Prologue: Pinkie's Last Gambit
Author's Note
Hello Readers,
This is the first fan fiction I have ever wrote and I am hoping you will enjoy it. I have a lot planned for this story and I'm hoping it won't be unpleasant.
Enjoy,
daOtterGuy
P.S. Editting done graciously by Cyanhyde
Prologue: Pinkie's Last Gambit
~ Pinkie Pie’s Last Gambit ~
In a dark room located in a place unreachable by the average pony, a mare bounced patiently in a circle while singing badly rhymed verses about cupcakes and sprinkles. She had been waiting for a while now, and her right flank was really itchy from the build up towards this day. The day that everything would change.
Click. Neon light emitted from a table in the center of the room. The itchy mare bounced towards it, revealing her pink complexion and even pinker hair. The mare known as Pinkie Pie peered closely at the table and noticed that it was a 3D map of Equestria.
She took notice of the crumbling walls of Canterlot and the abandoned orchards of Appleloosa. She gazed intently at the faded splendor of Manehatten and rusted buildings of Fillydelphia. She sighed at the shattered ruin of the Crystal Empire and frowned at the steady descent of Cloudsdale.
Her eyes finally came to rest on her old home of Ponyville, now overrun by plants from the Everfree Forest due to its abandonment. She felt a pang of sadness at seeing her home lie in disuse but quickly buried that feeling before it overwhelmed her; This was not the time to indulge in her depression.
Dotting the landscape were glowing patches of life. Pinkie Pie didn’t know for certain what was in these patches of life or even what they were, but she knew that it was due to the hard work of her friend Rarity.
This was Old Equestria. A long time ago, ponies had a abandoned it for their new home in the Badlands to the Southeast: the floating continent of New Equestria.
It was glorious. The streets were lined with sparkling lights and buildings shone from new fittings and trim. Along the most prominent street were the Guilds, and in the center was New Equestria’s shining jewel: the Flying Citadel. You could almost ignore the Slums that threatened the very borders of this magnificent place and skim over the decay of filthy sewers underneath.
Almost.
New Equestria was the life’s work of one of Pinkie Pie’s closest friends, Twilight Sparkle. Pinkie Pie would like nothing more than to see that continent fall and burn until nothing was left of it. It was a monument of her friends’ broken friendship and a testament to Equestria’s sad decline. She couldn’t stand to see it still floating there, Mocking her.
But alas, no more reminiscing and looking at the silly floating continent; Her right ear was twitching madly, and that meant he was here.
“Ah, Pinkie Pie. So good to see you.”
Pinkie Pie giggled at the formal greeting and looked towards the source of the voice. A stallion emerged from the dark.
He had a chocolate brown coat and a faded smoke-gray mane groomed to perfection. He wore a tidy tux and his dazzling smile could fool any pony into loving him if not for the hate in his eyes. Pinkie Pie took note of his rather spooky cutie mark: a silver mirror with two red glowing eyes staring back. Gave her the willies, that mark.
“Hey Lysandre”, Pinkie greeted enthusiastically, “how ya doin’?”
Lysandre laughed, “Wonderful, dear Pinkie Pie. I see you are wearing one of your friend’s creations?”
Pinkie Pie grinned widely as she struck a pose, “Thanks! My friend Rarity made it for me to attend the Galloping Gala back when Twilight first came to Ponyville.”
“Indeed,” Lysandre smirked, “and I suppose it was a match to those other dresses that your dear friends made sure to burn when they came to New Equestria?”
Pinkie Pie frowned, “a low blow mister scary pony, but I suppose it’s better than being betrayed by your right hoof for a pegasus.”
Pinkie Pie noticed the mask slip, but the smile was back in place almost immediately. No normal pony would have noticed the seething rage underneath. “Yes, well, he was bound to leave eventually.”
Pinkie Pie’s itch along her right flank became more irritated. She bounced and said gleefully, “So are we going to play the game? My right flank has been itching to play”.
Her words brought a smile to Lysandre’s face, the only pony Pinkie Pie could do without getting smiles from. “I’ll ignore that rather odd statement and answer yes, and such a delightful game we will play.”
Lysandre waved a hoof over the map. Immediately, six lights shot out. They were spread out across New Equestria, but two of them were milling about Fillydelphia and Las Pegasus. An image could be seen in each showing a different pony.
An Alicorn telling a rousing speech to the amassed ponies, her voice carrying an underlying threat. A stallion rifling through his treasures, revelling in their splendor. One pony staring at his reflection and, seeing a monster staring back, grins. A mare throwing a filly into a cage laughing at the poor thing’s defenselessness. A pegasus standing above a pony on the chopping block, giving the order to another pony offscreen. A pony stalks her prey in a room soaked with red, her hysterical laughter echoing along the walls.
Pinkie Pie grimaced, recognizing the last mare as her Gloom.
“You could always concede, you know.”
In response, Pinkie Pie grinned widely and waved her hoof over the table. Another six lights shot out of the table, same as the first.
A mare studiously reading through several large volumes on the founding of Old Equestria, mildly irritated by the lack of concrete information. A squad of pegasi soaring over Ponyville, one with a shining star on his flank. A unicorn mare talking happily with a stallion who was unsuccessfully trying to woo her - The stallion in particular wondering why he keeps trying. Another unicorn bouncing around giddily to the excitement of some fillies. A pegasus looking morosely over the crumbling facade of a castle.
“I can’t do that; I already Pinkie Promised to play!” Pinkie jumped happily, “and I need to prove that I’m right and you’re just a big meanie.”
Lysandre chuckled humorlessly, “Well then, shall we finally begin?”
“Of course silly, but as Dash would say, I already know who is going to win!”
Lysandre smirked, “I suppose, but truly, what will change the outcome is what was stronger: your friends’ Gloom or their Resolve.”
Pinkie Pie laughed “Of course it’s their Resolve that was stronger silly! My friends were always good at heart!”
“Well then: without further ado, let the game begin!”
The Historian and the Thief
Author's Note
Hello,
Here is chapter one where I introduce the first two main characters Amber Word and Tripwire. I hope you find them as interesting as I do. Criticism is both encouraged and accepted.
Expect a thorough edit by CyanHyde at a later time.
Thanks,
daOtterGuy
Edit: Its been edited courtesy by CyanHyde
The Historian and the Thief
Amber Word
Equestria was founded by three tribes of ponies: the Earth ponies, the Pegasi, and the Unicorns. Each tribe was responsible for a different part...
No. Page Flipping.
During a dark period of time in Equestria’ history, it was ruled by a tyrant known as Discord. He was a spirit of disharmony and…
No. Page Flipping.
Celestia and Luna were Alicorn princesses of the Sun and Moon respectively. Celestia raised the Sun at dawn and Luna...
No. Page Flipping.
During what was known as the era of peace in Equestria, the Elements of Harmony, previously possessed by Princess Celestia, chose new bearers.
Yes.
The Elements of Harmony embodied the six Virtues of Equestria: Honesty, Loyalty, Laughter, Kindness, Generosity, and Magic.
Yes.
The mares who became the bearers of the Elements originated from the town of Ponyville.
YES.
They had humble beginnings, but were what many considered to be the perfect representations of their elements.
YES. YES. YES.
This brings us to modern day Equestria and the establishment of ...
NO!
An amber coloured mare threw a rather hefty volume simply titled A Rather Imposing Volume of Equestrian History against a nearby wall. It slammed open on the wall and dropped down to the carpeted floor.
The mare breathed heavily in barely contained irritation. Her normally well-kept red mane was frazzled and her glasses were dangerously balanced on her muzzle.
The agitated pony began to pace in her small office, or at least in the space not occupied by books.
The room in question was a small office made smaller by the imposing number of bookshelves along the walls and a large wooden desk with a matching chair in the center.
Needless to say the “pacing room” was a small trek behind the mare’s desk that was starting to show wear in the carpeting.
The mare stopped, slammed her hoof on the desk, and shouted a few words not to be uttered around fillies.
That book had been her last possible source of information that held any possibility of learning more about the Heroines of Equestria. She had exhausted the entire Liboratorium, and many others besides that, and she had nothing to show for it.
She did admit that A Rather Imposing Volume of Equestrian History had contained the most information she had found yet. It at least mentioned the six Elements of Harmony and that a mare had represented each. Most books had said there were only four Virtues and a mares.
Of course, there was mention of a fifth heroine normally, but the fantastical accounts of the Beast Master simply known as the Great and Powerful Flutter were hardly accurate to the image of the heroines of Equestria. These accounts had been compiled into a book written by a single pony.
As someone working in a field dedicated to Academia, the mare could hardly trust the inclinations of a fanfiction writer from Old Equestria’s Manehatten.
No matter how much she wanted to.
The mare sighed heavily and flopped onto the floor. She gazed towards the ceiling and thought, It’s no use. I’m never going to know!
The mare in question was known as Amber Word or Amber for short; Head, and only, Historian of New Equestria located on Hoofington Street at the Liboratorium. She enjoyed literature, expensive coffee shops, and woolen sweaters (one of which she currently wore). She hated slimy things and her cutie mark which no one seemed to know what it meant.
Well, really, Amber couldn’t blame them. What exactly was a book with a triangle underneath it supposed to mean anyways?
She only got this job because books obviously meant history, never mind her opinions and what she wanted.
She didn’t even really like history! She preferred fiction! Well, not really: History always had a way of drawing her in like nothing else could, but she would much prefer writing tried and true smut about Daring Do and Ahuizotl in her cozy apartment then trying to find the seemingly nonexistent information about the six Heroines.
But alas…
Resigning herself, Amber Word grabbed her knit cap off of the desk, put it on, and righted her glasses as she stepped out the door of her office. She locked the door with her keycard from her purse that she kept strapped to herself and trotted down the hallway to the reception area of the Liboratorium.
The reception area was a large circular dome in which many hallways branched off to different parts of the building.
In the center was a circular desk at which several ponies typed away at their portable Hooftops and greeted incoming visitors. An ornate glass skylight overhead notified Amber that it was in fact midmorning. This did not improve her mood as it meant she had stayed up since last night reading reference materials.
She glanced towards the upper balconies as she made her way to the front door to leave for home. There, her hated enemy, Gelatin Inc. made their home. She would never forgive them for “accidentally” dumping the entire contents of a failed batch of gelatin on her the first day she came for work.
On the other side of the building was the domain of the Party Ponies theater group. She had never been to any of their shows, but apparently, they did some of the best comedies and tragedies, not two things that usually go together.
Amber Word came from the library section of the Liboratorium where her office and a rather impressive public library were located.
All of these places were the reason for the building’s namesake: Library, Laboratory, and Auditorium all combined to form the Liboratorium.
It was a wonder how so many places could be contained in one small building, but they all lived on a floating continent. Space was a premium, and when space became available, it was quickly taken over by something new.
Amber Word headed out into the bright sunny morning. She looked up and scowled.
The position of the sun meant that in four more days, she would show her presentation on the history of Equestria’s Heroines to the Society of Literate Ponies (S.L.P.) at the Moonlit Gala.
Of course she had to have a presentation to start with and that had become something of an impossible task. The S.L.P would be disappointed in her. Again.
And then there was Great Stallion. She practically swooned thinking of him and became distraught when she anticipated his disappointed face.
Great Stallion was Amber Word’s idol and premier pony on literary works. He knew what the best stories were and which authors were worth the read. He was charming and one of the most interesting ponies in New Equestria. He himself wrote the greatest poetry about alcoholic beverages.
They were some of the most thought-provoking art of the generation.
She couldn’t wait to get home so she could sleep before she began her mad rush once more to procure information about the apparently mysterious Heroines of Equestria.
Amber Word noticed a pony stapling a new poster to a nearby wall as she trotted on her way. It was a rather imposing image of the Guild Master of Law, Gold Standard, over the caption “Break a law, we break your jaw. Follow the law, Ponies.”
Amber had been noticing posters like these popping up all over the city this past week thanks to the efforts of a rebel group undermining the authority of the Head Magister.
The rebel group was known to be extreme and, as far as Amber was concerned, none of her business.
Before she knew it, the Brown Stone appeared. One moment, the street were lined with glitzy buildings and flashy billboards then Amber turned the corner and bam - brick.
The Brown Stone was a small suburb a ways off of the main street. It was a few streets of tall, brick buildings that stood wall-to-wall and caused claustrophobia for any pony walking through. It was a fine enough neighbourhood except for its uncomfortable proximity to the Slums.
No pony dared enter the Slums.
On her way to a nearly identical brown building, Amber noticed two stallions yelling at a rather dishevelled grey pegasus with a steel blue mane. The poor thing was cowering in fright in front of the two rather large stallions. Amber wanted to say a few words to those Stallions who thought it okay to bully a poor pegasus…
.. But the stallions were big brutes, and she was a mare of lesser than average stature. Amber Word was more likely to become a victim rather than a saviour.
She was going to simply continue walking until one of the Stallions grabbed the Pegasus by his neck.
“Hey!” Before Amber could think better of it, she was already galloping quickly towards them.
The two stallions glared menacingly at her. Oh Magister, they were BIG. Thick, corded necks and blocky faces. With bodies like that, they probably worked in the industry sector.
Amber was regretting this decision and was about to apologize for interrupting until she saw the pleading look in the pegasus’ eyes.
Oh, buck me sideways, “What do you think you’re doing?” Amber said angrily.
The stallions looked at each other. Amber started to wonder if they could even think when one of them said, “This here pest was scurrin’ ‘round here where he don’t belong.”
My inner English snob is screaming right now, “And why does he not belong here?”
The other one holding the pegasus replied, “well e’s from the Scums.”
Amber translated that as the Slums, “Gentlepony, even if he is from the Slums he can still wander about the rest of the city. No law or authority forbids it.”
The stallion who had spoke first replied, “But everpony says the Scum ponies need ta’ stay in ther’ parts of the city.”
Amber couldn’t say she hadn’t said the same thing at some point, “Well regardless, he hasn’t done anything wrong, has he?”
The two stallions looked at each other and both replied, “No.”
“Then let the poor pegasus go.”
The two stallions seem to want to object, but with another insistence from Amber, they did so. The pegasus immediately ran behind Amber.
“Now go about your business, and have an excellent evening, Gentleponies.”
The first stallion glanced at the pegasus making a point of keeping Amber in front of him, “Eh I don’t know…”
Okay time to push, “Well if you have a problem, we could always talk to your Forepony about aggressing random bystanders.”
Both stallions immediately shook their heads, “N-No mam. We’ll be on ur’ way home.”
Amber smiled pleasantly as both Stallions made a quick getaway. When they were well out of eyeshot, Amber collapsed onto her haunches and sighed heavily.
That could have ended badly.
The pegasus chose that moment to find his voice and bounced around in front of her, “Thank you, Miss. I wasn’t sure if I’d ever see another day when those two brutes grabbed me.”
On closer inspection Amber noticed the stallion wasn’t much younger than she was. He had a cutie mark of a spring, which she assumed explained the bounciness, “Don’t mention it.”
“Oh no, I’ll return the favor sometime miss” - he looked up at the sun seeming to notice it for the first time - “Oh, look at the time! I must be off now.”
He gave a quick salute with his hoof, “Thanks again miss! Just ask for SpringTop if you need anything” and he bounced off.
Amber Word sighed again and finally trotted over to her apartment complex.
As she entered through the communal door, she took out her keycard from her purse and started to climb the stairs. She swiped her card along the reader next to room 302 and the door slid open with a whoosh.
She trotted into her cozy home, dumping her keycard and purse onto the floor.
Her apartment was a modest one-bedroom with a kitchenette. It was furnished with the necessities and had a very finely-crafted wood desk. Like her office, almost every available space was taken up by stacks of books. The walls were brick like the exterior and the floors were a scuffed hardwood. It was very homey.
She trotted over to her Hooftop lying on her desk and pressed the button on the keyboard to boot it up. The Hooftop buzzed to life and and the monitor glowed white, beginning to execute its file thingies.
As it was an older model, Amber knew it would take a while to start, so she walked over to the kitchen in hopes of making a quick cup of espresso using her best friend the coffee maker.
That was when she noticed the letter. .
It was an obnoxious pink envelope that was bedazzled with more glitter and ribbon than was completely necessary. Amber caught the faint whiff of cupcakes emanating from the rather flashy envelope.
Amber picked it up delicately, as though it might explode. She tentatively examined the packaging with her hoof and felt a bumpy spherical object along with what she assumed were pieces of paper.
She wondered how it had gotten there. It had no return address or postage stamp. The only indicator of its contents was a message on the front in curly and energetic script “open when you need to”.
What did that even mean?
Amber heard a ping from her Hooftop, meaning she had a new message. Her coffee forgotten for the moment, she put the obnoxious envelope down on the counter and checked to see who had messaged her.
The message was from “GreenApple” and the Subject line simply read “In Response to your Posting”.
Hello,
My name is Margery Green and I heard you were asking for any pony who could shed light on the six Heroines of Equestria.
I don’t know much, but I can at least tell you their names and a little about them if you are interested.
I will be at the Park of Magic on Main Street today at 3 in the afternoon. Look for the green mare with the herb on her flank.
Sincerely,
Margery Green
Amber tried to keep herself from falling on the floor. Someone had information!
She whooped and jumped happily at the most fortunate lead. Finally, she might get some answers!
The envelope and espresso could wait; she had a lead and there was no way she was going to miss it!
Amber grabbed her keycard and purse off the floor and galloped out the door.
---------------oOo---------------
Tripwire
In a rich sector of New Equestria, a chestnut-brown stallion stood bored in a corner. He had a pitch black mane groomed to perfection and wore a stylish tuxedo. His cutie mark was of a glass of wine.
The place in question was the estate of Ms. GoldHoof who had a small garden plot in her backyard where she hosted her lavish garden parties.
They would be the toast of the town if not for the tacky decorations, sub-par wine, boring company and Ms.GoldHoof being an insufferable-
“Howdy, Fine Dining,” a well-groomed blonde stallions with a brown mane said. He had a cutie mark of a gold horseshoe.
Oh, great, “Hello, GoldHoof how is the missus?”
“Oh, fine, fine, she’s just giddy with excitement for havin’ you attend her garden party today.”
Fine Dining gave a tight smile, “I’m glad that she enjoys my company.”
GoldHoof laughed good-naturedly, “Well of course! Ya’ are the pony to have at any party.”
Fine also laughed along with him, “Say Gold, you wouldn’t happen to know if Pure Blue has showed up yet?”
GoldHoof tilted his head in thought for a moment, “Well, I haven’t seen her, but I think she was inside talkin’ to the Missus.”
“Well then, I may just join them inside - a pleasure talking to you Gold.”
Goldhoof laughed, “alright then Fine, hope ta’ talk to ya’ again sometime.”
Hopefully that time is never, Fine left without another word and trotted over past the carnations to the back door of the house.
Just as he was about to open the door, a powder-blue unicorn mare with a cerulean mane trotted out. She had pure blue eyes and a cutie mark of a caduceus on her flank.
“Oh, hi Fine,” the mare greeted the stallion.
Fine Dining grinned widely at the appearance of the mare, “Hello Pure, such a pleasure to see you again.”
Pure, or rather Pure Blue, giggled (so adorable), “Well aren’t you being extra fancy today.”
“Only for my one and only special friend.”
“Oh stop; you say that to all the mares.”
“But you’re the only one to which I mean it.”
The stallion grinned and the mare replied in kind. “Why don’t we move out of the way of the door?” Fine Dining said.
“Of course.”
Both ponies moved to a quieter spot under a nearby willow tree. The breeze had just picked up and was incredibly satisfying as it blew the branches of the willow around the two ponies.
“So, how have you been doing Pure?”
“Fine as always. My teachers have been pushing me harder to learn more magic, but it’s nothing I can’t handle.”
“That’s always good to hear.”
“How about you?”
“Oh, same old, same old.” - the stallion smirked - “Well except for one small incident.”
The mare perked up with interest, “Oh? Do tell.”
Fine Dining looked away before saying, “Well, I don’t know. It’s not very interesting.”
The mare pouted, “Oh, come on, Fine. You can’t just tease someone with a possibly juicy story and then not deliver.”
Fine Dining gave a mischievous grin, “Well if you must, Mr. Gilded is now missing some of his good dining forks.”
Pure gasped, “You didn’t!”
“I did.”
Pure punched the stallion lightly on the shoulder, “I can’t believe you took Mr. Gilded’s dining forks. He was rather fond of those utensils.” - Pure put a pondering hoof under her chin - “did you steal them while he was looking.”
“Of course. I can cast invisibility spells” -sort of - “and it would hardly be worth the effort if I didn’t get some fun out of the endeavor.”
Pure rolled her eyes, “Well hopefully you will at least return them to him eventually.”
Probably not, “Maybe.”
They were both silent for a few moments. Fine Dining was the first to break the silence, “So how long until you officially become the Head Magister’s protege?”
Pure looked surprised. She narrowed her eyes at the stallion,”How do you know about that?”
The stallion shrugged, “I have sources.”
The mare was still suspicious, but looked eventually looked away, “in a few days.”
“Well that must be quite the honour, no?” the stallion grinned.
A sad look passed over Pure, “Yes, quite an honour.”
Fine Dining was perplexed. If he didn’t know any better, he might have thought that she was regretful of the impending change, “Are you okay, Pure?”
She quickly recovered and grinned, “Of course I am, you silly foal.”
They both laughed, lightening the mood. Pure said, “Well, I’ll be off; I need to return to the Flying Citadel very soon. It was a pleasure to see you again, Fine Dining.”
PureBlue walked off without waiting for a goodbye. The stallion looked on sadly. But no time to mope; he had business to take care of.
Starting now.
Fine Dining looked around quickly to see if anypony was watching, “You can come out.”
An unknown pony wrapped up tightly in a hooded cloak came from out behind the tree.
Without a word, the pony handed a sealed envelope to Fine Dining.
The stallion took the envelope and nodded his head in farewell.
The cloaked pony disappeared behind the tree and Fine Dining knew that the mystery pony had disappeared.
Fine Dining placed the envelope in his jacket pocket and walked over to Mr. GoldHoof.
“I do apologize, but it appears I have to leave now.”
“Oh, well then I’ll see ya’ ‘round sometime then.”
Fine Dining gave a quick smile and shook the hoof of Mr. GoldHoof. The stallion then made a quick exit.
After leaving the estate, Fine took a winding path through the streets of the sector. He passed through a few alleyways to make sure no pony was following him then turned into a dead end street.
It would have been a dead end street if not for the manhole cover cleverly disguised by the brick of the path.
Using magic, the stallion lifted the cover up to reveal a ladder down into the sewers of the continent.
Fine Dining climbed down the ladder and closed the manhole cover using his magic once more.
The sewer was dark, but light glowed from nearby lamps imbedded into the walls running on the power created from the Hydro plant.
Fine Dining did one more quick check around to make sure no pony was around, and then he lifted the illusion spell he had cast on himself.
The pony was still well-groomed underneath, but instead of chestnut-brown, his hide was soot black. His black mane turned to a forest green and became slightly more unruly. His cutie mark turned from a wine glass into a circle of intersecting lines. Finally, his eyes turned a bright shade of blue.
Of course, there was one more minor detail: he had no horn. The unicorn was in fact an earth pony.
This was Tripwire: an accomplished thief from the Guild of Cutthroats and charming rogue of New Equestria. He enjoyed the finer joys of life and had a penchant for mischief. He despised the entitled but had a soft spot for a certain powder-blue mare.
The pony looked around once more and then began to trot back to the Slums and his home.
