Scars of the Quill

Chapters

Chapter One - Twilight Time
Chapter Two - A Light Monday
Chapter Three - Something Sour This Way Comes
Chapter Four - Sweet Reunions and Sad Signs
Chapter Five - Reasons to Fear
Chapter Six - Rock Bottom
Chapter Seven - Scars Revealed
Chapter Eight - Families in the Night
Epilogue - Reunion with the Sun

Chapter One - Twilight Time

Excited chatter could be heard throughout the Ponyville Schoolhouse as the gathered students talked among themselves. The day was nearly done, with only a few minor things left to take care of before they were dismissed, and consequently, many of the colts and fillies present were eager to get home.

“Any plans for the weekend, Diamond Tiara?”

The proud young filly smirked. “Does it really matter what I do, Silver Spoon?” She really didn’t know what she was going to do, beyond the hopes that she’d be able to spend a little of it with her father, but she wasn’t going to elaborate on it too much. Not with certain fillies present. “But one thing’s for certain, I’m not going to be digging around in the dirt like some ponies.”

The two shared some conspiratorial giggles at Apple Bloom’s expense. The target of their attentions showed no outward signs of awareness of their actions, at least not before their teacher stepped into view. “Alright everypony, let’s settle down for a minute! Now, before class is dismissed for the weekend, I have some special guests in to speak with you today. Let’s give a warm welcome to Princess Twilight Sparkle, and Mister Quiver Quill!”

That immediately got Diamond Tiara’s notice. She turned and beamed excitedly at the sight of the alicorn, and paid no heed to the earth pony stallion who entered with her. “Good afternoon, everypony!” She and the rest of the class enthusiastically greeted the princess in turn. “Now, I know you’re all probably eager for the weekend to come, some with greater reason than others, but before you start, I’m here with a friend to announce something that Miss Cheerilee and I have been talking about for quite a while, something that will be fun for all of us. Who here has heard of Prancy Drew?”

Many little hooves shot up. Diamond Tiara’s wasn’t among them, though she did notice Silver Spoon’s sticking up out of the corner of her eye.

“Well, for those of you who don’t, Prancy Drew is a young filly no older than many of you. She’s a celebrated young detective, who’s written and published many of her cases. The first such publication was in the Plowshares Journal, one of the most widely-published magazines in Equestria.” She tilted her head and smiled at the stallion beside her. “And many years ago, Mister Quiver Quill also had a submission published in that journal.”

At the wide-eyed stares of many of the colts and fillies present, Quiver gave a nervous smile and explained, “I wrote a short story for a school assignment. Somepony read it and liked it well enough to submit it to them for publication. Aside from earning a little bit of money, well…” He turned about slightly to make his cutie mark just a little more visible. “I got this in the bargain.”

Some awestruck ‘ooohs’ echoed throughout the classroom as Cheerilee joined them and declared, “Plowshares Journal still accepts submissions from ponies throughout Equestria, both fiction and nonfiction. And this year, each of you will get a chance to submit your own stories as part of a class assignment.” Some groans of protest rang out, but she quickly countered, “Now, don’t be like that! This will be fun! All you need to do is write a story, a true story, involving the theme of friendship. The five best stories, as judged by myself, Princess Twilight and Mister Quiver Quill, will be submitted to Plowshares for consideration. Now, we can’t promise that the stories will be published, but…” A hoof shot up. “Yes, Diamond Tiara?”

“If you can’t promise that the story won’t be published, then what’s the point of submitting them?” She sneered and added, “Especially if you don’t have a talent for writing, or anything.”

Cheerilee looked as if she was about to answer, but Quiver raised a hoof to stop her and answered instead. “Because not every pony can be a great writer, but a great writer can come from anywhere. Besides, you’ll never know if you don’t try. And with all the excitement and adventures here in Ponyville, there’s plenty to write about.”

Nopony could argue with that, and Cheerilee continued, “All stories are due a week from Monday, but if you finish sooner, feel free to submit early. And be advised that stories will lose points for spelling and grammar errors, so make sure you have a dictionary handy, and don’t forget about your grammar lessons! And finally…” The bell rang, and she gleefully declared, “Class dismissed!”

Many of the foals made their way out of the schoolhouse, though a few hung back, the Cutie Mark Crusaders among them. Diamond Tiara was herself just a few inches away from being out of the door before she heard Sweetie Belle’s voice. “So does this mean that Twilight Time is off again for this week?”

That caused her to pause, and Diamond took a second to stop Silver Spoon so that her friend wouldn’t miss out.

“Of course not! As long as the three of you want to come and I’m available, feel free. Just make sure you don’t forget to work on this assignment. As much as I enjoy having you three visit, I don’t want you getting bad grades because you’re spending all your free time with me.”

“Yeah, Mom definitely wouldn’t let me get away with that. Besides, I think I’ve got a good place to start.”

Twilight laughed. “I’ll bet. Go on, you three, before your parents get worried.”

The Crusaders then made their way out of the schoolhouse, their regular tormentors going unnoticed in their excitement. An eager expression formed on her face as Diamond whispered, “Silver, did you hear what I just heard? We have an opportunity!”

Silver Spoon looked between her friend and the departing Crusaders. “You’re not saying what I think you’re saying, right?”

A grin crossed the filly’s face as she led her friend out of the schoolhouse. “Oh, I’m definitely saying it! Meet me tomorrow, and we won’t just have a chance at a story, but get to rub knees with a princess! Even if it means having to endure dealing with those lame Cutie Mark Crusader blank flanks!”

As the two fillies departed, they failed to notice a scowling Quiver Quill watch them go, a foul expression on his face as he considered their last words. Old memories were beginning to surface, and he found himself thinking that perhaps he should make an excuse to sit in on this ‘Twilight Time’…

The following day was bright, the few clouds lazily drifting overhead getting seen to by pegasi as Scootaloo sped through town, a wagon hitched behind her with Apple Bloom riding inside. She slowed to a halt near Carousel Boutique, where the third member of their merry band awaited them. “Hi girls!”

“Howdy Sweetie Belle!” Her friend climbed into the wagon as the young farm-filly asked, “Y’all ready fer Twilight Time?”

The little unicorn nodded and sounded out in the affirmative as she put on her helmet. As they got on their way, she asked, “So, have you guys figured out what your stories are going to be about?”

“Ah’m still thinkin’ mine over. Lotsa stuff’s happened in Ponyville over the last year, after all. Right now, though, Ah’m leanin’ towards that first time with the Poison Joke. What about the two’a y’all?”

Scootaloo grinned. “What else? The camping trip with Rainbow Dash!”

“The Sisterhooves Social!” Sweetie Belle squeeked happily as she remarked, “I can’t wait for the next one!” She then sighed and admitted, “I just wish it hadn’t been delayed.”

“Me too, but the Zap Apple Harvest comes when it comes, and…” She noticed something in the distance and groaned. “Uh-oh. Code Diamond.”

“Hey, Cutie Mark Crusaders!” A rapidly shrinking distance ahead of them were Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, the former waving to them with a white sash in her hoof. “Yoo-hoo!”

“I see them.” Scootaloo slowed to a halt and hoped that their regular foe was being serious, and that a white sash meant the same thing as a white flag. “What are the two of you up to?”

The pale magenta filly restrained herself from harshly firing back, and put on her best smile. “Now Scootaloo, what makes you think we’re up to anything?”

The orange filly’s expression turned sour. “Past experience. The last time you decided to grace us with your attention, you tried to sabotage our tryout for the Equestria Games.”

At Scootaloo’s glare, Diamond Tiara noted, “Well, things have changed since then! Really!” She either ignored or didn’t notice the deadpan looks from the other Crusaders and explained, “I just wanted to ask you about something I overheard yesterday, what you were talking about with Princess Twilight.”

Sweetie Belle raised an eyebrow. “You mean Twilight Time?”

“Yes, that! The three of you actually hang out with Princess Twilight? On your own?”

Apple Bloom shrugged. “About once a week. Ain’t a big deal though.”

“Not a big deal? She’s a princess! You have to bring me along!”

“Bring us along!” Silver Spoon interjected.

“I mean, we used to see her around town all the time, doing boring librarian stuff, and I thought, ‘whatever’...”

“Me too. I thought that.”

“But now she’s a princess, which makes her totally awesome! I mean, she’s an alicorn!”

“And she has wings!”

“So can I…”

“We!”

“…go?”

The two fillies put on eager, hopeful smiles. Scootaloo looked ready to just speed off and leave them in her dust, but Sweetie Belle leaned forward and suggested, “May we confer for a minute?”

“Of course!” As the three Crusaders huddled as best they could, Diamond Tiara turned away and whispered, “Really, Silver Spoon? ‘And she has wings’?”

“Well, this was kinda spur of the moment! Besides, she does!”

“Yeah, but being an alicorn is a lot more important! There’s only, like, four of them that we know about! You say things like that and you’ll just make us look bad!”

The Crusaders couldn’t hear their tormentors’ whispers, as they were busy with their own. “This is perfect! We should totally say yes!”

“And have them hecklin’ us while we’re tryin’ out somethin’? Ah don’t want ‘em interruptin’ me while Ah’m pourin’ some chemical! It’d just explode in mah face and give ‘em somethin’ ta laugh at!”

“They won’t be able to heckle us if they’re busy learning something for themselves, though! Besides, Twilight’ll be there, and they won’t want to do anything to get on her bad side! And no way will Twilight leave us unsupervised.”

“I dunno, Sweetie Belle, that’s coming way too close to tempting fate.”

“Relax, Scootaloo. I’ve got this.” Despite the uneasy expressions shared between her friends, Sweetie Belle turned and decided, “If Twilight says it’s okay, then you two can join in.”

The two bullies cheered, then crowded into the wagon. “Well, what are we waiting for!”

“OBJECTION!” A pair of helmets were promptly plopped down onto Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon’s heads. It took a second for the two fillies to acknowledge this before they saw Pinkie Pie beaming at them. “Safety first!” The pink party pony then pronked away, leaving the Crusaders plus two to their devices.

As Scootaloo got them back into motion, albeit at a slower speed than before thanks to the added weight of two more ponies, Diamond Tiara grinned, already anticipating spending the day with royalty, even if she had to go through the Crusaders to do it.

“I’m a little surprised that you’re here to do research, Quiver. I mean, I thought you had a reference library back in your home.”

“I do, but there’s a few things that my reference library doesn’t have.” He shrugged. “Not yet at least. I figure it might be a good idea to see if you’ve got updated volumes, just in case I want to indulge for Hearth’s Warming.” The stallion’s gaze went to a set of blueprints on the wall, assorted notations and scribbled notes set up on and around it. “Secret project?”

“Something like that.” A knock sounded at the door, and Twilight promised, “I’ll tell you all about it later. Spike should be able to help you with what you need.”

As the little dragon came over to Quiver’s side, Twilight moved to the door and opened it, Scootaloo at the front and the other two Crusaders behind her. “Hi there, guys! Come on –!”

“PRINCESS TWILIGHT!” Two more fillies charged forward and brushed the Crusaders aside as the magenta one at the head squealed, “It’s really her!”

“Oh my gosh, I don’t believe it!”

Twilight’s expression shifted to include a nervous grin. “Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon! What a surprise!”

This elicited even more cheering from the pair, which prompted Twilight to plug her ears with her wingtips. Diamond managed to restrain herself enough to squeal, “Princess Twilight, it is such a thrill and honor to be here! You must tell me who dyes your mane and tail!”

“I so have to get something like that!” Silver Spoon agreed.

“Those are my natural colors,” the princess deadpanned. “Now…”

A gasp. “Oh my gosh, are those books in there? What a bold design choice!”

The two fillies rushed in past Twilight, Silver toadying along with her friend, as the princess turned back to address the Crusaders. “Girls, care to explain what’s going on here?”

“Your guess is good as ours, but they heard us talkin’ ‘bout Twilight Time yesterday an’ wanted to come along.” Apple Bloom gave an uneasy chuckle as she admitted, “Not like we could just tell ‘em no.”

Twilight turned back to the two rich fillies with a frown, then back to the Crusaders. “I suppose not. In any case, I’m all for helping as many ponies as I can, but I intended for this to be a special time for the four of us. Let’s try to avoid this getting to be a bigger thing, hmm?” At their nods, she ushered them in. “Alright, come on in girls. I’ve got everything set up. Who wants to go first?”

“Why not have them go first?” At a raised eyebrow from the princess, Sweetie Belle deflated slightly, “I mean, they wanted to be here, and…”

“I set up Twilight Time for the three of you, girls. They aren’t obligated to do anything while they’re here beyond behave themselves. Anyway, how about we start with your potion-making, Apple Bloom? I’ve got everything already set up for it.”

The three Crusaders entered, slightly dejected, and then perked up as they noticed the other guest. “Mister Quiver Quill!”

“Morning, Crusaders. Don’t mind me, just passing through.” He checked over a list in one hoof and a large register before him. “Oh look at that. Seems all my copies of these books are up to date.” He turned to Twilight and asked, “Anyway, what’s all this? Some sort of tutoring session?”

“You could call it that.” Twilight joined the Crusaders as they gathered around an elaborate chemistry setup, a small potted plant at one end. “I agreed to help the Crusaders to learn some new skills a few months back, at the request of their families. I get to share my love of learning for learning’s sake, and they learn a thing or two that can help them down the road.”

“Like chemistry.” Apple Bloom gestured to the setup and explained, “Zecora’s been showin’ me some potion recipes from her home, basic stuff, and Ah’m tryin’ to see if Ah can recreate ‘em, maybe tweak ‘em to make ‘em better. This growth potion, fer example. Somethin’ like this could improve harvests.”

“And I’ve been learning mechanics.” Scootaloo smiled and explained, “So I can repair my scooter or other simple things.”

“And I’ve had some magic lessons!” Sweetie Belle’s horn lit up, and with some strain, she pulled out a book from a shelf near Quiver. It went out an inch before she pushed it back into place. “It’s not much, but it’s a start.”

Twilight smiled encouragingly. “Everypony starts somewhere, Sweetie Belle. I mean, I wasn’t able to perform all the spells and tricks I could now when I was your age. It helps that I had some good teachers, and a lot of moral support.”

Quiver smiled in agreement. “That goes for everything. Raw talent will only carry you so far. You have to develop it, and…”

“Yeah, that’s really interesting.” Diamond Tiara roughly moved past the stallion to plead, “Tell us more about all the important things you do, Princess Twilight!” She pointed to the blueprint and asked, “Like that!”

“Yeah, that looks super interesting and…” Silver Spoon approached it and asked, “Are these some kind of thaumatic locks in the design specs?”

“Yes, actually. That’s one of a number of projects that I’ve been working on.” She looked to the grey filly and noted, “How did you recognize those?”

“My dad’s shown me a lot of fancy old antiques and stuff, and those reminded me of some old locks he showed me once on a chest. According to him, they were magically crafted to be pick-proof.” Silver Spoon looked up at Twilight and asked, “Are you trying to open some kind of magic chest?”

Diamond Tiara immediately rushed up to her friend’s side. “That is so amazing! What other kinds of amazing princess things are you up to?”

Some discomfort was clear on her face, but Twilight politely answered, “I’m working on a number of things, actually, but they aren’t important just because I’m working on them.”

“But you’re a princess! And princesses only bother with, like, super important things!”

That prompted Quiver’s attention. “Are you saying that something Twilight’s working on is more important than something that somepony else is working on just because she’s a princess?” He turned to face them and added, “That’s kind of insulting if you think about it.”

Diamond Tiara simply scoffed and said, “Well, that doesn’t change the fact that she’s a princess! And because of that, she’s important!”

He regarded her with a critical eye and asked, “How many times were you in this library before today?”

The filly shot him a challenging look. “What does that matter?”

“It’s a perfectly reasonable question.” At her silence, he noted, “Fine, you don’t have to answer. But I have to wonder how you thought of her and treated her before she became a princess.”

A scoff. “Well, obviously she didn’t matter then.”

“She played a role in saving Equestria on several occasions before she sprouted a pair of wings. I’d say that matters.”

Now irritated that the stallion was arguing with her, Diamond shot back, “Yeah, well, she’s the only reason you’re here! What’s that say about you?!”

“Diamond Tiara!” Twilight’s sharp shout stopped the argument right there, and prompted the filly’s complete attention. “Quiver is my friend, and he’s made it clear that he’d be my friend regardless of my status. And even if he wasn’t, he’s raised a good point. Now, I don’t mind you coming here, but I want to know the reason why.”

Diamond fidgeted slightly. “It’s the same reason the Crusaders are here.”

“We’re not here because’a Twilight bein’ a princess.” Apple Bloom looked up from her potion preparations and firmly declared, “We’re here because she’s our friend, and we like spendin’ time with her. That’s what makes her important ta us – not her havin’ wings an’ a horn and not her bein’ a national hero. If’n Ah wanted ta hang out with a national hero, Ah’d’ve stayed home.”

Diamond frowned, then huffed and declared, “Well obviously I should’ve stayed at home! Come on, Silver Spoon, let’s go!”

The two fillies then marched out of the library, with the second taking a small glance back inside before she left. As the door closed behind them, Twilight sighed and turned to Quiver. “Was that really necessary?”

“Maybe, maybe not, but we could both tell they weren’t here for pure motives.”

“I’m not saying they were, Quiver, but you needlessly escalated that.” She looked to the Crusaders and asked, “In any case, whose idea was it to let Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon come along?”

Sweetie Belle bowed her head and admitted, “It was mine. I was thinking that if they were here, then they wouldn’t be on our backs. Plus, they’d actually have to do something for themselves and learn something.”

Twilight shook her head. “Sweetie Belle, you can’t and shouldn’t force somepony to do something they don’t want to do. Besides, what was stopping them from dragging along more foals on the promise of spending time with a princess? You and I both know that I don’t like being put on a pedestal. I’m no more or less special than any other pony.”

“I know, but…”

“But it would’ve been nice to get a bully off your back.” Sweetie Belle nodded at Quiver’s summation, and the stallion admitted, “I can’t disagree with that. But using others to prop yourself up isn’t the way to do it.”

“Well what is?”

Quiver sighed. “I wish I knew.”

Twilight’s expression turned downcast as she admitted, “That makes five of us.”

Scootaloo’s amazed and saddened gaze fell on the alicorn. “You were bullied? Really?”

A sad nod. “Unfortunately, yes. And it didn’t really end until after I enrolled at the School for Gifted Unicorns, but…” She shook her head. “Nevermind, not important right now. Anyway, Apple Bloom, you ready to give that potion a go?”

“Ah think so, just give me a second to check an’ make sure Ah’ve mixed everythin’ right.” Apple Bloom checked over her notes, tightened her lips and adjusted her apparatus, one single drop of completed potion dripping down onto a waiting apple seedling. “Ah hope this works…”

The potion made contact with the seedling, and a cloud of smoke billowed out around it. The gathered ponies coughed as it dissipated, and as their coughs faded, one remained. As the smoke died down, it was revealed to be the seedling itself, which prompted a giggle fit from Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle.

Apple Bloom frowned as the plant continued to cough. “Layin’ it on a little thick there, ain’t we pal?” She sighed and poured some water on the plant, which cured its coughing fit. “The potion must’ve drained the moisture in the soil too fast.”

“Well, don’t lose heart on it.” Twilight gave an encouraging smile and offered, “You remember what they said about the light bulb, right?”

A small smile formed on the filly’s muzzle. “He didn’t fail. He just found ten thousand ways that didn’t work.”

“And all you need to do is find the right one. Time and effort is all it takes.”

As Apple Bloom went back to checking over her formulae, Twilight turned her attention back to Quiver, whose gaze had gone back towards the door. She approached and said, “I still think you might’ve gone a little too far there.”

“Better going too far than doing nothing at all.” Quiver frowned as he turned to face her. “I know bullies when I see them, Twilight. And the less someone does to stop a bully, the more the bully thinks they can get away with.”

“But getting aggressive with the bully won’t discourage them.” Twilight tilted her head back towards the Crusaders. “The only way that they’re going to get Diamond Tiara off their back is to make it clear that she doesn’t have power over them.”

“And she’ll just do what she can to find different ways to needle them.” Quiver turned back out the window and groaned. “Besides, that kind of attitude doesn’t come out of a vacuum. It had to start somewhere.”

Home. Despite the sight of the Rich family mansion approaching on the horizon, it gave Diamond Tiara very little comfort. As soon as her mother found out about what happened, she’d get more than an earful about it. And once her father heard about it, well, she wasn’t sure which would be worse.

“Hey, Di?” She stopped and turned back as Silver Spoon approached. “I’m sorry that things didn’t work out the way you hoped. See you Monday?” She was answered with a small nod, and then made her way down the block to her own home.

Feeling even more alone than before, the young filly made her way home. She entered the massive foyer to the mansion to find the staff bustling about doing one thing or another, and right in the center of it all…

“Pick up the pace, Randolph! That porcelain won’t put itself away, so put your back into it!” It was at that moment that Spoiled Rich noticed that her daughter had returned home, and her snout seemed to curl up even further. “Diamond Dazzle Tiara! Why in Equestria are you making that face? That is not the face of a pony of influence!”

“Sorry mother. It’s been a bad morning. I went to the library to socialize with Princess Twilight and…”

The scoff she heard was loud enough that she wondered if it had been heard all the way to Manehattan. “There are far better ponies for you to spend your time with, child, and certainly not ponies such as her. What sort of princess would waste their time running a library, and living with some oversized lizard with delusions of being civilized? One not worth their crown, and easily less than the one upon your head. As important as it is to think of your social standing, there are those who are simply not worth socializing with. Not that princess, not the commoners with whom she socializes, and certainly not those blank flanks who fawn all over them.” Her eyebrow jumped. “Diamond Dazzle Tiara, look me in the eye when I speak to you!”

The filly stood up, which gave her a better view of the housestaff as they cast the odd glance in their direction. “Yes mother.”

“Young filly, so long as I have my say in how you are raised, you must always think of your social standing. That may begin in Ponyville, but it reaches all over Equestria. Don’t ever forget that. Ever!” A smug grin crossed her face as she gestured her away. “Now go. You’ll be summoned once lunch is prepared.”

“Yes mother.” Diamond carefully made her way out of the foyer and to her rooms. Immaculately cleaned as usual, thanks to the house staff, with everything in its proper place according to her mother. She sighed, and carefully set her tiara down on a waiting pillow, before climbing onto her bed and wishing that she could just wake up from his bad dream that she was in.

A gentle knock sounded at her door. “Diamond?”

She looked up, and gave a sad smile. “Hi Daddy.”

In comparison with his wife, Filthy Rich spoke and acted in measured tones. There were very rare occasions where he’d given his daughter even a fraction of the venom that his wife had ever done, and this wasn’t one of them. “I come home to have lunch with my family, and I find you here in your room looking like your favorite plush toy just got torn apart by a timberwolf.” He approached as Diamond repositioned herself on her bed, then gently ran a hoof through her mane to comfort her. “What’s got my little princess so down?”

“I had a bad morning, Daddy.” This much was true, though what followed was at most a half-truth. “I went to the library today, with Silver Spoon. We wanted to spend time with Princess Twilight and talk about that assignment she gave us yesterday, but we had some trouble.”

“Those bullies you’ve been telling me about? In that club of theirs?”

A nod. “They were there, and they were mean to me and Silver, and…”

Filthy Rich took his daughter into a warm hug. “Oh darling, I’m sorry. I know what it’s like to have to deal with bullies. Your grandfather didn’t do me a lot of favors naming me ‘Filthy’, and Maker knows how your mother fared as a filly with her full name.” He broke the hug and cupped a hoof under her chin. “Now, don’t you listen to a word they say, Diamond. That assignment, that story you’re supposed to write? I know that my little girl’s gonna tell a great one once everything’s said and done, so don’t you worry about those bullies. They don’t matter, and they never will.” He gave an encouraging smile. “You hear me?”

Diamond flashed her best smile. “Yes Daddy.”

“That’s my girl.” He then gave her a gentle kiss upon her forehead. “Come on then. We’ve got a nice bit of lunch that’s almost ready, and I want to share it with the two most important mares I know before I head back to work.”

The smile faded. “You’re going back to the office?”

“Afraid I have to, Diamond. We’re getting ready for the fall restocks and the mayor’s talking about raising business taxes. Plus I need to speak with the police. Someone went and stole a case of zap apple jam out of the stock room early this morning, and I can’t let something like that go unaddressed, or it’ll just continue on. Whoever did that is a bad pony, Diamond, and you can’t let bad ponies get away with being bad. Not if you have the means to do something about it.”

He gently nuzzled her, then turned and made his way out. He didn’t notice as Diamond’s smile faded to a disappointed frown. She then gritted her teeth and whispered to herself as she jumped off her bed, “Get it together, filly.” She replaced her tiara, made sure it was on properly, and declared, “Diamonds don’t break.”

Author's Note

Prancy Drew was a character featured in IDW's Friends Forever #16, which focused upon Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon and kind of worked as a sixth Fiendship is Magic issue. The Plowshares journal is a play on the real-life literary journal Ploughshares, based at Emerson College in Boston since 1981.

Chapter Two - A Light Monday

Ponyville Schoolhouse was blissfully quiet as Cheerilee entered early that Monday morning, long before her students came in for classes. A teacher’s work began long before that of her students on a school day, after all, and she had some things to organize before the start of classes. Also, as much as she enjoyed seeing and hearing her students at work, it was nice to be alone on a given morning. A cup of coffee, a pastry, and a lesson plan to put the final touches on, all with peace and…

“Miss Cheerilee.” The mare looked up from her desk to find her addressor giving her an imperial gaze. “I require a word with you.”

The schoolteacher put on an accommodating smile. “Of course, Mrs. Rich. How can I help you this morning?”

Spoiled Rich’s expression was that of disdain and thinly-veiled frustration as she approached. The former was the norm for her, and the latter was likely due to her not being the sort to be up and about so early. “I’ve been informed of this recent storytelling assignment of yours, in cooperation with Princess Twilight.”

“I didn’t see the harm in it, and the rest of the school board didn’t object to the proposal.”

The older mare rolled her eyes. “My associates on the board, unfortunately, are easily intimidated, and certainly inclined to ignore my warnings. We’ve no need for interference from officials who’ve no business sticking their nose into the business of education.” Her expression turned sour for a brief moment before it went back to disdain. “Regardless, what is done is done, and now we must live with the consequences.” Her gaze was now fixed upon the schoolteacher. “Diamond Tiara is currently working on her assignment. Once it is handed in, I expect that it will be given the highest marks, and submitted to this magazine as promised.”

Cheerilee tried her best to maintain a polite smile. “Mrs. Rich, I’m afraid that’s not up to me. The evaluations are between myself, Princess Twilight and Mister Quiver…”

“Remind me, you’ve been teaching here how long?” An eyebrow arched on Spoiled Rich’s face. “How long a time?”

“I’ve been teaching here in Ponyville for a few years now. About as long as you’ve been on the school board.”

“Indeed. And I imagine that you have a difficult job, given you need to manage your own store of supplies and look after all of these students, especially the more troublesome ones.” Her gaze went over to a bulletin board adorned by photographs of the current crop of students, the ones without cutie marks prompting a look of disgust.

Cheerilee could tell this conversation wasn’t going anywhere pleasant, but kept a diplomatic tone of voice. “I manage well enough, I think.”

“Perhaps. But others could be convinced otherwise, especially given the behavior of some of your more colorful students. Others could see classes where students engage in terrible gossip and concoct love potions, and wonder how they could go so far astray.” A smirk briefly formed and then disappeared before she turned back to Cheerilee. “Just something that you should keep in mind. I expect the best for my child, after all.” She then turned and made her way out. “Good day, Miss Cheerilee.”

Cheerilee watched the wealthy mare depart, and her pleasant expression collapsed as Spoiled Rich exited the door. She’d heard the implied threat with all the clarity of a foghorn. This wasn’t the first time that something like this had happened either, but unfortunately, she was in no position to do anything about it. She was but a schoolteacher, while Spoiled Rich had been appointed to a government position thanks to her parents making a sizable donation to Mayor Mare’s election fund.

As much as her heart sank to think it, with a parent like this, it was no surprise that Diamond Tiara had turned out the way she had. Cheerilee knew the filly had it in her to be better than this, having seen it for herself on odd occasions, but still, it hurt for her to see it. She’d been raised to believe that ponies weren’t naturally cruel, and that such things were learned, not innate, but life had forced her to think otherwise. She’d done her best herself, but she often wondered if she’d only helped to put fuel on the fire, rather than douse the flames.

She sighed. And today had started out so well, too.

“Twilight, I sincerely regret what Sweetie Belle and her friends got up to over the weekend.” As Spike diligently finished setting out tea for the three of them in Golden Oak Library’s small kitchen, Rarity started to pour some for her friends. “She really should know better than to do things like that, trying to take advantage of another pony for their own ends.” At Twilight’s arched eyebrow, she frowned. “Alright, fine, perhaps I could set a better example for her, but still, I’m not trying to use you or Fancy Pants or Sapphire Shores to further my ambitions. As much as my charm may help, my best resource is my own effort and labor. Outside of that, well, nopony’s perfect.”

She flashed Spike an apologetic look, which prompted an appreciative smile from the young dragon. “Hey, it’s my choice to help when you need me, Rarity.”

“Yes, though I fear there are times where I take that for granted. Rest assured, you are valued around here.”

“And I know I’d be lost without you, Spike.”

Between the comment and an affectionate nudging with one of Twilight’s wings, Spike did his best to fight off a blush. “Thanks.” He popped off his seat and made his way out. “Hey, I think I’d better check the mail, be right back!”

The fashionista managed to restrain herself from giggling at the young drake's actions, and then turned back to the subject at hoof. “In any case, at least she came out and admitted it to me outright. I have spoken with her about it, and I assume that Apple Bloom and Scootaloo have both gotten similar discussions with their relatives.”

“I’m glad, but that’s not really what I’m worried about.” Twilight frowned. “Did they mention the part Quiver played in it?”

“His standing up to Diamond Tiara on their behalf? Of course. She sounded rather impressed with it, to be honest.”

“Well I don’t know if she should have been impressed with it, or if he should’ve intervened in the first place.” A sigh. “I mean, his heart was in the right place, I can’t argue about that, but…”

“But you’re concerned that he overstepped his bounds.” Twilight nodded at her friend’s conclusion. “Darling, I’m probably not the one to talk about regarding being bullied. If it ever happened to me, I’ve long since put it out of my mind and forgotten it.” She thoughtfully considered that. “Perhaps that’s why I didn’t recognize Suri back at Fashion Week.” She brushed the thought aside and noted, “In any case, I suspect he’s had his fair share of abuse from bullies at some point, even if he hasn’t elaborated upon it. It might well be that he wanted to do for the Crusaders what nopony did for him.”

“That might be the case. But the way he did it, it’s like I could hear the venom dripping from…” Twilight paused, then buried her face in her hooves. “Oh my gosh, do you realize what’s going on?”

“That we’re talking about a boy in a totally non-romantic context, despite being the two girls in our group with the clearest interest in the opposite gender?” She chuckled. “Darling, it happens all the time.”

“Still, somepony could walk in and hear us talking about him and think all kinds of crazy things.” The alicorn sighed. “I’m just relieved that nopony thinks our entire world revolves around him.”

“Of course not, darling! And I think that Quiver’s rather glad that it doesn’t. After all, I don’t like the idea of the universe revolving around me either.” A sheepish grin formed on her face as she admitted, “At least, not all the time. A little bit of attention here and there is always welcome.”

Despite herself, Twilight giggled. “I guess. Still, it’s hard to escape it when you’re an alicorn.”

“Oh please! We both remember how things were in Manehattan! They didn’t give a rat’s hindquarters that you were royalty!” Rarity once again thoughtfully considered her statement. “Which I suppose is both good and bad, considering. I mean, it’s good that they don’t fear reprisal from the government over something so inconsequential, one doesn’t want to live in a dictatorship after all, but still, being dismissive towards a pony of your social standing doesn’t really speak well for them personally.”

“No, but I don’t know which is worse, disinterest or being put on a pedestal.”

Rarity gave her friend a comforting smile. “Well, be assured that there are certain ponies who will always treat you with the respect that you deserve, with those who love you being on the top of that list.”

“Speaking of, mail’s here!” Spike re-entered with a small stack of letters. “Here’s everything that wasn’t obviously junk. I put the important stuff on top.”

Twilight took up the letters in her magic, and her eyes widened in glee as she tore the first envelope open.She read over its contents and did her best to hold back her excitement. At Rarity’s eager expression, she explained, “Flash has some leave time scheduled for this weekend! He’s coming to Ponyville to visit with his family, and spend time with me, and…!”

“Oh, say no more, Twilight, this is wonderful!” Rarity paused and realized, “Of course, this means Flash will need to meet your parents soon. Neither’s an issue, of course, I mean, I doubt that your parents or his will disapprove of either of you dating, but still…”

Twilight groaned, but her real mood was betrayed by the smile on her face. “Well, at least I have a cover for the non-romantic stuff.”

“Speaking of, you’ve never mentioned Quiver around Flash, have you?” At Twilight curious expression, Rarity explained, “I mean, we don’t want to risk some sort of…”

“They’ve met already, Rarity. You remember that weekend Cadance came to visit, and that mess with Discord?”

“Oh! Well, that simplifies things immensely.”

A weary sigh escaped Quiver’s lips as he made his way down Ponyville’s streets towards home. It had been a long and productive day at his workplace, albeit a very tiring one, and he was looking forward to settling down, making himself a nice dinner, and enjoying a little peace and quiet. He might even get a little writing done if he was lucky, and there was no clue how well things would go there once his new housemate moved in.

“Quiver! Hey, Qui-VERRR!”

The weary expression turned into a foul one as hoofsteps heralded the approach of his coworker. “Leading Rose. What brings you this way?”

“Nuthin’.” The pudgy stallion flashed his usual leering grin. “Just saw you, wanted to say you did a great job today.”

“Thanks.”

“So, you up to anything tonight? Goin’ out on the town, hangin’ with any mares?”

“I’m staying home, having a good meal, and getting rested for another day at work tomorrow.”

“That sounds boring. You gotta get out more, have some adventure, meet some hot mare and…”

“Quiver!” Their attention went to a familiar rosy pink Earth pony mare. “Just the stallion I was looking for!”

Quiver’s expression brightened significantly, which only prompted a greater leer from Leading Rose. “Guess you’ve got that covered. See ya, and hey, talk with Bright Star about replenishin’!”

The pudgy stallion went on his way, Quiver barely shooting him a glare before turning his attention to his landlady. “Hello Miss Lily. Is there a problem with the house or my fellow tenant-to-be?”

“No, though I feel like I might’ve just stumbled onto something myself. That stallion somepony you know?”

Quiver rolled his eyes. “Coworker. Minor nuisance. Like arsenic, tolerable in small doses.”

Gilded Lily stifled a laugh at that remark. “I know the type, unfortunately.” She recovered herself and continued, “In any case, I wanted to talk with you about something that happened on Saturday at Golden Oak Library.”

Quiver suddenly became more anxious about the current conversation. “Oh. I guess Twilight’s told you about my little confrontation with Diamond Tiara?”

“As has Scootaloo.” The older mare gave him a reassuring smile. “Relax. I’m not mad at you over what you did. And from what I heard from both of them, it sounded as though Diamond Tiara needed the calling out.”

“Well, that’s what I thought at the time, but the way Twilight reacted…” He sighed. “I don’t think I should regret it, and I’m trying my best not to, but…”

“Then don’t. You stood up to a bully on behalf of my niece and her friends, and that’s nothing to be ashamed over.”

“Well, all I did was something that I wish other ponies had done for me when I was younger.” Quiver frowned and admitted, “I had my own Diamond Tiara when I was a foal. Powerful, from a wealthy family, could get away with murder if they tried. It’s a credit to you that Scootaloo isn’t anything like that.”

A sad expression crossed the mare’s face. “I can’t take all the credit for that. My brother-in-law’s sister and her partner have been looking after her where I haven’t.”

“Yeah, I’ve been wondering about that. Where are Scootaloo’s parents?” A worried look crossed his face as Quiver asked, “They aren’t dead, are they?”

Gilded Lily shook her head. “No, thankfully, but with their lifestyle, it’s always a risk. My sister and her husband are zoologists. They travel Equestria and the wider world studying all sorts of exotic animals and creatures. Naturally, they couldn’t take Scootaloo with them, and Holiday didn’t want to move, so…” She sighed and shook her head regretfully. “Anyway, there’s a lot that I’d rather not go into.”

Quiver offered a sympathetic smile. “You don’t have to. They couldn’t look after her, and you stepped in. I know ponies who can sympathize with that. Regardless of your relationship with her, Scootaloo knows you love her and care for her. That goes a long way.”

“Perhaps, but a parent’s love only goes so far.” She sighed and admitted, “I’ve barely spoken to Diamond Tiara’s father, but I’ve not heard any complaints against him. Filthy Rich is a good stallion so far as I’ve seen, as dedicated to his work as he is to his family. That Diamond’s turning out the way she has is terrible, and as much as I hope that he’s not to blame, well…”

“Well, if being a single parent was easy… wait a second, her father is Filthy Rich? As in Barnyard Bargains?” Gilded Lily nodded, and Quiver rubbed his chin in surprise. “Huh. No wonder he’s busy. But I thought he was married.”

“He is, but I haven’t interacted with the family enough to know her that well, and I don’t trust rumors. Rumors get you into trouble.”

“Then let’s not talk rumors. Stick to facts.”

The mare raised an eyebrow. “Beyond the fact that Spoiled Rich is on the school board, and was appointed to the position some years ago, I’m afraid that I don’t have anything else that I can tell you. Now, if I may change the subject?” At Quiver’s nod, she asked, “Are you all ready for your new house-mate?”

“I’ve been ready since I cleared out all of Luster Drain’s possessions. I just wish I had a date for their arrival.”

“Me too. Hopefully I’ll have something firm for you by the end of the week. Right now, however, some advice? Be careful about whose feathers you end up ruffling, hm?”

Quiver gave his best reassuring smile. “I’ll do my best.”

With a nod and a wave, the two parted ways and Quiver continued towards home. His mind was aswirl with thoughts and possibilities, however, both unpleasant and worrisome. He was all but convinced that Leading Rose would be on his case over Gilded Lily, though how much of that was paranoia and how much past experiences he wasn’t certain, but an obnoxious coworker was minor compared to the puzzle he’d been presented with.

Quiver wasn’t a psychologist, but in many ways a writer needed tools similar to one to do their work. If a character acted inconsistently, then a reader would notice. Besides, how a pony came to be the way they were was always something that fascinated him, and often, the quality of a pony could come down to how they were raised. Wealth meant security, but one couldn’t buy morality or character with all the gold in all the world’s vaults. It was something that had to be learned, or taught. And how much Diamond Tiara was learning or being taught by her parents was very much up for debate.

Regardless, he found himself hoping that he hadn’t stepped in something that he shouldn’t, even if what he did was morally right. The fewer inconveniences he dealt with, the better.

As he approached his home, he caught sight of a familiar grey pegasus with a yellow mane tucking a letter into his mailbox. She turned to him and waved. “Hi Quiver!”

“Hi Derpy! Long day?”

She smiled. “Yep, but worth it!”

"That makes two of us." What anxieties he had faded as he smiled back and waved the mailmare on her way. He then looked into his mailbox and retrieved his mail, then entered his home. “Hey Edgar.”

The raven poked his head out of his enclosure. “Hello!” He then flew over onto his friend’s head and gently ran his beak along one of Quiver’s ears. “Mail?”

“Hm-hmm.” He put aside the obvious junk mail to examine one letter, the envelope professionally printed and stamped. He grimaced at the return address and tossed it into the trash with the rest of what he’d gotten that day. “And nothing I need to worry about. You up for dinner?”

Chapter Three - Something Sour This Way Comes

The rest of the week went by with little incident, at least for Quiver’s part. As each day passed he found himself getting a little more anxious about his coming housemate. With no word yet from Gilded Lily regarding their arrival, the most he could do was keep their room clean and try to stay patient.

Patience, unfortunately, was not a virtue that he was good at practicing, though he had gotten better about it. And regardless, it was the end of the week, and a weekend at home was a decent enough consolation prize. He just had to get through the remainder of the day at work, and he would be in the clear.

A chime sounded from his list, and Quiver looked to find that he’d been moved to another area for pick. “Barely here for fifteen minutes. Must be a slow afternoon.” He then slipped out of his cart, moved his basket to the conveyor belt, and moved his cart to their designated waiting area. List in hoof, he went off on his way…

“AUGH!”

Quiver pulled his right front hoof back in pain once the other pony’s hoof lifted off of his. He looked up to find a pony’s hindquarters sticking out of one aisle, a large stower’s cart on his opposite side. The stallion turned back with a dull-eyed look and remarked, “Sorry bro.”

Quiver frowned, and gingerly made his way to his supervisor’s station, all the while doing his best to maintain his cool. He caught sight of whom he’d hoped to see, and his mood brightened. “Bright Star, you got a second? I just had a run-in with a stower.” He rubbed his hoof and grumbled, “Literally.”

The mare winced in sympathy as she retrieved some paperwork and a pencil. “What happened?”

“Stower backed up and stepped on me while pulling their cart back.” The paper and pencil were laid out before him as Quiver set his list down. “Last I checked, they weren’t supposed to do that.”

“I’ll have a word with their department head. You want to get that looked at by the on-site nurse?”

Quiver finished writing up his incident report, spat out the pencil and then rolled his jaw in discomfort. If ever there was a reason to lament being an earth pony, the lack of dexterity in his extremities was it. “No, it’s not bleeding. Just hurts like Tartarus.”

“Well, I was about to call for folks to head home early for the day. Something tells me you’re not going to say no to it after this.”

Quiver smirked. “An injury and slow picks? How is that not incentive enough to head home early?” And if he was lucky, maybe he’d get word regarding his new housemate.

As the many residents of Ponyville went about their business on this particular Friday, few paid much attention to the newcomer in their midst. This suited the pale gold unicorn just fine as she made her way through town, a map floating ahead of her in a golden aura clear in the mid-afternoon sun, if only so that she could avoid somepony staring at her for scowling. So what if she was a little frustrated? It wasn’t her fault that this was the worst map she’d ever seen, or that this town didn’t have any street signs!

Seriously, how was a pony supposed to find their way around a place without something to guide them?!

With a frustrated groan, she found herself about to crumple up the horrible excuse for a map that she’d been given and toss it into the nearest trash bin – that she could find one of those with little trouble was at least a small comfort – before she stopped, took a cleansing breath, and neatly folded the map and tucked it away into her saddlebags. Lashing out would do her little good, and getting angry was never productive. And she did want to make a good impression, given today was kinda-sorta the first day for her new job. If the map failed, then she had an alternative – ask for directions. It was doubtful that anypony in town wouldn’t know about her destination, after all.

A satisfied smile crossed her muzzle as she congratulated herself upon keeping her cool. She then stood up and cast her eyes upon the first pony she saw, and approached. “Excuse me, miss, could you help me with something?”

“I sure hope I can –!” The pink mare with the poufy mane looked at her for barely a second before she let out a massive gasp and jumped into the air with excitement. “Omigoshomigoshomigosh!”

The unicorn raised an eyebrow. “Excuse me?”

“You’re new! I’ve never met you before, and I know everypony in Ponyville…” The pink mare pulled her in close enough that the unicorn’s indigo eyes had a clear view of the earth pony’s bright blue ones and continued, “…And I mean everypony in Ponyville…” She then released her and continued, “…So that means you’re new!”

“Obviously. Now if you could…”

But the mare seemed blissfully unaware that she’d spoken. “Which means I have to throw you a party! I’d roll out the welcome wagon for you right now, but I’m not finished cleaning out the confetti cannons – I put cake batter in them by mistake again!”

“How terrible, now about…”

“So I’m just gonna have to throw you a super-special party instead! It’s gonna be amazing, and I’ll make sure to decorate the banners with your Cutie Mark, which is really cool by the way with the diamond crosshair-thingy…!”

This was the last thing she needed to deal with, between the least helpful map in the history of cartography to the most poorly-laid out town in Equestria to the most gab-happy pony in all of creation. Under these circumstances, it would be natural for anypony to snap.

“Oh, thank you! I’d love a party!”

How she snapped, however, was more evocative of whiplash.

“Except all I want right now are directions, and I’d have them by now if I wasn’t dealing with some vapid little cotton-candy-brained…!” She paused at the shocked look from the mare before her, pulled back and collected herself. “Sorry, sorry, I shouldn’t have gone off like that.”

The mare’s answer, thankfully, was slower and more relaxed than before, if only by a small margin. “No, no, it’s okay. I was caught up in what I wanted to do, and that wasn’t very nice for you, was it?” The pink pony smiled and offered a hoof. “Let’s start over. Hi! I’m Pinkie Pie! Welcome to Ponyville! How may I help you?”

Now feeling much calmer than before, the mare accepted the offered hoof and responded in kind. “Hello Pinkie Pie. My name is Sour Sweet. Thank you for the welcome. I’m…” She noticed the wide-eyed look of amazement in Pinkie’s eyes and rolled her own. “Go ahead.”

A beaming smile answered her. “Thank you!” The party pony then gasped and exclaimed, “SOUR SWEET?!” Her apparent shock faded almost instantly as she noted, “Where have I heard that name before? I know that I’ve read it somewhere, but I can’t remember …” She shrugged and added, “Eh, it’ll come to me. So what brings you to Ponyville? Doing the touristy-thing?”

“No, actually I’m moving here. I was told to head somewhere first thing, and that a pony there would help me with everything else…”

“But you can’t find the place that you’re looking for?” At Sour’s nod, Pinkie exclaimed, “Well don’t you worry! I know Ponyville like the back of my hooves, so tell me where you need to go, and I’ll get you there lickety-split!”

“Golden Oak Library.”

“Really? That’s an easy one! Follow me!” Pinkie then started bounding off towards the place in question, Sour following reasonably close behind and hoping that her guide knew where she was going. Otherwise, this was going to be a really lousy day.

Calling today a lousy one wasn’t quite a fair assessment, but Twilight certainly found herself in a foul mood as she went over her notes regarding the Tree of Harmony and its mysterious chest once more. The more she’d gone over them hoping for a revelation of some sort, the less success she’d found. And with a couple hours to go before the arrivals or her evening talk with Quiver and Cheerilee, she had nothing to distract herself with.

“Mail’s here!”

Her attention was immediately turned to the door as she dashed to Spike and took up the mail in her magic. She frantically glanced over each letter until she found one that she’d been hoping for. “Oh, please let this be good news!” She left the rest of the mail with Spike and opened the letter only for her eagerness to fade after the first read-through. She groaned. “Fantastic.”

“What’s wrong, Twilight?”

“Bad news from the town of Promise, Spike.” Twilight handed the letter off to him as she slowly walked off to the diagram of the Chest. “Pretty much the same bad news Cadance gave me when she visited.”

With a raised eyebrow, Spike looked over the letter. “‘Princess Twilight Sparkle, we thank you for your interest in the nearby forest of Dusky Dale, however we can assure you that there is nothing of interest there.’” He looked up from the letter and asked, “Don’t these guys realize that you wouldn’t be taking an interest in it just because? And even if they didn’t, wouldn’t they be happy for a visit from Equestria’s newest princess?”

“It isn’t common knowledge that the Elements of Harmony were lost in order to stop the spread of the plundervines, Spike. Princess Celestia’s doing her best to keep that information out of public circulation in order to avoid a panic.” Twilight herself wasn’t certain that was the wisest course, but Celestia did have several centuries more experience in these matters than she did. “Besides, I get the feeling that anypony that wants to settle that far out of the way is mostly interested in keeping to themselves. Someone from the government, even Equestria’s newest princess, might not be all that welcome, even for a brief visit.”

“Still though, you’re not going to just let this one go, right?” Spike gestured to a nearby map and explained, “Cadance already ruled out the area near the Crystal Empire when she visited, and we’re still waiting to hear back from the authorities in Neigh Orleans. That’s one off the list and a second one that’s still a big maybe. I don’t even wanna know what the ponies from Hollow Shades will tell us.”

“I don’t want to let this go, but…” Twilight practiced one of her breathing exercises and collected herself. “You’re right, Spike. I’ll send them another letter and explain the situation as clearly as I can, and if that doesn’t work, we’ll ask Celestia for her help. They might be able to refuse me, but no way will they refuse her.”

“Because if they do, then she’ll figure something’s up and just come anyway, right?”

“Exactly.” Twilight allowed herself a small giggle at that thought. While some could call it abuse of authority, there was little stopping Celestia from acting if it was in the national interest. “Now, kindly take a…”

“Hi Twilight!” The two were interrupted as the library door opened and a familiar pink mare pronked her way inside. Pinkie paused as she caught Spike in the midst of taking up quill and readying paper and asked, “Oops, sorry, did I catch you guys at a bad time?”

The princess sighed and rolled her eyes. “Don’t worry Pinkie, we won’t break out the newspaper this time.” As Spike set aside his instruments, she turned to her friend and asked, “So, what’s up?”

“I’ve got somepony here who wants to see you!” She stepped aside as she continued to explain, “At least, I think she’s here to see you. She told me that she was coming here to the library, and only you and Spike live here, so I assumed…”

“Thank you, Pinkie Pie, I can take things from here.” Twilight’s attention turned to the newcomer as said mare attempted to hide her frustrated expression. Recognition and relief were clear in her indigo eyes as she caught sight of the princess. “Princess Twilight Sparkle. Honored to meet you, ma’am.”

Twilight recognized her stance all too easily. “Thank you, miss…?”

“Oh, excuse me.” She pulled a scroll from her saddlebags and presented it to her with her magic, then stood at attention. “First Lieutenant Sour Sweet, Equestrian Royal Guard Special Forces. I’ve been assigned as your security detail.”

Pinkie let out a theatrical gasp at this. “You’re in the Royal Guard?!” At Sour’s irked glance, the party mare shook her head and noted, “Nope, that’s still not it. It’ll come to me.”

The newcomer turned to the princess and the dragon only for Spike to explain, “This is normal for Pinkie.”

“Security detail?” Twilight put aside the scroll and turned her attention to the lieutenant. “My apologies, Lieutenant, but I never asked for a security detail, even a small one. I’ve no doubt that you’re qualified, they wouldn’t send some newbie fresh from the Academy to keep me safe, but…”

“Highness, before you say anything else, you should read this.” Another scroll was removed from her saddlebags as Sour Sweet explained, “This comes from Princess Celestia herself. It should explain everything.”

Twilight took up the scroll in her magic and read it aloud. “‘My dearest Twilight, I apologize for the manner in which I’m bringing this to your attention, but I thought this approach would be the best one in light of recent circumstances. I am well aware of your recent adventure in the jungles of Maretonia with Miss Yearling…’”

The princess paused and looked to her friend, who returned her look with a blank stare. “What? Doesn’t surprise me that she knows the truth.”

Twilight rolled her eyes and continued, “‘…and, taking into account the incident with the plundervines, I think it best for you to have a permanent security detail going forward. Lieutenant Sour Sweet is a decorated officer and a veteran of the attack upon Canterlot by Queen Chrysalis and her hive, as well as a recipient of the Bronze Heart of Valor for her actions therein. I trust her with my life, and am confident that you can trust her with your own.’” She rolled up the scroll and asked, “You were in Canterlot during the invasion?”

“Just fresh from my extended course at the Academy, too. May I?” At the princess’s nod, the soldier set aside her saddlebags and explained, “I was only one of ten officers who avoided capture during the battle, and it was a near thing in my case. Prince Shining Armor and Princess Cadenza sent those roaches flying just as I and some of the others were getting glued down by that gunk of theirs.” A grin of grim satisfaction formed on her face as she added, “Not that I made it easy for them.”

Nopony was eager for her to elaborate on that point, and Twilight gave a resigned sigh. “Fine. I have a security detail. A one-pony security detail, but still, a security detail.” She could almost feel the lieutenant’s mood sour further as she sat there, and quickly amended, “It’s not you, Lieutenant, it’s… I never asked to be a princess. I certainly never wanted it, or anything that it entailed. But an alicorn citizen of Equestria is automatically royalty under laws going all the way back to Equestria’s founding, and after I ascended, well, that was it. Never mind that it immediately put me up above my friends whether I wanted to be or not. Never mind that compared to me they’re…”

The sour look on Twilight’s face prompted Pinkie Pie to offer, “Peasants?”

A nod. “I’ve made it clear more times than not that I wouldn’t be here today without them. Where are their special privileges, their rank and nobility? The only reason they didn’t ascend with me was because of something I had no control over. I’ve accepted that, and so did they, but I don’t want them treated any differently from me.”

“And I’m an armed, walking reminder of the fact that you’re suddenly vastly more important than they are just because of sheer dumb luck, and it’d soothe your conscience if there were five or six more of me for each of your friends, right?”

“Well, yes!” Twilight’s gaze was fixed upon the unflinching officer as she exclaimed, “That’s exactly what I want! Don’t they deserve what I’ve gotten too?!” Her cries were met with a light chuckle, then full-on laughter from the mare before her as she remarked, “What…?”

“I’m sorry, but…” Her laughter died down. “That was just the most refreshingly honest thing I’ve heard in a while. I needed it.” She took a deep breath and added, “And I agree with you. Trouble is that the Royal Guard’s stretched thinner than anyone in the guard itself would like. We’re still working to get the local contingent for the Crystal Empire up to full strength. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna are trying to get measures passed in Congress, but between the hippies and the bureaucrats…” She groaned. “Anyway, that’s beside the point. I get where you’re coming from, but like it or not, I’m here. And that’s not changing anytime soon.”

Twilight accepted that with a nod, then stood to her full height. “I suppose not. In any case, welcome to Ponyville.” She looked over the mare before her and asked, “So, Special Forces? I assume that your status as my protection detail is classified?”

“To all but a select few. You, Mayor Mare, your fellow princesses, Prince Shining Armor, senior military officials, Sir Spike…” She paused there to give the dragon a small nod before continuing. “…as well as your fellow bearers and those of senior rank involved in the reconstruction of the Castle of the Two Sisters. Beyond that, it’s been left to my discretion who knows and who doesn’t.” She then gave a sympathetic smile. “And if it helps, I can totally understand. In your case though, it’s a lot less tragic.” She then turned and glared at Pinkie Pie. “And I am not getting into it at this time, thank you very much.”

The party mare accepted that with a nod. “Okey-dokey-lokey. You can talk about it when you’re ready. Anywho, I gotta get going – Sugarcube Corner awaits!”

As Pinkie trotted out of the library, Sour turned back to Twilight as the princess shook her head. “You get used to it. It helps that Pinkie usually has a method to her madness.” She then changed the subject back to where it had been and continued, “So, your dispatch said that your cover story was that you were my new assistant librarian. Do you at least have some library training?”

“No, but I’m a fast learner and my favorite aunt’s a librarian.”

“Better than nothing, I guess.” That comment earned Spike a couple glares before he continued, “Well fine, but as far as that goes, you’re the number three assistant.” A familiar owl fluttered onto Sour’s back as he explained, “That’s Owlowiscious. He’s the number two assistant.”

“Hoo.”

Sour turned back to consider Owlowiscious before rolling her eyes. “Fair enough. Now that’s settled, I was told you could help me with something else. I need to find a mare named Gilded Lily about my living arrangements. And it would help a lot if I could actually navigate this town.” She glared and noted, “Seriously. You have no street signs here.”

Twilight smiled reassuringly. “I’m doing what I can on that department, but you’ll have to get used to it for now. Anyway, as for Gilded Lily, that won’t be a problem. I need to run an errand before my meeting tonight anyway, and her office is on the way. I can help you get acquainted with the town, and you can get an early start on keeping me secure.”

Sour maintained a neutral expression as she considered the princess’ suggestion. “Princess Celestia told me that you appreciated efficiency.” She then managed a smile of her own. “I’m glad to see she was right. Now, for the time being, may I leave my things here?”

“Of course.”

Sour sighed in relief as she followed the princess out of the library. Hopefully, this was a sign that things were looking up, and the rest of the day would go smoothly despite the frustrations that had gone her way.

The day looked sunny indeed for the colts and fillies at play outside of the Ponyville Schoolhouse. Recess was in session, and the various foals were enjoying themselves with assorted carefree activities of childhood. In the midst of all this, the Cutie Mark Crusaders were playing foursquare with Pipsqueak, enjoying themselves and with all thoughts of schoolwork and chasing down their cutie marks set aside.

“Yoo-hoo!” The game paused as Diamond Tiara called out for everypony’s attention, Silver Spoon at her side as usual. “Gather ‘round, everypony! It’s time!”

Foals all over the schoolyard gathered curiously. The Crusaders, unsurprisingly, hung back, frowns on their faces. “What do you guys think she’s up to now?”

Apple Bloom considered Scootaloo’s question. “Ah dunno, but let’s keep outta the splash zone.”

As they backed off as much as they could, and effectively closed in on the schoolhouse, Diamond called out to her audience. “As you all know, I had promised to put on an amazing, first-time-ever acrobatic display for you all today!” The gathered foals eagerly cheered, only to turn silent as the filly continued, “I know, it’s exciting, but I’m tired. I’ve put so much work into that story assignment from last week, making it perfect!”

The crowd offered sympathetic ‘awws’ at her theatrical pout, even as the Crusaders rolled their eyes. “Seriously?” Sweetie Belle quietly noted to her friends, “We’ve already gotten ours finished and turned in. It wasn’t that hard.”

“But I did not wish to disappoint you all.” She gestured to her side as an aged pony, looking very much as if he could match Granny Smith in years, slowly approached. “So I’ve brought my butler Randolph to do them for me!”

With an unsteady bow, the elderly stallion then performed a pair of backflips, landing the second time with his back to the crowd of foals. He then jumped upwards and spun in the air, before making a perfect landing on his four hooves and standing proud, only for the moment to be ruined as he was shoved to one side by his charge and landed hard upon his back. The awestruck foals rushed past the elderly stallion, all their attention on Diamond Tiara as he sought to recover himself.

“That was amazing, Diamond Tiara!” Silver Spoon cheered.

“I know.” A smug expression was on the rich filly’s face as she admitted, “I don’t know how I do it.”

While their peers showed off their admiration, the Crusaders looked amongst themselves as Apple Bloom remarked, “Ah can’t believe this.”

“I can, unfortunately.” The three fillies looked up as a familiar stallion approached them from behind, his gaze fixed upon the sight before him. “Some songs and dances, unfortunately, never go away no matter how old they get.”

The trio looked up as Sweetie Belle called out in pleasant surprise. “Mister Quiver Quill! What are you doing here?”

“I got off work early. The road back home for me goes by the schoolhouse. Excuse me for a second, girls.” Quiver then purposefully strode past them towards the older stallion and offered a hoof. “Pardon me sir, do you need assistance?”

The elderly stallion accepted the hoof. “Thank you young sir.”

As Quiver helped him to stand, the younger stallion remarked, “That was a very impressive display of acrobatics. Where did you learn how to do all of that?”

A proud smile crossed Randolph’s face. “I’m actually self-taught, sir. Since my youth I’ve been impressed by the aerial displays of pegasi, and…”

“Randolph, did I tell you to stop?” The two turned as Diamond Tiara approached with a cross expression on her face and her attention going from her servant to her apparent lesser. “And you! What do you think you’re doing?”

“Helping him and complimenting him.” If Quiver was in any way intimidated by the filly before him, he showed no sign. “Which is a great deal more than you and most of the other foals here have done.”

“Wha-?” Diamond shook her head and scowled at the stallion. “He’s my butler!”

“First off? He’s not your butler, he’s your family’s butler. Your parents, or specifically your father, writes his checks, not you. And second, even if you were the one paying his bills, that gives you no excuse to bring him out like some trained dog and perform for your classmates, nor does it allow you to shove him around. A gross lack of respect for him aside, given his age, he could have been injured. Did that thought even occur to you, or were you more interested in getting praise for doing absolutely nothing?”

The filly stammered before she remarked, “What gives you the right to say how I should treat the ponies who work for me?!”

“Taking that as a no.” Quiver’s eyes narrowed dangerously as he kept his gaze fixed on the filly before him. “And basic pony decency gives me the right. And seeing as you’ve brought it up, what gives you the right to do this? Money? Wealth? Power? You only have those things because of your parents, primarily your father’s work and labor. Now I’ve heard lots of good things about your father, little missy, about how he’s built upon the foundations laid by his father and grandfather before him, and how he’s earned a degree of respect in this town, but from my perspective, a parent who fails to teach their kids about basic pony decency doesn’t deserve the title. You haven’t learned any of that from him, or earned any goodwill compared to him, or much of anything. All you’ve done is take advantage of what he and others have given you, rather than work off your own talents and show your own capabilities, and sooner or later that’s going to come back and…”

Quiver was violently interrupted as Diamond Tiara stomped hard on his right front hoof, causing him to howl in pain. “Don’t you talk about my daddy like that!” As Quiver collapsed forwards, Diamond rushed to his right side and bucked him hard, which prompted another howl. “He’s the best daddy in the world and –!”

“Diamond Tiara!” Every foal present froze and turned towards the schoolhouse to see Cheerilee looking onto the display in shock. “What in Equestria do you think you’re doing?!” Before the filly could stammer an excuse, the teacher countered, “No, I don’t want to hear it! Over here, now!” A few foals approached and helped Quiver back to his feet as the teacher called, “Mister Quiver! Are you alright?”

The stallion nodded. “Well enough to walk, yes. Please excuse me.” He then gingerly made his way off the school grounds, keeping his gaze forward and trying to ignore all the faces locked upon him.

As they watched him go, the Crusaders looked among themselves as Sweetie Belle asked the question going through all of their minds. “You think he’s okay?”

“He should be. Ah mean, even Ah’d have trouble hurtin’ a grown stallion with a good buck, and Diamond Tiara ain’t near as strong as me.” Apple Bloom looked to her two friends. “Either a’ y’all think that was a little scary though?”

“Maybe, but considering who it was aimed at…” Scootaloo glanced over towards their tormentor as Diamond Tiara was trooped into the schoolhouse on her own. “You ever miss when things were a lot more black and white?”

Apple Bloom frowned. She’d been personally hurt by Diamond Tiara more than any of her friends, even though Scootaloo could present a small case otherwise, and even she found herself a little worried about her tormentor’s current state. And Quiver might have been pushing things, even if what he’d said had been true. “Part a’ growin’ up, ah guess.”

Gilded Lily’s office was normally a quiet one, the most exciting time in it having been some weeks ago when Princess Twilight Sparkle had visited with a friend in tow. That was something the mare was glad for, as she’d had enough of excitement in her profession prior to going into real estate. With that in mind, she could easily take note of some excitement in her offices, and could often gauge what the causes were. No birthdays, no celebrations, so…

She stood up from her desk as a knock sounded at her office door. “Come in!” The door opened with a glow of magic, and she greeted the mare at the other side with a nod and a smile. “Princess Twilight. Please come in.” She noticed the mare with her and greeted her similarly as the door shut behind them. “And you must be my new client. Pleased to meet you, Lieutenant.”

“Likewise, ma’am. And I’d appreciate you not making too big of a deal out of my position.” As the three took some seats, Sour Sweet prodded, “So, I’m told you have a place ready to go for me?”

“It’s a small place, two bedrooms. Bit of a history to it, however. The first tenant I had for it moved in just after the Summer Sun Celebration, but there was some trouble.” Lily looked to Twilight and explained, “You remember Luster Drain?”

Twilight nodded, then turned to Sour. “She took in another tenant without informing Gilded Lily, even drew up a fraudulent rental agreement for him to sign. Unfortunately for her, that tenant happened to be a friend of mine, and he had the good sense to keep a copy of the contract in his lockbox. He showed it to Miss Lily, and Luster ended up going to jail.”

“And I’m looking forward to testifying at her next hearing.” She brought up a folder and passed it forward to her new tenant. “In any case, she’d used the other tenant’s money to pay for the next month of rent, so I let him continue to live there. He’s paid for the next month, but I’d assume he’ll want you to start paying your part of it. His name’s on the agreement in that folder. He’s a good stallion, and he seemed to have no problems with you moving in.”

That tidbit got Sour curious as she opened the folder and looked over the agreement, and her eyes went wide at the name listed for her co-tenant. “You’re kidding me.”

A knock sounded at the door, and at Gilded Lily’s call, it opened and a familiar voice called into the room. “Sorry to bug you over this, Miss Lily, but…”

Sour immediately turned about to find her indigo eyes on the brown ones of a familiar stallion. They narrowed as she rose from her chair, her voice grim. “Quiver Quill.”

“Sour Sweet.” A grim look formed upon Quiver’s face as he stepped forward, the door closing behind him. “Of all the mares to show up in all of Equestria, it had to be you.”

The other two mares present suddenly turned alarmed as Twilight asked, “I take it the two of you know one another?”

“We do, and I’ve been waiting a while to say this.” The tension that was in the room broke as Quiver’s grim expression turned into a pleased smile. “It’s great to see you!”

Sour’s expression soon matched his as the pair cried out in joy, hugged and laughed. “Right back at ya, you big idiot!” The hug broke as she asked, “But what are you doing in Ponyville?”

“I live here! I’m surprised you didn’t hear it from Grandmare, all those times you go and visit with her!”

“Yeah, well, I don’t visit, remember? Mom visits, and I get dragged along. And every time that happens, Mom tries to talk about me, Grandmare steers the topic back to you-know-who, and I can’t get a word in edgewise.”

“Wait, hold on, somepony slow down and tell me…!”

“Omigoshomigoshomigosh!” A drawer on Gilded Lily’s desk popped open as Pinkie Pie emerged to answer Twilight’s question. “That’s why her name was so familiar!”

Sour turned back and looked at the mare with shock. “How in…?”

The realtor in the room simply rubbed one temple with her hoof. “I try not to think about it. Pinkie, in the future…”

The party pony turned sheepish. “Oops. Sorry, Miss Lily.” She then hopped out of the mare’s desk, closed the drawer behind her and explained, “Anywho, that’s where I read your name before, Sour! In Quiver’s family record!” She got between them and hugged Sour and Quiver and explained to everypony else, “Quiver’s dad, Bitterhoof, and Sour’s mom, Bitter Sweet, are brother and sister! That makes the two of them first cousins! And now Quiver has biological family here in Ponyville!”

Quiver rolled his eyes, but the grin on his face would’ve been obvious to a blind man. “Watch out Sour, she’s going to be planning a party for you now.”

The mare was less thrilled than her cousin. “As if she wasn’t already?”

The stallion smiled and turned to his friend as the embrace ended. “Pinkie, I know you don’t do subtle, but maybe try something small and relaxed? And maybe not today?”

“Some time to settle in to town would be nice.” She turned to her cousin and smiled as the party pony moved out of the way. “And thankfully, finding my new place will be easy, despite the problems.”

“Noticed the lack of street signs, huh?” At his cousin’s nod, he noted, “Don’t worry. This town’s got plenty of landmarks. You’ll figure out how to navigate soon enough.”

The unicorn grinned and gently prodded her cousin in one shoulder. “I’m gonna hold you to that.” She then turned back to Gilded Lily and continued, “Anyway, I’ve no problems with my fellow tenant, and I believe you’ve gotten my first check for rent?”

A fountain-tip pen was produced as the realtor nodded. “Your half for the next two months. All that I’m waiting on is your signature.”

Sour took up the pen with her magic, and quickly examined the document before signing it. She received a copy, and returned the pen. “Fantastic.” She then turned to Twilight and said, “Now, you said something about an errand? I’m not officially on duty yet, but I think I’d better go with you. Just in case.”

“Of course. And Quiver can come along too if he likes.”

“I think I’d better.” He moved to one side as Pinkie opened the door for them to exit, his attention now on his cousin. “This’ll give us a good chance to catch up.”

“Yeah, speaking of, you alright? You’re favoring your left hoof.”

Quiver tried his best to be dismissive as Twilight made her way out and he and Sour followed. “Bad day at work. Idiot coworker stepped on it. It’s fine, or will be soon enough.”

Pinkie was the last to leave, and Gilded Lily settled back into her chair with some relief. If nothing else, one headache was over, and the rest of the day would probably be nice and quiet from here on out.

Author's Note

This chapter adapts the last elements from Twilight Time that I plan to bring into this story.

Sour Sweet being a unicorn is inspired by this bit of artwork from the artist sunset-sunrize. I'm really hoping that they don't mind. And as for why Twilight is having so much trouble getting to the town of Promise, well, anyone who's read A Great and Powerful Heart might be able to guess why.

Chapter Four - Sweet Reunions and Sad Signs

Spoiled Rich sat at the edge of her pool, content to enjoy a few moments of peace as her servants refilled her glass of iced tea. The day had been pleasant thus far, for the most part, as the household staff had diligently kept to its duties and followed standing orders. It always helped her mood when her inferiors knew to keep to their place. One thing about all of this, however, seemed off. “Randolph?”

“Excuse me, ma’am…”

A disgusted snort escaped her nostrils. “Rosemary, did I ask for you by name?”

“No ma’am, but…”

“If I was addressing you, I would have given your name, not that of Randolph.” She sat up and turned to the youngish maid, who looked as though she dearly wanted to be somewhere else at the moment. “Now I can think of only two reasons that you might be responding to the name of the head of household. The first is that you have gone deaf, which appears unlikely as you can clearly hear me speaking.”

“Yes ma’am.”

“Which leaves the second possibility, incompetence. And this family cannot afford to have incompetent employees in our housestaff, so unless you can adequately explain yourself to me, you will find yourself needing to work somewhere else in very short order.” A timid nod answered her, and Spoiled continued, “Now then, what in creation possessed you to answer me when I clearly requested Randolph?”

The maid gathered herself and answered, “Because Randolph isn’t present at the moment, ma’am. He was summoned away…”

“Summoned?!” Spoiled sat up. “By whom?! When?! I gave no leave for him to go anywhere off the grounds! Have you any idea where…?!” She paused in her demands as she caught sight of the wayward butler approaching the house, with her daughter following close behind. “Randolph! Come here at once and explain yourself!” She rose from her deck chair and met them at the gates, her gaze fixed upon the old stallion. “Well?”

“My apologies ma’am, but the young miss had need of my services, and…”

“And I was not informed of this?” She then turned her attention to her daughter. “Diamond Dazzle Tiara! Stop that cowering at once, and explain what you’re doing home this early!” The filly swiftly pulled a note from her panniers, which her mother quickly examined. “Suspension?”

“Yes ma’am, the young miss…”

“I can read the note perfectly well, Randolph!” With a huff, she looked to her daughter and ordered, “Go to your room, and stay there until called for.” She then turned and made her way back into her home. “I’ll see about this ‘suspension’. And those responsible will regret having caused it.”

“…Anyway, when I heard that there were jobs open at the Amazing facility here in Ponyville, I transferred out and moved in.” Quiver smiled and admitted, “I’ve had a few problems here and there since, but I can’t say that I regret it.”

Sour smiled and nudged her cousin in the side. “Well good for you, getting out on your own. You needed it.” She turned to the princess with some gratitude. “And thank you for looking out for him, ma’am.”

Twilight smiled back and answered, “Quiver’s my friend, Sour. How could I not look out for him?” Pinkie had since returned to Sugar Cube Corner, leaving the two cousins to accompany Twilight on her errand. The alicorn didn’t mind, of course, and had mostly kept silent as they made their way through Ponyville to the train station, and allowed them the chance to catch up. “Anyway, I’m glad that you have someone here in town that you know already. It’ll help you to settle in, especially considering how close the two of you sound.”

“Well, don’t let that deceive you. Sour and I only really see one another on special occasions. Holidays and big family dos and the like.” A slight frown crossed Quiver’s face as he explained, “In fact, the last time she and I saw one another before today was our grandfather’s funeral. Not a good day for any of us.”

Twilight turned to the cousins with sympathy. “Oh, I’m sorry. Were either of you close to him?”

Sour made a ‘so-so’ motion with one hoof. “Don’t get us wrong, but our grandpa was something of an acquired taste. He loved us, but he had a habit of cracking a few mean jokes here and there.”

“And being a bit of a nag. And worse, he and Grandmare tended to be a double-act in that department.” The stallion shook his head and remarked, “Anyway, now we can have some peace and quiet together, at least until we start driving each other nuts.”

“Hey, I’ve got plenty of ways to cool off steam, don’t worry.” A rueful smile crossed her face as Sour admitted, “Say what you like about the Royal Guard, we’ve got some good psych programs.” Her expression brightened as she added, “Speaking of, I think I might have you to thank for all this?”

“You mean you being here and serving as Twilight’s bodyguard?” At Twilight’s surprised expression, Quiver remarked, “Hey, I can read between the lines. After everything that went down in Maretonia, I’d have been surprised if you didn’t get a little extra security.” He gave Sour a proud smile. “And you couldn’t ask for better.” They finally arrived at the train station as he remarked, “So, whom do we have the honor of welcoming to Ponyville today? Somepony nice, I hope?”

“Well, you got on okay with him the last time he was in town.” Twilight looked down the tracks and smiled as a train arrived at the platform. “And thankfully, it looks like we’ve timed things just right.”

The train slowed to a halt, and ponies onboard emptied onto the platform, a few greeting those who had been there awaiting their arrival. As the crowd thinned, a familiar orange pegasus with a blue mane stepped into view, and beamed happily as he caught sight of his marefriend. “Twilight!”

“Flash!” The alicorn gleefully took the stallion into a warm embrace. “It’s great to see you!” She stepped back and asked, “How was the trip? No problems on the way?”

Flash Sentry smiled, clearly at ease with the sight of his marefriend. “No more than normal, thankfully.”

“Aside from you preening yourself like a peacock on the way over.” Flash’s attention turned to Sour Sweet as she smirked. “Hopper.”

“Two-Face.” He gave her a critical look and asked, “Here on assignment?”

“Helping your marefriend to keep her plot out of the fire.”

Flash smirked back. “In other words, doing jack.” He turned his attention to the stallion and offered a hoof. “Nice to see you again, Quiver. Now please tell me you and Sour aren’t dating.”

“Yeah, no, that’d be gross.” Quiver shared a quick hoof-bump with the stallion and explained, “Sour and I happen to be cousins. I guess the two of you went to the Academy together?”

“Yeah, but your cousin here stayed on a little longer than I did because of extra specialization courses.” He smirked and teased, “Teacher’s pet.”

“Hey, you weren’t complaining about those courses back when the changelings attacked. And you won’t be complaining the next time Princess Twilight goes off on an adventure and needs a little extra help.”

“No, I won’t.” He turned to Twilight and explained, “Seriously though, Sour’s good at what she does. There’s fewer ponies you’d want at your side in a tight fix.”

“Well, I just wish there were a few more of her for each of my friends.” As she led them off the platform and back into town, she asked, “So, ‘Two-Face’? How’d you get that nickname?”

Sour rolled her eyes. “On occasion, I’ve shown some trouble with anger management.” Her voice dropped to a low grumble as she groused, “Enough that the other foals thought I was crazy when I was younger, the little…” She shook her head and continued in a more relaxed tone, “Anyway, part of the reason I joined the military was to get a little discipline into my life. Worked out pretty well, but sometimes I still go off.” She frowned as she admitted, “Pinkie Pie learned that the hard way.”

Quiver gave his cousin a reassuring pat. “Pinkie means well, Sour. Sometimes, though, she gets a little ahead of herself, but she’s usually pretty good at figuring things like that out.” He then grinned and admitted, “And if she ever gets really out of hand, just do what I do and bop her on the nose with a newspaper.” At Sour’s surprised expression, he admitted, “I’m not kidding! A couple weeks back, she went a little loopier than normal, and Rarity and I had to step in.”

Twilight rolled her eyes. “Fluttershy’s stage fright and Pinkie beating Big Mac in that turkey call competition. Now there’s a tale to tell.” She looked to Flash and explained, “Anyway, you’re just here for the weekend?”

“That’s all the leave I was cleared for. Something tells me Princess Cadance would’ve been happy for me to be here longer, but…”

“But the Crystal Guard’s stretched thin, especially with the preparations for the Equestria Games.” Twilight smiled reassuringly and said, “Well, we’ll enjoy what time we have. If nothing else, you’ll have a little time to spend with me and your family, at least before things get really exciting.”

Flash chuckled. “Then I’d better get moving and get to my parents’ place. The way things are in Ponyville, it won’t be too long before something goes crazy.” He flashed an awkward grin and said, “Not that I don’t want to spend time with you, but…”

Twilight laughed. “Relax, I know what you meant.”

As they followed behind, Quiver and Sour shared a grin at the sight before them, and for respective reasons, hoped that the weekend to come would be a good one.

Applejack laughed as she escorted her younger sister home. “Ain’t quite nuthin’ like headin’ home from school on a Friday afternoon, huh Apple Bloom?” She turned back to find a troubled expression on the young filly’s face. “Alright, Ah know that look. What’s wrong?”

Apple Bloom looked as if she wanted to speak up, but kept mum. “It’s nuthin’.” The elder sibling gave the younger a raised eyebrow, and the latter winced. “Sorry Applejack, but…y’all remember when Babs visited?”

Applejack’s face sunk. “Yeah, Ah remember.”

“Well, Ah know when all that happened, ya’ll told me that Ah should’ve come to you when she started bullyin’ me and stuff, but…” The filly frowned, then quietly asked, “Would that’ve helped? Ah mean, it wasn’t just Babs givin’ me trouble. It was Diamond Tiara an’ Silver Spoon too, an’ fer longer than Babs was. Happened right in front’a you an’ lotsa other ponies, an’…”

Apple Bloom was interrupted as her big sister turned and took her into a tight embrace. She squeezed back as Applejack finished her sentence for her. “An’ nopony did anythin’ about it. Ah’m sorry sugarcube. Ah still feel lousy over failin’ to notice what Babs was doin’ when she was right under mah nose.”

“Then why haven’t ya done anythin’ ‘bout Diamond Tiara an’ Silver Spoon? Ah mean, they were buggin’ me and the other Crusaders plenty, before and since.” As the embrace ended, Apple Bloom bitterly noted, “An’ if it hadn’t been fer them, Babs probably wouldn’t’ve bullied us in the first place. Ah mean, we don’t depend that much on her daddy’s money to keep us outta the red, do we?”

Applejack rolled her eyes and remarked, “No, darlin’. The Apple Family fortunes ain’t dependent upon just one buyer or business contract, no matter how much Ah might fuss over ‘em.” They resumed their walk home as the elder sister continued, “Truth is that Ah ain’t really sure how to deal with bullyin’. Ah didn’t have to deal with it when Ah was a youngin’, an’ neither did Big Mac. Why that’s different in your case…” The mare sighed. “Anyway, what’s brought all this on?”

“Well, you remember me tellin’ you about last weekend, what happened at the library.” At her sister’s nod, Apple Bloom continued, “Well, today at school, durin’ recess, Diamond Tiara was havin’ her family butler perform fer the class, acrobatics an’ stuff.”

A low whistle. “Good fer Randolph that he can still pull those stunts off, but he’s been workin’ fer the Rich family since before you an’ Diamond were in diapers. He ain’t quite Granny’s age, but he’s gettin’ there.”

“Well, Diamond was soakin’ up all the attention fer what he was doin’, an’ knockin’ him round like he was a sandbag. And then Mister Quiver came along. He helped Randolph up, complemented him, acted right nice, and then when Diamond came along, well…”

“Golden Oak Round Two?”

A nod. “Only Quiver said some stuff an’ Diamond got mad an’ hit him an’ got punished fer it, and Ah ain’t sure how Ah feel about it. Ah mean, yeah, what Diamond did was wrong, and it felt a little good to see her get punished fer doin’ somethin’ wrong after all the trouble she’s put me through, especially considerin’ it feels like Quiver’s th’ only adult who’s stood up fer me an’ the Crusaders, but still, Ah feel a little conflicted ‘bout it. Especially takin’ what happened with Babs inta account.”

“How strikin’ back against a bully makes you a bully?” Applejack shook her head again. “Dang. Mom and Dad must be lookin’ down on me with shame.” At Apple Bloom’s surprised expression, the elder sister explained, “Darlin’, were me and mah friends bein’ bullies when we went inta the Everfree to retrieve the Elements and stop Nightmare Moon? Or when we stood up to Discord an’ the changelings an’ Sombra?”

“Well, no. Ah don’t think ya were.”

“An’ we weren’t. We were standin’ up to protect ourselves, our home an’ our loved ones. And you ain’t a bully if’n your actin’ to protect somepony, especially if’n ya stop once the attacker’s subdued an’ gives up. Now if’n you force yerself on someone, or ya do somethin’ with the intent ta’ hurt ‘em simply because ya can, then you’re bein’ a bully, no question.”

“Then why ain’t you or anypony else steppin’ in when Diamond Tiara’s pullin’ stunts like that and bein’ a bully? Ah mean, if’n she was punished for it, maybe she’d stop. Discord got turned to stone twice, and now he’s nicer.”

“Well, to you an’ Fluttershy, maybe.” Applejack grimaced as she remembered the last time Discord had visited Ponyville, and how she and Rarity had been left blue and sneezing for hours, not to mention the trouble Twilight had to endure. “Still, there’s some cases where the lesson don’t stick, and cases where there’s more factors than just one. Filthy Rich has never been anythin’ but civil with us Apples, and it’s clear he was the one punishin’ Diamond Tiara after she badmouthed Granny Smith, but…” At her sister’s curious expression, she shook her head. “Sorry Apple Bloom. Ah don’t like makin’ accusations about folks, nor sayin’ ill of ‘em without all the facts. Mom and Dad taught me better’n that. An’ even if they hadn’t, like Ah said, Filthy Rich’s been nuthin’ but civil towards us, even when he had reason to be otherwise. Ah can’t say the same about others, though, an’ Ah wish that Ah could.” She smiled and gently rubbed the top of her sibling’s head. “Still, you feelin’ uneasy about this, you feelin’ sorry for Diamond Tiara, that ain’t a bad thing. It means you got a good heart. And that ain’t nuthin’ to be ashamed of.”

That prompted a smile from Apple Bloom. “Thanks.” The two sisters continued on, and Apple Bloom admitted, “An’ Mom an’ Dad wouldn’t be ashamed a’ you, Applejack. They’d be proud, same as me.”

An uneasy smile crossed the elder Apple’s face. “Ah know, but there’s times where it feels like Ah could do better. Then again, nopony’s perfect.”

“You an’ Big Mac get pretty close.” The siblings shared a warm smile as Apple Bloom continued, “Sounds like you’ve been thinkin’ bout that fer a while though.”

“Kinda. You go through certain things, meet certain folks, you get to reconsiderin’ things. Often fer the better.”

The younger sibling grinned. “These certain folks don’t happen ta’ include a certain student a’ Twilight’s, would they?”

Applejack chuckled. “They might. And that just shows why you’re doin’ the right thing showin’ Diamond some basic decency. Someday, if’n she’s lucky, that gal will regret all the bad she’s caused. And she’ll need someone to help her find her way.”

Apple Bloom sighed. “Be nice if that day came sooner instead’a later.”

The elder sister bowed her head slightly. “Amen to that.”

In another corner of Ponyville, Silver Spoon quietly made her way down the short and familiar route that led between her home and that of her best friend. Her parents, busy as always, were out of town on business, and arrangements had already been made for her to stay with Diamond Tiara’s family over the weekend. How good or bad that was really depended upon your perspective, and Silver herself really didn’t know if it was one or the other.

Her friendship with Diamond had begun at right about the time the two started attending school. Her parents had met Filthy and Spoiled Rich when the latter two came into their antique store, and had made a good enough impression that Filthy Rich had suggested a playdate between the two. Things had progressed well from there, and between being the wealthiest foals in town and some similar circumstances, she and Diamond had become inseparable. They’d been there to witness one another earn their cutie marks, among other big events, and were practically sisters. And it was thanks to that close relationship that Silver could see Diamond at her lowest.

Silver Spoon wasn’t a psychologist. Her talents lay more towards appreciating the finer things in life, like good food and well-crafted furniture and goods, than they did figuring out the inner workings of a pony’s mind. But the way Spoiled Rich treated her daughter didn’t require much to figure things out. The trouble was that she didn’t really know what to do about the situation, and standing up to Spoiled Rich was a daunting prospect, especially for a filly that had been taught to obey her elders. All Silver could do was cover for her friend where possible and try her best to be supportive.

She finally reached the front entrance to the Rich mansion and rang the bell, then stepped back so as to not crowd whomever answered. The door swung open, and Randolph greeted her with a polite smile. “Good afternoon, Miss Silver. Miss Diamond is upstairs in her room at the moment. Do you require any assistance with your things?”

“No Randolph, thank you.” Silver stepped inside, then paused as she passed the threshold. “I’m sorry, by the way. If you were hurt earlier.”

The elderly stallion gently smiled. “You needn’t apologize, Miss Silver. One of the first things you learn with acrobatics is how to roll and fall safely, and I have taken quite good care of myself. Though I do appreciate your concern.” The smile grew as he added, “And that you are here for Miss Diamond. She could use a friend right now.”

Silver smiled back as the door was closed behind her, and she found her way up to Diamond Tiara’s bedroom. She knocked on the door and called, “Di? May I come in?”

“Sure, but close the door behind you!”

The filly did as she was told, not even paying attention to her friend as she followed her instructions. “I’m sorry that you went through all that today. Mister Quiver must be crazy talking to…” She finally turned back to look at Diamond, only to boggle at her in shock. “Diamond?! What the…?!”

Diamond Tiara had apparently been busy since she’d arrived at home. Two saddlebags were set out on the floor of her expansive bedroom, packed with food and what looked like camping materials, while a long coil of rope was resting near her window with one end tied securely to her bedpost. “You’re just in time, Silver. I’m almost packed.”

Silver looked at the bags, and her adolescent mind immediately jumped to the obvious conclusion. “You’re running away?”

“Wha-? No!” Diamond shook her head as she finished packing one set of bags. “I’m not running away!”

“Then what’s with the saddlebags? And the rope?” Silver eyed the item in question and wondered, “Why do you even have rope in here anyway?”

“I found it in some stuff marked with Pinkie Pie’s cutie mark on the property. Probably one of those emergency stashes of hers.” She finished the second set and then began explaining, “You heard what Mister Quiver Quill said earlier about me, right? Well, this is me proving him wrong.” She turned nervous as she admitted, “Among other things. You know that assignment, that story due Monday?”

“Yeah, I handed mine in earlier this week.”

“Well…I haven’t even started on mine yet.” Before Silver could process that, Diamond remarked, “Anyway, I’m going to prove to him that I can do something on my own, and get that story written in the process. But I need your help to do it.”

Thus was the second pair of saddlebags explained. “So, we’re going camping somewhere? On our own? Without anypony knowing? Where?”

“The Everfree Forest.”

“What?!” Diamond frantically shushed her, and Silver continued in a quieter voice, “Di, it’s the Everfree Forest! That place is dangerous!”

“If it’s so dangerous, then how come Apple Bloom can go in there whenever she wants to visit that weird mare Zecora? Her family’s farm and that cottage belonging to Fluttershy are right on the border of that freaky place, and they haven’t had any problems!” Diamond scowled and reasoned, “It’s like the old stories of Nightmare Moon from before Princess Luna came back, or the Windigoes from Hearth’s Warming. Just some stories the grownups tell us to scare us into staying in line.”

“But what about the timberwolves from Granny Smith’s story?”

“Have you ever seen a timberwolf for yourself, Silver?”

“I can’t see oxygen, but I know that it exists! I’d have a hard time living without it!”

Diamond looked as if she was going to counter that, but paused. “Okay, that’s a good point. But even if they are real, what are the chances that we’d run into them?” She opened her window and tossed the rope out. “Think of it like an adventure. We find a quiet spot, camp out for the night, then get up in the morning and make our way back to town.” She slipped on one set of saddlebags, then turned to her friend with a pleading expression on her face. “Please, Silver?”

A part of Silver Spoon’s mind told her that this was a terrible idea, and that it would only lead to trouble. Another part of her argued that Diamond raised some good points, and she had to wonder if its reputation had truly been inflated given that at least one sapient creature inhabited it. Another said that regardless, Diamond was her friend, and she couldn’t just let her go off on her own.

With some trepidation, she slipped off the saddlebags that she’d brought with her, and then slipped on the remaining set that Diamond had prepared. “Off into adventure.”

Diamond smiled. “That’s the spirit, Silver. Come on.” She made her way to the window and began to climb out. “We’ll show that Quiver Quill what’s what. He won’t even see this coming.”

The front door to Quiver’s home swung open as the stallion invited his cousin inside. “I’ve got the second bedroom all ready for you. I wasn’t sure what décor choices you’d want to make, so I pretty much left it alone.” He followed Sour in and closed the door behind him as he continued, “Anyway, here’s the front room. The kitchen and dining room are just through there, and that hall to the right leads to the bedrooms, bathroom, and door to the storm cellar.”

“Kinda small, but it’s not like I brought a lot with me. After all, I like to travel light.” She turned back to him and smirked. “I’m surprised you don’t have more stuff around here. You were always something of a packrat.”

“In my defense, I think that’s genetic.” Edgar fluttered over and landed atop his head, and Quiver smiled. “Ah, here we are. Sour, meet Edgar. Edgar, this is my cousin, Sour Sweet. Be nice to her.”

“Not Angel,” the bird cawed indignantly. He then looked to the newcomer and bobbed his head in a nod. “Hello!”

Sour rolled her eyes. “The third in line after a bird twice in one day.”

Quiver chuckled. “Please. Edgar doesn’t pay rent.” He moved over to his desk and prompted Edgar off his head and onto a waiting perch. “Anyway, I hope this’ll work for you, at least until you get sick of me.”

“Anypony ever tell you that you’re way too hard on yourself, Quiver?” Sour smirked as she approached her cousin. “Seriously, you work ten hours a day, four days a week. Sometimes as many as six. Me, I’ll be with Princess Twilight every day at the library, or on government trips to wherever. We’ll see each other, but not enough that we’ll be sick of each other. Besides, it is good to see you.” She playfully ruffled his mane and remarked, “You look good. I can’t really remember the last time I saw you like this.”

“I don’t look any different from normal.”

“You’re standing up straighter, acting a little more confident. You’re certainly a lot more comfortable. I mean, you’re not even referring to Princess Twilight by her rank.”

“She’s my friend. Besides, she doesn’t like making a big deal out of the whole princess thing.” Quiver smiled and admitted, “I guess you’re right, though. Having friends, being supported, it helps.”

Sour set aside her luggage, then gestured for him to join her on the sofa. “So, Pinkie Pie’s seen the family record. Does that mean that she knows about Regal?”

“She knows that he existed.” Quiver settled in beside her and explained, “I haven’t opened up much about him with any of the friends I’ve made. Part of it’s just because he hasn’t come up, and another part…”

“Hey, hang on!” She put a hoof to his shoulder and gently shoved him. “You aren’t responsible for what happened to him! For anything that happened to him! Doesn’t matter what anypony says, let alone that jerk of a father of yours!”

An eyebrow was raised. “You realize you’re badmouthing your own uncle, right?”

“Yeah, and you and I both know that he badmouths me all the time. He badmouths everyone! You, my mom, Aunt Connie, the princesses, I wouldn’t put it past him to badmouth the Maker once he goes on to the other side!”

“Yeah, well, he’s still got nicer things to say about you than he does about me.” Quiver rolled his eyes and added, “Of course, he goes about it in the most schizophrenic manner possible. Praise one second, bitching and complaining the next.”

“All the more reason for me to not cut him any slack. It’s easy to sit on some chair and criticize, but actually doing something?” She snorted derisively. “No way in Tartarus could he do your job, and he’d have an even harder time doing mine.” A small smile formed on her face as she added, “Anyway, I’m glad you got out from under him. If nothing else, you’re proving him wrong.”

“I’ve proved him wrong before. Getting him to acknowledge it is another story entirely.”

“Then settle for your own satisfaction. And speaking of…” A gurgling sound issued from Sour’s stomach, which prompted an embarrassed expression on her face before she frowned. “Well, that could’ve gone better.”

Quiver chuckled. “I should be able to fix something up for us.” He climbed off the sofa and made his way to the kitchen. “Worst case scenario, I know a couple good restaurants, and not just the local Hayburger.”

“Just as long as it’s not something as basic as a grilled cheese sandwich.” At her cousin’s expression, Sour noted, “What? That’s something you have for lunch, or a snack. I want a meal.”

The stallion gave an encouraged smile. “I’ll do my best.”

Filthy Rich’s hoofsteps were heavy and exhausted as he made his way home. The day at Barnyard Bargains had been a long one, between his talks with the district attorney’s office and training the new employee to replace the one who’d been fired for theft. It was by no means a bad day by his estimate, as the new worker was eager and showed great promise, but still, the day had been taxing, and he was looking forward to coming home and spending time with his family.

Well, mostly. Spoiled had gone on a tirade as soon as she’d heard of the incident, and had continued to vehemently argue since then that he had cultivated far too casual a relationship with his employees. Filthy argued back that he felt that a workplace filled with ponies happy to work there was far better and more productive than one where ponies loathed to work, a belief that his father and grandfather had proven before him and many studies had supported, but his wife had stuck to her guns. Better that they knew who was in charge and were too afraid of the consequences to misbehave, she claimed, than to become too casual with their betters.

Filthy Rich loved his wife, and never denied that he admired many of her convictions. Her insistence upon quality was something that he could agree with, for one thing, and something that he’d made good use of in his business. There were times, however, when he felt like the old comical image of the henpecked husband. But such was life, it seemed.

Regardless, it was always good to be home and to see his daughter’s face light up whenever she saw him. He loved Diamond, and did his best for her. Yes, he could be harsh on her at times, but no one could call him abusive. What punishments she suffered, thankfully few and far between, were fair on his part, and meant to teach her a needed lesson rather than to be cruel. His household wasn’t one for spankings or harsh words, but one where the value of hard work and respect for others was to be taught. He only hoped that he was doing enough.

He entered his home to find Randolph and a footstallion awaiting him. “Good evening, sir.”

“Good evening, Randolph.” The footstallion claimed his bags. “Thank you, Rayburn. Please leave those in the home office.” The footstallion nodded and went about his work as Filthy Rich turned back to his butler. “It’s good to be home.”

“I am pleased to see you home safe, sir.” The elderly stallion gave a polite nod, then gave an apologetic frown. “I must apologize, however. Dinner will be delayed this evening.” At his master’s curious expression, the butler explained, “It was the request of Mistress Spoiled, sir. She had business to take care of this evening with Miss Cheerilee, and ordered that we not cook until her return.”

That only encouraged further curiosity from his employer. “Randolph, is something the matter that I need to be made aware of?” The butler looked reluctant to answer, and was assured, “I like to think that I’ve earned a little trust from you, old friend.”

Randolph nodded. “My apologies, sir. I only hesitate because of the young miss. There was an altercation today involving her…” He quickly noticed the alarmed expression upon his master’s face and added, “I assure you, the young miss has received no injuries, only caused them. Young Miss Diamond requested that I visit her at school today, so that I may entertain her classmates.”

“Were you injured?”

“No sir, though in her enthusiasm, the young miss was somewhat rough in her treatment towards me during the incident.”

Filthy sighed. “Randolph, while I appreciate your concern for my daughter’s happiness, things like this are only going to spoil her. I’m going to ask that you not do something like this again. Now, who was injured? Another student?”

“No sir, a stallion who visited the school. An earth pony whom one of the young miss’s classmates referred to as ‘Mister Quiver Quill’. He helped me to stand, complimented me upon my acrobatics, and then addressed the young miss for her actions.” Again, he frowned regretfully. “I’m afraid that he spoke some unpleasant words regarding your capacities as a parent, sir.”

Filthy frowned at that. “Given what little he’s seen of Diamond’s behavior, I’m afraid that I can’t blame him.”

“The young miss, however, took offense and attacked him. Miss Cheerilee witnessed the incident, and subsequently suspended the young miss from classes for the next few school days. Mistress Spoiled has gone to the school in an attempt to have the sentence reduced, if not totally revoked.”

“Thus explaining her absence.” Filthy bowed his head and sighed. “Where is Diamond now?”

“In her room with Miss Silver, sir.”

“Very good. When I’m done speaking with her, please go ahead and start dinner.”

Orders issued, Filthy Rich made his way through his home to the upper floor, and quietly mulled over what he was going to say. He had no desire to yell at his daughter over what had happened, and could certainly understand her lashing out in order to defend his honor, but at the same time, she had done something that she wasn’t supposed to do in the first place. And punishing her for this was also going to be tricky, especially given Silver Spoon was going to be staying with them for the next few days. He couldn’t very well send the filly home, given that her parents were out of town. That would be irresponsible of him. But something had to be done, and he hoped that he could figure out exactly what once he reached his daughter’s bedroom door. Failing that, once he finished talking with his daughter.

“Diamond?” He gently knocked with his hoof. “Diamond, I’d like to speak with you.” He knocked again a little more forcefully, then turned the knob to open it, for once glad that he’d acquiesced to his wife’s insistence that their daughter’s door not have a lock.“Diamond, Randolph told me about…” He immediately noticed the very empty room, as well as the open window and rope dangling out of it, and his blood ran cold. “Diamond?!” He rushed to the window and cried out, “DIAMOND!” He did an abrupt about-face and rushed out of the room to find one of the maids rushing towards him. “Rosemary, has anypony seen my daughter or Silver Spoon?!”

“No sir, not since Miss Silver arrived…” She noticed the terror in her master’s eyes and gulped. “Oh dear.”

Filthy Rich’s next orders were rapid, frantic, and clear. “Gather the house staff! Search the grounds! Get my wife! Contact the authorities! We need to find my daughter and her friend, immediately!”

Author's Note

And here we go. I dare anyone to not feel bad for Filthy Rich right now.

For anyone who's interested in a story of the beginnings of Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon's friendship, check out Bookish Delight's Hope Shines. I don't think that an identical scenario happened with my stuff, but it was definitely something similar. Plus it's a good story from a good writer, so there's that.

Chapter Five - Reasons to Fear

“Okay, gotta admit, this isn’t half bad.” Sour put out another helping of wild rice for herself and remarked, “You got the hang of a stove pretty well.”

“Kinda had to living on my own.” Quiver smirked as he speared another bit of broccoli with his fork and remarked, “I don’t want to have fast food every night.”

“Bad for the heart.” Edgar cawed inbetween pecks of his own meal.

The two cousins shared a chuckle at the raven’s remark. “Seriously though, the simpler the meal, the better. I’d love to do more complex stuff, but that takes practice.” The stallion rolled his eyes and noted, “No homemade pancake breakfast yet.” He noticed a smirk on the mare’s face and turned curious. “What?”

“Nothing. Anyway, I hope you don’t mind my setting a few things out in the front room. Just some equipment for my job, couple small things.”

Quiver raised an intrigued eyebrow. “Anything neat that I’m allowed to know about?”

Sour grinned. “Well, there’s a few things here and there. I’ll show them to you once…” A loud chime sounded, and the unicorn grumbled, “…or I can just show you one of them now and put off dinner.” She rose from her seat, and Quiver followed her to the front room of their home. She then indicated a small device resembling a samovar that had been placed atop his desk. “You know that enchanted dragon fire that Sir Spike has? That lets Princess Twilight send messages between her and Canterlot?”

Quiver nodded. “I’m guessing this does something similar?”

“Pretty much. This is something new from the colts in R&D, meant to aid in mass communications within cities. Ideally this’ll work in concert with the telegraph lines, at least until they can bring the next thing out. And that’s already in the works thanks to the Crystal Empire coming back.”

“And that chime we heard was letting you know there was a message coming in from Twilight?”

Sour nodded as a flash appeared over the device and left a scroll in its wake. She claimed it in her magic and unfurled it. “Oh crap.” She looked to Quiver and asked, “You know where Sweet Apple Acres is?”

“Yeah, what’s up?”

“Princess Twilight’s called me there. Something about two fillies having gone missing.”

Quiver grimaced, and tried his best not to let his imagination get the better of him. “Get what you need. I’ll lead you there.”

Cheerilee, for the most part, enjoyed her job. It lit her up inside to see a foal come in each day eager to learn something new and exciting. It fulfilled her to know that her students didn’t see their classwork as a chore, but as something to look forward to. It made her feel good to know that her students enjoyed school. Even now, she could giggle as she remembered one time that Dinky Hooves had missed a day, only to come in the next and apologize for missing class.

That was something else that she enjoyed about her job, parents being interested in the education of their children. Most parents, in her experience, wanted the best for their children. If their child was having trouble, then they’d do all they could to help them. Even those occasions where a parent might do something that seemed counterproductive, there was usually a method to their madness. The entire reason that Dinky had missed a day was due to her mother keeping her home sick, in fear that she might have the flu and risk infecting the rest of the class. That was another factor that helped her to enjoy her work.

“Miss Cheerilee, this is unacceptable.”

But there was always some hitch that tended to spoil things. Cheerilee took a deep breath to steady her nerves and began, “Mrs. Rich…”

Her superior gave a disgusted huff. “Must you do that? Such aggravated sighs are hardly becoming.”

Cheerilee struggled to smile. “Mrs. Rich, I realize that you are only seeking what’s best for your daughter, however…”

“However, what’s best for my daughter does not involve her being unfairly suspended from classes, especially given the assignment that you saw fit to assign.”

A part of her wanted to bring up that it was Diamond Tiara’s own fault if she hadn’t turned in the completed assignment yet, especially considering that she was the only one who’d been yet to turn it in, but she refrained. Spoiled Rich was troublesome enough to deal with at a good time, and this was anything but a good time. “Regardless, your daughter did physically attack somepony on school grounds, and school policy is for zero tolerance regarding…”

“And that’s another matter! This Quiver Quill, what do you know about him? For all we know, he’s some sort of pedophile!”

“Princess Twilight would not associate with a pony of that nature.”

Another scoff. “Blind faith can only get you so far. And just because someone wears a crown doesn’t mean…”

“Um, excuse me, Miss Spoiled?”

The wealthy mare turned about to find one of her maids standing at the door to the schoolhouse and rolled her eyes. “Rosemary, what did we discuss earlier? I am in the midst of an important meeting…”

“But Miss, this is…”

“Regarding my daughter’s future…”

“Miss Diamond is missing!” Rosemary’s shout alarmed Cheerilee and momentarily silenced Spoiled Rich, and she continued, “Master Rich sent me to inform you!”

Now thoroughly distracted from the verbal browbeating she was about to deliver to her maid, Spoiled gave off a frustrated huff. “Well, why bother giving me trouble if she’s simply decided to play hide and seek like some immature…?!”

“Miss, her window was open and there was a rope leading down to the grounds! Master Rich fears she may have run away…!”

“Run away?! My Diamond?!” She began to make her way towards the door and remarked, “More likely that some damn fool has kidnapped her! And I can think of an easy way that could have happened!”

Cheerilee noticed the maid’s sudden rise of anxiety, and stepped up. “Mrs. Rich, I insist on coming with. This might well be partly my fault.”

“You’re damn right this is your fault!” As Spoiled ranted her way out the door, Rosemary flashed the teacher a thankful smile as the pair followed her out. “Once I get to the heart of this madness, there will be Tartarus to pay!”

Silver Spoon wasn’t sure what was scaring her the most right now. On the one hoof, she was inside the Everfree Forest, and despite her friend’s statements to the contrary, the place certainly seemed as scary as she’d been told. On the other, she was afraid to back off and leave Diamond to fend for herself here, and what sort of friend would she be if she did something that cruel?

Diamond Tiara, to her credit, maintained her determined air as she led her friend into the forbidding woods ahead. Silver had been around Diamond long enough to know how to read her moods, but right now, she couldn’t tell how much of this was motivated by stubborn determination or pride. Either way, it didn’t bode well for them.

Diamond stopped, and Silver halted and peered beside her. Before them was a large mass of familiar blue plants. “Poison joke. Come on, let’s find a way around them.”

The two turned left, and Silver Spoon thanked the Maker that Apple Bloom’s description of the plant’s effects in class one day, as absurd as they sounded, had been so thorough. She had no desire to find out what that stuff would do to her if given the chance. “So, do we have a plan for where we’ll camp?”

“I’ll know it when I find it.” Diamond carefully led her friend around the poison joke flowers, and tried her best to not come in contact with them. “But we can’t go to the Castle of the Two Sisters. Or wherever Zecora lives. We go to the castle, and the ponies working there will just send us home. Same with Zecora.”

“Right.”

The two fillies were soon clear of the patch of poison joke, and picked up their pace a bit. As they continued on, Silver made the odd glance around her and took note of her surroundings. The trees weren’t all that scary, she told herself, just old and gnarled and sorta creepy. Kinda like elderly ponies, and many of them were pretty nice. And it helped that it wasn’t too late, as the sun was just starting to set and there was still plenty of light for them to see. A few shadows were growing around them, but that wasn’t so bad.

Only she couldn’t help but think there were glowing eyes staring out at her from within the shadows.

“Diamond, we don’t have to do this. At least, I don’t think we have to do this.”

Diamond’s answer was more annoyed than anything. “Don’t tell me that you’re scared, Silver.” She stopped, turned back, and tried to reassure her. “Look, we’re perfectly fine. We haven’t run into anything dangerous, and we aren’t…” Diamond turned silent as the grave when she heard a twig snap, and lowered her voice to a whisper. “Did you hear that?”

Silver tried her best to sum up her courage, but kept her voice to similar levels. “It was probably nothing.”

Another twig snapped, this one much closer to the two. They looked in its direction to see a great shape looming closer to them from within the trees.

“Silver. Whatever you do, stick close to me, okay?”

The shape continued to grow closer, only to pause and let out a low roar as it opened its mouth wide and displayed many sharp, white teeth. That was the tipping point for the fillies as they screamed and ran off, Diamond leading the way and Silver following close behind. They didn’t even notice as the manticore they’d left behind peered out to watch them go with a confused look on his face, having only yawned after a long and successful day on the hunt.

Ponies didn’t even taste all that good by his reckoning. Too stringy.

As Quiver and Sour arrived at Sweet Apple Acres, they found a small group of ponies had already gathered. Pinkie Pie turned around and called, “Everypony, look!”

“Well ain’t you a surprise!” Applejack met them as they approached. “Didn’t expect you to get called in for this, Quiver! And who’s this?”

“The reason I came. She’s still getting her bearings.” After a smirk came his way from his cousin with a light smack on one leg, he grinned. “Everypony, meet Sour Sweet. She’s Twilight’s new security detail, or at least the start of it, and my cousin. Sour, I think you’re already acquainted with most ponies here.”

“If not properly introduced.” Sour looked the group over and instantly recognized the remaining Bearers, minus her charge, as well as her new landmare and a few choice relatives. “Sorry if I seem a little brusque, but the princess’s summons seemed pretty urgent.”

“Not urgent enough for her to bother fetching any proper authorities!” The crowd parted as another mare approached and looked down at the newcomer. “Sour Sweet, hmm? How do you get a name like that?”

The Guardsmare kept a neutral expression as she glanced towards her cousin. “Quiver, do you know this mare?”

“Haven’t had occasion to be introduced to her, no.”

“I’m not done speaking to you!” Spoiled let out an insulted snort and continued, “And clearly, whomever gave you this assignment failed to give you a proper accounting of the important ponies in this town! I am Spoiled Rich, wife to Filthy Rich and somepony whose taxes go to pay for you and every other useless member of the Royal Guard! A waste of money, if you ask me, given the fact that the lot of you were about as useful as a wet paper bag for carrying groceries every time Equestria has needed you!”

Quiver suddenly got worried, and briefly glanced at his cousin. She hadn’t changed her expression, however, beyond raising an eyebrow. That did nothing to ease his concerns, however.

“Given you’re here, however, perhaps you can actually do something. Assuming, of course, you aren’t going to cower behind bureaucracy.” She gave Quiver a disgusted look and barked, “You can arrest this whelp! And then I’ll lead you back to my mansion so that you can arrest the rest of his accomplices!”

“Mrs. Rich, please!” Gilded Lily stepped up beside the wealthy mare. “We don’t know what’s happened, there’s no need to be making these baseless –!”

“There’s nothing baseless about my accusations! My daughter has been kidnapped, and I’ll see to it that everypony responsible is strung up and left to rot for everypony to see, starting with this predatory coward!”

Sour’s eyes narrowed alongside those of her cousin and most of the ponies present. “I don’t think I like the tone of those allegations of yours.”

Before Spoiled could make another retort, Pinkie called out and distracted her. “Twilight!” Attention turned the way Quiver and Sour had come as room was made for the princess, Spike, Flash Sentry and Filthy Rich. “Any news? Did you find anything?”

“Pinkie, please, give me a second to…”

“Well it’s about time all of you got here!” Her attention now fixed upon the princess, Spoiled frowned and launched into another tirade. “Tell me, what sort of important duties did you have to attend to before you could deal with this pressing issue? Lives are on the line! Kidnappers are escaping justice even as we speak!”

“Spoiled, please…”

“Oh don’t you give me that sorry routine, Filthy! I can tell that you’re protecting whoever was on the inside that took my precious Diamond, and the instant –!”

“Spoiled Rich! Be silent!” The wealthy mare actually did as she was told, and everypony took a step back as Twilight took a deep breath. “Now then. I just came from the Rich mansion, where I and Flash spoke with the staff and did a sweep of the grounds. As of right now, I have no reason to think that there’s a kidnapping.”

“We can account for the whereabouts of each member of your household staff between your departure from the residence and Filthy Rich’s return.” Flash’s voice was firm with authority as he stepped in and locked eyes with the wealthy mare. “Between that and what we found on the grounds, we can easily rule out an abduction.”

“Diamond’s run off, Spoiled.” Filthy Rich looked devastated as he delivered the news, his mane mussed and his necktie askew. “She wasn’t kidnapped, she’s just…”

“And you expect me to believe that?! That my Diamond would simply run away from a life like ours?!” She snorted and remarked, “I could see somepony trying to run away from this dump, especially given it’s already happened in the past, but my Diamond lives in the lap of luxury!”

“With no signs of struggle, and no sign of anypony besides her and maybe Silver Spoon having left the estate?”

“Criminals are everywhere! And the local authorities are so damned incompetent that they can’t be bothered to notice them, particularly the smart ones!” Spoiled rounded back upon Quiver and noted, “And if you want a suspect, then look no further than this wretch right here! Stalking my Diamond, accosting her, and then getting her suspended just so that he could kidnap her and sate his…”

“Mrs. Rich, that’s enough!”Once more, the wealthy mare turned quiet as Twilight approached her. “I will not have anypony make baseless, crass allegations against my friends, particularly when I or those whom I trust can vouch for their innocence. Now I suggest that you calm down, and restrain yourself from making any more slanderous accusations.” She then took a quick breath and collected herself. “Now then, I’ve contacted the police. They currently have hooves on the ground checking throughout Ponyville for any sign of Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon. If they find anything, they’ll send me a message via dragonfire.”

Spike beamed. “Just like getting a letter from Princess Celestia.”

“And while they’re at work, we need to check the places they can’t. I’ve sent word to Zecora and to the crews working on the Castle of the Two Sisters, just in case.” Twilight looked to the distance towards the Everfree Forest. “I don’t want to think that they went out there, but we can’t dismiss the possibility.”

“You honestly think that my Diamond would go into the Everfree Forest?” Spoiled scoffed. “Nothing would ever possess her to waste her time in such a manner.”

“Um, actually…”

The wealthy mare rolled her eyes and turned her attention to Applejack. “Must you have the foals out here with you? Can’t they be inside while we adults discuss this? I doubt they have anything important to contribute to this conversation anyway.”

Applejack gave the mare an indignant scowl. “Personal experience has taught me otherwise.” She then turned to Apple Bloom and asked, “You were sayin’, sugarcube?”

Apple Bloom took only a second to reflect on her relief at being acknowledged, then explained, “There’s a chance that Diamond Tiara might’ve thought about goin’ into the Everfree. Ah’ve mentioned goin’ in there from time to time on mah own, to visit Zecora. She might not think it’s as dangerous as everypony says it is.”

Spoiled actually looked to be considering that logic, but scoffed. “Be that as it may, she’s not so foolish as to try.”

“Still, we can’t leave any stones unturned.” Twilight turned to Applejack and noted, “We should have all the supplies we need for the search here.” At her friend’s nod, she looked among the rest of her friends and said, “Gather what you need together, and we’ll set out within the next fifteen minutes.”

“Princess, I insist upon coming along.” Filthy stepped forward. “If Diamond is out there…”

“Mr. Rich, with all due respect, you’re in no state to go out into the Everfree with us. Stay here with your wife and Granny Smith, and let us handle this.” As the stallion began to protest, Twilight stopped him. “We’ll find her. And we’ll bring her home. I promise.”

Filthy frowned, and then nodded. “Very well. Spoiled and I will stay, but I’ll hold you to that promise.”

“I think that Cheerilee and I had best stay here as well.” Gilded Lily made a small glance towards the Crusaders and remarked, “If nothing else, we can help look after the girls until you all get back.”

“I’ll stay too.” Quiver shot a quick glance back at Spoiled Rich and remarked, “Something tells me that’s the smartest course of action I can take right now.”

Twilight nodded. “Alright then, Spike can stay with you in case the police find anything. Everypony who’s going, get packed up. I’ve got a few things to pass out, and then we can go.” She glanced in the distance towards the Everfree and anxiously noted, “I just hope we don’t find anything unpleasant out there.”

Author's Note

This one's another light one, but I promise, the next chapter will be a little heavier.

Chapter Six - Rock Bottom

After what had felt like an eternity, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon stopped running. Exhausted, the pair slowed to a halt in a cluster of trees and regained their bearings. “You…think…it…followed…us?”

“I…hope not…” Diamond finally regained her breath. “You okay?”

Silver nodded as she finished gasping for air. Like her friend, she wasn’t used to strenuous activity, at least of this sort. “So, what now?”

“Now…” Diamond looked about, her face a mask of confidence, and pointed towards a tree. “Here. There’s moss on this tree. Moss always grows on the north side of trees.”

The other filly tilted her head. “Are you sure? I thought that was a myth.”

“Well, everypony tells me that it does, and there’s…” Diamond walked around the tree to discover that most of its trunk was covered in moss. “…no sense in listening to everypony when they’re wrong.” She then looked for where the least amount of moss was on the tree, and picked their direction based on that. “Come on, this way.”

The two then continued on their way as the forest grew darker. Silver found herself quietly hoping that Diamond knew what she was doing, even if signs were slowly pointing to the idea that she wasn’t. Though maybe, if they were really lucky, they’d stumble across the Castle of the Two Sisters by accident.

That was south of Ponyville, wasn’t it? Or at least south-ish?

The atmosphere at Sweet Apple Acres was somber as those ponies left behind did the only thing that they could – wait and hope for the searchers to find the two wayward fillies. Filthy Rich’s vigil kept him facing the direction of the Everfree Forest, and odds were poor that he would move from his position on the property until any word had been received.

A light cough caught his attention, and he turned slightly to find Gilded Lily had approached him to one side. She lifted up a thermos and smiled. “You looked like you could use something to help steady your nerves.”

The stallion sighed. “Thank you, Miss Lily.” He took the thermos with one hoof and set about pouring himself a cup of coffee. “I’m going to be up all night with worry anyway.” He took a sip as the mare sat down next to him. “You don’t need to be out here with me.”

“Somepony should be, if your wife isn’t.” She scowled. “I know that every pony reacts to fear in their own way, but I’d be little better than you if Scootaloo was missing. I certainly hope that I wouldn’t be lashing out at everypony.”

A sigh. “Spoiled’s only worried is all. She’ll simmer down once Diamond is…” He frowned. “This is my fault.”

“No, it isn’t.”

“Yes, it is! There’s nopony else to blame for this!” He took another sip of his coffee to steady his nerves, then continued, “I did the best that I could to balance my obligations to my business and those towards my daughter, but clearly I’m not doing enough, if she runs off like this.” He smiled. “I still remember the day she was born, how tiny she was. I promised there and then that she’d never want for anything, that she’d be safe, and that I’d do everything I could to see her grow into the best mare possible. And you’d think that would be easy, with all the wealth I have…”

“But business is always more demanding than you expect it to be.”

A somber nod. “If anypony here could understand that, I suspect it would be you.” He shook his head. “What am I saying? You’re practically a single parent, and Scootaloo’s never done anything like this.”

“And I’ve had a lot of help from my brother-in-law’s relatives, not to mention Rainbow Dash.” Lily smiled. “As much as I hate not being able to spend as much time with her as I’d like, I’m glad that my daughter does have ponies around to look after her where I can’t.”

“Still, it’s wrong for me to compare us. Spoiled’s more involved with Diamond’s education than I am, and even she can’t seem to do anything about the bullies my daughter’s had to deal with.”

Gilded turned to him with a raised eyebrow. “Bullies?” At his nod, she pressed, “Did she elaborate about these bullies?”

“No. And I’m not about to accuse that Quiver Quill of being among them, he hasn’t even been in town that long.” He noticed the foul expression upon Gilded Lily’s face. “Miss Lily? Don’t tell me…”

“No, I don’t believe your wife’s accusations. Not for a second.” With some regret, she turned to Filthy Rich. “But something tells me that you might not have the full story. Filthy, do you remember a few weeks ago, the tryouts for the Ponyville Flagcarrying Routine for the next Equestria Games?”

“Of course. Diamond had a routine with Silver Spoon. And they lost to your daughter and her friends, fair and square.”

“Yes, but that doesn’t mean that they tried to win fair and square. Scootaloo told me afterwards that while they were working to perfect their routine, Diamond and Silver decided to give her trouble over…” She bowed her head sadly. “Over her inability to fly.”

Filthy turned to her in shock. “Diamond would never…!” He paused, and his memories went back to what Granny Smith had told him about her presentation for Family Appreciation Day. His daughter omitting that little detail wouldn’t be a surprise. He’d only punished her after she’d admitted it to him outright, and she’d clearly been hesitant to do so. “Well, I like to think that she’d never do something like that. Scootaloo’s merely a late bloomer.” At the troubled look on Gilded Lily’s face, he asked, “Isn’t she?”

The mare frowned. “I can only hope.”

“Alright everypony, first check-in.” Twilight held a wingtip to a device secured around her right ear and asked, “Can you receive me?”

:“Eeyup.”:

:“Aww! I wanted to answer first!”:

As additional ponies chimed in after Pinkie Pie, Applejack gently ran a hoof along the device on her ear. “So these gizmos let us talk with each other over long distance usin’ radio waves.”

“I don’t understand half of what the geek squad says about these things myself, but I’m glad we have these things.” Sour was wearing the helmet that served as part of her Royal Guard uniform, her radio set built into it. “Would’ve liked to have had this the last time I saw action, let me tell you.”

The farm mare chuckled as she recalled what she’d been told of technology in the human world, particularly the cellular telephone that her counterpart carried. “Suppose they would be mighty useful.” As Twilight joined them and lit her horn, she turned back and asked, “Everyone checked in?”

The princess nodded. “The radio sets work. Lots of ponies are going to be glad to hear that.” She then led them into the forest. “If somepony on the other teams finds something, then they’ll shoot word back to us and send up a signal flare to mark their location.”

The unicorn among them gave a rueful half-smile. “Assuming the tree cover isn’t too dense for them to send one up or for somepony to see them, at any rate.”

“I know, but it’s good to cover all your bases and have redundancies, isn’t it?”

Sour opted against arguing that point as they continued on, her eyes scanning their dim surroundings. “So, no big shock about me being Quiver’s cousin?”

“Eh, ain’t a big shocker. Everypony’s got kin. Me, Ah got family all over Equestria. That’s the thing about farm folk, we tend ta plant roots all over. Pun intended.” The three shared a mild chuckle at that before Applejack amended, “Tiny bit surprised by you bein’ a unicorn, though. We’ve met Quiver’s daddy, and he’s an earth pony, same as Quiver.”

“And my Aunt Connie, and our grandparents. But somewhere back in the family tree, a unicorn got tangled up in the branches, and those genes surfaced again with my mom. She married another unicorn, and eventually, I came along.”

“Any siblings?”

Sour shook her head. “Quiver’s the closest thing I have to a brother, despite the fact that we only saw one another a few times a year. Pretty strange considering my mom and uncle barely tolerate each other, but…” She sighed. “Bleh, not important.”

“Little surprisin’ that he ain’t mentioned ya before now, if’n ya’ll’re close as siblin’s.”

A raised eyebrow. “Do you talk about your family to everypony you meet?”

“If’n it’s relevant, yeah. Twi got to meet a good chunk’a my kin her first day in Ponyville. We called it a family reunion, but really, it was an emergency gatherin’ on account’a the Summer Sun Celebration.”

“Did that mention include the whole family? Including the ones not around?”

“Well no. Don’t need to be bringin’ up everythin’ all at once.” Applejack winced. “Oooh. That explains things.”

Sour smirked. “That and Quiver not being nearly as outgoing as you are. Truth be told, neither am I.”

“Well, some folks need time, Ah suppose.” Applejack then opted to change the subject. “So, yer in the Guard.”

“And I’d better not hear any wisecracks about us being incompetent.”

“Ain’t happenin’ from me, gal. Mah family’s got a healthy respect fer the military, an’ Ah ain’t stupid enough to slam folks whose got kin among mah closest friends. Tiny bit curious about why you got the post though.”

“Princess Celestia’s letter did specify her actions during the changeling invasion.”

At Applejack’s double take, Sour rolled her eyes. “Don’t be too alarmed. Some of us actually lasted a little while during their bum rush.” She raised the crossbow strapped onto her right front hoof and added, “And I think I only lasted as long as I did because I had this, plus nine other competent ponies helping watch my back. Those roaches might’ve overwhelmed us eventually, but I like to think that we gave as good as we got.” She frowned as she felt the raised eyebrow and noted, “And yeah, I know I shouldn’t be slinging around slurs like that, but can you blame me?”

“No, but it don’t mean Ah approve of it.” She eyed the weapon and wondered aloud, “So, you used that in battle? That mean what Ah think it means?”

“That I killed some of them? Yes.” Sour was grim as she explained, “Not proud of it, but not ashamed of it either. I swore an…”

“Don’t need to justify yer actions to me, ma’am. Ah’m just glad Ah don’t have to make those same choices.”

Sour nodded. “Pray that you never do.”

Spoiled Rich scowled as she looked about the farmhouse at Sweet Apple Acres, her gaze going through one door to another until she found the remaining adults on the property in the kitchen. “Where in the Maker’s name is the bathroom around here?”

Granny Smith gestured towards the door. “Th’ outhouse is right out there.”

The wealthy mare’s scowl only deepened as she threw her head up and marched towards it. She paused to throw a brief glare at Quiver Quill, only to scowl even further and picked up the pace on the way out.

The lone stallion rolled his eyes. “Well, that’s an accusation that I hoped would never come my way.”

Cheerilee gave her most comforting smile. “Mrs. Rich is just worried about her daughter. I’m sure that once Diamond’s found…” The smile faded. “…she’ll continue to treat you like something disgusting. I’m sorry.”

Quiver shrugged. “Not my first brush with the petty and wealthy, unfortunately. Sadly, it seems like they don’t change much as they grow up.” He stood up from his seat at the table. “The two of you trust me to check on the girls, right?”

Granny Smith laughed. “Fella, if’n Ah thought ya’ll were a danger ta my grandbaby, then ya wouldn’t’ve been sittin’ there.”

A smile. “Nice to know that somepony trusts me.”

“Yer plenty trusted, Quiver. Don’t let her get to ya. Besides, the sooner ya git, the sooner Ah can tease Cheerilee over not datin’ Big Mac.”

The schoolteacher blushed. “Granny Smith, you and I both know that we didn’t work out the first time! And that second time…!”

“Ah know, love potion. Still, Ah’d like to see some greatgrandkids ‘fore too long, and you an’ he made fer a cute couple.”

Quiver turned away with a smirk. “And I’m going to get out of here before you try to set me up with Applejack.”

The elderly mare laughed as she called after him, “She could do a lot worse’n you, fella!”

The stallion chuckled as he made his way through the house towards the upper floor. Apple Bloom’s bedroom door was easy to find, thanks him having it pointed out to him earlier in the evening, and he knocked. “Girls? You three in…?” The door creaked open, and Quiver glanced inside to find nopony within. He frowned at that, then quickly made his way down the stairs, out of the farmhouse and into the barn, where he found exactly what he expected to find. “And what do the three of you think that you’re doing?”

Right before him, he found the three Crusaders all packed and ready to go. Scootaloo glanced at Apple Bloom and admitted, “That’s exactly what I was thinking.”

The young earth pony filly turned nervous as she looked to Quiver. “Ah know this don’t make a lotta sense, but Ah feel like Ah might be a little responsible for this. An’ Ah feel like Ah need ta help.”

Sweetie Belle stepped forward and picked up where her friend left off. “And Scootaloo and I can’t just let her go into the Everfree alone, even if we think she’s doing something crazy.”

Quiver shook his head as he approached. “Apple Bloom, what Diamond Tiara’s done is in no way your fault, any more than it is mine. I can get misplaced guilt, but this is something that you should leave to your sisters, and the rest of the grown-ups.”

“Ah know, but since when did they think like young’uns like us?”

“Not as long as you’d think.” He glanced over their bags. “At least you thought to be prepared. What all do you have?”

“Rope, flashlights, flare shooters, paint markers, and…” Sweetie Belle pulled a small device from her bags that looked as if it was meant to clip behind her ear. “Twilight had a few extras for these. They’re…”

“Crystal radio sets. Meant to aid communication between separate groups on the field. Sour has a similar model installed in her helmet. I’ve seen the civilian version at the warehouse.” He grinned. “Something to put on your Hearth’s Warming lists, by the way.” The grin faded. “I’m glad that you’re thinking things through, but that doesn’t mean you should be rushing out there. We already have two fillies lost in those woods, we don’t need three more. Besides, you don’t owe them any favors.”

“Ah know, but…” Apple Bloom sighed. “But Ah feel like Ah need to do somethin’. Besides, just because they wouldn’t lift a hoof to help me doesn’t mean Ah should do the same.”

“Quiver, what…?” The stallion turned to find Spike approaching behind them. “Wha…?”

“The Crusaders are about to go into the Everfree to try and help with the search.” Quiver took up an unlit torch. “And something tells me that if they’re bound and determined to do something this crazy, that very little’s going to stop them.”

The young drake looked at him in shock. “You’re not saying that we go with them, are you?”

“No, of course not. You need to be here in case everypony else is wasting their time.” He looked less than thrilled at his next statement. “I, on the other hoof, am another matter. Scootaloo, your aunt’s going to kill me.”

“Only if you don’t bring my niece and her friends home safe.” Gilded Lily approached. “And that’s a promise.”

Quiver nodded and then gestured to the fillies. “Come on you three. Keep your hooves crossed that the more sane adults find them before we get too far.” He turned to Apple Bloom and asked, “This is one of the friction-light torches, right?”

As the filly affirmed such, Scootaloo was briefly stopped by her aunt. “Aunt Lily, I…”

“Scootaloo, be careful.” The mare hugged her niece close. “You’re going to be so grounded after you get back, but right now? I am so very proud of you.”

The filly grinned, and then rushed to catch up with her friends as they went on their way into the forest. As she watched them go, Gilded Lily hoped that Quiver would be proven right, but she knew full well that luck wasn’t always on her side.

“It’s rather fortunate for us that you were visiting Ponyville the same day that Twilight’s new bodyguard arrived.” Rarity smiled at Flash as she led the way through the Everfree, the tip of her horn glowing to light their way. “A coincidence, of course, but still, rather fortuitous given the circumstances.”

“Hey, I’m just glad that I’m where I can help.” Flash frowned as he admitted, “I’ve got a little brother about the same age as the two fillies we’re looking for. I’d hate for him to be in danger out here.”

“Same for me and Scootaloo.” Rainbow Dash chuckled at that. “She might be my honorary sister, but that’s close enough for me.”

The group of searchers had opted to split up into smaller groups of three, with the decision aided by the radio communicators that Twilight had brought with her. Flash already had one installed into his helmet, which was firmly planted onto his head, while the other two teams had them as well. There’d been periodic tests, and so far, they’d worked.

“Speaking of Scootaloo, did she follow up on that advice I gave her the last time I saw her?” Flash turned to Rainbow Dash and tried his best to be subtle. “I mean, I get that you might not know, but…”

“Is this about Scootaloo’s flight trouble?” The stallion turned to Rarity, who giggled. “Darling, forgive me, but I’ve an ear for gossip.”

“Yeah, no kidding.” Dash rolled her eyes. “But yeah, Gilded Lily did get Scootaloo to see that doctor in Canterlot that you recommended. I went with, y’know, for support, and they did some tests.”

“And?”

“And there’s good news and bad news.” The prismatic pegasus smiled. “Good news is that Scoots is fine, physically. Her wings are a little smaller than the average, but you take a look at Bulk Biceps and you can tell that doesn’t matter much. And if you’ve seen her on that scooter, well…”

Flash chuckled. “Yeah, Basey’s told me stories about her buzzing around town on that thing.” He then sobered up and reasoned, “So it’s probably not physical.”

“Yeah. Something’s keeping her from turning all that thrust into lift. The doc figures it’s something like thaumic anemia, and he’s hoping that if that’s the case, it might get better as she gets older, maybe even as soon as she gets her cutie mark. But even then, there’s not much he could do beyond recommend some specialists.”

“She gonna see them?”

“Soon as the next school break comes up, but I hope it isn’t just more of the same.” She smiled and promised, “Whatever happens though, I’ll be there for her.”

Flash smiled sadly. “Good. She’ll need it.”

Diamond Tiara found herself thinking that she needed a miracle as she continued to lead her friend through the Everfree, and the growing darkness around them did little to ease her concerns. What concerns she had were firmly kept on the inside, however, and on the outside, she had the same firm, determined expression that she’d had when they’d set off. Diamonds don’t break, as she’d consistently been told, and she wasn’t about to show otherwise. She couldn’t.

She paused, and Silver Spoon paused behind her, as she took a good look at where their path had taken them. Before them was a wide crack in the ground, with its shallow decline starting a fair distance to their right. Immediately before them, however, was a fallen tree, probably sturdy enough to serve as a bridge. “Come on, Silver. We can cross here.”

Silver hesitated to follow, but soon caught up and climbed onto the tree after her friend. The two were halfway across before they heard the wood beneath their hooves begin to creak and give way, and just as they attempted to rush across the makeshift bridge, it shattered, and the two briefly screamed as they began to roll and fall down the shallow bit of earth.

After what felt like an eternity, but was really more like a minute or two at most, the pair skidded to a halt at the base of the incline among the remnants of their destroyed bridge. Diamond got to her hooves first, battered and bruised but otherwise unharmed. “Anything broken?”

“No.” Silver felt and fumbled about in the darkness, just dimly visible to her friend. “But…”

“Okay then, let’s get moving. We can’t stay down here, it’s low ground and…”

“And what, we’re supposed to find high ground?! How?!”

“Silver, calm down!”

“No Diamond! I’m not going anywhere, not until I find my glasses!”

Diamond scowled and rounded on her friend. “Who cares about your stupid glasses?! We need to m–!”

The sound of shattering glass and bent metal beneath her hoof caused Diamond to look down in surprise, then pull her hoof away to find the broken remnants of her friend’s glasses beneath it. She looked back up to find Silver scowling at her. “Silver, I…”

“Found my glasses.”

Diamond acted on instinct in response and scowled back. “Well, what do you need these stupid things for anyway?”

Silver’s screaming response would have made a banshee proud. “To see, Diamond! I need them to see! You think I wear them just because they might make me look cute?!”

“Well it’s not my fault…!”

“No, it is! It’s your fault that we’re out here, it’s your fault that we’re lost in this Celestia-forsaken forest where nothing works the way it should, and it’s your fault that my glasses are broken! And for what?! Just to stick it to Mister Quiver Quill?!”

“He stuck his nose into my business! Twice!”

“And the first time involved us bugging the Cutie Mark Crusaders! And that’s another thing! You’ve been giving them grief over being blank flanks for a year, and then suddenly, just because they’re hanging out with a princess, you decide you need to put one over on them?!”

“You came too!”

“Yeah, but I actually got curious about that blueprint she had! I’m probably never going to know anything more about it either, thanks to you trying to brownnose your way into Princess Twilight’s good graces! And the worst part of it was, Mister Quiver was right! I remember your cute-ceañeara, how you were fuming about her and the Crusaders upstaging you! You hardly gave her a second thought after that until after she became an alicorn!”

“She wasn’t important!”

“And the Crusaders are?! Seriously, if it’s not Apple Bloom or Scootaloo, then it’s all three at once! You’ve been giving them nothing but trouble for, like, a year now, and for what?! Because they were blank flanks?! That didn’t stop you from hanging out with Apple Bloom’s cousin Babs! Because it was fun?! I don’t remember losing to them or getting humiliated or any of that being fun! So what’s left, spite?! Spite got us into this mess! Spite got us stuck out here! Spite got us lost in this forest, almost eaten by a manticore, and soon enough, it’s probably gonna get us both killed!” Tears were beginning to well up as the filly wailed, “We’re going to die out here, Diamond! I’m never gonna see my mommy and daddy again, and it’s all your fault!”

Silver then collapsed and sobbed, her head buried in her forehooves as she wept over their fate. Diamond, for her part, looked upon her friend with regret as she realized the sad, painful truth.

“I’m sorry.”

“Well you should be! Like I said…!” Silver looked up from her hooves and, despite her cloudy vision getting worse thanks to her tears, she could make out the utterly broken look on her friend’s face. “Di?”

“You’re right.” Diamond’s voice and face both looked to be cracking, her tone broken and her eyes straining to hold back tears. “This is my fault. We… you’re…” She was interrupted as footfalls sounded from one direction, and she rushed to put herself between whatever was coming and her friend. “Silver, don’t come back, just run!”

“But…!”

“Just…!” She then paused and, in a moment of clarity, realized, “Since when did monsters carry torches?” The brush and branches were moved aside, and a trio of familiar fillies came into view along with their stallion escort. “The Cutie Mark Crusaders?! Mister Quiver Quill?! How?!”

“Sheer luck and sensitive ears.” The stallion looked the two of them over as he held his torch as high as he could. “You two alright?”

“We’re okay, but…” Diamond lowered her head shamefully as she admitted, “…but I broke Silver’s glasses. It was an accident, but…”

“Hang on.” Apple Bloom approached with greater concern than before. “Lemme check yer hoof, make sure ya ain’t bleedin’.”

As the farm filly examined her hoof, Diamond’s gaze went from one Crusader to another, then finally back to Apple Bloom. “Why?” Golden eyes met blue as the wealthy filly asked, “Why are you out here looking for us? You hate us.”

“Ah don’t hate ya. Neither of ya.” Apple Bloom frowned as she admitted, “But the two’a ya’ll ain’t given us much reason to like ya much, neither. Ya’ll’ve been nuthin’ but burrs in our saddles since last summer. Bullyin’ us, teasin’ us…”

Scootaloo glared and interjected, “Calling me a cripple.”

“An’ it’s only a matter’a time ‘fore you come up with some slight against Sweetie Belle!” Quiver raised an eyebrow at that, but opted to keep his mouth shut as Apple Bloom continued, “Or gave me grief over bein’ an orphan! Seriously, after Scootaloo, Ah’m wonderin’ whether or not ya’ll’ve got limits to how low you’d sink!”

“You don’t understand…”

“Don’t understand what? That you’ve got parents who’re still alive, an’ me an’ mah siblin’s only have memories an’ stories an’…an’ Ah ain’t even got memories, cuz Ah was too young to make ‘em. Ah could have a fancy mansion an’ more money than the Maker, and it still wouldn’t bring them back to me.”

Diamond Tiara bowed her head and softly admitted, “At least you know that they’ll always love you.”

That caught everypony else present off guard, but Apple Bloom was quick to recover. “Yeah, well, that still don’t justify all the trouble ya done put us through. An’ somethin’ tells me that ain’t changin’ anytime soon.” Apple Bloom took a breath to recover herself, then finished, “But all that don’t justify us leavin’ you out here to die neither.” She brushed the frogs of Diamond Tiara’s hoof with her own and declared, “Yer hoof’s fine, no glass shards.”

“That’s good.” Sweetie Belle was quietly collecting what she could of Silver Spoon’s glasses. “Rarity knows a mending spell. I don’t know if it works the same way with glass that it does with fabric, but if she can’t fix these, then maybe Twilight can.”

Silver sighed with relief. “Thank you.”

“Thank her after we get you guys out of here. Speaking of.” Quiver planted the torch into the ground and put a hoof to the device on his ear. “Calling all ponies, anyone out there?”

:“Quiver? What’s going on? Did the police find Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon?”:

“No Twilight, the Crusaders and I did.” Quiver looked up as Scootaloo pulled a flare gun from her saddlebags and passed it over to him. After judging the tree cover wasn’t too thick, he aimed high and fired off a flare. It exploded high above the tree line as he turned his attention back to the radio. “Feel free to yell at me after you and the other teams meet up with us and we get them home safe. Assuming there’s anything left after Applejack, Rarity and Spoiled Rich get through with me.” His gaze turned on Diamond Tiara as he remarked, “I think I owe your father an apology. He did a pretty good job, all things considered.”

“I guess.” Diamond briefly looked away, then turned back. “Why are you here? I’ve hurt you too.”

Quiver took back up the torch. “There are things that hurt worse than getting your hoof stomped on. And I think you know that.” His earthy brown eyes met hers as he admitted, “But there’s pains that you don’t know, and that I do. Like the pain experienced when a family loses a child. Your parents don’t deserve to lose you.” He knelt down and offered, “Silver, if you don’t think you can see well enough to get out on your own, I’m okay with giving you a ride once everypony else finds us.”

Silver smiled, and shook her head. “Thank you, Mister Quiver, but I’ll pass.”

“Alright then.” He stood back up and asked, “But what possessed you two to think coming in here was a good idea? This place is dangerous!

Diamond shrugged. “I thought it was safe enough. I mean, Apple Bloom comes in here all the time.”

“Durin’ the day, to visit Zecora. An’ she’s got ways’a wardin’ off most’a the critters that roam these woods. The last time us three came out here at night, we nearly got turned into stone by a cockatrice.” Apple Bloom shuddered. “Thinkin’ about what it did ta Twilight, what it almost did ta us ‘n Fluttershy, still gives me nightmares.”

“Well let’s just hope all this commotion hasn’t…” A terrible howl cut through the air around them, and all of them went deathly silent. Quiver’s next words were decidedly more quiet, barely more than a whisper. “Apple Bloom. Did I just hear, what I think I just heard?”

The filly had gone pale. She’d heard those howls before, and like every child of the Apple family since the founding of Ponyville, she knew what they meant, and gulped. “Timberwolves.”

Harsh growls sounded around them as the frightened fillies gathered close. From out of the shadows around them approached constructs crafted of wood and wild magic in the all too familiar shape of a canine, bright yellow eyes surrounded by various shades of brown and green with foul breath emerging from each maw. One by one, they emerged from the surrounding foliage and into the small clearing, yet more standing over them like vultures waiting to tear at what their comrades left behind.

The five fillies gathered close together, Sweetie Belle desperately trying to keep her horn lit while she and the others moved to protect Silver Spoon as best they could. Quiver kept close to them, torch in hoof, his gaze moving from one timberwolf to another as they closed in on all sides. He didn’t know how long they could last.

But he’d fight for every spare second.

The first lunged, and Quiver shoved the torch directly into its face. The timberwolf howled in pain before Quiver punched it hard enough to break off most of its head and cause it to crumble into deadwood. He glared at the rest in warning. “Come on then. None of us is getting any younger.”

Two more charged out from the shadows, the first batted aside with the torch as the second met Quiver’s back hooves. A third lunged close before it was bucked hard into a nearby tree and shattered. “I wish my old stallion had your timing.”

Big McIntosh snorted as he set his sights on another foe. “Fight now, chat later!”

“Bad doggies!” Pinkie Pie pronked her way onto the scene, going from the back of one timberwolf to another before she landed, deposited Fluttershy beside her, and pulled her party cannon free from her mane. “No biscuits!”

As the battle was joined, the yellow pegasus held the fillies close and assured them, “It’s alright girls, help’s on the way.”

It only took a few more seconds for Fluttershy’s promise to be proven true as the timberwolves watching over them were torn apart one by one, a unicorn mare and two pegasi diving to the rescue. “Flash darling, if you’d be so kind as to clear a path!”

“On it!” Blades extended from the tips of his wings, and Flash Sentry charged in against the surrounding wolves. As one lunged towards him, he shoved both blades into its eyes before pulling its head apart. The body collapsed soon after as one flanking it was beheaded by a fast-moving stone. “Nice shot, Dash!”

“Hey, I can’t let you steal away my fan club!” The prismatic pegasus turned back and winked at her surrogate little sister before she returned to the matter at hoof. “Come on, let’s get out of here! Timberwolves have a bad habit of pulling themselves together!”

Sure enough, wisps of green smoke swirled and formed around the scattered bits of timberwolf as they rejoined, the broken timberwolves coming together into even larger forms than before. Even as they assembled, Quiver grabbed hold of one filly at a time at the scruff of their neck by his teeth and tossed them onto Big Mac’s back. The larger stallion cottoned on and grabbed hold of Apple Bloom the same way, but before Diamond Tiara could join the other fillies, one of the giant timberwolf’s paws slammed down between her and Big Mac.

The timberwolf only had a millisecond to appreciate what it had done before Quiver’s torch was shoved between the chunks of wood that made up its leg. It howled in pain as Quiver scooped up the filly before him and tried to join Big Mac and the others in a hasty withdrawal, only to be separated once again by the timberwolf’s other front paw.

Diamond was perched upon his back, her front hooves wrapped tight about his neck, while Quiver looked up at the creature of wood and magic before him. The rest of the group was too far away to help, either occupied with the remaining timberwolves or trying to keep them from forming more king-sized ones. Terrified, the filly cried, “Please tell me that you have an idea!”

A flash of light, and the last of the searchers appeared beside the two ponies. The gigantic timberwolf roared, only to find a crossbow bolt fly directly into its maw. Its head snapped back in shock before a shield shimmered into view around them, and the timberwolf lasted long enough to let out a whine before it exploded, hundreds of pieces flying off in every direction and bouncing off the shield protecting them.

Quiver relaxed. “Didn’t need one. We had a solution.”

Sour smirked as she leveled her crossbow at another timberwolf, only for it to turn and flee into the forest along with the rest of its pack. She relaxed, then turned to her cousin. “I hope the day never comes where I’m not there to save your plot.”

“Hey, language!” Quiver grinned. “There are foals present.”

“Speakin’ of, ah need a second.” Applejack approached her younger sister, still gripped tight in her brother’s teeth. “What in the sam hill were you thinkin’, comin’ out here like this? Bad enough those two were in danger, we didn’t need three more fillies ta worry about!”

“Indeed.” Rarity approached her sister and amended, “As relieved as I am that the three of you are alright, and glad that you were able to find your missing schoolmates, that doesn’t change the fact that you put yourselves at unnecessary risk! Mother and Father will be livid once they find out about this!”

Sweetie Belle’s ears dropped. “I’m sorry, Rarity. We just wanted to help.”

“Nopony’s sayin’ ya’ll didn’t help, only that ya put yerselves in danger when ya didn't need to.”

Apple Bloom found herself deposited back on the ground, then looked up at Big McIntosh as he nodded. “Eeyup.”

Applejack then took her little sister into a hug as she admitted, “Don’t change that we’re proud that ya’ll did it, though.” The embrace ended as she gestured, “Come on, let’s get outta these woods ‘fore somethin’ worse than timberwolves shows up.”

Silver Spoon’s eyes boggled. “There’s something worse than timberwolves?”

“Lumber bears.” Sour Sweet grinned as she amended, “Don’t worry, though. They’re mostly in northeast Equestria, near the Bugbear territories. Mostly.”

Diamond sighed with exhaustion. “Can we go home now?” She was already about to face one nightmare, she wasn’t eager for more.

“You let Quiver and the Crusaders go off into the Everfree?!”

A sneer formed on Spoiled Rich’s lips at Cheerilee’s exclamation. “Given the choices made by her relatives, it’s no surprise that she’d make such a foolish decision.”

Gilded Lily held firm as she defended herself, and tried her best to rein in her contempt for her fellow guardian. “I trust Quiver to look after the three of them, and to bring them back safely. The more ponies out looking for Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, the better chance they have of coming back whole and unharmed.” She then turned to the schoolteacher and added, “Besides, you know how strong-willed those three can be. At least this way, I know that somepony’s there to keep them from doing anything too reckless.”

Cheerilee looked as though she wanted to protest further, but was interrupted as Filthy Rich called out, “I see them! I see them!” Everypony present rushed to him as they caught sight of the gathering of ponies emerging out of the Everfree and back onto the grounds of Sweet Apple Acres. As soon as he caught sight of his daughter, the stallion rushed forward in relief. “Diamond!” Ponies parted to one side as Quiver knelt down to allow Diamond Tiara to clamber off his back, only for her to be scooped up by her father seconds later. “Oh my precious filly! You had me worried sick! What in Celestia’s name possessed you to do something like this?!” At his daughter’s soft whimper, he backed off and tried to regain his composure. “Well, regardless, I’m glad that you’re safe. We still have some matters to address, and I expect you to apologize to Mister Quiver Quill for…”

“Apologize?!” Attention turned to Spoiled Rich as she strode forward to put in her two bits. “It’s his fault that she was in danger in the first place!”

“Spoiled, please, we don’t –!”

“No.” Heads turned back to Diamond. “You’re wrong, Daddy.” Spoiled Rich only had a millisecond to smirk before her daughter frowned and screwed her eyes tight. “It’s not just him I need to apologize to.” Both her parents turned confused as Diamond looked up at her father with tears starting to build up in her eyes. “Daddy, I lied to you. Nopony was bullying me – I was being the bully, to Apple Bloom and the other Crusaders. I was making fun of her for being a blank flank and rubbing it in her face at my cute-ceañeara, and Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo stood up for her. Nopony ruined it, except me.”

Filthy’s face turned pale with regret and disappointment. “Diamond…”

“And that’s not the end of it.” As if compelled to confess to all of her sins, the filly continued. “I turned her cousin Babs against her when she visited late last summer! I blackmailed all three Crusaders into continuing the Gabby Gums column after they asked to quit! I called Scootaloo a cripple, just to win a competition! I…” At that point, she couldn’t hold back her tears anymore, and wailed and shouted, “I’M A BAD PO-NEE-EEE!”

From the sidelines, the three Crusaders looked visibly deflated. A part of each of them, at some point, had imagined seeing Diamond Tiara at her lowest, but now they were seeing it for real. And it wasn’t anywhere near as satisfying as any of them, particularly Scootaloo, thought it would be.

“Oh for Celestia’s sake!” Spoiled Rich, however, was unimpressed with the sight before her, and shoved her husband aside as she marched in to address her daughter. “Diamond Dazzle Tiara! Compose yourself at once!” At her daughter’s continued wailing, she scowled and roared. “Damn it girl, pull yourself together!”

What came next happened so fast and so sudden that nopony could do little more than watch in shock as Spoiled Rich slapped her daughter across the muzzle. That instantly stopped Diamond’s tears, and forced her to look up at her mother with even greater terror than before.

“You foolish little filly! Do you have any idea how much you’re embarrassing me right now, how much you’ve inconvenienced me with this little stunt?! All this wailing and crying and moaning and carrying on like some pathetic little blank-flanked foal! You’re made of sterner stuff! A diamond!” She raised her hoof for another slap as she finished, “And diamonds don’t break!”

Diamond winced as the hoof was swung, but the blow didn’t land as another hoof blocked it. She looked up as Quiver stared down her mother, his eyes like daggers as he growled, “That’s enough.”

“How dare you touch me, you…!”

“I said that’s enough!” Quiver shoved her back, then inserted himself between her and her daughter. “Of all the things that I hoped I wouldn’t see in this town, what I just saw was at the top of my list! That was low! Vile! Detestable!”

“How dare you sit in judgment on me, you disgust–!”

“Because my father pulled that same horseshit on me!” Quiver ignored the gasps from his friends as he continued, “The only difference was that he was never stupid enough to think that he could get away with doing it in public, much less in the presence of a pony in authority! Then again, we were dirt poor, so I guess it’s true what they say – you can’t buy sense, class, or integrity! And even if you had all three, nothing gives you the right to treat your daughter, or anypony, the way you’ve done so tonight!”

Spoiled responded by slapping the stallion hard across the muzzle. As Quiver staggered back and the surrounding ponies pulled back in alarm, the wealthy mare sneered and shot back, “Money gives me the right! Wealth, power, prestige! You talk to me about ponies in authority? How dare you! There’s none higher than the wealthy!”

“Tell that to the princesses!”

“Hush, you stupid farmrat!” Apple Bloom stepped back at Spoiled’s fury as she continued, “Your dead idiot parents obviously aren’t here to explain this to you, so I’m going to have to do it for them! Princess Celestia threw away most of her power and influence over the centuries, and what little she has left for herself is a joke! To say nothing of her psychotic sister and that bimbo niece of hers! And elected officials? Bought! Paid for! Each of them has their price, provided you have enough gold to grease the wheels! Money is power, and those with the most money have the most power! Corporations, businesses, those with enough sense to take what they want and refuse to let go, we’re the ones who rule the world, and nothing is going to change that!” She rounded on each of the Mane Six in turn as she recounted, “Not some country bumpkin who only has a farm thanks to my in-laws, not some spineless weak-winged pegasus who clearly failed to become a real veterinarian, not some helium-brained sugar-addled ditz, not some stumped-up gold-digging whore, not some feather-brained failure who can’t be bothered to push clouds because she has her head stuck in them, not some bleeding-heart librarian with delusions of grandeur and an oversized pet iguana…” Her attention turned back to Quiver, totally ignorant of the increasing expressions of fury on the faces of the others present as she concluded, “And certainly not some retarded idiot like…!”

Spoiled was silenced as Quiver’s hoof collided with her muzzle with enough force to knock her back several steps. She barely had a second before she was slammed against a nearby apple tree with enough force to send several ripe apples falling to the ground, the stallion’s forehooves against her neck and his face contorted in sheer rage. “How dare I?! How dare you?!”

“Quiver, stop!” Twilight’s horn glowed as she attempted to pull him away from his captive, only for him to actively resist. “Let her go!”

“Not! Happening!”

Rarity’s magic was added as the princess pleaded, “But if you keep this up, you could kill her!”

The stallion’s voice was little different from a roar as he declared, “She’s got it coming!”

“Quiver. You’re scaring the kids.”

Quiver’s eyes finally left his quarry at the sound of his cousin’s voice, and as they moved to one side, they fell upon first Diamond Tiara, and then Silver Spoon and the Crusaders. He recognized what he saw in them, because he’d seen it before, both earlier tonight and reflected in the eyes of others from his own. Fear.

His rage subsided, and he released his death grip upon Spoiled Rich and stepped back, the anger that had distorted his face now replaced with shock and shame.

“You… you mad pony!” Even as she gasped for air, the wealthy mare wiped away the blood from her broken nose as she declared, “Do you have any idea how much that muzzle job cost?! I’ll have your head for…!” She paused as Quiver didn’t even acknowledge her and slowly walked away, his head hung low. “Come back here, you damn fool! Stop at once and listen to me, you…!”

“You’ve got bigger problems right now, Spoiled Rich.” The wealthy mare’s attention turned back to Twilight as the princess glared at her in anger. “I can handle ponies bad-mouthing me. But insulting my friends, insulting my family…” The dragon joined her, crossed his arms and snorted smoke. “…and insulting my fellow princesses? Including my sister-in-law?”

She sneered and remarked, “Something wrong? Did I hit a little too close to the mark, your High-and-Mightiness?” She scoffed and dismissively raised a hoof. “As if I’m intimidated by somepony like you.”

“No. I expect you aren’t.” Twilight kept her eyes locked on the mare before her as she spoke, her voice dangerously calm. “And you aren’t wrong. Celestia did give up much of her power over the centuries. It ended up in the hooves of elected officials, ponies voted in by and for their constituents to act in their best interests. You talk about how they can be influenced, about how they can be bought. Fine, I admit to that. No system’s perfect, but that’s better than absolute power in the hooves of one pony alone.” Her eyes narrowed as she added, “But there’s more than one way to grease wheels, Spoiled Rich. And no amount of money or influence in the world is going to protect you for long once word gets out that you’re an unapologetically abusive parent. Not in Ponyville, not in Canterlot, not anywhere.” The princess’s glare wasn’t reduced by even a fraction as the wealthy mare smirked, and she turned away. “Lieutenants. Keep her covered.”

Both Guardsponies present stood alert at her command as Sour Sweet answered, “Yes ma’am.” Both ponies’ attention was locked on the wealthy mare before them, as if they expected her to put a hoof out of line. Should she do so, both would be ready.

Twilight’s attention turned away from Spoiled Rich, and towards the rescued fillies. Diamond Tiara was sticking close to her father, but while his apologetic and regretful eyes were on her, her expression was pointed at the ground as fresh tears formed. “Diamond Tiara?” The filly looked up as Twilight prodded, “You collected what you could of Silver Spoon’s broken glasses, didn’t you?”

Diamond nudged her head towards the Crusaders. “More like they did. All I did was break them. Can you repair them?”

A smile formed on Twilight’s lips. “I can certainly try.” Inside, she reflected on how easy a fix this was, compared to what was to come.

Author's Note

For those who were anticipating something unpleasant for Spoiled Rich, congrats, you got it.

The crystal radio idea is shamelessly ripped from the works of Reality Check. I don't feel too bad about it, given that it's real life technology that any Boy Scout could make with the right materials, but he used it, so there you are.

EDIT on 9/26/2020 - I changed a little bit for this chapter to eliminate some issues brought up by Final Legend Zero.

Chapter Seven - Scars Revealed

Author's Note

Some content in this chapter may offend certain readers' sensibilities. The author is aware of this, and thus has duly warned his readers.

The song referenced in this chapter is "Somewhere Out There", and was written by James Horner, Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil for the 1986 animated film An American Tail. Gorgeous film as old as I am, and it's a song that I love.

Chapter Seven - Scars Revealed

The evening since leaving work had been an emotional rollercoaster for Filthy Rich. Over several hours, he’d gone from terror to growing anxiety of one flavor or another to dread, with a brief plateau of relief before finally climaxing in utter shock. He tried his best to soothe his weary soul by reminding himself that his daughter was alive and alright, but that was little comfort as he looked upon the mare before him. Spoiled Rich, his beloved wife, the mother of his child…

“How can any of you waste your time with such pointless things when that insane stallion is just going on his merry way?!”

…and the monster who had struck his greatest treasure without a hint of remorse.

“I demand restitution! I want him in stocks! I can only think of one reason for you to not be after him, and that’s sheer favoritism! Once more, our government –!”

“How dare you!” Fluttershy, amazingly enough, had risen to the challenge, her eyes locked upon the mare before her in a Stare that could bleach Queen Chrysalis. “You rant and rave and boast about being able to get whatever you want with your money, and now you accuse us of doing the same?! You hypocrite!”

Spoiled Rich, however, was not Queen Chrysalis, and she snapped back full of color and defiance. “Get away from me, you! I’m the victim here!”

“Says the mare that was slappin’ her own daughter an’ insultin’ all’a us!” Applejack looked ready to pick up where Quiver Quill had left off. “Yer damn lucky we don’t leave the pitchforks lyin’ round!”

“More like he was lucky, you filthy hick!”

“That’s enough.”

Spoiled Rich’s tirade halted as Granny Smith slowly approached, her eyes narrowed. With a smug look on her face, the wealthy mare stood up and noted, “Well, now that’s settled, I’ll require medical…”

“Git off mah land.”

The wealthy mare turned to the aged one, the latter’s expression cold and her eyes glaring hot daggers. “Excuse me?”

“You deaf? Ah said to git off mah land.” Granny Smith’s eyes narrowed as she amended. “In one piece ‘er several. Take yer pick.”

Spoiled Rich paused at that threat, as if seriously considering its validity, before she scoffed. “Very well, but you can consider your family’s business with the Rich family concluded. Filthy, Diamond, we’re leaving!”

“No.” As his wife turned back to face him, Filthy Rich pulled his daughter close and firmly repeated, “Last I checked, I was still welcome on this property. And my daughter is going nowhere with somepony who would hurt her.” Spoiled Rich considered him, then threw up her head and marched off as Filthy took a deep breath and looked down at his daughter. “Diamond, it’s alright.”

The filly looked up at him, tears still in her eyes, and then rushed to embrace him, sobbing broken apologies as she rubbed her muzzle into his chest. He gently stroked her mane as she bawled, tears streaming out until she finally sniffled and gasped, “It’s my fault. It’s all my fault.”

“No, it’s my fault. That comes with being a father.” Diamond looked up at him as he asked, “But why didn’t you tell me?”

“I was scared.” The filly sniffled as she admitted, “I was scared you wouldn’t love me anymore.”

He hugged her tight and promised, “I’ll always love you, Diamond. Nothing will change that.” He loosened his grip and amended, “But not about what you’d been doing, or your bullying Apple Bloom and her friends. I meant about your mother, and how she’s treated you.”

Diamond rubbed away what she could of her tears. “Because I thought you knew. And I… I…”

Apple Bloom stepped forward and reasoned, “She didn’t think ya’d do anythin’ about it.”

Those words hit Filthy Rich like the Friendship Express at full tilt, and he felt like the world had gone out from under him. And the worst part of it was that he couldn’t come up with a good response. He’d trusted Spoiled to look after their… after his daughter, and operated with the belief that she had Diamond’s best interests at heart. He’d often come home so exhausted from work that he’d barely had time to ask about how things had gone, how their days had been spent, and hardly found the time to look at what was going on around him.

Or perhaps he’d simply not wanted to look, the metaphorical imp hovering over one shoulder told him. He gently cupped his daughter’s muzzle with his hoof and raised her head up to look at him, and smiled. “I will now. I promise. And I know how to start.” He turned to the unicorn Guardspony and asked, “You’re Mister Quiver Quill’s cousin, yes? You know where he lives?” At Sour’s nod, he noted, “Then I start there.”

“Well don’t start without us.” Twilight finished repairing what she could of Silver Spoon’s glasses and then gently lifted them back onto the filly’s head. “Quiver’s a friend. And whatever he’s going through right now, I won’t let him go through it alone.” She glanced around at the gathered ponies and asked, “Anyone opting out?”

“Only because somepony’s gotta keep watch here on the farm.” Granny looked to her grandchildren and said, “But y’all let him know how grateful we all are, hear?”

The three siblings looked between one another, grinned, and nodded. “Eeyup.”

It had been some time since Quiver had felt this low. The last time was…well, it was the day that he’d walked in on Luster Drain assembling his desk and claiming it for herself. That time he’d nearly gone off to the Everfree, ready to end it all. This time, he made his way back to his home, ready to wait for what he thought was the inevitable.

He opened the door and within seconds, he had Edgar’s attention. The raven swiftly fluttered onto his head and gently ran his beak along one ear in greeting. “Hello!”

“Hey Edgar.” Quiver closed the door behind him and made his way to his pet’s normal perch. “Kinda obvious this was a bad night, huh?”

The raven hopped off his head and turned to face him from his customary place. “Okay?”

The stallion shook his head. “I think I’ve messed up. So bad that I might not be able to recover from it.” He sighed and sat down. “Not the first time, and probably not the last either.” He looked up, and tried his best to put on a brave face. “Do me a favor? Don’t give Sour too much trouble, huh? Believe it or not, I think she likes you.”

“Like her too.”

Quiver let out a dry chuckle before his attention turned to his door, a knock having sounded from outside. He stood up and made his way towards it. “It’s alright, I’m cooperating! Don’t knock down the door!” He opened it, only to be surprised by what awaited him outside. “I… Princess Luna?”

“Good evening, Mister Quiver Quill.” Standing at his doorstep, flanked by two thestrals of the Night Guard, was indeed Princess Luna. Her mane swayed and flowed and twinkled like the stars at night, and her cyan eyes were shining contentedly as she softly smiled upon him. “May I enter?”

The stallion momentarily found himself at a loss for words, but quickly recovered. “Yes, of course, please!” He gestured for her to come inside, and as she did so, he asked, “Can I get you something to drink? Milk? Tea? Juice?”

“No, thank you, but I hope that you will allow me to rest in comfort.”

Quiver nodded, and Luna settled herself upon his sofa as he closed the door. Her attention soon moved to the raven upon his desk as Edgar bowed in greeting. “Hail!”

The alicorn laughed and extended a hoof. “Hail and well met, friend raven! How fare thee?”

Edgar accepted his new perch with relish. “Well! How fare thee?”

“Most well!” Clearly pleased, Luna turned to Quiver as he approached. “Thou hast chosen thine companions well. ‘Tis rare to see such a gregarious raven.”

“Well, it’s more like he chose me.” The mirth faded from his face as the stallion asked, “Why are you here, ma’am?”

She raised a hoof. “Please, do not be so formal. Luna will suffice for addressing me.” Luna gently smiled and added, “And as for my presence here this evening, ‘tis something I’ve sought for quite some time. Though given your ill humor, I think my presence here was well timed.”

“I thought that you reached out to help ponies in their dreams.”

“Only when needed. I am well aware that the use of my skills in that regard could be considered a breach of privacy, and only enter the dreams of others if the situation is dire, or if a child needs me. All too often, it ends up being both.” Edgar hopped from her limb back to his normal perch as Luna continued, “Aside from the fact that I lack such probable cause here, I thought it would matter more if this meeting happened in the waking world, rather than the realm of dreams.” She laid her hoof upon his shoulder and smiled. “Thank you.”

Quiver’s expression turned to surprise. “For what? I’ve never…” The realization dawned on him. “Oh. That story I wrote.” He bowed his head. “Forgive me Luna, but I don’t think that’s worth thanking me over. For all the work I put into it, I got a lot of things wrong.”

“Only because you didn’t have the complete facts available to you, sir. It’s hardly your fault for lacking information that nopony in the public would know about until I’d regained my freedom, and regardless, you still have my gratitude.”

He raised an eyebrow. “For being a naïve fool who thought that a child’s tears could halt a monster?”

“For looking at a monster and seeing the tragedy, where so many saw naught but a frightful and fanciful tale. You have a rare gift, young stallion. That of vision.”

Quiver bowed his head. “For all the good it’s done me. Having vision is only nice so long as others accept it. That story might’ve brought me a lot of good, but…” He glanced to his left flank and the cutie mark upon it. “But it caused me a lot of pain, too.”

Luna’s hoof went from his shoulder to his muzzle as she turned his attention back towards her. “Then listen to this tale, storyteller, and let it be a balm to your wounds.” She withdrew the hoof and sat at attention. “After my return from the prison of Nightmare Moon, I was… broken. Where once I was consumed with rage and envy, I now had to contend with guilt and self-loathing. But in those early days, my sister showed me something that helped, even if only by a small amount.”

“The story I wrote.”

The princess nodded. “I still had a long road ahead, which curved one way and another, and faced setbacks along the way. But your tale helped, because it showed that one pony, despite years of distance between himself and the truth, could understand what happened. It helped me to move on, and to let go.”

“Just that story?”

“No. I had friends, too.” A knock sounded from the door, and Luna’s horn glowed with magic as the doorknob turned. “As do you.”

The door opened, and a large gathering of ponies stood at the door, one dragon among them. Right at the front were a unicorn and an alicorn, the latter with a hoof raised in greeting and a reassuring smile. “Hi Quiver.”

The stallion smiled. “Hey everyone. Come on in. Sorry about the lack of space.”

“Like you’d turn down standing room only.” Sour Sweet came forward and gave her cousin a warm hug, then turned to address her superior. “Your Highness.”

“Lieutenant. You are clearly settling into your new home.” Luna grinned. “My sister chose well when she selected you to protect Twilight Sparkle.”

“Something that I’ll never stop being grateful for.” The crowd of ponies had been reduced to its last members as Filthy Rich entered with his daughter beside him. “Courage must run in her family, given what the two of them have done tonight.”

Quiver frowned. “I thought I’d be the last stallion you’d want to see, given what just happened with your wife.”

“That business is yet to come, and only thanks to you having helped to open my eyes.” The middle-aged stallion bowed his head as he closed the door behind him. “Thank you, for that, and for saving my daughter’s life.”

“And for keeping my niece and her friends safe.” Gilded Lily approached her tenant with genuine gratitude.

“I’m sorry for interrupting everypony’s shares of gratitude, but there’s something else we need to deal with.” Twilight turned to her friend. “Quiver, what happened there, you need to talk about it. With all of us.”

“Yeah, you can’t exactly drop a bombshell like that and expect all of us to just let it go.” Rainbow Dash gestured towards his collection of Daring Do books. “I think it’s time.”

Quiver sighed and nodded. “I guess you’re right, given what’s probably to come.” Quiver gestured for Sour to take a seat upon his sofa, then moved to a nearby bookshelf. “Some of you know at least a few details to this story, a few more than most. Though I don’t think anypony here knows all of it, at least, not for certain.” He pulled one volume from the shelf, and then climbed onto the sofa between his cousin and Princess Luna and opened the book. “I got this in the mail not long after I arrived here in Ponyville.”

Pinkie gasped in recognition. “Your family record! I remember that!”

Sour rolled her eyes as ponies came forward to examine it, the youngest of the group in the front. “And the questions come in three, two…”

“Bitter Sweet? Surely Sweet? Sickly Sweet?” Apple Bloom looked up at the two cousins. “That’s a lotta sweets.”

“It’s a family tradition, at least for our grandmother’s family.” Quiver looked to his cousin and explained, “The first born daughter of each generation would get the word ‘Sweet’ somewhere in their name. The colts though are entirely up to whimsy.”

Rarity smiled. “I don’t know, ‘Quiver Quill’ has a certain lyrical quality to it.”

Sour laughed. “Quiver got lucky. If it had been up to our grandfather, he’d’ve been named ‘Fussy Britches’.”

Quiver frowned and grumbled, “Not that my proper name stopped him from calling me that anyway.” He sighed. “Anyway, take a look at the name that’s parallel with ours.”

Spike leaned in and read it aloud. “Regal Grace.” He looked up. “You have a brother?”

“Check it again, Spike. He’s got something Sour and I don’t.” As the young drake did so, and turned sorrowful, Quiver continued on. “I didn’t grow up wealthy. My mother and father scraped by as best they could, with my dad working all number of jobs before he stayed at home to raise me, and my mother taking up a position with the Indianapoloosa Historical Society. They didn’t have much, save for each other and a mortgage on a house that felt like it could fall apart around them at any minute, but they did what they could with what they had. And after being married five years, they had me.” He smirked at his cousin. “And Sour followed me into the world a month later.”

She smirked right back and gave him a playful nudge in return. “Rub it in, why don’t you?”

Quiver chuckled, and then turned somber as he continued. “About a year and a half after I was born came my brother. And we were very different ponies.”

Rainbow Dash scoffed, “Quiver, I doubt any pair of siblings is going to be identical. Just ask Fluttershy about her brother sometime.”

“Don’t joke just yet.” Quiver turned dead serious as he continued, “I won’t pretend to be the brightest of bulbs, but I’m not stupid either. I can look after myself, for the most part, hold a conversation, a job, most of the things one expects a grown stallion my age to do. But Regal?” He sighed regretfully. “Regal was another matter.”

Quiver smiled as the soothing sounds of a classical score drifted through the air around his ears. He liked listening to music of all kinds, but while something over the radio was nice, he never knew what was coming next. His daddy’s records, however, had lots of good music to them. They ranged from rock and roll to film scores and so much inbetween, and they were peaceful and predictable. They were the sort of thing that he could listen to for hours, even in the background as he read.

A scratching needle shook him out of his enjoyment as the last few seconds of the song started up again, soon drowned out by an all-to-familiar wail of enjoyment. “EIEIEIEIEIH!” He looked up from where he sat to see his younger sibling at the record player as he pushed the tonearm back to repeat the last few seconds once more. “EIEIEIEIEIH!”

Quiver groaned and did the only thing that a four-year-old colt could think of as he hopped off the old couch. “DADDY! Regal’s messing with the record player!”

His father appeared within seconds, a foul expression on his face and wet, sudsy rubbers over his hooves. “Quiver, we’ve tried, but we can’t stop Regal from doing things like this.”

“But he’s gonna ruin the record! Again!”

“I know, but life’s filled with…” The stallion turned silent as he realized something was off with his youngest son. “Where’s his diaper?”He strode past his son as his gaze moved about. “Oh, I do not want to have to deal with this retarded…” One of his hooves made contact with something soft and disgusting just as the discarded diaper came into view, and he knew exactly what it was that he’d stepped in. “SHIT! QUIVER, TRASH BAGS! PAPER TOWELS! SCRUB BRUSH! CARPET CLEANER! FRESH DIAPER! NOW!”

“Not long after he was born, Regal was diagnosed with autism. It’s a developmental disorder that, among other things, affects a pony’s ability to interact with others. Communicate, socialize, learn and respond to another pony, all of that. Nopony really knows what causes it, but common consensus is that it’s due to neurological development, particularly in the brain.” Quiver gestured to his skull and explained, “A very complex organ, this. One little thing goes wrong, and it can cause a world of trouble. And given that those diagnosed with it vary in the severity of their symptoms, a pony with autism isn’t just different from a pony without autism, but also most other ponies with autism. It’s not just one thing that can cause them to be different, but tons of other things.”

“I’ve heard of this condition. Fleur Dis Lee donates to a charity dedicated to researching it.” Rarity looked curious as she admitted, “Though I thought there was some evidence that vaccinations were to blame.”

The stallion took on a sharp tone as he next spoke. “Evidence that’s been thoroughly debunked and discredited. If vaccinations were the cause, then anypony inoculated with them would have symptoms instead of the few that do.” He sighed. “Sorry, but you grow up with this stuff, and you do your best to get the facts. There’s no evidence that vaccinations are a factor, just plenty for other things. Older age in the parents, a family history of autism, exposure to substances and situations known to cause other developmental disorders, being male…” His head slumped. “A part of me hopes that some doctors are just making stuff up, but unfortunately, the statistics are in their favor.”

As several of his friends frowned in sympathy, Rarity offered, “Well, that aside, there are therapies to help those diagnosed with autism to function in everyday society. That part of what I’ve heard is correct at least, yes?”

“Yes, but most of them have only been developed in recent years, long since they could’ve done Regal any good. And even if they were available then, a therapy is only effective if there’s consistent participation in it on both sides. Regal tended to be very stubborn and aggressive, and while my parents did try their best to curb his behaviors, my grandparents were another matter. They tended to let him do as he pleased.”

“Grandmare especially tended to dote on him.” Sour frowned and rolled her eyes. “Even now, she can’t get into one conversation with somepony new without bringing him up.” She then put on a big, fake-looking smile and sing-songed, “He was such a blessing!” The smile turned into a bitter frown as she admitted, “I didn’t even live with him and it felt like he was part of my life twenty-four seven.”

“Well, it’s not wrong for a grandparent to dote on their grandchildren.” Fluttershy tried her best to be soothing as she amended, “Or to give them extra attention if they have special needs.”

“Doting on him is one thing Fluttershy, but the way our Grandmare acts sometimes, you’d think that Sour and I simply didn’t exist. And she never quite seemed to grasp the idea that I might want to spend some quiet time with myself rather than be around somepony who was constantly wailing like a banshee.” Quiver sighed. “If I went anywhere, and my grandparents were involved, Regal had to be there too. Stores, movie theaters, restaurants, you name it. And given his behavior, Regal ended up getting banned from the local movie theater. And if he couldn’t go to see the movie, then I couldn’t either.” Quiver shook his head to get off that bit of unpleasantness, and then moved on. “Anyway, due to his condition, my parents ended up dedicating so much of their time to look after Regal that they ended up having very little for me. What time they did find for me they made the most of. They were avid readers, and between my dad frequenting libraries and my mother working in them, I grew up surrounded by books. When I was by myself, I tended to have my muzzle buried in one.” He smiled and admitted, “If not for that, then I probably wouldn’t have gotten into the Daring Do series, or took my first steps to become a writer.”

Apple Bloom gave him a curious look. “Well, did’ya have any friends growin’ up? Neighborhood kids or whatever?”

Quiver shook his head at the filly’s question. “The neighborhood I grew up in wasn’t like Ponyville. There weren’t lots of young foals around for me to play with, and the few that were there I didn’t really socialize with because my dad didn’t like their families. That was one reason I was actually looking forward to going to school, so I could meet other kids and actually make friends.” Quiver frowned. “But it didn’t work out anywhere near as well as I’d hoped.”

The aged unicorn mare checked over her list, her lips pursed on her pale yellow muzzle as she crossed off a name and a student took their seat. “The next letter of the alphabet is ‘Q’.” Her expression turned even more sour as she realized, “And it would seem that we have one student whose name begins with that letter.” Her gaze turned towards said lone student, and she cleared her throat.

As the previous student had done, Quiver stepped forward and took his place beside his teacher, then turned to look out onto the class. There were many earth ponies like him, as well as a few pegasi and unicorns, and even two or three who looked like ponies, but weren’t – their ears were too long and their muzzles were colored funny. What did the teacher call them, donkeys? They were different, but if they were in school with him, then they couldn’t be bad. He tried his best to stand up straight, and put on his best smile. “Hello. My name is Quiver Quill. I like books, and reading, and I’m looking forward to making friends.”

“Move along.”

Quiver did as he was told and made his way to the next empty seat, but as he went, one of his hooves got caught on a loose bit of carpet on the floor, and he tripped and fell to the ground. He wasn’t certain which hurt more, the impact with the floor, or the riotous laughter from the other foals.

The last student to take a seat beside him looked down at him and sneered. She was a unicorn like the teacher, with a pale yellow coat, green eyes, and a mane and tail that started out deep red at the tips and turned bright pink at the ends. “Nice moves, Blunder Bill!”

“I said to move along! We’ve no time to waste!” Now feeling lower than he’d ever felt before, Quiver stood back up and went to his desk. “The next letter of the alphabet is ‘R’. We have no students whose names start with that letter. The next after that is ‘S’. Again, we have no students whose names start with that letter. And the next after that is ‘T’.” Her gaze turned to that next group of students, some of whom were still laughing at their classmate’s misfortune.

“As much as I wish that I could say otherwise, I’m afraid that every school has at least one spoiled, self-entitled little queen bee in attendance. If you’re lucky, most of them grow out of it, or at least show some redeeming characteristics, but sometimes, you get stuck with an absolute monster.” Quiver scowled. “In my case, I had a monster. Her name was Primrose Thorn, and from day one, she singled me out as her personal chew toy.” He noticed a pensive look on Rarity’s face. “Something wrong?”

The unicorn waved a hoof. “Oh, it’s probably nothing important. If it is, it will come to me. Still, are you certain that you’re not exaggerating?”

“Rarity, that…” Quiver scowled again as he censored himself. “That mare took what Diamond Tiara’s done to your little sister and her friends and kicked it up to eleven. She used her magic to trip me up, shove me into doorframes, and lob things into my head.” He rubbed a point on his side, which Diamond realized was the same place where she’d bucked him a few hours earlier, and remarked. “My sides still hurt sometimes, thanks to all the times I got shoved around. And that’s ignoring the constant name-calling. Thanks to her, I was a pariah, persona non grata and a target for everyone in her little posse. When she decided that you were lower than dirt, then that’s where you were going to be.”

“Well if she was as bad as you say, then why didn’t anypony do anything about it?”

Quiver snorted at the fashionista’s question. “Because nopony wanted to do anything about it. The other students outside of her little clique were too afraid of her wrath to stand up to her, and as for anyone in authority…” He sighed, then turned to the resident schoolteacher and explained, “Ponyville’s lucky to have you, Cheerilee, despite what some might say.”

Cheerilee made a sad smile as she admitted, “Well, I don’t feel like I deserve that sort of praise.”

“That ain’t true!” The five fillies turned to face her as Apple Bloom stated, “Miss Cheerilee, yer the best teacher we could ask for!”

“Despite the fact that I’ve done so little to keep you from being bullied under my watch?” She turned to Filthy Rich and explained, “I’m afraid that it might have been thanks to me that Diamond Tiara picked up the term ‘blank flank’, and started using it against Apple Bloom.”

“But you also replaced me as editor on the Foal Free Press after you found out that I was blackmailing the Crusaders into continuing the Gabby Gums column!” Diamond briefly turned to her father, some lingering shock still on his face, and asked, “Mother never told you?”

“No, she didn’t. And that’s something you and I will need to discuss later.” He turned his attention to Cheerilee and added, “Regardless, that term didn’t begin with my daughter, and it won’t end with her either. If she hadn’t picked it up from you, I’ve no doubt she would have picked it up elsewhere.”

“And from what I’ve seen, you still actively enjoy teaching. The kids love you, and you love them.” Quiver frowned as he admitted, “I can’t say that about the teacher I had. Miss Persimmon was about as jaded, bitter and apathetic as you could get. There’s times where I think a student could die under her care, and she wouldn’t lift a hoof over it.” At the incredulous looks from his friends, he elaborated, “On one occasion, Primrose decided to target one of the other fillies in my class. She and her little posse cornered her in a restroom and sheared off her mane.”

Rarity gasped in outrage. “That little…!” She then gasped again, this time in shock. “Oh sweet Maker, now I remember where I’d heard the name before! She’s a customer!” Heads turned towards her as she explained, “Shortly after Manehattan Fashion Week, I was contacted by her and commissioned to make her a dress for an upcoming event! She’s even scheduled to come into town tomorrow for a fitting! I’m absolutely sorry, Quiver, but had I known…!”

The stallion raised a hoof. “Easy Rarity, I’m not mad at you. You had no idea who she was, and besides, it’s not good business to turn away customers out of hoof.”

“Well regardless, had I known she was the sort to engage in that sort of behavior…” The fashionista gave a very unladylike snort, and then calmed down. “Forgive me, but I’ve rather strong feelings regarding such acts.”

“As well you should, but that’s something for another time.” Quiver turned back to his story and continued, “In any case, there was another factor in her favor. While our teacher didn’t care, said teacher’s supervisor, Principal Fairweather, had no desire to tarnish the word of the school’s star student, especially given her political connections. That’s part of the reason I went postal on Spoiled Rich, because she used her wealth and connections and power to march over everypony else, and got away with it because she had wealth and connections and power.”He frowned and explained, “Primrose was little different. Her father, Crimson Thorn, was and still is the mayor of Indianapoloosa, a position that he practically inherited from his grandmother, Amaranth Thorn, after she was elected to national office. I think the only reason either of them keep on getting reelected is because they buy the vote, not because they’re actually doing a good job in office.”

“I wondered if there was a connection.” At Quiver’s curious expression, Luna elaborated, “My sister once told me that some years ago, Congressmare Amaranth Thorn provided a letter of recommendation for her great-granddaughter to attend the School for Gifted Unicorns in Canterlot. Said foal was rejected, as she refused to partake in the practical portion of the entrance examination. Assuming that they are indeed one and the same…”

Quiver raised an eyebrow. “Well, I guess even her wealth and connections and power had their limits.”

“Still, that does raise some questions.” Twilight turned to Spike as she considered somepony else who might have known the mare in question, before she turned back to her friend and his cousin. “Sour, did you…?”

The freckled unicorn shook her head. “I eventually heard about her from Quiver, but I’ve never met her. He and I didn’t go to the same schools.” She shrugged. “Mom married into wealth. I got to go to a fancy private school while Quiver was stuck in public.”

“Well why didn’t…” The realization hit Diamond Tiara almost instantly. “Ooh. If Primrose got rejected from a school associated with Princess Celestia, then most other schools would think twice about enrolling her on that alone, wouldn’t they?”

“Got it in one.” Quiver gave her a half-smile. “I’ll say this, you didn’t inherit your mother’s brains.” At the filly’s half-smile in return, he continued, “And the sad thing is, she wasn’t the only luminary to graduate from the same school as me. Primrose managed to latch on to a thug of a young stallion named Brick Wall, an earth pony like me, only much bulkier. He tended to join in on the abuse she heaped on me whenever he could.” He gave a sarcastic smile as another memory from his school days drifted into the forefront of his mind. “And of course, there was High Note.”

Rarity’s ears perked up at the mention of that name. “High Note? As in, the Bridleway singer?” At Quiver’s nod, the mare squealed in delight, seemingly ignorant of the resigned expression on Spike’s face. “Oh good gracious! Why didn’t you mention that earlier! He’s one of Bridleway’s rising stars! Handsome, charming, a gorgeous singing voice…!”

“He’s gay, Rarity.” The foul expression on Quiver’s face could’ve curdled milk. “And thanks to desperate naïveté, Primrose had managed to convince him that I was gay too. I managed to convince him otherwise without resorting to violence, but between him trying to come onto me and all of his obnoxious behavior towards me over the years, I never really took much of a shine to him.” He raised a hoof and amended, “And don’t bother telling me that not everypony who isn’t heterosexual is like that. I’m well aware, and I don’t need to be reminded. My issues are strictly with one gay pony, not all of them.”

Everypony accepted that, and discussion continued on as Twilight cleared her throat. “And nopony ever did anything about her or anypony who associated with her?”

“Of course not. Aside from being in charge of a public school, Fairweather was enough of a bootlicker that he’d have turned a blind eye to any of Primrose’s misdeeds, and she had plenty. Most of them aimed at me, and some worse than others. The less I’m reminded of that particular Tartarus-pit, the better.” He gestured towards the nearby wastebasket and explained, “Unfortunately, sometimes things happen and you can’t do much about it. Earlier this week, I got a letter inviting me to an upcoming school reunion. Odds are that’s the event she wants you to make a dress for, Rarity. In any case, I pitched it without a second thought.”

“Can’t blame you.” Rainbow Dash nodded her head towards Fluttershy and admitted, “We didn’t exactly have fond memories of flight camp, and flight school was just as bad, if not worse. Me and Fluttershy didn’t get it as bad as you, but still…”

Scootaloo turned to her hero in shock. “You were bullied, Rainbow Dash? Really?”

The prismatic pegasus gave a reluctant nod. “Yeah. And the best I could do was tough it out, but…”

Fluttershy laid a comforting hoof upon her friend’s shoulder and explained, “But even that wasn’t enough after a while.”

Quiver’s eyes widened in shock. “That’s why…?”

Dash nodded. “Among other reasons. Classwork was never my thing.” She scowled as she admitted, “And getting ‘Rainbow Crash’ chanted in my ear every two seconds didn’t help either, especially when they called me a liar to boot over my first Sonic Rainboom.” The scowl faded as she realized, “But the way you talk about your bully, she was a lot worse than what Fluttershy and I had to put up with. No wonder you lashed out at Spoiled Rich that bad.”

“Well, Primrose was part of the reason, but not all of it.” He frowned as he admitted, “Still, she didn’t help matters, and things only seemed to get worse from there.” The frown grew deeper as he recounted, “Every weekend, and most breaks from school, Regal and I would end up in the care of our grandparents. One time, when I was a little younger than the Crusaders are now and still in my first year of school, we had an extended stay over the summer break.” He bowed his head as he looked at his brother’s name on his family tree. “It didn’t end all that well.”

“Why can’t the two of us go and see the movie? It’ll be over long before Mommy and Daddy get here!”

Quiver’s grandfather shook his head. While he’d long since fallen out of his prime and into poorer health, Mighty Hoof still had final say over what went on in his household. “Why would you want to see a movie like that anyway? It sounds stupid to me.”

Quiver’s grandmother, Surely Sweet, was all too content to follow her husband’s lead. “And besides, they aren’t going to let your brother see the movie. Wouldn’t you want to see it with him?”

Quiver pouted. “But Regal’s so loud! I can’t enjoy the movie if he’s screeching over it!”

Mighty Hoof cracked a joking smile at his grandson’s protest. “Well that’s your problem, isn’t it?”

Quiver slumped in defeat. “Okay, I guess. I’ve got a book I can…”

A familiar wailing cry reached the young colt’s ears as he laid eyes on his sibling. Regal’s head was rocking back and forth gleefully as the very book that Quiver intended to read was spread out in front of him. As Quiver tried to process what he was seeing, his grandmother came up to him and cooed, “Ooh! Regal’s trying to read too!”

“But he can’t read! All he does is wave the pages…” The sounds of paper being torn caught the young colt’s attention, and he turned to see his younger sibling gleefully ripping pages free of their bindings. “No! Stop him, he can’t…!”

“What’s wrong, Fussy Britches? Regal’s just having fun!”

“He’s wrecking the book!”

“Well that’s okay! We can replace it!”

“But it’s a library book!”

“Well, must not be a good one!”

Quiver fumed as his grandfather laughed at his own joke, only to be interrupted as his brother approached him and shoved his hoof hard into one shoulder. He turned to face him as Regal again wailed.

“Ohh, now he wants to play with his brother!” Surely Sweet was all smiled as she gestured outside. “Go on now you two, let’s go out in the yard and play on the swings…”

“No.”

She paused and looked at her grandson in surprise. “Quiver?”

“I said no, Grandmare. I don’t…”

Another shove, and further wailing.

“Regal wants to! Come on, Fussy Britches!”

“Well I don’t!” Finally at his wit’s end, Quiver shouted out in frustration, “I don’t want to play with Regal! He always plays too rough, and he never plays the way I wanna play! I can’t have fun with him, I can’t do anything with him, and he ruins everything!”

His grandmother turned cross as she warned, “Quiver, Regal’s your brother, and he’s a blessing, and…”

“And I didn’t want him! I never wanted him, and I never asked for him!” He dashed off instead to a nearby bedroom and shouted right before he closed and locked the door behind him, “I wish he was gone!”

“There’s an old saying, ‘Be careful what you wish for.’ I didn’t know it then, but I learned it pretty quick after all that, and I doubt I’ll ever forget it.” Quiver frowned as he continued, “Later that day, my parents came by to pick me and Regal up and bring us home. It was the same as normal; they’d ride a streetcar out to get us from near our house to near our grandparents’ house, then we’d ride it back. This time, though, things were different. As soon as we got back, Regal noticed something new. The family that lived in the house directly across the street from us had gotten a trampoline for their foals, and set it up in their front yard.” A rueful smile crossed Quiver’s face as he recounted, “And Regal liked trampolines.”

Pinkie rolled her eyes playfully at that. “Well duh! Trampolines are fun! They’re bouncy and springy and you can jump super-duper high with them!”

“Except Regal never jumped on them. As far as he was concerned, they were just big springy chairs for him to sit on. Takes the fun out of jumping on a trampoline if there’s one big mass pushing it down.” He shook his head and continued. “Anyway, Regal threw a fit over it, made a mess out of dinner and tried his best to get back onto the trampoline. It was beyond his understanding that the trampoline wasn’t his to sit on, and that our neighbors didn’t approve. But one thing that wasn’t beyond his grasp? How to use a lock and key to unlock a door.” He caught the growing horror in his friends’ eyes as he continued, “Regal ran right out the door and right across the street, into the path of an oncoming streetcar.”

Fluttershy gasped in horror, and Pinkie’s mane deflated as Sour put a hoof to her cousin’s shoulder. “Regal died as a result of his injuries, just barely five years old. Grandmare was distraught, and Quiver blamed himself, but outside of our family, the world went on as if nothing had happened.”

Applejack moved forward and extended a hoof to her friend. “Quiver, what happened to your brother? Ain’t no fault’a yours.”

He looked up and gestured to his head. “I know that in here, AJ.” He then gestured to his heart and finished, “But in here? That’s another story. Couple that with Dad long having harped at me about making certain the doors were locked, and then his getting cold and distant after Regal’s death, and it felt like I was to blame.”

“Well couldn’t you have spoken to someone about it?” Rarity queried. “Your mother, or someone at school?”

“From the frightened perspective of a little kid, what good would telling your mother that you thought you were responsible for your brother’s death would do? And as for everypony at school, well, no one in the administration would’ve cared, and between being ostracized and having enough sense not to talk about it, none of my classmates knew about Regal. If Primrose had ever found out about him, well, that would’ve been the end of it for me. I was already a weirdo, I didn’t want her calling me a… a retard on top of that.” The word felt bitter on his tongue, and Quiver frowned as he admitted, “I’m not ashamed of my brother. He couldn’t help the way he was, and my parents did the best that they could to raise him and help him. But I couldn’t really form a connection with him. That’s hard to do when the other individual’s means of communication are limited to wailing and screeching and physical violence. And I didn’t see the good sense in gabbing about him with others outside the family. Regal wasn’t any business of my classmates or teachers. All that said, he was still my brother, and that meant something to me. Still does.” He looked to his friends and said, “I’m just sorry that I didn’t open up about him sooner.”

Twilight flashed an apologetic smile. “Well, if it makes you feel any better, the girls didn’t find out I had an older brother until right after I got the invitation to his wedding. And I think we can understand you not bringing him up much, between what happened to him and what I’m guessing came after.”

Quiver nodded as he closed his family record. “Losing Regal didn’t do us any favors, but we tried our best to carry on. I did the only thing that I thought I could, and focused on my schoolwork. And not long afterwards, I got an assignment, to write a story and recite it to my classmates.” He shrugged and admitted, “Nightmare Night was coming up, and that ended up encouraging me to write a story based on the Nightmare Moon myths. But when I started on it, I had my dad’s voice in my head. He always complained about how stories weren’t original enough, and how they all ended up being the same to him after a while. So I got ambitious, and decided to dig in and do my research. It took me out of the children’s section of the library and into the wider world of literature, and a lot of digging, but I found the truth.” He turned to Luna and added, “At least, close enough to it. Instead of some wicked monster that gobbled up little foals one night a year and could be tricked with costumes or sated with candy, I found the historical roots of the story. The younger of two royal pony sisters, left scorned and unappreciated after a century of rule beside her sibling, who gave in to depression and anger and lashed out, only to receive a greater and more terrible punishment than anypony could imagine.” He turned back to his guests and explained, “There was a lot that I didn’t find in those books, of course. The Nightmare and its role in events wasn’t known until a few months ago, thanks to all of you. And while I didn’t take everything seriously that I found, like the prophecy of her return, I still acknowledged it.”

Twilight’s eyes lit up as she realized, “You did the math. You figured out that if the stories were true, and Nightmare Moon was to return, then she’d do it within a few years of you writing that story.”

“And I thought it would be a pretty compelling hook if a foal found himself confronted by the real Nightmare Moon, rather than the one of myth and legend.” A sad smile crossed his face as he gestured towards his desk. “I still have a copy, the very one that I read from when I presented it to the class. I was so excited, so eager…”

“Miss Persimmon?” The elderly unicorn looked at him with a raised eyebrow as Quiver raised a hoof. “Please, may I recite my story first?”

His classmates glanced among themselves in surprise. Quiver had always been the sort to keep to the background, and after that first day, had never spoken out in class over anything. Seated ahead of him as always, Primrose turned back and asked, “Do you really think that whatever you wrote is worth anything, Lumber Mill?”

The few snickers that sounded were silenced as the teacher gestured him forward. “Come on then, Quiver Quill. Nopony else is wanting to volunteer, so we may as well start with you.”

Quiver climbed off his seat and made his way to the front of the class with his copy of his story, another one having earlier been given to his teacher. He stood in front of his fellow students at a lectern and put on his best smile. “My story is called ‘Nightmare’s End’.” He looked down at the sheets of paper before him and began to recite his tale. “It was a cool morning, right on the cusp of dawn…”

The class was silent as Quiver recited his tale. He occasionally darted up from his story to look at the class, and surprisingly enough, most eyes were on him, particularly those of the new student who’d just started that day. As he continued, he felt a warmth form inside of him, and a growing certainty. He was enjoying himself, in a way that he’d never done before, and that felt good.

“I didn’t even notice it when it happened. I was so engrossed in telling my story, so caught up in the moment, that I hardly felt anything. All I really remember was a warm, proud feeling that went through me as it happened, and a sense deep down that I was meant to do what I was doing.” Quiver gave a half-smile and remarked, “Without even trying, I was the first pony in my class to earn my cutie mark.”

The Crusaders eyes lit up with amazement as Sweetie Belle breathed, “Wow. That must’ve been the best day of your life.”

What little smile there was faded. “Actually, it ended up being one of my worst.”

“What a stupid story!” The blissful feeling that had overtaken Quiver as he read out his story faded as soon as he heard his tormentor’s voice. “Seriously? Nightmare Moon’s just a story for stupid little foals, Blunder Bill. Everypony knows that.”

Assorted snickers sounded amongst the other students as Quiver tried to defend himself. “But I did research…”

“It’s ridiculous, a pony treating something like that like it’s real!”

“I found the oldest versions of the story in the senior edition of History of Equestria…”

“It’s just some scheme to steal candy from foals one night a year!”

“I cross-checked that with entries in The Elements of Harmony: A Reference Guide and Predictions and Prophecies, I even did the math, it was…”

“What kind of stupid retard would even…?”

“Hey!” The snickering and giggling halted as Quiver banged a hoof against the lectern. “You shut up and listen to me! I put a lot of work into this, and…!”

“Quiver Quill!” He instantly went silent as Miss Persimmon approached. “It is against school rules to use such language.” He looked up at her in fear as she ordered, “With me. To the principal’s office. Now.”

She led the young stallion out, and Quiver could hear the snickering and laughter start up again just as the classroom door closed behind them.

“Aside from being a horrible toady, Principal Fairweather considered himself something of a visionary. He started something that he thought would revolutionize school discipline, and cut down on misbehavior.”

Cheerilee frowned as she realized what Quiver was talking about. “The zero tolerance policy.”

“Fixed punishments were issued to particular students for misbehavior, usually involving suspensions from classes or even expulsion. And my actions after Primrose mocked my story, the one I’d put so much work and effort into, led to me getting a suspension from class for the remainder of that week.” He scowled. “And Primrose, of course, didn’t get so much as a slap on the fetlocks, despite instigating it right in front of Miss Persimmon.”

Apple Bloom turned to Cheerilee with a worried look on her face. “That didn’t catch on, did it? Ah mean, you punishin’ Diamond Tiara fer attackin’ Quiver made sense, but…”

“It varies from district to district, but the EEA hasn’t made it universal, so it isn’t policy here in Ponyville. Still, I had to punish Diamond somehow, and I couldn’t condone her attacking a grown stallion. Not if she wasn’t defending herself from another physical attack, and she clearly wasn’t.” The schoolteacher turned to her student and said, “Insulting your father wasn’t right, but how you reacted was still wrong.”

“Miss Cheerilee’s right, Diamond.” Filthy Rich pulled his daughter close and said, “As touched as I am that you saw fit to defend my honor, that doesn’t mean you were in the right. Especially considering how tonight’s gone.” He turned to Quiver and said, “I don’t know exactly what you said, or what language you used, but you still raised a fair point. I’m not a perfect parent.”

“No, but you’re better than most.” Quiver sighed. “Anyway, a messenger was sent to my home, and my father came to pick me up from school. I knew I was in trouble, but I didn’t know how bad things would get.”

The ride home was spent in silence. Quiver barely looked up towards his father throughout, but had no trouble imagining the furious expression upon his face. He could practically feel the rage radiating off his father like heat from a flame, and it did nothing to abate as they reached their home.

The other shoe finally dropped as Bitterhoof locked the door behind him, then turned to face his son. “What the rut were you thinking?!”

“Daddy, I…”

“Whatever the rut you did that counted as ‘disrupting class’, it got you suspended, Quiver! Suspended! You’re damn lucky they didn’t expel you for whatever shitheaded stunt you pulled!”

“We had an assignment, I told a story…”

“What story?” Quiver fished out his copy of his story from his saddlebags and passed it to his father. It only took him a few seconds to glance through it before the anger and fury returned. “Of all the…!” He crumpled the papers underhoof and shoved them aside. “Nightmare Moon?! Seriously?!”

“It’s just a story!”

“It’s horseshit! Nightmare Moon is horseshit! Same with Sonic Rainbooms and windigoes and every other shit story like it! Only retards take it seriously! Now go to your room!” Quiver did his best not to whimper as he turned around to head up the stairs and do as he was told, only for his father to stop him. “Wait! What is that?!”

Quiver checked himself over, only to notice the strange symbol on his flank that looked like a quill over a blank scroll. “I don’t know!”

That answer didn’t satisfy Bitterhoof. “Scrub! It! Off!” Before his son could protest, he barked, “NOW, YOU RETARDED LITTLE SHIT!”

Terrified and on the verge of tears, Quiver rushed up the stairs to do as he’d been told.

The gathered ponies looked at Quiver in shock, barely processing what they’d heard. Apple Bloom managed a stunned, “He told ya to scrub off yer cutie mark?! But why?!”

“Because he thought I’d faked it.” Quiver’s expression turned bitter as he continued, “He made an assumption, one given weight by my being so young and by Regal’s condition, and he’s never once wavered from it. Thanks to that, I never even got a proper cutie mitzvah.”

Pinkie let out a pained gasp, and her partly-recovered mane deflated once more. “That’s the meanest thing ever! The only pony I know who didn’t get a cutie mitzvah or a cute-ceañeara is… well, me!” At the surprised looks from the fillies, she explained, “What? My family isn’t big on parties, and besides, I got my cutie mark by throwing a party, so it doesn’t really count!”

Their attention turned back to Quiver as Scootaloo asked, “But what’s your brother got to do with you being able to get a cutie mark? Everypony gets cutie marks!” An uncomfortable silence fell on the room as she looked about. “Everypony does get a cutie mark, right?”

Quiver eyed his friends. “You never told them.”

Applejack took on a firm face. “We knew it weren’t an issue.”

“But nonetheless, it is an inconvenient truth that many ponies would prefer to overlook.” Luna turned to the Crusaders and said, “Every true biological pony, given the chance and ability and time, earns a cutie mark, and there is nothing preventing the three of you from doing so. It doesn’t define you, more the other way around. But even if Quiver Quill’s brother had not died so young, given the severity of his condition, I doubt very much that he would have received his.”

“The sad truth of the matter is that ponies who suffer from severe mental handicaps, either from birth or thanks to some traumatic brain injury suffered early in life, are often unable to earn cutie marks. With ponies who are low functioning autistics, many think that it’s due to their inability to relate and interact with others in the world around them. Thanks to that, those ponies are rarely able to discover what allows them to find their own unique place in the world at large. Regal, unfortunately, was one of far too many ponies who counted towards that number.” Quiver held up a hoof. “I’m not saying that all autistics don’t get cutie marks. There are plenty of high-functioning autistics who gain them as they grow up. I’m also not saying that the mentally handicapped are any less sapient beings than we are, only that through circumstances beyond their control, they won’t have the same opportunities as the rest of us. Regal and other ponies like him aren’t to be ignored or tossed aside, but helped to live as best they can with what abilities they have available to them. But that hasn’t always been the attitude ponies have taken.”

“At one point, the term ‘blank flank’ was practically synonymous with the word ‘retard’.”

Diamond Tiara’s eyes went wide with shock as the processed Sour’s explanation. “You mean, when I…?” She turned to the Crusaders, then bowed her head in shame. “I’m…!”

“Less ignorant than you were before today.” She looked up at Quiver as he gave a reassuring smile. “And hopefully much wiser.”

Twilight cleared her throat. “As much as I don’t want to get back to one uncomfortable topic, I don’t think we need to continue with that one. Not right now, at least.” She sadly turned back to Quiver and asked, “What happened next?”

Quiver shrugged. “I did what I was told. Dad yelled at me to scrub it off, and I didn’t know that it was supposed to be there, so I climbed into the tub, put on some hot water, and started trying to scrub it off my coat.” He sighed. “And I scrubbed so long and so hard that on one flank I was back to being blank, but only because most of the fur was gone. And the skin underneath was sore, red and raw from what I’d done. It’s a miracle I didn’t start bleeding.”

“You didn’t try to get rid of the other too, did you?”

Quiver shook his head at Twilight’s question. “I knew enough to know that what I was doing hurt, and I’d rather have a strange mark on my flank than a patch of hurting bare skin, so I stopped. But the instant my father heard the water go off, he shouted at me from downstairs.” He scowled as he recalled his father’s words. “‘Is it gone?’, he asked me. ‘Is? It? Gone?’.”

Twilight turned worried as she asked, “And then?”

“And then I ran into my room, closed the door behind me and cried myself to sleep, terrified of my father’s wrath.” The young stallion sat up and said, “He never laid a hoof on me, but I was afraid from that point on that if he ever got mad enough, that he’d start. And nopony would do a damn thing about it, because as far as I knew, nopony in the wider world cared. ‘Nopony’s going to do anything to save your life’, my father would tell me, and he was right. My grandparents favored Regal, Mom was the one who worked to keep a roof over our heads, and any other authority figure I knew was apathetic to what was going on at best.” His gaze turned to Diamond, and he noticed a sympathetic look in her eye. “Less than twenty ponies in this room, and the fact that one other pony in here understands that feeling does me no comfort. It’s two ponies too many.”

“Three.”

Stunned expressions went Flash Sentry’s way as Twilight urged him, “Flash, you…”

“No, I need to say this, and Quiver needs to hear this.” The pegasus stallion turned to his host and explained, “My mom has had two husbands. The first one was a stallion named Smooth Rock. He beat her, while she was pregnant with me and after I was born. Thanks to him, I was a month premature.”

Sour turned horrified. “And that’s…?”

“Why I can’t fly as well as other pegasi. It’s only thanks to therapy and hard work that I can fly as well as I can.”

The freckled unicorn sighed sadly. “Geez. If I’d known…”

Flash smiled. “Hey, don’t worry. I got that same reaction out of Boo once Warbler told her.” He shrugged. “As far as silly nicknames go, I could do with worse.”

Rainbow Dash arched an eyebrow. “What kind of pony names are ‘Boo’ and ‘Warbler’?”

The pegasus stallion chuckled. “They’re nicknames, Dash. That happens in the military. You get a nickname over something silly and embarrassing, and it sticks with you. You probably haven’t met Warblet, but you know Boo better as Pixie Dust.”

“Oooh!” Pinkie’s mane inflated as she giggled. “That so makes sense for her!” She turned back to Quiver and asked, “But what happened after that?”

“Eventually, my mom came come. And she did what all good parents are supposed to do.” A sad smile crossed his face as Quiver explained, “She did her best to make a bad day better.”

The bedroom door slowly slid open, and Constant Heart peeked inside. She let out a soft sigh as she saw her son sprawled out on his bed, seemingly deep asleep. His face buried in his forelegs, and his fur matted with dried tears. She softly closed the door behind her and sat down beside his bed, then gently nudged him with one shoulder. “Quiver? Honey?”

The colt was quickly roused, then wiped away the last remnants of tears and sleep as he turned to face her. “Mommy?”

She smiled at him. “You look like you had a bad day.”

The memory of the day’s events came back to him, and Quiver did his best to fight back fresh tears. “What did Daddy tell you?”

“Just that something happened, and you were up here.” She gently urged him to turn around to face her, and turned shocked as she caught sight of the bare, raw skin on his left flank. “Quiver, what happened? What’s all this about?”

He glanced back at his flank and sobbed, “It’s…” What little resistance he had left crumbled as he cried out, “It’s because I’m a stupid retard! Like Regal! But I’m not!”

“No!” Constant Heart took her son into a warm hug and gently ran a hoof down his back. “Of course not! Don’t you talk like that! How could you even think something like that?”

He sniffled and answered her in a broken voice. “Because Daddy does.”

The mare let out a slow, pained exhale. The next words out of her mouth were firm and direct, and carefully neutral. “Tell me what happened. All of it.”

And again, Quiver did as he was told. He meandered at points, and explained about Primrose and the bullying that he’d endured, as well as his guilt over what had happened to his brother, but he told her everything that had led up to the day’s events, ending with his father yelling at him without even giving him the chance to defend himself. At the end of it, he felt exhausted and weak, but a tiny part of him actually felt better, like a weight had been lifted off his back.

At the end of it, Constant Heart sighed and ran a hoof through her son’s mane. “Quiver, why didn’t you say anything about all of this?”

“I didn’t think you or Daddy would do anything, or could do anything. You were always so busy with work or Regal, and after he died…” He whimpered and admitted, “I thought Daddy and Grandmare and Grandpa blamed me for it.”

His mother held him close and spoke in reassuring tones. “Quiver, your father and I are never too busy for you. Regal had a lot of needs that you didn’t, and looking after him was a lot more work than either of us was ever prepared for, but that doesn’t mean that we loved him any more than we did you, or you any less than him.” She drew him in tighter and added, “And nopony blames you for what happened to him. If your father blames anypony, he blames himself. Or the Maker, but mostly himself. But that’s no reason for him to lash out like that.” She loosened her hold, then gently cupped her hoof beneath his muzzle and assured him, “He’s angry, yes, and he shouldn’t be taking that anger out on you.” She frowned. “But something tells me he won’t be stopping anytime soon.”

“Why not?”

“Because he doesn’t know how.” She sighed sadly and admitted, “Your father’s not a bad pony, he’s just angry over so much bad in his life, and not having any control over it. And it’s easier for him to yell at others and blame them than it is for him to fix his own problems, especially when things happen that he wasn’t prepared for. And when that happens, well, you’ve seen it today. And it isn’t pretty.” She stroked him and added, “But that doesn’t mean that he hates you, or that he doesn’t love you.” She smiled and said, “Anyway, I’ll don’t know what I can do about that bully at school, but I promise you, I’ll do everything that I can. But when you go back, you’ve gotta be brave, and do what you can to avoid this happening again, huh?”

Quiver nodded. “But what about this thing on my flanks?”

Constant Heart smiled. “Quiver, that ‘thing’ is supposed to be there. It’s the biggest proof of all that you aren’t like your brother, because he’d probably never get one for himself. It’s a cutie mark.” She turned slightly to reveal her own, a book with a heart on the cover. “I got one when I was a little older than you are now, and so did your daddy. Most ponies do.”

“But Regal wouldn’t?”

She shook her head sadly. “No. I wish that he could have, but no. But that doesn’t mean that we didn’t love him, or that we wouldn’t do everything that we could for him. Because he’s family, and you do what you need to for family.”

Quiver bowed his head sadly. “Daddy’s always saying that. I don’t know if he means it.”

“Well I do. And I mean this too.” She gently kissed him upon his forehead and promised, “I’ll always love you, and I’ll always be proud of you.”

Sour smiled. “There’s a reason I call her my favorite aunt.”

Quiver smirked at her. “She’s your only aunt.”

That got him a smirk right back. “That I know of.”

He accepted that, and continued on with his story. “In any case, Mom did all she could, but Primrose continued to get away with it all, to nopony’s surprise. The word of one parent speaking up for a supposed troublemaker doesn’t carry a lot of weight, especially against somepony like her.”

“But what about yer daddy?” Applejack looked hopeful as she encouraged him to continue. “Did he ever apologize fer what he said to ya? Ah mean, Ah can understand him sayin’ that in the heat’a the moment, given everythin’ goin’ on with yer brother an’ all, but that don’t make it right.”

“Applejack, my father inherited my grandfather’s stubborn streak, and gained his own conviction regarding his opinions and beliefs. Once he made up his mind about something, not even the Maker himself could dissuade him. He never apologized, and I doubt that he ever will.” Quiver sighed. “Most days I was lucky enough to avoid him yelling and screaming at me over one thing or another, but there were times where I’d step in it, and all Tartarus would break loose. Like when he found out about the wrecked library book. He yelled at me over it, blamed me over the fine we’d have to pay, and tore up my library card.” He paused as Twilight almost went into shock, and flashed her an apologetic glance as he continued. “And then there was the Hearth’s Warming dinner that followed Regal’s death.”

“I remember that.” Sour looked among the gathered ponies and explained, “Grandmare asked Quiver to give thanks before the meal, and made a point of making certain that he brought up Regal. Quiver did exactly as he was told, and his father called him away from the table and yelled at him so loud, you’d think he’d just blown up the house.”

Their audience winced in sympathy, and Fluttershy tried her best to be sympathetic. “That must have been terrible for the two of you.”

“As bad as it was for him, in other ways, it was worse for me.” Sour looked to her cousin with shame as she admitted, “Quiver and I didn’t get on too well back then. Aside from the fact that I barely interacted with him, most of those interactions involved both of us being forced together with Regal, which wasn’t a picnic. And just like everything else I did, I was always forced to make it look like I was enjoying it.” She scowled as she rubbed one cheek and explained, “My mother always had this fake smile on her face, especially when she was visiting with her parents, and tended to use her magic so that I’d have the same. So many times, I’d be forced into one of these.” She put on a fake smile and maintained it with a sing-song voice as she continued, “And all the while, Mommy would say, ‘Smile, dear! Smile!’” The fake smile broke as she frowned. “Every once in a while, though, I’d lash out with some bitter remark towards an easy target.”

Quiver waved a hoof. “Usually me. I was terrified of her.”

“Yeah.” Sour frowned with guilt. “Seeing and hearing all that really put things in perspective.”

Twilight gave a saddened sigh. “But you get on so much better now.”

Sour shrugged. “That Hearth’s Warming changed things. After he got yelled at, and after he had a little food and a lot more got shoved his way, Quiver excused himself. I followed, and I found him sitting on the swingset outside our grandparents’ home, out in the cold and the snow. I came up to one side, and he looked at me, right on the verge of tears, and asked…”

“You gonna yell at me too?”

Sour nodded at her cousin’s quotation. “I hugged him instead. He needed it.” She turned sad as she admitted, “I never knew my own father. He practically abandoned me and my mother before I was three years old. Don’t ask me why, my mother never explained it to me, just changed the subject each time I asked. I don’t even know what he looks like. The only thing I know about him is that he’s rich, and that he’s still sending us money each month. As bad as that was, I’m not sure Quiver had it any better.” A rueful smile formed on her face as she sarcastically asked, “Paints a pretty picture of our family, doesn’t it?”

“And it didn’t improve with time.” Quiver sighed. “With any talent, any skill, you need to practice in order to improve on it. Writing is no different. But the trouble there is that after I got my cutie mark, even once the fur regrew over my flank and it was clear as day that I hadn’t faked it, Dad never gave me any time to try and write. Once homework was done, I had chores to do, or he’d send me off with my mother on one of her business trips around the region.” He shook his head sadly. “What little I could get done for contests or story groups often ended up being tossed out for whatever reason, usually with heavy and cruel criticism attached. Complaints about a lack of research, poor editing and so forth. I didn’t have the time to edit, or the means to research, because any book I wanted from the library had to pass muster with him.” He gestured towards the shelves near his desk and explained, “That’s why I have that reference library now. I spent all the money I got for Hearth’s Warming or birthdays on books about everything I thought could come up, like magic or history or how things like lighthouses and steam engines work. I imagine that if he even came close to recognizing my passion for writing, that he’d still do the same things to discourage it.” He scowled and admitted, “Were it up to him, after I left primary education, I’d have gone to a trade school.”

Rainbow Dash briefly glanced to the framed diploma on the wall and remarked, “Obviously that didn’t happen.”

“Only because I got lucky, and even that was a near-thing.” Quiver turned to the Crusaders and explained, “Somehow, the same story I wrote that earned me my cutie mark had gotten submitted to Plowshares years earlier, and the money put into an account in my name. That and the interest let me pay for my time in higher education. I didn’t find out about it until I graduated from primary school, so it caught us all by surprise. I know that my parents didn’t submit it, and I doubt my teacher did, even if Principal Fairweather was happy to praise me about it at the ceremony. I’ll probably never…” He noticed something out of the corner of his eye, and turned to the alicorn beside him. “Princess Luna? Is there something you’d like to share with the rest of us?”

Luna smiled and began her explanation. “During the time that you were suspended from classes, your principal was attending a conference hosted by the Equestria Education Association. My sister was also in attendance, and it was through that meeting that she obtained a copy of your story. It was thanks to her that it was submitted to Plowshares, anonymously, and I suspect that she was the one who set up that account.” She smiled. “Your father may have considered your story to be ‘horseshit’, but my sister knew otherwise.”

The astonished look on Quiver’s face soon gave way to a smile. “How about that?” It faded as he continued, “If only my father would take something like that seriously. Knowing him, if he ever found out, he’d dismiss it out of hoof.”

Twilight frowned. “Don’t tell me, he never let up?”

Quiver shook his head. “As soon as I got out of school with my degree and the intent to sit down and write, he had me back at work doing every little bit of housework he could think of, and none of it of consequence. He’d sit around and read while I pulled weeds and picked up trash and mowed and vacuumed and dusted and did every other little thing, all while our house crumbled around us. The one time I tried to protest, he bitched me out over not having a real job, and expressed his belief about what I was qualified for.” He huffed as he recounted, “As far as he was concerned, all a degree in Modern Ponish could get you was a job involving the words ‘You want hayfries with that?’”

“Proved him wrong though.” Rainbow Dash smirked as she noted, “And that wasn’t all he got proven wrong about. Seriously, windigoes might still be up in the air, but…”

“But he’d die before he acknowledged that he was wrong.” Quiver snorted and shook his head. “No apologies after Nightmare Moon actually came back, just complaining about how Equestria now had yet another princess to poke her nose where it didn’t belong and how we’d been lied to about her nonexistence. No acknowledgement of a real Sonic Rainboom, just the stubborn belief that it had been faked. And me getting a job outside of a fast food joint? He complained about it constantly, despite the fact that it was good, honest work for decent pay. And worse, every night after I came home, over dinner, he’d ask the same question. ‘Have you been fired yet?’” He sighed. “I wish that he was joking, but he constantly told me that one screw-up, one mistake, and they’d have an excuse to fire me. That did nothing to help my anxieties, especially with everything I had to put up with at the facility back in Indianapoloosa. Getting rushed all over the place, getting nagged to work faster, ponies confusing me with coworkers, having to put up with obnoxious coworkers and their shouting…” He took a breath and sighed as he turned to Twilight. “That day you visited was the best one I ever had on that job, and it wasn’t because I met a princess. It was because somepony actually treated me like I mattered.”

Twilight smiled back. “Well, you looked like you needed a little reassurance. And a friend. I’m just glad that you accepted that invitation I sent to the prose reading after that.”

“Me too, but I wish that my father hadn’t come with.”

Sour turned to her cousin in surprise. “Seriously? He hates traveling.”

“I know, but he wouldn’t let me come alone and he was convinced that the whole thing was some cruel joke, so he came along for the ride. And we were hardly out the door of Golden Oak Library before he starting bitching about everypony present.” He turned to Twilight and explained, “As far as he was concerned, all of that wasn’t you just being nice. You were using me to prop yourself up and feel better about yourself.”

The princess struggled to find words, stunned as she was at the accusation. “I’m not like that! How could he even think that?!”

“Because my father’s a bitter old cynic who makes other cynics look like optimists in comparison.” He scowled and continued, “Don’t take it too personally, Twilight. Like I’ve been saying, he doesn’t speak highly about me either. I could become Equestria’s first alicorn prince and…” He groaned sadly. “He’d think even less of me than he does already. Not once have I heard him say anything good about the nobility, or any of the ponies involved in running Equestria, and that includes Princess Celestia. And the last few years have only given him more fuel for the fire.” He rolled his eyes. “If it isn’t me he’s complaining about, it’s how the nobles are wasting everypony’s time and money, or how the Royal Guard is a disorganized mess and a joke.”

“But he’s got family in the Guard!” Rainbow Dash looked to Sour and noted, “And you were hardly a joke back there!”

“I was hardly a joke when the changelings invaded Canterlot either, but try telling him or my mother that.” Sour groaned. “My mother was never thrilled with how things turned out. Despite me earning my cutie mark after winning at a sharpshooting booth at a fair, she was dead set on me being a model.”

Rarity turned to her in surprise. “You’ve done modeling?”

“Junior beauty pageants. It was a nightmare.” She sighed and admitted, “Amazingly enough, I wasn’t bad at it either. Won regularly, got a lot of scholarships. They’re how I got through the Academy.” She put on a false smile as she admitted, “But as far as Mommy’s concerned, all I am is a secretary.” She frowned as she continued, “And dear Uncle Bits doesn’t care enough to question it.”

“And you don’t want to know what my father, armchair military stallion that he is, thinks we should’ve done with Discord or the changelings or the Crystal Empire.” He turned to Luna and noted, “Seriously, please don’t make me repeat them.”

“I am satisfied with the implications. Regardless, it’s clear that you have good reason to take issue with your father.”

Quiver nodded sadly as he turned back to his friends. “The really sad thing? I don’t hate him. I mean, he’s my father, how can I? Trouble is, there’s a part of me that’s afraid that he hates me, despite what my mother’s told me. I’ve gotten no proof otherwise. At best I’m a joke for him to laugh at, at worst I’m a screw-up and a failure and the first of two retards to ruin his life, but either way, I’m an inconvenience.”

Applejack bowed and shook her head. “Sweet Maker. Ya put up with that much crap, it’s small wonder ya almost did the unthinkable.”

Quiver winced as Sour suddenly took interest. “Excuse me?” She turned to her cousin. “Explain.”

He turned shameful. “After I moved to Ponyville, while I was rooming with Luster Drain, she took advantage of me and used me for her own selfish ends, paying for rent and groceries and stuff while hoarding all the money she got from welfare.” He pointed towards the nearby desk. “It culminated in her taking something that I’d ordered for myself, that desk over there, and claiming it as her own. And I let myself think that Twilight and her friends had set me up to fail, thanks mostly to my dad’s nagging in the back of my mind.”

Pinkie weakly raised a hoof. “And me setting them up together.”

“As far as I could think, my options were either to stay here and be miserable, or go home, lose my job, and have my father simultaneously crowing over how he was right and browbeating me over losing said job. Faced with two lousy options, I almost went with an even lousier third alternative.”

“Well what could…?” The realization dawned on Sour, and she angrily slapped her cousin in the back of the head. “Seriously?! You almost killed yourself because of him and that bitch?!”

“I wasn’t thinking clearly!” Quiver protested.

“Obviously!” Sour calmed down and took her cousin into a tight embrace. “Seriously though, what were you thinking? Was it some kind of spite thing?”

“No.” He shook his head. “It wasn’t about spiting others, or making them feel bad. It was me feeling like all I was doing was wasting their time, and that the world was better off without me. I had a pretty clear idea of how things would go at my funeral. You’d mourn. Mom would mourn. Dad would bitch about how much it all cost, and Grandmare? She’d sigh and say something like ‘At least he’s with his brother now’.”

She snorted. “Just like Grandpa’s funeral.”

“Exactly. But I had no assurance whatsoever that there’d be anything more than that.” The embrace ended as he admitted, “For all the problems you have, you don’t look at yourself in the mirror and wonder if you’re worth it or not. You never had to live with someone constantly berating and belittling you, and making you feel like crap over every little thing you did wrong. You deal with that long enough, and get plenty of evidence supporting it, and you start to believe it.” He sighed as he turned away and admitted, “Earlier tonight, with Spoiled Rich, it was like seeing my father and Primrose rolled into one horrible package. The flood barriers started leaking when she slapped and berated Diamond, but when she called me a retard…”

“All Tartarus broke loose.”

Quiver nodded at Applejack’s summation. “And the only reason I’m not facing a murder charge right now isn’t because Twilight tried to stop me.” He turned to the five fillies present and said, “It’s because I saw the look in your eyes, and how terrified you were of me.” He bowed his head and admitted, “I stopped being afraid of Nightmare Moon and most things that frightened foals when I wrote that story. It’s hard to be scared of something after you sympathize with it. But even being able to look at things objectively with my father? All that anger and rage still scares me. And only two things scare me more, and I’m not sure which is worse. Ending up exactly like him, or proving him right.” He shook his head sadly and admitted, “For years, I’ve looked in the mirror, and wondered if I was worth it. I still don’t know the answer.”

A small hoof reached up and touched his. “I do.” Quiver looked up as Diamond Tiara continued, “You are worth it. You saved me, and you saved my best friend, even after I hurt you.”

Sour smiled. “She’s right.” She hugged tighter and firmly assured him, “You’ve probably been hearing something like this from them for the last few weeks, but you’re going to hear this from me too. You’re much better, much stronger, than you think you are. And even if you weren’t, your mom doesn’t deserve to lose you, and I sure as rut don’t deserve to lose you either.”

“And neither do we, darling.” Rarity sat up and noted, “Quiver, since we’ve met you, you’ve done things that might not seem extraordinary to you, but were certainly impressive enough.”

“You stood up in front of a crowd of ponies that you didn’t know, after braving the risks of socializing with some of them, and told a story.” Fluttershy smiled and admitted, “Even with the steps I’ve taken, I don’t know if I could do something like that.”

“You also helped to expose a fraud and see that they were punished for their crimes.” Gilded Lily held her niece close and remarked, “That’s not something anypony can attest to.”

“And you’ve been a great friend to us when we needed it!” Pinkie’s hair was back to normal as she smiled.

“And it was your plan that got us through what happened in Maretonia, saved Twilight, and got your cousin her current post!” Rainbow Dash extended a wing with three feathers out and remarked, “That’s three bits of awesome all at once! You have to be me to pull that off.”

“An’ yah went into the Everfree with us to keep us safe!” Apple Bloom chipped in.

“And as it bears repeating, you helped to save my daughter’s life.” Filthy Rich held Diamond close as he remarked, “And helped me to see my own failings. Inconveniences aren’t the sorts of things that can do all of that.”

“And all of that ignores the insight you showed as a colt, when you sought out and reasoned out the truth regarding my fall.” Luna smiled as Quiver turned to face her. “Can a stallion who has accomplished that much, and made such a positive impact, be worthless? Even if we only touch one life for the better, that still marks us as someone special.”

What comfort that gave Quiver was brief. “Fat lot of good that’s going to do me from a prison cell.” Before any of his friends could argue otherwise, he quickly explained, “I attacked another pony. It doesn’t matter that I was provoked, Spoiled Rich has wealth and power and no way is she going to take this lying down. Heck, I’m surprised that I haven’t been arrested already.”

“I imagine that my wife is already on her way to harass the local authorities, assuming she hasn’t gone home to address her wounds.” Filthy Rich sat up and said, “Regardless, her voice and wealth and power won’t hold as much weight once my voice is heard, and a full account is made of tonight’s events.” At Quiver’s surprised expression, the older stallion explained, “You protected my daughter and her friends, first from timberwolves and then from my wife. That’s the story that I’ll tell them, once they ask. And that won’t be the only thing my soon to be ex-wife will be dealing with in the near-future.”

Quiver raised an eyebrow. “You sure about that? I know the statistics, and they aren’t in your favor.”

“It will be a dark day indeed when a judge awards custody of a child to their abusive parent.” Filthy turned to Twilight and added, “Particularly when there are notable witnesses to that abuse whom they’d loathe to dismiss. Assuming, of course, they’d be willing to give testimony.”

Twilight nodded. “I don’t think you’ll have any problem with that, Mister Rich.”

He smiled gratefully. “Thank you.” He then looked to his daughter and her friend. “Now then, I think this evening’s been eventful enough. Diamond, Silver, let’s get out of Mister Quiver’s mane, and give everypony else here a little more room.”

The two fillies nodded, and room was made for them to get out the door. Diamond Tiara turned back briefly to her rescuers, and gave them a thankful smile before she followed her father and her best friend on their way.

Luna smiled. “I suspect that I’ll have a busy night. Even with the assurances of a parent, a nightmare can still raise its head.” She rose from her seat and made her own way to the door, but paused and turned back to her host. “Before I depart, however, I think there is yet one more pony whose life you’ve impacted for the better, Sir Quiver Quill.” At his curious expression, she explained, “Sometimes, at night, I will hear singing from a lone voice as I go about my rounds. Members of my guard have verified it to be another member of the Royal Guard, a pegasus mare serving in the regular forces. On some nights she sings one song, but on others, particularly nights of the full moon, she sings another.” She shrugged and admitted, “Perhaps I am simply biased, but I favor the second of the two.” She then smiled, and softly sang part of the song in question.

“Somewhere, out there

Beneath the pale moonlight…”

Quiver’s eyes grew wide with realization, and a smile broke out on his face as the alicorn completed the first verse to an all-too-familiar song.

“I fear I am ignorant of the whole of the song, however. I assume that it is a duet.” She winked at the young stallion and then departed into the night.

Luna was barely gone a second before Fluttershy noted, “It does sound like a very pretty song. I just wish I knew the rest of it.”

Quiver closed his eyes, and answered the yellow pegasus’ wish.

“Somewhere, out there

Someone’s saying a prayer…”

He completed another verse, and opened his eyes to amazed expressions upon his friends’ faces. He shrugged and explained, “It was our song.” He smiled happily as he remembered another life that he’d touched. “I didn’t have friends plural back in school, but I did have one singular friend. She started attending classes the day I read that story. Details for how aren’t important. But we didn’t really start to connect until after my suspension ended. And meeting her was the best thing that ever happened to me.”

Quiver’s footsteps going back into his classroom were slow, full of shame and dread at what awaited him. As he entered, a few snickers and laughs were heard as a few heads turned his way. He made his way to his seat and hoped that he wouldn’t…

“ACK!”

He felt his legs get pulled out from under him, and he fell hard to the floor. The pain only got worse as more laughter echoed in his ears and Primrose’s all too familiar voice cackled, “Have a nice trip, Spewey Spill? Look out, or Nightmare Moon’ll…!”

“Hey, you okay?”

Quiver looked up into the eyes of the new filly in class. He could barely remember her name, but she looked different – the long red and yellow mane that she once had was gone, and she now sported a buzzcut. She smiled, extended a hoof, and helped him to stand as he asked, “What happened to you?”

She nodded past him. “What do you think?”

“Well isn’t that sweet!” Primrose laughed as he bowed his head. “Helping the little baby up, so cute!”

“Who you calling a baby?” The young filly smirked and then turned to reveal her flank. “He and I are more grown-up than you are. And I got there thanks to him.” Quiver rose his head to see cutie mark upon the filly’s flank, much different from his, and then saw her smile. “You still looking for friends?”

He nodded. “Uh-huh.”

“Good. Me too. And it looks like I found one.” She then took him into a warm hug and whispered, “Never forget this, because it’s good advice. Never let the bastards win.”

The young colt’s eyes widened as the bell rang, and class was back in session.

“Runnie was amazing.” Quiver noticed the curious look on Twilight’s face and explained, “That was the nickname she asked me to call her. I didn’t feel like refusing, especially considering she was the only friend I had. I didn’t have much quantity of friends, but I made up for it in quality.”He laughed as he looked among his friends. “Seriously, you’d all like her if you knew her. She was kind and sweet, and one of the bravest mares I ever knew. She stood up for me, protested my suspension, even traced my research to support my case. She ended up getting on Primrose’s radar for her trouble, but I never forgot it.”

“Was she the one who got her mane sheared off?”

The stallion nodded at Rarity’s question. “She refused to let it get to her though. She kept her mane short, stood tall and proud and tossed it around like a model every time she saw Primrose after that.” He grinned as he admitted, “And tell you the truth, I thought she looked better that way than she did with it long.”

The fashionista’s eyes lit up. “Ooooh! Do I sense a crush?”

“Can you blame me? Sweet, kind, brave, smart, and a fantastic singer. We saw each other in class every day, and I swear, she only got prettier as she grew up.”

Sour looked at him in surprise. “You never told me about this.”

Quiver gave her a raised eyebrow. “You’d have teased me about it.”

The freckled unicorn conceded with a nod as Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. “Yeah, leave it to the egghead to go gaga over good looks.”

Quiver grinned. “Don’t diss her too much, Dash. She could match pace with you in the air easy.” At her challenging look, he added, “I’m serious. I always figured she would fly with the Wonderbolts one day.”

That got the prismatic pegasus curious. “Does she?”

The grin grew. “Not yet.”

“Oh enough about that!” Rarity regained Quiver’s attention as she pressed, “Please dear, tell me that you didn’t simply keep your crush to yourself!”

“Yeah!” Sweetie Belle piped up and beckoned, “I mean, you’re a writer! You had to write her a love note or something!”

The smile turned sad as Quiver admitted, “Actually, I did. Near the end of our time in school together, we were talking about entering a talent show together. Singing and dancing and all that. She’d been teaching me to sing for years on the playground with that song, and we had the start of an entire routine planned out.” He frowned. “But thanks to High Note interrupting us every time, we could never get all the way through it.” The frown faded. “Anyway, after we decided to enter, I chose that time to confess my feelings, and I wrote her a poem. It was lousy, but it was the best I could do.” He shrugged. “I do stories, not limericks.”

The two unicorn sisters gazed at him with eager eyes. “And? What happened?”

He bowed his head. “The day after I hid it away in her locker, I came down with the flu. Missed school for days, and when I came back, she was gone. I still don’t know what happened to her, or where she went. I’d have asked somepony, but I had no faith that I’d get an answer, let alone the truth.” As Rarity and Sweetie Belle deflated, he admitted, “I’m not sure what would be worse, not knowing her answer, or her turning me down.”

Sour snorted and gave her cousin a playful nudge. “Her loss if she did.”

“Quiver, this pegasus mare…” Attention went to Twilight as she pressed, “Can you describe her a little more?”

“Of course, but…” He shook his head. “You wouldn’t be asking if it wasn’t important. She had an amber coat, somewhere between Applejack and Fluttershy in color. Her mane had two colors to it, crimson and yellow, and her eyes…”

“Cyan?” Flash Sentry asked, his expression similar to that of his marefriend.

Sour’s expression was a match for theirs as she prompted, “With a discus shield for a cutie mark?”

At Quiver’s surprised nod, Twilight asked, “What was her name? Her full name?”

The stallion looked at her in shock. “Sunrunner. Her name was Sunrunner.”

The startled gasps from Twilight and her immediate friends were drowned out as Sour groaned. “Seriously?! Warbler was the mare you fell for?! Now I’m really wishing that you’d told me!”

“Warbler…?” Quiver’s eyes went wide as he realized, “You went to the Academy with her?!”

“She was the one who took charge of our group in Canterlot during the changeling invasion,” Flash reported. “We only lasted as long as we did because of her. She almost had my post in the Crystal Empire, but she turned it down because she was hoping for a slot on the Wonderbolts.”

“And I’ve been trying to get in touch with her for months!” At Quiver’s surprised expression, Twilight explained, “It’s a long story. She has a relative who’s trying to get back in touch with her, a friend I made a few months ago. I’d have talked to her by now if it wasn’t for all the red tape I’ve had to cut through.”

Quiver looked at them in surprise, and let out a small laugh. “Small world.” Quiver looked to his cousin and asked, “What are the chances you’ll run into her again?”

Sour smirked. “Probably not as good as the chances that you’ll run into her again.”

“I should say so!” Rarity stamped a hoof for emphasis. “Darling, your tale with her has all the makings of a fantastic love story! It would be a crime against romance itself for the two of you to never find one another again!” She smiled sweetly. “And I’ve no doubt that you will.”

The rest of his friends murmured in agreement as Rainbow Dash admitted, “And when you do, you point her at me.” She then grinned and added. “Just be ready to put your money where your mouth is.”

He grinned right back. “You’re on.” He took a breath, feeling better than he had for a long time, and climbed off his sofa. “And thanks, all of you. I’m glad you took the time to listen.”

“Of course we did. We’re your friends.” Twilight took him into a warm hug, with the rest of her immediate circle of friends following. “More than that, we’re family.” We’re just glad that you found the courage to share.” The embrace ended, and she exhaled in relief as she admitted, “Well, I don’t know about the rest of you, but this has been one crazy night, and I think we could all use a good night’s sleep.”

“I know three brave, foolish fillies that’ve probably had more than enough excitement for a while.” Gilded Lily flashed her niece a grin before smiling at her tenant. “And one brave stallion that’s earned some rest.”

The Crusaders groaned slightly, but brightened as they caught sight of Quiver smiling at them. “Let’s not keep each other waiting then.” He then escorted everypony out, quietly relieved that there was still a lack of officials coming to arrest him. Most went on their way fairly quick, though a few lingered behind. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, but…” Spike looked to Big McIntosh, whose nod prompted him to continue. “Big Mac and I get together sometimes and hang out. You know, guy’s night and stuff. Flash has an open invitation, and we’re okay with extending it to you too, if you’re interested.”

Quiver smiled. “Well, it can’t hurt to give it a try.”

The pegasus stallion rolled his eyes. “And here we go again.” He then turned to Quiver and said, “Seriously, you’re not alone in this. It sounds like your dad wasn’t nearly as bad as mine, but still, there’s no justifying how he made you feel. You shouldn’t have had to go through what you did.”

“Neither should you. But I’d say you had it worse.”

“Says the stallion that doesn’t have the satisfaction of knowing his abuser can’t hurt him anymore.” Flash gave an encouraging smile. “Still, all this just shows that you aren’t where you come from.” He then turned to Sour and remarked, “And as glad as I am that you’re watching Twilight’s flank, I think he needs it more. You keep an eye on this cousin of yours, Two-Face.”

The freckled unicorn smirked. “Two. As often as I can spare them.”

The two guardsponies shared a salute, and Flash went on his way with the last of the group of ponies into the night, as Quiver and Sour retreated back into their home, all too happy to rest and enjoy what peace they could find in the evening to come.

Chapter Eight - Families in the Night

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Epilogue - Reunion with the Sun

The soft singing of birds outside his window drifted into Quiver’s awareness as he awoke in his bed, sore but contented after the events of the previous evening. He silently thanked Sour for insisting that he grab a quick shower, and then wondered if he’d be thanking her for anything else as familiar smells caught his attention.

He emerged from his bedroom and made his way towards the kitchen, where he found his cousin at work on a pot of oatmeal and a skillet of hay bacon. Sour turned to him and smiled. “Hey, good timing. We’re a few minutes away from eating.”

“You made breakfast?”

“You made dinner. And got to be a big hero and bore your soul to your friends and ponies you barely knew. I figured that deserved a decent meal at least.”

Quiver smiled. “Thanks Sour.”

She let out a small laugh. “Don’t thank me yet, I’m hardly a master chef. Besides, I’m probably going to make too much.”

A grin crossed the stallion’s face. “You’ve got an active lifestyle, and I don’t eat nearly as much as I should. I think we’ll manage.”

Quiver made his way out of the kitchen towards the living room, with every intention of opening a window to allow some fresh air to flow inside. As he did so, his thoughts went back to the previous evening. A part of him was surprised at how the night had gone, particularly at how he’d slept as contentedly as he had. The cynic in him, sounding just a little bit too much like his father, said it was just exhaustion, but he couldn’t help but reflect on how peaceful he felt. It was like a weight had been lifted from his back, after finally opening up about his brother.

He wasn’t about to start going on about him to everypony he met, of course. His family’s business wasn’t the concern of some random pony on the street. But ponies he trusted, that he viewed as friends? They could know. And they did.

He didn’t have a perfect life, not by any means. But he did have a good one, he reasoned as he opened a window. And if this was as good as things got, then he could be satisfied with that.

And then he heard something.

“T’was a blessed day, when she called me friend.

That word lifted my spirits, and gave me joy without end.

Whom am I to thank, who’d cause my soul to mend?

She who would run with the sun.”

His eyes went wide as he heard those words. He remembered them. He’d written them, long ago, and intended them for only one other. And the voice speaking them…

“A treasured heart, that’s her gift to share.

Among those cruel souls, she made known her care.

You’ll find few finer, upon this I would swear.

She who would run with the sun.”

He rushed to his front door, and opened it, silently hoping that his ears weren’t playing tricks and that this wasn’t some cruel joke. The sight before him said otherwise.

“Though wounded by monsters, she would stand tall and brave.

In places of cruelty, paths of kindness she’d pave.

Faced with a monster, she’d name them as nave.

She who would run with the sun.”

She hardly looked any different from how he remembered her. A bit more muscle and tone to her frame, but he failed to see that as a bad thing. Amber coat, her mane short and sporty and her tail long and loose, both still crimson and yellow, with those beautiful wings tucked to her sides.

“She’s ever at my side, when push comes to shove.

Her spirit’s like an eagle, her heart like a dove.

Who is this fair maiden? The one whom I love.

She who would run with the sun.”

She opened her eyes, those beautiful cyan eyes, and they lit up with surprise. Not only her own, but the reflection of his as he dared to say the only word he could. “Runnie?”

A nervous smile spread across Sunrunner’s face. “Hey Quivs. Long time no see.”

Author's Note

...admit it, at least one of you saw that coming.

For you continuity buffs following me, this scene takes place on the same day as the second epilogue to A Shimmering New Year.