"Sign here, please."
Three small words, those. Ones I'd heard many a time before; ones I'd said myself many times. Words ponies everywhere hear multiple times throughout their lives. But this time was different; this time, it felt like the lawyer’s words were that of the human Devil, and I was signing away my soul.
In some respects, I was. The Shemareaton had been my pride and joy for many years, the fruit of all my labors. I'd built a power base in Manehattan as the hotel's head, and had enjoyed the influence that came with being in a position of prestige and power. And all of it was now crashing down, as I signed this one last paper: the notice of sale.
It was unavoidable; according to the board of investors, the loss in profit in recent months was being attributed directly to my presence at the hotel. While I could potentially keep the hotel afloat with my own sizeable savings, that would have been a delaying action, at best. The board had made it clear that if the Shemareaton was to survive, I would have to leave.
Celestia's mane, that's a pill to swallow! I thought, as I signed the paper. Buck Five Stars, anyway! How could she do this?!
From what I'd been able to glean from my network of contacts, the erstwhile member of my old herd had somehow turned public opinion in Manehattan against me; this in turn had caused the loss in profit that the hotel had seen. I couldn't wrap my head around it; how could Five Stars, an earth pony with no truly outstanding attributes except an uncanny knack for annoying me, have managed to sway an entire metropolis against me?
Finishing my signature, I passed the notice back to the attorney. He looked it over, nodded, and rolled it up, putting a legal seal on it. "Our business is concluded, then. Farewell, Ms. Harvest Moon."
I nodded curtly in reply and turned to leave, pausing only to grab my luggage from next to the door. I'd prepared for this day by packing my entire life into two large saddlebags, as well as a larger trunk that I secured to my back. While my lifestyle had been rather sedentary as of late, I was nonetheless an earth pony, which meant that my strength was still enough to carry several times my own weight on my back.
I walked towards the front door of the Shemareaton, all the while thinking, This is just a minor setback. There will be plenty of opportunities for a mare like me in cities beyond Manehattan. All I have to do is reach out for them...
With that in mind, I walked out the front door, for what would be the final time.
Two months. Two months of applications. Two months of letters coming in rejecting me on some ground or another. Hotels in Las Pegasus, Baltimare, and Fillydelphia had all declined to hire me, despite advertisements for positions I knew I qualified for. I couldn't believe it. Had word spread beyond Manehattan so quickly? Was I somehow the least popular mare in greater Equestria?
I had stayed in another hotel in Manehattan while sending these letters, but that had been a stopgap measure. My savings, considerable though they were, would nonetheless have run dry in no time were I to continue without a source of income, particularly given my admittedly expensive tastes and lavish lifestyle. And so it was that I decided to swallow my pride, and turn to the one pony I knew would stand by me.
I stood before a small house in a small town just south of Canterlot, the trees in the front yard now turning color with the onset of autumn. I wasn't fooled by the size, though; the town in question was perhaps the most famous settlement in Equestria besides the capital itself by now. After all, how many towns can claim to be home to one of Equestria's Princesses?
Yes, I had arrived in Ponyville, much though I would rather not have. Ponyville was home to many ponies of renown, and many more who were hardly ever in the spotlight. It was one of the latter's homes that I stood in front of. This was the home of a pony whose aid I needed, much to my chagrin. Still, I raised my hoof and knocked on the door, knowing that without her aid, I would eventually end up as a beggar on the streets.
I heard movement on the other side of the door, and it swung open. "Yea, how can Ah — Moonie?" The golden-coated, orange-maned earth pony before me stopped mid-greeting to stare at me.
I offered a small smile in return. "Hey, Goldie. May I come in?"
Golden Harvest, my cousin, shook off her shock and nodded. "O' course, Moonie! Come in, come in!" She stood aside to let me enter, and closed the door behind me, even taking my saddlebags and stowing them aside. I laid my lockbox next to the bags before joining her in her living room, where she was quickly fixing some refreshments. "Ah have tae say, this is unexpected. Ye haven't written in a while, an' then suddenly ye show up at mah doorstep?" She offered a confused look to me. "You're usually better organized than this, Moonie. Hay, it's yer special talent."
I sighed, and accepted the glass of carrot juice she offered. "Things have been… difficult, as of late, Goldie. There's been a lot going on."
"Enough tae make ye leave Manehattan wi' what felt like half yer life on yer back?" she queried, settling in on the sofa across from me. "Ye so rarely leave th' Shemareaton, Ah usually have tae come an' visit ye, whenever we get a chance tae see each other."
I grimaced at her first statement. "It's more like my entire life, Goldie. I had to sell the Shemareaton."
She paused with her glass of carrot juice halfway to her lips. "Ye sold it? Ah seem tae recall ye sayin' that ye'd sooner die than sell the place."
A part of me noted that she seemed less surprised than I expected at the news. "I was somewhat drunk when I said that, Goldie. I'm a practical mare, and the board of investors made it clear that if the Shemareaton was to survive, I'd have to leave."
She nodded at that. "True enough, ah suppose. But then why come here? Ah know how much ye hate askin' for help, even from family…"
"I didn't have a choice, Goldie," I sighed. "I've been rejected from every position I've applied for over the past two weeks. My savings wouldn't have lasted forever, living out of a hotel room with no income. Like you said, I hate asking for help, but…" I took a breath, and forced myself to say the next words. "… may I stay here until I've gotten a new job?"
She drained her glass of carrot juice before responding, regarding me curiously. "Ah'll do ye one better than that, Moonie. Ah've been needing an extra set of hooves, both for the farm and runnin' the stall at market. ‘Nae as cushy as the Shemareaton, but it is payin' work. Ye grew up on the farm, so ah know ye have what it takes to do the job. Question is, are ye willin'?" She gave me a look, one that was half stern, half hopeful.
Well. I’d been tossed a lifeline, and I’d had plenty of practice swallowing my pride by then. Selling vegetables out of a cart was certainly a step or ten down from running a hotel, but who was I to refuse family? "Thank you, Goldie. You're a lifesaver."
"Dinnae mention it," she replied with an affectionate mane ruffle — something she knew I hated when we were fillies. "Now let's get ye situated. Ah’ll give ye Linky’s old room if ye like..."
The next day found me at market, selling carrots from Goldie's stall.
While I was more comfortable tending books and ledgers rather than selling, I couldn't very well argue with her. After all, she was giving me room, board, and pay all at once for this job. So I did my best, and made quite a few sales. As Ponyville was a close-knit town, several ponies asked who I was, and I replied that I was Goldie's cousin, staying with her for the time being.
To my relief, it seemed to satisfy most of them… save one; an earth pony mare who Goldie warned me wanted to throw a welcome-to-Ponyville party for everyone new she encountered. She preempted that by taking me to the pastry store where the mare in question worked and explaining my situation, asking her to “keep Moonie’s stay here under ye hat and save ye party for another time.” She was a bit disappointed but did insist on giving me a free cupcake, which admittedly was quite good. To be sure, she did stop by a few times afterwards just to chat and get to know me. I found those encounters both amusing and awkward as, despite her strange and occasionally slightly off-putting mannerisms, she had an uncanny ability of drawing you out and making you laugh, to say nothing of a slightly disconcerting tendency to pop up seemingly out of nowhere.
It was about midday, and I was counting the bits from the sales thus far, when I saw another potential customer approaching. I was preparing my standard greeting, but the words died in my mouth as I recognized the mare in question. It's not every day you get to see one of Equestria's many-times saviors in the flesh, to say nothing of one of the top fashionistas in greater Equestria.
"Oh! Hello there, I don't believe I know you!" the white unicorn said in a cheery Canterlot accent. "May I ask why you're running Golden Harvest's carrot stall?"
Forcing my mouth into action, I replied, "I'm her cousin. Harvest Moon. A sincere pleasure to meet you, Miss Rarity."
"Ah, so you know of me?" Rarity grinned, tossing her mane slightly, all but preening.
"I should, I have many of your designs in storage at the moment," I said, eager to please this mare. Perhaps if I got on good side she might offer me a job managing her accounts or one of her many boutiques? "I visited your new branch in Manehattan a few times before coming here."
"You're from Manehattan?" she gasped. "I should have known, your accent was a clear giveaway. But what brings you to Ponyville?" she cocked her head at me.
I grimaced, realizing I'd said a bit more than I was comfortable with. "Er, just visiting family, that's all," I said nervously.
The look she gave me in return was a work of art in how much deadpan she delivered with it. "If you were 'just visiting', you wouldn't be running Golden Harvest's stall, darling. Care to try again?"
I worked my mouth, but nothing came out. I couldn't possibly tell her the truth, could I?
"Actually, you needn't say a thing. I recognized you on seeing you; you were the proprietor of the Shemareaton hotel, were you not? I remember you checked my friends and I in while I was in Manehattan to compete in a fashion show a few years back. The fact that you're here means you've fallen on very hard times, and you are no longer in charge of the Shemareaton. Am I wrong?" She stated her deductions matter-of-factly. There was no smugness in her voice at having found me out, only concern.
I couldn't help but stare at her. How had she seen through me so easily? "No, you're not wrong," I replied dully, letting my head hit the stall. "I had to sell the Shemareaton, and I came to Goldie because I haven't been able to find another job. She offered me room, board, and pay for helping both on the farm and at the stall."
Rarity smiled at me. "Well, that was very generous of her! I'm confused as to why you seem depressed about it, though."
I looked up at her. "I dislike needing to ask for help, Miss Rarity — "
"Just 'Rarity' will be fine, Ms. Moon."
"Then just 'Harvest' will do," I replied dully. "As I was saying, I dislike needing to ask for help. It makes me feel like I can't stand on my own four hooves."
She shook her head at that. "Harvest, there's no shame in admitting weakness and asking for help. One of my dearest friends learned that the hard way, after causing a bunny stampede."
I blinked at that, remembering a letter from Goldie mentioning such an event. I'd thought it was exaggeration on her part, but now… "Rarity, it just doesn't sit well with me, knowing that I owe anypony else anything."
Rarity snorted at that and couldn’t restrain an eyeroll. "One might argue that, with that viewpoint, you'd hate any job you got into, because you would owe at least one other pony your thanks for hiring you."
I blinked at that. "Touché," I murmured, resting my head against the stall.
"Well, give it some time, and I'm sure you'll come back down to earth, if you'll pardon the expression," she replied. "Though if I might offer a suggestion? Steer clear of Manehattan for a while. You wouldn't want to run into Five Stars and cause a scene."
I sat bolt upright at that. "How do you know her name?" I snarled in a low whisper.
Rarity stepped back, clearly not expecting this display of anger. "W-well, I read her articles, of course."
"Articles?"
She blinked. "You mean… you don't know?" She considered something for a moment, then opened her saddlebag with her magic. From it, she withdrew a copy of the Manehattan Post. "You might find this somewhat enlightening, then."
I stared at what took up the majority of the cover. There, plain as day, was a gold-coated mare with a green mane and tail, orange eyes, and a five-star cutie mark. She was sitting on a couch of some kind, and giving the camera a set of bedroom eyes. The caption for the picture said 'Five Star Service'. "What… what is this?"
"This contains the first of a series of articles written by Five Stars," Rarity replied. "She is now a trainer of human Gentlemen, and has been writing these articles to promote Gentlemen for Mares by telling her story, using it to explain why she thinks her company and line of work is necessary. In the process, she went into great detail as to her personal history… including her interactions with those whom she called herdmates."
I looked the magazine over, and found that it had been dated for late winter. Suddenly, the pieces fell into place in my head. "So this is how she did it," I growled. "This is how she ruined my reputation, in Manehattan and beyond! That ungrateful, star-flanked — "
"Ahem." I looked up to see that Rarity had a singularly unamused expression on her face. "Perhaps before slinging insults at those who are not present, you should consider reading the contents of the articles?" she suggested mildly. “A little self-reflection might be in order once you do.”
I pursed my lips, then took the magazine from her. "Perhaps," I said aloud, not wanting to offend further a mare who had recognized me and could potentially give me away. I'll read it… when Discord teaches geometry.
A week after my meeting with Rarity, I found myself bored out of my mind.
It was one of those rare evenings where I had little to do after tending the market stall. Goldie had the farm's nightly chores done, so there was no need for me there. I wasn't much for the nightlife, seeing the night as a time of rest after work, and Ponyville wasn’t exactly big on that anyway. Never mind the fact, I was increasingly forced to admit, my work at the Shemareaton was my life, and without it I was a bit lost. Still, I needed to do something.
It was then that my eyes fell on the stack of magazines by the couch. As it turned out, Goldie had read the articles written by Five Stars, but had hidden them away on my arrival. When I confronted her about them, she admitted that she had foreseen my financial difficulties, given the negative light I'd been portrayed under. That had given me another reason to not read the articles; I had no wish to see just what degree of libel I'd been subjected to.
As it stood, though, there was little else for me to do. And so, reluctantly, I pulled the magazine with the first article out from the stack, and flipped to the appropriate page. The title of the article made me snort. "Five Star Service," I sneered. "Trying to portray yourself as the best, are you? And you called me arrogant?" Shaking my head, I began reading.
* * * * *
By the time I was done with the first article, my breathing had gotten heavier, and my cheeks were flushed. "Dear Celestia," I breathed, "she could have had a career as a novelist, with that degree of detail!" I admit, I was enraptured by the descriptions within the article. The aliases caught me by surprise, but on reflection, it made sense. Even a mare like Five Stars would know better than to name her herdmates directly in a set of articles like this. Then again, if she was really trying to hide our identities, why didn’t she use the name of another hotel…?
At any rate, the sheer detail of her first time with Cayenne had made me hot and bothered, and I caught one of my hooves wandering south towards my marehood more than once. "Why didn't he ever make love like that to me?" I whined slightly. "Even when we first formed the herd, I don't recall him being that good." Shaking my head, I reached for the second article. "Still don't see why I'm such a pariah…"
* * * * *
As I read the second article, my emotions fluctuated greatly. Reading the initial complaints of how Five Stars was not getting any more time with Cayenne made me snort in disdain. "Really? You're complaining about that, when you bucking well knew you were the newest member of the herd? Give me a break."
My ire grew as she went on to claim that I was monopolizing Cayenne, starting to cut Ember and Acacia out of seeing him as well. "I was doing no such thing! I gave them their dues when it came to having access to him!" I knew I was complaining to a magazine, but I didn't care at the moment. Just as she did back then, Five Stars seemed to know how to push my buttons, even in written form.
Then came the descriptions of what happened on the day of Discord's return. I felt bile in the back of my throat as I remembered all too well what had happened on that day. Honestly, even with his influence, how in Tellus had she and I managed to do all of that? And I’d never been so humiliated as when, as a parting shot, she left that memo for the entire staff to read explaining what had happened between us that day...
After that was the falling action of the article, and as I read her tearful goodbye to Cayenne, Acacia, and Ember, I was surprised to find a tear make its way out of my own eye even as I saw her acknowledgment of posting the memo, cold comfort though it gave her… and me. Why was I crying…? Why did I care about what happened to Five Stars? She'd brought me to near ruin! She'd published these articles! She'd… she'd…
She'd come to a herd expecting equality, and hadn't gotten it.
She’d just wanted some real and regular time with Cayenne, but I hadn’t allowed it.
She’d just wanted my acceptance of her in the herd, but I wouldn’t give it.
She'd done nothing to deserve my resentment and persecution, but had received it.
And for all of it… I was to blame.
It was as if a light had been thrown on in my mind. Or perhaps, a crack had appeared in my stone heart. Yes… that would be a better analogy. Reading through the article a second time, I found myself unable to deny the truth in Five Stars' words. It was all true. There really wasn’t any exaggeration or mistruths I could point out. In the end, she'd written nothing but what she experienced, and I could delude myself no longer.
Cayenne had been right, all those years ago, when he'd told me I was the reason for the herd's collapse. I'd monopolized him, treated him as a prize to be won, and my herdmates as competitors. I'd ruined a perfectly good herd, all for my own selfish greed and ambitions. Ambitions that had now crashed down around me, all because of my foalish pride.
The magazine slipped from my hooves as first one tear, then another escaped from my eyes. Then the dam broke, and I collapsed into full weeping. It was in such a state that Goldie found me, nearly an hour later. To her credit, she said nothing, merely bringing me into her embrace. I clung to her as a foal would their mother, all my pride and maturity stripped away. I bawled that I was an awful pony, that everything that had happened to me was what I deserved. That I didn't deserve her kindness, her generous offer of a job and a place to stay.
"Now ye shut yer gob aboot tha', Moonie!" she snapped, her Caleponian accent thickening slightly in her exasperation. I’d had one once myself but suppressed it over time, knowing it wouldn’t come across well in the upper-class circles of Manehattan. "Yer family, an' Ah dinnae turn mah family away, nah matter whit they've done! Sure, ye made a mistake or two, but now ye know it, ye can start makin' things right. It’s nae the end o' the world, ye know."
I sniffled and clutched her all the harder as I found myself truly grateful to Goldie for the first time; the one pony in all of Equestria and Earth who hadn't abandoned me. The one pony who was there for me with a sympathetic hug and shoulder to cry on as I now found myself at my lowest point; the one pony who would be there for me no matter what. My eyes were finally opened, and I resolved to change myself and my ways, right then and there...
And I would start by getting in touch with Five Stars.
My hopes of mending fences with my old herdmates were dashed upon reading the next published article. I'd sent a letter to Five Stars, apologizing for my actions in the past and asking for forgiveness. In response, Five Stars published the letter in her article and made it plain that she had no desire to do so, admitting no small amount of skepticism regarding my change in heart.
I admit, I hadn't thought it would be that easy, but those words still stung. My attitude, already in turmoil thanks to my epiphany regarding my past actions, sunk firmly into depression. I was listless and unresponsive to much of anypony. I ran the stall and worked the farm with a mechanical countenance, no enthusiasm or heart behind it. And what occurred a couple of weeks later didn't help.
I was running the stall, despite my listlessness, when I saw two familiar faces in the crowd that sent a shock through my depressed system. Making their way through the market were former hotel workers and herdmates Acacia Frost and Ember Iris along with three other mares, two stallions, and several foals trailing in their wake. I half considered ducking behind my stall — after Five Stars' blunt response to me, I didn't know how the other two members of my old herd would react — but before I could do anything, Ember's eyes locked onto mine, her slitted pupils dilating slightly in recognition. Nudging Acacia, she pointed to me, and the unicorn's eyes widened as well. Both mares approached me, their herd members trailing behind, looking confused.
"Well, well. How the mighty have fallen," Ember sneered as she came within speaking range.
I grimaced at the tone in her voice, sensing that this was not going to be a pleasant conversation. "Ember. Acacia. It's… been awhile, hasn't it?"
"Not long enough," snapped Acacia. "To think we'd run into you here of all places… what are you doing here, anyway?"
"She's working, obviously," Ember drawled, "although she's a bit out of place. Ponyville doesn't have any luxury hotels to manage, so she's been reduced to selling carrots out of a wagon stall."
The words were clearly meant to mock, and I was not liking the looks the two were giving me. Even so, I tried to be civil. "I am on the job at the moment, so if the two of you want something…"
"What we want, you spawn of Sombra, is for you to crawl back out of our lives," growled Ember, her thestral eyes flashing. "We were perfectly fine without thinking about you, and we'd like to resume doing just that."
I looked down at the ground at that. "… I'm sorry. About the past…"
"You're sorry?" Acacia laughed bitterly at that. "I didn't think you even knew what the word meant!"
"She doesn't," Ember mocked. "She's just repeating a word she's heard before and thinks it fits." She then glared at me, all hints of levity gone. "You listen and you listen good, Harvest. We saw your letter and Five Stars’ response. She was far more polite than you deserved, so I’ll give it to you straight — 'sorry' doesn’t even begin to make up for the pain you put her, me, Acacia, and Cayenne through. You got off lucky, getting another job so soon after getting the boot from the Shemareaton. You don't know what hardships the rest of us faced having to start over completely after you got us blacklisted in Manehattan! And now you have the gall to claim you’re sorry and think that makes everything better?”
I was starting to get angry. Why couldn't they see that I was genuinely regretful? "What do you want me to say, Ember? What do I have to do to make it clear that I've changed?"
"Changed? I'll believe that when I see it," she rolled her slitted eyes and snorted in disdain. "I don't care what you put in that letter to Five Stars; as far as I'm concerned, you're still the same herdwrecker you were ten years ago. If you had an ounce of concern for any of us, you wouldn't have kept Cayenne all to yourself!" She stomped her hoof hard and flared her bat-wings in anger
I saw red and laid my ears back slightly at that; 'Herdwrecker' is one of the worst slurs against a mare that can exist. I didn't care that it was somewhat accurate, it still brought my temper up and a retort to my lips before I could quash it. "Well, maybe if you weren’t as mediocre in bed as you were a lounge singer, I'd have saved some of him for you! He never told me he wanted more of you!"
Ember hissed in response, lowering herself into a pouncing crouch, while I stepped out from behind the stall and drew myself into a defensive stance, ready to meet her charge. Before anything could happen, though, there was a flurry of movement, and we suddenly found two pegasus stallions between us. From their white coats, playing card cutie marks and red-or-blue manes, I reasoned that they were Aces Up and Double Down, the stallions of Five Stars' second herd, and father of Ember and Acacia's foals. Both Ember and I stood down, our instinctive desire to not place stallions in danger overriding our ire.
"Enough, Ember," the red-maned brother said, pulling her gently away. "I know you've got problems with her, but brawling in the middle of Ponyville isn't going to help you. Let's get back to the motel so you can clear your head. You’re performing tonight, so let’s make sure you’re not distracted, okay?"
Both Ember and Acacia sent a parting glower my way, but relented, following the stallion. The rest of the herd followed suit, although the blue-maned brother — Double Down? — remained behind to glare at me. "For the record, Ms. Harvest, if you're trying to earn forgiveness, insulting her singing abilities and bedroom prowess isn’t the best way to do it."
Still shaking, I couldn’t stop my next response either, one gleaned from another of Five Stars’ articles. “For the record, Mister Double Down, at least I never nearly killed one of my herdmates with an illicit potion on their honeymoon!”
To my satisfaction, he flinched a little at that, but then his expression hardened. “If you know about that, then you also know to what lengths we’re willing to go in order to save or protect our mares,” he reminded me, stepping up and going nose to nose with me. It was hard not flinch away from his angry, icy stare, one that told me instantly that everything Five Stars had said about him and his brother were true — they weren’t afraid of anything and wouldn’t back down to anypony…
That, in the vernacular of some of the humans I’d heard, they’d seen and done some serious shit in their day. “Consider this fair warning: my brother and I aren’t pushovers like your old stallion, and we will take action against anyone, human or pony, who threatens our herd. So do yourself a big favor and stay away from our family, filly!” he told me with finality, and then flew after his herdmates.
My anger at Ember fading, I lowered my head in shame. Here I'd had a chance to clear the air, and I'd blown it about as badly as possible. I closed the stall early, not willing to deal with other ponies right then, and made my way home in misery.
That night, I couldn't sleep. My mind was tormented by Ember's sneering face, her mocking words dismissing my attempts at reconciliation. I sighed, and decided to go for a midnight run to try and clear my head. It was something I hadn't done in Manehattan, as the less than savory nightlife of the big city was something I didn't want to put up with, but Ponyville was another story. Here, doors were left unlocked and one could go for a midnight stroll without much fear of being accosted by thugs; even Diamond Dogs tended to stay away given the powerful princess that lived there.
Although as that night would prove, it still wasn't 100% safe.
On a long walk to a seedy pub on the other end of town — I’d decided I’d wanted the most horrid rotgut they had to drown my sorrows with — I was passing by a dimly-lit alleyway, when I heard a scuffle coming from within. Pausing by the entrance, I looked inside to see two mares going at it. I might have left them to their kerfuffle, but the light glinting off the eyes of one of them allowed me to recognize her as Ember. I didn't recognize the other, but the glow of magic indicated that she was a unicorn.
I didn't know what to think until the unicorn's horn flashed blindingly bright, causing Ember to stagger back clutching at her light-sensitive eyes. Her adversary's horn flared a second time and there was a sickening CRACK! followed by Ember's scream of pain. Looking closer, I saw that her right wing was now held at a wholly unnatural angle. That's when I realized that this was no mere scuffle; this unicorn meant serious harm to Ember. No matter what I'd said earlier that day, I wasn't about to let Ember be maimed by this stranger. So I darted into the alley, and just in the nick of time as I saw the unicorn lifting Ember by her neck.
Something to note; while I avoided the unsavory elements of Manehattan as much as possible, there are times when they sneak up on you. As such, even sophisticated businessmares such as myself thought it prudent to learn self-defense. While I had only the most basic of training, that and the added strength of my Caleponian ancestry was enough to keep thugs at bay. And as this unfortunate unicorn found out, an earth pony with even a small amount of martial training is a force to be reckoned with.
I crossed the distance between the alley's mouth and the unicorn in scant heartbeats, spinning on my last step to deliver a one-hooved buck to her side. I was rewarded with her flying down the alley into a trash can, the racket enough to wake the dead. More importantly, the sudden blow had caused the unicorn to release Ember, who was now gasping in relief. "H… Harvest?"
"Are you okay, Ember?" I asked, in genuine concern, standing between her and the unicorn.
She grunted, and managed to stand. "Nothing time can't heal," she noted, her voice shaky. "For once, I'm actually glad to see you."
I glanced down the alley at the unicorn, who was clambering to her own hooves. "So why is this mare attacking you?"
"She used to be part of that HERD movement," Ember answered, blocking out her pain and trying to blink her eyes clear. "Told me she wants to 'put that star-flanked traitor to Equestria in her place'."
Knowing what I did about the old movement, I narrowed my eyes. "So she's going after Five Stars… by going after you?" Perhaps one of the reasons I reached that conclusion so swiftly is that there had been times, in my frustration and depression, my thoughts had gone down that road myself, only to be quickly quashed.
I was answered by the unicorn in question. "I can't hurt her directly, not with the protection she's under," the mare sneered. "But I can make her suffer by hunting down all the members of her old herds, and making examples of them." She focused on me. "Hm… and if I'm right, you're another member of her first herd."
"Lady, you picked the wrong time to mess with me," I growled. "I haven't been in a good mood since Five Stars rejected my offer to mend fences. My little spat with Ember here earlier didn't help, and I need to vent. Thank you for volunteering." I pawed the ground, finding myself looking forward to the upcoming scrap.
"Now let's not be hasty, Harvest Moon," the mare said with a grin as she recognized me. "By all accounts, you have no reason to help Five Stars either. You had your reputation, your career, and your herd ruined by her. You believe in traditional herds and herd roles. So if anything, you should be one of us!"
"Stop. Right. There," I grated, punctuating each word with a hoofstomp. "What happened to me is my own fault. I was the one who broke up the old herd through my selfishness and foalish pride. Five Stars did nothing but make that public, and in truth... I thank her for it." That earned me a dumbfounded look from both the mare and Ember. "I would never have had my eyes opened were it not for her, and I would be the same cold-hearted tyrant I was for so long. I've made a vow to change myself, and I'll start by kicking your flank and stomping out your selfish ideology!"
"Foal! I gave you a chance to join us, and you rejected it. Then let me break both of you!" the mare snarled, her horn lighting up.
The ensuing fight was short, but it proved that, when working together, Ember and I made for quite a team. Though grounded, as befit a thestral she was very fast on her hooves, faster than I by a long shot. She danced around the mare, using superior reflexes and agility to keep one step ahead of the mare's magic. Meanwhile, while not as quick, I was decidedly stronger, and could break the hold of hostile magic through sheer force and will. The end of the fight came in less than a minute with the mare flying out of the alley, courtesy of a four-hooved buck from both Ember and I at the same time.
As it turned out, the police had arrived to investigate the disturbance caused by the racket our fight had made. Seeing the mare's condition, as well as the disheveled state of Ember and myself, they ordered all of us to stand down and be brought in for questioning. Ember relaxed, apparently content to explain everything to the police when they recognized her on sight — I had no idea she’d gotten so famous! Thestrals had gone through a bad period after Nightmare Moon’s return, but in the ten years-plus since, they become much more accepted… perhaps because Changelings were now the boogeypony of choice for most Equestrians.
I was about to do the same, until I saw the glint from behind the unicorn mare's mane. She was glaring at Ember, and her horn flared. Acting on instinct, I body-checked Ember out of the way, moments before a sharp, deep pain bloomed on my side. Turning my head to look, I saw a dagger buried to the hilt in between my ribs.
I tried to speak, but all that came out was a spray of blood. I collapsed, my vision rapidly darkening. The last thing I saw was Ember's horror-filled face calling my name, and then I knew no more.
Some ponies — and people, I'd wager — have wondered what it's like to die. After all, the ones who can answer the question are in no condition to do so. Well, I'm not sure if it was truly death, but where I hovered in a void of endless nothingness, I think I came pretty close. I couldn't feel, couldn't hear, couldn't do anything… and I wasn't sure I wanted to do anything, either. It felt… nice, just to float there, in that never-ending expanse.
I'm not sure how long I floated there. Time had little meaning in that place. Still, eventually, I felt myself being tugged from the void by familiar voices. I didn't resist their pull, as any sensation at all was a welcome one.
Blackness slowly gave way to light as my eyes opened. It took me a minute to process what I was seeing. The sight of white ceiling tiles was a welcome one, as it meant I was in the hospital, and therefore, alive. Part of my vision was obscured by what I could only assume was an oxygen mask around my muzzle. A rhythmic beeping drew my gaze slowly to the side, where I saw a heart monitor showing my current heart activity. But it was what I saw aside from the monitor that made me wonder if I was truly still alive.
Resting her head on my bedside was Goldie. Not unexpected, given her views on family. She had probably taken pains to be by my side as much as possible. What was unexpected were the ponies I saw beyond her; Acacia, Ember, and their stallions were there, lightly snoozing on the floor of the hospital room. The puffiness around Acacia and Ember's eyes indicated they'd been crying recently. Were they crying… for me? I wondered.
It was then that I heard voices coming from the other side of me. Slowly turning my head to look at the door, I watched as it opened to admit a pegasus mare with a dark amaranth coat and grey mane with a crimson streak running through it. She was speaking to somepony behind her. "… might not be awake. She hasn't woken up since — "
"I know, Delta, I've been here practically every day since it happened," came the reply, a voice I was very familiar with, despite not having heard it in over a decade. The voice's owner came through immediately after. "Seriously, I've been keeping an eye on her personally, so — " She cut off as she laid her orange eyes on me, their pupils widening as she saw me staring back. "Harvest?"
I slowly worked my face into a smile behind my oxygen mask. "F… Five Stars…?" I finally got my voice to work.
This had the effect of waking up the other ponies in the room. Goldie's head snapped up, while Ember, Acacia, and their stallions stirred and got up. Everyone's head turned to look at me. Goldie was the first to speak. "Moonie? Yer… yer awake?"
"Yeah… I'm here... Goldie." My thoughts were sluggish and words were coming slowly as well.
I could tell that she wanted to give me a bone-crushing hug, but kept herself from doing so, taking my hoof in both of hers. "Oh Ah'm so glad yer okay, Moonie! Since it'd been so long, Ah was startin' ta think…" she couldn’t finish the sentence, breaking down in tears and collapsing against my shoulder
I blinked at that. "How long... have I been out?" I finally thought to ask as I held her head against me.
It was the pegasus mare, Delta (presumably Delta Requiem, the court bard) who answered. "You've been unconscious for about a week, Miss Moon." She stepped back towards the door. "I'll inform the doctor that you're finally awake."
It took me a bit to process that. "A week? Somehow, it felt like a lot longer than that..."
"Yeah… that knife went right through a good part of your lung, Harvest," Ember said, coming closer. "Doctors said the pain knocked you right out, and they had to keep you sedated for a while for the surgery to be successful. It was touch-and-go for a while and it turns out you're a little weak against the sedatives they use here, so you didn't wake up even after they took you off them. Honestly, we were worried you never would," she sniffled.
I grimaced at that; I was not looking forward to learning the aftereffects of being in a coma for a week. But something else was on my mind. "And you’re okay?” I had to know, turning to Ember.
“I’m fine… thanks to you,” she confirmed with a grateful grin, flaring her previously wounded wing and hovering a bit to show me it was functional again. “Wings heal quickly with proper treatment. It was my own fault; I should have known better than to answer a summons to an alley from a supposed fan.” She shook her head in disbelief. “That’s how she trapped me and made sure I had no room to maneuver or fly away.”
“You’re welcome, but… be careful. They might... try again…” I pointed out, struggling to regain more of my senses, pushing back against the effects of the sedation of whatever potions they still had in my system.
“They won’t,” Ember told me with a predatory gleam as Aces up and Double Down grinned and looked at each other. “The boys here made sure of that. After I was attacked, they hunted down all the remaining HERD members in Ponyville and well… wiped the floor with them, to use the human term. Turns out they were planning even more attacks on Acacia and the boys while they were in town, so even after they get out of the hospital, they’ll be looking at a long list of charges and lengthy prison terms. You may be called as a witness in their trials.”
I grinned beneath my mask. “Would be… my pleasure…” I told them. “And… you've all been here, this whole time…?"
Ember sighed. "Yeah, we haven't left Ponyville since the attack. We let our jobs know that we'd be taking a leave of absence until you were better."
I was touched beyond measure, a tear coming to my eye. Here I was, the reason we'd all broken up in the first place, and yet they still stood by me as my life hung in the balance. "I… I don't know what to say," I said honestly. "After the article where my letter was published… I was sure none of you wanted anything to do with me."
Five Stars gave a wan smile. "Well… we mares may have been skeptics, but…" She pulled out what I recognized vaguely as a human device, a 'tablet'. Using some sort of stick she pulled out of it, she tapped it a few times, before turning it to face me.
I was surprised to see Cayenne's face, and more so when he started to speak, what looked like a slightly messy human apartment bedroom in the background. "Hey, Harvest. It's been a long time. Sorry I can't be there myself for when you wake up, but it takes a while to get from Mane — er, Manhattan…" he looked away briefly, muttering, "I'm still not used to that." He then looked back at me… or rather, as I realized, the camera he was using to record this. He looked a bit older, certainly, but life on the human world seemed to agree with him; he was wearing a ballcap backwards and had a few posters of human male sports stars and female pin-ups on the wall behind him. "Anyway, it's a bit of a trip between Manhattan and the portal to Equestria, and then there's all the procedures to go through the portal, expenses… it just wasn't going to be feasible, especially since I’m trying to get a new restaurant started with my roommate. So, I'll record this and give it to Five Stars to pass to you.
"When I read the article where your letter appeared, I was… honestly conflicted. I wanted to meet you then, to see if you were sincere, but Five Stars redacted where you were living, so I didn't know where to look." He looked embarrassed at that point. "My girlfriend wasn't happy that I was worried about another mare, especially an ex-herdmate, but I told her it wasn't anything romantic. I guess I've still got a soft spot for you, even after all this time. I really wanted to believe you. And when I heard about the attack… I knew I was right. Get better, Harvest. And maybe we'll see each other for real soon." The recording finished, and the tablet was put away.
I let a few tears fall. "He really… wants to see me again? Even after all I did to him? To us?"
The other three mares all rolled their eyes, but not, as I was fearful of, in disgust; rather, they seemed amused. "Cayenne hasn't changed a bit," Acacia said fondly. “Still the softie he always was.”
"Actually, he has," Five Stars mused. "Sounds like he actually managed to convince a mare in his life to do what he wanted, rather than bowing to her demands."
"Ha. Ha. Ha," I deadpanned. "Don't think that because I'm in a hospital bed, I can't kick your flank, Five Stars."
Her amusement faded, and she bowed her head. "I said in that article that I wasn't sure your apology was sincere. Well… when I heard what you did to protect Ember, I was convinced. I feel like a foal, for letting an old wound prevent me from trying to mend fences sooner. I'm sorry, Harvest. I said at the end of that article that you should always make efforts to keep in contact with ponies from your past. I didn’t take my own advice."
Ember and Acacia nodded, the unicorn speaking first. "We all are, actually. We assumed the worst about you because of our past experience with you. And I admit, I did wish ill upon you once or twice. But I never would have wished this on you. When I heard what happened… I felt awful. Here you were, your life uncertain, and the last thing I said to you was that you didn't know what 'sorry' meant."
Ember looked downcast for a moment as well. "Gotta say, Harvest, I owe you my life. Police ran the trajectory on that knife she threw. If you hadn't knocked me out of the way, they said it could very well have hit my neck or heart."
I bit my lip behind the oxygen mask. "I couldn't just let you get hurt anymore, Ember. You've been hurt enough… by myself, and others."
She smiled at that and put a hoof on my shoulder. "Thanks, Harvest. I mean that. You've really changed for the better. I think we can all see that now." She looked at the others, and all of them nodded.
“You’re okay, Harvest,” Double Down told me, stepping forward. “Anypony who’s willing to sacrifice herself to save our mares is a friend of us. You ever need help, you’ve got friends in Las Pegasus. Our boss, Rising Star, might even be willing to offer you a job.”
“Thanks, but… I think I’m going to stay here for a while…” I informed them. "Right now I think I belong with my family. Maybe rediscover my roots and some of the things I lost when I left the farm all those years ago.” I gave Goldie’s hoof a squeeze. “Dinnae, maybe Ah’ll even find mah Caleponian accent again!” I affected my old one, to the laughter of all.
Five Stars coughed. "Well. I promised Platinum Corona I'd come back as soon as you woke up, and I'm a mare of my word. If I hurry, I can make the next train to Manehattan." She made her way to the door, but paused before leaving. "Harvest, if you like, there are Gentlemen who specialize in physical therapy as well as providing companionship. Would you be interested in hiring one during your recovery?"
I smiled at her. "I'll definitely consider it."
She smiled back, then opened the door to leave, passing the doctor as he entered. Acacia made to leave as well, but Ember remained behind for a moment. "Harvest… I'm going to stick around in Ponyville, at least until you're discharged."
I blinked at that. "Any particular reason?"
She bit her lip. "Like I said earlier, I owe you. I'll help you in whatever way I can until you're back on your own four hooves. Isn't that what a herd is for?"
I smiled at that. It was a lesson I wished I'd learned ten years earlier, but better late than never, right? "Yes. Yes it is."
Author's Note
My first Gentlemanverse story, and it's a side-story to the first one I ever read. I can't link to it here, as it's NSFW, but it's called Five Star Service, written by the redoubtable Firesight. He helped edit and expand this sucker into this glorious work, and I thank him profusely for it. I also thank AJ_Aficionado and SilentWoodFire for pre-reading and leaving some suggestions and comments. This work would not be the same without their input.
