Lakeside

by Steadfast Bulwark

Rating: teen
Tags: Main 6, Romance, Original Character, Comedy, Rarity, Adventure, Random, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Length: 23232

Rarity receives an invitation from her estranged Godfather of many years to come for a visit.

Rarity wakes up one morning to a parcel bearing a gift and a letter from her estranged Godfather, inviting her and her friends to come visit him at his mansion. Rarity, thinking a trip not involving some sort of crisis would be welcome, decides to accept and she and her friends travel to the mountain estate of Lakeside.

This began as writing practice for myself but it sounded interesting enough to post here. Not quite sure where its going but that makes it all the more fun.

Rated 'T' for minor language

Published 2015-10-11 06:50:02 UTC
Last updated 2016-11-25 16:13:35 UTC

Invitations at Sunrise

The sun crested the small hills along the horizon. The light, faint at first but growing stronger, spread across the hills and fields of Ponyville. Shadows gave way as the sun pushed further into the sky, signaling the beginning of a new day.

The light shone through a particular window of a particular building this day. Not just a building but a shop, a very particular shop. A boutique. A shop dedicated to beauty and the creation of beauty.

The owner of this particular shop, on this day was sound asleep in her bed. She lay upon the finest sheets of silk on a mattress of the finest feather down. Blissfully navigating the paths of her dreams.

The sun's rays gently caressed her face, slowly drawing her from her travels. Like a friend leading her by the hoof, she followed the light, bringing her to awareness.

Her eyes opened, still fresh with the sights of her dreams, to the light of the new day. A content sigh escaped her lips. Sitting up, her silk sheets rippled like water as they fell away.

Stepping from her bed, she walked to the nearest window and threw it open, basking in the early sun's warmth. She stayed there for several moments, enjoying the simple pleasure of the sun.

Her ears perked up as down below, she heard the faint sound of knocking.

"Who could that be this early?" she wondered.

Closing the window, she walked towards the bedroom door. Slowing slightly to adjust her hair and to put on a robe. She headed down the flight of stair leading to the main floor of her shop.

As she stepped out into the darkened showroom another knock sounded from the front door. Still curious as to who could be knocking this early, she made her way to the door and after undoing the lock opened it with a smile.

"Good morning! Can I help you?"

A grey stallion, with a large red cap with a black bill and a red bag stood with a raised forehoof. He was about to knock again but stopped himself. "Good morning!" He replied cheerfully. "I am looking for a Miss Rarity. I assume you are she?"

"I am indeed." Rarity responded.

He smiled. "Excellent! I was told to deliver this to you." He reached into his red bag and pulled out a small brown parcel with a letter carefully tied to it. He extended his hoof as it was enveloped in a light blue magical aura, causing it to float to Rarity's side.

"Thank you ever so much! If you wait just a moment I'll get you your payment."

He shook his head, still retaining his smile. "No need. It has already been paid for in full."

"Oh." Rarity said, a small frown appearing on her face. "Then allow me to give you a little something for your troubles."

He shook his head once again. "That's not necessary. The one who requested the delivering made sure I was adequately paid. He in no way wanted to inconvenience you."

The frown on Rarity's face deepened. "Alright then if you insist. Might I ask who wanted this delivered to me?"

"He didnt tell me his name, but if you asked to tell you that you'd know in time." He proffered his hat. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have many more deliveries today." Without waiting for a reply, the stallion placed his hat back on his head and walked away, leaving Rarity quite confused, standing in her doorway.

She stayed there until the stallion was out of sight before closing the door. Glancing at the package floating just beside her, She made her way back up stairs into her bedroom and placed the parcel on her work desk and sat down.

Levitating a small knife from across the room, Rarity carefully cut the string holding the letter. The sharp knife cut cleanly through the envelope and placing it aside pulled the neatly folded letter out.

Unfolding the letter revealed beautiful script that flowed elegantly across the page. Her eyes followed the script as it weaved to and fro, like the gentle waves of the ocean, breaking upon a sloping shore.

'My Dearest Rarity'

It has been many years since I last saw you, truthfully you won't remember me as you were a small foal at the time. I've been following your accomplishments both as the fashion world's top designer and as one of the fabled Elements of Harmony, and I must say both are equally impressive.

I hope you can forgive me for waiting so long to contact you but recent years have been troublesome for me. Luck has never been on my side and if your father has ever mentioned me, he can attest to that.

I am writing to you as I would like to extend an invitation to you and your friends to come to my Lakeside estate for a week. It is located in the mountains to the North of Canterlot and will be on most maps. It would be an honour to host you and the other Elements of Harmony.

Sincerely yours,

Sir Constance.

Rarity looked up from the letter, brow furrowed in thought. "Sir Constance? Fathers never mentioned the name before but he speaks like they know each other well."

She glanced back over the letter. "Lakeside. Now that I've heard of. If memory serves it's one of the oldests estates in Equestria, second only to the Royal Castle. It would be lovely to visit such a grand estate!"

Folding the letter and placing it on her desk she got to her hooves and set about her morning rituals. She showered and styled her mane and tail to their everyday perfection. After applying a touch of makeup, she was ready to greet the day, properly.

Making her way back downstairs, she crossed to the front door and stepped outside once again into the morning sun. She locked the door behind her and set off towards the center of town.

She met few ponies during her walk. Most were still sound asleep, the few she did meet were all early risers, much like herself. Rarity greeted each with a nod and a pleasant 'Good morning' to which she received in kind.

After several minutes walk, she arrived at her destination. A quaint two story house overlooking the small river that ran along the outskirts of town. Stopping at the door, she knocked gingerly upon the wooden surface, twice.

"I do hope their up."

Thirty seconds passed before she heard the sound of hoof steps coming near the door. Rarity heard a lock click followed by the door opening.

"Hey sis! What are you doing here so early?"

Rarity looked down into the beaming face of her younger sister, Sweetie Belle. "Good morning Sweetie Belle." Rarity said happily before stopping and furrowing her brow. "What are you doing up so early?" she asked, ignoring Sweetie Belle’s own question.

"Oh, me and the girls wanted to get an early start on crusading." she said happily. "I was actually just about to leave when I heard you knocking."

Rarity let out an exasperated sigh. "Do I even want to know what you are planning."

"Um, most likely not." Sweetie Belle said, laughing nervously.

"I thought as much. Promise me you'll be careful?"

Sweetie Belle smiled up at Rarity. "We always are."

Rarity looked unconvinced. "Of course you are. Is Father up? I need to speak with him."

"Yep we just finished eating breakfast. He should still be the dining room." Sweetie Belle said, nodding with her head in the direction of the dining room. "Now if you'll excuse me, I got some crusading to do."

Rarity stepped out of the way as her sister charged off in the direction of Sweet Apple Acres. With another sigh and a shake of her head, Rarity walked into her parents house, closing the door behind her and made her way into the dining area.

It was located just off the living room and she saw her father sitting in his customary spot at the head of the table, back to her. He was reading the morning paper, an empty plate sitting in front of him beside a half full glass of apple cider.

"Father, How many times have Mother and I told you that drinking Cider with breakfast is unhealthy."

Magnum glanced over at his daughter as she pulled up a chair and sat down beside him. "Enough times that I don't do it anymore."

"Then what's this?" Rarity said, pointing at his glass.

"Hard cider." He said with a twinkle in his eye. He began to chuckle as Rarity simply shook her head, with a small smile of her own.

"So what brings you around so early?" he said, setting his paper down on the table. "Me and Sweetie Belle just finished breakfast. I can whip you up something if you're hungry."

Rarity shook her head. "That's alright, I'll eat later."

"Are you sure?" Magnum said. "I could make you my world famous pancakes. You know I used to make them for the Mayor of Manehattan."

"I thought it was for the Count of Pranclvania?" Rarity said.

Magnum waved a hoof dismissively. "Yeah, him to."

Rarity started to chuckle and Magnum joined in. "I came to ask you a question." Rarity said, having finished laughing.

"Of course you did, I am the smartest stallion in the country." His smile broadened. "Did I mention I'm handsome."

Rarity smiled at him. "Yes you did. A letter and a package arrived for me today in fact they're the reason I'm up and about this early."

Magnum brought a hoof up and rested his head on it. "Really? Was it from one of your many secret admirers?"

Rarity blushed slightly and waved a hoof in his direction. "No, no. nothing like that. It was addressed from somepony named Sir Constance."

Magnum sat up suddenly in his chair, his eyes widened as he let his hoof drop off the table. "Constance? Sir Constance? Are you sure?"

A worried look passed over Rarity's face at her father's strange behavior. "Yes, I'm quite sure. A Sir Constance wrote to me, he spoke as if you knew each other."

"That's an understatement." Magnum said, eyes becoming distant. "We grew up together, always getting into something. I can't tell you how many hotels we were thrown out of." He said with a wistful smile.

He blinked once, seeming to come back to the present. "So he's a knight now, eh? Sir Constance. Yeah, it does have a ring to it. So what did he write to you about?"

"Well he invited my friends and I to come stay with him at his mountain estate of Lakeside."

Magnum leaned back in his chair and let out a whistle. "So that dodgy bastard actually did it?"

"Father! Language!" Rarity said in a chastising tone.

Magnum cringed slightly. "Uh, sorry. It's just he always talked about owning that place, ever since we were foals."

"He also mentioned knowing me, but that he hasn't seen me in years. It must have been quite some time."

"Indeed it has." Magnum said, leaning back in his chair. "He helped me get your mother to the hospital and stayed with us until you were born. He's actually your godfather."

"Really? I had no idea. Why have you never mentioned him then?" Rarity asked, raising an eyebrow.

"That...is a long story." Magnum said hesitantly.

Rarity motioned to the morning sun. "We have time."

Magnum said nothing, instead looking between the window and his paper in front of him. "I suppose you're right."

He began twirling his mustache absent mindedly as he began his tale. "As you know I grew up in Ponyville. Granted it was smaller back then and not nearly as busy as it is today but still it was home. Me and Constance were friends from the start. Went to the same school, played on the same hoofball team, and even got an apartment together after graduating. Yes we were irrespirable."

Magnum paused as his eyes looked off into the distance, drawing him down the winding paths of his memories.

"When I met your mother I remember Constance taking her hoof and telling her that she had found the perfect stallion and to never let me go." Magnum started to chuckle. "He could say that but when he stood up to give the Best Stallion speech he stuttered and fell all over himself."

Rarity remained silent, completely engrossed in her father's story.

"Anyway, I had gotten a new job after your mother became pregnant with you and I was out of town a lot, but Constance would always stop in and make sure she was well. I remember the day you was born, I was in Canterlot for work. After ensuring your mother made it to the hospital, he flew all the way to Canterlot to get me. We caught the last train home and I got to see you be born."

Tears started to well up in Rarity's eyes. "He was a true friend."

Magnum nodded sadly. "Yeah...he was."

"What happened?"

"A few months after you were born, we became distant. I had you to look after and he started to go on extended trips. He'd be gone for weeks on end but whenever he come back he'd always stop in to see how we were. The last time I saw him he came to the house late at night, completely ragged. Looked like he just got out of a bad bar fight. I tried to get him to stay so we could fix him up but he only wanted to see you."

"Me? Why?" Rarity said with surprise.

Magnum shook his head. "He always liked you. He used to say that if he could have a daughter half as great as you he'd be a lucky stallion. We let him hold you while you slept, he stayed for an hour simply holding you then he left, and I've not heard anymore from him, until now."

His story complete Magnum placed his hoofs on the table and looked out the window. Neither said anything for a time, Rarity was processing what her father had just told her and Magnum was still lost among his memories.

"Thank you for telling me all that Father." Rarity said, breaking the silence.

"Of course sweetheart." He replied with a sad smile. "If you do take him up on his offer be sure to tell him that an old friend has some choice words for him."

Rarity matched her father's smile. "I'll be sure to do just that." She got to her hooves, pushing her chair back into its place as she did so. "Tell mother I said hello I have some things I must attend to. Goodbye father." she said with a wave as she headed for the door.

Magnum didn't reply, merely waving a hoof in affirmation as he continued to stare out the window. Rarity stepped outside once again and made her way home. She passed several ponies along the way, all of which waved hello to her but she only absently waved back, lost in thought as she was.

Coming to her front door, she produced the key from its hiding place and unlocked it and stepped inside. She made her way upstairs into her room and sat down once more at her desk. The letter and parcel was exactly where she left it. Taking up her letter knife she carefully opened the parcel. Neatly cutting the package to reveal a small box. Using her magic she slid the top off and gasped at what she saw.

Inside, laying on black velvet was a gold pendant. This pendant was unlike any Rarity had ever seen. Intricate markings were etched into the the gold in silver and a large diamond was set into the center of a ring of rubies.

She carefully removed the pendant and marveled at its beauty. She remained so until a small growl reached her ears. She blushed slightly as her stomach rumbled, drawing attention to the fact that she had yet to have breakfast.

Replacing the gift in its box she laid it back on her desk. Her stomach angrily reminded her to hurry to which she quickly complied. She trotted downstairs into her kitchen and began gathering what she needed for a simple breakfast.

Used to the task of preparing breakfast, Rarity let her mind wander. "I don't see why I shouldn't accept Sir Constance invitation. Father spoke highly of him and he did send me that lovely pendant as a gift."

The eggs began to sizzle drawing her mind back to the present. With a deft use of magic, the eggs were delicately placed on a waiting plate and expertly garnished.

"It has been some time since we've taken a trip as a group...excluding times of crisis of course. The others would enjoy themselves I'm sure."

Rarity finished her eggs and daintily dabbed at her mouth with a cloth napkin. "Its decided." She said out loud.

Author's Note

I modeled Magnum's personality after my own Father strictly on the basis they look alike. (Large mustache, straw hat, and taste for Hawaiian shirts.) So his mentions of 'World Famous Pancakes' as well as his unbelievably inflated ego is based on that fact.

Rainswept Welcomes

The carriage rolled along the road as the rain fell in sheets, blanketing the mountainside. The four stallions struggled against the wind as they sloshed through the ever rising torrent of mud and water. Having lived in these mountains all their lives, they were accustomed to bad weather, but none of them had ever seen a storm this severe, especially this late in summer.

As they continued forward against the deafening wind and rain, inside the carriage all was quiet. Twilight having cast a sound dampening spell around the carriage. She had also offered to put a barrier around the drivers as well but they had declined.

The carriage was of sturdy make, having been designed to travel the uneven mountain roads, and could easily carry no fewer than ten passengers and as such the six friends were quite comfortable.

Sitting at the back of the carriage was Applejack, Fluttershy, and Twilight. Sitting across from them were Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity. Applejack and Rainbow Dash were engaged in a staring contest, both having become bored during the lengthy trip. Rainbow's left eye was beginning to twitch and tears were slowly making their way down Applejacks face. The carriage lurched slightly causing the pair to flinch simultaneously.

“Oh! It's a draw!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed excitedly as she added a tally mark to a rather full notepad.

“What's the score now, Pinkie?” Applejack asked as she blinked furiously. Rainbow Dash was likewise watering her eyes.

“Well lets see.” Pinkie began to leaf through her notepad, absently mouthing off figures as she tallied the score.

“If we count every win and subtract each tie then it's a tie!” Pinkie said happily.

“What!?” Applejack and Rainbow Dash both exclaimed. Fluttershy offered a quiet congratulations that went unheard.

“Let me see the scores.” Rainbow Dash said as Pinkie passed the notepad over. Applejack leaned forward as Rainbow flipped through the pad. Several seconds passed before a very confused Rainbow Dash looked up and addressed Pinkie.

“Uh...Pinkie...where's the tallies?”

Rainbow Dash held out the pad which was filled with little doodles of fluffy unicorns and angry gnomes. Pinkie Pie blinked twice. “I have no idea.”

“Right...Twi, were you keeping score?” Applejack asked, turning in her seat.

“Yes Applejack that was a very good kick.” Twilight answered without taking her eyes off the open book floating in front of her.

“That be a no.” Rainbow said, letting out an exasperated sigh.

“I lost track after a hundred and twenty.” Fluttershy said.

“How bout you, Rares?” Applejack asked, leaning past Fluttershy.

Rarity, who had spent most of the trip in silence, sat staring out the carriage window into the pouring rain. Her left foreleg was resting on the window seal as she gently stroked the golden pendant held fast at the base of her throat by a black choker. She remained as such until a hoof gently tapped on her shoulder.

“Hm..what?” Rarity said as she ceased her absent minded staring. She stopped stroking the pendant as she turned in her seat to face the quizzical stares of her friends.

Both competitors groaned loudly. “She wasn't counting either!” Rainbow said, bringing a hoof to her face. “Now how will we know who won?”

“Um...you both won?” Fluttershy said, but was quickly overshadowed by Pinkie Pie.

“Oh! Oh! Pick me! Pick me!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed, waving her hooves furiously.

“Uh...Pinkie Pie.” Applejack said after a moment of hesitation.

Pinkie Pie beamed. “You can have a race! Winner wins!”

Applejack and Rainbow Dash looked at each other for a moment before nodding their heads in agreement.

“That’ll work.” Rainbow said. “We should be able to draw out a course around the lake or something.”

“No need.” Twilight said suddenly, lowering her book. “The Lakeside estate is massive. My books say it's easily double the size of Canterlot Castle and the surrounding hills are criss crossed with trails. I can have a suitable course drawn up right away.”

She smiled happily before losing herself once again in her book. The others all shared a glance before Rainbow asked what was all on their minds.

“She heard that but was completely zoned out earlier?”

“Its called selective hearing, Rainbow.” Twilight said from behind her book. Rainbow Dash opened her mouth to retort but was interrupted by the carriage lurching suddenly before coming to a stop. The carriage door opened and a thoroughly soaked driver greeted them.

“Ladies. We’ve arrived.” He said gruffly while wringing out his hat. The six friends shuffled from the carriage. “Hold on.” Twilight said. Her horn glowed momentarily causing the rain around the carriage to cease as a magical barrier diverted the rain away.

The driver huffed loudly. “Very good, miss.” He stepped away from the door allowing them to disembark. Applejack and Rainbow Dash were first off, followed by Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy, and lastly by Twilight and Rarity.

No sooner than Rarity's tail cleared the door, the driver quickly closed it before rejoining his fellows at the front. Once he was harnessed the carriage slowly pulled away from the the group but none of them noticed it leaving, all of their attention was focused on the magnificent sight before them.

The impenetrable clouds from which the rain poured parted, allowing the light from the setting sun to cast its radiance on the world below. The light danced amongst the falling raindrops, setting the sky ablaze in ever changing colours only to be consumed by a large lake alight in golden splendor.

The six were speechless, mouths agape. Only Rarity put voice to the moment.

“Beautiful.” She whispered.

Then just as it must, it ended. The clouds moved back into place, blocking off the sun and returning the world to grey. The spell broken, Twilight spoke up.

“Well it won't do us any good standing around out here.”

“I agree.” Rarity said. “Twilight's spell may be keeping us dry but I detest standing in this mud.” She lifted her left fore hoof, allowing several clumps of mud to splatter to the ground, as if to emphasize her point.

“Then won't you all follow me.”

The six jumped in surprise at the new voice, Fluttershy ducked behind Applejack with a whimper.

“I do apologize if I frightened you.” A tall grey griffin dressed in a black tail coat and carrying a large umbrella greeted them with a bow, taking care not to let the tails of his coat touch the ground and revealing that he was missing his left wing. “My name is Scyphos, I serve Sir Constance as butler of his estate. He sent me to see you all safely to the house.”

He straightened from his bow and nodded towards the barrier currently surrounding them.

“I would offer an umbrella but I see there’s no need. Now if you would kindly follow me.”

He turned briskly and began walking away. The six still surprised by his sudden appearance hesitated before following. They quickly caught up and walked in silence, broken only by the sound of hooves sloshing through mud.

“So why the heavy rain?” Rainbow Dash asked, slightly unnerved by the silence. “By the looks of it your weather Pegasus must have forgotten to schedule rain for awhile.”

“You're partly right.” Scyphos responded without looking back. “The weather in these mountains act of their own accord and as such we have no need of weather pegasus.”

“Much like the Everfree forest.” said Twilight. “I had no idea there were other areas like it!”

“Indeed.” Scyphos said. “Legend says that a great battle took place near what is now the heart of the Everfree forest that destroyed the magical balance. By this theory Scholars conclude that a similar event must have occurred here as well but none were able to find any evidence that lends credence to that theory.”

Twilight opened her mouth, eager to take part in a debate with the griffin but was interrupted.

“Ah here we are.”

The group stopped before a large, ornate double door that seemed to stand alone amidst the rain. “Allow me.” Scyphos stepped forward and opened the doors motioning for them to enter.

Stepping through the threshold was like stepping into another world. A massive foyer with a vaulted ceiling greeted them. Dozens of chandeliers cast their light about the room, reflecting off the many gilded paintings hanging on the walls and the polished marble floor beneath them.

Scyphos closed the doors behind them, cutting off the sound of the rain and offered each a towel, much to Rarity's delight. Once they were clean Scyphos bade them wait while he fetched his master.

“This place is simply stunning.” Rarity said after Scyphos had left. “A shame for the rain, I would have loved to see the exterior as well.”

“A’hm sure it’ll clear up by mornin. Storms like this never last.” Said Applejack.

“I'm not so sure.” said Twilight. “If this areas similar to the Everfree forest then who knows how long that storm could last.”

“Oh dear.” Fluttershy said, cowering slightly.

“Don't worry Fluttershy.” Pinkie Pie said happily. “A little rain never hurt anypony.”

“I’d say that's way more than a little rain, Pinkie.” Rainbow Said, casually glancing out one of the windows.

Thier attention was drawn to the far side of the room when a door opened up revealing Scyphos.

“Ladies, may I present Sir Constance.” He bowed low as a white pegasus stallion stepped through the door. The stallion was of average build with a jet black mane and tail frosted with grey. He wore a black suit top that extended to his midsection and his face was framed by a short black beard and a kind smile, truly the only thing remarkable about him was the silver embroidered patch that covered his right eye and his cutie mark which was a blank silver shield covered in deep scratches and dents..

“Thank you, Scyphos, that will be all until dinner.” The griffin nodded once before retreating through the open door, closing it behind him.

“Ladies, allow me to formally welcome you all to my home.”Sir Constans said with a slight bow. “I apologize for the weather. It can be bothersome at times.”

“Your butler mentioned that a magical event may have disrupted the magical balance in the area.” Twilight said, inquisitively.

Sir Constance chuckled lightly. “Scyphos said that did he? He does so love to tell stories.”

The six shared a quizzical glance with each other. “Really? We didn't notice.” Twilight said with slight hesitation.

“Oh yes.” Sir Constance said, walking towards them. “Ask him at dinner to tell you about his time in the Griffin Military. Those are among my personal favorites.” He stopped before them and raised a forehoof up to his face to gently stroke his beard. “Now let me see.” He said, slowly. “You must be Miss Twilight Sparkle, Princess Celestia's prized pupil and The Element of Magic.” He said, leveling his hoof at Twilight.

Twilight's eyes widened in surprise. “Yes, but how...”

“And you.” Sir Constans said, pointing towards Rainbow Dash. “Must be Miss Rainbow Dash, achever of a Sonic Rainboom and the Element of Loyalty.”

Rainbow Dash brought a hoof to her chest. “Figures you'd heard of me.” She said.

“Miss Applejack of Sweet Apple Acres and Element of Honesty.” Said Sir Constance, pointing towards Applejack.

“Howdy.” Applejack said with a tip of her hat.

“Miss Fluttershy, friend to all manner of creatures and Element of Kindness.”

Fluttershy hid behind her hair and mumbled something softly.

“Oh! Do you know who I am?! Huh?! Do yah?!” Pinkie Pie said excitedly, bouncing in place.

“Of course. You are Miss Pinkeamena Diane Pie, Premiere party pony and Element of Laughter.”

Pinkie Pie stopped bouncing and inhaled a large amount of air. “You're right!” She exclaimed before resuming her bouncing.

“Which brings me to you.” Sir Constance said, stepping up to Rarity. “Miss Rarity, the greatest fashion designer in Equestria and the Element of Generosity.” A single tear filled his uncovered eye before sliding down his face. “I often wondered at what you would look like once you had grown up but seeing you here now proves just how wrong I was.” He used his right forehoof to wipe away his tear. “You are more beautiful than I could ever have imagined.”

Rarity was taken aback by the emotion in his voice and also by his words. Stunned Rarity could only stare at him, fighting back tears of her own. Sir Constance stepped back before Rarity could recover and beckoned all of them with a wave of his hoof.

“Now we have some time before dinner, would you like a tour of my wonderful home?”

“I know I would!” Pinkie said, seemly unphased by the exchange. She hopped forward with an audible sproing, calling to the others as she did so.

“I know I have a lot of questions about the mansion's history. Come on Fluttershy.” Twilight said, pulling Fluttershy along with her as they joined Pinkie and Sir Constance.

“I guess it will at least kill time until dinner.” Rainbow Dash grumbled under her breath. “Oh hush, you'll be fine. How often do yah git to say you've been inside a huge mansion?” Applejack responded walking beside Rainbow Dash.

“My house is a mansion!” Said Rainbow.

“That's not made of clouds.” Retorted Applejack as they stood with the others, leaving Rarity standing alone, still overcome with emotions.

“Rarity?” Twilight said with slight concern. Her voice seemed to snap Rarity out of her trance as she hurriedly joined the others. “So sorry. We would be honoured to see your lovely home, Sir Constance.”

“Please, my dear. Constance will do just fine.” He said with a smile causing Rarity to blush slightly. “Of course, Constance.”

Author's Note

I don't know about the rest of you but I really dislike long carriage rides.

Something Found, Something Lost

The mansion was every bit as grand as one could imagine, it had taken Sir Constance several hours to show them just a few of his homes many points of interest before hunger drove them to seek out the dining room.

After seating them at the table, Sir Constance excused himself saying he had some business to conduct before dinner was ready, leaving them to chat amongst themselves.

“Did you see the size of that staircase?!” Rainbow Dash said excitedly. “Do you think Constance would let us take a mattress down it?”

“Ah don't know Dash, something tells me he wouldn't be too keen on the idea of us possibly wrecking his stuff.” Replied Applejack waving her hoof dismissively in the air. “But it would be awfully fun.”

“I know right?!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed, practically vibrating in her chair. “We could tie the mattresses together to make like a huge mattress fort and push it down the stairs, with us inside!”

“Sounds dangerous.” Fluttershy said, shaking at the idea of careening down those stairs inside a mattress fort. “I’m much more interested in the indoor garden up on the fourth floor.” She seemed to shrink into her chair. “But mattress forts are interesting too.” She finished softly.

“I agree with Fluttershy.” Twilight said, lowering the most recent book she had chosen from the large stack of books beside her chair. “I saw many rare alchemical herbs and plants growing in that garden and I’d like to study them, if Constance allows.”

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. “Really Twi? And here we all were about to take bets on which room was your favorite.”

Twilight glanced sheepishly at the pile of books on the floor. “Well, I couldn't help it that the library encompasses three stories and contains books that even the Royal Archive does not have.”

“No kidding, we practically had to drag you out of there sugarcube.” Applejack said, chuckling at Twilight's flushing face before it disappeared behind her book.

“I quite enjoyed the rooms we will be staying in.” said Rarity, bringing both fore hooves to her mouth in barely controlled giddiness. “Did you see those beds, oh the styles clearly dated but the pattern on those sheets, the intricacy of the stitching, simply to die for. Oh, I can not wait to wrap myself within their sweet embrace.” She sighed loudly, falling back in her chair with a wistful look on her face.

“Geez Rarity. Calm down.” Rainbow Dash said with a laugh. “They're just sheets, no need to get all worked up over them.”

“You may think differently once you feel them yourself, Miss Dash.” Sir Constance said as he entered through a side door. He pulled up a chair at the head of the table just next to Rarity who was to his left. “They are quite lovely.” He finished with a wink towards Rarity.

“Constance, if I could just say what a magnificent home you have. I speak for all of us when I say thank you once again for inviting us.” Rarity said, sitting up in her chair and turning in Sir Constance's direction.

“Think nothing of it.” He replied, smiling broadly. “I am happy to have all of you here. It's good to have others in this house other than Scyphos and myself.”

“Surely you must receive regular visitors?” Asked Rarity, saddened by the thought of Constance all alone.

Sir Constance nodded sadly. “Occasionally but they're mostly scholars wanting to study the area or the mansion itself, rarely do I get visitors who actually want to see me.” His face visibly lit up as he once again smiled. “But that's not important right now. I have six lovely guests and I would be a poor host indeed if I left them hungry any longer!” He clapped his fore hooves together loudly. “Scyphos!”

A door behind Sir Constance opened and Scyphos stepped out pulling a long cart laden with all manner of delectable dishes. He pulled the cart alongside the table and quickly but carefully placed various dishes on the table. Once the cart was emptied, Scyphos exited through the same door he had entered, seconds later the door again opened and another cart was wheeled out, this one stacked high with bottles and crystal glasses.

Scyphos placed the bottles on the table as well as placed a glass before each guest and produced several bundles of silverware seemingly from nowhere and placed them beside the glasses.

“Will there be anything else, sir?” Scyphos asked, bowing low.

“That will be all. I'll call when we are ready for dessert.”

“Very good, sir.” Scyphos then collected his cart and disappeared through the open door, closing it softly behind him.

“Dinner is served.” Sir Constance said happily. “Eat to your hearts content.” Picking up his silverware, he pulled a nearby plate filled with what looked like steamed tubers towards him before sliding it in front of Rarity. “Here try the ‘Tossed Tubers’ it's a delicacy in the Griffin Kingdom, or so I'm told.” He finished with a chuckle, pulling another plate, this one piled high with boiled potatoes drenched in a red sauce, towards himself.

“Thank you.” Rarity said, picking up her own silverware and prodding the tubers with her fork. “It looks delicious but...what is it?”

Sir Constance smiled behind a mouthful of potatoes. “I honestly haven't a clue.” He said after swallowing his food. “I think Scyphos grows them in the garden, but I could be wrong.” He shrugged lightly as he scooped up another bite of potatoes. “Never question a griffins cooking.”

Rarity looked back down at her plate and speared a piece of tuber on her fork before tentatively putting it in her mouth. No sooner had her mouth closed over it did her eyes light up with delight and an involuntary gasp escaped her lips.

“My goodness!” She exclaimed breathlessly.

Sir Constance let out an amused chuckle at her expression. “That's the exact reaction I had when I first tried those.” He said, scooping up another forkful of potatoes. “I've eaten at quite a few meals, but nothing compares to those prepared by Scyphos.”

“Where exactly did you meet him?” Twilight asked, in between spoonfuls of vegetable stew. “The Princesses have several dozen servants who attend to the castle cooking and cleaning and I find it amazing that you have only the one.” The others nodded their agreement on the matter but opted not to speak in order to keep eating.

“I wouldn't call Scyphos a servant.” Sir Constance said, pushing away his empty plate and pulling a bowl of stew towards him. “True he is my butler but only because he wouldn't have it any other way.”

“How come?” Rainbow Dash asked, using a corkscrew to pull the cork from a bottle she had chosen at random.

“Now that is quite a story.” He said, putting his spoon down and placing his hooves on the table. “I'd be happy to recount it if you're interested.”

“Sure, who doesn't love a good story?” Applejack said, reaching an empty glass over so Rainbow could fill it with a burgundy liquid.

Sir Constance picked up his own glass and asked for the bottle from Rainbow Dash. After passing it down to him, he proceeded to fill his own as well as Rarity's. Raising the glass to his lips he lightly sniffed it. “Ah, ‘Ponot Noir’, a very good choice.” He quickly tipped the glass back and downed its contents in one gulp, viciously shaking his head afterwards. His eye began to water. "I don't know what Scyphos adds during the aging process, but it sure adds a kick."

Applejack and Rainbow Dash shared an evil grin before gulping down their own glasses.

“Whoah! You weren't kidding!” Gasped Rainbow Dash as tears rolled down her face. Applejack likewise was wiping tears from her eyes though she didn't seem to be affected as much as Rainbow.

“Twi, you have got to try this!” Applejack said, reaching for the bottle of ‘Ponot Noir’ and pouring herself and Rainbow another glass.

“I'll stick to water thanks.” Twilight said, using her magic to juggle her silverware and another book that she was currently reading. Fluttershy, nodded in agreement with Twilight while she sipped her own glass of water over her salad.

“Oh you wimps! Gimme that bottle!” Pinkie Pie said, snatching the bottle from Applejacks hooves. Before anypony could protest, Pinkie put the bottle’s mouth to her lips and guzzled the entire thing in three enormous gulps. She placed the bottle back on the table with a smack while she licked her lips.

“Idontseewhatthebigdealwasitwasntthatbad.” She said, exhaling the words, as she grabbed another bottle, this one of water and likewise guzzled it.

“Now that was impressive.” Sir Constance said with a low whistle.

Rarity chuckled slightly as Pinkie finished with the bottle of water and was in the process of retrieving another one. “Pinkie Pie’s known for that.” She picked up her own glass and delicately sipped it, feeling the liquid burn down her throat, but only just. “Now I believe you were going to tell us how you met Scyphos.”

Sir Constance smiled. “Of course.” He leaned back in his chair, placing his fore hooves together in front of him. “It was about ten years ago. I had joined a surveying expedition that was headed into the Crystal Mountains. I was only hired help, but the pay was good. Some noble in Canterlot funded the whole thing and sent us up there looking for anything of value. Gold, gems, crystal deposits. Anything we could stake a claim to that would bring in the bits. About a week into the mountains we stumbled onto an old Monolith, and when I say stumbled I mean it. One of the miners literally tripped over the top of one of the spires and broke through the ice and fell inside. Of course at the time we didn't know it was a Monolith, we thought he just fell into some cave.”

Everypony at the table had ceased eating and were all leaned forward, completely engrossed in his tale, even Twilight had set her book aside.

“We set camp and a few of us flew down to get him. Well, once we were down there we realized it was no mere cave, massive pillars stretched out in all directions, further than our lights could reach. After we got the miner back topside, he'd broken a leg in the fall you see, we told the others of what we found. Well, as you could imagine this got the higher ups excited. By nightfall, we had moved all the equipment down into the Monolith and built a crude elevator out of the carts we had brought.”

Sir Constance shook his head at the memory. “It wasn't pretty, but it could lift a manticore and then some. Anyway the next day we set out exploring the Monolith. We were extremely careful, never going anywhere alone, and always looking out for anything dangerous. Well, the group I was with came to this long narrow hall that had a single door at the end. We used some sticks we had gathered to test the floor in front of us as we went. Precautionary as word that we had lost a miner to a pressure plate rigged to spikes had gotten around the camp.”

The six gasped loudly, causing Sir Constance to nod his head sadly. “Yes, it was a terrible loss. I spoke with a few of the ponies who were in that group and they said it wasn't pretty. So we used these sticks to prod the floor ahead of us in case they were rigged, well we got all the way to the end of the hall without setting anything off and found a small stone button set in the wall next to the door. One of the boys hits it and the door slides upwards completely silent. Inside was a small round room that rose up step by step to a raised platform. And sitting dead center on this raised platform was a statue of two ponies, chiseled out of a ruby and set with diamonds for eyes.”

“Amazing.” Whispered Rarity, the others looked on with amazement.

“We thought the same thing. Looking back, we acted foolishly. Two of us ran inside before checking for traps.” Sir Constance sighed sadly. “They made it to the pedestal just as the poison in the darts took effect.”

“Whoah.” Rainbow Dash said.

“Whoah indeed. The rest of us doubled back and collected some heavy stones to weigh down the pressure plates, setting off the traps until they were all out of darts. Took about an hour before they ran dry.”

“Couldn't you just fly over and grab the statue?” Rainbow Dash asked, excitement in her voice. Despite the loss of life she was reminded of Daring Do’s adventures.

“We were going to try that, but somepony had a bright idea to toss a rock into the room, well it set something off as it flew through the air, causing big spears to fly out of the walls instead of darts. We didn't have enough rocks to use all those up so instead we made a long pole out of our sticks and carefully lifted the statue up and out of the room in such a way that didn't set off anymore traps.”

“Oh.” Rainbow Dash said, slightly disappointed.

“Don't be like that Rainbow, you should be happy they got out without any further trouble.” Twilight said.

“Not quite.” Sir Constance said. “My story's not over just yet. After we pulled the statue out of the room, the others had joined us by then. While congratulations were being passed around none of us noticed the pedestal slowly sinking into the floor. Only after the rumbling started did we stop patting ourselves on the backs and decide then was a fine time to leave. We bolted for the elevator as the roof started to cave in on us. Chunks of rock and ice fell all around us as we ran, several miners fell behind and were buried under rock and snow. We could hear them screaming over the sound of the monolith collapsing but there was nothing we could do other than run faster. By the time we reached the elevator, there were only about thirty of us left and the way we had designed the elevator somepony had to stay down below in order to winch it up. Being the only Pegasus to get that far, I volunteered to stay behind.”

“So you were willin to sacrifice yourself so the others could escape?” Applejack asked in amazement.

“I was hoping I would have time to fly out after winching the others up, but yes. Luckily for me a griffin had also signed up with us and he also volunteered to stay behind to help me.”

Rarity gasped. “That was...”

Sir Constance nodded his head. “Yes, Scyphos and I worked together to get the others up to the surface as fast as possible while the Monolith caved in around us. We managed to get the others topside just as the cave in reached us. I was able to get into the air fast enough, but Scyphos wasn't so lucky. A huge boulder pinned him to the ground by his left wing, I flew back down to try and shift the boulder, but it was just too big. He screamed at me to leave him and save myself, but I wasn't going to have it. I pulled a knife from my tool belt and hacked his wing off, freeing him from the boulder.”

Sir Constance lightly tapped his embroidered eye patch with a hoof. “Let me tell you, griffins lash out when hurt, especially when they’re hurt as badly as Scyphos was. One of his talons caught my eye as I carried him up to the surface. I guess it was only fair, an eye for an eye as they say. We both got out just as the Monolith filled in behind us. After we were patched up.” Here he tapped his eye patch again. “Literally, the survivors started calling us heroes. One of my group managed to hang onto the statue on the way out so the surviving higher ups decided that after they sold it, Scyphos and I would receive quadruple our pay for our heroism.”

Sir Constance began to chuckle softly. “It wouldn't have mattered if they only gave us double, after they sold that statute, there was enough bits to make everypony involved immensely rich a hundred times over. After we received our pay, which was about fifteen cart loads of bits apiece. Scyphos turned to me and said ‘You saved my life, at the cost of my wing and your eye. I can never fully repay you.’ He then gave me his share, which I tried to turn down, but he wouldn't hear of it. He then swore to serve me however I saw fit for the rest of his life, or my life, depending on how you look at it.” Sir Constance leaned back in his chair with an air of finality. “And that is how I met Scyphos.”

The six stared in silence for several moments, each letting his words sink in and the enormity of what he had experience.

Twilight cleared her throat. “That was...”

“Wow!” Pinkie said suddenly.

“Yeah. Wow.” Twilight agreed.

“Where does a pony go after such an adventure?” Fluttershy asked, her excitement evident to all.

“Well. He goes down the street from the bank to a clothing shop and orders a really fancy and expensive eye patch and then treats himself, his stalwart griffin companion and everypony on the street at the time to as many drinks as they can hold.”

He began to laugh and soon everypony at the table had joined. They all laughed until their sides hurt and tears fell freely from their eyes. Only when the clock chimed loudly did their laughter abate.

“Wow is it that late already.” Sir Constance said in surprise, looking towards the clock across the room. “My doesn't time just fly when you're rambling on.” He said with a chuckle, pushing away from the table and standing. “If you ladies will excuse me, there are matters I must attend to before the nights out.” He clapped his fore hooves together loudly. “Scyphos.”

Once again the door opened and Scyphos stepped into the room pulling a large cart stacked high with various cakes and other desserts.

“Please. enjoy dessert. Afterwards Scyphos will show you all to your rooms. Tomorrow, weather permitting, I will show you around the grounds until then I bid you all a good night.” Sir Constance said with a slight bow before exiting out the door Scyphos had entered in. The others called out goodnight before digging into the wonderful desserts placed before them. Only Rarity continued to look after Sir Constance's departure with a small smile on her face.

“Goodnight, Constance.”

Author's Note

Something I glossed over during Constance's retelling of his adventure is just how painful it is to lose an eye. Which I can say with utmost certainty, is exceptionally painful.

Restful Nights and Strange Mornings

After partaking in some of the best desserts any of them had ever eaten, Scyphos lead them upstairs to the third floor, where each were shown a lavish room, complete with bathroom. After they made their choices, the six said their goodnights and shut their bedroom doors.

Rarity turned slowly from her closed door and took in the sight of her sleeping quarters for the night. A four poster bed, larger than her own, sat in the center of the room on an elevated landing with a small nightstand beside it with a single lit candle. To her right was an open door leading into a full bathroom where the tub and sinks were made of white crystals and to her left were two oak doors leading out onto a balcony.

Walking forward slowly, her steps making no sound on the velvet carpet floor. Heavy drapes hung on the windows and balcony doors, muffling the sound of the rain and giving the room a soft air of tranquility. Coming to a stop at the bedside, Rarity gently ran a hoof along the silk blanket, savoring the feeling as she climbed into the bed.

Carefully sliding under the covers so as not to disturb the sheets, Rarity cooed softly. The sheets flowing over her body like warm clouds, instantly setting her mind at ease and causing her to yawn loudly.

“Oh this is heavenly.” She said quietly to herself. Igniting her horn she snuffed the candle with a quick spell and was asleep moments later.

Across the hall, Twilight had likewise climbed into her bed, but it was unlikely that she would fall asleep anytime soon. A stack of books sat beside her on the bed as she finished the one she was reading only to add it to another pile at the foot of the bed and select a new one from the stack beside her.

“These are fascinating. I hope the rain keeps up so I can spend tomorrow in the library. I'm pretty sure I saw some advanced spell books higher up.” Twilight said to herself as she opened the new book and began reading, losing herself completely in its words.

Next door, Pinkie Pie was happily bouncing on her bed somehow doing nothing to disturb the neat bed sheets.

“This. Place. Is. So. Amazing.” She said loudly with each bounce. She continued to bounce adding either a loud ‘Whee’ or ‘Whoohoo’ with each one. The door to her room suddenly burst open and a very irate Rainbow Dash stepped in.

“Pinkie will you pipe down?! Some of us want to sleep!”

Pinkie Pie stopped her bouncing and looked at Rainbow with a big sad frown. “Sorry, Dashie. I'll stop right now.”

Rainbow Dash smiled tiredly. “Thanks, Pinkie. Night,” She said, closing the door behind her.

“Night.” Pinkie called. She perked her ears up and waited for the sound of Rainbow opening and closing her own door before she resumed her happy bouncing, only this time with much quieter ‘Whee’s’ and ‘Whoohoo’s.’

Over in Rainbows room, she had stumbled into the bathroom and was busy running cold water over her face. She’d never admit it, but she had drank a little too much earlier. While she had managed to hide her drunkenness from the others during dessert it was now asserting itself in full force. Finding that the water was doing little to help sober her up, Rainbow stumbled back over to her door and locked it, ensuring that once the alcohol took full effect she would be confined to her room until the morning.

“Promblsms ssolved.” She slurred, stumbling to her bed and just managing to climb on top before passing out. Her snores carried over to the next room where Applejack had rolled to her side and placed a pillow firmly on her head. Sighing in relief at the silence that brought, she closed her eyes and was soon asleep.

Adjacent to Applejack's room, Fluttershy was just climbing into bed when a particularly loud crack of thunder scared her causing her to squeal in terror and dive under the covers where she remained, shivering in terror before falling asleep.

Thus passed their first night at Lakeside.

……………………………………….

Rarity rolled over in her bed and yawned loudly, opening her eyes slowly and letting them adjust to the dim light of her room.

"I can't remember the last time I've felt so rested." She thought, smiling to herself as she sat up in bed and stretched, yawning again as she did so. Casting the covers off her body in one fluid motion, she swung her hooves over the side of the bed and lightly hopped off onto the soft carpet floor.

Arching her back and stifling another yawn, Rarity made her way into the bathroom and began to adjust the various knobs on the tub until she had a steady stream of just the right temperature water flowing into the crystal basin. A few more careful adjustments saw the tub filled with steaming water which Rarity carefully eased herself into, sighing loudly as the warm water washed over her.

Sinking down to her nose in the water, Rarity simply lay there, fully outstretched with several inches between herself and the tubs walls. After soaking for a time, she used her magic to levitate over a bar of soap and a simple wooden scrub brush. After lathering up with the soap, Rarity then proceeded to give herself a thorough scrubbing with the brush, being sure to reach every inch in case of the odd piece of filth.

Finishing with the scrub brush, she placed it and the soap back where she had found them and stood up in the tub. Using a crystal bucket beside the tub, she filled it with water and used it to rinse the soapy residue from her body, leaving her completely clean.

A quick spark of magic saw the stopper pulled, allowing the water to begin to drain while Rarity dried herself off with a large, fluffy white towel. After wrapping her hair up in a spare towel, Rarity pulled the first towel around herself and stepped from the tub, just as a knock sounded on her bedroom door.

Checking that her towels were secured, Rarity padded over to the door and opened it a crack but found nopony there. She opened the door wider and stuck her head out, looking up and down the hall she happened to look down and found a small basket with a white cloth bundled inside with a note card lying on top with her name on it.

Her curiosity piqued, Rarity grabbed the basket in her magic and pulled it into her room, closing the door as she did so. Placing the basket on her bed, Rarity unfolded the cloth and found a jewel encrusted hair brush and various oral and cosmetic products.

Blushing slightly and making a mental note to thank Sir Constance later, Rarity took the basket into the bathroom where she set about preparing herself for the day. Using the gift Sir Constance had sent, Rarity brushed and flossed her teeth and applied just the right amount of mascara. Unwrapping her hair and using another towel to give it a thorough drying, Rarity next used the hairbrush and in four dexterous strokes, her mane and tail had their trademarked coiled look.

Placing the items back in the basket, Rarity carefully looked herself over in the mirror and smiled at what she saw.

"Perfection."

Pleased with her appearance, Rarity made her way over to the balcony doors and opened the drapes, hoping to see a view of the countryside, instead all she could see was the sheets of rain pounding against the balcony and obscuring all else.

"What a shame, I was very much looking forward to seeing the grounds. Hopefully this clears up soon." Sighing sadly, Rarity let the drapes fall back into place, hiding the dismal sight. Walking over to the door to her room, Rarity gently touched her pendant to ensure it was still in place before stepping out into the hall.

Unsure if the others were awake yet, Rarity quietly closed her door and set off downstairs to the dining room. She walked slowly, taking time to admire the many exquisite pieces of art adorning the walls. The night before she had only a passing glance as Scyphos did not tolerate loligagging.

Coming to the stairs Rarity stopped when she spotted somepony familiar in a painting. It was a portrait of her father, but the setting was so bizarre that she had to double check to make sure she wasn't mistaken.

She leaned forward and squinted her eyes, looking for anything that would confirm her suspicions.

"Magnificent, isn't it?" A voice behind her said. Startled, Rarity turned in place with a gasp only to find Sir Constance eyeing her with a bemused smile.

"Oh, Constance, you startled me." Rarity said, hastily, slightly embarrassed by her reaction.

"So sorry about that. It's just, I saw you admiring your father's portrait and didn't want to disturb you." He said. Turning his eye up to the portrait, he chuckled softly. "I bet you're wondering when this was made and why."

Rarity followed his gaze back to the odd portrait. "Yes the thought had crossed my mind"

Rarity's father gazed down at them from a golden cloud, on his head sat a crown of lightning, and a shimmering toga draped over the rest of his body. His right fore hoof was raised skyward, blue lightning bolts arcing from his hoof while in his left fore hoof he held two beautiful mares clad in skimpy metal armour.

Sir Constance chuckled again. "Spring Break at a fantasy fair outside of Canterlot. We made a bet to see who could get the most mares home addresses." Sir Constance smiled at Rarity with a twinkle in his eye. "I won."

Rarity shared his smile and chuckle. "I can believe my father lost to you, for all his talk he's rubbish with mares."

"If you'd only had known him back then. He was quite the smooth talker. He'd speak and everypony within earshot would hang off of every word."

"I'm not sure I believe that." Rarity said, fixing Sir Constance with an unamused look.

"Really? Well the only reason I won was because the first mare he spoke to was your mother."

Rarities face changed to one of genuine surprise. "Really?"

"Yes, indeed. I had made the rounds at the fair, having collected about fifteen addresses, when I doubled back to check your fathers score he was still in the same place talking with the same mare. I waited until she left and swaggered up to your father, waving slips of paper with the addresses in his face. He only looked at me with a wistful look on his face before telling me that he forfeited the bet."

Sir Constance nodded back towards the painting "He paid to have this made the same day."

"Father told me he met mother in Canterlot but that it was at the train station on Hearths Warming Eve." Rarity said doubtfully.

"Well he never could pass up a chance to tell a story."

"You two were quite the pair, weren't you?"

Sir Constance laughed. "Thats an understatement. We were irrespirable, always finding new ways to get into trouble. There use to be a time when every hotel within twenty miles would close up early if we so much as showed our faces anywhere near them." He chuckled slightly. "Now mind you we didn't go around intentionally causing trouble we just wanted to liven a few of these places up." He smiled broadly at her. "In our own special way of course."

Rarity shared his smile. "Father mentioned your trouble with hotels."

"I used to know every Royal Guard by name." Said Sir Constance, shaking his head. He glanced once more to the portrait of Magnum before looking to Rarity. "How is he by the way?"

"Quite well." Said Rarity. " He recently got a job as the Safety Manager at Ponyville Freight."

Sir Constance's eyes widened in disbelief. Safety manager huh? Does he make sure the freight gets to its destination in one piece or that the freight movers don't crush themselves?"

"Mostly he makes sure the freight is properly tied down before it leaves the dock." Said Rarity. Her mind unconsciously wandered to a particular grey pegasus who worked with her father's company. "Whether it gets to its destination safely is another matter altogether."

Sir Constance gave her a quizzical look at her last statement but chose not to comment on it. "How about your mother? She's well I take it?"

"Oh yes quite well." Responded Rarity, smile returning. "She mostly spends time caring for my younger sister, Sweetie Belle. She can be quite the hoofful."

"I heard all fillies are." Sir Constance said with a smile. "Except you of course." He added, casting Rarity an amused look. She did her best to hide her blush, only partially succeeding. She was about to say something more when heavy hoofsteps sounded from further up the hall behind them.

They both turned to find a bleary eyed and disheveled looking Rainbow Dash walking towards them.

"Goodness you look awful Rainbow Dash." Rarity said, causing Rainbow to wince in pain.

"For Celestia's sake, not so loud." Rainbow said past a leaden tongue. She came to a stop next to Rarity and used her wings to shield her eyes from the, to her, oppressive light. She squinted at Sir Constance with bloodshot eyes.

"When's breakfast?" She mumbled.

Sir Constance smiled at her with sympathy. "Scyphos is working on it right now and it should be ready within the hour, but I know how bad a hangover can be after drinking too much 'Ponot Noir' so why don't you and I go down and see what Scyphos has in the way of alleviation?" He glanced over to Rarity. "You don't mind do you?"

Rarity shook her head. "Not at all. I'll see you both at breakfast."

Sir Constance responded with a smile before leading a grumbling Rainbow Dash down the stairs. Rarity watched them go, shaking her head at Rainbows current state before turning and making her way back down the hall in the directions of their rooms. It was only after taking a few steps did she realize she had forgotten to ask why Constance had not contacted her father for so many years. "I shall have to remember to ask him later." she thought.

After finding her way back to her own room, Rarity went to the door directly opposite and gently knocked. There was an audible click of the lock before the door swung open of its own accord. Stepping inside, she found a mountain of books stacked on and around the bed with the quiet sounds of a pages turning within.

"Twilight?"

There was some shuffling from inside the book mountain. Several stacks were encased in a purple aura before levitating up into the air.

"Oh. Hello Rarity!" Twilight said happily through the opening in the books. The levitating stacks floated over to one side of the room where they were unceremoniously placed.

"Hello to you as well." Responded Rarity, looking from Twilight to the many books around her. "Have you been up all night reading?"

"That depends." Said Twilight "Is it morning?"

"Indeed it is." Answered Rarity with a nod.

"Then yes, I've been up all night reading."

"Are you not the least bit tired?"

"Not really." Said Twilight, carefully standing up on the bed and navigating her way past the books she piled around her. "It's just I found so many fascinating texts that I never would have imagined even existed." She hopped off the bed and landed lightly in front of Rarity. "This place is so great!"

Rarity chuckled at Twilight's exuberance. "I know what you mean. This place is far more wonderful than I ever would have dreamed." She sighed as her thoughts turned to Sir Constance, hoof unconsciously rising to stroke the pendant at her throat.

Twilight eyed Rarity with some suspicion, a slight smile forming on her lips. "Seems somepony has a crush on Sir Constance?" She said, startling Rarity out of her thoughts.

"Non...nonsense!" Said Rarity hastily, cheeks turning red. Twilight's smile only grew larger as Rarity became more flustered. "Whatever you say, Rarity." Said Twilight as Rarity fought to regain her composure.

"Are we the only two up or do you know?" Asked Twilight, changing the subject.

Rarity cleared her throat as her cheeks returned to normal. "To my knowledge, apart from Constance and Scyphos it's only you, myself, and Rainbow Dash who are awake." She smiled to herself. "Though I think Rainbow Dash wishes she wasn't."

Twilight nodded knowingly. "Hangover?"

Rarity nodded in affirmation. "I don't know why she continues to try and hide the fact that large amounts of alcohol just don't sit well with her."

"Its that stubborn pride of hers." Replied Twilight. "Once she gets some food in her she'll be alright."

"Sir Constance is taking care of that as we speak." Said Rarity. "Rainbow ran into us chatting down the hall and he offered to take her to the kitchen for an early breakfast."

Twilight smiled at the mental picture of a hungover Rainbow Dash. "Do you think she'll leave anything for us?"

"If Scyphos prepares as much food as last night's dinner I don't think we'll have anything to fear. Speaking of which, Constance said that breakfast would be ready soon. Why don't you go have a bath why I see if the others are up yet."

"Sounds like a plan." Said Twilight, walking over to her bathroom and opening the door in a burst of magic. "I'll see you downstairs." She said before stepping inside and closing the door.

Rarity heard the sound of running water from inside the bathroom just as she was closing the door to the bedroom. With breakfast on her mind, she set about waking her remaining friends.

Author's Note

I wholly sympathise with Rainbow. Those fancy wines can be incredibly devious in terms of lasting effect.

Stories at Breakfast

After everypony had bathed and readied themselves for the day, they all headed downstairs to the dining room for the promised breakfast. Upon arriving they found Sir Constance already seated at the head of the table which was already piled high with pancakes, waffles, and other various breakfast type foods.

"Good morning everypony!" Sir Constance said cheerfully. "Did everypony sleep well?"

"Like a log." Replied Applejack. Fluttershy nodded her head in agreement but said nothing while Pinkie Pie bounced excitedly beside them.

"I slept better than a log, like an extremely sleepy log that got hit on the head with something really heavy!"

"Um...yes." Rarity said after a moment. She glanced at Twilight who only shrugged in response. "Those of us who did sleep slept quite well, thank you for asking." She finished with a smile.

"Say where's RD?" Asked Applejack as they all moved to take a seat.

A pain filled groan came from underneath the table followed closely by a cyan hoof waving weakly.

"Down...here..."

The cyan hoof dropped with a soft thud causing Applejack to snicker. "How's the hangover?" She asked, pulling out a seat beside the spot Rainbow Dash occupied on the floor.

"Shut....up...." She mumbled.

Sir Constance chuckled to himself. "We got some food into her and Scyphos is whipping up a special herbal remedy for just such an emergency. She'll be right as rain in no time." He waved his right hoof in a sweeping motion. "Now do enjoy this wonderful breakfast." He quickly pulled several plates stacked high with waffles towards him. "Wouldn't want to disappoint Scyphos."

The others followed suit grabbing whatever caught their fancy. Applejack spied what looked like apple pancakes and wasted no time in pulling a high stack close to her. Pinkie Pie was busy guzzling containers of syrup, much to the alarm of Fluttershy who sat beside her with a plate of honey biscuits.

"I meant to ask." Twilight said, dabbing at her mouth with a cloth napkin. "The garden on the fourth floor has many rare and exotic alchemical reagents. Do one of you practice alchemy?"

Sir Constance swallowed a mouthful of waffles before answering. "That would be Scyphos." Just at that moment, Scyphos entered the dining room through one of the side doors pulling a large cart stacked with glasses and various jugs of liquid.

"Ah look who it is." Sir Constance said, motioning to Scyphos as he began to unload the cart. "I was just talking about you."

"Nothing too embarrassing I hope." He responded, continuing about his task of pouring each of them a glass of tea.

"You needed worry about that." Sir Constance said with a smile. He nodded in Twilight's direction. "Miss Sparkle was simply curious about your garden."

"Yes." Twilight said. She paused when Scyphos placed a glass beside her plate and quickly filled it with a wonderful smelling tea. With a smile and a thank you, she continued. "I saw many different reagents that I've only ever read about. How did you manage to get so many different species to coexist together?."

"Indeed. I spent many years traveling the world collecting various samples of both the plants and the soil they are native to." He came to the spot of the table where Rainbow Dash had crawled under and produced a small glass that was filled with a orange bubbling liquid. Placing a silly straw in the glass he leaned under the table.

"Miss Dash? If you'd care to drink this you'll find your day will vastly improve."

A moment passed without a reply then everypony heard a loud slurping sound from under the table followed by a loud cough. Seconds later a surprised looking Rainbow Dash pulled herself out from under the table and sat down beside Applejack.

"It worked that fast?" Rarity asked in surprise, looking from Rainbow Dash to Scyphos who had already moved on.

"I'm just as surprised as you." Rainbow Dash said slowly, looking around at her friends in bewilderment.

"What did you give her?" Asked Twilight. Her eyes were lit up with excitement and she had leaned forward in her seat.

"A simple herbal remedy." Answered Scyphos. He pushed the cart to the door directly behind Sir Constance where he left it to stand to the left of his chair. "Celebrations in the Griffin Kingdoms can become..." He paused looking towards Rainbow Dash who was busy wolfing down large quantities of food. "Rowdy. I developed many remedies through trial and error to help with the after effects of these celebrations."

"Constance says you were in the military, is that where you learned about plants?" Applejack asked.

"It was from my mother, actually." Scyphos said with a small smile. "She imparted onto me the skills and love of alchemy at a very young age. Though that knowledge did serve me well during my time of service."

"Got any good stories?"asked Applejack. Rainbow Dash nodded her head past a mouthful of food. Fluttershy cowered somewhat behind her mane and Pinkie Pie was still busy eating anything within reach.

"While my time in the military was certainly far from uninteresting, I'm afraid most of my stories are not appropriate for the breakfast table."

Sir Constance burst into a fit of giggles suddenly, causing Scyphos to sigh and startling everypony except for Pinkie Pie who was now face deep in a apple pie.

"Scyphos....tell...tell them how you first joined up!" He wheezed through his giggling fit. He struggled to calm himself down while Scyphos sighed again. "Very well."

"Now then." He said, standing up straighter and gathering his thoughts.

"For those of you who may not know. The Griffin military exists solely to protect the Kingdom from internal threats, be it monsters, magical creatures, or the occasional so called 'Freedom Fighter'."

"I've never heard or read anything about rebellions in the Griffin Kingdoms." Interrupted Twilight.

"You wouldn't have because there were never any rebellions." Scyphos said with a small smile. "The most we would get would be a small group of disgruntled Griffins who would head off into the mountains to establish their own kingdom." He raised his right claw to his chin to scratch it. "In fact there was a group not too long ago calling themselves 'The Free Birds'. If I'm not mistaken they were lead by a pair of brothers, Lyn and Skyn of the city Yard." Scyphos tapped his beak thoughtfully. "I believe they were originally an orchestra."

He lowered his claw. "But I digress. You wish to hear the story of my recruitment."

"It's about twenty years ago now. I worked the family business with my father. He had a small restaurant just outside the capital city of Griffonstone. Though small our reputation was widespread. We catered to all sorts, locals, travelers, visiting delegates, foreign royalty. You name it and they likely stopped at our establishment. One day business was rather slow so my father sent me out to collect ingredients in preparation of a celebration that was being held the following day."

Everypony except for Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash had stopped eating, their attention focused on Scyphos.

"I made my way into the the forest a few miles to the north where the ingredients I needed grew in abundance. I began to gather what I needed and just as I was collecting the final ingredient I heard a cry for help followed by a mighty roar that could only come from a manticore. Without thinking I took to the air and headed in the direction the call for help came from. Bursting through the foliage I found a wounded griffin pressed up against a tree with a monstrous manticore looming over her."

By this point Rainbow had ceased her gluttonous shoveling of food and was quietly sipping tea through the silly straw.

"Just as it was about to lay its claws on her, I flew with all my might into its head, knocking it out and sending it rolling across the clearing."

"Thats amazing!" Applejack said in awe.

Sir Constance waved a hoof at her while using the other to cover his mouth. "Wait it gets better."

Scyphos cast an amused glance at Constance before continuing. "When I turned to tend to the Griffins wounds I was surprised to receive a hard slap to the face along with the words 'You idiot'."

"Umm...ok, huh?" Rainbow said pushing her empty glass away with a confused look on her face. Sir Constance fell into another fit of giggles and laid his head down on the table in order to muffle his laughter.

Scyphos sighed with a shake of his head. "Turns out that I had inadvertently interrupted a training exercise being undertaken by the 'Steel Beaks', the most decorated company in the military. The manticore had been trained to aid with said exercise and the wounded Griffin was actually a member of said company."

"Thoroughly embarrassed at this point I tried to apologize, to no avail. It was only after the leader of the company, Captain Heavenplume ordered her to calm down did she finally stop berating me. The captain then told me he had never seen someone knock a full grown manticore flat with one hit. He was so impressed that he wanted to recruit me on the spot. Naturally I agreed."

"What did your father have to say about your sudden change in career?" Rarity asked, eyeing Sir Constance who was giggling uncontrollably.

"He said so long as I had collected everything he needed for the next day I could go off and join a roving circus if I so wished."

Sir Constance sat up and guffawed loudly. Tears streamed down his face as he did his best to keep breathing. Pinkie Pie had stopped eating and laughed along with Sir Constance.

"As you can see, Sir Constance finds this story rather amusing." Scyphos bowed low. "If you will excuse me I must attend to the kitchen." With that, he righted himself and exited through the door behind him, taking the cart with him.

The others looked between Sir Constance and Pinkie Pie as the two continued to laugh. After a full minute, Sir Constance was able to calm himself down enough to speak.

"Sorry." He said, wiping tears from his eyes. Pinkie Pie fell from her chair as her laughter was reduced to hiccuping giggles. Rarity rolled her eyes before turning to face Sir Constance.

"That's quite alright. It was an enjoyable story and I can see why you find it so humorous."

"He's got a few more good ones but you have to get him really drunk before he tells them." Sir Constance leaned back in his chair with a smirk. "I'll see what I can do about those."

He glanced towards the clock on the far wall. "I tell you, I've never seen that clock move so fast." He pushed himself back from the table and stood up. "If you ladies will excuse me, I have some chores to take care off. Make yourself at home and if you need anything, Scyphos is usually right around the corner." He chuckled to himself as he exited through a door to his left, closing it with a click.

"Well I don't know about the rest of you but I think I'll go explore the garden." Twilight said, standing up from her chair. She wasn't surprised when Fluttershy did the same. "I'll join you." She said. The two of them left by the way of one of the side doors with Twilight mentioning stopping at the library first.

"Well they'll be awhile." Applejack said. She turned to her left to say something to Rainbow Dash but was startled by two blue eyes staring back at her.

"Gah!" Screamed Applejack, nearly falling out of her seat. Pinkie Pie beamed at her. The entire exchange getting a laugh from the others.

"Don't do that Pinkie!" Applejack said angrily, readjusting her stetson.

"Sorry but since Constance said to make ourselves at home we should totally do the mattress fort!" She said happily.

"Yeah!" Rainbow Dash added excitedly. She leaned so she could see past Pinkie. "Let's do that!"

"Oh no." Rarity said with a shake of her head. "We will not abuse Constance's hospitality by wrecking his home."

"Rarity's right. Ah'm sure ya'll can find somethin else to do instead."

Pinkie Pie's ears drooped a little. "I didn't think about that." Her ears sprung back to their original perkiness. "Comone Dashie, we can find something else to do!" She immediately jumped back from the table and ran towards a door, dragging Rainbow Dash along with her.

"Whoa! Easy Pinkie! Can I at least take a bath first?!" Rainbow Dash's protest were muffled by the closing door.

"How much trouble do you think they'll get into?" Applejack asked, turning back to face Rarity after having watched the pair exit the dining room.

"Hopefully very little. We should make sure to check on them from time to time."

Applejack nodded. "Good idea." She stood up from her seat and arched her back, eliciting several loud pops as she did so. "So what are you plannin on doing?"

Rarity got to her own hooves. "I'm not sure. I had hoped the rain would have stopped so we could explore the grounds but seeing as that's not the case I'm left without an idea."

"This is a big house I reckon we wander around long enough we're bound to find something that strikes our interest."

Rarity smiled. "An excellent idea."

Applejack moved around the table to join Rarity who had opened one of the doors. "Shall we?" She asked.

"Indeed we shall." Applejack said, slipping back into her Manehattan accent. The two of them shared a laugh as they stepped through the door, closing it behind them.

Author's Note

Many times I wished there was some magic elixir prepared by a griffon that would take away my hangover.

Of Gossip and Desserts

Roughly ten minutes later, Rarity and Applejack found themselves wandering the halls on the second floor, casually admiring the decor while talking about whatever crossed their minds.

"I’ve been meaning to ask. Will you be needing any help with cider season this year?" Rarity asked.

"To be honest, we might." replied Applejack. "Everyponies been real understanidin ever since we ran off the Flim Flam brothers but we're expectin another big turn out."

"Well you know if you need us, we'll be there." Rarity said with a smile.

Applejack returned it with a nod. "Ah know it’s just, Ah feel it's mah families problem, ya know?"

Rarity chuckled lightly. "You're absolutely right, it is your family's problem so you might as well expect all your family to be there opening day."

Applejack looked to Rarity with a smile. "Thanks Rares, Ah appreciate that but if you don’t mind we'll burn that bridge when we get to it."

Applejack shook her head with a chuckle. After walking a few more steps she noticed that Rarity had come to a stop, a look of worry on her face.

"Rarity? What’s wrong?" asked Applejack, worry evident in her voice.

Rarity didn’t respond right away, she just stared past Applejack. Her mouth opened then closed then opened again as she blinked once.

"Sorry." She said slowly, still staring forward. I just had a thought about what our sisters may be up to."

Relief washed over Applejack as she sighed. "Is that all? You worry too much. Don’t you remember Twilight saying that Spike was going to spend the weekend hanging out with them?"

Rarity gave Applejack a worried look as she resumed walking. "And you think that makes it better?"

Applejack snickered at Rarity's expression as she fell in step beside her. "Course it does." she said. "Ah know the girls get into trouble with their crusadin but Spikes too much like Twilight." She glanced to Rarity with a smile. "Trust me, his level head will keep them from causin too much damage." She hesitated for a second before looking towards the ceiling. "Probably."

"Was that last thought supposed to reassure me?" Rarity asked, doubtfully.

Applejack looked back down. "Sure it was." She lightly bumped her friends shoulder with her own. "Come on. Yawl need to get your mind onto something else." A mischievous grin spread across her face. "And Ah have just the thing."
She draped her left fore hoof over Rarity's shoulder as they rounded a corner into another hallway and pulled her close.

“Ah was out walking around the outskirts of the farm and just happen to overhear Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo having a heated discussion about a certain dragon.”

Rarity gave her friend a stern and disapproving look as they continued to walk. “Applejack! I’m surprised at you, eavesdropping on those fillies whilst they talked in private.” She lightly cleared her throat before continuing. “What did you hear exactly?”

Applejack smiled. “Knew that get your attention.” She removed her fore hoof from around Rarity’s neck so as to walk unimpeded. “Ah just happened to hear them when Scootaloo raised her voice. She seemed to not like the idea of Spike spending the weekend with them. Anywho, Sweetie Belle told her it would be fun to have him around, well Scootaloo said that him being there would only keep them from gettin their cutie marks, how exactly Ah haven’t the foggiest.” She shook her head. “To make a long story short, Applebloom has a crush on Spike.”

Rarity stopped dead in her tracks. Applejack, having not noticed, continued to walk forward several steps before noticing. She came to a stop and turned around to find Rarity staring at her with an unamused look.

“Applejack.” She began, speaking very slowly. “Do you understand how gossip works?” Her right eyebrow made its way towards the ceiling, dashing any hopes of Applejack getting a word in. “Gossip works like this, one overhears something, shares it with another ensuring that has much detail is given to provide the clearest picture of the situation as possible.” Her left eyebrow joined her right as her face entered full on ‘barely contained rage mode'. “In summary, ONE DOES NOT BEGIN A STORY THEN DECIDES TO RUIN IT BY GIVING AWAY THE ENDING!!!”

Her voice had steadily gotten louder as her body began to shake ever so slightly, the sight of which unnerved Applejack.

“Uh Rarity? You ok?”

Rarity took a deep breath and then brought a hoof to her face, covering it. When she removed it she was once again calm and composed. “Yes, I’m quite alright.” Her eyes sparkled as she smiled broadly. “So Applebloom has a crush on Spikey-Wikey, hm?”

Applejack sighed internally. “Yep, seems she’s takin a liking to him. She doesn’t know Ah know but the way I see it, when she’s ready for me to know she’ll tell me.”

Rarity absently tapped her hoof on her chin. “That’s not the way I would have gone about it but to each their own I suppose.” She dropped her hoof and sighed wistfully. “Oh they would make such an adorable pair, don’t you agree?”

Applejack nodded in reply. “Sure do. Spike's been raised right, Ah know he’d take good care of Applebloom.” A shadow of concern passed over her face. “Ah still worry about her though...”

Applejacks words snapped Rarity out of her wistful state, drawing her fully back to the present. “What do you mean by that, darling?”

Applejack made a motion with her hoof and Rarity understanding the gesture, resumed their walk.

“Well Spike's been fixated on you ever since him and Twilight came to Ponyville. What worries me is when Applebloom decides to tell him how she feels he’ll shoot her down in hopes of waitin on you.”

“Surely he wouldn’t?!” Rarity said in surprise. “I know Spike's has had a crush on me for some time now but it's only puppy love.”

“Are you serious?” Applejack replied with surprise of her own. “He’s completely enamored with you. Twilight says all he talks about is how he’s going to win your love. Sounds a mit more serious than puppy love if you ask me.”

“Come now. We both know it wouldn’t work, He’s several years younger than me after all. I mean I love Spike dearly but not in that way.”

“See that’s what you’re not gettin.” said Applejack. “You know that, Ah know that, everypony knows that except Spike. And we figure the only way he’ll know that if you tell him yourself.”

Rarity didn’t answer right away. All along she knew she could never return Spikes affection in the way he wished for but it had also never occurred to her to tell him such.

“I suppose you're right." She closed her eyes and sighed heavily. "You are right." Opening her eyes she looked towards Applejack. "I just don’t know what I’ll say to him."

"The truth." responded Applejack without any hesitation. "I’m not sayin it’ll be easy but it still needs to be done."

When her words didn’t seem to impact Rarity, she decided to change her approach. "Tell yah what. On the way home the six of us will figure out how best to go about this."

Rarity's eyes lit up with hope. "Oh that would be wonderful." Stopping, She forcefully grabbed Applejack and pulled her into a tight hug. "I’m ever so fortunate to have such great friends."

"Aw shucks. You’d do it for....

"INCOMING!!!!"

Both Rarity and Applejack's heads jerked towards the shout and found themselves surprisingly, standing at the foot of the stairs leading up to the third floor. The shout, much to their shared dismay came from an ecstatic Rainbow Dash who, along with a similarly excited Pinkie Pie were currently hurtling towards them on what looked to be a scale sized log cabin constructed out of mattresses.

The four screamed, Rarity and Applejack in fear, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie in excitement.

Reacting on instinct, Applejack threw Rarity out of the way and turned her back. Bracing herself, she bucked her back legs out as hard as she could.

.........

Constance was sitting in his office off the main hallway on the third floor, busy going over several stacks of papers. Glancing towards the clock hanging on the far wall he made note of the time.

"Still a few hours until lunch." He thought to himself. Glancing back towards the papers on his desk, he idly wondered if he should take a break and seek out his guests. "How often do I actually get guests?" He muddled that thought over for a few moments before pushing himself away from his desk. "Not often enough."

He began to neatly stack and organize the papers that had been spread across his desk when he heard what sounded like a muffled explosion. Seconds later a small shock wave passed through the room, vibrating furniture and shaking dust from the ceiling.

"What in Eqestria was that?" he said to himself. Concerned, Constance quickly headed for the door and stepped out into the hall. Not knowing exactly where or what he was looking for he made his way around the corner to the main hall where the stairs were located.

Coming to the stairs he beheld a strange sight. By his count no less than two dozen mattresses lay about the stairwell, the majority of which were heaped in piles on the second floor.

Even as he looked on in confusion one such pile began to move as Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Applejack shakily climbed out.

"Whoa...what happened?" Rainbow Dash asked slowly, shaking her head in order to readjust her eyes.

"Heh heh....fort go boom." Pinkie said has she fell back into the mattress pile in a daze.

"What were yawl thinking?!" Applejack asked sternly. She patted her head and noticed her trademarked Stetson was no longer there. "And where’s mah hat?!"

“It’s over here.” Called out Rarity as she pushed a mattress off her body. Her previously well-kept mane and tail were now a ruined shadow of their former selves, thankfully the worst was covered by Applejacks Stetson which had found its way to Rarity’s head. Her horn glowed a soft blue which surrounded the Stetson, pulling it from her head and gently floating it over to Applejack who donned it once more. “I’m fine by the way, thanks for asking.” Rarity said sarcastically, walking over to join the others at the foot of the stairs. She glared sternly at Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie, the latter who was still sprawled out amongst the mattresses.

“I can’t believe you two actually went through with such a foolish plan! Honestly, how could you do such a thing to Constance when he’s been nothing but kind to us?!” Rainbow Dash said nothing, standing with her head bowed and a sullen expression on her face. Pinkie had finally gotten to her hooves and likewise had her head bowed.

“Ya’ll oughta be ashamed of yer selves, if Constance sees this mess there’s no….” Applejack stopped speaking when she heard a faint sound, one which quickly grew into a scream of fear.

The source? Constance.

“Sweet Celestia! What did you do?!” Yelled Constance in a frightened voice, Everypony present looked up at him in fright as he rushed down the stairs to stand in front of Rainbow and Pinkie.

“Mattresses….mattresses everywhere?! Why are there mattresses everywhere?” shouted Constance, beads of sweat were beginning to form on his forehead.

“We…uh…made a fort.” Pinkie said slowly.

“Constance?” Rarity said fearfully, unnerved by his apparent fear of the situation. “We’re terribly sorry for the mess.”

Rarity recoiled in horror when he turned his partially bloodshot eye to her. “You don’t understand! There can’t be a mess like this! There just can’t!” He turned away and grabbed Rainbow Dash and lifted her into the air and shook her. “We have to clean this up before Scyphos sees it!” He suddenly dropped her back into the pile of mattresses, his ears twitching as he looked around.

“Quiet!” He whispered, holding up a hoof. “Do you hear it?” Seconds passed in silence as they all listened intently. “It's Scyphos! He’s coming!” He grabbed his head in hysteria. “I don’t want to go to the basement!”

“The…basement?” Asked Pinkie Pie, cocking her head to one side.

“I once spilled coffee on one of the hall rugs. When Scyphos found out he locked me in the basement.” He turned his gaze to Pinkie Pie and whispered fearfully. “And I didn’t get any dessert for three years.”

By this point Rarity, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash were all sharing a confused look at Constance’s behavior but a loud scream from Pinkie Pie cut all further thought short. She became a blur of pink, one which snatched up every mattress before disappearing up the stairs. Moments later, Scyphos rounded the corner carrying with him a small feather duster.

“Ah hello, Everypony? I take it everything’s well?” He asked cheerfully.

“Quite well, Scyphos, and you?” Constance asked. He made a subtle gesture with his right hoof that the others took to meaning ‘don’t say anything’.

“Quite well, sir. Thank you for asking. I was just on my way to tend to the alchemical garden when I remember that the second floor stairwell had yet to be thoroughly dusted in some time.” He stopped next to the bannister and carefully eyed the stained wood. “Strange, it looks like it was just recently cleaned.” He moved about the stairwell, eyeing every inch. “It looks as if everything has just been recently cleaned.” He shrugged nonchalantly. “How odd.”

He bowed low to Constance. “If there isn’t anything else, I’ll be in the garden.”

“Of course not, Scyphos you go right ahead.” Constance responded quickly.

Scyphos straightened from his bow and looked at Applejack. “Miss Applejack, if I remember correctly you are a farmer?”

“Sure am.” Responded Applejack with an air of pride. Happy to be moving away from the strangeness of the last few minutes. “You’d be hard pressed to find a pony who knows more about apples than me.”

“Then in that case.” He politely offered her his right claw. “Would you care to accompany me to the garden? I have a rare species of apple that only grows in the light of the moon that you may find interesting.”

Applejack smiled and took his claw in her hoof and gave it a vigorous shake. “Now you’re speakin my language.” Scyphos motioned for Applejack to follow and the pair made their way up the stairs to the third floor where they took the hallway to the right.

Once they were gone, Constance let out a loud sigh of relief. “That was a close one.”

“So wait, you weren’t kidding about Scyphos locking you in the basement?” Asked Rainbow Dash, still confused by what she had just witnessed. Rarity likewise nodded her agreement of the question.

“Oh no, that part I was kidding about.” He said with a chuckle. “The three years without dessert however was all to true.” He continued to chuckle as he winked at Rarity. “Gotta say, Pinkie can really move fast.”

“She tends to do that.” Replied Rarity flatly as she ignited her horn. She quickly fixed her hair as best she could with magic. “I do hope Rainbow and Pinkie's antics didn’t draw you from anything important?”

Rainbow cast her a hurt look as Constance answered. “Not at all. I had already decided to take a break from my work for the day. I figured I best spend time with my guests while I have guests.”

“Oh but we wouldn’t want to keep you from anything important.” Insisted Rarity as she continued to adjust her hair.

Constance watched her intently while she worked. “That’s for future me to worry about.”

Rarity glanced his way. “Our friend Spike says the same thing.” Cutting the magic to her horn, she gave her mane a flip, setting it back in its customary position.

“It is a freeing philosophy.” Constance said with a smile. “Speaking of which, would you two like to accompany me to the library? I have a question for Twilight.”

Rainbow groaned in annoyance but was stopped by an angry look from Rarity. “Sure, why not.” She said sullenly.

“Not to worry, books are interesting no matter who you are, besides.” He leaned in close to Rainbow Dash. “I just so happen to have some items on display in the library that you may find to your liking.”

“Like what?”

“Oh just some rare, one of a kind Wonderbolt memorabilia.”

Rainbows head shot up in excitement. “Whoa! Seriously?!”

Constance nodded his head. “Yep I have autographed uniforms of every Wonderbolt from the last fifteen years. Plus of few of the Captains personnel training logs.”

Rainbow Dash jumped into the air with a loud squeal of excitement. “Why didn’t you say so! Let’s go!” In a flash she was gone, a faint rainbow trail leading off in the direction of the library.

“You seem to have a knack for saying just the right things to get somepony excited.” Rarity said with a small smile.

Constance shrugged. “What can I say?” He smiled broadly. “I enjoy seeing ponies excited.” His smile seemed to waver slightly. “It’s one of my few joys.”

Rarity thought she detected a hint of sadness in his voice but before she could ask about it, he offered her his left elbow. Which she took readily. “I’m afraid all my plans hinged on having good weather this weekend. Unless it clears up by lunch I’ll be out of entertainment ideas.”

They began to walk in the direction Rainbow had just taken. “You needed worry about that. The others will find something to occupy themselves and as for me…” A slight blush began to form on her cheeks. “I’m quite content to spend time with you.”

She leaned slightly on him as he glanced down to her with his left eye. ”So am I.” He said softly, smiling down at the most beautiful mare in existence. “So am I.”

Author's Note

Idle banter and implausible reactions is the true name of this chapter but I like Of Gossip and Desserts much better.

Hidden Rooms and Impossible Dreams

When wandering aimlessly about Lakeside Manor, it was easy to fully appreciate just how large it was. With its many hallways and seemingly endless number of doors that lead off to Celestia only knows where. One's time can quickly slip away.

Rarity found that with Constance, that wasn't the case. While she and Applejack had only a faint notion of where they were in relation to the rest of the estate, Constance knew exactly where they were at any moment.

That wasn't to say that his extensive knowledge of his own home made their trip any shorter, far from it. Without needing to worry about getting lost and with the entire day ahead of them, he took his time leading her through the halls. He talked about whatever came to mind, barely stopping long enough to take a breath before setting off on another thought.

Rarity didn't mind small talk in fact she rather enjoyed it thanks to her time in Canterlot. To be able to talk about absolutely nothing for extended periods of time without coming across as dull or boring was an ability all High Society ponies possessed if not excelled at.

But as she listened to Constance talk she found that unlike the other High Society ponies she had met and conversed with, ones who had nothing truly interesting to say but continued to speak regardless, Constance always had a story.

Whether it was a story from his childhood involving her father or one of his many adventures prior to and after finding his fortune, she found herself hanging on every word he spoke, sometimes not even listening to the words just the sound of his voice as he recounted his tales.

"A more interesting pony I have never met." She silently mused to herself. She allowed her eyes to wander to his face, the joyful glint in his eye and his wide smile setting her heart fluttering, as she simply watched him. As such she barely noticed when he looked down to her and appeared to be asking a question.

Rarity blinked dumbly as she came back to the present just in time to hear his last few words.

"...and Scyphos just shot her." He shook his head with a strange smile. "It was weird."

Rarity assumed that had she heard the full story those last few words would have made sense, but out of context they only disturbed her. "Quite." she said simply.

He smiled down at her again before looking ahead. "Ah here we are."

Rarity glanced around, seeing as they were indeed in the library. While smaller than both Canterlot's and The Crystal Empire's royal libraries, Lakesides was no less impressive. Wall to wall book shelves stretched from the ground floor to the third floor. Each floor sported a landing with a small table and several cushioned arm chairs, while a ornate spiral staircase ran up the center of the room, leading to each landing.

Coming to the railing they both looked down to the first floor where they could see Twilight seated amidst a pile of books and Rainbow Dash excitedly checking every nook and cranny.

"C'mon Twi, help me out." Rainbow Dash said with a pleading look to Twilight, who only ignored it.

"I told you Rainbow." Twilight said, not even bothering to look up from the book floating in front of her. "I've been on every floor and didn't see anything Wonderbolts related."

"So Constance lied to me?!" Rainbow said in shock.

"Come now, Miss Dash." Constance said as he unfurled his wings and flew down to land beside her. "While I love to tell stories I would never lie, especially to a guest." Rarity listened intently as she took the stairs and followed after him.

"Then where's the displays?"

Constance's' eye sparkled with excitement while his voice mirrored it. "I'll show you." He casually walked over to one of the bookshelves and pulled on a specific book just at eye level. There was a loud sound of gears turning and a low rumble as the bookshelf slid back several feet before sinking into the floor, revealing a somewhat spacious hidden room.

"Wow." Rainbow said in a breathless tone as she walked into the room. Five mannequins lined each wall while three glass cases occupied the rooms center.

“Feel free to read through the manuals. I particularly enjoyed Commander Easygliders personal notes.”

"That's really fascinating." said Twilight with quick glance from behind her book as Rainbow Dash entered the room. "Are there other hidden rooms?"

Constance nodded. "The house is riddled with them though I myself only know of a hoofful." He offered a chair to Rarity across from Twilight who graciously accepted it with a smile. "At one time, Scyphos made it a goal to discover every hidden room." Constance pulled up another chair beside Rarity's and likewise sat down.

"Did he manage to find them all?" asked Rarity.

"Last he said anything he was still looking." Constanced replied, leaning back in his chair. "Personally I don't think he'll ever find them all." He idly gazed upward as his eye slowly narrowed. "Perhaps its best some things go unfound"

“Why do you say that?” Rarity asked, slightly confused by his words.

“No pony knows exactly when Lakeside Manor was built but the earliest records of it date back to just after the Princesses revolution.” Twilight said suddenly, lowering her book and looking at both Rarity and Constance. "Settlers found the mansion shortly after Discord was defeated. According to what I read, the house appeared old even then."

“Twilight.” Rarity said with a quizzical glance towards her friend. “Just how much do you know about the manor?”

Twilight shrugged. “Not much. I found a book written by a Professor Keaton of the Canterlot University that detailed much of the manor and surrounding lands history.”

Constance chuckled. “I remember him.” He said with a smile. “Nice fellow.” He winked at Rarity. “Couldn't hold his liquor.” A thought seemed to strike him and he leaned forward in his chair and looked at Twilight with a suspicious look. “And if I recall, Professor Keaton wrote a rather lengthy manuscript. When exactly did you read this?”

Twilight looked back at him in confusion. “This morning, why?”

Constance let out a low whistle as he fell back in his chair. “Colour me impressed.”

Rarity tittered at Constance's reaction. “Twilight here holds the Equestrian record for most books read in a twenty-four hour period.” She informed him. “As well as the record for fastest time reading a book with complete comprehension.”

Rarity giggled again when Constance's jaw dropped and he looked at Twilight, utterly dumbfounded. “Seriously?”

Twilight nodded. “Yeah though I wasn't trying for the record. Princess Celestia had planned to give me an exam by the end of the week so I spent the entire week leading up to it getting ready.” She smiled proudly. “I aced it.”

Constance managed to close his mouth before responding. “Exactly...what are these records?”

“Eighty-eight books of 100,000 words or more in twenty-four hours and ten minutes for a book consisting of 50,000 words or more.” said Twilight, returning to the book in front of her.

With Twilight lost once more in her book, Constance turned towards Rarity in the hopes of further explanation but Rarity could only laugh at Constance's expression.

“I had the same look when the Record Ponies showed up in town looking for Twilight.” Rarity said with another giggle. “I'm told I appeared to have fallen into a comatose state.” She looked away and waved a hoof dismissively. “The memories are a little foggy, I'm afraid.” She looked back at Constance suddenly. “Oh which reminds me. Didn't you have a question for Twilight?”

Constance gave a start. “Huh? Oh right I did didn't I?” He cleared his throat. “Twilight I have a question If you would care to provide an answer.”

Twilight raised a hoof in a ‘just one second’ motion before marking her place in the book and placing it on a side table beside her chair. “Sure."

“Since you've read Professor Keaton's manuscript is it safe to say you've also read Doctor Oros’s study on Occult Magic?”

Twilight seemed to think for a moment. “Yes I remember that book, I found it in my dad's study when I was about five or six.”

Constance seemed to struggle to keep himself composed. “I'll gloss over that. Anyhow, do you recall the chapter discussing residual Daemon aura’s?”

Twilight's eyes lit up with interest. “I do! Oros proposal that demonic energies not only exist in our plane but can maintain a presence even after the source vanishes by tainting a planar matter form was extremely fascinating.”

Rarity could have swore that some of those words were made up.

“Ah then you hold the theories of extraplanar demonic beings crossing over as truth then?” asked Constance, leaning forward.

“Well while I specialize in magical sciences, I did look into planar physics as well as spiritual summoning during my first year of school. My findings on both subjects point to the aspect of daemons crossing the planes feasible if not true.”

Rarity could feel her head beginning to hurt as she tried to make sense of what Twilight had just said.

“What are your thoughts on so called demonic possessions of a living entity?”

“Well if we hold to the theory that deamons are indeed the opposite of spirits then we can also propose that based on the habits and abilities of spirits, that deamons would also posses the same abilities to a greater or lesser extent.”

“I agree though I have no experience in summoning.” He fluttered his wings in emphasis. “For obvious reasons.”

Twilight nodded in agreement. “Do be honest you have more knowledge of spiritualism and ritualism than anypony else I've talked to.” She paused for a moment. “Well not including the Princesses.”

“Call it a hobby of mine.” Constance said with a grin. “Otherworldly beings have always fascinated me ever since I was young.”

“Um...Twilight?” Interrupted Rarity. “Wheres Fluttershy?” She looked around the library hoping to find the shy Pegasus.

“Oh I was taking too long so she went up to the garden without me.” Said Twilight. “I told her I'd meet up with her later.”

“I see.” Rarity said simply.

“Getting back on topic, have you read about the recent findings on spiritual artifacts appearing at random locations on specific day?”

Constance shook his head. "I'm afraid not. Recently I have had little time for in depth reading. Who conducted the study?"

A group of Unicorns from Manehatton. They spent three years traveling Equestria, following the various shifts in magical energies. It's quite fascinating.

“I shall certainly have to look into this.” Constance said, getting to his hooves. “Thank you for answering my question, I won't bother you further.” He said with a slight bow.

“Wasn't a bother at all, I always enjoy having an conversation on obscure topics.” Twilight said with a smile before losing herself in her book.

“Now.” Constance said as he turned to Rarity and offered her a hoof. “Would you like to accompany me to the alchemical garden?”

Rarity blinked three times before she realized that Constance was addressing her. “Sorry but was there even a question in that discussion?”

Constance smiled. “Not the most glamorous topic I know but I promise you'll enjoy the gardens.” He winked slyly at Rarity. “Shall we?”

Rarity looked to him then to his outstretched hoof before smiling. “Yes, let's.” She took his hoof as he helped her from her chair. “Rainbow Dash!” Called out Constance. “Rarity and I are going to the gardens, would you like to accompany us?”

A second passed before the faint voice of Rainbow Dash came from the exhibit room. “Not a chance!”

“OK then, enjoy yourself.” He said happily before leading Rarity back to the stairs she had taken earlier. They took the staircase up to the fourth floor where Constance indicated which hallway would take them to the garden before leading the way.

“I had no idea you had an interest in magical sciences.” Rarity said once they were a few steps into the hall.

“My mother was a Unicorn so I was always around magic when I was growing up.” Constance said. “If you can believe it I wanted to attend Magic Summer Camp instead of Summer Flight School.” He sighed sadly. “It broke my heart when mom sat me down one day and told me that my dreams of being a wizard would never come true.”

Rarity gave him a saddened look. ”That's dreadful.”

He began to chuckle to himself. “It wasn't all bad.” He looked down at her with a large smile on his face. “I got a wizard hat for my birthday that year.”

Rarity also began to chuckle. “I would have liked to see that.”

Constance's smile only grew larger. “Well you're in luck, I just so happen to still have that same hat.” He looked away sheepishly. “Granted it's a little small for my big head but that's beside the point.”

“Well you're in luck.” Replied Rarity. She lengthened her strides so that she was slightly ahead of Constance, allowing her to glance back at him. “Resizing a hat is a simple matter for a Unicorn with fabric and sewing knowledge.”

Constance’s entire face seemed to brighten as he came to a stop. “That honestly never occurred to me.” He looked back down the hall in the direction of the library. “Do you think Twilight would be willing to resize it?”

Rarity frowned. “I was actually referring to...” She trailed off when Constance looked back at her with a playful grin on his face. “Oh.” She said simply upon seeing the look on his face.

Constance began to laugh. “I'm sorry.” He said once his laughter had abated. “Couldn't resist.”

Rarity shook her head as they resumed walking. “I assume Scyphos doesn't have the same reaction?”

“That's an understatement.” Constance said with another laugh. “I've seen rocks with a better sense of humor than him.” He grinned mischievously when a thought struck him. “In fact there was this one time when...”

Constance set off into a another story, this one of a Griffon banquet he had attended. She merely smiled in contentment, enjoying his presence as well as the sound of his voice as they walked through the winding halls of his magnificent home.

Author's Note

This chapter and the following two were Uploaded in a bit of a rush so formatting may be off. I'll work on that.

Flowery Confessions

Rain beat heavily against the skylight above as the pair entered Lakesides garden. Having briefly seen the gardens the night before, although at the time the room was lit only by a small set of candles brought by Scyphos, Rarity had failed to see why it had impressed Twilight and Fluttershy so. However in the pale light of day flittering in through the massive glass ceiling, obscured even as it was by the dark clouds, Rarity finally saw the garden's beauty.

To her left an arid wind brushed against her cheek as it blew over the many species of cacti and other desert plants that thrived in such conditions. On her right lay the polar opposite, quite literally. Tiny snowflakes fluttered down seemingly from from nowhere onto a pristine blanket of snow broken only by the toughest of plants native to such environments.

However neither of these sights caught Rarity’s eye, instead it was the center of the room which commanded her full attention. A vast field of white flowers.

“Beutiful, aren't they.” Constance said as he stepped up beside Rarity. She only nodded in reply, not wishing to tear her gaze from the flowers.

“Affectus Flores.” Constance said suddenly. The strange words causing Rarity to look to him in confusion.

“Mood flowers.” He said with a nod towards the flower beds. “A rare type of flower which changes it’s colour based on the emotion of whomever touches the petals.” He shook his head slowly with a chuckle. “Surprisingly not the best flower choice for Hearts and Hooves day.”

“Why do you say that?” Asked Rarity.

He glanced over to her. “I tried to set up a stand in Fillydelphia to sell a few bouquets.” He looked away and shuddered slightly. “Lets just say I'm not welcome there anymore.”

Rarity face deadpanned. “I see.” She said simply.

Hoping to change the subject to something less strange, Rarity motioned towards the flower bed. "Where exactly did you find these marvelous flowers?"

There was a twinkle in Constance's eye as he looked towards Rarity. "Ah now that's a story." He smiled warmly as he walked forward and sat down just at the edge of the field of flowers. A cool wind began to rustle the petals as Rarity moved to join him at the field's edge, feeling her cheeks growing warm as she settled in close to his side.

Constance glanced over to her and smiled as he leaned forward to grasp a flower stem in his mouth. Taking great care not to touch the petals, he plucked it from the Earth and offered it to Rarity, who with a gracious smile, took it in her magic. To her wonderment, the white petals slowly changed to a light pink.

"It was about three years after I met Scyphos when we decided to mount our own expedition into the Crystal Mountains." Began Constance, silently making note of the flowers colour. "We put the word out and after only a week we had twenty of the craziest ponies you had ever seen." He shook his head at the memory. "I'm not kidding, about half of them wrote down on their job applications 'Mentally Insane.'"

Not quite sure how to take that statement, Rarity remained silent.

He chuckled. "Anyway our merry band trekked up into the Crystal Mountains with two carts of supplies and whatever gear we needed on our backs. After about a week, we reached the intended area and set up base camp."

"What were you looking for?" Rarity asked when Constance had paused.

“At the time, we didn't know. Scyphos and I.” He said, growing suddenly quiet. Rarity glanced over at Constance and saw a far off look in his eye. “Perhaps we were looking for answers...”

Rarity thought his tone of voice and word choice were rather odd. “Answers to what?”

He blinked and turned to her suddenly, placing a big smile on his face. “We were craving adventure!” He said happily, seeming to have not heard her question. He brought a hoof up to lightly stroke his beard. “Im sure of it now. We just wanted to go on another adventure.” He dropped his hoof and shook his head. “Don't get me wrong, I love owning this mansion and never having to worry about money, but it can become dreadfully boring.”

While pleased to see his mood return to normal, Rarity couldn't help but ponder the sudden change that came over Constance. However before she could raise the issue, Constance once more settled into his story.

“Getting back to the story. Once we had set up camp, One of the mares we sent to scout ahead came back with news that a massive blizzard was heading our way. Bad news for us since we were camped out on a mountain side.”

"What did you do?" asked Rarity.

Constance seemed to gather his thoughts before replying. "Well we had two option. The first was to dig into the mountain and pray the blizzard didn't bury us or double back and seek shelter inside a cave we passed on the way up."

"Tell me you chose the cave?"

Constance cast her an amused look. "Oh without a doubt. As the storm blew in we practically sprinted back down the mountain and crammed all our gear as well as ourselves into that cave. Which I may add looked bigger when we passed it the first time."

He chuckled lightly. "So the blizzard hits and , of course, blocks the entrance with snow and ice, leaving us trapped inside. Somepony gets the bright idea to start a fire using one of the carts as kindling." He shook his head with another chuckle. "At the time it seemed like a great idea."

He casually glanced towards the ceiling where the rain continued to hammer against the glass. "No sooner than it was lit, the floor crumbled beneath us."

Rarity gasped and brought a hoof to her mouth. "Oh my!"

Constance nodded sadly, still gazing up at the ceiling. "When I finally came to, I found myself alone in a large cavern. At first it was too dark to see anything but after awhile I noticed a strange glow off in the distance. With nothing left to do, I headed towards the light."

He paused as his ears perked up slightly but Rarity was too engrossed in his story to notice.

"I don't know how long I walked, but after what felt like an eternity, I reached the source of the strange glow." He once more looked to her. “A circle of stones, each giving off a soft white white, and at their center, stood a mare bathed in golden light.”

“A mare?” asked Rarity in disbelief.

He closed his eye and sighed. “I heard an angelic voice in my head asking me my name. I was so overcome that I couldn't answer. The voice asked me again, in a softer tone. I answered and the mare smiled at me. Filling me with a sense of peace I had never felt before. She then walked towards me.”

He opened his eye and Rarity could see tears steadily forming. “She took my hoof in hers as the light surrounding her enveloped me. I heard the voice tell me everything would be alright." He blinked as a single tear slid down his cheek. "Next thing I knew I was lying in a field much like this one with Scyphos standing over me. The others were scattered about the field but thankfully none of us were seriously hurt. After rounding everypony up we poked around for a bit but didn't find anything worthwhile so we gathered some flowers, climbed back to the surface, and continued on our way.”

He wiped the single tear away and chuckled. “Sadly or as some would say, fortunately. The rest of the expedition was uneventful, no point in even mentioning it. Suffice to say we broke even and made it safely home.”

His story finished, Constance smiled at the look of sheer amazement on Rarity’s face as she tried to process what she had just heard.

"Did any of the others see the mare?"

Constance shook his head. "No. I was the only one. Everypony assumes I was hallucinating the mare, due to the fact I had hit my head during the fall.”

“Nonsense!” exclaimed Rarity, taking his left hoof in hers. “I've had my share of extraordinary encounters, many of which would seem impossible!” She locked eyes with him. “I firmly believe your encounter was more than an hallucination, Constance.”

"The truth is, I myself discounted it as an hallucination. Until that is I found something proving otherwise."

"What proof was that?" asked Rarity.

"You see while I believed it was an hallucination, I couldn't clear it from my mind. Throughout the rest of the expedition and for several weeks after we had returned home, it was all I thought about."

"After several sleepless nights, I had an epiphany." He held his left hoof up in front of him. "I remembered that when the mare took my hoof in hers, she gave me something in that moment, something I didn't realize at the time. It was like a veil had been lifted from my eyes. I looked down and in my hoof, I found what she had given me."

"What was it?" asked Rarity in a whisper.

Constance looked to her and, very gently, placed his hoof on the pendant clasped around her throat.

Rarity gasped. "The pendant?!"

Wordlessly, Constance nodded without dropping his hoof.

Rarity felt her heart flutter in her chest. "You gave me such a precious treasure?! Why?!"

Constance smiled warmly at her. “I knew in my heart that the golden mare was beautiful beyond measure, but no matter how hard I tried I could never picture her in my head. It wasn't until I picked up the newspaper one day that I finally remembered.

“What did you see?” Rarity asked in a whisper.

Constance's grey eyes bore into her as he replied.

“A photo of you.”

Rarity found herself too overcome with emotions to speak. She merely lifted her own hoof and placed it over Constance's.

Constance looked as if he wanted to say something more but the sound of voices, steadily growing closer caused his ears to perk up once again. With another warm smile, he lowered his hoof from Rarity's cheek and turned towards the source of the voices.

"I was wondering when you three would finally wander over here." Constance said with a playful smile towards Scyphos, Applejack, and Fluttershy, the latter failed to notice the pair, busy as they were chatting about their surroundings.

Scyphos made careful note of the deep blush on Rarity's face as well as the colour of the mood flower still held in her magic, which was a deep red. "Forgive me, I hope we are not interrupting?"

Constance stood up. "Not at all." He said, smile still in place. He gestured towards Rarity who was still sitting on the ground, too overcome with emotions to speak. "I was just telling Rarity about our second expedition into the Crystal Mountains."

A look of understanding passed over Scyphos face but was quickly hidden. "I see." He said with a quick nod. "That explains much."

“Explains what?” Asked Applejack. Breaking off her conversation with Fluttershy. She noticed Rarity still sitting in the grass with a wide eyes expression as her own turned quickly to worry. “Uh...Rarity, you ok?”

Rarity’s blinked rapidly as she returned to her senses. “Hm...what…?” She stammered, a deep blush spreading across her face. She raised her eyes up and saw Constance looking down on her. Rarity's blush deepened even more as a small sigh escaped her lips. “Quite fine.” She answered dreamily.

Applejack and Fluttershy exchanged looks. “Are ya sure?” Asked Applejack, scratching the back of her head. “Cuz you look a tad flustered.”

Before Rarity could reply, Constance began to chuckle softly. “I'm afraid that's my fault.” He said casually, offering a hoof to Rarity, which she eagerly took, and helped her to her hooves.

“I'll confess that the story I was recounting may have been a tad bit, shall we say, scandalous?” Constance finished with a smile and a wink.

Fluttershy’s face immediately became flushed as she covered her mouth with her hooves with a quiet meep while Applejack nodded in understanding. “Should've known. Rarity usually looks like that after hearin a story like that.”

This seemed to snap Rarity out of her flustered state. “That's only because I can truly appreciate such a story.” She remarked as she turned to face Applejack, shuffling closer to Constance as she did so.

Applejack held up her hooves defensively but with a smile. “I hear yah Rarity, I hear yah.”

“If you would all pardon the interruption.” Interjected Scyphos as all eyes looked to him. He casually pointed a claw up towards the skylight. “But it would seem the rain has stopped.”

Sure enough, as the three friends turned their eyes up, the clouds parted of their own accord, letting the sun stream downward.

“Well ain't that somethin.” Whispered Applejack as she shielded her eyes with her hat.

“Truly spectacular!” Said Rarity.

“Pretty.” Whispered Fluttershy.

“HAHA!” Exclaimed Constance with a loud clap of his hooves, startling all but Scyphos. “At last!” He swung out his left hoof as if he was tossing back an imaginary cape, and struck a pose that Rarity would happily admit was rather dashing. “The tour of the grounds can begin!”

Fresh Air and Bombs

After having unanimously agreed to tour the grounds, Constance happily lead the trio of friends outside to await Scyphos who was tasked with finding and persuading the remaining three to join them. Along the way, Constance gave Rarity a sly wink and a silently mouthed “We’ll talk later” when she tried to question him. While this tactic annoyed Rarity to no end, she decided to let it go. For now.

As they exited the mansion by the way of a rear foyer, Rarity was, once again, amazed by the sheer beauty and scope of what she saw. Contrary to what she had believed, it had never stopped raining, rather the rain had ceased falling over the house and grounds to, instead, encircle the estate. That particular sight held held her attention as Constance lead them all to a stone courtyard.

“Here we are!” He said happily, motioning for them to sit at a stone table at the courtyards center. “The perfect place to wait for the others.” Applejack was the first to sit, followed closely by Constance and Rarity. Fluttershy wandered over to gaze at the lush hedge wall surrounding them.

“Ten bits says Twilight won't come.” Applejack stated. She glanced around the small stone table at Rarity and Constance to see if there would be any takers.

“I'll take that bet.” Said Constance, holding out his right hoof to be bumped by Applejack. “Scyphos can be very convincing.”

“Well Twilight can be awful stubborn.” She retorted. “Rarity, Fluttershy you in?”

Rarity absently raised her hoof in affirmation all while sneaking furtive glances at Constance. “You gotta pick one Rarity.” Added Applejack.

“Hm? Oh...uh.” Rarity quickly stammered out, looking around in mild confusion. “What are we betting on.”

Constance chuckled. “Whether or not Twilight will leave the library.” Groaned Applejack with a look of exasperation towards Rarity. “Honestly, where you at Sugarcube? Cause it sure ain't here.”

Constance caught Rarity’s eye and smiled, causing her to blush. “Some place pleasant.” She turned to Applejack. “Ten bits on Twilight showing up.”

“Now that's more like it.” Applejack said happily. “Alright Fluttershy what's your...” She trailed off and began to look around. “Where's Fluttershy?”

Rarity’s eyes widened as she to began to look around. “Why, she was just here!” She turned to Constance who had retained his smile. “Constance?”

Without a word, Constance casually pointed upward at the same time a happy squeal floated down to them. Turning their eyes upwards, both Rarity and Applejack were struck dumb in amazement at what they saw.

Fluttershy had her hooves wrapped around the muzzle of a deer that had stuck its head over the hedge wall. Not just any deer, this particular deer was several stories tall and had strange markings all over its body that slowly pulsed with magic.

“What in tarnation!” Exclaimed Applejack, nearly falling from her seat after leaning too far back. Rarity managed to keep her seat, even going so far as to look down at Constance before turning her eyes upwards yet again.

Constance chuckled at the display. “That.” He said, addressing Applejack while keeping his hoof pointed at the towering animal is a ‘Magnos Cervorum’. His eye twinkled slightly. “Or if you would prefer, a really big deer.”

Fluttershy continued to hug and stroke the deer’s muzzle during this exchange. The deer affectionately nuzzled the happy pegasus. “Oh who's a good giant deer?” Asked Fluttershy, rubbing the deer’s head furiously. The deer made a happy sound. “You are! Yes you are!”

“I call that one Clementine.” Constance called up to Fluttershy. This caused both Rarity and Applejack to look at him in amazement.

“That one? You means there's more of them?” asked Applejack.

Constance nodded. “Oh yes, a whole herd in fact.”

Applejack looked up again. “An you call it Clementine because…?”

Constance shrugged. “It sounded like a deer name.”

‘Clementine’ pulled out of Fluttershy embraced and extended a surprisingly long tongue to lick her face. Due to its size, Fluttershy's entire front ended up licked.

“Oh my goodness!” She squealed, tightly hugging Clementines muzzle again.

“Incredible!”

Everypony, excluding Fluttershy, turned to see Scyphos, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and a extremely excited Twilight carrying several books and quills.

Without delay Rarity pointed to Applejack and uttered a very unladylike “Hah”.

“Ooh are we having a pointing contest!?” Inquired Pinkie Pie as she bounded over to join them. Before anypony could object, Pinkie Pie shoved her hoof into Applejacks face with a loud “Hah”. She then rolled underneath the table where unrestrained giggling could be hear. With a shrug, Rainbow Dash casually hovered overhead while Twilight rushed to join Fluttershy and Clementine.

“Actually that was the end of a little bet the three of us had going.” Informed Constance, leaning underneath the table so Pinkie could hear him. He resurfaced with a smug grin. “Isn't that right Miss Apple?”

Applejack groaned and removed her hat. She reached inside and removed a hooful of bits and tossed some to Rarity and the rest to Constance who easily caught them with a wing. He then tossed his share to Scyphos who likewise caught them with a wing. “Good work Scyphos.” He called.

“Pleased to serve sir.” Responded Scyphos with a bow.

“You guys bet to see if Twilight would come outside?” Asked Rainbow Dash to which Applejack responded with a nod. “Yeah thought so.” She landed beside Applejack and gently patted her re-hatted head. “Don't be sad, Jackie. I would have lost money too.”

“I ain't sad!” Applejack said, swatting Rainbow's hoof away. “A’hm more surprised than anything.” She looked to Scyphos. “How'd you go about convincing Twilight anyways?”

Scyphos retained his rigid posture as he answered. “It was really quite simple. He allowed himself a small grin. “I sold the experience.”

There was a faint pop as Twilight materialized beside the table in a flash of purple light. “This is astonishing! Based on my preliminary examinations that deer’s entire physiology has been completely altered by wild magic to a degree unseen anywhere else in Equestria, including the Everfree forest!”

“I see your point.” Said Applejack dryly.

“All it takes to convince me is cake!” Pinkie Pie interjected happily as she suddenly appear from inside the hedge wall. “Oh, or cookies! Cookies work too!”

“I'll be sure to remember that.” Said Constance, smiling broadly. “In any case, now that we’re all here, shall we begin the tour?”

Fluttershy fluttered down to seat herself at the table after waving good bye to Clementine who had become fed up with Twilight's incessant prodding. “Yes, please.”

Constance smiled broadly. “Then away we go!”

…..

“Ready!”

Applejack and Rainbow Dash cast each other a smug glance as they bent their knees.

“Steady!”

Hooves slowly ground circles into the earth in anticipation.

“Go!” Yelled Pinkie Pie.

The two rocketed forward with enough speed to spin Pinkie Pie like a top. Luckily Scyphos was referring and was on hoof to halt her spinning.

Constance smiled as he leaned closer to Rarity. “Are those two always this competitive?” The pair sat in a small stone tower with a lovely view of the surrounding area, having lost Twilight and Fluttershy during the tour when the group stumbled upon more giant, magical animals.

Rarity answered with a smile of her own. “Pretty much, yes.”

“And they're racing because…?”

“Because they cannot stand the thought of being tied with one another.” Answered Rarity. She followed the race track, which had been helpfully marked out by Pinkie Pie using streamers, and saw that the two racers were already at the halfway point. “This happens more often than one would expect. You see, during the trip here, Applejack and Rainbow Dash were engaged in a lengthy staring contest.” She paused as the racers crossed the finish line in a hail of confetti. By Rarity’s eye they had crossed together. “Well, capital example.”

Constance looked perplexed. “Wait they were tied in a staring contest so they decided to have a race in order to break the tie?” He gestured out towards the track. “And they're still tied?!”

Rarity responded with a laugh. “Indeed.” Her smile fell as her eyes focused on something below them. “Best cover your ears, darling.”

“WAIT MISS PIE!” Shouted Scyphos.

“What?” Asked Constance in a confused tone even as Rarity placed large cotton balls in her ears as well as his.

A large, pink ball launched itself into the air with a loud pop, before detonating and covering them, as well as the surrounding area, in several feet of streamers.

Rarity dug herself out with her magic then proceeded to do the same for Constance. “So sorry, Constance.” Said Rarity once she disposed of the cotton balls in their ears. “I was sure Twilight told her not to bring that.”

Constance’s eye was opened wide. “What in Equestria was that?!”

“Hm?” Responded Rarity, still picking streamers out of her hair. “Oh.” She indicated the place Pinkie and Scyphos were still buried. “That was one of Pinkie’s ‘Party Poppers’.” She finished, utilizing air quotes for emphasis. Mad laughter could be heard from down below as Pinkie surfaced, dragging a disheveled Scyphos out with her.

“I'm sorry, sir! I tried to stop her!”

“No worries, Scyphos!” Called Constance.

“Oh dear!” Exclaimed Rarity, concern evident in her voice. “Scyphos doesn't look well.”

Constance dislodged more streamers from his mane with a shake of his head then looked to his butler. “He's likely wondering how he's going to clean this up before lunch.”

“Why we’ll help him, of course!” Said Rarity with a flip of her hair. She stood up and leaned her the towers railing. “Pinkie Pie.” She called. “Go get the others so we can help Scyphos clean up this mess.”

“Don't worry!” Shouted back Pinkie Pie. “All my streamers are soluble!”

Rarity blinked twice. “I-” A loud crack of thunder interrupted her.

“Problem solved, I'd say.” Said Constance with a shrug. “Scyphos!” He called. “Round everypony up before the rain hits again.”

“Of course, sir!” Called back Scyphos just as the wall of rain began to move back in.