Failure, Eternally Retold, Part Three: Morality

Twilight scanned the town carefully. She didn't want to risk being spotted by the cloaked ponies, but she wanted to spot them right away. Luckily, the small size of the town didn't provide a lot of places to hide, so she was pretty sure she was safe. There were three public buildings in town, all on the Equestrian side. The rest were residential, belonging to the locals. The civics center and library probably had a map. There was an inn with a tavern, or rather a tavern with rooms for rent, which would probably know if there were any weird landmarks nearby. Lastly, there was a general goods trader that probably traded with both sides. Any strangers would probably come in there, first.

She decided to start with the store. It was as good a place as any. She pushed the door open and stepped inside, a small bell over the door alerting the owner to the opening door. "That was fast," called a voice from the back. "I'm just about clear, just give me one more minute."

Twilight shifted to the side. Had he been expecting her?

A few seconds later, a pegasus stallion stepped into view, wiping his brow. "Oh, excuse me, miss. I thought you were... It doesn't matter, he'll be here when he's ready. How can I help?"

"I wanted to ask a few questions, if you don't mind."

"'Course. Ask whatever you like. You'll always find an honest deal here."

"First, I need to know, have any ponies in black cloaks been here lately?"

"None."

"Are you sure?"

The stallion propped himself against the counter. "Young lady, this town ain't very big. Even if you include both sides, we're really nothing more than a checkpoint. Because of that, word of visitors tends to spread real fast to everypony. It's a big deal. You're the first new face in four months. If there were ponies in black cloaks, I'd know for sure."

"Right, I see." Twilight shuffled in place. "I didn't mean to offend you."

"Think nothing of it. I forgive you. Was there anything else I could help with?"

"Yes, I was hoping to find out if there was some kind of... commune, I think you might call it, somewhere near here? I heard it was in Belicos, not too far from the border."

The pegasus scratched his ear as he thought about it, as the front door bell rang again. Twilight turned around, and a large earth pony stallion stepped in. "There you are," smiled the shopkeep. "It's all set up in the back, I'll collect later tonight." With a nod, the earth stallion disappeared to the back of the store. "I'm sorry, but I just can't think of any right now. I don't go out that way very often. Not a lot of business out there."

"Can you think of anypony in town that might know?"

"Probably the mayor, but he's probably in bed by now. He's up early every morning. If you come back tomorrow, he can tell you if there's a Belican commune nearby."

"What about the spire?" asked the earth pony, coming back into view carrying a large keg on his back.

"The spire isn't a commune, it's a holy site."

"A holy site that is home to fifty-some ponies who all think themselves superior. It's not that far from here. Maybe that's what she was looking for."

Both stallions turned to look at Twilight, raising their eyebrows. They were expecting her to decide whether or not the spire was the correct location. "I wasn't really given a name," came her answer. "Can you tell me more about it?"

"Not here, I can't," grunted the earth stallion, adjusting the heavy keg on his back. "Swing by the tavern when you're done here, and we'll talk." Without another word, he shuffled out, presumably taking the keg to the tavern.

"I can't imagine why you would want to go to the spire, but if that's your destination, I won't stop you." The shopkeep shrugged and started looking around his shop for anything out of order.

"Why? What's wrong with the spire?"

He looked over his shoulder, double checking to make sure they were alone. His voice lowered to a whisper as he came closer. "Well, you didn't hear it from me, but all of the ponies out there are crazy. I think it either has something to do with all the time they spend staring into the sun, or the chemicals they use. For all I know, they were crazy first, and that's what makes them want to do those things. I don't agree with it, I don't approve of it, but I'm not going to go down there to talk to them about it."

"What makes you think they're crazy?"

"Every few months, they used to come down here and pick out a lot of supplies from me, and destroy some of my more... untoward merchandise." He picked up a bobblehead of a mare in a hula skirt. "I like to keep a few of these around because there are more stallions around than mares, and this helps keep them happy. I like to think I've reduced the crime rate around here by one whole percent with these. They burned a dozen of these harmless little toys and walked out with over a thousand bits in goods the first time. Every single time they came after it was the same story, give or take a few bits. If the mayor didn't keep paying me back for their trips, I'd be out of business."

He stood up again, cleared his throat, and returned to his normal volume. "Of course, I've learned better by now. I take all the necessary precautions. As I said, if you plan on going out there, I won't stop you, but I think it would be a shame if that became your life. Was there anything else?"

Twilight shook her head. "I think the spire might be where I need to go. Can you tell me where it is?"

After confirming the shopkeep's story with the tavernkeep, Twilight made her way back to where she had left Fluttershy and Nik. They'd found a good spot to hide. "So, I have good news and bad news," she said, sitting next to Nik. Let's start with the good news: The cloaked ponies were nowhere to be found, and I asked the owners of the shop and tavern not to tell them that they saw me. I think we can trust them."

"What's the bad news?" asked Nik.

"The other good news is that I think I know where we're going. It's a place called the spire, and it's west a few dozen kilometers, and north three. Big old tower, we should be able to see it tomorrow, no problem."

"And the bad news?"

"The final bit of good news is that the town usually quiets down an hour from now. They're agrarian, so they have to wake up early. We should have most of the night to cross under their bridge where they can't see us."

"Twilight," said Fluttershy, placing a hoof on her shoulder. "Tell us what the bad news is."

Twilight took a deep breath. "Apparently, everypony in the spire has gone mad."

"I'd call them lunatics," came a scratchy voice behind them, "but that would be wrong. They're just crazy and awful."