Pip's Treasure Chest 2: Journey to Hollow Shades

Old Flint, the train engineer, let out a huff as he paused from shoveling coal into the engine. Sweat had drenched his shirt and was dripping down his nose while his body ached for a few minutes to rest. Resting on his shovel for a moment while pulling out a bottle of water, he couldn’t help but think about how times had changed. Back when he was a much younger stallion, he could have gone all day or night without so much as a single break until his shift ended. But that was before he had found a decent mare to settle down with and raised a fine young mare who was on this train right now.

Thinking about his daughter, Trolley, caused the stallion to shake his head. She was a good mare who, in his opinion, ought to be out enjoying life and being with friends. Spending time at those…whatever it is the foals called coffee houses these days. No, instead she was working on this here train in order to keep an eye on him. Had been ever since the dumb doctor had told him he needed to slow down a bit. Used a whole bunch of fancy words that Trolley, bless her soul, had been able to follow. Easy for the doctor to tell him to slow down, that damn doc didn’t have to work hard to put a meal on the table or struggle to pay the bills. Or being able to pay for his daughter’s wedding. He would make sure that when her special day came, he would be able to make all her dreams come true.

As he took another chug of water, Flint looked out the window. The train had left Canterlot and was now in the middle of one of the worst places he had ever been in. Damn black wooded forests covered in webs. He had seen the bastards who made them webs, creations that were probably thought up by Discord himself. The locals who actually lived in this forest, proving just how nuts they were, claimed that the beasts had always been there. Flint could only shake his head at that tale. No way in normal creation could those things come about no matter what proof ponies showed him! At the very least, he was happy that no monsters like them could get aboard this train. Not while he was on board!

Without any light being able to penetrate the mixture of wood and webbing, Flint was unable to see if the sun was out. Looking down at his watch and squinting, he was sure that his shift was almost over. Pretty soon one of them younger stallions would come in and take over his work so he could rest. He’d go back to the room they had prepared for him where his daughter would be waiting for him. She’d sit him down, fussing over his health while fixing up one of those ‘recommended’ meals that quack doctor suggested that tasted like puke. The only reason he’d eat it was so Trolley wouldn’t worry about him. He’d be a good soldier and stomach it down while he listened to her talk about her shift before telling him he needed to retire.

The sound of a door sliding open as well as the rush of noise from the outside drew his attention. He looked over expecting that stallion who’s name he had trouble remembering…only to have his heart stop dead. It was Trolley, naked as the day she was born and covered in white fluids. There was a look in her eyes that set off alarm bells in his head, not really looking at anything while swaying back and forth.

“He left me,” she wailed suddenly, looking like she was about to fall to her knees. Old Flint did what any good father would have done and moved over to comfort his daughter while she repeated this over and over again. As he did, he noticed that there were other ponies just behind her as they looked on with worry. Mostly the other ponies who spotted her in this state as she had run through the train cars. Whether they were here to see if she was alright or just get an eye full, it didn’t matter to Flint right now. All he knew was that his filly needed her father now.

What happened next took him even more by surprise. She screamed while clutching her head, shaking it back and forth before she lunged forwards. Old Flint tried to grab her but his hands were so slick with sweat that he couldn’t keep a grip on her. She just slid off of him as Trolley, his only child in all of Equestria, flung herself into the fire. Flint’s legs gave out as he heard her cry out like nothing her had ever heard before, falling onto his back as he watched her crawl further into the inferno. A choir of horror filled noises erupted behind him, but nopony did anything. Her screaming had been silenced and her body stopped moving.

“PLEASE GO AWAY!” came a screaming voice that awakened the prince. Slowly his eyes fluttered open, his head pounding as he looked upon the revolting sight before him. Before his eyes was what appeared to be a front lawn that seemed to be poorly kept, littered with trash as well as large piles of shit. The smell of the air around him caused his head to pound while tears pooled around his eyes.

Slowly he began to get onto his hands and knees only to find something as simple as this to be extremely difficult. It should have been the simplest of things in the world but now felt like he was trying to lift a mountain with his magic. Remaining on all fours, the prince turned his eyes to see that he was in front of a horribly graffiti house labeled with horrible insults. Briefly glancing around also showed him that somepony, or ponies, had flung more shit against the walls of this dwelling as well as rotten eggs. He had heard of homes like these belonging to, what was it again, rednecks?

“I ALREADY TOLD YOU I’M LEAVING!” screamed the voice again. Blueblood turned his head to look in front of him. Standing in front of the door was Batibat, holding her colt in her arms, while another thestral he didn’t know wearing skimpy attire held a fist near the door. “I’LL BE GONE SOON SO I WON’T BOTHER YOU!”

“Ghostly, it’s me,” said Batibat with a sigh.

“…Batibat?” came the voice again, thankfully much quieter than before. The stallion’s ears then began to twitch as he heard a series of locks being turned. “Oh, thank goodness. When I arrived home today I saw a bunch of drunks defiling my house again. I’ll be so glad to never have to put up with this again.”

“It’s going to be fun leaving this place,” said the mare next to Batibat. As she spoke, Blueblood heard the noises behind the door stopping as if the figure inside had frozen. That or there were no more locks. “Finally, I’ll be able to wear whatever I want without getting those dirty looks!”

“…Erotic?” came the voice in a fearful tone. “NO! You are not coming in here to grope me again!” With that, the sound of locks turning could be heard at a frantic place. As Blueblood turned to look at ‘Erotic’ the noises stopped only to be replaced by something heavy and wooden scrapping the floor with the house. Something probably big and heavy.

“Why did you have to open your big mouth Erotic?” demanded Batibat in a soft tone while she glared daggers at the mare. “She was about to let us in!”

“But I’m just so excited about leaving!” cried Erotic. “Honestly I don’t see what she’s getting so bent out of shape about. Seeing her practice her dancing that way with so little on… it was a compliment. Besides, Ghostly has to get used to being groped sooner or later since she’ll have plenty of horny stallions gripping away at that sexy body of hers. She should just think of it as practice.”

“…And you wonder why we act this way around you,” muttered Batibat before turning to look at the door. “Ghostly, please. I just lost my home and we need a place to stay for the day.” Instantly the noise stopped. Blueblood watched and listened for any sign that the door would open soon. Yet nothing happened. It was as if the pony on the other side was taking in this information before deciding on what to do. It seemed like Batibat felt the same way so she continued. “Ghostly, you know I wouldn’t be asking you this if I had any other choice. I can’t bring my son to Erotic’s place because, well, it’s Erotic’s place.”

“…That’s true,” mumbled a voice barely loud enough for Blueblood to hear.

“I could have checked in with Steel Fang since he’s always offering me support,” Batibat continued as glanced over at Blueblood. “But I sort of ran into this dumbass unicorn who claims he’s on a mission for the crown. He’s both the reason I’m now homeless…as well as the reason me and my son are still alive. Heard about what happened in the mines earlier from Erotic and I don’t think it’s a good idea to be dragging an unconscious unicorn across town. Most likely he’d get a pike through his gut before we made it halfway.”

Blueblood’s pupils shark when he heard this, a hand moving instinctively to his stomach while gulping. Only briefly was he aware of the scraping noises on the other side of the door. Instead, Blueblood was more focused on his own well being at the moment. He knew that there were those out there that wanted to harm not just him, but any member of the crown. It was impossible for him not to know since he had received several death threats ever since he had hit puberty. Most of the time, it was one of two things: a mare who he had embarrassed in some fashion or some drunkenly irritated stallion who was simply pissed at their own misfortune in life and wanted somepony else to blame. Yet there were those that Blueblood, even at the height of his arrogance, could see they had a legitimate issue with them. A law being passed that cost somepony their job, leading them to lose everything. Not enough government funding in one area bringing about rage.

A shiver ran down Blueblood’s spine. Batibat had said something about the mines just now? Had something happened that he was unaware of? How recent was it? If it had just happened and it was serious, surely a message would have been sent from the Duke in charge of the mine explaining what happened to the Mining Safety Committee which would then inform Princess Celestia! That was how it was supposed to work! However the image of that pony caught in the webs left to feed the bellies of those monsters and the attitude of the thestrals here was bringing about all sorts of doubts into Blueblood’s mind. That as well as fear. If something was going on here, would he be their next target in order to keep him silent? Perhaps they had already tried. He had landed just a short distance from where the other pony was. That was certainly a possibility. Just like it was also possible that the townsponies would blame him for whatever just happened in their town.

It wasn’t until he felt the touch of another that broke him out of this dark train of thought. Blinking, Blueblood turned his head to see a thestral with a long silver colored mane which hid her eyes put her neck under one of his arms. The mare, who he assumed was the one who had been trying to stay within the safety of her home, said nothing as she did this. Something was off here. Both her appearance, what little he could see at this moment, as well as her odor were not what he pictured a redneck to be like. They should be messy and smell like really cheap hard cider with a hint of cigarettes.

With great ease she managed to help him onto his hooves before leading him into the house which surprised him yet again. It wasn’t as trashy as the outside was. The prince spotted a bucket full of soapy water as well as a few trash bags as they moved inside the building and up the stairs. While there were plenty of webs inside, something that caused him to have flashbacks of his near death experience, it was not at all what he thought the inside of a redneck’s home would be like. Had he been mistaken?

“Here we go,” said the mare softly as they reached the first bedroom on the second floor. The curtains had been pulled down tightly to block most of the sun’s light, making it difficult to make out much of the details in the room. He could make out a bed and dresser, but that was it. Slowly he was brought over to the bed where he was then slowly lowered onto.

“Thank you,” said Blueblood as a hand went to rub the area around his horn. “I will not forget this kindness.”

The mare, Ghostly, took a few steps backwards. She looked…nervous, but that might be because of the lack of light. He did see her look over at the door were two figures were watching him before returning to look at him. “Well, ah, is there anything you need?” Yes, she was nervous. He could hear it clear as day in her voice.

“I could use a little food,” said Blueblood in his kindest voice despite how much of a disaster this assignment had been. Right now his magic was weaker than it had ever been in his life and his body felt drained. He guessed that if he tried he would be unable to do even the simplest of spells. In order to replenish his magic Blueblood would need two things: food and rest. But while he rested he could at least let the Duke know where he was. “Also, I need to get into contact with Duke Dark Bargain. I have been asked by Princess Celestia herself to speak with him. It is very important that I reach him as soon as possible.”

“I can help with that!” said the loud voice of the mare they called Erotic, bouncing at the doorway. “Just give me a second and I’ll have a messenger bat heading his way!” Then, before anypony could say anything else, the mare sped off loudly down the stairs.

Batibat sighed loudly. “Knowing that mare, she’ll use all kinds of innuendos in her letter.” Shaking her head, Batibat departed along with Ghostly leaving Blueblood all by himself.

For the next several minutes, Blueblood sat there as his eyes adjusted to the lack of light. Slowly he began to make out the outlines of the various objects on the walls. All of them looked metallic, perhaps even fine silver. The prince also noticed several small cardboard boxes against the wall. Given what he heard her say earlier, Blueblood figured that she was probably getting ready to move soon. He would have tried to get up to get a closer look had he not seen a light entering the room.

Blueblood looked in its direction to see Ghostly holding a lit candle in one hand and a bowl in the other. The stallion gulped as he got a good look at the mare for the first time from a distance. Well stacked and curvy in all the right places, she reminded him a lot of Succubus from Ponyville. At least where their bodies were concerned. Succubus had that confidence about her that commanded everypony to look at her body and drink in the sight. She was that confident girl at school who, if you were ever lucky enough to get into bed, would take the lead while giving you an experience you would never forget. Ghostly, on the other hand, had that shy mare next door quality to her. She dressed more reserved and perhaps a bit self conscious about her appearance. That was only a guess on his part based solely on what he had seen and how she held herself. Still, the more lustful part of him wanted to take her to bed so that he could explore every part of her body. Perhaps he would even be able to live out one of his fantasies where his partner would be all shy and embarrassed, only it wouldn’t be an act! Despite how tired he was, Blueblood could feel his member hardening and pressing against his pants.

“I hope you enjoy this,” Ghostly said she approached the prince. As she drew nearer, her eyes must have spotted his bulge from behind her mane for her cheeks began to glow red. Realizing it was too late to bother trying to hide it Blueblood gave her a half hearted smile as he accepted the bowl. “She was right, they will find me sexy,” she muttered while turning around and quickly exiting the room.

Confused by what she just said, Blueblood stared at the door as he took hold of the spoon and ate from it…only to feel like vomiting a moment later. It felt crunchy, gooey, and vile all at the same time. Looking down he saw to his horror that it was mashed up cockroaches, some only partially grounded and still clearly alive as they were crawling over their fallen brethren. Just looking at what he had just eaten caused him to shake violently. How could anypony eat something like? What would possess a pony to serve this filth to another pony? Was this some sort of sick joke? Gritting his teeth, Blueblood lifted the bowl over his head ready to fling it across the room.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” came the voice of Batibat. Turning his head to the door, the prince was shocked to see that she had changed her attire. No longer dressed in furs, Batibat was now covered in a cheap bathing robe that didn’t quite cover her. He guessed it was probably a size or two too small since it didn’t close up top allowing him the sight of the valley between her breasts as well as both side boobs just before getting to the nipple. Now he could get a better gage of her body, seeing that it was nice and firm. While she still had that powerful and wild look to her, Blueblood found it very appealing.

“I…well…” stammered the prince as he closed his legs, hoping that Batibat didn’t see that he had gotten harder for the MILF before him. Batibat didn’t seem to notice but simply walked over to him and looked down at the bowl.

“Canterlot unicorns,” she said she took the bowl from him. A look that grew more intense when she looked at its contents. “Do you have any idea how much she gave you? I’d guess about three meals worth and it probably cost her most of what little bits she had! Looks like she even added sugar to help with the taste! Just because this isn’t some fancy cuisine doesn’t mean you should go wasting it. Not after she gave your ungrateful ass a roof over your head as well!”

Blueblood bristled at this. If he had the strength in him, he would have risen to his hooves. Instead he glared back at the mare. “How was I supposed to know that? I was served a bowl of insects! You can’t tell me that ponies eat that stuff around here!”

“They do if they want to live,” snarled Batibat. As she turned around to leave, Blueblood reached out and grabbed her by the wrist almost knocking the bowl out of her hands in the process.

“I smelt the food at that hotel,” he said firmly. “While it may not be something I would normally feast upon, it is certainly several steps above eating something like that! So don’t tell me that she don’t have anything better.”

Batibat looked away. “It’s not for us,” she said in a bitter tone. “It’s for all the ponies who visit Hollow Shades.”

“What? That doesn’t-”

“Tourism is the only way my tribe can keep this town running,” interrupted Batibat. “Making sure that the tourists get the best food helps ensure that they will come back next year. Problem is that there is only so much we can grow. There used to be more farmland, but because we had to cut back on things like guards we lost a lot of crops to the wolf spiders.” Batibat then let out a sigh before freeing herself from Blueblood’s grip. “Things get better after the tourism season ends. The town imports food from other places across Equestria and we’re able to eat a bit better. Some, like the mayor’s family, have actually begun to harvest more tasty insects in order to save bits and give their share of the food to those who need it most. Ponies…like me.”

Blueblood stared at Batibat, trying his hardest to understand what she was saying as she seemed to lose much of her fire. How could any town in Equestria be reduced to this level without Princess Celestia hearing about it? Sure, Princess Luna had dealt more with the thestrals in the past couple of years, but surely word would have reached Canterlot of just how had things were. Again his thoughts traveled to the sight of that dead pony in the webs wondering if foul play was involved in keeping the situation around here silent.

As he pondered, Blueblood saw Batibat sit next to him with her head downcast. Turning to look at her, Blueblood wondered why she lived out alone in that forest. Was it because of shame? Her father had sold one of the mines to increase his own wealth only to lose everything. Was she hated because of this, or because she had a son that was a unicorn? She seemed to hate unicorns yet her own son was one. He thought of how the mare at the hotel had acted when she had seen her, calling her a whore. Had she been whoring herself just to survive? To get out of this place? Perhaps a reason she hated Canterlot unicorns was because the stallion who knocked her up was from Canterlot and had then left her alone to raise their foal.

An odd feeling ran through Blueblood as he thought about this. He was by no stretch of the imagination a virgin, losing it shortly after his eighteenth birthday from some mare whose name he didn’t even remember. Time after time, he had sex the same way any common pony would have if they were as popular as he was along with an almost unlimited bank account: stupidly. Twice, he thought he was going to become a father before he actually stepped out into the real world. The first time it turned out that the stupid mare had read the test wrong. The second time had been more complicated. A mare had shown up at the castle well into her pregnancy that Blueblood didn’t even remember claiming he was the father. Naturally he denied it until the mare described a particular party he had attended where he knew he had gotten very, very drunk. The possibility that he could have been the father became all too real that not even he could deny it. This time, however, it turned out he wasn’t the father and that she was just trying to scam him.

That encounter had been a life changing experience for Blueblood. His sexual exploits were now confided to whore houses, escort services, and his favorite strip club in Ponyville. These places had mares who were professionals, either using birth control magic or not allowing him to get too physical. All of these places valued his privacy. Still he had to wonder if, perhaps, there was a mare out there who he had knocked up and she was unable to tell him he was the father. After all, birth control spell were known to fail, if extremely rare. Could he have done something like that to a mare like Batibat?

Blueblood reached out slowly to Batibat, ready to ask if she knew the father. At the last minute, however, he decided not to. After all he barely knew this mare and it wasn’t his place to pry into her personal life. He owed her that much decency at least. “You are right,” he said at last while placing a hand gently on hers. “I shouldn’t have wasted something given to me. You take it.”

Batibat whipped her head around to look at him. A look of surprise was evident on her face. “But-”

“You and Murky need that more than I do,” interrupted Blueblood with a half smile. “He is a growing colt after all.” For a moment, Batibat just stared at him as if he had grown a second head. Then she leaned over to him so closely that his arm was sandwiched between her wonderful mounds as she kissed his cheek. Face burning slightly from the gesture the prince watched as she then got up and walked out of the room.

Dragonfly let out a yawn as she approached her family’s home glad that the night was finally over. From going to find all the large breasted thestrals to the mining massacre to having Succubus finding out what she really was it had been one thing after another. However, it seemed like the worst just had to come with the dawn. Mourning families were out getting drunk, breaking into the storehouses that kept the hard cider and wines that were saved for the tourists. Groups were gathering, burning the Equestrian flag while cheering loudly. Duke Copperhorn’s surface office had been ransacked. Then, as if things couldn’t get any worse, some stupid unicorn approached the hotel matron claiming to be Prince Blueblood. Most likely trying to make himself seem more important than the street bum he most likely was while trying to impress Batibat.

Slumping her shoulders, Dragonfly felt guilty that she was the only one coming home. Both her father and sister were still out there trying to handle the situations. Out of the three, she was the most useless in civil matters. She couldn’t fight nor did she had the authority to order ponies to calm down. Then there was the matter of her secret. If somepony got to rowdy or rough with her the illusion covering her body would be dispelled, revealing the fact that she was a Changeling to the entire town. The last thing she wanted to do was cause more trouble for her father.

So, as she neared the house, Dragonfly began to think of things she could do to help relax her family. Perhaps have a bath prepared for them when they got home? Maybe not, since there was no way of knowing when they’d be back. She could try to make some bread with fresh grasshoppers. The bread would be nice and soft while the grasshoppers gave a more satisfying crunch that wouldn’t make them feel like they would lose their teeth! But could she make it in-

The world around Dragonfly began to spin as she touched the door handle. She began to feel happy, giddy even without knowing why. Her stomach felt like it was about to burst as a surge of energy filled her like nothing else she had experienced. Stumbling backwards, Dragonfly fell onto her back as she began to hear colors and see sounds. Part of her knew she should be worried right now, but that seemed so far away right now. Everything just felt…lovely like this. Everything was just sooooo right.

“Dragonfly?” The disguised mare didn’t look around, she just staring up at the sky with a grin on her face. Then a shadow was cast upon her followed by the funny face Succubus was making. It was so funny! Like she was frowning or something! It was so funny that Dragonfly began to giggle and laugh.

“Why are you laughing?” asked Succubus as she tilted her head.

“I don’t know,” replied Dragonfly as she began to roll on the ground, giggling all the while. “I feel like a happy caterpillar right now. Don’t you want to feel like one?”

“…Ok. Let’s get you off the ground and go for a walk. Maybe we can find a doctor or…on second thought, let’s just walk until we find your father. Yeah, let’s find your father so we can have a nice chat.”

“Papa, Papa,” sang Dragonfly happily as she was pulled to her hooves. Once up she wrapped an arm around Succubus’ waistline. “You know what I think? Screw this bucking town and all its problems. You know what we should do? Do you know what we should do? Get out of here and do that thing…that thing you do were you take off all your clothes. Just do that and dance. Telling daddy his little queen bee is going to do that!”

“Ahhh,” whined Succubus as she pouted. “Normally I’d be super excited to hear that. Well, most of it anyways. But something tells me that you’re not well right now.”

Dragonfly threw back her head and laughed. “Oh, you’re my buddy. My big busty buddy. Hehe, busty buddy. Like the sound of that. EVERYPONY, LOOK AT MY FAKE BOOBIES!” Dragonfly reached down to her dress and began to unbutton them. Or at least she tried to. For some reason she couldn’t focus on them and walk at the same time. It was just so weird, she could have sworn she did something like this earlier. Also not helping was Succubus; she seemed to be trying to keep her from tearing her dumb dress off. Was it getting like super hot? It felt super hot. Everypony should just get naked, run around, and have sex. Be happy everypony!

The world was full of so much love right now.

That cloud looked like a kitty.

Prince Charming exited the train as soon as it stopped, annoyed that there was nopony there to help him. Walking onto the platform he heard a pathetic wailing sound that annoyed him to his core. Turing his head lazily towards its source, Charming saw a large crowd of ponies gathered around some old timer who was clawing away at the engine with tears running down his pathetic excuse of a face. Some of those gathered were trying to calm him down while others stood and watched.

“Trolley,” wailed the stallion annoying Charming in the process. “My Trolley. Why? Why?”

Stopping for a moment, Charming thought the name sounded familiar. Perhaps it belonged to that silly mare he had been playing with during the train ride here. She had told him maybe once or twice, but Charming didn’t really care. She was an ok plaything for a bit, not really worth learning her name or remembering her. Nor was she really worth keeping around, hence why he broke up with her. True, she could have been of some minor use to him like acting like his pack mule but he was sure somepony on that train would raise an eyebrow if she followed around some random stallion.

When the moment passed, Charming began to walk into the town of Hollow Shades. He had waited long enough to get here. Soon, he would meet his destiny as the ruler of all Equestria. And it would begin in this shithole of a town.

Princess Celestia sat in her dining room with a large spread of food before her. The cooks had gone all out this morning with three different berried flavored pancakes, triple stacked with whipped cream on top along with more berries. There were also strips of hay that had been fried up along with shredded hash browns and toast. Let’s not forget the small slice of cake that was just sitting there begging to be eaten. On any normal day, Princess Celestia would have requested that this fine meal be brought to her balcony so she could eat it while enjoying the scenery of her fine city in the morning light. As she slowly savored her breakfast, Kizbit would be going over her duties for the day.

However, she was not eating anything. Her food had been regretfully pushed over to the side while papers were sprawled in front of her. Instead of a cup of nice, calming tea was a mug of coffee that was still piping hot. The Princess felt her stomach growl as it demanded that she stop for a moment to get something to eat. In that way it was like Kizbit who had insisted that she come down here. But that had to wait. Right now nothing mattered to Celestia except the papers before her…and the one she didn’t have at the moment.

Something was wrong. All of the ponies she had sent out to the various nobles had quickly contacted her, informing that they had made contact and that they showed no signs that they had been infected like the maid had. Well, all but one. So far Blueblood hadn’t sent a reply back which worried Celestia even more. Kizbit had tried to tell her that she was getting worked up over nothing, that it might take a little more time for him to assess the situation. That or he was putting it off for the moment. The problem with that was Blueblood’s behavior had never been better in recent years. The stallion was acting like somepony in a position of authority, taking his duties more seriously than he had in his youth. Something she was very proud of. Besides, when Prince Charming bothered to send in a response and Blueblood hadn’t something was wrong!

Running a hand through her multi colored mane, Celestia began to fear for the worst. At the time, it had seemed like such a good idea, send nobles she trusted to meet with the possible targets as to not arouse suspicion that they were onto this fiend. Now, however, she was not so sure. What if that monster had already gotten to Dark Bargain and when Blueblood got there something happened to him? Perhaps something like what happened to Merry or worse! Perhaps she should have sent a small army to each location in order to set up a sting or something. But what if their target hadn’t arrived just yet? Grabbing her mug of coffee, Celestia drank several gulps in the hopes that it would help give her better focus.

“Princess,” said Kizbit causing Celestia to jump slightly in her seat. She hadn’t heard him enter the room. “Duke Copperhorn is here for his breakfast appointment.”

Celestia frowned at this. “Send him away,” she replied as she gathered her papers once again. Perhaps she had simply missed Blueblood’s in the pile. “I am far too busy right now.”

Kizbit, however, placed his hand on the papers to hold them down. As Celestia looked up at him the unicorn spoke. “Princess Celestia, Duke Copperhorn has had this appointment for well over a month and has traveled all this way to have breakfast with you. Now I know how important it is that we find this villain, but you cannot shirk your other duties just to focus on this one.”

“Kizbit,” growled Celestia, feeling herself getting angry at this. However, the stallion held his gaze as well as his ground.

“If you wish to make things appear as if everything is normal and we are not onto the individual who affected Merry, canceling important breakfast meetings with your nobility is not the way to do it! Furthermore, you need a break. You have been drinking nothing but coffee to keep yourself going all throughout the night. If you refuse to sleep then you should at least get some real food inside you. You are no good to anypony if you collapse.”

For a moment, Celestia stared back at Kizbit until her eyes fluttered slightly while her stomach growled. As much as she didn’t want to admit it, Kizbit did have a point. She had been running about all night and into the morning with the signs of strain starting to show. Perhaps she could take a few minutes to eat something to help refresh herself. That and she might as well get something else off her plate so it didn’t come back later to bother her.

“Very well,” said Celestia as the papers before her began to glow in a golden hue. Calmly they floated over to Kizbit who took them from her gently. “Please take these to my private chambers before introducing Duke Copperhorn. While you are up there, there should be another stack of papers on my desk. Bring them to me at once.”

“Very well,” said Kizbit in a tone that suggested he wanted to argue with her about this but decided not to. As he turned however, “I do wish Princess Luna and Princess Twilight would return soon so things can get back to normal.” Celestia frowned at this yet said nothing as her assistant walked away. While she didn’t like it at all, she knew she had nopony to blame but herself for how she had acted these last several years. Allowing Twilight to handle fiends of this nature while she tended to the more mundane things. Perhaps that was why she was so rusty and making mistakes. She was simply out of practice.

Duke Copperhorn stood into the room, dressed in one of the latest (and most expensive) suits bits could buy. Dramatically he bowed before her as if to make a big show. “Good morning Princess Celestia,” he said as he rose into an upright position. “Please forgive me when I say this, but you are looking a tad under the weather.”

“It has been a tad busier than usual,” replied Celestia calmly. As she spoke, Copperhorn took a seat close to her. Once seated, he snapped his fingers rapidly to signal one of her maids. Celestia watched this while doing her best to keep her anger at this hidden. She disliked her guests treating her maids in such a fashion and, given what had happened to Merry, the anger edged closer to the surface. Still she did her best to remain calm as she did not want to make an un-princess like scene. Besides, she knew he would be getting something fitting within the next few minutes anyways.

“Would it have something to do with the screening I had to go through when I arrived?” he asked before turning to the maid. “A cup of tea right now.” He then turned back to Celestia. “It was rather… invasive to say the least.”

“It does,” admitted Celestia as the maids brought out the tea. Both were quickly served while the princess brought her food closer to her. As she spoke, she began to cut into her pancakes. “I regret that I am unable to go into the specifics at this moment, but rest assured that everything will be explained in due time.” Celestia then paused to take a bite out of her food, fighting really hard not to close her eyes in order to better savor the flavor.

“Well,” began Copperhorn as he levitated one of the other stacks of pancakes closer to him, “you’re not the only one dealing with issues. A minor accident at the mines followed by the Countess making such a big scene out of nothing. It felt like she wanted me to come back and cancel this appointment. I mean, really, who in their right mind would do something like that? Having breakfast alone with a mare such as yourself is one of the finest perks of being nobility.”

Celestia paused as she was about to take another bite out of her food, eyeing the noble for a second before continuing. As she chewed her food Celestia set her utensils down. “An accident? Was anypony hurt?”

Copperhorn shrugged. “I suppose a few ponies got hurt, otherwise it wouldn’t be an accident,” he said dismissively. “Nothing for us to worry about.” At that moment Kizbit returned. Silently he handed Celestia the papers she had asked for before retreating. Copperhorn raised an eyebrow at this but said nothing.

“Well, since you brought up the mines, there is something I would like to go over with you while you are here,” began Celestia. However, Copperhorn let out a polite laugh.

“Oh isn’t this a marvelous surprise,” he said as he took hold of his tea cup. He then made a gesture with it as if to toast himself. “I would be most honored to take control of Dark Bargain’s mines. I do say that it would be wonderful to be rid of that dreadful stallion. Also poking his nose into my affairs, telling me how many ponies I should be hiring and whatnot.”

Now Celestia was the one to raise an eyebrow. “You seem to think that the Countess will side against him.”

“Hardly. The Countess will, most likely, twist the facts around to make him out to be as perfect as you my dear Princess. Make all sorts of false statements to clear him of any blame that rightly belongs to him. They are both thestrals after all so her word should count for very little in the grand scheme. After all, it doesn’t take a genius to recognize that he had to be in on it as a backup plan. His arrival at that, er, establishment was far too perfect to be a simple coincidence. Surely even you can see that.”

Celestia frowned. “I would prefer to have all the facts before making any decisions,” she said causing the noble next to her to huff. “I also have confidence in the Countess that she will be fair and that her word will have weight. However, if that is not enough for you, then perhaps the word of Prince Blueblood will. Right now he is in the Hanging City with Duke Dark Bargain.” As she said this, Celestia noticed something off about Copperhorn. When she began speaking he had begun to lift his tea cup to his lips only to pause when she mentioned Prince Blueblood. His hand trembled slightly, almost unnoticeable had it not been for the many years of experience Princess Celestia on reading ponies like him.

“Prince Blueblood is in the Hanging City?” he asked in a would be casual voice. “Have you heard from him?”

“Not yet,” said Celestia honestly to see his reaction. The barest hint of a smile graced Copperhorn’s lips as he resumed drinking his tea. He seemed far more relaxed now for some reason. Why?

“Well I do hope he can stomach that horrible place,” said Copperhorn as he set down his cup. “Nightmarish, wouldn’t go down there unless I had to. And the ponies who live down there, I will admit that I question their sanity. Are you sure it’s safe for him to be alone with a pony who might be possible of doing horrible things?”

“I am sure he is fine,” replied Celestia while a knot began to grow in her chest. She didn’t like this feeling she was getting from Copperhorn, not at all. Like he…Celestia mentally shook her head. This was a gut feeling right now and nothing more. Right now there were more pressing matters she had to talk to him about. “In any case, I would like to talk about your mining network.”

Copperhorn poked at his pancakes, not meeting the princess’ gaze. “As far as I am aware, my mines are not the ones up for grabs. The Mining Safety Committee would have informed you had I fallen below the standards they have set. According to them, everything is in order.”

“Then their judgment is in question,” replied Celestia in a far sterner tone than she normally used. “During the investigation of Dark Bargain I couldn’t help but notice a few things that worry me. For example, the numerous sections of the mines you have closed down seemingly for no reason. Areas that produce large amounts of copper, iron, and other metals needed within Equestria. No attempt has been made to reopen these sections or allow thestrals to use their magic in order to regrow the mineral deposits there. Meaning you are killing part of Equestria’s riches.”

“Princess, Princess,” said Copperhorn as he waved his hands about. “Please, this was supposed to be a simple breakfast between us. Why are you turning it into an interrogation? If you wanted to talk to me about the mines you could have told me so beforehand so I could have brought along the necessary ponies who deal in the day to day grind. They would have been able to give you all of the information you need.”

“As the owner of the mine as well as a noble, it is your duty to know these things,” stated Celestia firmly with a frown. Something that deepened when she saw Copperhorn scoff and look away. “Furthermore, I’d like to hear why you are only employing forty thestrals to work in your mines which cover hundreds of miles. Following that, you can explain to me why the Mining Committee has only given you minor fees for these constant safety violation that have been piling up over the years.”

“I,” began Copperhorn sounding like he was about to argue or complain. Perhaps it was because of the look Celestia was giving him that made him reconcided, instead snapping his fingers several times to again summon a maid. “I suppose we’d best get a refill. Something tells me this will be long.”

Celestia said nothing to this, instead taking another bite of her food. As she looked down, she noticed Copperhorn lean back quickly to get a glimpse of the maid’s flank as she bent over the table to pour the tea. The Princess rolled her eyes at this. It was probably because he thought that she wasn’t watching that he could get away with something like that. Perhaps some stallions really did have a one track mind. That they-

Celestia dropped her fork as her eyes widened. Slowly she began to rise, eventually standing on her hooves and bracing herself against the table. Copperhorn was probably looking at her in shock, but she wasn’t paying attention to that. At that moment, Celestia was finally beginning to see the full picture. Or at least it was looking a bit clearer now. That monster wouldn’t go after one of the ponies in the files, not right away at least. That thing targeted mares near them, altering their minds and used them to get what he wanted. Perhaps…Perhaps he was going after one of their children or siblings. While the government’s focus was on the individual in the file, that creature could walk in and take whatever he wanted. Or perhaps…

Celestia’s eyes widened in horror. “Kizbit!” she screamed. The stallion rushed over to his princess’ side but before he could open his mouth to speak Celestia had grabbed the middle of his shirt. She knew this was rude and uncalled for, but she had no time to argue with him about her schedule. “Contact Captain Ground Siege this instant and have all of Canterlot’s Guards ready to move out in the flying chariots!” Kizbit’s mouth opened and closed like a fish, prompting Celestia to release him as she opened her wings. “I think I know where he is!”

Pip laid in bed, staring tiredly up at the ceiling. Succubus had rode him like never before, sucking him dry in a way he didn’t think was possible. Heck, she would have probably kept riding him if Dragonfly hadn’t made such a racket outside. But he had to wonder what was going on with her. Succubus had told him to rest for a few minutes while she went out there to see what was wrong with her. Was something up or was his wife just giving him some extra time to, er, refuel?

Before Pip could shutter at the thought of going on round who-the-hell-knew, there was a knock on the door. At first, Pip simply lifted his head in surprise but did nothing more. This wasn’t his house after all and figured he shouldn’t open the door. If it was Succubus, she would have either have simply opened it or just starting yelling for him. So Pip just lowered his head back down to close his eyes. Hopefully when Succubus got back she would see him sleeping and let him rest.

It might have happened if there wasn’t yet another knock on the door. Followed a few minutes later by another. Sighing to himself, Pip forced himself to get out of bed and quickly put on a pair of pants. He had no idea who this was. It could be an emergency message for Steel Fang or somepony from the Hanging City. If it was a message, the least Pip could do for their host was to take a message. So with that in mind Pip walked over to the front door and opened it, revealing a unicorn he had never met before.

“Is Succubus here?”