Elements of Insanityby Emeral BookwiseChaptersChapter 1: "...What Friendship Could Be"Chapter 2: "Faithful and Strong"Chapter 3: "Tons of Fun"Chapter 4: "Big Adventure"Chapter 5: "Sharing Kindness"Chapter 6: "A Beautiful Heart"Chapter 7: "An Easy Feat"Chapter 9: "The Effort It Expends">> interlude <<Chapter 10: "Opened Up My Eyes"Chapter 11: "What a Wonderful Wonder"Chapter 8: "Growing All The Time"Chapter 1: "...What Friendship Could Be"It was a moonless night in Fillydelphia. Outside the city's most prestigious college, all was still and quiet, all except for a lone figure that snuck through the shadows. The figure slowly approached the campus library; a repository of knowledge second only to the royal archives in Canterlot, but far less guarded. Surely the solution would be located among the tome and scrolls held within its wall. Keeping to the shadows, the figure crept along the building's perimeter. On finding a window low enough to see through, the shadowed sneak stood tall to peer inside. The room beyond appeared empty, not a guard or late night student in sight. The figure stepped back, took a deep breath, and then channeled a familiar spell. A unicorn's horn began to glow a soft magenta, and then — *POP* —in a flash of light the figure vanished. With a second — *POP* —the intruder reappeared inside the building. The figure glanced about attentively to ensure the room was devoid of any other presence. After assuring herself that she was alone the trespasser decided to take a chance. Now that she was safe from the prying eyes of any passing strangers in the night, she decided to conjure a light to guide her path and so illuminated her horn. It glowed ever so dimly from beneath the hood of her burlap cloak, but it was enough to cast herself and the area about her in a soft magenta light. She released the orb of light, allowing it to float beside her as she passed by rows upon rows of shelves, each full of countless written materials of every conceivable variety. This wasn't her first time sneaking into a library. Even so, Twilight Sparkle wasn't a bad pony, just a curious one. She'd never used her abilities to do anything that would actually hurt somepony, not intentionally. All she ever wanted was knowledge, and in that pursuit, what was the harm in breaking a few rules? Sure, many of the tomes she had secretly read were forbidden, full of highly illegal magic, but it wasn't like she had ever intended to use those spell to any malicious end. However, it wasn't forbidden secrets that brought Twilight to these archives tonight. No, she came instead to seek a solution to a most dreadful misfortune that had befallen her. It had been a little over a week now, but the memories still haunted her; Ponyville, the ursa, and — her. Trixie Lulamoon: personal student to Princess Luna Equestris, savior of Equestria, the supposed living embodiment of magic itself… and the most obnoxious and deceitful pony Twilight Sparkle had ever had the displeasure of meeting. Twilight could still remember how overjoyed she had been to go to Ponyville; to meet the legend made flesh. Oh, the things she had hoped to learn from somepony that must have been the most magical unicorn since Starswirl the Bearded. What she found instead had been… disappointing, to say the least. At first she had thought Trixie a mere fraud, but then it became clear to her. Trixie had only been putting up a front to keep away less qualified apprentices, or so Twilight had thought. Thinking back on it, marching into town with an ursa minor in an attempt to prove her own worth hadn't been her most well thought out plan. Sure it was impressive, but even if nothing had gone wrong she'd have had an awful lot of explaining to do. She had, however, learned something very valuable from the incident. Trixie Lulamoon really was a fraud. After all, Twilight was the one who had to do all the real work in saving the town, even if she had sort of been responsible for causing the danger in the first place. After all, how many unicorns could have single hoofedly teleported a giant star beast? All that hack had done was perform a few cheap parlor tricks to distract it. Worse still though was when Twilight figure out the whole truth. It had taken a few days, but once she'd puzzled it out the answer was beyond clear. Miss Lulamoon was jealous, and not just that, but also afraid. She'd seen Twilight's potential, and it was obvious who the superior unicorn was. So that… that jezebel had set her up. Sabotaged Twilight's entire life, just so Luna would keep thinking her precious student was the best. Twilight Sparkle was the true, one and only best. And tonight, she would take her first steps in proving it. Twilight gathered a dozen books in her magic, flipping pages and turning from one to the next and then to another as she referenced and cross referenced. It was a familiar routine, one that brought her more comfort than she had since the start of her forced exile. As she proceeded about her oldest of rituals she found an odd melody filling her head. Words came shortly thereafter. I'll look up a solution; I've got knowledge to accrue That witch will learn her lesson; I won't play her number two I'll gather the ingredients to make some harmony The Princess will reward me; that is a certainty Now is the time to prove my magic; somepone true for Honesty There's no distress just need some Kindness; to claim my destiny Yes, this plan would work; it was perfect, her very best ever. Twilight skipped over to a filing drawer, gathering up several census ledgers. She had a list to make. Twilight glanced down at a nearby desk where she saw a pile of newspaper clippings, probably left by some careless student. Among them was a picture of Luna at the Grand Galloping Gala, greeting various officials and dignitaries, but it wasn't the princess or any of the guests that drew her gaze. No, her eyes focused squarely on the young azure unicorn standing next to the royal alicorn. She was dressed in an outfit even more gaudy than when Twilight had last seen her. Most infuriating of all though was that lazy grin, as though the unicorn was bored. Anger flared as the mental tune continued. Rude shrew; you will fear me, Lulamoon! You life's been just a cake walk; but I'll take your silver spoon Find a joke; to get some Laughs and… Work and toil, earn the Loyal; Generosity, reciprocity Make enticing, fate revising; plans devising, rectifying Meanwhile, far away in Canterlot, an armor clad unicorn stared up at the star filled sky. He was the captain of the royal guard, but more importantly he was a big brother. Legend had it that if two ponies looked upon the exact same star they could hear each other, no matter how great the distance between them. As he picked out her favorite constellation, Shining Armor hoped beyond hope that his lost sister might be looking up at that same moment. Twilie could you hear me; I'd only want you home Please don't sink to madness; I can't bear that you're alone Alas, even were such legends true, Twilight Sparkle was well beyond such simple reason. My subjects are selected; soon I'll have them in my thrall I've hit the books, now time to look; I'm gonna meet them all Now is the time to prove my magic; friendship's power I won't postpone No more an outcast, found salvation; so I can finally go home Twilight hesitated, realization slowly sinking into her soul as she repeated… So I … can finally go … home … She stood in silence, still mouthing that last word as a single tear rolled down her cheek. As she stared out a window at the star filled sky, she wondered. Was it really so simple; was that truly all she really wanted? For a brief moment she felt as though her B.B.B.F.F stood before her, eyes pleading and full of forgiveness. She wanted so desperately to rush forward, to embrace the phantom, but… Twilight shook her head. No. It didn't matter how much she wanted it, she couldn't, not yet. Not until she cleared her name. Not until she had proven her worth. Not until Lulamoon learned the meaning of REAL MAGIC. Author's Note • Proof reading by LDLUYAB and Mally Chapter 2: "Faithful and Strong"The stallion floated through a dark void. It was vast, cold and empty. He liked the void. There was no screaming here. Yes, this is where he belonged, beyond the baleful cries of anguish and suffering. Here he could simply let go, abandon himself to oblivion. Something bright came into existence in the distance like a newborn star. Its glare stirred and roused the stallion. What? No! There wasn't supposed to be anything here; just emptiness, a place where he could suffer for his sins in lonely isolation. There was also a sound, a voice, calling out to him. No, no, NO! Why couldn't the world just go away? He didn't want to be part of it any more. There was too much pain, too much suffering. He fell. The void possessed no up, no down, and yet he fell. The sudden feeling of vertigo was just as quickly replaced by surge of moisture as he crashed into an unseen ocean. The stallion coughed up water as the world exploded back into existence around him. His eyes burned from the light and his head felt like it wanted to implode. He pressed his hooves to the side of his aching skull, whether to massage away the pain, or to aid in crushing the offending body part he wasn't quite sure. Where was he? As he brought a hoof over to shield his still adjusting eyes from the harsh light, he could make out what looked to be the alleyway behind the local tavern. As he smacked his lips he could still taste the lingering remnants of salted ale. No doubt the proprietor had thrown him back here after having passed out. What he couldn't figure out was why he was soaking wet. His hazy vision couldn't actually make out the sky above, but by the amount of light he could already tell the day was bright and sunny. "Ah good, you're awake!" There it was again, that same voice that had disturbed him in the void. He could hear it clearly now, well, as clearly as he could hear anything over the ringing in his ears. He could also see its source, sort of. A vaguely pony-like shape stood over him, a mare, if his ears could be trusted to judge pitch in his current state. Probably a unicorn too, as she appeared to be levitating what looked like a bucket. "Go away," he muttered as he clenched his eyes shut in a vain attempt to summon the void. He'd spent nearly every bit he had left to reach oblivion this last time; what was he going to do now? "Actually, I really need your help." Help? Ha! That was a laugh. "Sorry, you got the wrong pony for that, miss…?" his rebuke trailed off into a question as he realized he had no clue who he was talking to. Not that he should really care about such things anymore. All he wanted was to be left alone to wallow in his own misery. "…" the mare seemed hesitant to reply, but finally, "My name is Twilight Sparkle, and I think we can both be a great help to each other, Sheriff Silverstar." A light brown head plunged into the water. It was cool and refreshing, better still, it muffled all the noise of the world. It reminded Silverstar of the void. He briefly considered just leaving his head submerged beneath the rippling surface; to put a final end to it all, but at the heart of things he was still the same coward he had always been. The stallion pulled his head from the trough and took in a mighty gasp of air. He shook the water from his coat and dark brown mane, giving his even darker mustache a twitch to shake loose any last remnants. As his brain returned to a somewhat conscious functionality, he turned to contemplate the mare that had dragged him back to the life he'd been so desperately trying to escape. She had a fairly average build. Her coat was a shade of lavender and her dark blue mane was neatly trimmed though with a vibrant strip of purple and pink down the middle. He couldn't make out her cutie mark, hidden as it was beneath a light brown burlap cloak. Actually, to call it a cloak was a bit generous, it was more like a hastily cut potato sack that had been tied off with a bit of worn rope. Why she would bother with such a garment in this heat was beyond him, but he wasn't the type to pry, even before he gave up caring about the world. What fixed his attention the most though was her eyes; a rich purple, and while she clearly tried to present an air of confidence, he could see a deep sadness underneath it all. He wondered briefly what had caused her such pain and what he could do to take it all away. No, that was the old Silverstar, the one that actually gave a damn about other ponies. Still, she was kind of cute. Maybe it was just the hangover mugging up his vision, but if he were a younger stallion he might— He shook his head and once again tried to remind himself how there was nothing left for him to hope for, least of all some filly who was almost young enough to be his daughter. He straightened his dust worn blue vest and the red bandana around his neck, before picking up his black stetson and placing it back atop his head. He then turned to face her proper "Alright then, Miss Sparkle. What exactly is it ya' want and what makes ya' think a bloke like me would be any help?" "Well, Sheriff Silverstar, I—" "Just Silverstar please," he interrupted, "I ain't a proper sheriff no more, not without a town to be sheriff of." "Right, that's actually sort of why I'm here. You see—" "Look, I'm sorry if'n you lost any kinfolk out there. I..." he hesitated, swallowing hard before continuing, "I did my damn best to get everypony I could out safely. I know that must be poor consolation an' I'd rightly understand if'n you felt like taking a buck upside my face. You wouldn't be the first, and you probably won't be the last either." With that said, he just stood there. He didn't flinch or in any way seem to ready himself for the assault he'd just permitted. He was a bad pony, he deserved to suffer, and this filly deserved to have full at him. "That's not at all why I'm here. I don't think any of my family have even ever been anywhere near the frontier reaches, most of them live in Latigo after all, and—" this time she shut herself up, all but cramming a hoof into her own mouth, before glancing about nervously as though she'd just said too much. Silverstar only shrugged. If there was something in the young mare's past she didn't want to talk about, well, he certainly wouldn't pry. He just wished she'd go away and do him the same favor. "Alright, fine. So if'n you're not here to take your piece o' me, then what possible reason could you have fer comin' here and dredgin' up my past?" His voice began to rise with more irritation than he intended, but he was hardly in much condition to practice proper self-restraint, "You one of them punks that gets off on laughin' on poor washed up gutter trash! Does that make ya' feel like a big shot! Like your own life isn't so miserable!" The young mare backed up with each exclamation, "I... I..." Silverstar pressed forwards; he hated ponies that got their jollies by kickin' others when they were down. Sure he deserved it, but that was no reason to excuse such behavior. Then he looked into her eyes again. They were darting rapidly from side to side, clearly frightened of what he might do, but there was something more too. She was starting to cry. Aw haystacks! he thought. He'd done it again. He'd let his temper take charge, and now he'd made the young lass cry. He felt like even more of a monster than usual, and while he deserved to feel that way, she certainly didn't deserve to suffer for it. He'd have to give himself a few good licks for that little outburst, later though. Right now, he had a mess to clean up. He reached up a hoof to wipe away the moisture that had been forming at the corners of her eyes, "Hush now there," he soothed. "It'll be alright. Now why don't you just tell this ol' washed up has-been just what it is you need help with. I can't make no promises, but if'n it'll make you feel better, then the least I can do is listen." She sniffled as she brought her downtrodden gaze up to match his. "I'm in trouble... a lot of trouble, and well... I need a group of five ponies to help me out of it, and... and I was hoping you could be one of them." He wondered what kind of trouble she was in that she'd need that kind of help with, and why five exactly. He briefly recalled that time so many years ago when he'd been part of a group of seven— No, that was the old Silverstar, an arrogant youth who thought such exploits would be magnificent. It had been a whole other life time ago, a life that belonged to a naive fool that had ignorantly confused a lack of fear for bravery. Even as he tried banishing those memories, Silverstar found himself wishing he'd had some of those comrades with him more recently. Maybe things wouldn't have turned out so badly if— No, better that he bear the burden of that atrocity alone. Besides, none of that made a lick of difference now. "Fine, so you need help. Why me?" He tried to be kind, but he saw her flinch at the bite of his words. "We'll," she started nervously, "I read about how you risked your life and courageously defended that whole town and—" "T'wern't courage, I was there, ponies were in trouble. I did what I had to do, nothin' more nothin' less." Now that nervous edge seemed to bleed away as her eyes came alight, "But that's exactly what I need. You stood fast when others fled. You risked life and limb to save as many innocents as you could. You showed that singular most important quality I need from you: Loyalty." Loyalty, now wasn't that a laugh. "Little miss, let me tell you somethin' plain an' simple like. T'was just a job. I was there because the Apple Trust hired me to keep the peace, and so that's what I did. I had a contract, an obligation, and I've never been a pony to back out on my word. A promise is a promise, and come noon high sun or windigos' frost I always keep mine." At what cost though? The screams of the ponies he failed to save were bad enough. But it was the screams of the other side that truly haunted his soul. They hadn't been villains, only natives trying to reclaim the land they felt stolen from them. That hadn't mattered then though. Silverstar played his part, did what he had to. Now all that was left for him was to carry the pain of that sin till the day the final end that awaited all ponies blessed him with a more permanent void in which to lose himself. "But you still helped them," she pleaded, "It's what you do. It's your job, it's your name, it's your special talent." Silverstar looked back at the cutie mark that reflected its owner's name. He'd long since discarded the badge he used to wear on his vest. He'd torn the thing away with such violent fervor that it had left a jagged hole in the garment. He liked that hole; it mirrored the one in his heart. The badge he wore on his flank though, well, that was another matter. It was the one indelible reminder of the pony he used to be. He'd often thought of taking hot iron to it and burning the offending brand away, but that wouldn't solve the real problem. No, he could live with the visual reminder of his discarded past. The pain it caused him to look upon his own flank really was another torment he deserved. It was that niggling sensation in the back of his skull that he couldn't endure. That was the part of him he truly sought to drown away in the oblivion of the void. All the terrible crimes he'd committed in the name of justice, he could live with those. The screams were horrible to remember, but it was what he deserved. What he couldn't tolerate, what he had to be rid of, was that somewhere deep down inside he was still possessed by that same fiery passion to protect other ponies. A passion that still burned every bit as fiercely as the day his destiny had first made itself manifest. Worst of all though, following that call still brought him the purest of joys, a joy he no longer deserved. "So then, will you help me; will you promise?" There it was, that niggle that ached to be scratched. Would he help her? Could he really let himself give into that temptation? Silverstar looked into the mare's pleading eyes, eyes that held his damnation. He'd rather go to the surface of the sun itself and look its blazing queen straight into her empty soulless eyes than fill this pitiable young mare's own with even an ounce more of sorrow and disappointment. Every fiber of his being ached telling —no— demanding of him what action he must take. And so he made his decision, Luna curse him for a thousand years, but it was the only choice he could make. Author's Note • Proof reading by LDLUYAB and Mally Chapter 3: "Tons of Fun"The piercing cry of an alarm clock filled the air. From under the covers of an adjacent bed, a hoof attached to gray leg reached out and slammed atop the offending device. It's too early for morning. Five minutes later the alarm rang again. This time the hoof fumbled clumsily about until finally it knocked sideways against the fiendish device, sending it tumbling to the floor below. At the sound of the crash, the occupant of the bed bolted up right, "I'm up, I'm up!" A moment passed as her mind settled, before the earth pony mare stretched and let out a great big yawn. She scratched a single hoof against the back of her curly dark dull-green mane as she blinked her bright green eyes. Finally, she glanced down to the floor where the alarm clock was still intact… mostly. Getting out of bed, she picked it up and placed it back atop her worn nightstand. There was a new crack in the glass surface, though she was starting to lose count. It had already become almost impossible to read what time the pointers indicated, but it wasn't like she needed it to do anything other than blare out its cacophony every morning. That it could still do so after all the abuse her sleep addled brain put it through was a true testament. The clock was a perseverant survivor, much like its owner. Clover Charms had not led what most would consider a fortunate life. Orphaned at a young age, she'd spent much of her youth passed from one foster family to the next, with a fair too many stints of being homeless on the streets thrown into the mix. Then there was the matter of her love life —no— she'd rather not even start down that train of thought. Proceeding as if that last stray thought had never happened, she looked around the chipped paint and peeling wallpaper of her rundown apartment; she wasn't so sure her present circumstances were all that much better than those of her past. Still, she made do the best that she could, but with limited education, her job options weren't much to speak of. She couldn't even fall back on her special talent to pay the bills. The trio of four-leafed clovers on her flank didn't really represent any marketable skills. Like her nickname, 'Lucky', her cutie mark was more ironic than anything else. Ponies that bothered to get to know her always asked how she got that mark if her life sucked so much. Well, she would always answer, there are two kinds of luck in this world, and so long as I'm hogging up so much of the bad there's that much more of the good to go around for everypony else. Most ponies would then give her an odd look, unable to comprehend how she could actually mean such a thing, but Clover 'Lucky' Charms had learned years ago that the only way to survive the harsh truths of the world was to laugh off her own misfortunes. The way she figured, she had two choices: grin and bear it, or be crushed beneath the weight of her own misery. How could that not be the easiest choice in the world to make? Her odd outlook on life often made other ponies tell her she was funny. Too bad they meant that more in the touched in the head sort of way than the comical one. For several years now she'd been trying, unsuccessfully, to make a career for herself as a comedian. Unfortunately it seemed the type of wit that could get a sarcastic chuckle from an individual really wasn't the kind of stuff that wowed larger audiences. Truth was, most ponies preferred to believe that Equestria was an idyllic paradise where nothing could ever go wrong. Lucky couldn't fault them for wanting to hold onto that belief, no matter how wrong it actually was. Oh well, no sense dwelling on all that, she thought to herself as she paced over to the window and threw open the curtains to bask in the morning light of the new born day, or at least she would have. Unfortunately, the skies were gray and overcast, an all too common sight in Manehattan, or at least this section of it. "Another glorious morning view from my luxurious penthouse!" she quipped to herself. "What more could I possibly ask for in life?" It was a silly joke born of an obvious lie, but it brought an instant smile to her face. Not a sarcastic one either, but a truly deep and genuine grin that reached all the way to the bottom of her soul and back again. She really did have what mattered most. She might not be rich and famous, or even financially secure and appreciated by those few who she knew personally, but she was alive and so, as the old saying went, that meant she had to have hope. Not hope that things might ever get better (she was realistic in her expectations) but hope that she would wake again tomorrow, the day after, and the next after that as well. She was alive, and for as long as that lasted she would treat every day as the miracle it was. Of course if she expected to stay alive she had to put food on the table, and to do that she had a job to get to. She trotted into her bathroom, more of a closet really, and turned the tap to start her morning routine with a brisk refreshing shower. The water was far too cold, but at least it was clean. As the flow washed away yesterday's grime, she hummed to herself. My name is Clover Charms; I'll sing under the spray And wear a great big smile; through every gloomy day It doesn't matter how; I should be sad or blue 'Cause keeping up good cheer; is what I always do I always wear a smile, smile, smile; yes I do It guards my heart from noon shine all the while; yes it does 'Cause all I really need's my smile, smile, smile Even if it's all I've got Trotting from one market stall to the next, Lucky ponders what she wants to eat, and perhaps more importantly, what her precariously light coin purse can afford. I'd like some fresh éclairs; but day old will have ta do With cheese dip and some relish they'll be just as tasty too I might have little money; but I will not pout or frown I'll tell a joke and give a laugh; then scarf my breakfast right on down 'Cause life's not a game to win, win, win; no it's not Never let them see my fear, and don't give in Just to live with joy's a win, win, win When it's done we're all the same Clover pushes a mail cart down an aisle of office cubicals. An oppressive drabness pervades the entire scene, unhindered by the multihued coats of the ponies at each desk. It's true this job is drab and dreary; and maybe I should feel sad But silly as it seems I can only choose instead to be glad Some folks might call me sappy; and say my life's not worthwhile But I just laugh them off; and give a smile Later that evening, in a back alley pub with a sign advertising open mic night, a tomato sails through the air. It strikes the curtain behind the stage as Lucky dodges it with practiced experience. I shouldn't be so happy; when all they do is jeer And yet I smile, it's no denial; life's too precious to me So no matter what I'll dream, dream, dream; yes I will Tell me, what more should I need to live life for; such a thrill 'Cause, all I'll ever need's my dream, dream, dream Yes, I couldn't ask for more! Worn, but never weary, Clover canters her way down the streets of Manehattan. All that was left was to go home and to bed so she could do it all again tomorrow. I never wear a phony smile, smile, smile; Even in the dark there's moonlight, moonlight All I'll ever need's a smile, smile, smile; To see me through each night! I never wear a phony smile, smile, smile; Even in the dark there's moonlight, moonlight All I'll ever need's a smile, smile, smile; To see me through each night! Always live my life guilt free; as I smile with every mile And stay as happy as can be; smile, smile, smile, smile SMILE!! I've got to smile; I've got to— "Hello." Halfway up the front steps of her apartment complex, Lucky turned to face the unexpected greeting. There she saw a lavender mare, about her own age, maybe a bit younger. Despite a neatly trimmed dark blue mane, the poor dear looked like she'd been living on the streets for days, if not weeks, the ragged burlap cloak a poor protection against the chill night air. "I'm sorry miss, but I really don't have any bits to spare." Clover hated turning away somepony in such obvious need, but her own means were meager at best. "There's a good soup kitchen and shelter just a few blocks down though." The mare tilted her head in a look of confusion, but then glanced back as if taking in her own appearance for the first time. "What? No. I mean… I know what this must look like, but I'm no beggar. Well I do sort of need help, but not of the financial sort. If you'd just give me a moment of your time I can explain everything and—" The mare was cut off by the sound of her own traitorous stomach as it pleaded for sustenance. She gave a sheepish grin. Lucky knew she should just walk away, or maybe escort the starving girl to the local shelter. Instead, for reasons she couldn't quite explain, "Look, I don't have much to offer, but if you'd like you can come upstairs and I'll see what I can pull together while you explain that everything you mentioned." The apartment was small, but the sparse furnishings made it spacious enough. Clover spooned out a second bowl from the contents of a portable stove set atop a mini-fridge, before going over to the low set table and taking a seat opposite her guest. The unicorn, who had introduced herself as Tenebrosity Scintillation on the way up, sniffed uneasily at the bowl that had been previously placed in front of her, "I've… um… never had chocolate flavored ramen with barbecued apple slices before." "Huh? Yeah, I guess most ponies must find it a bit odd, probably why the stuff was double discounted in the bargain bin." Tilting her own bowl back, Lucky downed nearly half the contents before setting it back down. As she looked back up at her guest, the earth mare slurped down the end of a long noodle that hung from her lips. "Personally, I can't get enough of the stuff!" Her guest took a few hesitant sips before offering up a weak grin in an obviously false expression of appreciation. "So then, Miss Scinti— actually that's kind of a mouth full; mind if I just call you Tenbre?" There was no wait for a response, "So anyway, Tenbre, you had a story or something you wanted to tell me? "Well, Miss Charms, I—" "Oh please, no need for you to be so formal if I'm not. Just call me Lucky. All my friends do, or at least they did back when I had any worth speaking of." It was true, not that she was a lonely pony; she had plenty of acquaintances and associates, just not really anypony she would call a proper friend. The lavender mare frowned a bit, "Oh, I'm sorry to hear that." "Why?" Clover smirked. "It isn't your problem." "Well, it's just that I've never really had any friends at all; there just never seemed to be the time." "Sounds more like I should be the one feeling sorry for you." She didn't frown —not with her mouth at least— but Lucky seemed to hold a degree of wistful sympathy in her eyes as she questioned, "Really though, never a one?" The unicorn returned a shy smile, "Well there was one, but well, he doesn't really count." Lucky gave a wry snicker, "Oh…! Had yourself a very special somepony then?" Some warm memory seemed to kindle in the back of the mare's eyes, "Yeah, he was pretty spec— Wait, no!" she blushed furiously. "It was nothing like that. I mean he was my brother. That would just be…" "Hey, I'm not one to judge," Clover said with a sarcastic leer before pressing, "If that's what whiles your willies far be it from me to…" The poor girl's embarrassment only seemed to deepen, threatening to turn her whole coat from lavender to a vibrant crimson shade. The earth mare let out an exasperated sigh "I'm joking. Sheesh, Tenbs, learn to lighten up and live a little." The clarification hardly seemed to help and several awkward moments passed in silence as neither mare seemed able to look at each other. "Uh... how 'bout we just get back to what exactly brought you to my doorstep?" The unicorn's mortified humiliation finally seemed to subside, at least enough for her to find her voice, "Oh, right. Well… um, you see, I've kind of been looking for a comedian, and well, I caught your act and…" ... "…and? Wait! Don't tell me you're a talent scout or something?" Lucky smiled broadly. Her smiles were always genuine, but she'd almost forgotten just how much better they could be when she didn't have to coax them out through sarcastic wit. Then again, it was probably too much to hope for, however… "I mean if that's true, it would be the most exciting news ever… but, Tenbre please, even I'd find it in poor taste if you were only teasing me." "Sorry, I'm no talent scout," the unicorn answered with a frown, but then amended herself, "well, I guess I sort of am scouting for talents, but it's nothing like what you'd think." "Oh…" Clover felt that boundless and joyful hope slowly ebb from her face as a frown slowly crept into replace it; that wouldn't do, "but you actually liked my act, right? So much so that you had to follow me home just to meet me in person." She could feel the excitement rushing back. "So what's the gig then, Tenbs? Even if it's just a birthday or a wedding, that's still more than I've ever been offered before, and…" She trailed off as she caught herself. Now she was just starting to sound way too desperate. "Yeah right, just listen to me prattle on. You're the one looking for a comedian after all." "About that," the unicorn shifted nervously in her seat, "I don't actually think you're the pony I'm looking for. I was sort of there looking to catch one of the other acts. Seeing you perform was really just an accident, and well, I wouldn't exactly say I liked your routine." Now Lucky could feel all that small hope from earlier truly twist and morph into something like anger. "Well then, just why is it you're bothering me then!" she fumed with a dry bluster. The unicorn shrank under Clover's glare "Um… well, Curiosity I guess. After that first night, I came back and… well, I mean, I just don't get it; you never make anypony laugh, so I just had to know why it is you keep getting up on that stage?" Looking into the Tenbre's eyes, Clover saw only genuine puzzlement. Whatever anger she'd been brewing quickly evaporated as she smiled and explained, "Oh, that. The short answer is that I'm probably just a glutton for punishment, with an unfortunate emphasis on the pun." Nothing. The unicorn just held a studious gaze without so much as even a groan. Lucky sighed; she had hoped that would be enough, but her guest's penetrating stare never wavered. "Look, first off, it's not like it should even matter if anypony is laughing or not. I get up onto that stage cause it makes me happy; what else should matter other than that?" ... "And the second reason?" the unicorn pressed. Oh, Clover had hardly realized her previous statement had ben prefaced in a way as to invite such an additional query. She really wished that Tenbre hadn't asked her that. Was there even a 'secondly', she thought to herself. Normally she wouldn't bother, but something about that look of unbridled inquisitiveness compelled her to try at least. The earth mare scratched her chin, for once attempting to come up with a serious answer to a question that she'd hardly ever even bothered to ask herself. "Well hmph… I guess, well maybe… it's like this. When ponies hear my jokes they might not laugh out loud, but I can see the look in their eyes. They don't want to admit it, but it makes them happy to be reminded how bad their lives aren't. They really are laughing, sort of at least; just somewhere deep inside their souls, in a place they don't like to admit even exists." Her guest squinted one eye as she raised the brow of the other, "…and, and you really believe that?" "Yeah... I guess I really do. I mean, what would be the point if I didn't? I might not think about it much, but in a way I've always known it, ever since the day I got my cutie mark." She paused and watched as her guest leaned sideways to glance around the table at Lucky's flank. "I used to wonder why my mark would be a symbol for good luck." She chuckled a bit. "I mean with the kind of luck I've always had a ladder, or a broken mirror, or maybe an open umbrella against the silhouette of a house would have all made more sense. It took me awhile, but then I noticed how much better my misfortunes made everypony else feel." She saw a look of stunned, not quite horror, but something almost as uncomfortable cross Tenbre's face. Clover had to admit, waxing philosophical like this really did cast her talent poorly. "It sounds awful, I know, but ponies can look at me and say, 'I'm glad I'm not her'. It makes them smile, even if they don't know why. That's when it hit me; my luck may be rotten, but that's because I am the lucky charm." "Huh," the unicorn said in complete bewilderment. "I don't get it; how's that make any kind of sense?" "Well, it's like this. Ponies pick clovers for good luck, right?" The unicorn nodded. "But think about it; what happens to the clover? It dies, that's what!" She slammed a hoof on the table, not out of anger or spite, but merely to emphasize the point. After that, she paused to take a deep breath. "But before it does it fills the bearer's life with joy." Lucky shook her down cast head as she strained to chuckle. "I know it might seem sad, but well, if in my own little way I can leave the rest of the world a happier and better place in the end, well, then all the little personal sufferings I have to endure will all be worth it." A blink, then a second and a third, "Wow… You…? You're perfect!" Clover regained a bit of her normal wit, "Perfectly insane you mean, right?" She giggled lightly before continuing, "If I had a bit for every time somepony told me that… well, actually I'd still be close to broke. Most folks prefer to just shake their heads and walk away rather than speak their mind like that." "No I'm serious!" Tenbre insisted. "I didn't think I'd ever actually be asking you this, and well, it's probably going to be your turn to think I'm the crazy one afterwards, but... well, here goes." Author's Note • Proof reading by LDLUYAB and Mally Chapter 4: "Big Adventure"... 298 ... "YYYYEEE!!!" ... 299 ... "AAH!!" ... 300 ... "YEEAAAHHHH!!!!" Finishing his final bench press, Snowflake deposited the barbell back on its perch as he sat up and gave a self-congratulatory shout of pride. Despite the volume, nopony else in the gym seemed to give it much mind, having long since grown accustomed to the pegasus's exclamations. He picked up his sports bottle and chugged down nearly half its contents in a few long gulps. He then toweled the beads of sweat from his broad forehead before draping the cloth around his wide neck. Refreshed and relaxed, he then made an energetic canter over to the mirror on the other side of the large room. A few patrons paused in their exercises to stare at the sight of the grown, and exceptionally buff pegasus stallion, prancing about like a schoolfilly. Snowflake didn't care; he was used to such jealousy. With a bod as sexy as his, who wouldn't stare? That it was more so his behavior that caught their attention never crossed his mind. As he approached the mirror he slowed to admire the handsome stallion that appeared before him: glistening white coat heavy with hard earned perspiration and a short trimmed dark blond mane. Growing up there had always been foals who would tease him about those colors for some reason or another, something about some old nag of a crone that lived in the sun. That wasn't important though, the colors were just the wrapping that held the gift that was his flawless physique: a chiseled barrel, swelled shoulders, rippling flank, and solid haunches. His cannons were lean, but that was intentional, to preserve agility. He flexed as he watched the Snowflake in the mirror strike a sequence of poses. "YYEEEEAHHH!!" Bodybuilding certainly hadn't been his first dream in life. No, like most young pegasi he had dreamed of growing up to be a Wonderbolt, but the coaches at summer flight camp quickly squashed that hope, telling him how his stubby wings would never be suited for such high speed aerobatics. Still, he had wanted to somehow serve his country and follow in his Uncle Marching's hoofsteps, but well, even the royal pegasus guard had agility requirements he couldn't quite match, not back then at least. Ever determined, young Snowflake had his most brilliant idea ever. If he couldn't do anything to enlarge his wings, then he'd enlarge the rest of himself and get an earth pony commission. The work was brutal and exhausting, but it had more than paid off. Not only did he earn his cutie mark, but now he had a body that even the brawniest earth guard would be jealous of. Maybe they were too jealous though. He finally got his shot, but shortly after signing on he was dismissed because of some obviously made up excuse about bad hearing. First they had tried to keep him out because of small wings, and when that failed they instead tried to say his ears were too small also? Snowflake could take a hint. He didn't know who had it out for him but if the royal guard didn't want him, he'd find another way to serve his country. And so he started traveling all over Equestria; competing in any athletic event he could and becoming a role model to young colts everywhere, proof of what hard work and determination could accomplish. By far though, his proudest accomplishment was what his old coaches had told him he'd never have, his wingpower. Small as they were, he could muscle out and produce more raw wind speed than any two average pegasi combined. It was with this inexplicable wingpower that he'd achieved his greatest act of community service, by participating in more water raising tornado teams than any other pegasus in history. Half those teams would have been shy the needed 800 wingpower if he hadn't joined up. It was training for another one of those events, over in Fillydelphia, that had brought him to the gym today. Well, actually he came to the gym everyday anyway, but he always trained extra hard for tornado season. Now though, it was time to hit the showers, go home, eat a big meal, and rest up so he could train again tomorrow. As Snowflake stepped out of the gym, he was approached by a skinny unicorn mare with a lavender coat covered by a practical heavy duty cloak. "Pardon me, but are you Snowflake?" She must be another adoring fan. "YYYEAAAAHH!" She looked startled and nervous, but then again what mare wouldn't be distracted by his awesome bod? "Um... well, yes then. I've got a proposition I'd like to make to you." Proposition, did that mean what he thought it meant? "yYeEaAhH?!?" As the mare began an overly long explanation, Snowflake quickly realized that no, no it did not. Still, it would be rude to just walk away so he tried to listen closely to the mare, but like most ponies she talked in barely more than a soft mumble. Worse still, she also liked to use big words, and not just medium big words, but reeaaalllllllllyyyyyy big words. Hay, he was pretty sure half those words couldn't even be Equestrian. Between all those factors, Snowflake couldn't really be blamed for getting a bit distracted as he tried to puzzle out what she was getting at. He managed to make out something about elephants in a symphony; could elephants even play music? Well, he guessed with such large ears they must have pretty good hearing, and maybe they might be able to use those trunks of theirs like trumpets. He'd even once heard that their tusks were supposed to be like pianos, though Snowflake never understood how. Earlier, she'd introduced herself as Tambourine Secretary, and while her cloak hid her cutie mark, he figured she must be a musician of some kind. Although, since she obviously wasn't some crooning fangirl, he still couldn't figure out what any of this had to do with him. Wait, the mare was still talking. She'd gone onto say something about needing him because he was like a monastery or something. Now what could she mean by that? At best guess he figured she must be referring to his brick like muscles. It still seemed like a rather odd comparison; he'd have thought a fortress would work better. More importantly though, he'd finally figured out what she needed him for. Obviously she wanted to try to hire him to move all that heavy orchestra equipment. Why the elephants weren't enough to get that job done though was a mystery to him, but moving stuff that even a herd of pachyderms was having trouble with sounded like just his kind of challenge. As he contemplated the boon this could be to his reputation, he almost missed an even more important detail. "...and save all of Equestria from..." He wasn't sure how everything that came before added up to that, but Snowflake could think of only one response to such a request. Author's Note • Proof reading by LDLUYAB and Mally Chapter 5: "Sharing Kindness"Siliverstar pondered to himself once again just how it was he'd let himself get roped into this. He sighed as he reassured himself that he hadn't actually made any personal promises – yet – but he had the sinking feeling he was just trying to come up with an excuse to walk away if things didn't work out. …or maybe it was the idea that things might actually work out that scared him more. He'd finally gotten the lass to explain to him all the details of what she'd been through. Too be perfectly honest with himself there were parts that sounded suspect, but Twilight didn't seem to have a deceptive bone in her whole body, even using her real name when they'd met, which given her situation really wasn't the kind of risk she should be taking with perfect strangers. Part of him knew that he should have taken this matter to the proper authorities. The old Silverstar would have done just that, but that was back before he'd learned that life couldn't always be viewed in such a stark black & white fashion. Twilight had seemed absolutely certain that this Lulamoon was manipulating the whole system, and Silverstar had met enough two-faced politicians in his day to know that was a distinct possibility. Then again, Twilight didn't seem all that good a judge of character either. The fact she'd singled him, of all ponies, out as some paragon of loyalty was proof of that. Still, given her situation it was only natural she'd have to scrape the bottom of the barrel, such as it were. Silverstar knew all too well that he wasn't the pony she needed to round out this team she was building, and couldn't be even if he wanted too – which he emphatically reminded himself he didn't. Still, maybe, just maybe he was the best she could hope to find, and if that were the case, could he really turn her down? Silverstar shook his head, to banish the vision of her pleading face, of those hopelessly forlorn eyes begging for somepony to swoop in and take away all her pain – NO! – he couldn't let himself think that way, not anymore. The former sheriff sighed... he was a bad pony, and would only bring her further pain if he so much as tried to join her cause. … Still, there was just something about those eyes that compelled him, reached into the very depths of his soul and dredged up past emotions he'd thought long drowned under all the drink he could afford. Bah! Now was not the time to let himself get all sentimental like this. He might not have promised to actually join her team – not yet at least, that nagging urge in the back of his head insisted again. What he had promised though was to find one of the ponies she was looking for. He'd seen her list and having no claim by which to judge, he figured most of them were perfectly fine candidates. The young girl seemed to do her research well enough, even if she'd erred in picking him. What he knew with certainty though was that if she was to have any chance at success one pony she needed wasn't on that list. After all, he'd already met the kindest and sweetest pony of them all. Now if only he could bring himself face-to-face with her... after what happened. Birds chirped in a tree outside a peaceful house, two stories tall with faded white siding and surrounded by a spacious yard with a picket fence. It was the very picture of an idyllic home, the kind most everypony thought of raising a family in. Well, the grass was a bit overgrown and the bushes could use a good trimming, but it was still a fine house. Inside, the house was quiet, the loudest sound to be heard was a grandfather clock ticking away the minutes in the hallway. In a side study, decorated with portraits and lined with shelves that bore all sorts of carved wooden knickknacks, there sat a single solitary pony. The earth pony mare sat at the window staring out, just like she did every day. Her cyan coat and light gray mane were kept neatly groomed, but not by any effort of her own. As she sat, no particular focus held the empty gaze of purple eyes, nor did any meaningful thought occupy her mind – even here own existence was something that barely registered. There was a gentle knock at the door, but the mare didn't react nor did her visitor seem to expect any as he opened the door with little hesitation. A pegasus colt, nearly a full grown stallion, with a light navy coat and dull brown mane stepped into the room. Balancing a tray of food on his back, he walked slowly over to the mare at the window. "Good morning, mother. I brought breakfast." He smiled as he tried to catch her gaze, but today was no different than the day before and she gave no response or in any other way acknowledged his presence. That was okay – he'd not really expected anything else, and much as he might hope for even the most subtle acknowledgement, the greeting was more a matter of due courtesy than anything else. He moved the tray from his back over to a nearby stand. He then gently took up a knife and fork with his hooves, to cut the food and one-by-one place a single bite at a time in the mare's slack mouth. She slowly chewed and swallowed each, but otherwise continued to remain oblivious to all surroundings. The colt smiled, with only the barest hint of sadness, as he went about what had become a thrice daily ritual, among all the other duties he went about each day to ensure his mother was in the best of physical health. She had taken care of him for longer than he could remember and it was least he could do to return the favor now. After she swallowed the last bite of food the colt brought a napkin to her face to clean it, and even knowing how futile it was, again he searched her eyes for any semblance of thought or recognition, of the vibrancy and life she used to have, but as always she stared at him with the same empty hollowness with which she stared at everything else since that fateful day. ... The moment was interrupted by the chime of the front doorbell. The colt paused in curiosity; he'd not been expecting company this morning. Since coming back to Equestria he'd had little free time to reacquaint himself with the other ponies his age. His mother, and late father, still had some old friends in town, but most of them barely stopped by anymore, and even less so at this early hour of the day. "Just sit patiently, mother. I'll be right back," he said before he rose and left the room. The colt knew such words were unnecessary; in her condition, his mother never moved of her own volition. If guided, she would stand and even walk, but otherwise she would just sit aimlessly without end. So again, his words were little more than a token courtesy, born out of his hopes that even if she couldn't respond, that she could still hear and take comfort from his voice. Stopping at the front door, he pressed his face to the peephole to see who might be calling, and was greeted by a face he'd not expected to ever see again. Quickly throwing open the door he declared, "Sheriff Silverstar!" ... The former law pony stood, eyes down turned and hat held against the barrel of his chest with one hoof. "I'm sorry," he said, "I knew this was a mistake. I'm probably the last pony you ever wanted come knocking at your door." Placing his stetson back on his head, the brim tipped low to hide his eyes from the pained or hateful gaze of another pony he'd wronged. "Best I just leave now I reckon and not bother you anymore," and with that he turned and started to walk away, but scarcely made it two paces before. "Wait!" Silverstar turned and genuinely looked at the young lad's face, a face that bore no hint of malice on condemnation. No, instead it bore an expression so much worse – excited enthusiasm and even... beaming admiration. "How could I ever be anything but happy to see the pony who saved us?" With a sigh of resignation Silverstar thought to himself, Yeup, this was definitely a mistake. Author's Note • Proof reading by ColdGoldLazarus (formerly LDLUYAB) • Additional proofing by Georg and The Great Derpsby Chapter 6: "A Beautiful Heart"A young earth pony colt ran down an alley, a small sack of ill-gotten loot clutched tightly in his mouth. His lime-green mane billowed as his lungs heaved beneath the dark brown coat of his barrel. It had been a stupid dare; he should have known better. Now he was going to be in big trouble. The colt chanced a backwards glance to see if he was still being chased. As his eyes took in only empty air and the refuse of the alley he, breathed a sigh of relief as he slowed his gallop to a trot before coming to a full stop. His heart was still racing as he panted deep breaths, but between each he found himself beginning to chuckle. As he came full about, a new sensation entered his head; he'd actually gotten away with it. The thrill rushed over him, pure exhilaration. He'd never felt anything quite like it, and quickly found the fear and guilt washing away beneath an overwhelming sense of empowerment. Taking one last moment to stare at the empty alley behind him, the colt turned to leave, but quickly felt himself bodily lifted into the air. "Gotcha, you little hooligan!" called out the pegasus dressed in an officer's uniform who had swooped out of the sky and was now carrying the little thief away. It was all over, he'd been caught and there was no escape… unless. There was that one trick mamma had taught him. She'd be mad if she ever found out he used it in public like this, but she'd be just as mad if she found out he'd been caught stealing. All these thoughts passed through his head in just a few brief seconds and before he was fully conscious of making a decision the young colt found himself sneering out a threat. "Oh yeah!" the colt stared defiantly, "But who's got you?" The officer was more than a little confused as he watched the little miscreant close his eyes in concentration. Were the colt a unicorn he might have been worried, even if the young lad was obviously too young to know any dangerous spells. He quickly put it out of his mind, but then it happened, something that he'd never experienced once since before graduating flight camp so many years ago. He fell. Try as he might his wings couldn't catch the wind, almost as though they weren't even there, but that would be silly. Wings couldn't just randomly disappear. It only lasted a second, maybe less, but the officer had still been close to the ground, and by the time he recovered, it was all he could do to twist in the air to make sure the colt he was carrying (thief or not he was still just a child) wouldn't bear the brunt of the crash. The colt limped away from the crash site and the unconscious adult, or at least he hoped the officer was only unconscious. The colt breathed heavy his head still dizzy from the exertion. Then as he took his next step a sharp pain stabbed up and through his left hind-leg. Had he broken his leg in the fall? No, or at least he didn't think so. His leg hadn't given way, and all too quickly the pain shifted into a numb tingling like his leg had simply fallen asleep. He wasn't sure why but he was afraid to look back. As he tested to confirm that his leg could still bear weight, something still felt wrong. It didn't really hurt any more, but it didn't feel like it was moving the right way either. Maybe it was broken, and it just hurt too much for him to feel it. He'd heard stories that could sometimes happen with really bad injuries, not that it was a very reassuring thought at the moment. Still, if it really was broken, he didn't think he should have actually been able to stand on it even if he couldn't feel the pain. Unable to figure out what was wrong he turned his head, very slowly. At first he couldn't see anything; the whole world had gone black. He panicked for a moment, wondering if he had gone blind as well now – then chided himself as he realized he had his eyes tightly shut. This was getting ridiculous. He was no infant yearling, so why was he acting like such a baby? Whatever might be wrong, it couldn't be that scary. Cautiously he peeked a look through squinting eyes. … The sound of a young pony's terrified screams echoed through the alleys. The Lost Hearts orphanage, a largely private funded and wholly independently operated home for young ponies that, for any number of unfortunate reasons, had no families to look after them. Inside a sitting room, two adult unicorns sat engaged in conversation while drinking tea. "Well, Miss Scintillation, that is quite the tale," said the elder of the two, a blue-maned and yellow-coated unicorn mare. Lemon Hearts was the proprietor of this facility, a pony hailed by the local papers for her generosity in providing a nurturing home for those who could not take care of themselves. Her irreproachable virtue was born out by the trio of blue and green hearts on her flank. Her lavender-coated guest answered plainly, "I assure you it's all true, and with your help everything can be set to right again." Lemon Hearts sipped from the tea cup levitated by her magical aura. "I'm sure you must understand that I have important duties to attend, young ponies that depend on me. I can't just pack up and leave, not on such short notice at least." "I understand that you have obligations, but this is the very fate of Equestria we are ralking about!" as the younger mare saw how her host was staring she realized only belatedly that in her excitement she had pounded her hoof against the top of the table, spilling her own tea cup. She blushed sheepishly. The silence hung heavy for a few tense moments, but before either mare could make to speak, the door was flung open and a young pegasus filly with a white coat and vibrant three-toned mane of yellow, pink, and green burst into the room. "Mamma Hearts, Mamma Hearts, there's been an accident! You…" She trailed off as she noted the firmly admonishing gaze of her caretaker's magenta eyes. "Young lady, what have I told you about interrupting me while I am with company?" The voice was strict, but not overtly harsh, "Surely there is no crisis that one of the older children cannot manage for a short while, and if it were that serious one of them should have been the one to come tell me." "But it's Limey. He's hurt. He was limping real bad and had a raggy blanket wrapped around his leg when he came in, but when Frosty Mane tried to look at it, he got all panicky. He ran upstairs and locked himself in one of the bed rooms," the filly panted a bit as she let her breath catch up with her. "He said something about you being real angry if anypony else tried to come in there. "Now deary, when have you ever known me to be angry with anypony?" Lemon Hearts said in a soothingly patient tone. "I know that, Mamma Hearts. I'm sorry to break the rules and bother you like this. Frosty Mane said that if Limey could still run like that he couldn't be hurt too bad so we should just wait, but Limey looked so scarred and I am really worried about him." The little filly's blue eyes watered as she looked to be on the verge of tears, "I don't care how much trouble this gets me in, but please, Mamma Hearts, you just have to come and help right now." Lemon Hears breathed deeply. She paced over to the young pegasus who's head hung low as she sniffed and fought to control tears. The unicorn mare stroked a single hoof through the filly's tri-colored mane and then raised the youngster's chin to meet her eyes. "There, there, Cream Breeze. No one's in any trouble here. You're a good sister, and Lime Wedge is lucky to have someone who cares for him so much." Turning to her guest, Lemon Hearts spoke, "I'm sorry to cut our meeting short Miss Scintillation, but as you can see I have urgent matters to attend to with one of my wards." The younger mare nodded slowly, "Yes, of course I understand, but will you at least consider my request? I know this isn't something you can rush into, but it really is important. Could I maybe come back after I've found the others I need?" The elder mare smiled gently, "I shall think on the matter, and if I am able to arrange it I will offer what help I can." "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" The lavender pony caught herself and halted her bouncing, "Er… I mean, I'm gracious to be worthy of such consideration and will look forward to your decision. Good day Madame Hearts." She gave a small bow as she excused herself, and left. With her guest dismissed, Lemon Hearts had given Cream Breeze a final reassurance that she would check on Lime Wedge right away, that she wasn't cross and that there wouldn't even be any punishment. The filly was still obviously worried, but only lingered a moment after being told to go back and play with the others. It was sweet really. Lemon Hearts encouraged her wards to treat each other as siblings, such familial bonds were useful for keeping the children tightknit and made her their natural figure of maternal authority. Still, every so often among the children those feelings would run... deeper. She'd seen it before; it was somewhat a pity that being one of her special children Lime Wedge would likely never be able to reciprocate those feeling. Maybe when she had everything she needed from the colt she could spare the effort to teach him to pretend. That, however, was a matter for the future and right now she had more immediate concerns to attend. As Lemon Hearts started upstairs, she found her thoughts still lingering on the offer the visiting unicorn had presented. She hadn't wanted to dismiss her guest so hastily. The offer was indeed most tempting, but even if she were to take it up, she couldn't seem too eager now could she – not if she was to play the role of Generosity. The idea made her chuckle lightly to herself. It certainly made sense why Tenebrosity Scintillation, or whatever the young mare's real name was, had concluded to asked her to exemplify such a quality. Not that Lemon Hearts held the minor deception against the unicorn. She herself had used more than a fair share of aliases over her life. Still, that might be the problem with accepting such an offer. Certainly Lemon Hearts the philanthropist who had dedicated her life to providing care for the lost children of Equestria – poor unfortunate souls with nowhere else to go – fit the bill, but that wasn't quite who she really was. She could fool ponies easily enough, but could she actually fool the primal forces of Harmony itself? If she could though… why the possibilities where deliciously tantalizing. Even with her already impressive abilities, an ancient power like that was not something to be dismissed without consideration – a power greater than even an alicorn. Why the very idea alone that such power could be hers for the taking was a temptation that might well be worth any risk. True there would be five others she would have to work with, but Lemon Hearts had never been a stranger to coercion. In her present life most ponies assumed that her cutie mark represented boundless love or some other such of the likes. The truth was that her special talent was empathy. Most might think that pretty much the same thing, but all it really meant was that she was skilled at reading the emotions and even secret desires of those around her. It made it very easy for her to get whatever she wanted, as she always knew exactly the right thing to say or do to motivate a pony or play on their sympathies. Also, thanks to being a unicorn she could augment her talents with several very useful spells. Her former family might be proud of the use she'd put the training they'd given her, that is if she hadn't discarded the whole lot after getting everything of value she could from them. She had her own goals and ambitions; she refused to be just another stepping stone in a generational legacy, not when she had devised a way to gain it all for herself instead and in doing so had accomplished more in a matter of decades than her ancestors had in over a millennia. Still, she had to move slowly and cautiously lest she draw overt notice to her true endeavors. Bad enough if any remaining members of her family found her (though she was confident that by now she was more than a match for any of them). More so, she couldn't let the common ponies learn her secrets. That was the real reason for the orphanage. She only had use for a very select few of the dozens of children she took in, but if she didn't have the others to diffuse attention the outside world might grow suspicious of certain oddities. Yet because of that the years were starting to ever so slowly catch up with her. There were days when she doubted if she really could achieve it all. Which brought her back to today's visitor and the proposal. That stood to change everything. With the Elements of Harmony at her disposal, with even the merest fraction of that untold power, she might in very short order be able to surpass even her own wildest expectations. First things first, however. Lemon heart's knocked on the door to the back dorm room, "Lime Wedge, are you in there?" There was no response save for a muffled shuffling sound. It was a simple matter for Lemon Hearts to reach past the door with her magic and flip the locked latch. She opened the door, only to find the room darkened with all the curtains drawn. Peering through the shadows, she looked past the rows of beds and managed to make out the form of a colt in the far corner. "Now then deary, what are you doing hiding back there?" There was brief pause before, "You… you're gonna be angry with me. I… I did a bad thing." As Lemon Hearts reached the back corner she could now see her ward curling tightly in on himself as he rocked back and forth. His brown coat was greasy and sweat stained while a pervading and deep-seated horror wafted off of him, centered on… his left hind leg. It was wrapped tightly in an assortment of knotted rags and bent at an awkward angle. She reached out to examine the leg, but the colt batted her hoof away with his own, but then just as quickly recoiled, realizing who it was he was lashing out at and clenched his eyes tight in shame. "Don't cry deary; whatever it is can't be all that bad," actually, if it was what she thought, it might just be, but right now the frightened child needed more consoling attention, lest things get any worse. "Just tell me everything, I promise it's nothing we can't fix together." "I didn't want to do it, but I had to get away. It's all that dumb Biggs's fault anyway! He dared me to do it all in the first place." Lemon Hearts frowned ever so slightly. She still didn't know exactly what had happened, but she hardly needed too. Mauve Bigarade was an older ward at her orphanage, a troubled youth whose mother had passed on while bringing him into this world only to leave the boy to spend the next few years under the care of a father who blamed the child for the loss. Unsurprisingly, the colt had picked up some rather bad habits in that time, habits Lemon Hearts thought she had broken him of, but now it seemed he was just pressing the other children to do his dirty deeds. Yes, looking back the signs were there all along, if subtle. Lemon Hearts almost admired the young deviant's ability to maintain such a charade under her watch. Still, she couldn't have her peaceful operation being disrupted by an uppity brat with delusions that he had free license to run things his own way. A lesson as to who was really in charge would have to be taught. A soft sniffling brought her attention back to more immediate concerns. She gently rubbed a hoof through Lime Wedge's dirty green mane to sooth him as she hummed a few bars of his favorite lullaby. "There, there deary, it's alright. Now why don't you show me what's wrong." She already had her suspicions, but she had to be sure. Lime Wedge gave a few more sniffs, "Promise… promise you won't get mad?" There was no reply, not with words, but as Lime Wedge looked up into those eyes, into Mamma Heart's deep magenta eyes he knew the same thing he always knew – that all the children knew – that no matter what, she would always be there to love and protect, and could never be truly cross or angry. All his worries just melted away under her comforting gaze, as she hummed that tune which was older than he could remember, but which always made him feel less like an orphan who had lost his real family long before he'd ever had a chance to know them – except of course he had a family, more brothers and sisters than he could even count, and of course there was always Mamma Hearts herself, so loving and kind. Here in her gentle embrace it seemed so silly that he'd ever been scared at all. The young colt backed away just a little bit, and Lemon Hearts let him, a soothing smiling on her face and in her eyes maintaining the atmosphere of trusting reassurance. Such simple measures to weave, she thought to herself, and yet no less satisfying for the ease of the effort. One by one the knots and coils of rags came undone and Lemon Hearts cast a light from her horn to see it more clearly. She had to suppress the audible hiss from her sharp intake of air, at the sight that greeted her. Still, she held a passive face as her eyes gazed down the young colt's brown flank to where it meat dark green scales that stretched down the entire length of the reshaped limb all the way to the end where instead of a hoof was now a dragon-like claw. "I knew you'd be angry," the colt sniffed. Only belatedly did Lemon Hearts realize she'd allowed her smile to slip into a scowl, how careless of her. "No deary, never," she said, her voice dripping with sweetness as she twisted her face back into a smile. The colt was too young to consciously notice that the smile failed to reach all the way to his caretaker's eyes, so he only grew confused at how cold and unsettling the room had suddenly become. Whatever was wrong though he knew it had to be with him – after all, mamma loved him with all her heart… didn't she? Lemon Hearts, however, realized all too easily what was happening, that she was letting her mask slip, but she was very cross. Not with the colt, it was hardly his fault, but rather at all the wasted effort she'd put into him. He was still so young and she had thought him full of so much more potential, but as she magically extended her sight she saw not only the physical manifestation of the corruption in the young pony's body, but the extent of the deeper instability of the taint that dwelt inside him. If, even only by accident, he was already reaching his limits… well, there likely wasn't much hope in expecting such great returns from him after all – a pity really. The elder mare closed he eyes and the colt sighed in relief as the act broke the penetrating gaze that seemed to stare through the very core of his being. He let out a breath he hadn't even known he'd been holding, as he spoke hesitantly, "Now… now you're going to make it… make it better, right? Just like you promised… just like you always do." "But of course my precocious darling. Now just relax," she spoke in a strange tone that seemed to resound at an odd pitch. When she she opened her eyes they were no longer their normal vibrant rosy color, but instead beady blood read pupils set inside sickly yellow orbs. "Mamma's gonna make it all better." Author's Note • Special thanks to Fizzy Orange, this chapter wouldn't be what it is without his inspiration. Doubly so as he went above the call and provided me with some proof reading as well. Chapter 7: "An Easy Feat"It was a glorious spring afternoon; the birds chirped, the foals played, and the clouds had been perfectly positioned to provide a relaxing shade. It was the kind of day on which everypony couldn't help but be blissfully happy and joyously carefree – everypony that is save one. Atop a park bench sat a lavender unicorn mare in a rough brown cloak, heedless to the vibrant frivolity that abounded all around her. For Twilight Sparkle, things hadn't been going so well, not since being framed for a crime she didn't commit – well okay, actually she did commit the crime, but it wasn't her fault. She'd been tricked into it by that pretensions charlatan, the so-called Element of Magic, Trixie Lulamoon! That was all going to change, however, and with her meticulously crafted plan she'd expose that self-important fraud and prove herself the superior unicorn! …or at least that's how things were supposed to happen. Twilight had done all her research, selected a list of worthy candidates, but one-by-one she'd met only aloof dismissal or scornful rejection. Nopony seemed willing to believe her, most wouldn't even give her the chance to explain, and those few who would hear her out still refused anyway for any variety of contrived excuses. Some of them were reasonable enough: "I wish I could help, I really do, but I can't take that kind of time off, and if I lose my job I'll never be able to make next month's rent." But others were obviously just making up excuses – if not insane: "YOUr eLephANTS aRe hOpELESs!" Out of the dozens of ponies she'd approached, only two had given so much as a maybe. Still, one of those two said he knew someone perfect for the team, so that would make four in total, counting herself. Not enough, but maybe working together they could all find viable proxies to fill the leftover gaps and make this plan work. It was with that hope she now sat here, waiting for the second most loyal and dependable pony she'd ever known. It seemed kind of silly to think about him that way; Twilight barely even new Sheriff Silverstar, but for some inexplicable –utterly irrational– reason when he was around she had no doubt that things might actually work out. … Awkward minutes passed, and with each tick of the nearby clocktower, Twilight's confidence dwindled. He'd probably forgotten about her, or worse, maybe he'd just never really carried in the first place and just like every other pony she'd tried to recruit he thought she was the crazy one. Maybe he was right this very moment laughing it off in some tavern as he lost himself to another drink. The very thought of such betrayal made Twilight— "Pardon me, miss. Sorry to have kept ya waiting." Twilight looked up and there he was, just like he'd promised, and as she looked into the deep blue of those protective eyes, Twilight wondered how she could have ever doubted him. Without even pausing to think, she leapt from the bench and tackled the brown-coated earth stallion, knocking the black stetson from his head. As she held him in a tight embrace, she heard him cough slightly, "I'm… glad to be seeing ya too, girl, but… it's a might hard to breath like this." The unicorn blushed against her violet coat as she released her grip and backed away to a more respectable distance, "I'm so sorry about that. It's just I've not been doing so well finding any more recruits and I was so worried that you'd abandoned me too and—" She was cut short as Silverstar placed a single hoof over her mouth, "No need for explanations. Can't say I'd be able to put much faith in me either, if'n I were the one in yer place, but I made ya a promise and a proper stallion always keeps his word." Only belatedly did Silverstar question how that should be any reassurance; how could a pony as wretched as himself rightly claim to be a proper stallion? His introspection was cut short as Twilight enthusiastically inquired "So then, where is she? The sooner I meet your friend the sooner we can all start working together." Her question asked, the unicorn began eagerly scanning the area, eyes darting about rapidly as she grinned with jubilant excitement. Silverstar paused in the middle of picking up his fallen hat… and let out an audible sigh. "Mother's right in here Sheriff." Silverstar started to remind Woody not to call him that, but then stopped and just let his mouth hang instead. If the past hour had made anything clear it was that there was no disavowing the boy of his naive sense of hero worship. It was hardly his greatest concern anyhow, not now that he found himself here, just a few short paces from… her. The light blue of her coat was exactly as he remembered it. Her elegant gray mane-style was simply, but clearly well washed and groomed. Given her condition, Silverstar had feared to find the mare woefully emaciated, but she was clearly well fed, the picture of physical health. It was obvious her son had been caring for her admirably, and really Silverstar knew he should have expected as much from the boy. This was it, the entire reason he'd made the long trip, but now that he was so close, the trail worn stallion found himself wishing he was anywhere else. Taking a deep breath, he mentally prodded himself, no turning back now you old fool, and then took his first tentative steps. Each step was slow and deliberate, like walking in molasses, as he was hesitant to actually approach the mare at the other end. Silverstar knew he didn't deserve to set foot in the same town as Miss Loosy, let alone come into her home begging a request for help, especially not given the condition her son said she was in. The former sheriff had wanted to just leave the moment he'd found out, but Woody had insisted he try speaking with her – "I think maybe she's been waiting for you." – that's what the boy had said. It seemed such a silly notion; who could possibly wait on a pony the likes of himself? Still, the boy had been so insistent, and Silverstar just couldn't bring himself to say no. The mare made no indication she heard his approach, which was hardly surprising under the circumstances. At first Silverstar reached up a hoof to touch her shoulder, but after a lingering moment instead brought it to his mouth as he coughed. "Pardon the intrusion ma'am, but if'n it's not too much trouble I've got a favor to ask." There was no response, not even the slightest change in her passive breathing to suggest she had any awareness someone was speaking to her. Normally such a silence would have been all the message Silverstar needed to know he wasn't welcome, but after what he'd been told, he knew that it was just a symptom of her deeper problems. Still, every instinct was telling him to run away before it was too late. Too think, after all the dangers he'd faced in his long career on the open frontiers of the Mild West, the thing that now inspired the most terror in his weary bones was this lone mare. Silverstar would laugh, it weren't so utterly pathetic. More importantly though, he knew that he couldn't flee. Not only had he made a promise to Twilight, but now one to Woody as well, and he didn't need to spare a glance backwards to know that the boy was looking on with longing eagerness. Silverstar stepped around in front of the mare. He lowered his head level with hers and gazed into those infinitely deep violet eyes. A man could lose himself in those eyes, or at least that used to be the case. Now they were only empty, bereft of their former vibrant allure. Was there even any point in trying; was there anything left of the pony he'd once known? He took in a deep breath, knowing that if there was to be any chance, he couldn't waste time with formalities, that he would have to speak from the heart. "Loosy, it's me… it's Silverstar. I… well, I came here lookin' fer yer help, but well, I guess maybe ya need my help too… least that's what yer son here thinks. Ya should see him, Loosy; he's growing up into a fine young stallion, more than a might better than most. I guess maybe that's why ya ain't in such a hurry to come back, cause I guess ya know he'll do alright all on his own, but that don't mean he doesn't miss ya something fierce." "Still, Woody here, he says yer talent's always been makin' things fit together, and that's the reason why ya won't come back fer just one pony. He's says that's why fate must of brought me here, cause ya see, I'm not here for myself; I know I ain't worthy, but I met this lost little filly. She's all alone, and up against impossible odds, but she's got a plan… only she needs help to make that plan happen. She needs somepony who can help her build a team of special ponies. She needs somepony just like you." "So if'n yer still in there, Loosy, won't you please come back?" Silverstar stared deep into her eyes, hoping against hope to see her stare back… and he waited. Silverstar held his stetson to his chest, head down cast, "I'm sorry Twi, but well my friend… well, she ain't in any position to help nopony." He then took another deep breath before continuing, "I tried, I really tried, but like I told ya before, I ain't the pony ya were ever looking for," and with that he placed his hat back atop his head, brim turned down to hide his eyes. He turned to leave, but managed only a few paces before pausing. He knew his words must have crushed the poor girl. He knew that right now she would need somepony to lend her strength and support. Worst of all, he knew that if he allowed himself a final glance back that there would be no escape, that he would give her his shoulder to cry on and that he'd promise to make everything right again. …but it would all be a lie, because in his heart Silverstar knew that the only thing he could ever bring this young girl was more pain – it was all a pony like him was good for, and so he didn't look back, but he did speak a final farewell, "I'm… I'm sorry." … The young mare could only stare as her last hope retreated from sight at a full gallop. Her lips quivered as her eyes strained to hold back the tears. It was all over. Twilight Sparkle, the most talented and magically gifted unicorn of her generation, had… failed. Everypony from her original list had rejected her. Well, not quite all of them. She'd been so sure of Silverstar and his the friend he'd told her of that she'd stopped looking for Loyalty or Kindness, so there were still a few names left to check on her list… and maybe she could widen her search to find Laughter and Honesty, plus she still had that one hold out for Generosity. Yes, she could still do this; she could still make things work! Who was she kidding though? Her last best hope had fallen through, so what chance was there of ever convincing anypony else? With her head hung low, the broken and dejected mare slumped off as her abject misery expressed itself in the only possible way. I was prepared to face this test; knew I could give my very best Cast a light, dispel the tricks; but I wasn't prepared for this This equation should have been a breeze; with my research I was sure to please Thought I'd ace this quiz without a miss; but I wasn't prepared for this My hopes were high, but now are gone; what can I do…? My mind was keen, my skills precise; my heart was true… Now, I've taken my final lick; No one left from who to pick For no I wasn't… … … Oh no, I wasn't… … … No I wasn't prepared… for this! Twilight looked up and read the sign in front of her – The Lost Hearts Foundation for Orphans and Wayward Children. She wasn't sure why she'd even bothered to come here… what was the point when she'd already failed? It would be so much easier to just slink away into the shadows and disappear forever. No doubt, Lemon Hearts would only be all the happier to never be bothered by her pathetic troubles again. Still, if there was any chance that Lemon Hearts was the one pony that was actually willing to help, well then, Twilight owed it to the matronly unicorn to pay this one last visit, and to apologize for failing to see her own part through. … The dejected unicorn stepped into the lobby. Over in the corner she spied two foals: one a young earth colt with a dark brown coat and lime-colored mane, the other a pegasus filly with a creamy white coat and a three-toned pastel mane of yellow, pink, and green. The colt sat quietly moving blocks from one pile to the other and back again, while the filly just seemed to sit there and watch with an almost longing gaze. She wasn't sure, but neither foal looked to be enjoying themselves. The colt's motions seemed somehow detached and mechanical, like one who had forgotten what joy was like, while the filly simply seemed to observantly watch over the colt with mournful concern… or maybe Twilight was just so miserable that she was projecting her own feelings of grief. Before she had time to contemplate that any further, Twilight was approached by a pale lilac-coated unicorn mare with an icy-blue mane and a cutie mark resembling three stacked ice-cubes. The unicorn fixed her with a frigidly emotionless gaze, "Ah, Miss Scintillation, welcome back. Mother Hearts has been expecting you." Twilight had seen Lemon Hearts' assistant on her previous visit, though this was the first time they'd actually spoken with each other. She was older than Twilight, but by how many years was hard to say. She certainly didn't look older than Twilight's own mother, yet the way she spoke made her sound old enough to be somepony's grandmother, if not great-grandmother. Maybe it was just that the mare was trying too hard to be professional… or maybe again this was all just Twilight projecting her own shameful remorse. Worse still though for Twilight was the fact that Lemon Hearts had apparently been waiting for her return. She had almost hoped to be dismissed outright, the idea that she ever had a meaningful proposal laughed off like some cruel joke. Instead, however, it seemed like she really had in this one instance gotten it right and that Lemon Hearts was the one and only pony who was all too willing to help her – too bad one wasn't enough, and so now Twilight had to be the bearer of bad news. She was led back to the same sitting room where she had taken tea with Lemon Hearts on her first visit, back when she'd still been full of such hope and optimism. Distantly, Twilight heard her escort announce her arrival. As she stepped into the room, eyes downcast and head held nearly to the floor, the disheartened unicorn could not even bring herself to look upon her host. "I'm sorry Madam Hearts; I guess you found it in yourself to make the time to help me after all, but I must regret to inform you that I've completely failed to find any of the other ponies we'd need. I'm so sorry to have wasted you time," Twilight then turned to leave, unable to bear the thought that Lemon Hearts would surely try to console her – before… "Why so down in the down in the dumps, Tenbre?" came a quizzically cheerful voice, but not the voice of the matron who administered this establishment. Twilgiht's eyes snapped open as her head jerked painfully erect, and there in front of her, sitting at the table, she saw a gray-coated earth pony with a curly dull green mane and cheerfully bright green eyes. "LUCKY!?! …but I don't… but why are you…?!?" "Silly," replied the mare with unrestrained exuberance, "I told you I wanted to help, if only I could afford too, and well, Lemons here apparently knows some pretty influential talent scouts and she's promised to help hook me up," she then grinned so wide it looked as though she could decapitate herself, "Isn't that just the most exciting thing ever!" The stunned unicorn could only gape slack-jawed, as her eyes wondered over to the corner, where she saw an equally preposterous sight. Hanging upside down, his hind legs wrapped around a wall mounted coatrack, was an extremely muscular white-coated pegasus, doing some kind of suspended crunches. "Sn… Snowflake?" "Why yes, my dear," came a motherly voice from the side-door as Lemon Hearts walked into the room. "Turns out Mr. McHugelarge here is somewhat hard of hearing and had some rather… interesting misconceptions about what it was you were asking him to help with, but after a bit of clarification he was more than eager to be of service. ISN'T THAT RIGHT?" At that exclamation the stallion hooked a fore-hoof around the bar he was hanging from, flipped himself into the air, looped over once and landed in an upright flexing posture, "YEAH!" Finally regaining her composure –mostly– Twilight tried her best to get a grasp on this situation, "But I don't get it; how'd you even find these ponies?" "Why that's simple, my dear. As your charming friend already told you, I'm quite well connected, not to mention very resourceful when I have need to be. After you told me how important this mission of yours was, how could I not do everything in my power to see to it you had everything you needed to see it through." Twilight didn't know what to say, this was beyond her wildest expectation, and yet… "It still doesn't matter. We're still two ponies short." Lemon Heart merely gave a knowing smile, "Are we now, my dear? I think that might be changing very shortly." … Scarcely five minutes passed, during which time Lemon Hearts patently refused to explain herself any further, only offering that they all sit down and enjoy some freshly brewed tea. Then finally, without warning, a somewhat rotund-looking pegasus colt with a mauve coat and burgundy mane swooped in the nearby open window. What was even more startling though was the rather familiar looking black stetson he held clutched between his teeth. Barely a few seconds after that an equally familiar stallion leapt through the window shouting, "Get back here ya varmint!" Twilight gasped, "S… Silverstar!" she wasn't sure if her brain could take any more surprises like this. The former sheriff seemed equally perplexed, "Twi… Twilight? What in tarnation is going on here!" At that Lemon Hearts stepped forward to interject, "My apologies, Mr. Star, but I was quite occupied arranging all of this and had no time to see to your personal invitation, and so sent my ward here to ensure your arrival." She then turned to the young colt, "Now than, Bigarade, give the nice stallion his hat back." The colt stared hesitantly up at his caretaker before nervously responding, "Y… yes, Mamma Heats." As he walked slowly across the room, Lemon Hears called after him, "And do be sure to say how sorry you are." The clot paused with his ears downturned and audibly gulped, but said not another word until he reached Silverstar. He held out the hat, which the stallion took back in a sharp swipe of one hoof as he glared at the colt, who wilted beneath the gaze. There was an awkward pause of silence before, "...'m... s…r…y…" mumbled the colt. Across the room Lemon Hearts gave a stern cough, clearly not satisfied. The colt's eyes shifted sideways in her general direction as he gulped again and his legs seemed to tremble just a bit, but kept his head turned away from. "I'm... I'm sorry, sir!" the colt repeated with forced emphasis, "I Didn't mean to cause you no trouble, it's just that—" He was interrupted by another stern cough from across the room, "That will be enough of that then young man. Now off with you; the five of us have grown-up matters to attend." The colt simply nodded, ears still folded against the back of his head as he ran from the room as fast as his hooves could carry him. Silverstar kept a watchful gaze on the colt the whole time. The insincerity of that apology couldn't have been more blatant, and he still clearly recalled the joyful mockery the boy had given during the chase across town. No, that was a boy who liked making trouble. Although, he did find himself briefly wondering what the colt had been about to add to his farce of an apology, before his apparent caretaker had cut the child off; however, almost as quickly Silverstar brushed the thought aside as none of his concern. Sweeping an appraising glance over the remaining occupants of the room, Silverstar could only guess these were the ponies Twilight had been recruiting. He puzzled briefly over who was supposed to represent what, before again deciding that wasn't really any concern of his either and then turning to face Twilight directly, "Well, looks like ya've been doing well enough fer yerself girl, and I couldn't be prouder, but I already told ya, I ain't the pony yer looking for, so t'was just a waste of effort bringing me here. Now if ya don't mind, I'll just be on my way." Before he had time to take more than two steps, he heard the other unicorn in the room call after him, "That's such a shame, Mr. Star, and after I went to so much trouble assuring our final guest that you'd be joining us. It would be such a pity to disappoint her." Shifting his gaze from the yellow-coated unicorn to the back-door she motioned to, Silverstar found himself powerless to move a single muscle as another mare walked into the room, It can't be! The light blue-coated mare looked up at the former sheriff, eyes full of life as she reached a single hoof to wipe a stray bit of her gray mane from her face. She smiled demurely, "Hello there, Silver." No, this was impossible; he had to be dreaming, "Loosy? Is… is it really you? I don't reckon I understand. Last time I saw ya…" "It's really me Silver, and as for how… well, Madam Hearts here really is quite amazing. It's like she can talk directly to a pony's soul, and when she told me how much you needed me… well, I just couldn't ignore that." Silverstar felt a dampness at the corner of his eye, but he didn't care. There she was, standing before him, good as new, like nothing had ever happened. He didn't want to look away, for fear that if he did she'd vanish back into whatever cold lonely place had stolen her away before, but Silverstar had something he needed to do. As he wiped his eyes, he shifted his gaze over to the elder of the two unicorns in the room, "Miss Hearts, was it? I don't rightly expect any words could ever be enough ta thank ya fer doin' this… but I do thank ya most kindly from the bottom of my old heart. Tis a truly amazing thing ya've done here." "If you want to thank me, Mr. Star, then perhaps you would reconsider joining us. I'm sure Ms. Screws here would most appreciate it." "I reckon that there's no place I'd rather be right now." "Excellent," Lemon Hearts then turned, "Well then, Miss Scintillation –or rather Miss Sparkle as I am to understand– that makes a full six if I've counted correctly. Shall we move on to the next step of your plan?" Twilight still couldn't believe it; to go from abject failure to such a resounding success… and all of it thanks to the fact that above all else she couldn't possible have hoped to find a more generous pony than Lemon Hearts, a pony who without asking for anything else in return had went above and beyond the call to make this all happen. She wanted to express her boundless gratitude, but Twilight knew she could never hope to find the words to do so, and so instead… "Right! Well then, mares and gentlecolts, let's get down to business; first we—" A protracted rumbling seemed to echo throughout the room. Twilight stood rigid in mortified embarrassment, only now remembering that in her excitement to meet up with Silverstar earlier, she had neglected to eat lunch – breakfast too, for that matter. Silence hung heavy for several seconds, before Lucky burst out laughing, "Same old Tenbs. You really should eat more often, girl." "Actually, perhaps we could all do with a good meal," said Lemon Hearts as she glanced out the window at the fading light of the orange cast sky. "We can discuss plans over dinner." Twilight was sort of impatient, but a second protest from her growing stomach convinced her otherwise, "Yes, that sounds like a great idea." "If you will excuse me then, I will see to the preparations. The rest of you should please feel free to make yourselves comfortable." As Lemon Hearts left the room Clover called after her, "Hey, wait up. I can lend a hoof with the food." Remembering her last meal with the would-be comedian, Twilight blanched, unsure if her taste buds where up for another such the experience. Unfortunately, the gray mare was already out the door before Twilight had the chance to stop her. The minutes that passed waiting for the meal to arrive went by rather uneventfully. Snowflake went back to exercising; now doing chin-ups on the coatrack. Silverstar and his friend, a Miss Loosy Screws, sat near each other, but didn't seem to speak much – nor even look at each other, at least not at the same time, or when they did accidently do so, both would quickly turn away. Twilight really couldn't figure out what was up with that. If the two ponies were supposed to be old friends, why did they seem so nervous around each other? For her own effort, the unicorn tried on several occasion to start up a casual conversation, but nothing really seemed to catch. She thought she had a good topic going after she learned Loosy had a son and they got to talking about family, although twilight remained careful not to mention any of her own by name. However, after a casual inquiry about the boy's father though, she learned that the mare –still younger than her own mother– was now an untimely widow. Things got awkward again very quickly after that, and in the back of her mind it only reminded Twilight just how much she wanted this all to be over so she could go home and give her parents a big hug. Had she remembered to do that the last time they were all together? Had she even remembered to actually tell her parents how much she loved them, or had she just taken them for granted? She could all too easily imagine her mother's last words to her having been a reminder to pack some clothes, to which Twilight herself would frustratingly bemoan how she rarely even wore any. Her mother would then have retorted, in the height of parental embarrassment, that Twilight really should have something nice to wear – just in case she met a handsome young stallion while traveling abroad. After all, neither of them where getting any younger and Velvet was all too eager to have some grandchildren. Not like Twilight should have to be the one solely responsible for that. Her brother, Shining Armor, was the elder child of the family anyway and so should bear the brunt of their mother's lineal coaxing. It was all perfectly normal familial tension and whether she said so at the time, surely her parents knew she loved them, the same way she knew they would always love her (unless recent circumstances had made her too much of an embarrassment to ever publicly acknowledge again, but that was why Twilight had to fix things). The fact that she couldn't remember the last time she actually spoke the words aloud or the last time she'd heard them in turn was an uncertainty that gnawed and twisted at her gut… a sensation which mixed poorly with the dull ach of her still empty stomach. … She considered striking up a conversation with Snowflake instead, but remembered how loud he could be, and didn't really feel comfortable shouting herself just to make sure he could hear her in turn. That seemed like it would only be more awkward than the uneasy silence that currently pervaded the room. As Twilight tried her best to distract herself with a few crackers and a cup of the now lukewarm tea, she couldn't help but dwell on how this was exactly why she'd never had any real interest in making friends before. She was just no good at small talk, and found herself hoping that Lemon Hearts and Lucky would return as swiftly as possible. … As the saying goes a, watched pot never boils. It felt like forever, if not longer, but finally Lemon Hears came back to the room, followed closely by Clover Charms who was pushing a cart with a large bowl full of salad, several sandwiches, and a pitcher of iced-tea. Twilight couldn't be sure, but it looked as though Lemon Hearts had managed to keep Lucky from adding anything frightfully… exotic to the meal, and seemed to be confirmed by the comedian's own complaint shortly thereafter. "I still think the salad would be better with peanut butter and cayenne spicing. Hey, Tenbre, you agree with me?" Twilight grimaced as she searched for a way to be diplomatic while still sparing her stomach the ordeal, but was fortunately spared the trouble when Loosy spoke up instead. "Actually, I'm allergic to peanuts, so if it's all the same…" Clover tilted her head in thought, "Oh yeah, I guess that cute pegasus colt who said he was your son might have mentioned something like that. He's already a real looker too; once he's all grown up I bet he'll have to beat the mares back with a stick." Loosy smiled, but with a hint of concern as she turned Lemon Hearts, "Are you sure he's okay all by himself? I mean I guess he's been doing fine these past months; I still can't help but worry though." "You son will be fine Miss Screws," the yellow unicorn assured, "And he's not alone either. I sent him to eat with my wards while we discuss adult matters. No need to burden the boy, would you not agree?" "See, no worries, girl." Clover smiled and then turned to Twilight, "So, Tenbre, how 'bout it. I got Lems to let me bring a little peanut butter and cayenne for my own salad; wanna share?" Twilight grimaced returned deeper than before as she tried to conceal how her stomach rolled in an attempt to flee. The unicorn wondered if she too could claim allergies as an excuse, but she was a terrible liar… which reminded her, "Umm… Lucky, you know you don't have to keep calling me by that nickname; Tenebrosity was just an alias." "Oh, I know that. Lemsy here already told me everything, but that doesn't matter," and then with a great big smile, "You'll always be Tenbs to me!" … The meal was simple but delightfully filling, especially the daffodil and daisy sandwiches. As the unicorn savored the familiar flavor, she found herself drifting into memories of better days when she and her mother would spend lazy Sunday afternoons eating the same kind of sandwiches while reading together. For just a few short moments Twilight found herself able to almost forget that she'd had to spend the last few weeks as a fugitive. That is until Lucky, mouth half full of salad, spoke up. "Sho, Tenbsh, howsh thish shole shing sh'poshed to… work?" The earth pony's voice cleared as she swallowed, "Six of us, six of them, we gonna call them out and square off in some kind of epic showdown of epic destiny!" and then emphasized the statement by clapping her hooves together in front of her face and then spreading them wide as she added some explosion-like vocalizations, expectorating some stray food particles in the process. Twilight nearly gagged, and found herself having to painfully swallow down her own last bite of food as she replied hoarsely "What… No! I mean what would that even prove anyway?" "I dunno, isn't that the way these things usually work out?" Twilight finished gulping down half a glass of ice-tea to soothe her throat before explaining, "They're the Elements of HARMONY, Clover. They represent the fundamental forces of peace and unity. Violence is the very antitheism of their nature." Loosy, who had briefly turned pale after Clover's original outburst, interject with a slight tremble to her voice, "Oh, that's a relief. I… I was worried for a bit there. I… I—" Silverstar placed a hoof over hers, but pulled it back as quickly as her eyes were able to meet his own. Seeming to stare off at nothing of importance, he coughed lightly, "I think what Miss Loosy her is tryin' ta say is that she's seen more violence than she'd care ta remember, and ain't in no hurry ta see no more any time soon," then added, "I rightly feel the same myself." The blue earth mare gave a sad, but thankful smile, however, Silverstar seemed only able to return it with the briefest sidelong glance. "Well, no worries. I might be the fugitive, but Lulamoon is the thug, and the way we show up her and prove she isn't worthy of being the Element of Magic isn't by beating anypony up, but by doing the one thing that she and her so called friends couldn't. Because not only is the so-called Great & Powerful Trixie Lulamoon an obnoxious braggart and a self-important charlatan, but she is also a criminally negligent failure. That's where the six of us come in; we will set right what went wrong and correct that fraud's most grievous of errors!" Twilight hesitated, partly for dramatic effect, but also because of how ludicrously audacious sounding she knew her next statement would be. Finally she proceeded, "We are going defeat Corona, the Tyrant Sun herself, once and for all!" As expected there were gasps and nervous stares all around. Loosy apprehensively spoke up, "That, that sounds really dangerous, and well… I'm still kind of catching up on events, but… well, I know that wicked queen escaped from the sun and all, but wasn't she already driven off in defeat anyway?" "Well, yes," conceded Twilight before supplementing, "but that's exactly the problem. With the power of the Elements of Harmony though, that Lulamoon should have been able to banish Corona back into her fiery prison at the heart of the sun; just like Princess Luna did a thousand years ago. The fact that ancient tyrant was able to escape instead only proves how Lulamoon was never meant to wield the power of the elements, because she clearly doesn't know how to use them effectively, but with your help I can succeed where she failed! Not only will we oust Lulamoon for the pretender she is, but we will also save all of Equestria from its greatest threat." "I s'pose that makes sense" said Silverstar as he rubbed a hood against his chin, "Still, while I reckon I ain't no expert on such things, but wouldn't we need those fancy jeweled artifacts?" "Not exactly. The Elements of Harmony aren't actually physical objects; they are fundamental forces of creation, as old as the world itself, if not more so. The jewels are just focal points for channeling that power, and according to Gâteau's Theorem of Harmonic Resonancies it should be possible to make a second set." "Who?" said Clover Charms with puzzled expression. "Tarte Gâteau, though I guess he's kind of an obscure figure in the public eye. I mean, he's certainly no Starswirl the Bearded." "Starswirl the what now?" Clover repeated, her expression no less puzzled than before, "Is he supposed to be important or something?" Twilight simply stared, "…" dumbfounded, "…" her mouth moving, but unable to form the words to express a response to the sheer heresy she'd just heard, "…" Finally, she managed to blink. "Never mind," she bemoaned with sense of weary exasperation and barely restrained frustration, "Starswirl's only the most renowned conjuror of the pre-classical era, the father of the amniomorphic spell, and has an entire wing of the royal archives named after him," then with obvious sarcasm, "But no, fine, I guess that none of that makes him at all important." "Am-ni-o-morph-ic… well, why didn't you bring that up sooner?" Twilight sighed in relief, content that even if the earth mare didn't know his name, Lucky was at least familiar with Starswirl's work. "I mean, I could have had a lot more fun with this if I knew we were allowed to make up words." Some part of Twilight's brain registered a twinkle in the gray-coated pony's bright green eyes, the tilted grin that suggested at least some measure of the previous exchange had been in jest. That part of her brain, however, was fast being drowned out by the part that insisted there were some things a pony simply should never joke about, that ignorance was never a laughing matter. Before Twilight could launch into a rant, however, Lemon Hearts interceded, "Surely, Miss Charms, you have at least heard of Starswirl's student, Clover the Clever. I'm sure you must have taken note of her during a Hearth Warming pageant presentation at some point in you life, being of similar name yourself." "Oh, yeah!" Clover said as she started rolling a napkin into a cone, "Back in school whenever a teacher would make me wear the dunce cap I'd always tilt it forward like a horn", she then held the rolled napkin to her forhead, "and talk about how clever it made me look." The mare then chuckled as she dropped the napkin back on the table, "Cracking that joke would net me an extra week of detention, but it usually got enough laughs from the other students to be worth it." For Twilight, the image of her new friend spending her youth poking fun at Starswirl's overrated apprentice went a long way toward soothing her own previous frustrations. She'd still need to properly educate Lucky of course, but that could wait till later. "So anyway, as I was saying…" Twilight paused just an instance, eyeing Clover, just in case the mare felt need to make any more interruptions. "Tarte Gâteau was a unicorn scholar who nearly five-hundred years ago conducted extensive research into the nature and function of the Elements of Harmony. He is even one of the few ponies ever granted access to analyze the actual artifacts while they were inert. He went on to write an unpublished treatise on how to potentially recreate a new set in case of future need." "Wait," Loosy spoke softly, "so if the research was unpublished, how do you know any of this?" Twilight shifted nervously, "Well, umm… I might have sort of payed an afterhours visit to private collections of the university where he used to teach and I might have borrowed a copy while I was there." "Ya mean ya snuck in and stole it," there was no anger in Silverstar's statement, but it remained pointedly blunt. The young unicorn didn't know how to respond, but fortunately Lemon Hearts came to her rescue, "Now then, Mr. Star, no need for harsh accusations. Whether or not it was right of her to do so, what's done is done, and more importantly it's what makes our objectives here even possible in the first place. " "It ain't about whether er not it was right er wrong, I just don't think she should need ta go mincing words with us 'bout such things." Reluctantly, Twilight tried to apologize, "You're right, I suppose; friends aren't supposed to keep secrets," she smiled sheepishly. Before Silverstar had a chance to further respond, Lemon Hearts spoke in his stead, "Good. Now that we've settled that matter, if you could finish explaining, Miss Sparkle." "Right, so anyway, his research stalled out because one of the things Gâteau required was an active sample of the Element's magic. Unfortunately, since it had been over five-hundred years since they were last used, finding such a sample proved exceedingly difficult. He spent years tracking leads without an success, but according to his last notes on the subject said he'd finally found a viable source somewhere in Cavallia, but that he would need aid from Princess Luna to acquire it and so had scheduled a meeting to discuss the matter. No one knows the details of that meeting, only that afterwards Gâteau was granted a nearly unlimited budget for future research, but for some reason never pursued any further investigations in relation to the Elements of Harmony." Silverstar rubbed his chin in contemplation, "So if this Gate-ow fellow never finished his research, how do ya even know it'll work?" "There might not be any practical proof, but since his time, other scholars who studied Gâteau's work agreed that the theory was sound, however, the Royal Institute of Magical Sciences has never granted funding to anyone who petitioned to further pursue those studies. Besides… it's not like we have much alternative here, and we'll never know if we don't at least try." Placing her fork down on the table, Lemon Hearts dabbed a napkin across her lips, "So then, shall we be taking a trip to Cavallia, to follow-up on Gâteau's last lead? I can arrange for tickets on the next train." Twilight shook her head subtly, "That would be like looking for a needle in a haystack. Gâteau never detailed what he found, only that he found it. Besides, I doubt that whatever it was would still be viable now. Fortunately, however, that won't be necessary, as I've already acquired my own sample." The unicorn reached across the room with her magic, to her cloak hanging on the rack, and levitated out a small pouch. Bringing it over to the table, she cleared away a space and then turned the pouch over, dumping out a pile of shredded metal –gold– slivers. Curious stares were exchanged about the table, unsure what to make of the scrap. One hoof scooped up a sliver. Snowflake held it close to his face, staring first with one eye, then the other. He gave it a long and very audible sniff. Opening his moth, the muscular pegasus stuck out his tong as if to taste the metal— At that Twilight grabbed it away with her magic, "Careful with that!" Returning the shard to the pile she began to explain, "These are fragments of Corona's shattered regalia from when she was struck by the Elements at the ruins of the old Everfree palace." Before she could continue, Loosy interrupted her with an expression of nervous concern, "Wait, you went into the Everfree forest to get these… all by yourself? Isn't that place supposed to be full of the most dangerous monsters in all of Equestria? We aren't all going to have to go back there or anything; are we?" "It's creepy, but not really all that dangerous for a pony that is properly prepared with the right contingency wards and counter charms. Besides, I already got the shards, so why would any of us need to go back there?" Loosy gave an audible sigh of relief, but otherwise remained silent. "Anyway, these pieces were originally forged by the Tyrant Sun's own magic and so should have dissipated once they were severed from her and left behind after she fled, but instead the magic of the Elements of Harmony crystalized them. Which means that inside there is also preserved a residual sample of the harmonic magics of the Elements themselves as well." With a bold eagerness, Lemon Hearts declared, "So then, if we have the shards and all six of us are gathered, let's get started forging this new set of elements." "Well, it's not quite that simple; there is another catch," Twilight replied, "You see, to catalyze the reaction will take a lot of magic, far more than any mere unicorn, even one of my exceptional abilities, could ever hope to muster. If we're going to do this, we need a power source that can rival that of an alicorn. Fortunately, I know of a relic that should do the trick just fine, and exactly where to find it." Author's Note • Apologies for taking much longer with this chapter than expected; hope the fact that it's longer than any two of the preceding chapters helps make up for that. • Proofing by LDLUYAB, though he goes as ColdGoldLazarus now days. Still, as Lucky said to Twilight... • Special thanks to InsertAuthorHere and Blackbelt for being my test audience and providing story advice. Chapter 9: "The Effort It Expends"Huaso Manor was a bustle of activity. Everypony who was anypony had been invited, and even those who had not now pressed against each other in a throng as they lined up behind velvet ropes to catch a fleeting glimpse of the cavalcade of nobles, celebrities, and other individuals of wealth & class arrived for the evening's festivities. The crowd reached a fevered pitch as a gaudy carriage that looked more like a portable stage rolled up to the manor. Strobing lights and music filled the air as Sapphire Shores punctuated her arrival by singing a preview from her upcoming Ziegfilly Follies tour. So enraptured was the crowd that scarcely anypony cared or noticed when a more practical carriage bearing the Baron Mounty Max and his date was the next to arrive. ──────────────── Inside the gates, the reception being held in the courtyard was a scene of more tranquil civility. A sound-dampening spell on the outer walls kept most of the racket from outside to a minimum. The magically enhanced music from the impromptu concert managed to bleed through regardless, however, causing a few of the stuffier nobles to roll their eyes and harrumph at having to share the evening in the presence of the pop idol sensation. Black uniformed servants moved seamlessly amongst the various guests, carrying trays of hors d'oeuvres and fine wines to tide those guests over until the doors to the manor proper opened to begin the actual event. It was in all ways exactly what one would expect of such a high class gathering, yet that did little to set the mind of one lavender-coated unicorn mare at ease. Twilight Sparkle tugged awkwardly at the straps of her uniform with one hoof, while levitating a tray of wine glasses with her magical aura. Her eyes kept darting about the crowd as she muttered under her breath, "Ooh, this was a bad idea; I just know it. I'll be spotted for sure; I've actually met some of these ponies before and—" Clover Charms, wearing an identical uniform and balancing a tray of exotic cheeses on her back, put a reassuring hoof on her compatriots shoulder. "Just chill out, Tenbs. No pony's gonna recognize you." "But… but over there, by the rose bushes, that's Zenith; I'm sure she's still holding a grudge from when I spilt punch all over her new dress at her birthday back when we were both seven. I never even wanted to go in the first place, but mother insisted since she and Count Apex had been best friends growing up and they were always so sure that the two of us would hit it off just as well." "Yes, and I'm sure if you were a guest the two of you could have an epic confrontation," Clover rolled her eyes briefly before continuing, "Full of even more punch stains and maybe even a little mane pulling. You're not a guest though, you're just one of the hired help." Struggling to keep her voice in check, Twilight rasped a reply, "Easy for you to say, no pony even cares who you are!" Only too late did she realize the unintended insult and add, "Wait, no… I didn't mean it like that, Lucky… I um, well…" "I know, and none taken. Now shut up and smile… no, not like that; you look like a deranged mad mare. Just keep it relaxed and smooth, and for moon's sake girl, breathe! Better…?" "Yes, but—" "Shh… no buts, just listen. I'm sure you think you remember everypony from that old party, but tell me this, who served the cake?" "That's easy, it was a stallion in one of those poufy white chef's hats; I think they're called a toque blanch. Funny story, they were originally invented for—" "I don't mean what he was wearing, I mean what did he look like?" Clover scarcely waited as her friend's expression became vacant and puzzled. "See, you can't remember; no pony ever remembers the hired help. We're all just a singularly faceless and interchangeable mass. So as long as you just do your job, no pony will ever give you so much as a second glance." "Are you sure?" "Girl, if it wouldn't break our cover I'd sing you a song all about it!" Almost as if on cue, trumpets blared, followed by an orchestral score. Wide-eyed, Clover mouthed awkwardly, uncertain of what to do, before fireworks drew all eyes to the sky above the manor. A team of twelve ponies flew formation overhead, not on the ordinary feathered wings of a pegasus, but on glittering multi-hued butterfly-like wings. The dozen fliers streamed trails of glittering dust as they danced and twirled about each other, all in perfect timing to the elegant musical accompaniment. As the performance reached a crescendo they all spiraled straight down together before breaking off into a beautiful starburst formation in front of the manor's main doors. The team then landed, six ponies to either side, their gentle wing beats sending glittering dust swirling lightly about the carpeted trail as the doors to the manor opened, revealing the host of the evening as she sauntered out with poised dignity. There could be no mistaking this pony for any mere guest, as Puissance wore an iridescent and long feathery dress with a matching elaborate headpiece. Specially designed weaves meshed and interwoven with the pegasus's own wings caused the gown's train to ripple and pulsate as she flexed. Finally, reaching the end of the grand dais that was effectively the manor's front porch, the vicereine spread her wings wide, and with them her entire ensemble bloomed and fanned out, giving her an appearance reminiscent of a peacock. Puissance then began making her well-rehearsed welcoming address. At the other end of the courtyard though, the Vicereine's words were not what held the attention of a certain mare. "Wow!" Clover said. Twilight shrugged, "I guess she does know how to make an entrance, though it seemed a bit overly showy to me." "Not vicereine what's-her-name; I was talking about the ponies with those fluttery wings. I've never seen anything like it except in fairytale books as a kid. What kind of ponies are those anyway?" "Oh, that. It's just an advanced conjuration that weaves gossamer and dew. They aren't fairies, just normal ponies." She paused briefly to rub her chin in contemplation, "Still, it's pretty rare to find a unicorn with the talent to cast it, plus the spell is rather difficult for even a trained unicorn to cast more than once every few days. Oh, and it only lasts three days too. All together, Puissance probably had to pay a lot of money to bring in enough experts to cast it twelve times in such short order." "Wait, it's a spell? So does that mean you could cast it too?" "Well, yes, actually. My talent is magic, after all," though on mentioning that, Twilight couldn't help but reflexively glance back at her disguised cutie mark. Again, she found her mind dwelling on her continued inability to discern the nature of the spell Lemon Hearts had used to create the effect. Such musing were quickly distracted though. "Then it's settled!" "What's settled?" "You're going to cast that spell, on me… well once this whole Elements of Harmony thing is over and we're all heroes. I've always wondered what it would be like to fly for myself. Did I ever tell you my mother was a pegasus? Or at least that's what I was always told as filly. Clover, they would say, It's a damn good thing you can't fly the coop like that fowl mother of yours…" Twilight sighed, though she was unsure if it was the reminder of her compatriot's less than desirable upbringing or just the forced pun that pained her more. ──────────────── Despite the officiality of the party moving from the outdoor courtyard and into the main ballroom inside, one might be hard pressed to tell much difference. The same stuffy nobles still largely went about the same stuffy conversations. Servants still moved about unnoticed while attending to the casual disinterest of the guest as they would discard empty glasses or spent napkins. There were, however, now three buffet tables each proudly displaying a banner identifying the farm that was running it and identifying what place they finished at the recent competition in Trottingham. Loosy Screws' violet eyes were barely more than pinpricks though as she nervously glanced around the crowd. She fidgeted from one hoof to the other. In some ways the crowd was a mixed blessing since it was easy to maintain anonymity amongst such a throng, but compared to the courtyard, the ballroom was notably more densely packed, lending an additional claustrophobic tension. Still, it also gave her an excuse to huddle all the more closely alongside her date, though actually thinking about that fact caused her to blush. Loosy spared a sidelong glance at Siverstar, only for her heart to skip a beat as she was yet again no less shocked than the first time to see just how elegantly he cleaned up. He now wore a bow tie over a dapper collar with matching cuffed dress-bib and a sash around his mid-section. His mane and tail had both been smoothed and glossed. Her heart sank though as she noticed him avert his own gaze from hers, unaware that the former sheriff was merely just as fearful of being caught gawking at the mare's own loose fitting and semi-sheer, single shouldered, silvery dress. The volume of the crowd diminished, or was perhaps merely overwhelmed as a small orchestra began to play a waltz. The crowd shifted as guests cleared space for couples as they took to the dance floor. Some small corner of her mind hijacked Loosy's mouth before the rest of her could stop it as she asked, "Shall we?" Silverstar's gaze narrowed sternly. "Now Loosy, ya know that ain't what we're actually here fer." The mare was crestfallen and dropped her gaze to the floor. Of course she knew that, should have known better than to even ask in the first place. Yet for that one momentary instant she had foolishly allowed herself to get swept away, to wish if only briefly that she could just pretend the two of them could be… A hoof gently lifted her head, as a second wiped a stray bit of hair back into the decorative bun her mane had been styled into. Their gaze met and as Loosy lost herself in the ocean of the stallion's deep blue eyes, she didn't notice how he paused and gulped audibly before speaking, "…but well, I reckon we could make time fer just one." The next few minutes lasted both for an eternity and yet were all too fleeting, as the two ponies left the world and all its troubles behind. It was indulgent, and unbeknownst to the other, each silently cursed their weakness, or feared they might do so later. For now though, in this one brief moment of time, all they were was happy. ──────────────── From across the room, Lemon Hearts watched the happy couple lose themselves in the moment. Young love was such a sweet thing, and for her purposes most useful as well. Silverstar had proved to be just a little more canny than she was comfortable with. The former sheriff seemed to have an innate affinity for rooting out deceptions, or perhaps he was was just so determined to wallow in his own misery that he was purely incapable of believing in the kind of beneficence as she pretend to offer. Blinded by love, however, it was easy enough for Lemon Hearts to hide behind the gratitude he owed her for reuniting them. His woeful lack of self-esteem certainly helped as well. The poor fellow was so convinced he was unworthy of Loosy's love that he failed to understand just how just how much the mare pined for him. Not that Loosy was much better. It was almost adorable how utterly perfect for each other the two ponies were in their utterly pathetic inability to admit to their own feelings. Putting the wouldbe lovebirds out of her mind, Lemon Hearts turned her attention to more immediate concerns of what to do about the stodgy marquis that was her date for the evening. So far she had been playing the mere demure hanger-on while the stallion engaged other guests in the typically dull conversations that only the petty-minded nobility found interesting. Still, now that she was in the front door, she had no more use for him and was looking for a convenient opportunity sneak off into the crowd. "…but are orphans really that much of a problem in wider Equestria?" She'd only been paying scant attention to the conversation. Up to this point she'd only needed to occasionally nod or make some other vocal affirmation to provide the illusion of interest. Practiced as she was though at social manipulations, Lemon Hearts knew to listen for key words that required more attention, and apparently at some point her date must have moved the subject onto to her own profession. The noble who'd asked the question, a baron Mounty Max as she recalled him having been introduced to her, proceeded without waiting for further reply. "Sure enough even back home in Saddlesbu… err, Nulpar, unfortunate accidents do happen. When such things do happen though, there's almost always a close family member or friend that can take such foals in." Lemon Hearts appraised the baron, as she decided how or even if to respond. She'd never heard of the province of Nulpar before, but then again she'd never had much interest in politics beyond what little she needed to know to manipulate the local authorities. Perhaps it was new, certainly the inflection in the baron's use of the word suggested that even he wasn't used to calling it as such. What kind of province was it though? Again, judging by this Max, he seemed to be a pony ill at ease with formality, preferring a cruder vernacular. He was also rather rugged in build, not like a farmer though, but rather perhaps a miner –no– a mountaineer. Yes, that would also fit with his accent that sounded distinctly northern, somewhere most likely near the borders to the Griffin Kingdoms. None of these, however, were thoughts Lemon Hearts actually dwelt on. She'd honed such observational skills over decades of practice and so they all came as a matter of instinct to her now. Thus only a second or two passed before she finally spoke, "Were it only that simple in the cities, Mr. Mounty." Most nobles would take offence at an address that failed to acknowledge their status, however, Lemon Hearts soon saw by the baron’s expression that she had judged correctly and that the lesser title, appended to the first part of his name no less, would better put this Max at ease. Seizing the moment she continued, "In your own home province where isolated villages of only a few hundred ponies, plus the odd goat or hippogriff are the norm, it's a rather simple matter for everyone to know everyone else. In the cities where we are constantly surrounded by thousands or more, however, there just isn't enough time in the day to meet them all. As such, it is exceedingly difficult to know whom can be trusted, and so, far too many ponies respond by simply trusting nopony at all." Her words had clearly struck a nerve, and the obvious disappointment on Max's face was plain to see. Yes, this was clearly a noble still new to the shadowy games of the Night Court, an easy mark both for his peers and for herself. "Of course that's not to say we don't all still have our associates, but the kind of community bonds strong enough to take in a stranger's child… not so much. Even when such is the case, there is always still the matter of trust. Sad as it is to say there are always those who would take in abandoned children, not out of genuine love, but rather for any number of potential ulterior motives." Even through her outward mask of weary resignation, Lemon Hearts might be inclined to chuckle to herself at the irony, that is of course if such concerns had ever even bothered her in the first place. "That, Mr. Monty, is why organisations with established reputations like my own are so vital." "I suppose I do see the point in that, but…" the baron's words trailed off as seemed to grapple with the new and unfamiliar concepts assailing him. Good, Lemon Hearts thought as she smiled, both as an outward sign of emotional reassurance while also inwardly over just how easy it was to manipulate him. She allowed a tear to well up in the corner of one eye to add weight to her next words. "Why just the other day I met a grown mare who slipped through the cracks, who spent her whole youth growing up shuffled between foster families that never really wanted her in the first place." This was of course entirely true, even if the circumstances she'd met Miss Clover Charms under had nothing to do with her orphanage. Just as well too, as the unfortunate mare possessed nothing of any use or interest to Lemon Heats outside of her role in Miss Sparkle's plan. "That's no way for any foal to grow up, wouldn't you agree?" "No, of course not." "See Max," chimed in the green mare accompanying the baron, presumably his own date, "Madam Hearts here is such a wonderful pony." Lemon Hearts had hardly paid the young mare any mind until now, who had been entirely unassuming, almost shy. Having finally spoken up though, that quickly changed. "I’m sorry… I mean that is… it's just that I've been something of a fan of your work for some time now. It's both an honor and a privilege to finally get to meet you in person. You’ve done such a wonderful job for so many foals. I’m actually the patron for a charity hoping to set up an orphanage similar to yours in Ontarneigho and I was just wondering… that is if it wouldn't be too much of an inconvenience, if I could pick your brains for a moment." Sighing inwardly, Lemon Hearts cursed this complication. It wasn't first time she'd been approached in such a manner, but surround by such an ostentatious crowd as tonight's jubilation she'd not expected to be singled out by anypony actually familiar with her work. "Of course dear, although now may not be the time for a detailed discussion, maybe we can arrange a more formal meeting somewhen?" "Oh, I would like that, but can I ask just a few questions?" The mare was persistent, Lemon Hearts had to give her credit for that, but she didn't have time to placate such trivialities. By her own observations of the crowd's movements this evening, her best opportunity to intercept her intended target would be coming up shortly. She had to find a way to extricate herself from the discussion without further delay. "It's such a wonderful thing to see such enthusiasm in young and upcoming dilettantes. You remind me so much of myself at your age," actually, if the young noble had even half a clue the things Lemon Hearts had actually done at that age, she'd like run screaming in terror, "Would that there were only more ponies like us, Equestria could be such a better place. Of course I would be glad to lend whatever personal assistance I can to help your own endeavors succeed. I find myself becoming a bit parched though, would anypony like a drink?" "I think I could stand another mead," announced the baron. "I could do with a wine myself" added his date. All too easy. "Good, I’ll just..." "No need," interjected her own so-called date, "That is what the servants are here for after all." "There’s no need to bother, I can..." Infuriatingly though the Stallion had already clopped his front hooves together, summoning a black clad servant to take their order. "Chocolate milk for you wasn’t it?" ──────────────── Loosy's thoughts lingered on the dance she'd shared with Silverstar, and how woefully short it had been. They weren't actually here for such things of course though, and so he'd had to excuse himself to attend to the mission. Now she was all alone in the crowd. She felt utterly lost as she once again found herself questioning if she really had anything meaningful to contribute to the group's task. "Why hello there, Ms. Screws," turning at the address, Loosy found herself face-to-face with none other than Vicereine Puissance herself, "It's quite the unexpected surprise to see you here. I do not believe we've ever met before. After my staff informed me that the widow of one of my former and most influential financial advisors was in attendance, however, it would have been remiss of me not to take the opportunity to see to you personally. Your late husband always spoke well of you. His passing truly was a tragic loss that lessens all of us." Being face-to-face with the vicereine was decidedly nerve-wracking. Lemon Hearts, however, had predicted this possibility and given Loosy very specific instructions. Taking a deep breath to steal herself, Loosy did her best to casually brush a hoof across the silver ear-clasp Miss Sparkle had given her, "Thank you, Vicereine, I appreciate the condolences," now with the signal sent over the enchanted communication device, all she had to do was keep the vicereine talking until Lemon Hearts could make her way over, "But well… actually I was one of the lead carpenters who helped renovate this estate a few years back. So we've met before, if only briefly while you were overseeing construction on the southeast gallery." "Really?" There was an an almost instant change in the vicerine's tone and posture. She was no less an imposing figure, but suddenly she seemed somehow… eager. "Well, then I suppose I owe you a personal measure of thanks as well for the excellent craftsmareship. The furnishings on that wing are so intricately matched that it is difficult to tell where the old ends and the new begins. Tell me then, are you doing well for yourself after you husband's untimely passing? I could surely find some use for a mare of your talents in my employ." "Thank you for the offer, Vicereine, but my husband left behind substantial savings as well as several lucrative investment contracts, and…" she paused before finishing, "And a sizable life insurance policy as well. My son and I should be more than secure for quite a few years, and well, I'm still only just now adjusting to the loss anyway. I don't think I'm at all ready to go back to work just yet." It was subtle, but Puissance's demeanor immediately fell back into the more neutral stance she'd started from. "Well, I suppose at least you seem to be bouncing back now. My servants informed me though that you brought a date. Where is he, pray tell?" "Silver? He um… well, I think he said he needed to use the little colt's room. And well, I um… I also wouldn't really call him my date. He's just an old friend doing his best to look out for me." "Please, there's no need to wear a mask of such propriety with me." It was difficult to tell if the vicereine actually cared, or was just becoming bored. "I've had no shortage of paramours in my day. Why, I even married two of them. When each of my husbands passed in turn, I made sure to erect proper monuments to them both in the gardens as well as making sizable donations to foundations that now bear their names so as to ensure their legacy lives on. I never, however, even once wasted a second on mourning." Pussance’s expression remained stern, yet there was something unmistakable sad in her next words, "I'm too old now to have much use for a third husband, but you are still young enough. Keep that in mind, lest you find yourself regretting missed opportunities later." "It's not mourning though… I mean, that is…" Loosy stammered. How could she admit the real truth of the matter and her shameful guilt, that she had first fallen in love with Silverstar while her husband had still been alive. Worse still, the sheriff hadn't even been the first stallion she'd made flirtatious advances towards during her marriage. Maybe she'd never had the nerve to actually go through with a full affair, but that hardly alleviated the burden of her sinful desires. Like so many things in her life, she'd only married her husband for fear of the alternative — being alone and having to fend for herself. Still, he had been a good stallion, always supportive of her and even gifted her a son. Yet he'd also been so much older than her as well as emotionally distant. She had certainly needed him, but never felt like he had needed her… or at least that was the excuse she had always held onto as she would secretly flirt with other stallions. Despite it all though, things changed forever on that fateful day in Appleloosa. The tyrant's midnight sun had been taken by the native buffalo as an omen that their ancestral spirits were angry, and so the already tense relations between them and the settler ponies broke down completely. Silverstar had organized every able-bodied pony into a militia. She'd tried to be brave for him, but just like she always had, she ran away while others stood their ground. She'd hid in the first building she could find, and that had nearly been the death of her. One of the rampaging natives ended up charging through the walls and knocked out the main support column. As the building collapsed around her, she'd stood petrified. A weight had crashed down over her, and then everything went dark. She wasn't dead though and somepony else was in the darkness with her, had used his own body to shield hers. She'd called out Silverstar's name, thinking only the sheriff could be so brave, but quickly discovered instead that it was her husband. The secrets of her traitorous heart revealed, and fearing nopony would ever find them beneath the rubble, she finally confessed all her sins. She didn't know what response she'd expected, anger, sadness, but not that question. "Did they… make you… happy?" Her husband then made his own confession, that he already knew about her flirtatious affairs, that he'd known from the very first. His words were heavy with ragged breaths, but not a hint of condemnation… and some how that only made it all worse. "I… I'm sorry…" he had wheezed out in barely more than a strained whisper, "It was… my… fault. If only… I could have… been what… you needed me… to be… then… then it wouldn't… have been… been so hard… for you. All… all I've ever… wanted was for… for you to be… happy, but now… now you'll be… free. Just know… that… that I will… will always… lov… … …" Loosy wasn't sure how much time passed after that in the silent darkness, such concepts had lost all meaning. She wasn't sure when the light returned. Somewhere a mare was pulled from the rubble, as well as the body of what had once been an elderly stallion. Loosy, however, was far away where she didn't have to see his ruined wings or the splintered boards that pierced his… no, she was far away and all alone. A young colt had come to comfort the mare, but she didn't move. At some point the mare was taken away from that awful place, but the pain never went away. Even when she was eventually brought back to her home in Baltimare, it never subsided. How could it, when everything in the estate that had been her husband's was a reminder of…? Fortunately Loosy was still far away, where such pain couldn't exist. The colt was also at the house. The son tended to his mother's every need with ceaseless dedication, yet she lacked the strength of will to even so much as acknowledge his affections, and so it continued, for how long she couldn't tell. Days and Nights all blurred together. Once she even imagined Silverstar had come to see her, but no. Why would he, why would anyone? Eventually though somepony did… "Ms. Screws." Loosy blinked, looked up, and there they were again, those same rosy eyes that had greeted her from her long waking slumber. Briefly she considered if she'd ever awoken in the first place, but this time she knew the name that belonged to those eyes, "Lemon Hearts?" The eyes narrowed, and for the briefest moment Loosy thought she saw something behind them, something that frightened her. "The vicereine, where is she?" Loosy glanced from side to side, quickly remembering where she was and what she was supposed to be doing, "I… I think she left." Lemon Hearts frowned as her gaze intensified, becoming like a blade that pierced Loosy's very soul. She wanted to apologize, to beg forgiveness, but under that icy gazy she could hardly even breathe. "It okay, deary" and just like that it was over. Loosy blinked and the matronly unicorn was again the same gently nurturing pony she had always been. Had it only been Loosy's own guilt that made it ever seem different? Before Loosy could find the strength to speak again though, Lemon Heart was already turning away, a hoof held to her own ear-clasp, "Miss Charms, I'm going to need your help with plan B." ──────────────── Snowflake stood at his post, guarding the stairs. He wore some kind of black servant's uniform instead of armor, but that did nothing to diminish his excitement. So far agreeing to help that purple unicorn lady had been the best choice he'd ever made. It was a good thing that other nice unicorn had come along to tell him it had nothing to do with an all elephant orchestra, because now here he was a guard in the employ of actual nobility. The brown stallion, Silverstar, walked up to him. The pony must have been really used to wearing his hat, because he reached up a hoof as if to tip it in greeting before realizing his head was bare. Snowflake suppressed a laugh –guards had to be emotionless all time– but the sight was so silly that a mild snort still escaped his nostrils. That was okay though, as Snowflake kept a stern expression so hopefully it would just sound intimidating — guards were supposed to be intimidating. Apparently though, it wasn't intimidating enough as the pony proceeded to try and walk past him. Snowflake firmly sprung into action, using one hoof to gently, but firmly, push the pony back as he sidestepped to interpose himself in front of the stairs. Silverstar narrowed his eyes before muttering something incomprehensible under his breath. Snowflake knew his job though, nopony except the staff or the vicereine was allowed past these stairs. A moment later the other stallion muttered again, a bit louder, but Snowflake still couldn't quite make it out. This is why he hated trying to talk to ponies with mustaches, the darn things just muffled the typical mumblings of most ponies even more. Finally the other pony raised a hoof up and brushing aside a bit of mane, tapped the silver ear clasp hidden beneath, "Cansarnit Snowflake, it's me! Don'tcha remember?" For a moment Snowflake was confused, how the words seemed to come from directly inside his own ear instead of the other stallion's mouth, but then he remembered the similar clasp that he'd been given. He couldn't figure out though why the other stallion would be using the communication device when they were standing right next to each other, especially to ask such a silly question. "Yeah!" "Good, then if you'll kindly just step aside…" the pony then pushed a hoof into him, but Snowflake stood his ground. "Is there some kind of problem?" that was the voice of the purple unicorn lady — Tambourine, or was it Skylight, or maybe Sparkle? Clover called her the number ten for some reason, but that only made even less sense as their team only had six ponies in it. Seriously, the purple unicorn lady had so many different names it was hard to keep track. Still, he didn't actually mind all that much — all those quirks just made her even cuter. "It's Snowflake, Twi, he's bein' stubborn as a mule." "Hey!" interrupted Clover's voice, "My great aunt was a mule." "Err… sorry, didn't mean no offense by it." "Oh, don't be sorry… she was a real ass." Snowflake snickered at the pun — except, wait… if her aunt was a mule wouldn't make her only part ass? Then it dawned on him that the joke was itself intentionally half-assed — BRILLIANT! "Right…" drawled the other stallion, who clearly had no appreciation for good comedy, "Well, either way, he's bein' dense as a rock and ain't budgin' an inch, think maybe he's gotten himself confused about which job he's s'posed ta be doin'." The compliment about his impressive physique helped Snowflake regain his composure, but Silverstar was clearly the one who didn't understand that there was no job more important than being a guard for a vicereine. Well, unless it was being a guard for the Princess herself. "You just need to ask him the right way," said Clover, "Snowflake, hon, you remember that me and TripS were both working here on recon, right? That's how I helped you get the job." "YEAH!?" Snowflake shouted in reply, then remembering that she was actually speaking to him from very far away he put a hoof up to his own ear clasp and repeated, "YEAH?!" He'd almost forgotten, but was the other stallion really still working here? The stallion didn't seem to be wearing any kind of uniform, and with that nickname Clover had given him maybe he'd gotten fired for being clumsy or something. "You, know you don't have to shout," said the purple unicorn lady, "The enchantment on the clasps can pick up even the faintest whisper." "Aw, Tenbs, don't be so hard on the lug. I think it's cute." Snowflake beamed with pride at the mare's compliment. She was pretty cute herself, but the purple unicorn lady was cuter still. Of course for a stallion as eligible as himself it did pay to keep his options open. Then again, both mares seemed friendly enough with each other too. Maybe they wouldn't mind sharing him — or maybe they could even all make it a threesome. "Anyway, if you could be a dear and let TripS go on by that be a great favor. Remember that we've all got an important mission here with the fate of all Equestria riding on it." That was right. Snowflake was still a little sketchy on the details, but he remembered the purple unicorn lady saying something about needing to find an artifact to stop some flaming treant, or was it the Treant's Son that was on fire? That second one probably made more sense because the lemon unicorn took care of a lot of her own children, though the child of a treant would still be treant too so it probably didn't make much difference. He still wasn't sure how dangerous a burning tree spirit really was; wouldn't it just burn away to ashes before it could hurt anypony? Or was it just the fire they were trying to put out before the poor thing died… but if it was already on fire, did they really have enough time to save it? Either way, he guessed maybe it was just some weird magic thing. Of course, now that he stopped to think about it, how could one treant be so important? Then again, hadn't there been mention of some kind of queen? If it was the queen of the treants that needed help saving her son, well then, maybe some kind of diplomatic treaty was at stake. Briefly Snowflake fantasized himself, in the full armor of a royal guard, leading the charge against an army of walking trees. Then he shook his head — if the treant queen was asking for their help, then surely they must be a peaceful race and as such a good pony like himself should do everything he can to help. He'd probably even get a hero's medal. As handsome as he was now, he'd get even more fillies once he was a famous hero. His musing were interrupted by a vibration he felt coming up through the floor. Glancing up, he saw Sliverstare tapping a hoof impatiently. Alright, it was settled then. "Yeah," he said as he stepped aside and unhooked the velvet rope that cordoned off the staircase. ──────────────── Carrot Top didn't really own any formal clothes suitable for an event like this. She'd briefly considered commissioning something from Carousel Boutique, but not only would that cut into her profits, but it would also mean submitting herself to the scrutiny of the shop's owner. Rarity wasn't a bad pony, but she could be a bit overbearing, especially when she got inspired. It had been hectic enough that one time Carrot Top found herself owning the fashionista a favor and had agreed to model for her, so she was less than enthusiastic to risk a repeat performance if she didn't have to. Fortunately, while digging through one of her grandmother's old trunks, Carrot Top had managed to find something to wear. The pale mulberry garden dress was a little large on her, trimmed in more lace than she really cared for, and overall was noticeably dated, but still functional enough. Carrot Top did feel a little silly wearing the matching wide-brimmed sunhat indoors, but she'd decided the dress looked even sillier without it. Of course what made her feel silliest of all was how much better dressed Applejack was. Her fellow farmer had discarded her usual stetson, and was now instead garbed in a wide-collared light-brown blouse with a double layered skirt, dark brown on top, red underneath, and trimmed in a sandy –almost, but not quite gold– embroidery. Her tail had been tucked into a tight bun and hidden beneath the skirts, while her mane had been rigorously combed and conditioned, leaving it smooth and wavy with just the slightest curl at the tips. The whole outfit was topped off by a beaded green necklace with an apple shaped pendant. Even though she knew better, Carrot Top couldn't help but feel some of her old jealousy towards Applejack return. While her own carrot farm was a far cry from the most successful in Ponyville, one of the things Carrot Top did like to pride herself on was being one of, if not the best looking farmers — especially her mane. Unfortunately, now Applejack was proving that to have perhaps always been a foolish pride. No doubt Carrot Top put more effort into personal grooming on a daily basis, but it was now all too apparent that Applejack was more than capable of cleaning up when the occasion suited. Not only that, but above and beyond the dress which was both more stylish and functional than her own frumpy ensemble, Carrot Top also found herself overshadowed by an even more undeniable fact — Applejack was just plain better at talking to other ponies. Now Carrot Top held no illusions in regards to her own social skills. She was by no means she, however, bluntly speaking, she was a doormat and she knew it. Furthermore, she knew full well that as one of Ponyville's community leaders, Applejack was no stranger to public speaking, and was even more so an expert self-publicizing salesmare. Still, Carrot Top had perhaps hoped that the apple farmer's rustic country vernacular would leave her distinctly out of place among so many nobles. No such luck, however, as Applejack had perfectly affected an astonishingly accurate upper-class Manehattan accent that would even put a posh socialite like Rarity to shame. Carrot Top supposed she really shouldn't have been so shocked though. During their train trip from Ponyville, Applejack had told her the story of how as a young filly –before earning her cutie mark– she had briefly aspired to be an executive in the Apple Trust, during which time she'd lived with her Aunt and Uncle in Manehattan. Even if Applejack eventually left the big city behind to return to a life of working the land with her own four hooves –and in so doing discovered her true talent and passion– it was clear she'd never forgotten the lessons she'd learned about how to hobnob with the snobs. Still, for all the minor resentments she was struggling to suppress, Carrot Top couldn't argue with results. Applejack had brought with her all the same enthusiasm that made her market stand the best in town, and so their shared buffet table was easily as busy as the other two catering teams combined. Not that such made all that much difference. Carrot Top had already been paid in full by the vicereine for her services, so it didn't matter how many guests chose her food over the other options. At least not directly. The greater dividend was in exposure, and more than a few of the guests had asked about ordering direct produce shipments. True to her word though, Applejack didn't steal the opportunity to promote Sweet Apple Acres, never even mentioning it once. Unfortunately, Applejack didn't really do anything to help promote Carrot Top’s own Golden Harvests much either, instead speaking mostly in broad terms of the entire Ponyville farming community. Still, with the recent formation of the union, that might be just as well. This introspection was broken when Carrot Top felt a gentle nudge. "Look sharp, girl. The vicereine is comin' this way," whispered Applejack, briefly slipping back into her casual drawl for those private words. As Vicereine Puissance approached the buffet table, Carrot Top put on her best smile, though she still wasn't sure what to expect from this encounter. Then a different panicked thought crossed her mind, Wait, am I supposed to bow? Puissance was royalty, second only to Princess Luna herself. If she tried to bow while still behind the catering table though, she'd be almost completely hidden from view. Maybe she needed to rush quickly around to other side to properly greet the vicereine. Oh, why didn't I brush up on my etiquette during the trip over? An awkward silence hung in the air as Carrot Top stood paralyzed with indecision. Shortly though, she realized that Applejack wasn't going to cover for her on this one. Probably out of respect and not wanting to upstage Carrot Top in front of the noble that had invited her. Unless… unless, just maybe, this had been Applejack's plan all along, to leave Carrot Top high and dry when good impressions mattered most. No, she mentally slapped herself, Applejack and I aren’t rivals anymore; were friends. Aren't we? All the while the awkward silence only stretched out even more awkwardly, as she became increasingly aware that all eyes were on her, Now or never, all or nothing. "Um… Good evening, your grace," the moment she spoke, however, Carrot Top wondered if that was the right term of address or not. Either way, it was too late now. "This is quite the gathering you have here. I'm actually a little overwhelmed by it all," she forced out a brief chuckle from the grin that was starting to feel painfully plastered to her face, "but it's… umm, it's an honor to be part of it." There was again a pause that seemed to stretch out for an eternity as the vicereine seemed to appraise the farmer. "Please, the honor is all mine, and it is only all the more so a privilege to have a national hero such as yourself here with us tonight." Carrot Top's dread at embarrassing herself was now quickly overwhelmed by an even deeper concern. "Forgive me, Vicereine, but I was under the impression that I'd been invited her tonight for my placement in the competition at Trottingham, not… well, not because of my Element of Harmony." "Quite right you are. It would, however, be equally remiss of me not to at least acknowledge the greater service you performed for this whole nation, and at no small risk to your own personal safety. Everypony in Equestria owes you a debt of gratitude, be they commoner or noble alike." "Oh… well, in that case, thank you… I guess." "No, thank you. Tell me though, have you enjoyed your visit to Palomino? We have such a rich cultural history here." "Actually, I've been so busy with all the catering preparations that I've not really had much chance to see anything but the kitchens." As an afterthought Carrot Top added, "Although I suppose I did end take a brief trip down to the markets for some extra supplies, and I guess that was nice." Actually it had been more than just nice, it had been nearly perfect, and now that she thought about it more, maybe a little too perfect. It had almost been like some kind of scripted performance. On even further consideration, she'd only needed to go to the markets at all because of a last minute change in the menu request. She stared at Puissance, wondering if the vicereine was really devious enough to have paid off that many ponies just to ensure that Carrot Top would be impressed. No, that kind of conspiracy theory would have to be insane even by Trixie's standards, wouldn't it? "Such a shame. Perhaps I could arrange a tour for you… and the other caterers as well, of course. Not just of the city, but the surrounding countryside as well. Tell me, were you aware Palomino recently instituted a land grant program to encourage agricultural development?" Actually, she had been aware of that fact, but only just recently, as of this morning to be precise — during her impromptu trek out to the markets. Again, she'd not thought much about why so many ponies would be discussing the same thing before, but now… "Wait, are you trying to bribe me into moving here?" There was a slight gasp from several of the ponies in the entourage of sycophants that seemed to hang on the vicereine's every word, but Puissance herself was unfazed. "But of course not. It was nothing more than a professional courtesy. A fine upstanding farmer such as yourself should always be aware of all the options available to her by which she can advance her trade; don't you agree?" If Puissance actually meant that as a valid question, Carrot Top would never know, because the vicereine proceed without waiting for any kind of reply, "Were it my intent to bribe you it would hardly be in my own interest to do so in such a public venue as this. This is merely a question I would have asked any other farmer, and indeed which I intend to ask the other caterers here as well." Puissance's gaze then shifted to the side before she continued, "And to that end, what of your associate here? If I am to understand correctly, she too is the proprietor of her own farm, and if I am not mistaken, the fifth-place finalist from Trottingham as well." "Why yes, Vicereine, and I do very much appreciate your most gracious invitation. I must regretfully decline, however. You see, the Smith branch of the Apple Trust has lived in Ponyville for generations; we even helped found the town. I am quite certain that a pony of your eminence can understand the responsibility that entails." "Yeah," Carrot Top added, "I've got friends in Ponyville too, and I could never leave them behind." Turning to once again face Carrot Top, the vicereine pressed, "Well, if that is your concern, I assure you that Palomino has ample employment opportunities for teachers, weather ponies, and postal workers as well. We also have an especially fine appreciation for the arts in all their forms, including music." Given just how keenly aware the vicereine seemed to be in regard to the professions of all her friends, Carrot Top was more sure than ever that this was all little more than a thinly veiled ruse to recruit the heroes who bore the Elements of Harmony. Especially since no similar attempt had been made to further persuade Applejack. Though Carrot Top also couldn't help but notice that the vicereine hadn't offered to advance Trixie's political career. Then again, it was hardly a secret that Trixie had never been very popular amongst the nobles, so it probably made sense for Puissance to perhaps be more reluctant in that regard. "Oh, but listen to me prattle on," Puissance continued, "Such offers must sound dreadfully presumptuous of me. Please forgive an old mare her eccentricities. Still, it can hardly be denied that ponies of such vaunted importance as you and your friends deserve the very best Equestria can offer, without the need to worry about misguided fools who would only attempt to exploit you for their own petty gain, and well… I'd like to think Palomino is a place that could be that for you, if you'd let it." Carrot Top was silent, unsure how, or even if to respond. Had she misjudged the Puissance? Even if noble had been trying to convince Carrot Top to move here and bring all her friends with her, was it possible the vicereine really wanted to do so only to genuinely protect them from harm. Having such a powerful political ally would certainly keep them safe from any more of Greengrass's machinations. The Duke had already tried to coerce Lyra through her old mentor, sent those FlimFlam brothers to scam Carrot Top herself, and then there was that sleazy stallion who'd nearly bewitched Cheerilee — the thought of that last one truly made her shudder. Who could say which of them he might go after next or how? "Anyway, if you will excuse me, I do have other guests to atte—" and without any warning the vicereine suddenly found herself covered in fondue. Shocked gasps echoed through the entire crowd as all eyes turned to the guilty party. The gray-coated and mossy-maned earth pony servant smiled broadly. "Whoops… but I guess now tonight's dinner really is all on the vicereine," any attempt, however, by the mare to worm her way out of trouble with such a poorly conceived joke was only met with scornful silence. "Gee, tough crowd; I—" whatever further excuse she might have had died as the mare locked eyes with Puissance, whose own eyes held only a cold fury. It wasn't a restrained fury, so much as it was a promise of inevitably dire retribution. "…I'll just be going, that is," and with that, the mare ran off into the crowd. Puissance ruffled her wings with agitation, which due to the rigging on her peacock like gown, splattered bits of fondue on any guests unlucky enough to still be standing in close proximity to her. If she meant to give immediate pursuit to the clumsy servant though, no pony would ever know as a yellow-coated and blue-maned unicorn mare stepped forward from amongst the other sycophants. "Vicereine, if you please, I work with many children, and so know a variety of spells for cleaning out stains." ──────────────── Silverstar looked at the door in front of him. It was certainly ornate and fancy enough, but so were most of the doors in the manor. He'd made this trip once before while he and Clover had been doing their initial recon surveillance, but he still double checked the notes Loosy had given him to make sure he'd taken all the correct turns and counted the proper number of doors and intersections. Finally confident, he took one last glance down either end of the hall before bringing a hoof to his ear. "Alright, Twi, I'm here and the coast's all clear, so—" *pop* "—come right on up…" Silverstar trailed off as the unicorn teleported directly in front of him. "I thought ya said ya'd still need a minute to back trace the clasp before ya could do that?" Twilight grinned sheepishly. "I was sort of already tracking you most of the way." Shrugging, the stallion turned to regard the door. "Loosy says any security that'd normally be on this room ain't s'pposed to be workin' tonight, so getting in shouldn't be too hard." Twilight blinked as her eyes glowed with the faint light of a detection spell to confirm the lack of lingering enchantments. "She's right. Just like everywhere else inside the manor I can see a pretty advanced warding charm, but they're all connected to a single spellmatrix. No way to turn one off without turning them all off. Normally that's probably a good thing as it means any attempt to bypass one ward would still risk setting the others off. With so many guests here tonight though, the alarms would probably go haywire trying to keep track of everypony. Maybe it was really was a serendipitous we changed the plan to break tonight. I could probably work out a counter spell for these wards, but it could have taken weeks of research." "Don't reckon I understand half the things ya just said there, but maybe we should get on with it 'fore one of the guard patrols sweeps this area?" "Oh, right. I'll start scrying the other side to get an accurate teleportation vector; should only take two or three min—" there was a sudden soft crack as Silverstar firmly leaned his weight against the door. About five seconds later it was followed by a snap as the lock gave way. As the door swung open, Silverstar stepped aside, "Ladies first." "Not very subtle." "Ain't nothing much likely to be subtle 'bout any o' this 'fore we're through here t'night. Best way to cover our tracks is to be quick as possible and long gone 'fore anypony figures out we were even here." The two ponies then stepped through the door and into Puissance's private study. The room was ornately decorated, every corner and piece of furniture featured intricate wooden engravings. The walls were all adorned with paintings in gilded silver frames and multiple glass display cases were filled with antique treasures. Silverstar whistled softly, "Well, I'll be… if'n this is what she keeps in just her office, I ain't rightly sure I can even begin to imagine the wonders that'll be locked up in that secure vault o' hers." Twilight was already beginning to rummage through the massive desk which dominated one end of the room. "Let's just hope that info Lucky coaxed out of the staff manager was correct, and that she keeps the vault key in here." Reaching a locked drawer, she called over. "Hey, think you could work your magic touch over here too?" "I reckon I can oblige ya, ma'am." ──────────────── Puissance fumed in silent contempt. To think one of her own servants could be so careless. Well, not that the mare would be in her employ much longer, or anywhere else for that matter. It would be easy enough to make sure the clumsy earth pony was blacklisted throughout all of Palomino and Califurlong — at least at any establishment of repute. As a vicereine, Puissance also had plenty of clout to ensure the same in several surrounding provinces as well. She hoped Madam Lemon Hearts had provided the patsy with suitable compensation. Yes, Puissance was more than canny enough to recognize such an overly convenient setup. Still, she played along with it long enough to gauge the unicorn's motives, which turned out to be simple enough. Lemon Hearts ran a charitable orphanage and did a very fine job presenting herself as nothing more than a mere nurturing matron, yet years of practice in the Night Court made it all too easy for the vicereine to see through such a genial facade. After all, every pony had a price, something that they valued above all else, and what Lemon Hearts valued was something Puissance could respect. The matron was no mere bleeding heart giving free handouts to those who'd done nothing to deserve it, rather, she was entirely pragmatic. If left to remain vagrant on the streets, such orphans would of course only grow up to become further drains on society. If taken in while they were still young and malleable though, then they could be guided and provided with the training needed to become productive citizens. It was an admirable endeavor and so Puissance could overlook a bit of reckless enthusiasm in its pursuit, enthusiasm that even reminded her a bit of her own more precocious youth. Besides, to think of what she could gain, an entire generation of otherwise forgotten foals who could grow up knowing that it was Puissance Noctilucent Optiebeurs-Golo who had been their benefactor, her portrait given a place of regal prominence in the facilities. Such a legacy could even be made to last more than just a single generation, as it wouldn't take much effort to set up a self-sustaining investment that could pay out dividends for decades to come. It would in the end all be a very small price to pay for a single ruined dress that she was far too wealthy to ever have had cause to wear again anyway. She was already crunching the preliminary numbers in head, when she was rather rudely interrupted, "Excuse me, Puissance." There were scant few ponies of station sufficient and/or enough nerve to address the vicereine directly by name, in such a casual manner without appending her title. Puissance turned and to no surprise found herself face to face with a white and lavender trimmed unicorn mare. To an ignorant plebian the middle-aged mare might seem one of the less important guests in attendance, clad only in a simple silken dress, the same light-blue hue as her eyes and accented only by a singular strand of pearls about her neck. Puissance of course knew better. "Why, Velvet," she said adding emphasis to her equally inofficious address, "What a pleasure to see that you could be in attendance tonight. After your husband declined to attend I was afraid I’d miss the opportunity to see you as well. Should we perhaps make our way over to the other side of ballroom? I do believe that as usual, Wallflower has been monopolizing no small number of guests with her ever so exhaustively engaging conversational skills. It's been ages since the three of us were able to get together outside of official business." Velvet eyed the elderly pegasus coolly, "Please, Puissance, let's not waste time on such pretenses of base civility; they don't really suit you." As she appraised her fellow vicereine, Puissance noted a subtle glow at the base of Velvet's horn, almost entirely hidden beneath her striped mane. It would be difficult for anypony else in the room to notice, especially since, "A perception filter; how utterly conspiratorial of you." "Hardly, I just thought it would be simpler if we could speak candidly, without the need to worry about inadvertent eavesdroppers." "And whatever, pray tell, would you and I have to talk about that could possibly require such precaution." "You also shouldn't feign ignorance" replied Velvet doing nothing to disguise her deepening scowl, "It doesn't suit you either. The only way your intentions on this night could be any more obvious would be if you'd made that mare the guest of honor." There was a short pause as Puissance gave an affectation of confusion at the implication. "Why… surely you don't mean that quant young mare from Ponyvile now? I will admit that having one of the Elements of Harmony here is a most unexpected privilege, but I invite the best teams from Trotingham to cater this event every year, as you well know. I wasn't even a judge, so there's little I could have done to rig anything to my benefit anyway." Velvet scoffed, knowing full well that Puissance was both rich and canny enough to do exactly that if she'd wanted to, though in this case she was inclined to believe at least this admission was true, after all it would have been an easier way to conceal the more obvious truth. "Indeed, but you've never before invited more than the top two teams, and even then only when the winning farm was too small to properly cater an event of this scale." "Perhaps you failed to notice, but this year that scale includes a guest list twice as large as any previous year. I assure you, the extra catering was strictly essential. In fact, perhaps I should have invited the best four teams, since it seems poor Miss Topmore had to beg for assistance from the fifth place team to cover her table" "Yes, and no doubt you have a reasonable excuse for inviting all those extra guests, a symbol of defiance perhaps against the impending threat of the Tyrant Sun. Funny though how the second round of invitations didn't get sent out until after the competition in Trottingham. " Velvet paused a moment measuring the mood before adding, "Though now that I stop to consider who one of the judges was this year, maybe I shouldn't put any blame on you at all. Maybe instead the rumors are true and that in your senility you're letting that viper, Greengrass, pull your strings like a mere puppet." That last statement seemed to pierce Puissance's armor as she made a rare show of force, spreading her aged wings wide and again fully unfurling the train of her peacock like dress in the process. No pony, least of all the young Duke of Caneighda, could manipulate Vicereine Puissance Noctilucent of the house of Optiebeurs-Golo. Over her many decades in the Night Court she had crushed dozens of upstarts just like him and she would no doubt go on to crush a dozen more before her days were through. For now she was just stringing the whelp along, giving him precisely enough rope to hang himself with. Once he'd made an appropriate mockery of the political process and been ousted –preferably imprisoned as well– then she'd be able to make an example of him. He'd be all the proof she'd need that those who bore the Elements of Harmony required allies to protect them from such filth — allies like herself of course. Still, Puissance had not become so successful in her career by succumbing to petty emotional outbursts, and as she gathered her wits back she could easily see the smug grin already forming at the corners of her fellow vicereine's lips. Of course Velvet would have already known that it was Puissance who was playing Greengrass for the fool and not the other way around. Any implication to the contrary was just a ploy to rile her up, perhaps provoke her into a tantrum that would draw the crowd's attention even through the perception filter. Well, two could play such games and Puissance would prove that her experience was nothing to be trifled with. As Puissance relaxed her wings, she began her strategic retort, "I think perhaps that you're just trying to scare me off to give yourself free rein to enact your own plans… or rather your husband's?" Puissance didn't wait for a reply the expression on Velvet's face was all she needed before moving in to strike while the iron was hot. "Oh please, don't looked so shocked; subterfuge was never that boy's strong suit and he's always been out of his league in Canterlot. He's hardly done anything to conceal his contempt for the princess's apprentice and it's rather plainly clear he's just waiting for the first excuse he can find to take some kind of retribution over that unfortunate incident with the ursa." Velvet cringed at the sting of those words which dug into a wound that was still fresh in her heart. With her own pride still injured though, Puissance was in no mood to give quarter. "A pity that in all those years you spent playing the demure housewife you never took the time to properly educate your children so they wouldn't bring shame upon your house." This was of course an exaggeration, and Puissance knew all too well that the Starlight familial merely had a generations old tradition whereby the born heir focused on the provincial affairs of Latigo, while their spouse would focus on the national affairs of Equestria. Puissance had always found it such ridiculous division of labor. Why, she had two full provinces to govern in addition to her duties in the Night Court. Yet she had never needed either of her own previous two husbands to do anything save providing the obviously requisite assistance of siring offspring. Which was not to say she never cared for them beyond such practical needs, as both were always well provided for with all the luxury her ample wealth could provide. Still, that last taunt, seemed to backfire as a renewed confidence returned to Velvet's eyes. "As if you are one to criticize on such things." "And why wouldn't I be?" taunted Puissance in a haughty self-important superiority, "I'm easily three times the mother you are, and that's without counting all my grandfoals or latest great-grandfoal." She grinned wryly and added mockingly, "Though I suppose you aren't so old yet that there's not time to at least try and catch up now, dear; maybe you could manage to become at least half my equal." "Really, and just how many of your children or theirs have you ostracized, disowned, or even driven into veritable exile? Not as though you ever had time to raise them yourself in the first place though, so I guess you just blame that on the nannies. No, Puissance, just because you birthed seven children doesn't mean you know the first thing about what it means to be a mother." "Mind your tongue, Velvet!" it was a hiss, but the intent was no less clear for its lack of volume. "You may be hold the same rank as I do, but you are still far too young and naïve to understand the sacrifices I've had to make to insure the pride and integrity that is the House of Optiebeurs-Golo's legacy. Even as I taught them the consequences of their defiance, I have still always ensured that not one of my descendants will ever want for need or suffer in total obscurity. "Maybe if you're lucky though you'll still have a chance to learn such lessons before your own house crumbles for want of real leadership. Luna is nothing if not merciful, so I doubt she'll hold the indiscretions of your daughter and husband against you personally. I suppose though that if you are still unwilling to claim your true birthright, there is at least that son of yours. He has no wife to pawn his duties off on, and it has after all been far too long since a true Starlight sat in council with the princess." Puissance was, however, unable to fully enjoy her scathing remarks as Velvet seemed oddly distracted, looking no longer at Puissance directly, but off into the distance at something else. Attempting to follow the unicorn's gaze proved futile though, revealing nothing except for the expected crowd of guests… oh, and the insufferable servant that spilled the fondue, seemingly engaged in conversation with another servant. The failure of the other staff to immediately ostracize the incompetent mare disappointed Puissance; perhaps she would have to make two examples of her staff before the night was over. Unable to gauge Velvet's distraction, Puissance simply chalked it up to general weariness. To the other vicereine's credit though, it passed quickly enough, allowing her to conclude herself with a calm dignity, "…If that is what comes to pass then I will have every confidence in my son to make myself, his father, and yes, even his sister proud." As she turned to leave, Velvet spared one final glance over her shoulder. Again though, she seemed to look more so past Puissance rather than at her. "Perhaps, however, you should consider that it is not only the House of Starlight's viceroyship that is in need of fresh perspective." Puissance glared incessantly at the impotence of her supposed peer. To think that she had ever once admired Velvet's grandmother. Besides, Puissance was all too keenly aware that of all her myriad possessions, time was the one that she couldn’t buy more of. Still, she had quite enough left to insure her final legacy, and fully intended to use it to take every step needed to see to it that her great-grandson –the young Baronet Scepter of Cavesson– would grow up to be a perfect heir to her title. If it took until the last breath, she would be certain that no more mistakes were made, that no whimsical flights of fancy would be allowed to distract the colt from his destiny. ──────────────── While Silverstar was retrieving Loosy, Twilight had gone to meet back up with Lucky. The two mares made their way out of the ballroom, completely unaware of that an intimately familiar acquaintance had noticed Twilight. Snowflake as well as Lemon Hearts were already waiting at the staircase, and so together all six ponies descended into the labyrinthine catacombs beneath the manor. It wasn't long before they reached an archway that was guarded by a pair of burly minotaurs, each wielding a dangerously sharp pike-axe. The two behemoth bovates looked bored, but still more than attentive enough to notice any sneaky intruders. Twilight edged back after having peeked around the nearby corner. She blinked to dispel the lingering glow of the detection spell from her eyes. "That armor is impressively enchanted. I don't think even my strongest attack bolt could do much more the scuff than finish on one, let alone have any effect on both. I can't use any kind of geas either as long as they've got those helmets on" Silverstar cracked his neck and pounded one hoof against the other, "If it's as simple as knocking off those helmets, then I think me and ol' Snowflake here can handle that much. Think you can put up some kind o' barrier to make sure nopony upstairs hears the commotion?" The concern was apparent in Twilight's eyes, but she nodded in affirmation. Before she could start channeling her next spell though, Lemon Hearts interceded, "While I'm sure you two strapping stallions are well up to such a task, there are more subtle approaches for breaching that armor." The mare then levitated a flask out from her bag. "I just need one more ingredient," turning to Snowflake she continued, "That is, if Mr. McHugelarge here would be so kind as to graciously let me borrow one of his feathers." The pegasus tilted his head before slowly replying, "Yeah…?" "Excellent," and then with one swift pluck she grabbed a feather in with her magic. Uncorking the flask, she then dipped the feather into the contents and stirred gently. "Miss Charms, dear, did you remember to bring some glasses from the ballroom like I asked?" "Huh? Oh right, uh, here you go," answered the other mare as she set out two whine sifters on the floor. As Lemon Hearts poured out the pungently sweet contents of the flask, Twilight asked, "What is that stuff?" "Just a little something I read about one lonely Hearts'n'Hooves Day." … Moments later, after some careful instructions, Clover casually trotted around the corner balancing the two snifters of vibrant purple liquid. Upon seeing her, the two minotaurs quickly snapped to attention and crossed their pikes in front of the gate. "Halt!" spoke one. "Who goes there?" added the second. Grinning without a care Clover responded, "Oh, me? I'm just one of the servants from upstairs. I thought it was really lousy of old Pucy to throw that lavish party for all those stuffy nobles, but leave the two of you stuck down here all night with nothing to do. So, well…" She looked conspiratorially left and right, before proceeding in a loud whisper, "I thought I'd sneak you down some of that fancy imported exotic wine." The two minotaurs looked at each other, then back to the pony before uncrossing their pikes and relaxing their postures. "Well, ain't that thoughtful of you. 'Course, we really shouldn't be drinking on the job." As the first minotaur smiled, the second added, "But one glass can't hurt, so long as the old bat never finds out." Each then took one snifter in hand and turning to each other clinked them together before together saying, "Cheers!" Downing the contents in one quick swig, the pair of minotaurs stood for a moment contemplating the flavor. Then suddenly their bodies went rigid as their eyes locked fixedly on each other. Silent moments passed before… "Why, I never noticed what a stacky-wacky, beefy-cakey you are." "Aww… you're fine piece of ruggedy-duggedy, muscularly meaty goodness yourself." As the two minotaurs continued trading overly affectionate compliments of the other's physique, the other five ponies came down the hall to join Clover. "You sure they'll be okay?" asked Twilight. Lemon Hearts dismissed the concern with a wave of her hoof, "But of course. The effects of the potion only last one hour… more or less. Why, they won't even remember a thing after coming to their senses. Though we should probably give these strapping gentle-sirs some… privacy." "You're such a tasty-wasty looking dandy-candy treat. I could just eat you all up." "Not if I eat you first, my snoogy-woogy cuddle bear." Loosy, Silverstar, Snowflake, and Twilight all averted their gaze, preferring not to think of the matter any further. Silverstar in particular added "I best reckon she's right." With that they one-by one broke away and passed through the archway into the labyrinth, until only Clover Charms lingered behind. "Hmm… I wonder if it's really true that minotaurs are hung like a—" "Clover!" Twilight called sharply. … As Clover caught up with the others at the first intersection, Loosy was already pulling a large sheet of paper from from her bag and spreading it out on the floor for all to see. The sheet depicted architectural plans for a maze, complete with a path crudely drawn in crayon, with further doodles in the margins, as well as a few juice stains. "Sorry for the mess. I didn't actually work on this section of the manor, so I only have a copy of these plans because one of the other contractors took a liking to Woody back when he was still just a little foal and gave him it to him to play with." "It's fine," said Twilight as she studied the map, "This is more than we would have had without you." As Loosy smiled shyly, Silverstar spoke up in concern. "Are we right certain that this'll be safe? There could still be traps." Loosy frowned, but answered, "Well, there are traps," she indicated pointing a hoof to several marked spots on the map. Worried glances passed between the ponies, hoping that some of the nearby doodles were just silly foalish imaginings. None of them were eager to contend with things like a pool of lava, nor what appeared to be some kind of sharks swimming in it — and were those crossbows mounted on their heads? "As long as we stick to the main path though, we shouldn't run into any problems. The traps are only there to catch lost trespassers, since the vicereine wouldn't want to accidentally set them off herself." "I s'pose that makes sense, but what if she's had the layout changed. This map's gotta be at least ten years old." "Maybe… but I've not heard of there being any further renovations to the manor, or at least none large enough to make that possible. So far as I know, these catacombs have been here and unchanged since the manor was first built three-hundred years ago." "Alright then, Loosy" announced Twilight, "We're counting on you to lead the way." The earth mare shuffled nervously, but then nodded. ──────────────── Reaching the end of the maze, the six ponies now found themselves standing in front of the large and heavily reinforced vault door. Twilight stood in awe as she scanned it with her magic. "These enhancements are just amazing. There's at least a dozen different protective wards all weaved together. Not only that but, those look like elkish runes carved into it, and I think those embedded gems are of cheeroonean spellcut. The door itself also looks like its got traces of astranium in the alloy and the scouring marks are indicative of griffin stormforging, if I'm not mistaken. I've not really had much chance to study tapir or zebra techniques, but I wouldn't be surprised if there was some contribution from them as well." "Huh…" Clover said with a shrug, "seems like a lot of effort to go through for just a door." Loosy countered, "Well, this is where the vicereine is supposed to keep all her rarest and most private treasures. I'm no expert on magics though, so I can't even begin to imagine how much this must have cost to commision. To be honest, even for a vicereine I didn't know Puissance had that much wealth?" "These catacombs are mighty old by the looks of things," added Silverstar, "Could be this door's been here since before the vicerine's family even built the manor above." "Ooh… do you really think so?" responded an increasingly excited Twilight. "So," asked Clover, "What would happen if somepony tried forcing this thing open?" Twilight wore a grin that put even her comical compatriot to shame as she giddily answered, "I have no idea," and clapping her fore-hooves together as she eagerly added, "Isn't it great!" Realizing the others were all staring at her, Twilight coughed to regain her composure. "I mean… that is to say… well, it's just that I could probably write an entire doctoral thesis just studying the intricacies of the how all these disparate enchantments were inter-combined to create this door." "Yes," interjected Lemon Heart, "and maybe you'll yet get the opportunity to do so in the future, but I do believe we have more immediately pressing concerns." "Right, of course," said Twilight somewhat dejectedly, sparing one last glance back at the door. As the scholarly unicorn opened her bag and levitated out an oddly structured polygonal stone, Clover blinked while rubbing the bridge of her nose. "What the heck is that thing and why is it giving me a headache just looking at it? It looks like something out of one of those weird artsy McEquishire paintings my old boss would put up around the office to try and convince everpony how deep he was… more like off the deep end, am I right?" Twilight forced out short chuckle, then proceeded to explain, "This is a tumultia. It's a type of unique pan-dementional geometric shape; no two are alike and they are impossible duplicate. This one also happens to be the key to Puissance's vault." "Very good then." From her own bag Lemon Hearts produced a faded lock of mane. "Thanks to Miss Charms' assistance I was able to surreptitiously aquire this from the vicereine as well as speak to he at sufficient length for the other half of my task." Taking the lock of mane in her own aura Twilight walked over to the adjoining locking mechanism, or rather unlocking mechanism. The door itself was functionally impervious, rather the device connected to it was designed to interrupt the enchantments so as to make it even possible to open the door. Placing the lock of mane on a panel meant to confirm the vicerine's identity, Twilight then began to rotate the temultia in front of an equally confusing looking hole. "Now I just have to figure out the correct angle to actually insert this thing…" Lemon Hearts rolled her eyes impatiently while no one was watching her before reaching out and taking hold of the impossibly paradoxical object. "If you will alow me." She then spun it slightly, before pressing it against the lock and twisting at what almost seemed like two different directions at once. "Now then, just one last step." The matron then wrapped an aura about her own throat. She leaned over the lock and spoke a single word, "Precious." It was an astonishingly accurate impersonation of the Vicereine, but would it be enough? Twilight shifted uneasily from one hoof to another. Loosy glanced about nervously. Silverstar eyed the door for any sign of trouble. Clover grinned in eager anticipation. Snowflake seemed preoccupied with a nearby spider-web. There was a whirring buzz, followed by a hissing pop. The door glowed with an audible hum of power, and then with a final jarring crack, began to slowly open inwards. Smiling, Lemon Hearts turned back to the others and, still speaking the vicerine's voice, repeated the words Puissance herself had spoken at the commencement of the jubilation, "On this most special of days, I plan to give even more to you, my guests." Switching back to her own voice, Lemon Hearts then added, "Well then, I do believe it's time we take our gracious host up on that offer." ... As the six ponies entered into the vault they couldn't help but be overwhelmed by the stunning sight of so many treasures assembled in one place. Step-by-step as they made their way ever deeper, each new wonder was no less amazing than the last. Passing by a large pile of assorted coins –both silver and archaic gold– mixed with gems of assorted colors, Clover whistled and then added, "Wow, it's like those stories you hear of the brave knight who slays a dragon. All we're missing is the fair damsel in distress." "Yes, that would certainly make this scene all the more entertaining, now wouldn't it?" Clover laughed awkwardly, her back to the mound of treasure, "Umm… wow, Tenbs, you sure are great at voices, huh… right?" but the unicorn only shook her head ever so slightly as the rest of her body froze rigid. "Lemsy, Screwloose? Oh, come on it can't have been Flakes or…" Clover trailed off as she saw the increasingly dread filled gazes of her friends, and more importantly as she heard the clattering of coins and gems. The inescapable realization sunk in as she slowly turned round, and bore witness as a great beast rose from beneath the piled coins and gems. Clover gulped and cursed herself, "Me and my big mouth." Of course the pony didn't feel at all big in any way as her eyes took in the sight — black scales and matching spines, a purple underbelly, a mouth full of dagger-like teeth at the end of a snake-like neck, four limbs ending in equally vicious claws, and sinuous wings. All of it adding up to an imposing reptilian form, nearly twice the size of all six ponies put together. It gazed down at them all with vibrant chartreuse eyes, and then the dragon spoke. "So then, what do we have here? Six little ponies who have lost their way. The mistress shan't be pleased, no, she shan't be pleased at all." … The dragon –or rather Ebony Mellifluence of the Jaded Night's Shadow as her mistress called her– stared down at the six intruders. It was a rare thing for anypony to visit here, other than the mistress herself of course, and actual thieves were only all the rarer still. In fact, to Mellifluence's recollection, there had never once been an unwelcome intruder larger than a mouse. Oh, but the possibilities this presents, she thought to herself sinisterly. "YEAH!" her musings were cut short by the white pony's bellow as he launched himself bodily into the air, two small wings buzzing as he fearlessly charged the dragon. Mellifluence might have found the attack cute, were it not so boring it made her want to yawn. Of course as she actually opened her maw it was instead to produce a gout of chartreuse flames, engulfing the foolish pony. As the smoke cleared however there was nothing, not even the expected charred corpse. *pop* Turning her head, she caught the magical flash as her intended victim reappeared next to his now panting cohort. His coat and mane were scorched and blackened with soot, and he teetered dizzily, but otherwise seemed woefully unharmed. "Well, aren't you a talented little unicorn. Shall we see just how long you can keep that up?" There was a second flash of magic, and now the unicorn was levitating a chest. "Well, umm… actually, I thought maybe we could cut a deal." The unicorn forced a grin, but her eyes still trembled in fear. The chest opened revealing a content of silver coins. "Dragons are supposed to like treasure, uhh... right? If you let us pass safely, there can be more where this came from… a lot more." Silence hung in the air, before Mellifluence began to laugh. "Surely you jest little pony? Look around you at all the treasures of this vault. Do you think me so petty that I would have any use for such a measly tribute?" "Is that so, beast?" declared a second unicorn with a yellow coat as she stepped forward with preposterously undue confidence, "Does not this vault, and all its contents, actually belong to the vicereine? Really, what are you other than a glorified guard dog?" It was tempting to incinerate the impudent little pony and just be done with it. This was such a rare opportunity, however, that Mellifluence was far from in any hurry to rush to a premature conclusion. "Now then, aren't you the bold one to think you can speak to me like that? Still, your pretentious bravado in the face of impending doom amuses me. I suppose can indulge a brief chat… I do so enjoy playing with my food." Mellifluence smiled as that last line affected the desired reflexive gulp of dread in her prey. Except it was only the other five who did so, while the yellow one still stood firm and seemingly without concern. In many ways the lack of fear was an insult to her own draconic pride, but at the same time it reminded her of that day so many years ago when she had first met the mistress. She had been little more than a scrawny whelp back then, struggling to keep pace with her larger more able-bodied kin during the last great migration. Too weak to assert herself among her peers, she'd been forced to make her own isolated camp. Yet serendipity had smiled upon her when the pony she now called mistress had approached her with an offer. "You are mostly correct, little pony. Everything in this vault is the mistress's. Why, even I myself belong to her, or at least those are the terms of our arrangement. A lifetime of devotion in exchange for all these treasures upon her eventual passing. After all what is the life of one pony to a dragon? If it pleases the mistress to claim that she owns me for a scant few decades then let her. A hundred years from now she and any of your kind that ever knew her will all be dust, but I shall remain and be all the wealthier for my brief years of servitude." "If what you say is true though, then why turn your snout up at our offering? No matter how trivial, does not each and every coin only make your hoard all the larger? We need only but briefly borrow the use of a single relic, and needn't even remove it from this vault; isn't that right Miss Sparkle?" It took the purple unicorn a moment to register she was being spoken to, no doubt her meager pony mind still preoccupied with thoughts of impending demise. All the while her mouth moved wordlessly until, "Um… yes… that's right. We just need to perform a single ritual, then we'll be on our way and you can keep the silver for your trouble." Now instead of fear the unicorn's eyes gleamed with hope, as did her other compatriots. Mellifluence would need to disabuse them of that. "And what if I would prefer to keep six juicy lumps of equine flesh for my trouble instead. I already have plenty of silver, but while the mistress feeds me well, the meat of her own kind is one of the few delicacies she has always denied me. I must say, I'm rather curious to learn what ponies taste like." "Beg my pardon…" spoke the brown stallion who seemed to otherwise be doing his best to comfort a light blue mare he held in his hooves, "Uhh… ma'am, but I reckon trying to eat us all would be more trouble than it's worth. I don't much fancy our chances, but there are six of us, so I reckon we could still do some damage." "Don't think you can intimidate me with such meager threats. Dragons are both resilient and fast to heal. Besides, it can be ever so dull down here all alone; I think I could use the exercise." "Maybe, but I reckon some of these here antiques look a mite fragile." "You wouldn't dare!" she roared dropping all pretenses of civility, "Just for that I'll break your legs and make you watch as I eat all the rest first. Oh, and I assure you, I'll be extra slow with that blue one you seem so fond of." The stallion's eyes filled with a protective defiance as he pushed the trembling mare he'd been coddling behind him and took up a firm stance. It was all for show though, and as the two combatants sized each other up both knew exactly how it would end. Despite the stallion's outward bravado, the mournful resignation that had claimed his soul was all too delectably obvious. Mellifluence considered it almost a sufficient consolation to delay her wrath… almost, but not quite. "What if I could sweeten the deal?" The yellow one again, not that Mellifluence had any more reason to care as she stalked towards the first of her prey with deliberately slow menace. "I happen to run an orphanage full of young ponies with no families to miss them. You let us live as well as complete our business here, and in return I will bring you one deliciously tender foal every year to sate your hunger." All was still and quiet in the vault. Five ponies stood aghast in petrified confusion. Even Mellifluence herself was too shocked to be angry that she was no longer the source of their horror. The yellow pony's offer was so entirely unexpected that, even in her own predatory hunger, the dragon could scarcely comprehend it. She contemplated the yellow pony carefully. The mare did smell of children, so there was at least some truth to her words. Further, her expression showed no signs of hesitance that would otherwise suggest a hasty deception. There was something else though, something unlike anything Mellifluence had ever observed in a pony. Admittedly, she had only met a scant few ponies, and yet... whatever it was that made this one different, it was something she found profoundly unnerving. It had been many years since the now great dragon had felt this small. She had drawn so much strength from the mistress's treasure, the hoard that would one day be her own. So how was it possible that this single pony made her hesitate with the uncertainty of mere a hatchling? "Well, dragon, what will it be? Six surly adults today, or a steady supply of helpless children for decades to come?" Mellifluence knew she should just kill the impudent little thing, kill them all and be done with it, and yet… "You are younger than the mistress, little pony. If you are lying to me, then when she passes from this world, I will hunt you down and exact my promised tribute… with the interest to be paid in tortuous pain." Despite the threat, the unicorn didn't falter, not even for a momentary instant. Instead she only narrowed her gaze and with a predatory grin all her own flatly replied, "Then we have a deal." ──────────────── As Twilight stood overlooking the intricately drawn spell-circle, making sure every line and inscription was in place, she also couldn't help but reflect on the events that had all conspired to bring her to this point. Ponyville, Trixie Lulamoon, and the Ursa, which had all set the course in motion. Now, here she stood with her assembled cohorts. Silverstar, the first pony to take her plight at face value and give back to her the help she so desperately needed. Clover Charms, a pony she'd never even intended to ask, but whose uncompromising optimistic enthusiasm turned out to be exactly what she'd been looking for; truly living up to her own Lucky nickname. Snowflake, who despite all his quirks had pulled through and supported them all every step of the way. Loosy Screws, admittedly, it had been hard getting to know the soft spoken and fidgety mare, but Silverstar seemed to have more than enough faith in her. Lastly, Lemon Heart, the beneficent matron who provided for so many children… children she'd just used as a bargaining chip. –NO– How could Twilight possibly even for a second entertain such doubt? It had all been just a BLUFF; it couldn't possibly be anything else! There was just no way that a pony like Lemon Hearts could be anything less than the genuine article. If it hadn't been for all her efforts, going that extra mile to bring the six of them together, none of this could have ever even happened in the first place, and yet… Twilight lamented as she closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, and yet hadn't she once been equally sure of Lulamoon? The princess's protégé, the pony who revived the very Elements of Harmony; surely, she had thought, such a pony could be no less than the greatest archmage since Starswirl the Bearded. No, it wasn't the same, it couldn't be the same. Twilight had seen through Lulamoon's act from the first moment they'd met. It had only been her own doubts that caused her to briefly consider otherwise, caused her to make that terrible mistake that landed her in all this trouble. Not ever again. She wouldn't second guess herself like that anymore. Soon, so very, very soon she'd be vindicated as the real hero that Equestria deserved and Lulamoon would be forever exposed for the fraud she'd always been from the start. Then it would finally all be over, and Twilight could finally and at long last go home. She was done with running, done with hiding, and after tonight she'd never have to do either, not ever again. All her fears and doubts vanquished by righteous hope, Twilight opened her eyes as she exhaled the breath she'd been holding. "Alright, everypony, take your places. It's time to become heroes!" The six ponies each took to their mark around circle. At the center between them sat the open pouch containing the shreds of Corona's regalia. Twilight levitated the Alicorn Amulet up and overhead, then began to slowly channel her magic through it. Lines of power stretched from it to each of the other five ponies, and from each of them to another, forming a hexagram of light. The power then cascaded forth and condensed on the shattered shards at the center which began to levitate and radiate an ever cascading greater power. There were colors, so many colors, and Twilight could see them all, the entire spectrum that was the greatest magic known to ponydom — THE ELEMENTS OF HARMONY! It was a power beyond any one pony, the power that united them all in a common bond. There weren't many colors at all, but rather they were all just one color that blended together until the whole chamber became awash in a blinding light of the purest white. … … … The unicorn blinked, she didn't know when she had collapsed, or how long she'd lain there. As her vision cleared, Twilight brushed an errant strand of limp mane from her eyes, shortly realizing that somehow the magical feedback had undone her perm. Glancing backwards she saw that her tail and even cutie mark had also been restored to their normal forms. "Oh wow… look Tenbs you did it, you really did it!" said Clover as she excitedly bounced in place. As she climbed back to her hooves, Twilight returned her attention to the center of the circle. There sat six pieces of golden ornate jewelry, five necklaces each adorned with a colored gem in the shape of one of her cohort's cutie marks… and one diadem. Twilight gazed fixedly at the prize she'd coveted and the six pointed starburst gem that topped it, the final culmination of all her hardship and struggles. "Well I'll be…" Said silverstar with a whistle, "I reckon she really did." "Well, Miss Sparkle, it seems congratulations are in order," agreed Lemon Hearts. "YEAH!!!" Moments passed, but while the others celebrated Twilight only intensified her scrutiny, weaving magic through her horn so she could look past mere sight as she analyzed the artifacts before her. "NO!" Twilight finally yelled out, "We… we failed," and then sank to her hindquarters, ears wilting in despair. "But, Tenbs, look. They're right there… aren't they?" The unicorn shook her head morosely. "It might look that way," Twilight said as she levitated the diadem, "but these are nothing but cheap useless junk," and then flicked her hoof against the replica of the Element of Magic. The ring echoed through the chamber, followed by silence, and then by a crack. The false element split down the middle, fractures spreading not only through the gem but the gold as well until the whole thing came crumbling apart completely. Lucky scooped up the necklace bearing a blue clover-shaped gem, while Loosy did the same did the same with the necklace bearing a screw-shaped gem. Both artifacts, however, proceeded to crumble just the same in their hooves, the sound of the scrap metal and fractured jewel shards echoing hollowly across the floor. Her heart felt just as empty. Twilight couldn't believe it; had Gâteau's research been faulty, or perhaps the Alicorn Amulet was an insufficient catalyst, or maybe, maybe she just didn't have a sufficient sampling of the Elements original magic… –or else– No, she could scarcely bring herself to even consider, but what if… what if she had been wrong this whole time? Was she, Twilight Sparkle, top of her class and magical prodigy without pier, not actually worthy to wield the Elements of Harmony? …And if that were true could it mean that Lulamoon, that Trixie had been right all along? As her mind despondently struggled to come to term with this potential revelation, Twilight felt a firm hoof wrap about her barrel. She looked over and saw Silverstar embracing her, "There, there, girl. It was a mighty fine try." Next to him stood Loosy, who simply nodded warmly, while to Twilight's other side stood Clover Charms, her smile as uncompromising as ever, "He's right, Tenbre; we all tried our best and that's all that matters." "Yeah!" exclaimed Snowflake as he joined the circle of companions and drew all five ponies into a tight group hug. The big lug even seemed to be tearing up with what her B.B.B.F.F. would call a measure of liquid pride. –Wait– only five? Separate from the rest stood Lemon Hearts, "All quite true, I suppose. Though I think this souvenir will make a lovely consolation prize," she said as she levitated the Alicorn Amulet to her neck and fastened the clasp. Then as red light flashed in her eyes, "Oh yes, this should do quite adequately." Author's Note So this chapter has been a long time coming, too long, but we're finally entering the end game stretch and next chapter will be the big climactic finish. Hopefully I won't keep you all waiting nearly another year this time. Anyway, special thanks this chapter go to ColdGoldLazarus, thatguyvex, plus Talon and Thorn for assorted proofing and pre-reading assistance. Additional thanks to FinalFan for post publishing proofing. >> interlude <<Princess Luna Equestris, the mistress of the moon, steward of the sun, and sovereign protector of the three tribes looked out across her kingdom… or rather what was left of it. Chunks of land floated through the air, rivers flowed backwards, and the very heavens themselves churned and convulsed, not a single aspect of the natural order had been left unviolated. The worst of it, however, was the screams of confused horror, of minds driven past the breaking point and into a never ending madness. It was not a real sound, but she knew it was there all around her for she'd lived through it all before, and she knew its malevolent source all too well. That is what had brought her here, to the base of this otherwise unassuming hill, and now she gazed with resolute defiance up at the black throne atop it. She approached from behind, not that it would likely matter, as the beast no doubt already knew she was there. She should have known better than to force a direct confrontation, but what other choice did she have? She had not the Elements of Harmony to wield, nor even her sister to stand by her side. She was alone, and even with all her alicorn might, Luna stood no earthly chance of defeating the beast who sat upon that throne… yet she marched up the hill all the same. To her last breath she would oppose the beast, and so gathering all of her magic she reached out, spinning the throne full about to face the beast who sat upon it. "Dis…!" the name died on her tongue, however, as she found not the familiar visage of her ancient and most hated enemy, but rather an unassuming ordinary pink earth pony with a curly striped mane and spinning propeller beanie. That is, unassuming in all ways except for the mare's eyes — endless spirals which betrayed her true nature. "Sorry," the mare giggled, "But daddy's still asleep where you left him." "You lie, chaos spawn! This nightmare could only be of his twisted designs." The mare giggled. "Really? And here I was thinking you were the nightmare," she said while casually holding up a silvery-blue helmet with one hoof. It was an all too familiar piece of armor that Luna –or rather a tainted portion she'd split off from herself– had once worn on that fateful day a thousand years ago when she had been forced to confront her own sister… or rather the tyrant Corona. As if taking that stray though as cue, suddenly the mare was instead holding a golden crown wreathed in flames "Or was it the other one? You alicorns are all just so dreadfully boring that I have trouble telling you apart. Though in all the myriad paths of history, maybe it doesn't really matter," and with that the crown evaporated back into the nothing from which it had been manifested. "ENOUGH!" Luna's eyes turned a pure glowing white as she bellowed her echoing demand "I have not the time to indulge in these juvenile games." The throne was gone now as well, and the pink mare instead skipped along a hopscotch grid. "Aww… but I like games, and if we played together then it'd be twice as much fun!" Pausing suddenly in midair, the mare began rubbing her chin in contemplation, "Wait… I think I messed that quote up." The alicorn snorted in frustration as she raised and then brought down a single crystal-shod hoof, splitting the ground beneath it in twain. "Try not my patience, chaos spawn! I will ask you but one more time; where is he?" The pink mare, who was now jumping rope, sighed. She hopped aside, leaving the rope to spin through the air unattended. "Not he, silly. I already told you; daddy's still asleep where you left him. This time it's a she." "She…?" Lune queried in confusion as the light faded from her eyes, "Surely you are not attempting to insinuate that my sister could ever do anything like this?" "Nah… she doesn't get her big screentime until next season." Luna scarcely had time to ponder the meaning of that before the pink mare shoved a box in her face. The pastel blue and green box was heart shaped, much like the kind young lovers might give their special somepony on Hearts'n'Hooves Day. Inside however, were not the expected chocolates, but plastic wrapped lemon drops. "You want one?" asked the pink mare as she proceeded to pop one of the sweets –wrapper and all– into her own mouth. Luna only glared in silent riposte. With the box no longer anywhere to be seen, the pink mare simply shrugged her shoulders. "Your loss." She then spat the now empty wrapper from her mouth, having tied it into a bow like the ribbon atop a Hearth's Warming gift. Before it reached the ground, however, the bow flapped and flew off as though it were a butterfly. "I grow weary of your inane parlor tricks. Now, if it is not he who sired your kind who has wrought chaos upon the land, then tell me the identity of this she so that I may restore the balance of harmony." Yawning, the pink mare adopted a canine-like posture as she scratched behind one ear with a hind hoof. She then circled in place once, twice, three times before laying down upon the blue checkered grass and yawning again as her eyes grew heavy and lidded. "Is that really all you ever think about? Harmony this, balance that…" then lifting her head she gestured to her own mouth as she stuck out her tongue and made a retching motion. "Did you ever stop to consider that maybe you aren't the hero of this story, or if this is even your story at all? Besides, I couldn't tell you even if I wanted to." "If you will not cooperate willingly," declared the midnight alicorn as her eyes again began to glow menacingly. "I have ways of forcing the information out of you?" Completely without concern the mare waved a dismissive hoof. "Gee… for somepony so old you really can be quite dumb. How could I tell you the name of a pony you've never met when all of this is just your dream?" "Dream…?" and with that the world was nothing but empty blackness in which Luna stood alone. A faint sound grew, until it rang out as a sinister laughter, not of the stranger mare, nor of the ancient beast, nor even her insane sister, but of some unfamiliar stranger. … The Princess breathed sharply as her eyes fluttered open and with them brought back the light of the waking world. Dreams were her domain, and so it was a rare thing for her to have one without awareness of such. As she rose, Luna wondered, had it truly all been just a dream… or was it perhaps an omen? She turned her gaze to the south-eastern horizon and felt an uneasy dread creep across her. Something foul, something sour, wafted upon the winds — or maybe it was all just the weary product of her own paranoid imagination mixed with the lingering taste of limoncello on her lips. As a rule Luna abstained from alcoholic intoxicants, but after recent events in a little known hamlet called Oaton, well… there she had seen one family reunited, only to face the prospect of being torn apart again, if only temporarily. She had also seen another family struggle with the tragic uncertainty of a loved one whose fate still remained uncertain. More than that though, she had seen so many other families simply rejoicing in a hard earned victory and a new found unity with ponies they had long thought their enemies. The restless mixture of emotions had left her –not for the first time, and certainly not the last– longing for family of her own. Upon returning to Canterlot she'd taken the bottle of Cavallian liquor from its special shelf in her private study. Normally she had all the alcohol in the palace kept far away from her, safely stored in the cellars and with her most loyal servants tasked with keeping it guarded, lest she ever attempted to sneak any in a moment of weakness. This bottle, however, was one of a very few exceptions. Ostensibly it was meant to be shared with visiting dignitaries. In truth, Luna kept it close at hoof because it had been a gift from Princess Mi Amore Cadenza… the daughter she had once abandoned, and whom she still hadn't ever told the whole truth. Regardless, even in her temptation, Luna had hesitated, leaving the bottle to sit on the corner of her desk as she had read over various pending documents. Eventually though, she had opened it and inhaled deeply the pungent aroma before allowing herself a single glass before retiring for the afternoon. Maybe that alone was enough to explain her unusual dream. The bottle was after all very old, perhaps even the last of its vintage, and so might very well have fermented one century too many. In spite of herself, Luna found her gaze lingering on the bottle. Using her magic, she popped the cork, allowing herself to once again waft in its alluring scent… she briefly considered downing the remaining contents in a single swig, but then what? Tempting as it might be to further raid the cellars until she'd had her fill –which given her immortal metabolism was a sizable amount indeed– as Princess, however, she had long since resolved never to indulge like that again. She simply had too many inescapable duties to attend — chiefly at the moment being a series of tedious negotiations with various griffin dignitaries to ensure the myriad treaties with Equestria's northern neighbors remained intact. Re-corking the bottle, the Princess returned to her desk and the arduous process of sorting through the stacks of documents, however, she found her thoughts still distracted by lingering though of the dream. Most ponies might have already forgotten such a thing, but for Luna dreams were as real as the waking world, which is why it still troubled her that she could have been so easily fooled by it. What could it mean? Luna had faced many foes over the millennia, but there was one who held a special contempt above all others. Now he was gone though –FOREVER– locked away and buried where the world would never know his blight again… and yet. Had she not once thought Corona also gone forever as well? And what of the other foes she'd also thought equally vanquished. Again she thought of recent events in Oaton, and the foul shadow of a greater evil that her apprentice had faced there. It pleased Luna to know that Trixie had triumphed –if not without great hardship– but what if there were other such shadows still yet lingering elsewhere in Equestria, or even beyond… Then there was also the matter of the date that had been marked on her calendar for nearly 500 years now. She hoped that now that her apprentice had restored the Elements of Harmony, they could together find a more permanent solution to that particular problem. In these increasingly uncertain times, however, could she truly rest easy in the naivete that enemies once vanquished would actually remain so? Immortality had never been a burden for Luna, but it did give her perspective. She could watch the ebb and flow of history as it unfolded and see the cyclical cycles of mortal ponies play out time and time again — both favorable and ill. Was there perhaps also a grander cycle though, one that even her immortal years had not yet borne witness to? Was her nation doomed to fight all of its old enemies a second time? In ages yet to come would there then only be a third, a fourth, a ceaseless struggle that could only be endured, but never stopped? These were thoughts most troubling, but she set them aside. The mysteries of the future were perhaps best left to the future itself. That said, she did make a mental note to check once again on the chaos beast's eternal prison, just to make sure every possible precaution was still in place. Not he, silly… This time it's a she. As the dream mare's words echoed in the back of Luna's mind she wondered, might she only be leaping to the wrong interpretation. If it was an omen, had it perhaps been warning not of an ancient evil returned, but instead of some new danger? But if so, why would it take a form so similar to her greatest enemy of old. Unless, could it maybe be… No, that would be impossible. It was true that her foul nemesis had left behind tainted seeds of his malevolent influence — discordant hybrids, each infused with a fraction of his chaotic escence, but could it really be these children which troubled her mind? The bloodline only grew all the weaker with each passing generation, and as such, it had been well over a millennia since they had all but faded into myth. Most who still carried the taint went their entire lives without ever even learning of their cursed lineage, while the few who discovered it most often sought to suppress any abilities they unlocked –or more specifically the side-effects– and just lead normal lives as best they could. Yes, there were always some who tried to abuse such powers, but given how unstable the corrupting influence could be on both body and mind… well, they invariably always proved to be more a danger to themselves than to anypony else. …but could things somehow now have changed. Author's Note Wait, was this a real update or just April Fool's joke? Maybe a bit of both. Truth be told, I'd actually wanted post the full chapter update today, if only to exploit the timing. With that deadline in mind I nearly managed to finish everything up over the past week, however, I'm still going to need a few more days to finalize some last few details -- especially since I'm between editors right now and have to do all my own proof reading. Hopefully I'll have the whole thing ready to go by the end of the weekend. So, what about this "chapter" then, is Luna getting involved in this story? Not really, this was only meant as a brief and inconsequential aside that isn't intended to have any direct impact on the rest of the narrative. That said, I did sort of want to take the opportunity to provide a minor refresher on Discordians prior to the ~epic~ climax of this story next chapter. Anyway, hope to see you all then, and again sorry for not having the full update ready. Chapter 10: "Opened Up My Eyes"Author's Note So here we finally are. It's been a long time --too long really-- but welcome all to the grand climax! Before we get started I would like to give special thanks to GreyGuardPony, Talon and Thorn, and thatguyvex for all providing draft consultations at various points during the development of this chapter. In addition, I would also like to give an extra special thanks to FinalFan for his most gracious assistance as a proofreader. And now with the formalities out of the way, on with the show... Chapter 10: "Opened Up My Eyes" "What!" Twilight yelled, practically tossing aside the other four ponies in her alarm, "But Lemon Hearts you can't be serious. The amulet's corrupting influence is too dangerous to actually use it. Now, take it off, quick, before it gets in your head." "Oh, I assure you, Miss Sparkle," Lemon Hearts spoke with a trill just short of dismissive laughter "I'm more than sufficiently experienced at managing a corruptive influence." Twilight stood aghast, at first because she was unable to comprehend this sudden change of demeanor in the formerly genial matron. Yes, there had been that gruesome bluff she made with the dragon, but this? No, it had to be something else. With their mission failed, maybe Lemon Hearts was only donning the amulet as an act of desperation. Some precaution in case the dragon… A looming shadow rose over Lemon Hearts. "Tut, tut, little pony. Deal or no deal, I'm afraid I can't let you take the amulet!" Lemon Hearts didn't turn her head or make any other attempt to flee as the dragon lunged forward to attack. Instead, she only casually lifted her tail, the hairs at the tip splitting apart and taking on a semblance of animate digits, which then flicked against each other with an audible snap. There was an instantaneous flash and then dragon was gone, replaced a small mewling kitten which hung for a brief moment in the air before abruptly falling helplessly to the floor. Twilight stared in shock at what should have been an impossible act of magic. Even with the Alicorn Amulet, a transmutation of that level should have taken at least some visible effort, but Lemon Hearts hadn't even seemed to cast a spell at all. It was as if she'd simply made it happen by sheer will alone. "Surprised, my dear?" The elder unicorn blinked, revealing hideously unnatural eyes. Gone now was the warm and motherly rose, replaced instead by beady red pupils against sickly yellow sclera. "I told you before that I was a pony of many talents… and I suppose I did promise to teach you a few tricks. Now seems as good a time as any to start our lessons, don't you think?" She began to walk slowly towards Twilight with a menacing gait. However, Lemon Hearts couldn't even finish three steps before a weight leapt atop her back. Silverstar pinned the unicorn to the ground, "I dun should'a known ya was trouble all along! Had a gut feeling somethin' weren't ever right with ya!" Lemon Hearts only grinned nonchalantly –her mouth somehow now filled with sharp predatory fangs– "Why, Mr. Star, is this how you treat a lady?" "I don't know what ya are, but ya ain't no lady!" He then bore his teeth down on the amulet's clasp and yanked with all his might. The "pony" beneath him simply chortled as she wrapped her magical aura –now red instead of teal– about him and effortlessly levitated him away like a mere foal. "Really now, did you think it would be that easy? Were you even paying attention when Miss Sparkle here first told us about this amulet? The clasp can only be undone by the wearer." Then she levitated him upside down in front of her face, "Besides, you only got close enough to try because I let you. I should warn you, however," she said as her voice shifted into something more like a snarl, "My patience has limits!" Then just as quickly her voice changed into the mocking chidings of an indignant mother scolding a hapless child, "Now be a good little colt and don't try playing rough with mamma again."She then casually tossed him aside as though he were nothing, and perhaps compared to her that's all he was… all any of them were. Snowflake flew up and caught the other stallion before he could crash into the floor. As the two came down gently, Loosy went running to Silverstar's side to make sure he was okay. Twilight turned to plead yet one more time, "Look, Lemon Hearts, this isn't you, it can't be. It's the amulet! It's gotten inside your head and is twisting your mind, driving you mad with power." At first there was only silence, then a low chuckling that steadily built into an unsettlingly maniacal laughter. "Really now, young Miss Sparkle, is that what you think? No, child, this very much is the real me, the me that I have had to hide away from the world for so many decades, but no more!" The matron's declaration resonated briefly throughout the chamber in an augmented timbre not unlike the Royal Canterlot Voice. "Oh…" she cooed, her voice filled with a lustful ecstasy, "And does it ever feel so good to cast away my mask and throw caution to the wind. No more slinking in the shadows afraid of being discovered."Then in a bellowing triumphant glee, "With the power of this amulet, I needn't hold back my true abilities ever again! This amulet isn't driving me mad, no, quite the contrary. It's finally set me free and given me full control of the legacy that was always my birthright!" "Birthright? What are talking about, Lemon Hearts? You aren't making any sense." "I'm making perfect sense, child! You merely lack the perspective to understand…" She paused then, as her ears swiveled about, "But I lack the time to educate you… not when I can already hear them calling out to me in the night." "What are you talking about…?" Then Twilight heard it too, the sound of armored hoofsteps and shouting. Turning about quickly she called out to her other compatriots, "It's the guards, we have to get out of here!" "No, not them." said Lemon Hearts distractedly while gazing off vaguely into some unknown distance. "It's the other children, all those poor lost souls adrift in the sea of this meaningless life. They know not the gifts they waste, but soon enough every last one of them will be mine, all mine."Lemon Hearts again grinned with predatory intent as she lifted into the air on a pair of leathery purple wings that — wait, wings? Twilight blinked. When had Lemon Hearts conjured those? Again there had been no build up, no weaving of magical energies. The wings had just appeared from nowhere. If Lemon Hearts noticed the confusion in the younger unicorn, she paid it no mind. Instead she simply looked to the ceiling and raised a hoof, the flat of which flexed in an impossible manner, then with another snap and flash, part of the ceiling as well as all the ground above it was now suddenly water instead. Lemon Hearts hovered in the air a moment holding an umbrella that she'd acquired from nowhere in her other hoof to shield herself from the sudden torrential downpour. She looked down one last time upon the other ponies. "It's been fun, but mamma doesn't have time to play with you anymore. Do take care as best you can though," then with a flap of her wings and a flick of her tail she shot off, a wisping trail of smoke and sparks trailing after her as though she were a rocket. The five now drenched ponies below sputtered and choked as they tried to regain their wits. They had precious little time though as the sound of the approaching guards drew ever closer. Rushing for the vault door, Silverstar yelled out, "Snowflake, help me with this!". The two stallions began to push with all their might, but the door was heavy and slow to move. Then a sudden magical aura joined their efforts and with one mighty shove slammed the door shut with a deafening thud. Silverstar turned and tipped his hat to Twilight. "Don't thank me yet. That probably won't hold them very long." "I reckon yer right." Silverstar then glanced up, eyeing the hole in the ceiling. "Twi, ya got enough magic to lift both Clover and Loosy at the same time?" "Sure, but..." "No buts, girl. Snowflake, ya pick up Twi and fly her out'a here while she carries the others! I'm a trustin' ya to keep everypony safe, ya hear!" Snowflake gave a sharp salute. Loosy, however, quickly became distraught as she realized, "Wait! No… Silver… we can't just leave you behind." "No arguments, Loosy. If'n those guards don't catch at least one pony in here, they'll lock down the whole city 'til they find us. I can at least put up enough of a fight to buy all the rest of ya time to get as far away from here as ya can. Now skedaddle, the lot of ya!" Her jaw trembling, Loosy hesitantly made to step towards Silverstar. She was scared, but she couldn't just let him… with little warning, however, a magical aura wrapped around her as she felt herself lifted off the ground. Turning her head she saw Snowflake, his hooves hooked under Twilight Sparkle's legs as the unicorn herself used magic to levitate the other two mares. Clover Charms giggled, "Hey, that tickles." She flailed lightly about, causing herself to weightlessly spin upside down. "Don't squirm," groaned Twilight through gritted teeth, "moving only makes this harder." If Loosy were a braver pony she might have squirmed, broken the unicorn's magical grip, and against all rational self-preservation, stayed by Silverstar's side. Loosy, however, was not a brave pony… and yet she couldn't just sit by and leave the stallion behind. "Please, Miss Sparkle, there still has to be some other…" but as she turned to look at her beloved sheriff, all words died on her tong. For a singular instance their eyes locked, hers desperately pleading that he come with her, his pleading just as desperately that she runaway while she still had the chance. The moment passed all too quickly, and Silverstar averted his gaze. As the stallion turned to face the fate he'd chosen, Loosy could only sob silently while she was lifted past the edge of the tunnel. Her heart broke as she caught what she feared might be her last sight of the love she so longed for. … There was a clatter as a silver clasp fell to the ground, and was immediately crushed by a brown hoof. Silverstar twisted to further grind the trinket apart, hoping that would be enough to ruin whatever magic Twilight had woven into it and so prevent it from being used to trace her. Just to be safe though he tossed the fragments away, scattering them all around the chamber to be lost among the countless treasures. Minutes passed as Silverstar composed himself while surveying his surroundings, taking note of how best to use the available terrain to his advantage in the coming battle. The pounding on the door had stopped, but he knew better than to think that meant the guards had simply given up. Not like it would matter if they did, as he had no way to actually escape. Glancing sideways, he took note of the kitten sitting on a nearby treasure pile, glaring at him. "Guess ya will be lookin' forward to seein' me get what's comin' now?" The feline merely bristled and hissed softly. The little fuzzball was so weak and helpless now that its attempts to affect a threatening stature would be almost cute, that is if not for the fact that only all too recently it had been a large fire breathing reptile bent on eating Silverstar and his accomplices. "Look," Silverstar continued, "I know ya must be angry somethin' fierce, and I know I've no right to ask favors o' ya. If'n ya ever do get turned back ta normal though, I'm beggin' ya… please don't hurt the others. Well… I 'spose ya've got a valid grievance against that yellow she-devil, but please… if'n ya've got any compassion in yer heart, just leave the others be. If'n ya need any more pay back, let it come from my hide. Ya can even consider the beatin' I'm about to take here from those guards a down payment." The former dragon's only reply was a high-pitched rattling purr. He didn't have much time to contemplate its meaning, however, before with an echoing creek the vault door finally swung slowly open. Silverstar stood unflinchingly as over a dozen guard took up positions, surrounding him from all sides. With a tip of his hat the trail worn stallion spoke, "Evenin', gents." Tension mounted in the silent stillness of the vault… until finally it broke with roar as the first of the guards charged. ──────────────── The tunnel had emptied out into the manor's back gardens, and now the four remaining intruders snuck carefully through the shadows. Twilight's violet eyes peered through the bushes at a nearby delivery gate in the wall, only to find more guards. "No good here either," she whispered. Nervously, Loosy asked, "Could we… well, could we sneak all the way around back to the front?" "Maybe, but there would only be more guards, plus who knows how many witnesses from the festival outside." "We could just hide then, maybe get back inside the manor and wait for—" "Wait for what? We'll still have to make a break for it eventually, and the longer we're here the more likely we'll get caught." "I know," interjected Clover, "You could cast that magic wings spell on all of us and we'll just fly away, easy peasy." "Huh?" Twilight tilted her head, trying to puzzle out what Clover meant, before remembering the opening ceremonies earlier this evening. Had it really been that recently? Twilight felt as though this foolish quest of hers had taken years. "Oh… that spell?" the unicorn continued, "It's far too complicated and flashy; somepony would be sure to spot us if I tried. Besides, I doubt even I could just cast it three times in quick succession." Clover crossed her fore-hooves in disappointment, "Darn." "I suppose I could try teleporting us all, but the flash would probably still draw too attention just the same. Plus, as best I can tell, that wall has a warding charm on it that would sound an alarm anyway, and probably tag us all with a tracking spell too. It'd be the same problem even if we had Snowflake fly us each out one by one." "Can'tcha, I dunno, just counter it? I mean you're supposed to be the best at magic." "I'm the best… but my talent is magic, not miracles. I'd need time to study the ward, and that's not something that's really on our side right now." Snowflake opened his mouth, as if to contribute his own idea, but quickly found it literally zipped shut by Twilight's magic, lest his poor volume control give away their position. As the pegasus fumbled awkwardly to free his lips, Loosy again spoke up, "Alright… but hiding could maybe still work. Everything still seems normal at the party, so we'd only need to wait for the guests to start leaving and then we could just blended in with the crowd." "No good. Even if I hadn't lost my disguise," Twilight said as she again glanced back at her restored flank, "It's likely only still quiet at the party because Puissance has a reputation to maintain. The guards will probably still be discreetly monitoring the guests as they depart, checking for anypony that doesn't belong… unless," she rubbed a hoof across the bottom of her chin in contemplation, "Unless we could figure out a way to make sure everypony rushed out all at once." ──────────────── Inside the manor, guests continued to mill about, none the wiser to the actions of any interloping trespassers. As a group of nobles near one corner of the ballroom politely chatted, one of their number slowly started to sniff at the air. "Do you smell that?" "You're just imagining things. Now then, as I was saying—" "Wait, no, I smell it too… it smells like… smoke!?" … From an adjoining hallway, Twilight Sparkle concentrated on conjuring an ever expanding smokescreen. Now of course, even if the guests fell for the ruse, most would be disciplined enough to calmly make their way out to the courtyard. That was where Clover and Snowflake, who had both already made their way back into the crowded room, came into play. "Fire! It's a Fire! Everypony for themselves!" "YEAH!!!" The panicked shouts quickly spread from one pony to the next, and it wasn't long until a veritable stampede flooded out into the hall. Twilight merged with the rampaging herd, but now came the hard part. As she ran, she had to keep casting additional smokescreens at doorways and intersections to be sure and steer the crowd until they reached the front doors. Bursting into the open courtyard, she could hear Clover shouting, "Quick! Get to the gates! Run, run, RUN!" "YEAH!!!" For the guards on duty it must have been a sight to behold, the absurdity of a stampeding herd of finely dressed ponies bearing down upon them. The armored guards blinked in stunned disbelief. They barely even noticed when a unicorn's magic forcefully flung the gilded gates behind them open, having only enough time to recover their wits and take the only sane course of action — diving out of the way before they were trampled. … Just like that, Twilight and hopefully the others had made their escape. She had no clue where in the crowd her compatriots might be, but that didn't matter. They'd all already agreed to split up, that way even if by some happenstance one of them were followed the others should all still be able to get away. Unfortunately, just as she pushed her way past the edge of the crowd, Twilight's luck ran out and she found herself face-to-face with possibly the worst two ponies she could have possibly stumbled into. Her violet eyes stared into the two pairs of green, "I, umm… that is… bye!" and then she bolted as fast as her hooves could carry her. Carrot Top blinked and then glanced sidelong at her fellow farmer, who had just done the same. "Was that…?" "I reckon it was," replied Applejack, "Get her!" and with that the two mares from Ponyville gave chase. … Twilight skidded for traction as she rounded a corner at full gallop. She didn't dare risk glancing back, but she could hear the hoofbeats of her pursuers from behind. They didn't seem to be gaining just yet, but the unicorn could already feel the strain in her protesting lungs and knew that she'd exhaust herself long before the pair of farm hardened earth ponies would. Just as she was about to give up, her panicked mind regained just enough composer to scold her for even wasting the effort of running when she had a far more efficient method of escape. Twilight frantically began to channel magic through her horn. Before she could actually teleport though, the unicorn felt something constrict about her neck. As the lasso pulled tight, she found herself unceremoniously tumbling hooves over head as she landed in a heap on ground. "Whoa there, nelly!" called out Applejack as she dragged the splayed and still dazed unicorn back, "Y'all ain't going nowhere!" By the time the stars stopped spinning, Twilight found her hooves had all been securely bound by the rope. She hastily tried to channel another teleportation spell, but just as quickly an orange hoof smacked roughly across her horn. The throbbing pain broke her concentration and caused the second spell to fizzle like the first. "Don'tcha even think about tryin' none of them fancy unicorn tricks to escape like you did last time. I ain't a violent pony by nature, but I won't hesitate to buck your lights out if I have to!" Twilight winced, fearful that even if she agreed the glaring mare might hit her again anyway. Applejack was pushed gently aside though as Carrot Top leaned in to speak "Look, umm… Twilight, wasn't it? I know you aren't a bad pony at heart. That's why you helped Trixie and Raindrops fight off the ursa minor back in Ponyville." "An ursa she brought to town in the first place! Don't go getting' soft on her, Carrot; this girl ain't nothing but trouble. Why, I'd bet ol' Bucky McGillicuddy," Applejack said as she wiggled her back-left leg, "She weren't doing nothin' but savin' her own sorry hide back then." "I don't believe that. She could have just ran away from the start, but she didn't and that has to count for something," respond Carrot Top, but Applejack merely harrumphed. Turning back to the unicorn, Carrot Top continued, "So, Twilight, can you help us out here and explain what's going on? Maybe we can still fix this whole mess." "I… fix… but…" Twilight sniffled as the weight of her mistakes, both past and present, bore down on her all at once, "I screwed up. Again. That's what happened." "I knew it! Ain't enough to go droppin' a starbear on my home town? You had to come and try wreckin' another town to sate whatever twisted fetish it is that gets you off." "No! That's not how it happened at all… not how it was supposed to at least." anger mixed with shame as the unicron rapidly lost any semblance of composure. "I, well… I was just trying to make a second set of elements, don't you get it? I had to; it was the only way. I needed them so I could defeat Corona! How else could I finally prove Trixie was wrong? That she was nothing but a great big fraud, and that I was supposed to be the real Element of Magic all along." Applejack blinked as she looked once to Carrot Top, then to the unicorn, and back again, before she shook her head roughly as if trying to dislodge the nonsensical rant, "See, I told you! This girl here is just plain loco. Ain't nothing we can do to help 'cept turning her crazy flank in so the guard can lock her up where she can't hurt nopony never again." Carrot Top also looked uncertainly from one pony to the other, "It sounds crazy to me too, but well… Twilight, look, I get that Trixie can rankle anypony the wrong way, and I guess I can understand wanting to upstage her at her own game. The truth is, I used to feel just like that with Applejack, like it was all just so unfair that she got born into success while I had to struggle every day just to keep my own farm afloat." "Carrot…" Applejack stammered, "I never…" "It's okay Applejack, I don't really blame you, not anymore. Maybe you were born with all the advantages, but ever since Trottingham, I've seen just how hard you work every day to keep it that way. Not just on your farm either, but as a pillar of the entire Ponyville community. Maybe more ponies like me because I'm always cutting them cheap deals or doing them free favors. When the chips are really down though, you’re the pony that they'd all depend on in a real crisis." "Shucks, girl, I ain't nothin' special. You're the hero, what with bravin' the dangers of the Everfree to retrieve them there fancy necklaces," then hanging her own head in regret, Applejack added with a mutter, "Fat lot of good I ever did just bunkering down with my own kin and hoping things would pass." "Maybe so, but if things hadn't worked out at least you'd still have been around in the long run. We both know you'd have come up with some kind of plan eventually, even if the best you could ever manage was to make sure everypony stayed safe and fed in whatever became of a sunbaked Equestria." Carrot Top then hung her own head as she fidgeted, tracing one hoof in an awkward circle over the ground. "Meanwhile all I did was run off on a fool’s errand with bunch of ponies I barely knew and nearly got myself killed two or three times over. I'm not really a hero either, just a simple mare who got lucky." An orange hoof lifted the yellow muzzle, and both mares looked at each other for a lingering moment. "Well, I reckon you're sellin' yourself more than a mite short, sugarcube, but thanks. If'n nothin' else, you're a good friend." "I'd like to think you are too." Carrot Top smiled to her fellow farmer who nodded back. "You see, Twilight. You and Trixie don't need to be enemies either, and once this whole mess is over, maybe you could even be friends too." Twilight balked; could it really be that simple? She thought back to how Trixie had confronted her –no– reached out to her — "I’m willing to take responsibility for my part," echoed the showmare's words, "What about you?" Responsibilty — was she really ready? Weeks of living as fugitive had worn heavily upon her, all the running, all the hiding. Whatever the consequences might be, part of her just wanted it all to be finally over… but that was the problem too, "It's not over though, not even close! You caught me too late, and now everything will only get worse…" "Is that s'posed to be some kinda threat!" Applejack warned as she raised a hoof. Twilight flinched reflexively, but kept speaking, "No, not a threat. One of the ponies I chose, the one pony I never doubted, whose generosity I thought was beyond reproach… she's still out there, somewhere… only she's not a pony! She's some kind of monster, and now because of me she's got an ancient relic that matches an alicorn's power. I wanted to put an end to one tyrant, but instead… I… think I might have only created a second." Carrot Top was having trouble making sense of all that, helped no less by her fixation on a single word, "Wait, generosity!" Carrot Top stared flatly, "You mean this other pony… monster… whatever, was supposed to be your counterpart for, well… me?" The unicorn wilted before replying meekly as she nodded slowly, "Umm… yes." Narrowing her gaze, Carrot Top pressed, "…And she's out there doing what now exactly?" "I… I don’t know. The last thing she said was something about the children, and then—" Whatever else Twilight might have had to say, Carrot Top didn't hear it. Cheeks puffing out, the earth mare immediately shifted her gaze off into the darkness of the night, with all the righteous ferocity she could muster, as if daring this imposter to show herself. Unsurprisingly, however, the farmer's futile efforts only served to add to her own mounting frustrations. She knew that none of this was her fault, that she had no real responsibility to stick her own neck on the line. But now, having learned that this thing, whatever it was, had been supposed to be her own twisted counterpart… well, now that made it all somehow personal… or something. That there were somehow children involved only made the need all the more pressing. A passion gripped her, not unlike how it had been on that fateful night of Corona's return. The earth pony mare was even almost certain she could hear steam whistling from her own ears. Applejack couldn't read her compatriot's expression, or at least what she could gather of it didn't make any sense, then suddenly Carrot Top turned and bolted away at a full gallop. "Hey!" called out the puzzled apple farmer, "Where you rushin' off to there, girl?" Glancing back over her shoulder as she kept running, "You two just sit tight… I have to go do my hero thing!" Hero thing? — Carrot Top could hardly believe she'd just said that. It seemed more like something a cocky pony like Rainbow Dash would say… even coming from any of her own fellow friends and heroes of destiny, it might have sounded more fitting. She couldn't help, however, but think how lame and silly it must sound coming from herself… not that she'd let that stop her either. … As Carrot Top disappeared around the corner Applejack muttered to herself, "Yeah, I guess that makes sense, or somethin'…" even if she wasn't sure what the carrot farmer could do all on her own. More to the point though, "...But how's she even 'spect to find anypony at all rushing off without any kinda plan?" ──────────────── A happy adolescent couple laughed casually between each other as they slowly strolled home following their date. The festival outside the vicereine's jubilation had been fun, especially since both young ponies had for the first time convinced their respective parents that they were old enough to spend the evening unsupervised. Of course, even more so, the two were all too eager to sneak off quietly and get some alone time before they were expected home. Giddy with their own excited anticipation, however, neither pony noticed that something was watching them from the shadows. Not until it was too late, and so without any warning, a shape lunged out from the darkness, knocking the adolescent mare aside. The pitch black shadows of the alley made it difficult to discern what this creature was. Hooves clopped softly against the pavement as it flexed wings… maybe a pegasus, but there was something distinctly wrong about its gait… and the silhouette of its head… where those horns, or maybe antlers? Even through the darkness, however, the adolescent stallion could see the attacker's eyes, which seemed to almost glow… and also something more, something that called to him, making it impossible to look away. As he stood transfixed, his date cried out and charged the creature. Before she had made it even half way, however, the shadowed figure raised a single hoof a single hoof. There was quick snap followed by an instantaneous flash, and without warning the mare found herself crashing into an unseen wall. Regaining her senses, she could only watch helplessly as she feebly beat her hooves against the trap. Even her desperate pleas and shouts were deafened to the world beyond her spherical confines. … The creature ignored the tiny snow globe and its insignificant occupant, all that mattered was the trembling colt in front of her. "Don't fear child; mamma's gonna make it all better!" Lemon Hearts stared, not just into his eyes, but past them. There it was, deep inside, a dormant and wholly untapped spark of chaos. Disregarding all her normal subtlety, she simply tore it away from the pony's soul with a singular metaphysical tug. As the now catatonic youth collapsed to the ground, Lemon Hearts rapidly devoured the newly harvested spark, eager for the rush of further power. Yet no such rush came. Instead, her insatiable hunger was left entirely without even the slightest semblance of satisfaction. "No… this won't do; it isn't enough anymore. I need more sparks, stronger sparks, ALL THE SPARKS!" Staring at the motionless shell, Lemon Hearts contemplated. He was still young, probably still living at home with his parents. Yes, his parents. If he carried a spark so too must one of them, and if she were lucky maybe any siblings as well. Ravenous desire overtook her as she eagerly licked her lips before disappearing again into the night sky. ──────────────── Carrot Top's hoofbeats pounded against the pavement and echoed across the empty city streets, the majority of its citizens either still enjoying the festival or else having already turned in for the evening. As she galloped around another block, her eyes searched frantically left and right, Where is it, where is it? she thought to herself before, "Ah ha!" She raced towards the apothecary shop that she'd seen earlier that day, during her brief visit to the markets. The lights were dimmed, the store clearly closed for the night or in the process thereof. Skidding to a screeching halt in front of it, she began to pound on the door, hoping somepony was still inside. "Go 'way! We closed!" came an irately accented voice from inside. "Please!" she pleaded, "This is an emergency!" "My sleep is only emergency I care about! Now go 'way and come back tomorrow!" Carrot Top didn't have time to wait. Who knew what horrible things might happen if she didn't act right away. Yet as she stared at the door's lock it unsurprisingly failed to simply melt away under her insistent glare. Feeling as though she had no other choice, the farmer instead turned sharply and bucked with all of her not insubstantial strength. Against the years of hard work in those legs from plowing fields day-in and day-out, the door never stood a chance, splintering off its hinges in a single strike. A startled clerk behind the counter let out a shriek as he knocked his inventory book to the ground in a panic. Carrot Top briefly lamented her hasty decision, but it was quickly replace with an unwavering confidence of absolute purpose. The pale-coated and purple-maned stallion held a hoof to his chest. His brown robes and cap, trimmed in red and gold looked vaguely Shouman. Catching his breath, his yellow eyes glared through the spectacles balanced on his snout. "Now see here, lady, we closed for the evening! Oh, and my door; you going to have to pay for th—" The store owner's understandably angry rant was cut short by the sound of coins scattering across the counter. Carrot Top had tossed the bag of bits containing most of her sizable commission for her catering services. "This should more than cover the damages and the inconvenience, but I need supplies, NOW!" The shopkeeper seemed briefly torn between righteous indignation and the alluring pile of silver as it glinted in the soft candlelight. "Ah, yes… well then, why didn't you just say so in first place. What is it you need?" Carrot Top scarcely paid attention to the shopkeeper who was already counting the assorted coins. Instead, her eyes were too busy sweeping across the various herbs and reagents on the crowded shelves all around her. There'd be no time to brew anything from scratch. Her supplies would have to be fast acting and ready-made, which wouldn't be cheap. She'd hoped to use the money she earned on this trip to pay for some new and maybe even upgraded equipment for her farm. With a sigh though she pushed such worries aside as she began pointing her hoof wildly about while she called out a list of items. ──────────────── There was a frantic knocking at the hotel door. Woody answered it to find his mother entirely disheveled and panting heavily. "Oh… thank goodness… you're safe…" Loosy wheezed out between heavy breaths as she fell forward and wrapped her fore-hooves around her son in a desperate embrace. The young pegasus returned the gesture and the two simply sat in silence for a long moment. As Loosy finally began to catch her breath, Woody whispered to her, "It'll all be alright mother. Just tell me what—" "No! No it won't be alright! Nothing will ever be alright again! We… we have to leave, now! Pack your things quick as you can… wait, no… forget packing there's no time!" "I don't understand; where's everypony else? Did something go wrong?" "Everything went wrong. Lemon Hearts, she… she's some kind of monster, and after what she said about children… I… I was so afraid she'd come here and… but you're safe and that's all that matters." Woody gaped in disbelief. "A monster, but how? Wait, is that where all the others are; are they trying to stop her?" "Yes… no… maybe… I don't know! I left them behind; I had to get back here, had to know you were safe." "Shh…" he soothed as he gently ran a hoof across his mother's withers, "It'll all be okay. I'm safe, and everypony else will be too; you'll see. Sheriff Silverstar is there to protect them, after all." Loosy shook her head sadly, "No, he… he got caught… he stayed behind to buy time so the rest of us could get away, and… and I… I just left him behind. By Luna's merciful moon, I ran away and now I might never see him again! What… what have I done?" "Don't blame yourself, mother." Woody said as he wiped at the tears streaming down the distraught mare's face, "It's not what he would have wanted, not if he really did make that kind of sacrifice for you and the others." Maybe her son was right, but that did nothing to alleviate the guilt that was wracking her body, and yet… "O—okay, Woody. Now… pack your bags; we still have to level before any guards… or worse, shows up." The young stallion looked away, pausing for a long moment before he finally spoke, "We… I mean, I can't do that." "What?" her voice cracked slightly as one of her eyes twitched nervously, "Don't be silly. Now be a good little boy, listen to mommy, and pack your things." The adolescent colt –no– the growing stallion only shook his head, "Don't you see, mother? I'm not just some little foal anymore, and somewhere out there the others might be fighting. What if they need help?" "…But, I already told you, she's a monster! It's too dangerous and I'm sure the others must know it too. We all have to run away before it's too late." "And then what? Somepony has to stand up and fight eventually, don't they? Isn't that why we all came here in the first place? Maybe it's not the enemy any of you were planning to fight, but does that make it any less important?" "But, but… I can't… I—" "Shh… you don't have to, mother. You should stay here where it's safe. You've always been there for me as a child. Now that I'm all grown up, let me start returning the favor. I can be more than brave enough for the both of us." "I… but… please…" "It'll be okay, I promise," he said as he opened the hotel window, "I'll find the others first, we’ll figure out a plan, and when it's done, I'll come back. You'll see." Silhouetted against the pale moonlight, her son spread his wings and flew off into the star filled sky. Loosy trembled as she watched him go. When had her little colt grown up, and why did he have to be so brave? She couldn't handle this, not again. First her late husband, then Silverstar, and now her son –the last thing she had left– all of them so much braver than she could ever hope to be. It just wasn't fair! Why did she have to watch as the ponies she loved always left her behind? Worse still, what kind of coward was she to just let them? Still, trembling she looked to the door. Maybe it wasn't too late, maybe she could still… if only she could muster the courage, the courage to take that first step… maybe it didn't have to be too late. Just one step is all it would take… …One singular step, and then another. She hesitantly raised a hoof, but then set it back down where it started. She raised another, and yet only repeated the same. She was just too scared. "I'm… I'm sorry!" she whispered hoarsely, and as the weight of that realization came crashing down upon her, the mare could only collapse to the ground. Loosy Screws sobbed uncontrollably, unable to find the strength to do anything but wallow in her own hopeless misery. ──────────────── "Ow!" cried Twilight as Applejack thumped her horn a second time. "I warned you not to try and escape using none of them fancy unicorn tricks." "But I wasn't trying to—" "You might'a hidden the glow, but I could still hear the hum. Used to help my pa rustle blinkdogs, so I had to learn real good how to anticipate when them ornery critters were about to pop in'r out." "But unicorn magic doesn't even work the same way." "Likely story, missy! We ain't gonna have no repeats of how you got away back in Ponyville, and I'm a-gonna make sure you stay put until we can get a guard to take over." "I… but I can't, not yet… not like this!" "Maybe you should'a done thought 'bout that 'fore you went and dropped a giant starbear on my home town, or whatever crazy thing you was up to here." "You don't understand though, my parents, my brother… I have to make all of this right first. I can't go back to them in a disgrace." Applejack's expression softened as she was distracted by thoughts of her own family back home. She briefly wondered what extremes she might go to avoid disappointing them. Maybe the unicorn wasn't so — wait, there was that hum again. "Ow!" Twilight cried out after a third strike to the horn. "Alright, alright I won't try it anymore. Just please stop doing that before you break something." "Please, I know them unicorn horns ain't any more delicate than my own four legs." … Minutes passed in silence with neither pony having much to say to the other. Though at least true to her word Twilight didn't try using any more magic, and so Applejack likewise refrained from striking her horn. Eventually there was a rustle of wings followed by hooves landing on the pavement behind her. Mindful that her prisoner might still try to escape, Applejack spoke without turning to look at the newcomer. "Look, I know this probably looks more than a mite suspicious, but I need whoever you are to believe that this here is a wanted fugitive. So if'n you ain't a guard I need you to go and—" "Miss Twilight?" Startled that whomever it was already knew the unicorn's name Applejack turned, not sure what to expect. What she saw though surprised her even more. A dull blue-coated colt, maybe just a year or two shy of being a proper stallion, with a dusty brown mane. "Kid, how'd you know who this here unicorn was?" The pegasus scowled, "I'm no kid,"Then spreading his wings wide as he puffed up his chest, "And I wanna know who you think you are tying up Miss Twilight like that." Applejack scowled in turn, but not at the young pegasus. Instead, she glanced back at her unicorn prisoner. "Dagnabit, girl! Y'all said you'd gone and dragged a bunch of other ponies into to this here mess o' yours, but some punk kid? That just plain ain't right." "I didn't drag him into this… well not exactly… you see his mother—" "Stop it! Stop it right there 'fore you say something that'll make me have no more compunction 'bout buckin’ you like like a rotten tree that needs to be uprooted." "Don't you dare hurt Miss Twilight, or I'll…" "Or you'll what, kid?" she said cracking her neck and scuffing a hoof against the pavement. Seeing the despondent confusion on his face, however, Applejack's stern reprimand gave way to concern. "Look, kid, I don't know what this here criminal did to convince you otherwise, but she ain't good for nothin' but trouble. Now you run along home and I'll just forget you was ever here." "She… she helped saved my mom." "Say what now?" "My mother… after my father died, my mother was all I had left," Woody paused to sniffle slightly before continuing, "Except she wasn't right in the head anymore. I did my best to take care of her, same as she always used to take care of me, but she just never got any better. Even the sheriff couldn't… but then Madam Hearts… and everything was right again… except now… Miss Twilight, is it true? Is Madam Hearts really some kind of monster?" Twilight's dejected expression said everything, but she still spoke. "I… I don't know what she is. All I know is that she's out there, somewhere in the night doing who knows what kind of terrible things… and it's all my fault." "…And the sheriff? Mother said you all left him behind." "Woody, he…" but the unicorn couldn't bring herself to finish those words. "Just go home. Get your mother, leave, and never look back. You'll both be better off if you forget I ever came along and screwed everything up." "No!"You're not a screw up. You were supposed to be a hero, all of you. Heroes don't give up! The sheriff wouldn't sacrifice himself just so you could give up. I don't care what mistakes you've made; heroes fix their mistakes!" "Woody, I…" Any guilt she had previously felt paled in comparison to what she was feeling now, "I can't. Maybe I thought I was, but I'm no hero. You'll understand when you're older." "When I'm older, always when I'm older," Woody snorted in frustration, "But I'm plenty old enough already! I understand everything I need to. You could fix this; I know it and so do you. You're just too afraid; well, I'm not afraid. I'll fix this, even if I have to do it alone." "Look, kid" intervened Applejack, "I know what it's like to be young, to think you got all the answers; everypony always does at your age. But what exactly is it you think you can really do." "I… I don't know, but I'm gonna try, somepony has to. If we don't at least try, then the bad guys just win!" Applejack opened up her mouth to retort, but no words came. The kid was young and just as naive as any other, but he had such a passionate fire in his eyes. How could she ever go home and look her at her own younger sister again if she did anything to crush this boy's spirit? As the farmer mulled it all over, she was interrupted when Twilight finally spoke, "I… alright then. This is all my mess, so well… I guess it really is my responsibility to clean it up, just like last time." Applejack turned to see that while she'd been distracted the unicorn had magically unbound herself. "You ain't goin' nowhere, missy! The guard can handle—" "They won't know what it is there up against until it's too late. Maybe when this is all over, I'll…" she trailed off unable to commit to any such promises that she'd actually surrender herself. "But right now, if there's anything I can do to stop this, I at least have to try. Please understand." "I… but you… consarnit all, fine! But y'all ain't goin' off on your own without me." Twilight blinked, "I appreciate the offer, but you don't owe me—" "This ain't about helping you. Understand that I'm only comin' 'cause somepony's gotta make sure you don't go tryin' to run away again when it's all over. 'Sides, I also need to make sure this kid stays safe, as I reckon there ain't nothing either of us can say to keep him from coming either." "Damn straight!" Then just as quickly Woody covered his mouth with his hooves. "Err… I mean darn." "Don'tcha go apologizing for using such a word, not if'n you want me to believe you're the big boy you claim to be." Turning back to Twilight though, Applejack redressed her original concerns from when Carrot Top ran off. "So now that we're all in agreement, how do we go 'bout findin' this madmare of yours?" Using her magic Twilight unlatched the silver clasp at her ear and levitated it forward. "This should be all we need." ──────────────── A stallion stood on the street staring defiantly against the… the monster that had come out of nowhere and chased his family out of their home. Lemon Hearts scoffed impatiently at the futile gesture. She snapped a hoof and in a flash the stallion's mane came to life, rapidly growing and constricted around him. He began crying out, but with a second flash, his mouth disappeared so she wouldn't have to listen to him. She had more important things to focus on, like the mare that was coddling an infant foal. "I… I won't let you hurt my baby!" Rolling her eyes, Lemon Hearts spoke with faux sympathy, "Oh, don't worry dear. I've no interest in that mewling little noise box. It didn't inherit your gift."Wrapping mother and child in a crimson aura, she magically tore the two ponies apart. Then another snap and flash, created a harness suspended from a nearby tree to deposit the child in. As she passed the foal, Lemon Hearts tapped its head causing the foal's eyes to briefly spiral as the color seemed to drain from its coat, finally silencing it incessant wailing. A third snap and flash created a bottle of chocolate milk for it to suckle on. "Besides, soon enough you won't have to worry about any of that ever again; mama's gonna make it all better." The madmare's eyes stared out penetrating the despondent mother to the core, reaching into the hidden depths of her soul, but Lemon Hearts was only able to take a single step before… *pop* Blinking after teleporting Twilight took in the sight now standing before her. If she'd been shocked at Lemon Hearts' previous change in demeanor, the further physical changes that seemed to have followed were only all the more alarming. The formerly genial matron still had the beady red pupils within sickly sclera, a mouth of predatory fangs, and leathery wings. In addition, however, the mare's mane hung in wild and unkempt strands, streaks of white interspersed in her natural blue, but this was the least of things. The unicorn's horn now curved backwards and seemed to have taken on an almost dagger like edge. In addition her skull also somehow sported a pair of large spiraling antlers. Her hooves were each now split down the middle, having become cloven like those of a goat, and also trailed overly long and shaggy fetlocks. More disturbingly still, her entire posture seemed more like that of a cat than a pony. Fitting perhaps, as her tail was now long and thin with only a small tuft at the end, like that of a lion. Most unsettling of all, however, was her voice. It was still as smooth and refined as ever, but now carried an undeniable air of malice in every syllable. The effect was simultaneously both subtle and yet so profound that Twilight couldn't help wonder if this is how Lemon Hearts had always spoken, but that she had only somehow failed to notice until now. "Why, Miss Sparkle, so glad you could join us." Reaching up with her crimson aura, Lemon Hearts pulled the silver clasp from her own ear. "I suppose we won't be needing these silly trinkets any more then."Tossing the clasp away, she then took notice of the other two ponies who were still recuperating from the trip. "Oh, and I see you brought more friends to play with, how delightful. Good day, Woody, I trust your mother is still doing well. I'd hate to think she's suffered any kind of relapse." Woody starred in a mixture of shocked horror and resilient defiance, but before he could speak, Applejack interceded, "Now you listen here, missy. I don't know who you think you are but that ain't any way to talk to the boy." "And who do we have here? One of the caterers, I believe; Miss Applejack, wasn't it? Tell me, deary, what pathetic sob story did Miss Sparkle spin to garner your sympathies?" "Ain't none of your business. All you need to know is that I'm here to help put you down." "Please," Lemon Hearts laughed, "Best run along home little farm girl," and take the rest with you."Then in a mocking accent she added, "Alls-ya'll are 'ntirely out o' yer league here." The not-pony laughed again before finishing, "Now then, if you will kindly excuse me, my meal is getting cold." turning her attention back to her still petrified victim, Lemon Hearts took another step forward… only to just as quickly find herself encased inside a translucent bubble. "Don't bother trying to escape," Twilight declared with confident pride. "My brother is the best shield-mage to join the royal guard in three generations, and he taught me everything he knows." Rolling her eyes with increasing impatience, Lemon Hearts reached forward with a cloven hoof as she flicked the tips together. One snap and flash later, she turned the doorknob which now adorned the inside of the bubble-shield. With an audible creak of unoiled hinges, the side of the shield swung open and Lemon Hearts casually stepped out. "I'm afraid you'll have to do better than that, deary." Twilight stood gaping for only a second before she lit her horn and fired off a lancing beam of raw magic. Lemon Hearts, however, only yawned, as impossibly she somehow not only caught the beam of energy, but curled it up as if it were a ball of yarn. She completed the effect by levitating a pair of knitting needles –where had she gotten those?– which then proceed to absently work at the ball without Lemon Hearts herself seeming to pay them any further attention. HOW? Twilight could only stare in disbelief. None of this made any sense. Yes, the amulet was powerful to the extreme, but not even a true alicorn's magic could be so effortless. Lemon Hearts should still need to obey all the fundamental governing rules that defined how magic works, but this…? Just like with the dragon before this was all so impossibly alien to EVERYTHING the scholarly unicorn had ever been taught or learned, as if to defy any conceivable definition. What kind of monster was Lemon Hearts? Twilight was broken out of her thoughts, as the other mare paced towards her chuckling. "It really does frustrate you doesn't it? All your supposed knowledge, and yet this world still holds mysteries beyond your feeble comprehension. This is a dawning of a new age, however, my dear, and so you'll have plenty of time to puzzle it out. That is assuming you run along before I grow bored of our games and accidentally break something." "I reckon you should maybe worry more 'bout yourself, seeing as we've got you surrounded." Lemon Hearts didn't even bother glancing backwards at the two ponies who had circled around to flank her from behind. "Careful now deary; wouldn't want to make my pets angry." "Pets?" and then, as if on cue, there was a rustling from behind. Applejack turned to see a dozen animated topiary of various shapes and sizes stalking towards herself and Woody. As the two ponies were forced to break off and engage the walking foliage, Lemon Hearts continued speaking with Twilight as if she'd never been interrupted. "So what's next then, my dear? What amazing feat of magical prowess will the Great & Powerful Twilight Sparkle use to save the day and at long last prove herself the supposed hero of this story? Tell you what, I'll even give you a free shot. Take all the time you need to cast any spell you like." Twilight was being baited, she knew it, and yet still, she had to at least try. Lighting up her horn as if it were a small sun, Twilight charged every ounce of magic she could muster. As the power continued to mount, both ponies were surrounded by a swirling gale. Lemon Hearts, however, paid it no heed, instead seemingly more interested in examining the back of her own hoof. Finally, Twilight released the cascade, surrounding Lemon Hearts in not one, not two, but THREE bubble shields. Then with a metaphysical tug she collapsed each shield down upon the next until the transparent domes became nearly opaque. "Triple layer shield…" gasping for breath she continued, "Each perfectly phase synced to reinforce the other… impossible to break any one of them while either of the other two is still in place!" "Really, dear… is that the limit of your skills. If at first you don't succeed, just try an even bigger version of the same spell that already failed." A sudden pressure on her back caused Twilight to turn her head, only to find Lemon Hearts staring back at her as she leaned across the younger unicorn's back. Jumping away in alarm, Twilight saw the mare that should have been imprisoned in her shield casually leaning on thin air as if Twilight herself was still standing there to support her weight. Grinning the matron further taunted, "Care to take a mulligan?" IMPOSSIBLE! Lemon Hearts couldn't have teleported; expert that she was, Twilight wasn't sure if even she could escape out of such a trap certainly not so effortlessly, not to mention Twilight had been watching her the whole time. Glancing at her own still fully intact yet entirely empty shield spell, however, only confirmed it had some how happened anyway. Nothing about this made any sense; magic just didn't work this way, but was Lemon Heats even using magic. Now that Twilight thought about it, other than the occasional bit of casual levitation, Lemon Hearts hadn't even seemed to cast a single spell at all this whole time. Not even so much as a single twinkle, her horn seeming entirely inert… or was it? Blinking, Twilight reached out with her own magical senses. The aura of the amulet was intense, making it difficult to discern anything else, but she looked past it. As she did she finally saw a comparatively faint shimmer of some minor cantrip –no– that wasn't it at all. The power was every bit as intense as the amulet, but it was all focused inwards, which only made even less sense. Where was all that magic going? It just seemed to be emptying out into some endless void inside the monstrous madmare. "Really?" Lemon Hearts pressed in bored exasperation as she rolled over in mid air. "At first it was kind of funny watching your inept attempts to understand things you couldn't possibly hope to comprehend, but now it's just sad. If you aren't going to make a move, maybe it's time I should take my turn!" "You want something different?" Twilight grunted as she siphoned what magic she could back out of the now useless shield, rechanneling the energy into a new spell. "How about this?" Some unseen force flipped. Lemon Hearts' mane lifted, or rather hung as if she were upside down, but otherwise she remained perfectly stationary where she was. "A gravity spell… and outdoors no less, with nowhere to fall except into the empty sky above. I must say, Miss Sparkle, I didn't think you had such malice in you." "What…" Twilight winced at the implication. "No… I'd never; besides, you have wings!" "Hmm…" Lemon Hearts tilted her head before she turned slightly to look at her own back, "So it seems I do." Twilight blinked; had the matron really not noticed until now, or was this just another part of her twisted games? "Pity, and just when I was starting to think there might actually be some hope for you. Alas, I think we're done here now." She sneered, baring her predatory fangs as she glared with sadistic intent. "So I think I'll just have to return this last gift and send you on your way… au revoir." The younger unicorn barely had a moment to contemplate those words, before an intense sensation of vertigo gripped her, and then the ground fell away… or rather Twilight Sparkle fell into the sky, the victim of her own spell. Her panicked screams were cut short, however, when almost as quickly a streak of white swept through the air and grabbed her. Heart still racing, Twilight turned her head to observe the massive mug grinning back at her, just before its owner bellowed. "Yeah!" … Lemon Hearts was scarcely even paying enough attention to be annoyed by the would-be interloper before another voice called out, "Hey you… ugly face, catch!" Glancing, the matron had just enough time to see what looked like an acorn arc through the air before it struck the ground directly in front of her, bursting apart in a blinding surge of light followed by an equally thunderous roar. Carrot Top stood across the way, sling still in mouth. She might have been proud of her handiwork, if she weren't more preoccupied ridiculing her rather foalish taunt. She took precious little time to dwell on it, however, before noticing the commotion further along where Applejack and a young pegasus were fighting off a pack of what appeared to be decorative lawn sculptures. She didn't even take the time to contemplate why or how her fellow farmer had gotten involved, instead calling out, "Don't worry, AJ, help is here!" "Much appreciate it, girl, but ain't no harder than fighting off the timber-wolves back home," and as if to punctuate the point, Applejack knocked one of the assailing topiary's heads clean off with a tree shaking buck. "The kiddo over there could probably use your help, I reckon though." The dull-blue pegasus flustered as he took briefly to the air to dodge a lunge. "Just… just umm, keeping them distracted; that's all." Already searching through her stuffed saddlebags, Carrot Top called out instructions, "Well, if maybe the two of you could get them all clustered together… I think I've got something that will work, but I've only got enough for one shot." "Can do!" Applejack said taking up one end of her rope as she tossed the other. "Hey kiddo, catch!" She took off at gallop to the left, and after only a moment's hesitation the young pegasus did the same to the right. The two ponies each circled wide around the pack of foliage, criss-crossing their paths at the far side to close the noose. Pulling hard they caused the animated plants to all tumble together into a tangled heap. Meanwhile, Carrot Top loaded a bloated spore pod into her sling, and then lobbed it into the crowd of plant beasts. The pod burst open on impact, billowing forth a sickly cloud of smoke. As the air cleared the topiary all stood, mere wooden skletons striped of their leaves by the defoliating cloud. Each seemed to glance down at its naked form, before crossing a limb in what could only be described as embarrassment and then quickly running away into the night. Carrot Top scratched the back of her mane with one hoof. "Well, that wasn't exactly what I expected." "Don't much reckon it matters so long as it worked," replied Applejack as she and the young pegasus walked over to her. "You gotta admit, it was kinda funny though." Added a gray-coated and green-maned earth mare who also joined the trio. Regarding Woody she then added, "Sup kiddo; wasn't expecting to find you here." Applejack scowled, "I take it ya'll must be them other fools that Twilight conned into helping her." "Guilty as charged," she replied with an exaggerated bow and a big goofy grin, "Name's Clover Charms, and this here is Snowflake,"she indicated as the overly large pegasus landed while setting Twilight down beside him. "Lucky thing the two of us ran into Veggie Head here." "...Carrot Top…" muttered the name's owner with a weak sigh as if not for the first time. If Clover noticed the interjection, she gave no indication. "I knew once we did the three of us would eventually find the rest of you too. Guess my luck is finally changing for the better." The sextet was interrupted, however, by Lemon Hearts' trilling laughter. "Oh, I'm afraid you'll soon find that the only thing that's changed about your luck is that it's finally run out. Although, seeing as you brought the so-called Element of Generosity herself with you..." the matron paused as she shifted her gaze to regard Carrot Top, "Well, I suppose your luck was actually good for something after all." "You… well," stammered Carrot Top in retort, struggling to come up with a rebuttal of her own while she reached a hoof into her saddlebags. "That is… you shouldn't be so over confident. If you know I'm a bearer of harmony, then you know I've faced worse than you before, and I'll do everything I can to stop you too." "Please," scoffed Lemon Hearts, "All alone and not even your harmonic necklace; why, this will only be all too easy. Fitting really, that the most useless of the Elements of Harmony should be the first to fall. The only thing generosity has ever been good for is as something to be exploited by those of us with REAL ambition." "That's not… I mean…" "Don'tcha listen none to this here ornery varmint," interrupted Applejack. "You ain't weak, and you certainly ain't alone neither!" "YEAH!" shouted Snowflake, as Woody nodded his own enthusiasm. "Ha!" Clover added as she pointed a hoof at Lemon Hearts, "Six of us and only one of you. Even with that creepy amulet, I'd say we're the ones with the advantage here." "Advantage…?" Lemon Hearts chided in a cross between a sneer and a chortle. "My, my, it seems your sense of humor certainly hasn't improved any either, Miss Charms. The only reason this supposed confrontation isn't already over is because it amuses me to toy with the lot of you." "If this is all just a game to you, why don't you try playing with this!" shouted Carrot Top as she tossed a ball of compacted yellow powder which burst into a cloud on impact. As the cloud collapses, however, it was now occupied not by Lemon Hearts, but rather Snowflake. "Ye…" the stallion sniffled, "Ye… Ye—CHOO!" As the pegasus uncontrollably sneezed over and over again, the other five ponies all quickly turned to look where he'd previously been standing mere moments before… only to find empty air. "Oh, please, I'm not that predictable." teased Lemon Hearts from beside Applejack instead. Not even missing a beat, the farm pony spun on her hooves to deliver a full buck to the madmare's face… or at least she would have, if the pavement beneath her hadn't seemingly slid out from under her. Slipping as the momentum sent her careening out of control and crashed to the ground. Twirling a mop about in one hoof, Lemon Hearts snickered, "My, my. You really should be more mindful of the signs." She then pointed the handle of the mop at a triangular stand that read –SLIPPERY WHEN WET– which, like the soapy suds beneath Applejack, hadn't been there only moments earlier. Clover Charms giggled briefly, though quickly noting stares from the rest of her allies amended, "Sorry, but you gotta admit it was kinda funny… or umm, I guess at least it would be if this was a stage show." "Why, Miss Charms," Lemon Hearts added with her own chortle, "What an excellent idea. Might as well make the most of our fun while it lasts." With a snap of one hoof and a corresponding flash of light, the matron summoned back her pack of topiary. All were still naked, but each was now also standing erect while bearing an assortment of different instruments which they began to play as their mistress sang… You like to think your petty jokes are amusing In truth, you're no more funny than a rat But here's your chance to shine at center stage, though it's all for nought Such a fool, never had a shot You can try to charge me in a big harumph But your namby pamby can't cut the gruff Let's set this record straight, you're simply overweight You're only second rate! Wanna prove your no weenie, but it's such a shame You're just not ready to play the grownup's game Crawl on home boy, don't make your mommy wait You're only second rate! You’re sour that my power has you squealing This battle's won and you're all done, get the gist But if you're not convinced that I'm invincible, bring it on, who's next? I'm only warming up, you little pests Try your best to truss me up and win the prize Trip, stumble, and slip; so silly you is Such damage in your wake, it suits a retro shape You're only second rate! Your puny evocations aren't tough enough And your conjurations never measured up You'll try to abjurate, but it's all a waste You're only second rate… Razzle-dazzle-frazzled; gonna leave you addled Hocus-pocus-dufus; who needs a brain in a head so useless! Oh, spare me your pretentious glare It's ridiculous when you've got no hair And now you're so irate at losing to this fake But your back's to the wall with no hope for escape Out of moves to make and trapped in final checkmate You're only— The song stopped short, Carrot Top having lobbed what was initially a small glob of goo at the madmare, only for it to suddenly explode on contact with unicorn's horn. Lemon Hearts thrashed furiously about, covered head to hoof in a sticky slime. "Who's second rate now, huh? Don't even bother struggling. It doesn't matter how powerful your magic is; you'll only get even more stuck. That's tanglehoof muck—" Carrot Top blinked in surprise realizing that Lemon Hearts had spoken those last words in unison with her. The entangled matron had quickly reasserted her calm demeanor as she took over the explanation. "...A rare parasitic fungus found in the Everfree Forest, and which earned its name because of the trouble it caused the early earth pony settlers in that region. It feeds and grows by absorbing certain types of ambient magic, most notably the kind constantly channeled through an earth pony's hooves, but can also be quite effective against a unicorn's horn. And with the Alicorn Amulet enhancing all of my natural pony magic... well, I must admit, the effect is only all the more impressive. How very clever of you." "Uhh… yeah, you umm, took the words right out of my mouth." "More literally than you might imagine," taunted the madmare with far more confidence than her situation seemed to warrant. "You see, I also know that it's so rare that even you didn't know about it until about a month ago when you accidently stumbled into a patch, and even after you managed to get out, it took you three days to clean all the residue out of that precious mane of yours." Anger boiled back up as Carrot Top scratched absently at her bald neck. Somewhere in the back of her mind she worried over whether her mane would even grow back after whatever Lemon Hearts had done. More so, however, she found herself puzzing about another confusing uncertainty. "But how could you know about how that incident?" "Oh, that's hardly the only secret of yours I know, deary," then, as Lemon Hearts stared down at her own front hooves, twin beams lanced from her eyes, evaporating the gunk ensnaring them. Confusion turned to shocked disbelief, both because of how the unicorn was doing it, and perhaps more alarming still that it even worked at all. It shouldn't have been possible; any spell should have only made the tanglehoof expand. It was… "Impossible… yes, Miss Sparkle over there has been repeatedly thinking that exact same thing all night long." Lemon Hearts commented absently as she levitated a mirror to reflect her eye-beams and clean away the rest of the slimy fungus. "Amusing as that confusion has been, it's actually starting to get quite boring… oh and, yes, I did choose this method of escape just to taunt you specifically." "But how could...?" "Talent, my dear; every pony has one. Whatever else you may think of me, I was born a pony and earned a cutie mark just like any other young filly." The unicorn turned half about and with one final blast from her eyes eliminated the last of the goo covering the trio of hearts on her flank. "Mine happens to represent empathy, that is to say I can read the emotions of other ponies, an exceedingly useful skill when it comes to manipulating them into doing whatever I want without them ever being the wiser." Glancing briefly aside, Lemon Hearts further added, "Trying to scrape those last few neurons together, Miss Sparkle? Let me put it in terms even a simpleton can understand; you've been nothing but my pawn from the very start. Still, I must thank you for leading me to this delightful little trinket. The Alicorn Amulet enhances everything about a pony, so now you all might as well be open books to me." Lemon Hearts casually flipped through the pages of a book, the cover of which was the same lavender as Twilight's coat and featured an image of her Starburst cutie mark. "Such a tragic tale, but at least it's not as boring as this one," she yawned as she levitated a second book featuring a trio of carrots emblazon on its cover, before tossing both them aside onto a pile of other books that likewise each bore a familiar cutie mark. The madmare then began to menacingly stalk forward, once again fixated on Carrot Top who backpedaled awkwardly while frantically fumbling through her saddlebag, looking for some reagent that might yet let her win-out. "What's the matter little hayseed? Run out of weeds to throw at me, or have you just finally realized that nothing in your little bag of tricks will ever make even the slightest difference." "I…umm well, that is… look, you might think you're unstoppable, but so did Corona. She never believed that six ordinary ponies could stop her either, but thanks to the bonds of friendship between us, my friends and I proved that even ordinary ponies can do the impossible." Even as they were all still reeling from the various hexes Lemon Hearts had placed on them the other five ponies all rallied as best they could to stand next to Carrot Top in a show of unified defiance. "Brave words, little pony, but for all your supposed faith, they are still only empty words. I can see into your heart, remember? Whatever supposed bonds you share with your real friends, this ragtag band of misfits is no substitute. I can see the resentment you still hold on to towards your fellow farmer, how unfair you still think it is that she's more successful than you by a mere accident of birth. I also see how afraid you still are of Miss Twilight Sparkle… ooh, and not just fear, but a repressed anger too. You blame her for all of this, most of all for having picked someone as wretched as me to be your would-be replacement. While as for the rest, you hardly even know them." "None of that matters. I barely knew any of my other friends before either. Cheerilee and Ditzy were both nice ponies, but we never used to speak more than the casual courtesy of a passerby. As for Raindrops, sure I was scared of her, everypony who's never taken the time to see past her temper is." As Carrot Top made her speech, Clover Charms heard an odd rattling, as something in her own saddlebags began to vibrate. "Umm, everypony…" she started to mumble as she glanced uncertainly over her shoulder. "And don't even get me started on Trixie" Carrot Top continued without notice, "When I first met her she might as well have been just another pretentious trouble making snob. Even if I never acted on it, there was some part of me back then that, like the rest of the town, wanted to blame Trixie for somehow bringing down Corona's wrath upon us all. In the end, however, none of that mattered, and with each new day we've all spent together since, I wonder how I ever got by without them — because FRIENDSHIP IS MAGIC!" With those words Clover's saddlebag exploded as crumpled flakes of gold and shards of shattered crystal burst forth. Everypony stared in confused silence as the fragments began to orbit each of them in turn, and as they did the lingering changes Lemon Hearts had inflicted on them were also reversed. Finally it was Twilight who was the first to speak. "Wait, but these… these are the copied Elements of Harmony we tried to make. How… why would you even…?" "Well," Clover replied scratching the back of her mane, "I figured that even if they didn't work, they still might make great souvenirs. Guess I really did finally live up to my nickname in a good way after all, huh?"She grinned her biggest grin yet, and everypony shared in it. Well, almost everypony. "No, no!" raged Lemon Hearts, "This is impossible!" "Now who's boring!" declared an increasingly emboldened Carrot Top as she pressed the advantage, "Nothing is impossible when we have friendship, the most powerful magic of all on our side!" and with that the floating fragments coalesced about their new hosts in a radiant display of multi-hued light. Five necklaces formed and latched about five necks, each bearing a jeweled representation of its wearer's cutie mark — a clover, a dumbbell, a carving chisel, an apple, and even a starburst. Lastly a diadem topped by a carrot shaped gem was formed, which floated gently down to rest upon Carrot Top's head. One by one, each pony then began to levitate into the air. Carrot Top could scarcely believe it was all happening, again, just like the first time. Only this time she was somehow the central foundation. Did that make her the Element of Magic now, or was she still Generosity for this new team too? Could she somehow be both at once? Not that it mattered either way though, because any moment now the primal forces of harmony would build to an unstoppable crescendo, and they would vanquish the foul beast — the pretender. … Any moment, now? … Suddenly the six ponies instead all dropped unceremoniously from the air. As she groaned, Carrot Top barely had time to contemplate her aching flank before something liquid began to run into her eyes. She wiped it away and stared at a golden residue on her hoof. The crown was melting, and looking around she saw the five necklaces doing the same. Mocking laughter roared out above, "Oh my… I know we did this skit already tonight, but I just couldn't resist an encore. You just wanted it so badly, how could I not indulge." It was then they all realized what had happened, that there had never been any magic... any friendship, only a cruel prank by the heartless monster. "If only you could see the looks on all your precious little faces, to see your hopes dashed to pieces. I think I'm finally starting to see the appeal of this megalomaniacal villain routine." Lemon Hearts roiled with laughter befitting such a revelation, but then in an instant she stopped flat, as she shifted into a deadpan sneer, "So then, now do you understand, my little ponies? You are nothing compared to me, and there won't be any miraculous ancient artifacts of power to save you either." It wasn't fair, they'd done everything right, but it hadn't been enough. Without the real Elements of Harmony, without her real friends what hope did Carrot Top have against this abomination and… …and her own artifact of power… Maybe they did have one last hope after all, and so with dawning realization Carrot Top snapped back, "Like you're one to talk! You're not even fighting fair, and if it weren't for that amulet you'd be just as powerless!" Lemon Hearts chortled, "Oh, and I suppose now I'm supposed to play into your little ploy. I'm the villain after all, and aren't we all just too arrogantly overconfident in our own superiority? You still don't get it do you, garden brain? My power is that of the primal forces of chaos, the boundless antithesis of all things harmonious. My birthright might only be the merest fraction of that endless wellspring, but even the smallest piece of the infinite is still itself infinite as well." Blinking once in contemplation, the madmare's eyes snapped open wide. "THAT'S IT, that's why I could no longer sate my hunger! Just as the infinite can't be diminished through division, neither can it be enhanced through addition. All these years, it's never been anything more than a placebo giving me the confidence to tap deeper and ever deeper into the power that was always MINE to begin with… but now I finally understand. I understand EVERYTHING!" Lemon Hearts spiraled as she ascended further into the air, cackling as she continued her rant, "The secrets of the universe are laid bare before my all seeing eyes. The very fabric of creation is mine to command, to CONTROL!" All around reality warped at the madmare's merest gesture. The ground rippled as it was seemingly replaced by a giant checkerboard, buildings were twisted into surreal architectural parodies, and every wheel in the city turned square. Even the stars in the heavens above seemed to quaver and shake in fear. Stopping sharp, the twisted madmare glanced down at her own neck, "But just to prove how meaningless this paltry trinket is…" With a glow from her horn she undid the clasp, and as she levitated the amulet away, the aura surrounding it fading from red back to her natural teal. Nothing else about her monstrous appearance returned to normal, however, in fact, it only seemed to grow somehow more distorted. Then with a flash, the pavement beneath the six hapless ponies' hooves turned into a gooey quagmire of caramel. "See, my power remains absolute, and you are all still hopelessly out matched!" As Carrot Top struggled to extricate herself from the sticky mess, she suddenly found that the amulet had been levitated down to her, hanging temptingly just at the edge of hoove's reach. "Here, let this be my parting gift to you, not that it will actually make any difference… but I might as well indulge you all the same. It's the dawning of a new world after all, and a mare as pathetically useless as you will need every advantage she can get." As the amulet was slowly levitated closer and closer, Carrot Top thought she could hear something –almost like whispering– as if the artifact itself was calling out to her. It had no real voice and yet it spoke all the same, filling her head with promises of untold power, the power to do anything she had ever imagined and more. She could see herself reflected in the ruby at its center, her own eyes gleaming not only with power, but with confidence — never again would she be anypony's doormat. All she had to do was reach out and take it! The farmer slowly lifted one hoof, no longer restrained by the sticky caramel. Inch by tantalizing inch she reached out until finally she touched the amulet, feeling the first taste of its power tingling through her. She also felt the back her own mane lifting out of the way to make it easier to fasten the clasp around her neck. Only belatedly, did Carrot Top realize that she'd stood up on her hind legs and was using one forehoof to brush her mane aside as she still reached toward the amulet with the other. Yes, the amulet seemed to sooth, Take me, and you too can realize your own unlimited potential. Even the merest trickle of the amulet’s power was intoxicating, and Carrot Top felt herself longing to drink ever deeper of it. This is what it meant to be important, to actually be somepony special. Not just one insignificant member of a team, but power that was hers and hers alone — all she had to do was fasten the clasp and she would never need anypony else ever again. "No!" And with her own sudden declaration, Carrot Top instead batted the amulet away. Any wisping plea the cursed artifact might have had fell silent as it clattered and rolled against the remaining pavement until it fell into a storm drain, washing away to parts unknown. "I've never wanted power… well I used to think I did, or rather what I wanted was a short cut. But thanks to my FRIENDS, including Applejack, I've learned there are so many more important things in life than wealth and fame. I'm happy just being myself, a simple mare with simple dreams." "Ha! Such ridiculous nonsense. I thought that I could maybe open your eyes to the truth of the world, but now I see my efforts were only wasted on such an ignorantly pathetic little creature." "You're the one who's pathetic! Even without that cursed amulet, you are still nothing but a wretched lonely monster. What good is all the power in the world, if you've got nopony to share it with?" "Share! Why should I bother with such useless sentimentality; what has anypony ever done for me? From the day I was born, even my own family considered me nothing but a tool, one more stepping stone in some old fool's own delusional schemes; that is until I discovered how I could steal it all for myself instead. I've had to take everything I have, all so I could finally be free... with the purchase of a second item of equal or lesser value!" Everypony blink at the bizarre non-sequitur. Even Lemon Hearts herself clapped a hoof over her own mouth in sudden alarm… only it wasn't a hoof at all any more, but rather lobster's claw. Whatever semblance of composure the matron had been maintaining broke at the sight of it as she stared in horror, horror that only doubled as she raised the opposite leg to find her other hoof likewise replaced by a mismatching rhino-like foot. "No… no it can't happen, not like this!" She thrashed about in mid air, twisting her increasingly elongated and sinewy body about as yet still more changes cascaded across it, all the while the glowing aura of her unicorn horn grew ever and increasingly brighter. "My fudge was supposed to be unbakable!" she wailed as one antler twisted down, turning into something more like that of a ram. "I'm not like the rest of those weaklings; I'm better… the best around, never gonna keep me me down!" Her flight only corkscrewed ever more erratically as one leathery dragon-like wing was replaced by the rapid gossamer flitting of a giant dragon-fly. "YOU!" she hissed at Carrot Top as the rattle at the end of what had become a snake's tail shook. "This is all your fault. How could you trick me? Tricks are for kids!" she added as one rear leg, now that of a rabbit rapidly thumped against mid air. "Control… I have to take back CONTROL, ALT, DELETE!"The world around her turned white –no– black, or was it blue, red maybe. To Lemon Hearts' unblinkable eyes everything and nothing all swirled together at once into an impossible conglomeration. The worst of it, however, was the laughter, the incessant mind numbing laughter… all of it familiar. *crack* Her father, mother, siblings, assorted cousins, aunts, and uncles, even her grandparents, great grandparents, and more. "No! You're gone, all of you! You can't hurt me any more; I made sure of it and I rose to become so much more than any of you could have ever imagined!" But that wasn't all, there were also the children. One generation of orphans after the next, all of whom she had raised, nurtured and then harvested to feed her own insatiable need for more — all of them joined in the laughter as well. "Stop it! All of you! Just leave me alone!" *crack* Yet the voices wouldn't listen and only laughed all the louder still. One laughing voice, however, rose above all the rest… a voice she'd never before heard, but as its deep and sinister whimsy echoed there was no mistaking it belonged to the original progenitor of all her kind. That most foul and twisted of all monsters, the mad tyrant king himself — Discord! "Poor feeble little pony. Isn't this what you always wanted? All the infinite power of my beautiful chaos is finally yours, all the endless possibilities and limitless potential to do anything and everything… hope you enjoy the infinite madness that comes with it!" *crack* Laughter faded into a deafening silence. Sight, sound, and all her other senses blurred together. She understood everything, and yet there was nothing to understand at all. The universe was both boundless, while also empty and devoid of all meaning. Seconds stretched until they became indistinguishable from eternities. There was no beginning, no end, not even a here and now, there was only… *CRACK* ...and then it all shattered! ──────────────── Somewhere a young mare sat as she leaned heavily against an impassable barrier, her strength long since spent futilely pounding against it. Then, without warning, she fell backwards across the cold pavement. Rolling over, but too exhausted to rise to her hooves, she crawled over to the still motionless form of her boyfriend. She shook him, begging and pleading that he wake up, but there was no response. Tears streamed fresh from her face, even though her voice was too choked to sob. That is until a hoof that was not her own reached up to wipe them away. Opening her eyes, she looked down into the now smiling face beneath her, and she knew everything was good in the world again. … Somewhere else a kitten again became a dragon, to the sudden surprise of several pony guards that were sorting through the mess that had been made of Puissance's underground vault. … Somewhere else, in a town even further away, in the Lost Hearts Orphanage, a colt stirred in his sleep as the gift of dreams entered once again into his young mind. ──────────────── As the blinding light cleared, six pairs of eyes blinked, wondering if it was safe… or even if they were still alive. Applejack was the first to break the silence. "Is it over?" All around them reality seemed to have reasserted itself, mostly at least. The six ponies still found their hooves embedded in the street, but compared to the caramel it had been mere moments before, the ordinary pavement was yielding enough for Applejack, Carrot Top, and Snowflake to muscle their way free with little difficulty. Twilight, meanwhile, used a few well aimed blasts of her horn to extricate herself, and then one more to help free the last of Clover's hooves as well. Only Woody hadn't yet managed to get a single hoof free, before Snowflake simply lifted him out with a single tug. Carrot Top sighed, "If I never have to deal with something that crazy again it will be too soon." Suddenly she found a pair of bright green eyes surrounded by a gray face taking up most of her vision. "Butyouweresoamazing! I mean, I'd heard about how you stood up to that big mean old tyrant sun, but actually seeing a hero in action—" just as quickly, Carrot Top found herself now instead with a face full of bushy green tail as the overly energetic mare turned about on the spot. "Hey Tenbs, you sure she's not one of the real elements? I mean, it’d be cool if we could all be too, but Veggie Head here—" "...Carrot Top…" the farmer again tried to correct, not that the other mare ever listened. "—she seems like the real thing to me." "I, umm…" Twilight stammered as she awkwardly rubbed one hoof against the opposite leg while averting her eyes. "You're darn tootin' she's the real deal!" interjected Applejack, "This girl and her friends are the pride of Ponyville, of all of Equestria, really." Carrot Top blinked. Even with their feud behind them, and even though it had always been mostly one-sided on her own part, it still seemed strange to hear Applejack of all ponies singing her praise. After all the years she'd spent being envious of her fellow farmer, the contrast was practically the most surreal event of this entire insane evening. At the same time, Applejack sharply turned her attention to Twilight, "Which is a heap more than I can say for you!" "Hey!" Clover shouted as she interposed herself in front of Twilight; Woody and Snowflake were also quick to take up equally defensive postures to either side. "Tenbre, err… Twilight, or whatever you want to call her was only trying to help." "Yeah, right! Help herself maybe," scoffed Applejack. "It ain't really no different than the mess she made back in Ponyville though. Don't mean much if'n she's the one who stirred up all the trouble in the first place. And if that weren’t enough, this time she dragged all-y'all into it with her. That unicorn's got a whole heck of a lot to answer for and—" *POP* Applejack stared at the empty air where the four ponies had been previously standing, then threw her hat to the ground in frustration. "Dagnabbit all! How'd I go forgetting she could do that!" As, one farmer fumed the other paced over to her and rested consoling hoof across her withers. "It's okay AJ. She'll come around one of these days… I hope at least." "Yeah, I guess," muttered Applejack glumly, "But what now?" Considering that question herself, Carrot Top stepped ever so slowly up to the edge of a still smoldering crater in the nearby pavement. She hesitated, taking a deep breath before peering over the edge she. After everything she'd seen tonight, the simple farm mare –and part time hero of the realm– wasn't sure what she'd expected to find, but what she saw only gave her further pause. At the bottom of the crater, though twitching and shuddering, lay an otherwise perfectly ordinary unicorn mare. Well, her horn was a shattered wreck, and listening closely Carrot Top could hear a whispered jumble of incoherent nonsense, but there was otherwise nothing to show that this pony had only just minutes early been some kind of twisted abomination. "You best be careful there, sugarcube," Applejack warned as she trotted up. Carrot Top frowned. She couldn't say she held any real sympathy for the monster turned mare again. Yet to see anypony reduced to such a quivering state gave her no satisfaction either. "I don't think there's anything more to worry about. Whatever she was, I don't think she'll be hurting anypony ever again." ──────────────── In a non-descript alley there was a magical *POP* as four ponies teleported in. The three passengers all stood shakily, still disoriented from the unexpected experience. "Woah…" Clover sputtered and choked a bit, looking rather queasy, "Would you… would you warn me next… the next time you're gonna to do something like that, Tenbs… " Twilight herself was only a bit less worse for wear herself, and still felt rather light headed from the exertion. Her mana reserves were incredibly deep and teleportation was one of her most practiced spells, but the effort needed to bring three additional ponies with her, on such short notice over such a long distance, and without even having a clear image of where she was going had still left her winded. "Sorry, I just couldn't let the rest of you get caught for my mistake." "Hey, no harm, no foul," Clover chirped in a singsong tone. "This adventure's been the most fun I've had in… well, in ever. I can’t wait for the next one!" "YEAH!!!" Twilight looked from Clover to Snowflake as each beamed with enthusiasm, "I'm sorry, but that just won't work." "Huh… what; you mean cause we lost TripS?" the earth mare rubbed a hoof across her chin in brief contemplation before adding, "Actually, come to think of it, that would be the perfect idea for our next adventure. I bet working together we could bust him outta whatever joint old Pucey's locked him up, no sweat." "Really?!" Woody had been looking about distractedly, but at the mention of the sheriff he turned his attention fully to the discussion at hoof. "Can I help?" "You betcha, kiddo!" Clover declared enthusiastically as she wrapped one hoof around the youngster's barrel. Giving his mane a light tussle she added, "This is going to be so exciting, I can hardly wait." "YEAH!" "No!" all heads turned to Twilight. "Aww… come on, Tenbs; the kid's proven he's got what it takes." "Not just him, all of you; there can't ever be a next time. I'm afraid this has to be goodbye." The corner of Clovers smile twitched ever so slight. "What, but why? We… we all make such a great team, and we have so much fun together; don't we?" "Fun… FUN!" replied Twilight, her words taking on an increasingly sharp frustration with each syllable, "Don't you get it, Clover, this isn't a game! Just listen to yourself; what you're suggesting is an outright jailbreak!" Clover merely waved a hoof dismissively. "So what, we already broke into a noble's home to steal a priceless artifact from her private collection. As long as no pony gets hurt, why not bust TripS out of the slammer?" "You mean the same way no pony got hurt tonight?" Twilight scowled. "Oh, come on. That was just bad luck; trust me I'm an expert. There's no way anypony could have guessed ol' Lemsy would go all loco in the coco," a point Clover emphasised by making a spiraling gesture with her hoof. "It wasn't our fault." "It might not have been your fault, but it was mine…" Twilight sighed wearily, exhausted both physically and emotionally, "And not just with Lemon Hearts either. This whole plan was a mistake from the start. I was a fool to think I could solve my problems by dragging other ponies into this mess." "But… but we're friends!" insisted Clover. "Not anymore; we can't be." The unicorn said as she turned her back, all the while clenching her eyes tight in a vain attempt to hide her own pain, "It's for your own good. If anypony comes asking, just… just blame it all on me. Tell them I tricked you, that I used illegal mind-control spells, whatever it takes. I'm already a fugitive; no loss to add a few more nails to my coffin." Twilight's horn began to glow as she channeled a teleportation spell. "This is where we have to say goodbye… forever." Rushing forward, Clover called out, "Tenbs, wait!" but with a *POP* it was already too late. A silent moment passed before Clover collapsed to the ground. "Why…?" She could understand leaving behind Snowflake and Woody, Loosy too; they all had lives to go back to, but what else was left for herself? How was she supposed to go on without the best friend she'd ever had? "…Why couldn't you take me with you?" Her lips quavered, and for the first time since the day she earned her cutie mark the corners of her mouth crept below the horizon. She clenched her eyes, desperately trying to fight back the the impending flood that would surely drown her, but without the shield that was her smile, what hope did she have left? But before the dam could burst, a hoof was under her chin, lifting her head. Clover blinked as she strained to see through the watery haze, and there was Snowflake's giant mug. He stared at her, inhaled deeply through his nostrils, and bellowed but a single word. "NOOOOOOO!!!" Then the stallion grinned. More than that, he beamed, with the widest and toothiest smile that only a pony with such an overly large muzzle could. Touching as the gesture was, there was no denying it. He just looked so incredibly… goofy! Clover began with a slight snicker, building into a more pronounced chuckle, followed by unrestrained giggling, until she dragged the musclebound pony down to the ground as she rolled with raucous laughter. Snowflake laughed, too as well, as the two ponies tumbled over each other, again and again. Finally, as all the tension bled away, Clover pushed him aside as she climbed back to her hooves. "Thanks, you big lug. I really needed that." "Yeah?" "Heck yeah!" she replied, clapping her forehooves together. "I can't go feeling sorry for myself; just isn't my style. Destiny is what brought us all together… well, destiny and a crazy mix'n'match monster. So this… this can't be where the story ends… I won't let it!" Clover knew the odds were against her, but what did that matter? She'd been lucky enough to meet her Tenbre once, lucky enough to even get a second chance after that, and as the saying goes, third time's the charm. So whenever her luck came around once more and she did meet up with best friend again, Clover would be sure that this time it would last FOREVER! "Besides," she added with a bit of whimsical mirth, "Tenbs still owes me a pair of those glimmery wings." ──────────────── Chapter 11: "What a Wonderful Wonder"Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.Chapter 8: "Growing All The Time"It is often believed that the Equestrian province of Palomino is a place of decadent excess. Some say that in even the poorest villages and thorps the streets are paved with gemstones. This is of course utter nonsense as even in the largest metropolitan cities gems are reserved for only streets in the most prestigious districts, and even then, are only mixed in occasionally amongst the otherwise mundane –if highly polished– flagstones. There are, in fact, even disputes as to whether Palomino or Califurlong has the higher wealth per capita, but such disputes are typically dismissed as irrelevant, given that the two provinces are governed jointly. What is undeniable, however, is that Palomino is a place where the opulence of wealth is always on prominent display and no place is that more true than in the capital city of Larraguibel. At the train station, steam billowed at the arrival of a mid-day train. The doors opened and passengers disembarked; ponies of all types plus the occasional donkey, cow, or even griffin. Amongst such a diverse throng it would be difficult to pick out any singular individual. Well, except perhaps for one. The massive white-coated pegasus, however, was entirely oblivious to the occasional stare, but his smaller traveling companion was by far less carefree. Twilight Sparkle still felt ridiculous with her dark blue mane styled into a wispy pink streaked perm. More so still, she felt utterly exposed without the cloak that had become her standard apparel since first going on the run from the law. Still, so far so good, as nopony had recognized her... yet. The unicorn had been a nervous wreck ever since boarding the train, and her hulking white compatriot's lack of conversational skills had done little to distract her from the relentless dread that her cover would never hold up under scrutiny. Not for the first time she wished she'd been able to travel with any of her other new friends, but it had been decided that to reduce suspicions they should travel in waves. Silverstar and Clover had been sent on ahead a few days prior so they could begin scoping out the group's intended target, and Twilight would have just soon gone with them to do the same — if nothing else, she could have taken the time on the train to educate Clover on the finer points of Starswirl's contributions to the magical sciences. At Lemon Hearts' insistence though, she had waited behind while the matronly pony helped her create a new disguise complete with false documentation. Twilight might have wondered why Lemon Hearts would even know the types of ponies that could forge such items, but she'd been far more distracted by the magic that had been involved in creating the most prominent aspect of her disguise. The perm had been entirely mundane, if perhaps far more embarrassing. What weighed most heavily on her mind though, still left her flank itching — well, not literally, but it was pervasively creepy never the less. Somehow Lemon Hearts had altered the appearance of Twilight's cutie mark. Such magic was not unheard of by any means, if difficult, but more concerning still to the ever scholarly minded unicorn was that she still couldn't figure out how this particular spell worked. It wasn't from any school she could identify. Illusion, transmutation, or maybe even enchantment would have been the obvious suspects, but, should be easily detectable with even the most basic spell and certainly shouldn't have been hard to analyze for any pony that knew to look for them. Twilight had tried her best to examine the magic during the train ride, or at least the best she dared without risking the integrity of whatever spells where in place or drawing undue attention to herself, but whatever kind of magic Lemon Hearts had used seemed almost completely invisible, and what little she'd been able to find more so resembled a simple anchoring spell meant to hold something else in place. She wished she'd had the opportunity to talk with Lemon Hearts about it at length, but the matron wouldn't be arriving until a train the following morning along with Loosy, and by then there would be more important matters to discuss. Still, she resolved that after this was all finished she'd be sure to learn everything possible about the unconventional magic. Absorbed in thought, Twilight had been giving little attention to her surroundings until, "Hey, you there!" The unicorn stopped fast, glancing immediately in the direction of a uniformed stallion, only belated realizing how suspicious that must have made her look. As the dark gray-coated and light blue-maned pegasus walked directly towards her though, Twilight felt her panic rise sharply. "You, look... familiar," he said, "I know I've seen you somewhere before." "I probably just have one of those faces." She attempted to grin as convincingly as possible, though her eyes fully betrayed her nervousness. Before the uniformed stallion could get another word in edgewise though, she launched immediately into her cover story, "My name is Skylight Twinkle, and as you can see I'm an aeronautics engineer," as she spoke she turned sideways to display her altered cutie mark, a magenta colored hot air balloon decorated with a singular five pointed white star, though still surrounded by the same five smaller stars as her real mark, "If you like, I can show you my papers and—" "No, not you," the stallion said without even sparing her a glance. Twilight paused in the middle of levitating the false documents from her saddlebag and stared curiously. The stallion had been walking straight up to her, she'd been sure of it, except now all his attentions seemed to be focused on something just next to her. "I mean... him!" The subsequent reply should have been expected, but was no less startling, "Yeah!" The uniformed stallion's eyes lit up, "I knew it; you are him! You're Snowflake McHugeLarge!" Almost bouncing with excitement he continued, "I flew with you in the Steepleton water raiser two years ago; you were amazing! Why, I've never seen a pegasus fly so hard with wings so sma—umm, that is to say you really are an inspiration." The pony's beaming admiration faltered slightly as a curiosity ran across his mind, "Though if you don't mind me asking, what are you doing here; I thought Cloudsdale was getting its water from Fillydelphia this year?" "I can explain that," interrupted Twilight, "You see, I'm Mr. McHugeLarge's... err, his personal trainer, yes. And well, we're here to conduct some important, umm... training exercises." It was a terribly hastily conceived lie, and she wilted under the stallions gaze as he shifted his focus seeming finally contemplate her for the first time, but the only further response she could think of was an awkward smile. "Is that so?" That's it; the jig is up. A few tense moments passed as Twilight nervously awaited the pony to blow the whistle on her charade. Although absently Twilight was at least glad her cutie mark was disgusted with magic instead of makeup, since she was surely sweating enough to wash any such away. Still, it was cold comfort in the face of eminent exposure, and then... "You sly dog, you!" the uniformed stallion declared as he nudged Snowflake in the chest with an elbow, "This mare here's a mighty fine catch." Twilight blinked in confusion, "Wait, what..." then realization slowly crept into her mind, "No, no, no, no, no; I think you got the wrong idea you see—" "YEAH!" and with that Twilight found herself instantly dragged into Snowflake's tight embrace. Ever since Ponyville, she'd been forced to bear innumerous indignities both large and small; at this exact moment, however, her current predicament felt far worse than all of those combined. At least it can't get any worse, or so she thought until she felt the heat of Snowflake's breath as he leaned in for a kiss. "Gaaahh, Snowflake, no!" Twilight yelled as she shoved him away with her fore-hooves. Then noticing the rather peculiar look she was getting form the uniformed stallion, as well as a few other passersby, Twilight chuckled forcibly, "I mean, not in public. Save it till we get to..." an audibly gulp paused her mid-sentence as the implication of what she was about to say settled in, "...the hotel." Snowflake simply stared blankly for a moment, but then waggled his eyebrows as he slowly drawled, "Yeeeaahhhh..." Any concerns Twilight previously had about being caught had by now evaporated completely, though some part of her would find getting clapped in irons right here and now preferable. Not that there was much chance of her being that lucky; after all, the authorities were looking for a lavender-coated unicorn, and by now Twilight imagined hers must surely be beet red. "So, umm, anyway," proceeded the uniformed stallion, once again paying Twilight little concern, "If your free latter tonight how about you and I go out, shoot some pool, and knock back a few cold ones? We could make it a double date; plus, it's karaoke night at my favorite pub." "Ye–" Snowflake was cut off as Twilight shoved a hoof in his mouth, "I'm sorry, but Mr. McHugeLarge will only be staying in town briefly and has a very busy schedule." "Oh, right; I get it." the uniformed stallion said with a wink, "Well then, I guess I've already taken more than enough of your time. I'll just leave you and your personal trainer to those exercises." At the other stallion walked away, Twilight wiped her brow with one hoof, then realizing Snowflake had begun fondling the one she previously used to silence him, jerked it sharply away "That's enough of that Casanova." "Yeah?" "Just..." her response died in a fluster as she sighed reluctantly while massaging the bridge of her nose with one hoof, and absently using the ground to clean the other of any residue. "We'll discuss it later." ──────────────── Elsewhere across town at the opulent Huaso Manor, so named for the noble who had built it centuries ago, there was quite a commotion as various servants and hires moved about preparing for tomorrow's festivities. Among them were two earth pony mares, unloading their wares from a wagon. "I'm still not sure how I let you talk me into all this," said the light yellow-coated mare with the carrot-colored mane and matching cutie mark as she checked through an assortment of produce crates. "Not this here again; haven't we been over those concerns of yers like what... uh, dozen er so times by now." retorted the bright orange-coated and straw-maned mare as she set down a barel full of apples resembling the same trio of fruits that adorned her own flank. "I know that, but now that we're actually here, this all seems like an even worse idea than ever." The first mare was now wringing her hooves nervously, "What do I know about catering a fancy dinner party, and for a vicereine no less?" "Whoa there, sugarcube, I won't have ya'll going and disrespecting yerself like that. Ya got the skills, girl, and proved it by taken third place in that nationwide competition," then as she adjusted her stetson added, "Beat me fair and square, no less, ta do it too." "Well, yeah..." the first mare began to concede, "But you remember all the trouble those FlimFlam brothers gave the both of us? That was all because of my Element of Generosity and how it makes me a political target for ambitious nobles. What if this is just another trick to control me and my friends? Sometimes I feel like becoming a savior of the world was more trouble than it's worth." "Hey!" declared the second mare with a stern look, "I won't hear ya talkin' that way. What all y'all did was a great thing and don't ya ever go thinkin' otherwise. Sides, like ya said, this here is a vicereine we're talkin' 'bout hosting this shindig; that's as high as it gets short of Princess Luna herself. No reason to go expectin' a pony who's already got more wealth an' political power than you or me could ever dream of to be playin' dirty games." The first mare went back to the wagon for another crate, as she considered, "I guess, but—" "But nothin', Ah tell ya! It ain't even like yer the only pony that done got invited fer this job either; both the other teams that finished 'head of y'all from that competition are here as well. So just face up to the facts you'd have been here even if it weren't fer that fancy Element of Harmony 'o yers. 'Sides, even if'n it were otherwise, ya got me here to watch out fer yer best interests and I ain't gonna let no pony take advantage of you." As she set down another crate and began making sure the contents were intact, the first mare replied half sarcastically, "And here I was, thinking you only convinced me to let you be my partner so you could promote the Apple Trust." "Hey, now!" retorted the second mare as she set down a crate of her own, "It ain't nothing like that, and you know it. It's just yer farm's too small ta have enough product to cater an event like this, and all yer new union buddies are too busy installin' them new irrigation systems ya won fer them. This here ain't got nothin' ta do with the trust, and my kin from Hoofington would have that part covered anyway. This is about making sure Ponyville get's the recognition it deserves, and if'n there's one thing my aunt an' uncle from Manehattan taught me it's how ta make a good impression on the hoity-toity high society types." "Well, suppose that make sense and—" stumbling, she lost her balance, and was helpless to prevent the next crate she'd just lifted from the wagon as it careened toward an imminent crash — only to stop short. The mare gazed over at the brown hoof that had steadied the load and the dark mustachioed stallion it was attached to. "Careful there missy. I reckon the last thing ya want is to go spillin' all this produce on the ground." "Thanks. I mean, they're just carrots, so they came out of the ground in the first place, but it still would have been a pain to have to clean up the mess, so I guess I owe." After the stallion helped her safely set the crate down with the others, the mare reached into to it and pulled out a carrot bunch, "Here take these; it's the least I can do." "That ain't necessary missy. T'was just doin' what any right minded pony should." The other mare interjected, "I reckon you should just agree their pardner. This girl her is too generous to take no fer an answer." The stallion glanced over to the second mare and then back to the first, "Well, if'n ya insist; it'd be my pleasure." Bowing slightly, he too took the offering and then trotted away. ... A gray-coated earth mare with a short curly green mane smiled coyly at her compatriot as he returned, "I thought you told me to keep low and not draw any attention." "Well what'd ya expect me ta do, just ignore a damsel in distress?" "You know, TripS, you're a real sweetheart under that gruff exterior of yours." ──────────────── Later that day, just after dusk, there was knocking at the hotel room door. Twilight Sparkle trotted across the room to answer it and on opening the door was pleased to see Silverstar and Clover Charms. Leaning her head out the door to glance conspiratorially down both ends of the hallway, she then quickly motioned them inside. Before she could start asking any questions about their recon however. "So, the honeymoon suite?" queried Clover. "Ugh... don't remind me." groaned the exasperated unicorn. "Snowflake and I got mistaken for a couple at the train station and then one thing just kept leading to another," then glaring at the overly smug pegasus who was reclining lazily on the plump overstuffed velvet sofa, she added, "And it cetartanly didn't help matters that somepony got a little carried away with the act." Snowflake seemed to feign being hurt, or maybe he actually was; it was always hard to read his emotions, "Yeah?" "I swear, if I knew how annoying he could be I'd have never put him on my list." "You shouldn't talk that way Tenbs," said Clover with concern, "aren't we all supposed to be friends?" then shifting to a teasing smirk, "Besides, I think you and Flakes her could make a cute couple!" "Please, Lucky, I'm in no mood for teasing." "Who said I was teasing?" Any retort, however, died on Twilight's tongue the moment she opened her mouth. Snowflake wasn't the only member of her would be band of friends that could be insufferably irritating, but no matter how hard she wanted to at times, Twilight just couldn't stay mad in the face of the Clover's infectiously unyielding positive attitude (though the use of word infectious might be a disturbingly apt description). Even if Twilight didn't care for the teasing insinuations, she knew the earth pony never meant any offense by them. Besides, wasn't that what friendship was about, putting up with all those little inconvenient nuisances because you all have each other's best interests at heart? Not for the first time Twilight considered her own motives. When she first concocted this plan she'd only cared about finding avatars worthy of embodying the principle virtues of harmony, but one by one she'd come to care about these ponies. Silverstar who was the first pony to take her pleas seriously and who gave her a metaphorical shoulder to cry on, becoming the pillar that anchored her and gave her the strength to persevere. Then Clover, who hadn't even been on her list, but taught her a valuable lesson about looking past the superficial to see what it was the elemental virtues really meant. Perhaps most of all though was Lemon Hearts, who had gone the extra mile to bring them all together when Twilight herself had failed and was ready to just give up. While she'd still had little time to spend getting to know Loosy Screws, Twilight was certainly eager to learn more about Silverstar's old friend as well. So if that were all the case Twilight figured maybe even Snowflake would grow on her... eventually... and if she wanted this plan to work she needed to at least try. Still, that could all come in due time; right now there were more important matters to attend, "So then, how much info have you two been able to dig up." Silverstar spoke up first, "Security is pretty tight, not that I ever reckoned it would be any otherwise with such a high ranking noble as this Puissance here. Pity though she ain't one of them lazy arrogant rich folk, so secure in her own self-importance as to not think she needs any. Still, the patrol lay out is all pretty basic stuff, even worked a couple similar jobs myself back in the day, so it shouldn't be too hard to work around the gaps." Next, Clover added, "And I was able to hit it off pretty good with the staff manage, cute fellow too. A bit old for me, but still a shame we won't be sticking around long enough for me to see about scoring a date or two," she paused as she noticed the stares she was attracting from her compatriots, "What? Cant a girl admire the sexy eye-candy while planning the heist of the century?" but the only reply she received was more stares. "You guys are no fun sometimes. Anyway, I'm pretty sure I could talk him into letting me bring in a few extra friends as temps. There's going to be an awful lot of cleanup work after that party the vicereine is throwing tomorrow night, so that should get us all through the gates." "I still think it's a bad idea fer all of us to be goin' in there together like. Be better if just one or two o' us snuck in there all quietly. In and out real fast 'fer anyone notices." "If I thought that would work, Silverstar, I'd have already stolen the amulet myself. I've got more than enough experience from sneaking into restricted library archives. No, we have to do this as a team, so that we can each prove ourselves worthy of taking on the powers of the elements; it's the only way this plan has any chance of working." "She's right, TripS. You're just being a fussy old worrywart," then eyeing a bouquet of rosses on the table, "So I'm guessing you won't be wanting these Tenbre, and I'm famished," then without waiting for a reply, Clover plucked off one of the blossoms and speared it on a carrot she retrieved from her saddlebag. As she casually munched on the concoction, something nagged at the back of Twilight's mind, "Where'd you get that carrot, Lucky?" "Wshat, thish" she spoke with her mouth full, then swallowing added, "TripS her helped some mare from dropping a crate full of them so she gave him a bunch as thanks. You should try one, there the best I've ever had," she then pulled the whole bunch from her bag and tossed them on the table. Twilight levitated them over to herself and looked at the label on the tie binding the bunch together, "Golden Harvest Farms," she read aloud, then after taking a moment to let the metaphorical gears in her head click into place, "Oh no, oh no!" Swallowing another mouthful of rose petal covered carrot, "I guess you don't care for the brand then?" Clover respond nonchalantly. "What? No." Twilight started to stammer as a million terrible thoughts ran through her head, "I mean, yes... or rather, It's not the brand... well, it is... but not because of the flavor or anything. It's the owner... Carrot Top!" "Who?" "Carrot Top... the Element of Generosity!" "I though Lemmsy was the Element of Generosity?" "No, not our Element of Generosity... I mean Lulamoon's!" Clover simply shrugged, "And that's a bad thing?" "Bad? BAD? Of course it's bad!" Twilight shouted as she punctuated each bad with a short advancing hop casing her compatriot to back up nervously, "She's the enemy and if Carrot Top's here then that magical fraud and the rest of her fakers are probably all here too." Twilight began to pace with a frantic worry as a few loose curls of her mane started to fray from the stress, "I don't know how she did it but somehow Lulamoon must have found out what I was doing... I don't know how, but she must have... it's just too much of coincidence to be anything else." "Now calm down and think reasonable like girl," SIlverstar interjected with worried concern, "Just cause these carrots come from that farm don't mean this Carrot Top herself is actually here. I bet there's produce been purchased from all over fer that party on tha morrow," Twilight breathed an audible sigh of relief, "You're right. It's probably nothing... every thing will fine, it will all be fine..." yet just as it looked like the crisis would pass, the panic all came rushing back in one great wave, "But what if your wrong!? Quick tell me about this mare you helped... about Clover's age... earth pony... light-yellow coat... exceptionally well groomed carrot-colored mane... her own namesake for a cutie mark?" Siverstar sighed, dreading what he was about to say, "Yeah, I reckon that was her alight." "I knew it, I knew it!" Twilight chimed in equal parts triumph and worry, "Ooh, but what are we going to do now? If, Trixie really is onto us we have to revise the plan –immediately– before she can try stopping us." "Look maybe it ain't as bad as all that. I reckon it does look a might suspicions, but coinkydinks like this here really do just happen sometimes," the expression on Twilight's face, however didn't seem to be buying into that, and truth be told Silverstar wasn't sure if he did ether,but still, "Even if that Trixie girl really is onto us all, there ain't nothing we can do about it 'til Lemon Hearts and Miss Loosy get here, so there aint' no sense fretting about it now. We should all just get a good night's rest and we'll figure out what to do in the morning." He was right; Twilight knew he was right. Blind panic would only make matters worse. He was wrong about just sleeping it all off though. If she was going to come up with a contingency plan Twilight couldn't waste a second; there'd be time to sleep later. Still though, there was no sense worrying the others, and she'd be able to work out all the details better on her own anyway. "You're right, and thanks for reassuring me; I don't know what I'd ever do without you," she then hastily began to usher Silverstar and Clover to the door, "Now if both of you don't mind, I'm still feeling a bit train-lagged. So you two go off to your own room and we'll all meet back here in the morning to figure this all out... okidoki, buhby!" Clover hesitantly stared at Twilight, the unicorn was manically wide-eyed, and wore a grin that was entirely too thinly sharp, "Are you sure you're okay Tenbre? We could, I dunno, maybe stay and talk about this some more if you like?" Quirking her head slightly and widening her smile to near decapitating proportion, Twilight twitched her ears as she replied "Who me...? No I'm fine... just peachy! Now if you'll excuse me, a girl needs to get her beauty sleep... gotta be bright-eyed and bushy-tailed in the morning... early to bed, early to rise, and all that." "Uhh, Tenbs, I think your eyes might already be a—" the door slammed unceremoniously in Clovers face "...little too bright," she fished. The mare considered knocking, but was pretty sure her seemingly half crazed friend wouldn't answer even if she tried. From the look on his face it seemed Silverstar had reached the same conclusion, and so with nothing else to do the two earth ponies just shrugged and hoped for the best. Back in the room though Twilight was already conspiratorially wringing her hooves together as she sorted through all these new variables in her head. Still, she had one more matter to take care of before she could start planning in full. "Good new, Snowflake, looks like you get to have the bedroom after all." ──────────────── Morning came and with it three ponies entered the hotel lobby to meet two more waiting ponies. One of these waiting ponies, Silverstar, was however not particularly please to be greeting one more pony than he'd expected. "Pardon my concern, Miss Loosy, but should the boy really have come along with ya?" Woody Whittles bristled his dull blue wings lightly in agitation. He held nothing but the greatest admiration for the former sheriff, but the near-stallion colt also didn't much appreciate being dismissed as though he were only a child either. Loosy her self looked more than a little torn at the questions as she anxiously rubbed one cyan fore-hoof against the opposite limb. Fortunately for both ponies though the yellow unicorn accompanying them interceded with an explanation. "I'm afraid Mr. Star that young Whittles here was most insistent he remain close to his mother, and given how recent her recovery has been it felt wrong to deny him, and I doubt the worry would have done Ms. Screws here any good either." Silverstar let out a short snort, "Well I s'ppose that I can't fault him for being such a well meaning son, but this ain't really no task for children to be involved in." Bad enough any of the rest of them have to be involved either, fer that matter. With one last ruffle of feathers, Woody put aside any disgruntlement, "Look, I promise to leave everything to the rest of you, but if my mother's going to become a hero, I want to be close enough so I can be the first to congratulate her... and you too Sheriff." There it was again, that boys unshakable notion of clinging to the pony he mistakenly thought Silverstar still was, or had ever been. Despite his desire to protest though, the old trail-worn pony couldn't bring himself to disavow such youthful hope no mater how misapplied. At least he could maybe use it to help keep the boy out of trouble, "Well, alright then, but if'n yer a staying then you do so under my terms, ya got that, young man." "Yes sir, Sheriff, sir." the statement was punctuated with quick salute and an eager smile. "Alright, first rule ya stay in yer room. Second, don't go out on yer own 'til this is all over. Lastly, at the first sign any trouble ya skedaddle, but good. Put them wings of yers to work and go out the window if ya have to, then ya take the first train you can out of town, and don't ya ever once look back or hesitate." Woody's sidelong glance to his mother betrayed his concern, but Silverstar gave him no time to protest, "Don't you go worrying 'bout yer ma' here. I promise that come sun's fire or windigo's frost I won't let anything happen to her, but if'n I'm a going to do that I need to know don't have to worry none 'bout you, and I'm sure yer ma' needs to know that that just as much if'n not more so." "I..." Woody still looked uncertain, but that stood up strait, "Alright than sheriff, I promise. But you promise me, not just that you'll keep her safe, but that you'll keep yourself safe to." "I..." now it was Silverstar's turn to hesitate. Could he really make that kind of promise? Could he trust the boy to keep his own if he didn't? "All right than, Woody, I promise." "On your honor?" The old pony wasn't really sure he had any left, but, "On my honor." With the matter settled Lemon Hearts checked the three new arrivals into a room, giving Woody the key and sending him on his way. The remaining four ponies then went to meet the rest of their comrades in the honeymoon suite. ──────────────── A hoof started to knock the door, only for it open almost instantly as though the occupant had been waiting impatiently for their arrival, "Come in, come in, take a seat every pony; we've got lots to discuss." As the group each found a comfortable spot to settle down, Silverstar and Clover exchanged nervous, if reassuring, glances. Twilight's mane was an absolute mess and her eyes seemed a bit bloodshot. The two earth ponies weren't sure if she'd actually gotten much, if any, sleep as they had advised. If nothing else though, she did seem notably more calm and collected than the previous evening. "So then, Lemon Hearts, Loosy, I don't know if you've been informed yet, but a snag has developed in our plans." "Yes," spoke Lemon Hearts, "This Carrot Top. I do agree with Mr. Star that coincidences do sometimes happen, but this is still worrying none the less." "Exactly, that's why we have to move as quickly as possible; you see I figured it out. Even if she's onto what I've been up to, there's no way Trixie could have known exactly where I would up to it, so she and her cohorts are probably all watching out in different spots around Equestria. Now maybe we're lucky, and Carrot Top only knows to be looking for me, but if there's any chance they've actually learned about the rest of you, then after meeting Silverstar yesterday she could have already called the others." Silverstar ponder aloud, "That seems like an awful lot o' guess work there." "Maybe, but the stakes are too high and we can't afford to take any chances. We may only have a brief window of opportunity to work with and that's why I've decided we aren't going to wait until after the party, but instead we're going to get to the amulet tonight and perform the ritual right there in Puisance's vault." To say the room fell into shocked silence at that brazenly bold declaration would be an understatement. "Umm..." faltered Loosy, hoping someone else would speak up first in her stead, "... well, umm, that is... are you sure that's a good idea. It seems way to risky to me." "She's right Twi," added Silverstar, "It'd be a better call if we just laid low for a week or two, maybe split town and come back later when the heat is off." "That won't work; if that fraud has traced me this far she might be able to figure out what it is we came her for and then get Puissance to move the amulet somewhere else. It could take us months to find it then, and wherever it might be, Lulamoon would probably be close by waiting for me. No, we have to do this now, it might be our last and only chance!" Another long pause before this time Lemon Hearts spoke up, "Alright then, I agree; better now then never. But this will require further alterations to the plan. We can't just all show up at once as new servants, that would look entirely too suspicious. Instead, I think I'll pull in a few contacts and attach myself as a date for one of the gusts already attending the party. That should also help me attend to the other matter that Ms. Screws here brought to my attention before our arrival." "The detail I..." Loosy seemed to take a moment to connect the relevance, "oh, right. The security spells on the vault door." "What about them? I've broken into some of the most secure archives in Equestria," boasted Twilight, "I'm sure it's nothing I can't handle." "Maybe, but you, I was part of the construction team that did renovations on this estate a few years back, and well, I didn't work on the vault personally, but I knew the ponies that did. The whole thing is keyed so that not only is Puissance the only one who can open it, but even if someone bypassed the locks, if the door opens when Puissance herself isn't there it will set of a multi layered contingency alarm." "Exactly," interjected Lemon Hearts, "now I don't doubt your talents, Miss Sparkle, but there is no point taking foolish risks. It shouldn't take much to set up a decoy to fool the spell; a single feather or lock of hair from the vicereine should be enough, which I should be able to covertly acquire while meeting with her in the guise of a guest." "Is that so?" mused Silverstar in a mild accusation, "Ya keep seeming to come out with a might few unusual talents fer a mare who supposedly just runs a charitable orphanage. Ya sure there ain't any other secrets yer keepin' from us." "Mr. Star, I appreciate your diligence, but I assure you that I am nothing but fully committed to seeing this plan through. Besides, I'm hardly the only pony here that is more then what they might seem at first glance, lest you forget Miss Sparkle, or even yourself." "I s'ppose you make a fair point there," despite his words though, something about Lemon Hearts had been increasingly rubbing him the wrong way. He'd always been good at reading ponies, but the best read he could get on Lemon Hearts was that she had a very good poker face. Now, that didn't mean she was hiding anything malicious and could just as easily involve some more personal shame. Also, so far as he could tell nothing she was no bold faced lier, but was she ever entirely truth either. He didn't want to suspect her of such things; she'd fixed Loosy, if nothing else, and for that he would always be grateful, still... "Now then," proceeded Lemon Hearts, heedless of Silverstar's contemplativeness — or perhaps intention trying to distract from it, "if that's all settled, lets move on to who else will be going in the front door with me." she then turned to the cyan coated earth pony, "Loosy dear, you also mentioned to me your former husband was a longstanding finical broker for the nobility. I should imagine he had earned a few favors he could call in on such an occasion as this." Loosy considered that for moment, "Yes, I suppose so... and actually, come to think of it, I think Puissance herself even extended him an open invitation to attend any function she was hosting... but, but I don't think I could impose on that, especially not on such short notice." "Nonsense deary; you are a widow in morning. Puissance can't possibly have you turned away without losing face with any other noble that did business with your late husband. The imposition might put you out of her future good graces, but we only need the opportunity of this single night." then sweeping her eyes across the other gathered ponies, "Of course though, it won't do at all for you to attend alone; you're going to need a date, and I should Think Mr. Star here can fill that role admirably." "What?!" both Silverstar and Loosy exclaimed in unison, only to just as quickly shy away from each other's gaze. Loosy was the first to break the brief silence that followed, "But I thought I was supposed to be attending as a widow in morning." "Yeah, and there's no way a dusty old trail-pony like me would fit in with a bunch of fancy nobles at a formal ball," added Silverstar." "Please leave the matters of the heart to the expert here, dears," chided Lemon Hearts dismissively, "A tragic hero of a lost frontier colony come to console the widow of the stallion he failed to save, only for the two to fall for each other, why it's all too perfect and will speak to everypony's romantic sensibilities no matter how repressed. A bit contrived, yes, but still something that others will believe because they want to." Silverstar shifted uncomfortably at the notion which hit a bit to close to the truth, or at least his own fanciful delusions, "Maybe, but well... Me and Clover here have been playin' the part of servants fer the past few days, so what if I'm recognized?" "Oh don't worry about that, Mr. Star. Do not underestimate the signifgance of class and station, no pony would even think to connect a servant with a guest. Besides, after I'm done giving you a proper makeover not even your own parents would recognize you." Silverstare didn't really have time to worry about or object to such a procedure before, "Wait a minute," interjected Clover, "So we're rushing into all this because apparently Tenbre thinks it's to much of a coincidence for that carrot pony to be here, but Loosy just so happens to not only conveniently have inside knowledge about the estate we're breaking into, but her dead hubby was also buddy-buddy enough with the nobility for her to just waltz on in to a fancy ballroom party. Isn't that all just as suppositious a coincidence?" Loosy fidgeted nervously, "Well I only got the job working on the estate renovation because of my husband's political connections in the first place, and Puissance wasn't the first or last noble I ever got to do carpentry work for." "Still seems a touch to convenient to me. I mean it's not like Tenbre even chose you herself; TripS did, but none of us knew we'd be breaking into some nobles estate until after we all met at Lemsy's orphanage. I know a thing or two about luck, and when something seems to good to be true, it usually is. For that matter, what was a pony as important as you and your hasband ever even doing out in the Mild West where TripS met you in the first place" By now Loosy's fidgeting had increased to full-blown trembling, "My husband... he didn't just do financial work for nobles, but corporations too... like the Apple Trust... and when I heard about that frontier colony they were starting up, I... well I was just so bored of always working on stuffy old manors for fussy nobles... I wanted something new, something exciting. All my life, I'd always played it safe, but I didn't want to just never see the rest of the world either... so I begged him to take us out there... and then everything went wrong with those natives... there was all the fighting... and me... all I could do was hide like a coward... and in the end my husband, he... and it was my fault, I... I should have never dragged him out there... and Woody too... what if he'd also been... we, we should have all just stayed safe here in Equestria." the distroaght mare was breathing heavily and seemed on the verge of bolting into a panicked gallop, "But the worst part wasn't even when my husband died, before all the fighting... it started when we first arrived... when I... because I... I..." "That's enough of that, Clover!" exclaimed Silverstar as he stepped between the two mares, "If ya got a beef to pick, pick it with me and leave poor Miss Loosy out of it." Clover hesitated, but before she could figure out what to say next a lavender hoof on her shoulder drew her attention as Twilight interjected her own opinion, "I don't think it has anything to do with luck. It's serendipity. Besides, you don't honestly think that either Silverstar or Loosy have some ulterior motive here. I'll admit, I'm still new to this whole friendship thing, but if Lemon Hearts thinks they are good ponies, surely you aren't doubting her, not after all the effort she put into bringing us all together in the first place." A moment of silence passed as Clover contemplated it all, "I guess you're right Tenbs," Then turning back to Silverstar and Loosy, "Sorry about loosing my head back there. Sometimes I just see things different and I say stupid stuff without thinking about how much it might hurt somepony." As Clover reached out with an apologetic hoof Silverstar, glanced back to Loosy, then stepped aside, "It ain't really my decision to make. Miss Loosy is the pony who needs to make that call." "I..." Loosy was still fidgeting slightly, but with one final deep breath stood calmly and with hesitant uncertanty extended her own hoof to touch Clover's, "Of course it's okay." At that Clover dragged Loosy into a single armed embrace and tussled the elder mare's mane a bit with her other hoof, "Well, alright then." then she reached reached out and dragged Silverstar over into a make shift group hug, "Oh, and you too." As the two hijacked earth ponies tried to figure out a way to politely extricate themselves, Twilight turned to further address tonight's plans, "So what about me?" "Hmm... probably best not to try sneaking you in through the front. Even with a proper disguise there might be too much risk of somepony recognizing you given your heritage, but the party goers will hardly be sparing a second glance at the staff, so best if we let Miss Charms get you in that way... Mr. McHugeLarge too I think as well." "Will that really work? I'm mean surely they'd already have all the staff they need for tonight." "Oh, I wouldn't worry about that dear, these types of events are almost always a bit short staffed in some way or another," then added silently to herself, or at least this one will be after I arrange for a few servants to unexpectedly call in sick. ──────────────── "Excuse me?" said the stout tan-coated and orange-bearded Huaso staff manager. "You heard me, I'm sick of it, ALL of it, and I quit!" fumed the orange-coated and pinky-maned mare with atypically belligerence. "But, Pageturner, you've always loved your job here, always said it made you happier than anything else in the world." "Well that was then and this is now, so you can take this sun cursed job and shove it where the moon don't shine!" she emphasized her words with some rather explicit gestures. "But you can't just quit without notice," he tried inssiteng, desperate to salavage the situation, "especially not tonight of all nights." It was all for not though as the mare was already heading to the door, "That's your problem bud, not mine. I'm through with it, though wasting my life in this thanklessly menial job and cowing to thick headed nobles. So goodbye and good riddance!" and with that, slammed the door shut behind her. The staff manager could only stare blankly after her in a disbelieving stupor. It just didn't make any sense; something was clearly wrong with Pageturner, because this just wasn't like her at all. Plus, she was a good worker and he'd hate to lose her. Fortunately though, in what ever insanity had gripped her, she'd not actually filled out any official letter of resignation, and she had more than enough sick leave to cover a few days. With any luck she'd come around and realize what a terrible mistake she was making. Still, she really couldn't have picked a worse time, what with the ball tonight. It didn't help that several other ponies were also down with an assortment of aliments, or a few that just hadn't reported in at all today. Such things happened, but it was now exceeding the safety margins he always maintained. The remaining staff could probably manage with some difficulty, but the vicereine expected nothing but perfection at all times. He was probably going to have to hire some temps to cover for them all, and it wouldn't be easy on such short notice. There'd be no time to run proper background checks on credentials, he'd just have to hope that maybe some members of the remaining staff had some friends they could vouch for. Still, he couldn't help but dwell on Pageturner's out of character behavior. Maybe it was just stress, or maybe she'd just caught one of the same bugs that had the other staff down, could maybe even be both. There had certainly seemed something off about her appearance though... like her coat had lost its luster... it was hard to describe, but the only word that came to mind was the she seemed somehow "gray". ──────────────── Author's Note --Special thanks to Blackbelt for helping me proof read this chapter. With further thanks to ColdGoldLazarus and G S tol Kriaal for additional proofing assistance. --I'd also like to thank thatguyvex, who helped me brainstorm some of the concepts being implemented in this chapter and the next. --Additional thanks to GrassAndClouds2, for approving my inclusion of a few characters he invented.
Chapter 1: "...What Friendship Could Be"It was a moonless night in Fillydelphia. Outside the city's most prestigious college, all was still and quiet, all except for a lone figure that snuck through the shadows. The figure slowly approached the campus library; a repository of knowledge second only to the royal archives in Canterlot, but far less guarded. Surely the solution would be located among the tome and scrolls held within its wall. Keeping to the shadows, the figure crept along the building's perimeter. On finding a window low enough to see through, the shadowed sneak stood tall to peer inside. The room beyond appeared empty, not a guard or late night student in sight. The figure stepped back, took a deep breath, and then channeled a familiar spell. A unicorn's horn began to glow a soft magenta, and then — *POP* —in a flash of light the figure vanished. With a second — *POP* —the intruder reappeared inside the building. The figure glanced about attentively to ensure the room was devoid of any other presence. After assuring herself that she was alone the trespasser decided to take a chance. Now that she was safe from the prying eyes of any passing strangers in the night, she decided to conjure a light to guide her path and so illuminated her horn. It glowed ever so dimly from beneath the hood of her burlap cloak, but it was enough to cast herself and the area about her in a soft magenta light. She released the orb of light, allowing it to float beside her as she passed by rows upon rows of shelves, each full of countless written materials of every conceivable variety. This wasn't her first time sneaking into a library. Even so, Twilight Sparkle wasn't a bad pony, just a curious one. She'd never used her abilities to do anything that would actually hurt somepony, not intentionally. All she ever wanted was knowledge, and in that pursuit, what was the harm in breaking a few rules? Sure, many of the tomes she had secretly read were forbidden, full of highly illegal magic, but it wasn't like she had ever intended to use those spell to any malicious end. However, it wasn't forbidden secrets that brought Twilight to these archives tonight. No, she came instead to seek a solution to a most dreadful misfortune that had befallen her. It had been a little over a week now, but the memories still haunted her; Ponyville, the ursa, and — her. Trixie Lulamoon: personal student to Princess Luna Equestris, savior of Equestria, the supposed living embodiment of magic itself… and the most obnoxious and deceitful pony Twilight Sparkle had ever had the displeasure of meeting. Twilight could still remember how overjoyed she had been to go to Ponyville; to meet the legend made flesh. Oh, the things she had hoped to learn from somepony that must have been the most magical unicorn since Starswirl the Bearded. What she found instead had been… disappointing, to say the least. At first she had thought Trixie a mere fraud, but then it became clear to her. Trixie had only been putting up a front to keep away less qualified apprentices, or so Twilight had thought. Thinking back on it, marching into town with an ursa minor in an attempt to prove her own worth hadn't been her most well thought out plan. Sure it was impressive, but even if nothing had gone wrong she'd have had an awful lot of explaining to do. She had, however, learned something very valuable from the incident. Trixie Lulamoon really was a fraud. After all, Twilight was the one who had to do all the real work in saving the town, even if she had sort of been responsible for causing the danger in the first place. After all, how many unicorns could have single hoofedly teleported a giant star beast? All that hack had done was perform a few cheap parlor tricks to distract it. Worse still though was when Twilight figure out the whole truth. It had taken a few days, but once she'd puzzled it out the answer was beyond clear. Miss Lulamoon was jealous, and not just that, but also afraid. She'd seen Twilight's potential, and it was obvious who the superior unicorn was. So that… that jezebel had set her up. Sabotaged Twilight's entire life, just so Luna would keep thinking her precious student was the best. Twilight Sparkle was the true, one and only best. And tonight, she would take her first steps in proving it. Twilight gathered a dozen books in her magic, flipping pages and turning from one to the next and then to another as she referenced and cross referenced. It was a familiar routine, one that brought her more comfort than she had since the start of her forced exile. As she proceeded about her oldest of rituals she found an odd melody filling her head. Words came shortly thereafter. I'll look up a solution; I've got knowledge to accrue That witch will learn her lesson; I won't play her number two I'll gather the ingredients to make some harmony The Princess will reward me; that is a certainty Now is the time to prove my magic; somepone true for Honesty There's no distress just need some Kindness; to claim my destiny Yes, this plan would work; it was perfect, her very best ever. Twilight skipped over to a filing drawer, gathering up several census ledgers. She had a list to make. Twilight glanced down at a nearby desk where she saw a pile of newspaper clippings, probably left by some careless student. Among them was a picture of Luna at the Grand Galloping Gala, greeting various officials and dignitaries, but it wasn't the princess or any of the guests that drew her gaze. No, her eyes focused squarely on the young azure unicorn standing next to the royal alicorn. She was dressed in an outfit even more gaudy than when Twilight had last seen her. Most infuriating of all though was that lazy grin, as though the unicorn was bored. Anger flared as the mental tune continued. Rude shrew; you will fear me, Lulamoon! You life's been just a cake walk; but I'll take your silver spoon Find a joke; to get some Laughs and… Work and toil, earn the Loyal; Generosity, reciprocity Make enticing, fate revising; plans devising, rectifying Meanwhile, far away in Canterlot, an armor clad unicorn stared up at the star filled sky. He was the captain of the royal guard, but more importantly he was a big brother. Legend had it that if two ponies looked upon the exact same star they could hear each other, no matter how great the distance between them. As he picked out her favorite constellation, Shining Armor hoped beyond hope that his lost sister might be looking up at that same moment. Twilie could you hear me; I'd only want you home Please don't sink to madness; I can't bear that you're alone Alas, even were such legends true, Twilight Sparkle was well beyond such simple reason. My subjects are selected; soon I'll have them in my thrall I've hit the books, now time to look; I'm gonna meet them all Now is the time to prove my magic; friendship's power I won't postpone No more an outcast, found salvation; so I can finally go home Twilight hesitated, realization slowly sinking into her soul as she repeated… So I … can finally go … home … She stood in silence, still mouthing that last word as a single tear rolled down her cheek. As she stared out a window at the star filled sky, she wondered. Was it really so simple; was that truly all she really wanted? For a brief moment she felt as though her B.B.B.F.F stood before her, eyes pleading and full of forgiveness. She wanted so desperately to rush forward, to embrace the phantom, but… Twilight shook her head. No. It didn't matter how much she wanted it, she couldn't, not yet. Not until she cleared her name. Not until she had proven her worth. Not until Lulamoon learned the meaning of REAL MAGIC. Author's Note • Proof reading by LDLUYAB and Mally
Chapter 2: "Faithful and Strong"The stallion floated through a dark void. It was vast, cold and empty. He liked the void. There was no screaming here. Yes, this is where he belonged, beyond the baleful cries of anguish and suffering. Here he could simply let go, abandon himself to oblivion. Something bright came into existence in the distance like a newborn star. Its glare stirred and roused the stallion. What? No! There wasn't supposed to be anything here; just emptiness, a place where he could suffer for his sins in lonely isolation. There was also a sound, a voice, calling out to him. No, no, NO! Why couldn't the world just go away? He didn't want to be part of it any more. There was too much pain, too much suffering. He fell. The void possessed no up, no down, and yet he fell. The sudden feeling of vertigo was just as quickly replaced by surge of moisture as he crashed into an unseen ocean. The stallion coughed up water as the world exploded back into existence around him. His eyes burned from the light and his head felt like it wanted to implode. He pressed his hooves to the side of his aching skull, whether to massage away the pain, or to aid in crushing the offending body part he wasn't quite sure. Where was he? As he brought a hoof over to shield his still adjusting eyes from the harsh light, he could make out what looked to be the alleyway behind the local tavern. As he smacked his lips he could still taste the lingering remnants of salted ale. No doubt the proprietor had thrown him back here after having passed out. What he couldn't figure out was why he was soaking wet. His hazy vision couldn't actually make out the sky above, but by the amount of light he could already tell the day was bright and sunny. "Ah good, you're awake!" There it was again, that same voice that had disturbed him in the void. He could hear it clearly now, well, as clearly as he could hear anything over the ringing in his ears. He could also see its source, sort of. A vaguely pony-like shape stood over him, a mare, if his ears could be trusted to judge pitch in his current state. Probably a unicorn too, as she appeared to be levitating what looked like a bucket. "Go away," he muttered as he clenched his eyes shut in a vain attempt to summon the void. He'd spent nearly every bit he had left to reach oblivion this last time; what was he going to do now? "Actually, I really need your help." Help? Ha! That was a laugh. "Sorry, you got the wrong pony for that, miss…?" his rebuke trailed off into a question as he realized he had no clue who he was talking to. Not that he should really care about such things anymore. All he wanted was to be left alone to wallow in his own misery. "…" the mare seemed hesitant to reply, but finally, "My name is Twilight Sparkle, and I think we can both be a great help to each other, Sheriff Silverstar." A light brown head plunged into the water. It was cool and refreshing, better still, it muffled all the noise of the world. It reminded Silverstar of the void. He briefly considered just leaving his head submerged beneath the rippling surface; to put a final end to it all, but at the heart of things he was still the same coward he had always been. The stallion pulled his head from the trough and took in a mighty gasp of air. He shook the water from his coat and dark brown mane, giving his even darker mustache a twitch to shake loose any last remnants. As his brain returned to a somewhat conscious functionality, he turned to contemplate the mare that had dragged him back to the life he'd been so desperately trying to escape. She had a fairly average build. Her coat was a shade of lavender and her dark blue mane was neatly trimmed though with a vibrant strip of purple and pink down the middle. He couldn't make out her cutie mark, hidden as it was beneath a light brown burlap cloak. Actually, to call it a cloak was a bit generous, it was more like a hastily cut potato sack that had been tied off with a bit of worn rope. Why she would bother with such a garment in this heat was beyond him, but he wasn't the type to pry, even before he gave up caring about the world. What fixed his attention the most though was her eyes; a rich purple, and while she clearly tried to present an air of confidence, he could see a deep sadness underneath it all. He wondered briefly what had caused her such pain and what he could do to take it all away. No, that was the old Silverstar, the one that actually gave a damn about other ponies. Still, she was kind of cute. Maybe it was just the hangover mugging up his vision, but if he were a younger stallion he might— He shook his head and once again tried to remind himself how there was nothing left for him to hope for, least of all some filly who was almost young enough to be his daughter. He straightened his dust worn blue vest and the red bandana around his neck, before picking up his black stetson and placing it back atop his head. He then turned to face her proper "Alright then, Miss Sparkle. What exactly is it ya' want and what makes ya' think a bloke like me would be any help?" "Well, Sheriff Silverstar, I—" "Just Silverstar please," he interrupted, "I ain't a proper sheriff no more, not without a town to be sheriff of." "Right, that's actually sort of why I'm here. You see—" "Look, I'm sorry if'n you lost any kinfolk out there. I..." he hesitated, swallowing hard before continuing, "I did my damn best to get everypony I could out safely. I know that must be poor consolation an' I'd rightly understand if'n you felt like taking a buck upside my face. You wouldn't be the first, and you probably won't be the last either." With that said, he just stood there. He didn't flinch or in any way seem to ready himself for the assault he'd just permitted. He was a bad pony, he deserved to suffer, and this filly deserved to have full at him. "That's not at all why I'm here. I don't think any of my family have even ever been anywhere near the frontier reaches, most of them live in Latigo after all, and—" this time she shut herself up, all but cramming a hoof into her own mouth, before glancing about nervously as though she'd just said too much. Silverstar only shrugged. If there was something in the young mare's past she didn't want to talk about, well, he certainly wouldn't pry. He just wished she'd go away and do him the same favor. "Alright, fine. So if'n you're not here to take your piece o' me, then what possible reason could you have fer comin' here and dredgin' up my past?" His voice began to rise with more irritation than he intended, but he was hardly in much condition to practice proper self-restraint, "You one of them punks that gets off on laughin' on poor washed up gutter trash! Does that make ya' feel like a big shot! Like your own life isn't so miserable!" The young mare backed up with each exclamation, "I... I..." Silverstar pressed forwards; he hated ponies that got their jollies by kickin' others when they were down. Sure he deserved it, but that was no reason to excuse such behavior. Then he looked into her eyes again. They were darting rapidly from side to side, clearly frightened of what he might do, but there was something more too. She was starting to cry. Aw haystacks! he thought. He'd done it again. He'd let his temper take charge, and now he'd made the young lass cry. He felt like even more of a monster than usual, and while he deserved to feel that way, she certainly didn't deserve to suffer for it. He'd have to give himself a few good licks for that little outburst, later though. Right now, he had a mess to clean up. He reached up a hoof to wipe away the moisture that had been forming at the corners of her eyes, "Hush now there," he soothed. "It'll be alright. Now why don't you just tell this ol' washed up has-been just what it is you need help with. I can't make no promises, but if'n it'll make you feel better, then the least I can do is listen." She sniffled as she brought her downtrodden gaze up to match his. "I'm in trouble... a lot of trouble, and well... I need a group of five ponies to help me out of it, and... and I was hoping you could be one of them." He wondered what kind of trouble she was in that she'd need that kind of help with, and why five exactly. He briefly recalled that time so many years ago when he'd been part of a group of seven— No, that was the old Silverstar, an arrogant youth who thought such exploits would be magnificent. It had been a whole other life time ago, a life that belonged to a naive fool that had ignorantly confused a lack of fear for bravery. Even as he tried banishing those memories, Silverstar found himself wishing he'd had some of those comrades with him more recently. Maybe things wouldn't have turned out so badly if— No, better that he bear the burden of that atrocity alone. Besides, none of that made a lick of difference now. "Fine, so you need help. Why me?" He tried to be kind, but he saw her flinch at the bite of his words. "We'll," she started nervously, "I read about how you risked your life and courageously defended that whole town and—" "T'wern't courage, I was there, ponies were in trouble. I did what I had to do, nothin' more nothin' less." Now that nervous edge seemed to bleed away as her eyes came alight, "But that's exactly what I need. You stood fast when others fled. You risked life and limb to save as many innocents as you could. You showed that singular most important quality I need from you: Loyalty." Loyalty, now wasn't that a laugh. "Little miss, let me tell you somethin' plain an' simple like. T'was just a job. I was there because the Apple Trust hired me to keep the peace, and so that's what I did. I had a contract, an obligation, and I've never been a pony to back out on my word. A promise is a promise, and come noon high sun or windigos' frost I always keep mine." At what cost though? The screams of the ponies he failed to save were bad enough. But it was the screams of the other side that truly haunted his soul. They hadn't been villains, only natives trying to reclaim the land they felt stolen from them. That hadn't mattered then though. Silverstar played his part, did what he had to. Now all that was left for him was to carry the pain of that sin till the day the final end that awaited all ponies blessed him with a more permanent void in which to lose himself. "But you still helped them," she pleaded, "It's what you do. It's your job, it's your name, it's your special talent." Silverstar looked back at the cutie mark that reflected its owner's name. He'd long since discarded the badge he used to wear on his vest. He'd torn the thing away with such violent fervor that it had left a jagged hole in the garment. He liked that hole; it mirrored the one in his heart. The badge he wore on his flank though, well, that was another matter. It was the one indelible reminder of the pony he used to be. He'd often thought of taking hot iron to it and burning the offending brand away, but that wouldn't solve the real problem. No, he could live with the visual reminder of his discarded past. The pain it caused him to look upon his own flank really was another torment he deserved. It was that niggling sensation in the back of his skull that he couldn't endure. That was the part of him he truly sought to drown away in the oblivion of the void. All the terrible crimes he'd committed in the name of justice, he could live with those. The screams were horrible to remember, but it was what he deserved. What he couldn't tolerate, what he had to be rid of, was that somewhere deep down inside he was still possessed by that same fiery passion to protect other ponies. A passion that still burned every bit as fiercely as the day his destiny had first made itself manifest. Worst of all though, following that call still brought him the purest of joys, a joy he no longer deserved. "So then, will you help me; will you promise?" There it was, that niggle that ached to be scratched. Would he help her? Could he really let himself give into that temptation? Silverstar looked into the mare's pleading eyes, eyes that held his damnation. He'd rather go to the surface of the sun itself and look its blazing queen straight into her empty soulless eyes than fill this pitiable young mare's own with even an ounce more of sorrow and disappointment. Every fiber of his being ached telling —no— demanding of him what action he must take. And so he made his decision, Luna curse him for a thousand years, but it was the only choice he could make. Author's Note • Proof reading by LDLUYAB and Mally
Chapter 3: "Tons of Fun"The piercing cry of an alarm clock filled the air. From under the covers of an adjacent bed, a hoof attached to gray leg reached out and slammed atop the offending device. It's too early for morning. Five minutes later the alarm rang again. This time the hoof fumbled clumsily about until finally it knocked sideways against the fiendish device, sending it tumbling to the floor below. At the sound of the crash, the occupant of the bed bolted up right, "I'm up, I'm up!" A moment passed as her mind settled, before the earth pony mare stretched and let out a great big yawn. She scratched a single hoof against the back of her curly dark dull-green mane as she blinked her bright green eyes. Finally, she glanced down to the floor where the alarm clock was still intact… mostly. Getting out of bed, she picked it up and placed it back atop her worn nightstand. There was a new crack in the glass surface, though she was starting to lose count. It had already become almost impossible to read what time the pointers indicated, but it wasn't like she needed it to do anything other than blare out its cacophony every morning. That it could still do so after all the abuse her sleep addled brain put it through was a true testament. The clock was a perseverant survivor, much like its owner. Clover Charms had not led what most would consider a fortunate life. Orphaned at a young age, she'd spent much of her youth passed from one foster family to the next, with a fair too many stints of being homeless on the streets thrown into the mix. Then there was the matter of her love life —no— she'd rather not even start down that train of thought. Proceeding as if that last stray thought had never happened, she looked around the chipped paint and peeling wallpaper of her rundown apartment; she wasn't so sure her present circumstances were all that much better than those of her past. Still, she made do the best that she could, but with limited education, her job options weren't much to speak of. She couldn't even fall back on her special talent to pay the bills. The trio of four-leafed clovers on her flank didn't really represent any marketable skills. Like her nickname, 'Lucky', her cutie mark was more ironic than anything else. Ponies that bothered to get to know her always asked how she got that mark if her life sucked so much. Well, she would always answer, there are two kinds of luck in this world, and so long as I'm hogging up so much of the bad there's that much more of the good to go around for everypony else. Most ponies would then give her an odd look, unable to comprehend how she could actually mean such a thing, but Clover 'Lucky' Charms had learned years ago that the only way to survive the harsh truths of the world was to laugh off her own misfortunes. The way she figured, she had two choices: grin and bear it, or be crushed beneath the weight of her own misery. How could that not be the easiest choice in the world to make? Her odd outlook on life often made other ponies tell her she was funny. Too bad they meant that more in the touched in the head sort of way than the comical one. For several years now she'd been trying, unsuccessfully, to make a career for herself as a comedian. Unfortunately it seemed the type of wit that could get a sarcastic chuckle from an individual really wasn't the kind of stuff that wowed larger audiences. Truth was, most ponies preferred to believe that Equestria was an idyllic paradise where nothing could ever go wrong. Lucky couldn't fault them for wanting to hold onto that belief, no matter how wrong it actually was. Oh well, no sense dwelling on all that, she thought to herself as she paced over to the window and threw open the curtains to bask in the morning light of the new born day, or at least she would have. Unfortunately, the skies were gray and overcast, an all too common sight in Manehattan, or at least this section of it. "Another glorious morning view from my luxurious penthouse!" she quipped to herself. "What more could I possibly ask for in life?" It was a silly joke born of an obvious lie, but it brought an instant smile to her face. Not a sarcastic one either, but a truly deep and genuine grin that reached all the way to the bottom of her soul and back again. She really did have what mattered most. She might not be rich and famous, or even financially secure and appreciated by those few who she knew personally, but she was alive and so, as the old saying went, that meant she had to have hope. Not hope that things might ever get better (she was realistic in her expectations) but hope that she would wake again tomorrow, the day after, and the next after that as well. She was alive, and for as long as that lasted she would treat every day as the miracle it was. Of course if she expected to stay alive she had to put food on the table, and to do that she had a job to get to. She trotted into her bathroom, more of a closet really, and turned the tap to start her morning routine with a brisk refreshing shower. The water was far too cold, but at least it was clean. As the flow washed away yesterday's grime, she hummed to herself. My name is Clover Charms; I'll sing under the spray And wear a great big smile; through every gloomy day It doesn't matter how; I should be sad or blue 'Cause keeping up good cheer; is what I always do I always wear a smile, smile, smile; yes I do It guards my heart from noon shine all the while; yes it does 'Cause all I really need's my smile, smile, smile Even if it's all I've got Trotting from one market stall to the next, Lucky ponders what she wants to eat, and perhaps more importantly, what her precariously light coin purse can afford. I'd like some fresh éclairs; but day old will have ta do With cheese dip and some relish they'll be just as tasty too I might have little money; but I will not pout or frown I'll tell a joke and give a laugh; then scarf my breakfast right on down 'Cause life's not a game to win, win, win; no it's not Never let them see my fear, and don't give in Just to live with joy's a win, win, win When it's done we're all the same Clover pushes a mail cart down an aisle of office cubicals. An oppressive drabness pervades the entire scene, unhindered by the multihued coats of the ponies at each desk. It's true this job is drab and dreary; and maybe I should feel sad But silly as it seems I can only choose instead to be glad Some folks might call me sappy; and say my life's not worthwhile But I just laugh them off; and give a smile Later that evening, in a back alley pub with a sign advertising open mic night, a tomato sails through the air. It strikes the curtain behind the stage as Lucky dodges it with practiced experience. I shouldn't be so happy; when all they do is jeer And yet I smile, it's no denial; life's too precious to me So no matter what I'll dream, dream, dream; yes I will Tell me, what more should I need to live life for; such a thrill 'Cause, all I'll ever need's my dream, dream, dream Yes, I couldn't ask for more! Worn, but never weary, Clover canters her way down the streets of Manehattan. All that was left was to go home and to bed so she could do it all again tomorrow. I never wear a phony smile, smile, smile; Even in the dark there's moonlight, moonlight All I'll ever need's a smile, smile, smile; To see me through each night! I never wear a phony smile, smile, smile; Even in the dark there's moonlight, moonlight All I'll ever need's a smile, smile, smile; To see me through each night! Always live my life guilt free; as I smile with every mile And stay as happy as can be; smile, smile, smile, smile SMILE!! I've got to smile; I've got to— "Hello." Halfway up the front steps of her apartment complex, Lucky turned to face the unexpected greeting. There she saw a lavender mare, about her own age, maybe a bit younger. Despite a neatly trimmed dark blue mane, the poor dear looked like she'd been living on the streets for days, if not weeks, the ragged burlap cloak a poor protection against the chill night air. "I'm sorry miss, but I really don't have any bits to spare." Clover hated turning away somepony in such obvious need, but her own means were meager at best. "There's a good soup kitchen and shelter just a few blocks down though." The mare tilted her head in a look of confusion, but then glanced back as if taking in her own appearance for the first time. "What? No. I mean… I know what this must look like, but I'm no beggar. Well I do sort of need help, but not of the financial sort. If you'd just give me a moment of your time I can explain everything and—" The mare was cut off by the sound of her own traitorous stomach as it pleaded for sustenance. She gave a sheepish grin. Lucky knew she should just walk away, or maybe escort the starving girl to the local shelter. Instead, for reasons she couldn't quite explain, "Look, I don't have much to offer, but if you'd like you can come upstairs and I'll see what I can pull together while you explain that everything you mentioned." The apartment was small, but the sparse furnishings made it spacious enough. Clover spooned out a second bowl from the contents of a portable stove set atop a mini-fridge, before going over to the low set table and taking a seat opposite her guest. The unicorn, who had introduced herself as Tenebrosity Scintillation on the way up, sniffed uneasily at the bowl that had been previously placed in front of her, "I've… um… never had chocolate flavored ramen with barbecued apple slices before." "Huh? Yeah, I guess most ponies must find it a bit odd, probably why the stuff was double discounted in the bargain bin." Tilting her own bowl back, Lucky downed nearly half the contents before setting it back down. As she looked back up at her guest, the earth mare slurped down the end of a long noodle that hung from her lips. "Personally, I can't get enough of the stuff!" Her guest took a few hesitant sips before offering up a weak grin in an obviously false expression of appreciation. "So then, Miss Scinti— actually that's kind of a mouth full; mind if I just call you Tenbre?" There was no wait for a response, "So anyway, Tenbre, you had a story or something you wanted to tell me? "Well, Miss Charms, I—" "Oh please, no need for you to be so formal if I'm not. Just call me Lucky. All my friends do, or at least they did back when I had any worth speaking of." It was true, not that she was a lonely pony; she had plenty of acquaintances and associates, just not really anypony she would call a proper friend. The lavender mare frowned a bit, "Oh, I'm sorry to hear that." "Why?" Clover smirked. "It isn't your problem." "Well, it's just that I've never really had any friends at all; there just never seemed to be the time." "Sounds more like I should be the one feeling sorry for you." She didn't frown —not with her mouth at least— but Lucky seemed to hold a degree of wistful sympathy in her eyes as she questioned, "Really though, never a one?" The unicorn returned a shy smile, "Well there was one, but well, he doesn't really count." Lucky gave a wry snicker, "Oh…! Had yourself a very special somepony then?" Some warm memory seemed to kindle in the back of the mare's eyes, "Yeah, he was pretty spec— Wait, no!" she blushed furiously. "It was nothing like that. I mean he was my brother. That would just be…" "Hey, I'm not one to judge," Clover said with a sarcastic leer before pressing, "If that's what whiles your willies far be it from me to…" The poor girl's embarrassment only seemed to deepen, threatening to turn her whole coat from lavender to a vibrant crimson shade. The earth mare let out an exasperated sigh "I'm joking. Sheesh, Tenbs, learn to lighten up and live a little." The clarification hardly seemed to help and several awkward moments passed in silence as neither mare seemed able to look at each other. "Uh... how 'bout we just get back to what exactly brought you to my doorstep?" The unicorn's mortified humiliation finally seemed to subside, at least enough for her to find her voice, "Oh, right. Well… um, you see, I've kind of been looking for a comedian, and well, I caught your act and…" ... "…and? Wait! Don't tell me you're a talent scout or something?" Lucky smiled broadly. Her smiles were always genuine, but she'd almost forgotten just how much better they could be when she didn't have to coax them out through sarcastic wit. Then again, it was probably too much to hope for, however… "I mean if that's true, it would be the most exciting news ever… but, Tenbre please, even I'd find it in poor taste if you were only teasing me." "Sorry, I'm no talent scout," the unicorn answered with a frown, but then amended herself, "well, I guess I sort of am scouting for talents, but it's nothing like what you'd think." "Oh…" Clover felt that boundless and joyful hope slowly ebb from her face as a frown slowly crept into replace it; that wouldn't do, "but you actually liked my act, right? So much so that you had to follow me home just to meet me in person." She could feel the excitement rushing back. "So what's the gig then, Tenbs? Even if it's just a birthday or a wedding, that's still more than I've ever been offered before, and…" She trailed off as she caught herself. Now she was just starting to sound way too desperate. "Yeah right, just listen to me prattle on. You're the one looking for a comedian after all." "About that," the unicorn shifted nervously in her seat, "I don't actually think you're the pony I'm looking for. I was sort of there looking to catch one of the other acts. Seeing you perform was really just an accident, and well, I wouldn't exactly say I liked your routine." Now Lucky could feel all that small hope from earlier truly twist and morph into something like anger. "Well then, just why is it you're bothering me then!" she fumed with a dry bluster. The unicorn shrank under Clover's glare "Um… well, Curiosity I guess. After that first night, I came back and… well, I mean, I just don't get it; you never make anypony laugh, so I just had to know why it is you keep getting up on that stage?" Looking into the Tenbre's eyes, Clover saw only genuine puzzlement. Whatever anger she'd been brewing quickly evaporated as she smiled and explained, "Oh, that. The short answer is that I'm probably just a glutton for punishment, with an unfortunate emphasis on the pun." Nothing. The unicorn just held a studious gaze without so much as even a groan. Lucky sighed; she had hoped that would be enough, but her guest's penetrating stare never wavered. "Look, first off, it's not like it should even matter if anypony is laughing or not. I get up onto that stage cause it makes me happy; what else should matter other than that?" ... "And the second reason?" the unicorn pressed. Oh, Clover had hardly realized her previous statement had ben prefaced in a way as to invite such an additional query. She really wished that Tenbre hadn't asked her that. Was there even a 'secondly', she thought to herself. Normally she wouldn't bother, but something about that look of unbridled inquisitiveness compelled her to try at least. The earth mare scratched her chin, for once attempting to come up with a serious answer to a question that she'd hardly ever even bothered to ask herself. "Well hmph… I guess, well maybe… it's like this. When ponies hear my jokes they might not laugh out loud, but I can see the look in their eyes. They don't want to admit it, but it makes them happy to be reminded how bad their lives aren't. They really are laughing, sort of at least; just somewhere deep inside their souls, in a place they don't like to admit even exists." Her guest squinted one eye as she raised the brow of the other, "…and, and you really believe that?" "Yeah... I guess I really do. I mean, what would be the point if I didn't? I might not think about it much, but in a way I've always known it, ever since the day I got my cutie mark." She paused and watched as her guest leaned sideways to glance around the table at Lucky's flank. "I used to wonder why my mark would be a symbol for good luck." She chuckled a bit. "I mean with the kind of luck I've always had a ladder, or a broken mirror, or maybe an open umbrella against the silhouette of a house would have all made more sense. It took me awhile, but then I noticed how much better my misfortunes made everypony else feel." She saw a look of stunned, not quite horror, but something almost as uncomfortable cross Tenbre's face. Clover had to admit, waxing philosophical like this really did cast her talent poorly. "It sounds awful, I know, but ponies can look at me and say, 'I'm glad I'm not her'. It makes them smile, even if they don't know why. That's when it hit me; my luck may be rotten, but that's because I am the lucky charm." "Huh," the unicorn said in complete bewilderment. "I don't get it; how's that make any kind of sense?" "Well, it's like this. Ponies pick clovers for good luck, right?" The unicorn nodded. "But think about it; what happens to the clover? It dies, that's what!" She slammed a hoof on the table, not out of anger or spite, but merely to emphasize the point. After that, she paused to take a deep breath. "But before it does it fills the bearer's life with joy." Lucky shook her down cast head as she strained to chuckle. "I know it might seem sad, but well, if in my own little way I can leave the rest of the world a happier and better place in the end, well, then all the little personal sufferings I have to endure will all be worth it." A blink, then a second and a third, "Wow… You…? You're perfect!" Clover regained a bit of her normal wit, "Perfectly insane you mean, right?" She giggled lightly before continuing, "If I had a bit for every time somepony told me that… well, actually I'd still be close to broke. Most folks prefer to just shake their heads and walk away rather than speak their mind like that." "No I'm serious!" Tenbre insisted. "I didn't think I'd ever actually be asking you this, and well, it's probably going to be your turn to think I'm the crazy one afterwards, but... well, here goes." Author's Note • Proof reading by LDLUYAB and Mally
Chapter 4: "Big Adventure"... 298 ... "YYYYEEE!!!" ... 299 ... "AAH!!" ... 300 ... "YEEAAAHHHH!!!!" Finishing his final bench press, Snowflake deposited the barbell back on its perch as he sat up and gave a self-congratulatory shout of pride. Despite the volume, nopony else in the gym seemed to give it much mind, having long since grown accustomed to the pegasus's exclamations. He picked up his sports bottle and chugged down nearly half its contents in a few long gulps. He then toweled the beads of sweat from his broad forehead before draping the cloth around his wide neck. Refreshed and relaxed, he then made an energetic canter over to the mirror on the other side of the large room. A few patrons paused in their exercises to stare at the sight of the grown, and exceptionally buff pegasus stallion, prancing about like a schoolfilly. Snowflake didn't care; he was used to such jealousy. With a bod as sexy as his, who wouldn't stare? That it was more so his behavior that caught their attention never crossed his mind. As he approached the mirror he slowed to admire the handsome stallion that appeared before him: glistening white coat heavy with hard earned perspiration and a short trimmed dark blond mane. Growing up there had always been foals who would tease him about those colors for some reason or another, something about some old nag of a crone that lived in the sun. That wasn't important though, the colors were just the wrapping that held the gift that was his flawless physique: a chiseled barrel, swelled shoulders, rippling flank, and solid haunches. His cannons were lean, but that was intentional, to preserve agility. He flexed as he watched the Snowflake in the mirror strike a sequence of poses. "YYEEEEAHHH!!" Bodybuilding certainly hadn't been his first dream in life. No, like most young pegasi he had dreamed of growing up to be a Wonderbolt, but the coaches at summer flight camp quickly squashed that hope, telling him how his stubby wings would never be suited for such high speed aerobatics. Still, he had wanted to somehow serve his country and follow in his Uncle Marching's hoofsteps, but well, even the royal pegasus guard had agility requirements he couldn't quite match, not back then at least. Ever determined, young Snowflake had his most brilliant idea ever. If he couldn't do anything to enlarge his wings, then he'd enlarge the rest of himself and get an earth pony commission. The work was brutal and exhausting, but it had more than paid off. Not only did he earn his cutie mark, but now he had a body that even the brawniest earth guard would be jealous of. Maybe they were too jealous though. He finally got his shot, but shortly after signing on he was dismissed because of some obviously made up excuse about bad hearing. First they had tried to keep him out because of small wings, and when that failed they instead tried to say his ears were too small also? Snowflake could take a hint. He didn't know who had it out for him but if the royal guard didn't want him, he'd find another way to serve his country. And so he started traveling all over Equestria; competing in any athletic event he could and becoming a role model to young colts everywhere, proof of what hard work and determination could accomplish. By far though, his proudest accomplishment was what his old coaches had told him he'd never have, his wingpower. Small as they were, he could muscle out and produce more raw wind speed than any two average pegasi combined. It was with this inexplicable wingpower that he'd achieved his greatest act of community service, by participating in more water raising tornado teams than any other pegasus in history. Half those teams would have been shy the needed 800 wingpower if he hadn't joined up. It was training for another one of those events, over in Fillydelphia, that had brought him to the gym today. Well, actually he came to the gym everyday anyway, but he always trained extra hard for tornado season. Now though, it was time to hit the showers, go home, eat a big meal, and rest up so he could train again tomorrow. As Snowflake stepped out of the gym, he was approached by a skinny unicorn mare with a lavender coat covered by a practical heavy duty cloak. "Pardon me, but are you Snowflake?" She must be another adoring fan. "YYYEAAAAHH!" She looked startled and nervous, but then again what mare wouldn't be distracted by his awesome bod? "Um... well, yes then. I've got a proposition I'd like to make to you." Proposition, did that mean what he thought it meant? "yYeEaAhH?!?" As the mare began an overly long explanation, Snowflake quickly realized that no, no it did not. Still, it would be rude to just walk away so he tried to listen closely to the mare, but like most ponies she talked in barely more than a soft mumble. Worse still, she also liked to use big words, and not just medium big words, but reeaaalllllllllyyyyyy big words. Hay, he was pretty sure half those words couldn't even be Equestrian. Between all those factors, Snowflake couldn't really be blamed for getting a bit distracted as he tried to puzzle out what she was getting at. He managed to make out something about elephants in a symphony; could elephants even play music? Well, he guessed with such large ears they must have pretty good hearing, and maybe they might be able to use those trunks of theirs like trumpets. He'd even once heard that their tusks were supposed to be like pianos, though Snowflake never understood how. Earlier, she'd introduced herself as Tambourine Secretary, and while her cloak hid her cutie mark, he figured she must be a musician of some kind. Although, since she obviously wasn't some crooning fangirl, he still couldn't figure out what any of this had to do with him. Wait, the mare was still talking. She'd gone onto say something about needing him because he was like a monastery or something. Now what could she mean by that? At best guess he figured she must be referring to his brick like muscles. It still seemed like a rather odd comparison; he'd have thought a fortress would work better. More importantly though, he'd finally figured out what she needed him for. Obviously she wanted to try to hire him to move all that heavy orchestra equipment. Why the elephants weren't enough to get that job done though was a mystery to him, but moving stuff that even a herd of pachyderms was having trouble with sounded like just his kind of challenge. As he contemplated the boon this could be to his reputation, he almost missed an even more important detail. "...and save all of Equestria from..." He wasn't sure how everything that came before added up to that, but Snowflake could think of only one response to such a request. Author's Note • Proof reading by LDLUYAB and Mally
Chapter 5: "Sharing Kindness"Siliverstar pondered to himself once again just how it was he'd let himself get roped into this. He sighed as he reassured himself that he hadn't actually made any personal promises – yet – but he had the sinking feeling he was just trying to come up with an excuse to walk away if things didn't work out. …or maybe it was the idea that things might actually work out that scared him more. He'd finally gotten the lass to explain to him all the details of what she'd been through. Too be perfectly honest with himself there were parts that sounded suspect, but Twilight didn't seem to have a deceptive bone in her whole body, even using her real name when they'd met, which given her situation really wasn't the kind of risk she should be taking with perfect strangers. Part of him knew that he should have taken this matter to the proper authorities. The old Silverstar would have done just that, but that was back before he'd learned that life couldn't always be viewed in such a stark black & white fashion. Twilight had seemed absolutely certain that this Lulamoon was manipulating the whole system, and Silverstar had met enough two-faced politicians in his day to know that was a distinct possibility. Then again, Twilight didn't seem all that good a judge of character either. The fact she'd singled him, of all ponies, out as some paragon of loyalty was proof of that. Still, given her situation it was only natural she'd have to scrape the bottom of the barrel, such as it were. Silverstar knew all too well that he wasn't the pony she needed to round out this team she was building, and couldn't be even if he wanted too – which he emphatically reminded himself he didn't. Still, maybe, just maybe he was the best she could hope to find, and if that were the case, could he really turn her down? Silverstar shook his head, to banish the vision of her pleading face, of those hopelessly forlorn eyes begging for somepony to swoop in and take away all her pain – NO! – he couldn't let himself think that way, not anymore. The former sheriff sighed... he was a bad pony, and would only bring her further pain if he so much as tried to join her cause. … Still, there was just something about those eyes that compelled him, reached into the very depths of his soul and dredged up past emotions he'd thought long drowned under all the drink he could afford. Bah! Now was not the time to let himself get all sentimental like this. He might not have promised to actually join her team – not yet at least, that nagging urge in the back of his head insisted again. What he had promised though was to find one of the ponies she was looking for. He'd seen her list and having no claim by which to judge, he figured most of them were perfectly fine candidates. The young girl seemed to do her research well enough, even if she'd erred in picking him. What he knew with certainty though was that if she was to have any chance at success one pony she needed wasn't on that list. After all, he'd already met the kindest and sweetest pony of them all. Now if only he could bring himself face-to-face with her... after what happened. Birds chirped in a tree outside a peaceful house, two stories tall with faded white siding and surrounded by a spacious yard with a picket fence. It was the very picture of an idyllic home, the kind most everypony thought of raising a family in. Well, the grass was a bit overgrown and the bushes could use a good trimming, but it was still a fine house. Inside, the house was quiet, the loudest sound to be heard was a grandfather clock ticking away the minutes in the hallway. In a side study, decorated with portraits and lined with shelves that bore all sorts of carved wooden knickknacks, there sat a single solitary pony. The earth pony mare sat at the window staring out, just like she did every day. Her cyan coat and light gray mane were kept neatly groomed, but not by any effort of her own. As she sat, no particular focus held the empty gaze of purple eyes, nor did any meaningful thought occupy her mind – even here own existence was something that barely registered. There was a gentle knock at the door, but the mare didn't react nor did her visitor seem to expect any as he opened the door with little hesitation. A pegasus colt, nearly a full grown stallion, with a light navy coat and dull brown mane stepped into the room. Balancing a tray of food on his back, he walked slowly over to the mare at the window. "Good morning, mother. I brought breakfast." He smiled as he tried to catch her gaze, but today was no different than the day before and she gave no response or in any other way acknowledged his presence. That was okay – he'd not really expected anything else, and much as he might hope for even the most subtle acknowledgement, the greeting was more a matter of due courtesy than anything else. He moved the tray from his back over to a nearby stand. He then gently took up a knife and fork with his hooves, to cut the food and one-by-one place a single bite at a time in the mare's slack mouth. She slowly chewed and swallowed each, but otherwise continued to remain oblivious to all surroundings. The colt smiled, with only the barest hint of sadness, as he went about what had become a thrice daily ritual, among all the other duties he went about each day to ensure his mother was in the best of physical health. She had taken care of him for longer than he could remember and it was least he could do to return the favor now. After she swallowed the last bite of food the colt brought a napkin to her face to clean it, and even knowing how futile it was, again he searched her eyes for any semblance of thought or recognition, of the vibrancy and life she used to have, but as always she stared at him with the same empty hollowness with which she stared at everything else since that fateful day. ... The moment was interrupted by the chime of the front doorbell. The colt paused in curiosity; he'd not been expecting company this morning. Since coming back to Equestria he'd had little free time to reacquaint himself with the other ponies his age. His mother, and late father, still had some old friends in town, but most of them barely stopped by anymore, and even less so at this early hour of the day. "Just sit patiently, mother. I'll be right back," he said before he rose and left the room. The colt knew such words were unnecessary; in her condition, his mother never moved of her own volition. If guided, she would stand and even walk, but otherwise she would just sit aimlessly without end. So again, his words were little more than a token courtesy, born out of his hopes that even if she couldn't respond, that she could still hear and take comfort from his voice. Stopping at the front door, he pressed his face to the peephole to see who might be calling, and was greeted by a face he'd not expected to ever see again. Quickly throwing open the door he declared, "Sheriff Silverstar!" ... The former law pony stood, eyes down turned and hat held against the barrel of his chest with one hoof. "I'm sorry," he said, "I knew this was a mistake. I'm probably the last pony you ever wanted come knocking at your door." Placing his stetson back on his head, the brim tipped low to hide his eyes from the pained or hateful gaze of another pony he'd wronged. "Best I just leave now I reckon and not bother you anymore," and with that he turned and started to walk away, but scarcely made it two paces before. "Wait!" Silverstar turned and genuinely looked at the young lad's face, a face that bore no hint of malice on condemnation. No, instead it bore an expression so much worse – excited enthusiasm and even... beaming admiration. "How could I ever be anything but happy to see the pony who saved us?" With a sigh of resignation Silverstar thought to himself, Yeup, this was definitely a mistake. Author's Note • Proof reading by ColdGoldLazarus (formerly LDLUYAB) • Additional proofing by Georg and The Great Derpsby
Chapter 6: "A Beautiful Heart"A young earth pony colt ran down an alley, a small sack of ill-gotten loot clutched tightly in his mouth. His lime-green mane billowed as his lungs heaved beneath the dark brown coat of his barrel. It had been a stupid dare; he should have known better. Now he was going to be in big trouble. The colt chanced a backwards glance to see if he was still being chased. As his eyes took in only empty air and the refuse of the alley he, breathed a sigh of relief as he slowed his gallop to a trot before coming to a full stop. His heart was still racing as he panted deep breaths, but between each he found himself beginning to chuckle. As he came full about, a new sensation entered his head; he'd actually gotten away with it. The thrill rushed over him, pure exhilaration. He'd never felt anything quite like it, and quickly found the fear and guilt washing away beneath an overwhelming sense of empowerment. Taking one last moment to stare at the empty alley behind him, the colt turned to leave, but quickly felt himself bodily lifted into the air. "Gotcha, you little hooligan!" called out the pegasus dressed in an officer's uniform who had swooped out of the sky and was now carrying the little thief away. It was all over, he'd been caught and there was no escape… unless. There was that one trick mamma had taught him. She'd be mad if she ever found out he used it in public like this, but she'd be just as mad if she found out he'd been caught stealing. All these thoughts passed through his head in just a few brief seconds and before he was fully conscious of making a decision the young colt found himself sneering out a threat. "Oh yeah!" the colt stared defiantly, "But who's got you?" The officer was more than a little confused as he watched the little miscreant close his eyes in concentration. Were the colt a unicorn he might have been worried, even if the young lad was obviously too young to know any dangerous spells. He quickly put it out of his mind, but then it happened, something that he'd never experienced once since before graduating flight camp so many years ago. He fell. Try as he might his wings couldn't catch the wind, almost as though they weren't even there, but that would be silly. Wings couldn't just randomly disappear. It only lasted a second, maybe less, but the officer had still been close to the ground, and by the time he recovered, it was all he could do to twist in the air to make sure the colt he was carrying (thief or not he was still just a child) wouldn't bear the brunt of the crash. The colt limped away from the crash site and the unconscious adult, or at least he hoped the officer was only unconscious. The colt breathed heavy his head still dizzy from the exertion. Then as he took his next step a sharp pain stabbed up and through his left hind-leg. Had he broken his leg in the fall? No, or at least he didn't think so. His leg hadn't given way, and all too quickly the pain shifted into a numb tingling like his leg had simply fallen asleep. He wasn't sure why but he was afraid to look back. As he tested to confirm that his leg could still bear weight, something still felt wrong. It didn't really hurt any more, but it didn't feel like it was moving the right way either. Maybe it was broken, and it just hurt too much for him to feel it. He'd heard stories that could sometimes happen with really bad injuries, not that it was a very reassuring thought at the moment. Still, if it really was broken, he didn't think he should have actually been able to stand on it even if he couldn't feel the pain. Unable to figure out what was wrong he turned his head, very slowly. At first he couldn't see anything; the whole world had gone black. He panicked for a moment, wondering if he had gone blind as well now – then chided himself as he realized he had his eyes tightly shut. This was getting ridiculous. He was no infant yearling, so why was he acting like such a baby? Whatever might be wrong, it couldn't be that scary. Cautiously he peeked a look through squinting eyes. … The sound of a young pony's terrified screams echoed through the alleys. The Lost Hearts orphanage, a largely private funded and wholly independently operated home for young ponies that, for any number of unfortunate reasons, had no families to look after them. Inside a sitting room, two adult unicorns sat engaged in conversation while drinking tea. "Well, Miss Scintillation, that is quite the tale," said the elder of the two, a blue-maned and yellow-coated unicorn mare. Lemon Hearts was the proprietor of this facility, a pony hailed by the local papers for her generosity in providing a nurturing home for those who could not take care of themselves. Her irreproachable virtue was born out by the trio of blue and green hearts on her flank. Her lavender-coated guest answered plainly, "I assure you it's all true, and with your help everything can be set to right again." Lemon Hearts sipped from the tea cup levitated by her magical aura. "I'm sure you must understand that I have important duties to attend, young ponies that depend on me. I can't just pack up and leave, not on such short notice at least." "I understand that you have obligations, but this is the very fate of Equestria we are ralking about!" as the younger mare saw how her host was staring she realized only belatedly that in her excitement she had pounded her hoof against the top of the table, spilling her own tea cup. She blushed sheepishly. The silence hung heavy for a few tense moments, but before either mare could make to speak, the door was flung open and a young pegasus filly with a white coat and vibrant three-toned mane of yellow, pink, and green burst into the room. "Mamma Hearts, Mamma Hearts, there's been an accident! You…" She trailed off as she noted the firmly admonishing gaze of her caretaker's magenta eyes. "Young lady, what have I told you about interrupting me while I am with company?" The voice was strict, but not overtly harsh, "Surely there is no crisis that one of the older children cannot manage for a short while, and if it were that serious one of them should have been the one to come tell me." "But it's Limey. He's hurt. He was limping real bad and had a raggy blanket wrapped around his leg when he came in, but when Frosty Mane tried to look at it, he got all panicky. He ran upstairs and locked himself in one of the bed rooms," the filly panted a bit as she let her breath catch up with her. "He said something about you being real angry if anypony else tried to come in there. "Now deary, when have you ever known me to be angry with anypony?" Lemon Hearts said in a soothingly patient tone. "I know that, Mamma Hearts. I'm sorry to break the rules and bother you like this. Frosty Mane said that if Limey could still run like that he couldn't be hurt too bad so we should just wait, but Limey looked so scarred and I am really worried about him." The little filly's blue eyes watered as she looked to be on the verge of tears, "I don't care how much trouble this gets me in, but please, Mamma Hearts, you just have to come and help right now." Lemon Hears breathed deeply. She paced over to the young pegasus who's head hung low as she sniffed and fought to control tears. The unicorn mare stroked a single hoof through the filly's tri-colored mane and then raised the youngster's chin to meet her eyes. "There, there, Cream Breeze. No one's in any trouble here. You're a good sister, and Lime Wedge is lucky to have someone who cares for him so much." Turning to her guest, Lemon Hearts spoke, "I'm sorry to cut our meeting short Miss Scintillation, but as you can see I have urgent matters to attend to with one of my wards." The younger mare nodded slowly, "Yes, of course I understand, but will you at least consider my request? I know this isn't something you can rush into, but it really is important. Could I maybe come back after I've found the others I need?" The elder mare smiled gently, "I shall think on the matter, and if I am able to arrange it I will offer what help I can." "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" The lavender pony caught herself and halted her bouncing, "Er… I mean, I'm gracious to be worthy of such consideration and will look forward to your decision. Good day Madame Hearts." She gave a small bow as she excused herself, and left. With her guest dismissed, Lemon Hearts had given Cream Breeze a final reassurance that she would check on Lime Wedge right away, that she wasn't cross and that there wouldn't even be any punishment. The filly was still obviously worried, but only lingered a moment after being told to go back and play with the others. It was sweet really. Lemon Hearts encouraged her wards to treat each other as siblings, such familial bonds were useful for keeping the children tightknit and made her their natural figure of maternal authority. Still, every so often among the children those feelings would run... deeper. She'd seen it before; it was somewhat a pity that being one of her special children Lime Wedge would likely never be able to reciprocate those feeling. Maybe when she had everything she needed from the colt she could spare the effort to teach him to pretend. That, however, was a matter for the future and right now she had more immediate concerns to attend. As Lemon Hearts started upstairs, she found her thoughts still lingering on the offer the visiting unicorn had presented. She hadn't wanted to dismiss her guest so hastily. The offer was indeed most tempting, but even if she were to take it up, she couldn't seem too eager now could she – not if she was to play the role of Generosity. The idea made her chuckle lightly to herself. It certainly made sense why Tenebrosity Scintillation, or whatever the young mare's real name was, had concluded to asked her to exemplify such a quality. Not that Lemon Hearts held the minor deception against the unicorn. She herself had used more than a fair share of aliases over her life. Still, that might be the problem with accepting such an offer. Certainly Lemon Hearts the philanthropist who had dedicated her life to providing care for the lost children of Equestria – poor unfortunate souls with nowhere else to go – fit the bill, but that wasn't quite who she really was. She could fool ponies easily enough, but could she actually fool the primal forces of Harmony itself? If she could though… why the possibilities where deliciously tantalizing. Even with her already impressive abilities, an ancient power like that was not something to be dismissed without consideration – a power greater than even an alicorn. Why the very idea alone that such power could be hers for the taking was a temptation that might well be worth any risk. True there would be five others she would have to work with, but Lemon Hearts had never been a stranger to coercion. In her present life most ponies assumed that her cutie mark represented boundless love or some other such of the likes. The truth was that her special talent was empathy. Most might think that pretty much the same thing, but all it really meant was that she was skilled at reading the emotions and even secret desires of those around her. It made it very easy for her to get whatever she wanted, as she always knew exactly the right thing to say or do to motivate a pony or play on their sympathies. Also, thanks to being a unicorn she could augment her talents with several very useful spells. Her former family might be proud of the use she'd put the training they'd given her, that is if she hadn't discarded the whole lot after getting everything of value she could from them. She had her own goals and ambitions; she refused to be just another stepping stone in a generational legacy, not when she had devised a way to gain it all for herself instead and in doing so had accomplished more in a matter of decades than her ancestors had in over a millennia. Still, she had to move slowly and cautiously lest she draw overt notice to her true endeavors. Bad enough if any remaining members of her family found her (though she was confident that by now she was more than a match for any of them). More so, she couldn't let the common ponies learn her secrets. That was the real reason for the orphanage. She only had use for a very select few of the dozens of children she took in, but if she didn't have the others to diffuse attention the outside world might grow suspicious of certain oddities. Yet because of that the years were starting to ever so slowly catch up with her. There were days when she doubted if she really could achieve it all. Which brought her back to today's visitor and the proposal. That stood to change everything. With the Elements of Harmony at her disposal, with even the merest fraction of that untold power, she might in very short order be able to surpass even her own wildest expectations. First things first, however. Lemon heart's knocked on the door to the back dorm room, "Lime Wedge, are you in there?" There was no response save for a muffled shuffling sound. It was a simple matter for Lemon Hearts to reach past the door with her magic and flip the locked latch. She opened the door, only to find the room darkened with all the curtains drawn. Peering through the shadows, she looked past the rows of beds and managed to make out the form of a colt in the far corner. "Now then deary, what are you doing hiding back there?" There was brief pause before, "You… you're gonna be angry with me. I… I did a bad thing." As Lemon Hearts reached the back corner she could now see her ward curling tightly in on himself as he rocked back and forth. His brown coat was greasy and sweat stained while a pervading and deep-seated horror wafted off of him, centered on… his left hind leg. It was wrapped tightly in an assortment of knotted rags and bent at an awkward angle. She reached out to examine the leg, but the colt batted her hoof away with his own, but then just as quickly recoiled, realizing who it was he was lashing out at and clenched his eyes tight in shame. "Don't cry deary; whatever it is can't be all that bad," actually, if it was what she thought, it might just be, but right now the frightened child needed more consoling attention, lest things get any worse. "Just tell me everything, I promise it's nothing we can't fix together." "I didn't want to do it, but I had to get away. It's all that dumb Biggs's fault anyway! He dared me to do it all in the first place." Lemon Hearts frowned ever so slightly. She still didn't know exactly what had happened, but she hardly needed too. Mauve Bigarade was an older ward at her orphanage, a troubled youth whose mother had passed on while bringing him into this world only to leave the boy to spend the next few years under the care of a father who blamed the child for the loss. Unsurprisingly, the colt had picked up some rather bad habits in that time, habits Lemon Hearts thought she had broken him of, but now it seemed he was just pressing the other children to do his dirty deeds. Yes, looking back the signs were there all along, if subtle. Lemon Hearts almost admired the young deviant's ability to maintain such a charade under her watch. Still, she couldn't have her peaceful operation being disrupted by an uppity brat with delusions that he had free license to run things his own way. A lesson as to who was really in charge would have to be taught. A soft sniffling brought her attention back to more immediate concerns. She gently rubbed a hoof through Lime Wedge's dirty green mane to sooth him as she hummed a few bars of his favorite lullaby. "There, there deary, it's alright. Now why don't you show me what's wrong." She already had her suspicions, but she had to be sure. Lime Wedge gave a few more sniffs, "Promise… promise you won't get mad?" There was no reply, not with words, but as Lime Wedge looked up into those eyes, into Mamma Heart's deep magenta eyes he knew the same thing he always knew – that all the children knew – that no matter what, she would always be there to love and protect, and could never be truly cross or angry. All his worries just melted away under her comforting gaze, as she hummed that tune which was older than he could remember, but which always made him feel less like an orphan who had lost his real family long before he'd ever had a chance to know them – except of course he had a family, more brothers and sisters than he could even count, and of course there was always Mamma Hearts herself, so loving and kind. Here in her gentle embrace it seemed so silly that he'd ever been scared at all. The young colt backed away just a little bit, and Lemon Hearts let him, a soothing smiling on her face and in her eyes maintaining the atmosphere of trusting reassurance. Such simple measures to weave, she thought to herself, and yet no less satisfying for the ease of the effort. One by one the knots and coils of rags came undone and Lemon Hearts cast a light from her horn to see it more clearly. She had to suppress the audible hiss from her sharp intake of air, at the sight that greeted her. Still, she held a passive face as her eyes gazed down the young colt's brown flank to where it meat dark green scales that stretched down the entire length of the reshaped limb all the way to the end where instead of a hoof was now a dragon-like claw. "I knew you'd be angry," the colt sniffed. Only belatedly did Lemon Hearts realize she'd allowed her smile to slip into a scowl, how careless of her. "No deary, never," she said, her voice dripping with sweetness as she twisted her face back into a smile. The colt was too young to consciously notice that the smile failed to reach all the way to his caretaker's eyes, so he only grew confused at how cold and unsettling the room had suddenly become. Whatever was wrong though he knew it had to be with him – after all, mamma loved him with all her heart… didn't she? Lemon Hearts, however, realized all too easily what was happening, that she was letting her mask slip, but she was very cross. Not with the colt, it was hardly his fault, but rather at all the wasted effort she'd put into him. He was still so young and she had thought him full of so much more potential, but as she magically extended her sight she saw not only the physical manifestation of the corruption in the young pony's body, but the extent of the deeper instability of the taint that dwelt inside him. If, even only by accident, he was already reaching his limits… well, there likely wasn't much hope in expecting such great returns from him after all – a pity really. The elder mare closed he eyes and the colt sighed in relief as the act broke the penetrating gaze that seemed to stare through the very core of his being. He let out a breath he hadn't even known he'd been holding, as he spoke hesitantly, "Now… now you're going to make it… make it better, right? Just like you promised… just like you always do." "But of course my precocious darling. Now just relax," she spoke in a strange tone that seemed to resound at an odd pitch. When she she opened her eyes they were no longer their normal vibrant rosy color, but instead beady blood read pupils set inside sickly yellow orbs. "Mamma's gonna make it all better." Author's Note • Special thanks to Fizzy Orange, this chapter wouldn't be what it is without his inspiration. Doubly so as he went above the call and provided me with some proof reading as well.
Chapter 7: "An Easy Feat"It was a glorious spring afternoon; the birds chirped, the foals played, and the clouds had been perfectly positioned to provide a relaxing shade. It was the kind of day on which everypony couldn't help but be blissfully happy and joyously carefree – everypony that is save one. Atop a park bench sat a lavender unicorn mare in a rough brown cloak, heedless to the vibrant frivolity that abounded all around her. For Twilight Sparkle, things hadn't been going so well, not since being framed for a crime she didn't commit – well okay, actually she did commit the crime, but it wasn't her fault. She'd been tricked into it by that pretensions charlatan, the so-called Element of Magic, Trixie Lulamoon! That was all going to change, however, and with her meticulously crafted plan she'd expose that self-important fraud and prove herself the superior unicorn! …or at least that's how things were supposed to happen. Twilight had done all her research, selected a list of worthy candidates, but one-by-one she'd met only aloof dismissal or scornful rejection. Nopony seemed willing to believe her, most wouldn't even give her the chance to explain, and those few who would hear her out still refused anyway for any variety of contrived excuses. Some of them were reasonable enough: "I wish I could help, I really do, but I can't take that kind of time off, and if I lose my job I'll never be able to make next month's rent." But others were obviously just making up excuses – if not insane: "YOUr eLephANTS aRe hOpELESs!" Out of the dozens of ponies she'd approached, only two had given so much as a maybe. Still, one of those two said he knew someone perfect for the team, so that would make four in total, counting herself. Not enough, but maybe working together they could all find viable proxies to fill the leftover gaps and make this plan work. It was with that hope she now sat here, waiting for the second most loyal and dependable pony she'd ever known. It seemed kind of silly to think about him that way; Twilight barely even new Sheriff Silverstar, but for some inexplicable –utterly irrational– reason when he was around she had no doubt that things might actually work out. … Awkward minutes passed, and with each tick of the nearby clocktower, Twilight's confidence dwindled. He'd probably forgotten about her, or worse, maybe he'd just never really carried in the first place and just like every other pony she'd tried to recruit he thought she was the crazy one. Maybe he was right this very moment laughing it off in some tavern as he lost himself to another drink. The very thought of such betrayal made Twilight— "Pardon me, miss. Sorry to have kept ya waiting." Twilight looked up and there he was, just like he'd promised, and as she looked into the deep blue of those protective eyes, Twilight wondered how she could have ever doubted him. Without even pausing to think, she leapt from the bench and tackled the brown-coated earth stallion, knocking the black stetson from his head. As she held him in a tight embrace, she heard him cough slightly, "I'm… glad to be seeing ya too, girl, but… it's a might hard to breath like this." The unicorn blushed against her violet coat as she released her grip and backed away to a more respectable distance, "I'm so sorry about that. It's just I've not been doing so well finding any more recruits and I was so worried that you'd abandoned me too and—" She was cut short as Silverstar placed a single hoof over her mouth, "No need for explanations. Can't say I'd be able to put much faith in me either, if'n I were the one in yer place, but I made ya a promise and a proper stallion always keeps his word." Only belatedly did Silverstar question how that should be any reassurance; how could a pony as wretched as himself rightly claim to be a proper stallion? His introspection was cut short as Twilight enthusiastically inquired "So then, where is she? The sooner I meet your friend the sooner we can all start working together." Her question asked, the unicorn began eagerly scanning the area, eyes darting about rapidly as she grinned with jubilant excitement. Silverstar paused in the middle of picking up his fallen hat… and let out an audible sigh. "Mother's right in here Sheriff." Silverstar started to remind Woody not to call him that, but then stopped and just let his mouth hang instead. If the past hour had made anything clear it was that there was no disavowing the boy of his naive sense of hero worship. It was hardly his greatest concern anyhow, not now that he found himself here, just a few short paces from… her. The light blue of her coat was exactly as he remembered it. Her elegant gray mane-style was simply, but clearly well washed and groomed. Given her condition, Silverstar had feared to find the mare woefully emaciated, but she was clearly well fed, the picture of physical health. It was obvious her son had been caring for her admirably, and really Silverstar knew he should have expected as much from the boy. This was it, the entire reason he'd made the long trip, but now that he was so close, the trail worn stallion found himself wishing he was anywhere else. Taking a deep breath, he mentally prodded himself, no turning back now you old fool, and then took his first tentative steps. Each step was slow and deliberate, like walking in molasses, as he was hesitant to actually approach the mare at the other end. Silverstar knew he didn't deserve to set foot in the same town as Miss Loosy, let alone come into her home begging a request for help, especially not given the condition her son said she was in. The former sheriff had wanted to just leave the moment he'd found out, but Woody had insisted he try speaking with her – "I think maybe she's been waiting for you." – that's what the boy had said. It seemed such a silly notion; who could possibly wait on a pony the likes of himself? Still, the boy had been so insistent, and Silverstar just couldn't bring himself to say no. The mare made no indication she heard his approach, which was hardly surprising under the circumstances. At first Silverstar reached up a hoof to touch her shoulder, but after a lingering moment instead brought it to his mouth as he coughed. "Pardon the intrusion ma'am, but if'n it's not too much trouble I've got a favor to ask." There was no response, not even the slightest change in her passive breathing to suggest she had any awareness someone was speaking to her. Normally such a silence would have been all the message Silverstar needed to know he wasn't welcome, but after what he'd been told, he knew that it was just a symptom of her deeper problems. Still, every instinct was telling him to run away before it was too late. Too think, after all the dangers he'd faced in his long career on the open frontiers of the Mild West, the thing that now inspired the most terror in his weary bones was this lone mare. Silverstar would laugh, it weren't so utterly pathetic. More importantly though, he knew that he couldn't flee. Not only had he made a promise to Twilight, but now one to Woody as well, and he didn't need to spare a glance backwards to know that the boy was looking on with longing eagerness. Silverstar stepped around in front of the mare. He lowered his head level with hers and gazed into those infinitely deep violet eyes. A man could lose himself in those eyes, or at least that used to be the case. Now they were only empty, bereft of their former vibrant allure. Was there even any point in trying; was there anything left of the pony he'd once known? He took in a deep breath, knowing that if there was to be any chance, he couldn't waste time with formalities, that he would have to speak from the heart. "Loosy, it's me… it's Silverstar. I… well, I came here lookin' fer yer help, but well, I guess maybe ya need my help too… least that's what yer son here thinks. Ya should see him, Loosy; he's growing up into a fine young stallion, more than a might better than most. I guess maybe that's why ya ain't in such a hurry to come back, cause I guess ya know he'll do alright all on his own, but that don't mean he doesn't miss ya something fierce." "Still, Woody here, he says yer talent's always been makin' things fit together, and that's the reason why ya won't come back fer just one pony. He's says that's why fate must of brought me here, cause ya see, I'm not here for myself; I know I ain't worthy, but I met this lost little filly. She's all alone, and up against impossible odds, but she's got a plan… only she needs help to make that plan happen. She needs somepony who can help her build a team of special ponies. She needs somepony just like you." "So if'n yer still in there, Loosy, won't you please come back?" Silverstar stared deep into her eyes, hoping against hope to see her stare back… and he waited. Silverstar held his stetson to his chest, head down cast, "I'm sorry Twi, but well my friend… well, she ain't in any position to help nopony." He then took another deep breath before continuing, "I tried, I really tried, but like I told ya before, I ain't the pony ya were ever looking for," and with that he placed his hat back atop his head, brim turned down to hide his eyes. He turned to leave, but managed only a few paces before pausing. He knew his words must have crushed the poor girl. He knew that right now she would need somepony to lend her strength and support. Worst of all, he knew that if he allowed himself a final glance back that there would be no escape, that he would give her his shoulder to cry on and that he'd promise to make everything right again. …but it would all be a lie, because in his heart Silverstar knew that the only thing he could ever bring this young girl was more pain – it was all a pony like him was good for, and so he didn't look back, but he did speak a final farewell, "I'm… I'm sorry." … The young mare could only stare as her last hope retreated from sight at a full gallop. Her lips quivered as her eyes strained to hold back the tears. It was all over. Twilight Sparkle, the most talented and magically gifted unicorn of her generation, had… failed. Everypony from her original list had rejected her. Well, not quite all of them. She'd been so sure of Silverstar and his the friend he'd told her of that she'd stopped looking for Loyalty or Kindness, so there were still a few names left to check on her list… and maybe she could widen her search to find Laughter and Honesty, plus she still had that one hold out for Generosity. Yes, she could still do this; she could still make things work! Who was she kidding though? Her last best hope had fallen through, so what chance was there of ever convincing anypony else? With her head hung low, the broken and dejected mare slumped off as her abject misery expressed itself in the only possible way. I was prepared to face this test; knew I could give my very best Cast a light, dispel the tricks; but I wasn't prepared for this This equation should have been a breeze; with my research I was sure to please Thought I'd ace this quiz without a miss; but I wasn't prepared for this My hopes were high, but now are gone; what can I do…? My mind was keen, my skills precise; my heart was true… Now, I've taken my final lick; No one left from who to pick For no I wasn't… … … Oh no, I wasn't… … … No I wasn't prepared… for this! Twilight looked up and read the sign in front of her – The Lost Hearts Foundation for Orphans and Wayward Children. She wasn't sure why she'd even bothered to come here… what was the point when she'd already failed? It would be so much easier to just slink away into the shadows and disappear forever. No doubt, Lemon Hearts would only be all the happier to never be bothered by her pathetic troubles again. Still, if there was any chance that Lemon Hearts was the one pony that was actually willing to help, well then, Twilight owed it to the matronly unicorn to pay this one last visit, and to apologize for failing to see her own part through. … The dejected unicorn stepped into the lobby. Over in the corner she spied two foals: one a young earth colt with a dark brown coat and lime-colored mane, the other a pegasus filly with a creamy white coat and a three-toned pastel mane of yellow, pink, and green. The colt sat quietly moving blocks from one pile to the other and back again, while the filly just seemed to sit there and watch with an almost longing gaze. She wasn't sure, but neither foal looked to be enjoying themselves. The colt's motions seemed somehow detached and mechanical, like one who had forgotten what joy was like, while the filly simply seemed to observantly watch over the colt with mournful concern… or maybe Twilight was just so miserable that she was projecting her own feelings of grief. Before she had time to contemplate that any further, Twilight was approached by a pale lilac-coated unicorn mare with an icy-blue mane and a cutie mark resembling three stacked ice-cubes. The unicorn fixed her with a frigidly emotionless gaze, "Ah, Miss Scintillation, welcome back. Mother Hearts has been expecting you." Twilight had seen Lemon Hearts' assistant on her previous visit, though this was the first time they'd actually spoken with each other. She was older than Twilight, but by how many years was hard to say. She certainly didn't look older than Twilight's own mother, yet the way she spoke made her sound old enough to be somepony's grandmother, if not great-grandmother. Maybe it was just that the mare was trying too hard to be professional… or maybe again this was all just Twilight projecting her own shameful remorse. Worse still though for Twilight was the fact that Lemon Hearts had apparently been waiting for her return. She had almost hoped to be dismissed outright, the idea that she ever had a meaningful proposal laughed off like some cruel joke. Instead, however, it seemed like she really had in this one instance gotten it right and that Lemon Hearts was the one and only pony who was all too willing to help her – too bad one wasn't enough, and so now Twilight had to be the bearer of bad news. She was led back to the same sitting room where she had taken tea with Lemon Hearts on her first visit, back when she'd still been full of such hope and optimism. Distantly, Twilight heard her escort announce her arrival. As she stepped into the room, eyes downcast and head held nearly to the floor, the disheartened unicorn could not even bring herself to look upon her host. "I'm sorry Madam Hearts; I guess you found it in yourself to make the time to help me after all, but I must regret to inform you that I've completely failed to find any of the other ponies we'd need. I'm so sorry to have wasted you time," Twilight then turned to leave, unable to bear the thought that Lemon Hearts would surely try to console her – before… "Why so down in the down in the dumps, Tenbre?" came a quizzically cheerful voice, but not the voice of the matron who administered this establishment. Twilgiht's eyes snapped open as her head jerked painfully erect, and there in front of her, sitting at the table, she saw a gray-coated earth pony with a curly dull green mane and cheerfully bright green eyes. "LUCKY!?! …but I don't… but why are you…?!?" "Silly," replied the mare with unrestrained exuberance, "I told you I wanted to help, if only I could afford too, and well, Lemons here apparently knows some pretty influential talent scouts and she's promised to help hook me up," she then grinned so wide it looked as though she could decapitate herself, "Isn't that just the most exciting thing ever!" The stunned unicorn could only gape slack-jawed, as her eyes wondered over to the corner, where she saw an equally preposterous sight. Hanging upside down, his hind legs wrapped around a wall mounted coatrack, was an extremely muscular white-coated pegasus, doing some kind of suspended crunches. "Sn… Snowflake?" "Why yes, my dear," came a motherly voice from the side-door as Lemon Hearts walked into the room. "Turns out Mr. McHugelarge here is somewhat hard of hearing and had some rather… interesting misconceptions about what it was you were asking him to help with, but after a bit of clarification he was more than eager to be of service. ISN'T THAT RIGHT?" At that exclamation the stallion hooked a fore-hoof around the bar he was hanging from, flipped himself into the air, looped over once and landed in an upright flexing posture, "YEAH!" Finally regaining her composure –mostly– Twilight tried her best to get a grasp on this situation, "But I don't get it; how'd you even find these ponies?" "Why that's simple, my dear. As your charming friend already told you, I'm quite well connected, not to mention very resourceful when I have need to be. After you told me how important this mission of yours was, how could I not do everything in my power to see to it you had everything you needed to see it through." Twilight didn't know what to say, this was beyond her wildest expectation, and yet… "It still doesn't matter. We're still two ponies short." Lemon Heart merely gave a knowing smile, "Are we now, my dear? I think that might be changing very shortly." … Scarcely five minutes passed, during which time Lemon Hearts patently refused to explain herself any further, only offering that they all sit down and enjoy some freshly brewed tea. Then finally, without warning, a somewhat rotund-looking pegasus colt with a mauve coat and burgundy mane swooped in the nearby open window. What was even more startling though was the rather familiar looking black stetson he held clutched between his teeth. Barely a few seconds after that an equally familiar stallion leapt through the window shouting, "Get back here ya varmint!" Twilight gasped, "S… Silverstar!" she wasn't sure if her brain could take any more surprises like this. The former sheriff seemed equally perplexed, "Twi… Twilight? What in tarnation is going on here!" At that Lemon Hearts stepped forward to interject, "My apologies, Mr. Star, but I was quite occupied arranging all of this and had no time to see to your personal invitation, and so sent my ward here to ensure your arrival." She then turned to the young colt, "Now than, Bigarade, give the nice stallion his hat back." The colt stared hesitantly up at his caretaker before nervously responding, "Y… yes, Mamma Heats." As he walked slowly across the room, Lemon Hears called after him, "And do be sure to say how sorry you are." The clot paused with his ears downturned and audibly gulped, but said not another word until he reached Silverstar. He held out the hat, which the stallion took back in a sharp swipe of one hoof as he glared at the colt, who wilted beneath the gaze. There was an awkward pause of silence before, "...'m... s…r…y…" mumbled the colt. Across the room Lemon Hearts gave a stern cough, clearly not satisfied. The colt's eyes shifted sideways in her general direction as he gulped again and his legs seemed to tremble just a bit, but kept his head turned away from. "I'm... I'm sorry, sir!" the colt repeated with forced emphasis, "I Didn't mean to cause you no trouble, it's just that—" He was interrupted by another stern cough from across the room, "That will be enough of that then young man. Now off with you; the five of us have grown-up matters to attend." The colt simply nodded, ears still folded against the back of his head as he ran from the room as fast as his hooves could carry him. Silverstar kept a watchful gaze on the colt the whole time. The insincerity of that apology couldn't have been more blatant, and he still clearly recalled the joyful mockery the boy had given during the chase across town. No, that was a boy who liked making trouble. Although, he did find himself briefly wondering what the colt had been about to add to his farce of an apology, before his apparent caretaker had cut the child off; however, almost as quickly Silverstar brushed the thought aside as none of his concern. Sweeping an appraising glance over the remaining occupants of the room, Silverstar could only guess these were the ponies Twilight had been recruiting. He puzzled briefly over who was supposed to represent what, before again deciding that wasn't really any concern of his either and then turning to face Twilight directly, "Well, looks like ya've been doing well enough fer yerself girl, and I couldn't be prouder, but I already told ya, I ain't the pony yer looking for, so t'was just a waste of effort bringing me here. Now if ya don't mind, I'll just be on my way." Before he had time to take more than two steps, he heard the other unicorn in the room call after him, "That's such a shame, Mr. Star, and after I went to so much trouble assuring our final guest that you'd be joining us. It would be such a pity to disappoint her." Shifting his gaze from the yellow-coated unicorn to the back-door she motioned to, Silverstar found himself powerless to move a single muscle as another mare walked into the room, It can't be! The light blue-coated mare looked up at the former sheriff, eyes full of life as she reached a single hoof to wipe a stray bit of her gray mane from her face. She smiled demurely, "Hello there, Silver." No, this was impossible; he had to be dreaming, "Loosy? Is… is it really you? I don't reckon I understand. Last time I saw ya…" "It's really me Silver, and as for how… well, Madam Hearts here really is quite amazing. It's like she can talk directly to a pony's soul, and when she told me how much you needed me… well, I just couldn't ignore that." Silverstar felt a dampness at the corner of his eye, but he didn't care. There she was, standing before him, good as new, like nothing had ever happened. He didn't want to look away, for fear that if he did she'd vanish back into whatever cold lonely place had stolen her away before, but Silverstar had something he needed to do. As he wiped his eyes, he shifted his gaze over to the elder of the two unicorns in the room, "Miss Hearts, was it? I don't rightly expect any words could ever be enough ta thank ya fer doin' this… but I do thank ya most kindly from the bottom of my old heart. Tis a truly amazing thing ya've done here." "If you want to thank me, Mr. Star, then perhaps you would reconsider joining us. I'm sure Ms. Screws here would most appreciate it." "I reckon that there's no place I'd rather be right now." "Excellent," Lemon Hearts then turned, "Well then, Miss Scintillation –or rather Miss Sparkle as I am to understand– that makes a full six if I've counted correctly. Shall we move on to the next step of your plan?" Twilight still couldn't believe it; to go from abject failure to such a resounding success… and all of it thanks to the fact that above all else she couldn't possible have hoped to find a more generous pony than Lemon Hearts, a pony who without asking for anything else in return had went above and beyond the call to make this all happen. She wanted to express her boundless gratitude, but Twilight knew she could never hope to find the words to do so, and so instead… "Right! Well then, mares and gentlecolts, let's get down to business; first we—" A protracted rumbling seemed to echo throughout the room. Twilight stood rigid in mortified embarrassment, only now remembering that in her excitement to meet up with Silverstar earlier, she had neglected to eat lunch – breakfast too, for that matter. Silence hung heavy for several seconds, before Lucky burst out laughing, "Same old Tenbs. You really should eat more often, girl." "Actually, perhaps we could all do with a good meal," said Lemon Hearts as she glanced out the window at the fading light of the orange cast sky. "We can discuss plans over dinner." Twilight was sort of impatient, but a second protest from her growing stomach convinced her otherwise, "Yes, that sounds like a great idea." "If you will excuse me then, I will see to the preparations. The rest of you should please feel free to make yourselves comfortable." As Lemon Hearts left the room Clover called after her, "Hey, wait up. I can lend a hoof with the food." Remembering her last meal with the would-be comedian, Twilight blanched, unsure if her taste buds where up for another such the experience. Unfortunately, the gray mare was already out the door before Twilight had the chance to stop her. The minutes that passed waiting for the meal to arrive went by rather uneventfully. Snowflake went back to exercising; now doing chin-ups on the coatrack. Silverstar and his friend, a Miss Loosy Screws, sat near each other, but didn't seem to speak much – nor even look at each other, at least not at the same time, or when they did accidently do so, both would quickly turn away. Twilight really couldn't figure out what was up with that. If the two ponies were supposed to be old friends, why did they seem so nervous around each other? For her own effort, the unicorn tried on several occasion to start up a casual conversation, but nothing really seemed to catch. She thought she had a good topic going after she learned Loosy had a son and they got to talking about family, although twilight remained careful not to mention any of her own by name. However, after a casual inquiry about the boy's father though, she learned that the mare –still younger than her own mother– was now an untimely widow. Things got awkward again very quickly after that, and in the back of her mind it only reminded Twilight just how much she wanted this all to be over so she could go home and give her parents a big hug. Had she remembered to do that the last time they were all together? Had she even remembered to actually tell her parents how much she loved them, or had she just taken them for granted? She could all too easily imagine her mother's last words to her having been a reminder to pack some clothes, to which Twilight herself would frustratingly bemoan how she rarely even wore any. Her mother would then have retorted, in the height of parental embarrassment, that Twilight really should have something nice to wear – just in case she met a handsome young stallion while traveling abroad. After all, neither of them where getting any younger and Velvet was all too eager to have some grandchildren. Not like Twilight should have to be the one solely responsible for that. Her brother, Shining Armor, was the elder child of the family anyway and so should bear the brunt of their mother's lineal coaxing. It was all perfectly normal familial tension and whether she said so at the time, surely her parents knew she loved them, the same way she knew they would always love her (unless recent circumstances had made her too much of an embarrassment to ever publicly acknowledge again, but that was why Twilight had to fix things). The fact that she couldn't remember the last time she actually spoke the words aloud or the last time she'd heard them in turn was an uncertainty that gnawed and twisted at her gut… a sensation which mixed poorly with the dull ach of her still empty stomach. … She considered striking up a conversation with Snowflake instead, but remembered how loud he could be, and didn't really feel comfortable shouting herself just to make sure he could hear her in turn. That seemed like it would only be more awkward than the uneasy silence that currently pervaded the room. As Twilight tried her best to distract herself with a few crackers and a cup of the now lukewarm tea, she couldn't help but dwell on how this was exactly why she'd never had any real interest in making friends before. She was just no good at small talk, and found herself hoping that Lemon Hearts and Lucky would return as swiftly as possible. … As the saying goes a, watched pot never boils. It felt like forever, if not longer, but finally Lemon Hears came back to the room, followed closely by Clover Charms who was pushing a cart with a large bowl full of salad, several sandwiches, and a pitcher of iced-tea. Twilight couldn't be sure, but it looked as though Lemon Hearts had managed to keep Lucky from adding anything frightfully… exotic to the meal, and seemed to be confirmed by the comedian's own complaint shortly thereafter. "I still think the salad would be better with peanut butter and cayenne spicing. Hey, Tenbre, you agree with me?" Twilight grimaced as she searched for a way to be diplomatic while still sparing her stomach the ordeal, but was fortunately spared the trouble when Loosy spoke up instead. "Actually, I'm allergic to peanuts, so if it's all the same…" Clover tilted her head in thought, "Oh yeah, I guess that cute pegasus colt who said he was your son might have mentioned something like that. He's already a real looker too; once he's all grown up I bet he'll have to beat the mares back with a stick." Loosy smiled, but with a hint of concern as she turned Lemon Hearts, "Are you sure he's okay all by himself? I mean I guess he's been doing fine these past months; I still can't help but worry though." "You son will be fine Miss Screws," the yellow unicorn assured, "And he's not alone either. I sent him to eat with my wards while we discuss adult matters. No need to burden the boy, would you not agree?" "See, no worries, girl." Clover smiled and then turned to Twilight, "So, Tenbre, how 'bout it. I got Lems to let me bring a little peanut butter and cayenne for my own salad; wanna share?" Twilight grimaced returned deeper than before as she tried to conceal how her stomach rolled in an attempt to flee. The unicorn wondered if she too could claim allergies as an excuse, but she was a terrible liar… which reminded her, "Umm… Lucky, you know you don't have to keep calling me by that nickname; Tenebrosity was just an alias." "Oh, I know that. Lemsy here already told me everything, but that doesn't matter," and then with a great big smile, "You'll always be Tenbs to me!" … The meal was simple but delightfully filling, especially the daffodil and daisy sandwiches. As the unicorn savored the familiar flavor, she found herself drifting into memories of better days when she and her mother would spend lazy Sunday afternoons eating the same kind of sandwiches while reading together. For just a few short moments Twilight found herself able to almost forget that she'd had to spend the last few weeks as a fugitive. That is until Lucky, mouth half full of salad, spoke up. "Sho, Tenbsh, howsh thish shole shing sh'poshed to… work?" The earth pony's voice cleared as she swallowed, "Six of us, six of them, we gonna call them out and square off in some kind of epic showdown of epic destiny!" and then emphasized the statement by clapping her hooves together in front of her face and then spreading them wide as she added some explosion-like vocalizations, expectorating some stray food particles in the process. Twilight nearly gagged, and found herself having to painfully swallow down her own last bite of food as she replied hoarsely "What… No! I mean what would that even prove anyway?" "I dunno, isn't that the way these things usually work out?" Twilight finished gulping down half a glass of ice-tea to soothe her throat before explaining, "They're the Elements of HARMONY, Clover. They represent the fundamental forces of peace and unity. Violence is the very antitheism of their nature." Loosy, who had briefly turned pale after Clover's original outburst, interject with a slight tremble to her voice, "Oh, that's a relief. I… I was worried for a bit there. I… I—" Silverstar placed a hoof over hers, but pulled it back as quickly as her eyes were able to meet his own. Seeming to stare off at nothing of importance, he coughed lightly, "I think what Miss Loosy her is tryin' ta say is that she's seen more violence than she'd care ta remember, and ain't in no hurry ta see no more any time soon," then added, "I rightly feel the same myself." The blue earth mare gave a sad, but thankful smile, however, Silverstar seemed only able to return it with the briefest sidelong glance. "Well, no worries. I might be the fugitive, but Lulamoon is the thug, and the way we show up her and prove she isn't worthy of being the Element of Magic isn't by beating anypony up, but by doing the one thing that she and her so called friends couldn't. Because not only is the so-called Great & Powerful Trixie Lulamoon an obnoxious braggart and a self-important charlatan, but she is also a criminally negligent failure. That's where the six of us come in; we will set right what went wrong and correct that fraud's most grievous of errors!" Twilight hesitated, partly for dramatic effect, but also because of how ludicrously audacious sounding she knew her next statement would be. Finally she proceeded, "We are going defeat Corona, the Tyrant Sun herself, once and for all!" As expected there were gasps and nervous stares all around. Loosy apprehensively spoke up, "That, that sounds really dangerous, and well… I'm still kind of catching up on events, but… well, I know that wicked queen escaped from the sun and all, but wasn't she already driven off in defeat anyway?" "Well, yes," conceded Twilight before supplementing, "but that's exactly the problem. With the power of the Elements of Harmony though, that Lulamoon should have been able to banish Corona back into her fiery prison at the heart of the sun; just like Princess Luna did a thousand years ago. The fact that ancient tyrant was able to escape instead only proves how Lulamoon was never meant to wield the power of the elements, because she clearly doesn't know how to use them effectively, but with your help I can succeed where she failed! Not only will we oust Lulamoon for the pretender she is, but we will also save all of Equestria from its greatest threat." "I s'pose that makes sense" said Silverstar as he rubbed a hood against his chin, "Still, while I reckon I ain't no expert on such things, but wouldn't we need those fancy jeweled artifacts?" "Not exactly. The Elements of Harmony aren't actually physical objects; they are fundamental forces of creation, as old as the world itself, if not more so. The jewels are just focal points for channeling that power, and according to Gâteau's Theorem of Harmonic Resonancies it should be possible to make a second set." "Who?" said Clover Charms with puzzled expression. "Tarte Gâteau, though I guess he's kind of an obscure figure in the public eye. I mean, he's certainly no Starswirl the Bearded." "Starswirl the what now?" Clover repeated, her expression no less puzzled than before, "Is he supposed to be important or something?" Twilight simply stared, "…" dumbfounded, "…" her mouth moving, but unable to form the words to express a response to the sheer heresy she'd just heard, "…" Finally, she managed to blink. "Never mind," she bemoaned with sense of weary exasperation and barely restrained frustration, "Starswirl's only the most renowned conjuror of the pre-classical era, the father of the amniomorphic spell, and has an entire wing of the royal archives named after him," then with obvious sarcasm, "But no, fine, I guess that none of that makes him at all important." "Am-ni-o-morph-ic… well, why didn't you bring that up sooner?" Twilight sighed in relief, content that even if the earth mare didn't know his name, Lucky was at least familiar with Starswirl's work. "I mean, I could have had a lot more fun with this if I knew we were allowed to make up words." Some part of Twilight's brain registered a twinkle in the gray-coated pony's bright green eyes, the tilted grin that suggested at least some measure of the previous exchange had been in jest. That part of her brain, however, was fast being drowned out by the part that insisted there were some things a pony simply should never joke about, that ignorance was never a laughing matter. Before Twilight could launch into a rant, however, Lemon Hearts interceded, "Surely, Miss Charms, you have at least heard of Starswirl's student, Clover the Clever. I'm sure you must have taken note of her during a Hearth Warming pageant presentation at some point in you life, being of similar name yourself." "Oh, yeah!" Clover said as she started rolling a napkin into a cone, "Back in school whenever a teacher would make me wear the dunce cap I'd always tilt it forward like a horn", she then held the rolled napkin to her forhead, "and talk about how clever it made me look." The mare then chuckled as she dropped the napkin back on the table, "Cracking that joke would net me an extra week of detention, but it usually got enough laughs from the other students to be worth it." For Twilight, the image of her new friend spending her youth poking fun at Starswirl's overrated apprentice went a long way toward soothing her own previous frustrations. She'd still need to properly educate Lucky of course, but that could wait till later. "So anyway, as I was saying…" Twilight paused just an instance, eyeing Clover, just in case the mare felt need to make any more interruptions. "Tarte Gâteau was a unicorn scholar who nearly five-hundred years ago conducted extensive research into the nature and function of the Elements of Harmony. He is even one of the few ponies ever granted access to analyze the actual artifacts while they were inert. He went on to write an unpublished treatise on how to potentially recreate a new set in case of future need." "Wait," Loosy spoke softly, "so if the research was unpublished, how do you know any of this?" Twilight shifted nervously, "Well, umm… I might have sort of payed an afterhours visit to private collections of the university where he used to teach and I might have borrowed a copy while I was there." "Ya mean ya snuck in and stole it," there was no anger in Silverstar's statement, but it remained pointedly blunt. The young unicorn didn't know how to respond, but fortunately Lemon Hearts came to her rescue, "Now then, Mr. Star, no need for harsh accusations. Whether or not it was right of her to do so, what's done is done, and more importantly it's what makes our objectives here even possible in the first place. " "It ain't about whether er not it was right er wrong, I just don't think she should need ta go mincing words with us 'bout such things." Reluctantly, Twilight tried to apologize, "You're right, I suppose; friends aren't supposed to keep secrets," she smiled sheepishly. Before Silverstar had a chance to further respond, Lemon Hearts spoke in his stead, "Good. Now that we've settled that matter, if you could finish explaining, Miss Sparkle." "Right, so anyway, his research stalled out because one of the things Gâteau required was an active sample of the Element's magic. Unfortunately, since it had been over five-hundred years since they were last used, finding such a sample proved exceedingly difficult. He spent years tracking leads without an success, but according to his last notes on the subject said he'd finally found a viable source somewhere in Cavallia, but that he would need aid from Princess Luna to acquire it and so had scheduled a meeting to discuss the matter. No one knows the details of that meeting, only that afterwards Gâteau was granted a nearly unlimited budget for future research, but for some reason never pursued any further investigations in relation to the Elements of Harmony." Silverstar rubbed his chin in contemplation, "So if this Gate-ow fellow never finished his research, how do ya even know it'll work?" "There might not be any practical proof, but since his time, other scholars who studied Gâteau's work agreed that the theory was sound, however, the Royal Institute of Magical Sciences has never granted funding to anyone who petitioned to further pursue those studies. Besides… it's not like we have much alternative here, and we'll never know if we don't at least try." Placing her fork down on the table, Lemon Hearts dabbed a napkin across her lips, "So then, shall we be taking a trip to Cavallia, to follow-up on Gâteau's last lead? I can arrange for tickets on the next train." Twilight shook her head subtly, "That would be like looking for a needle in a haystack. Gâteau never detailed what he found, only that he found it. Besides, I doubt that whatever it was would still be viable now. Fortunately, however, that won't be necessary, as I've already acquired my own sample." The unicorn reached across the room with her magic, to her cloak hanging on the rack, and levitated out a small pouch. Bringing it over to the table, she cleared away a space and then turned the pouch over, dumping out a pile of shredded metal –gold– slivers. Curious stares were exchanged about the table, unsure what to make of the scrap. One hoof scooped up a sliver. Snowflake held it close to his face, staring first with one eye, then the other. He gave it a long and very audible sniff. Opening his moth, the muscular pegasus stuck out his tong as if to taste the metal— At that Twilight grabbed it away with her magic, "Careful with that!" Returning the shard to the pile she began to explain, "These are fragments of Corona's shattered regalia from when she was struck by the Elements at the ruins of the old Everfree palace." Before she could continue, Loosy interrupted her with an expression of nervous concern, "Wait, you went into the Everfree forest to get these… all by yourself? Isn't that place supposed to be full of the most dangerous monsters in all of Equestria? We aren't all going to have to go back there or anything; are we?" "It's creepy, but not really all that dangerous for a pony that is properly prepared with the right contingency wards and counter charms. Besides, I already got the shards, so why would any of us need to go back there?" Loosy gave an audible sigh of relief, but otherwise remained silent. "Anyway, these pieces were originally forged by the Tyrant Sun's own magic and so should have dissipated once they were severed from her and left behind after she fled, but instead the magic of the Elements of Harmony crystalized them. Which means that inside there is also preserved a residual sample of the harmonic magics of the Elements themselves as well." With a bold eagerness, Lemon Hearts declared, "So then, if we have the shards and all six of us are gathered, let's get started forging this new set of elements." "Well, it's not quite that simple; there is another catch," Twilight replied, "You see, to catalyze the reaction will take a lot of magic, far more than any mere unicorn, even one of my exceptional abilities, could ever hope to muster. If we're going to do this, we need a power source that can rival that of an alicorn. Fortunately, I know of a relic that should do the trick just fine, and exactly where to find it." Author's Note • Apologies for taking much longer with this chapter than expected; hope the fact that it's longer than any two of the preceding chapters helps make up for that. • Proofing by LDLUYAB, though he goes as ColdGoldLazarus now days. Still, as Lucky said to Twilight... • Special thanks to InsertAuthorHere and Blackbelt for being my test audience and providing story advice.
Chapter 9: "The Effort It Expends"Huaso Manor was a bustle of activity. Everypony who was anypony had been invited, and even those who had not now pressed against each other in a throng as they lined up behind velvet ropes to catch a fleeting glimpse of the cavalcade of nobles, celebrities, and other individuals of wealth & class arrived for the evening's festivities. The crowd reached a fevered pitch as a gaudy carriage that looked more like a portable stage rolled up to the manor. Strobing lights and music filled the air as Sapphire Shores punctuated her arrival by singing a preview from her upcoming Ziegfilly Follies tour. So enraptured was the crowd that scarcely anypony cared or noticed when a more practical carriage bearing the Baron Mounty Max and his date was the next to arrive. ──────────────── Inside the gates, the reception being held in the courtyard was a scene of more tranquil civility. A sound-dampening spell on the outer walls kept most of the racket from outside to a minimum. The magically enhanced music from the impromptu concert managed to bleed through regardless, however, causing a few of the stuffier nobles to roll their eyes and harrumph at having to share the evening in the presence of the pop idol sensation. Black uniformed servants moved seamlessly amongst the various guests, carrying trays of hors d'oeuvres and fine wines to tide those guests over until the doors to the manor proper opened to begin the actual event. It was in all ways exactly what one would expect of such a high class gathering, yet that did little to set the mind of one lavender-coated unicorn mare at ease. Twilight Sparkle tugged awkwardly at the straps of her uniform with one hoof, while levitating a tray of wine glasses with her magical aura. Her eyes kept darting about the crowd as she muttered under her breath, "Ooh, this was a bad idea; I just know it. I'll be spotted for sure; I've actually met some of these ponies before and—" Clover Charms, wearing an identical uniform and balancing a tray of exotic cheeses on her back, put a reassuring hoof on her compatriots shoulder. "Just chill out, Tenbs. No pony's gonna recognize you." "But… but over there, by the rose bushes, that's Zenith; I'm sure she's still holding a grudge from when I spilt punch all over her new dress at her birthday back when we were both seven. I never even wanted to go in the first place, but mother insisted since she and Count Apex had been best friends growing up and they were always so sure that the two of us would hit it off just as well." "Yes, and I'm sure if you were a guest the two of you could have an epic confrontation," Clover rolled her eyes briefly before continuing, "Full of even more punch stains and maybe even a little mane pulling. You're not a guest though, you're just one of the hired help." Struggling to keep her voice in check, Twilight rasped a reply, "Easy for you to say, no pony even cares who you are!" Only too late did she realize the unintended insult and add, "Wait, no… I didn't mean it like that, Lucky… I um, well…" "I know, and none taken. Now shut up and smile… no, not like that; you look like a deranged mad mare. Just keep it relaxed and smooth, and for moon's sake girl, breathe! Better…?" "Yes, but—" "Shh… no buts, just listen. I'm sure you think you remember everypony from that old party, but tell me this, who served the cake?" "That's easy, it was a stallion in one of those poufy white chef's hats; I think they're called a toque blanch. Funny story, they were originally invented for—" "I don't mean what he was wearing, I mean what did he look like?" Clover scarcely waited as her friend's expression became vacant and puzzled. "See, you can't remember; no pony ever remembers the hired help. We're all just a singularly faceless and interchangeable mass. So as long as you just do your job, no pony will ever give you so much as a second glance." "Are you sure?" "Girl, if it wouldn't break our cover I'd sing you a song all about it!" Almost as if on cue, trumpets blared, followed by an orchestral score. Wide-eyed, Clover mouthed awkwardly, uncertain of what to do, before fireworks drew all eyes to the sky above the manor. A team of twelve ponies flew formation overhead, not on the ordinary feathered wings of a pegasus, but on glittering multi-hued butterfly-like wings. The dozen fliers streamed trails of glittering dust as they danced and twirled about each other, all in perfect timing to the elegant musical accompaniment. As the performance reached a crescendo they all spiraled straight down together before breaking off into a beautiful starburst formation in front of the manor's main doors. The team then landed, six ponies to either side, their gentle wing beats sending glittering dust swirling lightly about the carpeted trail as the doors to the manor opened, revealing the host of the evening as she sauntered out with poised dignity. There could be no mistaking this pony for any mere guest, as Puissance wore an iridescent and long feathery dress with a matching elaborate headpiece. Specially designed weaves meshed and interwoven with the pegasus's own wings caused the gown's train to ripple and pulsate as she flexed. Finally, reaching the end of the grand dais that was effectively the manor's front porch, the vicereine spread her wings wide, and with them her entire ensemble bloomed and fanned out, giving her an appearance reminiscent of a peacock. Puissance then began making her well-rehearsed welcoming address. At the other end of the courtyard though, the Vicereine's words were not what held the attention of a certain mare. "Wow!" Clover said. Twilight shrugged, "I guess she does know how to make an entrance, though it seemed a bit overly showy to me." "Not vicereine what's-her-name; I was talking about the ponies with those fluttery wings. I've never seen anything like it except in fairytale books as a kid. What kind of ponies are those anyway?" "Oh, that. It's just an advanced conjuration that weaves gossamer and dew. They aren't fairies, just normal ponies." She paused briefly to rub her chin in contemplation, "Still, it's pretty rare to find a unicorn with the talent to cast it, plus the spell is rather difficult for even a trained unicorn to cast more than once every few days. Oh, and it only lasts three days too. All together, Puissance probably had to pay a lot of money to bring in enough experts to cast it twelve times in such short order." "Wait, it's a spell? So does that mean you could cast it too?" "Well, yes, actually. My talent is magic, after all," though on mentioning that, Twilight couldn't help but reflexively glance back at her disguised cutie mark. Again, she found her mind dwelling on her continued inability to discern the nature of the spell Lemon Hearts had used to create the effect. Such musing were quickly distracted though. "Then it's settled!" "What's settled?" "You're going to cast that spell, on me… well once this whole Elements of Harmony thing is over and we're all heroes. I've always wondered what it would be like to fly for myself. Did I ever tell you my mother was a pegasus? Or at least that's what I was always told as filly. Clover, they would say, It's a damn good thing you can't fly the coop like that fowl mother of yours…" Twilight sighed, though she was unsure if it was the reminder of her compatriot's less than desirable upbringing or just the forced pun that pained her more. ──────────────── Despite the officiality of the party moving from the outdoor courtyard and into the main ballroom inside, one might be hard pressed to tell much difference. The same stuffy nobles still largely went about the same stuffy conversations. Servants still moved about unnoticed while attending to the casual disinterest of the guest as they would discard empty glasses or spent napkins. There were, however, now three buffet tables each proudly displaying a banner identifying the farm that was running it and identifying what place they finished at the recent competition in Trottingham. Loosy Screws' violet eyes were barely more than pinpricks though as she nervously glanced around the crowd. She fidgeted from one hoof to the other. In some ways the crowd was a mixed blessing since it was easy to maintain anonymity amongst such a throng, but compared to the courtyard, the ballroom was notably more densely packed, lending an additional claustrophobic tension. Still, it also gave her an excuse to huddle all the more closely alongside her date, though actually thinking about that fact caused her to blush. Loosy spared a sidelong glance at Siverstar, only for her heart to skip a beat as she was yet again no less shocked than the first time to see just how elegantly he cleaned up. He now wore a bow tie over a dapper collar with matching cuffed dress-bib and a sash around his mid-section. His mane and tail had both been smoothed and glossed. Her heart sank though as she noticed him avert his own gaze from hers, unaware that the former sheriff was merely just as fearful of being caught gawking at the mare's own loose fitting and semi-sheer, single shouldered, silvery dress. The volume of the crowd diminished, or was perhaps merely overwhelmed as a small orchestra began to play a waltz. The crowd shifted as guests cleared space for couples as they took to the dance floor. Some small corner of her mind hijacked Loosy's mouth before the rest of her could stop it as she asked, "Shall we?" Silverstar's gaze narrowed sternly. "Now Loosy, ya know that ain't what we're actually here fer." The mare was crestfallen and dropped her gaze to the floor. Of course she knew that, should have known better than to even ask in the first place. Yet for that one momentary instant she had foolishly allowed herself to get swept away, to wish if only briefly that she could just pretend the two of them could be… A hoof gently lifted her head, as a second wiped a stray bit of hair back into the decorative bun her mane had been styled into. Their gaze met and as Loosy lost herself in the ocean of the stallion's deep blue eyes, she didn't notice how he paused and gulped audibly before speaking, "…but well, I reckon we could make time fer just one." The next few minutes lasted both for an eternity and yet were all too fleeting, as the two ponies left the world and all its troubles behind. It was indulgent, and unbeknownst to the other, each silently cursed their weakness, or feared they might do so later. For now though, in this one brief moment of time, all they were was happy. ──────────────── From across the room, Lemon Hearts watched the happy couple lose themselves in the moment. Young love was such a sweet thing, and for her purposes most useful as well. Silverstar had proved to be just a little more canny than she was comfortable with. The former sheriff seemed to have an innate affinity for rooting out deceptions, or perhaps he was was just so determined to wallow in his own misery that he was purely incapable of believing in the kind of beneficence as she pretend to offer. Blinded by love, however, it was easy enough for Lemon Hearts to hide behind the gratitude he owed her for reuniting them. His woeful lack of self-esteem certainly helped as well. The poor fellow was so convinced he was unworthy of Loosy's love that he failed to understand just how just how much the mare pined for him. Not that Loosy was much better. It was almost adorable how utterly perfect for each other the two ponies were in their utterly pathetic inability to admit to their own feelings. Putting the wouldbe lovebirds out of her mind, Lemon Hearts turned her attention to more immediate concerns of what to do about the stodgy marquis that was her date for the evening. So far she had been playing the mere demure hanger-on while the stallion engaged other guests in the typically dull conversations that only the petty-minded nobility found interesting. Still, now that she was in the front door, she had no more use for him and was looking for a convenient opportunity sneak off into the crowd. "…but are orphans really that much of a problem in wider Equestria?" She'd only been paying scant attention to the conversation. Up to this point she'd only needed to occasionally nod or make some other vocal affirmation to provide the illusion of interest. Practiced as she was though at social manipulations, Lemon Hearts knew to listen for key words that required more attention, and apparently at some point her date must have moved the subject onto to her own profession. The noble who'd asked the question, a baron Mounty Max as she recalled him having been introduced to her, proceeded without waiting for further reply. "Sure enough even back home in Saddlesbu… err, Nulpar, unfortunate accidents do happen. When such things do happen though, there's almost always a close family member or friend that can take such foals in." Lemon Hearts appraised the baron, as she decided how or even if to respond. She'd never heard of the province of Nulpar before, but then again she'd never had much interest in politics beyond what little she needed to know to manipulate the local authorities. Perhaps it was new, certainly the inflection in the baron's use of the word suggested that even he wasn't used to calling it as such. What kind of province was it though? Again, judging by this Max, he seemed to be a pony ill at ease with formality, preferring a cruder vernacular. He was also rather rugged in build, not like a farmer though, but rather perhaps a miner –no– a mountaineer. Yes, that would also fit with his accent that sounded distinctly northern, somewhere most likely near the borders to the Griffin Kingdoms. None of these, however, were thoughts Lemon Hearts actually dwelt on. She'd honed such observational skills over decades of practice and so they all came as a matter of instinct to her now. Thus only a second or two passed before she finally spoke, "Were it only that simple in the cities, Mr. Mounty." Most nobles would take offence at an address that failed to acknowledge their status, however, Lemon Hearts soon saw by the baron’s expression that she had judged correctly and that the lesser title, appended to the first part of his name no less, would better put this Max at ease. Seizing the moment she continued, "In your own home province where isolated villages of only a few hundred ponies, plus the odd goat or hippogriff are the norm, it's a rather simple matter for everyone to know everyone else. In the cities where we are constantly surrounded by thousands or more, however, there just isn't enough time in the day to meet them all. As such, it is exceedingly difficult to know whom can be trusted, and so, far too many ponies respond by simply trusting nopony at all." Her words had clearly struck a nerve, and the obvious disappointment on Max's face was plain to see. Yes, this was clearly a noble still new to the shadowy games of the Night Court, an easy mark both for his peers and for herself. "Of course that's not to say we don't all still have our associates, but the kind of community bonds strong enough to take in a stranger's child… not so much. Even when such is the case, there is always still the matter of trust. Sad as it is to say there are always those who would take in abandoned children, not out of genuine love, but rather for any number of potential ulterior motives." Even through her outward mask of weary resignation, Lemon Hearts might be inclined to chuckle to herself at the irony, that is of course if such concerns had ever even bothered her in the first place. "That, Mr. Monty, is why organisations with established reputations like my own are so vital." "I suppose I do see the point in that, but…" the baron's words trailed off as seemed to grapple with the new and unfamiliar concepts assailing him. Good, Lemon Hearts thought as she smiled, both as an outward sign of emotional reassurance while also inwardly over just how easy it was to manipulate him. She allowed a tear to well up in the corner of one eye to add weight to her next words. "Why just the other day I met a grown mare who slipped through the cracks, who spent her whole youth growing up shuffled between foster families that never really wanted her in the first place." This was of course entirely true, even if the circumstances she'd met Miss Clover Charms under had nothing to do with her orphanage. Just as well too, as the unfortunate mare possessed nothing of any use or interest to Lemon Heats outside of her role in Miss Sparkle's plan. "That's no way for any foal to grow up, wouldn't you agree?" "No, of course not." "See Max," chimed in the green mare accompanying the baron, presumably his own date, "Madam Hearts here is such a wonderful pony." Lemon Hearts had hardly paid the young mare any mind until now, who had been entirely unassuming, almost shy. Having finally spoken up though, that quickly changed. "I’m sorry… I mean that is… it's just that I've been something of a fan of your work for some time now. It's both an honor and a privilege to finally get to meet you in person. You’ve done such a wonderful job for so many foals. I’m actually the patron for a charity hoping to set up an orphanage similar to yours in Ontarneigho and I was just wondering… that is if it wouldn't be too much of an inconvenience, if I could pick your brains for a moment." Sighing inwardly, Lemon Hearts cursed this complication. It wasn't first time she'd been approached in such a manner, but surround by such an ostentatious crowd as tonight's jubilation she'd not expected to be singled out by anypony actually familiar with her work. "Of course dear, although now may not be the time for a detailed discussion, maybe we can arrange a more formal meeting somewhen?" "Oh, I would like that, but can I ask just a few questions?" The mare was persistent, Lemon Hearts had to give her credit for that, but she didn't have time to placate such trivialities. By her own observations of the crowd's movements this evening, her best opportunity to intercept her intended target would be coming up shortly. She had to find a way to extricate herself from the discussion without further delay. "It's such a wonderful thing to see such enthusiasm in young and upcoming dilettantes. You remind me so much of myself at your age," actually, if the young noble had even half a clue the things Lemon Hearts had actually done at that age, she'd like run screaming in terror, "Would that there were only more ponies like us, Equestria could be such a better place. Of course I would be glad to lend whatever personal assistance I can to help your own endeavors succeed. I find myself becoming a bit parched though, would anypony like a drink?" "I think I could stand another mead," announced the baron. "I could do with a wine myself" added his date. All too easy. "Good, I’ll just..." "No need," interjected her own so-called date, "That is what the servants are here for after all." "There’s no need to bother, I can..." Infuriatingly though the Stallion had already clopped his front hooves together, summoning a black clad servant to take their order. "Chocolate milk for you wasn’t it?" ──────────────── Loosy's thoughts lingered on the dance she'd shared with Silverstar, and how woefully short it had been. They weren't actually here for such things of course though, and so he'd had to excuse himself to attend to the mission. Now she was all alone in the crowd. She felt utterly lost as she once again found herself questioning if she really had anything meaningful to contribute to the group's task. "Why hello there, Ms. Screws," turning at the address, Loosy found herself face-to-face with none other than Vicereine Puissance herself, "It's quite the unexpected surprise to see you here. I do not believe we've ever met before. After my staff informed me that the widow of one of my former and most influential financial advisors was in attendance, however, it would have been remiss of me not to take the opportunity to see to you personally. Your late husband always spoke well of you. His passing truly was a tragic loss that lessens all of us." Being face-to-face with the vicereine was decidedly nerve-wracking. Lemon Hearts, however, had predicted this possibility and given Loosy very specific instructions. Taking a deep breath to steal herself, Loosy did her best to casually brush a hoof across the silver ear-clasp Miss Sparkle had given her, "Thank you, Vicereine, I appreciate the condolences," now with the signal sent over the enchanted communication device, all she had to do was keep the vicereine talking until Lemon Hearts could make her way over, "But well… actually I was one of the lead carpenters who helped renovate this estate a few years back. So we've met before, if only briefly while you were overseeing construction on the southeast gallery." "Really?" There was an an almost instant change in the vicerine's tone and posture. She was no less an imposing figure, but suddenly she seemed somehow… eager. "Well, then I suppose I owe you a personal measure of thanks as well for the excellent craftsmareship. The furnishings on that wing are so intricately matched that it is difficult to tell where the old ends and the new begins. Tell me then, are you doing well for yourself after you husband's untimely passing? I could surely find some use for a mare of your talents in my employ." "Thank you for the offer, Vicereine, but my husband left behind substantial savings as well as several lucrative investment contracts, and…" she paused before finishing, "And a sizable life insurance policy as well. My son and I should be more than secure for quite a few years, and well, I'm still only just now adjusting to the loss anyway. I don't think I'm at all ready to go back to work just yet." It was subtle, but Puissance's demeanor immediately fell back into the more neutral stance she'd started from. "Well, I suppose at least you seem to be bouncing back now. My servants informed me though that you brought a date. Where is he, pray tell?" "Silver? He um… well, I think he said he needed to use the little colt's room. And well, I um… I also wouldn't really call him my date. He's just an old friend doing his best to look out for me." "Please, there's no need to wear a mask of such propriety with me." It was difficult to tell if the vicereine actually cared, or was just becoming bored. "I've had no shortage of paramours in my day. Why, I even married two of them. When each of my husbands passed in turn, I made sure to erect proper monuments to them both in the gardens as well as making sizable donations to foundations that now bear their names so as to ensure their legacy lives on. I never, however, even once wasted a second on mourning." Pussance’s expression remained stern, yet there was something unmistakable sad in her next words, "I'm too old now to have much use for a third husband, but you are still young enough. Keep that in mind, lest you find yourself regretting missed opportunities later." "It's not mourning though… I mean, that is…" Loosy stammered. How could she admit the real truth of the matter and her shameful guilt, that she had first fallen in love with Silverstar while her husband had still been alive. Worse still, the sheriff hadn't even been the first stallion she'd made flirtatious advances towards during her marriage. Maybe she'd never had the nerve to actually go through with a full affair, but that hardly alleviated the burden of her sinful desires. Like so many things in her life, she'd only married her husband for fear of the alternative — being alone and having to fend for herself. Still, he had been a good stallion, always supportive of her and even gifted her a son. Yet he'd also been so much older than her as well as emotionally distant. She had certainly needed him, but never felt like he had needed her… or at least that was the excuse she had always held onto as she would secretly flirt with other stallions. Despite it all though, things changed forever on that fateful day in Appleloosa. The tyrant's midnight sun had been taken by the native buffalo as an omen that their ancestral spirits were angry, and so the already tense relations between them and the settler ponies broke down completely. Silverstar had organized every able-bodied pony into a militia. She'd tried to be brave for him, but just like she always had, she ran away while others stood their ground. She'd hid in the first building she could find, and that had nearly been the death of her. One of the rampaging natives ended up charging through the walls and knocked out the main support column. As the building collapsed around her, she'd stood petrified. A weight had crashed down over her, and then everything went dark. She wasn't dead though and somepony else was in the darkness with her, had used his own body to shield hers. She'd called out Silverstar's name, thinking only the sheriff could be so brave, but quickly discovered instead that it was her husband. The secrets of her traitorous heart revealed, and fearing nopony would ever find them beneath the rubble, she finally confessed all her sins. She didn't know what response she'd expected, anger, sadness, but not that question. "Did they… make you… happy?" Her husband then made his own confession, that he already knew about her flirtatious affairs, that he'd known from the very first. His words were heavy with ragged breaths, but not a hint of condemnation… and some how that only made it all worse. "I… I'm sorry…" he had wheezed out in barely more than a strained whisper, "It was… my… fault. If only… I could have… been what… you needed me… to be… then… then it wouldn't… have been… been so hard… for you. All… all I've ever… wanted was for… for you to be… happy, but now… now you'll be… free. Just know… that… that I will… will always… lov… … …" Loosy wasn't sure how much time passed after that in the silent darkness, such concepts had lost all meaning. She wasn't sure when the light returned. Somewhere a mare was pulled from the rubble, as well as the body of what had once been an elderly stallion. Loosy, however, was far away where she didn't have to see his ruined wings or the splintered boards that pierced his… no, she was far away and all alone. A young colt had come to comfort the mare, but she didn't move. At some point the mare was taken away from that awful place, but the pain never went away. Even when she was eventually brought back to her home in Baltimare, it never subsided. How could it, when everything in the estate that had been her husband's was a reminder of…? Fortunately Loosy was still far away, where such pain couldn't exist. The colt was also at the house. The son tended to his mother's every need with ceaseless dedication, yet she lacked the strength of will to even so much as acknowledge his affections, and so it continued, for how long she couldn't tell. Days and Nights all blurred together. Once she even imagined Silverstar had come to see her, but no. Why would he, why would anyone? Eventually though somepony did… "Ms. Screws." Loosy blinked, looked up, and there they were again, those same rosy eyes that had greeted her from her long waking slumber. Briefly she considered if she'd ever awoken in the first place, but this time she knew the name that belonged to those eyes, "Lemon Hearts?" The eyes narrowed, and for the briefest moment Loosy thought she saw something behind them, something that frightened her. "The vicereine, where is she?" Loosy glanced from side to side, quickly remembering where she was and what she was supposed to be doing, "I… I think she left." Lemon Hearts frowned as her gaze intensified, becoming like a blade that pierced Loosy's very soul. She wanted to apologize, to beg forgiveness, but under that icy gazy she could hardly even breathe. "It okay, deary" and just like that it was over. Loosy blinked and the matronly unicorn was again the same gently nurturing pony she had always been. Had it only been Loosy's own guilt that made it ever seem different? Before Loosy could find the strength to speak again though, Lemon Heart was already turning away, a hoof held to her own ear-clasp, "Miss Charms, I'm going to need your help with plan B." ──────────────── Snowflake stood at his post, guarding the stairs. He wore some kind of black servant's uniform instead of armor, but that did nothing to diminish his excitement. So far agreeing to help that purple unicorn lady had been the best choice he'd ever made. It was a good thing that other nice unicorn had come along to tell him it had nothing to do with an all elephant orchestra, because now here he was a guard in the employ of actual nobility. The brown stallion, Silverstar, walked up to him. The pony must have been really used to wearing his hat, because he reached up a hoof as if to tip it in greeting before realizing his head was bare. Snowflake suppressed a laugh –guards had to be emotionless all time– but the sight was so silly that a mild snort still escaped his nostrils. That was okay though, as Snowflake kept a stern expression so hopefully it would just sound intimidating — guards were supposed to be intimidating. Apparently though, it wasn't intimidating enough as the pony proceeded to try and walk past him. Snowflake firmly sprung into action, using one hoof to gently, but firmly, push the pony back as he sidestepped to interpose himself in front of the stairs. Silverstar narrowed his eyes before muttering something incomprehensible under his breath. Snowflake knew his job though, nopony except the staff or the vicereine was allowed past these stairs. A moment later the other stallion muttered again, a bit louder, but Snowflake still couldn't quite make it out. This is why he hated trying to talk to ponies with mustaches, the darn things just muffled the typical mumblings of most ponies even more. Finally the other pony raised a hoof up and brushing aside a bit of mane, tapped the silver ear clasp hidden beneath, "Cansarnit Snowflake, it's me! Don'tcha remember?" For a moment Snowflake was confused, how the words seemed to come from directly inside his own ear instead of the other stallion's mouth, but then he remembered the similar clasp that he'd been given. He couldn't figure out though why the other stallion would be using the communication device when they were standing right next to each other, especially to ask such a silly question. "Yeah!" "Good, then if you'll kindly just step aside…" the pony then pushed a hoof into him, but Snowflake stood his ground. "Is there some kind of problem?" that was the voice of the purple unicorn lady — Tambourine, or was it Skylight, or maybe Sparkle? Clover called her the number ten for some reason, but that only made even less sense as their team only had six ponies in it. Seriously, the purple unicorn lady had so many different names it was hard to keep track. Still, he didn't actually mind all that much — all those quirks just made her even cuter. "It's Snowflake, Twi, he's bein' stubborn as a mule." "Hey!" interrupted Clover's voice, "My great aunt was a mule." "Err… sorry, didn't mean no offense by it." "Oh, don't be sorry… she was a real ass." Snowflake snickered at the pun — except, wait… if her aunt was a mule wouldn't make her only part ass? Then it dawned on him that the joke was itself intentionally half-assed — BRILLIANT! "Right…" drawled the other stallion, who clearly had no appreciation for good comedy, "Well, either way, he's bein' dense as a rock and ain't budgin' an inch, think maybe he's gotten himself confused about which job he's s'posed ta be doin'." The compliment about his impressive physique helped Snowflake regain his composure, but Silverstar was clearly the one who didn't understand that there was no job more important than being a guard for a vicereine. Well, unless it was being a guard for the Princess herself. "You just need to ask him the right way," said Clover, "Snowflake, hon, you remember that me and TripS were both working here on recon, right? That's how I helped you get the job." "YEAH!?" Snowflake shouted in reply, then remembering that she was actually speaking to him from very far away he put a hoof up to his own ear clasp and repeated, "YEAH?!" He'd almost forgotten, but was the other stallion really still working here? The stallion didn't seem to be wearing any kind of uniform, and with that nickname Clover had given him maybe he'd gotten fired for being clumsy or something. "You, know you don't have to shout," said the purple unicorn lady, "The enchantment on the clasps can pick up even the faintest whisper." "Aw, Tenbs, don't be so hard on the lug. I think it's cute." Snowflake beamed with pride at the mare's compliment. She was pretty cute herself, but the purple unicorn lady was cuter still. Of course for a stallion as eligible as himself it did pay to keep his options open. Then again, both mares seemed friendly enough with each other too. Maybe they wouldn't mind sharing him — or maybe they could even all make it a threesome. "Anyway, if you could be a dear and let TripS go on by that be a great favor. Remember that we've all got an important mission here with the fate of all Equestria riding on it." That was right. Snowflake was still a little sketchy on the details, but he remembered the purple unicorn lady saying something about needing to find an artifact to stop some flaming treant, or was it the Treant's Son that was on fire? That second one probably made more sense because the lemon unicorn took care of a lot of her own children, though the child of a treant would still be treant too so it probably didn't make much difference. He still wasn't sure how dangerous a burning tree spirit really was; wouldn't it just burn away to ashes before it could hurt anypony? Or was it just the fire they were trying to put out before the poor thing died… but if it was already on fire, did they really have enough time to save it? Either way, he guessed maybe it was just some weird magic thing. Of course, now that he stopped to think about it, how could one treant be so important? Then again, hadn't there been mention of some kind of queen? If it was the queen of the treants that needed help saving her son, well then, maybe some kind of diplomatic treaty was at stake. Briefly Snowflake fantasized himself, in the full armor of a royal guard, leading the charge against an army of walking trees. Then he shook his head — if the treant queen was asking for their help, then surely they must be a peaceful race and as such a good pony like himself should do everything he can to help. He'd probably even get a hero's medal. As handsome as he was now, he'd get even more fillies once he was a famous hero. His musing were interrupted by a vibration he felt coming up through the floor. Glancing up, he saw Sliverstare tapping a hoof impatiently. Alright, it was settled then. "Yeah," he said as he stepped aside and unhooked the velvet rope that cordoned off the staircase. ──────────────── Carrot Top didn't really own any formal clothes suitable for an event like this. She'd briefly considered commissioning something from Carousel Boutique, but not only would that cut into her profits, but it would also mean submitting herself to the scrutiny of the shop's owner. Rarity wasn't a bad pony, but she could be a bit overbearing, especially when she got inspired. It had been hectic enough that one time Carrot Top found herself owning the fashionista a favor and had agreed to model for her, so she was less than enthusiastic to risk a repeat performance if she didn't have to. Fortunately, while digging through one of her grandmother's old trunks, Carrot Top had managed to find something to wear. The pale mulberry garden dress was a little large on her, trimmed in more lace than she really cared for, and overall was noticeably dated, but still functional enough. Carrot Top did feel a little silly wearing the matching wide-brimmed sunhat indoors, but she'd decided the dress looked even sillier without it. Of course what made her feel silliest of all was how much better dressed Applejack was. Her fellow farmer had discarded her usual stetson, and was now instead garbed in a wide-collared light-brown blouse with a double layered skirt, dark brown on top, red underneath, and trimmed in a sandy –almost, but not quite gold– embroidery. Her tail had been tucked into a tight bun and hidden beneath the skirts, while her mane had been rigorously combed and conditioned, leaving it smooth and wavy with just the slightest curl at the tips. The whole outfit was topped off by a beaded green necklace with an apple shaped pendant. Even though she knew better, Carrot Top couldn't help but feel some of her old jealousy towards Applejack return. While her own carrot farm was a far cry from the most successful in Ponyville, one of the things Carrot Top did like to pride herself on was being one of, if not the best looking farmers — especially her mane. Unfortunately, now Applejack was proving that to have perhaps always been a foolish pride. No doubt Carrot Top put more effort into personal grooming on a daily basis, but it was now all too apparent that Applejack was more than capable of cleaning up when the occasion suited. Not only that, but above and beyond the dress which was both more stylish and functional than her own frumpy ensemble, Carrot Top also found herself overshadowed by an even more undeniable fact — Applejack was just plain better at talking to other ponies. Now Carrot Top held no illusions in regards to her own social skills. She was by no means she, however, bluntly speaking, she was a doormat and she knew it. Furthermore, she knew full well that as one of Ponyville's community leaders, Applejack was no stranger to public speaking, and was even more so an expert self-publicizing salesmare. Still, Carrot Top had perhaps hoped that the apple farmer's rustic country vernacular would leave her distinctly out of place among so many nobles. No such luck, however, as Applejack had perfectly affected an astonishingly accurate upper-class Manehattan accent that would even put a posh socialite like Rarity to shame. Carrot Top supposed she really shouldn't have been so shocked though. During their train trip from Ponyville, Applejack had told her the story of how as a young filly –before earning her cutie mark– she had briefly aspired to be an executive in the Apple Trust, during which time she'd lived with her Aunt and Uncle in Manehattan. Even if Applejack eventually left the big city behind to return to a life of working the land with her own four hooves –and in so doing discovered her true talent and passion– it was clear she'd never forgotten the lessons she'd learned about how to hobnob with the snobs. Still, for all the minor resentments she was struggling to suppress, Carrot Top couldn't argue with results. Applejack had brought with her all the same enthusiasm that made her market stand the best in town, and so their shared buffet table was easily as busy as the other two catering teams combined. Not that such made all that much difference. Carrot Top had already been paid in full by the vicereine for her services, so it didn't matter how many guests chose her food over the other options. At least not directly. The greater dividend was in exposure, and more than a few of the guests had asked about ordering direct produce shipments. True to her word though, Applejack didn't steal the opportunity to promote Sweet Apple Acres, never even mentioning it once. Unfortunately, Applejack didn't really do anything to help promote Carrot Top’s own Golden Harvests much either, instead speaking mostly in broad terms of the entire Ponyville farming community. Still, with the recent formation of the union, that might be just as well. This introspection was broken when Carrot Top felt a gentle nudge. "Look sharp, girl. The vicereine is comin' this way," whispered Applejack, briefly slipping back into her casual drawl for those private words. As Vicereine Puissance approached the buffet table, Carrot Top put on her best smile, though she still wasn't sure what to expect from this encounter. Then a different panicked thought crossed her mind, Wait, am I supposed to bow? Puissance was royalty, second only to Princess Luna herself. If she tried to bow while still behind the catering table though, she'd be almost completely hidden from view. Maybe she needed to rush quickly around to other side to properly greet the vicereine. Oh, why didn't I brush up on my etiquette during the trip over? An awkward silence hung in the air as Carrot Top stood paralyzed with indecision. Shortly though, she realized that Applejack wasn't going to cover for her on this one. Probably out of respect and not wanting to upstage Carrot Top in front of the noble that had invited her. Unless… unless, just maybe, this had been Applejack's plan all along, to leave Carrot Top high and dry when good impressions mattered most. No, she mentally slapped herself, Applejack and I aren’t rivals anymore; were friends. Aren't we? All the while the awkward silence only stretched out even more awkwardly, as she became increasingly aware that all eyes were on her, Now or never, all or nothing. "Um… Good evening, your grace," the moment she spoke, however, Carrot Top wondered if that was the right term of address or not. Either way, it was too late now. "This is quite the gathering you have here. I'm actually a little overwhelmed by it all," she forced out a brief chuckle from the grin that was starting to feel painfully plastered to her face, "but it's… umm, it's an honor to be part of it." There was again a pause that seemed to stretch out for an eternity as the vicereine seemed to appraise the farmer. "Please, the honor is all mine, and it is only all the more so a privilege to have a national hero such as yourself here with us tonight." Carrot Top's dread at embarrassing herself was now quickly overwhelmed by an even deeper concern. "Forgive me, Vicereine, but I was under the impression that I'd been invited her tonight for my placement in the competition at Trottingham, not… well, not because of my Element of Harmony." "Quite right you are. It would, however, be equally remiss of me not to at least acknowledge the greater service you performed for this whole nation, and at no small risk to your own personal safety. Everypony in Equestria owes you a debt of gratitude, be they commoner or noble alike." "Oh… well, in that case, thank you… I guess." "No, thank you. Tell me though, have you enjoyed your visit to Palomino? We have such a rich cultural history here." "Actually, I've been so busy with all the catering preparations that I've not really had much chance to see anything but the kitchens." As an afterthought Carrot Top added, "Although I suppose I did end take a brief trip down to the markets for some extra supplies, and I guess that was nice." Actually it had been more than just nice, it had been nearly perfect, and now that she thought about it more, maybe a little too perfect. It had almost been like some kind of scripted performance. On even further consideration, she'd only needed to go to the markets at all because of a last minute change in the menu request. She stared at Puissance, wondering if the vicereine was really devious enough to have paid off that many ponies just to ensure that Carrot Top would be impressed. No, that kind of conspiracy theory would have to be insane even by Trixie's standards, wouldn't it? "Such a shame. Perhaps I could arrange a tour for you… and the other caterers as well, of course. Not just of the city, but the surrounding countryside as well. Tell me, were you aware Palomino recently instituted a land grant program to encourage agricultural development?" Actually, she had been aware of that fact, but only just recently, as of this morning to be precise — during her impromptu trek out to the markets. Again, she'd not thought much about why so many ponies would be discussing the same thing before, but now… "Wait, are you trying to bribe me into moving here?" There was a slight gasp from several of the ponies in the entourage of sycophants that seemed to hang on the vicereine's every word, but Puissance herself was unfazed. "But of course not. It was nothing more than a professional courtesy. A fine upstanding farmer such as yourself should always be aware of all the options available to her by which she can advance her trade; don't you agree?" If Puissance actually meant that as a valid question, Carrot Top would never know, because the vicereine proceed without waiting for any kind of reply, "Were it my intent to bribe you it would hardly be in my own interest to do so in such a public venue as this. This is merely a question I would have asked any other farmer, and indeed which I intend to ask the other caterers here as well." Puissance's gaze then shifted to the side before she continued, "And to that end, what of your associate here? If I am to understand correctly, she too is the proprietor of her own farm, and if I am not mistaken, the fifth-place finalist from Trottingham as well." "Why yes, Vicereine, and I do very much appreciate your most gracious invitation. I must regretfully decline, however. You see, the Smith branch of the Apple Trust has lived in Ponyville for generations; we even helped found the town. I am quite certain that a pony of your eminence can understand the responsibility that entails." "Yeah," Carrot Top added, "I've got friends in Ponyville too, and I could never leave them behind." Turning to once again face Carrot Top, the vicereine pressed, "Well, if that is your concern, I assure you that Palomino has ample employment opportunities for teachers, weather ponies, and postal workers as well. We also have an especially fine appreciation for the arts in all their forms, including music." Given just how keenly aware the vicereine seemed to be in regard to the professions of all her friends, Carrot Top was more sure than ever that this was all little more than a thinly veiled ruse to recruit the heroes who bore the Elements of Harmony. Especially since no similar attempt had been made to further persuade Applejack. Though Carrot Top also couldn't help but notice that the vicereine hadn't offered to advance Trixie's political career. Then again, it was hardly a secret that Trixie had never been very popular amongst the nobles, so it probably made sense for Puissance to perhaps be more reluctant in that regard. "Oh, but listen to me prattle on," Puissance continued, "Such offers must sound dreadfully presumptuous of me. Please forgive an old mare her eccentricities. Still, it can hardly be denied that ponies of such vaunted importance as you and your friends deserve the very best Equestria can offer, without the need to worry about misguided fools who would only attempt to exploit you for their own petty gain, and well… I'd like to think Palomino is a place that could be that for you, if you'd let it." Carrot Top was silent, unsure how, or even if to respond. Had she misjudged the Puissance? Even if noble had been trying to convince Carrot Top to move here and bring all her friends with her, was it possible the vicereine really wanted to do so only to genuinely protect them from harm. Having such a powerful political ally would certainly keep them safe from any more of Greengrass's machinations. The Duke had already tried to coerce Lyra through her old mentor, sent those FlimFlam brothers to scam Carrot Top herself, and then there was that sleazy stallion who'd nearly bewitched Cheerilee — the thought of that last one truly made her shudder. Who could say which of them he might go after next or how? "Anyway, if you will excuse me, I do have other guests to atte—" and without any warning the vicereine suddenly found herself covered in fondue. Shocked gasps echoed through the entire crowd as all eyes turned to the guilty party. The gray-coated and mossy-maned earth pony servant smiled broadly. "Whoops… but I guess now tonight's dinner really is all on the vicereine," any attempt, however, by the mare to worm her way out of trouble with such a poorly conceived joke was only met with scornful silence. "Gee, tough crowd; I—" whatever further excuse she might have had died as the mare locked eyes with Puissance, whose own eyes held only a cold fury. It wasn't a restrained fury, so much as it was a promise of inevitably dire retribution. "…I'll just be going, that is," and with that, the mare ran off into the crowd. Puissance ruffled her wings with agitation, which due to the rigging on her peacock like gown, splattered bits of fondue on any guests unlucky enough to still be standing in close proximity to her. If she meant to give immediate pursuit to the clumsy servant though, no pony would ever know as a yellow-coated and blue-maned unicorn mare stepped forward from amongst the other sycophants. "Vicereine, if you please, I work with many children, and so know a variety of spells for cleaning out stains." ──────────────── Silverstar looked at the door in front of him. It was certainly ornate and fancy enough, but so were most of the doors in the manor. He'd made this trip once before while he and Clover had been doing their initial recon surveillance, but he still double checked the notes Loosy had given him to make sure he'd taken all the correct turns and counted the proper number of doors and intersections. Finally confident, he took one last glance down either end of the hall before bringing a hoof to his ear. "Alright, Twi, I'm here and the coast's all clear, so—" *pop* "—come right on up…" Silverstar trailed off as the unicorn teleported directly in front of him. "I thought ya said ya'd still need a minute to back trace the clasp before ya could do that?" Twilight grinned sheepishly. "I was sort of already tracking you most of the way." Shrugging, the stallion turned to regard the door. "Loosy says any security that'd normally be on this room ain't s'pposed to be workin' tonight, so getting in shouldn't be too hard." Twilight blinked as her eyes glowed with the faint light of a detection spell to confirm the lack of lingering enchantments. "She's right. Just like everywhere else inside the manor I can see a pretty advanced warding charm, but they're all connected to a single spellmatrix. No way to turn one off without turning them all off. Normally that's probably a good thing as it means any attempt to bypass one ward would still risk setting the others off. With so many guests here tonight though, the alarms would probably go haywire trying to keep track of everypony. Maybe it was really was a serendipitous we changed the plan to break tonight. I could probably work out a counter spell for these wards, but it could have taken weeks of research." "Don't reckon I understand half the things ya just said there, but maybe we should get on with it 'fore one of the guard patrols sweeps this area?" "Oh, right. I'll start scrying the other side to get an accurate teleportation vector; should only take two or three min—" there was a sudden soft crack as Silverstar firmly leaned his weight against the door. About five seconds later it was followed by a snap as the lock gave way. As the door swung open, Silverstar stepped aside, "Ladies first." "Not very subtle." "Ain't nothing much likely to be subtle 'bout any o' this 'fore we're through here t'night. Best way to cover our tracks is to be quick as possible and long gone 'fore anypony figures out we were even here." The two ponies then stepped through the door and into Puissance's private study. The room was ornately decorated, every corner and piece of furniture featured intricate wooden engravings. The walls were all adorned with paintings in gilded silver frames and multiple glass display cases were filled with antique treasures. Silverstar whistled softly, "Well, I'll be… if'n this is what she keeps in just her office, I ain't rightly sure I can even begin to imagine the wonders that'll be locked up in that secure vault o' hers." Twilight was already beginning to rummage through the massive desk which dominated one end of the room. "Let's just hope that info Lucky coaxed out of the staff manager was correct, and that she keeps the vault key in here." Reaching a locked drawer, she called over. "Hey, think you could work your magic touch over here too?" "I reckon I can oblige ya, ma'am." ──────────────── Puissance fumed in silent contempt. To think one of her own servants could be so careless. Well, not that the mare would be in her employ much longer, or anywhere else for that matter. It would be easy enough to make sure the clumsy earth pony was blacklisted throughout all of Palomino and Califurlong — at least at any establishment of repute. As a vicereine, Puissance also had plenty of clout to ensure the same in several surrounding provinces as well. She hoped Madam Lemon Hearts had provided the patsy with suitable compensation. Yes, Puissance was more than canny enough to recognize such an overly convenient setup. Still, she played along with it long enough to gauge the unicorn's motives, which turned out to be simple enough. Lemon Hearts ran a charitable orphanage and did a very fine job presenting herself as nothing more than a mere nurturing matron, yet years of practice in the Night Court made it all too easy for the vicereine to see through such a genial facade. After all, every pony had a price, something that they valued above all else, and what Lemon Hearts valued was something Puissance could respect. The matron was no mere bleeding heart giving free handouts to those who'd done nothing to deserve it, rather, she was entirely pragmatic. If left to remain vagrant on the streets, such orphans would of course only grow up to become further drains on society. If taken in while they were still young and malleable though, then they could be guided and provided with the training needed to become productive citizens. It was an admirable endeavor and so Puissance could overlook a bit of reckless enthusiasm in its pursuit, enthusiasm that even reminded her a bit of her own more precocious youth. Besides, to think of what she could gain, an entire generation of otherwise forgotten foals who could grow up knowing that it was Puissance Noctilucent Optiebeurs-Golo who had been their benefactor, her portrait given a place of regal prominence in the facilities. Such a legacy could even be made to last more than just a single generation, as it wouldn't take much effort to set up a self-sustaining investment that could pay out dividends for decades to come. It would in the end all be a very small price to pay for a single ruined dress that she was far too wealthy to ever have had cause to wear again anyway. She was already crunching the preliminary numbers in head, when she was rather rudely interrupted, "Excuse me, Puissance." There were scant few ponies of station sufficient and/or enough nerve to address the vicereine directly by name, in such a casual manner without appending her title. Puissance turned and to no surprise found herself face to face with a white and lavender trimmed unicorn mare. To an ignorant plebian the middle-aged mare might seem one of the less important guests in attendance, clad only in a simple silken dress, the same light-blue hue as her eyes and accented only by a singular strand of pearls about her neck. Puissance of course knew better. "Why, Velvet," she said adding emphasis to her equally inofficious address, "What a pleasure to see that you could be in attendance tonight. After your husband declined to attend I was afraid I’d miss the opportunity to see you as well. Should we perhaps make our way over to the other side of ballroom? I do believe that as usual, Wallflower has been monopolizing no small number of guests with her ever so exhaustively engaging conversational skills. It's been ages since the three of us were able to get together outside of official business." Velvet eyed the elderly pegasus coolly, "Please, Puissance, let's not waste time on such pretenses of base civility; they don't really suit you." As she appraised her fellow vicereine, Puissance noted a subtle glow at the base of Velvet's horn, almost entirely hidden beneath her striped mane. It would be difficult for anypony else in the room to notice, especially since, "A perception filter; how utterly conspiratorial of you." "Hardly, I just thought it would be simpler if we could speak candidly, without the need to worry about inadvertent eavesdroppers." "And whatever, pray tell, would you and I have to talk about that could possibly require such precaution." "You also shouldn't feign ignorance" replied Velvet doing nothing to disguise her deepening scowl, "It doesn't suit you either. The only way your intentions on this night could be any more obvious would be if you'd made that mare the guest of honor." There was a short pause as Puissance gave an affectation of confusion at the implication. "Why… surely you don't mean that quant young mare from Ponyvile now? I will admit that having one of the Elements of Harmony here is a most unexpected privilege, but I invite the best teams from Trotingham to cater this event every year, as you well know. I wasn't even a judge, so there's little I could have done to rig anything to my benefit anyway." Velvet scoffed, knowing full well that Puissance was both rich and canny enough to do exactly that if she'd wanted to, though in this case she was inclined to believe at least this admission was true, after all it would have been an easier way to conceal the more obvious truth. "Indeed, but you've never before invited more than the top two teams, and even then only when the winning farm was too small to properly cater an event of this scale." "Perhaps you failed to notice, but this year that scale includes a guest list twice as large as any previous year. I assure you, the extra catering was strictly essential. In fact, perhaps I should have invited the best four teams, since it seems poor Miss Topmore had to beg for assistance from the fifth place team to cover her table" "Yes, and no doubt you have a reasonable excuse for inviting all those extra guests, a symbol of defiance perhaps against the impending threat of the Tyrant Sun. Funny though how the second round of invitations didn't get sent out until after the competition in Trottingham. " Velvet paused a moment measuring the mood before adding, "Though now that I stop to consider who one of the judges was this year, maybe I shouldn't put any blame on you at all. Maybe instead the rumors are true and that in your senility you're letting that viper, Greengrass, pull your strings like a mere puppet." That last statement seemed to pierce Puissance's armor as she made a rare show of force, spreading her aged wings wide and again fully unfurling the train of her peacock like dress in the process. No pony, least of all the young Duke of Caneighda, could manipulate Vicereine Puissance Noctilucent of the house of Optiebeurs-Golo. Over her many decades in the Night Court she had crushed dozens of upstarts just like him and she would no doubt go on to crush a dozen more before her days were through. For now she was just stringing the whelp along, giving him precisely enough rope to hang himself with. Once he'd made an appropriate mockery of the political process and been ousted –preferably imprisoned as well– then she'd be able to make an example of him. He'd be all the proof she'd need that those who bore the Elements of Harmony required allies to protect them from such filth — allies like herself of course. Still, Puissance had not become so successful in her career by succumbing to petty emotional outbursts, and as she gathered her wits back she could easily see the smug grin already forming at the corners of her fellow vicereine's lips. Of course Velvet would have already known that it was Puissance who was playing Greengrass for the fool and not the other way around. Any implication to the contrary was just a ploy to rile her up, perhaps provoke her into a tantrum that would draw the crowd's attention even through the perception filter. Well, two could play such games and Puissance would prove that her experience was nothing to be trifled with. As Puissance relaxed her wings, she began her strategic retort, "I think perhaps that you're just trying to scare me off to give yourself free rein to enact your own plans… or rather your husband's?" Puissance didn't wait for a reply the expression on Velvet's face was all she needed before moving in to strike while the iron was hot. "Oh please, don't looked so shocked; subterfuge was never that boy's strong suit and he's always been out of his league in Canterlot. He's hardly done anything to conceal his contempt for the princess's apprentice and it's rather plainly clear he's just waiting for the first excuse he can find to take some kind of retribution over that unfortunate incident with the ursa." Velvet cringed at the sting of those words which dug into a wound that was still fresh in her heart. With her own pride still injured though, Puissance was in no mood to give quarter. "A pity that in all those years you spent playing the demure housewife you never took the time to properly educate your children so they wouldn't bring shame upon your house." This was of course an exaggeration, and Puissance knew all too well that the Starlight familial merely had a generations old tradition whereby the born heir focused on the provincial affairs of Latigo, while their spouse would focus on the national affairs of Equestria. Puissance had always found it such ridiculous division of labor. Why, she had two full provinces to govern in addition to her duties in the Night Court. Yet she had never needed either of her own previous two husbands to do anything save providing the obviously requisite assistance of siring offspring. Which was not to say she never cared for them beyond such practical needs, as both were always well provided for with all the luxury her ample wealth could provide. Still, that last taunt, seemed to backfire as a renewed confidence returned to Velvet's eyes. "As if you are one to criticize on such things." "And why wouldn't I be?" taunted Puissance in a haughty self-important superiority, "I'm easily three times the mother you are, and that's without counting all my grandfoals or latest great-grandfoal." She grinned wryly and added mockingly, "Though I suppose you aren't so old yet that there's not time to at least try and catch up now, dear; maybe you could manage to become at least half my equal." "Really, and just how many of your children or theirs have you ostracized, disowned, or even driven into veritable exile? Not as though you ever had time to raise them yourself in the first place though, so I guess you just blame that on the nannies. No, Puissance, just because you birthed seven children doesn't mean you know the first thing about what it means to be a mother." "Mind your tongue, Velvet!" it was a hiss, but the intent was no less clear for its lack of volume. "You may be hold the same rank as I do, but you are still far too young and naïve to understand the sacrifices I've had to make to insure the pride and integrity that is the House of Optiebeurs-Golo's legacy. Even as I taught them the consequences of their defiance, I have still always ensured that not one of my descendants will ever want for need or suffer in total obscurity. "Maybe if you're lucky though you'll still have a chance to learn such lessons before your own house crumbles for want of real leadership. Luna is nothing if not merciful, so I doubt she'll hold the indiscretions of your daughter and husband against you personally. I suppose though that if you are still unwilling to claim your true birthright, there is at least that son of yours. He has no wife to pawn his duties off on, and it has after all been far too long since a true Starlight sat in council with the princess." Puissance was, however, unable to fully enjoy her scathing remarks as Velvet seemed oddly distracted, looking no longer at Puissance directly, but off into the distance at something else. Attempting to follow the unicorn's gaze proved futile though, revealing nothing except for the expected crowd of guests… oh, and the insufferable servant that spilled the fondue, seemingly engaged in conversation with another servant. The failure of the other staff to immediately ostracize the incompetent mare disappointed Puissance; perhaps she would have to make two examples of her staff before the night was over. Unable to gauge Velvet's distraction, Puissance simply chalked it up to general weariness. To the other vicereine's credit though, it passed quickly enough, allowing her to conclude herself with a calm dignity, "…If that is what comes to pass then I will have every confidence in my son to make myself, his father, and yes, even his sister proud." As she turned to leave, Velvet spared one final glance over her shoulder. Again though, she seemed to look more so past Puissance rather than at her. "Perhaps, however, you should consider that it is not only the House of Starlight's viceroyship that is in need of fresh perspective." Puissance glared incessantly at the impotence of her supposed peer. To think that she had ever once admired Velvet's grandmother. Besides, Puissance was all too keenly aware that of all her myriad possessions, time was the one that she couldn’t buy more of. Still, she had quite enough left to insure her final legacy, and fully intended to use it to take every step needed to see to it that her great-grandson –the young Baronet Scepter of Cavesson– would grow up to be a perfect heir to her title. If it took until the last breath, she would be certain that no more mistakes were made, that no whimsical flights of fancy would be allowed to distract the colt from his destiny. ──────────────── While Silverstar was retrieving Loosy, Twilight had gone to meet back up with Lucky. The two mares made their way out of the ballroom, completely unaware of that an intimately familiar acquaintance had noticed Twilight. Snowflake as well as Lemon Hearts were already waiting at the staircase, and so together all six ponies descended into the labyrinthine catacombs beneath the manor. It wasn't long before they reached an archway that was guarded by a pair of burly minotaurs, each wielding a dangerously sharp pike-axe. The two behemoth bovates looked bored, but still more than attentive enough to notice any sneaky intruders. Twilight edged back after having peeked around the nearby corner. She blinked to dispel the lingering glow of the detection spell from her eyes. "That armor is impressively enchanted. I don't think even my strongest attack bolt could do much more the scuff than finish on one, let alone have any effect on both. I can't use any kind of geas either as long as they've got those helmets on" Silverstar cracked his neck and pounded one hoof against the other, "If it's as simple as knocking off those helmets, then I think me and ol' Snowflake here can handle that much. Think you can put up some kind o' barrier to make sure nopony upstairs hears the commotion?" The concern was apparent in Twilight's eyes, but she nodded in affirmation. Before she could start channeling her next spell though, Lemon Hearts interceded, "While I'm sure you two strapping stallions are well up to such a task, there are more subtle approaches for breaching that armor." The mare then levitated a flask out from her bag. "I just need one more ingredient," turning to Snowflake she continued, "That is, if Mr. McHugelarge here would be so kind as to graciously let me borrow one of his feathers." The pegasus tilted his head before slowly replying, "Yeah…?" "Excellent," and then with one swift pluck she grabbed a feather in with her magic. Uncorking the flask, she then dipped the feather into the contents and stirred gently. "Miss Charms, dear, did you remember to bring some glasses from the ballroom like I asked?" "Huh? Oh right, uh, here you go," answered the other mare as she set out two whine sifters on the floor. As Lemon Hearts poured out the pungently sweet contents of the flask, Twilight asked, "What is that stuff?" "Just a little something I read about one lonely Hearts'n'Hooves Day." … Moments later, after some careful instructions, Clover casually trotted around the corner balancing the two snifters of vibrant purple liquid. Upon seeing her, the two minotaurs quickly snapped to attention and crossed their pikes in front of the gate. "Halt!" spoke one. "Who goes there?" added the second. Grinning without a care Clover responded, "Oh, me? I'm just one of the servants from upstairs. I thought it was really lousy of old Pucy to throw that lavish party for all those stuffy nobles, but leave the two of you stuck down here all night with nothing to do. So, well…" She looked conspiratorially left and right, before proceeding in a loud whisper, "I thought I'd sneak you down some of that fancy imported exotic wine." The two minotaurs looked at each other, then back to the pony before uncrossing their pikes and relaxing their postures. "Well, ain't that thoughtful of you. 'Course, we really shouldn't be drinking on the job." As the first minotaur smiled, the second added, "But one glass can't hurt, so long as the old bat never finds out." Each then took one snifter in hand and turning to each other clinked them together before together saying, "Cheers!" Downing the contents in one quick swig, the pair of minotaurs stood for a moment contemplating the flavor. Then suddenly their bodies went rigid as their eyes locked fixedly on each other. Silent moments passed before… "Why, I never noticed what a stacky-wacky, beefy-cakey you are." "Aww… you're fine piece of ruggedy-duggedy, muscularly meaty goodness yourself." As the two minotaurs continued trading overly affectionate compliments of the other's physique, the other five ponies came down the hall to join Clover. "You sure they'll be okay?" asked Twilight. Lemon Hearts dismissed the concern with a wave of her hoof, "But of course. The effects of the potion only last one hour… more or less. Why, they won't even remember a thing after coming to their senses. Though we should probably give these strapping gentle-sirs some… privacy." "You're such a tasty-wasty looking dandy-candy treat. I could just eat you all up." "Not if I eat you first, my snoogy-woogy cuddle bear." Loosy, Silverstar, Snowflake, and Twilight all averted their gaze, preferring not to think of the matter any further. Silverstar in particular added "I best reckon she's right." With that they one-by one broke away and passed through the archway into the labyrinth, until only Clover Charms lingered behind. "Hmm… I wonder if it's really true that minotaurs are hung like a—" "Clover!" Twilight called sharply. … As Clover caught up with the others at the first intersection, Loosy was already pulling a large sheet of paper from from her bag and spreading it out on the floor for all to see. The sheet depicted architectural plans for a maze, complete with a path crudely drawn in crayon, with further doodles in the margins, as well as a few juice stains. "Sorry for the mess. I didn't actually work on this section of the manor, so I only have a copy of these plans because one of the other contractors took a liking to Woody back when he was still just a little foal and gave him it to him to play with." "It's fine," said Twilight as she studied the map, "This is more than we would have had without you." As Loosy smiled shyly, Silverstar spoke up in concern. "Are we right certain that this'll be safe? There could still be traps." Loosy frowned, but answered, "Well, there are traps," she indicated pointing a hoof to several marked spots on the map. Worried glances passed between the ponies, hoping that some of the nearby doodles were just silly foalish imaginings. None of them were eager to contend with things like a pool of lava, nor what appeared to be some kind of sharks swimming in it — and were those crossbows mounted on their heads? "As long as we stick to the main path though, we shouldn't run into any problems. The traps are only there to catch lost trespassers, since the vicereine wouldn't want to accidentally set them off herself." "I s'pose that makes sense, but what if she's had the layout changed. This map's gotta be at least ten years old." "Maybe… but I've not heard of there being any further renovations to the manor, or at least none large enough to make that possible. So far as I know, these catacombs have been here and unchanged since the manor was first built three-hundred years ago." "Alright then, Loosy" announced Twilight, "We're counting on you to lead the way." The earth mare shuffled nervously, but then nodded. ──────────────── Reaching the end of the maze, the six ponies now found themselves standing in front of the large and heavily reinforced vault door. Twilight stood in awe as she scanned it with her magic. "These enhancements are just amazing. There's at least a dozen different protective wards all weaved together. Not only that but, those look like elkish runes carved into it, and I think those embedded gems are of cheeroonean spellcut. The door itself also looks like its got traces of astranium in the alloy and the scouring marks are indicative of griffin stormforging, if I'm not mistaken. I've not really had much chance to study tapir or zebra techniques, but I wouldn't be surprised if there was some contribution from them as well." "Huh…" Clover said with a shrug, "seems like a lot of effort to go through for just a door." Loosy countered, "Well, this is where the vicereine is supposed to keep all her rarest and most private treasures. I'm no expert on magics though, so I can't even begin to imagine how much this must have cost to commision. To be honest, even for a vicereine I didn't know Puissance had that much wealth?" "These catacombs are mighty old by the looks of things," added Silverstar, "Could be this door's been here since before the vicerine's family even built the manor above." "Ooh… do you really think so?" responded an increasingly excited Twilight. "So," asked Clover, "What would happen if somepony tried forcing this thing open?" Twilight wore a grin that put even her comical compatriot to shame as she giddily answered, "I have no idea," and clapping her fore-hooves together as she eagerly added, "Isn't it great!" Realizing the others were all staring at her, Twilight coughed to regain her composure. "I mean… that is to say… well, it's just that I could probably write an entire doctoral thesis just studying the intricacies of the how all these disparate enchantments were inter-combined to create this door." "Yes," interjected Lemon Heart, "and maybe you'll yet get the opportunity to do so in the future, but I do believe we have more immediately pressing concerns." "Right, of course," said Twilight somewhat dejectedly, sparing one last glance back at the door. As the scholarly unicorn opened her bag and levitated out an oddly structured polygonal stone, Clover blinked while rubbing the bridge of her nose. "What the heck is that thing and why is it giving me a headache just looking at it? It looks like something out of one of those weird artsy McEquishire paintings my old boss would put up around the office to try and convince everpony how deep he was… more like off the deep end, am I right?" Twilight forced out short chuckle, then proceeded to explain, "This is a tumultia. It's a type of unique pan-dementional geometric shape; no two are alike and they are impossible duplicate. This one also happens to be the key to Puissance's vault." "Very good then." From her own bag Lemon Hearts produced a faded lock of mane. "Thanks to Miss Charms' assistance I was able to surreptitiously aquire this from the vicereine as well as speak to he at sufficient length for the other half of my task." Taking the lock of mane in her own aura Twilight walked over to the adjoining locking mechanism, or rather unlocking mechanism. The door itself was functionally impervious, rather the device connected to it was designed to interrupt the enchantments so as to make it even possible to open the door. Placing the lock of mane on a panel meant to confirm the vicerine's identity, Twilight then began to rotate the temultia in front of an equally confusing looking hole. "Now I just have to figure out the correct angle to actually insert this thing…" Lemon Hearts rolled her eyes impatiently while no one was watching her before reaching out and taking hold of the impossibly paradoxical object. "If you will alow me." She then spun it slightly, before pressing it against the lock and twisting at what almost seemed like two different directions at once. "Now then, just one last step." The matron then wrapped an aura about her own throat. She leaned over the lock and spoke a single word, "Precious." It was an astonishingly accurate impersonation of the Vicereine, but would it be enough? Twilight shifted uneasily from one hoof to another. Loosy glanced about nervously. Silverstar eyed the door for any sign of trouble. Clover grinned in eager anticipation. Snowflake seemed preoccupied with a nearby spider-web. There was a whirring buzz, followed by a hissing pop. The door glowed with an audible hum of power, and then with a final jarring crack, began to slowly open inwards. Smiling, Lemon Hearts turned back to the others and, still speaking the vicerine's voice, repeated the words Puissance herself had spoken at the commencement of the jubilation, "On this most special of days, I plan to give even more to you, my guests." Switching back to her own voice, Lemon Hearts then added, "Well then, I do believe it's time we take our gracious host up on that offer." ... As the six ponies entered into the vault they couldn't help but be overwhelmed by the stunning sight of so many treasures assembled in one place. Step-by-step as they made their way ever deeper, each new wonder was no less amazing than the last. Passing by a large pile of assorted coins –both silver and archaic gold– mixed with gems of assorted colors, Clover whistled and then added, "Wow, it's like those stories you hear of the brave knight who slays a dragon. All we're missing is the fair damsel in distress." "Yes, that would certainly make this scene all the more entertaining, now wouldn't it?" Clover laughed awkwardly, her back to the mound of treasure, "Umm… wow, Tenbs, you sure are great at voices, huh… right?" but the unicorn only shook her head ever so slightly as the rest of her body froze rigid. "Lemsy, Screwloose? Oh, come on it can't have been Flakes or…" Clover trailed off as she saw the increasingly dread filled gazes of her friends, and more importantly as she heard the clattering of coins and gems. The inescapable realization sunk in as she slowly turned round, and bore witness as a great beast rose from beneath the piled coins and gems. Clover gulped and cursed herself, "Me and my big mouth." Of course the pony didn't feel at all big in any way as her eyes took in the sight — black scales and matching spines, a purple underbelly, a mouth full of dagger-like teeth at the end of a snake-like neck, four limbs ending in equally vicious claws, and sinuous wings. All of it adding up to an imposing reptilian form, nearly twice the size of all six ponies put together. It gazed down at them all with vibrant chartreuse eyes, and then the dragon spoke. "So then, what do we have here? Six little ponies who have lost their way. The mistress shan't be pleased, no, she shan't be pleased at all." … The dragon –or rather Ebony Mellifluence of the Jaded Night's Shadow as her mistress called her– stared down at the six intruders. It was a rare thing for anypony to visit here, other than the mistress herself of course, and actual thieves were only all the rarer still. In fact, to Mellifluence's recollection, there had never once been an unwelcome intruder larger than a mouse. Oh, but the possibilities this presents, she thought to herself sinisterly. "YEAH!" her musings were cut short by the white pony's bellow as he launched himself bodily into the air, two small wings buzzing as he fearlessly charged the dragon. Mellifluence might have found the attack cute, were it not so boring it made her want to yawn. Of course as she actually opened her maw it was instead to produce a gout of chartreuse flames, engulfing the foolish pony. As the smoke cleared however there was nothing, not even the expected charred corpse. *pop* Turning her head, she caught the magical flash as her intended victim reappeared next to his now panting cohort. His coat and mane were scorched and blackened with soot, and he teetered dizzily, but otherwise seemed woefully unharmed. "Well, aren't you a talented little unicorn. Shall we see just how long you can keep that up?" There was a second flash of magic, and now the unicorn was levitating a chest. "Well, umm… actually, I thought maybe we could cut a deal." The unicorn forced a grin, but her eyes still trembled in fear. The chest opened revealing a content of silver coins. "Dragons are supposed to like treasure, uhh... right? If you let us pass safely, there can be more where this came from… a lot more." Silence hung in the air, before Mellifluence began to laugh. "Surely you jest little pony? Look around you at all the treasures of this vault. Do you think me so petty that I would have any use for such a measly tribute?" "Is that so, beast?" declared a second unicorn with a yellow coat as she stepped forward with preposterously undue confidence, "Does not this vault, and all its contents, actually belong to the vicereine? Really, what are you other than a glorified guard dog?" It was tempting to incinerate the impudent little pony and just be done with it. This was such a rare opportunity, however, that Mellifluence was far from in any hurry to rush to a premature conclusion. "Now then, aren't you the bold one to think you can speak to me like that? Still, your pretentious bravado in the face of impending doom amuses me. I suppose can indulge a brief chat… I do so enjoy playing with my food." Mellifluence smiled as that last line affected the desired reflexive gulp of dread in her prey. Except it was only the other five who did so, while the yellow one still stood firm and seemingly without concern. In many ways the lack of fear was an insult to her own draconic pride, but at the same time it reminded her of that day so many years ago when she had first met the mistress. She had been little more than a scrawny whelp back then, struggling to keep pace with her larger more able-bodied kin during the last great migration. Too weak to assert herself among her peers, she'd been forced to make her own isolated camp. Yet serendipity had smiled upon her when the pony she now called mistress had approached her with an offer. "You are mostly correct, little pony. Everything in this vault is the mistress's. Why, even I myself belong to her, or at least those are the terms of our arrangement. A lifetime of devotion in exchange for all these treasures upon her eventual passing. After all what is the life of one pony to a dragon? If it pleases the mistress to claim that she owns me for a scant few decades then let her. A hundred years from now she and any of your kind that ever knew her will all be dust, but I shall remain and be all the wealthier for my brief years of servitude." "If what you say is true though, then why turn your snout up at our offering? No matter how trivial, does not each and every coin only make your hoard all the larger? We need only but briefly borrow the use of a single relic, and needn't even remove it from this vault; isn't that right Miss Sparkle?" It took the purple unicorn a moment to register she was being spoken to, no doubt her meager pony mind still preoccupied with thoughts of impending demise. All the while her mouth moved wordlessly until, "Um… yes… that's right. We just need to perform a single ritual, then we'll be on our way and you can keep the silver for your trouble." Now instead of fear the unicorn's eyes gleamed with hope, as did her other compatriots. Mellifluence would need to disabuse them of that. "And what if I would prefer to keep six juicy lumps of equine flesh for my trouble instead. I already have plenty of silver, but while the mistress feeds me well, the meat of her own kind is one of the few delicacies she has always denied me. I must say, I'm rather curious to learn what ponies taste like." "Beg my pardon…" spoke the brown stallion who seemed to otherwise be doing his best to comfort a light blue mare he held in his hooves, "Uhh… ma'am, but I reckon trying to eat us all would be more trouble than it's worth. I don't much fancy our chances, but there are six of us, so I reckon we could still do some damage." "Don't think you can intimidate me with such meager threats. Dragons are both resilient and fast to heal. Besides, it can be ever so dull down here all alone; I think I could use the exercise." "Maybe, but I reckon some of these here antiques look a mite fragile." "You wouldn't dare!" she roared dropping all pretenses of civility, "Just for that I'll break your legs and make you watch as I eat all the rest first. Oh, and I assure you, I'll be extra slow with that blue one you seem so fond of." The stallion's eyes filled with a protective defiance as he pushed the trembling mare he'd been coddling behind him and took up a firm stance. It was all for show though, and as the two combatants sized each other up both knew exactly how it would end. Despite the stallion's outward bravado, the mournful resignation that had claimed his soul was all too delectably obvious. Mellifluence considered it almost a sufficient consolation to delay her wrath… almost, but not quite. "What if I could sweeten the deal?" The yellow one again, not that Mellifluence had any more reason to care as she stalked towards the first of her prey with deliberately slow menace. "I happen to run an orphanage full of young ponies with no families to miss them. You let us live as well as complete our business here, and in return I will bring you one deliciously tender foal every year to sate your hunger." All was still and quiet in the vault. Five ponies stood aghast in petrified confusion. Even Mellifluence herself was too shocked to be angry that she was no longer the source of their horror. The yellow pony's offer was so entirely unexpected that, even in her own predatory hunger, the dragon could scarcely comprehend it. She contemplated the yellow pony carefully. The mare did smell of children, so there was at least some truth to her words. Further, her expression showed no signs of hesitance that would otherwise suggest a hasty deception. There was something else though, something unlike anything Mellifluence had ever observed in a pony. Admittedly, she had only met a scant few ponies, and yet... whatever it was that made this one different, it was something she found profoundly unnerving. It had been many years since the now great dragon had felt this small. She had drawn so much strength from the mistress's treasure, the hoard that would one day be her own. So how was it possible that this single pony made her hesitate with the uncertainty of mere a hatchling? "Well, dragon, what will it be? Six surly adults today, or a steady supply of helpless children for decades to come?" Mellifluence knew she should just kill the impudent little thing, kill them all and be done with it, and yet… "You are younger than the mistress, little pony. If you are lying to me, then when she passes from this world, I will hunt you down and exact my promised tribute… with the interest to be paid in tortuous pain." Despite the threat, the unicorn didn't falter, not even for a momentary instant. Instead she only narrowed her gaze and with a predatory grin all her own flatly replied, "Then we have a deal." ──────────────── As Twilight stood overlooking the intricately drawn spell-circle, making sure every line and inscription was in place, she also couldn't help but reflect on the events that had all conspired to bring her to this point. Ponyville, Trixie Lulamoon, and the Ursa, which had all set the course in motion. Now, here she stood with her assembled cohorts. Silverstar, the first pony to take her plight at face value and give back to her the help she so desperately needed. Clover Charms, a pony she'd never even intended to ask, but whose uncompromising optimistic enthusiasm turned out to be exactly what she'd been looking for; truly living up to her own Lucky nickname. Snowflake, who despite all his quirks had pulled through and supported them all every step of the way. Loosy Screws, admittedly, it had been hard getting to know the soft spoken and fidgety mare, but Silverstar seemed to have more than enough faith in her. Lastly, Lemon Heart, the beneficent matron who provided for so many children… children she'd just used as a bargaining chip. –NO– How could Twilight possibly even for a second entertain such doubt? It had all been just a BLUFF; it couldn't possibly be anything else! There was just no way that a pony like Lemon Hearts could be anything less than the genuine article. If it hadn't been for all her efforts, going that extra mile to bring the six of them together, none of this could have ever even happened in the first place, and yet… Twilight lamented as she closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, and yet hadn't she once been equally sure of Lulamoon? The princess's protégé, the pony who revived the very Elements of Harmony; surely, she had thought, such a pony could be no less than the greatest archmage since Starswirl the Bearded. No, it wasn't the same, it couldn't be the same. Twilight had seen through Lulamoon's act from the first moment they'd met. It had only been her own doubts that caused her to briefly consider otherwise, caused her to make that terrible mistake that landed her in all this trouble. Not ever again. She wouldn't second guess herself like that anymore. Soon, so very, very soon she'd be vindicated as the real hero that Equestria deserved and Lulamoon would be forever exposed for the fraud she'd always been from the start. Then it would finally all be over, and Twilight could finally and at long last go home. She was done with running, done with hiding, and after tonight she'd never have to do either, not ever again. All her fears and doubts vanquished by righteous hope, Twilight opened her eyes as she exhaled the breath she'd been holding. "Alright, everypony, take your places. It's time to become heroes!" The six ponies each took to their mark around circle. At the center between them sat the open pouch containing the shreds of Corona's regalia. Twilight levitated the Alicorn Amulet up and overhead, then began to slowly channel her magic through it. Lines of power stretched from it to each of the other five ponies, and from each of them to another, forming a hexagram of light. The power then cascaded forth and condensed on the shattered shards at the center which began to levitate and radiate an ever cascading greater power. There were colors, so many colors, and Twilight could see them all, the entire spectrum that was the greatest magic known to ponydom — THE ELEMENTS OF HARMONY! It was a power beyond any one pony, the power that united them all in a common bond. There weren't many colors at all, but rather they were all just one color that blended together until the whole chamber became awash in a blinding light of the purest white. … … … The unicorn blinked, she didn't know when she had collapsed, or how long she'd lain there. As her vision cleared, Twilight brushed an errant strand of limp mane from her eyes, shortly realizing that somehow the magical feedback had undone her perm. Glancing backwards she saw that her tail and even cutie mark had also been restored to their normal forms. "Oh wow… look Tenbs you did it, you really did it!" said Clover as she excitedly bounced in place. As she climbed back to her hooves, Twilight returned her attention to the center of the circle. There sat six pieces of golden ornate jewelry, five necklaces each adorned with a colored gem in the shape of one of her cohort's cutie marks… and one diadem. Twilight gazed fixedly at the prize she'd coveted and the six pointed starburst gem that topped it, the final culmination of all her hardship and struggles. "Well I'll be…" Said silverstar with a whistle, "I reckon she really did." "Well, Miss Sparkle, it seems congratulations are in order," agreed Lemon Hearts. "YEAH!!!" Moments passed, but while the others celebrated Twilight only intensified her scrutiny, weaving magic through her horn so she could look past mere sight as she analyzed the artifacts before her. "NO!" Twilight finally yelled out, "We… we failed," and then sank to her hindquarters, ears wilting in despair. "But, Tenbs, look. They're right there… aren't they?" The unicorn shook her head morosely. "It might look that way," Twilight said as she levitated the diadem, "but these are nothing but cheap useless junk," and then flicked her hoof against the replica of the Element of Magic. The ring echoed through the chamber, followed by silence, and then by a crack. The false element split down the middle, fractures spreading not only through the gem but the gold as well until the whole thing came crumbling apart completely. Lucky scooped up the necklace bearing a blue clover-shaped gem, while Loosy did the same did the same with the necklace bearing a screw-shaped gem. Both artifacts, however, proceeded to crumble just the same in their hooves, the sound of the scrap metal and fractured jewel shards echoing hollowly across the floor. Her heart felt just as empty. Twilight couldn't believe it; had Gâteau's research been faulty, or perhaps the Alicorn Amulet was an insufficient catalyst, or maybe, maybe she just didn't have a sufficient sampling of the Elements original magic… –or else– No, she could scarcely bring herself to even consider, but what if… what if she had been wrong this whole time? Was she, Twilight Sparkle, top of her class and magical prodigy without pier, not actually worthy to wield the Elements of Harmony? …And if that were true could it mean that Lulamoon, that Trixie had been right all along? As her mind despondently struggled to come to term with this potential revelation, Twilight felt a firm hoof wrap about her barrel. She looked over and saw Silverstar embracing her, "There, there, girl. It was a mighty fine try." Next to him stood Loosy, who simply nodded warmly, while to Twilight's other side stood Clover Charms, her smile as uncompromising as ever, "He's right, Tenbre; we all tried our best and that's all that matters." "Yeah!" exclaimed Snowflake as he joined the circle of companions and drew all five ponies into a tight group hug. The big lug even seemed to be tearing up with what her B.B.B.F.F. would call a measure of liquid pride. –Wait– only five? Separate from the rest stood Lemon Hearts, "All quite true, I suppose. Though I think this souvenir will make a lovely consolation prize," she said as she levitated the Alicorn Amulet to her neck and fastened the clasp. Then as red light flashed in her eyes, "Oh yes, this should do quite adequately." Author's Note So this chapter has been a long time coming, too long, but we're finally entering the end game stretch and next chapter will be the big climactic finish. Hopefully I won't keep you all waiting nearly another year this time. Anyway, special thanks this chapter go to ColdGoldLazarus, thatguyvex, plus Talon and Thorn for assorted proofing and pre-reading assistance. Additional thanks to FinalFan for post publishing proofing.
>> interlude <<Princess Luna Equestris, the mistress of the moon, steward of the sun, and sovereign protector of the three tribes looked out across her kingdom… or rather what was left of it. Chunks of land floated through the air, rivers flowed backwards, and the very heavens themselves churned and convulsed, not a single aspect of the natural order had been left unviolated. The worst of it, however, was the screams of confused horror, of minds driven past the breaking point and into a never ending madness. It was not a real sound, but she knew it was there all around her for she'd lived through it all before, and she knew its malevolent source all too well. That is what had brought her here, to the base of this otherwise unassuming hill, and now she gazed with resolute defiance up at the black throne atop it. She approached from behind, not that it would likely matter, as the beast no doubt already knew she was there. She should have known better than to force a direct confrontation, but what other choice did she have? She had not the Elements of Harmony to wield, nor even her sister to stand by her side. She was alone, and even with all her alicorn might, Luna stood no earthly chance of defeating the beast who sat upon that throne… yet she marched up the hill all the same. To her last breath she would oppose the beast, and so gathering all of her magic she reached out, spinning the throne full about to face the beast who sat upon it. "Dis…!" the name died on her tongue, however, as she found not the familiar visage of her ancient and most hated enemy, but rather an unassuming ordinary pink earth pony with a curly striped mane and spinning propeller beanie. That is, unassuming in all ways except for the mare's eyes — endless spirals which betrayed her true nature. "Sorry," the mare giggled, "But daddy's still asleep where you left him." "You lie, chaos spawn! This nightmare could only be of his twisted designs." The mare giggled. "Really? And here I was thinking you were the nightmare," she said while casually holding up a silvery-blue helmet with one hoof. It was an all too familiar piece of armor that Luna –or rather a tainted portion she'd split off from herself– had once worn on that fateful day a thousand years ago when she had been forced to confront her own sister… or rather the tyrant Corona. As if taking that stray though as cue, suddenly the mare was instead holding a golden crown wreathed in flames "Or was it the other one? You alicorns are all just so dreadfully boring that I have trouble telling you apart. Though in all the myriad paths of history, maybe it doesn't really matter," and with that the crown evaporated back into the nothing from which it had been manifested. "ENOUGH!" Luna's eyes turned a pure glowing white as she bellowed her echoing demand "I have not the time to indulge in these juvenile games." The throne was gone now as well, and the pink mare instead skipped along a hopscotch grid. "Aww… but I like games, and if we played together then it'd be twice as much fun!" Pausing suddenly in midair, the mare began rubbing her chin in contemplation, "Wait… I think I messed that quote up." The alicorn snorted in frustration as she raised and then brought down a single crystal-shod hoof, splitting the ground beneath it in twain. "Try not my patience, chaos spawn! I will ask you but one more time; where is he?" The pink mare, who was now jumping rope, sighed. She hopped aside, leaving the rope to spin through the air unattended. "Not he, silly. I already told you; daddy's still asleep where you left him. This time it's a she." "She…?" Lune queried in confusion as the light faded from her eyes, "Surely you are not attempting to insinuate that my sister could ever do anything like this?" "Nah… she doesn't get her big screentime until next season." Luna scarcely had time to ponder the meaning of that before the pink mare shoved a box in her face. The pastel blue and green box was heart shaped, much like the kind young lovers might give their special somepony on Hearts'n'Hooves Day. Inside however, were not the expected chocolates, but plastic wrapped lemon drops. "You want one?" asked the pink mare as she proceeded to pop one of the sweets –wrapper and all– into her own mouth. Luna only glared in silent riposte. With the box no longer anywhere to be seen, the pink mare simply shrugged her shoulders. "Your loss." She then spat the now empty wrapper from her mouth, having tied it into a bow like the ribbon atop a Hearth's Warming gift. Before it reached the ground, however, the bow flapped and flew off as though it were a butterfly. "I grow weary of your inane parlor tricks. Now, if it is not he who sired your kind who has wrought chaos upon the land, then tell me the identity of this she so that I may restore the balance of harmony." Yawning, the pink mare adopted a canine-like posture as she scratched behind one ear with a hind hoof. She then circled in place once, twice, three times before laying down upon the blue checkered grass and yawning again as her eyes grew heavy and lidded. "Is that really all you ever think about? Harmony this, balance that…" then lifting her head she gestured to her own mouth as she stuck out her tongue and made a retching motion. "Did you ever stop to consider that maybe you aren't the hero of this story, or if this is even your story at all? Besides, I couldn't tell you even if I wanted to." "If you will not cooperate willingly," declared the midnight alicorn as her eyes again began to glow menacingly. "I have ways of forcing the information out of you?" Completely without concern the mare waved a dismissive hoof. "Gee… for somepony so old you really can be quite dumb. How could I tell you the name of a pony you've never met when all of this is just your dream?" "Dream…?" and with that the world was nothing but empty blackness in which Luna stood alone. A faint sound grew, until it rang out as a sinister laughter, not of the stranger mare, nor of the ancient beast, nor even her insane sister, but of some unfamiliar stranger. … The Princess breathed sharply as her eyes fluttered open and with them brought back the light of the waking world. Dreams were her domain, and so it was a rare thing for her to have one without awareness of such. As she rose, Luna wondered, had it truly all been just a dream… or was it perhaps an omen? She turned her gaze to the south-eastern horizon and felt an uneasy dread creep across her. Something foul, something sour, wafted upon the winds — or maybe it was all just the weary product of her own paranoid imagination mixed with the lingering taste of limoncello on her lips. As a rule Luna abstained from alcoholic intoxicants, but after recent events in a little known hamlet called Oaton, well… there she had seen one family reunited, only to face the prospect of being torn apart again, if only temporarily. She had also seen another family struggle with the tragic uncertainty of a loved one whose fate still remained uncertain. More than that though, she had seen so many other families simply rejoicing in a hard earned victory and a new found unity with ponies they had long thought their enemies. The restless mixture of emotions had left her –not for the first time, and certainly not the last– longing for family of her own. Upon returning to Canterlot she'd taken the bottle of Cavallian liquor from its special shelf in her private study. Normally she had all the alcohol in the palace kept far away from her, safely stored in the cellars and with her most loyal servants tasked with keeping it guarded, lest she ever attempted to sneak any in a moment of weakness. This bottle, however, was one of a very few exceptions. Ostensibly it was meant to be shared with visiting dignitaries. In truth, Luna kept it close at hoof because it had been a gift from Princess Mi Amore Cadenza… the daughter she had once abandoned, and whom she still hadn't ever told the whole truth. Regardless, even in her temptation, Luna had hesitated, leaving the bottle to sit on the corner of her desk as she had read over various pending documents. Eventually though, she had opened it and inhaled deeply the pungent aroma before allowing herself a single glass before retiring for the afternoon. Maybe that alone was enough to explain her unusual dream. The bottle was after all very old, perhaps even the last of its vintage, and so might very well have fermented one century too many. In spite of herself, Luna found her gaze lingering on the bottle. Using her magic, she popped the cork, allowing herself to once again waft in its alluring scent… she briefly considered downing the remaining contents in a single swig, but then what? Tempting as it might be to further raid the cellars until she'd had her fill –which given her immortal metabolism was a sizable amount indeed– as Princess, however, she had long since resolved never to indulge like that again. She simply had too many inescapable duties to attend — chiefly at the moment being a series of tedious negotiations with various griffin dignitaries to ensure the myriad treaties with Equestria's northern neighbors remained intact. Re-corking the bottle, the Princess returned to her desk and the arduous process of sorting through the stacks of documents, however, she found her thoughts still distracted by lingering though of the dream. Most ponies might have already forgotten such a thing, but for Luna dreams were as real as the waking world, which is why it still troubled her that she could have been so easily fooled by it. What could it mean? Luna had faced many foes over the millennia, but there was one who held a special contempt above all others. Now he was gone though –FOREVER– locked away and buried where the world would never know his blight again… and yet. Had she not once thought Corona also gone forever as well? And what of the other foes she'd also thought equally vanquished. Again she thought of recent events in Oaton, and the foul shadow of a greater evil that her apprentice had faced there. It pleased Luna to know that Trixie had triumphed –if not without great hardship– but what if there were other such shadows still yet lingering elsewhere in Equestria, or even beyond… Then there was also the matter of the date that had been marked on her calendar for nearly 500 years now. She hoped that now that her apprentice had restored the Elements of Harmony, they could together find a more permanent solution to that particular problem. In these increasingly uncertain times, however, could she truly rest easy in the naivete that enemies once vanquished would actually remain so? Immortality had never been a burden for Luna, but it did give her perspective. She could watch the ebb and flow of history as it unfolded and see the cyclical cycles of mortal ponies play out time and time again — both favorable and ill. Was there perhaps also a grander cycle though, one that even her immortal years had not yet borne witness to? Was her nation doomed to fight all of its old enemies a second time? In ages yet to come would there then only be a third, a fourth, a ceaseless struggle that could only be endured, but never stopped? These were thoughts most troubling, but she set them aside. The mysteries of the future were perhaps best left to the future itself. That said, she did make a mental note to check once again on the chaos beast's eternal prison, just to make sure every possible precaution was still in place. Not he, silly… This time it's a she. As the dream mare's words echoed in the back of Luna's mind she wondered, might she only be leaping to the wrong interpretation. If it was an omen, had it perhaps been warning not of an ancient evil returned, but instead of some new danger? But if so, why would it take a form so similar to her greatest enemy of old. Unless, could it maybe be… No, that would be impossible. It was true that her foul nemesis had left behind tainted seeds of his malevolent influence — discordant hybrids, each infused with a fraction of his chaotic escence, but could it really be these children which troubled her mind? The bloodline only grew all the weaker with each passing generation, and as such, it had been well over a millennia since they had all but faded into myth. Most who still carried the taint went their entire lives without ever even learning of their cursed lineage, while the few who discovered it most often sought to suppress any abilities they unlocked –or more specifically the side-effects– and just lead normal lives as best they could. Yes, there were always some who tried to abuse such powers, but given how unstable the corrupting influence could be on both body and mind… well, they invariably always proved to be more a danger to themselves than to anypony else. …but could things somehow now have changed. Author's Note Wait, was this a real update or just April Fool's joke? Maybe a bit of both. Truth be told, I'd actually wanted post the full chapter update today, if only to exploit the timing. With that deadline in mind I nearly managed to finish everything up over the past week, however, I'm still going to need a few more days to finalize some last few details -- especially since I'm between editors right now and have to do all my own proof reading. Hopefully I'll have the whole thing ready to go by the end of the weekend. So, what about this "chapter" then, is Luna getting involved in this story? Not really, this was only meant as a brief and inconsequential aside that isn't intended to have any direct impact on the rest of the narrative. That said, I did sort of want to take the opportunity to provide a minor refresher on Discordians prior to the ~epic~ climax of this story next chapter. Anyway, hope to see you all then, and again sorry for not having the full update ready.
Chapter 10: "Opened Up My Eyes"Author's Note So here we finally are. It's been a long time --too long really-- but welcome all to the grand climax! Before we get started I would like to give special thanks to GreyGuardPony, Talon and Thorn, and thatguyvex for all providing draft consultations at various points during the development of this chapter. In addition, I would also like to give an extra special thanks to FinalFan for his most gracious assistance as a proofreader. And now with the formalities out of the way, on with the show... Chapter 10: "Opened Up My Eyes" "What!" Twilight yelled, practically tossing aside the other four ponies in her alarm, "But Lemon Hearts you can't be serious. The amulet's corrupting influence is too dangerous to actually use it. Now, take it off, quick, before it gets in your head." "Oh, I assure you, Miss Sparkle," Lemon Hearts spoke with a trill just short of dismissive laughter "I'm more than sufficiently experienced at managing a corruptive influence." Twilight stood aghast, at first because she was unable to comprehend this sudden change of demeanor in the formerly genial matron. Yes, there had been that gruesome bluff she made with the dragon, but this? No, it had to be something else. With their mission failed, maybe Lemon Hearts was only donning the amulet as an act of desperation. Some precaution in case the dragon… A looming shadow rose over Lemon Hearts. "Tut, tut, little pony. Deal or no deal, I'm afraid I can't let you take the amulet!" Lemon Hearts didn't turn her head or make any other attempt to flee as the dragon lunged forward to attack. Instead, she only casually lifted her tail, the hairs at the tip splitting apart and taking on a semblance of animate digits, which then flicked against each other with an audible snap. There was an instantaneous flash and then dragon was gone, replaced a small mewling kitten which hung for a brief moment in the air before abruptly falling helplessly to the floor. Twilight stared in shock at what should have been an impossible act of magic. Even with the Alicorn Amulet, a transmutation of that level should have taken at least some visible effort, but Lemon Hearts hadn't even seemed to cast a spell at all. It was as if she'd simply made it happen by sheer will alone. "Surprised, my dear?" The elder unicorn blinked, revealing hideously unnatural eyes. Gone now was the warm and motherly rose, replaced instead by beady red pupils against sickly yellow sclera. "I told you before that I was a pony of many talents… and I suppose I did promise to teach you a few tricks. Now seems as good a time as any to start our lessons, don't you think?" She began to walk slowly towards Twilight with a menacing gait. However, Lemon Hearts couldn't even finish three steps before a weight leapt atop her back. Silverstar pinned the unicorn to the ground, "I dun should'a known ya was trouble all along! Had a gut feeling somethin' weren't ever right with ya!" Lemon Hearts only grinned nonchalantly –her mouth somehow now filled with sharp predatory fangs– "Why, Mr. Star, is this how you treat a lady?" "I don't know what ya are, but ya ain't no lady!" He then bore his teeth down on the amulet's clasp and yanked with all his might. The "pony" beneath him simply chortled as she wrapped her magical aura –now red instead of teal– about him and effortlessly levitated him away like a mere foal. "Really now, did you think it would be that easy? Were you even paying attention when Miss Sparkle here first told us about this amulet? The clasp can only be undone by the wearer." Then she levitated him upside down in front of her face, "Besides, you only got close enough to try because I let you. I should warn you, however," she said as her voice shifted into something more like a snarl, "My patience has limits!" Then just as quickly her voice changed into the mocking chidings of an indignant mother scolding a hapless child, "Now be a good little colt and don't try playing rough with mamma again."She then casually tossed him aside as though he were nothing, and perhaps compared to her that's all he was… all any of them were. Snowflake flew up and caught the other stallion before he could crash into the floor. As the two came down gently, Loosy went running to Silverstar's side to make sure he was okay. Twilight turned to plead yet one more time, "Look, Lemon Hearts, this isn't you, it can't be. It's the amulet! It's gotten inside your head and is twisting your mind, driving you mad with power." At first there was only silence, then a low chuckling that steadily built into an unsettlingly maniacal laughter. "Really now, young Miss Sparkle, is that what you think? No, child, this very much is the real me, the me that I have had to hide away from the world for so many decades, but no more!" The matron's declaration resonated briefly throughout the chamber in an augmented timbre not unlike the Royal Canterlot Voice. "Oh…" she cooed, her voice filled with a lustful ecstasy, "And does it ever feel so good to cast away my mask and throw caution to the wind. No more slinking in the shadows afraid of being discovered."Then in a bellowing triumphant glee, "With the power of this amulet, I needn't hold back my true abilities ever again! This amulet isn't driving me mad, no, quite the contrary. It's finally set me free and given me full control of the legacy that was always my birthright!" "Birthright? What are talking about, Lemon Hearts? You aren't making any sense." "I'm making perfect sense, child! You merely lack the perspective to understand…" She paused then, as her ears swiveled about, "But I lack the time to educate you… not when I can already hear them calling out to me in the night." "What are you talking about…?" Then Twilight heard it too, the sound of armored hoofsteps and shouting. Turning about quickly she called out to her other compatriots, "It's the guards, we have to get out of here!" "No, not them." said Lemon Hearts distractedly while gazing off vaguely into some unknown distance. "It's the other children, all those poor lost souls adrift in the sea of this meaningless life. They know not the gifts they waste, but soon enough every last one of them will be mine, all mine."Lemon Hearts again grinned with predatory intent as she lifted into the air on a pair of leathery purple wings that — wait, wings? Twilight blinked. When had Lemon Hearts conjured those? Again there had been no build up, no weaving of magical energies. The wings had just appeared from nowhere. If Lemon Hearts noticed the confusion in the younger unicorn, she paid it no mind. Instead she simply looked to the ceiling and raised a hoof, the flat of which flexed in an impossible manner, then with another snap and flash, part of the ceiling as well as all the ground above it was now suddenly water instead. Lemon Hearts hovered in the air a moment holding an umbrella that she'd acquired from nowhere in her other hoof to shield herself from the sudden torrential downpour. She looked down one last time upon the other ponies. "It's been fun, but mamma doesn't have time to play with you anymore. Do take care as best you can though," then with a flap of her wings and a flick of her tail she shot off, a wisping trail of smoke and sparks trailing after her as though she were a rocket. The five now drenched ponies below sputtered and choked as they tried to regain their wits. They had precious little time though as the sound of the approaching guards drew ever closer. Rushing for the vault door, Silverstar yelled out, "Snowflake, help me with this!". The two stallions began to push with all their might, but the door was heavy and slow to move. Then a sudden magical aura joined their efforts and with one mighty shove slammed the door shut with a deafening thud. Silverstar turned and tipped his hat to Twilight. "Don't thank me yet. That probably won't hold them very long." "I reckon yer right." Silverstar then glanced up, eyeing the hole in the ceiling. "Twi, ya got enough magic to lift both Clover and Loosy at the same time?" "Sure, but..." "No buts, girl. Snowflake, ya pick up Twi and fly her out'a here while she carries the others! I'm a trustin' ya to keep everypony safe, ya hear!" Snowflake gave a sharp salute. Loosy, however, quickly became distraught as she realized, "Wait! No… Silver… we can't just leave you behind." "No arguments, Loosy. If'n those guards don't catch at least one pony in here, they'll lock down the whole city 'til they find us. I can at least put up enough of a fight to buy all the rest of ya time to get as far away from here as ya can. Now skedaddle, the lot of ya!" Her jaw trembling, Loosy hesitantly made to step towards Silverstar. She was scared, but she couldn't just let him… with little warning, however, a magical aura wrapped around her as she felt herself lifted off the ground. Turning her head she saw Snowflake, his hooves hooked under Twilight Sparkle's legs as the unicorn herself used magic to levitate the other two mares. Clover Charms giggled, "Hey, that tickles." She flailed lightly about, causing herself to weightlessly spin upside down. "Don't squirm," groaned Twilight through gritted teeth, "moving only makes this harder." If Loosy were a braver pony she might have squirmed, broken the unicorn's magical grip, and against all rational self-preservation, stayed by Silverstar's side. Loosy, however, was not a brave pony… and yet she couldn't just sit by and leave the stallion behind. "Please, Miss Sparkle, there still has to be some other…" but as she turned to look at her beloved sheriff, all words died on her tong. For a singular instance their eyes locked, hers desperately pleading that he come with her, his pleading just as desperately that she runaway while she still had the chance. The moment passed all too quickly, and Silverstar averted his gaze. As the stallion turned to face the fate he'd chosen, Loosy could only sob silently while she was lifted past the edge of the tunnel. Her heart broke as she caught what she feared might be her last sight of the love she so longed for. … There was a clatter as a silver clasp fell to the ground, and was immediately crushed by a brown hoof. Silverstar twisted to further grind the trinket apart, hoping that would be enough to ruin whatever magic Twilight had woven into it and so prevent it from being used to trace her. Just to be safe though he tossed the fragments away, scattering them all around the chamber to be lost among the countless treasures. Minutes passed as Silverstar composed himself while surveying his surroundings, taking note of how best to use the available terrain to his advantage in the coming battle. The pounding on the door had stopped, but he knew better than to think that meant the guards had simply given up. Not like it would matter if they did, as he had no way to actually escape. Glancing sideways, he took note of the kitten sitting on a nearby treasure pile, glaring at him. "Guess ya will be lookin' forward to seein' me get what's comin' now?" The feline merely bristled and hissed softly. The little fuzzball was so weak and helpless now that its attempts to affect a threatening stature would be almost cute, that is if not for the fact that only all too recently it had been a large fire breathing reptile bent on eating Silverstar and his accomplices. "Look," Silverstar continued, "I know ya must be angry somethin' fierce, and I know I've no right to ask favors o' ya. If'n ya ever do get turned back ta normal though, I'm beggin' ya… please don't hurt the others. Well… I 'spose ya've got a valid grievance against that yellow she-devil, but please… if'n ya've got any compassion in yer heart, just leave the others be. If'n ya need any more pay back, let it come from my hide. Ya can even consider the beatin' I'm about to take here from those guards a down payment." The former dragon's only reply was a high-pitched rattling purr. He didn't have much time to contemplate its meaning, however, before with an echoing creek the vault door finally swung slowly open. Silverstar stood unflinchingly as over a dozen guard took up positions, surrounding him from all sides. With a tip of his hat the trail worn stallion spoke, "Evenin', gents." Tension mounted in the silent stillness of the vault… until finally it broke with roar as the first of the guards charged. ──────────────── The tunnel had emptied out into the manor's back gardens, and now the four remaining intruders snuck carefully through the shadows. Twilight's violet eyes peered through the bushes at a nearby delivery gate in the wall, only to find more guards. "No good here either," she whispered. Nervously, Loosy asked, "Could we… well, could we sneak all the way around back to the front?" "Maybe, but there would only be more guards, plus who knows how many witnesses from the festival outside." "We could just hide then, maybe get back inside the manor and wait for—" "Wait for what? We'll still have to make a break for it eventually, and the longer we're here the more likely we'll get caught." "I know," interjected Clover, "You could cast that magic wings spell on all of us and we'll just fly away, easy peasy." "Huh?" Twilight tilted her head, trying to puzzle out what Clover meant, before remembering the opening ceremonies earlier this evening. Had it really been that recently? Twilight felt as though this foolish quest of hers had taken years. "Oh… that spell?" the unicorn continued, "It's far too complicated and flashy; somepony would be sure to spot us if I tried. Besides, I doubt even I could just cast it three times in quick succession." Clover crossed her fore-hooves in disappointment, "Darn." "I suppose I could try teleporting us all, but the flash would probably still draw too attention just the same. Plus, as best I can tell, that wall has a warding charm on it that would sound an alarm anyway, and probably tag us all with a tracking spell too. It'd be the same problem even if we had Snowflake fly us each out one by one." "Can'tcha, I dunno, just counter it? I mean you're supposed to be the best at magic." "I'm the best… but my talent is magic, not miracles. I'd need time to study the ward, and that's not something that's really on our side right now." Snowflake opened his mouth, as if to contribute his own idea, but quickly found it literally zipped shut by Twilight's magic, lest his poor volume control give away their position. As the pegasus fumbled awkwardly to free his lips, Loosy again spoke up, "Alright… but hiding could maybe still work. Everything still seems normal at the party, so we'd only need to wait for the guests to start leaving and then we could just blended in with the crowd." "No good. Even if I hadn't lost my disguise," Twilight said as she again glanced back at her restored flank, "It's likely only still quiet at the party because Puissance has a reputation to maintain. The guards will probably still be discreetly monitoring the guests as they depart, checking for anypony that doesn't belong… unless," she rubbed a hoof across the bottom of her chin in contemplation, "Unless we could figure out a way to make sure everypony rushed out all at once." ──────────────── Inside the manor, guests continued to mill about, none the wiser to the actions of any interloping trespassers. As a group of nobles near one corner of the ballroom politely chatted, one of their number slowly started to sniff at the air. "Do you smell that?" "You're just imagining things. Now then, as I was saying—" "Wait, no, I smell it too… it smells like… smoke!?" … From an adjoining hallway, Twilight Sparkle concentrated on conjuring an ever expanding smokescreen. Now of course, even if the guests fell for the ruse, most would be disciplined enough to calmly make their way out to the courtyard. That was where Clover and Snowflake, who had both already made their way back into the crowded room, came into play. "Fire! It's a Fire! Everypony for themselves!" "YEAH!!!" The panicked shouts quickly spread from one pony to the next, and it wasn't long until a veritable stampede flooded out into the hall. Twilight merged with the rampaging herd, but now came the hard part. As she ran, she had to keep casting additional smokescreens at doorways and intersections to be sure and steer the crowd until they reached the front doors. Bursting into the open courtyard, she could hear Clover shouting, "Quick! Get to the gates! Run, run, RUN!" "YEAH!!!" For the guards on duty it must have been a sight to behold, the absurdity of a stampeding herd of finely dressed ponies bearing down upon them. The armored guards blinked in stunned disbelief. They barely even noticed when a unicorn's magic forcefully flung the gilded gates behind them open, having only enough time to recover their wits and take the only sane course of action — diving out of the way before they were trampled. … Just like that, Twilight and hopefully the others had made their escape. She had no clue where in the crowd her compatriots might be, but that didn't matter. They'd all already agreed to split up, that way even if by some happenstance one of them were followed the others should all still be able to get away. Unfortunately, just as she pushed her way past the edge of the crowd, Twilight's luck ran out and she found herself face-to-face with possibly the worst two ponies she could have possibly stumbled into. Her violet eyes stared into the two pairs of green, "I, umm… that is… bye!" and then she bolted as fast as her hooves could carry her. Carrot Top blinked and then glanced sidelong at her fellow farmer, who had just done the same. "Was that…?" "I reckon it was," replied Applejack, "Get her!" and with that the two mares from Ponyville gave chase. … Twilight skidded for traction as she rounded a corner at full gallop. She didn't dare risk glancing back, but she could hear the hoofbeats of her pursuers from behind. They didn't seem to be gaining just yet, but the unicorn could already feel the strain in her protesting lungs and knew that she'd exhaust herself long before the pair of farm hardened earth ponies would. Just as she was about to give up, her panicked mind regained just enough composer to scold her for even wasting the effort of running when she had a far more efficient method of escape. Twilight frantically began to channel magic through her horn. Before she could actually teleport though, the unicorn felt something constrict about her neck. As the lasso pulled tight, she found herself unceremoniously tumbling hooves over head as she landed in a heap on ground. "Whoa there, nelly!" called out Applejack as she dragged the splayed and still dazed unicorn back, "Y'all ain't going nowhere!" By the time the stars stopped spinning, Twilight found her hooves had all been securely bound by the rope. She hastily tried to channel another teleportation spell, but just as quickly an orange hoof smacked roughly across her horn. The throbbing pain broke her concentration and caused the second spell to fizzle like the first. "Don'tcha even think about tryin' none of them fancy unicorn tricks to escape like you did last time. I ain't a violent pony by nature, but I won't hesitate to buck your lights out if I have to!" Twilight winced, fearful that even if she agreed the glaring mare might hit her again anyway. Applejack was pushed gently aside though as Carrot Top leaned in to speak "Look, umm… Twilight, wasn't it? I know you aren't a bad pony at heart. That's why you helped Trixie and Raindrops fight off the ursa minor back in Ponyville." "An ursa she brought to town in the first place! Don't go getting' soft on her, Carrot; this girl ain't nothing but trouble. Why, I'd bet ol' Bucky McGillicuddy," Applejack said as she wiggled her back-left leg, "She weren't doing nothin' but savin' her own sorry hide back then." "I don't believe that. She could have just ran away from the start, but she didn't and that has to count for something," respond Carrot Top, but Applejack merely harrumphed. Turning back to the unicorn, Carrot Top continued, "So, Twilight, can you help us out here and explain what's going on? Maybe we can still fix this whole mess." "I… fix… but…" Twilight sniffled as the weight of her mistakes, both past and present, bore down on her all at once, "I screwed up. Again. That's what happened." "I knew it! Ain't enough to go droppin' a starbear on my home town? You had to come and try wreckin' another town to sate whatever twisted fetish it is that gets you off." "No! That's not how it happened at all… not how it was supposed to at least." anger mixed with shame as the unicron rapidly lost any semblance of composure. "I, well… I was just trying to make a second set of elements, don't you get it? I had to; it was the only way. I needed them so I could defeat Corona! How else could I finally prove Trixie was wrong? That she was nothing but a great big fraud, and that I was supposed to be the real Element of Magic all along." Applejack blinked as she looked once to Carrot Top, then to the unicorn, and back again, before she shook her head roughly as if trying to dislodge the nonsensical rant, "See, I told you! This girl here is just plain loco. Ain't nothing we can do to help 'cept turning her crazy flank in so the guard can lock her up where she can't hurt nopony never again." Carrot Top also looked uncertainly from one pony to the other, "It sounds crazy to me too, but well… Twilight, look, I get that Trixie can rankle anypony the wrong way, and I guess I can understand wanting to upstage her at her own game. The truth is, I used to feel just like that with Applejack, like it was all just so unfair that she got born into success while I had to struggle every day just to keep my own farm afloat." "Carrot…" Applejack stammered, "I never…" "It's okay Applejack, I don't really blame you, not anymore. Maybe you were born with all the advantages, but ever since Trottingham, I've seen just how hard you work every day to keep it that way. Not just on your farm either, but as a pillar of the entire Ponyville community. Maybe more ponies like me because I'm always cutting them cheap deals or doing them free favors. When the chips are really down though, you’re the pony that they'd all depend on in a real crisis." "Shucks, girl, I ain't nothin' special. You're the hero, what with bravin' the dangers of the Everfree to retrieve them there fancy necklaces," then hanging her own head in regret, Applejack added with a mutter, "Fat lot of good I ever did just bunkering down with my own kin and hoping things would pass." "Maybe so, but if things hadn't worked out at least you'd still have been around in the long run. We both know you'd have come up with some kind of plan eventually, even if the best you could ever manage was to make sure everypony stayed safe and fed in whatever became of a sunbaked Equestria." Carrot Top then hung her own head as she fidgeted, tracing one hoof in an awkward circle over the ground. "Meanwhile all I did was run off on a fool’s errand with bunch of ponies I barely knew and nearly got myself killed two or three times over. I'm not really a hero either, just a simple mare who got lucky." An orange hoof lifted the yellow muzzle, and both mares looked at each other for a lingering moment. "Well, I reckon you're sellin' yourself more than a mite short, sugarcube, but thanks. If'n nothin' else, you're a good friend." "I'd like to think you are too." Carrot Top smiled to her fellow farmer who nodded back. "You see, Twilight. You and Trixie don't need to be enemies either, and once this whole mess is over, maybe you could even be friends too." Twilight balked; could it really be that simple? She thought back to how Trixie had confronted her –no– reached out to her — "I’m willing to take responsibility for my part," echoed the showmare's words, "What about you?" Responsibilty — was she really ready? Weeks of living as fugitive had worn heavily upon her, all the running, all the hiding. Whatever the consequences might be, part of her just wanted it all to be finally over… but that was the problem too, "It's not over though, not even close! You caught me too late, and now everything will only get worse…" "Is that s'posed to be some kinda threat!" Applejack warned as she raised a hoof. Twilight flinched reflexively, but kept speaking, "No, not a threat. One of the ponies I chose, the one pony I never doubted, whose generosity I thought was beyond reproach… she's still out there, somewhere… only she's not a pony! She's some kind of monster, and now because of me she's got an ancient relic that matches an alicorn's power. I wanted to put an end to one tyrant, but instead… I… think I might have only created a second." Carrot Top was having trouble making sense of all that, helped no less by her fixation on a single word, "Wait, generosity!" Carrot Top stared flatly, "You mean this other pony… monster… whatever, was supposed to be your counterpart for, well… me?" The unicorn wilted before replying meekly as she nodded slowly, "Umm… yes." Narrowing her gaze, Carrot Top pressed, "…And she's out there doing what now exactly?" "I… I don’t know. The last thing she said was something about the children, and then—" Whatever else Twilight might have had to say, Carrot Top didn't hear it. Cheeks puffing out, the earth mare immediately shifted her gaze off into the darkness of the night, with all the righteous ferocity she could muster, as if daring this imposter to show herself. Unsurprisingly, however, the farmer's futile efforts only served to add to her own mounting frustrations. She knew that none of this was her fault, that she had no real responsibility to stick her own neck on the line. But now, having learned that this thing, whatever it was, had been supposed to be her own twisted counterpart… well, now that made it all somehow personal… or something. That there were somehow children involved only made the need all the more pressing. A passion gripped her, not unlike how it had been on that fateful night of Corona's return. The earth pony mare was even almost certain she could hear steam whistling from her own ears. Applejack couldn't read her compatriot's expression, or at least what she could gather of it didn't make any sense, then suddenly Carrot Top turned and bolted away at a full gallop. "Hey!" called out the puzzled apple farmer, "Where you rushin' off to there, girl?" Glancing back over her shoulder as she kept running, "You two just sit tight… I have to go do my hero thing!" Hero thing? — Carrot Top could hardly believe she'd just said that. It seemed more like something a cocky pony like Rainbow Dash would say… even coming from any of her own fellow friends and heroes of destiny, it might have sounded more fitting. She couldn't help, however, but think how lame and silly it must sound coming from herself… not that she'd let that stop her either. … As Carrot Top disappeared around the corner Applejack muttered to herself, "Yeah, I guess that makes sense, or somethin'…" even if she wasn't sure what the carrot farmer could do all on her own. More to the point though, "...But how's she even 'spect to find anypony at all rushing off without any kinda plan?" ──────────────── A happy adolescent couple laughed casually between each other as they slowly strolled home following their date. The festival outside the vicereine's jubilation had been fun, especially since both young ponies had for the first time convinced their respective parents that they were old enough to spend the evening unsupervised. Of course, even more so, the two were all too eager to sneak off quietly and get some alone time before they were expected home. Giddy with their own excited anticipation, however, neither pony noticed that something was watching them from the shadows. Not until it was too late, and so without any warning, a shape lunged out from the darkness, knocking the adolescent mare aside. The pitch black shadows of the alley made it difficult to discern what this creature was. Hooves clopped softly against the pavement as it flexed wings… maybe a pegasus, but there was something distinctly wrong about its gait… and the silhouette of its head… where those horns, or maybe antlers? Even through the darkness, however, the adolescent stallion could see the attacker's eyes, which seemed to almost glow… and also something more, something that called to him, making it impossible to look away. As he stood transfixed, his date cried out and charged the creature. Before she had made it even half way, however, the shadowed figure raised a single hoof a single hoof. There was quick snap followed by an instantaneous flash, and without warning the mare found herself crashing into an unseen wall. Regaining her senses, she could only watch helplessly as she feebly beat her hooves against the trap. Even her desperate pleas and shouts were deafened to the world beyond her spherical confines. … The creature ignored the tiny snow globe and its insignificant occupant, all that mattered was the trembling colt in front of her. "Don't fear child; mamma's gonna make it all better!" Lemon Hearts stared, not just into his eyes, but past them. There it was, deep inside, a dormant and wholly untapped spark of chaos. Disregarding all her normal subtlety, she simply tore it away from the pony's soul with a singular metaphysical tug. As the now catatonic youth collapsed to the ground, Lemon Hearts rapidly devoured the newly harvested spark, eager for the rush of further power. Yet no such rush came. Instead, her insatiable hunger was left entirely without even the slightest semblance of satisfaction. "No… this won't do; it isn't enough anymore. I need more sparks, stronger sparks, ALL THE SPARKS!" Staring at the motionless shell, Lemon Hearts contemplated. He was still young, probably still living at home with his parents. Yes, his parents. If he carried a spark so too must one of them, and if she were lucky maybe any siblings as well. Ravenous desire overtook her as she eagerly licked her lips before disappearing again into the night sky. ──────────────── Carrot Top's hoofbeats pounded against the pavement and echoed across the empty city streets, the majority of its citizens either still enjoying the festival or else having already turned in for the evening. As she galloped around another block, her eyes searched frantically left and right, Where is it, where is it? she thought to herself before, "Ah ha!" She raced towards the apothecary shop that she'd seen earlier that day, during her brief visit to the markets. The lights were dimmed, the store clearly closed for the night or in the process thereof. Skidding to a screeching halt in front of it, she began to pound on the door, hoping somepony was still inside. "Go 'way! We closed!" came an irately accented voice from inside. "Please!" she pleaded, "This is an emergency!" "My sleep is only emergency I care about! Now go 'way and come back tomorrow!" Carrot Top didn't have time to wait. Who knew what horrible things might happen if she didn't act right away. Yet as she stared at the door's lock it unsurprisingly failed to simply melt away under her insistent glare. Feeling as though she had no other choice, the farmer instead turned sharply and bucked with all of her not insubstantial strength. Against the years of hard work in those legs from plowing fields day-in and day-out, the door never stood a chance, splintering off its hinges in a single strike. A startled clerk behind the counter let out a shriek as he knocked his inventory book to the ground in a panic. Carrot Top briefly lamented her hasty decision, but it was quickly replace with an unwavering confidence of absolute purpose. The pale-coated and purple-maned stallion held a hoof to his chest. His brown robes and cap, trimmed in red and gold looked vaguely Shouman. Catching his breath, his yellow eyes glared through the spectacles balanced on his snout. "Now see here, lady, we closed for the evening! Oh, and my door; you going to have to pay for th—" The store owner's understandably angry rant was cut short by the sound of coins scattering across the counter. Carrot Top had tossed the bag of bits containing most of her sizable commission for her catering services. "This should more than cover the damages and the inconvenience, but I need supplies, NOW!" The shopkeeper seemed briefly torn between righteous indignation and the alluring pile of silver as it glinted in the soft candlelight. "Ah, yes… well then, why didn't you just say so in first place. What is it you need?" Carrot Top scarcely paid attention to the shopkeeper who was already counting the assorted coins. Instead, her eyes were too busy sweeping across the various herbs and reagents on the crowded shelves all around her. There'd be no time to brew anything from scratch. Her supplies would have to be fast acting and ready-made, which wouldn't be cheap. She'd hoped to use the money she earned on this trip to pay for some new and maybe even upgraded equipment for her farm. With a sigh though she pushed such worries aside as she began pointing her hoof wildly about while she called out a list of items. ──────────────── There was a frantic knocking at the hotel door. Woody answered it to find his mother entirely disheveled and panting heavily. "Oh… thank goodness… you're safe…" Loosy wheezed out between heavy breaths as she fell forward and wrapped her fore-hooves around her son in a desperate embrace. The young pegasus returned the gesture and the two simply sat in silence for a long moment. As Loosy finally began to catch her breath, Woody whispered to her, "It'll all be alright mother. Just tell me what—" "No! No it won't be alright! Nothing will ever be alright again! We… we have to leave, now! Pack your things quick as you can… wait, no… forget packing there's no time!" "I don't understand; where's everypony else? Did something go wrong?" "Everything went wrong. Lemon Hearts, she… she's some kind of monster, and after what she said about children… I… I was so afraid she'd come here and… but you're safe and that's all that matters." Woody gaped in disbelief. "A monster, but how? Wait, is that where all the others are; are they trying to stop her?" "Yes… no… maybe… I don't know! I left them behind; I had to get back here, had to know you were safe." "Shh…" he soothed as he gently ran a hoof across his mother's withers, "It'll all be okay. I'm safe, and everypony else will be too; you'll see. Sheriff Silverstar is there to protect them, after all." Loosy shook her head sadly, "No, he… he got caught… he stayed behind to buy time so the rest of us could get away, and… and I… I just left him behind. By Luna's merciful moon, I ran away and now I might never see him again! What… what have I done?" "Don't blame yourself, mother." Woody said as he wiped at the tears streaming down the distraught mare's face, "It's not what he would have wanted, not if he really did make that kind of sacrifice for you and the others." Maybe her son was right, but that did nothing to alleviate the guilt that was wracking her body, and yet… "O—okay, Woody. Now… pack your bags; we still have to level before any guards… or worse, shows up." The young stallion looked away, pausing for a long moment before he finally spoke, "We… I mean, I can't do that." "What?" her voice cracked slightly as one of her eyes twitched nervously, "Don't be silly. Now be a good little boy, listen to mommy, and pack your things." The adolescent colt –no– the growing stallion only shook his head, "Don't you see, mother? I'm not just some little foal anymore, and somewhere out there the others might be fighting. What if they need help?" "…But, I already told you, she's a monster! It's too dangerous and I'm sure the others must know it too. We all have to run away before it's too late." "And then what? Somepony has to stand up and fight eventually, don't they? Isn't that why we all came here in the first place? Maybe it's not the enemy any of you were planning to fight, but does that make it any less important?" "But, but… I can't… I—" "Shh… you don't have to, mother. You should stay here where it's safe. You've always been there for me as a child. Now that I'm all grown up, let me start returning the favor. I can be more than brave enough for the both of us." "I… but… please…" "It'll be okay, I promise," he said as he opened the hotel window, "I'll find the others first, we’ll figure out a plan, and when it's done, I'll come back. You'll see." Silhouetted against the pale moonlight, her son spread his wings and flew off into the star filled sky. Loosy trembled as she watched him go. When had her little colt grown up, and why did he have to be so brave? She couldn't handle this, not again. First her late husband, then Silverstar, and now her son –the last thing she had left– all of them so much braver than she could ever hope to be. It just wasn't fair! Why did she have to watch as the ponies she loved always left her behind? Worse still, what kind of coward was she to just let them? Still, trembling she looked to the door. Maybe it wasn't too late, maybe she could still… if only she could muster the courage, the courage to take that first step… maybe it didn't have to be too late. Just one step is all it would take… …One singular step, and then another. She hesitantly raised a hoof, but then set it back down where it started. She raised another, and yet only repeated the same. She was just too scared. "I'm… I'm sorry!" she whispered hoarsely, and as the weight of that realization came crashing down upon her, the mare could only collapse to the ground. Loosy Screws sobbed uncontrollably, unable to find the strength to do anything but wallow in her own hopeless misery. ──────────────── "Ow!" cried Twilight as Applejack thumped her horn a second time. "I warned you not to try and escape using none of them fancy unicorn tricks." "But I wasn't trying to—" "You might'a hidden the glow, but I could still hear the hum. Used to help my pa rustle blinkdogs, so I had to learn real good how to anticipate when them ornery critters were about to pop in'r out." "But unicorn magic doesn't even work the same way." "Likely story, missy! We ain't gonna have no repeats of how you got away back in Ponyville, and I'm a-gonna make sure you stay put until we can get a guard to take over." "I… but I can't, not yet… not like this!" "Maybe you should'a done thought 'bout that 'fore you went and dropped a giant starbear on my home town, or whatever crazy thing you was up to here." "You don't understand though, my parents, my brother… I have to make all of this right first. I can't go back to them in a disgrace." Applejack's expression softened as she was distracted by thoughts of her own family back home. She briefly wondered what extremes she might go to avoid disappointing them. Maybe the unicorn wasn't so — wait, there was that hum again. "Ow!" Twilight cried out after a third strike to the horn. "Alright, alright I won't try it anymore. Just please stop doing that before you break something." "Please, I know them unicorn horns ain't any more delicate than my own four legs." … Minutes passed in silence with neither pony having much to say to the other. Though at least true to her word Twilight didn't try using any more magic, and so Applejack likewise refrained from striking her horn. Eventually there was a rustle of wings followed by hooves landing on the pavement behind her. Mindful that her prisoner might still try to escape, Applejack spoke without turning to look at the newcomer. "Look, I know this probably looks more than a mite suspicious, but I need whoever you are to believe that this here is a wanted fugitive. So if'n you ain't a guard I need you to go and—" "Miss Twilight?" Startled that whomever it was already knew the unicorn's name Applejack turned, not sure what to expect. What she saw though surprised her even more. A dull blue-coated colt, maybe just a year or two shy of being a proper stallion, with a dusty brown mane. "Kid, how'd you know who this here unicorn was?" The pegasus scowled, "I'm no kid,"Then spreading his wings wide as he puffed up his chest, "And I wanna know who you think you are tying up Miss Twilight like that." Applejack scowled in turn, but not at the young pegasus. Instead, she glanced back at her unicorn prisoner. "Dagnabit, girl! Y'all said you'd gone and dragged a bunch of other ponies into to this here mess o' yours, but some punk kid? That just plain ain't right." "I didn't drag him into this… well not exactly… you see his mother—" "Stop it! Stop it right there 'fore you say something that'll make me have no more compunction 'bout buckin’ you like like a rotten tree that needs to be uprooted." "Don't you dare hurt Miss Twilight, or I'll…" "Or you'll what, kid?" she said cracking her neck and scuffing a hoof against the pavement. Seeing the despondent confusion on his face, however, Applejack's stern reprimand gave way to concern. "Look, kid, I don't know what this here criminal did to convince you otherwise, but she ain't good for nothin' but trouble. Now you run along home and I'll just forget you was ever here." "She… she helped saved my mom." "Say what now?" "My mother… after my father died, my mother was all I had left," Woody paused to sniffle slightly before continuing, "Except she wasn't right in the head anymore. I did my best to take care of her, same as she always used to take care of me, but she just never got any better. Even the sheriff couldn't… but then Madam Hearts… and everything was right again… except now… Miss Twilight, is it true? Is Madam Hearts really some kind of monster?" Twilight's dejected expression said everything, but she still spoke. "I… I don't know what she is. All I know is that she's out there, somewhere in the night doing who knows what kind of terrible things… and it's all my fault." "…And the sheriff? Mother said you all left him behind." "Woody, he…" but the unicorn couldn't bring herself to finish those words. "Just go home. Get your mother, leave, and never look back. You'll both be better off if you forget I ever came along and screwed everything up." "No!"You're not a screw up. You were supposed to be a hero, all of you. Heroes don't give up! The sheriff wouldn't sacrifice himself just so you could give up. I don't care what mistakes you've made; heroes fix their mistakes!" "Woody, I…" Any guilt she had previously felt paled in comparison to what she was feeling now, "I can't. Maybe I thought I was, but I'm no hero. You'll understand when you're older." "When I'm older, always when I'm older," Woody snorted in frustration, "But I'm plenty old enough already! I understand everything I need to. You could fix this; I know it and so do you. You're just too afraid; well, I'm not afraid. I'll fix this, even if I have to do it alone." "Look, kid" intervened Applejack, "I know what it's like to be young, to think you got all the answers; everypony always does at your age. But what exactly is it you think you can really do." "I… I don't know, but I'm gonna try, somepony has to. If we don't at least try, then the bad guys just win!" Applejack opened up her mouth to retort, but no words came. The kid was young and just as naive as any other, but he had such a passionate fire in his eyes. How could she ever go home and look her at her own younger sister again if she did anything to crush this boy's spirit? As the farmer mulled it all over, she was interrupted when Twilight finally spoke, "I… alright then. This is all my mess, so well… I guess it really is my responsibility to clean it up, just like last time." Applejack turned to see that while she'd been distracted the unicorn had magically unbound herself. "You ain't goin' nowhere, missy! The guard can handle—" "They won't know what it is there up against until it's too late. Maybe when this is all over, I'll…" she trailed off unable to commit to any such promises that she'd actually surrender herself. "But right now, if there's anything I can do to stop this, I at least have to try. Please understand." "I… but you… consarnit all, fine! But y'all ain't goin' off on your own without me." Twilight blinked, "I appreciate the offer, but you don't owe me—" "This ain't about helping you. Understand that I'm only comin' 'cause somepony's gotta make sure you don't go tryin' to run away again when it's all over. 'Sides, I also need to make sure this kid stays safe, as I reckon there ain't nothing either of us can say to keep him from coming either." "Damn straight!" Then just as quickly Woody covered his mouth with his hooves. "Err… I mean darn." "Don'tcha go apologizing for using such a word, not if'n you want me to believe you're the big boy you claim to be." Turning back to Twilight though, Applejack redressed her original concerns from when Carrot Top ran off. "So now that we're all in agreement, how do we go 'bout findin' this madmare of yours?" Using her magic Twilight unlatched the silver clasp at her ear and levitated it forward. "This should be all we need." ──────────────── A stallion stood on the street staring defiantly against the… the monster that had come out of nowhere and chased his family out of their home. Lemon Hearts scoffed impatiently at the futile gesture. She snapped a hoof and in a flash the stallion's mane came to life, rapidly growing and constricted around him. He began crying out, but with a second flash, his mouth disappeared so she wouldn't have to listen to him. She had more important things to focus on, like the mare that was coddling an infant foal. "I… I won't let you hurt my baby!" Rolling her eyes, Lemon Hearts spoke with faux sympathy, "Oh, don't worry dear. I've no interest in that mewling little noise box. It didn't inherit your gift."Wrapping mother and child in a crimson aura, she magically tore the two ponies apart. Then another snap and flash, created a harness suspended from a nearby tree to deposit the child in. As she passed the foal, Lemon Hearts tapped its head causing the foal's eyes to briefly spiral as the color seemed to drain from its coat, finally silencing it incessant wailing. A third snap and flash created a bottle of chocolate milk for it to suckle on. "Besides, soon enough you won't have to worry about any of that ever again; mama's gonna make it all better." The madmare's eyes stared out penetrating the despondent mother to the core, reaching into the hidden depths of her soul, but Lemon Hearts was only able to take a single step before… *pop* Blinking after teleporting Twilight took in the sight now standing before her. If she'd been shocked at Lemon Hearts' previous change in demeanor, the further physical changes that seemed to have followed were only all the more alarming. The formerly genial matron still had the beady red pupils within sickly sclera, a mouth of predatory fangs, and leathery wings. In addition, however, the mare's mane hung in wild and unkempt strands, streaks of white interspersed in her natural blue, but this was the least of things. The unicorn's horn now curved backwards and seemed to have taken on an almost dagger like edge. In addition her skull also somehow sported a pair of large spiraling antlers. Her hooves were each now split down the middle, having become cloven like those of a goat, and also trailed overly long and shaggy fetlocks. More disturbingly still, her entire posture seemed more like that of a cat than a pony. Fitting perhaps, as her tail was now long and thin with only a small tuft at the end, like that of a lion. Most unsettling of all, however, was her voice. It was still as smooth and refined as ever, but now carried an undeniable air of malice in every syllable. The effect was simultaneously both subtle and yet so profound that Twilight couldn't help wonder if this is how Lemon Hearts had always spoken, but that she had only somehow failed to notice until now. "Why, Miss Sparkle, so glad you could join us." Reaching up with her crimson aura, Lemon Hearts pulled the silver clasp from her own ear. "I suppose we won't be needing these silly trinkets any more then."Tossing the clasp away, she then took notice of the other two ponies who were still recuperating from the trip. "Oh, and I see you brought more friends to play with, how delightful. Good day, Woody, I trust your mother is still doing well. I'd hate to think she's suffered any kind of relapse." Woody starred in a mixture of shocked horror and resilient defiance, but before he could speak, Applejack interceded, "Now you listen here, missy. I don't know who you think you are but that ain't any way to talk to the boy." "And who do we have here? One of the caterers, I believe; Miss Applejack, wasn't it? Tell me, deary, what pathetic sob story did Miss Sparkle spin to garner your sympathies?" "Ain't none of your business. All you need to know is that I'm here to help put you down." "Please," Lemon Hearts laughed, "Best run along home little farm girl," and take the rest with you."Then in a mocking accent she added, "Alls-ya'll are 'ntirely out o' yer league here." The not-pony laughed again before finishing, "Now then, if you will kindly excuse me, my meal is getting cold." turning her attention back to her still petrified victim, Lemon Hearts took another step forward… only to just as quickly find herself encased inside a translucent bubble. "Don't bother trying to escape," Twilight declared with confident pride. "My brother is the best shield-mage to join the royal guard in three generations, and he taught me everything he knows." Rolling her eyes with increasing impatience, Lemon Hearts reached forward with a cloven hoof as she flicked the tips together. One snap and flash later, she turned the doorknob which now adorned the inside of the bubble-shield. With an audible creak of unoiled hinges, the side of the shield swung open and Lemon Hearts casually stepped out. "I'm afraid you'll have to do better than that, deary." Twilight stood gaping for only a second before she lit her horn and fired off a lancing beam of raw magic. Lemon Hearts, however, only yawned, as impossibly she somehow not only caught the beam of energy, but curled it up as if it were a ball of yarn. She completed the effect by levitating a pair of knitting needles –where had she gotten those?– which then proceed to absently work at the ball without Lemon Hearts herself seeming to pay them any further attention. HOW? Twilight could only stare in disbelief. None of this made any sense. Yes, the amulet was powerful to the extreme, but not even a true alicorn's magic could be so effortless. Lemon Hearts should still need to obey all the fundamental governing rules that defined how magic works, but this…? Just like with the dragon before this was all so impossibly alien to EVERYTHING the scholarly unicorn had ever been taught or learned, as if to defy any conceivable definition. What kind of monster was Lemon Hearts? Twilight was broken out of her thoughts, as the other mare paced towards her chuckling. "It really does frustrate you doesn't it? All your supposed knowledge, and yet this world still holds mysteries beyond your feeble comprehension. This is a dawning of a new age, however, my dear, and so you'll have plenty of time to puzzle it out. That is assuming you run along before I grow bored of our games and accidentally break something." "I reckon you should maybe worry more 'bout yourself, seeing as we've got you surrounded." Lemon Hearts didn't even bother glancing backwards at the two ponies who had circled around to flank her from behind. "Careful now deary; wouldn't want to make my pets angry." "Pets?" and then, as if on cue, there was a rustling from behind. Applejack turned to see a dozen animated topiary of various shapes and sizes stalking towards herself and Woody. As the two ponies were forced to break off and engage the walking foliage, Lemon Hearts continued speaking with Twilight as if she'd never been interrupted. "So what's next then, my dear? What amazing feat of magical prowess will the Great & Powerful Twilight Sparkle use to save the day and at long last prove herself the supposed hero of this story? Tell you what, I'll even give you a free shot. Take all the time you need to cast any spell you like." Twilight was being baited, she knew it, and yet still, she had to at least try. Lighting up her horn as if it were a small sun, Twilight charged every ounce of magic she could muster. As the power continued to mount, both ponies were surrounded by a swirling gale. Lemon Hearts, however, paid it no heed, instead seemingly more interested in examining the back of her own hoof. Finally, Twilight released the cascade, surrounding Lemon Hearts in not one, not two, but THREE bubble shields. Then with a metaphysical tug she collapsed each shield down upon the next until the transparent domes became nearly opaque. "Triple layer shield…" gasping for breath she continued, "Each perfectly phase synced to reinforce the other… impossible to break any one of them while either of the other two is still in place!" "Really, dear… is that the limit of your skills. If at first you don't succeed, just try an even bigger version of the same spell that already failed." A sudden pressure on her back caused Twilight to turn her head, only to find Lemon Hearts staring back at her as she leaned across the younger unicorn's back. Jumping away in alarm, Twilight saw the mare that should have been imprisoned in her shield casually leaning on thin air as if Twilight herself was still standing there to support her weight. Grinning the matron further taunted, "Care to take a mulligan?" IMPOSSIBLE! Lemon Hearts couldn't have teleported; expert that she was, Twilight wasn't sure if even she could escape out of such a trap certainly not so effortlessly, not to mention Twilight had been watching her the whole time. Glancing at her own still fully intact yet entirely empty shield spell, however, only confirmed it had some how happened anyway. Nothing about this made any sense; magic just didn't work this way, but was Lemon Heats even using magic. Now that Twilight thought about it, other than the occasional bit of casual levitation, Lemon Hearts hadn't even seemed to cast a single spell at all this whole time. Not even so much as a single twinkle, her horn seeming entirely inert… or was it? Blinking, Twilight reached out with her own magical senses. The aura of the amulet was intense, making it difficult to discern anything else, but she looked past it. As she did she finally saw a comparatively faint shimmer of some minor cantrip –no– that wasn't it at all. The power was every bit as intense as the amulet, but it was all focused inwards, which only made even less sense. Where was all that magic going? It just seemed to be emptying out into some endless void inside the monstrous madmare. "Really?" Lemon Hearts pressed in bored exasperation as she rolled over in mid air. "At first it was kind of funny watching your inept attempts to understand things you couldn't possibly hope to comprehend, but now it's just sad. If you aren't going to make a move, maybe it's time I should take my turn!" "You want something different?" Twilight grunted as she siphoned what magic she could back out of the now useless shield, rechanneling the energy into a new spell. "How about this?" Some unseen force flipped. Lemon Hearts' mane lifted, or rather hung as if she were upside down, but otherwise she remained perfectly stationary where she was. "A gravity spell… and outdoors no less, with nowhere to fall except into the empty sky above. I must say, Miss Sparkle, I didn't think you had such malice in you." "What…" Twilight winced at the implication. "No… I'd never; besides, you have wings!" "Hmm…" Lemon Hearts tilted her head before she turned slightly to look at her own back, "So it seems I do." Twilight blinked; had the matron really not noticed until now, or was this just another part of her twisted games? "Pity, and just when I was starting to think there might actually be some hope for you. Alas, I think we're done here now." She sneered, baring her predatory fangs as she glared with sadistic intent. "So I think I'll just have to return this last gift and send you on your way… au revoir." The younger unicorn barely had a moment to contemplate those words, before an intense sensation of vertigo gripped her, and then the ground fell away… or rather Twilight Sparkle fell into the sky, the victim of her own spell. Her panicked screams were cut short, however, when almost as quickly a streak of white swept through the air and grabbed her. Heart still racing, Twilight turned her head to observe the massive mug grinning back at her, just before its owner bellowed. "Yeah!" … Lemon Hearts was scarcely even paying enough attention to be annoyed by the would-be interloper before another voice called out, "Hey you… ugly face, catch!" Glancing, the matron had just enough time to see what looked like an acorn arc through the air before it struck the ground directly in front of her, bursting apart in a blinding surge of light followed by an equally thunderous roar. Carrot Top stood across the way, sling still in mouth. She might have been proud of her handiwork, if she weren't more preoccupied ridiculing her rather foalish taunt. She took precious little time to dwell on it, however, before noticing the commotion further along where Applejack and a young pegasus were fighting off a pack of what appeared to be decorative lawn sculptures. She didn't even take the time to contemplate why or how her fellow farmer had gotten involved, instead calling out, "Don't worry, AJ, help is here!" "Much appreciate it, girl, but ain't no harder than fighting off the timber-wolves back home," and as if to punctuate the point, Applejack knocked one of the assailing topiary's heads clean off with a tree shaking buck. "The kiddo over there could probably use your help, I reckon though." The dull-blue pegasus flustered as he took briefly to the air to dodge a lunge. "Just… just umm, keeping them distracted; that's all." Already searching through her stuffed saddlebags, Carrot Top called out instructions, "Well, if maybe the two of you could get them all clustered together… I think I've got something that will work, but I've only got enough for one shot." "Can do!" Applejack said taking up one end of her rope as she tossed the other. "Hey kiddo, catch!" She took off at gallop to the left, and after only a moment's hesitation the young pegasus did the same to the right. The two ponies each circled wide around the pack of foliage, criss-crossing their paths at the far side to close the noose. Pulling hard they caused the animated plants to all tumble together into a tangled heap. Meanwhile, Carrot Top loaded a bloated spore pod into her sling, and then lobbed it into the crowd of plant beasts. The pod burst open on impact, billowing forth a sickly cloud of smoke. As the air cleared the topiary all stood, mere wooden skletons striped of their leaves by the defoliating cloud. Each seemed to glance down at its naked form, before crossing a limb in what could only be described as embarrassment and then quickly running away into the night. Carrot Top scratched the back of her mane with one hoof. "Well, that wasn't exactly what I expected." "Don't much reckon it matters so long as it worked," replied Applejack as she and the young pegasus walked over to her. "You gotta admit, it was kinda funny though." Added a gray-coated and green-maned earth mare who also joined the trio. Regarding Woody she then added, "Sup kiddo; wasn't expecting to find you here." Applejack scowled, "I take it ya'll must be them other fools that Twilight conned into helping her." "Guilty as charged," she replied with an exaggerated bow and a big goofy grin, "Name's Clover Charms, and this here is Snowflake,"she indicated as the overly large pegasus landed while setting Twilight down beside him. "Lucky thing the two of us ran into Veggie Head here." "...Carrot Top…" muttered the name's owner with a weak sigh as if not for the first time. If Clover noticed the interjection, she gave no indication. "I knew once we did the three of us would eventually find the rest of you too. Guess my luck is finally changing for the better." The sextet was interrupted, however, by Lemon Hearts' trilling laughter. "Oh, I'm afraid you'll soon find that the only thing that's changed about your luck is that it's finally run out. Although, seeing as you brought the so-called Element of Generosity herself with you..." the matron paused as she shifted her gaze to regard Carrot Top, "Well, I suppose your luck was actually good for something after all." "You… well," stammered Carrot Top in retort, struggling to come up with a rebuttal of her own while she reached a hoof into her saddlebags. "That is… you shouldn't be so over confident. If you know I'm a bearer of harmony, then you know I've faced worse than you before, and I'll do everything I can to stop you too." "Please," scoffed Lemon Hearts, "All alone and not even your harmonic necklace; why, this will only be all too easy. Fitting really, that the most useless of the Elements of Harmony should be the first to fall. The only thing generosity has ever been good for is as something to be exploited by those of us with REAL ambition." "That's not… I mean…" "Don'tcha listen none to this here ornery varmint," interrupted Applejack. "You ain't weak, and you certainly ain't alone neither!" "YEAH!" shouted Snowflake, as Woody nodded his own enthusiasm. "Ha!" Clover added as she pointed a hoof at Lemon Hearts, "Six of us and only one of you. Even with that creepy amulet, I'd say we're the ones with the advantage here." "Advantage…?" Lemon Hearts chided in a cross between a sneer and a chortle. "My, my, it seems your sense of humor certainly hasn't improved any either, Miss Charms. The only reason this supposed confrontation isn't already over is because it amuses me to toy with the lot of you." "If this is all just a game to you, why don't you try playing with this!" shouted Carrot Top as she tossed a ball of compacted yellow powder which burst into a cloud on impact. As the cloud collapses, however, it was now occupied not by Lemon Hearts, but rather Snowflake. "Ye…" the stallion sniffled, "Ye… Ye—CHOO!" As the pegasus uncontrollably sneezed over and over again, the other five ponies all quickly turned to look where he'd previously been standing mere moments before… only to find empty air. "Oh, please, I'm not that predictable." teased Lemon Hearts from beside Applejack instead. Not even missing a beat, the farm pony spun on her hooves to deliver a full buck to the madmare's face… or at least she would have, if the pavement beneath her hadn't seemingly slid out from under her. Slipping as the momentum sent her careening out of control and crashed to the ground. Twirling a mop about in one hoof, Lemon Hearts snickered, "My, my. You really should be more mindful of the signs." She then pointed the handle of the mop at a triangular stand that read –SLIPPERY WHEN WET– which, like the soapy suds beneath Applejack, hadn't been there only moments earlier. Clover Charms giggled briefly, though quickly noting stares from the rest of her allies amended, "Sorry, but you gotta admit it was kinda funny… or umm, I guess at least it would be if this was a stage show." "Why, Miss Charms," Lemon Hearts added with her own chortle, "What an excellent idea. Might as well make the most of our fun while it lasts." With a snap of one hoof and a corresponding flash of light, the matron summoned back her pack of topiary. All were still naked, but each was now also standing erect while bearing an assortment of different instruments which they began to play as their mistress sang… You like to think your petty jokes are amusing In truth, you're no more funny than a rat But here's your chance to shine at center stage, though it's all for nought Such a fool, never had a shot You can try to charge me in a big harumph But your namby pamby can't cut the gruff Let's set this record straight, you're simply overweight You're only second rate! Wanna prove your no weenie, but it's such a shame You're just not ready to play the grownup's game Crawl on home boy, don't make your mommy wait You're only second rate! You’re sour that my power has you squealing This battle's won and you're all done, get the gist But if you're not convinced that I'm invincible, bring it on, who's next? I'm only warming up, you little pests Try your best to truss me up and win the prize Trip, stumble, and slip; so silly you is Such damage in your wake, it suits a retro shape You're only second rate! Your puny evocations aren't tough enough And your conjurations never measured up You'll try to abjurate, but it's all a waste You're only second rate… Razzle-dazzle-frazzled; gonna leave you addled Hocus-pocus-dufus; who needs a brain in a head so useless! Oh, spare me your pretentious glare It's ridiculous when you've got no hair And now you're so irate at losing to this fake But your back's to the wall with no hope for escape Out of moves to make and trapped in final checkmate You're only— The song stopped short, Carrot Top having lobbed what was initially a small glob of goo at the madmare, only for it to suddenly explode on contact with unicorn's horn. Lemon Hearts thrashed furiously about, covered head to hoof in a sticky slime. "Who's second rate now, huh? Don't even bother struggling. It doesn't matter how powerful your magic is; you'll only get even more stuck. That's tanglehoof muck—" Carrot Top blinked in surprise realizing that Lemon Hearts had spoken those last words in unison with her. The entangled matron had quickly reasserted her calm demeanor as she took over the explanation. "...A rare parasitic fungus found in the Everfree Forest, and which earned its name because of the trouble it caused the early earth pony settlers in that region. It feeds and grows by absorbing certain types of ambient magic, most notably the kind constantly channeled through an earth pony's hooves, but can also be quite effective against a unicorn's horn. And with the Alicorn Amulet enhancing all of my natural pony magic... well, I must admit, the effect is only all the more impressive. How very clever of you." "Uhh… yeah, you umm, took the words right out of my mouth." "More literally than you might imagine," taunted the madmare with far more confidence than her situation seemed to warrant. "You see, I also know that it's so rare that even you didn't know about it until about a month ago when you accidently stumbled into a patch, and even after you managed to get out, it took you three days to clean all the residue out of that precious mane of yours." Anger boiled back up as Carrot Top scratched absently at her bald neck. Somewhere in the back of her mind she worried over whether her mane would even grow back after whatever Lemon Hearts had done. More so, however, she found herself puzzing about another confusing uncertainty. "But how could you know about how that incident?" "Oh, that's hardly the only secret of yours I know, deary," then, as Lemon Hearts stared down at her own front hooves, twin beams lanced from her eyes, evaporating the gunk ensnaring them. Confusion turned to shocked disbelief, both because of how the unicorn was doing it, and perhaps more alarming still that it even worked at all. It shouldn't have been possible; any spell should have only made the tanglehoof expand. It was… "Impossible… yes, Miss Sparkle over there has been repeatedly thinking that exact same thing all night long." Lemon Hearts commented absently as she levitated a mirror to reflect her eye-beams and clean away the rest of the slimy fungus. "Amusing as that confusion has been, it's actually starting to get quite boring… oh and, yes, I did choose this method of escape just to taunt you specifically." "But how could...?" "Talent, my dear; every pony has one. Whatever else you may think of me, I was born a pony and earned a cutie mark just like any other young filly." The unicorn turned half about and with one final blast from her eyes eliminated the last of the goo covering the trio of hearts on her flank. "Mine happens to represent empathy, that is to say I can read the emotions of other ponies, an exceedingly useful skill when it comes to manipulating them into doing whatever I want without them ever being the wiser." Glancing briefly aside, Lemon Hearts further added, "Trying to scrape those last few neurons together, Miss Sparkle? Let me put it in terms even a simpleton can understand; you've been nothing but my pawn from the very start. Still, I must thank you for leading me to this delightful little trinket. The Alicorn Amulet enhances everything about a pony, so now you all might as well be open books to me." Lemon Hearts casually flipped through the pages of a book, the cover of which was the same lavender as Twilight's coat and featured an image of her Starburst cutie mark. "Such a tragic tale, but at least it's not as boring as this one," she yawned as she levitated a second book featuring a trio of carrots emblazon on its cover, before tossing both them aside onto a pile of other books that likewise each bore a familiar cutie mark. The madmare then began to menacingly stalk forward, once again fixated on Carrot Top who backpedaled awkwardly while frantically fumbling through her saddlebag, looking for some reagent that might yet let her win-out. "What's the matter little hayseed? Run out of weeds to throw at me, or have you just finally realized that nothing in your little bag of tricks will ever make even the slightest difference." "I…umm well, that is… look, you might think you're unstoppable, but so did Corona. She never believed that six ordinary ponies could stop her either, but thanks to the bonds of friendship between us, my friends and I proved that even ordinary ponies can do the impossible." Even as they were all still reeling from the various hexes Lemon Hearts had placed on them the other five ponies all rallied as best they could to stand next to Carrot Top in a show of unified defiance. "Brave words, little pony, but for all your supposed faith, they are still only empty words. I can see into your heart, remember? Whatever supposed bonds you share with your real friends, this ragtag band of misfits is no substitute. I can see the resentment you still hold on to towards your fellow farmer, how unfair you still think it is that she's more successful than you by a mere accident of birth. I also see how afraid you still are of Miss Twilight Sparkle… ooh, and not just fear, but a repressed anger too. You blame her for all of this, most of all for having picked someone as wretched as me to be your would-be replacement. While as for the rest, you hardly even know them." "None of that matters. I barely knew any of my other friends before either. Cheerilee and Ditzy were both nice ponies, but we never used to speak more than the casual courtesy of a passerby. As for Raindrops, sure I was scared of her, everypony who's never taken the time to see past her temper is." As Carrot Top made her speech, Clover Charms heard an odd rattling, as something in her own saddlebags began to vibrate. "Umm, everypony…" she started to mumble as she glanced uncertainly over her shoulder. "And don't even get me started on Trixie" Carrot Top continued without notice, "When I first met her she might as well have been just another pretentious trouble making snob. Even if I never acted on it, there was some part of me back then that, like the rest of the town, wanted to blame Trixie for somehow bringing down Corona's wrath upon us all. In the end, however, none of that mattered, and with each new day we've all spent together since, I wonder how I ever got by without them — because FRIENDSHIP IS MAGIC!" With those words Clover's saddlebag exploded as crumpled flakes of gold and shards of shattered crystal burst forth. Everypony stared in confused silence as the fragments began to orbit each of them in turn, and as they did the lingering changes Lemon Hearts had inflicted on them were also reversed. Finally it was Twilight who was the first to speak. "Wait, but these… these are the copied Elements of Harmony we tried to make. How… why would you even…?" "Well," Clover replied scratching the back of her mane, "I figured that even if they didn't work, they still might make great souvenirs. Guess I really did finally live up to my nickname in a good way after all, huh?"She grinned her biggest grin yet, and everypony shared in it. Well, almost everypony. "No, no!" raged Lemon Hearts, "This is impossible!" "Now who's boring!" declared an increasingly emboldened Carrot Top as she pressed the advantage, "Nothing is impossible when we have friendship, the most powerful magic of all on our side!" and with that the floating fragments coalesced about their new hosts in a radiant display of multi-hued light. Five necklaces formed and latched about five necks, each bearing a jeweled representation of its wearer's cutie mark — a clover, a dumbbell, a carving chisel, an apple, and even a starburst. Lastly a diadem topped by a carrot shaped gem was formed, which floated gently down to rest upon Carrot Top's head. One by one, each pony then began to levitate into the air. Carrot Top could scarcely believe it was all happening, again, just like the first time. Only this time she was somehow the central foundation. Did that make her the Element of Magic now, or was she still Generosity for this new team too? Could she somehow be both at once? Not that it mattered either way though, because any moment now the primal forces of harmony would build to an unstoppable crescendo, and they would vanquish the foul beast — the pretender. … Any moment, now? … Suddenly the six ponies instead all dropped unceremoniously from the air. As she groaned, Carrot Top barely had time to contemplate her aching flank before something liquid began to run into her eyes. She wiped it away and stared at a golden residue on her hoof. The crown was melting, and looking around she saw the five necklaces doing the same. Mocking laughter roared out above, "Oh my… I know we did this skit already tonight, but I just couldn't resist an encore. You just wanted it so badly, how could I not indulge." It was then they all realized what had happened, that there had never been any magic... any friendship, only a cruel prank by the heartless monster. "If only you could see the looks on all your precious little faces, to see your hopes dashed to pieces. I think I'm finally starting to see the appeal of this megalomaniacal villain routine." Lemon Hearts roiled with laughter befitting such a revelation, but then in an instant she stopped flat, as she shifted into a deadpan sneer, "So then, now do you understand, my little ponies? You are nothing compared to me, and there won't be any miraculous ancient artifacts of power to save you either." It wasn't fair, they'd done everything right, but it hadn't been enough. Without the real Elements of Harmony, without her real friends what hope did Carrot Top have against this abomination and… …and her own artifact of power… Maybe they did have one last hope after all, and so with dawning realization Carrot Top snapped back, "Like you're one to talk! You're not even fighting fair, and if it weren't for that amulet you'd be just as powerless!" Lemon Hearts chortled, "Oh, and I suppose now I'm supposed to play into your little ploy. I'm the villain after all, and aren't we all just too arrogantly overconfident in our own superiority? You still don't get it do you, garden brain? My power is that of the primal forces of chaos, the boundless antithesis of all things harmonious. My birthright might only be the merest fraction of that endless wellspring, but even the smallest piece of the infinite is still itself infinite as well." Blinking once in contemplation, the madmare's eyes snapped open wide. "THAT'S IT, that's why I could no longer sate my hunger! Just as the infinite can't be diminished through division, neither can it be enhanced through addition. All these years, it's never been anything more than a placebo giving me the confidence to tap deeper and ever deeper into the power that was always MINE to begin with… but now I finally understand. I understand EVERYTHING!" Lemon Hearts spiraled as she ascended further into the air, cackling as she continued her rant, "The secrets of the universe are laid bare before my all seeing eyes. The very fabric of creation is mine to command, to CONTROL!" All around reality warped at the madmare's merest gesture. The ground rippled as it was seemingly replaced by a giant checkerboard, buildings were twisted into surreal architectural parodies, and every wheel in the city turned square. Even the stars in the heavens above seemed to quaver and shake in fear. Stopping sharp, the twisted madmare glanced down at her own neck, "But just to prove how meaningless this paltry trinket is…" With a glow from her horn she undid the clasp, and as she levitated the amulet away, the aura surrounding it fading from red back to her natural teal. Nothing else about her monstrous appearance returned to normal, however, in fact, it only seemed to grow somehow more distorted. Then with a flash, the pavement beneath the six hapless ponies' hooves turned into a gooey quagmire of caramel. "See, my power remains absolute, and you are all still hopelessly out matched!" As Carrot Top struggled to extricate herself from the sticky mess, she suddenly found that the amulet had been levitated down to her, hanging temptingly just at the edge of hoove's reach. "Here, let this be my parting gift to you, not that it will actually make any difference… but I might as well indulge you all the same. It's the dawning of a new world after all, and a mare as pathetically useless as you will need every advantage she can get." As the amulet was slowly levitated closer and closer, Carrot Top thought she could hear something –almost like whispering– as if the artifact itself was calling out to her. It had no real voice and yet it spoke all the same, filling her head with promises of untold power, the power to do anything she had ever imagined and more. She could see herself reflected in the ruby at its center, her own eyes gleaming not only with power, but with confidence — never again would she be anypony's doormat. All she had to do was reach out and take it! The farmer slowly lifted one hoof, no longer restrained by the sticky caramel. Inch by tantalizing inch she reached out until finally she touched the amulet, feeling the first taste of its power tingling through her. She also felt the back her own mane lifting out of the way to make it easier to fasten the clasp around her neck. Only belatedly, did Carrot Top realize that she'd stood up on her hind legs and was using one forehoof to brush her mane aside as she still reached toward the amulet with the other. Yes, the amulet seemed to sooth, Take me, and you too can realize your own unlimited potential. Even the merest trickle of the amulet’s power was intoxicating, and Carrot Top felt herself longing to drink ever deeper of it. This is what it meant to be important, to actually be somepony special. Not just one insignificant member of a team, but power that was hers and hers alone — all she had to do was fasten the clasp and she would never need anypony else ever again. "No!" And with her own sudden declaration, Carrot Top instead batted the amulet away. Any wisping plea the cursed artifact might have had fell silent as it clattered and rolled against the remaining pavement until it fell into a storm drain, washing away to parts unknown. "I've never wanted power… well I used to think I did, or rather what I wanted was a short cut. But thanks to my FRIENDS, including Applejack, I've learned there are so many more important things in life than wealth and fame. I'm happy just being myself, a simple mare with simple dreams." "Ha! Such ridiculous nonsense. I thought that I could maybe open your eyes to the truth of the world, but now I see my efforts were only wasted on such an ignorantly pathetic little creature." "You're the one who's pathetic! Even without that cursed amulet, you are still nothing but a wretched lonely monster. What good is all the power in the world, if you've got nopony to share it with?" "Share! Why should I bother with such useless sentimentality; what has anypony ever done for me? From the day I was born, even my own family considered me nothing but a tool, one more stepping stone in some old fool's own delusional schemes; that is until I discovered how I could steal it all for myself instead. I've had to take everything I have, all so I could finally be free... with the purchase of a second item of equal or lesser value!" Everypony blink at the bizarre non-sequitur. Even Lemon Hearts herself clapped a hoof over her own mouth in sudden alarm… only it wasn't a hoof at all any more, but rather lobster's claw. Whatever semblance of composure the matron had been maintaining broke at the sight of it as she stared in horror, horror that only doubled as she raised the opposite leg to find her other hoof likewise replaced by a mismatching rhino-like foot. "No… no it can't happen, not like this!" She thrashed about in mid air, twisting her increasingly elongated and sinewy body about as yet still more changes cascaded across it, all the while the glowing aura of her unicorn horn grew ever and increasingly brighter. "My fudge was supposed to be unbakable!" she wailed as one antler twisted down, turning into something more like that of a ram. "I'm not like the rest of those weaklings; I'm better… the best around, never gonna keep me me down!" Her flight only corkscrewed ever more erratically as one leathery dragon-like wing was replaced by the rapid gossamer flitting of a giant dragon-fly. "YOU!" she hissed at Carrot Top as the rattle at the end of what had become a snake's tail shook. "This is all your fault. How could you trick me? Tricks are for kids!" she added as one rear leg, now that of a rabbit rapidly thumped against mid air. "Control… I have to take back CONTROL, ALT, DELETE!"The world around her turned white –no– black, or was it blue, red maybe. To Lemon Hearts' unblinkable eyes everything and nothing all swirled together at once into an impossible conglomeration. The worst of it, however, was the laughter, the incessant mind numbing laughter… all of it familiar. *crack* Her father, mother, siblings, assorted cousins, aunts, and uncles, even her grandparents, great grandparents, and more. "No! You're gone, all of you! You can't hurt me any more; I made sure of it and I rose to become so much more than any of you could have ever imagined!" But that wasn't all, there were also the children. One generation of orphans after the next, all of whom she had raised, nurtured and then harvested to feed her own insatiable need for more — all of them joined in the laughter as well. "Stop it! All of you! Just leave me alone!" *crack* Yet the voices wouldn't listen and only laughed all the louder still. One laughing voice, however, rose above all the rest… a voice she'd never before heard, but as its deep and sinister whimsy echoed there was no mistaking it belonged to the original progenitor of all her kind. That most foul and twisted of all monsters, the mad tyrant king himself — Discord! "Poor feeble little pony. Isn't this what you always wanted? All the infinite power of my beautiful chaos is finally yours, all the endless possibilities and limitless potential to do anything and everything… hope you enjoy the infinite madness that comes with it!" *crack* Laughter faded into a deafening silence. Sight, sound, and all her other senses blurred together. She understood everything, and yet there was nothing to understand at all. The universe was both boundless, while also empty and devoid of all meaning. Seconds stretched until they became indistinguishable from eternities. There was no beginning, no end, not even a here and now, there was only… *CRACK* ...and then it all shattered! ──────────────── Somewhere a young mare sat as she leaned heavily against an impassable barrier, her strength long since spent futilely pounding against it. Then, without warning, she fell backwards across the cold pavement. Rolling over, but too exhausted to rise to her hooves, she crawled over to the still motionless form of her boyfriend. She shook him, begging and pleading that he wake up, but there was no response. Tears streamed fresh from her face, even though her voice was too choked to sob. That is until a hoof that was not her own reached up to wipe them away. Opening her eyes, she looked down into the now smiling face beneath her, and she knew everything was good in the world again. … Somewhere else a kitten again became a dragon, to the sudden surprise of several pony guards that were sorting through the mess that had been made of Puissance's underground vault. … Somewhere else, in a town even further away, in the Lost Hearts Orphanage, a colt stirred in his sleep as the gift of dreams entered once again into his young mind. ──────────────── As the blinding light cleared, six pairs of eyes blinked, wondering if it was safe… or even if they were still alive. Applejack was the first to break the silence. "Is it over?" All around them reality seemed to have reasserted itself, mostly at least. The six ponies still found their hooves embedded in the street, but compared to the caramel it had been mere moments before, the ordinary pavement was yielding enough for Applejack, Carrot Top, and Snowflake to muscle their way free with little difficulty. Twilight, meanwhile, used a few well aimed blasts of her horn to extricate herself, and then one more to help free the last of Clover's hooves as well. Only Woody hadn't yet managed to get a single hoof free, before Snowflake simply lifted him out with a single tug. Carrot Top sighed, "If I never have to deal with something that crazy again it will be too soon." Suddenly she found a pair of bright green eyes surrounded by a gray face taking up most of her vision. "Butyouweresoamazing! I mean, I'd heard about how you stood up to that big mean old tyrant sun, but actually seeing a hero in action—" just as quickly, Carrot Top found herself now instead with a face full of bushy green tail as the overly energetic mare turned about on the spot. "Hey Tenbs, you sure she's not one of the real elements? I mean, it’d be cool if we could all be too, but Veggie Head here—" "...Carrot Top…" the farmer again tried to correct, not that the other mare ever listened. "—she seems like the real thing to me." "I, umm…" Twilight stammered as she awkwardly rubbed one hoof against the opposite leg while averting her eyes. "You're darn tootin' she's the real deal!" interjected Applejack, "This girl and her friends are the pride of Ponyville, of all of Equestria, really." Carrot Top blinked. Even with their feud behind them, and even though it had always been mostly one-sided on her own part, it still seemed strange to hear Applejack of all ponies singing her praise. After all the years she'd spent being envious of her fellow farmer, the contrast was practically the most surreal event of this entire insane evening. At the same time, Applejack sharply turned her attention to Twilight, "Which is a heap more than I can say for you!" "Hey!" Clover shouted as she interposed herself in front of Twilight; Woody and Snowflake were also quick to take up equally defensive postures to either side. "Tenbre, err… Twilight, or whatever you want to call her was only trying to help." "Yeah, right! Help herself maybe," scoffed Applejack. "It ain't really no different than the mess she made back in Ponyville though. Don't mean much if'n she's the one who stirred up all the trouble in the first place. And if that weren’t enough, this time she dragged all-y'all into it with her. That unicorn's got a whole heck of a lot to answer for and—" *POP* Applejack stared at the empty air where the four ponies had been previously standing, then threw her hat to the ground in frustration. "Dagnabbit all! How'd I go forgetting she could do that!" As, one farmer fumed the other paced over to her and rested consoling hoof across her withers. "It's okay AJ. She'll come around one of these days… I hope at least." "Yeah, I guess," muttered Applejack glumly, "But what now?" Considering that question herself, Carrot Top stepped ever so slowly up to the edge of a still smoldering crater in the nearby pavement. She hesitated, taking a deep breath before peering over the edge she. After everything she'd seen tonight, the simple farm mare –and part time hero of the realm– wasn't sure what she'd expected to find, but what she saw only gave her further pause. At the bottom of the crater, though twitching and shuddering, lay an otherwise perfectly ordinary unicorn mare. Well, her horn was a shattered wreck, and listening closely Carrot Top could hear a whispered jumble of incoherent nonsense, but there was otherwise nothing to show that this pony had only just minutes early been some kind of twisted abomination. "You best be careful there, sugarcube," Applejack warned as she trotted up. Carrot Top frowned. She couldn't say she held any real sympathy for the monster turned mare again. Yet to see anypony reduced to such a quivering state gave her no satisfaction either. "I don't think there's anything more to worry about. Whatever she was, I don't think she'll be hurting anypony ever again." ──────────────── In a non-descript alley there was a magical *POP* as four ponies teleported in. The three passengers all stood shakily, still disoriented from the unexpected experience. "Woah…" Clover sputtered and choked a bit, looking rather queasy, "Would you… would you warn me next… the next time you're gonna to do something like that, Tenbs… " Twilight herself was only a bit less worse for wear herself, and still felt rather light headed from the exertion. Her mana reserves were incredibly deep and teleportation was one of her most practiced spells, but the effort needed to bring three additional ponies with her, on such short notice over such a long distance, and without even having a clear image of where she was going had still left her winded. "Sorry, I just couldn't let the rest of you get caught for my mistake." "Hey, no harm, no foul," Clover chirped in a singsong tone. "This adventure's been the most fun I've had in… well, in ever. I can’t wait for the next one!" "YEAH!!!" Twilight looked from Clover to Snowflake as each beamed with enthusiasm, "I'm sorry, but that just won't work." "Huh… what; you mean cause we lost TripS?" the earth mare rubbed a hoof across her chin in brief contemplation before adding, "Actually, come to think of it, that would be the perfect idea for our next adventure. I bet working together we could bust him outta whatever joint old Pucey's locked him up, no sweat." "Really?!" Woody had been looking about distractedly, but at the mention of the sheriff he turned his attention fully to the discussion at hoof. "Can I help?" "You betcha, kiddo!" Clover declared enthusiastically as she wrapped one hoof around the youngster's barrel. Giving his mane a light tussle she added, "This is going to be so exciting, I can hardly wait." "YEAH!" "No!" all heads turned to Twilight. "Aww… come on, Tenbs; the kid's proven he's got what it takes." "Not just him, all of you; there can't ever be a next time. I'm afraid this has to be goodbye." The corner of Clovers smile twitched ever so slight. "What, but why? We… we all make such a great team, and we have so much fun together; don't we?" "Fun… FUN!" replied Twilight, her words taking on an increasingly sharp frustration with each syllable, "Don't you get it, Clover, this isn't a game! Just listen to yourself; what you're suggesting is an outright jailbreak!" Clover merely waved a hoof dismissively. "So what, we already broke into a noble's home to steal a priceless artifact from her private collection. As long as no pony gets hurt, why not bust TripS out of the slammer?" "You mean the same way no pony got hurt tonight?" Twilight scowled. "Oh, come on. That was just bad luck; trust me I'm an expert. There's no way anypony could have guessed ol' Lemsy would go all loco in the coco," a point Clover emphasised by making a spiraling gesture with her hoof. "It wasn't our fault." "It might not have been your fault, but it was mine…" Twilight sighed wearily, exhausted both physically and emotionally, "And not just with Lemon Hearts either. This whole plan was a mistake from the start. I was a fool to think I could solve my problems by dragging other ponies into this mess." "But… but we're friends!" insisted Clover. "Not anymore; we can't be." The unicorn said as she turned her back, all the while clenching her eyes tight in a vain attempt to hide her own pain, "It's for your own good. If anypony comes asking, just… just blame it all on me. Tell them I tricked you, that I used illegal mind-control spells, whatever it takes. I'm already a fugitive; no loss to add a few more nails to my coffin." Twilight's horn began to glow as she channeled a teleportation spell. "This is where we have to say goodbye… forever." Rushing forward, Clover called out, "Tenbs, wait!" but with a *POP* it was already too late. A silent moment passed before Clover collapsed to the ground. "Why…?" She could understand leaving behind Snowflake and Woody, Loosy too; they all had lives to go back to, but what else was left for herself? How was she supposed to go on without the best friend she'd ever had? "…Why couldn't you take me with you?" Her lips quavered, and for the first time since the day she earned her cutie mark the corners of her mouth crept below the horizon. She clenched her eyes, desperately trying to fight back the the impending flood that would surely drown her, but without the shield that was her smile, what hope did she have left? But before the dam could burst, a hoof was under her chin, lifting her head. Clover blinked as she strained to see through the watery haze, and there was Snowflake's giant mug. He stared at her, inhaled deeply through his nostrils, and bellowed but a single word. "NOOOOOOO!!!" Then the stallion grinned. More than that, he beamed, with the widest and toothiest smile that only a pony with such an overly large muzzle could. Touching as the gesture was, there was no denying it. He just looked so incredibly… goofy! Clover began with a slight snicker, building into a more pronounced chuckle, followed by unrestrained giggling, until she dragged the musclebound pony down to the ground as she rolled with raucous laughter. Snowflake laughed, too as well, as the two ponies tumbled over each other, again and again. Finally, as all the tension bled away, Clover pushed him aside as she climbed back to her hooves. "Thanks, you big lug. I really needed that." "Yeah?" "Heck yeah!" she replied, clapping her forehooves together. "I can't go feeling sorry for myself; just isn't my style. Destiny is what brought us all together… well, destiny and a crazy mix'n'match monster. So this… this can't be where the story ends… I won't let it!" Clover knew the odds were against her, but what did that matter? She'd been lucky enough to meet her Tenbre once, lucky enough to even get a second chance after that, and as the saying goes, third time's the charm. So whenever her luck came around once more and she did meet up with best friend again, Clover would be sure that this time it would last FOREVER! "Besides," she added with a bit of whimsical mirth, "Tenbs still owes me a pair of those glimmery wings." ────────────────
Chapter 11: "What a Wonderful Wonder"Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.
Chapter 8: "Growing All The Time"It is often believed that the Equestrian province of Palomino is a place of decadent excess. Some say that in even the poorest villages and thorps the streets are paved with gemstones. This is of course utter nonsense as even in the largest metropolitan cities gems are reserved for only streets in the most prestigious districts, and even then, are only mixed in occasionally amongst the otherwise mundane –if highly polished– flagstones. There are, in fact, even disputes as to whether Palomino or Califurlong has the higher wealth per capita, but such disputes are typically dismissed as irrelevant, given that the two provinces are governed jointly. What is undeniable, however, is that Palomino is a place where the opulence of wealth is always on prominent display and no place is that more true than in the capital city of Larraguibel. At the train station, steam billowed at the arrival of a mid-day train. The doors opened and passengers disembarked; ponies of all types plus the occasional donkey, cow, or even griffin. Amongst such a diverse throng it would be difficult to pick out any singular individual. Well, except perhaps for one. The massive white-coated pegasus, however, was entirely oblivious to the occasional stare, but his smaller traveling companion was by far less carefree. Twilight Sparkle still felt ridiculous with her dark blue mane styled into a wispy pink streaked perm. More so still, she felt utterly exposed without the cloak that had become her standard apparel since first going on the run from the law. Still, so far so good, as nopony had recognized her... yet. The unicorn had been a nervous wreck ever since boarding the train, and her hulking white compatriot's lack of conversational skills had done little to distract her from the relentless dread that her cover would never hold up under scrutiny. Not for the first time she wished she'd been able to travel with any of her other new friends, but it had been decided that to reduce suspicions they should travel in waves. Silverstar and Clover had been sent on ahead a few days prior so they could begin scoping out the group's intended target, and Twilight would have just soon gone with them to do the same — if nothing else, she could have taken the time on the train to educate Clover on the finer points of Starswirl's contributions to the magical sciences. At Lemon Hearts' insistence though, she had waited behind while the matronly pony helped her create a new disguise complete with false documentation. Twilight might have wondered why Lemon Hearts would even know the types of ponies that could forge such items, but she'd been far more distracted by the magic that had been involved in creating the most prominent aspect of her disguise. The perm had been entirely mundane, if perhaps far more embarrassing. What weighed most heavily on her mind though, still left her flank itching — well, not literally, but it was pervasively creepy never the less. Somehow Lemon Hearts had altered the appearance of Twilight's cutie mark. Such magic was not unheard of by any means, if difficult, but more concerning still to the ever scholarly minded unicorn was that she still couldn't figure out how this particular spell worked. It wasn't from any school she could identify. Illusion, transmutation, or maybe even enchantment would have been the obvious suspects, but, should be easily detectable with even the most basic spell and certainly shouldn't have been hard to analyze for any pony that knew to look for them. Twilight had tried her best to examine the magic during the train ride, or at least the best she dared without risking the integrity of whatever spells where in place or drawing undue attention to herself, but whatever kind of magic Lemon Hearts had used seemed almost completely invisible, and what little she'd been able to find more so resembled a simple anchoring spell meant to hold something else in place. She wished she'd had the opportunity to talk with Lemon Hearts about it at length, but the matron wouldn't be arriving until a train the following morning along with Loosy, and by then there would be more important matters to discuss. Still, she resolved that after this was all finished she'd be sure to learn everything possible about the unconventional magic. Absorbed in thought, Twilight had been giving little attention to her surroundings until, "Hey, you there!" The unicorn stopped fast, glancing immediately in the direction of a uniformed stallion, only belated realizing how suspicious that must have made her look. As the dark gray-coated and light blue-maned pegasus walked directly towards her though, Twilight felt her panic rise sharply. "You, look... familiar," he said, "I know I've seen you somewhere before." "I probably just have one of those faces." She attempted to grin as convincingly as possible, though her eyes fully betrayed her nervousness. Before the uniformed stallion could get another word in edgewise though, she launched immediately into her cover story, "My name is Skylight Twinkle, and as you can see I'm an aeronautics engineer," as she spoke she turned sideways to display her altered cutie mark, a magenta colored hot air balloon decorated with a singular five pointed white star, though still surrounded by the same five smaller stars as her real mark, "If you like, I can show you my papers and—" "No, not you," the stallion said without even sparing her a glance. Twilight paused in the middle of levitating the false documents from her saddlebag and stared curiously. The stallion had been walking straight up to her, she'd been sure of it, except now all his attentions seemed to be focused on something just next to her. "I mean... him!" The subsequent reply should have been expected, but was no less startling, "Yeah!" The uniformed stallion's eyes lit up, "I knew it; you are him! You're Snowflake McHugeLarge!" Almost bouncing with excitement he continued, "I flew with you in the Steepleton water raiser two years ago; you were amazing! Why, I've never seen a pegasus fly so hard with wings so sma—umm, that is to say you really are an inspiration." The pony's beaming admiration faltered slightly as a curiosity ran across his mind, "Though if you don't mind me asking, what are you doing here; I thought Cloudsdale was getting its water from Fillydelphia this year?" "I can explain that," interrupted Twilight, "You see, I'm Mr. McHugeLarge's... err, his personal trainer, yes. And well, we're here to conduct some important, umm... training exercises." It was a terribly hastily conceived lie, and she wilted under the stallions gaze as he shifted his focus seeming finally contemplate her for the first time, but the only further response she could think of was an awkward smile. "Is that so?" That's it; the jig is up. A few tense moments passed as Twilight nervously awaited the pony to blow the whistle on her charade. Although absently Twilight was at least glad her cutie mark was disgusted with magic instead of makeup, since she was surely sweating enough to wash any such away. Still, it was cold comfort in the face of eminent exposure, and then... "You sly dog, you!" the uniformed stallion declared as he nudged Snowflake in the chest with an elbow, "This mare here's a mighty fine catch." Twilight blinked in confusion, "Wait, what..." then realization slowly crept into her mind, "No, no, no, no, no; I think you got the wrong idea you see—" "YEAH!" and with that Twilight found herself instantly dragged into Snowflake's tight embrace. Ever since Ponyville, she'd been forced to bear innumerous indignities both large and small; at this exact moment, however, her current predicament felt far worse than all of those combined. At least it can't get any worse, or so she thought until she felt the heat of Snowflake's breath as he leaned in for a kiss. "Gaaahh, Snowflake, no!" Twilight yelled as she shoved him away with her fore-hooves. Then noticing the rather peculiar look she was getting form the uniformed stallion, as well as a few other passersby, Twilight chuckled forcibly, "I mean, not in public. Save it till we get to..." an audibly gulp paused her mid-sentence as the implication of what she was about to say settled in, "...the hotel." Snowflake simply stared blankly for a moment, but then waggled his eyebrows as he slowly drawled, "Yeeeaahhhh..." Any concerns Twilight previously had about being caught had by now evaporated completely, though some part of her would find getting clapped in irons right here and now preferable. Not that there was much chance of her being that lucky; after all, the authorities were looking for a lavender-coated unicorn, and by now Twilight imagined hers must surely be beet red. "So, umm, anyway," proceeded the uniformed stallion, once again paying Twilight little concern, "If your free latter tonight how about you and I go out, shoot some pool, and knock back a few cold ones? We could make it a double date; plus, it's karaoke night at my favorite pub." "Ye–" Snowflake was cut off as Twilight shoved a hoof in his mouth, "I'm sorry, but Mr. McHugeLarge will only be staying in town briefly and has a very busy schedule." "Oh, right; I get it." the uniformed stallion said with a wink, "Well then, I guess I've already taken more than enough of your time. I'll just leave you and your personal trainer to those exercises." At the other stallion walked away, Twilight wiped her brow with one hoof, then realizing Snowflake had begun fondling the one she previously used to silence him, jerked it sharply away "That's enough of that Casanova." "Yeah?" "Just..." her response died in a fluster as she sighed reluctantly while massaging the bridge of her nose with one hoof, and absently using the ground to clean the other of any residue. "We'll discuss it later." ──────────────── Elsewhere across town at the opulent Huaso Manor, so named for the noble who had built it centuries ago, there was quite a commotion as various servants and hires moved about preparing for tomorrow's festivities. Among them were two earth pony mares, unloading their wares from a wagon. "I'm still not sure how I let you talk me into all this," said the light yellow-coated mare with the carrot-colored mane and matching cutie mark as she checked through an assortment of produce crates. "Not this here again; haven't we been over those concerns of yers like what... uh, dozen er so times by now." retorted the bright orange-coated and straw-maned mare as she set down a barel full of apples resembling the same trio of fruits that adorned her own flank. "I know that, but now that we're actually here, this all seems like an even worse idea than ever." The first mare was now wringing her hooves nervously, "What do I know about catering a fancy dinner party, and for a vicereine no less?" "Whoa there, sugarcube, I won't have ya'll going and disrespecting yerself like that. Ya got the skills, girl, and proved it by taken third place in that nationwide competition," then as she adjusted her stetson added, "Beat me fair and square, no less, ta do it too." "Well, yeah..." the first mare began to concede, "But you remember all the trouble those FlimFlam brothers gave the both of us? That was all because of my Element of Generosity and how it makes me a political target for ambitious nobles. What if this is just another trick to control me and my friends? Sometimes I feel like becoming a savior of the world was more trouble than it's worth." "Hey!" declared the second mare with a stern look, "I won't hear ya talkin' that way. What all y'all did was a great thing and don't ya ever go thinkin' otherwise. Sides, like ya said, this here is a vicereine we're talkin' 'bout hosting this shindig; that's as high as it gets short of Princess Luna herself. No reason to go expectin' a pony who's already got more wealth an' political power than you or me could ever dream of to be playin' dirty games." The first mare went back to the wagon for another crate, as she considered, "I guess, but—" "But nothin', Ah tell ya! It ain't even like yer the only pony that done got invited fer this job either; both the other teams that finished 'head of y'all from that competition are here as well. So just face up to the facts you'd have been here even if it weren't fer that fancy Element of Harmony 'o yers. 'Sides, even if'n it were otherwise, ya got me here to watch out fer yer best interests and I ain't gonna let no pony take advantage of you." As she set down another crate and began making sure the contents were intact, the first mare replied half sarcastically, "And here I was, thinking you only convinced me to let you be my partner so you could promote the Apple Trust." "Hey, now!" retorted the second mare as she set down a crate of her own, "It ain't nothing like that, and you know it. It's just yer farm's too small ta have enough product to cater an event like this, and all yer new union buddies are too busy installin' them new irrigation systems ya won fer them. This here ain't got nothin' ta do with the trust, and my kin from Hoofington would have that part covered anyway. This is about making sure Ponyville get's the recognition it deserves, and if'n there's one thing my aunt an' uncle from Manehattan taught me it's how ta make a good impression on the hoity-toity high society types." "Well, suppose that make sense and—" stumbling, she lost her balance, and was helpless to prevent the next crate she'd just lifted from the wagon as it careened toward an imminent crash — only to stop short. The mare gazed over at the brown hoof that had steadied the load and the dark mustachioed stallion it was attached to. "Careful there missy. I reckon the last thing ya want is to go spillin' all this produce on the ground." "Thanks. I mean, they're just carrots, so they came out of the ground in the first place, but it still would have been a pain to have to clean up the mess, so I guess I owe." After the stallion helped her safely set the crate down with the others, the mare reached into to it and pulled out a carrot bunch, "Here take these; it's the least I can do." "That ain't necessary missy. T'was just doin' what any right minded pony should." The other mare interjected, "I reckon you should just agree their pardner. This girl her is too generous to take no fer an answer." The stallion glanced over to the second mare and then back to the first, "Well, if'n ya insist; it'd be my pleasure." Bowing slightly, he too took the offering and then trotted away. ... A gray-coated earth mare with a short curly green mane smiled coyly at her compatriot as he returned, "I thought you told me to keep low and not draw any attention." "Well what'd ya expect me ta do, just ignore a damsel in distress?" "You know, TripS, you're a real sweetheart under that gruff exterior of yours." ──────────────── Later that day, just after dusk, there was knocking at the hotel room door. Twilight Sparkle trotted across the room to answer it and on opening the door was pleased to see Silverstar and Clover Charms. Leaning her head out the door to glance conspiratorially down both ends of the hallway, she then quickly motioned them inside. Before she could start asking any questions about their recon however. "So, the honeymoon suite?" queried Clover. "Ugh... don't remind me." groaned the exasperated unicorn. "Snowflake and I got mistaken for a couple at the train station and then one thing just kept leading to another," then glaring at the overly smug pegasus who was reclining lazily on the plump overstuffed velvet sofa, she added, "And it cetartanly didn't help matters that somepony got a little carried away with the act." Snowflake seemed to feign being hurt, or maybe he actually was; it was always hard to read his emotions, "Yeah?" "I swear, if I knew how annoying he could be I'd have never put him on my list." "You shouldn't talk that way Tenbs," said Clover with concern, "aren't we all supposed to be friends?" then shifting to a teasing smirk, "Besides, I think you and Flakes her could make a cute couple!" "Please, Lucky, I'm in no mood for teasing." "Who said I was teasing?" Any retort, however, died on Twilight's tongue the moment she opened her mouth. Snowflake wasn't the only member of her would be band of friends that could be insufferably irritating, but no matter how hard she wanted to at times, Twilight just couldn't stay mad in the face of the Clover's infectiously unyielding positive attitude (though the use of word infectious might be a disturbingly apt description). Even if Twilight didn't care for the teasing insinuations, she knew the earth pony never meant any offense by them. Besides, wasn't that what friendship was about, putting up with all those little inconvenient nuisances because you all have each other's best interests at heart? Not for the first time Twilight considered her own motives. When she first concocted this plan she'd only cared about finding avatars worthy of embodying the principle virtues of harmony, but one by one she'd come to care about these ponies. Silverstar who was the first pony to take her pleas seriously and who gave her a metaphorical shoulder to cry on, becoming the pillar that anchored her and gave her the strength to persevere. Then Clover, who hadn't even been on her list, but taught her a valuable lesson about looking past the superficial to see what it was the elemental virtues really meant. Perhaps most of all though was Lemon Hearts, who had gone the extra mile to bring them all together when Twilight herself had failed and was ready to just give up. While she'd still had little time to spend getting to know Loosy Screws, Twilight was certainly eager to learn more about Silverstar's old friend as well. So if that were all the case Twilight figured maybe even Snowflake would grow on her... eventually... and if she wanted this plan to work she needed to at least try. Still, that could all come in due time; right now there were more important matters to attend, "So then, how much info have you two been able to dig up." Silverstar spoke up first, "Security is pretty tight, not that I ever reckoned it would be any otherwise with such a high ranking noble as this Puissance here. Pity though she ain't one of them lazy arrogant rich folk, so secure in her own self-importance as to not think she needs any. Still, the patrol lay out is all pretty basic stuff, even worked a couple similar jobs myself back in the day, so it shouldn't be too hard to work around the gaps." Next, Clover added, "And I was able to hit it off pretty good with the staff manage, cute fellow too. A bit old for me, but still a shame we won't be sticking around long enough for me to see about scoring a date or two," she paused as she noticed the stares she was attracting from her compatriots, "What? Cant a girl admire the sexy eye-candy while planning the heist of the century?" but the only reply she received was more stares. "You guys are no fun sometimes. Anyway, I'm pretty sure I could talk him into letting me bring in a few extra friends as temps. There's going to be an awful lot of cleanup work after that party the vicereine is throwing tomorrow night, so that should get us all through the gates." "I still think it's a bad idea fer all of us to be goin' in there together like. Be better if just one or two o' us snuck in there all quietly. In and out real fast 'fer anyone notices." "If I thought that would work, Silverstar, I'd have already stolen the amulet myself. I've got more than enough experience from sneaking into restricted library archives. No, we have to do this as a team, so that we can each prove ourselves worthy of taking on the powers of the elements; it's the only way this plan has any chance of working." "She's right, TripS. You're just being a fussy old worrywart," then eyeing a bouquet of rosses on the table, "So I'm guessing you won't be wanting these Tenbre, and I'm famished," then without waiting for a reply, Clover plucked off one of the blossoms and speared it on a carrot she retrieved from her saddlebag. As she casually munched on the concoction, something nagged at the back of Twilight's mind, "Where'd you get that carrot, Lucky?" "Wshat, thish" she spoke with her mouth full, then swallowing added, "TripS her helped some mare from dropping a crate full of them so she gave him a bunch as thanks. You should try one, there the best I've ever had," she then pulled the whole bunch from her bag and tossed them on the table. Twilight levitated them over to herself and looked at the label on the tie binding the bunch together, "Golden Harvest Farms," she read aloud, then after taking a moment to let the metaphorical gears in her head click into place, "Oh no, oh no!" Swallowing another mouthful of rose petal covered carrot, "I guess you don't care for the brand then?" Clover respond nonchalantly. "What? No." Twilight started to stammer as a million terrible thoughts ran through her head, "I mean, yes... or rather, It's not the brand... well, it is... but not because of the flavor or anything. It's the owner... Carrot Top!" "Who?" "Carrot Top... the Element of Generosity!" "I though Lemmsy was the Element of Generosity?" "No, not our Element of Generosity... I mean Lulamoon's!" Clover simply shrugged, "And that's a bad thing?" "Bad? BAD? Of course it's bad!" Twilight shouted as she punctuated each bad with a short advancing hop casing her compatriot to back up nervously, "She's the enemy and if Carrot Top's here then that magical fraud and the rest of her fakers are probably all here too." Twilight began to pace with a frantic worry as a few loose curls of her mane started to fray from the stress, "I don't know how she did it but somehow Lulamoon must have found out what I was doing... I don't know how, but she must have... it's just too much of coincidence to be anything else." "Now calm down and think reasonable like girl," SIlverstar interjected with worried concern, "Just cause these carrots come from that farm don't mean this Carrot Top herself is actually here. I bet there's produce been purchased from all over fer that party on tha morrow," Twilight breathed an audible sigh of relief, "You're right. It's probably nothing... every thing will fine, it will all be fine..." yet just as it looked like the crisis would pass, the panic all came rushing back in one great wave, "But what if your wrong!? Quick tell me about this mare you helped... about Clover's age... earth pony... light-yellow coat... exceptionally well groomed carrot-colored mane... her own namesake for a cutie mark?" Siverstar sighed, dreading what he was about to say, "Yeah, I reckon that was her alight." "I knew it, I knew it!" Twilight chimed in equal parts triumph and worry, "Ooh, but what are we going to do now? If, Trixie really is onto us we have to revise the plan –immediately– before she can try stopping us." "Look maybe it ain't as bad as all that. I reckon it does look a might suspicions, but coinkydinks like this here really do just happen sometimes," the expression on Twilight's face, however didn't seem to be buying into that, and truth be told Silverstar wasn't sure if he did ether,but still, "Even if that Trixie girl really is onto us all, there ain't nothing we can do about it 'til Lemon Hearts and Miss Loosy get here, so there aint' no sense fretting about it now. We should all just get a good night's rest and we'll figure out what to do in the morning." He was right; Twilight knew he was right. Blind panic would only make matters worse. He was wrong about just sleeping it all off though. If she was going to come up with a contingency plan Twilight couldn't waste a second; there'd be time to sleep later. Still though, there was no sense worrying the others, and she'd be able to work out all the details better on her own anyway. "You're right, and thanks for reassuring me; I don't know what I'd ever do without you," she then hastily began to usher Silverstar and Clover to the door, "Now if both of you don't mind, I'm still feeling a bit train-lagged. So you two go off to your own room and we'll all meet back here in the morning to figure this all out... okidoki, buhby!" Clover hesitantly stared at Twilight, the unicorn was manically wide-eyed, and wore a grin that was entirely too thinly sharp, "Are you sure you're okay Tenbre? We could, I dunno, maybe stay and talk about this some more if you like?" Quirking her head slightly and widening her smile to near decapitating proportion, Twilight twitched her ears as she replied "Who me...? No I'm fine... just peachy! Now if you'll excuse me, a girl needs to get her beauty sleep... gotta be bright-eyed and bushy-tailed in the morning... early to bed, early to rise, and all that." "Uhh, Tenbs, I think your eyes might already be a—" the door slammed unceremoniously in Clovers face "...little too bright," she fished. The mare considered knocking, but was pretty sure her seemingly half crazed friend wouldn't answer even if she tried. From the look on his face it seemed Silverstar had reached the same conclusion, and so with nothing else to do the two earth ponies just shrugged and hoped for the best. Back in the room though Twilight was already conspiratorially wringing her hooves together as she sorted through all these new variables in her head. Still, she had one more matter to take care of before she could start planning in full. "Good new, Snowflake, looks like you get to have the bedroom after all." ──────────────── Morning came and with it three ponies entered the hotel lobby to meet two more waiting ponies. One of these waiting ponies, Silverstar, was however not particularly please to be greeting one more pony than he'd expected. "Pardon my concern, Miss Loosy, but should the boy really have come along with ya?" Woody Whittles bristled his dull blue wings lightly in agitation. He held nothing but the greatest admiration for the former sheriff, but the near-stallion colt also didn't much appreciate being dismissed as though he were only a child either. Loosy her self looked more than a little torn at the questions as she anxiously rubbed one cyan fore-hoof against the opposite limb. Fortunately for both ponies though the yellow unicorn accompanying them interceded with an explanation. "I'm afraid Mr. Star that young Whittles here was most insistent he remain close to his mother, and given how recent her recovery has been it felt wrong to deny him, and I doubt the worry would have done Ms. Screws here any good either." Silverstar let out a short snort, "Well I s'ppose that I can't fault him for being such a well meaning son, but this ain't really no task for children to be involved in." Bad enough any of the rest of them have to be involved either, fer that matter. With one last ruffle of feathers, Woody put aside any disgruntlement, "Look, I promise to leave everything to the rest of you, but if my mother's going to become a hero, I want to be close enough so I can be the first to congratulate her... and you too Sheriff." There it was again, that boys unshakable notion of clinging to the pony he mistakenly thought Silverstar still was, or had ever been. Despite his desire to protest though, the old trail-worn pony couldn't bring himself to disavow such youthful hope no mater how misapplied. At least he could maybe use it to help keep the boy out of trouble, "Well, alright then, but if'n yer a staying then you do so under my terms, ya got that, young man." "Yes sir, Sheriff, sir." the statement was punctuated with quick salute and an eager smile. "Alright, first rule ya stay in yer room. Second, don't go out on yer own 'til this is all over. Lastly, at the first sign any trouble ya skedaddle, but good. Put them wings of yers to work and go out the window if ya have to, then ya take the first train you can out of town, and don't ya ever once look back or hesitate." Woody's sidelong glance to his mother betrayed his concern, but Silverstar gave him no time to protest, "Don't you go worrying 'bout yer ma' here. I promise that come sun's fire or windigo's frost I won't let anything happen to her, but if'n I'm a going to do that I need to know don't have to worry none 'bout you, and I'm sure yer ma' needs to know that that just as much if'n not more so." "I..." Woody still looked uncertain, but that stood up strait, "Alright than sheriff, I promise. But you promise me, not just that you'll keep her safe, but that you'll keep yourself safe to." "I..." now it was Silverstar's turn to hesitate. Could he really make that kind of promise? Could he trust the boy to keep his own if he didn't? "All right than, Woody, I promise." "On your honor?" The old pony wasn't really sure he had any left, but, "On my honor." With the matter settled Lemon Hearts checked the three new arrivals into a room, giving Woody the key and sending him on his way. The remaining four ponies then went to meet the rest of their comrades in the honeymoon suite. ──────────────── A hoof started to knock the door, only for it open almost instantly as though the occupant had been waiting impatiently for their arrival, "Come in, come in, take a seat every pony; we've got lots to discuss." As the group each found a comfortable spot to settle down, Silverstar and Clover exchanged nervous, if reassuring, glances. Twilight's mane was an absolute mess and her eyes seemed a bit bloodshot. The two earth ponies weren't sure if she'd actually gotten much, if any, sleep as they had advised. If nothing else though, she did seem notably more calm and collected than the previous evening. "So then, Lemon Hearts, Loosy, I don't know if you've been informed yet, but a snag has developed in our plans." "Yes," spoke Lemon Hearts, "This Carrot Top. I do agree with Mr. Star that coincidences do sometimes happen, but this is still worrying none the less." "Exactly, that's why we have to move as quickly as possible; you see I figured it out. Even if she's onto what I've been up to, there's no way Trixie could have known exactly where I would up to it, so she and her cohorts are probably all watching out in different spots around Equestria. Now maybe we're lucky, and Carrot Top only knows to be looking for me, but if there's any chance they've actually learned about the rest of you, then after meeting Silverstar yesterday she could have already called the others." Silverstar ponder aloud, "That seems like an awful lot o' guess work there." "Maybe, but the stakes are too high and we can't afford to take any chances. We may only have a brief window of opportunity to work with and that's why I've decided we aren't going to wait until after the party, but instead we're going to get to the amulet tonight and perform the ritual right there in Puisance's vault." To say the room fell into shocked silence at that brazenly bold declaration would be an understatement. "Umm..." faltered Loosy, hoping someone else would speak up first in her stead, "... well, umm, that is... are you sure that's a good idea. It seems way to risky to me." "She's right Twi," added Silverstar, "It'd be a better call if we just laid low for a week or two, maybe split town and come back later when the heat is off." "That won't work; if that fraud has traced me this far she might be able to figure out what it is we came her for and then get Puissance to move the amulet somewhere else. It could take us months to find it then, and wherever it might be, Lulamoon would probably be close by waiting for me. No, we have to do this now, it might be our last and only chance!" Another long pause before this time Lemon Hearts spoke up, "Alright then, I agree; better now then never. But this will require further alterations to the plan. We can't just all show up at once as new servants, that would look entirely too suspicious. Instead, I think I'll pull in a few contacts and attach myself as a date for one of the gusts already attending the party. That should also help me attend to the other matter that Ms. Screws here brought to my attention before our arrival." "The detail I..." Loosy seemed to take a moment to connect the relevance, "oh, right. The security spells on the vault door." "What about them? I've broken into some of the most secure archives in Equestria," boasted Twilight, "I'm sure it's nothing I can't handle." "Maybe, but you, I was part of the construction team that did renovations on this estate a few years back, and well, I didn't work on the vault personally, but I knew the ponies that did. The whole thing is keyed so that not only is Puissance the only one who can open it, but even if someone bypassed the locks, if the door opens when Puissance herself isn't there it will set of a multi layered contingency alarm." "Exactly," interjected Lemon Hearts, "now I don't doubt your talents, Miss Sparkle, but there is no point taking foolish risks. It shouldn't take much to set up a decoy to fool the spell; a single feather or lock of hair from the vicereine should be enough, which I should be able to covertly acquire while meeting with her in the guise of a guest." "Is that so?" mused Silverstar in a mild accusation, "Ya keep seeming to come out with a might few unusual talents fer a mare who supposedly just runs a charitable orphanage. Ya sure there ain't any other secrets yer keepin' from us." "Mr. Star, I appreciate your diligence, but I assure you that I am nothing but fully committed to seeing this plan through. Besides, I'm hardly the only pony here that is more then what they might seem at first glance, lest you forget Miss Sparkle, or even yourself." "I s'ppose you make a fair point there," despite his words though, something about Lemon Hearts had been increasingly rubbing him the wrong way. He'd always been good at reading ponies, but the best read he could get on Lemon Hearts was that she had a very good poker face. Now, that didn't mean she was hiding anything malicious and could just as easily involve some more personal shame. Also, so far as he could tell nothing she was no bold faced lier, but was she ever entirely truth either. He didn't want to suspect her of such things; she'd fixed Loosy, if nothing else, and for that he would always be grateful, still... "Now then," proceeded Lemon Hearts, heedless of Silverstar's contemplativeness — or perhaps intention trying to distract from it, "if that's all settled, lets move on to who else will be going in the front door with me." she then turned to the cyan coated earth pony, "Loosy dear, you also mentioned to me your former husband was a longstanding finical broker for the nobility. I should imagine he had earned a few favors he could call in on such an occasion as this." Loosy considered that for moment, "Yes, I suppose so... and actually, come to think of it, I think Puissance herself even extended him an open invitation to attend any function she was hosting... but, but I don't think I could impose on that, especially not on such short notice." "Nonsense deary; you are a widow in morning. Puissance can't possibly have you turned away without losing face with any other noble that did business with your late husband. The imposition might put you out of her future good graces, but we only need the opportunity of this single night." then sweeping her eyes across the other gathered ponies, "Of course though, it won't do at all for you to attend alone; you're going to need a date, and I should Think Mr. Star here can fill that role admirably." "What?!" both Silverstar and Loosy exclaimed in unison, only to just as quickly shy away from each other's gaze. Loosy was the first to break the brief silence that followed, "But I thought I was supposed to be attending as a widow in morning." "Yeah, and there's no way a dusty old trail-pony like me would fit in with a bunch of fancy nobles at a formal ball," added Silverstar." "Please leave the matters of the heart to the expert here, dears," chided Lemon Hearts dismissively, "A tragic hero of a lost frontier colony come to console the widow of the stallion he failed to save, only for the two to fall for each other, why it's all too perfect and will speak to everypony's romantic sensibilities no matter how repressed. A bit contrived, yes, but still something that others will believe because they want to." Silverstar shifted uncomfortably at the notion which hit a bit to close to the truth, or at least his own fanciful delusions, "Maybe, but well... Me and Clover here have been playin' the part of servants fer the past few days, so what if I'm recognized?" "Oh don't worry about that, Mr. Star. Do not underestimate the signifgance of class and station, no pony would even think to connect a servant with a guest. Besides, after I'm done giving you a proper makeover not even your own parents would recognize you." Silverstare didn't really have time to worry about or object to such a procedure before, "Wait a minute," interjected Clover, "So we're rushing into all this because apparently Tenbre thinks it's to much of a coincidence for that carrot pony to be here, but Loosy just so happens to not only conveniently have inside knowledge about the estate we're breaking into, but her dead hubby was also buddy-buddy enough with the nobility for her to just waltz on in to a fancy ballroom party. Isn't that all just as suppositious a coincidence?" Loosy fidgeted nervously, "Well I only got the job working on the estate renovation because of my husband's political connections in the first place, and Puissance wasn't the first or last noble I ever got to do carpentry work for." "Still seems a touch to convenient to me. I mean it's not like Tenbre even chose you herself; TripS did, but none of us knew we'd be breaking into some nobles estate until after we all met at Lemsy's orphanage. I know a thing or two about luck, and when something seems to good to be true, it usually is. For that matter, what was a pony as important as you and your hasband ever even doing out in the Mild West where TripS met you in the first place" By now Loosy's fidgeting had increased to full-blown trembling, "My husband... he didn't just do financial work for nobles, but corporations too... like the Apple Trust... and when I heard about that frontier colony they were starting up, I... well I was just so bored of always working on stuffy old manors for fussy nobles... I wanted something new, something exciting. All my life, I'd always played it safe, but I didn't want to just never see the rest of the world either... so I begged him to take us out there... and then everything went wrong with those natives... there was all the fighting... and me... all I could do was hide like a coward... and in the end my husband, he... and it was my fault, I... I should have never dragged him out there... and Woody too... what if he'd also been... we, we should have all just stayed safe here in Equestria." the distroaght mare was breathing heavily and seemed on the verge of bolting into a panicked gallop, "But the worst part wasn't even when my husband died, before all the fighting... it started when we first arrived... when I... because I... I..." "That's enough of that, Clover!" exclaimed Silverstar as he stepped between the two mares, "If ya got a beef to pick, pick it with me and leave poor Miss Loosy out of it." Clover hesitated, but before she could figure out what to say next a lavender hoof on her shoulder drew her attention as Twilight interjected her own opinion, "I don't think it has anything to do with luck. It's serendipity. Besides, you don't honestly think that either Silverstar or Loosy have some ulterior motive here. I'll admit, I'm still new to this whole friendship thing, but if Lemon Hearts thinks they are good ponies, surely you aren't doubting her, not after all the effort she put into bringing us all together in the first place." A moment of silence passed as Clover contemplated it all, "I guess you're right Tenbs," Then turning back to Silverstar and Loosy, "Sorry about loosing my head back there. Sometimes I just see things different and I say stupid stuff without thinking about how much it might hurt somepony." As Clover reached out with an apologetic hoof Silverstar, glanced back to Loosy, then stepped aside, "It ain't really my decision to make. Miss Loosy is the pony who needs to make that call." "I..." Loosy was still fidgeting slightly, but with one final deep breath stood calmly and with hesitant uncertanty extended her own hoof to touch Clover's, "Of course it's okay." At that Clover dragged Loosy into a single armed embrace and tussled the elder mare's mane a bit with her other hoof, "Well, alright then." then she reached reached out and dragged Silverstar over into a make shift group hug, "Oh, and you too." As the two hijacked earth ponies tried to figure out a way to politely extricate themselves, Twilight turned to further address tonight's plans, "So what about me?" "Hmm... probably best not to try sneaking you in through the front. Even with a proper disguise there might be too much risk of somepony recognizing you given your heritage, but the party goers will hardly be sparing a second glance at the staff, so best if we let Miss Charms get you in that way... Mr. McHugeLarge too I think as well." "Will that really work? I'm mean surely they'd already have all the staff they need for tonight." "Oh, I wouldn't worry about that dear, these types of events are almost always a bit short staffed in some way or another," then added silently to herself, or at least this one will be after I arrange for a few servants to unexpectedly call in sick. ──────────────── "Excuse me?" said the stout tan-coated and orange-bearded Huaso staff manager. "You heard me, I'm sick of it, ALL of it, and I quit!" fumed the orange-coated and pinky-maned mare with atypically belligerence. "But, Pageturner, you've always loved your job here, always said it made you happier than anything else in the world." "Well that was then and this is now, so you can take this sun cursed job and shove it where the moon don't shine!" she emphasized her words with some rather explicit gestures. "But you can't just quit without notice," he tried inssiteng, desperate to salavage the situation, "especially not tonight of all nights." It was all for not though as the mare was already heading to the door, "That's your problem bud, not mine. I'm through with it, though wasting my life in this thanklessly menial job and cowing to thick headed nobles. So goodbye and good riddance!" and with that, slammed the door shut behind her. The staff manager could only stare blankly after her in a disbelieving stupor. It just didn't make any sense; something was clearly wrong with Pageturner, because this just wasn't like her at all. Plus, she was a good worker and he'd hate to lose her. Fortunately though, in what ever insanity had gripped her, she'd not actually filled out any official letter of resignation, and she had more than enough sick leave to cover a few days. With any luck she'd come around and realize what a terrible mistake she was making. Still, she really couldn't have picked a worse time, what with the ball tonight. It didn't help that several other ponies were also down with an assortment of aliments, or a few that just hadn't reported in at all today. Such things happened, but it was now exceeding the safety margins he always maintained. The remaining staff could probably manage with some difficulty, but the vicereine expected nothing but perfection at all times. He was probably going to have to hire some temps to cover for them all, and it wouldn't be easy on such short notice. There'd be no time to run proper background checks on credentials, he'd just have to hope that maybe some members of the remaining staff had some friends they could vouch for. Still, he couldn't help but dwell on Pageturner's out of character behavior. Maybe it was just stress, or maybe she'd just caught one of the same bugs that had the other staff down, could maybe even be both. There had certainly seemed something off about her appearance though... like her coat had lost its luster... it was hard to describe, but the only word that came to mind was the she seemed somehow "gray". ──────────────── Author's Note --Special thanks to Blackbelt for helping me proof read this chapter. With further thanks to ColdGoldLazarus and G S tol Kriaal for additional proofing assistance. --I'd also like to thank thatguyvex, who helped me brainstorm some of the concepts being implemented in this chapter and the next. --Additional thanks to GrassAndClouds2, for approving my inclusion of a few characters he invented.
