The Harmony Ball

The Sun slowly went down as Grand Priestess Heavenly Sunshine smiled happily watching over the final preparations being done in front of her. Finally would be the day of the Harmony Ball, the first one of its kind in the Deponya. She has waited a long time for this day, where her dreams would finally begin to be realized. She would make her family happy, whatever it took! Even though it was a special occasion Sunshine wore her normal white-blue nun dress, together with a matching headscarf and her black blindfold. Finally, her long, blonde mane spilled down her back, contrasting against her pearly white coat.

The decoration is beautiful!, Sunshine thought to herself. Even though she hated the Deponian Ponies she begun to admire their passion to make everything look old but beautiful. She often talked with the Sage about the many traditions Deponya has. The building was an odd choice for many, since it was the head house of the Alchemist of Deponya, but that's exactly the reason she chose it. Both peasants and nobles would found this villa welcoming, that she was sure off. The Sage was sure of it too. Even though he seemed strange when asked if he would come to the Ball, but maybe that was just her imagination.

She had been thinking about the sage a lot recently. Something about him was bringing a feeling of joy to her days, a phenomenon no other Deponian could manage to accomplish. She knew that as the head of the alchemists he was very helpful in winning the population over. His actions often baffled her, but they made sense not only to him but to the Deponian ponies. And of course the mask that never came off, she wonders if he hides something just like her.

Thinking of the Sage made her smile even bigger, and a small laughter could be heard. The work-pony beside her chuckled along, unknowing of what she was thinking, and carried on with his duty. As he walked away Sunshine noticed her laughter and stopped. Embarrassed she turned around. She touched her blindfold, sighing in relief. Even though she could see it, Sunshine needed the confrontation of the touch of her hoof on it to feel safe that her disguise was still intact. Everything would be ruined if she gets discovered now. She bit her lower lip, cherishing the pain it gave, until she was back to her big smile, but ever so slightly different than before. Her mind shifted to that of the upcoming event, slowly counting the seconds away until dawn.

The guests gathered around the hall just as the sun vanished completely. Ponies from all around Deponya had arrived, each looking different from the other. Farmers were given for this special day some traditional vestments, although some decide to come in homemade ones, either to show the hard work of their loved ones who made it or to display a level of gratitude unusual for a county in Griffonia. Nobles wore the finest and most colourful outfit they could find. At last there were the alchemist and other ponies from the Eysgic forest that had no rhyme or reason to what they wore: often they just had the usual outfit without the mask or other strange add-ons.

The hall was decorated just in time for the many ponies who have gathered. On the sides of the halls were many tables for food and beverages for the guests to enjoy. An orchestra was playing a soft melody under the balcony where Sunshine later would hold her speech to the audience. Nobody was dancing on the dance floor in the middle of the hall right now, which was understandable since it was planned for later.

Heavenly Sunshine stood at the stairs and welcomed the many ponies who came to this spectacle, each one receiving the same smile she put on since the ball started. Her hoof went up too many times for her to count, and so many kisses where dodged that she damned herself for not bringing a “Please do not kiss the priestess” sign. Nevertheless, never lose your smile, not on the most important day!, thought Sunshine.

After waves of useless ponies Sunshine finally saw the king of Deponya, King Grimhoof! The light grey pony was dressed in his usual red cape with white spots on it but did not wore his crown. Instead, he wore a red hat that, given her lack of knowledge of hats, would be best described as a fez. His brown beard was joined with a small moustache on both sides of his lips, the same colour as his short brown mane. Beside him stood his older brother Limphoof. He had a fierce look in his face but was still able to move his lips for a smile. The usual military uniform Limphoof wore was replaced with attire very similar to his brother’s, down to the hat, however, the colours were reversed. He had very short tan mane as well as a handlebar moustache, which she never saw on anypony besides him. However, his “Admiral of the Deponyan Marine” Badge still hung on his top. The priestess scoffed in her mind, the pride of that gray pony disgusted her every time she saw him. And finally, the third pony, the head of military Iron Tail, entered together with the royals the room and, to a big surprise of the priestess, in a rather girly dress. It was greenish with a tree-pattern on it, which fit the orange mare. Her silver mane was shining like usually in her face, which surprisingly had no makeup on. Heavenly Sunshine could not stop laughing, seeing Iron Tail first of all in that dress but also the fact that even in that dress she looked like she could kick Limphoof’s rump all across the room. The Priestess for the first time since the beginning of the ball moved from the stairs directly towards them.

“Welcome your majesty to the harmony ball!” Sunshine spoke, while slightly bowing to the King of Deponya.

The king smiled. “You do not have to bow for us, not now nor anytime in the future.” Grimhoof went and hugged her “You did so much for this kingdom, so for today I am just a pony like any of my subjects here. You are the star for the evening!”

“Thank you, my Liege.” Sunshine responded. The king gave a lock to his brother, and with a bit of a groan he went to the priestess.

“I must praise you for this: You made the Place look a lot nicer than I thought could be done, but that just shows you the abilities us Deponians have,” Limphoof spouted while shaking the priestess’ hoof in a manner both aggressive and floppy at the same time.

Sunshine laughed weakly. “The Deponians are truly the heart of the whole coalition. Thank you very much for the praises, your highness.”

Limphoof waltzed satisfied to the hall, catching up with his younger brother. The mare did not look back, instead trying to smile at the next guest who showed her battle-worn face to her. Iron Tail bowed before addressing Sunshine.

"I wish you a very happy evening," the knight said with a strong voice, "may you succeed in your goals for the day." The Knight looked happy, even though the priestess still could not believe the dress she wore.

"Your words warm my heart; it is good to know that the strongest pony of this kingdom believes in my cause." Sunshine told with a grin on her face. "You have a lovely dress I must say, never expected you to have such an elegant one."

The Face of Iron Tail begun to become a bit brighter. "Why you see this is an important event I thought that I should look for once less… battle ready." Both mares laughed a little.

"And what did the king say about your dress?" Sunshine asked.

The Knight looked surprised by that question. "Th- the king has way more important things on his mind than the dress of his unworthy knight!" Iron Tail answered. Sweat was building on her forehead and her face had reached peak redness.

The Priestess gave a clear look to the Knight, a look she could see even though Sunshine was wearing her blindfold. Iron Tail laughed nervously, but quickly let the facade fall. She looked down on her hoof before turning her face back up.

"He said I looked beautiful in it," the knight admitted with a small smile. She was suddenly hugged by the priestess, who gave a motherly smile to her. The knight stood for a while dumbfounded before returning the hug, which lead the priestess gasping for air. After what seemed an eternity for Sunshine Iron Tail lessened her grip on her, bowed again and marched prouder than ever to the king. Sunshine needed a moment to regain her senses. That brute was paper-thin when it came to her feelings, but she always misjudged just how much strength she had. Seeing the line building before her snapped Sunshine out of potential thoughts what she would do to her once her plan came to fruition. This is going to be a long evening…

Finally, there seemed to be an end to the newcomers. While Deponya had mostly earth ponies as its inhabitants Sunshine made sure to invite a fair share of unicorns and pegasuses too, even a few griffons could be spotted in the crowd. Most of the ponies were fully captivated by the ball before them, never have they seen such a great event unfolding before their eyes. King Grimhoof was seen talking to the many ponies surrounding him and who were thrilled to have the chance to talk to the beloved monarch, be it peasant or noble. Iron Tail had many admirers surrounded her too, and while she gave her admirers the attention they deserved, one eye was always looking at the king. Nobodies noticed the many times her eye begun to shine when a female attendee came a little to close the king. Limphoof meanwhile was talking to a merchant from Lake City, one of the few non-Deponian citizens who attended the ball. Beside him were many nobles, what was normal: the brother usually surrounded himself with the upper class of Deponya. Still, he was always respectful to the lower class when they joined. It was truly a beautiful sight to see.

Heavenly Sunshine sighed. The Sage was nowhere to be seen. She even went to a close friend of the Alchemist to ask about him; sadly he told her what she already knew. The Sage was already behind her cause, so he was probably doing some work to help ponies out. Sunshine thanked the lower alchemist and went up the stairs. While it did not matter that he was not here, the plan does not include him after all, she wished she could talk to a pony that did not make her want to puke. Her heart began to beat faster, annoying her even more. Her speech was about to begin soon, so she mentally prepared herself. If she does not manage to win the ponies over now would mean possible delays. But Sunshine was confident: The king was already on her side, the brother is always on his king side, same as the knight. And the ponies of Deponya were the most gullible in all the Riverlands, so she knew it would go down smoothly. Still, no room for failure was allowed, that she had to make sure. Her clan was waiting for her; to undo the wrongs Deponya did to them all those years ago.

The servants of the ball begun to calm the ponies down. Lights were dimmed a little by a unicorn mage. The ponies were now completely silent, just small coughs and whispering could be heard. All eyes went up to the balcony in front of them, where the priestess was standing. Heavenly Sunshine was making sure the Lake City microphone was working, else she was forced to scream. The thought alone annoyed her very much, but to her happiness everything seemed to work just fine. She smiled down to the Ponies, looking over them through her blindfold. She touched it, given her yet again the confidence she needed. Here goes nothing!, Sunshine thought before inhaling one final breath.

"My beloved countryponies," the mare begun to talk, "it is an honour for me to stand here today for the first Harmony Ball in the history in Deponya". The audition stomped to applaud. "Many of you are for the first time in life for such an event, while others have enjoyed festivals like this their whole life. But today that does not matter, what matter is that we have joined all together in an act for harmony. We are here enjoying each other presence, be it earth ponies, pegasuses, unicorn or even griffons!". She pointed at a griffon who was in the front row, which turned his beak red. That caused the pony neighbours to laugh, and even making one give the griffon a slap on the back. "Even though many of the Griffon nation to the west despise us we still show our griffons not only the basic amount of respect every creature deserve, we also share our harmony with them. No other country of the collation does it. But we Deponiyans are not like the rest of the Riverlands!". A loud "YEAH" was heard from the audience, which caused many more to join in self praises. The priestess smiled and continued. "We Deponain ponies always had a very good view on the world: Love our king and we welcome you to us. Of course, that would seem as tyrannic for many nations, but only because they do not know of the love, kindness and intelligence our kings and queens always had- throughout the whole history of Deponya!". Loud applause what heard through the hall, all hailing King Grimhoof, who was trying to be modest about it. Limphoof on the other hoof was smiling the biggest smile he had this evening, curving his moustache while feeling proud for any single praise his brother gained. This continued for a solid minute and would continue if not had been for the servants and Grimhoof calming the audience down.

Heavenly Sunshine thanked the staff and the king before continuing her speech. "Yes, our king, King Grimhoof, has yet again shown the intelligence of the royal family. Not only did he make the call for the advisor meeting in a time of total peace, but he gave full control to a peasant of the country: me." Sunshine stopped for a moment before continuing. "I was born an orphan here, so I saw the lowest life in Deponya. But even there, where many nations have it the worst, I never felt hunger. I never felt unwelcome. And today I know the answer even stronger than before. The Deponian ponies are filled with love, passion and of course, harmony." The Priestess took a small breath. "Deponya is seen as a backwards neutral country by many outsiders, but that is simply not true. We know that we are highly traditional and respectful of our legacy, is that what makes us the great ponies we are. But something that even the ponies of Deponya have not realized is that we are not neutral: we were always harmonic!".

Whispers begun to embrace the crowd. Sunshine took a little breath before continuing her speech. "We are harmonic, fellow ponies, but we decided to keep it for our self. While war was raging on in Griffonia we stayed out of any, only being involved when attacked. And we pushed any Foe out, never going to any counter-attacks, because we do not want war. That is why we formed the collation with the other Riverponies, to stay safe. But I came to the realization, and our dear king did too. We should, no, MUST bring this harmony to the other Countries, to anyone who values lives!"

Silences consumed the hall for a moment. Many Ponies were looking at each other, some were even beginning to sweat. The priestess looked over the masses, unsure. She stomped her hoof suddenly. "My dream is it that the Riverlands stands united. Not because of war or conquest, but because we have come to understand the value of this life, under the same banner, standing for harmony in Griffonia. I ask you all this: Do you assist me in this journey, in this adventure to bring the good Deponian harmony to the world out there, not by the use of force, but by the merits of our words?"

Heavenly Sunshine breath was fast as she looked over the stunned audience. She saw Limphoof, looking like he had something crawling under his skin. Iron Tail meanwhile looked with a stern look at her. And finally, Grimhoof. He stood there emotionless, with his eyes staring directly at her, which made the priestess flint a little. Have I failed?, came through Sunshine mind. However, before any more thoughts could be made, went the hoof of someone up.

"I, King Grimhoof of Deponya, Son of Queen Forest Flower and King Loving Rock, will assist you with all the power I have."

Faster than Sunshine could even react followed another raised hoof: "I, Iron Tail, Knight of Deponya, will assist you with all the power I have."

Another hoof rose. And another, and soon all hooves and claws were up in the air. The words could not be understood any more, but what they were saying was clear: The vows to assist Heavenly Sunshine. The Ponies yelled her name, some pegasuses and a griffon danced in the air. Unicorns were making light spectacled and spelt her name. The Priestess breathes in. She touched her blindfold, faking a tear wipe while gaining a genuine smile. She had won.

Heavenly Sunshine let the spectacle that happened before her eyes continue for a while. They were so predictable, so naïve. All they waited for was the answer of the king, like ants following their queen. Soon her clan was gaining their birthright back. She was just happy that it all went down so smoothly. Soon she would go back to her room and be freed from today's insanity.

She coughed multiple times until the crowd calmed down. "I am so grateful to you all. I know many of you are eager now to help me, but for today evening you have done enough. So I invite you to enjoy yourselves here and eat and drink your heart out. For Deponya!"

"For Deponya!" shouted the crowd back, with that Sunshine bowed and left the stage. The band began to play the Deponian national anthem, with many Deponiyans singing or humming it with them. She looked over the crowd on her way back, taking a good look on the ponies below her. Some were dancing, others went to the banquette. Others were trying to get to the king again, like moths attracted to flames. The Priestess sighed. Not long until all of them would know their place. Her plan for the evening was done, now the only thing left was finding an excuse to get out of this hall. My stomach is killing me right now, no that was to obvious. Excuse me all but I need my 8-hour sleep, yeah that was a good one. Or how about There is this urgent activity that I mu-

Mask! Heavenly Sunshine threw herself at the railing of the balcony, almost losing her balance. She looked fiercely at the spot where she casually looked before. But nothing. As she looked over some ponies were waving at her, which she completely ignored. Right now the only thing in her mind was finding the mask in the crowd. She looked over all corners, all ponies, even the air was not left unchecked. No luck. Maybe my eyes were playing a trick on me, she thought. Or maybe he is here. But that is impossible, I welcomed every guest! Sunshine took her hoof off the railing. It did not matter if the Sage was here, her mission was done, and she should go plan her next move. Her hoofs began to move to the exit behind her, slowly opening the door. As the door opened, she looked back, her heart beating faster and faster as the seconds went by. She slammed the door shut, rushing to the stairs. It did not matter that she had no reason to see him, she wanted to make sure that he was here! She could plan later, there was enough time, and right now she had every right to some private time.

As she went down the stairs she went back to her fake smile, even though she wished she could just ignore all the surrounding ponies. It was important however that her facade was still there, so she still did her best to greet the folk. Sometimes she was stopped by a pony or a group just to talk about some silly stuff, which she painfully endured. Even dumber was that in the middle of the hall the dancing had begun, so Sunshine had to deny many charmers who invited her for a round on the dancefloor. Rushing to one end to the other however seemed futile, he was nowhere to be seen. Sunshine began to lose all hope, her eyes were just playing tricks on her. Defeated she went to the food table to make herself a drink, but as she was pouring the carrot wine in her glass she noticed someone. And her heart stopped.

The Sage was to her left, drinking some lemonade through a straw. He was wearing his white mask which resembled that of a bird with a long, green beak. The hat he usually wore was gone, instead he had a small feather attacked on his head. The rest of his body was fully wrapped in a greenish rag, but at least it looked like it was washed recently. No skin showed, which made spotting his colour and cutie mark impossible. A hint of his mane was showing on his head though, the only part of his body you could see.

Heavenly Sunshine could only stare at him with her mouth open. How did I not see him all this time?, she asked herself. The alchemist has not seen her yet, he was viewing the dance floor in front of him. Seconds went by before the priestess snapped out of her daze. It did not matter that she missed the weirdest looking pony for so long, what matter is that he is there. Finally, a pony who she could talk to without her wanting to hurl. She took a big breath before making her move on him.

She tipped smiling with her hoof on his Side. “Hey there Sage, so nice to see you here too.”

The Sage startled up, turning his head to the source of the touch. Soon after noticing the priestess he sighed a little before bowing.

“Oh I am sorry, I did not notice you Sunshine.” He rose his head and looked at her, but that was hard to tell since his whole face was covered. “I was watching the ponies dancing there, it not often that you see so many ponies on one place, let alone from so many different walks of life in Deponya.” He pointed to the centre of the hall, but Sunshine was barely taking her eyes off him.

“Hm I see…” spoke the priestess unmotivated. She could still not grasp the reality that he was here. “So how did you got in here without me noticing?”.

“Oh that,” the Sage begun to talk, sounding surprised by her directness, “I went in through a secret door at the back of the hall.”

“Why would you do that, I was looking for you!”, Sunshine said with a higher tone than before.

“That is exactly why I did it.”

The Priestess was shocked. He went out of his way to avoid her. But before her smile could vanish completely a hoof was sitting on her shoulder.

“Now now, I avoided you not because I did not want to talk to you. If that was the case, I would not be here” said the alchemist with a soft voice. His hoof reached for her nose, booping her. “I am already supporting your cause, so I did not want to steal your focus away from the other guests.”

Sunshine was baffled. What he said made perfect sense, but she still wanted to punch him for going out of his way to avoid her. Also, how dared he to boop her without given her the opportunity to do it herself!

“Hmpf, you could have at least told me that earlier or so.” Sunshine tried hard to look mad but all she accomplished was making the alchemist burst out in laughter.

“If I knew how important I was to you I would have told all my friends to wear their mask too for today.” He continued to laugh, and even while her first impulse was to keep looking mad she joined in too. Even though he was Deponian, Sunshine knew he was different. He was not a stuck up dumphat or a stupid ant. She could not stay mad at him, not even with his stupid mask on.

“What is so funny you two?” The deep voice came suddenly from behind the priestess. A hoof went around her neck, almost choking her. She whimpered for air as the alchemist stopped his laughter and addressed the newcomer.

“Ah, hello there Iron Tail. What gives us the honour to have you with us?” spoke the alchemist with his soft voice. He pointed his hoof at the squeezing Sunshine. “Maybe release the fine mare before we look for another priestess to lead the way?”

With a big laugh Sunshine was released, and exactly at that moment she realized just how happy she was that she has her blindfold on. Just what on earth was she thinking?

“You see I was seeing Sunshine over there searching the crowd like she was hunting something, and you know me I always look forward to a good hunt!” The knight smiled brightly while tapping the mare below her on the back who still had not got the air she needed.

“Oh really, on a hunt you say?” asked the alchemist with a smug voice.

Oh, I will enjoy when you break down, Sunshine thought while staring daggers at the knight.

“Yep, and I must tell you the moment she saw you I thought her brain stopped working. She just stood there lo-

“HEY!” shouted the priestess at Iron Tail, sweating heavily and turning red as the finest Deponian tomato. She tried putting her hoof around the knight like she did to her earlier but was not only halted easily by her she also received a boop on her nose for her trouble, again!

“There, there little one,” Iron Tail lectured Sunshine while patting her on the head, “I am just messing with you. It is so great to see you in such a good spirit, both of you actually.”

As both the Sage and Iron Tail shared a laughter Sunshine calmed herself down. She will make her suffer but now was not the time. With a sign turned her view to the middle of the hall where the ponies danced their hooves off. The band played an old Deponian waltz, as the pairs of ponies perform the sacred act of dancing together. Iron Tail noticed the new attention grabber of Sunshine, and before any of the two ponies could even think she tapped the alchemist on his side.

“And?”, she said, pointing at Sunshine, “Will the gentlecolt not invite this fine mare to a dance?”

No more laughing was heard from the Sage, as he begun to look to his side. “Well, you see I never actually learned to dance and there are surely many other who wa-”

Before he could even finish the sentence the priestess stood in front of him, smiling, but not like she did before. Now she had a devilish grin on her face.”Oh, that sounds nice! Do not worry, I know how!” She took his hoof and tugged him to the middle.

“Please Sunshine that is not necessary” plead the Sage while being dragged.

“No no I insist!” Sunshine was humming to herself and waved at the knight. Maybe you deserved something less painful, she thought while dragging the struggling alchemist to the middle of the room.

The Sage was visibly nervous standing as the two of them reached their destination. The same could not be said for Sunshine: She was enjoying the attention they got from the onlookers, but what she savoured the most was the nervous wreck of a stallion right next to her. He was always acting like he is in perfect harmony with himself but here he was shaking like he was living his worst fear. She could not think of a more perfect payback for what he had done to her before. Still, she did not want him to completely lose it, so she moved his head towards her.

“Come now Sage, I said that I know how to dance. You trusted me in reforming a whole kingdom but not this?”. With a playful undertone she said smiling at the Alchemist.

He sighed. “Not you of course, but…” he trailed off. He took a deep breath. “ I am just not the pony who can do new things on the fly, especially in front of so many faces.”

Surprised, Sunshine glanced at the stallion in front of her. Puzzled from what she just heard she tilted her head. As they stood awkwardly for a while she put herself together. He just opened up to her, and she was not going to dismiss him because of it.

She went closer to the Sage, embracing him in a small hug. “Don’t worry, just follow my lead”, whispered she into his ear. He nicked unsurely, but when the priestess began her movement he let go and gave her control over his body.

Dancing was not her speciality, and she always tried avoiding it. But today was the first time in her life where she was glad to have learned it. As she leaded the stallion in the rhythmic movement of the melody, she made sure to guide him into a position where he could enjoy himself too. He should not gain bad memories with her after all. Although... she smirked at his clumsiness when she made a move that was just a tad too fast for him. The biggest grin came, however, when they were getting to the end of the dance. Usually it is the stallion who leads in Deponya, but since her stallion was not capable of doing just that it fell to her. So she came up with a small plan. As the final routine of the dance ended she put a hoof on the Sage, which came so suddenly to him that he completely lost his balance. But before he could fall to the ground the priestess caught him in a typical pose at dance end, just with the roles reversed. With a big smile she looked down on the scared alchemist, who wanted to complain but was cut off by applause. The priestess ignored the applause.

“See?”, she told the alchemist with a playful voice, “You can dance, even when you need me to do it right.” With that she helped the Sage find his footing again. As he was getting used to controlling his body Sunshine thanked the room for the applause. But before any of the onlookers could invite her for the next dance she excused herself and took the alchemist by the hoof to the food table. She forgot her carrot whine before so she made a new glass, and for the alchemist water, he looked like he could use some. No straw, however, that would ruin her chance to see him take that mask off. She took a sip off her wine and went to the Sage.

“Here you go, Sage”. The glass of water was given the Sage who stood on all hoofs like he usually did.

“Hvala Sunshine”. The Alchemist took the glass and noticed something missing. Sadly for the priestess he took a straw out of his pocket and begun to drink his water through it. Sunshine muttered a little, with got not unnoticed by the alchemist. He took a break of drinking his water.

“You need some better plans to get this mask off me,” he said jokingly. “Trust me, my parents tried it even before I became the Sage”. As he went for the next sip through the straw he looked again to the dancing ponies. He sighed. “I must thank Iron Tail the next time we meet, that was a beautiful experience”.

“Oh?”, Sunshine asked, “Also were the excuses you made up before we danced just lies?”

The Sage leaned on the table. “No, usually they are true. But I guess the moment was just right today.” He took another sip. “Or maybe it was the pony who was right”.

An awkward silence came over both ponies as they continued to drink their respective drinks. Sunshine was happy to have someone who she could talk to again but for some reasons the last thing he said put her in doubt. He was a distraction in the end, just another Deponian pony to be slaughtered. But when she stood there next to him she almost just forget that all. She laughed genuinely with him, and when he spoke she did not feel disgusted. And now here she is standing next to him, asking herself what other quirks he may have. What he likes. Maybe even who.

She looked up the clock that was hanging at the balcony where she just stood. It was late, she should go to bed soon, or she must delay her plans for tomorrow. She wished the evening could go on forever, but her duties called her. Despite everything, he is just an exception. Her clan, her family waited for her triumphant return. She would not let her selfish enjoyment distract her.

This newly gained self-confidence was crushed when she was suddenly pulled by the Sage. Without a word he guided her to a corner next to the food table.

“Sage, where are you taking me?” the priestess asked confused.

“Trust me”, he said, “I want to show you something.”

Sunshine thought about resisting, but she did wonder what he wanted to show her. They reached the corner where currently no other guest had settled in as the Sage pulled with his other hoof a handle. A small hidden door opened up, just small enough for an adult pony to squeeze right through it.

“Right, after you.” The Alchemist pointed at the passage. Sunshine hesitated a little, but she wanted to know where this passage leads. She ducked as she enters the tunnel. It was barely lit, but she could still see in it. After a few seconds of walking she heard the closing of the door behind her, although the walls were not very soundproof. “Keep going ahead, there is only one way out”, instructed the Sage behind her. I hope that it worth the hassle, thought Sunshine before crawling further into the twilight.

As they came to an end of the tunnel Sunshine saw an exit in front of her, and her nose begun to smell a floral smell. A gust of wind ruffled her mane as she took the first step outside of the tunnel. They were outside of the villa where the ball was just held. The place looked like a flower garden, with many flowers grew along and even on the dirt path she walked on. A fountain was in the middle, having a statue of a king on it, though she could not tell if it was supposed to be Grimhoof or an ancestor of him.

The Sage came to her side as she took in the environment around her. “This is the garden of the Alchemist House”, he started explaining, “usually only the alchemist know about it. It is a place where we can relax.”

“It is beautiful”, said Sunshine. She took another look at the flowers. Even though it was the middle of the night the moon was shining its mystical light strong enough for her to see colours, even through the blindfold.

“Yes yes, but there is something even more special that I wanted to show you”.

The Sage offered his hoof this time, maybe now that he did not have to worry about onlookers he took his time with her. She accepted his gesture, and they both walked through the garden.

“There is something I wanted to ask you earlier Sage.” said the priestess while continuing to walk beside him. “How is it possible I or any of your friends did not see you in the hall? The only reason I even find you was because I thought I saw your mask and started looking for you.”

Laughter came from the alchemist. He began to speak without turning his head. “Ever since I was small I had the ability to merge myself with my surroundings. If I don’t want to be noticed by other ponies it usually works: even with me wearing something so unique.” He pointed at the mask, not slowing down. “But I never guessed that even through your blindfold you could see me in this packed crowd. We certainly learned something from each other today.” The priestess thought about this all when suddenly he spoke up again. “We are here!” he spoke happily. He let go of Sunshine hoof and walked to his goal in front of him. She followed behind him, looking at the scenery that opened up before her.

It was a small wooden bridge, which seemed to have been claimed by many plants. Whatever original colour it had could not be seen, but she guesses that in the daylight that an examination would give it away. She walked right next to the Sage who was standing on the railing of the bridge. She looked in the direction where his beck was pointing at and saw a small creek. There were lily pads like she never saw before in her life, and even in the darkness of the night she could see that they were colourful like a rainbow. Frogs were sitting on them, quacking an unusual yet at the same time astounding noise. The beginning of the Eysgic forest could be seen on the right, with its massive trees surrounded by an aura of doom. Water Lilies were lurking in the corners of the small pond, and while it did not seem deep there were more plants underneath it. Sadly from where she was standing she could not guess the depth, and by the looks to it, she would need to come back later when the sun shines or swim in it, both things which she had no interest in doing at the moment.

“You alchemist sure keep a beautiful place for yourself,” Sunshine joked. She expected a snarky comeback for it but there was none. The Sage continued his silence, which worried the priestess. Before she could say something however the stallion leaned his body on the mare. Sunshine gasped quietly, and her body tensed up the moment of the touch. Panic grew in her as she lost the ability to speak. Her heart was running a marathon, and she could feel the heat building up inside her. This is going too far, she thought, but deep inside her, she wished that they could just stay like this a little longer, maybe even more than even that.

Minutes passed, with both ponies not moving or saying a single word. Sunshine’s body and mind had begun to regain the lost control over the emotions which had taken the pony a while ago. She gathered her thoughts about the next move she had to make soon. However, before she could fully make up a plan she noticed a little shiver, but not from her. It came from the Sage.

“Sage, is everything okay?” Sunshine asked, finally turning her head towards him. “Are you cold? You are tre-.” She stopped as the alchemist began to speak up.

“Stealth Potion.”

What?, Sunshine thought while looking at the bird mask left to her. He finally turned his head to the priestess.

“My name, true name that is, is Stealth Potion. I always found it fascinating how ponies can give their foals names that match their skills.”

Sunshine was perplexed. The Sage just told his name to her. In Deponya the number one alchemist was always renamed to Sage, a tradition older than many countries in Griffonia. Nobody told her his name as they respect it so much, and here she was being told his sacred name like it was nothing.

Stealth Potion noticed the state he had brought Sunshine in. He went closer with his head to hers and begun the whisper into her ear. “That will stay our secret, okay?”. Sunshine did not answer his rhetorical question she received, instead choosing to close the gap their heads had, putting hers under his. She could hear his breath through the mask, although she wished the mask would just disappear.

“Do you tell all the mares you bring here that secret?” Sunshine spoke softly.

“I would not know,” answered Stealth Potion, “you are the first one I ever brought here.” The priestess smirked after hearing that. This evening went from good to one of the best of her young life. However, there would be something she could do to make this day even better. Smiling she held her head from under the alchemist up and gave a kiss on the beak of the mask, which lead the alchemist to utter a small gasp.

“And what do I have to do to get rid of that mask from the Sage of Deponya?” Sunshine asked with a teasing undertone, not giving Stealth Potion even a chance to recover from the shock of the smile. In response, the alchemist turned his head away from her, probably red as the finest Deponian peppers.

“I- I can not do that, you know of that”, spouted Stealth Potion out faster than she ever heard him before. Sunshine, however, did not let go of this perfect opportunity.

“I know, you can not remove the mask in public, I respect that you know.” The Sage took a breath of relief after hearing that, but the priestess had already begun her next move. She turned his head to face in her direction and went as close to his face as she could do. “So when are you inviting me to your house, it is getting late you know?”

Whatever control Stealth Potion had over his body vanished after hearing her say that. Sunshine was quick in realizing that too, as she went and caught him before he could fall over like a sack of potatoes. As she helped him up she patted his head, laughing out loud in amusement after what just happened. But to her surprise a hoof was suddenly wrapped around her patting hoof, pulling it down. She looked closely as the stallion in front of her did his best to say something.

“If you like to, “came a voice softly under the mask, ”I would gladly have you over for the night.” Now it was Sunshine turn to be flattered, but instead of falling over like him she jumped on Stealth Potion, embracing him with the strongest hug she had ever done. Quickly was the hug ended, however, as she was holding the Sage hoofs and begun to walk to the direction of the forest. “So then, let’s go!”, Sunshine spoke, with a nervous alchemist in tow. This is going to be amazing!, thought the priestess as she began to hum a melody to herself.

It was a quiet and short journey to the private house of the Sage, since he lived near the location of the Harmony Ball. Both ponies were mostly quiet for the walk, except for the humming of Sunshine. Thoughts about the events that will happen to them wrapped around her mind, changing from innocent to more adult ones in a matter of seconds. Some thoughts, however, put her in a difficult spot: The thoughts about her clan. What she was doing right now was something she was warned about, about the devils from Deponya. That they would corrupt her if she was not careful enough. Many times the question came if she should bail and run, but every time she had to just look beside her to see a reason not to. It is only one night, nothing wrong with enjoying yourself from time to time, thought Sunshine as they were reaching their destination.

In front of them was a small wooden house, build from what she could gather inside a massive tree. It had no light sources attached to it from the outside, and the house number shield was not readable during the night, even with the moon shining as strong as it did. Leaves were scattered around the house, most likely being there a long time by the looks of it. Stealth Potion probably had no time in clearing them up all the time. The wooden door had a picture of the “Caduceus of Deponya” on it, giving it a beautiful look.

“So, here we are.” The Sage lead the way as he went to his door. It was not locked, so he opened and waved at Sunshine. “After you, Sunshine.” Stealth Potion said.

Her heart beating, her body sweating, and her mind going carousel she took the first step forwards. Whatever happened now, at least she knew it was her decision, not anyone else's.

Birds were chirping as Sunshine awoke from her sleep. Her eyes were still tired from the long night as she tried to stood up slowly, but was met with resistance. Confused she looked at the source of the problem. It was the hoof of Stealth Potion, who, still asleep, was wrapping his hoof on the priestess side. He breathed quietly, as he did not notice her awakening yet. And of course, his mask was gone, showing his face for her to see. All clothing were gone for that matter, she realized quickly, and not only from him. Her free hoof went quickly to her eyes, and a sigh of relief was let out when she noticed that the blindfold was still on. As she looked to her right she saw her clothes lying on the floor, mixed with the alchemist ones. Only her headscarf was on a table, together with the mask and the feather Stealth Potion wore yesterday. She looked back to the sleeping pony beside her, who still hang on her. Sunshine turned herself into his direction, facing him, just a few centimetres away from his face. He had a greenish coat colour, and a long, blond mane. A small moustache was sitting on tops of his lips, but what form it had usually was lost in its current status. Sunshine smiled, given Stealth Potion a kiss on the noose. He had no reaction from it, sleeping like nothing in the world mattered. Even though she wished that she could lie in bed with him for longer there was stuff she had to do. She gave him a boop on the nose, revenge she has waited to do ever since he booped her yesterday, and began freeing herself from his hug. She sat on the edge of the bed and stretched a little before standing up and picking her clothes off the ground. Dressing herself up took almost no time, and not long after she stood fully cloth at the stairs leading down to the exit. She gave one last look at the sleeping alchemist before exiting the building.

Sunshine walked on the small path back to her house, singing to herself while taking skips here and there. She beamed with energy, having just had the best day in her life. She began to think about the next meeting with Stealth Potion and what they were doing together next time. Oh, now that I know his name I can tease him in public, she thought, smiling to herself. Her plan was almost finished, soon she would have all the time to just hang around with him. Nothing more to do, just she and him.

Yes, soon the plan would be finished.

The plan would be finished.

The plan.

…

Sunshine stopped. No longer was she singing, her smile turned upside down. The world around her ceased to exist.

Right, the plan.