Author's Note

I promise this is the last time I'll make an Avengers reference in the Chapter Titles. Anyway, I hope you enjoy Part 1, and Part 2 should be coming soon.

The Carousel Issue Pt1: Some Assembly Required

The five gathered ponies looked around the large train car.

"Well. It, um...it's certainly spacious." Spiral Dream commented, sitting down on the padded seat. "I guess travelling under the flag of a Princess has it's perks...do you think it's a good idea to let everyone know we're working directly for her, though?"

Angel had been sitting down for a long time, still reading the file they had been given. At this, she glanced up. "Well, it does open a lot of doors. Besides, who doesn't love Princess Twilight Sparkle?"

"That guy, apparently." Golden Luck pointed at the file Angel Grace was holding. "I don't think he'll be too thrilled to see us coming in with her seal."

The five of them had gone over the file back at the base. The town of Carousel had been under scrutiny of late because of sudden changes in behavior. Ponies that were once active in the community had become withdrawn, and the few times they had been seen, they were wearing strange pieces of clothing.

Guards had gone to investigate several times, and each time, they had come back saying they had seen nothing wrong, but it wasn't until a couple of guards quit to go and join the town that Twilight had gotten suspcious. She had requested that she be permitted to take over the investigation, and had compiled all the notes for her new team.

"This ought to be an interesting test of our ability to work together." Greymane was saying, looking around at the others, who seemed to be each lost in their own little worlds. Hardly encouraging for Princess Sparkle's hoof-picked team. He motioned for Cloud Prism to follow him to the next car.

Once they were alone, he sighed. "You see it as well, don't you?" he said, motioning back at the door they had just entered by. "I don't doubt that they're all skilled ponies, but..." he let out a heavy sigh.

"We must have faith in the Princess." Cloud replied, though he seemed concerned as well. "No matter what happens, we know we can trust each other, right? We'll just have to look out for one another and try and cover them." he nodded back at the car, just as the train was coming to a stop.

"Hardly encouraging." Greymane said under his breath, as the two of them rejoined the others, headed out into the town.

"Well, everything looks normal as far as I can tell..." Angel Grace remarked, taking in the town. She had tucked the files into her saddlebags, and the others were looking around the town as well. It seemed like a normal town, ponies talking, walking about, shopping...

"Something is seriously amiss here." Golden Luck said, her eyes sweeping over the town. "I can't explain it, but this town
ain't right." she took a few steps forward, shaking her head. "Nope. Do not like the feel of this, at all."

The others looked at Golden Luck, completely confused by her response. It wasn't like she was cowering or anything, but she seemed extremely uncomfortable in this town.

"Well, let's take a look around town. I bet if we ask around, we'll find out a bit more about just what's going on here, and if the town is under some kind of spell." Greyhoof motioned further down the road.

"They are..." Golden Luck muttered, as the group moved into the town proper. Soon, they reached a pair of ponies talking to each other, and Cloud Prism held up a hoof.

"Let's get some answers." approaching one of the ponies, he inquired. "Excuse me, has anything strange been going on in this town lately?"

Cue facehooves from Golden Luck and Greymane, as the other two mares stared on in disbelief. The pony that Cloud was talking to gave a little scoff. "What is that supposed to mean?" she asked, shaking her head.

Once the two ponies had moved on, Golden Luck let out a sigh. "Look. Let me handle this, okay?" She meandered towards a small group of chatting ponies with a smile.

"Just who is she?" Cloud Prism muttered, "And what makes her think she can handle it better than me?" He scoffed, watching her carry on an animated conversation with the ponies.

Spiral Dream put a hoof on his shoulder. "Hey, some ponies are just better with crowds and social stuff. Things like that. Nothing wrong with it, she just knows how to work a room." she finished with a little laugh.

Just then, Golden was coming back, casting a wave and a smile over her shoulder. When she turned back, though, her face was grim. "Right, so it seems like this all started a few weeks ago when a new pony came into town. A puppeteer pony."

The others looked at each other, eyes wide. Angel pulled out the file, taking down a note as Greyhoof nodded.

"That's probably the cause of all of this, then. If this pony has a puppet cutie mark, it's possible they could have expanded their talents to using other ponies." he rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Though I wonder how. I've never heard of a spell that could make a pony into a puppet."

"There's been a few essays on the subject." Spiral Dream chipped in. "It's supposed to take a really focused mind, laser sharp, though, to even do one. If this pony really is casting this kind of spell over the entire town, he's going to be extremely skilled."

Angel nodded, closing the file and putting it away. "So we'll need to proceed with extreme caution. We should have the advantage of numbers though, right?" she asked, looking around at the others.

"We'll see..." Golden Luck said gravely. "This way." she turned, headed down the main street. She led them across town, to a rather stately manor. "This is where he lives." she said, nodding at the large building. "Seems he's fairly wealthy to boot."

"Indeed." Greyhoof agreed, walking up to the door. Once everyone was caught up, he knocked a few times. A moment later, a maid came to the door, looking at the gathered ponies.

"I am sorry." she said, with a light bow. "Visits with Master Strings are by appointment only. You can see his next show at-"

Greyhoof cut across smoothly, holding up the starburst emblem. "We're here under the authority of Princess Twilight Sparkle of Equestria. We have urgent business with your...Master Strings."

The maid looked at the emblem, tilting her head slightly and mouthing silently. After a moment, she stood aside. "Please, come in. I will inform the Master of your arrival. I should forewarn you, he does not like interruptions."

The five ponies walked in, following the maid through the manor. The inside was spic and span, with several works of art scattered here and there. The reason for it's well-kept state was obvious, as every so often they would see a maid working, dusting some fixture or polishing the floor.

"Well, he certainly is a tidy...what are you doing?" Greyhoof asked, looking back at Golden Luck. She was at the back of the group, her eyes darting around nervously.

"Not right, not right, at all." she muttered, shaking her head and looking up. "He's here, alright, and Spiral Dream has it right. He's good." she picked up the pace a little to join the group properly, just as they were led into a parlor.

"Please, have a seat." The maid said, with another bow. "Master Strings will be with you in a moment." she turned and left through a door on the other side of the room.

The ponies all took a seat on the plush chairs, and Angel took out the file again, taking a few notes. Cloud scooted closer to Greymane. "Whether Golden is right or not, I'm going to stick close to you. Just to be safe."

"Cloud Prism, don't forget that we're all-ah!" Greymane glanced up as the door opened again, and a unicorn stallion stepped out. His coat was a rich brown, and his black mane and tail were neatly styled. Additionally, he did have a puppeteers cutie mark on his flank.

"So, I heard that you five are visitors from Princess Twilight Sparkle. I must say, I'm flattered that the newst Princess of Equestria sent envoys personally to meet with me." he said with a charming smile. "My name is Dancing Strings. How may I be of service?"

Greymane took the lead, as Angel Grace kept taking notes. "I am Greymane, and this is Cloud Prism, Angel Grace, Spiral Dream, and Golden Luck." he motioned at each of them in turn. "Princess Twilight has been concerned about some strange rumors around this town. We're just here to lay them to rest."

"Ah, I see." Dancing Strings said, with a slight nod. "Princess Celestia has sent some guards to investigate as well. I suppose Princess Twilight just wants to be thorough. Tell me, what concerns does the good Princess have?"

"Well-" Greymane started, before being interrupted by a soft voice from the other side of the room.

"There have been several unexplained changes in behavior from numerous ponies. Stylistic changes in those select ponies as well as notable deviations in personality." Angel Grace read, looking up from her file. "Targeted ponies are both stallions and mares, though the mares tend to be the ones with the strongest deviations."

"Really?" Dancing Strings said, his eyes on Angel Grace now, moving a few steps closer. "That's quite a series of observations."

Angel closed the file. "Based on this information, I believe that there is a central force responsible for this, the end goal being twofold: To build up a small base of power as well as several devoted followers."

The smile never left the stallions face, all eyes in the room on Angel Grace now. "What do you believe this 'central force' is aiming to do with this base of power?"

"I don't believe they intend to directly challenge the Princesses." Angel replied, her gaze fixed on Dancing Strings. "However, these actions are still inexcusable, and the responsible party will be brought to justice."

Dancing Strings chuckled a bit. "I see. I thought you might say something along those lines." A pair of maids slipped into the room through each of the doors. Cloud's breath caught, and he rose from his chair, casting his eyes around the room.

Dancing Strings chuckled again, his horn glowing.

"Look out!" Cloud jumped in front of Greyhoof, pushing him away from Dancing Strings.

His reaction was ill-aimed, however. Magical threads shot out of Dancings horn, wrapping around Angel's hooves. Another set was aimed towards Spiral Dream and Golden Luck; Golden stepped in front, the strands wrapping around her hooves, but a moment later they trembled and snapped, fading away.

"Well, that's an interesting effect." Dancing Strings mused, as Golden glared at him. "Still, though, I do have you." he tugged on the strings, Angel Grace rising up from her seated posistion and walking towards him.

"You let her go!" Cloud Prism said, tossing a knife at the strings. The knife, naturally, passed right through.

"Those strings are magical! They can't be broken with a physical weapon." Spiral Dream called out, as she and Golden Luck moved closer to the him and Greymane.

"Correct!" Dancing Strings said, seeming pleased. "You seem to know your magic! So, I imagine you've been wondering, how can I affect a whole town with this?" he motioned at Angel, who had come to a stop next to him. She was looking down at her hooves, clearly willing them to move.

"I have been. By all rights, you shouldn't be able to maintain a puppet spell for too long, or on this many ponies." Spiral Dream said, her own horn shimmering. She glanced back at Greyhoof, mouthing "Get us out."

"True, true." Dancing Strings admitted. "This spell really is only good to control one, two, no more than four pony's bodies." he tilted his head, Angel Grace giving a little bow. "However, I've manged to improve on it." Angel's body turned to face him.
"Now, please watch, my dear. I'm sure you'll appreciate the performance."

Dancing Strings raised his hoof, the strands detatching from his horn. The glow remained, however, as a puppet control cross formed in his outstretched hoof, the strands connecting to it. "Now, then, my dear Angel. The best part." he remarked, as a fifth string snaked out from the center, sliding into the top of her head. At once, her body stiffened. "You are nothing more than an obedient puppet."

"I am nothing more than an obedient puppet." she repeated, somewhat dully, her eyes glazed. The strings began to glow brightly for a moment, then an smile spread across her face. The strings, and the puppet control, faded away.

"There you have it." Dancing Strings said, turning to the others. "I've turned her into another of my puppets. She'll happily obey any command I give. Isn't that right, my dear?"

"That's right, Master." she said with a nod, before turning to face the others.

"Now that you've seen my performance, I'll extend you the honor of being a part of it. Do be sure that little anomaly doesn't interfere." Dancing Strings said. Angel took a step forward, causing Spiral to take one back.

"Now would be a good time..." Spiral said, glancing back at Greymane. Greymane shook his head quickly; his horn was glowing, but he didn't have enough energy to teleport four at once.

Golden stepped closer, her horn glowing as well. "We'll cast it together. The Inn?" she asked, and Grey nodded. The two unicorns touched horns, a bright spark filling the room; a moment later, the four ponies were scattered in front of the Inn.

"We need to go back! Find a way to break that spell!" Cloud Prism was the first to rise, and Greymane joined him soon after.

"We don't understand how the spell works, yet." Golden Luck said, dusting herself off. "Or how he conjured...whatever that is. We go in again, we're as good as puppets."

Spiral frowned a bit, her brow furrowed. "That second part...I might be able to break it, if you can buy me some time. The magical strings, however..."

Greymane put a hoof over her mouth, glancing around. "Let's head inside. We don't know how many of these ponies are under his control."

The other three nodded in agreement, and headed into the Inn, a dark cloud hanging over them. All of them were thinking the same thing:

Had they already failed in their mission?