but he wasn't prepared to disturb the girls on their special night and didn't even know where to start looking for Spike. He thought of Twilight, no doubt absorbed in conversation with Princess Celestia, waiting for the moment they would share their dance. He wished Princess Luna was around, he could at least talk to her... wait that was it! That was how he could have a good time at the Gala until he could dance with her. He resolved to find the Princess of the Night and spend some time with her. So, he set off to search for her.
He ended up running what felt like the whole of Canterlot searching for her. She wasn't greeting the guests with Celestia at the entrance (Dusk had to resist the urge to go and see Twilight), she wasn't anywhere outside near the gardens, she wasn't at the VIP section of the Gala, nor was she in the dance hall. He searched all over the Gala but could find no sign of her anywhere. He paused to think in one of the hallways. Where could she possibly be? Would it be worth asking somepony?
"Hey, you okay sir?" asked a friendly voice. He turned to see a white-coated unicorn stallion with a blue mane standing behind him. He wore the bright purple with gold finish armour only bestowed to the Captain of the Guard.
As a result, Dusk stood a little straighter out of respect for him. "I'm fine thanks Captain but..." He paused to think. Perhaps he would be willing to help. "Actually, do you know where I might find Princess Luna? I've not been able to find her around the Gala."
"Do you know her?" asked the captain, not suspiciously but still sounding concerned.
"Yes, she invited me here once and we got on quite well." He dared to make a joke. "Don't worry; I'm not... an assassin or um anything like that."
To his relief, he laughed light heartedly. "Sorry, it's always good to check. Well, from what I hear she didn't really plan on attending the Gala."
"Really? Why?"
"Don't know really," the captain shrugged. "Princess Celestia wouldn't say much, she just told me to get on with security arrangements for the Gala." He gave him a sort of admiring smile. "If you think you can help her, she's in the Star Tower on the west side of the palace."
"I know where it is," Dusk nodded, recalling where she'd had tea with him. "Thank you captain. If something is wrong, I'll see what I can do."
"I'm sure you will," he said. "I'd better get back to my post, nice meeting you."
"Likewise captain," saluted Dusk. "Maybe we'll meet again sometime in the future."
"Maybe we will." He returned the salute and marched off, while Dusk sprinted off to find Luna.
He smiled at the thought of the captain and how helpful he had been. It was strange, it felt as if he knew him somehow or if he had engendered some sort of... trust. No, he decided, he was just a helpful guy and he was grateful for his assistance. It was just a shame that he hadn't had the time to ask for his name.
He soon reached the foot of the tower, guarded by the same Shadow Guards as last time. To his relief, they even recognised him, one of them going upstairs to tell the Princess. Dusk was a little surprised at how excited he was to talk to Luna again. It was almost as if she was as much his friend as any of the girls were. If there was a problem, he hoped she was okay and that he could help somehow if she wasn't. He was then ushered up to the top and told he could just go straight in, though he still knocked on the door regardless.
"Enter!" The voice was less commanding than last time, more friendly and happy. When he did enter, Luna positively beamed at the sight of him, but collected herself and reduced her smile somewhat. Dusk couldn't help but return it.
"Good evening, Your Highness," he greeted, sinking into a low bow. "It's an honour and a pleasure to see you again."
"The feeling is mutual, young Dusk," she said happily. "Thou are looking, what is it they say... sharp this evening." He blushed at her compliment. "Tell us, why have thou chosen to seek us out tonight, rather than remain at the Gala?"
"Well, my friends are all busy tonight and I just wanted to talk to somepony that I knew so... I thought you wouldn't mind, Highness." He looked up at her. "You don't, do you?"
"We do not, in fact, we are glad of some familiar company." She gestured beside her at the balcony. "Come, let us talk. Much has happened since we spoke last."
Ecstatic that she wasn't annoyed that he had disturbed her, Dusk joined her at the balcony. As they sat there, she was perfectly content to listen about all that happened in Ponyville since the time that they had last talked, occasionally passing comment on it. She seemed quite happy in a way, hearing about all of the things that he did with his friends. It was almost as if she envied him in a way, like she too wished to share in friendship, but she kept it hidden beneath her smile... or maybe that was just Dusk thinking too much into it. She was just happy for him that was all he needed to know.
When they arrived on the subject of the Gala, Dusk found himself faltering when he recalled his tormentors, diverting his gaze away from Princess Luna. She however, sensed his distress and kindly offered to listen to whatever he had to say on the matter. So he told her, her expression becoming sterner as she listened, until she gave an angry snort. Even the steam the emerged from her nostrils glittered like starlight.
"Ruffians," she commented. "Pay no heed to their words Dusk, they are nothing."
"But, with all due respect, they're right Princess," he mumbled sadly. "I'm not like other stallions. I'm not big or strong or tough. If anything, I'm a little pathetic... I wish I was stronger, bigger..."
"Enough! We shall not listen to this," she declared firmly. "Listen well, young Dusk. Do not wish to be something thou cannot be, but instead be happy with who you are, regardless of what others might think of thee."
"But... but they... they..." She raised a hoof to silence his stammering.
"If they choose to mock and ridicule thee, let them but do not listen, for such ponies are not worth listening to. Be happy with who thou are, as your friends are... as we are," she added softly.
Dusk looked up at her in surprise. "Y-y-you are?"
"Indeed. Your humble nature, your intelligence, they are part of who you are and we like who you are."
"Oh um..." He wasn't sure what to say, apart from: "Thank you, Your Highness. That... means a lot to me."
"Good," she said simply. "Did we help to make thee feel better?"
"Very much so, thank you," he said sincerely, pushing those hurtful thoughts out of his mind.
"Shall we have these scorners of yours thrown in the dungeons for extra measure?"
"Princess! Isn't that a little-" He stopped when he saw that she was smiling. "Oh, you're joking."
"Yes, was that not clear?" He shared in a light-hearted laugh with her, before they fell into a comfortable silence. He was glad he could at least laugh with her.
When he looked back up at her, her gaze was looking past him off into the distance. He followed it to see that she was looking at the lights of the Gala, bathing the high towers of Canterlot in their glow. Her eyes were shining too, he noticed, with a kind of longing, perhaps regret. Then she noticed that he was watching her and tore her gaze away from the Gala, staring resolutely off out of the city, at the vast landscape below. That didn't stop Dusk having a sudden thought, on why she was up here on her own in the first place.
"It's quite spectacular, isn't it?" he commented casually.
"What?" she asked, though he knew full well she'd heard him. "Oh yes, the Gala... Yes, it is quite... spectacular." There was that hint of regret again.
"If I may ask, Highness," began Dusk gently, "why are you up here by yourself, rather than with your sister at the Gala?"
She appeared quite taken aback at the question and the control in her voice seemed forced. "Because we are not needed at the Gala. Our sister is quite capable of greeting the guests by herself, so why would we be needed?"
Dusk wasn't convinced. "Princess... I don't think that's it," he said simply. He didn't want to say anymore for risk of seeming imposing or rude. He just hoped that would provoke a response from her.
Her expression saddened and she looked down at him. "They would not want us at the Gala..."
"Why do you say that?"
"When we speak, they tremble in fear at us. They do not see us as they do our sister. She is more loved, more adored than we are. We know this, we have seen it." She gazed back at the Gala. "That is why we do not attend the Gala. What would be the point of our presence there, when we would merely spoil everypony's evening?" She hung her head sadly and said no more.
Dusk immediately felt overwhelming pity for her. But that wasn't all he felt for her. It was pity and empathy. This fear that she had of seeing how others may think of her, preferring to hide rather than risk the chance of being rejected, of being scorned by others because of certain qualities about herself, what she thought about herself. It reminded him of somepony that he once knew, somepony who was exactly the same.
She reminded him... of him. Of how he used to be. And he knew it was his duty to help her, as his friends had done. If he couldn't make this night special for himself, perhaps he could do it for her.
"Princess, I understand how you feel. I used to think the same way that I wasn't worth anypony's time, that there wasn't any point in me doing something when it was so obvious to me that others would just think of it as boring or stupid." She raised her head and looked back at him and knew he was making progress. "But then a friend of mine, a very good friend, gave me a piece of advice that I'll never forget."
"And... what was that?" Her voice had lost its authority and command now. She sounded more like a child, seeing help and reassurance. It almost made him cry.
"How can you know the outcome of something that you do if you don't even try?" He said no more and Luna continued to gaze at him. He could tell the words had an impact, as something changed in her eyes. Now for the final part. "If you would permit me Princess, perhaps we could both go to the Gala. Together."
She stared at him, then her eyes flickered away out of indecision, looking anywhere but at him. She started to speak a few times, but words failed her. She sighed again and looked back out across the plains below. Dusk knew her answer and felt disappointed and a little foolish for suggesting it in the first place. At least he had tried...
"Well... I suppose I'd better be getting back." He bowed again. "If you would excuse me, You Highness." Still she was silent. "Have a good night..." He turned to walk away and had just reached the door when...
"A moment, Dusk Noir." He turned back to look at her, unable to determine her expression. "We have already made our judgement on this matter. However, there is some reason to your point of view and... we concede." That was when she smiled once more. "Come then, Dusk, let us attend the Gala together. It would be improper if only one of Equestria's rulers was present."
Dusk beamed at her and bowed. "It would be my honour, Princess." So, walking side by side, Dusk Noir escorted Princess Luna to the Grand Galloping Gala.
Though he preferred to be modest, Dusk let the pride well up in his chest. This was something that Dusk could feel truly proud of. Helping somepony in need was just what friends did and he was going to do his best to make sure that Luna had a good evening that she could look back on with fond memories. Making a mental note to conduct himself with even more dignity and poise than before, he matched her stride as they walked through the streets of Canterlot. He could tell that she was nervous, but she hid it well, with a determined expression. Maybe his presence was helping her relax a little...
She stopped at the threshold that would take them into the Gala. She was unduly tense and fearful, watching it warily. Dusk noticed and nudged her gently.
"You'll be fine, I promise." She said nothing, but gave a small smile of gratitude, allowing him to lead her into the Gala.
The first pony they met, a unicorn stallion that Dusk later remembered was Fancy Pants, seemed quite shocked to see her. Luna looked as if she would turn back, but then he smiled and bowed before her.
"I say, Your Highness, how smashing that you could attend the Gala tonight. Forgive me for saying so, but I had heard that you had planned to give it a miss."
Luna turned to Dusk, who only nodded. In a confident voice, she replied: "Then thou has heard wrong, good sir, for we are here now. Let it be known that we do not shirk our responsibilities as co-ruler of Equestria. See that these rumours are quashed."
"Of course, Highness, a pleasure to see you in person." He bowed once more and set off into the Gala. Luna beamed at Dusk and he nodded once more.
"Just like I said."
"Indeed." Returning to a position of authority, she stood with more dignity than before. "Come then, Dusk, let us enter the Gala and see what the night has in store."
"Right behind you, Princess," said Dusk, following as she led the way.
As they took a route into garden, all eyes turned to watch them, guests bowing and murmuring excitedly at the sight of the Princess of the Night. She bestowed them all with smiles and the odd greeting, her originally tense stature relaxing visibly. But there was one thing that truly made Dusk's evening that little bit better.
"Dusk?" He turned to see Mirror Shine and her friends, the two stallions looking quite shame faced, but Prim just looked annoyed. Luna paused to watch, not saying anything herself.
"Oh. Good evening again," said Dusk, rather coldly. He didn't like to hold grudges, but he still wanted her to know that he'd been hurt.
She appeared taken aback at his harshness. "Dusk, I just want you to know that we are really sorry for hurting your feelings."
"It wasn't so much you," corrected Dusk, "more your... charming friends here."
"Yeah, but we're sorry too," put in Muscles suddenly. "We were just messing with you man, we didn't mean anythin'."
"Yeah, what he said," added Jock, Mirror smiling proudly at him. "You know, if you're into tea and libraries and stuff, you know... that's cool."
Dusk was a little surprised at this and the bitter feelings he had for them were gone in that instant. The only one who didn't say anything was Prim, who was idly examining one of her shoes. Mirror gave her a nudge and she looked up irritated.
"What? Oh yeah... sorry, or whatever." Dusk would have just taken it at that, but Luna wasn't having it.
"Thou callest that an apology?" she boomed angrily, making her jump and cower. "Thou hast hurt the feelings of our loyal subject and thou thinks that is a sufficient apology for thy transgressions? Thou will apologise properly, so we command it!"
"Okay, okay I'm sorry that I hurt your feelings, I'm sorry!" she screeched, then ran away. Muscles sprinted after her, along with Jock.
Mirror, however, lingered. "Sorry about her, she's not usually like this. I'd better go try and catch her. Have a good night Dusk, Your Highness."
"We will and... apology accepted."
She smiled warmly at him. "I wish more stallions were like you." With that sentiment, she sprinted off after her friends, Dusk blushing from the compliment.
"Well, we are glad that has been resolved. Come!" commanded Luna, as if nothing much had happened.
Dusk was still surprised that Luna had stood up for him like that. He knew that he had good relations with her, but he hadn't expected anything like that. He once again took a moment to take pride that Luna thought so highly of him, or at least liked to him to a degree that she was prepared to stand up for him.
Looking for something to do in the aftermath of that, Dusk remembered Applejack would be selling her wares in the garden and suggested to the Princess that they get something to eat. She agreed and they soon found her at her apple cart, though with no customers queuing like she'd hoped for. She saw them and perked up visibly.
"Well, good evenin' Dusk and Yer Highness," she said happily. "What can ah get ya?"
"We'll take... two candy apples please," he requested, handing over the money and passing one to Luna. "Business doesn't really seem to be booming, I take it."
"'Fraid not," she sighed. "Ah've tried every sales tactic ah know, but none-a these ponies seem interested in buyin' ma food."
"I'm sorry to hear that. Here, have this on me." He deposited a few more coins into the can.
"Thanks Dusk, ah appreciate it an' so does ma family," she said sincerely.
Luna looked into the can where she was putting her money. "Thou are raising funds for your family?"
"Yes, yer Highness," she affirmed. "Not exactly great pickins, as ya can see."
Luna seemed to consider for a few moments, then pulled out a heavy coin purse and emptied the whole contents into the jar. Applejack was astounded at this.
"P-p-princess... ya don't have ta..."
"We do not have to, but we want to, as it is for a good cause," she said firmly, but not unkindly. "Put it too good use, Miss Applejack. See it is not wasted."
"Oh, ah won't and thank ya kindly, Yer Highness, ah won' ferget this!" she called, as he and Luna left her, unable to believe her good fortune.
They were once more treated to the stares and gazes of amazed guests and Luna lent in and whispered. "Let us go to the gardens, it will be quieter there." Dusk agreed straight away.
The two of them left the bustle of the Gala and entered the quietness of the Royal Gardens. As Fluttershy had said, every flower of every kind was in full bloom and the garden radiated with a natural fragrance and beauty. He wondered if she was anywhere close by, in the presence of her new animal friends... Fireflies hovered in the night air, providing additional illumination to the night, as well as adding more to the garden's beauty. The chirps and squawks of all kinds of different animals and birds met their ears, though any they did see scurried into the bushes out of fright when they walked by.
They sat down to eat their candy apples, Dusk sinking his teeth into the sweet treat. When he looked up at Luna, he saw that she had only taken a single bite from hers and she was now just staring at it like it was the most nteresing thing in the world.
"Is something wrong Princess?"
"Not wrong no. It is just...it has been a long time since we have eaten a candy apple... not since we were a filly. Things were so much... simpler back then." She paused in this musing, then glanced at Dusk. "Have thou ever seen how ponies react to us?"
"Um... not really." In truth, he had noticed but he didn't have the heart to say.
"We spoke of this last time we met. When we speak, they tremble in fear and shake terribly. When they bow, it is in the hope that we do not single them out, keeping their heads low. They still see us as Nightmare Moon, the monster in the moon who terrorised their dreams. You know this, we know this." She sighed forlornly. "Sometimes, we wonder if we should still be imprisoned in the moon. Perhaps it would be easier than... this."
Dusk didn't know what to say to this. He watched as she shut her eyes, a tear trickling down her cheek. He had never imagined how hard this must be for her, adjusting back to life after being gone for so long, when so much had changed now. He did his best to hold back his own tears, placing a hoof gently on her shoulder.
"You know," he began quietly, "not everypony was afraid of Nightmare Moon. Like... me." She looked up at this. "Whenever I heard the story of Nightmare Moon, looking up to see you trapped up there, I was never scared. You only wanted some more recognition for your hard work and you just... made a bad choice. I know that doesn't say much but... I always felt sorry for Nightmare Moon... for you." He smiled warmly at her. "For what it's worth, Equestria wasn't the same without you."
She glanced down at the hoof on her shoulder. At first, Dusk was about to remove it for fear he was being too personal, but she didn't object. She placed her own hoof on top of his, gratitude radiating from her smile that she bestowed. He knew it wouldn't be enough to make up for all of those long years but... at least it was something.
"Thank you." It was simple, but it said so much. Then, she made a sound he'd never heard her make before, one that lit up her whole face like the brightest star.
She laughed. A giggle, yes, but still a laugh.
"What? What is it?" he asked, a smile tugging at his own mouth.
"Nothing, it is simply that..." She giggled all the more. "Thou has a spot of candy on thy nose."
"Really?" Dusk rubbed it, going red when he felt something sticky. "Is it gone?"
"No, it is still there. A little more." She giggled all the more at his attempts to remove it.
"Now has it gone?"
"Almost, a little more... there, it is removed." Luna was now behaving more like a school filly than a princess. "For one so polite, thy eating habits leave something to be admired."
"Well, look at you, your candy's started to trickle onto your shoe," noted Dusk, doing his best to restrain a chuckle.
"What? How can that be?" She looked to see that he was indeed right, her sparkling shoe now coated with red caramel. "Oh... so it has."
"Is it ruined?"
"Quite, we shall need a new set of shoes to replace these!"
"You must be very angry about that."
"Oh yes, we are furious at this! Perhaps we should take back our charity to your farm friend for this outrage!"
"She deserves nothing less than the most severe punishment."
"We shall have her thrown in the dungeon for this!"
"I completely agree."
"Quite so!" She held her stern expression for a few more seconds. Then, the two of them just burst out laughing, relaxed. They were no longer princess and subject, but for all intents and purposes... friends.
A loud squeal broke the moment. They exchanged a confused look and went to investigate, walking into one of the glades, only to find-
"What is the meaning of this?" Luna asked, bewildered by what she saw.
"Fluttershy? What are you doing in that net?"
"Oh... hello Dusk, Princess," said an entrapped Fluttershy. "Um... no reason."
"Here, let me..." He cut her down with a spell and she stood up, her eye muscle twitching. "Are you okay?"
"Fine, fine, oh yes fine," she replied erratically, a quiver in her voice. He also noticed her dress was torn in places, her mane tattered. "Now, I need to try and catch my little friends!" With that, she darted off into the garden once more.
Dusk and Luna stood in silence, trying to make sense of what they had just witnessed. Why was Fluttershy acting so strangely? Why did she look so bedraggled? These were questions Dusk couldn't even begin to fathom the answer to.
"What... has just happened?" asked Luna.
"I'm not entirely sure, Highness," said Dusk honestly. "Perhaps it might be better if we go inside and see your sister."
"Yes, that is agreeable." She stared at the spot where Fluttershy had run off, then led the way into the entrance hall, where Princess Celestia and Twilight stood at the top of the stairs. Feeling his nerves rising once more, Dusk climbed the stairs with Luna, to what he had really been waiting for.
Twilight broke into a smile when she saw him and Celestia beamed at the sight of her younger sibling. "Luna, what a wonderful surprise!"
"Good evening, my sister," she greeted warmly. "Has your evening been pleasant?"
"Not really," she whispered conspiratorially. "But it's better now you're here. I thought you were going to sit the evening out."
"Yes well, this young stallion can be quite persuasive," she said, gesturing to Dusk, who bowed to the Princess of the Sun.
"So I can see," she said. "We were about to head into the dance hall, if you would like to join us."
"Indeed we would. Come Dusk," commanded Luna, walking beside her sister, Dusk beside Twilight.
"Hey, you're still wearing it," he indicated to the lilac in her ear.
"Just like I promised," she nodded.
"So, how's your best night ever been?"
"Let's talk about that later. Right now, we've got something else to do."
"We do?"
"I still owe you that dance," she reminded him, making his heart flutter.
The wait had been long, but it would be worth it. His stomach was now doing back-flips, he couldn't think of what to say and he hoped he wouldn't stumble too much, but the moment he'd been waiting for had arrived at last. He was about to dance with Twilight! Nothing could spoil this moment now. But then they reached the dance hall and saw a scene of complete discord.
One of the sculptures depicting Celestia had fallen off its pedestal, as had a series of pillars that looked like they had fallen in a domino fashion. At the foot of it, he saw a collapsed Prince Blueblood, covered in what looked like frosting and food, a tattered Rarity looking pretty much the same. A guilty Rainbow Dash stood in the centre, along with a dishevelled Applejack and a rather bemused Pinkie on stage. Twilight looked completely shocked and he shared her feelings, his mouth wide open, along with Princess Luna.
"Well... it can't get any worse." At Twilight's words, there was a distant rumbling and the doors burst open.
When they did, what looked like every animal from the garden stampeded inside in a panic, chased by Fluttershy, who looked quite terrifying, her eyes wide and mad, and her face contorted with rage.
"You're... going to LOVE ME!" she shrieked, just as all of the guests ran around in a panic from the complete chaos.
Dusk, like Twilight, was at a complete indecision of what to do, looking desperately around for any kind of solution. This came in the form of Princess Celestia, who whispered a single word:
"Run." She nodded to her sister and the two of them flew off, no doubt to try and restore order.
At her suggestion, Twilight whistled and Dusk made a colour shape in the sky to get their attention, one that also echoed Celestia's advice. They ran down the stairs out of the Gala, Rarity pausing to smash her glass slipper in a desperate bid so her prince wouldn't find her. Dusk looked down at his suit as they ran. It had become torn during the chaos, patched and frayed in places, some of the fabric ripped away, all of the girls in similar states with their dresses. Thankfully, his hat was unharmed by the whole thing, as was his necklace. Dusk didn't know what had happened, but it would certainly make an interesting story.
They followed Twilight until they were well away from the hall and came to a stop outside a donut shop. Knowing who they would find inside, Dusk followed the disappointed girls inside, keeping his distance from Fluttershy.
A pony behind the counter greeted them, Spike looking up from a coffee. "Twilight Sparkle! Ha, ha. Long-time no see."
He ran up to meet them. "Hey, how was the Gala? How was your best night ever?"
They sat down at a table, ordering a plate of donuts to share and Dusk proceeded to listen to their stories: Twilight had barely managed to get a word in with the Princess; Applejack hadn't managed to sell much of her apples; Rarity's prince charming had turned out to be a self-centred jerk; Fluttershy hadn't made new animal friends because they were too scared; Rainbow hadn't been able to hang with the Wonderbolts, though she had tried to get their attention and Pinkie's party expectations of the Gala weren't met. Dusk was surprised that he was the only one whose evening wasn't a total disaster... except for one thing, though he didn't mention it.
"That sounds like the worst night ever!" remarked Spike at the end of it.
"It was!" they all agreed and burst out laughing, even Dusk.
"Except for me, of course," noted Dusk.
"Yeah how about that?" mused Rainbow.
"I just hope Princess Celestia isn't upset with us for ruining the Gala," said Twilight sadly.
The bell rang as the door opened and a cheerful voice said, "That was the best Grand Galloping Gala ever!" In came Celestia, along with a rather bemused Luna.
"Pardon me, Princess," Twilight put in, "but tonight was just awful."
"Oh, Twilight. The Grand Galloping Gala is always awful."
"It is?"
"That is why I was thrilled you were all attending. I was hoping you could liven things up a bit. And while the evening may not have gone as you planned, I'm sure you'll agree that in the end it didn't turn out so bad for this group of friends."
"You're right, Princess," agreed Twilight. "Friends have a way of making even the worst of times into something pretty great. "
"Yeah! Hanging out with friends!" added Rainbow
"Talking!" put in Fluttershy.
"Laughing!" said Pinkie.
"You mean doing exactly what I wanted to do the whole time?"
Twilight giggled. "Yes, Spike. You were right."
"As horrible as our night was..." started Applejack.
"...being together here has made it all better," added Rarity.
Dusk felt it was his time to add something. "In fact, one might say it's made it..."
"...the best night ever!" they all chorused to more laughter.
"We must say," remarked Luna, "the evening was certainly active by the end of it. We are... glad that we came."
"As am I," said Celestia. "It was good having you tonight my sister, it wasn't the same without you."
"So we've been told," she remarked, looking at Dusk. "Well, we had best return to the castle. We wish you all a good evening."
Dusk followed her as she stepped outside, stretching her wings to take off. "You're not going to stay a bit longer?"
"We would, but we still need to watch over the night. Duty calls, as they say." She smiled warmly at Dusk. "Thank you for persuading me to come down Dusk. Tonight was... unforgettable."
"It was my pleasure, Highness," he bowed.
"Please, we insist thou callest us... Luna." If this was a shock, she did something Dusk would never have expected: she gave him a hug, which he gently returned.
"I... I... I'm truly privileged." He bowed once more. "Goodnight... Luna."
She gave him one last smile and took off back towards one of the high towers of Canterlot. Dusk was about to head back inside the donut shop, but he didn't. Instead, he made his way back to the dance hall, which was still in a complete state. Leaves and twigs littered the floor; the food had been knocked over, as had a few more statues. The animals had been cleared out, as had the many guests and the orchestra, absent from the stage.
He gazed forlornly around the place. For how good his night had been compared to the others, he still hadn't gotten the one thing that he'd wanted, the one thing he'd planned for. Now it looked like he never would. He wasn't sad... just disappointed. Oh well, maybe Twilight was grateful, now that she wouldn't have to put up with the idea anymore.
"Dusk?" He looked around slowly to see that she had followed him back up. Even though her dress wasn't as pristine as it was before, she was still the pinnacle of beauty to Dusk.
"Hey Twi." He gave her a sad smile. "I'm sorry you never got to talk to the Princess."
"It's okay, there'll be other times." She returned his sympathetic expression. "I'm just sorry we never got to have our dance."
"Really? I thought you'd be pleased we'd missed it... no chance to step on your hooves..."
"I'm sure you would've tried your best not to. I'd read up a book on dancing before we came... I was looking forward to it really..."
"You... you were?" Without realising, he looked to see that they'd been coming closer to each other, now they were mere feet away. Dusk felt he should say something, anything, but couldn't think as to what.
He heard a noise behind him and turned to see the players of the band returning to their place on the stage, looking a little worse for wear, but otherwise unharmed. Twilight saw too and gave him a nervous smile. But how... that was when he saw Luna at the door, smiling knowingly. He returned it, as she walked off once more. She had done this for him. For them.
As they began to play once more, he bowed and offered his hoof to her, ignoring his fluttering insides. "May I have this dance, Miss Sparkle?"
"You may, Mr Noir." Gently, very gently, she took it. Dusk held her close, feeling the heat rising to his cheeks.
Slowly, he led her across the dance floor, their feet moving in perfect motion with each other. A few times they stumbled, but they didn't mind. They didn't say anything, for there was no need to. They didn't look at anywhere else, at anything else. They only had eyes for each other, gazing into the depths of each other's gaze. It was just like he'd imagined it would be, his perfect moment with Twilight Sparkle.
Just like Rarity had taught him. One, two, one, two, in time with the rhythm, keeping his right hoof in Twilight's left and his left hoof on her waist, making sure that it didn't drop any further than that. He could tell that she was also nervous, as her movements were rather stiff and rigid, like she was having trouble relaxing. It gave him a little comfort that she was just as nervous as she was, guiding her across the floor.
"You okay?" he asked her.
"Yes... better now, really... you?"
"I'm... just fine, thank you."
"Good. Good to know. You're... quite a good dancer, Dusk," she noted shyly.
"I do my best," he said modestly. "You're... not that bad... yourself..."
"Dusk, I've never danced like this in my life," she admitted. "I've only read a book, which is hardly the sa- whoa!"
She stumbled on her dress, but Dusk stopped her falling. "It's okay, I've got you."
"Yes... yes, you do." She cleared her throat and blushed even more deeply. "Thanks."
"My pleasure." Maybe this wasn't going to be as bad as he thought.
He decided to give it an added effect. Tapping into his magic, he made glittering clouds of colour swirl around them as they danced, above their heads and around their bodies, making the moment even more magical. The lights made Twilight's eyes sparkle all the more. She gazed at him and rested her head on his shoulders as they danced, sighing and trusting him to remain in control and he certainly wasn't going to betray that. He felt... complete, feeling her fur brushed against his.
This moment was perfect, nothing could spoil it...
"Ow!" He was snapped out of his thoughts when he saw he'd stood on Twilight's hoof.
"Oh my gosh, I'm sorry!" He faltered and was about to draw away, afraid he'd ruined it. "I'm so sorry, I..."
"Dusk, it's fine."
"But I-"
"It's fine." He noted that she took in a deep breath and drew him in close again. "Nopony is perfect and you were doing great."
"You... you mean that?"
"Of course." She placed his hoof back on her waist. "Let's not spoil the moment, come on."
"Okay..." He felt like he should say something more, anything. "Twilight, I..."
She placed a hoof on his lips. "Dusk... let's just dance. You don't need to say anything else."
"Okay... I just..."
"It's fine, it can wait." She rested her head on his neck again. "For now... let's just enjoy this."
"As you wish, Miss Sparkle." Breathing calmly, he ignored his nerves and resumed their dance.
"Just don't step on my hoof again, okay?" she added with a giggle.
"Never."
A content smile curled on both of their mouths as they continued to dance, the colours swirling around them. It hadn't been all perfect, but for Dusk, here and now, surrounded by his magic with the mare of his dreams, this truly had been... well...
The Best Night Ever. |
Brand New Dusk | A Kiss Goodnight | Dusk had could hardly remember a time he felt so happy after he walked out of the ball room together with Twilight Sparkle, the two of them standing rather close together and walking side by side. Against all of the odds, all of his doubts and fears, he had actually shared a dance with the mare who had captured his heart... and she had actually enjoyed it! Well, he assumed that she did, but she was still smiling and leaning close to him, so it was all good signs.
He was actually surprised when he discovered that it was already close to midnight by the time their dance had stopped. The two of them were of course on a schedule, as the spell for Twilight's apple carriage would wear off at midnight and it would just become a normal apple again. Time had become a meaningless concept to them both, only taking note of the rhythm of their movements and the moment they were sharing in. Dusk didn't want it to end and when it finally did and they had to leave...
Well, it couldn't last forever. But he knew he would never forget this night and, hopefully, if it meant as much to her as it did to him, she wouldn't either.
Additionally, he was pleasantly surprised at how Twilight was reacting to all of this. Before, she'd always kept a respectable distance from him and blushed as much as he did when their sides so much as brushed against each other. Recently, she'd been a little more relaxed, but still embarrassed about closeness. Now though, she seemed perfectly content, as he was, gazing frequently at him as they walked. Dusk didn't know if it was just her being friendly or she meant something more, but he did like it at any rate.
He could still smell the fragrance of the lilac in her ear and it made him feel so peaceful just to breath in that scent.
None of the girls said anything by the time they reached the carriage, except for Rainbow who demanded why they had taken so long with whatever it was they were doing. Dusk had merely sighed and apologized to her, though the others all seemed to exchange knowing looks while the Pegasus fumed over him. He barely took notice of her mood whilst he hooked himself up to the carriage with the other stallion and set off back for Ponyville.
Just before they set off, he glanced back at the castle and caught sight of a tall figure on one of the balconies, waving in his direction and, even from this distance, he could tell Princess Luna was smiling. That was the other thing that came out of this evening. Just from his own actions, without any plan, he'd managed to make this a memorable evening for her too. Considering what she had been through, she deserved that much at least. Now... she actually thought of him as a friend. He'd been allowed to call her by her name!
Knowing how significant that was in terms of the traditions of the old days he'd read about in his books, his own smile grew and he waved his hat to her in farewell. She lingered for a moment, waved once more before she returned inside and Dusk began to pull the carriage again, suddenly appraising the night sky as much as he did a clear blue sky.
He could hear Spike on the driver's seat, whistling a merry tune, recalling events that had happened over the rest of the evening or else yawning heavily. A few times, Dusk had to yell to keep him awake and prevent him from drifting off to sleep and falling out of the seat. Nice to know they'd all had a good time in the end. He'd thanked the other stallion who'd waited for them, who said it was no problem while casting hopeful glances at Rarity.
Now and again, Twilight would poke her head out of the window and beam at him in a way that made his heart glow. Again, he couldn't help but notice how beautiful she'd looked tonight, how beautiful she still looked. There was something different in her smile now, something that he couldn't quite put his hoof on. Whatever it was, it made his heart flutter and he smiled back at her whenever she did.
The moon was high in the sky and the stars were shining brightly, glinting on the shiny red surface of the carriage by the time they arrived back in Ponyville. As soon as the last of the girls stepped down from it, it was consumed by a flash of light and it had become just a plain old apple again, which was promptly snapped up by Pinkie. The magic of the night was over, but it would stay with them in their memories forever.
Everypony started to bid each other good night and Rarity pulled Dusk aside once she gave her neighbour an appraising look and a kiss on his check, leaving him giddy and happy as a school foal.
"Well done Dusk, you did it!" She beamed proudly at him. "I knew you could do it, I just knew it!"
"At least one of us did," Dusk remarked lightly. "But I couldn't have done it without your help, Rarity."
"Oh you may I have had my help, but it was ultimately you who pulled it off," she pointed out. "She already liked you Dusk, I just helped to... refine you a bit."
"But I'm still very grateful for it." He gave her a sympathetic look. "I'm sorry it didn't work out for you and Blueblood."
"Ah, yes..." She frowned angrily. "Some prince he turned out to be, selfish, arrogant swine."
"I know, but that's the way he is. You were so looking forward to it too," he added. "I truly am sorry."
"Oh, don't worry Dusk. I suppose it's my own fault in a way, I built up expectations of him that obviously weren't met. I was so sure..." She trailed off and disappointment flickered across her face for a moment. "Oh well, I'll be fine."
"I hope so, but take heart. It may take time, but I'm sure you'll find the stallion you deserve someday. Somepony who..." He thought for a moment and placed a hoof on her shoulder. "Somepony who makes you feel as incredible as you look."
Rarity stared at him in amazement in the wake of his words, or incredulousness, he couldn't quite tell. At first, Dusk thought he'd said the wrong thing and was about to withdraw his hoof until she placed hers gently on his and returned his smile.
"Don't you ever change, Dusk. You might not think it, but you are more of a prince than Blueblood can ever hope to be." She held his gaze firmly. "If nothing else, make sure you treat Twilight with the respect and love she deserves."
"You're talking like we're actually going to be a... you know..." he muttered shyly.
"You will Dusk, I know you two are meant to be together and when you are... just remember what I told you, agreed?" There was no smile, she was deadly serious.
Dusk thought for a moment on her words, not sure whether to believe them or not. In the end though, he was a believer in the impossible so... maybe this wasn't so far-fetched if he thought about it.
"You have my word," he said sincerely. "Don't worry, I'll take care of Twilight."
"That's all I ask." She finally removed her hoof and smiled knowingly. "Now, you still need to walk your date home."
Dusk nodded and bade her good night and, summing up his courage, walked back over to Twilight, who had just finished talking to Applejack. There was a linger of a blush in her cheeks when she turned around and he caught Applejack glance at him, look back to Twilight and wink. He wondered briefly what they were talking about, returning her smile when he reached her.
"May I walk you home, Miss Sparkle?" he asked as graciously as he could.
Twilight blushed again as she levitated a snoozing Spike onto her back. "Dusk... you don't have to, I'm fine."
"I know, but... I want to." He gestured in the direction of the library. "Shall we?"
Twilight seemed to consider, before settling with a nod. "Yes, lets." She took her place close next to him and they set off through the quiet streets, broken by Twilight's question. "It was Rarity, who taught you how to dance, wasn't it?"
"It was," Dusk admitted. "Dancing is an important part of the Gala, so she insisted on offering me lessons when it was mentioned."
"I could see her doing that," she said with a smile. "You were rather good at it... dancing, I mean."
"I tried my best," he admitted humbly. "I've... never really danced before tonight."
"Neither have I, I just read a book on it before we came tonight," she reminded him. "You were definitely better at it than me."
"You... you really think so?" She nodded warmly. "Well... thanks. I uh... learned it all for you, you know..."
"Really? You learned how to dance for the Gala tonight, just so you could ask me to dance with you?" She appeared a little confused. "Why?"
"Well... because um..." He found it a little difficult to explain. "Because... you're just worth the effort."
"Really?" she repeated, but not as cynically as before. "It's that simple? Well... thank you for making the effort."
"No problem," he muttered, becoming interested in his hooves.
"You really are showing how much potential you have. I said that about you in my report to the princess, on that day you were in the hospital." She looked back at him with interest. "Did I ever tell you about that letter?"
Dusk realised that no, he hadn't heard that particular report and responded by shaking his head in a shy silence. He knew she'd written one, but he'd never asked about it, as it he didn't think it to be his business.
"Would you like to hear it?"
"Well... if you can remember it," he said.
"I can remember it like it was yesterday." She paused for a moment. "Dear Princess Celestia, I'm pleased to report that the latest member of our friendship circle is finally starting to fit in with us and he has taught me a valuable lesson about friendship."
Dusk chuckled a little at the memory. "Yes, I wasn't exactly the most receptive of individuals, was I?"
"Not really, no," she agreed with a giggle. "But you've really changed now."
"Don't I know it?" He nodded to her. "Please, continue. What... exactly did I teach you?"
"I'm getting to that," she assured him. "Some of us are born with unique traits about ourselves that we sometimes keep hidden from others, because we're scared about how they might judge or view those things about us. Most times, we don't even show them at all. But, with the help of our friends, we can choose to be more open about those special traits and unlock a true potential that might never have been revealed if we had kept it hidden. I think Dusk has learned that now and we're going to see even more special things about him the longer we're friends."
"Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle," Dusk finished. "You really wrote that about me?"
"Of course and I meant it too. You've shown that there's so much more to you than you or I ever thought to begin with," she said proudly. "And I think there's even more to it as well."
"How... how do you mean?" he asked through his blush.
"I just still think that there's something more about you, something even greater we haven't seen yet." She gave him a thoughtful look. "I'm not quite sure what exactly, but I'm sure it's there."
"If you say so," Dusk said unsurely. He looked up and realised that, all too soon, they'd reached their destination. "Well... here we are."
"What? Oh, so we are..." Twilight looked just as surprised and disappointed.
They stood in an awkward silence, the only sound coming from Spike's snoring on Twilight's back. Dusk felt as if he should say something else, something witty or perhaps some stab at something romantic. But nothing came to mind, his thoughts a complete blank. Twilight too seemed a little unsure as what to do now, opening her mouth to say something but then shutting it again.
"Well um... thanks for a... a great evening, Twi," Dusk finally said. "It's been... memorable."
"Yeah... thank you for walking me home, Dusk. Or us, rather," she added with a forced giggle concerning Spike. "It was um... well, very sweet of you."
"I try my best." He bowed his head and opened the door for her. "Goodnight, Miss Sparkle."
"Night..." She was about to go inside, but lingered on the doorstep for a moment. Then, quick as a flash, she swooped over and kissed Dusk on his cheek. "See you in the morning."
Even when the door had closed and Twilight had hurried back inside, Dusk was still standing on the doorstep, utterly dumbstruck by what she had done. His skin burned on the spot where she had kissed him, which he touched absently with his hoof. It wasn't burning in a hurtful way, but a warm, tingling sense, like a fire on a cold day. She had kissed him there... she'd actually kissed him. Then, gradually, he grinned.
He had an extra spring in his step as he set off again, happening to glance back at the library before he left. He could make out her shape watching from the window for a few moments, silhouetted against the light inside the room. He started off at a quicker pace again when it turned off, jumping and whooping when he was around the corner. It was just on the cheek, but at least it was something. And she'd watched him go... that was a good sign too, right?
Yes, it had to be. He was actually making progress in romance of all things, with Twilight Sparkle of all ponies. How good was that?
Dusk was still whistling when he returned to his home, unlocking the door and heading upstairs to his bed. Now the night's events were over, despite the happy energy he now had running through him, he wanted nothing more than to sleep. Ophelia was upstairs at the window when he returned, a dead mouse in her beak. She cocked her head at him in an inquisitive sort of way.
"I'm just in a good mood." He gestured to the mouse. "Make sure you eat that outside."
She gave a muffled hoot in understanding and soared off out the window like a cloud on the wind. Dusk made sure to leave it open a crack for when she wanted to come back in and removed his suit, placing it in a cupboard on a hook. He'd need to see Rarity about getting it fixed, for it was a good suit and he had obtained good memories from it.
He placed his hat on the end of his bedpost, pausing to feel the necklace that Twilight had given him. Something she'd said tonight had started niggling in the back of his head, like a persistent itch. What exactly had she meant when she'd said that she felt like there was still more to him than he had revealed so far? Was it something that he didn't even know, like she'd said or was there something more to it? Why did those words feel so significant?
In the end, he just shrugged and removed the necklace, noting how the stones seemed to glow faintly in the darkness. He was probably just thinking about it too much and it was just some form of support from her. He took it at that, tingling from the warm feelings he got. Things were truly going great, he thought to himself happily and it was only going to get better from here on out.
So Dusk settled down in his bed, pulled up the covers around him and drifted off to into an easy sleep, blissfully unaware of the dark clouds that were gathering on the horizon. |
Dragon's Anon-a-Miss | pre | "Thank you very much Tempest. It was nice to meet you," Sunset added
"I hope you catch the punks that did this," Tempest stated
"If we need anything I'll let the Storm King know."
"Storm King? Who's that," Sunset asked curiously
"That's the nickname for the director of CMA. All I know for a fact was that he was a four-star Army General."
"Have a nice night; you two," Tempest said "Just don't do anything naughty."
All three headed upstairs as Tempest took her leave and Brian went to get cleaned off. Sunset sat in the living room in the meantime and found a random show to watch on TV.
"Sorry about that."
"It's fine. This is your house after all," Sunset replied
Looking over; she noticed that he changed into a pair of sweatpants and t-shirt; although the gloves were still on.
"Yeah; about that. I do have a proposition for you. Given your current situation; I'd like to offer you a chance to live here."
"You'd really let me stay here? Why?"
"Why not? My parents would have gladly offered to help you out; and certainly can't turn someone away. I'll give you some time to think about it."
"My mind's already made up. I accept," she said hugging him, before kissing him on the lips "I'm sorry. I just got a little excited."
"It's alright. Just unexpected."
"It's not much; but I'd like to return to the factory and retrieve my clothes," she said
"We'll go tomorrow; although I'm not taking any chances."
"No lethal weapons. I don't want to see you killing anyone," she said without argument
"If that is what you wish. I'll use the paintball gun instead."
Before the two could continue their conversation; someone was knocking at the door. Brian decided to just answer the door instead of relying on the perimeter security. Standing outside was one of the three girls that questioned him only the day prior and an older female.
"Permission to enter," the older woman asked cautiously "My name is Spitfire and you already know my daughter Scootaloo."
"Permission granted."
The four sat in the living room as Scootaloo handed over her backpack to a confused Brian.
"What's this?"
"It's what's inside that you might want," Scootaloo started
"Pardon me for a moment. There's something I need."
Brian headed over to a shelf and removed a manila envelope; along with a pair of rubber gloves. With the necessary objects in his possession; he returned to the living room.
"Before we start; please fill this out. It's a chain of custody sheet for everything. This might not be legally binding; but it should cover our asses for any potential problems."
Without argument; Scootaloo filled out the paper documenting the contents of her backpack before removing a stack of papers.
"These are all messages regarding secrets that were to be posted. Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and I are Anon-a-Miss," Scootaloo said sadly
"Why did you do it? Why frame me," Sunset demanded
"Anon-a-Miss wasn't supposed to go that far. Applejack's secret was meant as a joke; and I suggested the outfits were supposed to be publicity for Carousel Boutique. We all know Rainbow Dash is too damn stubborn to admit she's failing science class," Scootaloo explained
"But why me? I've tried to make amends for my actions," Sunset asked
"They just saw you as collateral damage. I believe the two still harbor a dislike towards you for taking Applejack and Rarity away from them. I speak for myself when I say that I'm sorry," Scootaloo said apologetically
"Why the change of heart?"
"It was you that caused the change; Brian," was the reply "May I borrow something temporarily?"
"Go ahead."
Scootaloo headed towards the shelf containing the pictures of his parents and carefully removed one of the folded up flags before placing it on the table.
"This is why. My father is Admiral Tirek; and was your parent's commanding officer. I attended both funerals but I couldn't say anything to you that would comfort you. Seeing Sweetie Belle picking that up so carelessly made me resent them and want to leave," Scootaloo explained
"Perhaps you should start at the beginning and explain this Anon-a-Miss," Spitfire suggested
"I'll write the confession down if you don't mind."
♢ SCOOTALOO ♢
"Although the account started on Monday this week; tensions rose after the Fall Formal."
□ FALL FORMAL FLASHBACK □
After the Fall Formal ended; many students were heading home for the evening. Hanging back were Rainbow Dash and the others; along with their siblings.
"I can't believe that crap! Sunset bullies the students and turns into a demon that destroys the school; and the only punishment is cleaning up the debris? Bullshit," Apple Bloom said angrily
"I know. That's unfair and we know it," Sweetie Belle added "There needs to be some kind of punishment."
"What about you; Scoots," Bloom asked
"I don't know. The cleanup is certainly more than enough."
"No, it most certainly is not. Rebuilding the damage would be much better. That would show the bitch," Sweetie countered
●○CONFESSION○●
"The three of us watched over the weeks as Applejack and the others started to accept you into the group."
□LATER: CANTERLOT HIGH SCHOOL□
The trio decided to head to the library after eating lunch while their siblings were together. To their amazement and luck; no one was present but the school librarian.
"Oh; come on! Once again, my sister decides to ditch me for the Wicked Bitch of Canterlot High," Bloom complained
"We need to do something about this. I'd like to spend time with my sister. Hell; I'd model dresses for her if Rarity would acknowledge me," Sweetie added
"I wouldn't mind Dash helping me out with soccer practice. Hopefully I could make the varsity team."
●○CONFESSION○●
"That was last week they complained about which led to Monday's incident."
□ANON-a-MISS□
"If Applejack won't acknowledge me; I'll break up that group," Apple Bloom spat
"How do you want to split them up," Sweetie inquired
"We use Sunset to our advantage. Create an account on MyStable using her silhouette and hair color and post secrets about our sisters," Bloom explained with a sadistic grin
"I don't know about this. Isn't this a bit too far?"
"No. The girl you look up to has blown you off constantly; and for what? To hang out with the same person that bullied everyone? This is just payback," Belle chimed in
"We'll start with AJ's nickname first. That should light the fire of distrust," Bloom stated
•A-a-M Day 2 •
"Well; it's not much but the fire is sparking," Bloom mused
"Despite everything that happened; my sister still wants to have a sleepover," Sweetie complained
●○CONFESSION○●
"At that point; Sweetie Belle swiped your phone and download the recent images taken that night. I suggested they be posted for publicity; but obviously that was ruled against. They convinced me to get something against Dash; which resulted in the test."
"How'd you know about that," Sunset asked
"Dash mentioned she needed to pass her science class in order to get her sports scholarship. I hoped that by posting that; you or someone else would tutor her."
"Maybe if she hadn't been such a bitch to me. Otherwise; it's on her to learn," was Sunset's reply
"Yesterday; the three of us saw the two of you leaving with the janitor as Apple Bloom suggested we follow. Just as we neared the house; a female in a CMA uniform stopped us."
"Why'd you really want to meet me," Brian inquired
"They wanted secrets that could be used against you."
"If your friends were doing this; why didn't you leave," Spitfire questioned
"They're my friends. I hoped to be the voice of reason and talk some sense into them; but obviously to no avail. I actually lied to them about being sick so I could have time to explain everything. As of lunch this afternoon; I am no longer a member of the Canterlot Movie Club."
"Please sign this. It's an affidavit stating your confession was entirely voluntary and of your own recollection of events. This entire conversation has also been recorded and will be turned over to Principal Celestia," Brian directed
Without question, Scootaloo read over the papers in front of her regarding her confession before signing them. Brian collected everything and placed them inside a box that was sealed after receiving the security tape.
♢ BRIAN ♢
"Thank you for the explanation. On Monday the evidence will be handed over."
"I'm sorry this had gotten so out of hand; Sunset. Could you ever forgive me," Scootaloo begged
"Thank you for at least trying to stop the others," Sunset replied, hugging her
"I'll see you on Monday at school," Scootaloo said, before she and Spitfire left
"What do you think; Brian," Sunset asked
"This is certainly going to be interesting. The three of us know the truth; but how will the rest of the student body react?"
"I don't want to imagine that until it happens. But I do want to remind you about picking up the stuff I left behind."
"Of course. I promise not have any lethal weapons with me."
"Thanks. I just hope we can get there without any problems," she mused
"It's not the trip to the factory I'm worried about. It's the possibility of getting into a fight."
"You can hold your own, though. Isn't that good?"
"It is; but it's not going to be fair. Chances are, they'll bring as many as they can to eliminate you." |
Dragon's Anon-a-Miss | 3 | Saturday morning rolled around; Brian made a breakfast consisting of pancakes and sausage as the two enjoyed everything.
"How do you propose we do this," Sunset asked
"We are just joining to walk down there; but I'm expecting some retaliation over this."
"I see what you mean. In school no one wanted to touch me; but now they have the chance."
"The problem is; someone could be carrying weapons and plans to use them. That's why I don't suggest taking a direct route to the factory; but going around a block or two."
"I'd guess Gilda Griffin and her band of cronies will be waiting to get a shot at me," Sunset mused
"Let's grab a few things for protection."
The two headed down to the dojo as Brian hit a switch, opening up the weapon cabinets. He headed over to one and retrieved the Kevlar trench coat and paintball gun; before handing a vest over to Sunset.
"You really think it's necessary," she questioned
"At this point; it's better safe than sorry. You did say it might be a gang assault and who knows what they could do?"
"You're right. I don't trust anyone wanting to eliminate me; or rather Anon-a-Miss; by any means necessary."
With all precautions taken; the two headed out as he slung the gun over his shoulder and Sunset adjusted her bag. The walk felt agonizing as they headed further down the street in silence before stopping.
"What's wrong," Sunset asked in a whisper
"That," Brian answered, pointing ahead
In front of them was the factory; but standing in the way were a group of people consisting of three males and two females and all were armed. Brian pulled out his phone and activated the camera to record everything. In the process; he zoomed in to see everything in detail.
"Gilda Griffin and Lightning Dust. The three stooges are known as the Diamond Dog gang. Fido, Rover and Spot; I believe," she commented "What are we going to do?"
"They're looking to kick your ass and all have brass knuckles. Once we get there; we're splitting up. I'll take care of anyone out front while you get inside."
"Are you sure?"
"I am. Just be careful."
Brian readied his weapon as they approached the front of the factory. Before the gang could react; three shots found their targets in the male's chests. Each of them were doubled over pain. In the confusion; Sunset darted by and headed inside.
"Shit! Dust; take care of that bitch," Gilda ordered "This bastard's mine."
"No blood. Good sign," the smallest Diamond Dog commented
"That hurt," one of the Diamond Dogs whined
"Not experience that again," the third added
Gilda removed the brass knuckles and tossed them towards her fallen compatriots before reaching behind her waistband. A six inch buck knife was withdrawn and flipped over in her hand.
"Why would you help Anon-a-Bitch out? What are you getting out of it," Gilda questioned "She screwing you for help?"
Instead of getting an answer; Brian shifted his weight towards his rear foot in preparation of an attack. Gilda charged at him in a blind fury as he countered with a roundhouse kick to the abdomen.
"I'm going to kill you for that," she said through breaths
A second charge from Gilda resulted in him dodging the attack by rolling over his left shoulder. Upon landing; one of the Diamond Dogs grabbed Brian's legs as Gilda charged. The blade was brought down in an overhead strike, causing him to raise his left arm in defense. As the trench coat was lifted; a portion of his arm became exposed as the blade met skin. Although the result was only a small cut; he refused to acknowledge it and give Gilda any satisfaction.
"What do you know; his is human after all," Gilda taunted "And here I thought you were some kind of Superman."
In retaliation; Brian crouched down and swept her legs out from under her, as she landed face down. Before Gilda could get up, a rolling axe kick to the shoulder blades followed.
"If you know what's good for you; stay down," Brian suggested
"You bastard. You'll pay. Mark my words," Gilda promised, spitting out blood
"Consider them marked."
♢ SUNSET ♢
Sunset ducked inside a side door as Lightning Dust followed behind.
"This is going to be fun. I'm going to make you pay for posting all those secrets," Dust taunted
"I never posted any fucking secrets!"
"That's exactly what Anon-a-Miss would say upon being caught," was the reply
Looking around; the entire room was empty which didn't help with trying to escape. Sunset figured her best idea was to run towards one of the other rooms and find a weapon.
"Why don't you admit you're the creator and we can end this easily," Dust suggested "Otherwise; this is going to hurt you a lot."
Without giving her opponent an answer; Sunset bolted towards the first on the other side of the room. She knew her destination was the fourth room; but wouldn't let Lightning Dust know.
Just a desk and chair sat in the room; which really didn't help. Although she could block the door; it bars her only way out as well.
"Shimmer? I know you're in here," Dust taunted, grabbing the handle
Trying to be quiet; the desk drawer was opened to find nothing but dust. With nothing left to lose; Sunset tried to cover her hand with dust and dirt just as Lightning Dust leaned over the desk.
"What do we have here," Dust said sarcastically
"In your face," Sunset said, throwing the dirt
"You bitch! You're gonna pay for that!"
Taking advantage of her temporary blindness; Sunset ran into the room over and found a length of rope. Lightning Dust had removed a four-inch buck knife from her belt and started swinging wildly, while holding the sheath in the other hand.
Making sure to avoid the blade; Sunset wrapped one end of the rope around Dust's legs before causing her to lose her balance and knock the blade loose. The rest of the rope was used to tie her up as Sunset bent down to retrieve the weapon.
"Let me out of her!"
"I'm going to have to say 'no' to that. I'll at least let your friends know where they can collect you."
With the threat of attack neutralized; Sunset stored the knife in her jacket pocket before heading to her desired room.
"Give me back my damn knife!"
"This is mine now. Besides; I'm not letting you attack me again."
Inside the main office; the desk was shoved aside to allow a mattress to fill the back corner. Sunset opened up one drawer and removed an outfit consisting of a light blue shirt and gray tights. The bottom drawer on the other side was opened and a couple bags were removed and wrapped up in the clothes for protection. After that; the clothes were thrown in the backpack before heading out.
♢ BRIAN ♢
Brian watched as the three members of the Diamond Dog gang he shot help one another to their feet before getting Gilda. He had no idea how long they were apart before Sunset finally reemerged from the factory.
"Where's Lightning Dust," Gilda demanded
"She's a little tied up at the moment. You might want to get her eyes washed out," Sunset mused
"Let's get going and give them time to lick their wounds."
With that; the two headed back home slowly due to exhaustion from the fights. It was nearly forty-five minutes later they arrived; despite the trip to the factory taking half the time.
"Well; at least we made it unscathed," Sunset commented
"Not entirely."
Brian gently removed his jacket to reveal the cut on his arm, followed by a blood trail onto the back of his hand.
"Gilda? What'd she use?"
"Buck knife. She brought it down by head and I blocked instinctively. It's not that bad; but I wasn't going to let her know that."
"Let's head into the bathroom and I can clean it up for you," she suggested "By the way; I gained a blade of my own. I took it from Lightning Dust after she was tied up."
"You really shouldn't have stolen her knife; but I do see the dilemma you were in. If you give it back, Lightning Dust could attack you again; but it's stealing if you keep it."
"I was damned if I did anything; so I decided on what was best," she mused
After grabbing a couple cotton balls and peroxide; the wound was cleaned with minimal effort. A bandage was stuck on top to protect it.
"That could have been worse," Sunset said
"You got everything that was there?"
"Yeah. The outfit was a peace offering from Rarity when I hung around them," she answered "By the way; this is for you."
Sunset passed Brian two gold objects the diameter of an American quarter and five times as thick. Turning one disk over; a sun was inscribed on one side; while a crescent moon was on the other. Two bags containing the objects were set on the floor.
"These are Equestria's currency; bits. Inscribed are the cutie marks of the rulers of the sun and moon; Celestia and Luna; respectively. They're made of 24-carat gold," she explained
"Thank you for these. How'd you get them?"
"I kind of stole them before I left. Celestia is my mom and former teacher. It was late at night and I somehow wandered to the factory and fell asleep. I'll try to skip most of everything and just tell from the area. I threw the bags in the desk drawer and removed a few coins for my own need. I walked around for a while before finding a coin shop and headed inside."
□FLASHBACK□
"What can I do for you young lady? I am Golden Scale and this is my shop," he inquired
"I'm Sunset Shimmer; sir. I would like to sell these."
Four bits were removed from her pocket and placed on the counter. Golden Scale lifted one and placed it on a nearby scale.
"Please follow me into this room," he said
Sunset grabbed the remaining coins and headed into a room on the side of the lobby. Once inside; Scale closed the door for privacy.
"Where and how exactly did you acquire these? They're 24-carat pure gold with a weight of 5 ounces each for a selling rate of $500 per ounce. I would also like to know how you have that name as well," he asked
"You're probably going to think I'm crazy; but I came from a world with ponies known as Equestria. These coins are the world's currency. As to having the name 'Sunset Shimmer'; how would I know there was another that shared that name?"
"Sorry; it's just unbelievable. My wife and daughter; Sunset Shimmer died in a car accident years ago and she was your mirror image in appearance. Technically and legally speaking; I shouldn't be selling these to a minor such as yourself," he replied "The total price should be $10,000; but I'll make an exception and double it."
"Thank you very much."
♢ BRIAN ♢
"After he gave me the $20,000.00 for the four coins; Golden Scale decided to take me to a fast food restaurant and bought eight burgers for us once I explained I was homeless. To a thirteen year old from another world; that was a lot of money," Sunset finished
"How'd you survive?"
"With the help of the local homeless population; I was able to get food and clothing when needed. The hardest part was not revealing I had any money."
"Tomorrow we're going to head out."
"Where to?"
"The mall. That way you have clothes to wear other than just my mom's. I'll pay for everything."
"You don't have to do that. I could sell one of the bits for money," she countered "Besides; there's plenty here."
《SUNDAY》
For breakfast; the two decided on having cereal before getting dressed. Sunset was directed to the clothing boxes to select what she wanted. A pair of jeans and t-shirt were grabbed as her usual boots completed the outfit along with her leather jacket. Brian handed her a green jacket similar to his trench coat in order to wear over the other for warmth.
After that was done; they headed into the shopping district of Canterlot. Brian was in awe at the multitude of different stores.
"It's funny; but I've never been here before."
"Really? Why not," she asked
"My mom and I never needed to come here. Even afterwards; I still chose not to visit."
"Our first stop is right here," she stated, pointing to the shop
"Miss Shimmer; long time no see. And who might you be," Golden Scale mused, as the pair entered
"Brian Dragnov. Nice to meet you."
"Here for the usual; I take it," Scale questioned
"Two this time," Sunset answered
"I'll be just a minute," Scale said before departing
A few minutes later, he reentered the room with an envelope as Sunset handed over the coins. She opened the trench coat and stored the envelope in her jacket pocket.
"It's the actual amount; this time. I don't want to get any backlash," Scale said apologetically
"That's fine. Thank you for everything," Sunset said, shaking his hand
The two left the store and continued towards their final destination of the Crystal Kingdom mall. Consisting of three floors and a few hundred shops; the mall was the town's Mecca for needs. Most everything could be found inside.
"Where should we head first?"
"As you've said; I could use a new wardrobe. There's a few shops on the third floor that have some reasonable prices," she answered
"Lead the way."
Just as headed towards a nearby elevator; a trio of girls passed by causing Sunset to stop as they address her.
"Sunset Shimmer? Long time no see. Care to introduce us," an orange-haired female said casually
"Brian; allow me to introduce Adagio Dazzle and her sisters; Aria Blaze and Sonata Dusk. Also known as the Dazzlings," Sunset said, motioning to each in turn
"Nice to meet you all."
"Where's your friends? Or are the rumors true," Aria asked
"We had a falling out; but I don't know what rumors are you referring to," Sunset replied
"After our failure at Canterlot High with the Battle of the Bands; we are still registered even if we don't care to be there anymore. Checking MyStable revealed some interesting things," Adagio said
"Given the current situation; we are glad it's just you here," Aria added
"On behalf of my sisters; we'd like to thank you," Sonata added, hugging Sunset
"Thank me? What did I do," a dumbfounded Sunset asked, rubbing her forehead
"Let's go somewhere quiet. It'll be easier to explain," Adagio replied cryptically
The Dazzlings led everyone towards an out of the way area before removing three broken pendants from around their necks.
"You remember these; right? The gems inside held the energy collected from others," Adagio started
"We were Sirens; to clear up confusion," Sonata clarified, as Brian tilted his head in confusion
"Thanks. You're all from Equestria; right?"
"Yes we were. After our defeat; the actual Sirens contained inside were destroyed; which freed us," Adagio continued
"As of now, we're completely normal; despite being alive for over a thousand years. In other words; we'll continue to live our lives as actual teenagers and age normally according to our bodies," Sonata added cheerfully
"Congratulations. I'm glad that it was a good thing you were defeated," Sunset joked
"So; what exactly happened between your friends," Aria asked directly
"A MyStable account known as Anon-a-Miss. They thought I was posting secrets and abandoned me earlier in the week. Brian helped me out and saved me from probably killing myself," Sunset said sadly
"Just so you know; my sisters and I believe you're innocent. With the work you had done to fix everything; why would you go and ruin it? Have you ever found the culprit," Adagio stated
"A trio consisting of two of the younger siblings of Sunset's friends along with another girl. The latter arrived at my house with evidence regarding their guilt. It'll be turned in tomorrow to Principal Celestia."
"We wish you the best of luck with that. Thanks again for saving our asses," Sonata mused
"Do you three ever plan on returning to Equestria," Sunset asked
"Not really. We're the last of our species; for one thing. And two; it's been over a thousand years since our banishment," Aria replied
"I don't think your friend the Princess would want three 'dangerous' creatures there. We're entirely harmless; but she probably wouldn't care. It's easier being human anyways," Adagio added
Just as the Dazzlings left the area to carry out their own business; Brian and Sunset were alerted by someone grabbing their shoulders.
"Easy there; Sunset," Applejack said cautiously
"What do you lot want," Sunset demanded, turning around
"We wanted to try and make amends. Rarity and I aren't sure what to believe," AJ commented
"What she means; is the Rainbooms aren't holding together. Pinkie and Fluttershy are completely sure of your innocence in posting secrets while Dash is adamant it's you posting," Rarity explained
"What if I told you your sisters were at fault?"
"I don't know what to say," Rarity said
"Where's your proof," AJ demanded
"You'll have to wait until tomorrow. All evidence regarding Anon-a-Miss will be handed over."
"Now, if you'll excuse us; we have business to take care of," Sunset added as they left
"Sorry about my rudeness," Sunset said apologetically
"It's alright. Neither of us were expecting to have visitors. Let's carry on with what we came here for."
With that decided; they finally caught an elevator and headed to the third floor. Sunset walked with a renewed purpose towards their destination. Once inside; she removed both jackets and handed them over before looking around.
♢ SUNSET ♢
"This is interesting...I like the design on this one...the color is nice on this," she muttered to herself while looking at a rack of shirts
Inside the changing room; each of the items were tried on and placed aside into separate piles. The few she liked would stay as she sought his opinion; while the others would be put back.
"What do you think of this?"
She opened the door to reveal a blue shirt with two dragons intertwined into a heart.
"It's cute," Brian mused "I like it."
Another one that was chosen was a red shirt with an orange bird that could have resembled a phoenix.
"These are the shirts you like," he asked
"Yeah. I need more than one and these six will add more variety."
Following that; a couple skirts were chosen along with a few pants. Looking at how long she'd been homeless for; Sunset felt lucky not to have gotten sick. After everything had been finalized in regards to the selection; Sunset reaching in her jacket pocket to retrieve a few bills.
"This is everything for you ma'am," the cashier asked
"Yes. I've been putting it off for a while."
"Your total is $150," the cashier stated
Without a question; Sunset handed the money over and collected the change as Brian grabbed the bags.
♢ BRIAN ♢
"I don't know about you; but I'm starting to get hungry. My treat," he suggested
"That does sound good. Any place in particular," she asked
"We'll decide at the food court."
Sunset led her escort down the floor towards the other end of the mall where the food court was. Looking around at the choices; a sandwich shop seemed like their best option.
"What'd you think about today," she asked casually
"It's been fun. This was the first time actually acting like a teenager; so to speak. With my parent's jobs; I had to take care of everything so I didn't have much free time. I've read the entire Canterlot Revised Statutes and can recite most from memory."
"I'm glad we were able to change that. All work and no play makes for a dull life," she joked
"Tomorrow certainly isn't going to be very fun."
"Well; at least it should be better."
After finishing their lunch; the two headed home where Brian decided to wash the new clothes to remove any starch from them. With a new collection of clothes; Sunset hung them up in the closet as she could finally retire her main outfit for the others as her contact book glowed.
Has there been any progress with finding out who posted secrets?
Yeah. It was Scootaloo, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle that framed me.
Why'd the CMC do it?
According to Scootaloo; I took the other two's sisters away and this was retribution. Tomorrow; Brian and I are going to turn everything over regarding evidence.
I'm going over there tomorrow. They'll hear it from me as well.
"I pity the other students. This is not going to be fun," she muttered
"Well; at least it'll be over with. I'm still surprised that three students could cause so much damage. We'll be lucky if the students can forgive one another; especially later in the year."
"What's later," she inquired
"The Friendship Games. I've read that it's the biggest event in town as CHS takes on Crystal Prep."
"Unfortunately; they've won every year. I don't think we have ever stood a chance. I've heard that Prep students actually study for everything and are given cheat sheets to ensure their success," she replied sadly
"Maybe we can get lucky this year. It's not impossible to do so."
"If you're able to lead us; I'd say we have a fighting chance."
"Well; all we can do is wait and see how the selection process goes. Hopefully I can join the team. If not; I'll help out as coach." |
Dragon's Anon-a-Miss | 4 | Sunset was surprised to learn that Brian planned on leaving earlier Monday morning. The two arrived at school at 6:15am; just as a few teachers were getting there. Without any hesitation; they headed directly to the Celestia's office as Sunset knocked on the door.
"Principal Celestia? May we come in?"
"Come on in," Celestia replied
"What do you have there," Luna inquired, pointing to the box
"Evidence regarding the Anon-a-Miss suspects. Could either of you sign this?"
"You've really thought this out. But you know that these papers wouldn't hold any weight in court; right," Luna commented, signing the paper in question
"I am aware of that. Even still; I'd rather take precautions against tampering as one of the suspects gave these to me."
"Scootaloo and her friends did that? Why," Celestia asked in shock, looking at the chain of custody sheet
"Perhaps it'll be best to let them answer that. Have an assembly in the morning and we can get this over with as soon as possible."
"Princess Twilight is planning on coming over as well," Sunset added
As the four watched from the office window; a female with purple hair emerged from the horse statue out front by the entrance. Sunset immediately left the room and headed out to collect Twilight.
"Don't see that every day," Brian muttered under his breath
"You get used to strange happenings like that," Celestia whispered
"Principal Celestia; I am sorry about dropping by unannounced like this. I am so sorry; where are my manners? I am Equestria's Princess Twilight Sparkle," Twilight said as a blush came over her cheeks "And you are?"
"Brian Dragnov; your majesty," he said with a bow
"You don't have to bow to me; but I do wish to thank you. You helped Sunset out when no one else would," Twilight said
"I did what I knew was right. Sunset explained what happened and I decided to make sure justice was served."
"Brian has helped me out a lot. On Saturday the two of us headed down to the factory I was staying at to retrieve a few things left behind," Sunset said
"You're homeless!? Why didn't you ever say anything," Celestia demanded
"I wasn't entirely proud of asking for help from someone that reminded me of my former mentor (no offense). During the five years I've been here; the local homeless population had helped me out. Food and clothes were easy to come by and I at least had my own residence; so to speak," Sunset added "Brian did offer me a place to stay; and I'm happy to say that I accepted it."
"That's good to hear. I'm glad you have someone looking out for you," Luna said "Did you encounter any problems?"
"A group consisting of Gilda Griffin and her friends were waiting for us; but were defeated with little hassle. Three males did end up getting shot in the process; though."
"You killed three students," Twilight asked in shock
"No. I used a paintball gun when I shot them. It's nonlethal and might only cause minor bruising in the sternum."
"In the meantime; go and head to the cafeteria for breakfast and return here afterwards. We'll keep Twilight's presence secret until the assembly," Celestia said
Brian led the pair to the cafeteria and sat down just as Granny Smith emerged from the kitchen with a fresh tray of pancakes and three plates. She set the food on the table in front of them to their surprise.
"Help yourselves; youngins. Celestia let me know about the three of you coming by. Usually breakfast like this is just reserved for the teachers; while the students get other items," Granny Smith said
"Thank you very much; ma'am."
"Thank you for the food," Sunset and Twilight added
"Shoot. You can just call me 'Granny Smith'. Everyone does," Granny replied "Now enjoy."
Brian grabbed a plate and lifted two pancakes off before setting it in front of Twilight as he did the same for Sunset.
"You didn't have to serve us," Twilight commented "We'd have gotten it."
"I know; but it's just good manners. My parents taught me about respect and serving others before taking my own plate."
"Thank you for that; Brian," Sunset replied
"You're both very welcome."
"Cinnamon apple. I'd recognize that taste anywhere," Twilight mused "Her counterpart is known for those flavors."
After they finished off the tray; Brian returned it to the kitchen as the girls head to the bathroom to get cleaned up. Looking at a nearby clock revealed the time to be almost 7am and knew he needed to beat the morning rush as they went back to the office.
"We're going to have the three of you stay here for now until after breakfast," Celestia explained "The assembly will be held afterwards and might see the school ending early."
"How long are we going to be here for," Twilight inquired
"Breakfast ends at 7:45 as class starts at 8am; allowing them time to get there. This is to be a surprise announcement they won't see coming," Luna answered
While they waited for breakfast to end; Brian walked over to a bookcase and carefully took out one of the law books and began to read. Sunset and Twilight looked over the messages regarding Anon-a-Miss to see what they contained.
"I can't believe the CMC posted secrets in this world. Their counterparts did almost the exact same thing in Equestria," Twilight said in disbelief, before adding with a sigh "And your friends ended up abandoning you as well."
"What happened at home," Sunset asked
"The Cutie Mark Crusaders; as they called themselves; wanted to earn their cutie marks in journalism and instead ended up posting secrets as 'Gabby Gums'. Needless to say it didn't go over well with the citizens," Twilight answered
"I take it you have experience with abandonment?"
"Yes. My brother was getting married years ago to my foalsitter Cadence. I knew something was wrong with her attitude and told my friends; the counterparts of Rainbow Dash and the others; but they didn't believe me. I knew exactly what Sunset through and was glad someone was there to help her. I did manage to find Cadence locked up and returned her; but the apologies didn't make me feel better," Twilight replied sadly "It was about a week later did I actually repair the damages and accept their apologies."
"Damn. I'm sorry to hear you went through that," Sunset said, hugging her
"We have completely made amends over it; although I have reminded them of it any time they don't believe me about something," Twilight said
The ringing of the bell brought their attention to the present as Celestia had all students report to the gym for a mandatory assembly. Seeing that as their cue; Brian led the three out of the office.
"We'll be right behind you," Luna said
"Here goes nothing," Sunset said with a sigh
"You'll be alright. Besides; we know the truth about this," Brian said reassuringly, placing a hand on her shoulder
"He's right; Sunset. You have friends right by your side," Twilight added, repeating the gesture on the other shoulder
With renewed confidence; Sunset led the trio as Brian took the rear. Looking in the room; they saw everyone anxiously waiting and talking amongst themselves. Before they could enter the room a small call came from behind.
"Gangway," Discord called pushing a cart
Looking closely at the cart revealed it to contain a projector; laptop and an overhead projector. Following Discord was Celestia and Luna; who was tasked with carrying the evidence box.
"Let us get this set up and the three of you can enter," Luna said
A few minutes later; Luna headed outside to instruct Brian and the girls to enter.
"I'm sure you're wondering why this assembly was called," Celestia started "And it has to do with our school-wide problem."
"We know who the creator is," Luna added confidently
"Sunset Shimmer," someone yelled "She's been the one posting secrets!"
"I haven't done anything of the sort," Sunset replied "Why don't you step forward and explain yourself?"
Scootaloo stood up and headed towards the front to the shock of the school. In front of them; she logged in to MyStable and accessed the Anon-a-Miss account before deleting it. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle looked on and couldn't believe what just happened.
"I am only one of the three that started this account. Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom are the others," Scootaloo said
"Traitor," Bloom yelled "Judas!"
"I am not a traitor. I did the right thing by admitting it," Scootaloo countered
"Why the hell did you do it," someone yelled
"It was meant to only be a joke. The nickname was meant as a simple laugh; as I'm sure other students have worse that that," Scootaloo answered "The dresses were originally posted as free advertising to Rarity's Carousel Boutique; but it was twisted towards different means. Many students can attest to how stubborn Rainbow Dash can be; and her refusal to ask for help. I posted the test in the hopes of someone offering to help her out."
"What about the rest of our secrets? Why were those posted," another demanded
"We were only posting what we were told to do," Apple Bloom added quickly
"It was Diamond Tiara who was the mastermind," Sweetie Belle chimed in
"I can say for certainty it was Diamond Tiara who made the final edits of posts before they were shared," Silver Spoon added "There are folders on her home computer that contain the private secrets of every student and teacher."
"The police have been informed of this knowledge and will be investigating it thoroughly," Celestia said, holding up her cellphone
"I am very disappointed in the student body of Canterlot High," Twilight said "How many of you were completely sure of Sunset's innocence?"
To her surprise; only seven students stood up in regards to the question. Four were recognized as Octavia and her friends with Snips, Snails and Derpy finishing them off. The rest either thought Sunset was guilty; or didn't care one way or another about the incident.
"I thought the last time I was here, you would have learned; but I guess not. You got yourselves into this mess; and you are responsible for fixing it. And how's about the five I left to teach Sunset about friendship; what do you have to say for yourselves," Twilight continued
"I don't care what the reasoning was; I still see Sunset as guilty," Rainbow Dash stated defiantly
"I'm just surprised my sister was the one posting secrets. Why'd you do it," Applejack commented
"I wanted to spend more time with my sister; but you blew me off for Sunset," Bloom answered "So I wanted to break up your friendship. And I did a better job than Sunset ever did!"
"Pinkie and I thought it was Sunset at first as did everyone else. The more we looked at it; the less made sense. We kept returning to the idea of why someone who wanted to make amends for their actions turn their back on the progress made," Fluttershy said
"The last time you went through this; the five of you failed to confirm it was any of you that lied and mislead the others. What reasons did you have to condemn Sunset," Twilight asked
"The pictures were taken only on her phone. Those same pictures showed up online," Dash countered
"Did any of you ever think my phone could have been stolen!? I was lucky to have a phone; so there wasn't any lock on it because I didn't know how. I have since rectified that problem; but the damage was done," Sunset commented
"I did discuss that with Fluttershy about how pictures might have gotten posted," Pinkie added "We're horrible friends."
"We'd understand if you don't ever want to be our friend anymore," Fluttershy added sadly
"We'll see. I hung around you all in the hopes of being included in the group; but obviously that was a load of crap," Sunset mused
"Did any of you actually plan on accepting Sunset into the Rainbooms; or was it just because a princess asked you to do so," Twilight added with a combination of disgust and sarcasm in her voice
"I honestly don't think there's an answer to that question. None of us treated Sunset like an equal," Rarity mused sadly
"I don't care about anyone; but I want payback from Saturday," Gilda said as she approached
Before Brian could react; one of the taller Diamond Dogs grabbed him from behind in a bear hug as his partner approached. Sunset grabbed Twilight and brought her close to protect her.
As the two surrounded Brian; he leaned back and kicked at the attacker in front of him; creating separation. His right heel was driven into the instep of the other; causing the grip to loosen. Seizing the moment; two elbow strikes were delivered to the Diamond Dog before being thrown to the ground.
"Next?"
The other charged at Brian trying to kick him; as the foot was caught; leaving the Dog on unsteady ground. Brian rolled towards his right, causing his opponent to land on his fallen comrade. The shortest member of the trio; only a little shorter than Brian; ran towards him only to stop as Brian had a hand on his head.
"I'd suggest you stop unless you wish to join them."
"I stop. No more pain," the Diamond Dog said, heading towards his friends
"If you want something done; better do it yourself," Gilda taunted
"Don't think about it," Celestia warned
"It's alright Principal Celestia. I'll take care of this."
The school watched as Gilda removed a knife from her belt and attempted to attack Brian. Without a second thought; he brought his hands over the knife and grabbed her wrist.
Following the temporary neutralization of the weapon; he twisted his body to bring the arm over his shoulder as the knife fell from Gilda's grip. His right foot was lifted allowing the blade to land on it as Gilda was thrown over his shoulder landing near the others. Upon finishing his impromptu self-defense presentation; the students started applauding as he kicked his foot upward allowing the knife to be thrown and land in his outstretched hand.
"Principal Celestia; I believe you'll be wanting this," he said handing over the blade with a slight bow
"I do not know what everyone is clapping for. The matter of punishments are still to be determined," Luna said
"May I hand them out? I do have some ideas," Brian whispered
"Feel free," Celestia replied
"For battery with a deadly weapon; and according to CRS (Canterlot Revised Statutes) 1000.45: Gilda Griffin will be subject to expulsion and arrest."
"Shit. I fucked up big time," Gilda muttered
"For the five accused of creating the MyStable Anon-a-Miss page; each of you will receive in school suspension for the reminder of the year."
"Five of us? But only they did it," Silver Spoon argued, motioning towards the CMC
"You were complicit in the actions and did not attempt to stop Diamond Tiara from posting secrets."
"As for the rest of the student body; there is an event that happens next semester called the Friendship Games. Every student will be participating in qualification with the twelve highest students representing CHS. I will be one of the participants as well."
"Consider yourselves lucky about punishments. School is dismissed," Celestia said simply
Embracing their freedom; the students raced out of the gym and off school grounds. Before she could leave, Scootaloo found herself shoved to the floor from behind. Two pairs of arms helped her up in the form of Sunset and Brian.
"Traitorous bitch," Apple Bloom spat "You're no longer a member of the Canterlot Movie Club."
"I quit on Friday when I turned over the documents to someone I actually trust. I have more in common with Brian then I ever did with you," Scootaloo countered
Granny Smith entered the gym with Applejack and grabbed her granddaughter's earlobe dragging her out of the room. A dejected Rarity yanked her sister's wrist and pulled her out as the others followed wordlessly. Only Luna, Celestia, Brian, Sunset and Twilight remained.
"With everything that happened; o don't know if I want to head home anytime soon," Twilight mused "The amount of stupidity makes me angry."
"If you want; you can stay the night at my house," Brian suggested
"I'd like that very much," Twilight replied
"It's about a mile away. I hope you don't mind the walk?"
"That's fine. I can at least see more of this world," Twilight said
"Brian and I met the Dazzlings the other day," Sunset said casually, changing the subject
"What did they want," Twilight inquired
"They thanked me for destroying the crystal that contained the Sirens themselves. Other than being over a thousand years old; their bodies will age like the teenagers they appear to be," Sunset replied
"I'm glad to hear that they're doing much better after the incident," Twilight replied
"I'll give the three of you a ride if you'd like," Celestia suggested
"If it's not too much to ask."
"Not at all," Celestia replied
Celestia led the trio out towards the parking lot and her personal car. Brian helped Twilight inside before Sunset climbed in the back just as he took the passenger seat up front.
"Thank you for driving us home; Principal Celestia."
"You're welcome. I'm glad this whole nonsense is over with," Celestia replied
"Partially. We'll be dealing with the aftermath for a while. Those secrets destroyed friendships and will take time to mend," Sunset said sadly
"I just hope there is some sort of normalcy when the Friendship Games come around. It'd be nice to have a chance at winning for once," Celestia commented
"So do I; Principal Celestia. It's hard to watch as everything falls apart after being fixed," Twilight mused
"We're here. Have a nice day; you three," Celestia said as Brian helped the girls out, before adding "And don't do anything you'd regret!"
"This is a nice house," Twilight commented "Who lives here with you?"
"It was my parents' but the two died in combat. After Sunset mentioned she was homeless; I suggested she stay here."
As Brian opened the door for them; Twilight watched him head towards the memorial wall in the living room.
"Your parents may be gone; but your memories of them are not. Rejoice knowing they are in peace and that you'll join them some day," Twilight said reassuringly
"Thanks. I always wear their dog tags as a reminder of them."
"What's with the gloves," she asked
"Massive scaring on both hands. Perhaps it's best left at that."
"I can understand. I'm not too sure I'd want to see. Arg! Why do so many of the students have to be so bucking stupid," Twilight asked rhetorically
"I honestly don't know what to say. We've both been through the same situation regardless of circumstances," Sunset mused sadly
"When you destroyed their friendship years ago (no offense); they didn't do anything to help themselves until I suggested they investigate it. This was the exact same thing; just months after I arrived the first time! I really want to hit something," Twilight said angrily
"I can help taking your frustrations out. Have Sunset help you into this and she can lead you downstairs," he said, handing over a karate uniform
Sunset led Twilight into her bedroom and helped redressing her friend. Brian headed downstairs and changed into his uniform pants and wore a white tank top along with his belt. Just as the girls arrived, he removed a big attack pad from a corner.
"What's that," Twilight asked
"It's a body shield for martial arts. Go ahead and attack it."
"I'll try not to hurt you," Twilight said cautiously
"Don't worry; I'll be fine. Which leg would you want to use first?"
"Probably my left. At home; I seem to reach for something using my right foreleg more often," she replied
With that in mind; he steadied himself as Twilight drove her left leg into the pad. A short time later; she switched legs to even things out.
"That does help a lot. I still want to hit something though," she said
"I have something that might help."
"What's with the two cinder blocks," Sunset asked
"Just what I was thinking of. Board breaking."
"I don't know if I do that," Twilight said sheepishly "The pad was soft."
"It's not that bad. Trust me."
For starters; he grabbed a short brick and set it on top of the others. After kneeling down in front of it Brian held a hand above the brick before dropping it; causing it to break.
"That doesn't look so hard," Twilight commented "Let me try."
"You'd find it easier to start with a wooden board. Bricks are not for beginners; unless you'd want to break your hand."
"I'll help you out Twi. I'll break one first to give you an idea. Brian; would you mind holding one for me," Sunset asked
"Of course."
Sunset grabbed one of the wooden boards and placed in on the bricks before handing him one. Taking a similar stance as with the pad; Sunset punched the board with little effort as Twilight watched.
"How'd you do that so easily," Twilight asked
"I just blocked out everything and struck. Dash had me break one and I ended up hurting my hand for a day or two. She told me I had improper technique and after that; had me hit another one," Sunset answered
"Instead of hitting straight ahead; swing your fist downward onto the board," he suggested
To Twilight's glee; the board broke using the technique he suggested. Three more boards were destroyed as she altered hands.
"I'm done. Thank you for that; Brian. It took a lot of anger out," Twilight said, as she hugged him
"Glad I could help. If you need it; there's a shower on the first floor. Sunset could direct you to it. I'm going to get the floor cleaned in the meantime."
As the girls departed; he grabbed a trashcan and deposited the broken remains inside and swept up the debris on the floor. Afterwards the trashcan was brought upstairs and outside to be picked up with the garbage. Once Twilight was out of the bathroom; he headed inside to clean off before getting changed into his sweats and t-shirt.
"I don't want to be rude; but what's there to eat? All that work made me hungry," Twilight commented
"I haven't had time to go shopping to restock; so I'll order pizza and onion rings for us."
"I'll be alright eating meat; if you're wondering. Pinkie ordered pizza with meat on it once. When Applejack told me about some animals being raised for food; it reminded me of the difference between sapient creatures and non-sapient at home," Twilight added
"Even though you're okay with it; why don't we have anchovy and mushrooms," Sunset suggested
With that decided; the order was put in as all they had to do was wait. Brian stepped out of the room and retrieved a case from his bedroom and opened it up.
"You play? I didn't know that," a surprised Sunset asked
"During my time in the Academy; I joined orchestra and was taught how to play cello."
An impromptu concert was played as Brian wanted to relax. Twilight found herself leaning in from her seat enthralled by his playing.
"You don't happen to know someone named Octavia Melody, do you," Twilight inquired
"Unfortunately; I don't. I'd hazard a guess in saying she's a big name in Equestria?"
"She is. In fact; Octavia happens to be a famous musician," Twilight replied
"I've met her human counterpart once before. She is the school's best cellist; having been taught at a young age," Sunset said
Brian had enough time to put his cello away before the door rang with the food delivery. Sunset paid for the meal and brought it inside. Everyone enjoyed the food and retired to their rooms before heading to bed at their own time.
♢ SUNSET ♢
"How's mom been doing?"
"Princess Celestia still loves and misses you. When I told her about you trying to make amends for your actions; she pardoned you of all crimes," Twilight replied before pointing to a bag in the corner "That isn't what I think it is; right?"
"It probably is. Bits."
"You stole bits from home!?"
"It was just prior to my departure. I swiped a few bags and left through the portal. Somehow they stayed the same even when I became human."
"She knew you took them that day and didn't mind. It ended up being written off as a necessary expense," Twilight mused
"I'm surprised she did that."
"On another topic; do you like Brian," Twilight inquired
"I don't know. It's not that I don't; but I really haven't been in a relationship."
"What about Flash Sentry?"
"I used him to gain popularity in the school when I arrived. I'd like to think he hung around me because I was the badass in school."
"If you do indeed have a relationship; I wish you the best. Now; how's about we get to sleep?"
"Sounds good. There's a nightgown in the closet if you need it."
"Thanks; but what about you? What're you wearing," Twilight countered
"Nothing. I'll be fine naked."
"Is that really the best? Sleeping nude?"
"We're both girls and have the same anatomy. It's not that bad."
"It's your choice. Let's get to bed. Besides; I need to get home tomorrow," Twilight said through a yawn
♢ BRIAN ♢
Brian laid down with one thought constantly running through his mind. Try as he might; it wouldn't pass, so he decided to meditate.
'Have I really fallen for Sunset? She is pretty; but I don't know anything about relationships. Hell; I don't know what will happen if I do say anything,' he thought
"I guess the best thing to do is just wait and see."
Hoping the lingering thought had finally passed; he crawled into bed not entirely looking forward to Tuesday morning. |
Dragon's Anon-a-Miss | 5 | ■TUESDAY■
Tuesday morning Brian woke up early and knocked on the door to Sunset's room. Although it was his house; common courtesy was extended to guests in terms of privacy, especially not knowing one's state of dressing.
"Girls? It's time to get up."
Leaving them to their own business; he headed to the kitchen to start working on breakfast. Not wanting to insult Twilight; just pancakes were made, instead of adding bacon or sausage on the side. As an additional surprise; chocolate chips were added into the batter.
"Smells good," Twilight commented as she entered
"How'd you know chocolate chip pancakes were my favorite," Sunset inquired as she followed
"I didn't; but instead thought it would be a nice surprise for you both."
"Sunset; aren't you glad to be with someone like Brian? A surprise breakfast of your favorite food," Twilight teased, causing a blush to form on Sunset's face
"I'm not...we're not," Sunset stuttered "Are we?"
"I don't know. I mean; we can be if you want to."
"Your expressions say it all. The two of you just don't realize it," Twilight added
Breakfast continued without hassle as they enjoyed the food before taking the hike to school. Uncharacteristically; he threw a few pens and empty notebooks into his backpack before slinging it over his shoulder.
"That's a first. You taking a backpack," Sunset mused
"I do have an actual class schedule; even though I've never bothered to use it. Besides; from here on out, I am attending CHS."
"I didn't realize your house was so far away," Twilight commented
"It's only a mile away. Only years ago I had to complete ten mile hikes when I was in Canterlot Military Academy."
The walk continued in peace as they arrived fifteen minutes later. As usual; only the teachers were arriving; leaving the group with privacy.
"I'll see you sometime soon. Hopefully everything returns to normal. Bye; Sunset," Twilight said, hugging her before turning to Brian "Thank you Brian for your hospitality. It was a pleasure to meet you."
"Farewell Twilight. I'm glad I had the opportunity to meet you."
After watching Twilight pass through the statue, they were joined by Celestia and Luna before everyone entered.
"You're finally attending school? Why the change," Luna inquired
"I did say I would be participating in the Friendship Games and I thought it'd be best to actually join the school."
"Just take it easy on the other students," Celestia suggested
"I have no intention of doing anything otherwise."
Once the bell rang; he and Sunset parted ways and headed towards different classes. Scootaloo and the others were stopped by someone standing in the hallway.
"The five of you will follow me; if you don't mind," Discord stated
"Why you," Diamond Tiara asked "The useless janitor?"
"I am still a teacher. I just chose to help out cleaning the grounds. Now; let's get going," he replied
Without question, albeit reluctantly; the five were led down a hallway into an area containing unused classrooms. One was opened up to reveal a five-by-five layout of desks.
"One of you per column. Front and back corners and middle," Discord directed
Scootaloo grabbed a seat in the middle row, middle seat. Apple Bloom had the back right corner, while Diamond Tiara took the back left. The first and last rows were occupied by Silver Spoon and Sweetie Belle; as the five formed a giant 'X'.
"The rules for In-School Suspension are simple. No talking as you complete your classwork. All bathroom breaks will be handled one at a time by Dean Harshwinny."
Discord walked over to each of them and dropped a manila envelope on the desk. Inside each of them was the work assigned by their teachers.
Once given out; the girls began working in total silence. The only sounds throughout the room was the scratching of graphite pencils over paper and the steady ticking of a clock.
"Break time. One by one; you'll be going to the bathroom," Harshwinny stated as the bell rang "The rest of you can stretch by your seats."
"This is cruelty. You can't keep students locked up like prisoners," Tiara argued
"This was actually a lesser punishment than what I would have given to you. Be thankful for that," Harshwinny countered
♢ CELESTIA ♢
"Sister; I just received a phone call from Filthy Rich."
"What did he want," Luna asked
"To thank me. Two police officers arrived with a warrant and took a look at the computer. Within minutes; records regarding students were found as they took the computer. Filthy was shocked and angered his daughter was the architect of Anon-a-Miss."
"What'd he say about the punishment?"
"If she puts another toe out of line; Diamond Tiara will find herself in CMA."
"It's wrong of me to say; but we know she'd never survive a year at the academy," Luna mused
"Don't tell anyone; but I'm in agreement with you."
"It's funny. Brian actually created the in-school suspension; but I'm wondering if we should keep it," Luna questioned
"I'd say we use it as a last resort. Isolating the students in one room and having total silence is punishment enough. Besides; we need to work on adjusting their class schedules."
"How so," Luna mused
"By making sure they don't share a class with any of them. PE can be adjusted to have one in each hour."
"Fair enough. Even though the five are just doing homework; I have another thing for them," Luna said with a smirk
"Spit it out Lulu."
"If you can get a list of names; have the group write apology letters to everyone," Luna suggested
"Already ahead of you. The police are sending me a copy of names for that purpose."
"Well; great minds do think alike. We'll have them start the letters tomorrow," Luna said
■ISS■
Over the next few hours; the five girls found themselves getting a bathroom break during what would have been the passing period before returning to the room. All five had their work finished just prior to sixth period ending.
"If everyone's done; I'll take the work and you'll be dismissed for lunch once the bell rings," Discord said
"Finally. This is ridiculous to treat us like this," Tiara complained "And we have to do this for the rest of the year!? Wait until my father hears about this."
"I'm sure he'd be happy to know what you've been up to," Discord countered, with a hint of sarcasm
"Get going," Harshwinny directed as the bell rang "Dismissed."
♢ BRIAN ♢
Brian casually stored the notebook just as the bell rang; managing to leave first. After getting his food; he headed towards a table near the back before being joined by Sunset.
"How'd it go," she asked casually
"Not bad. I actually forget how boring some classes are."
"Sunset? Do you mind if we join you," Fluttershy asked cautiously
"Go ahead. There's plenty of room."
"We're sorry for not believing you," Pinkie said
"You did at least give me the benefit of the doubt," Sunset replied
"You tried to change after becoming a demon. We tried to reason why you would have thrown that away," Pinkie said
"That's why I helped Sunset out. She tried to change and needed a friend when everyone stood against her."
"Do you mind more company at the table," a voice asked from behind
"Rarity; Applejack Come join us," Pinkie said, patting a chair
"I hope you don't mind us joining you uninvited," Rarity commented, sitting down
"Not at all. There's some things you need to discuss."
"We're sorry about our treatment of you. I can't call myself the 'Element of Honesty' if I have to lie to cover my backside," Applejack said apologetically
"And I really should have considered your generosity towards others as you helped others out," Rarity added
"Thank you girls; but I hope you know that it's going to take some time before I truly accept your apologies. You did abandon me and refused to hear my side of the story," Sunset replied sadly
"That's understandable. We'll be here whenever you do choose to accept us," Fluttershy said
"I'll throw a party for us to celebrate," Pinkie added
Once school was released; Brian and Sunset headed to the store in order to restock on food. A few packages of meats were selected that they agreed on. Along with the meat; Sunset carried two bags containing fruits and vegetables. Upon getting home; everything was stored away by Sunset as he divided up the meat.
"Sorry about earlier at lunch," Sunset said, breaking the silence
"It's alright. Let them take a day or two to get settled. Even Twilight was in the same position."
"Are you going to be okay in class? It's been a while since you attended," she mused
"I'll be fine. Besides; I don't need to show off. How'd it go with you?"
"Every class was practically dead silent. Friends that were normally chatty seemed almost ready to attack one another for the smallest incident," she answered sadly
"We just need to take it easy and keep our heads down; so to speak. It's going to be a while for some to trust each other."
"I'm honestly not looking forward to PE. Any game we play will be a massacre just to survive."
"Talk to Principal Celestia about it. See if you can get a free period or have the class changed," he suggested
"I'll try for a free period. It's not all that important anyway."
■WEDNESDAY■
After arriving at school; Sunset immediately headed to see Principal Celestia about her problem. Brian decided on waiting outside the office for her.
♢ SUNSET ♢
"Principal Celestia; is it possible to change my PE class?"
"Why do you want to do that," Luna asked
"With the Anon-a-Miss incident; everyone is still on edge and is practically attacking one another in class. I'm not really interested in getting assaulted."
"Is it just in that class, or any others," Celestia asked
"Probably all; but they get to take out their frustrations in PE. Nothing helps to stop it; either."
"Very well. I'll send a note to the teacher about this. In the meantime; take the period off and tell Brian to do the same," Celestia decided
"Thank you; ma'am. We know it's not easy; but that is ridiculous to resort to such methods."
"I'll announce that no fighting will be tolerated on school grounds," Luna chimed in
■ISS■
As Scootaloo and the others entered the room; each were handed a stack of papers as a projector was turned on.
"What's this for," Sweetie Belle asked
"You're going to write letters of apology to every student that had secrets posted online. There will be five letters to each of them," Discord stated "Starting with Sunset Shimmer."
Scootaloo simply wrote that she was glad to have gotten the weight off her chest about being one of the creators. She added that her father was notified and would accept whatever punishment he decided was best. Silver Spoon wrote the same basic message stating that much of the posting were due to her inability to confront her only friend. When each letter was finished; Discord stuck them in an envelope with that person's name on it.
The reminder of the day was spent writing letters as it progressed the same as Tuesday. Bathroom breaks happened once during each period as the others stretched in the meantime. Surprisingly; everything was finished before the end of the day as they enjoyed the free time.
Without caring; each had their heads on the desk as they took a nap until the final bell rang. Discord turned the letters over to Celestia to hand out to each of the victims while Harshwinny watched over the class in the meantime.
♢ CELESTIA ♢
"Finished," Discord said, as he entered
"Thank you for that."
"When are we handing them out," Luna asked curiously
"Tomorrow might be best. That way; we can work on separating them by first period class. And we also need to fix class schedules for the girls as well."
●STUDENT BODY●
Once the final bell rang; everyone was running down the hallways to leave. For those that chose to remain; lunch was next for the rush. Rarity and most of her friends were together for the walk.
"One side," a voice called, slamming into Pinkie
"That was pretty rude of Dash," AJ commented
"She's still mad from what happened. Give her some time alone," Pinkie replied
After getting their food; the four found Sunset and Brian's table and joined them.
"What's with Rainbow Dash? I don't think I've ever seen her so pissy before," Sunset commented
"It's the Anon-a-Miss incident. She's still mad and taking it out on everyone," Fluttershy answered
"Hopefully she calms down. Otherwise; she's likely to get hurt," Brian commented
"I'll give you 'hurt'," Dash said, approaching the table "Don't talk shit behind my back. Say it to my face."
"Don't do something you'll regret. Just take it easy," AJ said, standing in front of Dash
To everyone's relief; Dash turned around and walked away in a huff as Fluttershy let out a breath she didn't know she was holding.
"That was too close. I don't want to see any more fighting," Fluttershy said
"Thank you for standing up to her."
"She's too erratic right now. Let her be alone for a while," Rarity said
■THURSDAY■
The following day saw a repeat of Tuesday for those in trouble. A packet was handed over containing class assignments were removed, along with a small envelope.
"What is the meaning of this," Tiara demanded
"That is what is known as a 'class schedule'. Each of you have all new classes," Discord replied in a deadpan
"How can you do that," Bloom added
"The five of you will not share any classes to prevent anything from happening," Harshwinny added
♢ SUNSET ♢
Before her first period class could begin; Cheerilee handed out a stack of manila envelopes to a portion of the students. A series of letters were removed.
Sunset-
I'm sorry for putting you through the hell I did. Thank you for accepting my apology after my confession. My father has promised me there will be punishment for what happened
-Scootaloo
This was my fault. Diamond Tiara is my only friend and I couldn't stand up to her. I hope you can find it in you to accept my apology
-Silver Spoon
I don't regret what I did; I just regret getting caught. My sister never spent time with me because of you. You'll always be a demon as far as I'm concerned
-Apple Bloom
P.S Discord- This is not to be considered an apology but a complaint.
You should have received better treatment than what you had. Who am I kidding; I don't care! You bullied everyone long enough and someone had to do something about it. I can't get into trouble because my daddy will prevent anything from happening.
-Diamond Tiara
I'm sorry for stealing your phone. The pictures were nice and showed off some of my sister's lesser seen works. Looking back; I should have asked whether or not you would minded me using them. Please accept my apology for everything
-Sweetie Belle
"Why am I not surprised? There had to be at least one rude message amongst the bunch," Sunset muttered under her breath "Let alone two."
"What's this about," another student asked
"Those of you that had secrets released during Anon-a-Miss have received messages from each of the culprits," Cheerilee answered
Sunset threw it into her backpack as the lesson was started; although it didn't mean that much. The others that had letters were comparing them to see what was written to them.
"It seems that two of the girls didn't care. They basically just wrote a message that politely read 'screw you' in fancy language," someone complained
The rest of day was all about the letters received so Sunset didn't bother ditching class. In response; their PE teacher just had the girls walking the track in order to do something productive.
For the boy's class; it was the same thing; but their coach let them choose what to do. Brian decided to take advantage and train. He found a broken broomstick that lacked a brush and used it as a bo staff.
"That's not too hard," Flash commented "I'd kick your ass in a fight easily."
"You saw what he did to the Diamond Dog gang; right? That was a 3-on-1 fight and he fought them easily," someone commented rhetorically
"Not to mention a knife-wielding Gilda," another added
"You really want to try? Go ahead."
As Flash attempted to charge in; one end of the wooden staff was used to knock Flash off his feet with ease.
"Done already? Of course I did have a advantage. Still think you can kick my ass?"
"Probably not. Even without that stick, I'd lose," Flash answered as he got to his feet
"Glad you realized that. Your opponent has a skill advantage over you," their PE teacher commented "He's been in martial arts for years, by the looks of it."
"You're right, sir. I've trained for eight years and hold a 2nd degree black belt."
"Sorry about attempting to fight you," Flash said, holding out a hand "This Anon-a-Miss incident has everyone on edge still."
"Apology accepted. I've seen many students receiving envelopes from the culprits."
Lunch was casual with everyone showing one the letters they received. Sunset went to grab something in her backpack as Rainbow Dash glanced into it.
"Give me that. That's not yours," Dash demanded, reaching into the bag
"You could ask to see something first," Sunset countered, wrenching Dash's arm "And two; what's not mine?"
"That case," Dash said
"I'd like it back," Lightning Dust said, approaching the table
"Not here. Release her arm and follow me."
Brian led the girls straight to the principal's office. Dash decided not to go and just stayed behind in the cafeteria.
"What can we help you with," Celestia questioned
"Shimmer has something that belongs to me," Lightning Dust stated
"What exactly do you have that belongs to miss Dust," Luna inquired
"A pocket knife. I grabbed it during the attack last week," Sunset answered "I forgot it was in my backpack."
"Why here," Celestia asked dumbfounded
"Handing over a weapon should be done where an official can see it," Brian offered
"I'd like the knife back. It was a gift from my dad before he died," Dust said sadly "He was in the military and died in combat."
"I'm sorry for you loss. I know how you feel as both of mine died in combat as well."
Without a problem; Sunset opened her backpack and removed the knife. Lightning Dust cradled the blade and clipped it on her side carefully; before covering it up with her shirt.
"Thank you Sunset. I'm glad you kept it safe. Gilda knew about me having the knife; but didn't know its meaning. It was her idea to send the three idiots to attack you," Dust said, hugging her
"I'm sorry for taking your knife. I thought you'd continue to attack me if I gave it back," Sunset replied
"I'm glad you both settled things. You both received the apology letters from the five," Celestia mused
"If they could be called as such. Both Diamond Tiara and Apple Bloom have no regret of creating it or the hell it caused," Dust said
"Same goes for me. Neither of them want to be redeemed," Sunset added
"Unfortunately, the apology; or rather lack there of; is out of our hands," Luna replied
■FRIDAY■
Friday saw the students receiving an unexpected day off for a staff development day. Sunset decided to take advantage and wanted to train with Brian. He started taping his hands and fingers to cover up the scars in the meantime out of habit.
"What do you want to do?"
"Can we use the wooden swords," she asked
"Of course. We'll go easy on each other."
As he handed over the second sword to her; Sunset charged in to attack. Without thinking; the blow was parried as he moved aside. The pace slowed down as the attacks became methodical. Both circled one another before she chose to attack. In response; Brian stepped around her and held the sword to the back of her neck.
"And there's your head."
"That was fun," she said panting
"Where'd you learn how to sword fight?"
"I never learned; but acted on instinct. Throughout the sparring match; I tried to read your actions to prepare."
"For just instinct; that was really good. I did the same considering my background."
Before the two could do anything else; a loud pounding resonated from the front door. Sunset placed her training sword on a rack while he kept his in hand. Upon reaching the door; Brian nodded for her to open it. A pink blur shoved by the two and started running around the living room.
"This should be big enough for the others to sit. The cake can get to the kitchen easily," Pinkie said to herself
"Excuse you."
"It's Pinkie. Let her be," Sunset whispered
"Oh; I almost forgot. I need to let the others know," Pinkie mused
It takes place at 123 Fake Street. See you girls soon
About ten minutes later, another knock was heard as Pinkie walked over and casually opened it. Brian watched as the other four members of Sunset's friends; including Rainbow Dash; headed inside and made themselves at home in the living room.
"I hope it's alright we're here," Fluttershy commented
"It's fine," Pinkie replied
"This is a nice house," Rarity said
"It certainly feels like a museum," Applejack mused "It's really quiet."
"This place is dull," Rainbow Dash chimed in
"That's it," Brian whispered to Sunset "It's time to step in."
"Eyeballs," Brian called, entering the room with the sword on his shoulder; before pointing it towards Pinkie "Ears open and mouths closed. You barged into my house without reason or permission and invited the others without asking. Anything to say for yourself?"
"I wanted to get the others here to celebrate," Pinkie replied
"You still didn't need to shove past us," Sunset added
"We came to officially apologize for abandoning you," Rarity said
"I'm still mad; but not at you. It's taken all week to realize you were innocent," Dash said, hanging her head "I'm sorry for everything."
"Sorry for the unwanted entry," Fluttershy chimed in "We should have asked first."
"Yes; you should have. Especially if you planned on giving my address to anyone else without permission."
"If it's alright with you; there is one more thing that is to be here," Pinkie replied vaguely
For the third time that day someone was knocking on the door. A male and female in aprons arrived wheeling a box on it into the house.
"Sorry about this. Pinkie asked us to deliver this to your house," Mrs. Cake replied
The box was opened to reveal a rectangular cake decorated with Sunset's cutie mark on top. Mr. Cake brought a couple cases of regular non-alcoholic cider in along with a container of ice cream.
"Sunset; could you ever forgive us for our actions," Applejack asked
"Brian; what do you think about this," Sunset inquired
"This decision is out of my hands. You need to decide whether or not to forgive them after you were wrongly accused."
"Girls; I do forgive you under one condition. You have to promise not to ever jump to conclusions again without at least hearing both sides of events," Sunset stated
"I agree to the promise. We made a big mistake before and paid the price," Applejack said
"I can do that," Fluttershy added
"That is fair. We need to listen more to the whole story than our own opinions," Rarity commented
"Yes indeedie. I'll listen extra carefully," Pinkie chimed in "Just in case someone else doesn't."
"Deal," Dash said simply
"Before we cut the cake; would you allow Sunset and a few moments to get changed?"
"Go ahead," the girls said
"No funny business back there," Dash added jokingly
Brian ran downstairs for a moment to return his training sword before heading into his room. A simple black pair of sweatpants and a shirt were thrown on; although he decided to leave his hands taped up so the others didn't see the severe scarring. Sunset chose to throw on a pair of tights and t-shirt that were already destined for the wash. Once done, the two returned to meet the others in the living room
"We never did get your name," Fluttershy commented
"Brian Dragnov."
"Out of curiosity; what are the wraps on your hands for darling," Rarity inquired
"I did that when we were training. It covers up some scars I have."
"You seem awfully familiar to me; but I can't place it," Dash commented "It's been driving me crazy trying to figure it out."
"Don't hurt yourself trying to think about it. Perhaps the answer will come to you later."
"This is your house; I'd guess," AJ asked
"It is now. I'm not interested in explaining that; either," he replied simply
"Enough with the sadness. It's time for cake," Pinkie said cheerfully
Brian retrieved a cake knife from a drawer and handed it over to Sunset.
"Are you sure you want me to do it," Sunset questioned
"I'm sure. This is about your forgiveness. I'll dish out the ice cream."
Without any further questioning by Sunset; the cake was cut and passed out as the others headed into the dining room.
"To forgiveness and second chances," Fluttershy offered as a toast
"Forgiveness," the girls chimed in
"What do you two lovebirds plan on doing for the holidays," Rarity asked
"We're not together. Brian is letting me live here," Sunset said hastily
"Where did you live originally," AJ asked "You had sleepovers at our houses; but never mentioned yours."
"I was homeless living in an abandoned factory," came the answer
"Well; you're doing better now. That's a good thing," Pinkie commented
Rarity and the others decided to start heading home soon. Since they arrived uninvited; it was fair to assist in cleaning up the mess first. A quick glance at the clock revealed the time to be 6:30pm.
"We're sorry to have dropped by without telling you," Fluttershy said
"Thank you for helping to clean up. We'll see you when the semester restarts in January."
"See you soon and take care," Sunset added as the others left |
Dragon's Anon-a-Miss | 6 | Monday saw CHS being closed for the start of Winter Vacation; which would end in January around the 15th. The unspoken unanimous decision of the students were to spend as much of time playing games and relaxing before to class.
"Brian; what did you have planned for Hearth's Warming, err; Christmas," Sunset asked curiously
"I honestly didn't have a plan. If you want; we could get each other a gift with free reign."
"What do you mean by that?"
"Instead of us going to the mall together; we go separately and look for something for the other. That way neither of us get an idea as to what areas the other went to."
"If that's the case; I'd like to return home temporarily. I haven't seen Equestria in quite some time. Since you've seen my contact book with Twilight; I'll send you a message through it to let you know when I'm on my way through the portal," she commented
"That's fine with me. Be safe when you go over there."
"I will; but thanks for caring. I'll leave tomorrow and will probably be gone two or three days," she said, hugging him
● SUNSET'S VACATION ●
The next day; a simple breakfast of omelets and sausage was made before Brian escorted her to the school to use the portal. A quick message to Twilight was written; so she knew what was happening.
"Alright; Brian. I'll see you in a few days."
"Have fun. I hope one of these days I can visit your home," he said
"You will. Take care and don't do anything too crazy."
"I can assure you that's not going to happen. See you soon."
After saying her temporarily goodbyes; Sunset finally headed through the portal. Once on the other side; it took a moment to remember she had four hooves to get used to. Looking around; the room was one of the umpteen crystal rooms in Twilight's castle; but as to which one, she couldn't answer.
"It's been so long since you've been here," a voice said, entering the room
"I'm sorry for my actions years ago; mom."
"You have made up for that already," Celestia replied, hugging her "You have made friends over there and survived for years."
"Well; my friends have changed slightly."
"Speaking of; what's been going on since I left," Twilight asked
"The five tried to make up to me by throwing a party at Brian's house. I'm still not happy about them abandoning me without reason."
"At least you have someone close," Twilight teased
"My daughter has a hooman coltfriend," Celestia inquired
"It's pronounced 'human' mom. But I'm not sure about him being my boyfriend."
"I had to have a joke; my little Sunshine. But I am curious as to why you don't like him."
"It's not that I don't; but I just haven't said anything about it to Brian."
"You're afraid he's going to say that he doesn't like you back," Discord mused, popping into the room
"Yeah. With our version of Hearth's Warming approaching soon; I'll confess to him and hope for the best," Sunset said with a sigh
"What exactly brought you back to Equestria," Twilight asked
"I wanted to get a gift for him that was truly unique. I thought about something with gems might do."
"Gemstones? I'll take you over to Carousel Boutique. Rarity has made a few outfits with gems sewn in," Twilight said cheerfully
"I'm glad to have someone showing me around because I am lost in this castle. It'll be worse in town wondering around without a clue."
"I'm glad to help out," Twilight said "Follow me."
"We'll leave you two alone for now. It's good to see you again; sweetheart," Discord said, before he and Celestia left
After her parents were gone; Twilight led Sunset out of the room and towards the main portion of the castle.
"Why'd you have to place the mirror on the fifth floor?"
"Originally; I thought it was easier to keep it out of the way. Anyone wanting to use it has to head further into the castle; making it easier to get lost," Twilight replied
"What about teleporting oneself to their destination?"
"There are spells that prevent that from happening. Any teleportation results in returning to the ground floor."
Now armed with that knowledge; Sunset stopped for a moment on the step she was on. Concentrating on the ground floor; her horn ignited as she cast the spell.
"Why didn't I think of that," Twilight said out loud "I'll just fly down."
Seconds after Sunset made it to her destination; Twilight was just starting to lower herself to the ground from the short flight.
"I forgot about taking the easy way. Especially when the bedrooms are on the second floor," Twilight said
"It's alright. I'm glad to get a chance to work on spells after being a human for so long."
With no other distractions; Sunset would finally be shown around Ponyville. She found herself constantly looking around at the difference between worlds as wood buildings took the place of brick and mortar.
"That's Sugarcube Corner where Pinkie works," Twilight pointed out
"Good to see some things are similar."
"Well; we've reached our destination. Rarity's Carousel Boutique. I'll help out if you need it," Twilight commented
"Thanks. I just might need it; as this is likely to be complicated."
"Welcome to Carousel Boutique. Where everything is chic, unique and magnifique," Rarity said as the two entered "What can I do for you Sunset?"
"I was wondering if you could help me with creating a few necklaces to be a gift."
"A necklace? That is something I can do; but it is uncommon. What would you like for it," Rarity inquired
"I was hoping the two could be made out of gemstones. The first is to be based on my cutie mark; but the other is just an idea."
"The pony you're wanting it for doesn't have a cutie mark," Rarity realized
"No; or at least not one I know of. It's for the human male I'm staying with on the other side of the portal. I'm creating it based on what I'd believe it to be."
"That's fine. I have boxes of stones that have never been used. I'll be happy to make you the necklaces," Rarity said
"To make things easier; I'll summon two big sheets of paper to use as a template," Twilight suggested
"Thanks Twi. I'll start getting that drawn."
Sunset summoned a mirror to see her own cutie mark as Twilight summoned the paper. Drawing her own was easy as simple notes of color was placed inside the areas. From what she knew of her friend; Brian played music and wrote little observations about what he'd seen or learned.
Starting slowly; an old fashioned scroll was drawn that could represent his notes or drawing as a pencil was added as a writing utensil. After hearing him play; a musical note was drawn to recognize that ability.
"I'll start with yours first; Sunset. I take it you'd want two necklaces each? One set for yourself and the other for your friend," Rarity commented
"Yes please. I'll help as much as I can."
"Thank you. With us working together; it should go faster," Rarity said
"Just curious; but how's this going to work?"
"We'll use the paper templates and fill them in with stones. Afterwards; I'll fuse them together with my magic and shrink them to a more manageable size," Twilight answered "When we finish both of them; I'll make the necessary copies."
"I'll grab the cases of gems," Rarity said
After leaving the room momentarily; a series of boxes were levitated inside and placed in a corner. Each were marked with their contents on the side.
"We'll use amber and ruby for your necklace," Rarity decided
Over the next couple hours; the three managed to completely finish the entire design. Upon reaching the pointed areas on the design; Twilight had to cut the gems to fit using her magic. She used a spell that would fuse the stones together into one seamless mass before it was shrunk. In the end; the final design had a length of three inches and width of two inches.
"One down; one to go."
"Indeed. I suggest we take a break in the meantime," Rarity suggested
"I will see you two later. I'm going to return to the castle," Twilight said
"See you later Twi."
"So tell me; how did you meet him," Rarity asked "Your friend; I mean."
"Brian saved me."
"I'd have to have a little more detail than that; darling."
"Long story short: your counterparts had secrets posted about them and thought I did it. Dash shoved me to the floor while other students looked on. Brian stuck an arm out and helped me to my feet. Later on; he took me to his house and let me stay. The younger sibling of the counterparts were the culprits."
"Gabby Gums again. Such a shame that it happened in the first time," she mused
"I'm trying to forgive them; but it still hurts."
"I know how you feel. We abandoned Twilight during her brother's wedding and I still get reminded of it. In hindsight; we really should have listened to our friend we've known for years over the stranger we came to see," Rarity said, hugging Sunset
"There's a human saying that time heals all wounds; and I'd like to believe it's true. Broken trust isn't going to mend itself overnight. I'll forgive them eventually when they've proven I can trust them."
"When you're ready; let's get the other design done. We can't mope all day. It's unladylike," Rarity decided with a determined look on her face
"You're right. Thank you for the confidence."
"Since this design is a bit more challenging; how do you want to start this," Rarity asked
"The music note will be black."
"So; onyx for that," Rarity mused, a box opening up automatically "Anything else next?"
"The pencil is mix of colors. The top will be pink; followed by a gray section under that; while the main shaft is yellow. Finally; the very tip will be black."
"What about the section between the tip and shaft? You didn't mention that."
"I don't know. We can use white there."
"Alright. We'll get the center done first," Rarity decided
Wanting to use her magic a bit more; Sunset levitated some of the onyx pieces from the box and set to work. Rarity removed a few pieces of rose quartz to place as the eraser. Hematite became the metal securing band as amber was used for the body. Rarity left the room to retrieve a much smaller box. A single white stone was removed and placed near the bottom, before a piece of onyx was the sharpened tip.
"What's that white one?"
"Moonstone. Princess Luna gave us a few pieces and they," Rarity started
"They contain a very small portion of actual moon rock," a voice finished "Twilight said I'd find my niece here."
"Aunt Luna. It's been quite a while since I've seen you."
"I'm sure your coltfriend will like that necklace. Just promise me I'll get to meet him," Luna joked, hugging Sunset
"I promise Brian will visit Equestria. It will probably be in the future after school ends. That will be when we graduate high school.
"That's fine. We'll wait for your visit to occur. Take care girls," Luna said, teleporting to Twilight's castle
"Now that the center's done; we can tackle the hard part."
"I was thinking about that. This is a scroll; right," Rarity inquired
"Yes. What are you thinking about?"
"Tiger's eye stones for the center area. As for the coiled parts; there's a similar one known as cat's eye scapolite. The handles will be bronze," Rarity suggested "It'll give the illusion of aged paper with the lines in it."
"Are you sure about using bronze in the necklace?"
"Sorry for the interruption girls. Here are some custom pieces that will do," Discord said, popping into the room with Twilight
"Thank you for bringing me here; Discord. I needed to get away from stupid ponies," Twilight said, letting out a sigh
While the others were talking; Rarity set out placing the stones on the diagram. She used a spell to resize pieces of similar design to make sure it felt seamless. Almost an hour later, the last piece was placed.
"Finished. And if I do say so myself; both look beautiful," Rarity said
"They certainly are. Thank you for allowing me to help; Rarity."
For a second time; Twilight used the spell to fuse the design before shrinking it to exactly the same dimensions as the other. Both necklaces were placed together and they were copied flawlessly.
"And four chains to hang them on," Discord said, pulling four pieces from his mouth "These of course are special."
"Special how," Twilight and Sunset asked together
"Once they have been put on by the wielder; only that person can remove them. In other words; think of it as an anti-theft system," Discord explained "We can't forget a box to put them in as well."
"Thank you so very much; dad. Twilight, Rarity; I can't thank you enough for making these necklaces."
"I'm happy to make them with you. Your friend will love these," Rarity said cheerfully
"What do you want to do now," Twilight asked
"Actually, if it's alright with you my dear Twilight; Celestia and I would like to spend some time with our daughter before she leaves," Discord answered "Tomorrow is Hearths Warming after all."
"I actually forgot when it happens."
Discord placed a hand on Sunset's back and teleported the two away as she clutched the box. They ended up inside Canterlot's throne room in front of an ongoing meeting with a noble during night court.
"We need to do something about excess," the noble started
"I'm sorry; but I object to your complaint," Discord said, snapping his fingers
"Where did you send him," Celestia inquired
"His home. Besides; family comes first," Discord answered casually
"Due to the lateness of the hour; we suppose a family gathering should take place tomorrow. Court has been canceled on account of Hearth's Warming," Luna suggested
"You did it again Lulu. Using the royal 'We'," Celestia joked
"I did; but it is true. Your room is upstairs Sunset," Luna replied
Once Sunset was led to her room; she had to look around. In one corner sat the shell of the phoenix she hatched for a test as her mom had Philomena in her room. Another wall was dedicated to books as she remembered all the studying she did. Being in there caused her to burst into tears.
"I'm such a bucking screw-up," she cried, burying her face in a pillow
After releasing the pent up sadness; she rolled over and fell asleep as Luna decided to check on her dreams.
○DREAMREALM○
Luna watched an unfamiliar area form and what she figured were the human counterparts of her niece's friends emerged as they surrounded Sunset. Sunset appeared in her demon form against her friends, before their faces morphed into twisted versions of themselves.
"Please. I've tried to change," Sunset begged, on her knees
"You're a demon. We could never be friends with the likes of you," was the collective reply in a monotone voice
"Come on. I've got you," a male said reassuringly
Luna watched as a male cloaked in black helped Sunset to her feet. To her surprise; the cloak changed into black angel wings that surrounded Sunset as she reverted back to her human self.
"Aunt Luna," the real Sunset mused "I didn't expect you to see that."
"I'm sorry you went through that; but I'm curious as to how long this has been going on for? You may have made mistakes; but you've grown up. Look at the good things that have happened."
"Thank you. It's hard to see the good things through the fog of mistakes. The dreams have persisted for a couple weeks; but this version was recent."
"You see him as a friend?"
"Outwardly; I do see Brian as a friend. But honestly; he's my dark-cloaked savior. An angel with black wings that's not a Fallen."
"Make sure you tell him about these feelings. You'll never know what he thinks if you don't ask."
"I promise. When I get home; I'll tell him on Christmas. It's the human version of Hearth's Warming."
"If you've gotten rid of your sadness; may you have sweet dreams. I won't influence them, but hope you create them."
"Goodnight Aunt Luna."
□THE NEXT DAY□
"Wake up Sunset," Celestia said, knocking on the door
"Sleep well," Discord asked
"Not really. Just being back here reminded me of how much I screwed up. I thought I knew everything when I was a filly; only to know nothing. I left when I didn't get my way in becoming an alicorn and had to survive in another world for years."
"It's alright. I made mistakes with my daughter as well. I should have explained that you had potential to become an alicorn and tried to prepare you for it. I only saw you as a student the entire time; and never once as my daughter," Celestia replied sadly
"What about Twilight? Did you ever feel she was my replacement?"
"I told her about the fact I had a previous student; but couldn't tell her it was my daughter. Twilight understood that she wasn't there to take your place but to learn," she added
A puff of smoke appeared around Discord before he vanished. In his place was a green earth pony with black and white hair and mane. His cutie mare consisted of a clockwise spiral that became counter-clockwise at the end.
"I haven't taken this form in some time," the pony mused
"Just who are you?"
"I'm still your father. This was what I looked like some time ago," Discord answered
"What happened that...?"
"That caused me to change? I honestly don't know. It's been thousands of years since I was turned into the epitome of Chaos to remember," he added
"You look dashing either way," Celestia said, nuzzling her husband
"How's Philomena?"
"She missed you after you left. Wouldn't leave your room for weeks until she realized her mom wasn't returning," Celestia answered
"On another subject; let's enjoy the day," Luna said
"You're right; sister. This should be a day of celebration," Celestia replied "Happy Hearth's Warming."
"To you all as well. I don't have anything to give you for a gift."
"Just you being here is plenty," Discord countered
"He's right. Family is more important than any gift," Celestia added
"Make sure you keep your promise when you return," Luna chimed in
"I will. I'll be returning home tomorrow."
For the reminder of the day; all four spent time however they wanted as Celestia and Luna decided to teach Sunset some new spells so she wouldn't forget how to cast them. Discord returned to his usual form and started to make simple pranks in order to cheer his daughter up. That evening; she was flown to Twilight's castle to spend the last bit of time before returning.
"Sunset; welcome back," Twilight said with a hug
"So you're heading home soon," Fluttershy asked
"Twi told us about what happened. I'd like to give the human me a piece of my mind," Dash said with a scowl
"As much as I'd like to see it; I'm going to have to reject your offer; Dash. It's enough that Twilight has come over even though I haven't seen her counterpart; but the rest of you might cause major problems."
"Plus; we don't know what you girls would look like," Twilight added "The wrong one could pass through unintentionally."
"Do you happen to have a spare room? I was hoping to stay here before I leave in the morning."
"Of course. You are planning on letting him know right," Twilight asked
"Will y'all quit playing games and tell us who you're talking about," an indigent Applejack asked
"A male friend I'm staying with; Brian Dragnov."
"I hate to be rude; but I need to get home and feed my animals," Fluttershy said "Take care girls."
"I'm gonna get home myself. There's plenty to do on the farm tomorrow," AJ said
"And the clouds need to get cleaned," Dash added
"Have a good night everyone. I'll see you tomorrow," Twilight said before they left
"Hiya Sunset. I'm Starlight Glimmer; Twilight's student," she commented
"It's nice to meet you; Starlight. Reformed villain; I'd guess?"
"Yeah. I ruled over a village in which all the citizens were equal. Wanting more; I tried to change time and sent Twilight through various versions," Starlight answered, rubbing the back of her head "Big mistake."
"Damn. And I thought trying to take over another world with the power of teenagers was bad. At least nothing bad happened and everything was fixed."
Sunset found herself having a dreamless sleep as she didn't want to be reminded of her mistakes. All that mattered was the fact that she had changed whether anyone saw it or not. The next morning she got ready to head home as she clutched the box with her gift.
"Twi; can I use the book for a moment?"
"Of course. Here you are," she replied
Brian: I hope you've been alright these past few days. I wanted to inform you that I'm heading through the portal and will wait for your arrival
-Sunset Shimmer
Thanks for informing me. I'm just about to leave now. Is there anything you'd need me to bring?
My backpack if it's not a problem
"Thank you for everything these past few days; Twilight. I'll return to Equestria some time soon."
"Take your time with school. Keep me informed of the goings on," she replaced
"Just don't wait so long to answer."
"Unless it's a major emergency; I'll try to write back soon," Twilight joked
Not wanting to wait any longer; Sunset headed through the portal. Once on the other side; she had to remind herself to stand on two legs. She was lucky that it wasn't too much of a wait until Brian got there.
● BRIAN'S VACATION ●
After Sunset headed through the portal to Equestria; Brian waited a moment before leaving the school. His first stop was to the bank to withdraw the money necessary.
Before his parents died; it was agreed to have his name added to their bank account in the event something happened. With the amount of money saved away; his mom didn't need to worry about much. He figured that $500 should be enough for anything he bought and still leave plenty in reserve. Having finished the easy part of the day; the next thing was to head to the mall.
"Damn. I honestly don't know all that much about her," he muttered to himself "This'll be a pain in the ass."
"Excuse me good sir," a voice called
"My brother and I couldn't help but notice your predicament," another added
"I'm Flim and this here's my brother Flam. If you're looking for a gift for a special girl, you've come to the right place," Flim said
"Now just head inside here and we'll relieve you of your money," Flam added, "Err; help you with your gift problems."
Out of the corner of his eye; Brian watched Flim placing one hand on his shoulder while the other started reaching for Brian's wallet as it gently moved his trench coat away.
"Remove your hands from me or you'll find them broken. I'm not letting a pair of con artists steal from me."
Knowing the threat to probably be genuine; Flim did as he was told as Brian walked away. Neither brother expected any retaliation from a potential victim. In fact; the idea was to steal their wallet and try to sell it back to the customer for however much might be in the wallet. Once Brian left the area; a security guard was notified about the potential theft from the brothers. It would be dealt with quietly so other guests aren't alerted.
"Now that's done; I'm still at a damn loss," he muttered
"Need help," a voice asked "Brian; isn't it?"
"It is. I'm all for help Flash."
"Although we were together for a short time; I could probably offer some advice. Since you're an observant fella; think about what you've seen," Flash answered cryptically "See you around. And good luck."
Wanting to get an idea; he made his way to a store locator. Clothing and shoe stores were eliminated due to not knowing Sunset's measurements for either. The few toy stores were a possibility depending on if there was something of interest or not.
Flash's hint reminded him about a habit Sunset has. On numerous occasions in school, she would hum songs to herself while drumming her fingers. After a while; he noticed the drumming wasn't random; but the actual pattern the guitarist was playing. Now armed with an actual destination; he made a beeline towards the shop.
"Welcome to Melodys. How may I help you," the cashier inquired "You're a student at CHS. I've see you with Sunset a lot. The name's Vinyl Scratch."
"Brian Dragnov. I was interested in getting a guitar."
"Acoustic or electric?"
"Acoustic for now."
"Back left side. Let me know if you need anything," Vinyl added
In front of the area was an inventory guide with everything inside and cards to designate which item was desired. While flipping through the book; one guitar stood out to him. The paint job consisted of a white top that blended into a blue bottom. Seeing that one; the card was immediately removed and handed over.
"This one? It's definitely beautiful; in fact it was a limited edition paintjob," she commented "Give me a moment to retrieve it."
Vinyl headed into the storage room and returned a few minutes later with the case in hand.
"It'll be $150. I could add a little decoration to this if you'd want," Vinyl said as she rang it up
"If it's not too much trouble. I wanted to add 'Sunset' on the fretboard and have a clear coat added over the design."
"None at all. I'll have it finished by tonight and wrapped up for you. Could I get your address so I can give it to you?"
Brian wrote down his address down as Vinyl slipped it inside the case. Once her partner arrived; she would head into the mall's workshop and start.
"Sorry I'm late," Octavia apologized
"It's alright. Just helping a customer now," Vinyl replied "Brian; this is Octavia Melody; my partner in the store. This was opened by our parents and we help on the weekends."
"A pleasure to meet you miss Melody."
"Just 'Octavia' is fine. I'm glad that whole Anon-a-Miss mess is over," she commented
"Same here."
"Tavi; I'm going to be in the workshop. I'll be back soon," Vinyl said
"Alright. Brian; when did you start playing music," Octavia asked, as Vinyl left
"When I was ten years old; so nine years now. I was at CMA when I was taught cello."
"I've heard rumors about the school being one of the toughest around," Octavia commented
"It's not a rumor. The Academy's curriculum set everyone above the rest. None of the students bragged about it since it's unnecessary and most will probably enter the military."
"That's quite a surprise that you transferred to our humble school. I am curious as to why; though," she added
"Personal reasons; I'm afraid."
"Fair enough. Would you mind showing some of your skills? Vinyl should be done shortly."
"If it won't be a problem. I don't want to get in trouble for using a store instrument."
"I'll grab the spare from storage. Besides; many visitors to the mall actually don't mind the impromptu concert," she countered "My sister has used the store as influence for her records. In fact; her persona is DJ Pon-3."
"I'm sorry to say; but I've never heard any of her music. I guess I was raised on old school classic rock."
"To each their own."
A black cello case was removed from the storage room and handed over to him. The endpin was raised to a slightly higher level to allow Brian to stand up and play. A tap on his shoulder from Vinyl a half hour later caused him to stop.
"That really was beautiful playing. I'll have this delivered to your house this evening if you don't mind," Vinyl said
"Thank you for working on the guitar and to you, Octavia; for allowing me to play for you."
"You're welcome for both. The writing was done in 'Old English' font in white before a clear coat was added down the length of the neck and body," Vinyl explained
Now that he had finished shopping for Sunset; he wanted to enjoy the visit in the mall. True; they were there about a week ago; but that was just for her benefit to go shopping. This time; even closer to Christmas was a bit different with small pop-up stores just for the occasion.
A toy store caught his attention with a display of a six foot tall teddy bear. While looking around; he decided to stop by a section containing plush toys out of curiosity. Seeing a horse gave him a chuckle before being set back down.
"Nah. That definitely wouldn't be a good idea."
Not wanting to insult her; he found a couple bears she might like instead. Although he didn't have any himself; a third was picked out to keep in his room.
"These all for you," the cashier asked
"Yes."
"Your total is $20. Have a nice day."
"To you as well. Merry Christmas."
With everything taken care of; his stomach signaled it was time to get something to eat. The walk to the food court was slow as many other visitors had the same idea. Not wanting to stay too long; a sandwich place was chosen before heading home for the day.
"At least everything's done. Tomorrow I'll set up the tree."
He decided to relax and take a nap for an hour or two. Around 7pm Vinyl came by to drop off the guitar as she promised. The case was inside of a cardboard box and covered in wrapping paper with a blank label on it. He stored it inside his room for the time being, along with the bear he chose as the other two were on Sunset's pillow.
The next day was a bit easier on what to do. Heading into one of the rooms used for storage; a few boxes were removed containing a small artificial tree and some ornaments to go with. Deciding on the best place for it; the tree would sit on a corner table with her gift close by.
"At least that's done. I'd head to the dojo; but I know it's closed for the upcoming holiday. I'll just train downstairs."
After a few hours of training; a quick peek at the clock revealed the time to be around 6pm. Dinner became a cheese omelet and potatoes. Remembering the fun in the music shop; the cello was removed and played for a little while.
"It's funny. Sunset's only been gone a couple days; and I already miss her. I don't think I've noticed it before."
After having a bowl of cereal for breakfast; Brian remembered the journal in her room and grabbed it. Once it was on the table; the book began to glow as he flipped to the last page used to find the newest message.
Brian: I hope you've been alright these past few days. I wanted to inform you that I'm heading through the portal and will wait for your arrival
-Sunset Shimmer
Once he'd read the message; he wrote back an acknowledgement of his own.
Thanks for informing me. I'm just about to leave now. Is there anything you'd need me to bring?
My backpack if it's not a problem
He quickly ducked into her room and found the backpack sitting by the foot of the bed. The journal was stuck inside as the bag was slung over his shoulder for the walk to school.
■■CURRENT TIME■■
"Hey; short time no see," he joked "What's that you have there?"
"You'll have to wait a until tomorrow on Christmas," Sunset countered
"In the meantime; let's store it in here for now," he said, handing over the bag "What happened while you were there?"
"I reunited with my family and made a realization about myself. And you?"
"Trained and relaxed a bit."
"Shall we get home and warm up," she suggested
"Sounds good to me."
To his surprise; Sunset hooked an arm around him as they started walking home. With the new clothing she bought; a jacket wasn't one of them.
"Here. You need this more than I do," he said, removing the jacket and draping it over her shoulders
"Don't you need it? You'll catch a cold."
"I should be telling that to you. Besides; I'll be fine for now."
Once they headed home; Brian started getting water ready to make tea to help warm them up. Sunset saw the gift in the corner and carefully placed hers on the table.
"This is the first time I've really celebrated Christmas," Sunset mused
"I hope this is enough."
"It's plenty. Besides; for years I would sit in a nearby homeless shelter for the couple days before returning to the factory. I guess I was lucky about not getting sick for the years I spent there."
"You don't have to worry about that any more. I won't let anything happen to you."
"Thank you for worrying about me. The water's done, by the way," she mused
With the notice; he set up a set of cups as she helped herself. The drink helped to take away the chill from the long walk home.
"That was delicious. Wouldn't have taken you for a tea drinker," she joked
"My parents used to make it as a regular drink. Most often it was made hot and stuck in the fridge to become iced tea. It just popped into my head."
A bit later; the two decided to retire to their rooms. Brian had to hide a smirk as he pictured the look on Sunset's face when she saw the surprise.
"This was so sweet of you," she said heading into his room holding the bears
"I thought you'd like it. I saw a stuffed pony and thought against it for obvious reasons."
"I'm not against it; but it would feel awkward. Just out of curiosity; what color was it?," she mused
"Three different ones. One black, one brown and the last design was white."
"That's actually better for them to be modeled after real horses. Otherwise it'd feel like I was sleeping with one of the girls. Not that I have any issues with others doing that; but I just don't see myself that way," she added sheepishly
"Whatever you decide is your business. I can't offer any advice on the subject."
After their conversation; it was late enough for them to head to bed early. For breakfast Christmas morning; Brian decided to be a little festive with the meal. Crushed peppermint and extract would be added into the mix along with chocolate chips. To go with that; sausage and bacon were starting.
"Care for some help?"
"If you'd like. Peppermint chocolate chip pancakes were a holiday tradition with my family."
"Perhaps afterwards we open our gifts," she suggested
"Sounds good to me."
"These are delicious. I'm glad to help out with this," she said
"Thanks. This'll be the first holiday since my mom died in August."
"Your parents wouldn't want you to mourn; but celebrate their life instead. They're at peace now."
"Thanks. I just try not to think about it. I'll wash the dishes."
Without a chance for argument; he set to work cleaning up. It took his mind off the loss and brought it back to the current time. Sunset wiped up the table in the meantime, although it wasn't necessary. Once both were finished; they sat down in the living room to open the gifts.
"Go ahead and open yours first," he suggested
She decided to enjoy the anticipation and lifted each corner off the box. This was the first gift she had, which was why it took so long. A few minutes later; the wrapping paper was removed leaving a sealed box next.
"Could you cut the tape on this," she asked
Heading over to the nearby cabinet; a pocket knife was removed and snapped open. Brian casually flipped the blade over, giving it to Sunset. She quickly slit the center tape and popped the box flaps open.
"This isn't what I think it is; is it," she asked in awe
"Why don't you take a look for yourself."
"Oh my goddess; it is! Thank you so much," she exclaimed, kissing him on the cheek
"You're welcome; but I can't take all the credit. Flash helped a bit."
"What did he do; if you don't mind me asking?"
"He gave me some advice I used. That's all I'm going to say on that subject."
"The design is amazing. It reminds me of home," she added
"That's why I chose it. I figured you'd love it."
"It's your turn to open up my gift," she said, handing over the box as he opened it
"These are amazing! Actual gemstone necklaces. I recognize the sun as the same from your backpack; but the other is new to me."
"For one thing; I'm sure you've noticed there's two of each, so both of us get a set of designs. The scroll was an idea for your cutie mark in Equestria. I figured the scroll and pencil were for note taking; and the musical note is obvious," she explained
"Thank you for these. I'll wear mine as often as I can."
"You're welcome. The Rarity from Equestria played a huge role in the creation of these necklaces."
"I do have to ask you something. Yesterday you mentioned something about making a realization. What did you mean by that; if you don't mind me asking?"
"It was actually about you; Brian. Ever since you helped me; I've been having dreams of the others turning on me as I stood in my demon form. My aunt; Luna, saw a version where you helped me to my feet and your jacket change," she explained
"Changed how? I'm intrigued by you dreaming of me."
"It became black angel wings that wrapped around me. I didn't think about it; but you mean so much to me. I love you; but I just couldn't bring myself to say anything," she finished "You're my black-cloaked savior."
"It's taken me a while to see the same thing. You're the first person I've ever been with; so I am completely unsure about relationships. We've both been hesitant to tell the other; due to fearing what the other might say."
"At least we've admitted our feelings to each other and know they're mutual. What do you think the others would say," she mused
"Honestly; it doesn't matter. I wouldn't be surprised if some believed we were together as it is."
"I know I've asked this before; but if your parents were still around (no offense); would our circumstances be the same?"
"I'm sure they would. Hell; if they found out you were homeless; they probably would have adopted you as their daughter to give you an official home."
"Thank you so much for everything. I could never repay you for the kindness you've shown me," she said, hugging him; before kissing him on the lips
"You're welcome. When we return to school; we'll have to keep the PDA to a minimum. Public display of Affection; in case you didn't know."
"Thanks for the explanation; I've never heard the term before," she promised " I Pinkie Promise not to do anything in public. Cross my heart and hope to fly. Stick a cupcake in my eye."
"Just don't actually stick a cupcake in your eye. It'd be embarassing to explain that to a doctor." |
Dragon's Anon-a-Miss | 7 | [3 MONTH TIME SKIP]
By the middle of March; everyone was ready to get the Friendship Games over with. Since their return in mid-January; qualifications were started, with only Celestia and Luna knowing. Grades and attendance were being looked at to determine the group of representatives.
♢ CELESTIA ♢
"Sister; have the finalists been determined yet," Luna inquired
"I've been looking at this; trying not to show bias to anyone."
"What have you been doing to combat it?"
"I asked all the teachers to withhold the names of students and just turn in a list saying how many students have been absent at a given time; along with an overall of their test scores," Celestia explained
"I see at least fifteen that have perfect attendance and have carried at least an 'A' in their classes," Luna mused, looking at a guide sheet "How are you going to narrow it down to twelve?"
"I'm not sure. I've asked the staff to watch the group closely. Their attitude also matters. Those that aren't showing any care to participate are to be removed."
"When are you going to have the list done? Abacus is getting on my ass about it."
"By the end of this day. Unfold the paper with the scores on it."
"Half of these are surprising to see; but the others aren't. What about the three that didn't make the cut," Luna mused
"They expressed their opinion about not caring about a; quote 'stupid effing tournament' and won't be joining."
"At least we have a team; but I just worry about the past rearing its ugly head. Our students still haven't gotten over the Anon-a-Miss incident," Luna added sadly
"I'm hoping it can be pushed aside. This year is the fifteenth tournament since it was started sixty years ago. I'd actually like to win just one damn trophy," Celestia hissed
"Let's hope for the best. Besides; the students need to take care of the challenges on their own," Luna suggested
"Do we have any idea of what's to be expected for the Games? Maybe we can secretly help out."
"You're suggesting cheating!? Celly; you know the superintendent is in charge of designing the challenges for our schools. It was determined by the governor to have a truly unbiased party running it," Luna chastised
"I know Lulu; but we also know Cinch has been known to do anything to win. I'd just like to beat her to the punch."
"I'll say it again for you. The students need to take care of the challenges on their own. Cinch, Cadence and the two of us aren't supposed to interfere," Luna said firmly
"Alright. I give up."
"Good. I'm glad you give up."
♢ BRIAN ♢
"This is going to be fun."
"How long have we had to qualify for the Friendship Games," Sunset questioned
"Three months. It's getting closer and we're nowhere to knowing who's on the team."
"Hopefully it's soon. I still can't get over the fact Anon-a-Miss isn't dead," she added sadly
"Technically; we watched Scootaloo delete the account during the assembly. This is just the extended fallout from the secrets. At least most have made up; while only a small portion are against each other."
"Come on; we should be getting to school. I'm surprised you didn't notice the time," Sunset commented
"I did; but wasn't paying too much attention. At least we'll be early as usual."
After getting to school; they headed inside towards the cafeteria before the morning rush could begin. Various groups had conversations regarding the upcoming event; as most just wanted to know when it would happen.
*WILL ALL STUDENTS PLEASE REPORT TO THE GYMNASIUM FOR AN ASSEMBLY*
"Here goes nothing," Sunset muttered
"At lease this should be good news."
The walk down to the gym felt torturous for some students as the last time they were there; was regarding the reveal of the culprits of Anon-a-Miss. This time, they hoped it be good news for once. While some filed inside willingly; there were plenty of stragglers that felt hesitant and were ready to leave the moment something bad came up.
"Good morning students. I'm sure you're all wondering what you have been called here for," Celestia started
"Something good; we hope," someone yelled
"We can assure you it good news. The twelve members of our school's representatives have been chosen for the Friendship Games next week," Luna added
"Please step forward when you hear your names," Celestia said "Octavia Melody, Rarity Belle, Lyra Heartstrings, Fluttershy Angel, Bon Bon Drops, Rainbow Dash..."
"Yes," Dash exclaimed
"Ahem; as I was saying," Celestia said, with a little cough "Sunset Shimmer, Applejack Apple, Vinyl Scratch, Pinkie Pie, Derpy Hooves and finally; Brian Dragnov."
The twelve rose from their seats and headed towards the podium. Brian stood with his arms behind him; left hand in front of the right; at the middle of his back with legs shoulder-width apart. Most of the others had their hands in their pockets; not knowing what to do in front of their peers.
"Let's have a round of applause for our delegates, " Luna added cheerfully
A thunderous roar emerged from the student body; with a few whistles as well. A huge weight was lifted as they could go back to their usual routines while the group studied.
"Everyone is dismissed to return to your classes. I would like the twelve of you to stay behind," Celestia said
Once being told the good news; the students snatched up their backpacks and took off towards class. Brian and the girls headed to the stands to sit down in anticipation.
"Congratulations to each of you. You were chosen due in part to perfect attendance; grades and attitudes," Celestia explained
"That helps at least with part of an answer; but what difference does it makes? CHS has a shitty record with the Friendship Games," Dash replied crassly "0-14 doesn't look good to me."
"We invite you to head to the teacher's lounge for the next couple weeks. This will give you privacy to study. Unfortunately; we don't know what you'd need to focus on," Luna said
"We should have a leader," Fluttershy mused
"Thank you for the confidence. I gladly accept the duty," Dash said smugly, taking a bow
"I'll throw my name into the running."
"You think you have a chance? I'm the captain of the soccer team," she asked sarcastically
"And I led 3,500 students at one time. What's your point?"
"Never mind. You win," a defeated Dash replied, hanging her head
"Just who are you," Lyra asked
"Before I transferred here at the start of the year; I spent years at Canterlot Military Academy. For nearly two years from when I was sixteen to eighteen; I was the Cadet Commander in charge of overseeing the students. And to answer the imminent question; I came here for personal reasons."
"Wait a minute; back up. You went to CMA," Bon Bon asked "How'd you get in?"
"Their curriculum was designed to challenge its students in most aspects. As to how I got in is simple. My parents were in the Navy and that's all I'm permitted to say on that."
"If that decision is fine with the rest of you; Brian will lead the group," Luna commented, as the others nodded "By the way; you're excused from class during this time."
Celestia handed over a key to the teacher's lounge; before directing them to the room. Inside was a small three seat couch along with a few round tables. Following his lead; all backpacks were placed against the wall to be out of the way; before they sat down at the tables.
"What should we call you? 'Coach' or do you have a preference," Rarity inquired
"It's up to you on that."
"'Commander' works for me," Sunset commented, as most of the others nodded
"Since the games are approaching quickly; we'll have to play to our strengths. Do you have something you're good at; and something that needs work?"
"I obviously excel in Home Economics; but can't understand biology," Pinkie admitted
"You can help me out in Home Economics and I'll guide you through biology," Fluttershy suggested
"I'll help Rarity," AJ decided
"I'm going to be with my girlfriend," Lyra said, hugging Bon Bon
"When it comes to family; who knows me best than my sister," Vinyl added, hugging Octavia
"Not in public Vee. Some may get the wrong idea," Octavia countered
"I can keep Dash under control," Sunset said
"Not funny," Dash pouted
"I wasn't making a joke," Sunset countered
"That just leaves you and me," Derpy commented "Is that alright with you; commander?"
"I don't have a problem with that. I'll assist in any subject if anyone needs help."
With that taken care of; they broke off into their pairs to study. He figured it was easier to work with someone that can easily balance you; than not. A break was called a while later; much to their confusion.
"Why are we stopping," AJ asked
"So you don't burn yourselves out. Put everything away for now and you can take a nap if necessary."
"How can anyone," Rarity started, before a couple of snores rang out
Pinkie and Fluttershy were sitting against the wall; with their head on the other's shoulder, fast asleep. The others either shrugged or shook their heads at the sight.
"I stand corrected," Rarity countered
Most of the girls found a seat at the table and used their bags as a makeshift pillow. Brian removed a piece of paper and wrote a simple message on it.
'Students are safe. Just taking a nap'
"What's that for," AJ inquired
"Letting the staff know that we're okay. That way; no problems arise if they see us sleeping."
With the note finished; it was taped to the front door before Brian set an alarm on his phone and sat against the wall for his nap. Nearly forty-five minutes later; the alarm rang, causing them to stir.
"Have a nice nap everyone," a voice asked
"Principal Celestia? What brings you here," Sunset asked, wiping her eyes
"We thought you could use something to eat," Luna replied "A couple of sandwich platters to be precise."
"Thank you very much. I suggested taking a break so as not to exhaust ourselves studying."
"That is a very wise thing to do. Your studies are coming along alright," Celestia mused
"I think we should be fine. Everyone knows what to focus on," Rarity answered
"We wish you all the best of luck," Luna finished, before they left
"Let's get back to work after we eat. Perhaps we should have a spelling test?"
"That's the problem; isn't it? We don't know what to focus on," Vinyl complained
"It might be an overview of classes," Derpy suggested
"Damn. I just hope we can win," Dash said
"I think we all have that idea," Octavia countered "After all; we represent everyone here."
"No pressure with that," Fluttershy said nervously
"Let's not get too worked up right now. We still have a week to study and need to make the most of the time."
"If we do have a spelling test; what words could be used," Lyra inquired
"I don't know. They could use collegiate terms to trip us up," Sunset mused
"Alright; that's out. All I can say is try your best if they do give us a spelling test."
"Just a suggestion; but let's call this a day and head out," Pinkie suggested
"Sounds good. Considering lunch is fast approaching."
"Two lunches baby," Dash enunciated happily, as the others shook their heads in disbelief "What? I'm hungry. Besides; I'll burn it off during soccer practice."
The room was cleaned up before they departed. Afterwards; Brian headed to the office in order to return the key.
"Principal Celestia? This belongs to you."
"Keep it for now; Brian. We'll get it back after next week," Celestia replied
"As you wish. I did have to make sure about it. And once again; thank you for the sandwich trays."
"You're welcome," Celestia said "Go ahead and head to the cafeteria if you're still hungry."
After lunch ended; the group officially departed for the day. While Dash headed to soccer practice; the other members of the Rainbooms went to support her. Anyone that didn't have anything to do either headed home or to work.
"That was interesting," Sunset mused
"What's that?"
"Today at school. We knew we were representatives; and only have a week to get ready. Can we really win this year," was the answer
"I'd like to be positive and say we can. As long as we focus on our strengths; there's a fighting chance."
The rest of the week seemed to fly by as they prepared. Nearly every subject was studied just in case it was important. The feeling of the group was a combination of relief and worry as Monday approached.
"Brian, as the leader of the team; you are expected to wear something that identifies you as such," Celestia said
"Anything within reason?"
"Yes. Just something that stands out. As for the rest of you; I'd recommend wearing your P.E. shirts," she added
"I have an idea. You'll see it on Monday."
Once at home; he immediately started going through boxes until the clothes were found. A pair of khaki pants and polo shirt were removed and washed. A pair of gold oak leaf pins were pinned on the collars at an equal distance from the edge of each corner.
"What's that," Sunset asked curiously
"My uniform for Monday. I guess it's a civilian version of a Navy commander's uniform. It sets me apart from anyone else, that's for sure."
"What about your gloves," she asked
"I'll wrap my hands and fingers up instead. I wear these so often I actually end up forgetting them."
"It really is hard to believe you punched a glass window twice. I wonder if that might have alter your appearance in Equestria?"
"We'll find that out eventually. I'd like to go after we graduate high school."
"I should be able to arrange that. I'm just surprised Twilight hasn't messaged me yet," she mused
Monday morning saw an unexpected surprise. A black SUV-limo was waiting on the street with its driver standing by the back door.
"Sunset Shimmer and Brian Dragnov; correct," the driver asked
"We are indeed."
"Welcome aboard," came the reply
With assistance from Brian; Sunset climbed inside first as Brian followed next. The rest of the team, along with both Luna and Celestia were already sitting in there.
"This is so awesome," Dash said
"I am curious as to who set this up," Applejack commented
"We shouldn't look at this as a whodunit; but enjoy it. It's not often you get a limo ride to school," Celestia replied
"Brian; I have to ask one thing. What are you wearing," Lyra asked
"Considering my parents were in the service; I decided to wear a 'civilian' uniform; complete with the actual insignia on the collars."
"We did say to wear something that identifies you as leader. Although most might not agree; this certainly sets you apart from the others," Luna added
"Ladies and gentleman; we have arrived at our destination," the driver called
As they departed their limo; a second one arrived, with the members of Crystal Prep's team inside; along with a series of tour busses for the other students. While the students started leaving the bus; another visitor arrived that seemed to be noticed by mainly the adults.
"It's been a while; Brian," the guest commented, holding out a hand
"Three years; sir. It's good to see you again; Mr. Neighsay."
"Superintendent; actually. I was recently promoted to the position," Neighsay replied, as they shook hands
"Congratulations; sir."
"You are the leader of this school; are you not," a voice demanded
"Yes ma'am. Is there a problem; by any chance?"
"You broke a rule already by not identifying yourself," she added rudely
"Actually Principal Cinch; he has done no such thing. The rules state identification; but does not specify a meaning. You student is wearing a sash that reads 'captain' that is visible to everyone. This young man is wearing a military-like uniform against the P.E. shirts of his teammates," Neighsay countered
"You should consider yourself lucky this time," Cinch snarled "My students will not be so generous."
"How do you know the superintendent," Rarity asked
"Long story I'd rather not get into."
"Brian; why don't you take the team and show the prep's representatives to the cafeteria for breakfast," Celestia suggested "We'll meet you in the gym afterwards."
"The rest of the student body has already eaten; so it'll just be all of you inside," Luna chimed in
"Sure."
Luckily; the students seemed to revel in getting away from the adults and gladly followed.
"This is the cafeteria? It's so small and plain compared to ours," one of the prep students commented, to which Brian chuckled
"You find something funny about that," another demanded
"Blueblood's got a point. What's so funny," a third asked
"Something I was thinking about. You don't need to bother yourself with it."
"Who are you," Blueblood inquired
"Brian Dragnov; commander of Canterlot High School's team."
"Let's not get into a fight right now," Sunset warned, stepping between them
"She's right. We'll crush you later," a prep student countered
"Alright youngings. Breakfast is here," Granny Smith announced
Once the trays of pancakes were brought out; the cafeteria had a clear divide between schools as they stared at one another.
"This is going to be a long day," Fluttershy said sadly
"The games are about friendship. I say 'friendship' my ass," Dash hissed
"It's funny. This was supposed to be about friendly competition when it first started. Now; it's just shy of a brawl."
"Let's just hope this day goes without incident," Sunset commented
Upon their departure from the cafeteria, students from both schools stood on opposite sides of the halls; leaving just enough room for the teams to walk between. As the team from Canterlot High passed by; the rest of the students fell in line behind Brian as a gap was formed between schools. Crystal Prep repeated the gesture with their team upon passing.
Once inside the gym; the hostility continued as each school took one wall of bleachers. Although some conversations were heard; no one dared to acknowledge the other.
"Good morning to the students of both Crystal Prep Academy," Neighsay started, as the students cheered "And to Canterlot High School. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Superintendent Neighsay and I will be overseeing the events of the Friendship Games as a neutral judge. I wish both teams the best of luck."
"I'm going to put this simply," the head of Crystal Prep stated "CPA will win once again."
"Forgive the rudeness of Principal Cinch. I'm Dean Cadence and I wish everyone the best of luck," Cadence said sweetly
"The first event of the Friendship Games will be a best 2 out of 3 challenge consisting of three skills. The winner will be decided at the end," Neighsay said "Challenge 1 will be based on shop class. The teams with the lowest scores from each school will be eliminated."
"I don't know," Rarity started
"I'll help you out; Rares. Just follow my lead," AJ said reassuringly
Inside shop class; the assignment was to build a bird house. To be successful in the challenge; it had to be structurally sound.
"What do we need to do first," Derpy asked
"Let's get the wood cut to size first. I'll use the table saw for that."
The initial pieces were cut to length, before having two receive angular cuts for the walls and roof.
"I'll use the nails," Derpy decided
Brian grabbed a hammer and small container of nails before passing them to his partner. Derpy skillfully nailed each piece together; without so much an incident, despite her tendency to clumsiness. Instead; one of the Shadowbolts ended up smashing their thumb attempting to hammer a nail.
"Principal Cinch; I injured myself," she whined
"Suck it up. A little injury won't hurt," Cinch demanded
"The winners of the build are Sugarcoat and Indigo Zap for their creative build of a two-story birdhouse," Neighsay announced "Unfortunately; the teams with the lowest scores are Canterlot High's Octavia Melody and Vinyl Scratch; and Crystal Prep's Jet Set and Upper Crust."
"Sorry everyone," Octavia said apologetically
"We screwed up," Vinyl added
"It's alright. We knew it was bound to happen. Just be proud you did your best."
"Challenge 2 consists of Home Economics. Good luck," Neighsay added
The task was to make a dessert for the judges. Without trying; most teams ended up baking cakes for their simplicity. Bon Bon was unfortunately unable to make anything she liked and settled on a pound cake, but realized the recipe would take too long to finish. Under the watchful eyes of the judges; no communication could happen; so Brian had to hope for the best.
"The winning team for this event is Canterlot High's Fluttershy Angel and Pinkie Pie," Neighsay declared "Due to unfinished desserts; the teams of Bon Bon Drops and Lyra Heartstrings along with Suri Polomare and Royal Pin have been eliminated."
"Yes! That evens the score," Dash cheered
"Way to go Pinkie! You both made an excellent cake," Applejack added
"Everyone will report back to the gymnasium. The final challenge will be a spelling bee," Neighsay said "The six students with the highest overall score for each school will move on to the second event."
With renewed confidence; Canterlot High's team headed back looking to take the first event. Neighsay gave everyone a list of words that became harder near the end; discouraging both teams.
"I can say everything easily; but spelling it is another story," Pinkie whined
"I know what you mean. It's hard to prepare for what you don't know."
"The four students that received the lowest scores are Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy Angel from Canterlot High and Crystal Prep's Trenderhoof and Neon Lights," Neighsay announced "The overall winner of event 1 is Crystal Prep Academy! Congratulations to the students of both schools that are moving on to the second event."
"Imbeciles! Each of you! For your lack of effort; the six of you that were eliminated have received detention for the rest of the school year," Cinch chastised
"Congratulations to each of you," Luna said "This competition has proven to be a challenge."
"I wish we all could move on; but I'm glad it was the six of you," Fluttershy said, hugging Brian and the others
"Your second event will be outside. I suggest you get ready now," Neighsay mused "Your outfits are waiting for you."
"It looks like we're doing some extreme sports," Sunset mused
"I call dibs on one of the motocross uniforms," Dash called, reaching for one
"Then I'll be your teammate," Sunset decided
"Looks like Rarity and I will go skating," AJ chimed in
"That just leaves us; commander. Whatever we have left," Derpy mused
"No argument here. Good luck in your respective games."
"Wondercolts on three," Sunset said, holding out an arm as the others followed
Three...Two...One
"WONDERCOLTS!"
"Now let's show those prep students how we take care of things," a determined Applejack added
"Hell yeah," Dash chimed in "Let's kick ass!"
The six headed outside; only to be joined by their opponents. Looking around; the entire field was transformed to feature a motocross track with a speed skating track inside and an obstacle course taking up the reminder.
"They built all this? That's unbelievable," Dash said in awe
"They really didn't want to make this easy. Be safe girls. Let's get to the center."
"Right away commander," Derpy said, with a salute; to which he actually returned
"Ladies and gentlemen; I'd like to welcome you to the second challenge of the Friendship Games. This is the Tri-cross relay. I'll turn things over to Dean Cadence for the introduction," Neighsay said
"The two teams will begin with the obstacle course in the center. Only when the first person has shot a bull's-eye can their teammate run the course. After that; the speed skating will begin and end after each team ran eight laps. Finally; the three lap motocross race will begin and determine the winner of this event," Cadence explained
The obstacle course consisted of two hay bales that would be used as hurdles. Following that was a ten-foot gap filled with sand to swing over; which lead to the dual archery targets for both teams.
"Which one of us should go first," Derpy asked "I don't do too badly in P.E."
"If you'd like to start; go ahead. We can win by working together."
"Good luck," Sour Sweet taunted "You'll need it; losers."
A blow horn rang out as the signal to start the course. Derpy and Sour started head to head going towards the hay bales. Just before Derpy could get to the rope swing; Sour hooked her right leg around her opponent's left, causing Derpy to fall.
"Ow. I think my ankle might be twisted," Derpy cried
Without any remorse; Sour Sweet continued to run the course and scored a near bull's-eye on her first shot. Brian bolted through the course, vaulting over the first bale with ease. Using his current speed; he dropped his right shoulder on the bale and rolled over it effortlessly, before hitting the rope swing. Once at the range; two arrows were loaded and shot at both targets; allowing CHS to continue the race. Looking over his shoulder; he saw Derpy had moved towards the side of one the hay bales to rest and headed over to her.
"It hurts," she pouted
"Let me see it," he asked, gently looking "It's definitely going to be sore for a while. With any luck it's just a rolled ankle. Let's get you over there so they can take care of you. Hold on to me for safety."
"Thank you; Brian. I'm sorry I got injured."
"This wasn't your fault by any means."
Making sure to be careful; Derpy was lifted in a bridal-carry as he swiftly made his way towards the speed skating track where the others were racing.
"Wha," Rarity started to yell, before he shook his head
Just as the racers were on the other side of the track; he took the moment to dart across towards where Celestia was.
"Derpy needs to get ice on her ankle ASAP."
"What happened; miss Hooves," a worried and concerned Luna asked
"As we took off; I felt my opponent grab my ankle with her leg, before I fell," Derpy replied
"Nurse Redheart; fetch an ice pack please," Celestia directed "We'll take it from here; Brian."
"With all due respect, I'll stay; ma'am. As the commander of the team; it's my responsibility to look after my teammates."
Brian sat and watched the last portion of the relay as Sunset and Dash were gaining on their opposition in the closing laps. Although he knew he should be thrilled; seeing the injury made him a little disconnected from the event.
"The winner of the event is," Neighsay started
"And champion of the Friendship Games; Crystal Prep Academy," Cinch finished, before pointing a finger at Brian "He cheated by not waiting to run the course; therefore the race goes to us by default."
"Actually, Principal Cinch; you're wrong. As found in the rulebook for the Friendship Games; Section 10: Article 5: Subsection Alpha: and I quote, 'During an event when a competitor is injured; their teammate may complete the challenge without receiving a penalty' end quote."
"That is correct. Your representative deliberately hooked their leg around miss Hooves here with intent to eliminate her by injury. I should disqualify you; but I won't. the third event will be a tiebreaker to determine the winner," Neighsay stated
"No one reads that silly thing. It's meaningless," Cinch attempted to retort
"Be that as it may; but it was written and signed as an official document by Mayor Hardluck when it first started sixty years ago. I've read the rulebook to know its history."
"What happened," Sunset demanded
"Sour Sweet didn't do anything wrong," Sugarcoat argued "Your partner was just a klutz."
"Let me at them," Dash growled
"This gives me an idea. Since you want to fight; we'll return to the gymnasium and set up a wrestling mat. The tiebreaker will be held under single combat," Neighsay decided, rubbing his chin "Who is going to represent you?"
"I will," Brian decided, before Dash could get a chance to speak
"Fine with me. I look forward to beating you," Blueblood taunted
"Miss Hooves; I'm going to call your parents to pick you up. You will need to get x-rayed to determine if any damage has been done," Redheart said
"They can wait a few minutes. I'm seeing this through to the end," Derpy replied defiantly
"Let's go inside. Dash; help me carry her," Sunset directed
"Yeah. We take care of one another," Dash said
With the two supporting Derpy; they returned inside to the gym with the rest of the school following behind. Brian was in the back of the group with the adults, along with the team representatives.
"Let's get the mat set up," Luna directed
Bulk Biceps returned momentarily with the roll slung on his shoulder before setting it down. Minutes later, it was rolled out and adjusted so everyone could see as they sat down in the bleachers.
"What exactly are we going to do about attire," Blueblood inquired
"If you have your gym clothes with you; the two of us head into the lockers to change. For fairness and to prevent cheating; one adult from each school will be there with us as one heads to the boys' lockers and the other to the girls' lockers."
"Fine. I choose Dean Cadence and Principal Celestia," Blueblood decided "I'm taking the boys' of course."
"No arguments from me."
Sunset tossed Brian his bag as his escort led him into the locker room. For privacy and simplicity; he headed into the bathroom and quickly switched outfits. Upon emerging, Luna and Cinch looked over him.
"No powder or liquids on you," Cinch demanded
"Just a simple plain deodorant applied. No lotion or oil has been applied to any part of me."
"Fine. Just get going out there," Cinch demanded "This is a waste of everyone's time, anyways."
Both competitors emerged from the locker rooms at the same time and headed towards the mat.
"Gentlemen; I will be the official in charge of this contest. This will be a grappling match where you must make the other tap out. No strikes will be permitted; nor shoes allowed on the mat," Neighsay directed
"Um; excuse me. The representative from Canterlot High School seems to have an advantage over Blueblood. Statistics say, that having taped up hands provides better grip in a fight," a feminine voice called from the stands
"You're right. Thank you miss..."
"Sparkle. Twilight Sparkle," she replied
To most everyone's surprise; Snips and Snails ran forward carrying a big garbage can. Brian started removing the tape from each finger, before finding unwrapping his hands. Many students nearby closed their eyes at the sight of the scars on his hands.
"Oh my goodness," Fluttershy muttered quietly
"Sunset; did you know about that," Applejack inquired
"Brian mentioned it; but never showed me," Sunset lied
"What could cause such damage," Rarity mused
"Think; dammit! Think! Why does he seem familiar," Dash muttered under her breath
"Are both competitors ready," Neighsay asked as they both nodded "Bow to each other."
"I'm not lowering myself to this coward," Blueblood complained
"I'll just beat some respect into you then."
"Begin."
Blueblood hunched over in an attempt for a double-leg takedown; only for Brian to sidestep and counter with a leg sweep. Once Blueblood fell; he found his arms and legs forcefully crossed into a human pretzel. Brian grabbed the exposed ankle and yanked.
"Let me out," BB demanded
"Do you quit," N inquired
"Never," was the response
Brian decided to release the knot his opponent was in; but continued punishment by having an arm bar put on. To his surprise; Blueblood managed to roll through and apply a leg lock of his own.
"Give up," BB said
"Is that all you got?"
Just as the two rose to their feet; Blueblood decided to pull Brian's hair and stuck him in a headlock. Brian reached around his opponent's waist and brought them back to the mat.
Once there; Brian hooked an ankle and leaned forward, before grabbing just under the nose and wrenched back. To the horror of Crystal Prep students; Blueblood repeatedly tapped a hand against the mat, signaling his defeat.
"The winner of this event is Brian Dragnov," Blueblood announced "That means with an overall score of 2-1; the winning school is Canterlot High School."
"Congrats on beating me," Blueblood said wanting a handshake
"Good match."
"Now I know where I recognize him from," Dash realized, giving herself a face palm
"Where's that; Dash," Rarity questioned
"Brian helps out at my martial arts dojo as a guest instructor. I just never paid attention to him having his hands wrapped," Dash answered
Out of habit; Brian bowed on the mat as he would have done in martial arts; before getting his shoes back on.
"Congrats," Sunset said, kissing him on the cheek
"I didn't know you two were together," Rarity commented
"We made it official on Christmas."
"Before we hand over the trophy; why don't both of you get changed into your street clothes," Neighsay suggested
"Yes sir."
With that; they headed into the locker room and split into different areas. While Brian wouldn't have minded getting a shower; he thought it was easier at home. Regardless of opinion; they finished their business and returned to the gym; only to find the wrestling mat had been removed. Derpy had been helped to her feet as Dash and Sunset were supporting her as the others joined them.
"Ladies and gentlemen; I'd like to present this year's trophy for the Friendship Games to Canterlot High School," Neighsay announced, handing the trophy to Celestia
"Where'd you learn how to fight like that," Blueblood asked
"From my previous school. I was in 50 fights over two years."
"Than you should have been expelled from the school," Cinch countered
"Except we were trained to defend ourselves. Canterlot Military Academy made sure of that; and since I was the Cadet Commander; it fell on me to be the best."
"Congratulations to each of you for your efforts," Celestia and Luna said
"This couldn't have happened without everyone working together."
"Don't be so modest; darling," Rarity said "Without you leading us; we didn't stand a chance."
"I'm going to notify your parents now to pick you up," Redheart decided
"We'll wait outside for them to arrive," Fluttershy said
True to their word; the twelve representatives headed outside with Luna and Celestia in tow. Cinch led her disappointed students back to the busses and left in a hurry; having not been able to cheat to win.
"This is a surprise. What did we do to deserve the welcoming party," Derpy's father asked
"The eleven of us were her teammates for the Friendship Games. Although we won; your daughter ended up receiving a possibly rolled ankle in the process."
"Is this true; Principal Celestia? Our daughter won," her mom inquired
"It is indeed. She chose to stay with her teammates to watch the final event; instead of leaving early," Celestia answered
"I had to see it through. My ankle is going to hurt regardless; but I had to support my friends," Derpy argued
"Congrats to each of you. We'll get her to the hospital. See you again soon," Derpy's dad said
Her parents watched as Sunset and Dash helped Derpy inside before taking off. They hoped the damage wasn't as bad as it could be.
"We'll give you the day off; but will need to return Wednesday for class," Celestia decided "Besides; you'll be working on the final exams and prom soon." |
Dragon's Anon-a-Miss | 8 | After winning the Friendship Games for the first time in sixty years; Brian and the other members of the team seemed to become school celebrities.
"Congratulations on being champions."
"It's a miracle."
"We did the impossible."
Celestia ended up calling an assembly on Friday. No one knew what the purpose was for, but felt anxious because of it.
"I called this assembly to remind everyone of the remainder of the school year. It is true, that on Monday, Canterlot High School did the impossible; but the final exams will be soon approaching," Celestia commented "Along with prom and graduation in May."
"We do not mind the celebration for our victory; but please be mindful of your surroundings. Many students were late to their classes, due to hallway celebrations," Luna added "You are dismissed."
Lunchtime saw two round tables maneuvered in such a way that Brian and the girls were sitting together. Although it was a bit awkward; it was easier than sitting on one table with no elbow room.
"This is totally awesome," Dash said enthusiastically "We're celebrities now."
"We just worked harder than the prep students," AJ countered
"I agree with that. Unfortunately; I had to get injured in the event," Derpy chimed in "Luckily; the doctor says I should recover in a week or two."
"It is nice to have some recognition; but not every moment of the day," Octavia complained "I'd actually like to get back to the lessons."
"Hopefully the students take the warning to heart. Especially with just under two months left of school."
"Brian; can I sit here," a voice asked
"Come on over Scootaloo."
"Hey; squirt. Long time no see," Dash added
"Hi Rainbow," Scootaloo said "It's been so long since we've sat together; I wasn't sure about this."
"I don't mind. I'm just glad you're doing better from what happened."
"The three of us still have never talked since then. As far as I'm concerned; you and Sunset are my only friends," Scootaloo added sadly
"What's she doing here," Apple Bloom demanded, sitting next to her sister as Sweetie Bell joined
"Enough. We're not having an argument over this. If you don't have anything nice to say about the other; than hold your tongues."
"See you after school; sis. I don't want to be around this traitor," Bloom said, before leaving
"What about you Sweetie Belle," Rarity inquired
"I don't care either way any more," an emotionless Sweetie answered
"I'll gladly listen in case you want to talk," Rarity offered "Just so you don't do something crazy."
"Maybe some other time," was the response, before Sweetie left
"Girls; I am sorry about the other day. When you asked me about my boyfriend's scars; I lied about knowing," Sunset confessed "I saw his scars; as he saw mine."
"I didn't know you had any; Sunny," Pinkie commented
"That's because I never told anyone. After the Fall Formal; when I was forcefully reverted from my demon form; three scars were left behind on my shoulders and just above my ass."
"In the same locations your wings and tail were," Fluttershy finished
"Yes. They're a reminder of my lowest point in life; before I found my savior," Sunset added, hugging Brian
"How exactly did you get yours; Brian," AJ asked
"Punched through a window. Twice. Funny enough; it didn't hurt going through, just upon removal."
"Why would you do that," Lyra asked
"I received some news I never hoped to hear."
"Your father died," Pinkie surmised "What about your mother?"
"The same. It was just after this year started in August."
"I'm sorry to hear that. Mine died when I was real young so I don't remember them like my brother would," AJ said
"It's one of the only few guarantees in life; but it's worse not knowing when it'll happen."
"Let's change the subject," Lyra suggested "What happens now? Do we go our separate ways; or what?"
"Why do we need to do that," Vinyl asked rhetorically "The twelve of us led this school to its first victory in the Friendship Games. That status isn't going to change."
"I don't know about any of you; but I actually need to study if I'm going to get into a culinary academy," Bon Bon mused
"Same here. Best of luck; B squared," Pinkie said, hugging her
"Rarity, I hate to be rude; but I recommend keeping an eye on your sister."
"Why is that," Rarity inquired
"Gut feeling. I just can't explain it."
"I'll keep that in mind," she answered
From that point; the teachers were completely focused on getting everyone ready for the finals. Homework consisted of multiple assignments to reinforce the given lessons.
Two weeks later during breakfast; Rarity uncharacteristically dropped into a seat in the cafeteria without effort. She had dark rings under her eyes and wore no makeup; which was unusual for her to not care about her appearance.
"What happened to you," Applejack asked "Was your homework that tiring?"
"It...wasn't...work," Rarity answered through yawns "Lack...of...sleep."
"Here. You could use it," Dash said, passing over an energy drink can
"Normally I'd reject your offer; but thanks Dash," Rarity commented, before lowering her voice "It's Sweetie Belle."
Rarity removed a piece of paper and started writing. The others passed the completed paper around.
I caught Sweetie Belle with a razor blade two weeks ago. I went to ask her about dinner when I saw her holding it above her wrist. Since then; I've had to tear her room apart to check for anything else
"If you don't mind; could each of you sign the paper?"
"What for," AJ asked hesitantly
"Confession. Everyone read it and Principal Celestia needs to know."
Without hesitation; each of the six girls signed the paper before he finished the list off. Rarity and Brian headed to Celestia's office; only to see Sweetie Belle sitting out front.
"Please enter," Celestia mused "What can I do for you?"
"I wanted to ask to talk to someone," Sweetie Belle answered vaguely
"I caught my sister about to slit her wrists," Rarity clarified
"Why are you a part of this," Luna questioned, pointing at Brian
"Considering I studied law; I can't just sit idle when this was reported. I had to do something and asked the others to sign the note Rarity had jotted down."
"Sweetie Bell; is this true," Celestia asked
"Yes; it's true. I fell into depression after losing my two best friends. Seeing them momentarily together brought me to my lowest point," Sweetie elaborated "After being caught with the razor blade; I have resorted to scratching the front and back of my forearms using my fingernails."
"I'm going to contact your parents to inform them of what's happening. I recommend you receive psychological help to alleviate your depression," Celestia decided
"I hope it helps," Sweetie commented
"At this point; I hope anything helps," Rarity countered, wiping her eyes "I don't want to lose my sister."
"Chrysalis is the best at what she does. Our older sister has a knack of getting through to people," Luna chimed in
"Go ahead and get to class. After I inform your family; I'll sent a letter to your current teacher to give you," Celestia said
After the meeting; the three went their separate ways for the reminder of the day. Rarity and Sweetie Belle had to deal with their issues together in the hopes of solving them. Beyond that; the two worked together to create simple prom dresses for Rarity's friends.
"So; what are you going to wear for prom," Sunset inquired
"I don't know. Honestly; I wasn't planning on going originally."
"Perhaps I can help," she suggested
Sunset started looking through his bedroom closet before stopping at a black bag hanging in the back. Upon seeing it, he quickly signed a cross over his chest; a gesture that was noticed by his girlfriend.
"What's so bad about this," she asked
"I wore that suit when my mom died. I just didn't expect to wear it again so soon."
"Why don't we go to the cemetery so you can see them? I'd guess you haven't been there since last August."
"I'd like that. That way; you can see them as well. On a previous note; what are you going to wear to prom?"
"Rarity was making mine. With all that's happened lately, it's not going to be as elaborate as usual," Sunset answered
"I hope she is doing better."
"She hasn't said anything about it lately; so we don't know," was the reply "I'd guess it had something to do with the 'Anon-a-Miss' incident."
"All I can say is that is does play a role. I can't say any more on the subject."
"It's hard to believe that the end of the year is so quickly approaching," she mused "Right after prom, we have to deal with final exams; let alone college admissions."
"The latter isn't much a problem. I already received an acceptance letter for Canterlot University in its legal program."
"Hopefully I get my letter soon."
"What do you want to get into?"
"Teaching. Probably to become a counselor," she answered "That way I can help others."
"That fits for you."
After school on Friday; the two headed to the cemetery to see Brian's parents. Despite not being there for a while; he easily directed her towards the back left portion that was dedicated towards fallen military.
"Be at peace knowing you have been called to serve a higher purpose," he prayed, upon entering the area
"What's that about," Sunset asked curiously
"Something my dad would say. All soldiers are now assigned to guard Paradise, despite their previous assignments."
He stopped at a single tombstone with a pair of names carved on the front and sat in front as Sunset joined him.
REST IN PEACE
"It's been too long since I've seen you two. I know you've been watching me and I hope I've made you proud. Dad; I'm sorry you had to see me punching the glass those years ago," he said, bowing in front of the stone
"It's an honor to meet the two of you; but I wish it was under better circumstances. I'm your son's girlfriend; Sunset Shimmer. Brian helped me when I needed a friend the most and I'd like to thank you both for that," she added "May you run through Paradise."
"Farewell for now," he added, kissing the top of the stone
"It's okay to let it out, you know. I know you miss them," she mused
A small tear rolled down his cheek before Brian ended up dropping to his knees again as the built up emotions came out. It was the first time he actually cried since the funerals.
"Think about the happy moments you shared with them and they're never truly gone. Your parents raised you to be a gentleman; and in my opinion, they did a damn fine job of it," she added
"Thanks. Usually; a child worries about losing their parents later in life when they're older. It's not easy fending for yourself. I'm lucky my parents included me in their bank account; knowing this would happen," he answered, wiping his eyes
"Let's get home. It'll do no good wallowing around in sadness."
■PROM■
Is the days nearing prom; Celestia gave the students more leeway for preparation by giving them only have the day in class before being released. Brian took advantage and headed to the mall for a few items.
"Are you almost ready? They're on their way; you know," Sunset joked, knocking on his bedroom door
"I was waiting for you."
He opened the door to see Sunset in a thigh-length red dress with yellow trim and belt and usual boots to finish off everything. His suit consisted of black pants and jacket with a gold dress shirt and red tie to complement his girlfriend.
"Looking good. How much different was the one you wore," she started
"At the funeral? Black dress shirt and tie. I'm glad to change that for a while."
The sound of a horn blaring stopped any future conversation. They headed outside to see a limo waiting for them with the others inside. Each of them had brought a temporary date for the evening.
"Mr. Dragnov; I'd like to commend you on beating Crystal Prep at the Friendship Games," Blueblood said, holding out a hand "And especially me in the fight."
"You put up quite a fight against me. That was no small feat to beat the prep."
"Flash; didn't expect to see you again," Sunset mused
"Applejack asked me to the prom for the evening. I thought it would fine," he answered
Once at school; the chauffeur opened the door as everyone climbed out and headed inside holding their date's hand. Rarity & Blueblood; Dash & Soarin; Pinkie & Cheese Sandwich; AJ & Flash; Brian & Sunset; and Fluttershy alone. The latter was met by another female to most of their astonishment.
"This is Tree Hugger; my girlfriend," Fluttershy introduced
"You have, like, an aura of darkness around you," Tree Hugger mused, addressing Brian "And I'm not referring to the suit."
"You have no idea."
"We didn't know you had a girlfriend," Rarity commented
"We actually started dating during Winter Break," Fluttershy answered
"Let's get going already," Dash whined
"You do know to dance; right," Sunset questioned
"Honestly; no. But I wouldn't be expecting anything fancy for dancing."
"Follow my lead," she replied "But don't step on my toes."
Each of the partners split off and headed to the dance floor. To the surprise of many; Bulk Biceps was quite the break-dancer along with both Snips and Snails. Some students decided to wait on the side until they heard a song they liked.
"Let's go," Sunset decided
The two were joined by the others as Vinyl played a song designed for slow dancing. Brian was able to keep up and show some grace as they put on a small exhibition.
"We hope you had a good evening everyone. Just as a reminder; final exams will be starting soon with graduation following. The ceremony will be held in the back field with males wearing blue gowns and females in yellow," Celestia commented
■FINALS & GRADUATION■
On Monday the following week; the attitude of CHS changed drastically during final exams. Many students had mini cram sessions outside the classrooms in the hopes of getting even a slight advantage on the test.
"I hope I did alright on the tests," Sunset commented
"I'm not worried. Besides, after all the studying we did in preparation of the Friendship Games; this should've been easy."
Upon getting home; a package was waiting by the front door. The box was quite big; and was unknown as to contents.
"When did we order anything," she questioned
"Not me. I'm just as confused as you. Could you help me bring this inside?"
"Of course."
After carrying the box inside; the contents were revealed to be four smaller boxes and a manila envelope, along with the packing materials. Each box was numbered from 1-4; indicating a particular order to be opened.
"What should we start with first," she asked
"The envelope. Hopefully there's some answer in there."
I had these made to your measurements. Your parents would have loved to see you wearing it.
P.S. There's another item in the envelope.
"That really didn't answer anything. If anything; the letter created even more questions," she commented "Namely; who sent it and what is it?
A sealed bag of white gloves was removed by Sunset; much to her confusion. Brian immediately recognized what the contents were.
"Help me pull these out. I know what this is."
"Don't keep me in suspense. What were you sent?"
"A military uniform. It'll be easier to show you, rather than tell you."
Inside the top box was a white hat with a hard black plastic brim. Sewn into the brim was a gold leaf design, traversing the entire length. Just above that was a gold band attached by two gold screws to both sides of the cover.
"It even has Commander's scrambled eggs on the Combo; too."
"Did I hear you correctly in saying there are scrambled eggs on this," a dumbfounded Sunset asked
"The gold design is nicknamed scrambled eggs."
Following the cover in the second box was a long sleeve white jacket that had five gold buttons, placed vertically along with two closing the pair of pockets on the front. A bag containing two black patches with gold oak leaf designs was sitting on top of the shirt; meant to be attached on the shoulder boards. A pair of white pants was placed in the third box along with its matching belt. The last box contained solid white leather dress shoes to finish the outfit off.
"I'm guessing that will be what you're wearing during graduation," she asked
"Of course. I'm not too sure who sent it; but I know my parents would like it."
"Rarity mentioned that she wouldn't be able to make any new dresses for us as she's still trying to help her sister. I think she said something along the lines of; a 'crime against fashion trends'; but she suggested we wear our prom dresses instead," she elaborated
"It was a nice dress she made for you. It'd be a shame not to wear it again."
"I just need to get a better pair of shoes; probably a small high heel. The others were going to join me tomorrow as a girl's day at the mall."
"That's fine with me. I have everything necessary; including a white undershirt."
"You're lucky."
♢ SUNSET ♢
After having breakfast; Rainbow Dash had her mom pick Sunset up as she squeezed in next to both Dash and Fluttershy. Big Mac had his sister in the truck's cab with Pinkie sitting in the back towards the window.
"Alright everyone. We're just here to get you all shoes. Head to the store and come back while Big Macintosh and I wait here," Windy Whistles said without question
"Thanks mom. We'll be back as soon as we can," Dash promised
"Does anyone know how Rarity is doing?"
"I haven't heard much other than the fact she's still working with her sister," Applejack commented
"Let's get going. Others are bound to be arriving soon," Pinkie suggested
The five of them headed inside the shoe store, much to the surprise of the cashier. She was lucky the store had gotten ready for this time of the year by keeping the shelves stocked with high heels and dress shoes.
"I'm no good with these," Applejack complained
"Perhaps something simple? What exactly are you looking for," the cashier inquired
"Shoes for graduation."
"Hey AJ; how's about this," Dash mused
Dash held up a pink shoe that looked to be a smaller version of her friend's boots. She chose the pink just to irritate the farmer; knowing she'd never wear the color. Sunset rubbed her chin at the sight of the shoes as they sparked an idea.
"Anything in brown? Y'all know pink ain't my color," AJ replied
"Yeah. Why don't you take a look for yourself," was the answer
"Dashie; those look cute on you," Pinkie commented
"I didn't want anything to girly. I don't wear heels as much as possible," Dash said
Rainbow Dash picked out a pair of blue ballet flats that felt comfortable and didn't seem to 'girly'. Pinkie and Fluttershy found heels that were identical in design; but matched their color.
"I guess these are my choice. They feel like my regular boots, but a bit more classy."
Sunset found a pair of boots exactly like AJ, but in black. It was the easiest choice as she also couldn't decide what worked. Tennis shoes wouldn't look good with the dress and she really couldn't see herself wearing a pair of true high heels.
"Well that was easy," Pinkie commented "Four of us ended up getting similar shoes as one another."
After they paid for the shoes; Big Mac and Windy Whistles drove everyone home.
"Thank you for taking me to the store ma'am. I'll see you on Monday for graduation."
"You're very welcome; Sunset. I hope you found the pair of shoes you like," Windy replied
"I did. Thank you again."
"Welcome back," Brian whispered
"You startled me," Sunset said, punching him lightly in the shoulder
♢ BRIAN ♢
"I couldn't resist. Glad to hear you found a pair of shoes. It's really hard to believe that our last day ever is already approaching."
"I know. Four years feels like an eternity; only to end so quickly. Part of me wishes to be able to repeat this all over; but the other half wants to move on," she mused
"Your journal began glowing just before you got home. I thought it'd be better if you answered."
"Let's see what she wrote," Sunset said to herself
Sunset-
I haven't heard from you in quite a while. What's been going on over there!?
Your Worried Friend, Twilight Sparkle
'I'm sorry I haven't written in a while. I've been dealing with the end of school; including final exams and prom. On Monday will be our high school graduation
Oh my Celestia! This is short notice, but I will be there! I'll try to see if Princess Celestia is free
At least you don't have far to go for the ceremony. It's in the back of the school
See you on Monday Sunset
Monday morning saw the pair getting up much earlier than usual to prepare for the day. A quick bowl of cereal was eaten before temporarily parting ways.
Sunset headed into the bathroom to wash her hair and get it straightened to put it in a ponytail. After that; was getting into her dress and adding a tiny bit of makeup.
Brian looked in the mirror in his bathroom before grabbing a set of clippers. Noticing the start of a beard growing; the hair was trimmed before finishing off with a razor. With that taken care of; he began the excruciating task of getting ready and keeping the uniform in perfect condition.
The rank patches were attached to the shoulder boards first, before the pants and shoes were put on. As he stood with the pants, undershirt and dress gloves on, the uniform jacket felt bare without a ribbon rack; but he knew not to put anything on as he didn't want to ruin his parents' racks.
"You ready," Sunset asked
"Yeah. Let's get going."
"Wow; you look stunning in that," she said with a whistle
"Thanks. I didn't want to wear it until I absolutely had to."
With that; he grabbed his Combo cover and placed it on as they walked to school. Sunset's bag had both of their caps and gowns to put on once they got there.
"Good morning to you both," Celestia said casually "Do you mind following me to my office for a moment?"
"I guess. What'd we do wrong now?"
"Nothing; but I'd like to keep your backpack locked in my office for now. That way, your hat will be safe," she answered
"My cover may sit in the office; but I'm not removing the gloves. They're part of the uniform."
After the conversation; Celestia lead them to her office as Sunset opened her bag. Once the contents were removed; Celestia unlocked the bottom drawer of the desk as the cover was set down first with the bag on top as the drawer closed. The two made sure to get dressed in the meantime before heading out.
"Hey, you two," Dash called
"Brian; you look good," Rarity complimented "From what we can see."
"He wishes he could have kept something with him," Sunset said casually
"It's a part of this; but at least it'll be only a little while."
"Hey Brian," Scootaloo said, giving him a hug "Congrats on graduation."
"I hope you don't mind I get a photo with the three of you," Spitfire asked
"Of course not. Would you get one with the group afterwards?"
"Not at all. I'll make sure everyone gets a copy for themselves," she answered "Scoots; could you stand in the middle, dear?"
Scootaloo stood between Brian and Sunset before stepping aside as the five others gathered around him. Shockingly; both Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle managed to get a picture together for the first time since they broke up their friendship.
"Good morning everypony," a voice called from behind "I mean everyone."
"Twilight," came simultaneous cry
"Thanks for coming, Twilight," Sunset said
"You're welcome. Unfortunately your parents were too busy to make it," Twilight replied
"Yeah. Royal duties are Chaotic; aren't they," Sunset said cryptically
"Sunny; just who are your parents in Equestria," Pinkie asked in awe
"You wouldn't believe us if we told you," Twilight and Sunset answered together
"I take it you are the mysterious Twilight Sparkle my daughter has talked about," Spitfire mused "She mentioned something about being a pony from another world."
"That's true; ma'am. I don't wish to get into the details; but I would like you to take my word for it," Twilight said "Sunset is also from the same world."
"I will take your word. I'd get confused by it," Spitfire mused
"Bloom, Belle; it was great to see the both of you," Scoots said hugging them
"Granny Smith demanded I acted civil today," Apple Bloom said sarcastically
"Please calm down. If you have to sit apart; then do so. The last thing we want is a fight breaking out during the ceremony."
"He's right girls," Celestia added "Are you ready to go?"
"I'll find a seat up front to see you," Twilight said, before the others left
Celestia directed everyone inside the gym where two lines were formed. Brian took his place amongst the males; while the others found themselves shuffled in line.
"Mr. Doodle will instruct each pair of students to head through the doors," Luna explained "Cheerilee will read the names of the male students to head to the stage and Discord will read the females. By the way; this is being recorded so everyone will get a copy on DVD."
With the explanations complete; Celestia, Luna, Discord and Cheerilee left the gym to head onstage while the rest of the teachers stood in front. Each of them wore black caps and gowns against the school colors.
"Good morning to the families of our students. We are happy you are able to join us in celebrating this momentous day as our seniors graduate high school," Celestia introduced "In just a few minutes they will head out from inside the gym."
A combination of nervousness and giddiness seemed to be prevalent through the students as they waited until Cranky Doodle had them step forward. Brian found himself subconsciously rocking forward in anticipation of being called.
"Go ahead," Cranky directed
Locking his arm inside his female companion; Brian made his way out to 'Pomp and Circumstance'. Looking into the audience; he wished his parents were there to see him, but was happy to see Scootaloo waving at him instead.
"You okay," his companion whispered
"I am now. I have a makeshift family waiting for me in the audience."
Over the next twenty minutes; the rest of the school had filed into to the seats. Celestia had everyone stand while the national anthem was played as Brian had to focus on his breathing so as not to break down.
"We will now have the Valedictorian come up and say a few words," Celestia said "Miss Hooves; if you'd so kindly come up here?"
"Hello everyone. This was such a surprise to find out, that I don't have a speech," Derpy said "All I'd like to do is wish you all the best of luck in your future endeavors. If ever you fall at something, don't look at it as the end; but get up and try again. Thank you very much."
Following the speeches; the individual names were called to receive their diplomas. As Brian headed on stage; old habits from Canterlot Military Academy started to resurface. Upon taking the diploma with his left hand; his right hand started to slowly rise for a salute.
"You don't need to salute," Celestia whispered
"Habit," he whispered
Catching the action; Celestia quickly grabbed his hand and gave him a handshake instead. She wouldn't admit it; but Celestia had friends that served in the military to recognize traditions. With the accident averted; he quickly returned to his seat as the event continued.
Nearly an hour later of getting the seniors their diplomas to recognizing those that were members of the Friendship Games team; Derpy returned to the stage to lead in the tradition of turning the tassels.
"Congratulations to the class of 2019. All of you have officially graduated from high school," Luna announced
Upon hearing that final announcement; a loud cheer erupted from the students before they threw the caps into the air. Over the next few minutes; they were turning over every cap to find their own.
"We're finally done with high school! The hell is over," Dash commented
"Brian; I suppose you'd like this back," Celestia commented, holding the backpack
"Yes ma'am."
The girls watched as he removed a white hat from the bag and switched it with his graduation cap. With the Combo back on; he unzipped the gown and stored it as Sunset followed suit.
"You look amazing in that," Rarity complemented
"What's with the black things on the top," Twilight inquired
"The black patches show the rank of the wearer. My father was a Navy Captain while my mom was just under that as Commander. I was the Commander at Canterlot Military Academy years ago."
"DRAGNOV," a voice boomed "A TEN...HUT! ABOUT...FACE!"
The girls watched as a shape belonging to a behemoth of a man showed up behind them, temporarily blocking the sun. Upon hearing the voice; Brian felt his body immediately straighten up before turning around to face his addressor out of habit from his training
"SHAKE...hands," the voice said as it calmed down
"Admiral Tirek. It's an honor."
Looking at the man in front of them; the girls estimated his height to be almost seven feet tall and made of solid muscle. His skin tone was a dark, almost blood red as he wore an identical uniform to Brian's. A massive collection of ribbons and medals adorned the left side of his uniform as a black rank patch of four gold stars sat on the shoulder boards if one were to actually try and look.
"It's been a while, Brian. I'm glad the tailoring was perfect on your uniform," Tirek said
"Hi daddy," Scootaloo said cheerfully
"Scoots; I heard you had gotten into trouble earlier in the year," Tirek commented angrily "Is that true?"
"Yes dad. My friends and I posted secrets about the students online," she replied sadly
"Sir; although she may have been a culprit; Scootaloo did actively participate in bringing the others to justice."
"I'm glad all that time studying law was put to good use. I suppose in light of this I can skip giving you any sort of punishment," Tirek mused "Just promise me nothing will happen like that again."
"I promise dad," Scootaloo said "I've learned my lesson already."
"Mr. Tirek, sir; you are different than your counterpart," Twilight commented
"What exactly do you mean young lady," he questioned
"Without going into details; I'm from a parallel world of ponies where your counterpart was a gigantic centaur," Twilight answered
"That's rather interesting. I would never have thought other worlds existed," he mused
"Don't think so hard about it sweetheart," Spitfire warned "It might become confusing."
"On another note; perhaps we should get going," Tirek suggested "Our ride is waiting."
"Of course sir. My girlfriend Sunset will be coming with us."
"How long have you two been together for; if you don't mind me asking," Tirek inquired
"Technically since the start of the school when Brian helped me after being blamed for secrets that were posted. He let me stay at his house and we became a couple around Christmas," Sunset answered
"Congratulations on that. I wish you the best of luck," he finished
Tirek led his family along with Brian and the girls to a nearby limo waiting in the parking lot. Attached to the hood were two small flags with four five-pointed stars on them arranged in a diamond pattern on the front. Standing by was another person wearing a white Navy uniform that assisted everyone in entering the vehicle.
"Congratulations on your graduation everyone. And may you have good luck in your college schooling," Tirek said, before the limo pulled away
"Where exactly are we going to?"
"First is to the cemetery to see your family before dropping you two off at home. Afterwards; I'm going to take my family home and enjoy my retirement; especially after forty years in the Navy," Tirek replied
"How did you know Brian," Sunset asked
"I was his parents' commanding officer. Sam asked I watched over Brian and Alex in the case anything happened to him. I agreed to keep an eye on them; but was surprised when his mom was called back to active duty," Tirek answered "I had to deliver the bad news when he was at CMA."
A few minutes later; the limo passed through the funeral entrance and stopped near the military section. The driver helped everyone out before Spitfire held both Sunset and Scootaloo back for a moment as the males approached the tombstone.
"Present...arms," Tirek directed as both proceeded to salute "Order...arms."
"Before anything else; why don't you two put your graduation gowns on and I'll take a picture of you by the stone," Spitfire suggested
The two did just that; although two photos were taken with Brian having both covers on. Sunset returned them to her bag and slung it on her shoulder.
"It's been quite a while since I've seen you two. I'm sorry the two of you passed away. With good news; your son looks amazing in his dress uniform and I promise to look after him," Tirek said "Fair winds and following seas to you both."
"I wish you could have seen my graduation; but I'm glad my guardian was there representing you. I love you both and thank you for everything."
Before heading home; a challenge coin was handed over to Brian that had the Admiral's rank on one side with the Navy emblem on the reverse.
"What does the coin mean," Sunset questioned
"If one was to drink; someone calls for a coin and everyone pulls their out. Whoever has the lowest ends up buying for the others," Tirek answered
"Although I don't plan to drink; I am thankful to have it."
"You really see me as a guardian," Tirek questioned
"I do. You've looked out for me as much as you could over the years. I might be old enough to take care of myself; but I'm glad to have a family looking out for me."
"Brian; one more thing, you have a driver's license; correct," Tirek asked
"Under suggestion from my mom; yes. I just don't have a vehicle to use."
"Just wanted to know," was the reply; rather nonchalantly dropping the subject
After getting dropped of at home; the two changed into something comfortable before hanging up the clothes.
"I talked to Twilight earlier about a surprise for you. She's agreed to help out tomorrow," Sunset commented
"And I'm going to be completely blind; aren't I?"
"Yep. Just don't worry about it," she said kissing him on the cheek |
Dragon's Anon-a-Miss | 9 | The next day was extremely quiet in the house as Sunset refused to give in. They enjoyed having pancakes, sausage and bacon; before getting ready.
Twilight- we're getting ready now. See you soon
"Let's get going," she called
Sunset led Brian to the school; which he felt was odd, but couldn't say anything as to the reason. Instead of heading inside the school; they stopped at the statue at the base of the entrance steps.
"Do you trust me," she asked
"Of course I do. Why shouldn't I?"
Without warning; Brian found himself being pushed towards the statue. Out of instinct; he tucked his chin forward to prevent a head injury only to not make contact with the marble pedestal. Instead; he felt like passing through a dark tunnel; only to emerge with a bright light around him.
"Am...I...dead," he asked skeptically
"I sure hope not," a voice said from behind
"Should I know you? You look familiar."
"You should recognize your own girlfriend," Sunset answered jokingly "Welcome to my home of Equestria."
"This feels so different. I haven't walked on four legs since I was running around as a child on my hands and feet. You really are a unicorn."
"And you're a pegasus," she added
"Welcome to Equestria; Brian Dragnov. Our daughter told us about you helping her. Forgive my rudeness; I am Princess Celestia; and this is my younger sister Princess Luna," Celestia introduced
"And I am the God of Chaos; Discord," he announced "Along with being Sunset's father."
"I am curious as to Brian's fur. That is unusual," Sunset commented
Celestia summoned a mirror for him to examine his new appearance. Staring back at Brian was a black pegasus with blue wings that as he opened them; revealed black interior feathers. Looking towards his side, saw the design of a scroll with a pencil and musical quarter note crossed in 'X' shape. What stood out was despite having a body that was almost completely covered with black fur and blond mane; the tops of his front hooves were white with faint traces of scarring on them.
"Impressive. The mark is identical to the necklace you made for Christmas."
"Perhaps I can help answer the question as to the color," Discord suggested, holding up a picture "What do you see here?"
The image showed Brian as a human wearing his trench coat, next to an version without the coat. Sunset found herself running a hoof over the back of her neck in confusion.
"I don't know," Sunset finally answered
"I do. I've worn black for the three years since my father died; and again with the loss of my mom. That trench coat became so much a part of me that it's easy not to notice my skin; especially when my hands are covered by gloves. Coming to Equestria revealed that; as well as showing my actual skin tone at the same time. I even have some scarring from the incident from three years ago as well."
"What did thou do to result in scars," Luna inquired
"You're going back to the old tongue again; Lulu. I told you that you don't need to use that anymore," Celestia mused
"When I was human and found out my dad died in combat; I punched through a glass window twice. Both hands were cut up really badly."
"Ouch. I couldn't imagine the pain you were in," Luna said "Although; it wouldn't have any affect on an alicorn."
"I didn't know you had gotten here so fast," Twilight said panting "It took time to gather the others."
"A new pegasus; huh," Dash mused "I challenge you to an aerial race."
"I'm disinclined to acquiesce your request."
"What did he say," Rainbow asked, looking around at the others, as the six collectively shook their heads
"It means 'no'. Why would; or rather; should I, as a guest, take such an unwinnable challenge?"
"So; you admit you'd lose," Dash said proudly "A Wonderbolt never loses."
"Rainbow; I told you he is Sunset's guest here. Brian wouldn't learn how to fly soon enough for you," Twilight warned
"I'll throw him off a cliff. That'll teach him," Dash said sarcastically
"You'll do no such thing," Rarity and Sunset said together
"That's not happening."
"It was an offer," Dash commented with a shrug
"Why don't we show him around," Sunset asked "This room wasn't designed for so many occupants at once."
"Girls; I'm going to assist Brian. Feel free to stay here if you'd like," Twilight said
"I'll see you in a while; Twi. I need to get some apple bucking done," Applejack said
"And I need to feed the animals. I don't want them to get hungry," Fluttershy added
"I'm going to make a 'SorryYouCan'tStay;ThisIsOnlyTemporary' cake for tonight's party," Pinkie chimed in
"I hear some Daring Doo novels calling my name from your library," Dash mused "Just come and get me if you need anything. Later."
"Spike could probably use some company," Rarity chimed in
Rarity and Dash headed to their respective areas of the castle, while Twilight led everyone else; including the Royal Sisters down the steps towards the castle entrance.
"This room wasn't meant for easy access; was it?"
"No. I didn't need anypony finding out the location of the mirror and trying to access it. The fifth floor seemed to be out of the way far enough that only the most determined might find it. Of course there are plenty of safeguards in the castle," Twilight started
"What kind; if you don't mind me asking?"
"Any teleporting will immediately result in returning to the entrance. I had detection spells that distinguish those that should be allowed to enter; and everypony else. My friends and select few can access any portion of the castle; while the others will automatically be guided to their destination without chance to deviate," she continued
"Impressive countermeasures. This castle is almost a labyrinth to begin with; that somethings are redundant."
"That's the best part of protection; you cannot have enough. My friends and I deserve a castle that is protected against outside attacks."
"Twilight; we will see you later. It's time to head back to Canterlot," Celestia said before she and Luna left
"So; what do you think," Sunset asked
"The architecture feels as if it's going to collapse any minute; compared to the multitude of brick-and-mortar buildings at home. I mean no offense; by the way."
"This is just the city of Ponyville. Other cities are built differently; such as the capital city of Canterlot," Twilight countered
While walking around the town; they came to an area that was completely devoid of any structure against the entire town. Brian noticed Twilight wanted to keep walking upon seeing the spot.
"What happened right there?"
"I don't want to talk about it," Twilight replied sadly
"What happened; Twi? You know it's not good to hold things in," Sunset asked sweetly
"Tirek destroyed my old home; Golden Oak Library. It hurts to see it; even though a seedling was planted afterwards," Twilight answered, wiping her eyes
"I'm sorry to hear that. At least there will something to fill the gap left behind."
"On another topic; I see a concert that's happening later," Sunset mused, gesturing to a poster; before reading "Octavia Melody of the Canterlot Philharmonic Orchestra."
"It's cool to know that I've seen the human counterparts of many of the residents. I'd like to go to that if it's not a problem."
"I don't mind; although I wouldn't be surprised if mom had tickets already," Sunset added
"I don't know about anyone else; but I'm completely starved."
"It has been a while since we had breakfast; although you're not going to find meat on any menu," Sunset commented
"Well; some restaurants do have fish on the menu. It's kind of a delicacy to ponies. Vegetables are as common as dandelions and regular lettuce," Twilight corrected "Is Sugarcube Corner okay with you both? My treat."
"That's fine with me."
"Agreed," Sunset added "You'd probably want to lead; Twi. I wouldn't know where to go."
"No problem. Let's go; in fact it's just down the way," Twilight said
Once in the restaurant; many ponies bowed to Twilight; which she shrugged off as unnecessary. Three chocolate chip muffins were ordered as they found a seat outside to enjoy the food.
"Ponyville is a really nice town. It has a feel of a small village from home."
"It's so very different than your home. I actually have to thank Sunset and the human counterparts for teaching me about that world. I'm surprised you aren't having difficulties," Twilight mused
"Walking on four legs is something I just try not to think about. I just find it funny that you'd grab food with the same hooves you walk on. It would be the same as a human eating with their feet. Luckily; you don't have to worry about biological contamination of food."
"In all the years I lived there; I never thought about it. Same with why I had never gotten sick; despite wearing thin clothing that didn't help in winter," Sunset added
"After we get done; why don't we head back to the castle," Twilight suggested "I figure Princess Celestia could send me a letter if there is anything to take care of."
"That's fine with me. I wouldn't mind visiting your castle library if that's okay."
"I don't mind. I'll use teleportation to get us home faster," Twilight replied
Brian barely had enough time to blink; before finding himself in front of the castle. Thankfully; the experience was over fast enough his body didn't have time to recognize a change in location.
"The library is located on the third floor and bedrooms are on the second," Twilight said
With that; he headed upstairs to find Rainbow Dash still lounging in one of the recliner-like chairs in the library. She was so into the book that she didn't hear him enter.
"Any good suggestions for reading?"
"Daring Do if you're interested in adventures," Dash replied
"That sounds like a winner to me."
"Start with 'Daring Do and the Sapphire Stone'. It's the first book A.K. Yearling wrote," she pointed out
As he started getting into the book; it felt similar to another archeologist-turned-treasure hunter from home and started humming the music
"What's the humming about," she asked
"A song that popped into my head. It was from a movie that was similar; but I can't recall the name."
"I wish I could see it," she pouted
"Unfortunately; I doubt it. Not unless you can watch human movies."
"Ponyfeathers," she swore, before quickly putting a hoof to her mouth "Don't tell Twilight I swore; please? Twilight hates swearing and tries to prevent us from doing so."
"My lips are sealed."
"Brian? Would you come down here," Twilight yelled
"I guess I'd better go too," Dash decided
Dash jumped off the balcony and glided down towards the entrance as Brian made his way down as quickly and safety as possible.
"Sorry it took a while. Long way down," he said, trying to catch his breath
"I just received a message from Princess Celestia. She's sending a carriage to pick you and Sunset up to see the concert," Twilight explained
"You aren't going with us?"
"Not this time. There's a performance tomorrow we'll be going to. This is just for you to go," she answered
They didn't have long to wait; as a knock on the door, followed by two guards standing out front meant it was time to go. Brian helped his girlfriend into the back before climbing in behind her as the guards sat in front.
"Welcome to Canterlot Coliseum. The concert is inside; although we'll be going to the VIP box," Celestia introduced
Upon walking towards the entrance; the bouncers immediately stood aside to allow them in. A short distance inside the building was a section of wall with a curtain blocking it. Celestia lit her horn and moved it aside to reveal a door and stairs that led upwards. Once inside the booth; Brian and Sunset found themselves bookended by Luna and Celestia, as Discord popped in with a seat of his own, sitting towards one side.
"This should be a treat. The Philharmonic plays so infrequently it's almost impossible to know when it'll be held," Discord mused
"It's a good thing that the conductor; Symphony Maestro lets me know in advance," Celestia replied "That way I can plan accordingly to attend."
"I haven't been to an orchestra concert in some time. The last one was when I first started playing cello almost a decade ago."
As the concert progressed throughout the evening; Brian found himself closing his eyes during a piece dedicated to a cello solo. While it was soothing to listen to; it also reminded him of the occasions when his parents would listen to him practice; and he couldn't help but let a few tears run down his face.
"It's okay," Celestia whispered
"I played that very same piece when I first started. Hearing it reminded me of how much I miss them."
"They may be gone; but the memories still remain," Sunset added, hugging him
Once the concert was over; Celestia had a carriage return them directly to Twilight's castle for the evening as they planned on returning through the portal the next day.
"That was fun. Sorry about that incident."
"You don't have to apologize. It's natural for that to happen," Sunset replied
"SURPRISE!"
Twilight and her friends were waiting inside the entrance just as Brian and Sunset made their way inside. Before either could relax; they were ushered towards the dining room. Brian watched as a purple dragon wheeled a covered tray towards the dinner table.
"Here it is," the dragon commented "Sorry. I'm Spike."
"It's nice to meet you; Spike. I'm Brian Dragnov."
"ComeonComeonComeon," Pinkie said impatiently "Sit down already."
Believing they were taking too long; Pinkie grabbed the pair and unceremoniously dropped them into adjacent chairs as the others calmly took their seats.
"Oops! I totally forgot about our guests," a light pink, near purple unicorn said running in the room
"This is my student Starlight Glimmer," Twilight introduced
"Good evening. I'm Brian."
"Sunset's human coltfriend," Starlight simplified
"Enough chatting," Pinkie begged
Twilight lit her horn up and levitated the tray onto the table before Pinkie removed the lid. Underneath was a chocolate cake in the shape of a scroll with Sunset's cutie mark in the center. In the blink of an eye, Pinkie had the entire cake sliced into smaller pieces and sitting in front of the group.
"This is good. How'd you know my favorite flavor was German chocolate?"
"I can't tell you that. I am; however: glad you like it," Pinkie answered
"This really is delicious. What exactly is in the frosting," Rarity added
"Shredded coconut and pecans. Or at least that's what it usually is at home."
"Yes indeedie," Pinkie said
"What do you think of Equestria," Rarity inquired
"It's a lot different that home; for a fact. It would definitely take a while to get used to; especially when humans aren't designed to fly. Not to mention food choice."
"You eat meat often," Fluttershy asked
"I do; but it's paired with salads most often. Transitioning from being an omnivore as a human to being a herbivore isn't exactly easy. Especially when so much nutrition comes from meat."
"It took me a while to get used to eating meat," Sunset chimed in "Although being homeless does change the way you look at food."
"I'm sorry that you went through that," Twilight apologized
"It was my fault. I thought was ready to become an alicorn when mom knew otherwise. Teenage angst drove me to head through the portal. With all that; I'm just lucky to have my Demon literally purged from me," Sunset explained
"We've all had our ups and downs. What matters most is what we learn and take away."
"Trust and understanding," Applejack mused "I learned that after the wedding."
"Let's not dwell on the past," Starlight stated "We can't change what happened."
"Agreed," everyone added, dropping the subject
"I'll lead you up to the bedrooms," Spike suggested "It's getting really late."
"Thank you very much; Spike."
After heading back up to the third floor and into one of the rooms; Brian immediately sat down and began to meditate before bed.
"What's that you're doing," Twilight asked
"Meditating. A way of calming down."
"I don't think she can do that," Spike joked "Twilight panics over anything."
"I do not," Twilight argued
"Princess Celestia is on her way," Sunset said in a deadpan
"Ohmygosh.Ohmygosh.Ohmygosh," Twilight said, frantically breathing into a paper bag "Why didn't you tell me she's coming here!?"
"She's not," Sunset replied calmly "I was proving Spike's point."
"Alright. Point taken. What do I have to do," Twilight inquired
"Just sit down and close your eyes for starters."
Following his instructions; Twilight sat next to Brian, taking an identical pose before looking over for guidance.
"Okay. What next?"
"Slow deep breaths in and out."
"What do I focus on? "
"Technically; nothing. If you wish; picture a house in the distance to look at as a focal point. Just a plain house. You can meditate as long and as often as you want in order to calm down."
"Just don't suggest Pinkie try it," Spike joked "I heard about the 'Mirror Pond' incident."
"Thank you for showing me how to meditate," Twilight said, hugging Brian "Hopefully it helps. Now; let's get to bed before it gets any later."
"You're welcome. Nothing with happen overnight; but it should help."
"I'm going to be right across the hall," Sunset said, before yawning "Goodnight everyone."
"I'm going to turn in as well," Spike chimed in, before starting to fall over
"Let's get you to bed," Twilight decided, levitating Spike onto her back "Goodnight to both of you."
With the decision made for the group; each retreated to their rooms with Starlight being last to go. As he fell asleep; Brian was joined by Luna in his dreams.
○DREAMREALM○
Luna watched as a blond male on two legs; which she surmised as being her niece's human boyfriend speed through various points in life. At one point; a room with various people was seen with three looking familiar.
"I'm sorry to say; but your father, Captain Samuel Dragnov was pronounced K.I.A.," a red male answered
"Dammit! Why'd it have to be him!?"
"Brian! Calm down," Alexis asked "Admiral Tirek; did he say anything else?"
"He asked me to keep watch over the two of you," Tirek answered
Luna watched as the scene progressed a few minutes to see Brian punching through the glass window. She winced at the aftermath as blood covered his hands. Sitting down; motionless, was the owner; in the metaphysical flesh.
"I'm sorry for your loss," Luna commented
"As am I. I had to watch them being lowered into the ground at such a young age. It's not usual for a child; let alone a young adult; to fend for themselves."
"You have help in the form of others; you only need to ask," she said "My niece did get lucky with her boyfriend. Why did you help her out?"
"It was the right thing to do. Her friends accused her of something she didn't do and abandoned her because of it. I couldn't stand by and jumped in to help. Later on did Sunset tell me I was her savior."
"I'm impressed you're not surprised about me visiting you in your dreams," she mused
"I never thought about it. It would take a while to adapt to another world."
"I'll let you get some sleep as you and Sunset are heading back through the portal tomorrow," she said
"Goodnight Princess Luna."
"Goodnight Brian," she said before leaving
□THE NEXT DAY□
"Sleep well," Sunset asked
"I slept."
"Are you two leaving already," Twilight asked
"Yeah. We wanted to get home early before anyone else gets curious at school," Sunset answered
"If I could; I'd have moved the exit location close to your home," Twilight mused "When you leave; I'm going to shut down the portal modification. It'll return to only opening three days ever thirty moons."
"Roughly three years; I'd guess?"
"Two-and-a-half to be precise," Sunset answered
"Just remember you can always contact us any time," Twilight mused
"Thank you for the hospitality Princess Twilight."
"It was my pleasure. I wish you best of luck in the future," she said
Twilight accompanied the pair upstairs before hugging them. Sunset stepped through the portal first; having been used to the transformation.
"Thank you again for everything."
"Take care," Twilight said
With that; he calmly headed through the portal; only to fall on the ground on the other side.
"Let me help you up," Sunset said, holding out a hand
"Thanks. That's not easy to get used to."
"At least I'm able to return the favor from when my black-cloaked savior helped me," she mused "After we get home; what do we do now?"
"I'd guess the college admissions letter for you should arrive soon. After that; might be touring the campus and getting registered."
"Damn. Anything good to look forward to," she mused
"College has its own class scheduling. You choose the time you'd want to attend class."
"That's certainly good," she pointed out "But we'll have to find a way to get there and back."
Once he shook his legs to get feeling back into then; they set off for home. As they neared their destination; a covered object was sitting near.
"Glad to see you two back," Tirek mused "This wouldn't have worked otherwise."
"Don't look at us," Scootaloo pointed out "It was daddy's idea."
Tirek removed the cover to reveal a black Mustang car with similar interior.
"Thank you sir for this."
"You're welcome; Brian. I figured you'd be needing a vehicle eventually and knew you'd like it," Tirek said, hugging Brian
"Ironically; I loosely mentioned us needing a way to get to school," Sunset said with a laugh
"That's taken care of. Now you just need to get registered for college," Tirek added, hugging Sunset "We'll be on our way."
"Thank you again for the Mustang."
"You're welcome. If you need any help; just ask," Tirek said before leaving
The following day; almost a week removed from graduation; Sunset received the letter from Canterlot University regarding her acceptance. After the weekend ended; they headed to the college to get registered for Fall classes. Sunset entered into the Education department and chose the best classes needed.
"Good luck with your classes," Sunset said, kissing Brian on the cheek
"And you with yours." |
Dragon's Anon-a-Miss | 10 | [START OF COLLEGE (RIGHT AFTER HS GRADUATION)]
"Scoots told me that the three of them are trying to repair their friendship," Dash commented
"That's good to hear. How's the incident with your sister," Brian asked, looking at Rarity
"Sweetie Belle's doing a little better. She let me know that she still feels depressed; but hasn't been scratching her arms since I caught her," Rarity replied "Thank you for asking; darling."
"Bloom admitted her jealousy; but I never realized how bad it was," Applejack added
"I just hope they can forget what happened," Sunset mused
"They might forgive each other for what happened; but they can never forget the hell everyone was put through."
"I don't know how true it is; but I heard Filthy Rich pulled his daughter Diamond Tiara out of the school," Pinkie said
"Oh? Is the spoiled brat getting homeschooled," Dash asked
"I overheard him saying military academy," Fluttershy chimed in
"She's screwed. The instructors won't go easy on her and definitely won't accept any back talk."
"Serves her right. That still doesn't feel enough," Dash said
[TIME SKIP: 4 YEARS AFTER HS]
Much to the other's surprise; Brian had an accelerated college timeline and managed to graduate with a Bachelor's degree in three years. His fourth year was spent starting a Master's degree in law while they were almost done with their Bachelor's degrees.
"So; have you talked about it," Rarity inquired cryptically
"Talk about what," he and Sunset asked together
"The big event," Rarity answered
"Uh, Rares; care to let the rest of us in," Applejack suggested
"What comes next. Marriage," Rarity clarified "You two have been together for four years now. What are you going to do?"
"That never came up. We agreed to just focus on our collegiate studies right now," Sunset answered "When the time is right; we'll tie the knot."
"Right now; it's more important to finish school before worrying about the far off future."
"Fair enough. Besides; I'll be happy to get my degree in economics," AJ replied
"You're going directly into being a lawyer afterwards; right," Fluttershy inquired
"Yeah."
"Good luck with that," Fluttershy replied
The following day was the graduation for the girls and he made sure to sit in the front row of the crowd. During the previous year they watched him; it was only fair to reciprocate. Over the next few hours; each had received their diplomas in their respective fields: teaching, sports, economics, biology, culinary and design for Sunset, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie and Rarity; respectively.
"Congratulations girls. You worked hard for your diplomas. What do you plan on doing next?"
"The Cakes did say that they would give me a job until I can create my bakery with them. I think I'll name it 'Cakes n' Pie'. Has a nice ring to it; don't you think," Pinkie said
"Filthy Rich said he'd help me with my farm's finances if I was successful with my degree," AJ chimed in
"I have already been contracted by some of the most well known names in the fashion industry," Rarity said enthusiastically
"I've been given a tryout for the national soccer team," Dash added "With any luck I could be going to the Olympics soon."
"I've already been working at the animal shelter on a volunteer basis; so they're going to give me a job," Fluttershy commented
"Best of luck in your careers," Sunset said "I've already enrolled in the Master's degree program."
"Why do you want to spend more time here," Dash questioned "Wasn't four years enough?"
"I want to set myself up for success. If I get accepted to Crystal Prep or even CHS; I want to continue learning all I can and pass that knowledge to my students," Sunset answered
"At any rate; can we make one promise to one another," Fluttershy asked "That no matter how far away we may drift; we will keep in contact with one another?"
"I promise," Sunset said
"Of course," Rarity decided
"Yepperoni," Pinkie added
"You know it Sugarcube," AJ stated
"I'm certainly not going to leave anyone without contact," Dash joked "Even when I become a huge star."
"Count me in too. We've been through so much to stop being friends."
[TIME SKIP: 7 YEARS AFTER HS]
The next three years seemed to drag on for the pair as they worked on their next degree. Although he had a year's head start; Brian decided to take a year off while Sunset completed her classes. With only a few credits left; they could wait so it would be a joint graduation ceremony.
"Why'd you want to skip," Sunset questioned
"I wanted to wait for you. Besides; you're only a year behind me and I only need 12 credits left. Instead of me graduating this time; I'll walk with you during the next one."
"What are you going to do in the meantime? I don't expect you to sit around at home."
"The dojo's owner knows about my situation in regards to class and asked me to become the main instructor. Considering I was recently successful in testing for my 3rd Dan black belt; I was the best candidate for the position."
With that; each spent the time in their respective area of work. The pay for working as the martial arts instructor was enough not to worry about using anything in the bank account and have the classes and textbooks nearly paid for out of pocket.
During the following year; much was the same until the spring semester approached. Brian found out that his Senior Assessment was to be a mandatory in-person meeting with the dean of the law school; while the three remaining classes would be online only.
○COLLEGE○
"Good morning Mr. Dragnov. As you may know; I am Arthur Hale; the dean. This assessment is to make sure you have learned the basics tenants of law throughout the required classes. We will meet each Friday for two hours through the semester," he said "Any questions with that?"
"No sir. I have taken care to write detailed notes of everything my instructors told the class. I am thankful that our meetings will not impede the remaining classes; nor my work throughout the rest of the week."
"If you don't mind me asking; where are you working," Dean Hale asked
"I am currently the head instructor at the martial arts school."
From that little introductory meeting; the pair met up each week like clockwork while Sunset fulfilled the same obligations for her Master's degree. Months later; they were heading onstage to receive their diplomas while Tirek recorded the event for their personal viewing at a later time.
"Congrats to both of you. Those degrees are completely cemented as yours," Tirek said "When do you start working?"
"When school starts in August; I'll be teaching at Canterlot High School," Sunset answered cheerfully
"I was on the short list for the law firm; but they wanted me to get my degree first and pass the Bar before completely hiring me."
"When are you two getting married," Spitfire asked "Let alone having kids."
"We haven't thought about the former; and definitely aren't prepared for the later."
"Fair enough. It was just out of curiosity," Spitfire answered
"Well; perhaps we could get married," Sunset suggested sheepishly "But it's going to be a bit complicated."
"How do you mean?"
"We hold two ceremonies; one here and the other in Equestria. I'd have to let Twilight know about the guests we'd be bringing with," she answered
"You mean we'd be going to another world," Tirek asked in disbelief
"Yes. Who all would be going with us?"
"Obviously; the three of us would be going," Tirek stated
"And I would have thought you'd want Tempest there," Sunset commented rhetorically
"Since she was accepted into the Navy's OCS, Officer Candidate School; I haven't heard anything from her."
"I'm sure a contact of mine could help," Tirek commented "Retired or not; an Admiral still carries some weight."
"Let me know if you get an answer; sir," Sunset said "We'll hold plans until then."
"I'll send you a message," Tirek promised
●WEDDING PLANS●
Three months later; Sunset and Brian did receive a message saying Tempest would be returning home for a week's vacation before having to head back to duty.
"Now that we know Tempest is on her way; I've already let the girls know," Sunset said
"What exactly did you tell them? We're getting married; but don't have an exact date set?"
"Actually, yes; that's what they were told. Besides; I'm not wanting to do this until everyone we want are present," she answered
"Thank you for that. My parents may be gone; but Tirek has been a guardian for years. And I've always looked at Tempest as a little sister."
"I'm glad to hear that," a voice said from the doorway
Looking over at the owner revealed a female in all khaki with a silver bar on her collars. As she removed her Combo cover; short purple hair was shown.
"Fizz! It's been too long."
"Congrats on the law degree. I'm surprised you didn't become a J.A.G," Tempest mused, hugging them in turn
"I wanted the civilian aspect more in order to be with my fiance."
"So; have you decided roles," Tempest inquired "Or attire; for that matter?"
"I was going to have my friend from Equestria be my maid of honor," Sunset replied "And I was hoping Tirek wouldn't mind walking me down the aisle."
"And I was hoping you'd be my best man."
"Honestly; we aren't too picky about attire," Sunset mused "Just something casual."
"Wouldn't it be best to rent your tux and dresses," Tempest asked
"I suppose it wouldn't be a bad idea," Sunset admitted "Rarity would throw a fit if we weren't dressed 'properly' for a wedding."
"And since I know the uniform Tirek sent me years ago isn't going to fit; I'll rent a black tux for the day. You'll be wearing your Service Dress Blues for the event."
"Fair enough. I wouldn't be surprised if Tirek wears his uniform," Tempest added
"Guest room's yours for the time."
"What have you been doing in the Navy," Sunset asked
"All I can say is that I work on an aircraft carrier," Tempest stated simply
Over the next two days; everyone spent the time getting the clothing rented for the wedding. With that completed; it was determined to have the wedding at a nearby church to which the pastor agreed.
On the morning of the wedding; Brian's house found itself rearranged with dark curtains splitting off most of the hallways while Rarity got to work getting the girls dressed.
Needing to relax and calm down; Brian headed downstairs to train before a series of knocks on the top signaled the area was clear. Knowing that; he made his way to the bathroom for a quick shower.
"They're almost ready," Tempest commented "The girls will see you there."
"Thanks for at least giving me a verbal head's up. At this point all that's left is to get dressed and head up to the church."
After getting dressed; Tirek arrived with his family to pick up the pair and drive to their destination. Inside the church; was much the same as home; although Brian and Tempest headed directly towards the main area to wait for his bride.
"Having second thoughts," the pastor asked
"Pardon the language Father; but Hell no. I've been ready for this for a while. I just wish my parents could have been here."
"They've been there for you watching over you ever since they were called to Paradise. I'm sure they're proud of you; Brian," the pastor said reassuringly
"Thank you; Father. I needed to hear that."
"Incoming," Tirek boomed from outside the room
With the warning announcement; Brian and Tempest stood up from the pew they were sitting in as the organist started playing the wedding march. Sunset was led in by Tirek; who decided to wear his dress whites. Following behind them was Rarity and the others as they lifted up the wedding train. Spitfire had started the video recording as soon as she could.
"We are gathered here to wed these two. Do you Brian Dragnov take Sunset Shimmer as your wife," the pastor asked
"I do."
"And do you; Sunset Shimmer take Brian Dragnov as your husband," he asked
"I do," Sunset answered
"I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the other," the pastor finished
The girls cheered as they watched their friends finally getting together after so many years. A limo arrived to take the newlyweds home as Tirek followed behind.
"I'll let Twilight know about tomorrow," Sunset said as they headed inside
Tomorrow; I hope you don't mind if my husband and I bring over a few friends?
Who did you marry; how many are arriving and why?
In order of questions:
1-Brian
2- 4 others besides the two of us
3- to get married in Equestria
I'll let Princess Celestia know of your arrival. You're lucky the portal reopens tomorrow.
Thanks Twilight
"So; when do we get to go," Scootaloo asked, as her parents followed instead
"I don't think that's normal," Tirek motioned towards the book "Books don't glow."
"It's a message from my friend. I'll read it to everyone," Sunset answered
"Congratulations to you both on the wedding. I welcome each of you to Equestria
Signed; Princess Celestia"
"We're going to meet an actual princess," Spitfire asked in awe
"Where exactly do we have to go," Tirek asked
"The statue in front of the steps of Canterlot High School. A portal will open there and remain open for three days," Sunset answered
"What happens if we remain there any longer," a worried Scootaloo asked
"We would remain in Equestria for another two-and-a-half years."
"Well; we'll see you three tomorrow," Tirek said
"We'll hold off anything until we're alone," Sunset whispered
○EQUESTRIA○
As the next morning rolled around; the pair were awakened by the smell of pancakes and sausage being cooked by Tempest. After enjoying the meal; Brian drove them to school while they wait for Tirek.
"What brings you here," a voice asked
"Principal Celestia; it's good to see you again. We're waiting for a few people before we head back to Equestria for a while."
"My sister and I will watch the cars while you're gone," Celestia promised
"Thank you for that."
Moments later; the rest of the group arrived for their excursion to another world. Sunset went first and placed a hand on the marble base before it started to disappear.
"I'll go first and each of you will follow one at a time," Sunset decided "Brian will be the last to enter."
"I'm not seeing things; right? A human being just passed through a statue," Tirek asked, rubbing his eyes after watching Sunset disappear
"You're not seeing things dad," Scootaloo said reassuringly "Just follow me."
True to her word; Scootaloo went through followed by Spitfire and Tempest.
"I'm still not to sure about this," Tirek said hesitantly
"Admiral; you're not going to chicken out; are you?"
"Nonsense! I just don't want anything bad to happen," he replied before pulling at his collar
"You'll be fine," Brian answered before pushing his friend "See you on the other side!"
Once through the portal; Sunset watched as her friends struggled to get to their feet; not being used to four legs. Scootaloo looked identical to her pegasus counterpart in appearance; but had a sawblade as a cutie mark in relation to her going to school for construction. Spitfire also became a pegasus and ended up having a bull's-eye as her cutie mark to signify her marksmanship. Tempest had a medieval shield with Brian's cutie mark on it as they thought of one another as siblings along with a complete unicorn horn. Surprisingly; Tirek was not a centaur as his actual counterpart was; but was an earth pony twice the overall length and height of Big Macintosh. His cutie mark was four gold stars arranged in a diamond with a fouled anchor in the middle.
"Welcome to Equestria," Celestia announced "I am the princess of the Sun and Sunset's mother; Princess Celestia."
"A pleasure to meet you; your majesty. Allow me to introduce my daughter Scootaloo and wife Spitfire," Tirek said, trying to motion to them "And I am retired Navy Admiral Tirek."
"Congratulations you two," Twilight said, hugging Brian and Sunset
"Twilight; why is there somepony that looks like me," Tempest demanded
"Looking over at you; I honestly can't see myself wearing armor," the human Tempest countered "Especially something that barely provides any protection."
"I'll have you know I was commander in the Storm King's army," Tempest stated
"Both of you please stop arguing. We're not here to start any fights."
"Brian is right. We came here so my family could see us get married," Sunset stated
"It's a pleasure to meet my daughter's husband," Discord said, shaking Brian's hoof "Allow me to introduce myself. Discord; God of Chaos. When are you going to have kids?"
"We're still not sure about that."
"Well; if it's of any interest; there's going to be a fight for supremacy in five years," Discord said cryptically
"Do any of you have an idea as to what that means," Tirek asked curiously
"I know what it means. You'll just have to wait and see," Sunset replied
"Where doth thou wish to hold thy wedding," Luna asked "Allow us to introduce our self. We are Princess Luna; Regent of the Moon."
"You don't need to use the 'Royal We' anymore aunt Luna," Sunset commented
"It's just easier to formally introduce using the 'Royal We'. I try not to use it so much," Luna replied with a blush
"If you don't mind; why don't we just hold it in the foyer," Twilight suggested "It'll hold everypony in there comfortably."
"That's fine with me," Pinkie said popping out of nowhere
"Where in the name of Sam Hill did she come from," a confused Tirek demanded
"That's one of the biggest mysteries in Equestria," Twilight replied with a shrug
"Honestly; I don't know about myself either," Pinkie chimed in "The cake is already set up in the dining room."
"I hate to ask; but is there an easier way down the stairs," Tirek asked cautiously "I'd rather not break anything."
"I'll help you down," Celestia replied "This will feel a little different being levitated."
With that; a golden aura emerged from Celestia's horn and surrounded Tirek. He felt himself lifted off the ground as she led the procession down the steps. Once there; she lowered him back to the floor while the others gathered around.
"I hope you don't mind my friends join us," Pinkie asked
"We couldn't miss seeing this," Rarity said "Even if it is on short notice."
"If you all don't mind; would everypony arrange themselves for the bride and groom," Celestia asked
All but Tirek moved as two distinct groups formed. Twilight stood next to Sunset as the human Tempest did the same with Brian. The rest stood behind or towards the side to see everything.
"If everypony is ready; we'll begin," Celestia said as the group nodded "Do you Brian Dragnov take Sunset Shimmer as your partner?"
"I do."
"And do you Sunset Shimmer take Brian Dragnov as your partner," Celestia continued
"I do," Sunset stated
"I now pronounce you partners for life," Celestia finished
"If you two don't mind; the four of us are going to head home," Tempest said
"Thank you all for coming here. It was an honor to have those close to being family here."
"It was our pleasure; dear. You'll always be a son to us," Spitfire replied "Take care and have fun."
"Could you at least stay to have one piece of cake," Pinkie begged
"I suppose it would be rude not to stay," Tirek mused
"This way everypony," Twilight directed
Using her magic; Twilight opened the doors behind them to the dining room as each found a spot at the table. Tirek managed to find a side near his family to stand.
"I'll cut the cake," Pinkie decided
"If you don't mind; why don't Sunset and I do the honors? It may be a human tradition; but it would be proper."
"He's right. The two of us will cut it and you can serve it," Sunset added "Sound fair Pinkie?"
"Okie dokie," she said cheerfully
Sunset levitated the cake knife to her hoof as Brian grabbed it as well. The two proceeded to slice into the cake as everyone cheered. Pinkie grabbed the knife and continued cutting before most could recognize what happened.
"This is really good," Scootaloo commented "My compliments to the chef."
"I'll have to let Mr. and Mrs. Cake know their wedding cake was well received by my friends," Pinkie said
"Twilight, I'm sorry we cut this short; but we should get home soon. It was great to see you again mom; dad," Sunset replied sadly
"That's understandable. You have your own lives and careers to get back to," Celestia said, hugging her
"Your mom's right. We're glad to have the opportunity to be part of the ceremony," Discord added
"We'll definitely keep you up to date on what's happening," Sunset promised
"On behalf of my family; I'd like to thank you for your hospitality," Tirek said bowing his head
"You are all very welcome. I am sorry you have to leave so soon; but I hope you enjoyed the time," Celestia said
"It is hard to believe that a portal to another world is so close," Spitfire mused "I wonder how long it had been there for."
"Long enough. It dates to the time of my mentor a few hundred years ago," Celestia explained "I don't know about anything further back in history."
"It's so hard to get used to walking on four legs," Scootaloo commented
"It does feel uncomfortable. What's the deal with the marks," Tempest chimed in
"Those are called cutie marks and they represent your talent," Twilight answered "The saw could represent construction; but I do not know about the others."
"I've always looked to Brian being my older sibling so that's not too surprising our marks are similar," Tempest said
"Sorry about my rudeness to my counterpart," the pony Tempest said
"Apology accepted," the other said as they bumped hooves
"As for the unknown designs; perhaps I can explain," Tirek offered "My wife Spitfire was trained in firearms marksmanship and is an expert. Mine represents my time in the Navy back home and how I held the highest rank of Admiral."
After saying their goodbyes; Sunset and Brian led the way back up towards the portal as they returned home. Tempest would stay with Tirek and his wife for the night before he takes her back to base.
[TIME SKIP: ~11 YEARS LATER]
Over the next four years; Sunset and Brian had heard good news from their friends and what was going on. Rarity had enough success with her store that two more were opened in other cities as she returned home to work in her original shop. Fluttershy had started her own veterinary clinic; much to no one's surprise. Rainbow Dash became such a well-known athlete she was a flag bearer and won multiple gold medals in the Olympics. Applejack was able to hire workers to keep the farm one of the most productive in the city. Pinkie's bakery was so successful a chain of others was created that featured Bon Bon's candy.
For both Brian and Sunset; each received an unexpected surprise. He was promoted to being the senior lawyer at the firm and would be receiving a bonus to reflect that.
"Did you hear the good news," she questioned
"What happened?"
"With Celestia and Luna retiring; I am going to be the next principal," she said excitedly
"That's amazing. Congrats sweetheart."
"I am going to be changing the structure around."
"How so?"
"I plan to be more open and accessible to the students," she elaborated "Fighting and bullying will still not be permitted; but I'd hope to be able to talk to them about their problems. Especially when we remember that incident."
"That's fair. I'd rather see the students have firm; but reasonable treatment. They are young adults and should be treated as such. Just letting them know someone was in their shoes can reach some of them."
"By the way; when did you want to try for a child," she asked raising an eyebrow
"Uh; up to you," he said sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck
"Let's go," she decided, pulling him into the bedroom
○PREGNANCY○
After their sexual excursion to celebrate; Sunset was nine months pregnant and nearing her due date. Both of them were given time off in the meantime to take care of this.
"Let's go," she complained "Paramedics are here!"
"On it!"
He quickly snatched up a duffel bag and ran after her as she was being loaded into the ambulance. Once at the hospital; her room was luckily by a window as they had to wait.
"What was that comment your dad made about all those years ago?"
"The fight comment," she replied "You'll have to wait for the answer."
"Miss Shimmer? I checked your chart and you should be going into labor any time now," a nurse said
"I'm going to be staying here."
Due to the long wait, Brian found himself slumped in a corner fast asleep. A few hours later around the ironically timed sunset; a nurse gently nudged him waking him up.
"The contractions are starting," the nurse explained, before pointing towards the window "I never heard anything about that."
Looking out the window revealed a lunar eclipse that was starting. Despite the pain she was in; Sunset couldn't resist a chuckle at the timing. Throughout the next forty-five minutes as she gave birth to a baby boy; her mom and aunt were spiritually watching over her.
"Good evening Eclipse."
"Eclipse Dawn Shimmer. That has a nice ring to it," Sunset chimed in
"I think I got the hint," he whispered
"My mom and aunt watching over us," she added
When they were ready a few weeks later; both returned to work after allowing the Equestrian Celestia, Luna and Discord to visit their grandson.
In the years following; Sunset was able to bring prestige to CHS as the best school there and managed to collect six more trophies for the Friendship Games as even her successors were able to continue the legacy. Brian was so successful as the senior lawyer that he became the owner of the company. |
The Night has Claws | pre | "She had a country to run and was unsure of what reaction the return of the Griffons would have garnered, she wanted to make sure that we would be able to withstand invasion in case it came to that." Nightmare explained. "Glad it did not, War is something we do not need, no matter how strong our military is."
Twilight just shook her head.
"This is too depressing lets go join in on some of the more lively festivities." Nightmare chimed as she rushed ahead using Telekinesis Magic to pull Twilight along.
Celestia found herself amidst a group of Griffons dancing to a small and merry band of Minstrel Griffons. Luna had bounded off and was now dancing with some of her citizens,leaving Celestia to stand in awe at how open her little sister was being. In their youth Luna was quite the Social pariah and now she was dancing carelessly among a group of Griffons. How times have changed.
"May I have this dance?"
Celestia turned to see a Griffon giving her a bow. The Griffon in question wore the trappings of one of Luna's soldiers but he had politely taken off his helmet and was now politely gazing at her with his green eyes.
"i'm not sure if..." Celestia began.
"Nervous being in our presence?" The Griffon asked.
Celestia nodded.
"That's understandable after all Pony-Griffon relations have never been good." The Griffon stated. "Always tense and suspicious, never could meet in either species capital."
"So I guess that makes today a milestone." Celestia stated.
"More than that, I hope, I want to see a peacefully relationship blossom between our species." The Griffon replied. "I would rather not have to march off to war."
Celestia looked around before staring at the Griffon intently.
"I will ensure with all the power I have that war will never arise between our nations." Celestia stated. "We have lived too long in peace to throw it away due too some lingering feelings of doubt."
"Well as they say princess, The best way to destroy your enemy is to make them your friend." The Griffon replied.
Celestia nodded and turned once more towards the active celebration going on nearby. Luna had stopped dancing and was now now drinking some sort of beverage with a small group of assorted Griffons. Luna used her magic to hold one tankard while she grabbed another and proceeded over towards her big sister.
"Care for a drink sister." Luna chimed.
As much as Celestia wanted to decline the Griffon beverage (It certainly would not be a Canterlot wine.) She tentatively grabbed the mug that was closer to her with her own magic and examined the golden liquid inside.
"What is this drink Luna?" Celestia asked.
"Griffon Whiskey!" Luna cheered. "Hope you can hold your liquor, this stuff is strong."
Celestia carefully brought the mug up to her muzzle and took a swig, the drink tasted good even if she did feel a slight burning sensation in her throat.
"Bet you're glad to be an Alicorn." Luna chimed. "Increased alcohol tolerance."
Celestia nodded.
"What happens now sister?" Celestia asked.
"Grab a partner and dance." Luna replied as she trotted off into the crowd that were dancing to the music.
Celestia turned to the Griffon that was still sitting beside her.
"So I guess...." Celestia began hesitantly.
"Never danced before?" The Griffon asked.
"My job at any royal affair is to stand there and look pretty." Celestia answered.
The Griffon laughed before holding out his talon.
"Worry not Princess I will help you learn." The Griffon offered.
Celestia nodded graciously taking up the offer and walked with the griffon into the crowd.
While music and merriment were common during festivals there were also aspiring merchants hoping to sell their goods. At the base of the mountain of Griffonstone lay the Economic district, probably the largest district as well considering it surrounded the base of the mountain. Twilight Sparkle and Nightmare Moon navigated these crowded streets hoping to perhaps find a business that catered to their interests.
"So what are we looking for?" Twilight asked.
"The greatest Bookstore in Moon Heart." Nightmare Moon answered. "The Spire."
Nightmare moon pointed to a building that stood taller than many of the others, a large stone tower that was about four stories tall and only outshone by a 5 story building with a dome shaped roof in the distance.
"Used to be the tallest building in old Griffonstone until the Economics guild went up." Nightmare explained.
"That's great and all but I don't have any bits." Twilight stated.
"I'll pay, besides bits will not be accepted till trade begins and we have to create a fair currency conversion." Nightmare replied. "That will take months."
The two had entered the spire through it's simple wooden door and now stood among thousand of books.
"Woah." Twilight murmured in awe. "This place is almost as big as the Canterlot library."
"You will have to show me some time." Nightmare replied.
The two of them began to search through the massive library of books. Twilight found herself amazed by the fact that the Library was organised by talon as far as she had seen with ladders that reached the tops of bookshelves. (which confused her because Griffons have wings.)
"Looking for anything in particular?" Twilight turned to see she was being addressed by a Griffoness wearing a pair of spectacles.
"Do you have anything on the history of Griffonstone in the last thousand years?" Twilight asked.
"You would have to go to the Grand Archives to find any information on our recent history." The Griffoness stated. "Don't worry though the Archives are open to the public."
"So you have nothing?" Twilight asked.
"Well we do have a large report written from some Journalist who infiltrated the Cult of the Moon Goddess." The Griffoness answered.
"Cult of the Moon Goddess?" Twilight asked.
"A group of Griffons who passionately believed the Luna came to Griffonia to banish the day forever." The Griffoness replied. "Ever hear the term Lunatic before."
Twilight shook her head.
"It is a derogatory term used as an insult towards those who believe in such fantasies." The Griffoness stated. "The Lunar Guards were the first to use the term during the Cult's attack on the castle."
"Can I find any information on this at the Archives?" Twilight asked.
"Depends on what you are looking for, Some of the information such as the Cults belief have been sealed in the Castle's Royal Archives in the belief that it may cause a second uprising of the Cult." The Griffoness answered. "Although Luna has threatened to execute any cultists should they ever make a reappearance."
"What about the journal then?" Twilight asked.
The Griffoness flew off leaving Twilight alone for a moment before returning with the book in talon.
"Gideon Guildcrest's Journal." Twilight read.
"What are you looking at?" Nightmare asked as she approached.
She noticed the book and frowned.
"Gideon's account suffered a lot of inaccuracies." Nightmare stated.
Twilight gazed questioningly at Nightmare Moon.
"Why add it to the library then?" Twilight asked.
"Cause it was still truth, just the truth he found." Nightmare answered. "He saw things from the Cults perspective, What they wanted their members to see, he uncovered the lie that the cult leaders wanted their followers to believe."
Nightmare sighed.
"If you are really interested in the story of the cult lets go find mother as she can tell you the true story from the most accurate perspective." Nightmare stated as she used magic to hand the book back to the Griffoness.
Nightmare then turned to leave and motioned for Twilight to follow her as she did. The two of them made their way through the streets towards town square.
Luna smiled as she watched her sister dancing with one of the many Griffon's taking part in the merry little dance going on in the town square. The music had gone from its semi romantic tone and slow pace to something a kin to a cheery folk melody. Celestia seemed quite carefree at the moment which was exactly what Luna wanted, after all diplomacy could wait the night. A small break in the crowd allowed Luna to see Nightmare Moon and Twilight Sparkle approaching her, both with serious looks on their faces.
"Been to the Spire I'm guessing?" Luna asked.
"She stumbled upon a certain book." Nightmare answered. "She wants to know my Origins."
Twilight turned to Nightmare in surprise. Luna tapped her hoof on the ground and a Griffon wearing a black cloak materialized from Luna's shadow.
"Milady." The Griffon whispered as he bowed.
"Xan please go get my sister, she should here this as well." Luna ordered.
Xan bowed and moved swiftly through the crowd before returning with a very surprised Celestia.
"Sister?" Celestia asked.
"Tia, Twilight I will tell you of my darkest night." Luna began. "This is a story I keep close too my heart so we shall convene in my chambers."
In a flash the group (minus Xan) were teleported into a lavishly decorated and quite massive bedroom. Luna trotted over too her large bed (it was big enough to support all four of them) and sat on it motioning for the others to gather around her. They found spots nearby with Nightmare taking position beside her mother while Celestia and Twilight lay in front of Luna.
"About Twenty years ago a group of night worshiping griffons decided to form a small cult devoted to the night." Luna began. "They began gathering followers, spreading their ideals, among many other things that at the time seemed harmless, so I let them have their little cult and let them be."
Luna's careless demeanor quickly changed to a serious one.
"Then they began to speak of about a prophecy." Luna began. "They referred to banishing the Tyranny of the Sun forever, They believed that I would one day remove my sister and cover the world in eternal night, or at least that's what the peons believed, their leaders real objectives were much more sinister, but i can talk about those later, Nightmare Moons story begins when I was captured by the cultist's who stated that I was tainted by my sister's way and must be purified of her corruption."
"Greetings Mistress Luna." A voice called.
Luna looked up towards a griffon wearing a midnight blue cloak held together by a clasp that had a crescent moon on it. He stood outside the energy field that encircled her.
"By what right do you detain me." Luna growled. "I already have you pinned for kidnapping me."
"I do not fear the charges for they will be dropped once our master purifies you of the tyrant sun goddesses taint." the griffon stated.
"The tyrant su...." Luna paused and her confused gaze hardened into one of rage. "You have no right to insult my beloved sister!"
The griffon turned to her, his eyes showed anger.
"Your sister has tai..."
"Acolyte silence!" another voice shouted and the cloak wearing griffon bowed his head and stepped back.
A different griffon stepped into Luna's view. This one had had a cloak as well but this one had silver trimmings and no hood showing the standard white feathers on the most standard Griffon breeds.
"Away with you go rally the other acolytes for the ritual then wait for my call." The griffon ordered.
"Yes Chanter." The Acolyte murmured as he turned and left the room.
"So." The Chanter began in a bored voice. "He monologued and you know our plans."
The Chanter rolled his eyes. "To take back our right from the sun tyrant and her servants."
"You can stop right there fiend." Luna growled. "It does not take a genius to know that you have a stake in this or you would not be messing with somepony of my stature."
"Yes I do have a stake in this." The Chanter replied. "I get to see the Ponies brought to the knees by their better."
The Chanter turned away from her.
"Those wretched ponies sit there in their lush farm lands while we struggle in these mountains." The chanter growled while Luna rolled her eyes.
"Struggle, what struggle we thrive in this land?" Luna asked before she realized what his intentions were. "So this is nothing more then xenophobia, you wish to use this as an excuse to hopefully gain some power for yourself by convincing me to become evil."
"We are passed the pint of convincing." The Chanter stated as he pulled out an amulet with a red gem in a upside triangle with an alicorn above it.
"The Alicorn amulet?" Luna cried. "That cursed thing was created by one of the greatest evils of the land, you have no idea what you are messing with?"
The Chanter turned away and placed it on a nearby pedestal.
"Whether I have or have not, I have sacrificed too much already to stop now." The Chanter stated. "Besides, the ritual will destroy the amulet so you can take some solace in that."
"So that's what your counting on." Luna whispered. "Destroy the amulet and ensure the vile magics inside it are absorbed by me."
"Indeed."
Luna laughed much to the confusion of The Chanter.
"Dark magic is wild and unpredictable, It will not react the way you planned." Luna stated with a smirk. "Especially when it comes from an Artifact designed by the malignant King Sombra, It will either possess me or perhaps even kill me."
"I am willing to gamble with that, after all if you die we can frame the ponies for your death." The Chanter replied. "Now if you excuse me I must rally the others for our final sermon."
The Chanter left the room leaving Luna alone behind the shield. A few moments later he returned with a large gathering of cloaked Griffons.
"Can you skip the long winded chant they did." Nightmare Moon asked.
Luna nodded.
"They went on this long winded and mindless chant which made the amulet glow and direct dark energy towards me from the altar where is sat." Luna stated. "At that point thanks to an turncoat, a legion of my soldier's stormed the lair, they reached me at the perfect time."
A few of the cultists near the back of the room turned towards the door. This stopped the ceremony as The Chanter felt the ritual weaken.
"ACOLYTES!" The Chanter shouted in rage. "Why have you stopped?"
"I think there is something going on outside the hall master." one of the Cultists answered.
The Chanter turned towards Luna who was struggling to resist the dark energy that was surrounding her.
"It seems you are weakening." The Chanter stated.
Luna said nothing in return and opted to give him a quick glare. At that moment the doors at the back of the room burst open and a Griffon in a black cloak followed by dozens of Luna's loyal soldiers, who promptly rushed into the large group of cultist and began subduing them by any means.
"Looks like you lost, cultist." The Cloaked griffon stated as he walked up to the altar.
"XAN!" Luna cried. "Destroy the amulet or the Altar, I can fight this but only if the connection weakens!"
The Chanter quickly got into the way but Xan mearly bypassed him by diving into his own shadow before moving past him. The Amulet flew across the room as Xan knocked it off the altar. In that moment time seemed to slow as Luna gathered the dark energy possessing her and shifted it into an orb before tossing it at The Chanter. The Orb hit the cultist leader and rebounded off him before colliding with a wall on the far side of the room and settling on the floor. By this time the guards had either killed or pacified the cultists in the room allowing them to tend to their monarch.
"My lady are you injured?" One Griffon asked as he helped Luna stand up from her position on the ground.
"I am physically unharmed." Luna answered.
"Well take it easy milady we have the situation under control now." The griffon replied.
Luna nodded and made her way slowly towards the door before being stopped.
"Milady the dark force has not dissipated and it seems to be reacting to something!" A griffon yelled.
Sure enough something in the room was causing the once glowing ball of energy to change shape. In fact to Luna the blob of intangible darkness had taken the shape of a pony foal. Luna carefully moved closer as the shadow's became tangible and began refining their shape and and colour. Soon a midnight black alicorn filly with a starry mane lay in front of Luna.
"My queen, what are we to..." Luna cut off the Griffon soldier by using her magic to lift the little filly and place her comfortably between her wings.
"We will see what she becomes." Luna answered. "She has committed no crimes and holds no malice, I will take her as my own daughter and she will learn from me."
The other guard nodded and fell in formation around her while Xan appeared at Luna's side.
"Xan?" Luna asked.
"Yes my queen?" Xan replied.
"Please alert the castle staff to have a small bed set in my chambers for my little Nightmare Moon." Luna ordered.
Xan bowed and sunk into Luna's shadow disappearing from the group.
"So." Twilight began. "Nightmare was the byproduct of darkness from this amulet that had used you to take shape once it had been separated."
Luna nodded.
"I understand by that logic, I should be evil." Nightmare Moon stated. "But mother influenced me a lot as I grew, she shaped me, both mentally and physically I guess."
"Well." Twilight replied. "They say that experiences are what shape a Foal as they grow."
Celestia nodded before yawning and turning to her sister.
"How long will this celebration continue?" Celestia asked.
Luna turned to the Sun Princess.
"Till dawn." She answered. "I understand being the Mare of sunlight means you should be sleeping right now I shall escort you to your quarters and awaken you when its time to raise the sun."
Celestia and Luna left leaving Twilight and Nightmare Moon alone.
"You know maybe going to bed is a good idea." Twilight began. "I need to get Spi...."
Realization crashed down on the lavender mare.
"Where is Spike?" She shouted. |
The Night has Claws | Bonus Chapter: Griffonstone's description. | So I realize I do not give good descriptions for locations, regardless I'm going to try and give some in depth descriptions for Griffonstone in this AU.
Now first the city itself took inspiration from Lord of the Rings, to be precise the City of Minas Tirith for it's ascent up the mountain. Unlike the a fore mentioned city this rendition of Griffonstone would be much bigger encompassing the entire mountain. Now that would make it bigger then Canterlot yes but it is the only major population center of the Griffons, unlike the Ponies who have a few such as Manehattan, Las Pegasus, Baltimare, and Vanhoover. I will mention other towns but their sizes vary never reaching the size that would allow them to be considered a city by any standards.
Now as far as my reference to Minas Tirith the way it was built up the mountain is as far as I went. For Griffon architecture I envision something similar to Eastern European Architecture of the medieval eras. Mainly leaning towards Germanic architecture. Fun Fact: Griffons still use candle lighting, or oil lanterns.
The City is divided into districts (not rings as a district may encompass many rings) from the top to bottom there are four. The Palace at the top, below that is the barracks district which also houses the airship dock for warships (dubbed Zeppelins), below that is the residential district (it has stores spread around it to make food easier to access, finally below that the few final rings and the ground around the mountain is the economic district which houses many of the various services the griffons use along with another airship dock this one for citizen use (transport, cargo all that.)
Defenses
Griffons are a military savvy race that had to adapt to a lack of magic, thus as such technology was a focus. Their Airships are armed with weapons surpassing cannons, what exactly?
Your hint is that I play too much Guns of Icarus.
On to Griffonstone's defenses.
However via ground assault Griffonstone would be a difficult task. all the way up the rings would be a bottleneck that would be an easy defense. Not to mention Griffons rule the sky through Talon and Airships.
But what about a siege.
Well perhaps I will come back to just how Griffons would defend Griffonstone from a prolonged siege later but for now I won't spoil any more. |
MLP: Equestria | pre | "I need a place to stay while the old castle is being rebuilt. So I thought I would come and ask you since I did stay there when I first got here."
"Of course you can stay in my cottage until your home is fixed. It's no worry, the animals will be happy to see you again." And there she goes with another of those smiles...
"Thanks Fluttershy. I have some things to take care of so I'll see you later, is that ok?" She nodded and flew off, probably home, given the direction she is travelling.
I flew off to Rarity's to see how she was, Twilight said Rarity got those things for me. I was outside the window watching her make another one of her 'masterpieces'. She noticed me and opened the window.
"So being an Alicorn today are we?" she chuckled. "I must say though, being a pony does suit you darling. Come on in, but just come through the door, it is the civilised way to enter a lady's home you know." Nodding, I flew down to ground level and walked in. As I got through the doorway, Rarity came down, carrying my Alicorn AC clothes. I slipped them on; they fit just as perfectly as the suit I wore at Cadance's wedding. The hood had a hole for my horn, it covered my Cutie Mark but Rarity put gem versions of my Cutie Mark in its place, made of sapphires and rubies. The knife pouches were under my wings and were easily concealed when on the ground. Like I asked she had reversed the colour scheme. Where the white on my human AC clothes there was black and vice versa. I was ready to defeat the Templars, pony-style!
"I gather you like it dear?" Rarity asked.
"As always, I love your work Rarity." She beamed at me.
"I also have the mannequins you requested as well, come I had Sweetie Belle put them around the back as I can not have such ugly things in my Boutique." She walked out the door with me following suit.
We went around the back to see the dummies Rarity salvaged for me. There were 10 in total. They either had a torn hoof, or the stitching came undone in several places and there was a human shaped dummy as well but its proportions seemed... wrong: it had a waist line that was far too wide; the shoulders seemed lower that they should be; the arms were too thick and the knees were in the wrong spot. I gathered it was Rarity's first try at making the one she uses to make my clothes. She blushed as I was looking at this monster of a dummy.
"I do hope that these will suit your needs Starlancer, please do inform me of when the construction is complete so I can start decorating your home." I nodded at her.
"Of course Rarity. I may come earlier than that with the old pictures of the original castle if the ponies in the Archives find anything." At least I was able to lift the dummies with my magic. I'm glad I know this basic spell, carrying them all would have been a pain. I went back to the castle with my new training buddies in tow.
It was starting to get dark when I got back to Nightmare Castle, but everypony was still working hard. When I looked up I then noticed a rainbow shooting from one cloud to another and as it reached them the cloud disappeared. Well, I now know what Pinkie Pie was talking about: Rainbow Dash was taking care of the weather for the construction. Luna was walking around, shouting orders in that voice again every once in a while. Her horn was glowing though, but then I realised that she was busy raising the moon. It was amazing to see her multi-task with no effort at all.
I took the dummies to an area behind the castle, it was wide, only had grass and the nearby animals kept clear of it. This was going to be my training area once the castle was finished. I placed them down and headed to Fluttershy's cottage. I found Fluttershy was taking some things out of the room I used to sleep in, saying she had been using it as a storeroom since I left. I helped her carry the remaining boxes out of the room and set up my old bed. We said our goodnights to each other and Fluttershy went outside to check on the weather.
She came back after 25 minutes looking exhausted. I heard from somewhere that Fluttershy is not the strongest flier, which makes her friendship with Dash - who is her complete opposite - all the more ironic and special. I heard her walk up the stairs and go into her room. I stayed as my Alicorn half as the bed was better suited for ponies rather than humans and fell asleep.
The next day was a bit of dejà vu. We both woke up at around the same time, Fluttershy made breakfast, I helped her with her animals, just like the first time I came to Ponyville. She even still paid me despite my protests. She told me she had to cover Rainbow's shift because she was still busy. Fluttershy can be too nice for her own good sometimes.
As for me, today I was going to get started learning magic with Twilight, like Celestia said I could, I still wonder how Twilight pulled that off. I flew over to the library and knocked on the door. As usual Spike opened the door and I walked in. Twilight was out again, Pinkie Pie apparently dragged her off for reasons nopony can explain and it was probably best to not know. Spike showed me some of the books Twilight told him she first used to learn magic from. I was half expecting the 'Equestrian Magic For Dummies' book to appear somewhere. Luckily it didn't exist. Spike went out saying he and Rarity are going to go gem hunting for her dresses, he seemed to blush a bit while he said that. I noticed it and I couldn't help teasing him.
"Are you sure that's the only reason Spike? Hmm?" He then completely turned red and ran out. I chuckled to myself and carried on reading. After going through the first couple of spells I found out I could perform them fairly easy, maybe because I was currently an Alicorn. I eventually found the teleport spell that Twilight used the previous day. I tried to perform it and landed on the second floor on top of her bed; when I tried again I was upside down in her bathroom... with my head in the toilet and for the third attempt I ended up under her bed. I got myself out from under the bed but I knocked her bedside table accidentally and a scroll fell off. It had a gold 'C' seal on it, I gathered it was Celestia's seal. I went to it to see why it was on her bedside when the rest like this one were downstairs in a drawer named 'Letters from Celestia'. I opened it to see what it said and I was surprised:
Dearest Twilight
I'm sorry but I must refuse your request to teach Starlancer any form of our magic. I fear that there is more to him and Nightmare Moon that he cares to inform us. I must forbid you to teach him anything without me there to supervise. I also heard that my sister went against my wishes and went to the ruined castle, along with a sizable workforce to repair it. I need you to tell me what it is that Starlancer is up to. He may have earned your trust but I fear it is misplaced. Please for your sake and Equestria's, you and nopony else should not be near him.
Your teacher
Princess Celestia
"Michael, uh what are you reading?" Damn, Twilight! I was so busy reading that I didn't hear her walk up the stairs, let alone come in!
"Oh... uh, its nothing Twilight, just one of the letters you sent to Celestia. It is interesting to see what you and your friends were learning about friendship." From that look on her face she didn't believe me, I know when I'm beat. "Ok, I accidentally teleported myself up here, namely under your bed, don't ask me how, I just did and then after trying to get out from under your bed I knocked the letter off the table. The rest you kind of know." She stared blankly at me for a few seconds, then she turned her head to the side and looked as though she was just about to cry.
"I'm sorry! It's true Celestia forbade me to teach you magic but I don't get what she sees. We've known you longer than her and even her sister believes in you. That's why I'm going against Celestia's wishes this one time because as much as she may be right, she might be wrong now..." She seemed determined to prove Celestia wrong, and so do I.
"Thanks Twilight, shall we start?" She nodded and I began to show Twilight what I had picked up from the books I had read, she seemed impressed.
"I think it's time to take these lessons outside, we need to go get Rarity and then we can continue."
"Why? I thought you knew more magic than anypony else in Ponyville."
"That is true but Rarity is better at some other spells than myself and she knows how to multi-task with magic very well so that's why I would like for her to join. She already agreed when I asked her yesterday." I nodded and Twilight's horn started to glow... and then we were standing outside the Boutique. We went inside to see Rarity waiting for us with a picnic basket next to her.
"Are we all ready darlings? I've gotten us something to eat." Twilight then teleported us to an open field, perfect for practising magic. The one strange feature about this field was this large boulder in the middle. Twilight saw my confusion to this really out of place object.
"Oh, that's Tom." I just raised an eyebrow.
"Long story darling, so Twilight what is Starlancer starting with?" Rarity said.
"We'll start basic: levitation of objects also know as telekinesis. While you can perform this, you have only been doing it with light objects so now you are going to lift something far heavier... Tom over here." So I tried to lift Tom. Turns out the heavier the object, the harder the spell is to perform and the more you need to concentrate in order to maintain it. I was eventually able to lift and move it about as if it weighed as much as any of Twilight's books. The next part was Rarity showing me how to perform multiple spells at once. We started with several instances of one spell then to three different types with three instances each. It took a couple of hours but I managed it in the end. They were all impressed, turns out Alicorns are better at magic than unicorns, but I think it was also due to my 'unusual situation'.
"Now for something different, you see Tom over here? Break him apart. I doubt Rarity will mind." Twilight said and Rarity nodded her head. I used my wings to throw ten daggers from their pouches on my sides at Tom. Nine landed in a star pattern while the tenth hit square between them. I took out my halberd and charged, I slammed the tip on top of the tenth dagger and Tom exploded in a hail of pebbles. Twilight managed to cast a shield spell over her and Rarity in order to protect themselves against the hailstorm. They were shocked at this display.
"Wow, Tom must be in a million pieces. That was a fantastic display." Rarity said. I put my daggers back in their holders and covered them with my wings. I pulled out my halberd, ready for the next phase: using the halberd to help focus my magic capabilities while human. Turned out using the halberd like a staff gave me better control like my horn does when I'm an Alicorn. I turned back into my Alicorn form as I was finding it more and more preferable. Twilight looked at me and smiled.
"Are you ready for the next lesson?" I nodded "We are going to try teleporting. First short distances to long distances and then with more than one pony." I moved my head from side to side and warmed myself up.
It took until night time before I got proper control of the spell. I ended up in trees; in the middle of Ponyville; I even wound up at the construction site a few times which gave everypony a shock. I had to apologise... repeatedly. At least at the end of the day I got the hang of it, I could teleport anywhere and teleport others with me, it was only Rarity, Twilight and I but we were going to try with more ponies if we could convince any to help. Saying our goodbyes Twilight teleported us to the library, then I teleported Rarity and myself to the Boutique and then just a short distance away from Fluttershy's cottage since she scares easy.
Fluttershy returned later in the night, I made her something to eat, said goodnight and went to bed.
This routine carried on for the next three months with nothing to really take note of. The magic lessons were progressing nicely, Fluttershy was able to cope with all her work with me helping, the castle's construction was finished. The Archives turned up a few pictures for Rarity to look at for inspiration, you should see her work: so serious yet refined, in her own way. I have talked a few times with Nightmare Moon, oddly enough so has Luna but none of them would tell me what they talk about. Celestia came twice during this time but we all managed to pull the wool over her eyes regarding the secret magic training and I've seen her having an argument with Luna each time. Pinkie was insisting on hosting a party, as I was arguing with her, her hair went flat again and started to speak slowly which made me uneasy so I caved in and let her do her planning.
The party was to be in the next two days and Rarity finished the decor. Well I tell you words can not be enough to describe what this castle looked like: the entire floor was white marble, there was black carpeting with white stitching in the hallways, gold lacing in the curtains, there were a few small tables in the hallways with some lovely flowers, there were some paintings here and there of my friends and the little adventure we've had so far. There even was a stained glass window of Nightmare Moon with my halberd in her mouth standing over Chrysalis! On the door for the room I met Nightmare room was a plaque saying: 'Nightmare Room' inside it had a statue of herself with a plaque on the base saying: 'To our beloved Nightmare'. Corny I know, but that's what they wrote on it.
As for the main hall there was a mural in the centre of the floor: there was a picture of the moon which was the centre piece; a picture of my halberd under the moon, pointing away from it; my human and Alicorn forms on the left and right hand sides respectively, my Starblade was above the moon, also pointing away and a picture of Nightmare Moon inside the moon with her wings spread out touching the sides. There was a stained glass window of me as Starlancer; another one with Shining in it running, at first I wondered why it was there until I saw myself in human form, pointing past him (he must have told them what happened in his room). The original pedestal which had the original Elements was repaired and got slightly changed: it was coloured gold and deep cerulean; where in place of the Elements there was a picture of the Mane Six on an orb with a plaque stating which Element they represented.
Since the party was in two days Pinkie was running around Ponyville with Surprise, a white Pegasus pony from Cloudsdale with a bright yellow mane and tail. She also shared Pinkie's joy for parties. I swear you couldn't tell them apart when they were together: they spoke at the same speed; had the same attitude; hell their Cutie Marks and their manes matched for Celestia's sake! Thanks to Surprise, the party was going to be gigantic, even by Pinkie's standards. |
MLP: Equestria | Part 4: The Return of a Nightmare | MLP: Equestria Part 4: The Return of a Nightmare
Author: Draconis187
The day for the party was upon us, well more me than the others. I had to prove to Celestia that she could trust me, in hindsight that may be a tad difficult with harbouring information about Nightmare Moon. Rarity made me two outfits for the occasion: one was for my Alicorn side, the suit was silver in colour for the most part but Rarity also lined the sides with small sapphires, the overall design resembled a tuxedo but without the tie. I would also be wearing my armoured boots as well, but I was leaving the helmet on my bedside table. The other one was for my human side: the suit was the same shade of blue that Nightmare Moon's armour had and had a purple trim. I would be wearing black shoes and a black bowtie.
I was standing outside as Starlancer with Rainbow Dash, waiting for the guests to arrive. Pinkie was inside with Surprise making sure everything was perfect, or wacky can't tell which is which with them. We didn't have to wait long as the first few guests arrived: Twilight, Rarity, Fluttershy, Applejack, Spike, Derpy, Lyra, Bon Bon, amongst others from Ponyville. Dash and I struck up a conversation while we were waiting for the rest.
"You nervous Starlancer?" I just nodded, "Sweet Celestia. You're an Alicorn; you should start acting like one." I glared at her.
"Oh really? Let's take a look at the Alicorns I've thus far: one seems to hate me, one tried to possess me and plunge Equestria into eternal night but that didn't work (she didn't know that Nightmare still lives yet), one seemed to get too friendly too fast and had been banished for 1000 years, oh another one albeit more of a bug than an Alicorn tried to steal another Alicorn's husband and tried to take over Equestria with a Changeling army. I haven't made up my mind about Cadance since I haven't really spoken to her since the wedding." Dash rolled her eyes.
"Jeez, lighten up. Celestia isn't that bad, she just doesn't know you like the rest of us do. I'm sure Luna sees what we see in you more than her sister does so that must count for something. Nightmare Moon and Chrysalis were jerks and let's just leave it there. Cadance though seems nice, but I've never spoken to her either. Besides, you have friends don't you? And you have the greatest pony to ever live as a friend too... me!" I smiled a bit at her attempt to cheer me up.
"I appreciate your help Dash, thanks." As Dash smiled back, Pinkie came bounding out the front door, all cheerful (what else is new?). "How many ponies did you invite Pinkie?"
"Oh, just about everypony in Ponyville, Canterlot and Cloudsdale silly." So that why the rest of the guests were taking so long, Cloudsdale and Canterlot are much further away than Ponyville.
"Thanks Pinkie, oh how are you getting along with Surprise?" She stopped jumping instantly, her hair deflated, even her coat became a little pale and she started speaking in a low, slow tone. Uh oh, what now?!
"Never mention that pony to me again, got it?" Dash and myself were shocked seeing her like this. I nodded slowly, then all of a sudden her hair returned to its 'normal' cotton candy style and her coat brightened up. "Got you didn't I? I love her! She's like the sister I never had!" With that she bounded back into the castle and back to the party. Dash and I just looked at each other; I laughed nervously and waited a little longer.
Soon more ponies started coming, well I tell you it felt like there was a small army coming in but given what Pinkie said that was probably a very accurate statement. Luna and Celestia eventually came as well. Luna smiled at me and greeted us as she walked in, I stopped Celestia going in though.
"Princess I need to speak to you please, (I looked towards her guards) privately. Dash would you mind looking after my halberd please?" She nodded and I gave Dash my halberd. Celestia and I went to a small clearing in the Everfree Forest, her Solar Guard were following us until we got there. Celestia dismissed them with a wave her hoof and we were alone to talk to each other without any interruption.
"So Celestia, what is it about me you seem to hate so much?" She looked a little shocked at me, but I carried on regardless. "I mean, you were so quick to exile me when I first got here, you seemed to have some form of vendetta against me before we even met. I also noticed from the tone of your voice that you did not sincerely mean what you said." Celestia looked up to the stars but I could see she was a little sad, she then responded.
"You must understand, I did all of this for Luna. Her return as Nightmare Moon made most of our subjects fear her, which made it hard for her to make any friends. Despite Twilight and the others being helping her on Nightmare Night they have their own duties to perform as do I so we can not always be there when she needs us. I feared she would grow distant again and become Nightmare Moon once more. I then began to look beyond our world, beyond our universe." Wait, she's not saying...?!
"Yes, your arrival here was not accidental. I am capable of partially seeing into other universes during the day of the Summer Sun Celebration as on that day my magic is at its strongest. After I raised the sun I eventually saw your universe, but the vision was hazy at best. What I was able to see was what was in your heart, you felt alone, sad yet you tried to help others regardless. You told us it was that First Fleet from that Bleach Protocol that forced you to use this 'Cataclysm Cannon', right?" I nodded. "Well, getting you here was no small feat; it requires an immense amount of energy from both ends to make the connection; that is why the gateway closed after you entered. But it is possible for one end to make the connection but it will take more energy than both sides combined to achieve. Now I must ask you: do you regret coming to Equestria?" I shook my head.
"No, I don't. Sure there are some things I miss, but I've already lost them while I was on the run. So I guess in a way you saved me Celestia. I am truly grateful for it but it still does not explain your attitude towards me when we met." She chuckled a bit and faced me.
"I suppose not. I was shocked when I saw that huge metal monster fall through the sky and I saw it was you after the crash since there was no shards of metal around the location you landed. I went to the crash site and found you unconscious on the ground and I healed your more serious injuries. But I made sure to seal away your capabilities until I knew what I was dealing with, I was doing it for the safety of my subjects. I then left for you to wake up on your own." I could see from the expression on her face she seemed to be telling the truth. "Luna knew that it was I who brought you to our world the moment she saw you. Like I said: I have been searching for a friend for Luna and she was so happy when we got back to the castle, so much so she couldn't sleep for next two weeks. She eventually fell asleep on Cadance's wedding day, the day you came back as Nightmare Moon and saved us." She looked away, lost in thought. As I was about to ask her what was wrong, she continued. "I think it's time I gave you your abilities back, I only ask you that you use them with caution."
"Don't worry Celestia; I'll first have to practise using them again since it has been a while since I last used any of them. Something has been bothering me a bit though: what about this 'brother' thing Luna spoke of after I became Starlancer? Last time I checked I was not related to either of you."
"What she means is that since the both of you were connected by Nightmare Moon, you may have some of her DNA in you, and thus making you our sibling. I would need to check this with my magic though to make sure. Do you wish for me to find out?" I nodded. Celestia came up close to me, placed her horn on mine and it started to glow. She stopped after a few seconds, stepped back and smiled at me.
"It appears that Luna was right, you are related to myself and Luna thanks to Nightmare Moon. You are now essentially a prince." I fell on to my rump. "I will need to formerly introduce your title to the party. I will ask Shining Armour to come and help you learn how to command other ponies under you, once he is back from his honeymoon with Cadance. The reason is that you will be given your own guards. Who they will be is up to you, but there is a special ritual for it. It gives your guards some of your abilities and traits. That is why the Lunar Guard Pegasi have bat wings instead of normal ones. You will also perform the ritual on your own guards, don't worry I was told it does not hurt anypony, it just feels weird. But now we probably should head back to the party? Just before we do though..." she placed her horn on mine again and they both glowed. My HUD lit up like a Christmas tree and I saw a lot of binary data flash in front of my eyes, no doubt the missing codes for my abilities. A message saying: 'FULL SYSTEM FUNTIONALITY RESTORED' appeared before me, acknowledging what Celestia did. She just nodded at me and we went back to the party. While we were walking I checked my roster and to my disappointment I only saw two things listed: my slightly updated version of REX and my dragon form. I then checked my knowledgebase to see if any of my magic capabilities were restored and there were two as well: my flash freeze capability (fire lightning and it freezes whatever it hits instantly) and a blizzard spell (alters the weather into a strong snowstorm, what else). It was better than nothing.
As I got back Dash told me that everypony that Pinkie Pie and Surprise invited had arrived so we didn't have to wait outside anymore. Dash gave back my halberd, Celestia went inside with her Solar Guard in tow and then Dash and I followed. Pinkie Pie and Surprise did a marvellous job, Celestia went back to her sister on one of the balconies and the Solar Guard joined the Lunar Guard. The number of total guards was 12, 6 from each respective sister. Seeing the two different types of guards together truly bought out their differences: the Solar Guard consisted of 2 white unicorns and the other 4 were grey Pegasi; other than their gold armour that matched Celestia's own they looked like any normal pony. But the Lunar Guard looked very different: they had cat-slit irises like myself and Nightmare Moon; they had bat wings instead of normal feathered ones; their coats were grey; their armour was mainly purple, other than that they looked normal and acted the same way as their Solar counterparts with those cold, serious looks on their faces.
I met with my friends and also talked with some other ponies. Pinkie Pie and Surprise were having a contest to see who could drink the most hot sauce, they were at 15 1lt bottles each until they BOTH bolted to get water. Those two were made for each other. Luna pulled me to the side at one point in the party with Celestia joining in.
"How do you think your party is going?" Luna asked with genuine concern on her face. I now knew why Luna cared so much about me: I was Celestia's promise to her, a friend for her that could be there for her when she could not. I smiled at her.
"I think it's going well honestly. I've met a number of ponies from Cloudsdale, Canterlot and Ponyville. Twilight and her friends told me that they don't think I am evil so I think I might have made some friends tonight." They both smiled at me and Celestia spoke.
"I'm glad, but I believe it is now time to tell everypony about what you and I discussed earlier on." I knew what Celestia was talking about and agreed. Luna just looked to Celestia and myself, she seemed lost (Celestia must not have told her). The three of us went into the centre of the room and got everypony's attention. I gathered that I should probably tell them about Nightmare Moon as well, since we are getting everything out.
"Everypony it is so nice to see all of you come here. I know Starlancer appreciates your care and support. But now I should tell you all something important. As you all know my sister Luna used to be Nightmare Moon, and we all know that Starlancer was possessed by Nightmare Moon's spirit and was subsequently turned into her for that time. Because she was connected to both of them, Michael gained the ability to turn into the Alicorn we all know as Starlancer. The real reason I am bringing this up is that Starlancer has some of Luna's DNA in him, and therefore makes him family. Mares and gentlecolts, I give you Prince Starlancer, a brother to both Luna and myself." At this everypony didn't seem to argue, they just bowed at us - or more specifically I guess, me - Twilight and her friends smiled at me. Pinkie Pie looked like she was about to faint, and if Surprise's mouth was any more open, her jaw would be trailing on the floor. It was now or never, they would either understand or I will lose their faith and confidence forever. I had to take that risk, they needed to know about her.
"Thanks everypony, but please don't go around calling me 'Prince', just Michael or Starlancer will be fine. I need to tell you all something regarding Nightmare Moon." I got quite a few gasps from the room, including Luna and yet Celestia was just listening, she did not say a word or sound. I wondered if Luna had already told her? "Well, you all know she tried to take my body right? She failed but it warped my body into hers. After the fight at the wedding with Chrysalis, she left my body and I became Starlancer. A short while after that day I found out something a bit disturbing: Nightmare Moon... still lives." Some ponies fainted, I heard one say "Traitor!", there was another one I heard say: "How is that possible?" "She currently inhabits the mirror in my room but she can't leave it unless she comes into contact with an Alicorn and takes their body." Luna looked away and Celestia came forward. She silenced the room just by raising her hoof.
"I knew of this turn of events from Luna. She has been talking to Nightmare Moon to try and understand her motives. Despite their history, Luna believes that Nightmare Moon has changed just as Starlancer told us after the fight in Canterlot. I trust Luna's judgement, there should be no need to worry. I applaud Starlancer's dedication to being honest with us, but I need to change the subject: his personal guard. How many of you wish to and are prepared to protect this castle, him and this part of Equestria? There is no need to feel forced, this is not mandatory for anypony." There was a huge buzz of talk amongst everyone, discussing this turn of events.
Lyra was the first to step forward. "I understand what our princess is saying and I will trust and protect you Starlancer, if you would have me." The next was Bon Bon, "Wherever you go Lyra, I will be there with you. Friends help one another and that includes you Pri- I mean - Starlancer." They both bowed at my feet, and soon more ponies were coming forward and declaring themselves to me. Two of Celestia's guard were among them and one of Luna's as well! Luna and Celestia smiled at me.
"I do believe you have your own guard whether you want it or not. We need to think of a name for your guards don't you th-" Lyra then interrupted Celestia. Wait, you are allowed to do that?!
"Pardon my interruption. I believe since your guards are called the Solar and Lunar Guard, Star Guard may be an appropriate title." Yeah, that name does seem to work.
"Do you any objections Starlancer?" I shook my head at Celestia. "Very well then, you shall be known throughout Equestria as the Star Guard, protectors of Nightmare Castle, and under the orders of Starlancer." They all cheered. After that we all returned to the party but something seemed off.
I noticed Prince Blueblood looking around, and I also saw Rarity actively trying to avoid him. I guessed they had a history, a bad one. I didn't think much of it at the time and carried on. Lyra and Bon Bon were walking with me the entire time; I guessed they are really taking this new job of theirs seriously. I heard the shattering of glass and saw Pinkie Pie around some glass shards by the banquet table (turned out to be the punch bowl) she must have still been feeling the effects of all that hot sauce. Twilight and Rarity were picking up the pieces with their magic. When I turned around to where I saw Blueblood, he was gone. Luna called me and the ponies that wished to be my guard outside. I had a suspicion to what the reason was. Luna took us to the large clearing in the grounds where I was going to have my training area.
"I understand my sister told you about the initiation ritual that all our guards take part in. I believe it is better to get do it now rather than later, but I can only tell you of what the ritual is, what it does to a pony's body depends on the magic the one performing it has. Now then, what the ritual does is give your guards a very minute amount of your own power and personality. That is one of the reasons as to why my guards have bat wings and the same eyes as you and Nightmare Moon the reason why was because bats mostly nocturnal animals have allow them to see better at night. Their coats may also change colour." One of the Solar Guards came forward and nodded, saying that it was true and he used to be a light green colour before turning white. "Now then, whenever you are ready, who will go first?"
Again Lyra stepped forward (she is really brave to trust somepony she barely knows). I put my head down until my horn touched her head, not her horn and I concentrated. My HUD lit up with the message: 'TRANSFER IN PROGRESS...', I saw a bit of her change with each minute: she looked up at me and I saw her eyes had cat-like irises but kept their original colour and I also noticed the same lines that make up my HUD in them as well, she most likely now sees the world as I do. 'TRANSFER COMPLETE', as I stepped back I also noticed she grew normal Pegasi wings except they seemed larger than normal, it was probably because my own were also larger even by Alicorn standards. She looked around slightly scared, I could see lines of binary data flash in front of her eyes and that was probably why.
"What is this? What exactly happened?" I just walked up to her and calmed her down.
"All those lines and words you are seeing are part of what is called a Heads Up Display or HUD for short. I see the world the same way, but it is possible to make it go away. Just think about turning the HUD off and it will." She closed her eyes and concentrated. When she opened them again the HUD was gone. She then turned her attention to her new additions. She gave her wings a few experimental flaps, and she then tried to fly. She must have shot up 10 feet with just a single flap of her wings. She just hovered in the air looking at us first with shock but that soon turned into a huge smile. Bon Bon stepped forward, ready for her turn.
It took about an hour but I had finished the ritual with all of my new Star Guards. They were all Alicorns but kept their original size, eye colour, their manes and tails also stayed the same and colour of their coats. Luna and I went inside, leaving the Star Guard to get used to their new additions and their HUD. We also took the armour the old guards had since they changed. I did not see Prince Blueblood again for the most of the evening, he probably left when he heard Rarity was here but it was of no consequence or importance to me in the end. Celestia was surprised with what Luna and I told her when I performed the ritual, but she did say that she will get the royal armourer to make some armour for them but I asked for all of us to come. I thought it may be a good idea for me to learn how to smith while I am there as well.
The new guards came back in and got a few mixed reactions to an entire force of Alicorns, but they showed that they stayed the same, personality wise. They also stood alongside the Solar and Lunar Guards, I overheard a few of them saying that maybe they should join and become Alicorns as well. The night stared to wind down, ponies were leaving one by one, Luna and Celestia decided to stick around for the night, the castle had more than enough rooms for them and their guards. I saw Blueblood again but he seemed to be in some form of a hurry, he noticed I saw him and bolted out the front door. He was seemed to be carrying a very large mirror... NO NO NO it was Nightmare's mirror! I chased him into the woods calling out his name several times over to no avail. I caught up with him in one of Everfree Forest's many clearings. He just stopped, put the mirror down next to him, turned towards me and stated to laugh manically. Oh great, I knew then I had just got suckered into a trap.
I then heard the sound of wings, but they didn't sound like Pegasi wings, they sounded like an insect's wings. I looked up to see several changelings all wearing armour with several holes in them, some were coming out from behind the trees as well. Before my eyes I saw Blueblood turn into Chrysalis, she looked the same since I last met her.
"Greetings, Starlancer. I have heard so much about you. I heard you were that pony that stopped me at the wedding. You are going to pay for my humiliation, changelings ATTACK!!" As her force came for me I took out my halberd and charged. I stabbed one in the throat and swung the halberd around, bashing another on the side of its head with the shaft, knocking it unconscious. I fired off a few flash freeze spells, stabbed one through its eye so hard the halberd went through its head and stabbed the one behind it. I decapitated a few others; I kicked one with my rear hooves with enough force and felt its skull fracture; I stabbed another through one of the holes in its armour (in hindsight, that armour was not very practical); some had given up and fled. After a few minutes the remaining changelings were either out cold or dead. She just looked left and right in utter shock. I saw Nightmare nod her head at me so I grabbed the mirror using my magic and threw it on top of Chrysalis' head... hard.
"STO-"The mirror shattered once it made contact and Chrysalis fell onto her side. She just lay there on the ground, covered in cuts all over her body and bled green blood. The mirror was in thousands of pieces. I slowly walked towards her.
"Now is as good a time as any Nightmare." The shards of the broken mirror started to rise up off the ground and attached themselves to Chrysalis's body. Once the shards had covered her legs she started to stand up as more and more pieces covered her entire body, including her eyes. The started to melt, forming a type of reflective shell around her. Before my eyes Chrysalis started to change: her horn started to straighten; Her wings moved to her sides and looked more like Pegasi wings; her 'crown' melted into her head; her mane and tail were becoming longer and started to move on its own volition; the holes in her legs were filling. I knew then that Nightmare Moon was taking over her body. The liquid mirror then started to come off her, pooling around her feet and then it moved back to the frame it came from. The liquid solidified and reformed the mirror, as if it never shattered at all, I looked back at Chrysalis, only to see Nightmare Moon standing in her place (minus the armour), staring back at me.
"Miss me? Hahaha." She walked past me, towards the castle. "I guess I should reintroduce myself, don't you think?" She bumped her flank against mine and giggled. I was about to say something but I was interrupted by the sound of Chrysalis's voice.
"What have you done to me!!" It was funny to see the Queen of the Changelings banging against her new prison in rage. Nightmare and I just laughed at her.
"It is quite futile Chrysalis. That mirror will never break, the only way to get out is to come into contact with an Alicorn. But I don't think you will have much chance to find a host." Nightmare said with a big grin on her face. Chrysalis looked at us silently for a second but then she started to laugh maniacally. "What are you laughing about!?"
"It's simple, a queen always has a backup plan. I had my minions steal a little something from Canterlot. A certain statue to be precise." Oh no, she can't mean... "Yes, Discord of course. He will free me once my minions free him. So no matter how hard you try, I will always be one step ahead of you. HAHAHA!!"
"Sorry to disappoint you Chrysalis, but you will not be enjoying your little victory for long. We shall stop you and Discord." I said.
"Now that is something I would love to see. NOW MY MINIONS!! Take me back to my home!" The changelings that fled the battle appeared and grabbed the mirror, Nightmare started to run to stop them but I stopped her. She gave me a very stern look.
"We should stop them!" I shook my head. As I was doing so, the changelings left with their now imprisoned monarch.
"Nightmare, you have what you wanted. You have your own body and can properly make amends like you said, I doubt Discord will co-operate with Chrysalis for long. I've seen their kind of relationship before, it never lasts because one always stabs the other in the back. And on the other hoof I don't see how Chrysalis will free Discord if she is trapped or vice versa, after all Discord is a statue and in no position to free Chrysalis." She nodded her head in agreement.
"Ok, I understand your reasoning. But giving your enemies time to recover is never a good idea." I nodded.
"True, but it also gives them a sense of hope, and when you crush it, the victory tastes all the sweeter." Nightmare laughed. We walked back to the castle as Nightmare wanted to get used to having a physical form of her own. I took a hair from her coat - with her permission of course - and analysed it (I put it in my mouth, disgusting!). Turned out Chrysalis's body had its DNA completely rewritten. There was not a single trace of Chrysalis's own DNA anywhere within any part of the strand.
When we entered the only ponies left were: Luna, Celestia, the Mane 6, Surprise was still partying with Pinkie Pie, the Star Guard and some other ponies that were invited. We got a lot of stares from everypony, Celestia and Luna came up to us. Luna was understandably shocked and Celestia looked angry.
"How is this possible? I know Starlancer told us you yet live. We were led to believe you were contained within a mirror." Celestia said with quite the stern look on her face.
I stepped forward and told her and everypony what had occurred: from seeing Blueblood; him stealing the mirror; Blueblood turning out to be Chrysalis; sending her changelings after me; me tearing them apart; me smashing the mirror on top of her and Nightmare stealing her body in the process. We got a few gasps and looks. Then I told Celestia about Chrysalis saying she had stolen Discord's statue. Well let's say she did not take it lightly. She bolted off with her guard saying she needed to find out for herself. Before Luna left she said to me: "I hope you know what you are doing." To be honest I hoped so too.
Despite several ponies making some rather nasty comments, Twilight; her friends as well as the Star Guard came up beside Nightmare and myself. Seeing my shocked expression, Twilight smiled at me and spoke.
"You already have our trust, if you believe Nightmare has changed then so do we." Everypony else reassured me by basically saying the same thing even Lyra and Bon Bon. Nightmare went over to the table to get something to eat and drink since the last time she did was before I arrived (for the year before I arrived she was a spirit which is incapable of eating and then she was inside a mirror, best slimming plan EVER, not).
"Thank you all, that means more to me than you know. Though we need to consider what Chrysalis' next move may be. We will need a lookout point: somewhere high; easily concealed; anypony have an idea?" Fluttershy then reminded the others of Mount Dragonshy, saying it was a very tall mountain where a very scary dragon - as she put it - had taken up residence inside a cave there sometime back. She also said you could see for miles from the cave's entrance. It seemed perfect.
"Thanks Fluttershy, I believe it will fulfil the role perfectly. I will construct it myself... uh does anypony have a telescope I can borrow?" Twilight said she had one, she quickly teleported to the library and was back in a minute, with the telescope standing next to her. Dash said she would show me where the cave was so, picking up the telescope, we flew off. I had the odd feeling that I heard Nightmare call me but I brushed it off and carried on following Dash. We got there after a few hours of flying. Dash went off saying she needs to check the weather schedule for Ponyville and hoped Fluttershy did not mess up the weather too badly. I still wonder how they became friends. Once Dash was out of sight I opened my wings and took flight once more, leaving the telescope behind. What they don't know is that despite I seem calm on the inside, I tend to take what others say hard. I just needed some time alone so I could clear my head.
(Nightmare's Point of View)
Those comments hit him harder than these ponies think. I couldn't follow him since all that time without food and water played catch-up with me and a whole year's worth of malnutrition takes its toll, even to an Alicorn. It's the real reason I wanted to walk back to the castle: I didn't have enough strength to fly. I turned my attention back to the food. He wants to leave, let him.
Twilight saw me eating an entire three layer chocolate sponge cake with vanilla frosting; I finished one of the punch bowls and ate five sandwiches. She came up to me looking worried.
"Slow down, you shouldn't eat so fast. You will give yourself a major stomach ache." I stopped for a second, swallowed what I had in my mouth and responded.
"Two things little miss Sparkles. One: I haven't eaten in over a year, so I am extremely hungry; Two: Michael is not going to come back, he said he was going to make a lookout post but he lied. He will have probably left that mountain once that Rainbow Dash was out of sight."
Twilight and her friends ran out of the castle and these smaller Alicorns followed behind them. Once they left I felt this strange feeling. It wasn't until I saw the tear fall onto the marble floor that I realised: it was sadness. My thoughts were constantly fixated on not wanting to be alone. WHY?! Why was I caring? Why did I feel like I wanted HIM to be near me? Why do I feel so... sad being alone, I was never sad during my 1000 year banishment so why now? I shook my head and decided to concern myself with another matter.
Who was this 'Discord'? Could Chrysalis really have stolen it while she was stealing the mirror I was in? There was no point dwelling on such a trivial matter any further, I needed my rest. I walked through the new castle and then I found the room. The room I saw him in many times, calling my name over and over. He never gave up on finding me, I was still my evil self so at the time I thought he might had proven useful to me and become my host so I could try and destroy Celestia.
I could have never predicted what occurred after I possessed him: I never would have seen that I was partially wrong about these ponies and he became an Alicorn after I left his body. There was a possibility that I will find him in the Dream World, I had to try at least, I could not let him leave so easily. I decided to sleep under the statue they made of me, I gathered it was at Michael's request, the sentimental moron. After an hour I entered the Dream World.
Things in the Dream World work very differently to reality. Dream Castle is at the centre and is capable of moving anywhere within the world (it is an exact replica of Nightmare Castle). Each individual pony's dream is represented by a floating island in a sea of opaque deep purple mist. As a pony awakes from their dream, their island fades out of existence and vice versa. It is possible to see all the islands of a particular area (Ponyville and its surrounding area for instance) from the top of Dream Castle, and entering a dream is as simple as flying towards it and landing on it. As far as I know I am the only pony truly conscious of this world, and the only one capable of travelling between the islands, it may be possible for Luna or Celestia to be aware as well. The islands are arranged by each pony's proximity to one another and they are all labelled with each pony's name hanging over it. The islands will only ever touch and connect if they share the same dream, which is a very rare occurrence.
As I started my search I could see Scootaloo's (a small orange filly with a short cerise coloured mane and tail) dream: racing Rainbow Dash around a racecourse situated on the ground, Scootaloo was racing that arrogant mare on her scooter, using her wings to propel her even faster. Rainbow Dash seemed to be having trouble keeping up, but since that it was Scootaloo's dream this outcome was bound to happen.
I turned my attention to another island and saw Twilight Sparkle's dream. Or should I saw nightmare, she was kneeling before a very angry Celestia who was scolding her over teaching Michael magic. So that mare was teaching him magic huh? Celestia's mane was on fire, and her eyes were deep red as well as her coat. Twilight seemed to be having a terrible nightmare so I decided to help out. I flew out to the island, once I got there the evil Celestia tried to attack me. I just fired off a lightning bolt at her, she became her normal, annoying self and just like that Twilight's nightmare was over. Twilight just looked at the two of us and I flew off before she could say anything.
I got back to the castle and continued to search for Michael but to no avail. He was nowhere in the Ponyville area so I moved the castle to another location. Michael would probably have gone to a remote area. The search went on for two days but I could not find him, I woke up only to eat and drink as my physical body still needed food and water. I went into Ponyville and found it deserted, I gathered it was because of me. I wandered around the town, hoping to find somepony I recognised. I eventually saw Lyra sitting on a bench in the park, playing on a lyre. She saw me and waved; I went over to her and sat next to her.
"Have you had any luck Lyra?" I said. She looked at me for a moment before shaking her head.
"No, I'm sorry. We went to Mount Dragonshy but all we found was Twilight's telescope. I'm playing on my lyre it helps me think. How about you?" I shook my head.
"I've been searching the Dream World for two days and I still haven't found him." Lyra gasped and dropped her lyre.
"I just got an idea! We all have to work together on this in order for it to work." I nodded and Lyra started to lay out her plan to get Michael to come back once we found him. The plan was a long shot but all of us were prepared take that chance, I want to get rid of these feelings quickly. The sooner, the better.
I resumed the search that night and I eventually found him where the desert would be in the real world, somewhere between Dodge Junction and Canterlot. He was encased in red platemail armour but had forgone the helmet. He was carrying a large sword that had a large ring between the blade and handle. The ring had four clear crystals at 45° angles, inside the ring there seemed to be a small sun in the exact centre (note: this is the Starblade). He seemed to be facing an army of opponents: they seemed to have human bodies; completely encased in armour and those who weren't wearing a helmet were wearing a mask instead. They were attacking him with a variety of weapons: axes; short swords; long swords and warhammers. He sliced off several heads, stabbed one and kicked him in to a bunch of others. I noticed something odd about his blade, particularly that small sun. It started to change colour from a pale yellow to a medium purple, it also seemed to gain size, and it now filled the entire space of the ring it was in. He kicked away another opponent, swung the blade in a 360° arc which made several of them jump back and then slammed the blade into the ground, and then all of a sudden there was a huge explosion that covered the whole island, I had to cover my eyes with my wings because of the light that accompanied the explosion. Once the dust and smoke settled Michael was the only one still standing. All of his attackers were either dust or skeletons.
I flew over to the island. He saw me, left his sword in the ground and walked up to me as I was walking up to him. "Nightmare Moon..." I was glad he remembered me even in a dream. He seemed a little aloof though.
"Why come to me in a dream? There is nothing I need to say to you Nightmare. Please just leave me be, I need to be alone." So he is conscious in his dreams? Interesting...
"I was a part of you remember? What I seem to not understand is how you can cause so much wanton destruction and yet you are worried about a few ponies' opinions? I just don't get it."
"Well, I've usually either been alone or worked alone. A few people on a mission are easy, you give them orders, they follow and once the job is done we part ways and I hardly ever see them again. Not to mention I've been on the move for about two years or so fleeing from the First Fleet. I didn't have much contact with society except to get info about things like which shipping routes were being targeted and any rumours of any pirate gangs or of a planet in need of supplies. I usually tried to avoid conflict either through diplomacy or I just simply ran away, I used violence as a last resort. That's the main reason why it took so long for the First Fleet to catch me. It was only when they targeted the folks I was helping did I decide to confront them." Alright then, this has gone on for long enough.
"Now you will listen here Michael! You honestly think that all the ponies at that party despise you that much because you helped me gain a body?" He nodded at me, TYPICAL! "ENOUGH OF THIS FOALISHNESS!! They only reacted that way because they are scared of ME. Not you, you saved them from Chrysalis and gave me a body again by smashing the mirror on her! So I suggest you get over this stupid 'poor me' act and come back to the castle, do I make myself clear? Otherwise I will terrorise your dreams for eternity. The Star Guard are headed for Canterlot to get turned back because ever since you left, they have been ridiculed, the ones who used to be Luna's and Celestia's guard have been refused to rejoin their old guard. All because YOU ran away." He jumped back at my outburst; he most likely did not expect me to be so ruthless or to hear this news.
"Ok ok ok Nightmare, I will come back tomorrow. Is there anything else you want to shout at me about?" I shook my head and left. When I looked back at the island, it was gone.
I woke up the next day to see Princess Luna sitting in front of me staring straight at me. She seemed worried.
"Morning Nightmare Moon, sleep well?"
"What is wrong Princess?"
"You and Michael were correct, Discord's statue has been stolen. A guard said that he saw a few changelings headed for the gardens last night. He called for backup but by the time they got there both the changelings and the statue were gone. Now we know who stole it and on whose orders. We'll need help to prepare for war, can we count on your support Nightmare Moon?"
"I'm sure that can be arranged, hello Luna, Nightmare." It was Michael! He was leaning against the door frame wearing that weird clothing with a hood over his head. He started to walk towards us. "If only we knew where Chrysalis was we could end this here and now, but we don't. Therefore I suggest we wait it out. I don't see any other option available to us unless you two can suggest something."
"Tia may not approve of this tactic, Michael. We have faced him before and it was not an easy fight. He enjoys playing mind games." Luna was shaking as she said this as it was bringing back horrible memories for her and I know a lot about bad memories.
"I agree with Michael. Unless we know where Chrysalis and Discord are hiding, all we would be doing is wasting time and effort. It won't be possible to find them in the Dream World as Chrysalis is in another dimension because of that mirror and Discord's statue has him permanently aware of his environment so he is basically awake and I can only find sleeping subjects." I said.
Michael meanwhile had gone over to the window and while looking out of it he spoke: "In the meantime I suggest we arm up and prepare for war. I do not intend to lose this place. Nightmare, when do the Star Guard plan to go to Canterlot?"
The Star Guard were already in Canterlot, wanting Celestia to change them back. They were being ridiculed by the others, being called traitors and many other unsavoury names. Foals, taking the coward's way out. Michael turned into Starlancer with the same styled clothes as his human side had and the three of us flew to Canterlot so we could straighten things out and get them back.
(Michael's POV)
We all landed in Canterlot Central Plaza and walked the rest of the way to the castle as Luna thought that both Nightmare's presence and my own would cause a commotion if we flew into the castle directly. The guards all bowed their heads; I gathered it was for Luna not us. I heard a few unkind whispers as we were walking; I was starting to feel very uncomfortable. Nightmare saw this and bumped me with her flank again, but gave me a very stern look. On the other hoof though, she looked quite beautiful without her armour.
Luna led us to the audience chamber once we got into the castle. It was a good thing she was leading the way as I would not know where to go at all, but getting lost would not be too big an issue as my HUD would generate a map as I went along so I would know where I've been, it's the reason I have never gotten lost in Nightmare Castle after the reconstruction. Once we entered I saw a smaller, light blue Alicorn talking to Celestia, I gathered on behalf of the rest of the Star Guard who had all gathered there. Lyra and Bon Bon were at the back talking to each other.
"Bon Bon, I don't think I can do this. It feels wrong somehow, I know the looks and comments ponies have been making but I just don't think it warrants us to do something this drastic." Lyra said. She looked very worried and scared.
"Honestly Lyra, I'm unsure myself but my landlord refused to let me sleep in my own home yesterday when he heard the news. I was lucky, Twilight let me stay at her place." Nightmare looked at me and just nodded, as if she knew this already.
"I know what you mean, this morning there were eggs all over my home's walls and some horribly done graffiti. There was a message saying: 'How can you live with yourself?' and another saying: 'Lyra Heartless'. Honestly what I don't understand is why it happened this morning when the news hit the day before. Everypony knows where I live anyway." We went up to them and I spoke.
"Sorry about all this you two. I never wanted all this to happen. I'm sorry."
They jumped a bit in shock, and the rest of the Star Guard smiled at me, except for the one that was talking to Celestia. I wondered what was up with him.
"I see you convinced Starlancer to come Luna." Celestia said but Luna just shook her head.
"Sorry Tia but it was not I who convinced Starlancer to return. When I got to the castle only Nightmare Moon was there. After she woke up Starlancer appeared by the door behind us, indicating he was not in the room that night. And I never saw him while searching the other rooms so I would guess he was never in the castle."
"Princess you do not need to use my full name, just Nightmare will be fine. It is true, Starlancer was nowhere near the castle this morning but he was not there for two days. He got upset over the ponies' reaction to my return and their comments towards him. I guess even somepony who has seen so much war and devastation is still vulnerable to the attacks on one's physique. I found him in the Dream World and convinced him to return on the premise I would haunt his dreams if he refused. What I want to know though is why would Chrysalis steal the mirror I was in when I was unable to be a threat."
"I was thinking about that Nightmare. I believe she planned to get trapped in that mirror, the question is why. Celestia do you know what time the statue was taken roughly?" I said.
"I was informed that the sighting was at 9 o'clock. Why, is this relevant?"
"I believe so, and I believe this is a far more elaborate plan than any of us can possibly realise. When I faced Chrysalis it was 10 o 'clock. She must have already known she succeeded in stealing the statue. I do remember I did not see her while she was disguised as Blueblood at a point during the party so it stands to reason that time must have been when she was informed that the theft was successful since it takes over two hours to reach Canterlot by flight and standard teleport spells would not allow anypony to make that distance in one jump without killing themselves. I believe that somepony else is pulling the strings but the question is who." Celestia nodded.
"I understand what you are saying. I have sent out a few patrols to find them and I told them to report immediately when they do."
Lyra and the others were just standing there, looking at us. The Star Guard that was talking to Celestia cleared his throat.
"Your Majesty, before we were interrupted you were about to say something regarding how we can get changed back?"
"Ah yes I was wasn't I? What I was going to say was that I am unable to remove the changes done to your body, only Starlancer can as he was the one who performed the ritual." Celestia said. He then looked at me with disgust. Hell, what did I do to get such a horrible look? Other than abandon them when they were being ridiculed... Michael you idiot!
"I'll do it if that is what you want. I don't believe in forcing anypony to do something they don't want to do or be. I'm sorry for abandoning you all, I didn't mean for you all to get into so much trouble. I promise I will never run away like that again. But it's too late I guess, so who wishes to go first?" All of a sudden the same pony starts to smile at me! Ok now, WTF!!??
"None of us actually wanted to change back. We got together yesterday with Nightmare and Lyra. We came up with a plan. Nightmare was to find and convince you to come back while we would make it look like we wanted to change back. If you truly didn't care you would not have come. You needed to see that even if you don't believe . (quickly pointing his hoof at Lyra) It was her idea." Hmm, makes sense, Lyra is a lot smarter than ponies seem to think. Everypony was smiling at me.
"Thanks everypony, this means a lot to me." We all laughed, I was happy that so many ponies cared about me as much as I would them. Celestia lead us to the armourer as Luna had to sleep (she is the Princess of the Night and only wakes up during the day when it is important).
The armourer forged everything from boots, chestplates all the way to weapons like swords, axes and other old school weapons. Turned out the armourer was actually a family of three unicorns. The father - Steel Bearing - was a pale yellow with shaggy light blue hair, the mother - Iron Heart - was grey and had her dull white mane tied back, the last one - Quick Fix - the youngest, most likely their daughter. She was maybe Twilight's age and had a two tone hairstyle as well, a medium blue and light green stripes but her mane was not very long. You could not see their Cutie Marks as they wore brown coloured, full body, fire retardant clothing. Even their manes and tails were covered by a clear fireproof plastic. The only part not covered was their horns.
They were very nice and showed the guards some of their previous work to them so they could get an idea of what they wanted. Nightmare asked if they could make her old armour and they agreed. The guards argued over some of the designs as they all would wear the same armour. They managed to decide on the colour scheme: the main colour would be a dark silver with white outlines. As they tried to decide on the exact way the armour would look like, Celestia sat next to me.
"Is this not fun? They may not know it but they are learning to work together by deciding on what they all must wear. It is this that separates the leaders from the soldiers. On that subject, have you given any thought as to who your Captain of the Guard should be?" I nodded at her, there could only be one pony that fits the bill.
I called Lyra over to Tia and myself (What? I am basically her brother so I may as well use her nickname like Luna does). I asked her how everything was going.
"Well, we settled on the colour so it is a start, it's just the design of the armour itself we need to figure out but the designs I like they don't want."
"Well then Lyra I suggest you pick it anyway. You won't wear the same armour as them." She just stared at me, confused. "The Captain of the Guard should be allowed to wear different armour to those she has under her wing, the reason I am telling you this is because I have chosen you to be my Captain of the Guard." She squealed so loudly, everypony looked at her as if she had lost her mind. She ran off back to the others and told them the news. One of the ponies that was a part of the Solar Guard looked shocked, probably thought he'd get it as he had experience, Bon Bon hugged her and the two of them were jumping up and down with excitement.
As they were deciding on the armour I asked the family some questions about forging weapons and armour. It turned out to be the same process as my old universe, Celestia said that she would set up an entire private forge for me at Nightmare Castle and the family said they would be happy to teach me. Eventually the guards and Lyra decided on the armour's design, and the family got started: Iron Heart was going to do Lyra's armour, Steel Bearing had the rest of the guards armour to do, and Quick Fix was going to do Nightmare's armour. Once the ladies finished their projects, they were going to help Steel Bearing. Afterwards Nightmare, Lyra, the rest of the Star Guard and me bid Celestia farewell and flew back to Nightmare Castle.
When we all arrived I noticed that there were some ponies both inside and outside. The ponies outside were trimming some hedges that got planted during the construction. The ponies inside were cleaning the place from top to bottom, an Earth pony wearing an apron came up to us and bowed.
"Welcome back, if you are hungry we have set up the banquet hall for everypony." Wait, this place has a full staff? Since when did that happen? As we entered the banquet hall, Nightmare spoke.
"They all came yesterday; you probably did not see them earlier because they were still sleeping. This castle now has a full staff of cooks, gardeners, and maids. Oh and there is a librarian here as well, she apparently hails from the Crystal Empire and brought enough books to restock the entire library." After the meal we all went to our individual rooms and hit the hay. |
MLP: Equestria | Part 5: The Nightmare's Nightmare | MLP: Equestria Part 5 The Nightmare's nightmare
Author: Draconis187
Shining Armor came back the next day to help train Lyra and me to give orders properly. As much as I knew about giving orders, the commands I knew were for a different time and universe but I noticed that the basic principle remained: never show weakness, reluctance and never let emotions cloud your judgement. He also taught all of us some nice combat moves; he and I sparred a bit with him usually winning until I got the hang of the moves he taught us.
We also learnt that despite the guards having some of my power they could not change themselves like I could in any way; the only tech they had was the HUD, but I did show them how to use it effectively: such as using its facial recognition software, the scanning software to assist in searches amongst other functions. They were quick to pick up how the HUD worked and they said that it would make several minor duties simpler to perform.
Rarity was a little upset that she did not make the armour for us herself but to make it up to her I had her make some formal wear for Nightmare despite her constant protesting but I saw her blush a little as she was shouting: "I will never wear such a thing!". Speaking of which, everypony was warming up to Nightmare and getting used to seeing her wandering around Ponyville either on her own, with me or with one of the guards (particularly Bon Bon). She still had that quick temperament, but most ponies understand that she used to being feared.
The following week Celestia and Luna came to visit and their guards brought parts of the blacksmithing equipment with like Tia said she would. We set up the forge in one of the tall towers that had good ventilation as we did not want smoke to accumulate in the room and cause suffocation. I had two anvils: one that stood as tall as my stomach when I was human and a smaller one that was on a nearby table for smaller objects; a stack of metal bars, plates and a few various sized blocks for raw materials; a water trough to cool the metal with (I was not going to use ice magic as the rapid change in temperature would cause the metal to become brittle); a few hammers of various sizes; a few pairs of tongs and a few aprons hung up in a cupboard on the far side of the room.
I walked around the castle in my human form wearing the AC garb, looking for Nightmare; I thought we could go to Rarity's to see how far her outfit was. Sadly I could not find her anywhere in the castle. I found Lyra in the main hall giving some orders to some other guards. She really was taking her role as Captain of the Guard seriously. I walked down the steps and called to Lyra, asking where Nightmare was.
"Oh, she went to Sugarcube Corner with Bon Bon. She wanted to show Nightmare how delicious Pinkie Pie's sweets were. I think she may want to warn Nightmare that Pinkie does tend to put hot sauce in a lot of her food." Thanking her I decided to head for Canterlot for the armour that the Armourers made. As I entered the castle I met Celestia walking through the main hall, reading a scroll; 'must be one of Twilight's messages' I thought.
"Greetings Michael, how are you?" I bowed to her. "There is no need for such formality, and siblings don't bow to each other." I shook my head.
"Sadly that is who I am Celestia, and nothing will change that I'm afraid. It's just me showing my respect. I just came to check up on the armour." Celestia nodded and told me that I can find them at their forge working as always. She asked if I needed anypony to show the way but I assured her that I would be able to find it (Thanks to my HUD). I made my way through the castle, several guards bowed to me as I greeted them, some of the maids were giggling for some odd reason 'gossips' I thought. I got to the forge to find the Anvils hard at work: the Steel Bearing was busy hammering away at what appeared to be a rather large white chestpiece on his anvil; Iron Heart was making boots by wrapping the metal around a form of heat-proof cast of a hoof; and Quick Fix was just helping out by putting the metal in the water trough. Bearing saw me and stopped working, walked up to me and bowed. It still takes some getting used to, all this bowing, and royalty crap. But I smiled all the same.
"So then Majesty, how can I help you today? Here to check up on the armour?" I nodded my head. "Well we finished them yesterday and forgot to tell any of the Princesses that you could come get them, I apologise. Come on we'll get them loaded up and sent to you now." I assured him that I would take it. "You sure? It is quite a heavy load." I told him that I was a lot stronger than I look and he just laughed. "Oh, to be young again. We placed them in crates and marked them for you." I thanked the Anvils for their work and went to the storeroom outside the castle where the Anvils store their completed works. There were five boxes: one said 'Star Guard: Helmets' on the packaging; one said ''Star Guard: boots'; another said: 'Star Guard: Body' and was the heaviest; one said 'Lyra Heartstrings' and the last said 'Nightmare Moon'. A guard (Solar; unicorn) fetched a packing plaque (those low wooden plaques that forklifts pick up, not sure what the actual term is if you know I'll change it if you tell me) with some metal straps and a trolley for them and asked if I needed any help, I thanked him for the offer but declined. I used a levitation spell to pick up the boxes one by one and placed them on the packing plaque which was on top of the trolley. After placing them I strapped them to the plaques and then the plaques to the trolley.
As I tried to pull the trolley and almost ripped my arm off! I pulled and fell on my backside; I saw the guards snigger behind their armoured hooves and I laughed as well. I looked at the crates, then the trolley and then decided to break off the straps that held the plaque to the trolley. One of the guards asked what I was up to and I told him I was going to carry it. He fell onto his back roaring with laughter while the other was on her side cackling like a witch. I smirked at them and at once my HUD lit up with the message: 'MG: REX... INITIALISE' I started to change quite dramatically right in front of the guards. My left and right arm split in three; my arms were lengthening and had almost completely spilt all the way down but stopped between my elbow and shoulder area which was thickening as well. As this was happening my soft human skin was turning from tan to a metallic grey metal alloy.
My face and shoulders were becoming flat and my shoulders were also getting broader. My torso was getting thinner and my back and head split a little. My changing arms were still attached to my shoulders which had detached with my back. My neck had widened considerably; my head and neck had attached themselves into a single part. The bottom half of my legs moved under my knees and were able to slide almost all the way up the upper parts of my legs. My legs as a whole also became flat and swelled in size. My toes became two large spikes that now rested at an angle, pointing directly at the ground. The soles of my feet became flat and as wide as my legs were but they were not long, they looked like large squares. At my knees three short tubes protruded, pointing in three, slightly separate angles. The back portion of my body now looked like a large, flat box; my two arms were railguns with three magnetic rails (increases the velocity the projectile is fired at). On top of the back section of each railgun was a radome with sensors ranging from infrared, UV to nightvision and sonar stored inside. My legs were weird: the lower half of them had concealed stilts to allow me to effectively 'sit'. I had two hydraulic 'toes' on each foot which helped if I were to walk on rough terrain. I stood 8 feet high when I 'sat' but I stood at 10 feet when I actually stood up and walked. On the side of my head were the letters: 'MG: REX V3.1'. My HUD showed: 'MG: REX... ONLINE'. Ah yeah, time to rock!
Well the guards were shocked, judging by the looks on their faces. I couldn't smile so I just waved at them and turned to the plaque. I picked it up with the railguns' magnets and walked out. My HUD showed the crates were 1 ton total weight which made sense as to why I couldn't pull it (My human form is not THAT strong, each form has its limits you know). As I walked through the castle grounds I saw ponies run away from me and I didn't blame them, if I saw this bipedal tank coming towards me you can bet I would be running for my life or wetting myself, whichever came first. I met Luna walking through the park outside the castle and called to her, as she turned around she seemed shocked at first but after I wiggled my railguns and flashed my lights she understood what or who it was. As I walked up to her, my HUD noticed Celestia on the castle steps, looking straight at us. Thanks to the twin radomes my senses are more highly tuned, I can detect movement and sounds from much greater distances.
"Hi, is that really you Michael?" I nodded my head at Luna. "Wow, what is it called?" I turned my head to the right and pointed at the designation along the left-hand side of my head. "MG: REX? Is this what my sister said she saw when you crashed here?" I nodded again.
"Yep, just call this form REX. I came to check up on the armour. Sadly I could not carry them with magic nor could I carry it as a human so I changed into this which is better suited at heavy duty jobs." Luna smiled at me.
"I believe I can help, there is a freight train heading for Ponyville in an hour, I'll get you on the manifest so you don't have to walk all the way to Everfree." As I thanked her she extended her wings and shot off in the direction of the station. Making sure I had a firm grip on the plaque I moved on to Canterlot Station. The station was filled with many ponies running or flying around; some were moving crates; some just seemed to be waiting around for something. But I was too tall for the ceiling so I had to go around to the tracks to find a pony who could help. I got some scared looks from some ponies, others were curious since they have not seen this 'creature' before. Scanning the crowd I found a familiar face: Luna. She saw the ponies' expressions and addressed her subjects.
"Fear not citizens, this is no monster. This creature before you is one of Prince Michael's other forms. You have no reason to be afraid, rather you should be happy that your Prince has come here." She then turned to me smiling very happily.
"You really seem to be smiling more Luna. It's nice because you do have a lovely smile; it shines like your mane." Luna blushed a little.
"Thanks, it's all thanks to you, you know? You are one of the few but best friends I've had who treat me as a regular pony and not a princess. Oh yes, I got the next freight train to Ponyville to let you on. It's that one over there." She pointed to a long train with several open bed cargo platforms as well as containers. One of the ponies next to it waved at me. "Maybe you can tell me more about REX the next time I visit you or you come here." I told her it was a deal and made off to the train.
"Ye, Michael?" He said in a Scottish accent, I nodded, "Right lad just clamour on ta that platform there an we'll get cha to Ponyville faster than ye can say 'Celestia's big posterior'." I climbed onto the platform, placed the crates down by my feet and I opened my back stilts and sat down. The train started to go about a half hour later. I saw both Tia and Luna on the platform waving to me, some ponies were doing the same so I waved back with both my right and left railgun (this was due to a glitch in a control algorithm, but I fixed it after leaving the station). The train ride was quite pleasant, I saw some of the countryside and I could see Ponyville in the distance. The ride was around 45 minutes but I enjoyed the ride. As the train arrived at Ponyville Station I saw some of my Star Guard (including Lyra) as well as Twilight and the rest of my friends waiting on the platform. Twilight told me that Celestia sent a guard to Nightmare Castle to go to the station and help with the cargo and she sent a letter to Twilight via Spike (he belches them out, I laugh whenever I see it and he always laughs with me afterwards) to come as well. As I was about to pick up the crates the Lyra told me that they will do it and were not going to accept no for an answer, so I had no choice but to let them all take it back to the castle. Seeing as I no longer needed REX I changed back to my human form. The ponies nearby didn't seem shocked at all but then again all of Ponyville attended that party so they all know who I am and what I am capable of.
"How about we head to Sugarcube Corner Twi?" She agreed and so we set off for the best sweet shop in Equestria. When we got there we saw Bon Bon and Nightmare who had her head in a bucket. At first I thought she was throwing up but it turned out to be filled with water. She must have found out Pinkie's special sauce the hard way. She glared at me when she saw me smiling but she turned it into a smile as well. Pinkie was coming out to greet us as well, with Surprise in tow.
"Hi Nightmare, are you enjoying yourself?" She pulled her head out to give me a very seething mad look. I'm glad looks can't kill in this universe but Nightmare may just be the first.
"DOES IT LOOK LIKE I AM ENJOYING MYSELF?! I thought my insides were on fire! Nopony warned me that this... creature puts such potent hot sauce in her food!" Pinkie Pie turned her head to the side, confused.
"Those aren't mine Nightmare, I only do that to my own food and when I pull a prank on somepony. And I did neither; I wasn't even told you were here. Surprise said we had some custom- SURPRISE!! Did you do this?" We all looked at her and she keeled over laughing.
"Yes it was!! I couldn't help myself; you were such a tempting target. I'm sorry, but it was sooo worth it! Ha-ha!" Now Nightmare was giving HER that look. She then just sighed and shook her head.
We all went to Nightmare Castle. Nightmare was complaining about Surprise's 'prank', she was threatening to give her nightmares for a week should she do it again.
When we got over the bridge I noticed the Star Guard were wearing their new armour. The armour looked similar in design to their Night and Solar counterparts except the chestplate section covered up to their throats. In the centre of their chests there was a diamond moon and a sapphire halberd crossing each other with three small stars in emerald, ruby and topaz above them. Their helmets reached their noses like Nightmare's armour but the sides only covered up to under their eyes. The boots covered up to the top of their legs. In short they were almost entirely encased in armour but each pony had a jewelled version of their Cutie Marks on top of their armour by their rumps; the main parts of the armour were a very light blue colour while the small details like the joints and the saddle were silver. As the doors opened we were greeted by Lyra, who was wearing almost the same armour but the colour scheme was reversed; her helmet had a shorter, metal horn in front of her real one; her boots covered up to her knees but the main body was the same, right down to a topaz lyre on both sides of her rump.
Lyra took Nightmare to her room to get her armour while Bon Bon went to her room to do the same. While we waited I asked the kitchen staff to prepare dinner since the night fell just before we got inside. The table in the banquet hall has space for two at its head due to the fact that the castle originally belonged to Luna and Celestia but Nightmare and myself sat there now. The acoustics in the hall allowed one to hear perfectly across it (I still believe it was done by magic). Nightmare soon returned, she looked just as she used to when she wore that armour, she was smirking, proud to have her armour again. Bon Bon was with her, wearing her armour as well (this was the normal Star Guard armour), she gave Lyra a smile and the two went outside to talk a bit. Twilight wanted to talk to Nightmare; Dash wanted to race me as Starlancer again; Rarity went off to admire her handiwork on the castle with Spike following close by; Applejack went off to help make some apple based foodstuffs; Fluttershy wanted to go outside and see the animals; Pinkie and Surprise followed Dash and I, wanting to watch.
(Nightmare's POV)
Twilight and I went to the room my statue resided, I saw one of the castle maids dusting the statue but I told her I wanted privacy. The mare bowed and left quickly. I walked up to the window to see the night, it was as beautiful as it has ever been: dark, and yet there is a certain air of peace around it. Twilight walked up next to me, also looking outside. I have been so obsessed with bringing eternal night I had forgotten how my nights look and why the day exists: to bring balance to the world.
"Nightmare, I need to ask you something." I looked at her, whatever it was it clearly made her uneasy. "I noticed that your attitude towards a lot of ponies is a little harsh and yet you instantly change whenever you see Michael. Don't take this the wrong way but, why is that?"
"I am not sure myself; he stirs some form of emotion in me that I can not explain. I can be yelling at somepony one minute and yet when I see him I feel... happy which is very strange. I am feeling happy right now, looking at the night I wanted to make last forever. I still wanted to do that, but now I don't think it would have made me happy in the end." I continued to look through the window. What would have happened if he never came here? Would I still have been a vengeful spirit that wanted nothing more than to bring misery to Equestria? Enough of this foalish thinking, I can not live my life wondering what MAY have happened. What matters is the here and now.
"I believe you may have found the magic of friendship that we all share with each other." Twilight said, smiling. I shook my head. I did not respond. Could it be that she is right?
There was a knock on the door, I called to whoever it was to open. It was Bon Bon, she came to tell us the table was set and Lyra went to call Michael, Dash, Surprise and Pinkie while some of the other guards went to find the rest. Bon Bon, Twilight and I went to the banquet hall and met Rarity and Spike along the way. I wondered if Rarity notices that look Spike gives her whenever she is not looking. The rest of the group arrived just after we did, Michael had turned into Starlancer but both Rainbow Dash and himself looked exhausted. When I asked who won, Starlancer raised his hoof slowly and smiled.
We all sat down at the table to eat. We had apple pies; cupcakes; sandwiches; soup; punch; some gems for Spike and a variety of other foods most of which had apple in it somewhere thanks to Applejack. We all ate, drank and had a good time, we talked about one another, Starlancer told us of one of his adventures: searching for the leaders for a smuggling ring, I doubt any of us understood what that was but he described it with so much passion, he recounted each battle he had, every lead he got, dealing with bounty hunters and 'lackeys', getting ever closer to them and eventually cornering them. Fluttershy looked like she was going to be sick, honestly why didn't she cover her ears? Once we finished I offered them to stay in the castle, and they all agreed. Rainbow Dash wanted to stay in one of the towers; Twilight wanted to be close to the library; and the others decided to head to a random room.
Starlancer and I walked to our separate rooms together. I wanted it this way as I was not sure about this strange feeling I was having about him. He seemed lost in thought until I bumped him with my rump and I asked him what was bothering him.
"Nothing really, just thinking. Can you remember when we first met?" I nodded and told him of course. "I would never had believed something like this could ever happen to me. I have new friends; a new home and a new life. My old life seems like it was just a bad dream. I owe it to you, you know?" With that he went to his room as did I. While I took my armour off I considered what he said, but how could I be responsible for his new life? Was it not Celestia that brought him here? I shook my head, climbed into my bed and went to sleep.
(Michael's POV)
I woke up on the floor of a strange castle, alone. I walked over to the nearby window to see outside so I could get my bearings, this castle was FLOATING!? I swear, I could see islands in the distance, all surrounded by a purple mist as if it were some kind of ocean. I turned my attention to the castle I was in, I put my HUD into map mode and started to explore. I started to notice some similarities between this castle and another, so I checked the only two castles I knew of: Nightmare Castle and Canterlot Castle. I found out that this castle resembled Nightmare Castle in structure but not in atmosphere, that was for damn certain. This castle was dark, cold and then there were the dead, torn bodies everywhere. Some looked like the staff, while others looked like members of the Star Guard; I saw Lyra's body well, her torso at any rate, her head was 4 feet away still wearing her helmet, I almost threw up. The walls were covered in blood, tables broken, somepony's head was attached to the wall by a sword which ran... right through its mouth. I found my way outside the castle to find that some of the grounds were intact but like inside the castle there were more dead ponies, some had either Solar Guard or Lunar Guard armour. I made my way through the rest of the grounds: there were craters; scorched earth; bloody feathers everywhere and some... bug wings. That could only be a changeling! I looked further and saw Celestia's body: blood all over her; her horn was torn off almost from the base; her wings were missing several feathers; one of her legs were bent the wrong way; some of her bones were protruding from the skin and she what part of her body was not covered in blood was covered with cuts, bruises and scars.
This was a very grim scene, so much death. I've seen entire battlefields covered in the bodies of the fallen but you never get used to it. As I was going further into this wasteland of death I faintly heard somepony, but it was hard to make out. I found the direction the source was coming from and raced off, maybe they can shed some light onto this tragedy. As I was getting closer the voice sounded familiar, I swear it sounded like Nightmare but she sounded like she was crying which was not like her. I came to a hill with a broken trebuchet on top and walked over it. The first thing I saw as I went over the hill was more death, but this time I saw changelings as well, all bloody and mutilated. That sobbing grabbed my attention again and it was definitely Nightmare crying. I saw her on the floor, her armour either broken or missing a few pieces, she was bleeding from a wound in her left side, and whatever part of her armour that did remain was scratched and cracked. She on top of a body just crying uncontrollably.
"Nightmare? What happened here?" She did not look up, but she did respond.
"We were not prepared for Chrysalis's army. Discord turned them into blood-thirsty monsters, they could not feel pain so not matter what we did they kept going on. Luna was... eaten, the changelings' bloodlust made them try to consume on our flesh rather than love. I lost everypony, Twilight and her friends tried to get the Elements but Discord sealed them in stone 'Poetic Justice' he said, Celestia fought Chrysalis but lost, her body is back over the hill." She pointed with a bloody hoof but still did not look up. "I lost Michael, Bon Bon, Lyra, everypony. I even miss Pinkie Pie and Surprise. All of my friends are gone and I was not able to stop it from happening." Wait, did she say she lost me? I walked closer to her and recoiled when I saw the body she was laid over, it was me but as Starlancer! I placed my hand on the side Nightmare's face, and got her to look up at me. She smiled so brightly I swear it would have put the sun to shame, her eyes sparkled like her mane, and she jumped at me, hugging me so tightly I thought I was going to pass out or have my ribs broken.
"Michael?! But you're dead, no wait a minute. Of course!" She ran off, with me following closely. She was heading to the edge of this island, I tried to call her back but she would not listen. She came up to the edge and just stared, I caught up just after her. She just looked on and turned back to me and sighed. "Thank goodness. It is just a dream, or in this case, a terrible nightmare."
"Hold on Nightmare, this is a dream?" she nodded. All of a sudden her armour repaired itself; her wounds healed and the battlefield vanished and was replaced by the grounds outside Nightmare Castle.
"Correct, we are in the Dream World and in my dream to be precise. Each pony's dream is an island in the endless Dream Sea. I am capable of moving between them but I don't usually dream, let alone have nightmares. It is strangely ironic. What is also strange is that you are here or to be more specific in another pony's dream, it may be our close proximity in the real world or maybe it is something else." I just shrugged my shoulders and sat next to her. Nightmare laid down and placed her head on my lap. "Just promise me this: don't leave me... p-please. I don't want to lose my friends."
"Don't worry Nightmare, I promise." I gave her a hug and she just smiled at me while we spent time together in the Dream World. We talked of a few things like what I plan to do regarding Chrysalis and Discord. I ended up telling her that we could worry about it when we wake up. It was beautiful in its own way, creepy but beautiful.
I awoke the next day in my room with Nightmare smiling at me. She was already dressed in her armour and then went out my door so I could get dressed as well; I put on my AC garb. I began to think about the current threat to Equestria: Chrysalis and Discord, even though we have not heard anything from the borders I know that something is going to happen but the question is, when? Are they free or are they still prisoners?
I decided to get busy on the forge and make some weapons, while on my way there Lyra came and wanted to help out. I did not have a problem with it so the two of us headed up to the Forge Tower. Lyra was a quick learner when I explained the basics of blacksmithing to her. I wanted to make the hidden blade weapons from AC for both my human side and Starlancer while Lyra wanted to make her own sword and she told me that the other guards wanted weapons too. While I was hammering away at a thin piece of metal that was going to be one of the blades I told her that they just need to tell me which ones they would like and I would make them. Lyra smiled and said that a griffon named Gilda had volunteered to be our blacksmith and should arrive in the next few days.
After a few good hours I finished the hidden blades for both forms. Putting them together was simple if you knew the mechanics behind it. Sadly I accidentally wound up the spring mechanisms too tightly the first time around because when I tried to reveal the blade it shot out with so much force it actually shot straight out of wrist guard and impaled the wall behind me and missed Lyra by inches. For the second attempt Lyra decided to be outside the tower where she said she felt safer, but I couldn't blame her though. Luckily this time the blade stopped at full extension instead of becoming a blade missile but it gave me an idea: to be able to change the force the blade comes out so if I needed to I could shoot them out. Lyra made a katana with large serrated 'teeth' along the one side and the blade was 1' 11" long. She wanted the teeth to come out when the blade was out but to retract into the blade once it went into its sheathe. Since she had already made the blade, technology would not help me out so I decided to use magic instead. We used an old katana sheathe to see if the spell worked and the teeth retracted as the blade made contact with it and extended when it was not. We made a proper sheathe for it and Lyra flew out the window so she could show the others.
I took the two pairs of hidden blades down to the armoury. On my way down I met one of the guards who informed me that Nightmare and Bon Bon went to Ponyville again. I thanked him and carried on down to the lower levels of the castle. The armoury comprises of an entire floor of weapons, but they are sealed inside secret drawers which are either in the floor or the walls, so if anypony other that myself, Nightmare or one of the Star Guard were to come in they would see an empty room. I placed them both inside one of the drawers, picked up my halberd and then went off to Ponyville.
I found Derpy Hooves flying around and went up to her, asking if she had seen Nightmare or Bon Bon. She sadly did not know and was apparently using a potato sack as a mailbag? I shook my head, thanked her and made off to Twilight's library. When I got there I found nopony home so I went to Sugarcube Corner. I landed near the door and saw Surprise humming a song while eating a cupcake. She waved at me smiling away as she usually does, I went up to her an-
"Hi, how are you? Looking for somepony, cause you look like you're looking for somepony, so who is it? Huh, huh?" Sweet Celestia, sometimes I wish there was only one Pinkie Pie. I told her I was looking for Nightmare. "Oki doki loki, I saw her heading towards Rarity's Boutique with Bon Bon, and she was smiling and laughing with her. I wasn't sure who it was when I heard her voice because it didn't seem like her. Hope you find her!" She flew off. Shrugging my shoulders I went off to the Boutique.
When I entered I was greeted by Bon Bon who was not wearing her armour. Looking inside I saw she had taken it off and placed it on a mannequin. I asked Lyra where Nightmare was and she said she was busy with Rarity upstairs. Bon Bon went up to the staircase and yelled, telling the ladies I was there. I heard Rarity say that she is not finished yet so I had to wait a little longer. I walked up to the bottom of the staircase and yelled to them that I would be going to see Rainbow Dash while I waited for them to finish up. Bon Bon said she'll come and call me when they were ready; thanking her I went out the Boutique and went to the cloud Dash loves to nap on.
I found the white cumulus just outside Ponyville; I changed to Starlancer and flew up to greet her. She was laid on her stomach reading a book with the title: 'Daring Do and the Ark of Friendship' and Dash's wings were at attention, but with an odd twitch. I cleared my throat and she looked up at me.
"Hey Starlancer, how are you?" I pointed at her book. "Oh this? It's a book about a Pegasus Pony called Daring Do who has a lot of adventures all around the world. I first read one of these while in the hospital, it's a looong story." She and I chuckled, I pulled up a cloud next to her and she read aloud for me. This Daring Do reminded me of Rainbow Dash in so many ways: they were both adventurous; they were stubborn; they seemed to have the same manestyle, except Daring Do's was a greyscale rainbow instead of a normal rainbow; Daring seemed to relish any challenge just like Dash. She had a compass rose for a Cutie Mark and her coat was golden yellow/mustard colour. She was searching for the 'Ark of Friendship' in the Griffon Empire, trying to stop her long time enemy: Ahuizotl (some weird, ugly blue creature with a hand on the tip of its tail) from destroying the Ark, which would cause total chaos throughout Equestria. As she read I could hear how much she enjoyed the book: every so often her reading would get faster and my HUD showed that her heart rate increased as well.
I heard somepony coming towards us so I looked over my cloud to see who it was. It was Bon Bon, she told me that Rarity was done. Dash put her book inside her cloud and came with us. We got back to Carousel Boutique and saw Rarity standing outside with Nightmare who was wearing the new dress that she protested she would never wear. The dress was a light teal; she wore white socks with aquamarine shoes; her mane and tail were untouched since it was comprised of gas; she had a silver tiara that had a ruby in its centre and an emerald on either side of it; the dress' frills were a pale blue. She looked at us nervously.
"How do I look?" my jaw was near the floor. She looked amazing, Rarity had done it again.
"YOUR MAJESTIES!! COME QUICK!!" We looked to see were the voice was coming from and saw a brown Solar Guard Pegasus come flying down to us. He looked terrified. "The Northern perimeter has been breached! Changelings are overpowering the stationed troops and we need your help! One of the other guards has gone to Canterlot to warn the Princesses."
Nightmare and I looked at each other. "Nightmare, go get your armour. Bon Bon, go get Lyra, the rest of the Star Guard and my other weapons. We will all meet at the Northern perimeter. LET'S GO!!" We all went our separate ways. Nightmare went back inside; Bon Bon flew off to Nightmare Castle; Dash and Rarity went to tell Twilight and I went with the guard to the perimeter. Nightmare joined me soon after I left.
I could see smoke off in the distance, near the base of Mount Dragonshy. I could see a large number of changelings attacking the stationed guards, some were already dead. Nightmare fired a few lightning bolts to get the changelings' attention. I fired a few flash freeze spells, trying to cause as much confusion amongst the changelings as possible.
The guard were not making it easy for the changelings I'll give them that, it seemed to take three changelings to take down a single guard. Once I got close to a changeling I bucked it, hard. I felt its face fracture as my hooves made contact and I sent it flying into another changeling, knocking them clean out of the air. Once Nightmare and I landed, I assessed the situation: not good, for us. For each changeling we beat, another three appeared to take its place. There was no denying it: the changelings were out for blood. Too bad for them I know my way around a battlefield. Nightmare looked a bit worried.
"Nightmare! We just need to hold on until the reinforcements get here! Until then, keep them out of the sky and I'll take them out on the ground." She nodded and proceeded to fry off a number of changelings' wings with a well placed thunderbolt. The changelings on the ground charged at me but I was ready for them. I bucked one into a group of them; jumped over one and bucked the one behind it and then kicked it with my front hooves. The Solar Guard were also continuing the fight alongside us: the Earth ponies were bucking and stabbing with their weapons; the Unicorns were casting spells at the changelings and some were using their magic to heal some of the other guards; the Pegasi guards were assisting Nightmare in the air. The expressions in the guards' faces were something I knew could always change the course of a battle: hope.
"No need to worry, the cavalry has arrived! Out of the way chumps!" It was Rainbow Dash's voice. I turned to see her and the Star guard all suited up; there was Twilight and the rest of our friends rushing to help as well; there were also some more Solar Guards and Lunar Guards. One of the Solar guards, upon seeing this yelled one hell of a battlecry and I yelled: "CHARGE!" Lyra threw my Starblade and my hidden blades to me; I turned back into my human side, caught them, put the armbands on and continued my assault. The reinforcements brought some more weapons for the guards who either lost them or just did not have any. The changelings kept up their assault, only this time they were the ones who were losing. I tore through a changeling's body with the Starblade while throwing my Halberd into a group of them, creating a changeling kebab out of them. Nightmare electrocuted some more changelings to the point where they exploded and their blood rained on the battlefield. Lyra was shredding changelings with her katana, slicing and quite literally dicing them, she cut off the one's head, stabbed another through its chest and then cutting the first one's head vertically before it touched the ground. She was frighteningly efficient and brutal.
Twilight was firing spells off at them (Pinkie was carrying and using her like a minigun); Dash used her Sonic Rainboom to stun and then confuse them as she left a rainbow in her wake; Surprise was using the party cannon like a normal cannon, firing cannonballs at changelings on the ground; Rarity and Fluttershy were nowhere to be seen since they aren't fighters and Applejack was using a large hammer to beat some sense into the changelings.
The battlefield was being strewn with corpses from both sides but now the tide was starting to turn. I saw Applejack give a hammer uppercut to a changeling and by doing so severed its head from the rest of its body; I sliced vertically downwards, which cut one of them clean in half and fired one of the hidden blades out of the armband, killing another instantly. Nightmare fired more lightning from the skies again which obliterated a group of them into a bloody paste on the ground. I fought my way through the changelings to get my halberd back. We were slowly changing the tide of the battle in our favour.
The changelings were starting to retreat bit by bit. Some surrendered but we were unsure whether we should kill them or release them. Once all the changelings were dead, captured or had fled, I looked out onto the battlefield. The earth was covered in many large black scorch marks from Nightmare's lightning; even some trees weren't spared, they had either been uprooted to be used as clubs by some unicorns or were destroyed. We lost a number of ponies, many more were brutally injured; I had gotten a few scratches; Nightmare was had a few feathers missing; Twilight had a scar on her left eye which forced her to keep it closed; AJ had broken her hammer, was missing a large chunk of her mane and her hat was ruined. War, it never changes no matter who or what you are. This seemed like a preview to what is to come: Hell on Equestria. I went up to one of the ten captured changelings to interrogate it.
"Now you listen here: you WILL tell me where Chrysalis is or I will rip off your head with my hands." It and its friends shook their heads. I sighed and then proceeded to grab the changeling by its head and in one movement I twisted its head until it ripped off its shoulders.
"Is there anypony else who wants to try my patience?" They all shook their heads. I picked another changeling and walked up to it. "Now then, where is Chrysalis?"
Chrysalis had left the continent and was on an island off the coast of Manehattan. After I told everypony, we decided to execute the changelings so Chrysalis would never know that we knew where she was. I went off to Canterlot to speak with my half-sisters.
There was much tighter security at the train station once I got to Canterlot, which made sense since we were now officially at war. I found Celestia and Luna wearing their usual attire, giving orders to their guards in the central plaza. One of the guards at the back nudged another one and then they all moved so I could pass through. I went up to Celestia and Luna who looked worried.
"A couple of hours ago, the post at Mount Dragonshy was attacked by changelings. We lost a good number of guards and it would have been a massacre if my friends and I were not there to help." Celestia nodded her head.
"Twilight sent me a message shortly before you arrived, informing us of the situation. I also understand that you got Chrysalis' location from a changeling, correct?" It was my turn to nod. "I have already sent a scouting party to find out if the information is correct. There is only one island off Manehattan's coast: the Alcanteraz Prison facility. It has been abandoned for 50 years now and mainly serves as a tourist attraction. We are preparing for an attack as soon as the party confirms your suspicions. We have also requested for assistance from the Griffon Empire to assist in the attack." Celestia said.
"Celestia, are there any records of the previous wars and threats Equestria faced stored in the Archives?" Luna nodded at me. "Then may I check the Archives please? We may need them." Celestia and Luna nodded. Luna showed me to the Archives. On our way Luna turned to me and asked.
"Do you know what it is you are searching for?" I shook my head.
"In truth I'm not sure myself. What I do know is that as much as the guards are trained, they did not look like they have seen a battle of that scope. The coming battle where we attack Alcanteraz will be far larger so I'm looking for anything that can help give them an edge like blueprints for a weapon or something." Luna then turned and went to another building.
"This building is known as the Starswirl the Bearded Wing. The entire building is dedicated to his spells and drawings. He sadly went mad in his old age and before long nopony would listen to his ramblings and he died alone. This building contains the culmination of his entire life's work; you are welcome to search through it." Luna said. I thanked her and walked inside.
There were shelves upon shelves of books and scrolls across the entire three floors! I started to search for anything that this Starswirl could have left behind in his madness. I found a number of spells but they did not have anything to do with combat in any form. I was about to give up until my HUD lit up and highlighted a large book I had not looked through yet. It had no title but was incredibly dusty; after I blew it off and nearly coughed myself to death I opened it.
There were designs for some contraptions that would make Leonardo Da Vinci jealous. After reading through, I could see that a few had military purposes so I took the book and left for Nightmare Castle. |
MLP: Equestria | Part 6: The Price of War | MLP: Equestria Part 6 The Price of War
Author: Draconis187
Thanks to Starswirl the Bearded's book, we know had blueprints for many forms of field and siege weaponry. There were designs for catapults, ballistae (it is the proper plural, I checked), trebuchets, rams that stood out the most. The griffon, Gilda was very good at copying documents; she copied the pages five times in 2 hours! We sent the copies to Celestia and Luna who had begun construction as soon as possible. This information was lost due to the fact that the last war was over 1000 years ago and therefore there was no need for weapons of war.
There were a few other breaches in the south, east and north over the next few weeks but these were minor skirmishes. I told everypony that they were testing our defences and were trying to wear us down. Thankfully the Griffon Empire had sent troops to assist us. When I sparred with one I could tell immediately that they were far more seasoned warriors than any pony. They had armour in a variety of colours: some were black, red, blue, and green, amongst others in a variety of shades. One of them told me that each division wears a certain colour to distinguish themselves from each other. Some of the names were Iron Claw (soldiers), Broken Wing (they were griffon medics), and Heatstroke (pyrotechnics) to name a few.
Of the five ponies that went to scout Alcanteraz Prison, only two came back and they were brutally injured. One of them died whilst in hospital and the other had to remain in hospital for a few weeks. He could not confirm if Alcanteraz was Chrysalis' base of operations, they were attacked while going through Manehattan. The city had evacuated once we believed that Chrysalis was at Alcanteraz. Lucky for us I guess since that confirmed our target.
A week later...
Three days, three days until we reach the outskirts of Manehattan. The Star Guard, Nightmare and I were tasked with taking the train station so we could have a supply line. Rainbow Dash, Wonderbolts, several griffons and Pegasi ponies were to provide air support. The earth ponies and remaining griffons made the bulk of the actual army. The unicorns dealt with our new siege weapons, but those were arriving by train so it all fell on us to take it. Celestia was commanding the ground forces while Luna was to help the artillery. Everypony has said their goodbyes to their loved ones, we all knew not many of use will make it back but this was a battle we had to fight. We were in our own special divisions like the griffons were: my group was designated as a Special Forces Unit since we were all Alicorns, one of the commanding griffons called us 'Silent Strike' so we adopted it as our callsign; Celestia's group was called 'Celestia's Hammer'; Luna's group was 'Moonstrike' while our air support was called 'Dawn's Wing'.
We were flying to Manehattan; the only weapons we carried were the ones we made thanks to Gilda's help. We had longswords, crossbows, axes and hammers. I made some special blade launching weapons after the perimeter breach, we all wore two sets under our wings and we used magic to activate them. As a reloading measure I added a very thin but strong line at the back of each blade so they could be reeled in after firing. I also had all our armour coloured with a resin from Zecora that would make the armour turn black at night which was perfect for night raids.
Three days later...
We arrived on the outskirts of Manehattan under the cover of night. We asked Luna to not raise the moon as the additional darkness would help us blend in. The HUD had nightvision capability so we could easily see our target. Nightmare was a pony of the night and said she could see as if it were the middle of the day. Looking into the distance I could see some of Manehattan's buildings were missing chunks out of them and there were a few small plumes of smoke. I wondered why did the feel the need to do that to the city?
There were five changelings on the platform while several more were patrolling the skies. Due to complaints about the noise, the train station had been moved to the outskirts of the city a few years ago so if we attacked, it would take some time before reinforcements arrived. The train carrying Moonstrike's weapons was 10 minutes away, standing by for us to give a signal that the station is safe. Celestia's Hammer was waiting, Dawn's Wing was waiting. It all fell on Silent Strike to take the station without drawing to much attention.
The changelings had not noticed us as we approached, we split into two groups: Nightmare and I with some of the guards went left, over the tracks while Lyra and Bon Bon went right in a classic pincer manoeuvre. Once we were in position I waved my hoof at Lyra, she then nodded and we attacked.
(Nightmare's POV)
Once Starlancer gave the signal I fired a few bolts of lightning at some of the flying changelings which sent them plummeting to the ground. Some bounced off the roof of the station while others just ate dirt. Starlancer threw a few daggers at the changelings on the station platform, a dagger stabbed one in its chest and continued through and came out of its back, taking what ever organs it hit with it. Lyra took out her katana and sliced a changeling's head off, splattering its blood all over the place. Bon Bon fired some of those blades from under her wings at a changeling. They connected but when she reeled them in, the changeling came with it. The changeling was still breathing and once it got close to her she took out her hammer - its head was almost as large as her - and slammed it on its head, killing it instantly.
These ponies weren't prepared for war but they knew what was at stake: if we lost here we would lose Ponyville, each other, Canterlot and eventually Equestria itself. They had to toughen up considerably, and thanks to the battle at the perimeter they did. We had to show them all that we would not show them any mercy, that if they want to kill us they would have to work for it. A few tried to flee but we killed them too.
We took the station without loss, but that was because they did not expect us. Starlancer fired what he called a 'flare' which looked like a firework but when it exploded the light lingered for a few minutes. We heard some chatter coming from inside the city, they knew we are here. Celestia arrived with her forces, while the train pulled up and offloaded its cargo, Rainbow Dash landed with her group and Twilight got off the train with the rest of her friends. They were all wearing the Elements and Twilight gave Rainbow hers. The plan was to get to Chrysalis and Discord and use the Elements on them. We all knew our jobs and split up.
(Michael's POV)
Celestia's Hammer was to keep the bulk of the changelings occupied. Moonstrike was to attack the changelings before they reached Celestia. Dawn's Wing's job was air superiority and close air support when needed. Silent Strike was to protect the Mane Six and infiltrate Alcanteraz amidst the confusion the battle would surely cause. The Mane Six would then use the Elements of Harmony to defeat Chrysalis and/or Discord depending on who we found.
As we entered the city we saw the changelings come into view, there were a huge number of them. Celestia's Hammer steeled themselves and readied their weapons. Moonstrike started firing the trebuchets, ballistae and catapults. Dawn's Wing went in to engage the airborne changelings. As Moonstrike's weapons were making contact with either the ground or with a changeling they exploded. We put a hell of a lot of gunpowder inside hollow shells and hollowed out ballista bolt tips that would ignite upon impact.
Silent Strike and the Mane Six went into the nearest alleyway and made our way to the harbour. Luckily our black armour hid us while Twilight used a camouflage spell so the Mane Six blended in with us. I saw a few scenes from the street as we got close enough to see. Celestia was still holding while Spitfire from the Wonderbolts was being carried away, Dash tried to break for it so she could help but Applejack grabbed her by the tail and stopped her from giving away our position.
"This is war Dash, there are never any winners, only survivors who continue to fight on. Honestly, the dead are the lucky ones." I told her. We made our way to the harbour with only a few close calls. A changeling found us by accident but I threw my halberd at it before it could call for backup. Another time Fluttershy almost gave us away when she saw a changeling unlike any of the others. It stood on two legs; had chitinous armour covering its body from head to toe; even its head was more flat but its eyes were the same. Its body looked like it got overdosed with steroids. What was weird was the fact that it had hands, and it was carrying a lamp post like a club. As we ventured further we saw more and more of them. Soon we got within sight of the harbour which had remained intact and still had a couple of boats and ships remaining.
As we looked on to the harbour I saw we were not going to get through unless Celestia has gotten through all the other ones behind us. I counted at least 40 of these Changeling Hulks as well as 23 normal Changelings. There was a way for them to get through, oh well time to have fun.
"Everyone, I'll get their attention and you make it to the boats." Nightmare grabbed my hoof; I could see she didn't want me to go. "Sorry Nightmare but I will come back, I promise you." With that I ran towards the group waving my arms and generally acting like Pinkie Pie and Surprise do.
Turning around I saw that I had also attracted the attention of the changelings at the rear of the forces attacking Celestia's group. "You want a fight, I'LL GIVE YOU ONE!!!" I shouted and changed to REX. I fired off my railguns at the Hulks, splattering them into paste; I turned around and fired my back Anti-tank missiles at the changelings coming from behind me. A few got too close so I flattened them with the railguns' magnetic rails. I even caught the iron in their blood after intensifying the magnetic field in the railguns and fired them like ammo. I saw Silent Strike and the Mane Six make it to the boats and then they left for Alcanteraz.
I turned my attention back to the changelings attacking me and kept up my onslaught, firing everything I had. As much as I don't use up ammo, the reloading uses up my strength to the point where I can no longer move which was not bad since the would not be able to break my armour plating (nothing short of a HEAT round would damage the plating). My radomes detected that Celestia was slowly losing, so I kicked my engine into high gear and moved through the changelings, either kicking them with my feet or hitting them with my railguns.
(Nightmare's POV)
As he ran off we waited until the changelings gave him their undivided attention. We then made a break for it to the nearest boat. Dash and Fluttershy pushed us while we had the motor on so we would go faster. As we left the harbour I turned back to see Michael had turned into a large metal monster, which ran off into the street towards Celestia's group. We were now on our own.
"Now listen up everypony, we are on our own now but we must not lose faith. We will defeat Chrysalis and Discord but only if we work together. We have all seen the blueprints for the Alcanteraz so we will cut a path for you so you can use the Elements." Everypony nodded. I looked back at the harbour again and saw Michael was gone.
We were soon attacked by changelings defending the path to Alcanteraz. I fired off some more lightning at them which scared them off. Twilight was prodding me with her hoof and pointed to the island the prison was on, or rather ABOVE. The prison and its surrounding grounds were floating in the air above the island that was still in the ocean. We made landfall on the island section and we carried the non-flying members of the Mane Six up to the steps which lead up to the main building.
We saw more of those creepy, muscle-bound monsters and charged at them. I stabbed one through its chest with my horn which seemed to kill it instantly. Lyra ran her blade through one's chest as well. Bon Bon hit one so hard that it flew off the facility and plummeted to the ground below, they apparently can't fly. Soon more and more were coming out of the buildings and straight towards us, we were going to get slaughtered soon if we weren't careful. All of a sudden Twilight raised her head and her horn glowed brightly. Then all the changelings vanished but Twilight collapsed from exhaustion.
"When I was teaching Michael how to teleport he asked if it was possible to teleport only those around them and not themselves as well. I guess he was ri-" She fainted so I put her on my back and we went into the largest building.
There were many corridors and stairways as we went through the building, searching for either Chrysalis or Discord. As we went deeper into the building we were seeing more and more strange green goo all over the walls and ceiling.
"Aw come to visit my little ponies? How nice of you." Said a voice, I looked all over but I could not find the source. "Over here, my dear." This time I saw it, him. This must be the 'Discord' I heard about. He had a serpent like body; a scaly red tail that had a white tail tuft at the end; his head resembled a pony's; he had on long fang and mismatched pupils; his left claw was that of a lion and his right was an eagle's; even his wings were mismatched: one looked like a Pegasus's wing and the right looked like a bat's; his left leg looked like a goat's and his right was a lizard's; a goat horn on the left hand side of his head and a deer antler on the right. He was as the stained glass window in Canterlot depicted him, the Draconequus, the God of Chaos and Disharmony, Discord.
"So you are Nightmare Moon huh? How delightful, and here I thought it was just going to be Twilight and her little friends." He turned his attention to Twilight who still had yet to wake up. He teleported right next to me and poked her on her side. "Wakey wakey, why is she asleep?"
"She overexerted herself when she teleported those changelings off this floating island. The rest of us on the other hoof? We are going to beat you and Chrysalis." I said. He teleported away and was hovering above us again. He was laughing hysterically.
"Please by all means do try but you need ALL the Elements in order for them to be any good and quite frankly you are one card shy of a deck. Now, how about we some fun?" He snapped his fingers and then all of a sudden we were in the grounds outside the building. "Now then, this game is called 'Survival' which ever pony lives after 30 minutes are up, I will take them to Chrysalis. The rest that don't? Well you may need to call your next of kin, let's begin!"
He snapped his fingers together and then we were surrounded by changelings along with a large grandfather clock, counting down 30 minutes. We all readied ourselves as they charged; I finally took out the weapon Michael made for me: two identical curved scimitars. I was uncomfortable using weapons but I had little choice this time. As they came I stabbed one through its chest and sliced another one's head off and as I did so the blade continued until I cut it through its back, taking its wings with it. Lyra fired off a few spells and Bon Bon smashed a changeling's head into the ground. Blood was flying everywhere but I was unable to move much since Twilight was still unconscious on my back.
Discord was hovering above all of, bringing more and more changelings for us to fight with a snap of his fingers, still laughing. We were starting to get exhausted, we needed some help otherwise we were not going to last the next 10 minutes we had left on Discord's clock. Lyra got knocked unconscious and Bon Bon was standing over her, protecting her friend with every bit of strength she had left and some of the Star Guard were dead or badly injured. We needed help, and soon. We heard a whistling sound coming from above us and all of us looked up, including Discord and the changelings. The whistle was coming from some small metal oval shaped containers, falling towards us. They hit the changelings around us and exploded. After the dust cleared, we were safe for the moment as these containers had killed every changeling around us, their bones, blood and guts were all over the grounds. Lyra somewhat regained consciousness and pointed up to the sky with her hoof. As we all strained our eyes to see what Lyra was seeing, I noticed a strange object flying quite high above the prison... Michael!
(Michael's POV)
After I fought and trampled my way through the changelings, I saw Celestia was nowhere to be found. I found one of the griffon commanders of a group called 'Terror Wing' and asked him where she was. He seemed a little shocked over a metal monster talking to him until I reintroduced myself.
"She got hit pretty badly about 10 minutes ago so Broken Wing took her to a field hospital we set up by the train station. Her sister is attending to her and since they both left the troops have started to lose hope." So the situation was far worse than I feared.
I had to get Luna to get back to Moonstrike and help keep up their morale but first we still needed to clear the streets of changelings. My revision of the original REX comes with a small electromagnetic/photon cannon situated inside the cockpit codenamed 'Eclipse', its weakness is that it needs 3 minutes to charge and I only had enough energy to fire it once. I opened fire with my other weapons, the free electron laser cut through the changelings like a hot knife through butter but it had to recharge ever minute for a 2 second continuous beam. I used my knee mounted grenade and missile launchers for the Hulks and the back AT missiles at the flying ones. '30 SECONDS UNTIL FULL CHARGE' The cannon was nearly there, and I could already see that once I arrived their morale had picked up a bit.
'ECLIPSE READY TO FIRE' I opened up my cockpit which also split sideways down the centre and four magnetic rails extended from inside the cockpit. Electricity crackled and arced along the rails and the Eclipse fired in one large stream of red, blue and yellow energy; afterwards I reverted to my human side in my AC clothes and collapsed.
I was on one of the Dream Islands in the Dream World but it seemed slightly different from the rest, I felt that I knew the place. Then it hit me, it was the clearing I fought Icarus on several years ago when he 'evaluated' my abilities by trying to kill me. I heard a familiar roaring of plane engines and looked up, it was Hades the aircraft I was lost from my roster when I got to Equestria, but before I could do anything I woke up. When I woke up I saw the ceiling of a tent. Red Heart, a white pony from the Ponyville Hospital was looking over me.
"You're awake, we were all worried." She gestured to Luna, the Terror Wing commander and Celestia. Celestia had one of her wings in a sling; there were multiple cuts across her body; there were also some nasty ones by her neck and she seemed have a cut that ran from her left eye to her nose, forcing her to keep that eye closed. She noticed I was looking and she pulled her mane over it.
"Don't worry about me Michael, how did it go on Alcanteraz?" they were all worried, they must have thought I was the only one to get back. I was about to answer when my HUD lit up with an S.O.S. signal from Lyra and Bon Bon.
"Haven't been there yet, I separated from the group so they could get to the prison. No time though, they need help. I just got an S.O.S. signal from them." I yelled as I tried to run out of the tent. Everypony tried to stop me from leaving saying I needed time to recover but I could not let them die. After I got out I could see it would take me a while to get to my friends and by then it would be too late. I checked my roster hoping it was there... it was! Hades just as I remembered it, the blueprints must have come together while I was unconscious so I activated the protocol.
My arms extended and split into two sets of wings; my body lengthened and five sets of tires came out of my chest, neck and thigh regions. My legs became wider and shorter; my clothes fused with my body as they usually do when I change (it's why I never need a change of clothes every time I change into something); my body too heavy so I went onto my landing gear. My head elongated and split into a twin nose design; my eyes became the cockpit's screen and my body finally became completed horizontal and rigid. My feet opened up into engine exhausts and my legs split into two so I had four engines in total. The good thing about Hades is the several multi-directional nozzles on the top, underside and front of my by body. The underside ones were larger and more powerful than the rest due to the fact I use this on planet for VTOL. I grew two smaller wings by the cockpit area; two of the larger wings were under the other set and had a forwards sweep design (like the Su-47 Berkut) and the upper wings were slightly swept back (Like the R-101 from Ace Combat 3: Electrosphere), the design was a strange combination but it gave a massive amount of manoeuvrability. Once the transformation was complete I fired up the VTOL engines and took off for Alcanteraz.
As I flew by, some changelings tried to get in my way so I fired off missiles and my four nose mounted guns. The changelings I missed I killed with the turrets on the top and bottom of my fuselage. I approached the Alcanteraz Prison facility to find it was floating in midair. I pulled up to an altitude of 35 000 feet which was far higher than the hovering facility. I saw down to the prison grounds and saw Nightmare, the rest of Silent Strike and the Mane Six fighting some changeling Hulks. I saw that Lyra had fallen as well as Twilight who Nightmare had laid on her back. I targeted the changelings and dropped some smart SFFS (Self - Forging Fragment Submunitions, think of them as mini bombs dropped from a box with many holes). They hit their targets and my friends were unharmed for the most part, I then went into a dive and aimed straight at the ground. Before I hit the ground I changed into Starlancer and created a small crater at the point of impact.
Getting up I saw the sun was rising and looked to Manehattan. Celestia, Luna and the rest of our army was on their way to Alcanteraz to lend support since I cut a massive path through the changeling forces. I ran up to Nightmare, concerned for her and my friends.
"We are fine now, thanks to your timely help. Twilight is just unc- oh she is awakening." Twilight had started to stir.
"Hey! Don't just ignore me! Hello, almighty god of Chaos here." I turned around to see what could only be Discord and told him to shut the hell up. He was physically taken aback. "I call foul play, nopony is supposed to interfere in my games."
"The time for games is over Discord." Said Twilight who had gotten off Nightmare's back but she was still seemed weak on her hooves. "Let's do it girls." The Mane Six powered up the Elements and were encased in a bright white light. A rainbow like the one at the wedding fired from them as Twilight opened her eyes which had turned completely white.
"NO, we were just starting to have fuuuu-" Said Discord as the rainbow circled him. After the light and the rainbow disappeared Discord was still there, unharmed. "Well then, it looks like it didn't work but I have to go, so much chaos to spread, so little time to do it in. Ta!"
With that Discord vanished, and the facility started to lower down back onto the island it came from. The rest of the army made landfall and met us in the grounds. We left most of the army outside so Chrysalis would not be able to escape. We were about to set off but we stopped when Twilight collapsed.
"Don't worry... I'll be fine." She was not fooling anypony. My HUD was showing her vital signs were getting low, dangerously.
"Sorry Twi, you will have to go back with the medics." She tried to protest. "You are in no condition to carry on and if you did you could die. Just go back, for your friends. We will try to at least capture Chrysalis until you get your strength back."
She nodded and Broken Wing put up a new field hospital in the facility's grounds so she went there. We could only hope that she would pull through, her vitals were getting worse with each minute. Bon Bon took Lyra to the hospital as well. Celestia said that Bon Bon and her were going to look after them while we were gone. We all assembled and delved back into the facility.
We searched for ages, killing changelings one after another but we were coming up short with finding Chrysalis. We got down to the lowest levels of the facility and found that the changelings had built a tunnel system under the prison. We would have seen it easily from the sky but we were too preoccupied with the floating half of the facility. As we went through we could see more green goo all over the place and we were encountering more Hulks but they seemed to be getting stronger. We found multiple tunnel systems we were not getting lost but we were wasting time. I couldn't use REX as the ceiling was too low and I would have caused a cave-in.
After searching for a few hours we found a huge central chamber and in its centre was Chrysalis but her body different from what I remembered. How she got out of the mirror was one question but her body was another matter entirely. Her old thin frame was gone, she was so fat I doubt she would have been able to move so much as a muscle; she was about 3 times her old size; she was much longer; she had 4 pairs of legs and she was laying blue-green eggs at a continuous, slow rate (about one every two seconds, I counted). Her face was the same but she looked as though she was in a lot of discomfort. Some of the smaller changelings were picking up her eggs and taking them into the many tunnels that led out of the chamber, I could see the old mirror inside the goo off in a corner. There were a few Hulks guarding her but we dispatched them easily enough. Chrysalis saw us and she started to cry.
"Please, you have to help me. Discord did something to my body. I can't move anymore, all I do is lay more eggs which hatch into those monstrosities you've fought. Please you have to stop me." She looked desperate. Without warning her body expanded slightly and she laid about 50 eggs at once and when her body calmed down she was laying at a slightly faster rate. "You see? I can not control myself, I keep getting bigger and my changelings wont obey me otherwise I would have made them lead you here instead of fight you. Please end this, I don't care how kill me if you have to but please make it stop!"
She was a terrible sight, but the Elements... I contacted Bon Bon via the HUD for a status update on Twilight. I got no response, maybe it was because we were too low underground. I looked at everypony and turned into REX, everypony was looking rather shocked at me, thinking I was going to kill Chrysalis. It was an idea but she could have information on Discord. I charged the Eclipse, entrenched myself and raised my head towards the ceiling above us. Once it charged, I fired the cannon. The energy made a hole large enough for any of us excepting Chrysalis to fly through. I almost instantly received a message from Bon Bon, I was very worried. Wasting no time I turned back into Starlancer and flew through the tunnel, Nightmare followed with me.
As we entered the tent we could see the situation got worse for Twilight. As my HUD brought up her vitals I could see she was beyond hope, in her attempt to use the Elements despite her condition, she seemed to have written her own death sentence. Celestia was over Twilight, her horn glowing brightly. She was trying as hard as possible to heal her student; I could see she was not succeeding. Celestia was crying, Luna was trying to heal Twilight as well.
"Twi! Come on you need to pull through." Nightmare said. "You were right that day, I did find the magic of friendship. Please I don't want to lose my friend, please hold on." She stood over Twilight and her horn glowed as well.
Try as they might, my HUD was showing no change. Not even gods can hold off death forever. Twilight nudged Nightmare and I stepped into her view as well. She was smiling despite knowing she did not have much time left.
"We had some good times Nightmare, Michael. I am glad to have had friends like you. We are all lucky to have friends like you." Twilight said softly. "Nightmare, you must carry on for me, for all of us." With that she used her magic to pick up her tiara and placed it on Nightmare's head.
Lyra had gotten up off her bed and came over to the bed with Bon Bon. "I'm sorry Princess; I won't be able to send you any more messages about friendship." Celestia shook her head softly.
"No Twilight, you have demonstrated a trait all good friends share: one's willingness to sacrifice themselves for each other. I Promise Twilight you will never be forgotten, we will all make sure of it." Celestia said slowly. As Twilight looked to each of us we nodded, assuring her we will never forget our friend. She smiled and closed her eyes. My HUD showed her vitals flat line, Twilight Sparkle was no more. We all cried, Nightmare and I held each other; Celestia cried into her sister's mane and Lyra and Bon Bon were holding each other.
As we left the tent Twilight's tiara started to shine. Nightmare threw it off her head and as it touched the ground, it shattered. Without the Element of Magic the others were useless. We flew back into the chamber, and gave everypony the bad news. The Mane Five cried and Chrysalis was shocked. As I looked at the mirror an alternative solution to killing Chrysalis presented itself. I took my halberd and broke through the goo and picked the mirror. I placed it over Chrysalis and concentrated. Chrysalis started to get sucked into the mirror, despite her now colossal size. I put the mirror on the ground and saw Chrysalis was back to her old self. I looked behind the mirror and saw a rather large slug make its way through one of the tunnels; there goes the theory that you need an Alicorn.
We all came out of the hole with the victory over the changelings. We boarded the train and headed back to Ponyville. How can we beat the Discord without our most powerful weapon? We lost many ponies, including most of the Wonderbolts. Only Spitfire and Soarin' survived, barely. Spitfire was told she would never be able to fly again and Soarin' had to have front left leg amputated because it caught an infection from a wound. Looking out the window with Nightmare I started to wonder: now what? Was Chrysalis a victim in all this? I looked at the container we put the remains of Twilight's tiara in. Are the Elements truly lost to us? In war there are no victors, there only survivors. |
MLP: Equestria | Part 7: 5 Friends and a Funeral | MLP: Equestria
Part 7: 5 Friends and a Funeral
Author: Draconis187
That train ride back to Ponyville was the longest one I've had to endure. Manehattan was freed, the changelings' queen captured, but Discord escaped. The cost for our small victory? Of the 800 ponies and 350 griffons that went in, only 398 ponies and 238 griffons came out, and that was including the wounded. Discord fled to parts unknown, we lost Twilight and almost lost a lot more. Celestia was gravelly injured and Luna was also hurt.
I'll admit I got some scars as well but nothing beyond minor, that was not the worst battle I've faced but it ranked pretty high up in the top five in terms of the effect it had on everypony. Once we got back to the train station in Ponyville, the whole town had turned up to celebrate our victory since all of us didn't die. Funny, I doubt any of us other than the griffons felt like heroes. The griffons came out, beaks held high, marching in sync with each other to the roars and whistles of the crowd. Even their wounded carried themselves with pride. When we came out our heads were hung low, we were devastated both physically and emotionally. Nightmare wouldn't smile; Pinkie's mane and tail fell flat; Dash was dragging her wings on the floor; Fluttershy hadn't stopped crying since we left Manehattan.
The ponies cheered until they saw our faces. Red Heart, some other nurses and griffon medics were bringing out our dead and those too wounded to walk. The crowd gasped at some of the wounded's condition, and some parts of the crowd fainted upon seeing the dead. The mayor of Manehattan came forward thanking us for saving the city. I turned to him with a very cold expression.
"What good is saving a city that was empty in the first place?! Now it's filled with nothing but the dead!" I snapped. He was very taken back. "I gather then you do not want that statue we were going to erect for you?" He said, still trying to keep a smile on his face.
"If you want to build a statue, build it for those who gave their lives, they are the real heroes." I retorted. Nightmare and I kept walking towards Twilight's library to break the news to Spike.
When we got in Spike was asleep in his bed upstairs. I walked up to wake him up. I nudged him with my nose, he brushed me away. "Just 5 more minutes Twilight." He said sleepily, without looking to see who it was.
I nudged him again and this time he opened his eyes. He looked surprised to see me. He rubbed his eyes and got up out of bed. "Why'd you wake me up? I was having a great dream. Let me guess: Twilight wants me to reorganise her library again?" he said with a frown. Spike you are in for the worst day of your young life.
As we walked down the steps, we saw that Luna and Celestia were standing with Nightmare. Celestia's arrival made sense since Twilight was her personal student. Luna was once Nightmare and Twilight was one of her first friends since coming back from banishment. Spike looked around, trying to see where Twilight had gone. He stopped when I put my hoof on his shoulder, he looked up.
"Spike there is... something we need to tell you. It's, it's about Twilight." I said. Spike's eyes were wide open, he was looking at our scars and marks. "She, she... she's gone Spike."
"Where did she go? When is she coming back?" Asked Spike, clearly not understanding what I was saying. Celestia walked forward and put her hoof on Spike's shoulder and shook her head. "She's not coming back?" His eyes started to well up with tears. He grabbed Celestia's leg, holding on for dear life.
"No! She has got to come back, she always does!" Spike shouted, tears running down his face. "HOW?!WHY?!"
"She over-exerted herself beyond the point her body could handle. It gave up on her after using the Elements to try and defeat Discord. They did not work, so Discord is still free and this..." Pulling out the box we put the broken tiara in. "Is what's left of the Element of Magic." Said Celestia.
Spike grabbed the box from Celestia and looked into it. He was still crying, and there was nothing any of us could say to help him feel better. He lost his first friend, the one who raised him since he was an egg. His whole world had shattered and he was left with the pieces, it was up to him to pick them up or leave them.
The rest of the Mane Five had separated: Pinkie went back to her family's rock farm; Dash was in her home, she wouldn't leave; Fluttershy locked herself in her cottage, still crying; Rarity was so depressed she lost her love for fashion and Applejack stopped working, she spent the day in an empty field, slowly digging a hole with her hoof.
The news spread all over Equestria, but it was a two sided blade: Chrysalis was defeated but Twilight Sparkle had died in the process. The Crystal Empire came to offer their condolences, including her brother and sister in law; a travelling magician named Trixie came to offer her sympathy; everypony Twilight helped in her quest to understand the magic of friendship, had come. There were thousands of ponies, from all walks of life.
The funeral we planned for her was to last three days. The first day we would hold a remembrance service, showing everything Twilight had done in her life. The second day those closest to her would give a speech of their experiences with her and she was to be committed to the ground on the third day.
Walking around Ponyville had become sad, nopony smiled anymore. The Cutie Mark Crusaders had given up trying to find their Marks. The library was closed, and ponies were laying flowers at the base of the tree. Spike had not come out since we told him the news. The three day ceremony was starting in four days, enough time for everypony to get organised.
When Nightmare and I got back to our castle, our staff were pleased to see us both still alive. I faintly smiled back while Nightmare just nodded, seeing something was amiss, they made a large feast for us and the Star Guard. We ate but we didn't speak much, other than me asking how Lyra was doing. Lyra was sleeping in her room, and her condition was improving. At least we weren't going to lose another pony to this damned war.
After we all finished, the guards and staff went to bed. I teleported myself to the highest tower. This tower was an open roof observatory, with a telescope, star charts, everything you would need to track and see the stars. Twilight gave them to me when the castle was finally finished. I looked out into the darkening horizon, wondering why a world so filled with love can be filled with just as much hate? My sadness was turning to rage, Discord WILL pay for what he had put us through, Chrysalis as well.
We placed Chrysalis - who was still trapped in the mirror - in a dungeon, deep beneath the castle. I met Nightmare on my way down there. She could see I wanted answers, she probably did as well. The mirror was sealed in a clear case that only Nightmare, Luna, Celestia or myself could open. Chrysalis was smiling at us, how I wanted to smash that smile off her.
"My, my, I see someone is a bit angry. I can gather why. Twilight, without her the Elements are useless aren't they? Once I am free agi-" I was NOT in the mood.
"SHUT THE HELL UP!!" I shouted, Nightmare looked at me and Chrysalis was a bit stunned. She started to smile again. "Now, tell us where Discord has gone." She began laughing at us. She chose the wrong time to push my buttons.
"My dear, Discord will be wherever he can cause the most mischief of course. Where exactly that is, I can not say since I am not in the best position to find out." Chrysalis said. Even when trapped in a mirror she still thinks she holds all the cards? Time to end this.
I took the mirror out of the case and teleported all of us outside. We were standing in the middle of the training area. I placed the mirror down in the centre of the ground, I spoke to Chrysalis again. "You sure you do not know where he is?" She shook her head with a smile and laughed. "Fine. No info, no reason to keep you around."
"You can't destroy this mirror, you said so yourself, remember?" She laughed. I smiled back at her. "Why are you smiling?" She asked, I could hear she was a little off-kilter.
"Simple, the mirror may be indestructible but... the spirit that resides within can easily be released into the Void. I put you in that mirror and I can take you out. Enjoy oblivion." I said. This was true: the one who put a spirit in the mirror can release it back into the world. Sadly for the spirit, it goes straight to the afterlife, Void, whatever one's interpretation is of the place you go when you die. Chrysalis looked very nervous.
"You wouldn't dare. It's not in your nature to be so ruthless." She said, still standing her ground. I still smiled.
"Then you don't know a thing about me!" I retorted. I concentrated on the mirror, it was glowing the same pale blue as my mane, the color my horn usually glows when performing magic. Chrysalis was looking around, scared and begging for me to stop, I didn't. I continued until we saw her come out of the mirror, she was translucent but there. She looked around, frightened. As she was about to say something she started to dissipate, as if she was dirt being blown away by a giant fan. Nightmare and I looked at each other for a second and laughed.
Funeral Day One:
The remembrance ceremony was being set up by Luna and Twilight's parents. We used a large open field for everypony to sit. Luna was going to project images through a series of crystals that Cadance and Shining Armor brought with them from the Crystal Empire. The Cakes and the Apple Family baked a lot of food for everyone to eat during the intermission and the ceremony itself.
I was in my human form, sitting next to Nightmare. Sitting next to us was: Celestia (the doctor said she should put her hooves up and rest as much as possible); Pinkie (her mane was still flat and her coat had dulled in colour); Rarity (her mane and tail were matted and tangled); Fluttershy (she stopped crying but hung her head low, she had not spoken to anyone since she got out of her cottage); Spike (he was holding on to the box with the Element's remains in); Applejack (she was very thin, as if she was barely eating anymore); Dash (her coat was dirty and she smelt like she had not bathed in days); Shining Armor; Cadance. That made up the front row.
A remembrance works by using crystals to project the memories of the deceased. This is done by a unicorn (or Alicorn in this case) and the memories are projected from a series of other crystals to project a 3-D image of the memory. Those close to the deceased can also have their memories projected in tandem with the deceased which creates an external view of the memory (like watching a TV show).
We all had our memories of Twilight put into crystals. This was the biggest remembrance in Equestria's history. There were fourteen crystals in total. Each one was the same colour as our coats with a faint glow that matched our manes. There were 8 larger, clear crystals that were to act as the projection crystals. Luna and Twilight's parents stood on a raised, marble platform. Luna's horn glowed and the all the smaller crystals rose into the air. There was a crystal that stood as tall as an Earth Pony and was an opaque turquoise colour.
The smaller crystals fused themselves onto the main one and then Luna fired off a beam at the multi-coloured crystal. The beam then bounced off it, splitting into 8 multi-coloured beams. The beams then hit the projection crystals and then the remembrance got started.
I saw an instance of Twilight playing in the park when she was still a filly. She was playing with Cadance, innocent and happy. There was another showed Twilight arguing with Shining Armor, he was going to the Royal Guard Boot Camp and would not be back for a few weeks. Twilight was sad, tears falling from her eyes while Shining was calmly trying to explain to her. There was another where she tried to turn the page of a book with her magic, which she eventually succeeded. There were many other memories, both happy and sad.
We soon got to when Twilight met Celestia, when she got enrolled into the Princess Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns. Celestia saw Spike's head poking out of the roof of one of the towers and went to investigate. Turned out it was due to a little filly, who had also turned her parents into plants. Celestia calmed Twilight down and took her as her protege. Twilight's parents said it was one of the happiest moments in her life.
The next part that was shown was Twilight coming to Ponyville for the first time to stop Nightmare. We saw how she met the rest of the Mane Six. Then came the part where Nightmare had imprisoned Celestia, which set Twilight on her journey to Nightmare Castle. The rest of the Six went with her and together they found it. Nightmare had hidden herself behind her wings when we saw the various traps and obstacles she put in their way.
Then we sped it up to where Twilight discovered that - despite the Elements being destroyed thanks to Nightmare - the spirits of the Elements lived within them. Then Twilight and the Mane Six used the Elements on Nightmare and freed Luna. We stopped after that for a brief intermission, so we could grab some food and drink. I got Nightmare and myself some muffins and milkshakes from the stand that the Cakes put up. Mrs. Cake took me to one side and gave me a cake to give to Pinkie Pie.
The cake was a double-layer strawberry sponge cake with hot sauce instead of jam in the middle. There were the words: 'Pinkamena Diane Pie', I gathered that was her full name. Pinkie was still sat in the front row of the remembrance, her head was hung low. I put the cake down next to her with a smile, only for her to push it away.
"Pinkie, you have to eat something." I said. "Eating cake is almost a hobby for you." She looked at me with a huge frown, tears welling up in her eyes. She instantly grabbed me, crying and holding me so tightly I thought I was about to pass out.
"I MISS HER SO MUCH!!" She shouted between her sobs. "It's just not fair!" I managed to get out of her hold and raised her head so she could see into my eyes.
"Pinkie, we all knew that many of us might not make it back. In truth I thought I was going to die in Manehattan a few times. Twilight fought for her friends, for her friendship with all of us. Do you think she would be happy to see you like this? Would she smile and say: 'that's Pinkie Pie, my friend and the most cheerful pony you will ever meet?" She shook her head. "If you won't smile for yourself, do it for Twilight. Honour her by smiling again, we will get Discord."
She smiled meekly at me. "That's better, not quite a Pinkie smile but it's a start. Have some cake, the Cakes made it with hot sauce in the middle instead of jam." As I turned to leave, I heard Pinkie say softly: "Thanks."
I needed to get the rest of the gang to get their heads back into the game. When folks have lost hope in something, they must find a new reason to hope again otherwise all is lost.
The intermission ended as I sat down next to Nightmare again. I saw Pinkie's coat was a bit brighter when I looked towards her again. She saw me and gave me another meek smile as she took a bite out of the cake. Baby steps Pinkie, baby steps.
Luna started the ceremony again, picking up after Nightmare was defeated. We saw how Twilight eventually gave up trying to explain Pinkie's Pinkie Sense. The incident with the parasprites; Nightmare Night where Luna got help from Twilight and her friends and felt loved for the first time in 1000 years; how her friends 'ruined' the Grand Galloping Gala; the fight against Discord where he got the Mane Six to turn on each other, but he was beaten by Twilight who found a reason to fight after she had lost hope. There were many other memories, but the one with Discord interested me a little. I shook my head and had another muffin, Luna eventually got to when I arrived in Ponyville. Twilight was the first pony I met here in Equestria. The projections showed me getting 'exiled'; my appearance as Nightmare Moon at the wedding; me scaring her by jumping off Sugarcube Corner's roof; my secret magic lessons with her and Rarity. We got up to the day of the battle but it stopped there since it was too painful to continue.
The sun had almost set once the remembrance finished, Nightmare pulled me to the side, looking a little worried. "Michael, I've looked at the rest of Twilight's friends. They all seem to be very depressed. I feel we need to help them somehow." I nodded.
"I know what you mean. I've spoken to Pinkie during the intermission. We need to talk to the others, they can not go on like this. They have lost all hope, Twilight kept them together and now she's gone. They need another pony like her to remind them that losing one friend is not the end of the world." I said.
"How about you? You're strong, caring and you know them well enough don't you?" She said. I shook my head. "Sorry Nightmare, I'm no Twilight. My friendship with them isn't quite the same. I do have another play I can make though. One that may get them to stay together long enough so we can beat Discord. I will need you to talk to them as well. We only have two more days after this, the clock is ticking."
Nightmare nodded and we parted ways. I was going to talk to Dash, Rarity and Pinkie (again) while Nightmare was going to talk to Applejack, Fluttershy and Spike. We had until the end of the remembrance since they were all planning to leave Ponyville afterwards. Dash was applying for a transfer to Fillydelphia; Fluttershy was going to Trottingham to apply for a position as caretaker at one of their zoos; Applejack was going to Dodge Junction to work on the Cherry farm; Pinkie was going to go back to her family's rock farm but hopefully my talk helped her reconsider a bit but I had to be sure; Rarity was going to go to the Crystal Empire and start a boutique there; Spike was going to go join up with some dragons that migrated to the north about a month back. We had to deep-six their plans. It's what Twilight would want.
Everypony was dispersing, we told Lyra and the guards our plans, and so they headed home without us. Nightmare was going to Fluttershy's cottage first while I saw Pinkie was still here, slowly eating her cake. I saw that Surprise was there as well, her mane was flat as well but she was trying to cheer Pinkie up by the looks of it. Once she saw me, she flew off so we could talk alone.
"Pinkie, we need to talk." I said as I walked up to the former party pony. "Do you still want to leave Ponyville?" she nodded her head slowly but then she shook it. "Not sure? Listen: leaving fixes nothing, your problems will just follow you and get worse the longer you run from them. We still need you Pinkie, we still need our friend."
Pinkie looked at me and smiled more brightly than the first time. "Pinkamena. I'm going by my proper name again. You're right though. All I'm doing is running away from my problems, but it won't make them go away." She looked determined. "We will get Discord for this, for Twilight."
"Pinkie, the best way to honour the dead is never revenge but to live on." Pinkie looked at me, unsure of what to say. "Pinkie, pl-" she cut me off.
"Pinkamena, I don't want use 'Pinkie' anymore. I'll reconsider going back home. Just until we beat Discord, I'll see after that if I'll stay in Ponyville or not." She said. I was a little rattled by the fact she didn't want to be called Pinkie anymore. She seems to have fallen - emotionally and psychologically - further than I had thought. If the most cheerful pony I've ever met got this depressed, what about the others? Will Nightmare be able to convince them?
I called it a day and went back to Nightmare Castle for dinner and bed. The guards and I sat inside the Banquet Hall as we usually did. Lyra was eating with us, thankfully recovering from her injuries, thanks to Bon Bon's care. I think her special talent should have been medicine like Nurse Red Heart. We had only been eating for 5 minutes when we saw Nightmare return, looking somewhat cheerful. Then again, under these circumstances you'd be forgiven if you weren't bouncing off the walls with glee. She sat down next to me, levitated some food onto a plate and we talked about how everything went with Applejack.
(Nightmare's POV)
After Michael and I split up after the end of the remembrance, I decided to speak with Applejack first. Fluttershy had locked herself back in her cottage so I was not going to be able to speak to her, unless I break down her door and since this WAS Fluttershy we're talking about, I knew that tactic would make the situation worse. Applejack on the other hoof did not, but she would just lie around, which was unlike her since she was the hardest working pony you could ever meet.
I flew over to Sweet Apple Acres and found her brother: Big Macintosh. He wasn't much of a talker but he did point me in the direction of the spot Applejack spent her days. Again I flew over to my new destination, and saw her laid on her back, looking up at the stars.
"Twilight, why'd ya have to go and do summin so stupid? I dunno what to do. Even heading ta Dodge seems mighty cowardly of me." She spoke, having not noticed my presence behind her.
"Applejack, there is a matter I wish to speak to you about." I said as I walked up to her. She got a little startled, but she relaxed when she realised it was me. "I have come to ask you to reconsider your plans to leave Ponyville."
"Sorry, but ma mind is made up. I'm goin'." She said adamantly. Celestia, give me strength... Applejack got up and proceeded to walk back home. I ran and cut her off, a little annoyed with her attitude.
"Now listen here! Everypony knows you will never let your friends down if you could help it! If you go to Dodge, you will be letting your other friends - who are still alive and well by the way - down! And most importantly: you will be letting yourself down! I doubt your family will be able to cope with you leaving as well!" I said, almost shouting. I have no clue as to how I'm going to cope trying to convince Fluttershy since she had become a recluse. AJ looked at me for a second and sighed.
"Fine, I'll reconsider fer now. Happy?" I nodded. "Applejack, I'm not doing this for me, I'm doing it for you and the others. The worst thing to do now is lose hope." She looked at me, giving me that look you see when someone is thinking. I teleported to Nightmare Castle and found Michael was busy eating in the Banquet Hall with the guards. I sat down next to him and got myself some food. We spent the rest of the evening talking about the results of our conversations. At least we had two out of the five Bearers of the Elements staying, even if it was temporary.
After we finished I asked Michael to meet me in my room. He nodded and said he would be there shortly. The guards went off to bed as well, some were still on duty, protecting the castle despite they would rather be in bed as well. As I stood in my room, I looked out of my window which overlooked a decent part of Equestria. You only saw empty fields and parts of Everfree but it was a tranquil sight regardless. I started to look about my room I had decorated a while ago, there were two tapestries hanging on the walls: one Bon Bon had requested and one Michael had done. The one Bon Bon had done was of me in my ceremonial armour, standing on a hill in the night with the moon hovering above my head. The other was Michael as Starlancer, Lyra, Bon Bon and myself standing together on the steps in the main hall. We were all smiling with our heads facing the viewer, most ponies said it made them nervous because of the shape our eyes.
I continued to look about my room, contemplating over the fact that I would never have thought that I would live in the castle I was defeated in. The statue of myself was moved into the main hall since I didn't want ponies coming into my room to view it. I had a large, navy blue four poster bed up against the wall. The drapes were completely black with silver edges while duvet's design had my Cutie Mark covering most of it; the rest of it was black. I had one of Rarity's mannequins wearing the dress she made for me some time ago by the cupboard I keep both my ceremonial armour and my battle armour. The swords that were made for me were hanging on a plaque, on the wall between the tapestries. I returned my gaze outside, wondering how long Discord planned to wait before making his play.
I heard the door creak open. Thinking it was Michael, I called out without looking to see who it was. I heard the sound of laughter but it wasn't Michael's laugh, it was Discord's! I turned around and tried to get my blades but they were missing! The laughter continued until the god of Chaos and Disharmony revealed himself. He stood by the tapestries, looking at me with a sly grin and holding my blades in his claws.
"Hello my little pony, how are you?" he said with a small snicker. "Looking for these?" he asked as he waved the blades about.
He placed them on top of each other and... squashed them? It was as if he was playing with putty instead of one of the toughest metals in Equestria. He stopped and showed me his handiwork: he turned them into a single, red apple. He chuckled as he took a bite out of it.
"Why the long face? They were just hanging there and I was hungry. N-" he started to say but we were interrupted by Michael who had just walked in. "Can't we ever have a decent conversation without you interrupting every time?" he said, throwing his arms up dramatically.
Michael ran up to me and turned to Discord. "What is it you want now Discord?"
"Oh, not much other than the usual: spreading chaos wherever I go and having a good time in the process. But I am here on a social visit. We are going to play one last game. It is very simple: I give you a riddle and you must solve it before the deadline. The deadline will be three days from now, so you should have plenty of time to solve it. Your prize should you win is my unconditional surrender. Should you fail, a large part of Equestria will vanish off the face of the planet. I have only one rule: only you two may know what the riddle is, nopony else otherwise you forfeit and I win. So willing to play?" he said with a smile.
I turned to Michael who was thinking hard. This could be our only chance to stop him permanently. After a minute Michael spoke, "Do we have your word you will surrender without a fight? Even if we were to turn you back to stone?"
Discord glared at him, "As much as the thought of spending another millennia as a lawn ornament isn't on my list of fun things to do to pass the time, I'll honour my word. You can ask Celestia if you want and she'll tell you the same thing. So, do we have a deal?" He extended his lion claw towards Michael who shook it vigorously. Discord rubbed his claw, evidently sore. "Right, here is your riddle: This place is cold and desolate, but by its citizens it is protected, its heart you must seek, and you will find me at the peak. Got it? Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to cause some chaos in Saddle Arabia. They're a laugh riot!"
He vanished, his laughter echoeing through the room. Which left Michael and myself to think about his riddle. He turned to me and asked, "So, what was it you wanted to talk about?"
I shook my head, "It isn't as important as this. Any ideas about his riddle?"
He looked at me with concern. "Not sure really. I'll head off to the Library tomorrow. There may be something there that can shed some light on this. You head for the funeral and talk to the others. Tell them only what they need to know about this meeting."
I nodded and he left for his room. This was a strange turn of events. What did Discord have to gain by giving us a riddle? Surely he would try to stop us from figuring it out? It started to get quite late so I went to bed. There was no use trying to figure out riddles when you're sleep deprived. |
MLP: Equestria | Part 8: Crystals and Disharmony | MLP: Equestria
Crystals and Disharmony
Author: Draconis187
(Michael's POV)
I got up at the usual time but I couldn't bask in the early sunlight that Celestia brought since Nightmare and I had jobs to do. Lyra had fully recovered while Gilda re-forged Nightmare's swords, since our beloved God of Chaos decided to eat them.
After breakfast I changed into Starlancer, donned my AC garb then went off to Golden Oaks to talk to Spike and research this place that was 'protected by its citizens' as Discord put it. When I got there I found the door was locked despite the library should be open this time of the morning. I knocked again with my hoof and still no response.
"Okay Spike, if you want to play it this way." I turned around and bucked, hard. The door stood firm, mocking my attempts to force my way in.
I then took out my halberd and struck the door in its centre. I saw the faint flash of a magic field and that was when it dawned on me. Twilight must have put up a forcefield when she used to live here of course! That same field must still be active. You're an idiot Michael, I thought to myself.
I didn't know any spells that could break magic barriers but I was not about to let that stop me. I concentrated and fired off a burst of raw magic. It rebounded off the forcefield and back at me, knocking me off my hooves. As I got up I heard the door unlock.
Thank Celestia! I thought.
The door opened to reveal the small, purple dragon. As he noticed it was me who tried to break in, he let me in. As I looked around I saw Spike was re-organising the entire library, again. I guess everypony has their way of getting their minds off grieving or maybe this was his way of honouring Twilight's memory.
"What do you want? Can't you see I'm busy?" Spike said with contempt in his voice.
"Sorry Spike but I need to go through some books. I... can't tell you why. Not yet anyway." I responded as I began to search through the shelves and book piles.
"I guess there's no convincing you otherwise? I guess not, egghead." He mumbled as he began to walk out the door. I didn't respond, my HUD was scanning every book as I lifted them with my magic. As I searched I came across several books that had multiple references to 'magic'; 'friendship' and 'Elements of Harmony' amongst other forms of spells and history books. Something told me that there was a connection between them but I couldn't put my hoof on it so I chose to ignore it. After a good hour Spike came back with some groceries. At least he still ate.
"Spike, may I take this box please?" I asked, pointing to the box that contained the broken Element of Magic.
"No, I'm never letting that go. It's the only thing I have left to remind me of Twilight." Spike said as he shed a few tears.
"Spike, I have the strangest feeling that I may just need the contents of that box. Please as a friend, let me take it for a short while. I will bring it back to you should my hunch be wrong, I promise." Spike looked at me for a few seconds and nodded his head. "Thank you Spike."
I placed the box in one of my many pockets as I kept searching through the shelves. I was beginning to wonder if all of my searching was in vain. Maybe Discord gave us that riddle to unsettle us, make us panic maybe so we would be vulnerable? I knew he was a manipulative bastard but I was sure he sounded serious when he gave that riddle. I knew I just had to ask Spike but I had to be sure not to blurt out the reason why.
"Spike, is there anywhere in Equestria that has a form of special protection?"
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"What I mean is: is there anywhere in Equestria that is protected by its citizens but not by physical means? Somewhere cold?" Spike stroked his chin for a few seconds before a thought hit him.
"Try the Crystal Empire. The Crystal Heart that protects it gets its power from its citizens and it tends to snow there for most of the year. We were there when it reappeared after a 1000 year absence. Some unicorn called King Sombra cursed it which caused it to vanish when he was overthrown." I smiled so wide it looked as if Pinkie slapped one of her fake smiles on my face. She does carry those, trust me I've seen them.
"Where exactly is the Crystal Empire?" I asked.
"You can take the train there. It is about three maybe four hours from Ponyville Station. Hey wait, where are you going?!" I wasn't listening after that. Making sure I had the box, I headed for the Ponyville Train Station to get to the Crystal Empire and fast. I could've flown but knowing my luck I probably would get lost on the way.
(Nightmare's POV)
After Starlancer left I went off to see Rarity. I was wearing the dress she had made for me a while back. I had hoped this would get some fire back into her. Carousel Boutique didn't look too bad until Sweetie Belle opened the door for me. The Boutique was dirty in a lot of places with clothes an materials strewn about but judging from the broom and mop laying around, Sweetie Belle must have been trying to tidy up.
"Rarity! Nightmare's here to see you!" Sweetie shouted as she stood by the stairs leading up to the second level. There was no response from above. "Just go up, she's probably still laid on her bed in her room."
I went up and found Rarity on the ground... in a pool of blood. I was shocked beyond words other than: "Sweetie Belle! We need to get to the Hospital now!"
I lifted her and put her on my back. I got Sweetie Belle and had her direct me as best she could. She was crying, hoping her big sister would be okay. I flew off towards Ponyville Hospital with so much worry I thought this would be last of the gifted fashionista.
I handed Rarity over to Nurse Redheart who immediately took her to the emergency ward. Sweetie had to stay in the waiting room since the doctors had to act immediately if they were going to save her life. I kept Sweetie company while she waited. I looked at the clock and saw it was time for the second day of proceedings for Twilight's funeral to begin but neither Michael nor I were going to make it. I was busy looking after Sweetie Belle while Michael tried to solve Discord's riddle.
I looked out through the window and saw the crowds make their way to the open field that the remembrance ceremony had been held the previous day. I shed a small tear, recounting the scene that greeted me when I looked at Twilight's friends during the remembrance. I snapped out of it when I realised Sweetie was still crying next to me. I shifted myself next to her and put a hoof over her body.
"There, there Sweetie Belle. Rarity is going to be fine, I'm sure of it." I said but I don't think she believed me. I don't think I even believed myself. She eased a bit so I guess she felt a bit better. I'm not very good with expressing one's feelings.
(Michael's POV)
The train ride was long and boring, but as I looked out into the distance I noticed the beautiful landscape passing by. The multitude of green and other bright colours soon gave out to the encompassing white colour of snow. Even it had a little charm to it but that died once I realised it was starting to get quite cold.
Thankfully the AC clothes offered some protection but I probably would've been better off if I wore something warmer like a full body coat. I got off the train and headed through the protective bubble that covered the entire Crystal Empire... which was just one city. I rubbed my head with my hoof in slight confusion, how can they call one city an Empire? The temperature difference was completely staggering, one moment I was shivering from the cold and now it felt like it was the same temperature back in Ponyville.
"Well I guess I'm on the right track here." I mused as I trotted towards the Castle. "'You will find me at the peak.' Maybe Discord is at the top of the Crystal Castle?"
I looked up at the towing structure and tried to fly upwards, towards the highest part of the Castle. As I got a few feet into the air, a forcefield knocked me back to the ground. After rubbing my sore rump it seemed like a better idea to go to the top through the interior of the Castle.
What is it with me and forcefields today? I wondered
Luckily the knowledge of me being a Prince had spread here. As much as I hate using a title such as Prince I had no alternative after they wouldn't let me in for uttering my normal name. It was only after I mentioned my full name and title that the Crystal Pony Guards let me pass, they even apologised for inconveniencing me. Then again in hindsight they probably did that to try and kiss my flank so they wouldn't get in trouble.
The Castle had a pretty straight forward and symmetrical design in terms of building design. There were many decorations but they were all crystallised but in a way it made sense: Crystal Empire, crystal decor.
I still wandered around aimlessly around the Castle, asking the Guards how to get to the top of the Castle. Sadly none of them knew. I eventually hit a dead end as I couldn't find any steps leading higher than the throne room's floor.
"There is a way." Huh?
Where did that come from? Wait, that voice... Twilight?! I looked around feverishly, trying to find the source of the voice. I couldn't find it. I must be losing my mind.
"No you're not silly, down here, in the box." I pulled out the box and opened it. the purple gems that made the star insert were faintly glowing. "I haven't got very long so I'll make this short. Try to focus fear and hatred through your horn once you are in the throne room, aim for the top crystal on the throne. That will open the way for you."
As the voice finished, the glow died out. "Thank you Twilight, you may have just saved Equestria. Again." I said as I closed the box.
I went into the throne room and gazed upon the throne. I began to put what Twilight's disembodied voice told me and tried to focus fear and hatred through my horn. It was not as hard as one thinks especially since I've experienced both while Twilight could never hate another pony, not entirely. I fired off a black beam of magic and it collided with the throne.
The crystal changed from a purple colour to a black-grey. A shadow came from the crystal, covering the floor in darkness as it travelled. It revealed a large spiral staircase that lead downwards, seemingly forever.
"Well, that's interesting. Geronimo!" I shouted as I jumped down into the large gap in the centre of the staircase. As I got near the floor I spread my wings and landed with a light thud. A door was the only thing barring my way now and I made my way towards it.
I wonder how Nightmare is doing at the funeral? I thought as I hit the small crystal on the top of the door with a burst of magic. It opened and I went through... to find myself facing another spiral staircase, this time going upwards.
"Sweet Celestia! Was this Sombra a freaking stair hobbyist?!" I shouted in anger. After I calmed down, I sighed and began to fly up the staircase.
(Nightmare's POV)
It had been a few hours since Rarity was admitted, Sweetie had stopped crying but she looked as if she was on the verge of bursting every time I looked at her. I turned my attention to the funeral proceedings and saw Celestia giving a speech. Even though the doctor specifically told her not to use magic, she adamantly ignored it as I could tell when she was the one who raised the sun. Nopony realises that the sun is slightly brighter when she raises it as opposed to when Luna does it.
I noticed it was around midday, judging by the sun's current position. As I was lost in thought Nurse Redheart came and cleared her throat to get our attention.
"How is she Redheart?" I inquired. Redheart gave a light, nervous smile.
This is going to be a good news, bad news thing isn't it? I thought.
"She's stable for now. She had lost quite a lot of blood when you found her, it was a miracle the doctors were able to save her. She is awake but please, do not stress her out as it may give her a cardiac arrest."
"Heart attack." I said to a confused Sweetie Belle.
We went into the I.C.U. ward and found the fashion designer laid on the hospital bed. I could see she had been crying.
"Rarity?" Sweetie said with concern.
"Hi Sweetie dear... and Nightmare, how nice to see you." She replied.
"What were you thinking Rarity?" I spat out. I put my hoof to my mouth after I did so, embarrassed by the fact I let my emotions get the jump on me.
"Honestly I don't know what I was thinking. I just wanted the pain to end, I just didn't want to think anymore. So I..." Rarity began to say before Sweetie Belle hugged her. "I'm so sorry Sweetie Belle! I didn't think about how you or how the others would feel! I was so selfish, can you ever forgive me?"
"Of course, that's what sisters are for! Just promise me you will never do such a thing again." Sweetie said as the two hugged each other. With Rarity too preoccupied to talk to me, I decided to head for the funeral and give my two bits on my relationship with Twilight.
"Wait, Nightmare." I stopped as Rarity spoke. "I must thank you for saving me, whether you know it or not you've helped me see that one shouldn't think of themselves in times of crises. We should think about the ones we love. Thank you." I walked out of the ward without a word.
As I entered the waiting rooms on my way out I saw AJ, RD, Fluttershy and Pinkie all standing around, waiting. Once they saw me they rushed at me, barraging me with questions about Rarity's current state.
"I'm fine darlings." We all turned around to see Rarity walking!
"Rarity you should be in bed!" I shouted.
"Nonsense! I will not sit idly by while my friends are all worried about moi!"
Pinkie gave Rarity a large hug, her coat seemed to return back to its usual bright pink hue while her mane and tail had regained their former cotton candy style.
"Pinkie dear, I thought your mane was flat again. What happened?" I'm pretty sure we all were wondering about that but Rarity beat us to the punch.
(Michael's POV)
"A swear if Sombra hadn't been banished I would kill him!" I said as I finally reached the top of the stairs. As much as it wasn't the distance that got me mad, it was the fact that the greatest threat this unicorn could have thought up was a near-endless staircase.
As I got out I found the area was deserted, save for myself and a view of the entire Crystal Empire. I walked over to the ledge and reverted to human so I could sit on the edge. The view was calming as it stretched on forever, I could see the train tracks go off into the horizon.
"Well now you sure took your sweet time." That wasn't my voice...
I turned around and saw the God of Chaos himself sitting on a recliner with sunglasses and one of those reflective panels you use for tanning. He had a small table with drinks on it next to him but that wasn't what bothered me. What did bother me was who was laid on the other recliner next to him: Queen Chrysalis.
"Hold on, this doesn't make any sense! You should be dead!" I shouted, pointing at the Queen of the Changelings. Discord rolled his eyes as he drank what looked like lemonade but he drank the glass itself and threw the lemonade away. The moment the lemonade hit the ground it exploded into a variety of flowers.
"Where is the fun in making sense my dear Michael?" Discord replied, vanishing from the recliner and appearing behind me. "But you got my riddle and so we are going to play another game."
"What happened to your promise to surrender?"
"Geez don't be a spoil sport now, I never said I would surrender once you solved it. I said the prize was my surrender after one last game. The riddle was just to get you here. Now are you ready? Let's spread some chaos!!"
As he said this he snapped his fingers, and the three of us were standing next to the Crystal Heart.
"What are you playing at Discord?!" I shouted whilst unsheathing by halberd, ready for a fight.
"A little hasty aren't we? It is just a simple game of hide and seek." He said, snapping his fingers once more, I looked around and saw I was still near... the now missing Crystal Heart!!
(Nightmare's POV)
The seven of us left the Hospital and were on our way to Sugarcube Corner. The doctors let Rarity leave on the condition she doesn't strain herself too much and never does something like that again. The latter was something we all could agree on.
As we all sat drinking milkshakes I noticed Spike running up to us. He seemed a little angry for some reason. It was a little unsettling since I hardly ever saw him angry, just grumpy.
"Do you have any idea how long it takes to reorganise that library?!" He shouted at me, "Five hours, at the least! Starlancer comes in and starts searching through the books, completely discarding them on the floor afterwards and after he asked me some question about unique protection spells that can protect a city, he run off!"
"Wait!" I said, spurting out my milkshake, covering Pinkie Pie in chocolate. Pinkie just laughed. "Which city?!"
"The Crystal Empire. I told him all he needed to do was take the train there and he left raced out without a word." Spike said, folding his arms.
"I've got to go!" I cried and teleported myself to Ponyville Station. I felt a little woozy after doing that but I didn't have time to waste. I found the next train heading to the Crystal Empire was leaving in thirty minutes so I got a ticket and waited by the platform.
"Nightmare!" I turned around and saw the others all running towards me. They were all wearing their Elements for some reason. "Where are you going?" Dash asked.
"The Crystal Empire, I'm going to see if Michael needs help." Responded.
"Help with what darling?" Rarity asked.
"Let me just say it might end all of this and leave it at that." Five minutes until the train was about to leave. I got onboard and searched around for a place to sit. I was soon joined by the others, I gathered they all got tickets as well. I sighed as the conductor called out for the passengers to get onboard and we set off for the Crystal Empire. |
MLP: Equestria | Part 9: Friendship is Eternal | MLP: Equestria
Friendship is Eternal
Author: Draconis 187
(Michael's POV)
"Discord, what have you done?!" I shouted as the God of Chaos and Disharmony laughed at the shocked expression on my face.
"Why isn't it obvious? We are going to play a game of hide and seek like I said. I have hidden the Crystal Heart somewhere in the Crystal Empire, find it and you've won but should you lose..." Chrysalis smiled as Discord pointed up at the sky above the Empire. An army of Changelings, numbers too vast for me to take on alone and survive. "And the Changelings will have a new city to call home. This is what I meant by a part of Equestria will vanish."
Ok, now this is very, very bad news for me. If I fail here, the Crystal Empire falls. So I guess there's no pressure then? Discord rubbed his chin with the white tuft on the tip of his red tail as if it were a hand, lost in thought.
"Oh I almost forgot: you can not have any help from the ponies here, can not change your form in any way and oh, yes..." He chuckled. "You have four hours to search the entire Empire for the Heart. Ta-ta!"
He vanished, leaving me to figure out where to start first. Well since I am under the Crystal Castle, I may as well search it first. I ran up the steps of one of the entrances, searching frantically for anything that could resemble the Heart.
(Nightmare's POV)
Ugh, this train ride is taking too damned long! How can any of us help Michael when we can't get there fast enough to be of any use? Pinkie was trying to pass the time by playing: 'I spy.' I wasn't in the mood and the group played without me. I still thought bringing an injured Rarity with us was a bad idea but I guess a change of scenery would be ok for her.
"Pinkie, what are you doing now?" I asked.
"Counting all the snowflakes silly!" the pink mare replied.
I looked out the window and watched as the scenery began to change from a lush green to the pure white of the snow that was covering the land as we passed by. The scene was comforting but it was beginning to make me uneasy.
"Calm before the storm." I said softly to myself.
"What storm?" Pinkie asked. She had just appeared right next to me! "I don't see any storm clouds."
"Ah! Pinkie please for the love of Celestia, don't do that!" I shouted.
"Oki doki loki!" She replied as she hopped off down the carriage to get food, which in her case was a large variety of sweets.
We all gave a small chuckle as I continued to gaze outwards, towards the spire that was the top of the Crystal Empire's castle. I noticed there was a dark cloud above it, but it seemed to be moving. As the train edged its way towards the Crystal Empire I noticed that the 'cloud' was made up of something, something with bug wings.
"Uh, ladies. I think the Empire is in trouble." I said with a slight tremble in my voice.
(Michael's POV)
"So it wasn't in the castle." I muttered to myself. "I swear I am going to kill Discord."
"Ha, now that's a laugh!" Discord's voice calls out from high above me.
If I could change into REX I could use the radomes to search for any form of energy that the Heart could be emitting or any disturbances in any spectrum but thanks to Discord's rules, I couldn't for fear of forfeiting and most likely fighting the horde of Changelings above me.
This wasn't an option if I wanted the Crystal Empire to remain in pony hooves. The Changelings still just hovered above the city, waiting for me to fail I guess. Maybe they were waiting for my time to run out, in which case it was and - to my dismay - at an alarming rate.
I ran off to the Crystal Empire Library to continue my search there. As I searched through the Library I was hit with a sudden realisation, something I should have noticed much earlier: there was nopony around on my way here. Thinking back I couldn't recall there being any guards in the castle either. This was odd and it was also making me uneasy since there were at least guards when I arrived here.
I searched the entire library in vain. The wall to wall bookshelves only served to waste time if anything. Then there was the fact that I had the rest of the city to search. I left the library and looked around the desolate streets. How did I miss the fact that there was no living soul here other than myself and the Changelings above me? I shook my head and picked a street, proceeding to go door to door in search for the Heart.
(Nightmare's POV)
The girls and I arrived at the Crystal Empire's train station and exited. As I looked around I saw that the platform was completely deserted, I couldn't see anypony other than myself and the other mares that just got off. Even the train was empty, we were the only passengers. Could it be that they were at the funeral? Could it be that they were in hiding due to the 'cloud' of Changelings above the city? Too many questions and not enough answers.
"Come on." I said to the others who followed as we set for the Crystal Empire. We had little time to waste.
(Michael's POV)
I ventured into the deserted streets and observed something else that was disconcerting: the stalls were fully stocked. I had walked into one of the city's many markets and the stalls were fully stocked but there were not consumers or merchants.
I walked up to one of the houses that lined the district, wondering if they were inside or if it were locked. I knocked on the door but there was no response. I knocked again, this time slightly harder and still got no response.
"Hello? Is anypony home?" I asked as I tried to slowly open the door.
Still silence was all I got as the door seemed to be unlocked. It creaked as I let myself in. I was slightly scared since this was a very creepy situation. I found the table the ponies were eating at was fully set with knives and forks. There was even food on it and it had been partially eaten! That made me even more worried, the place didn't look like there had been any form of struggle. What happened here?
As I walked up a crystal staircase I began to wonder: did they just up and leave once they found out about the Changelings? Did Discord make them vanish in a flash? As I searched through the house I still saw nothing that indicated in the slightest that a struggle had occurred. I walked into a room but something caught my eye and brought a few tears as well.
I had walked into a small nursery, kind of like the one for Pound Cake and Pumpkin Cake back at Sugarcube Corner. As I looked at the cot I saw that even the filly was gone but a plush toy was still there in the cot. The cot was still warm as well, whatever happened, it happened recently. Usually that would mean that was his/her favourite and wouldn't dream of leaving it behind. This is only serving to make me feel worse by the second.
"Oh, Michael!" I hear from outside... it was Discord's voice. His eyes then appeared on the plush toy and it jumped out of the cot. "You have two hours remaining, thought you may want to know."
As soon as he finished saying that, the plush just slumped over. Picking it up I noticed it had returned to normal. Discord really knows how to be a pain in the rump. I continued to search the house for any clues as to the whereabouts of the Heart or the Crystal Ponies that were living here.
(Nightmare's POV)
The six of us got off the train as fast as our hooves would allow. Now that we were just on the Crystal Empire's outskirts we could confirm what it was that caught my eye earlier: a giant horde of Changelings encircling the skyline above the city.
As we entered the city we all noticed that the citizens were missing. It was as if they all upped and vanished without a second thought. I would have expected some overturned stalls, some indication of chaos and yet it was if they all spontaneously vanished off the face of Equestria. Walking through these eerie streets was unsettling and was making me nervous.
"What's that?" I muttered as I spotted a figure in the distance... it looked like Michael! "Michael!"
I called out, trying to get his attention but to no avail. He seemed to be in quite a hurry, judging by the speed he was running. He isn't as fast as a pony at full gallop but still, it was his usual preference to walk that worried me. He only runs in that fashion if there is something wrong, an aspect of his personality I learned a long time ago.
We ran off towards him as he entered another house. As we barrelled through the house I noticed it was completely empty. The house was fully and beautifully furnished and yet there were no tenants. This was unsettling, as bad as the nightmares I used to have during my exile. They were along the same lines: I would walk into Celestia's room to find her gone. I would walk around the old castle and find no guard or staff anywhere. Ponyville didn't exist at the time and neither did Canterlot for that matter since Nightmare Castle used to be the one Celestia and I ruled in, or at least before Luna gave in to me.
I shook my head to clear my thoughts: I had to find Michael and find out what is going on.
"Michael!" I shouted once more.
(Michael's POV)
After yet another fruitless search, I ran into another building and hoped to Celestia that I would find something of importance or a clue. I just about burst through the door in my rashness but since it looked like the Crystal Ponies were nowhere to be found, I decided to forego subtly.
I hightailed up the stairs, looking for the Heart and hoping I could find it before the word 'deadline' meant something else. Again the house was devoid of occupants, this was a sad sight. To see nopony else and yet knowing that there should be ponies here only served to make it worse.
I looked through every cupboard and under every bed frantically. I couldn't let Discord win like this, no I won't let Discord win like this. I had to think: where could a being that creates nothing but chaos hide the Crystal Heart? He wanted to win and made sure that no Crystal Ponies could help me but then why add that stipulation? Why say that nopony in the city is allowed to help me when there is nopony in the city other than Discord, Chrysalis, the huge army of Changelings and me?
I continued to search everywhere, hell I even looked inside the oven in the kitchen for Celestia's sake! I sat down on one of the beds on the second floor of the house and tried to think. There had to be a way to figure out where Discord hid the Heart. I then heard something from below me but it sounded like somepony I knew... Nightmare?
I walked down the steps to see my friends. All six of them were looking around the bottom floor, presumably for me.
"Hi everypony, what are you all doing here?" I asked as I reached the bottom of the stairs.
Everypony was there: Rarity; Pinkie (her mane was back to normal which was a relief); Applejack; Rainbow Dash; Fluttershy and Nightmare Moon. It was nice to see somepony else here.
"We came to help of course dear." Rarity replied. Do I see bandages around her forehooves? What was she doing?
"Michael, what happened here?" Nightmare asked.
"It's Discord... he hid the Crystal Heart somewhere and I have probably around an hour left to find it. If I don't then those Changelings above the city are going to take over the Crystal Empire." I received several gasps in reply.
"Darn it! If only I had my things." Nightmare said who was visibly angry at all this.
"Leave it to me and my party cannon!" Pinkie cried out as she stood next to her blue cannon with pink, floral patterned wheels that seemed to appear out of nowhere.
"How did you do that? Actually, I don't think I want to know." I said, knowing Pinkie it would probably be some big story that makes absolutely no sense to nopony other than her.
She fired off her cannon and the cannon fired an enormous amount of confetti, covering everyone as well as our vision in the multi-coloured pieces of paper. As I opened my eyes again I saw Nightmare out of her dress and wearing her armour with her blades at her side. I scratched my head, trying to figure out how Pinkie can switch Nightmare's outfit with one that was a number of miles away from where we were via a shower of confetti from a cannon. I just decided that it was best to give up thinking about it.
"Okay, well it's not here, I checked." I deadpanned as I walked towards the door.
"Okay we'll split up and search the entire city." Nightmare said as she followed behind me.
We all left the building and ran up to the centre of the city, underneath the Crystal Castle.
"Ok, I've been down that street as well as that one over there and I searched the castle earlier on." I said as I indicated which streets I was talking about.
"Okay, Rar and I will go down that a way." Said Applejack, pointing to one of the streets.
"Ok then Fluttershy and I will go down that way." Dash said, also pointing to a street.
"That leaves Pinkie, Nightmare and I to take that one down there." I surmised.
So that was essentially it, we all had a street to search down and less than an hour to go but I can't complain. Discord didn't count on my friends helping me and that is what is going to save us.
Pinkie and I went together into a house while Nightmare went into another one on the opposite side of the street. It was the reason the others split into pairs. We were three only because we were the only ones left and there was only one more street I never went down. The house was empty yet again, the crystal chandelier and decor only served to sadden the situation.
"Time's up Michael!" A voice from outside rang out. No he doesn't mean... "You lose!"
"No. Nonononononononono." I said feverishly. I had to have had a few more minutes left, I was sure of it.
I exited the house to see the embodiment of Chaos standing there in the middle of the street, smiling as if he just won the lottery. I felt my heart plummet as Chrysalis stood next to him, wearing a huge grin like the cat that got the mouse.
"Weeell, it looks like you lose my dear Michael. You actually had about twenty minutes left but once you involved your friends, you forfeited your remaining allotted time." Discord said as he snapped his claw. "Did you honestly think I wouldn't notice six ponies enter a completely empty city?"
In the instant he snapped his claw the Changelings flew down, towards the deserted city. The others came barrelling through the streets, frantically trying to get back to us while we were making for the centre of the city. We all caught up by the Heart's Pedestal, eyeing our surroundings as the Changelings were... hovering just beyond the archways?
"What are they waiting for?" I asked as Discord materialised out of the floor nearby with his usual grin.
"We are waiting for you to leave of course." Chrysalis said as she stood just beyond the archway next to Discord.
"No, there is more to it than that... the barrier. They are just beyond the secondary barrier!" I shouted. "You never moved the Heart did you Discord?!"
"My aren't we perceptive? That's correct my dear boy, I only concealed the Heart and then made it appear that the barrier vanished." Discord chuckled. "But that no longer matters." He snapped his claw and the Heart appeared in his other claw. "You played the game and lost."
As he was holding the Heart, the secondary barrier lost its power. The Changelings charged through the city in droves, the buzzing was deafening. I pulled out my halberd and charged out, swinging at a few but unable to land a hit, they were moving too fast for my human reflexes. Around me I saw the citizens had reappeared if only to be taken by the Changelings. Around me ponies were being abducted left, right and centre. I looked on in horror at the scene before me as some Changeling Hulks came crashing down on some of the ponies, crushing their heads into powder and causing their blood to fly over the floor.
I changed into REX and charged at some of the Hulks. Using the hydraulics in my 'toes' (the spikes I use for traversing rough terrain) to impale and crush one while I unloaded my twin machineguns at the others. Blood and bullets flew threw the streets but in the end I wasn't doing enough. All around me there were ponies being killed or taken. Nightmare tried to help out in another area with the others, I could see the odd flash of lightning from behind some of the buildings as well as the odd glimpse of either their coats or Cutie Marks.
I opened up my missile bay on my back and fired a salvo. It hit a number of Changelings that had decided to attack me but as the missiles got close... they exploded in a burst of different flowers. I turned around to see Discord sighing at me.
"And here I thought you were going to play fair. You lost and I thought such an upstanding Alicorn/Human/Monster whatever you are to honour your end of the deal. That is how the game is played."
"Michael!" It was Nightmare and the girls. They ran up to me, looking absolutely drained. They aren't truly fighters despite the events that have occurred these past few weeks. "We don't seem to be doing any form of damage! They just keep coming!"
I tried to weigh up my options: 1. I could honour my agreement with the Scion of Chaos and leave. 2. We could keep fighting and probably end up dead. 3. I could try to get my friends to leave and fight on by myself.
Now the problems with these options: 1. I couldn't live with myself if I just gave up, it wasn't me. 2. Our deaths would be pointless since we would hardly make a dent in their numbers without any backup. 3. I would also wind up dead and Nightmare wouldn't leave me to fight on my own.
There was another option but I wonder... "Activate command Zeta, 345-6Beta. Authorisation: Hellfire 32." I said aloud.
"Michael, what are you talking about?" Nightmare asked. The others looked confused while Discord and Chrysalis looked curious.
'ERROR 324.' My HUD replied.
"So it's just a simple port error... reroute command through firewall 456 then through 175." I replied to my HUD while I only confused my friends more.
'CODE ACCEPTED. WARNING!! ACTIVATION OF OMEGA PROTOCOL IS NOT RECOMMENDED. DO YOU WISH TO CONTINUE?' The HUD replied with red lettering instead of the usual green. It seemed to work, my last ace up my sleeve was actually still working.
Now then, every participant of the Hellfire Project was 'fitted' with a form of 'kill switch' should we ever become too great a danger to my old universe. Icarus was one of the only scientists on the project who knew of the activation codes. Each code for each subject was unique but could never be changed by the subject as it was set to activate on the slightest hint of tampering. After the Bleach Protocol was issued Icarus found me in a bar on a station in the Andromeda system. He told me of the Bleach Protocol being given the go ahead. As he was my closest friend, he changed the code for me and informed me of two things: 1. Only I could activate it because he added voice recognition as a prerequisite. 2. It had the capability to cause an explosion similar to a supernova but it was possible to modify how the explosion reacted, what direction it went when set off.
"Sorry Discord, but this game just went into overtime!" I declared as I turned my attention to the Draconequus and the Changeling Queen. They looked to each other for a second before they burst out laughing at my words.
"Guys, this is going to have to be it." I said to my friends as I changed into Starlancer. They were - by now - truly confused. I walked up them and hugged each one in turn. "Pinkie, don't you ever stop smiling. Pinkie Promise me that you will never let your mane go flat like that ever again, ok? Applejack, your family and the farm as well as your friends still need their honest, dependable friend. Don't let me down by letting them down. Rarity, you have to see the same beauty in life that you see in your work. Make the world shine and sparkle. Dash, since when have you ever given up on life? You still have that fire in you, find it and let it burn. Fluttershy, don't be sad. I don't want to be sent to Tartarus if I make you cry and I'm sure you don't want to see me there either." I turned to Nightmare with a tear in my eye.
"Don't even try to use some sad story about your past and mine being similar in order to make me let you go do something stupid. They are not similar and will never be." She knew what I was about to try and do, sort of since she doesn't know of the kill switch. I gave a very soft chuckle that ended up as a small choking cry.
"I-I would never dream of it Nightmare." I replied as I hugged her tightly. "You were the best friend I could have ever asked for and now everypony knows it. Keep trying to prove others who still doubt your change of heart wrong. Show them there isn't a reason for them to fear the true Princess of the Night!"
"Wait Michael!" She shouted as I charged off.
I opened my wings and flew upwards towards the very centre of the swarm. As I got as high as the Crystal Castle's balcony, I changed into Hades and fired up the afterburners. As I journeyed upwards, I fired everything I had at them: the four guns, every air-to-air missile I had. I needed to get to the very centre of their formation and bunch them up. I turned and used the turrets on the top and bottom of my fuselage to keep them from straying too far. I flew around them, edging closer to them whilst keeping up my assault. They began to act in the way I wanted them to after a few passes, soon they became too afraid to leave the ball they had made.
"What do you think you are doing?!" Chrysalis shouted angrily in my general direction. I chose to ignore her as I sped upwards, above the ball of Changelings. If I could sigh in this form, I would have. As I reached a high enough altitude, I shut off my engines and fell towards the Changelings.
"Ready the Omega Protocol. Route command Zeta, 345-6Beta through firewall 456 and then through firewall 176. Authorisation: Hellfire 32. Ready disc dispersion burst mode." I said to my HUD which switched from green to yellow.
'READYING OMEGA PROTOCOL. DO YOU WISH TO CONTINUE?' was the message I was given by my HUD. I steeled myself at the horde of Changelings and the one word that was to be my reply.
"Yes." I said as I entered the formation of clumped up Changelings.
'INITIATING OMEGA RPOTOCOL 0-3-4-5-6-3. '
I began to feel energy begin to concentrate itself within my body. It built up further as the Changelings tried to stop me. One tried to bite my wing and broke its fangs in doing so but I had not one single scratch on the area it attacked. I wasn't surprised, with fangs versus metal the victor had already been decided before it even attempted. I felt the energy begin to reach critical mass. I got ready as this would be the end, one way or another.
'READYING COUNTDOWN'
"No. Initiate now. Forgive me, my friends." I replied as I detonated.
(Nightmare's POV)
"Wait, Michael!" I shouted as he charged off. "Let go of me Pinkie!"
Pinkie was holding onto my tail for dear life, stopping me from following Michael as he flew up into the air. How was she that strong? He quickly changed into that thing he used back at Manehattan and ascended even faster towards the Changelings. I could only watch as he circled the Changelings, firing on them from some strange points on his body. He wasn't killing a lot of them but it was keeping them from moving a certain extent.
"Hmm, what is he up to?" Discord pondered as he watched Chrysalis flew up towards him. "What game is he playing at?"
In an instant there was an enormous flash of light that forced us all to avert our eyes. The earth rumbled as if there was an earthquake of considerable strength occurring beneath our hooves. We all stumbled about before eventually falling down while Discord just took out a pair of sunglasses and put them on as well as levitating just high enough off the ground to not be affected by the trembling earthquake. As we looked up the Changelings, including Queen Chrysalis... were gone. It was as if they completely vanished off the face off Equestria, just like the Crystal Ponies but only this time it wasn't through Discord's doing.
"Michael? Michael!" I shouted to the empty sky. A small box fell from the sky, smashing on the ground as it collided. Inside were the remains of Twilight's Element: Magic. "He-he's gone, isn't he?" I said solemnly to Pinkie who only gave me a sad smile.
"Yes." She replied, not losing that smile of hers.
"Pinkie, why are you still smiling?" I asked, this was a tad odd as I would have expected her coat to dull and her mane to flatten like when Twilight died.
"Michael made me Pinkie Promise and I will never break a Pinkie Promise." She said with an air of passion I hadn't heard from her since Twilight died.
I just looked back towards the clear, empty blue sky. There was no trace of Michael or Chrysalis at all. Ponies were coming out of their hiding places and cheering happily for us, thinking we got rid of them all. I looked up and saw Michael was also gone, it made my heart sink.
"Nightmare, are you crying?" Pinkie asked. "Come on and smile. Michael wouldn't want to see you crying."
I was about to reply but I was stopped by the sound of Discord's laughter. "'Michael wouldn't want to see you crying' oh that's rich. Haha!"
"You wouldn't understand what friends would do for each other Discord! We are always there to support each other through the good times and even more so in the bad!" Pinkie shouted. "That is why you are doomed to fail!"
"Oh dear me! I'm going to fail! What ever shall I do? Oh please, you don't have the Elements with you to even try to stop me. You don't even have the element of Magic to complete it."
"Pinkie, I think it would be funny if your elements were to appear." I whispered to Pinkie. She just turned to me with an enormous Pinkie Pie grin.
"Way ahead of you!" She said as she pulled out the cart she uses to greet new ponies to Ponyville.
The cart sprung open, leaping a few inches off the ground in the process. The confetti cannons of her fired off and the Elements flew up into the air. Dash flew up and threw them down to her friends and putting her own on. I looked at the former Element of magic but I noticed something inside the box, a message in Michael's handwriting.
To my friend Nightmare
This tiara is the Element of Magic but the name is flawed and incomplete. As I searched through Twilight's library I found several books that covered magic but also friendship as well. They noted that both were of equal importance. I believe you might realise where this is going: the sixth element is the Element of Magic, the magic of friendship. That is why Twilight was able to revive them that night; she discovered the power from her friends around her. Now it is time for you to do the same.
Good luck
Michael
P.S. I'm sure you're wondering how I wrote this, simple: I printed it out with Hades and placed inside the box before I detonated.
At the bottom was a small picture of his Starlancer form squeeing. I realised it made sense, Twilight was only able to defeat me by discovering the power of friendship, the bond she shared with the other five. Something I seemed to still be neglecting. Discord appeared behind me and snatched the note.
"How sappy! I'm sure even you wouldn't believe such drivel!" He said mockingly as he burnt the note.
I turned to the mares behind me with a smile. "You all consider me a friend despite our history when we first encountered each other. I was still sceptical, thinking it was a ploy by Celestia to keep me under surveillance. I realise now that, I was wrong for ever thinking that. You are my friends, the ponies I would charge into Tartarus for without a second thought."
In that moment there was a flash as Twilight's tiara exploded in a bright light. Each of the shards and fragments shone a brilliant light as they flew towards me, accumulating above my horn. As the light faded, the tiara was repaired but it was far different from its original form. The star that adorned the top had been replaced by a waning moon while the tiara was coloured azure, identical to my ceremonial armour. The waning moon was coloured white as it began to shine brightly.
"What's this?" Discord asked with a raised eyebrow.
The light shot out to the other five's Elements, changing their gold necklaces from gold to the same azure colour. Afterwards all six began to shine in their respective colours. Taking the hint, the six of us stood next to one another and got ready. I had never used the elements, Luna did a few times but I never did so I was unsure of what to expect. I felt a strange feeling of warmth coming from myself and the others. I felt it begin to build in the tiara, looking for a way to escape, to be given a sense of direction. I aimed it at Discord who merely scoffed at us.
"Oh, please. You won't succeed." He sneered.
"We shall see!" I replied as a rainbow coloured blast fired from the tiara towards Discord whose eyes shot open in fear.
"Nono, wait, wait!" He shouted as the blast collided with him.
Before everypony's eyes, his body began to stiffen and change in texture. He was turning to stone once more. As the blast ended we all fell to our knees from the exertion but we were none worse for wear. I turned my attention to my friends who smiled happily at me. As I looked back at Discord I saw the Elements finally worked, he was turned back to stone. He had his lion claw in front of his face which he turned to the left and his griffon claw was outstretched, presumably trying to stop the blast. We all chuckled as we picked up the statue to take back to Canterlot.
"So, it's finally over." Rarity dully noted. I nodded my head as we placed the statue next to us.
"It would appear so everypony. Chrysalis is long gone as well as the Changelings and now Discord is a statue once more. I just wish we didn't have to lose Michael as well." A few moments as the train left the station was filled with silence as we remembered the one who helped us without any form or indication of a hidden agenda.
"Don't worry darling, I'm sure wherever he is... he's proud of you." She replied.
I shook my head. "No, of us. I'm sure he's proud of all of us. We have some explaining to do but we can face tomorrow with our heads up high."
"Yeah, I'm sure we will. We will keep our promises to Michael. I know the Wonderbolts suffered huge losses but I'll help them get back on their hooves!" Dash said with pride.
"I'll make a new line of fashion for him. I'll call it: 'Silence of the Stars'. Your group's call sign was known as 'Silent Strike' and his Alicorn form was Starlancer so I thought it would be a good idea to remember him by."
"I'll keep smiling, I did Pinkie Promise after all." Pinkie smiled.
"Yes, you told me already Pinkie." I chuckled.
I turned my attention back to the view outside my window and gave a deep sigh as I saw the Crystal Empire slowly vanish from view. I wonder what Celestia and Luna will say or better yet, what would Cadence and Shining Armor say when they hear our tale?
By the time the train pulled into the station it was already well into the night. On the platform we were met by Lyra, Bon Bon, Celestia and Luna. They all gave us inquisitive looks and gasped when we levitated Discord out of the train. They all walked up to the statue and examined it in silence.
"What happened?" Celestia asked.
I took a deep breath and told them everything: from Discord's riddle in Nightmare Castle to Rarity attempting suicide, from the six of us boarding the train to searching through an empty Empire. Cadence and Shining were shocked at this news but I told them the citizens were all safe and sound now. We walked over to Sugarcube Corner as we handed the care of Discord's stone form to some Solar Guards. As we entered, Pinkie charged off and made us all milkshakes since we didn't really finish them the last time.
"Well, what now?" I asked Celestia as she sat down next to us.
She thought for a few moments before answering. "Well for now we finish Twilight's funeral and we give Michael a proper send off, a tribute but the thing is: I don't know what he would like."
"He would want something simple, no over the top business." I deadpanned. "Remember when he didn't want us to use his title as prince? I would think he doesn't want something extravagant, so maybe something just between all of his friends."
Celestia gave a small sincere smile and nodded her head. "Yes, I believe we can arrange something to that effect."
As we all finished our shakes and went home I walked up to the battlements of Nightmare Castle and looked to the clear night sky.
"Michael, if you are up there and you can hear me... thank you... for everything." I said softly as a tear fell from my face and onto the stone floor below.
I will live on; I will show them that Michael's death was not in vain. The old notion that I am evil shall be banished from my name. I am Nightmare Moon, the other half of the Princess of the Night and bearer of the Element of the Magic of Friendship. I will protect Equestria and my subjects until the day I die, that is a promise. |
Sheerluck Hooves | pre | The Canterlot Chronicle
'A Germane assassination performed by an unknown assailant on an Equestrian victim by the name of...'
The Ponyville Confidential
'Germane assassins and how they affect YOU! Ten tips by Germaney expert Aryanne...'
Time Turner read over the many articles spread out on the kitchen table while Sheerluck was slowly losing any remaining shreds of sanity he had left.
"Blast those bloody Guards! Blast Germane-phobia! Blast these reports! And blast the murderer! Hiring Changelings?! How the bloody Tartarus does one hire a Changeling anyways? They're hive creatures; they can't even be hired!"
"I don't know, Sheerluck." Time Turner said for the umpteenth time in a row. He and Sheerluck had stayed up all night, pondering about the Changeling agent hired by the murderer and waiting for the morning issues of the most important newspapers available. Derpy and Dinky had already awoken to go to work and school. Derpy kissed Time Turner goodbye and gave Sheerluck a great hug, which he had barely noticed.
"Now how are we supposed to figure it out? Changelings are involved. That takes everything we know about the case and throws it out the window." Time Turner informed Sheerluck, who was so angry that all he could do was nod. Suddenly, the grey stallion burst into fits again.
"Oh, bless you, it doesn't matter in the least," he shouted. Time Turner wasn't sure if Sheerluck was being sarcastic or not. "If the murder is caught, it will be on account of their over-exertions; if he escapes, it will be in spite of their over-exertions. It's heads I win and tails you lose! Whatever they do, they will have followers. Fools always find bigger fools to look up to."
"So what are we going to do? Obviously the Changelings were hired. Because Changelings feed off pony emotions, but there are no records of a Changeling murdering a pony. So who hired them to steal the ring? And how did he hire Changelings?"
Sheerluck was silent as he pondered Time Turner's questions. Then his face lit up like a lightbulb as he rose a hoof triumphantly into the air.
"Princess Twilight Sparkle has dealt with Changelings before, has she not?"
"She has."
"Well then, maybe we should ask her on the behaviors of Changelings."
With that, Sheerluck levitated his trademark cape and cap behind him as he pulled out his bubble pipe. This time, Time Turner didn't mind the silly instrument as bubbles filled the air when they ran all the way to the Friendship Castle. When Time Turner had told the detective the name of the castle, Sheerluck had scoffed and muttered something about tactless Equestrians.
He reached up a hoof and pounded on the castle doors. Seconds later they were met by a grumpy purple baby dragon.
"Hello. Welcome to Friendshi-"
"We seek an audience with Princess Twilight Sparkle. This is an important demand regarding a murder that has occurred in Canterlot. We are investigators who seek information on Changelings."
"Yeah and I'm Spike the Dragon. Why should I let you see the Princess exactly?" The dragon grunted. Sheerluck studied the baby while the Doctor gaped incredulously.
"Yes, you are Spike the Dragon," Sheerluck said quickly, "you are insecure about your capabilities, so you take advantage of every method of control you possibly can. You have an intense crush on a mature mare with a purple mane. Your insecurities also make it hard for you to tell her, further explaining your hunger for power."
Spike took several steps back, his mouth hanging open and his face suddenly pale.
"Ah so we can come inside now? Excellent."
As they trotted together towards the main chamber of the castle, Sheerluck took the time to explain his deductions for Time Turner.
"The way the dragon carried himself and spoke indicated he was not ordered to question us. He was simply ordered to answer the door and he took it as a chance to make a loophole, where he would have some control over the matter. He also has purple hairs in his scales, long ones indicating a full-grown mare. And no full-grown mare would engage in any romantic activities with a prepubescent drake."
"Incredible!" Time Turner praised.
"Elementary." Sheerluck countered.
Waiting for them in the large decadent chamber was Twilight Sparkle. She was flying up among what appeared to be tree roots stretching down to a holographic map of Equestria surrounded by six thrones and a small stool. She noticed her visitors.
"Hello, how can I help you?"
"Changelings. Need information. A-SAP." Sheerluck grunted. Twilight looked taken aback and she blinked for a good ten seconds before the Alicorn landed beside them and started lecturing them.
"Changelings are usually mindless creatures. They have a capability to think for themselves, but they always need somepony to take orders from. Their Queen. And the Queen controls them directly, via pheromones and speech. A Queen can accept payment to order her hive to perform duties, but that is rare. She usually only orders her hive about for personal gain."
"So," Sheerluck asked, "our suspect is presumed to have hired a Changeling Queen. From what you say, we can infer that he did not pay her in bits, but in promises. Now not only do we have to find the identity of our suspect, but we need to find out what sort of deal he has made with the Changelings."
"It can't be a good deal either," Twilight added, "Changelings feed off pony emotions. Which means this 'suspect' you speak of is obviously exchanging help for ponies. Which means you need the Elements of Harmony to help you!" She puffed up her chest in pride and was halfway towards the cutie map when Sheerluck coughed loudly, attracting her attention.
"Actually, Princess. I would much rather catch the pony who is evading my client myself?"
"Your client? Who are you, anyways?"
"Sheerluck Hooves. Consulting detective. I was hired by the Royal Guard to find a murderer who has killed a stallion in the gardens of Canterlot."
"Well listen here, Mister Hooves, if that is your real name, me and my friends wi-"
"Yes, yes. Friendship is magic. Lovey dovey. Let's all hug." Sheerluck gagged. Then turned to Time Turner. "Now we haven't got much time. We need to catch our crook before whatever plans the Changelings have made with him are run into action. We don't have time for the Friendship brigade to try and solve a mystery that I am more capable of solving myself. Let's get going."
"Hey! Friendship is one the most-"
"-powerful forms of magic. I know. But this isn't magic. This is deductions and solving mysteries. Now please. I simply must find this murderer, so I can collect my paycheck and resolve whatever conflict is about to explode between Changelings and ponies."
Just as Twilight opened her mouth to let off a retort, another pony burst into the room. She was panting and out of breath, but Sheerluck and Time Turner knew that mouth cutie mark from anywhere.
"Chatterbox? What the hay are you doing here?" Time Turner asked the usually talkative mare. Chatterbox continued to gasp for breath. Time Turner guessed she had ran all the way from Canterlot to get to them.
"I... I... I tried to get to your house... But you weren't home... Somepony said they saw you come here... So I came... As quick as I could..." She slumped onto the floor, coughing.
"Chatterbox," Time Turner said, putting a hoof on her shoulder, "What's happened?"
"There's... There's..."
"What is it already? Spit it out." Sheerluck demanded, getting impatient.
"There's been another murder. Somepony's killed the Captain of the Royal Guard." |
Sheerluck Hooves | A Study In Scarlet, CHAPTER SEVEN: Light In The Darkness | "Desultory readers are seldom remarkable for the exactness of their learning."
― Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, A Study in Scarlet
They were greeted by Lieutenant, or rather the new Captain, Aryanne.
The somber nature with which she greeted the investigators was so momentous and so unexpected, that Chatterbox, Time Turner, and Sheerluck were fairly dumbfounded for the majority of their time at the crime scene. Time Turner stared in silence at Sheerluck Hooves, whose lips were compressed and his brows drawn down over his eyes.
"The Captain as well?" Sheerluck Hooves muttered, "the plot thickens!"
The former Captain's office was covered in blood as well. 'RACHE' was more clearly visible over his desk, below the words was where his bloated body lay. Time Turner felt fairly sick, having but days ago joked with the captain at a scene quite like this one. About a scene quite like this one.
"Not a mere murderer... A serial killer."
Sheerluck was studying the corpse, which was propped up in a chair instead of lying on the ground. He lifted up the head of the dead Captain, sniffing the inside of his open mouth. Time Turner gagged and looked away.
"A tourist claims to have seen the murderer. Even managed to get us a sketch artist to get a nice little drawing of him. We're making wanted posters now."
"Tell me how the tourist saw the killer." Sheerluck ordered. Aryanne immediately rattled off the fine details.
"The murderer was seen by Miss Cheerilee, passing on her way to the hotel, happened to walk down the lane which leads from the mews at the back of the Royal Guard Headquarters. She noticed that a ladder was raised against this very window," she nodded at the open window, "which was wide open. After passing, she looked back and saw a stallion descend the ladder. He came down so quietly and openly that Cheerilee imagined him to be some carpenter or joiner at work in this room. She took no particular notice of him, beyond thinking in her own mind that it was early for him to be at work. She has an impression that the stallion was tall, had a reddish face, and was dressed in a long, brownish cloak. He must have stayed in the room some little time after the murder, for we found blood-stained water in the basin, where he had washed his hands, and marks on the sheets where he had deliberately wiped his knife."
Time Turner glanced at Hooves upon hearing the description of the murderer, which tallied so close to his own. There was, however, no trace of exultation or satisfaction upon Sheerluck's face.
"So where did the blood come from?"
"It... It came from the Captain this time, sir."
Sheerluck's eyes bugged and he immediately looked back at the dead stallion. Lifting up his head, he and Time Turner both saw that this time there was a deep cut in the stallion's neck. This time the victim had been murdered directly. Not poisoned. Now Sheerluck looked a tad bit annoyed.
"Did you find nothing in this room that could furnish a clue to the murderer?" he asked.
"Nothing."
"There was nothing else?" Sheerluck asked.
"Nothing of any importance. The Captain's novel, with which he had read himself to sleep was lying upon the desk. There was a glass of water on the table, and on the window-sill a small chip ointment box containing a couple of pills."
Sheerluck Hooves sprang up with an exclamation of delight.
"The last link," he cried, exultantly. "My case is complete." Everypony in the room oogled at him in disbelief and surprise.
"I have now right here," Sheerluck announced, confidently, "all the threads which have formed such a tangle. There are, of course, details to be filled in, but I am as certain of all the main facts. I will give you a proof of my knowledge. Could you lay your hoof upon those pills?"
"Right over there," said Aryanne, pointing a hoof to a small white box. Sheerluck levitated the pillcase over to himself and popped it open. For several moments he looked over its contents before he started to merrily hum 'Winter Wrap-Up' to himself. Time Turner was not an expert on crime scene investigation, but he believed that humming in front of a corpse was somewhat disrespectful. But, of course, he did not pursue the matter, as Sheerluck had gotten to the front of the room and made an announcement.
"Exactly what I thought. These are not pills, but cleverly disguised Changeling venom. Rarely, a Changeling is born with the ability to produce poison, which can be used to kill ponies. But the poison here wasn't working fast enough for the murderer, so he simply cut the Captain's throat!" Sheerluck exclaimed merrily, "And I know who the murderer is! Or rather, who hired the murderer."
Everypony in the room was hushed as they waited in bated breath for Sheerluck to reveal the murderer.
"The murderer was none other than Queen Chrysalis, the local Changeling Queen. She has one of her agents currently in the form of..." He pointed a dramatic hoof at Chatterbox, "you."
"M-Me?"
"Oh don't play innocent. You're nowhere near as talkative as you should be. You are obviously a Changeling. You murdered the real Chatterbox after she spoke with us, and took her form in order to deliver your lie of a message. Now, you were ordered by your Queen to lead us here, back to the scene of the murder YOU committed."
Chatterbox's expression turned from that of a horrified gape into a mischievous leer.
"Well first of all, I wasn't ordered by the Queen."
A green flame erupted around not-Chatterbox. Sheerluck, Time Turner, and Captain Aryanne looked away from the bright fire as the tall looming figure revealed itself. A slender mare-like creature with long veiny wings and an equally long horn with a crown-like growth behind it.
Chrysalis.
"I was ordered by my client. As you are ordered by yours, Sheerluck Hooves."
Sheerluck sneered at the Changeling Queen as she started to hover in the air. Time Turner and Aryanne were clutching each other like baby foals, gazing up in sheer terror at the monster flying before them.
"You were hired by Mortuary, weren't you!" Sheerluck snarled. It was the most violent that Time Turner had ever seen Sheerluck.
"Maybe!" Chrysalis giggled. She began to skip in mid air towards the still-open window. She waved a hoof at Sheerluck. They were powerless against her. There was nothing they could do to stop her escape.
"Ta ta!" And with a green flash of light, she was gone.
Sheerluck was depressed.
Time Turner could sense that as they rode together in the cab back to Ponyville. Time Turner wanted to say something. Anything. To make his new friend feel better.
"Well... you cracked the case."
"Oh, this is one of many, my dear Doctor. One of many to come. I should have known coming here would have attracted the attention of Mortuary." Sheerluck mumbled glumly as he stared out the window into the dark night sky.
"Who is this Mortuary you speak of?"
"He is my rival. My enemy. A criminal mastermind. My intellectual equal. And he is here in Equestria, when I thought I had escaped his rule in Great Bridleton."
"Tell me more about him."
"His parents owned a morgue. Expected him to inherit it. Instead, Mortuary grew to be a successful business-stallion and a professor for the Trottingham University. He then used his newfound talents for crime."
"Is... that it?"
"Unfortunately, yes. For now. Until he makes another move. He's shown he already has control over the Changelings. Now we just wait for him to make himself known further."
"What does that mean, Sheerluck?"
"We wait until the next misadventure, Doctor. Simple as that."
The cab came to a halt before the Hooves' household. Sheerluck tossed the cabbie a sack full of golden bits and together the stallions went up and stood by the doorstep. As Time Turner opened the door, they both saw Derpy and DInky noisily eating dinner in the kitchen. Time Turner went ahead and trotted in. He turned around to see Sheerluck still standing there. The Doctor shook his head and closed the door, leaving himself outside. Time Turner shrugged and went to enjoy dinner with his family.
Sheerluck Hooves stayed by the door for a full minute, listening to the merry sounds of the happy family. He then stepped down to the street. He took a deep breath of the cool night air. Then he kicked into a trot and vanished into the darkness.
He had work to do.
TO BE CONTINUED IN 'PART TWO: THE SIGN OF THE FOUR' |
Sheerluck Hooves | The Sign Of The Four, CHAPTER ONE: A Mare's Request | "No, Sherlock doesn't need another brain. But he could benefit from an extra heart."
― Guy Adams, Sherlock: The Casebook
Sheerluck Hooves took his bottle from the corner of the mantelpiece.
He took out a delicate shot glass from his suitcase. Sheerluck uncapped the bottle with his magic and began to pour some amber liquid into a glass. For some little time his eyes rested thoughtfully upon the old dusty bottle, all spotted and dinked with age. Finally, he drank down the shot, gave a little shudder and eye roll in delight, and then turned to sink into the sitting room couch.
Three times a day for the past month Time Turner had witnessed this performance, and wondered why Sheerluck Hooves drank alcohol in such an odd and peculiar way. Occasionally, Time Turner would have the urge to make some sort of protest against this behavior. Again and again he assured himself he would make his complaints known; but there was that in the cool, nonchalant air of Sheerluck Hooves which made him the last stallion with whom one would care to take anything approaching to a liberty. His great powers, his masterly manner, and the experience which Time Turner had had of his many extraordinary qualities, all made the Doctor diffident and backward in pissing off the strange genius.
Yet upon that afternoon, Time Turner suddenly found that he could hold out no longer. Something had to change.
"What is it this morning?" Time Turner asked coolly, "Bourbon whiskey or high-proof vodka?"
Sheerluck looked up with heavily lidded and dulled eyes from the dark book he had levitating before him. He raised an inquiring eyebrow at the Doctor, who imitated the gesture with grace.
"Neither. It would be high-concentration berrywine, made for me by that dear Carnegie Porter friend of yours. It is quite delectable. Care for a shot?"
"Ha! No, I would rather keep my sanity a tad bit longer, I'm sorry."
Sheerluck smiled and shook his head, his short tidy mane becoming a bit unkempt.
"Perhaps you are right, Doctor," he said, "I suppose that its influence is physically a bad one. I find it, however, so relaxing and stimulating that it would be a crime in itself to not partake in such glorious action."
"Glorious my plot," Time Turner snorted. Sheerluck chuckled aloud, and continued to read. "But consider! You're obviously unfit for the consumption of alcohol! It seems to affect you in ways more devastating than to other ponies. Surely this tomfoolery is hardly worth the mere passing pleasure?"
Sheerluck did not seem offended. On the contrary, he put his front hooves together, and leaned forward in his chair his chair, like he was thoroughly enjoying the conversation.
"My mind," he stated boldly, "rebels at boredom. Give me problems, give me work, give me the most abstruse cryptogram, or the most intricate analysis, and I am in my own proper atmosphere. I can dispense then with alcoholic beverages of all kinds. I abhor the dull routine of existence. I crave for mental exaltation. That is why I have chosen my own particular profession, or rather created it, for I am the only one in the world."
"The only unofficial detective?" Time Turner asked.
"The only unofficial consulting detective." He countered snidely. Sheerluck tossed the book away and studied Time Turner's face. They were alone in the house, Derpy having gone to work and Dinky having gone to school.
"Something is different about you today."
"Why do you say that?" Time Turner asked innocently. He prayed to Celestia that Sheerluck wasn't smart enough to read past his sheepish poker face. Unfortunately, his prayers went unanswered.
"You've planned me a surprise birthday party today, haven't you?"
Time Turner gasped and held a hoof to his chest in mocking horror.
"How ever did you know, Sheerluck?"
"Well besides the day that you have decided to start acting oddly is my birthday, there is also a piece of confetti stuck in your mane. And there's a business card for a certain 'Pinkie Pie, party planner' on the kitchen table."
"Sheerluck, you didn't have to explain. I was only messing around with you."
Sheerluck only grunted in reply. He did not look too pleased to be suddenly thrust into such an unexpected agenda. Time Turner got the sudden feeling that his detective friend and relative was not very appreciative of the future event. With a sinking heart, Time Turner confronted the tipsy Sheerluck on the matter.
"Sheerluck... Did you not want a party? It's perfectly okay, I can call it off-"
"No, no. I will attend the event in my honor. Just don't expect me to stay for the entirety of the celebration. There is still the business of locating Mortuary and putting a stop to his schemes."
"Well, yeah, I know that... But he hasn't done anything, he hasn't killed anypony else! It's perfectly fine, he's been so quiet for the past few weeks..."
"Not at all," he answered earnestly. "It is of the greatest interest to me, especially since I have had the opportunity of to amount a certain number of informants who will be on the lookout for any criminal activity directly related to Professor Mortuary. I expect to find him before the week is through. Maybe even sooner. Then I shall confront him or else report his activities to the Royal Guard."
Time Turner nodded in approval. Going to the authorities is good. He recalled a few days ago when the Royal Guard had come knocking on his door, saying that there was a report of Sheerluck breaking into private property for the sake of investigation. When Sheerluck was found in the house, he was sitting upon his bed, reading a novel as if he had been in his bedroom all night. After that, Sheerluck had been a lot more friendly with the Guards, making sure to notify them before going on sudden and very much uninvited excursions into other ponies' homes.
The two stallions sat in awkward silence before there was a knock at the door. Time Turner answered it, surprised to see the rather well-known supermodel Fleur Dis Lee standing there. He oogled at her for a moment before turning to Sheerluck, who was waiting patiently for him to announce the guest.
"It's Fle- You have a client, Sheerluck." Time Turner informed him, allowing the lofty white unicorn mare trot inside. The slender figure of the model was perfect, from the shine of her coat to the styling in her pink mane. Fleur Dis Lee entered the room boldly. When she noticed Sheerluck sitting there looking to her expectantly, her lip began to tremble, her hooves began to quiver, and she showed every sign of distress.
"I have come to you, Mr. Hooves," she said in a thick Prance accent, "because you once assisted my employer, Mr. Fancy Pants of Canterlot, to unravel a little domestic complication. He was much impressed by your ability."
"Fancy Pants," Sheerluck repeated thoughtfully. "I believe that I was of some slight service to the stallion. The case, however, as I remember it, was a very simple one."
"He did not think so. But at least you cannot say the same of mine. I can hardly imagine anything more strange than the troubles that I have come upon."
Sheerluck rubbed his hooves together eagerly, and his eyes glistened. He leaned forward in his chair with an expression of extraordinary concentration upon his clear-cut features.
"State your case," he demanded in deep business tones. Time Turner felt uncomfortable being in the room at the time, so he got up to leave and maybe make some tea.
"Excuse me," Time Turner muttered. To his surprise, the mare held up her hoof to stop him from leaving.
"If your friend," she said to Sheerluck, "could stay a tad bit longer, he might be of service to me as well." Time Turner gave a disgruntled sigh and slumped back into the chair. He honestly did not want to be sent off onto another misadventure so soon after the last one. But his manners got the best of him, and he listened almost as intently as Sheerluck was.
Fleur Dis Lee continued, "The facts are these. My father was an officer in the Royal Guard, who sent me to stay in Canterlot when I was a young filly. My mother was dead, and I had no relative in Canterlot. I was placed in a comfortable establishment at the Foal's Home, and there I remained until I had recieved my cutie mark. In that year, my father, who was Senior Captain of his regiment, obtained twelve months' leave and came home to Manehattan. He sent word to me from his post in Fillydelphia that he had arrived all safe in Manehattan and directed me to come down at once, giving the Longhorn Hotel as his address.
"His message, as I remember, was full of kindness and love. On reaching Manehattan I took a cab out to the Longhorn and was informed that Captain Lee was staying there, but that he had gone out the night before and had not returned. I waited all day without news of him. That night, on the advice of Longhorn himself, I called upon the Royal Guard, and next morning we advertised his disappearance in all the newspapers. To this day nopony has ever heard of my unfortunate father. He came home with his heart full of hope to find some peace, some comfort, and instead-" She put her her hoof to her mouth, and a choking sob cut short the sentence.
"The date?" asked Hooves, carelessly tossing away his book.
"He disappeared nearly ten years ago. The first Monday of the year."
"His luggage?"
"Remained at the hotel. There was nothing in it to suggest a clue; some clothes, some books, and a considerable number of curiosities from the Seapony Islands. He had been one of the officers in charge of the convict-guard there previously."
"Had he any friends in town?"
"Only one that we know of. Major Sharpwits, of his own regiment. The major had retired some little time before and lived at Upper Manehattan. We communicated with him, of course, but he did not even know that his brother officer was in the city."
"A singular case," remarked Sheerluck.
"I have not yet described to you the most peculiar part. About six years ago, an advertisement appeared in Equestria Daily asking for the address of Fleur Dis Lee and stating that, and I quote: 'it would be to her advantage to come forward.' There was no name or address. I had at that time just entered the service of Fancy Pants and was starting my modeling career. By his advice I published my address in the advertising column that next day. The same day arrived through the mail a small cardboard box addressed to me, which I found to contain a very large and lustrous pearl. No word of writing was enclosed. Since then every year upon the same date there has always appeared a similar box, containing a similar pearl, without any clue as to the sender. They have been pronounced by an expert to be of a rare variety and of considerable value. You can see for yourself that they are very handsome."
She revealed a flat box as she spoke and showed Time Turner six of the finest and by far the biggest pearls that he had ever seen.
"Interesting," mumbled Sheerluck Hooves, "Anything else of importance that has occurred to you?"
"Yes, today. That's why I came to you. This morning I received this letter, which you will perhaps read for yourself." She produced the same letter and levitated it to Sheerluck, who took it in his own spell and pulled it closer to himself to read.
"Thank you," said Hooves, and he immediately began rattling off facts about the letter, "The envelope, too, please. Thank you. Postmark, Manehattan, S. W. How interesting! Stallion's toothmark on corner. Most likely the mailstallion. Best quality paper, envelopes like these go for six bits a packet. Particular stallion in his stationery. No return address."
"'Be at the third pillar from the left outside the Manehattan Theatre tonight at seven o'clock. If you are distrustful, bring two friends. You are a wronged mare and shall have justice. Do not bring police. If you do, all will be in vain. Your unknown friend.' Well, really, this is a very pretty little mystery! What do you intend to do, Miss Dis Lee?"
"That is exactly what I want to ask you."
"Then we shall most certainly go; you, I, and yes, why Time Turner here is the very stallion. Your correspondent says two friends. Time Turner and I have worked together before."
"You are both very kind," she answered, "If I am here at six it will do, I suppose?"
"Can't be any later," said Hooves, "There is one other point, however. Is the hoofwriting on this letter the same as that upon the pearls' addresses?"
"I have them here," she replied, showing half a dozen pieces of paper.
"You are certainly a model client. Get it? No?" Sheerluck looked to everypony in the room with an eager and joyous smile on his face. His smile and ears dropped as he sombered up and noded.
"You have the correct intuition. Let us see, now." He spread out the papers upon the table before them and gave little darting glances from one to the other, "They are disguised, except the letter but there can be no question as to the authorship. See how the irrepressible backwards-three e will break out, and see the twirl of the final s. They are undoubtedly by the same pony. I should not like to suggest false hopes, Fleur, but is there any resemblance between this writing and that of your father?"
"Not really, sir."
"I expected to hear you say so. We shall look out for you, then, at six. Allow me to keep the papers. I may look into the matter before then. It is only half-past three. Au revoir, then."
"Au revoir," returned their visitor; and with a bright, kindly glance from one to the other, she replaced her pearl-box in her satchel and hurried away. Standing at the window, Time Turner watched her walking briskly down the street until the pink tail had vanished around the corner.
"Have you ever had occasion to study character in handwriting?" Sheerluck asked suddenly,
"What do you make of this fellow's scribble?"
"It looks normal," Time Turner answered. "A stallion of business, maybe."
Sheerluck shook his head and nickered.
"Look at his long letters," he said. "They hardly rise above the common herd. That d might be an a, and that i an e. Proper stallions, like Mister Dis Lee should be, always differentiate their long letters, however illegibly they may write. There is vacillation in his k's and self-esteem in his capitals. I am going out now. I have some few references to make. Here, you can read my book while you await my return." Sheerluck tossed the abandoned book at Time Turner, which smacked him square in the face.
Time Turner moved to sit at the window with the volume in his hoof. He thought about Fleur Dis Lee. He had a hunch, a bad one.
He didn't trust her. |
Sheerluck Hooves | The Sign Of The Four, CHAPTER TWO: The Balding Stallion & The Four | "Your life is not your own. Keep your hands off it."
― Arthur Conan Doyle, The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes
It was half-past five before Sheerluck Hooves returned.
He was bright, eager, and in excellent spirits (and very much likely intoxicated by such spirits), a mood which in his case alternated with fits of depression.
"There is no great mystery in this matter," he said, taking the cup of tea which Time Turner had poured out for him; "the facts appear to admit of only one explanation."
"Have you solved the case already?" Time Turner asked, eager to get Fleur Dis Lee away from him, Sheerluck, and their family.
"Well, that would be too much to say. I have discovered a suggestive fact, that is all. It is, however, very suggestive. The details are still to be added. I have just found that Major Sharpwits, of Upper Manehattan died a few years ago."
"I may be very obtuse, Sheerluck, but I fail to see what this suggests."
"No? You surprise me. Look at it in this way, then. Captain Dis Lee disappears. The only person in Manehattan whom he could have visited is Major Sharpwits. Major Sharpwits denies having heard that he was in Manehattan. Four years later Sholto dies. Within a week of his death Captain Dis Lee's daughter receives a valuable present, which is repeated from year to year and now culminates in a letter which describes her as a wronged mare. What wrong can it refer to except this deprivation of her father? And why should the presents begin immediately after Sharpwits' death unless it is that Sharpwits' heir, if he has one, desires to make compensation? Have you any alternative theory which will meet the facts?"
"But what an odd way to attract her attention without identifying himself. Why should he write a letter now, rather than six years ago? Again, the letter speaks of giving her justice. What justice can she have? It is too much to suppose that her father is still alive. There is no other injustice in her case that you know of."
"There are difficulties; there are certainly difficulties," said Sherlock Holmes pensively, staring out the window, "but our expedition of tonight will solve them all. Ah, here is the cab, and Miss Diss Lee is inside. Are you all ready? Then we had better go down, for it is a little past the hour."
Time Turner picked up a coat and noticed with irritation that Sheerluck took his bubble pipe and slipped it into his pocket. It was clear that he thought that the night's work might be a rather dull and possibly annoying one.
Fleur Dis Lee was muffled in a dark cloak, and her face was composed but pale. She seemed reluctant, but answered Sheerluck's probing questions anyways.
"Major Sharpwits was a very particular friend of Papa's," she said. "His letters were full of allusions to the Major. He and Papa were in command of the Guard at the Outer Islands, so they were thrown a great deal together. By the way, a curious paper was found in Papa's desk which nopony could understand. I don't suppose that it is of the slightest importance, but I thought you might care to see it, so I brought it with me. It is here."
Sheerluck unfolded the paper carefully and smoothed it out upon the seat of the cab. He then very methodically examined it all over with his double lens.
"It is paper of native Islander manufacture," he remarked, pointing out various key features of the paper, "It has at some time been pinned to a board. The diagram upon it appears to be a map os a large building. At one point is a small cross done in red ink, and above it is '3.37 from left,' in faded writing. In the left corner is a curious hieroglyph like four crosses in a line with their arms touching. Beside it is written, in very rough and coarse characters, 'The sign of the four: Short Stop, Swallowsong, Khan, Crimmeny.' No, I confess that I do not see how this bears upon the matter. Yet it is evidently a document of importance. It has been kept carefully in a pocketbook, for the one side is as clean as the other."
"It was in his pocketbook that we found it."
"Preserve it carefully, then, Miss Dis Lee, for it may prove to be of use to us. I begin to suspect that this matter may turn out to be much deeper and more subtle than I at first supposed. I must reconsider my ideas."
He leaned back in the cab, and Time Turner could see by his drawn brow and his vacant eyes that he was thinking intently. Time Turner observed Fleur out of the corner of his eye. He still did not trust her as far as he could toss a boulder, but Sheerluck obviously wanted to solve this mystery, so Time Turner would have to tolerate her company for sometime longer.
It was an autumn evening and not yet seven o'clock, but the day had been a dreary one and a dense fog lay low upon the great city of Canterlot as they approached. Clouds drooped sadly over the muddy streets. The usually brilliant street-lamps were nothing but misty splotches of diffused light which gave a feeble glimmer to the slimy pavement. The yellow glare from the shop windows streamed out into the steamy air and threw a murky radiance across the thoroughfare. Sheerluck Hooves was altogether indifferent from the filth that could be seen outside. He was levitating his open notebook before him, and from time to time he jotted down figures and ideas using the scattered light from the street-lamps.
At the Theatre the crowds of ponies were already thick at the entrance. In front a continuous stream of carriages and cabs were rattling up, discharging their cargoes of pompous members of the Canterlotian high society. They had hardly reached the third pillar, which was their destination, before a small, dark, brisk stallion in the dress of a cabbie swooped into their cab.
"Are you those who come with Miss Dis Lee?" he hissed at Sheerluck and Time Turner. Time Turner blubbered in fear while Sheerluck looked up from his notebook with bored eyes, grunted in disinterest, and returned to writing.
"I am Fleur Dis Lee, and these two gentlecolts are my friends," Fleur answered. He bent a pair of penetrating eyes upon the three.
"You will excuse me, Miss," he whispered with shady manner, "but I am to ask you to give me your word that neither of your... companions is a member of the Royal Guard."
"I give you my word on that," she nodded. It was technically true.
He gave a shrill whistle, on which another stallion disguised as a bum pulled a carriage over. The stallion who had accosted them leapt over to the carriage, while the other three followed eagerly. They had hardly done so before the Earth pony stallion pulling the carriage thundered off, and they shot away from the Theatre at a rapid pace through the foggy cobblestone streets. The situation was a peculiar one. They were driving to an unknown place, on an unknown errand. Their invitation had been either a complete hoax or else they had good reason to think that important information would come from this detour. Miss Dis Lee's demeanour was as resolute and collected as ever. Time Turner was silently losing his mind. And Sheerluck, of course, went immediately back to taking down notes.
They had reached a questionable and forbidding street, housing the lower and working classes of Canterlot. Most of the houses were inhabited, but they one they had stopped at was dark, unlike its neighbours. On our knocking, however, the door was instantly thrown open by an odd-looking unicorn servant, clad in a yellow turban. His cutie mark was that of a medical kit, like what one would see a nurse carry.
"The Great One awaits you," he said solemnly, and as he spoke, there came a high, piping voice from some inner room.
"Show them in to me, First Aid," it said. "Show them straight in to me."
They followed First Aid down an ill-lit and terribly furnished passage, until he came to a door upon the right, which he threw open with his magic. A blaze of yellow light streamed out upon us, and in the centre of the glare there stood a small Earth Pony stallion with a very high head, a bristle of red hair all round the fringe of it, and a balding scalp which shot out from among it. He writhed his his hooves together as he took a seat, and his features were in a perpetual jerk; now smiling, now scowling, but never for an instant in repose. In spite of his obtrusive baldness he gave the impression of youth.
"Your servant, Miss Dis Lee," he kept saying in a thin, high voice. "Your servant, gentlecolts. Pray step into my little sanctuary. A small place, Miss, but furnished to my own liking. An oasis of art in the pit of South Canterlot."
They were all astonished by the appearance of the apartment where he invited them. In the horrible house, it looked completely out of place. The richest of curtains and tapestries draped the walls, looped back here and there to expose some richly mounted painting or vase. The carpet was of amber and black, so soft and so thick that the hoof sank into it. A lamp in the fashion of a silver dove was hung from an almost invisible golden wire in the centre of the room. As it burned it filled the air with a subtle and aromatic odour.
"Mr. Short Stop," squeaked the little stallion, still jerking and smiling, "That is my name. I am one of The Four, perhaps you have heard of us? I doubt it . You are Miss Dis Lee, of course. Daughter of Sir Dis Lee. And these gentlecolts --"
"This is Mr. Sheerluck Hooves, and this Dr. Time Turner."
Short Stop squinted at Time Turner, studying him.
"Peculiar. Peculiar."
"What is peculiar?" demanded Sheerluck, who was looking from Time Turner to Short Stop.
"Time Turner is the same name as a certain somepony who was known for foiling the schemes of the predecessor of The Four. I am sure you have heard rumors of the Illumarenati?"
Sheerluck and Fleur Dis Lee nodded. It was Equestrian history. Everypony knows what the Illumarenati had been. Time Turner shuddered at the name.
"I-Is that so?" Time Turner stammered. He had come here to discover the fate of Fleur Dis Lee's father, not to be reunited with his old enemy. Short Stop stood up once more and began to circle Time Turner. Short Stop's assistant, First Aid, did so as well. Sheerluck was obviously confused for the first time in his life. That is, until a look dawned on his face. Time Turner used to time travel. Of course he would make enemies from all over history.
"Excuse me," Sheerluck interrupted, "but we are here to discuss the father of Miss Dis Lee here. Can we please get back to business?" Short Stop whirled around. Although the puny pony was small, his glare was intimidating. Short Stop bore his bright blue eyes into Sheerluck's disinterested brown ones.
"I can give you every information," Short Stop muttered to Sheerluck; "and, what is more, I can give you justice afterwards; and I will, too, whatever Brother Breach may say. I am so glad to have your friends here as witnesses to what I am about to do and say. The three of us can show a bold front to Brother Breach. But let us have no outsiders; no Royal Guard. We can settle everything satisfactorily among ourselves without any interference. Nothing would annoy Brother Breach more than any publicity."
He sat down upon a low chair and blinked at them inquiringly with his watery blue eyes.
"For my part," said Sheerluck finally, "whatever you may choose to say will go no further." Time Turner nodded to show his agreement.
"That is well! That is well" praised Short Stop, "May I offer you a glass of berrywine, Miss Dis Lee? Or of red? I keep no other wines. Shall I open a flask? No? Well, then, I trust that you have no objection to me drinking myself. Helps calm my nerves."
He reached out a hoof and poured some blood-red liquid from a bottle on the side table into a shot glass not too far from it. Sipping at his shot, Short Stop pondered what to say next.
"As you may already have gathered, the Illumarenati broke off about a century ago, destroyed by a mystery stallion with a name like your friend here. But. It did not die. Four of the original members remained. Quick Stop, Murr Dis Lee, Brother Hollywreath, and Madame Fortun de Zodia. From those four original members came the new society, known simply as The Four."
He reached out a hoof and gestured a symbol in the air. Four plus signs, one beside another.
++++
"The Four would be more restrictive. More secretive. More hidden. Each of The Four would lead their own group of followers. And each group would assist one another. It was much more stable and more powerful than the Illumarenati could have ever been. My grandfather, Quick Stop, passed his position on to his son, Hold Stop. I inherited my position from my father. I run what is known as the Short Mafia."
Sheerluck's eyes bugged and he appeared to flare up in anger before Short Stop waved away his retort.
"Now, now. The Short Mafia has a bad name thanks to the Brotherhood. Let me finish my tale first." He coughed, took another sip of wine, and continued.
"Murr Dis Lee did not have any foals until late. He passed it on immediately to his eldest son, Sir Dis Lee. Your father, Fleur. And Brother Hollywreath, a monk, passed on his position not to his son, for he had none, but to his closest companion. Brother Breach. However, there is speculation that the current leader of the Brotherhood murdered Hollywreath. But that was never investigated by any of The Four. It was none of our business. Madame Fortun de Zodia, meanwhile, is still the only original member of The Four remaining with us.
"Now. Some time ago, maybe a decade? I cannot recall. Your father, Fleur, angered Brother Breach. The Short Mafia tried to help the Dizzly Troop (your fathers group, of course). But by then, Dis Lee had vanished. I have reason to believe he was kidnapped by-"
Short Stop never got to finish. A blast of green light flashed through the window, striking Short Stop directly in the back. He let out a howl of pain as he disintegrated into nothing but ash. Sheerluck, Time Turner, and First Aid gave shouts of horror as Fleur screamed and promptly fainted. From outside, they heard cackling, and a Changeling Drone was seen flying away.
Short Stop had just been assassinated. |
Sheerluck Hooves | The Sign Of The Four, CHAPTER THREE: ++++ | "To a great mind, nothing is little."
― Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
It was nearly eleven o'clock that night when they finally got back to the investigation.
Time Turner could still see Short Stop being disintegrated before them, the look of sheer terror and pain on his face as he turned to ash. Luna's night sky was a beautiful one, almost like karma was trying to make up to Time Turner for the horror he had seen. First Aid no longer felt safe in Short Stop's home. So Sheerluck invited them along as they sought out the second member of The Four. Madame Fortun de Zodia.
It had taken a lot of struggling to get First Aid to remember her location. She was nomadic, he said. A gypsy and a fortune-teller. But he believed that Short Stop had last communicated with her at Cherry Jubilee's Ranch in Appleloosa. So they had gone on a carriage ride lasting several hours from South Canterlot all the way to the far-off Earth pony settlement.
Cherry Jubilee's Ranch was dark, everypony who usually worked there having long gone to bed. First Aid led the three (Sheerluck, Time Turner, and Fleur Dis Lee) up to the lone cottage at the top of the hill where grass grew in patches. They finally reached the cottage, which belong obviously to Cherry Jubilee herself. The oaken door thudded with a deep bass as First Aid knocked a hoof over it. From inside, they heard groaning and creaking as somepony woke from their slumber and trotted over to the door.
"Who's there?" cried a sleepy but still musical voice from within.
"It is First Aid, associate of Short Stop. Me and my friends are here to inquire on the whereabouts of Madame Fortun de Zodia."
There was a grunting sound and a clanking of keys. The door swung back, and a beautiful Earth pony mare with a high-tied red mane and a beauty mark on her cheek stood in the opening, with the yellow light of a lantern shining upon her face and twinkling eyes.
"First Aid? Why, I haven't seen ya in these here parts in months! How's ol' Short Stop? Where is he?" Cherry looked at the somber face of each pony, hoping to see the puny stallion. Her smile fell as she saw he wasn't there.
"Short Stop... Short Stop is dead," First Aid muttered, hanging his turbaned head, "killed by an assassin." Cherry lifted a hoof to her mouth, which had dropped open in shock. She quickly shook her head and beckoned them inside.
"Now get in, y'all. I'll see if Fortun'll wake up for ya."
They stood around by the closed door in awkward silence as Cherry Jubilee sauntered away to find the mythical Fortun de Zodia that First Aid had told them so much about. When the pale yellow Earth pony mare returned, she was followed by a shrouded unicorn mare. The unicorn threw off her hood, revealing that she was not only a mere unicorn.
She was a zebra-unicorn hybrid. Her white coat was peculiar, there were patches of black striped coat. Her mane was that of a zebra, it ended at her horn, which was a long pointed white one. Her eyes were deep set and a piercing yellow. From what First Aid and Short Stop had said, she should have been over a century old.
But she looked no younger than Fleur Dis Lee.
It was completely unexpected, but First Aid bowed to her and the other three followed suit. Fortun tsked and yanked First Aid up by his ear.
"YEEEEEOW!"
"Sit up, you stupid colt.
Short Stop's death had been a jolt."
"I know, Madame but-"
"Do not tell me tales I know.
We now have a position to bestow."
Sheerluck, Fleur, and the Doctor were silent as they listened to the dialogue. But the Doctor felt that he already knew where Fortun was going with this. Short Stop was dead. Who would control the Mafia now?
"P-Position?" First Aid stuttered, straightening his crooked turban.
"You were Short Stop's only friend,
and now the Mafia you must tend."
"M-Me?! But I'm just a servant! A butler!"
But Fortun had already turned away from the blibbering stallion.
"You seek the last of The Four.
But beware of the Brother's lore."
"Brother?" Time Turner exclaimed, puzzled, "You mean Brother Breach? Did he have something to do with Short Stop's death, Madame?"
"Though I do my duties well,
the future is something I cannot tell."
"Can you give us a hint? A clue?" Sheerluck snapped impatiently. Madame Zodia looked to him, raising her eyebrow.
"Find the Changeling killer.
He will be the one quite peculiar."
"Hey that didn't rhyme!" Fleur Dis Lee pointed out. Zodia winked at her.
"Your father shall soon be found.
But now to bed, I am bound."
And with that, Zodia trotted off, back to her room. They heard a door close and Cherry Jubilee showed them out. They were confused as they went back to their carriage, the stallion cabbie looking immensely bored and sleepy. Well, Fleur and Time Turner were confused. Sheerluck was just grouchy.
"I cannot understand it," First Aid whimpered as they clambered back into the carriage, "There must be some mistake. I am not related to Short Stop in any way. I shouldn't be proclaimed leader of the Mafia. I can't even imagine being one of The Four! I do not know what to make of it."
"Does she always speak so cryptically?" asked Sheerluck.
"Yes; she not only has the rhyming urge inherited from her zebra side, but her mother was a successful diviner. She has the ability to see into the future, but refuses to help anypony in any way regarding it. She enjoys watching others writhe in struggle."
"So what group does she lead?," asked the Doctor, not wanting to go unheard, "She seemed quite alone up in Cherry's cottage."
"She leads these things called 'Mysteries.' Kind of like cults. She has Mysteries in Zebrica, Fillydelphia, some even think she has them in Griffonstone. She may seem like nothing much, but she controls far more than anypony else in The Four. Brother Breach's Brotherhood comes at a close second, but Zodia doesn't exploit her power like Breach does."
Just as the carriage was about to kick off, they all heard a blood-curdling scream come from the cottage. Cherry Jubilee.
First Aid was the first one to leap out from the carriage as it screeched back to a halt. Sheerluck and the others followed suit, close behind. First Aid didn't stop to open the door, he simply blasted it open with an impressive offensive spell. When they returned inside, they found Cherry sobbing uncontrollably. Time Turner felt his stomach flop over with a feeling of impending doom. Cherry could only point a hoof to the open door down the hall, the one that Fortun had disappeared behind moments before.
They all went in. Time Turner gasped and Fleur let out a shriek. The remains of Madame Fortun de Zodia were torn open, her insides strewn about on the bed and into the floor. Blood was splattered across the walls and in streaks leading out the window. Oddly, however, was her face, with eyes closed and mouth upturned in a smile, despite whatever excruciating pain Time Turner knew she must have been in.
On her night stand was a single sheet of paper speckled with Fortun de Zodia's blood. On it was a familiar looking symbol.
++++
''You see," Sheerluck said with a significant raising of the eyebrows. He levitated the page before the Doctor and Fleur, allowing them to see it. In the light of the single lantern in the room, Time Turner studied the symbol with horror, "The sign of the four."
"In Celestia's name, what does it all mean?" Time Turner breathed.
"It means this was another assassination, and judging by the look on Madame's face, it was an expected one. This murder, however, was not to prevent us from finding information, but to scare us," he answered, stooping over the dead mare, not so much as wincing at the sight. Fleur let out a gag and left to room to join the crying Cherry Jubilee.
First Aid was staring at the dead mare in shock. His already pale face even paler.
"She... She was over a century old. She had been one of The Four since before The Four overtook the Illumarenati. And... And Breach just killed her. Like she was nothing."
"You are certain that Breach did this?" Sheerluck asked First Aid, still studying the crime scene.
"Yes. It must have been that Changeling assassin!"
Sheerluck hummed in concentration.
"You know who else utilizes Changelings, my dear Doctor?" Sheerluck asked Time Turner. Time Turner nodded. He did know.
"Mortuary."
"Indeed."
"You think Mortuary could be working with Brother Breach?" Time Turner pursued. Sheerluck nodded. "Why?"
"Because Mortuary, if I know him well, which I do, will be seeking the easiest way to gain power here in Equestria. And the easiest way is to take over The Four. Which means that killing the Leader of the Short Mafia, killing the Priestess of the Zodiac Mysteries. Coltnapping the Head of the Dizzly Gang. His next target is Brother Breach, but Breach doesn't know that. He must think that Mortuary is an ally. And," Sheerluck added, "Mortuary probably convinced Breach to start killing off the leaders in the first place, which means that Breach would not be necessarily in the wrong here."
"So this Mortuary of which you speak is using Breach in order to frame him?" First Aid snarled. "Who is this Mortuary anyways? A friend of yours?"
"Quite the contrary," Sheerluck muttered, "but we need to find Breach. Fast."
"We'll be headed back to Canterlot, then. Breach lives in the higher society portion of the capital."
Sheerluck pondered this for a moment before leaping up in excitement. Smiling and dancing about despite the presence of the messy corpse.
"We need to find the Changeling first. And I think I know where to find him." |
Sheerluck Hooves | The Sign Of The Four, CHAPTER FOUR: The Whinnyapolis Accent | "Is that true? Are you really him?"
"I am afraid I still hold that distinction."
"You are Sherlock Holmes? No, I don't believe it."
"That is quite all right. I scarcely believe it myself."
― Mitch Cullin, A Slight Trick of the Mind
Fleur Dis Lee had the cabbie drop them off at Time Turner's Ponyville house before going along on her own back to her small mansion in Canterlot.
First Aid had hitchhiked through back to the now-abandoned shack that had formerly belonged to Short Stop. TIme Turner and the Doctor simply returned the Time Turner's home.
When they had finally gotten home early in the morning, Dinky squealed in delight and hugged her second cousin and her father before joining her mother at the breakfast table. Sheerluck and TIme Turner completely forgot the events of the previous night and indulged themselves on french toast and fresh cinnamon muffins baked by Derpy herself.
After breakfast, however, Time Turner turned faint and nearly burst into tears. He had witnessed the deaths of two ponies of such high importance to the case and to the ponies they employ... It was difficult to cope with. And Short Stop had begun to even seem friendly before he was murdered directly in front of Time Turner.
They decided to go to bed and sleep throughout the morning, and get back to the case as soon as they reawoke.
It was nearly two o'clock when finally woke again. Sheerluck and Time Turner had replaced their garments, for the weather outside was chilling as the time for winter grew near. Immediately, the Doctor recounted the gruesome event of that night.
And the more he thought of what had happened, the wilder and darker it grew. He then decided that although Fleur Dis Lee was not the most trustworthy of ponies, she was not a threat to them in any way. So that problem was thankfully resolved. Then there was the original problem... That at least was clear now. To a degree. The sending of the pearls, the advertisement, the letter, the symbol, The Four. They had only led us, however, to a deeper and far more tragic mystery. Short Stop's death, the tying of Mortuary's activities with that of, the remarkable methods of assassination, the words upon the paper, here was indeed a labyrinth.
"So I was thinking, Doctor." Sheerluck said over their tea. Time Turner looked up from reading Short Stop's obituary (the newsponies were awfully fast) to regard his friend and relative.
"About?"
"Mortuary hires Changelings. Or at least we hypothesize so."
"Yes."
"So why not hire somepony... Or something as well?"
"Haven't... we been hired, though, Sheerluck?"
"Well... Yes. But we need non-pony expertise here."
"Who do we hire then? A dragon? I doubt Spike would want to help you after the little episode the two of you had at Twilight's castle."
"No. I was thinking more of a Diamond Dog."
Time Turner spat out his tea, spraying it across the table. He looked to Sheerluck as though he had suggested they shove cacti up their rectums.
"A Diamond Dog? Why in Equestria would you want to hire one of those things?"
"Well one, they are cheap. Two, they have an excellent sense of smell. Three, they will be able to better identify the pearls that Fleur had been sent. You see? It's perfectly logical to hire a Diamond Dog to help us." Sheerluck said, waving a dismissive hoof at Time Turner. "I have a Diamond Dog in mind already anyways. His name is Red - he used to hunt Tatzelwurms with your friend Porter."
"Porter hunted Tatzelwurms?"
"Yes," answered Sheerluck impatiently, "but that is beside the point. Red is an excellent tracker who will be able to track the scent of the assassin who has killed two of The Four. And then we either apprehend the assassin or follow him to his employer. Namely, Professor Mortuary."
"Brilliant!" cried Time Turner.
"Elementary," corrected Sheerluck Hooves. But he did have a smug smirk across his face as he met Time Turner's eyes.
"So have we or have we not determined Short Stop's place in all this? And why he had to die?"
"A simplicity in itself. Short Stop is easily one of the more powerful members of The Four, besides Zodia. And Short Stop also have a sort of alliance with the ze-pony. You remember that Short Stop also had a great distrust for this 'Brother Breach'. He was the second cross in the sign of the four. And you surely recall that the Mafia leader sat upon a small fortune? The answer is obvious. Brother Breach was encouraged to have Short Stop assassinated by none other than the mad Professor. Without Short Stop, Mortuary's rise to power will be that much easier."
"So we definitely know that Mortuary is behind this?," asked Time Turner.
"Well... It's a theory. But a very sound theory. Do you recall Short Stop's letter and his short and stopped speech at his residence?"
"The one where he talked on and on about revenge?"
"Indeed. Revenge is a concept that Mortuary cherishes. It is a concept that Mortuary tends to use in order to gain influence over others, by offering vengeance. Now, you recall that the assassin was a Changeling? And who do we know has direct control over the Changelings?"
"Mortuary."
"Exactly! My dear Doctor, I have a hypothesis to explain Mortuary's behavior."
"And that is?"
"He obviously fancies himself taking over The Four. But of course, ruling one side of The Four would not be enough, he is a greedy stallion. He has to have all Four. Therefore we may say with confidence that the true reason why he is helping Brother Breach clear house is for he himself to then kill Breach and Sir Dis Lee and take control of the Gang, the Mafia, the Cult, AND the Brotherhood. Does the reasoning strike you as being faulty?"
"No."
"Well, now, let us put ourselves in the place of Short Stop. Let us look at it from his point of view. He is happily running the Mafie, a sort of half-good and half-evil corporation of Canterlot. Suddenly, Brother Breach, his well-known rival suddenly has a new advisor. Mortuary is a sneaky looking one, and Short Stop implores Madame Fortun de Zodia to take action against him. However, just as Short Stop was going to Zodia, Breach coltnaps Dis Lee in an attempt to scare off the Mafia leader. But Short Stop simply contacts Dis Lee's daughter. This makes it seem to them that the Dizzly Gang will simply go under new leadership."
"But then why did Short Stop have to die? Why not Fleur?"
"Because Short Stop could teach her how to control the Gang. Without Short Stop, the Gang would fall apart. But the one oversight that Brother Breach made was that Short Stop was not training her in leadership, but was informing her on her father's abduction and getting us to find a way to save him."
"Can we save him?" Time Turner asked, his head swirling with all this information.
"I'm not sure. Well, I'm 80% sure that he is still alive. So it just depends on our ability. Now, let's go get that Diamond Dog."
It was the second time they had visited Appleloosa within the week.
Fleur Dis Lee had (much to Time Turner's relief) elected to sit out this adventure. She claimed to have suffered mentally and spiritually during their terrible activities the night before.
So together, Time Turner and Sheerluck sought out the Diamond Dog alone. The markets of Appleloosa were as busy as ever, teeming with ponies and creatures from all walks of life attempting to sell their wares and find products that they could barter or bargain for. They waited in long lines and suffered against the sheer stupidity and stubbornness of many ponies. Finally, they reached the empty Tatzelwurm stand.
"What now?" Time Turner asked, "It looks like nopony's home. "
"Never fear, my dear Doctor," reassured Sheerluck, leading him back in to wait in the kiosk, "They are quite possibly just out hunting. Tatzelwurm season is almost over, if I recall correctly."
"So do we simply wait here for Red to return?"
"Yes. And, unfortunately, we may be waiting for some time. The Dog is well known for his ability to track and capture, but he is not known for his punctuality."
There was no difficulty about waiting. Although Time Turner did admit to himself that the climate of Appleloosa was a tad bit hotter and drier than what he preferred.
"So what is Red is a no-show, Sheerluck?" Time Turner asked, wiping some more sweat from his brow. He really shouldn't have worn a tie today.
"I had thought of that. But you notice that ponies keep on poking their heads in looking for him, that would imply he is due to return. He is simply running very, very late." It was noon when Red finally arrived.
"Hallo, uny-corn. Du are ze pony zat Porter has tolds me about?" Red raised a filthy paw for Sheerluck to shake, which he did without batting an eye. In Red's other arm was a large slab of bloody Tatzel steak which smelled to Time Turner like it had been sitting outside for quite some time. Which, TIme Turner realized, it probably had. With the Dog came a silent and somber Griffon female with beautiful blue-tinted golden plumage.
"Yes. I am Sheerluck Hooves and this is my associate, Doctor Time Turner."
Red, the tall, slender, and rather weaselly-looking Diamond Dog bore his yellow eyes into the Doctor's blue ones. After many awkward moments, the Dog began to discuss prices for his services with Sheerluck. Time Turner decided to speak with the griffon.
"Hello, I'm the Doctor. May I know your name?"
"Uhhh... m'name's... Gael?"
"Is that a question to my question?" asked Time Turner with a grin as he mimicked what Sheerluck had asked him such a long time ago.
"Um. No. Gael. It's my name. And what's your real name, eh?" asked the Griffon in a strangely Whinnyapolis-esque accent. Time Turner blinked in surprise and then caught himself from making the moment awkward; without missing a beat.
"My name is Time Turner. Member of the Hooves family, if that helps you any. So tell me, this Tatzelwurm business. How do you like it?"
"Uhhhh... I dunno whatcha talkin' aboot."
"Aboot?"
"I mean, ab-out."
"Huh. Are you from Whinnyapolis?"
Red answered for her, giving Gael a raised eyebrow. "No. She's from Griffonstone. She doesn'y have an accent." Now Sheerluck was raising his eyebrow as well. Time Turner saw a small trickle of sweat run down the griffon's face as she grinned sheepishly.
"But of course!" Sheerluck suddenly shouted, causing everypony, doggie, and griff in the Tatzelwurm tent to jump in fear. "That isn't Gael. TIme Turner! Red!"
"Yes, Sheerluck?"
"Aye, Hooves?"
"Tie her up. We've found our Changeling assassin." |
Someone You Like | pre | "She is. So, you'd better start believing it. After all, you're the one who convinced her to give you a second chance, aren't you?" Trixie watched as Capper smiled slightly. "Now, go get her, tiger."
"Tiger?"
"That's a cat, isn't it?"
Capper shook his head and focused back on Princess Luna. After a moment, he finally started to approach her.
This was finally it. The dreaded wonderful moment that he imagined. His steps were both careful and deliberate as he walked toward Princess Luna, relieved to see that she hadn't yet noticed him. But, the way her ear twitched in his direction made him think otherwise. For only a fraction of a second, he stopped walking. Until a tiny smile began to blossom onto Princess Luna's face.
Without the slightest apprehension, Capper walked all the way to Luna's table and sat across from her.
"Princess Luna?" he said.
Try as she did, Princess Luna couldn't hide the hint of a smile on her lips. Shifting slightly in her seat, Capper swore he heard her giggle softly to herself as she marked her page and laid her book down on the table.
"Well, well. The weather pegasi scheduled a rainy day. Yet, here comes the sun," Princess Luna softly said with her eyes turned to the window.
"That's just the thing about dark days. There's always the sun hiding behind them," Capper replied. "Are we really starting this by talking about the weather?"
"Small, Capper. The greatest things always begin very small," Princess Luna said.
Capper returned the smile he was given before his eyes fell to the book on the table. Without a word, it was slid across the table toward him.
"Remember Me?" Capper read the title aloud.
"Of course," Princess Luna said. "It's one of my favorites."
"Another one of your bits of ancient pony culture from your foalhood?"
"No. This one was only published fifty or so years ago. Although, reading it makes me feel like a filly again. Not that I've experienced what the characters do in this book."
"What's it about?" Capper asked.
If Capper had to guess, Princess Luna had hoped he would ask that question, judging by the way she was focusing her whole attention on him.
"It's a coming-of-age story," she began.
"Ah," Capper said with a gentle roll of his eyes.
"I know. But, it's a little more than that. It's about these young adults who have lost those closest to them, and have to face their lives on their own. The mare has a strict, overprotective father who controls her very life after her mother was murdered. The stallion in this story, to be blunt, is a complete mess. A chain-smoking alcoholic who shirks all responsibility after his brother's death."
"That seems a bit extreme," Capper said. "We all lose somepony in our lives. Sooner or later, they all go. Of course, you'd know that better than anypony, having been around for so long."
Princess Luna paused for a moment to nibble on one of her donuts.
"It's more than that, Capper. These ponies who were lost were like the guiding light to the characters. Something to guide them through their lives to help them along in their troubled times. Like a lighthouse, if you will. Lost without direction, these characters find that their lives have fallen into disarray. But, after finding one another they begin to realize that they must make their own way in order to move on, and finally live their lives happily. Together."
Capper tapped a claw on the table, mulling over the story in his head. The plate of donuts was slid over to him, and he accepted one.
"I still don't buy it," Capper said.
"Mm. Well, I enjoy the story anyway," Princess Luna said. "Although, I do wonder sometimes..."
"What about?"
"These characters. The lesson that they both learn is how to make their own way through their lives by taking control of its course. To stop feeling so sorry for themselves and to take responsibility for their actions. And yet, they seem to depend upon one another to be able to do so. Even as they struggle to overcome their problems, it's as if nothing has really changed in them."
Capper idly circled his claw around the hole of the donut he had taken, before he picked it up.
"I...guess that we like to think that being in love will fix everything. But, what most creatures don't realize is that to keep that love, we have to solve those problems ourselves. Love isn't some all-powerful force that will change the world. No, I think it's more like...It's a smaller force that's a part of everypony that makes just that one creature change for the best," Capper said. He glanced up when he noticed Princess Luna giggling.
"My, my. I had no idea you were such a romantic," she said.
"Look who's talking. The book. The song. Picking this intimate little shop over the royal patio. I got a feeling there's a side of you that even your sister doesn't know about," Capper said.
Luna began to laugh but quickly stifled it as she took another nibble from her donut. "I'm sorry about the other day."
"What?"
"The other day. At your house. I did...some things there that I'm not proud of."
"Like?" Capper egged her on.
"When I was there, I didn't mean to pressure you into telling me anything that you didn't want to. I was only trying to please my sister," Princess Luna said.
"What do you mean?"
"She thought that I went too easy on those troublemakers at the Gala, and wanted me to learn more about them so that she could investigate them. I'm sorry. I should have been honest with you. Can you forgive me?"
Capper sighed and shook his head. "You're stealing my lines, Princess."
The answer he got was a confused stare.
"Prin-Luna. I came here to apologize for yelling at you. And for just being a catty little bastard in general. I guess I judged your intentions a little too quickly and took my anger out on you. And I'm so sorry for that," Capper said, hoping he sounded as calm as he thought he did.
Of all the responses he could have heard, Capper never expected laughter. Soft, melodious laughter that somehow raised his spirits when he heard it coming from Luna.
"I'm not mad at you, Capper. Nor was I ever," she said.
"Same to you," Capper said, finding himself joining the laughter. For a moment, he thought back to his dance in the garden, just before Needy ruined his night. "I'm just so sick of all this bullshit."
"I'll drink to that," Luna laughed as she took a sip from her glass of milk.
"I guess this means we're square now?" Capper asked hopefully.
"Water under the bridge," she said. "That is the saying, right?"
"That's the one."
For a moment, neither said anything, allowing nothing but the chattering of all the other ponies in the shop to fill the ambiance. In the deepest parts of his mind, something was telling Capper that his moment had arrived. The moment where he would take control and start making things right for himself. And she was allowing it. Waiting for it. Expecting it.
"Luna," Capper began, "I have to confess. I didn't come all this way from Ponyville just to apologize to you."
Luna said nothing, but Capper could feel her silent urge for him to continue.
"I have also come on behalf of somepony else," Capper bombastically said, "To assist her in an experiment unlike any other ever conducted."
"Twilight, you mean?" Luna knowingly said.
"Not this time. As you can see," Capper said, guiding her gaze to the table where Trixie sat, "Our little, blue friend is trying to make her acting debut by pretending to read a magazine." He leaned toward Trixie's direction and squinted. "About knitting? I had no clue she was so domestic."
"If she could even pretend to be domestic, she'd get an award for that performance," Luna said.
"Anyways, she wanted me to assist her in exploring something that she noticed."
"And what might that be?"
Luna was surprised again when Capper put his claw on the plate of donuts and tilted it so that the topmost donut rolled off into his waiting paw, then broke it in two.
"I guess if there's anything to take away from your literature," Capper said, drumming his fingers on the cover of the book, "It's that the universe is an unknowable, unthinkable strand of random, unrelated events that lead to something that makes sense in the end. Just like those two ponies who found one another, we come from very different places. Warmed and cooled by different summers and winters. Never meant to, and with no reason at all to meet. Yet," he placed the two halves of the donut together, "here we are."
Luna reached for another donut and fondled it in her hooves.
"It certainly sounds like an interesting experiment. Even if I still don't know what it's about," she said with a smile on her face.
"Call it an experiment of destiny. To see if there was a reason why we had met the way that we did."
Luna leaned forward with her chin on her hooves. "And how does she propose we test this?"
This was it. Capper chose his next words carefully.
"By spending more time with one another while learning about ourselves. Perhaps at the next big event in Canterlot."
Luna's silence was less than reassuring. Moreso was how she leaned back from him. "I...see," she quietly said. "I do appreciate the offer. I'm flattered, really. But...erm...I don't do so well in these types of experiments."
"Why not? You have all the criteria. Intelligence. Talent. Style. Beauty."
"I-" Luna stopped herself from laughing as her face turned red. "Do you really think this kind of flattery will get you anywhere?"
"I'll admit that I wasn't really prepared for this," Capper shrugged.
"That's surprising. I thought you would have been rehearsing what to say on the train ride over here. And, while I do admire your boldness, it was something of a foolish attempt."
"Oh? Then, what did you invite me here for?"
Luna opened her mouth to speak but froze before the first syllable ever left her throat. Capper didn't even bother to smirk as he leaned forward.
"Listen. Usually, when I meet a girl like this, it's part of some scam. It's what we in the biz call a 'honeypot.' But, I didn't want to just take something that I didn't earn this time. That's been my whole life, up until I met Rarity and her friends. And I...I guess that this time I wanted something real. Not just another hustle."
As Capper spoke, Luna's face slowly morphed to a blank slate. By the time the last word was spoken, her eyes had fallen to the donut before herself. Her hoof broke off a piece of the glaze before she motioned Capper closer. A beckoning that Capper obeyed, as he leaned across the table. He was taken completely by surprise when Luna quickly leaned in and placed her lips next to his ear.
"Meet me in the palace tomorrow night at eight o'clock. I'll let the guards know you're coming," she whispered.
"That-works," Capper said, barely able to contain his voice. "I'll see you tomorrow."
"Don't keep me waiting."
When she leaned back into her seat, Luna was smiling sweetly before she stood up from the table.
"Everything's already been paid for. Feel free to finish my leftovers," she said, as she walked out of the shop.
Capper watched her leave and thought for just one moment that the way she was sashaying her hips was for him.
"Not bad," Capper whispered to himself before he bagged up his donuts.
He got up from his seat and walked across the shop to where Trixie sat. Quietly as he could, he walked over to her and whipped the magazine out of her hooves
"Hey! I was reading that, asshole!" Trixie said.
"No, you weren't," Capper said, taking a look at the magazine pages. When he did, his eyes went wide. "Well, well. I never took you for a health nut," he said, showing Trixie the second magazine that she had stuffed inside the one about knitting. The one with oily, muscular stallions showing the proper way to do a barbell squat.
"The-The Great and Powerful Trixie appreciates all things grand and-and-"
"Vascular?"
"Be quiet!" Trixie said, taking her magazine back and hiding it beneath her hat.
"So, things went well," Capper said, as he and Trixie walked to the door.
"I know. I heard everything. 'An experiment of destiny?' Did lines like that really work on widows and naifs that you targeted before?" Trixie said.
"Nah. Usually, a quick compliment about their furstyle was enough for those sheltered airheads. With Luna, I guess I tried to be genuine for the first time."
They left down the street toward their next order of business for the day. Unknown to either, they were being watched from a nearby corner by a certain princess, who watched them go until they both disappeared into the crowd.
"Ohhhh...What have I gotten myself into?" she said to herself. |
Someone You Like | Heaven Is... | Some time had passed since the moon was raised for the night. And for the thousandth time that night, the tip of a pencil was dragged across a page of Princess Luna's sketchbook, scratching out abstract images of stars and planets, rocky desert canyons, quaint little villages where the ponies slept under the stars, and fanciful boats on a river.
With her headphones over her ears, Princess Luna hummed along with the song she had been listening to on repeat for longer than she had remembered. The strums of the ukulele sweetly reverberated in her ears, and the mare and stallion duet filled her mind with what wonderful things they sang about.
It wasn't until her dance in the garden with Capper that she remembered what a beautiful song it was. How perfectly it captured the feeling of young love. Of course, it had been many, many, many years since Luna was young. And love was something that she had never been able to experience with her royal duties. And of course, her downfall and banishment to the moon. Through it all, the song reminded her of everything that she had missed.
The picture was nearing completion. Eyes were drawn gazing into one another. Hooves were drawn gently clasped around their partners. And the soft glow of the moon poured down its crystal rays from its silver face, caressing all beneath it with its velvet touch, just as the song finished its last notes.
Princess Luna looked over her latest work, appraising it silently. With the details added, she may well place it on her wall of fame. Glancing over to the wall, she saw all of her favorite works. The mare who stood in the fields of golden grass, staring coyly from the portrait into the eyes of her lover. The one with the bride marching down the aisle, seen from the view of where her groom would have stood. And finally, the very first drawing she had ever placed upon that wall. The one with the mare and a stallion sitting across from one another at a restaurant table, facing away from the view out the window at the rainy streets of some unknown city in Trottingham.
It had never crossed her mind before but Princess Luna began to wonder who those two were. If they were longtime lovers, or simply strangers who simply happened to share that table on that day. Or, perhaps more likely than she had known, she thought that they were two ponies who had met once or twice before and were finally meeting for the last time before they went their separate ways.
Princess Luna sighed to herself. Of anypony who she could have thought about sharing a date with, Capper was probably the last cat, let alone any creature, that she thought it would ever be. After all, what Capper had said was true. They truly had no reason to meet with one another. It could have been any other creature. And as it happened, a cat with a bad luck streak had crossed her path. A cat who had no interest in her status or her riches. Who made her feel at ease with herself, even at the formal gatherings she couldn't stand. Best of all, who she could be completely honest with.
Luna mouthed the last words of the song as it finished once more.
"Princess Luna?"
"Knock next time!!" Princess Luna shrieked as she slammed her sketchbook shut and rolled out of bed in one fluid movement.
To her everlasting shock, there stood the maid who had fetched her on the night of the Gala. The maid herself stood with an expression of pure surprise.
"I-I'm so sorry! I tried to knock, b-but you didn't answer," the maid said.
"No, no. I'm sorry. I thought you were my sister. She's been known to treat my room as her own," Luna said, keeping her voice steady.
"Oh. I see," the maid managed to chuckle. "Erm, I was informed by one of the guards that somepony is waiting for you."
"Say again?"
"Somepony is waiting for you. They said that they were to meet you around eight o' clock," the maid said. She raised a curious brow, "If I may ask: who is it you're meeting? And why at this hour?"
Princess Luna wasn't listening. Her eyes were cast directly on the clock on her nightstand, where the hands rested firmly on eight-thirty.
"Oh, no, no, no!" she said, bolting to her wardrobe.
"We could tell your friend to come back," the maid suggested.
"No!" Luna nearly shouted. "Tell him to wait for me in the royal garden. I'll be ready in-in just a moment."
Dress after dress flew out of the wardrobe, until the maid watched her princess drag out an entire rack load and drop it on the bed. When she watched Princess Luna catch her hoof on a dress she had dropped, fall on her face and scramble across the floor to her bathroom, she decided to silently take her leave.
Princess Luna reached up to the counter and pulled herself up from the floor. Without even looking in the mirror, she magically picked up a brush and started yanking it through her mane. By the time she had looked in the mirror, she began applying lipstick and picked up a can of mane dye and tried squeezing it into her mane.
Empty.
"Damn!" she silently cursed.
She placed the can on the counter and turned her head to look for more, only to smear her lipstick across her snout when she did.
"Oh!!"
She slammed her brush and lipstick onto the counter and roughly opened a drawer to retrieve a cotton pad. Perhaps she slammed the counter too hard, as her mirror fell loose from the nails that it hung from.
Quickly, she backed away from the falling mirror and caught it with her magic and hung it back on the wall, quickly reaffixing the nails into the wall as she did.
She looked at her reflection, seeing yet again a mess of a mare who was only going to make a fool of herself in front of everypony. Was she making too big a deal of things? Was trying to make everything just so going to ruin her? Slowly, Princess Luna started wiping away the smeared lipstick, reapplied it slowly, brushed her mane with only minimal styling, and only curled her eyelashes. When that was done, she looked at herself in the mirror, turned her head, threw her mane over one shoulder, and parted her lips ever so slightly. Surely this was the 'inner model' she had heard mentioned by ponies like Rarity.
When she left her bathroom, Princess Luna took almost no time to choose from the dresses she had strewn about. There, lying before her was just the one. A strapless purple gown that she hadn't worn since she bought it the year before. Simple. Elegant. Perfect. Quickly, she slipped the dress on and took one last look at herself in her bedside mirror. Why had she not put that dress on sooner? She looked so good in it. But, she couldn't admire herself for too long. She had a date waiting for her.
She quickly trotted out of her bedroom and down the hall. Before she ever reached the corner, there was a sudden wall of white fur and an aurora-patterned mane.
Two loud 'oofs' sounded as Princess Luna backed up and saw her sister shaking her head.
"Oh, my. So sorry, sister. I didn't see you coming," Princess Celestia apologized.
"Nor I. So sorry," Luna said.
"Goodness. Where are you going in such a lovely dress?" Celestia paused a moment as a smirk crawled onto her lips, "And in such a hurry?"
"I..." Luna paused. She had always been open with her sister, but had no idea how to tell her about her plans with Capper, "I'm...going to help somepony who has been having nightmares as of late."
"I see. How polite of you to make yourself up for your appointment," her sister joked.
"It's at a very formal household. No riff-raff allowed. Terribly sorry. Can't stay any longer. I'm late enough as it is. Farewell."
And she practically ran past her sister, all the way down to the garden doors. When she arrived at the glass doors, she hesitated. With one last breath, she opened the doors and wandered into the garden. Even though she hadn't said where in the garden to meet, she thought she knew just the place to go.
Sure enough, there was Capper, lying on a bench, looking up at the stars, surrounded by tropical plants. Slowly, she approached him from behind, thinking to surprise him. Until she saw his ear twitch.
"Could but one little star be enough to light the sky? To guide us to that fabled paradise, where new worlds are found and heartbreak is forgotten?"
Luna froze, wondering just what he was talking about. Suddenly, the cat rose to his feet but didn't turn around.
"You kept me waiting, Princess. And after you so earnestly asked me to not keep you," Capper said.
"I-Yes. I'm so sorry. I was just so caught up in-No. There's no excuse for my tardiness. How can I apologize for our lost time?"
"Apologies aren't necessary. Not tonight, at any rate."
Luna watched as Capper hopped off the bench. As he spun around in the air, she swore time froze for just a moment when their eyes first met. And with a soft thud, he landed on the grassy ground, dressed in a dapper black coat and hat.
"That's some dress you got on," Capper said, cool as ever.
"Th...Thank you. It's a Dream Amaranthine," Luna said.
"It's fitting."
"What do you mean?"
"You mean in a thousand years, you don't know?" Capper said with a smirk, "Amaranthine isn't just the color of that dress. It's defined as something that stays beautiful forever."
"I...I..." Luna could barely contain her smile as she flushed red and turned away from Capper. "I was just telling you the maker of this dress."
"The mare has good taste. Not as good as my girl, Rarity. Check out these slick threads she made me," Capper said, showing off his new ensemble.
Luna bit her lip as she looked Capper over in his dark clothes. Before, she never noticed how toned his body was. Then again, it was always hidden by that sleek fur of his.
"So, what's the plan, Luna?" Capper asked.
"What?"
"I know it's traditional for the man to escort his date, but I'm still a little new around here."
"Oh. Yes. Follow me. If we go now, we'll be able to just make it," Luna said. She offered Capper her shoulder. And when his paw rested on top of it, they made their way out of the gardens.
Beyond the palace grounds, the nightly streets of Canterlot were much more lively than Capper had once thought. Though the atmosphere was very quiet and subdued, the streets were brightly lit by the many lamps, and the ponies mingled about. As they walked, many of the passersby stopped to look at their reigning princess with a dapper stranger.
"This is it," Luna said, as she stopped before a building.
Capper looked up and was awed by the great pink neon sign, which was written in a language that he didn't recognize. Wherever it was, it was beyond anything that he had seen in a great long while.
They walked inside and were greeted by a stallion behind a podium. No words were exchanged between him and Princess Luna, before he ushered them into the dining room.
"Take your hat, sir?" asked a colt who stood by the door.
"Sure thing. Keep anything you find inside," Capper said, as he gave his hat to the colt and took his ticket.
The colt was about to ask what he meant, before Capper and Luna were led away to their table. When he looked inside the hat, he found ten bits just laying there. He didn't question how, but he gladly followed the cat's instructions and took them all.
Capper and Luna were led to their seats, somewhere near the edge of the dining room in a small, private area. Still, the maitre'd said nothing, but smiled knowingly as he offered two menus and a wine list. As soon as it was offered, Luna politely pushed the list back. The maitre'd nodded and bowed his way out, leaving them their privacy.
For a second, Luna thought Capper may have said something, and quickly opened her menu as wide as it would go. Capper tried to peer around the menu, only for it to shift to whichever side he tried to lean. Deciding it was best to let her engage him on her own time, Capper opened his own menu and started looking it over.
Luna's eyes danced across the menu, repeating its entire script for the fifth or sixth time. By then, she had almost memorized what she wanted for each course of the meal. And with every line she passed over, she became more and more aware of her reflection in the menu's laminated surface. How her mane could have been worked a little bit more. How just a light dusting of shadow would have brought out her eyelashes. And perhaps some rouge to hide any impending blushing. She tried to put her mind at ease with just a little small talk. Just a small word about how good the truffle salad looked. Or what that lovely smell was from somewhere nearby.
That smell? It was something smokey, but with a sweetness underneath it. Something that she had never experienced before. And it seemed to be coming from very nearby.
Slowly, Luna started to peer out from behind her menu.
"Ready to order yet?" Capper asked.
"Hm?"
"You've been looking at the menu for almost five minutes," Capper said.
"It...seems that I have," Luna said, casually closing her menu. "At any rate, I suppose we should just wait to be serviced. You have chosen, haven't you?"
"Of course. I was thinking for the first course, this tuna pate with sweetbread sounded good."
"Tuna? How feline of you."
"There's a reason stereotypes exist," Capper joked. "How about you? What's your first?"
"I think...I'll have the...ruffage du whitewood," Luna said, glimpsing back to the menu.
"What's that?"
"It's just a fancy word for a salad made from the leaves of whitewood trees."
"I've never heard of whitewood trees. What makes them so fancy that they get made into salads at posh places like this?"
"They're just very fancy trees," Luna said. She tapped her menu on the table, then lowered her gaze as she held it up.
"Something wrong?" Capper asked.
"I told you that I'm not so good at these experiments..." Luna quietly said.
"Oh. I see," Capper said. He waited a moment before he leaned over to try and meet Luna's eyes. "I'll be honest with you: it's been a long time since I did anything like this. I was really nervous that I'd mess something up."
"Were you?" Luna asked, lifting her gaze ever so slightly.
"Yeah. I actually wore cologne for the first time to do this. Just so if something goes wrong, I'd smell good doing it," Capper chuckled.
That sweet, smokey smell registered to Luna again. And if she really concentrated, she thought she knew where it was coming from.
"That cologne? What is it, exactly?" she asked.
"It's tobacco/vanilla. I got it back in Klugetown," Capper said.
"Mm...It makes you smell lovely."
Luna slowly put her menu back down and raised her eyes ever so slightly. She wasn't even aware as her cheeks reddened again.
"I feel like I must tell you: I've...never actually done anything like this before," she said.
"You're joking?" Capper said.
"I'm afraid not. It's just that between my royal duties and other...certain unpleasantries, I haven't had much of a chance to meet a stallion. Much less catch the eye of one."
"That can't possibly be true," Capper said. "Regardless of being a princess, you're easily one of the most beautiful ponies I've ever met. I don't have a doubt that hundreds of stallions have looked your way, only to be turned away by the idea that you're way out of their league."
Luna was silent as she rubbed her hoof across the tablecloth. Finally, she spoke.
"I was very young when I became a princess," she began. "I so wanted to see and do the things that all of my peers were. But, all I was ever shown was the ways of royalty. And with that comes the fear that anypony who likes you likes your crown even more. And then there was my, shall we say, 'fall from good graces.' I was still quite young when that happened, and I spent a thousand more years missing out on all of the things that I so yearned for. Even though I was only a few years older than you during that time, I still have to learn everything that creatures like you did over their lifetime."
"Is that why you decided to dye your hair?" Capper wondered.
"It's one reason, I suppose," Luna shrugged. "I just don't want to live my life in a bubble. I want to do things. Real things. Things that scare me. That's why I agreed to go to the gala with my sister."
"For what it's worth. I'm really glad that you did," Capper said, earning an appreciative smile from Luna. "I don't know if it's the same thing, but I think I know how you feel. Even before I ended up in Klugetown, I was running with thugs, pickpockets, fences, and all those other seedy types. I never really had a chance to live a normal life. Even now, I'm still adjusting to what it's really like out there. I just feel like I wasted so much time that I have to make up for."
"If I may say so, I think this is a great start for us both," Luna said, smiling as she turned her gaze from Capper once more. Then, she slowly met his eyes. "Capper. I must ask, whose idea was it for me to participate in this experiment? This...date? Was it truly Trixie's idea?"
For just a second, Capper didn't know whose idea it really was. But, the more that he thought about it, he thought he might have known.
"I think what happened was Trixie was pressing ideas that one of us already had," he answered.
"Do you mean you and Trixie, or you and I?" Luna asked.
"I think only you can answer that for certain," Capper nodded. "So, you've never been on a date before?"
"I'm what Spike has called 'socially awkward.' Most ponies learn very quickly that I'm not like my sister."
"What do you like, anyway?" Capper asked.
"Like?" Luna wondered.
"Hobbies. Interests. That kind of thing."
"Oh. Well, reading is always a passion of mine. And drawing. Most ponies don't know this, but I hardly go anywhere without my sketchbook. And the theater," Luna said.
"Theater?" Capper said, his eyes lighting up.
"Yes. I've never performed. Nor would I. But, I always loved watching the shows onstage. All the colorful sets. The craft that goes into building them. And the actors, there, live and in person. I've always wondered how they felt up there, standing before a hundred spectators, baring their emotions to them all." She rubbed her hoof more across the tablecloth. "I'm sorry. This must all sound so strange to you. I must seem strange..."
"I don't think so," Capper said. "I think we all get a little nervous when pressured. I was before this date started. Then I saw you in the garden, and it all just melted away."
"That's sweet of you to say," Luna said. As a smile slowly bloomed onto her lips, she lifted her menu to hide her girlish grin. Not high enough to hide her gaze, which she kept firmly on Capper. Quietly, she cleared her throat. "Capper, what's something I don't know about you?"
"What's that?" Capper asked.
"You say all the time that you're nothing but a second-rate hustler. But, I think there's more to you than that. What's something that you haven't told me yet?"
That same feeling of a twisted knot welled up in Capper's stomach. But, after the encounter with Needy and the unpleasant exchange in his house, he felt that there was more to himself than he wanted to reveal. He drummed his paw on the table, trying to think of something to tell Luna. Something real that he wouldn't have to gloss over.
"I...like writing," he pitifully said.
"Really?" Luna said, quickly placing her menu back on the table, "What precisely do you write about?"
"Just anything, really. Whatever comes to mind. There's no real train of thought when I start doing it," Capper said.
"Do you want to be an author?"
"Not really. When I was a kitten, I wanted to be a singer. Not just any singer. I wanted to be one of those guys who wrote their own songs that they sang." Capper sighed quietly. "I guess it was too big a dream for a small timer like me."
"You shouldn't say such things. It's never too late to reach for a dream, no matter how far off or daunting it may seem. Most of the greatest inventions started out like a dream. And the world's most successful children's author couldn't read or write until she was in the sixth grade. And then...Here we are, like this," Luna said.
Capper grinned. If anypony had told him a year ago that he would be having a candlelit dinner with the Princess of the Night, he would have waved them off. That night, there he was, sharing himself, his hopes, his dreams with Princess Luna of Equestria.
He glanced down when he felt Luna's hoof set on top of his paw. For the first time, he felt something inside of him that he couldn't define. Something beautiful that he couldn't put into words. It was at once uplifting and heartwarming, like a first kiss or a smile that was long, long forgotten.
"Th...Thank you. And I really mean that," Capper said.
"You're welcome. And I really mean that," Luna giggled.
They both suddenly became aware of the waiter approaching them. Somehow, Capper had lost his appetite. Not in any bad way. His mind was suddenly on something else.
The dinner was eaten. Over the five courses that they ordered, hardly any more words were spoken. A few bites of food were shared, one of which ended up with Luna getting a spot of bordelaise sauce on her snout. Something that Capper didn't tell her, and she didn't figure out when he didn't stop giggling. By the time she cleaned herself off, she magically raised the plate of meat he was eating to lightly slap him on his nose, giving him a matching blemish.
Laughter and joy were shared for the rest of the meal until the two of them paid the bill and left into the lively nighttime streets. For just a moment, they thought that they could hear music somewhere. Where it was, or even if it was real, neither could tell. Whatever it was, they couldn't have asked for a better complement to their evening.
"Thank you, Capper. It's been fun," Luna said.
"'Been?' You're saying that like the night has to end so soon. I don't see any reason why we have to rush it to the end," Capper said.
Luna's smile grew suddenly larger. She knew exactly where they could spend the rest of the night. A place filled with fun and games, prizes, and parties.
"Capper? Have you ever been to the Canterlot boardwalk?" she asked.
Even from a distance, laughter and voices blended together among the groups of friends who gathered at the Canterlot boardwalk for some late night fun. After their first steps onto the wooden planks of the boardwalk that overlooked the valley, it all flowed into Capper and Luna. A welcoming, heartwarming place where the good times never ended.
"Looks like one hell of a place," Capper said.
Luna said nothing. She only smiled broadly at the sight. She had gone there so many times with her sister when they were younger, and never tired of what was to be found there. And after having been away for so long, it was all the more overjoyous to be there with somepony like Capper. Without any warning, she ran ahead of him.
"Whoa! Luna, where are you going?" Capper said.
"To see the boardwalk, silly! Come along! The night won't last forever!" she replied, before continuing her excited rush into the midway.
Capper wasted no time running after her. She was always some ten or fifteen steps ahead of him, rushing from booth to booth, seeing what they had to offer. But, Luna never stayed long. Only a second for Capper to call her name, before she dashed to the next attraction. In time, Capper lost sight of her.
"Luna! Wait up!" he called.
He looked around, not able to see mane or tail of Luna. The very last place he could conceivably think she had gone to was to the juggler straight ahead of himself.
Capper approached the juggler, who was tossing several styles of hats into the air, letting them land on his head one after the other, rolling them across his shoulders, twirling them two at a time on his hooves. And all the while dancing madly.
"Hey!" Capper called.
"Hm?" the juggler said, letting the black pork pie hat land on top of his messy, black mane.
"Did you see Princess Luna come by here?"
Capper was taken completely aback by the answer.
"Who's that?"
"Y-You're kidding, right?" Capper said.
The blank stare of the juggler told him the answer to his question.
"Wait. The alicorn in the purple dress. She went-"
"Capper!"
Before the juggler ever finished answering, Luna came trotting back to Capper's side and grasped his paw.
"I've found it! My favorite game here! Come with me! Hurry! Hurry!" she said, dragging Capper away.
Capper was pulled by his paw through the crowd for what felt like a hundred feet, until Luna stopped before a booth where a basketball hoop hung above a wall loaded with fuzzy stuffed animals.
"A hoop shot?" Capper said.
"Yes! It's always been my favorite game here ever since I was a filly!" Luna said.
Capper watched Luna's beaming smile, then glanced to the wall of prizes.
"Which one of these plushies catches your eye?" he asked.
Luna hummed quietly to herself as she scanned the shelves. It was only a moment later that her face lit up. "The panda. I must have it!"
Capper looked to where she pointed, and saw a stuffed panded that was half the size of Luna herself. Having gotten his start as a hustler with things like this, Capper already knew that there was some catch.
"How many shots do we get?" Capper asked the game's operator.
"For a prize like the panda? Three shots in a row," the stallion at the booth said.
"Seems simple enough," Capper said.
"You'd be surprised," the operator said, tossing a ball to Capper. "Normally, it's five bits a game, but I'll put this one on the house, seeing as you got royal company tonight."
Capper twirled the ball in his paws and looked pensively up at the hoop. He pulled the ball to his chest, crouched slightly and made his shot.
The ball bounced off the edge of the backboard, and into the safety net below it.
"That's one," Luna said.
"There goes our shot at a panda. Let's try to get one of the two shot prizes," Capper said.
He aimed again. He shot again. He missed again.
"Damn!"
Before he could grab another ball, Luna took it in her hooves. She aimed carefully and sent the ball through the air right through the hoop. All net.
"It seems I've still got it," she said.
"One shot. That's worth at least this turtle," the operator said, offering the stuffed prize.
"Put it back. We came for a panda. We're leaving with a panda," Capper said, placing his five bits onto the counter.
"Perhaps I'll take the next shot?" Luna offered.
"Sure. See if you've still got it. Luck, that is," Capper said, rolling the first ball across the counter to Luna.
Luna smirked, aimed the ball and shot again. And there was another swish of the net.
"Aren't I the one who's supposed to win you something?" Capper joked.
"I suppose so. Then again, I always end up getting what I want for myself," Luna replied.
"I'm sorry, are you saying that you got your own powers back from Eris?"
Luna's ears dropped and she stared blankly at Capper.
"Very well," she said, passing the second ball to him, "You make the next shot. But, it's going to be your bits if you need to try for the panda again."
Capper assumed his position and carefully analyzed the trajectory of his throw. From the hoop to where he was, it was only about fifteen feet. And the hoop itself was only about eight feet off the ground. But, there was still something off. Only one way to find out.
The ball sailed from Capper's paws again. It flew threw the air and hit the back of the hoop, then bounced into the net.
"My, my. Impressive," Luna said.
Impressive. That was exactly the word to describe it. Impressive that he made that shot, even though he could now see how the game was rigged against him. The way the ball had bounced was not in any way it should have. Not if the game was set up fairly. Capper looked at the panda, and a devious smile crawled onto his face.
"Wait," he said, before Luna took the last ball. "Let me take the last shot."
"If you really feel you're up for it," Luna said.
Capper took the last ball and aimed again. Not to the basket this time. His aim was a little higher.
Pulling the ball directly to his chest, Capper thrust his arms directly forward as hard as he could. The ball rocketed into the backboard and bounced off. Not upward, as it should have. Instead, it shot directly back to Capper, hitting him squarely in his face, taking him off his paws.
"Capper!!" Luna gasped. She knelt down and lifted his head, "Capper, are you alright?"
"Better than that..." Capper moaned. Through his spinning, foggy vision, he could see the shocked face of the game's operator. Capper pointed an accusing finger at him, "I knew it...Shenanigans..."
It wasn't long after that Capper was lying against the side of a gigantic panda with Luna pressing an ice pack against his forehead.
"Who cares about my head? I got your panda, didn't I?" Capper said.
"Honestly, there must have been a better way than risking a concussion," Luna replied.
"Forget about it. I can spare a few IQ points to bust a hustler. No way was he going to get away with angling the hoop downward."
"But, for a stuffed panda?"
"He was lucky I just took that. Between busting him in front of royalty and the personal injury, I could have cleaned out his whole booth!" Capper laughed. His head throbbed again, making him groan.
"Capper..." Luna said, lifting the pack. She turned Capper's head and lit up the tip of her horn. "Capper, look at me."
Both were silent as she shone the light into each one of his eyes. To Luna's greatest relief, both his eyes contracted equally. And even then, she lingered as she looked at his eyes.
"If you found what you're looking for, can you turn out that light? I'm starting to see spots here," Capper said.
"Oh. Sorry," Luna said, dousing the light from her horn and reapplying the ice pack. "So, the good news is that you're truly not concussed."
"I've had worse," Capper shrugged.
"Was it really worth it?"
"It's not the craziest thing I've done for you."
"Shamefully, that's true," Luna said.
Capper leaned his head back and sighed as he sank into the side of the panda. His smile spread to Luna's face, as she settled down next to him and allowed her weight to sink against the plush animal. Their eyes both turned upward, gazing at the many stars that twinkled in the sky. Where they were, far on the edge of the boardwalk, nopony was there to interrupt them.
"I've been meaning to ask you," Luna began, "When I went to meet you in the garden tonight, what was it you were saying?"
"What do you mean?" Capper asked.
"You said something about the stars and a light to paradise. What did you mean by that?"
Capper turned his whole head, his nose only inches from Luna's.
"It's nothing, really. Just a song I heard when I was a kitten. I don't know who sang it, or even what the song was called. But, I heard it so many times. I don't know how it all goes, but that opening verse always stuck with me. I tried and tried to find out what it was, or where I could hear it, but it turns out that it's a ridiculously rare song. Not even a full version of it has been discovered. Still, as long as I live, that song won't be forgotten."
Capper kept the gaze of Luna, who smiled sweetly back at him. A low sigh issued from her mouth as she nudged toward him. Capper could feel his heart jump when the top of Luna's head brushed beneath his chin. And there she rested.
"Will you sing that song for me?" Luna asked.
"I...don't remember how it all goes," Capper said.
"Please sing it anyway."
It was a request he couldn't refuse. Capper rested one paw around Luna's shoulders, pulled her closer and began to sing.
Luna's ear twitched as the low, sweet sound of a quiet hum or chant rang to her. After, it was followed with pretty words of the stars, love enough, and that sweet, fabled paradise. Only a few lyrics after that, Capper's voice simply hummed in her ears, keeping her entranced on the tune. Whatever would have been sung next, she knew it could only be wonderful.
In time, the song ended and Capper's voice fell silent. Luna laid with her eyes closed, letting the echoes of the melody play again in her head. She let the last of her breath release, and rubbed her mane beneath Capper's chin as she lifted her head.
"Tonight has been wonderful, Capper. But, I'm afraid I must get going," she said.
"Already? But, the night isn't over yet," Capper said.
"That's the thing. Ponies will be expecting to wake up any time now. And the moon must be lowered for the sun to come up."
"Right. Duty calls, and everything," Capper chuckled.
"Oh, Capper, don't take it too hard. I'm sure Trixie will be pleased to know that her experiment went quite well." Luna hovered her lips directly to Capper's ear, "And I'll definitely want to hear that song of yours again."
Capper let her breath waft warmly in his ear, before he answered. "I guess I'll see you around."
"Sooner than you think," Luna said.
Capper stood first and helped Luna to her hooves. The two of them walked all the way to the end of the boardwalk, where Capper allowed Luna to fly the rest of the way home with her panda. Once she had gone, the cat watched her go until she was just another shadow in the sky. With that, he walked his own way home.
By the time Luna landed on her balcony, she practically threw the doors open and rolled onto her bed without taking her dress off. She laid her head against the panda, smiling to herself. When she stretched a hoof out, she found that her headphones and sketchbook were still exactly where she had left them. For the last time that night, she put her headphones on and played that song she had so loved. Only this time, it was Capper's song that she heard. As the music played, a new picture for her sketchbook formed in her mind.
"So, everything turned out well?" Trixie asked.
Capper wasn't surprised when he found Trixie squatting on his couch when he got home. And he was equally unsurprised when he found that she had eaten all of his sunflower seeds. Taking his seat next to her, he emptied a fresh bag of the seeds into the dish on the table.
"I told you. She said that I can tell you that you'd be pleased with your experiment," Capper said.
"And...?" Trixie asked.
"And that's all the details you're going to get."
"Oh, pshaw. You make it sound so perverse."
"Tell you what: on our next date, I'll let you have a little more dirt," Capper said, cracking a seed for himself.
"The...next...?" Trixie screeched loudly and bounced on the couch. "You have made The Great and Powerful Trixie so proud! I told you you could do it!"
"Okay! So you were right! It's no call to make me deaf!" Capper said, plugging his ear nearest to Trixie.
Trixie took a hoofful of sunflower seeds and stuffed them into her mouth, staring intently at Capper.
"What?" Capper asked.
"Did you kiss her?" Trixie asked.
"No."
Trixie swallowed the seeds, shell and all.
"Why not!?"
"I don't know," Capper lied. "I guess I'm not the type of tomcat to kiss on the first date."
"Talk about your missed chances," Trixie said, reaching for more seeds.
Capper grasped her horn and moved the seeds away from her, before taking some for himself.
"You heard what I said. A second date's practically guaranteed. I'll have my chance one of these days," he said.
"So if a second date is guaranteed, what do you plan on doing?" she asked.
"I don't know. Haven't thought of it," Capper shrugged.
"I'm sure you will think of something." Trixie used her magic to pick up a hoofful of sunflowers seeds.
And for the first time, he believed it. Once again, he thought back to the night of the gala. The one chance that he took to talk with the princess. To dance with her to that beautiful, wonderful song. He had no idea where his path would take him next. But for everything he had done, he was sure he wouldn't have to walk it alone.
"Excuse me," Trixie said, taking Capper from his thoughts, "What is that song you have playing? Haven't I heard it before?"
Capper glimpsed down to his cassette player, which was still going since he turned it on before.
"They played it at the gala," Capper chuckled.
"What's it called?"
"Someone you like..."
And maybe, just maybe, he thought that he could be someone that Luna would like. |
Blaze | pre | The elder quickly said, "No," but it took him some time to explain his side of the story. "I went out looking for you two, when I suddenly got this really horrible cough. I couldn't keep my hooves on solid ground, so I just laid there coughing. After a while, I blacked out. I'm not sure why; it could've been the cough, the tension, or maybe -- I don't know." He turned his head to avoid eye contact for a minute.
I poked his belly with my nose. "Hey, don't dwell on it. Now that we're here, you can start breaking in to a happy life, starting with this building here." I got his eyes to follow mine to a sign with the red cross on it. "We're here."
"Goodness! I didn't think it would take so little time! Well, thank you, Blaze. We can continue this tomorrow."
"Sure. I'll get you a room, throw some bits down, and then you'll get your respective treatment. I'll check on you at first light tomorrow." I said. He smiled, and we went through the glass doors. After a little paperwork, the nurses nodded and escorted the elder to his assigned room. He managed to get the same room and doctors I did, and he questioned me on their ability.
"These ponies will take care of me?"
I reassured him with, "Sir, there's no better pair of hooves I trust."
The glass doors closed between us. The elder turned to go with the nurses as the doors completely closed the air between us. He's in good hooves.
With him now in proper care, I lightly gallop back down to Golden Oaks Library. Twilight wouldn't want to disturb me so late in the day unless it had significant meaning. My pace picks up on its own, and I arrive sooner than I wanted.
I knock. When I do, there's an indistinct talking followed by a very clear "I'm coming!". She wasn't even ready for me!
A couple minutes later, the door opens to reveal a heavy-eyed Twilight Sparkle. "Oh... Hey Blaze. Come on in."
But I was hesitant. "What're you doing, sleeping?"
She nods. "The elder was right. That mass transportation took more out of me than I thought," she said slowly, with distinct fatigue in her voice. "Guess I konked out for a bit."
"It's no big deal," I say as I walk in and observe my surroundings. "I swear, this place seems to grow a little every time I see it."
"Well, it IS a tree, Blaze."
Twilight had a sense of humor after all. I blew a raspberry and she cracked up. I joined in the laughter after a second or two. "Okay, now what did you want to show me?"
"Oh, right," Twilight snapped back to her serious self. "I mostly called you here so I could give you this, but since it's late, why don't I get a bed ready?"
She levitated a dark brown book in front of me until I grabbed it with my own magic. Then she went to get something on the top floor and returned with a bag. I'm paying more attention to what she's doing than her book right now.
The bag had a lock on it which, when she inserted her horn, unlocked and unfolded into a mattress and several sheets varying in thickness. Then she stepped back and waved me over.
"You made that spell?"
"Yep!" She smiled and held her head up high. "For quick, organized preparations for camps or sleepovers. Make yourself at home!"
"Well, that's... very nice of you," I said as I approached the bed. It's a queen-sized mattress, so it'll hold at least two ponies comfortably.
Twilight gave a slight blush as she turned to do something else. "Oh, you're perfectly welcome, Blaze." She then made to the second floor and climbed back into her respective bed. She was a mess. Knowing her, however, she should be better after a good night's sleep.
I roll onto the bed, fix up one of the lighter sheets around me, and tuck it under with my magic. A mattress was much more comfortable than those dead leaves that crumble and itch every time you move. I'm going to fall asleep like a baby, but I remember about the book she picked out. I find it on the floor, and use magic to draw it to me. I open to the first page, and the first thing I saw was a picture of a sea green filly waving and a caption above that read, "Hello!"
She gave me Faded Ivory's diary. |
Blaze | Chapter 10.) What In The Blazes? | The first thing that comes in my mind is 'How the hell did Twilight get Ivory's diary?' I mean, obviously she got it while she was at the village, but I nearly had my eye on her the entire time! And she never left the rest of the herd, nor did she ever use her magic. I wonder...
Then I thought, 'Twilight doesn't necessarily have to be the pony that fetched it...' But the other five were in my line of sight the whole time!
Except Rainbow Dash.
Those sneaky little thieves... I thought that maybe Twilight was expecting me to now say something like 'How did you get this?' or 'Why didn't you get this to me earlier?', but instead I chuckle and say, "Nice catch, Twi."
I heard her turn in her bed at my comment. "Heheh..." She stayed up, anticipating when I would say something, no doubt, because I remember Twilight as a heavy sleeper. She was probably going to make some small talk until she went to sleep now, but I didn't care. Talk away.
Because I wasn't angry. In fact, I was brimming with happiness.
"I've told Princess Celestia all we know about you, Blaze. She sends her sympathies, but she's also a little eager to meet you. Maybe when your elder gets better, we can all go up to Canterlot and introduce you."
"Sounds like a date," I say again, however with less results, just as I expected.
"Ugh... Please stop using that horrible pun."
"Why?"
"Because," she was now sitting up in her bed, "it makes me uncomfortable."
"Sue me." I laugh a quiet laugh as to not wake the baby dragon, but I learned he's a heavier sleeper even than Twilight.
She only groaned louder. "Why would I -- Oh, never mind. But seriously, if she wants to see you, then you have to come."
"I know. Best not upset royalty."
"Which reminds me..." Twilight is now completely out of her bed, making me a little uncomfortable, "I've figured out what they call a pony with wings and a horn. You're an alicorn! You may have some connection to the Princess!"
"Hmph!" I shrug. "I doubt it. Can't say I remember anything of the sort, but that doesn't mean it's not possible."
"Just a friendly warning." Twilight had now jumped down from the top floor to mine, and walked slowly over to my bed as she talked, "So, Blaze... I scrolled through a little bit of that diary... I see what Faded Ivory was like now."
That's not true. "No, Twilight. You can't analyze who Ivory was just by looking at her. No, underneath that sea green coat contained the softest heart I've ever known. She was kind, protective, loyal, generous, and most of all passionate. That outer beauty is just a dust cover of the embodiment of happiness she was."
The purple pony sat at the foot of the bed now, causing me to escape the sheets as well. "Oh... Well, still..."
" 'Well, still,' nothing." I returned hastily, "Pictures don't show your soul, Twilight Sparkle."
She stepped back one hoof, creating a false negative tension in the air. I was now sitting up as well with a slight smile that I thought would even the mood.
Twilight smiled back. "Yeah, sorry. I can't bite my tongue when it comes to this stuff, I swear."
"It's all right. I'm already used to it."
With little else coming to mind at the moment, I decide to lay back down and get some sleep. She picks up my message and goes back to her bed as well. When she was comfortable, she let out a sigh and said, "Good night, Blaze."
I chuckled and replied, "Sweet dreams, Twilight Sparkle."
I woke up that morning due to Rainbow Dash's disconcern for being light on the door. "Twilight!! You gotta help me find Blaze! It's about his --" She cut off as I jumped to cover myself with the sheets. She stood there, staring into my eyes for about a minute before she backed away and said, "Uhh... Never mind. I guess I'll get back to you when you guys are more... decent."
I tilt my head in confusion. 'Decent?' I don't normally wear clothes... Wait, 'we?' I turn my head to Twilight's bed, which was vacant. I then facehoofed, because I then knew what Rainbow Dash meant.
She was sleeping with me.
I get out of the sheets quietly. We walk outside to converse without disturbing Sleeping Beauty.
"What's going on?"
"It's the elder, Blaze! He's gone!"
The words take immediate effect. I instantly break into a full-out gallop. I can't lose the elder, not after all that's happened.
I expected what Rainbow Dash said to mean that the elder is simply missing. He just wasn't in his room at the appropriate time. But as we come within eye sight of the hospital, I learned that missing was an understatement. Captured could be a better word for it. I could only gasp at what I saw...
The hospital no longer stands tall.
"Man, talk about breaking and entering..." are the only words I could form. It's that monster. It got to Ponyville, and it was after the elder. I shudder as I imagine getting ponynapped by a 50-foot shadow.
"I dunno how long the building's been like this! I came to check on the dude when I woke up, and it was like that!" Rainbow explained a little of the crisis in her perspective.
"Damn it! Why didn't anypony do anything!? Why didn't I do anything!?" I blame myself for not hearing the distinct crash it would've made, which only made me angrier at that monster.
"What's going o -- Whoa!" Twilight had woken up and followed us.
"That monster!! I swear, that freak is gonna pay for this!!" I felt my eyes flare with energy.
"Oh my gosh!..." Twilight was speechless at the sight of the continued destruction. No, not just destruction, the whole genocide kept at it, as further examination revealed pancake patties and mutilated limbs of what used to be doctors, nurses, patients, etc. It took her a minute to choke out, "Here, Blaze! It's from Celestia!" and picks up a scroll from the assistant who rode on her back. I grab it with my flame aura, unfold it, and see what they want me to read...
'Twilight Sparkle,
I need you and the other element bearers to meet me outside the Canterlot walls as soon as possible. There's been an attack! The city throne no longer exists, and most of the Royal Guard are K.I.A.. The force at work is still unknown: It looked somewhat like an Ursa, but it was an unnatural hue of darkness, and its eyes
were of pure evil.
Bring Blaze and his elder along with you. Their experience of their village may help to identify this threat. If worse comes to worst, the Elements of Harmony should seal away the evil encased in that monster.
I expect to hear from you immediately!
Princess Celestia'
"Let's go!" I say, wanting to end this before it gets too far out of hoof.
"Rainbow?" Twilight shouted up to her, "Get the others ready to go! We need to go to Canterlot, stat!"
"Aye aye!" Rainbow gave a quick salute and shot herself out towards the closest dwelling, in this case Sugar Cube Corners.
I turned and gazed upon the scene again. "Damn it... ...Well, I'm going now. I can't let any harm befall the elder, if he's still alive!" I started to flap my wings.
"No, wait! That'll only do us more harm than good right now! Let's go together!"
"Twilight, this is my ELDER we're talking about! You don't seriously expect me to just sit here while you all get ready!?"
"That's EXACTLY what I expect!"
I threw my head up and stomped my forelegs, "Damn it, Twilight!!"
"Look, I'm sorry about your elder, okay? He's the only thing you have left, I understand, but that doesn't earn you a head start over us! We NEED to go together, for the safety of numbers!"
Her explanation was helping my mind, but it wasn't putting out the fire. "...Urrgh, all right, but make it snappy." Then I said something I thought my anger would manipulate and replace with something else.
"For Celestia's sake." |
Blaze | Chapter 11.) The Calm Before The Storm | It's all I could do to keep my hooves and wings from traveling for Canterlot. The elder's life is in danger, Celestia herself is also in peril, and these ponies are taking what seems like FOREVER to prepare. I very impatiently pace up and down the sides of the railroad tracks, feeling a flame of anxiety raging away at my insides.
We regroup at the train station. About a half-hour has passed since each pony departed to brace themselves for what could be a long trip, but may also be a gory fight. I'm so relieved - in a sense - by their presence now that I throw my hooves in the air.
"Finally!! What took you all so long!?"
The element bearers all attempted to speak their reasons at once, only making me more frustrated. Everypony seemed determined to get their point through over the others. During this struggle to overtalk one another, I continued to grow hotter. So much so that the fire in me moved from my stomach to another location...
My horn.
I threw my head up towards the sky so nopony would be scathed by my eruption. Nopony except me; I've never experienced this before, and some of the flames trickled back down to dance across my coat. The recoil dug my hooves into the ground, steadfast. I felt my legs turn to stone, my eyes shrink to the size of needle heads, and my teeth were grit so tightly they could fracture any second.
The other ponies shrieked and drew cover from my explosion. It was draining me fast. After a few seconds, the fire completely died out. I stood there, still unable to move except the serious case of twitching that I've now developed, watching the inferno race into the atmosphere and die. Watching it all vanish somehow grants me mobility again, and my belly meets the ground. Following closely was a loss of breath, a cascade of sweat, and calls of worry from six - well, maybe five, knowing Fluttershy - colorful friends of mine.
"What was that all about?" AppleJack wanted to start a conversation.
But all I could do at the moment was try and catch some air through some heavy inhales and groan. I finally managed to say, "Ow..."
"'Ow?'" Rarity found it necessary to mock me.
"Hey, guys," I said in between breaths, "Don't make me... get too hot, okay?"
Twilight put her hoof in. "Wait, you mean you did that involuntarily?"
Now having regained a little energy, I take a standing position. "It just happened. I felt it moving, and that's when I threw my head back. I guess it's because I got too angry."
The others had confused looks posted on their faces. Obviously I didn't play my cards very well, but I didn't even know all my cards so I guess I should've expected this. All traces of confusion left their faces simultaneously, however, as a whoo-whoo wakes everypony up. I shift to my left to find the train approaching the station.
"You... aren't going to do that again... on the train, are you?" Fluttershy poked my back very gently with a hoof.
I shook my head and say, "I promise."
Just as she steps onto the train, the doors begin to close. An overly timid pegasus pony almost instantly does a 180 and jumps back from the closing door and onto my back. Unaware of the situation at the moment, my breath escapes, but only for a second because she's not that heavy. My eyes reel around to the location of the incident, where I see three pink butterflies staring me down. Fluttershy's cutie mark. I glimpse over them to find their bearer looking back with innocent eyes as well. When our eyes meet, she instantly starts to blush and turns her head away.
"Hi, Fluttershy!" I say in an upbeat tone in an attempt to lighten the mood.
Saying that makes her yeep, followed by a slip and she falls off to her left. She picked herself up rather quickly, though, and gave a shy smile back, while making an odd noise that sounded kind of... cuddly. Then she walked off to join the other ponies.
Judging by what the others have said about Canterlot prior to this trip, it's probably going to take another half-hour before we arrive. The element bearers took this time to show each other what they decided to bring along. From the other side of the cart, I can see books, scarfs, food bundles, and unsurprisingly a party cannon. Twilight then takes a second to observe where I am, confirms, then picks up what looks to be a tiara and about five different necklaces with her magic. This catches my attention, as I attempt to see past Rarity, who so perfectly placed herself sideways to block ninety percent of my vision. But much to my relief, Twilight stepped away from the group and started to approach me with the jewelry.
"These," she begins to say while my eyes fix on the accessories, "are the Elements of Harmony, Blaze."
"Wait wait wait, this jewelry is responsible for locking away two of the darkest foes since you all became their bearers?"
"They look flimsy enough, don't they?" Twilight replaced her small smile with a laugh, but quickly re-replaces her smile. "But yes, these are the strongest weapons known to Equestria, as far as Celestia knows."
"Whoa! Okay, point those things somewhere else, then!" I pretend to be scared. My victim bought the bait, as a giggle escaped her mouth.
"No, Blaze, they have to have their respective embodiments wearing them or otherwise they're useless."
"Why?"
"Beats me. They just do..."
Not wanting to dwell on a topic that went nowhere, I change to a slightly different topic. "Hmm... so, how do they work?"
Twilight shrugged. "Well, I don't know exactly how they work, but when the six elements are brought together, they start to emit pulses of pure magic that cleanses or seals away evil."
"Do they need to charge before using this magic? Because if so, then they may be useless if the shadow is still in Canterlot. I doubt he'll let you meditate so you can amplify them."
"They don't take NEARLY as long as you may give them credit for. They only need about ten seconds with us in a particular formation to become 'charged.'"
"Oh, okay..." I yawn. Still drained from that blast, I decide to close our conversation for now. "Well, I'm gonna try and take a cat nap. If I fall asleep, wake me up when we reach Canterlot." I wave as I turn to go to the cart in the back.
"Okay. See you, Blaze." She smiled and waved back. |
Blaze | Chapter 12.) Canterlot | The throne room was completely trashed. The 'Ursa' stood amongst where the princess's chair once did. Staring at me. Neither of us ever blinking. I dared not miss a split second of my demise. For they didn't, and yet their eyes are still open, also gazing unto mine...
A cyan-colored one with a mane of six hues... Stabbed through the left, gashes down her face, stained with blood. Her form was no longer of a pegasus, either, for this monster spared no detail in its brutal work.
A pure white one... was in two different corners of the room. It's once beautiful hair had seen better days, and that's an understatement.
An orange pony's head lay directly in front of me. It no longer owned a body. Nor did it contain its signature hat, which had been burned to a crisp.
A creamy colored one, now white, for she had been petrified. Too much exposure to those piercing eyes begins to enrage ponies, apparently.
A pink body was still stuck on the claws of the creature. No doubt, when it throws its arms up, she'll slide off and take flight, which her soul had a head start on.
And a purple one... Potent as her magic may be, no barrier of any strength could repel the brutality of an 'Ursa.' A tear of hers still streaked across my hoof, she lost consciousness forever while her head lay rested against my hooves. Her first and last kiss... was with me.
They sacrified themselves for me... Again...
"Blaze!"
My body was being pushed to and fro. It lets a moan slide by while my eyelids adjust at a sluggish rate. After about ten seconds of being yelled at and shoved around, I start making sense of my environment. I was in a cabin, and the voices belonged to a couple friends; particularly Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle.
Phew. Thank Celestia that wasn't reality. Now let's just hope it won't be.
Twilight spoke again, "Blaze? Wake up! We've arrived at Canterlot!"
Hearing these words act as a stimulator, as my body lunges upward to a sitting position almost involuntarily. "What!?"
"C'mon! Celestia wants to see you NOW!" Rainbow was her usual impatient self.
Hopping out of the sheets, I land at the foot of the bed a couple feet away from the sky blue pony. Doing so makes her wings flutter back, with a careful expression on her face. "Well, good morning, everypony. Let's go see the princess."
Confirming my message, the two ponies smile and turn to the door leaving the cabin and into the brilliant sun. I followed closely, anxious to both meet the goddess and find my elder. Sunlight meets my eyes mercilessly, and I shift my head for my pupils to adjust further. After I can see without excessive difficulty, I look up to see a white stallion easily two times my size. Brilliant white coat, enchanted mane and tail, horseshoes the shape of our star, wings and horn three times the dimensions of mine... and unfortunately, battle-worn with minor cuts and bruises. I reflexively take a bow, because even though I've never met this pony, I'm sure I know who it is.
"So, you must be..."
The stallion replied with a rather tranquilizing voice, "Indeed, I am. And you must be Blaze! Twilight Sparkle has sent many letters concerning you."
I turn to face the violet pony, who had her head hung slightly low and extra color flowing through her cheeks. I raise one eyebrow at her, questioning her reasons. She catches sight of this, then smiles and stands upright again. Assured, I return to the princess. "...I see."
"I understand we both have been eager to make acquaintances with each other, but maybe we can do that in a less threatening scenario. Thank you for coming, Blaze. I'm sure Twilight has briefed you on the situation?"
"Oh, yeah." I nod. "And now that we're here, I will do everything in my power to aid in the capture of the... the... well, you called it an 'Ursa.'"
Celestia smiled. "Indeed, I did. We can converse after the threat has passed. Again, I apologize for having to finally meet in the state of crisis..."
"Don't sweat it." I winked. I spoke to the princess as if she were any other pony, realizing she may be offended, but she seemed cool with it.
The princess then signaled to our group of seven to follow her. I was directly behind her, but give it a few seconds and Twilight will come barging up the single file line we fell into to walk alongside her teacher. However, it seemed that seeing all the death and destruction zipped everypony's mouths shut. Whole buildings were ripped from their foundation, the majority of the dead ponies had their insides turned out, their head and body separated, their limbs mutilated. Even I shuddered at this gruesome violence.
We were passing the front gates of Canterlot now. Based on the stories my friends have told me about it, it's... ...pretty big. We still have a long walk ahead of us. A walk full of inviting carcasses and rubble. I understand my village was also hit and completely destroyed, but I know just by viewing that Canterlot has suffered much more. For two reasons: the fact that it was a city, and that it wasn't completely destroyed. I feel sorry for the souls who will obviously want to bring it back to life.
Every step of our hooves is welcomed by more and more chaos. ...Wait, that's not quite the right word for it. Chaos makes me think of Discord. No, this is rampage. The deeper we head into the city, the angrier I gradually get. This onslaught has gone on for far too long. And who knows how much destruction it caused before us? This monster cannot be allowed to exist for this. It's utterly unacceptable. That thing shouldn't just get locked away in some dark realm...
"It should go to Hell," I mutter under my breath.
After a long walk - I wasn't keeping track of time, maybe like an hour - we arrive at the castle's front wall. Celestia didn't exaggerate when she wrote the throne room didn't exist. She may as well just said that the castle itself was devastated. The outside pillars have all collapsed, bringing the monument's stone overhang with it. It was a maze to get to the door, especially for the ponies who couldn't fly or refused to fly. Thinking on it now, I actually would've been able to move the majority of it with my magic.
We break the door down, expecting more rubbish strewn all around. Yeah, rubbish is an understatement. No ceiling, no pretty glass I remember hearing about, and you can bearly see the floor under all the rubble. Inside, we find something we all jumped back from. I was so busy observing the destruction, that I forgot we were headed to what was responsible. The shadow was sleeping over the rotunda where the throne chair once was. It's appearance to everypony makes them all shriek, except me; I only tensed my eyebrows and grit my teeth. It's breathing was like an angry growl mixed with a raspy throat, and the odor - blech, the smell of the fire must've concealed it really well.
"Easy, keep it down." I whispered. "Don't wanna wake him up. C'mon, let's go slowly..."
Everypony - even the princess - nodded and followed suit behind me. I guess we all assigned myself the new lead. But, I realized quickly, however, is that on hoof, our approach would be too loud. I lifted my being into a hover. I signal this to the others. Those with wings follow my lead (slowly with required coaxing or otherwise), and the others have sceptical faces of disapproval. I tap my horn in an attempt to say, 'use magic.'
Twilight caught on to this quickly, and a magenta-colored aura began to envelop the latter. One by one, the four ponies started to levitate, followed by faces of shock, disbelief, and one face contained cheery goofiness in its smile. They learned how to move their bodies at their own paces, and follow me.
Slowly but surely, we inch up to the unconscious evil. We were about ten feet away from its head...
When Twilight's spell wore off.
AppleJack, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Twilight Sparkle all hit the ground with their chests simultaneously. I squint and toss my head to the side, because it made a good deal of noise. Fortunately, the monster seems unfazed by the thud, and we all let out a sigh of relief. But I quickly take it back, because even though I'm facing away from it...
I heard it's eyes open. |
Blaze | Chapter 13.) Flashbacks | My eyes dialated. I dared not turn around, because what if my dream was true?
I could sense the monster staring at my back. It then made a low-pitched groan that shook the very ground. This caught the rest of the ponies' attention, as I watch them look up simultaneously. A bad case of shivers had developed in my system, and all I wanted to do was scream. So I wanted to make use of it.
"...E-eve-ry p-p-pony..." I shuddered. At the sound of my whispering, the shadow began to stir and make movements with its limbs as if picking itself up. That was the end of the fuse.
"RRUUUUUUUUUUUUUNNNNN!!!!"
Every mare in the room, except the princess, broke into respective high-pitched screams that could make you go deaf, and full-out gallops toward the busted entrance, Fluttershy with a big head start. Only the princess looked to still be in control of herself. I started to fly after them immediately. During those two seconds, the Ursa began to stand and roar, making the girls shout even more.
Once we were out of and away from the castle a good ways, the shadow finished destroying the structure with a powerful shock wave emitted from its mouth. Celestia shot a glance back just in time to watch the rest of her throne fall. She gasped and turned her head quickly, eyes shut, and continued to run blind for a few seconds before she opened them again.
Then I remember something that completely slipped my mind at the moment.
"The Elder!!"
Everypony looks back at me when I said that. Apparently, they forgot about him, too. I skid to a gradual halt, turn around, and start heading toward the beast.
"No, wait!" Twilight and Celestia said in unison, "It's too dangerous!!"
"Then keep going! I'll catch up with you later!" I shouted back, but I knew they weren't going to buy it. At least not Rainbow Dash.
"Blaze, wait up!" The sky-blue mare yelled back at me. She then shot herself toward me and attempted to cut me off, but I expected that and I'm also pretty agile so I weaved right past her. But we all know Rainbow will be persistent.
Following a series of more dodging the rainbow pony, Celestia herself finally catches up to end my trip. Knowing dishonoring the princess is unacceptable, my legs again slid to a stop, but my mind was three minutes ahead of me.
"Why must you keep going against me!? We're obviously going the same way again!" I turn my head to find the other ponies, some of which were short on breath. I'm also slightly tired.
"I've had enough of your arrogance, Blaze." the princess didn't look very patient. "Your elder is gone now. Accept it, and let's get out of here."
"I'm not quitting until I find his dead body, then!"
"BLAZE!!" Celestia was about to explode. "I can't let you go back there!"
"Why not, princess?"
At my question, her apparent rage turned into a gasp, and she then closed her eyes and hung her head. Confused, I tilt my head, and the others are behind me now, also pondering upon what is happening to Princess Celestia.
"...Because..."
She didn't continue. That only made me more impatient, and even angrier. "Because WHAT!?"
"Because..." It looked like may have been on the verge of tears. She sounded like it; she choked over her words that time. I realize now that I must've insulted the princess! I quickly bow extra-low and clean up my tone.
"No, no, don't say it... I'm sorry."
Celestia only shook her head and said in her still-choky voice, "Blaze, you don't have to bow to me..."
"But, Princess Celestia --"
"No, Blaze. I don't want it!" Celestia's face looked slightly wet, and as she turned her head again it sprinkled a little on my face.
"Not from... ... ...my nephew..."
A couple seconds passed, then everypony gasped in unison. Apparently they understood her words faster than I did. It wasn't until Twilight Sparkle said something that my jaw joined everypony else's at the floor.
"That settles it! Blaze! You're an heir of the Royal Family!"
I couldn't think of anything to say. Me, royalty!? But I've been living in that village since my birth!
"Whoa..." my lips eventually formed. "That's... unreal. It's impossible. I was born and raised in my home village!"
"Those must be false memories, then." Twilight continued. "Celestia never lies."
Having regained her strength, the princess stepped in, "You were given life from my sister, Princess Luna."
"But..." I couldn't conceive how I was put in this scenario. "If that's true, then... How'd I end up in the village?"
"Maybe this will help you..." Celestia started to walk toward me. When she stopped, her horn began to radiate a beautiful color of yellow. She then tapped her horn with mine, and I stumbled back and whited out.
"Come on, Ivory! You can do better than that!"
It was me as a young colt running around a yard. A HUGE yard. Faded Ivory was huffing and puffing, trying to catch me.
"No way, Blaze!" she said in between heavy breaths. "You're too fast!... You being royalty... You're stronger than me!"
"Aww, but I'm booorrred..."
She sat down. "Well I'm sorry. Put a simple earth pony with an alicorn? I'll never catch you!"
"Well..." I said as I pondered what to do. "Let's go back to the castle! We can play hide-and-seek!"
An adorable filly Faded Ivory smiled and sighed, "Okay, Blaze. You win."
I took off toward the castle, laughing. Ivory took her sweet time catching up with me. A whole minute had passed by the time she got to the front door. Her sea-green coat was slightly dirty, and her milk-white mane and tail were a little frazzled.
"What took you so long?"
"Stupid yard! Thing's huge!"
"Well, when you're ready, start counting! I'll go hide!"
"All right, all right." I was brimming with energy. I didn't want to wait for Ivory to be her patient self. She then put her hooves over her eyes and began, "One... Two... Three..."
I bolted down the hallways and the aisles, upstairs and downstairs, all while dodging other ponies with royal business. I was proud. I told myself I wasn't going to bump into anypony, but I turned my head while cutting a corner and ran right into my aunt's forelegs. I slammed the back of my head against the tile floor and saw stars for a while.
"Oh! Excuse me, Blaze!" Aunt Sunnie stepped back. I opened my eyelids and unfolded my wings in response. My eyes couldn't focus on the big white stallion. Auntie saw this, giggled, and lent a hoof for assistance.
"Sorry, Aunt Sunnie. I was playin' hide-and-seek with Ivory. I was gonna hide in the ballroom."
"Well, well, is that so?" She smiled and lowered her eyelids just a bit. "Okay, you two have fun, all right?"
"I will, but Faded Ivory's gettin' all sluggish again!" I stomped my hooves lightly on the innocent floor.
"Hmmhmm... Blaze, please remember that she's not like you. She won't be able to play for as long as you can. But, when she goes home for the night, I'll be in my room so if you get lonely or wanna play some more, just drop by!" She tilted her head and winked.
"Wow! Thank you, Aunt Sunnie!"
" 'Sunnie' will do just fine, Blaze. Have fun!"
"Okay!" I bounced and sped past her into the ballroom. I felt her eyes follow me until I passed a corner in the hallway. |
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