Author's Note

Before you read, I recommend re-reading the previous chapter before this one because I edited a portion due to plot reasons. I'm warning you so ya don't get confused

Chp 5: New beginnings

Pucci (1st person)

I let out an exasperated sigh, rubbing my temples as my sore and tired eyes scanned the papers in front of me.

At the top of the half-filled-out sheet of notebook paper: ‘Celestial spiral system theory study’ is said in bold letters under the warm glow of a small lamp. It had been a work-in-progress in the astronomy community based on a mass of gas giants spotted north of the Clover consultation. Yet it can not be proven as no telescope in Equestria has the hope of clearly seeing it.

And as predicted, even I, the famed 'prodigy' of astronomy, was having trouble working with my available equipment. I scoffed at that title. I was no prodigy despite being called that ever since I started my career in my early 20s. I worked tirelessly to gain my position by sheer dedication and hard work alone, not because I was somehow born for this role.

Just because I presented some star that hadn't been documented before despite being in plain view doesn't mean I'm better than anypony else.

Leaning back in my plain chair, I take a moment to examine my new room. Thankfully, it was still extensive, with white plaster walls and a soft gray rug floor. The room's side walls held mounted shelves; tomes from the observatory that had miraculously survived the incompetent moving crew were placed within them. The side opposite of me sports a large, two-pony bed and a nightstand with a single lamp resting on it. On the side I am currently on was a study desk that I had in storage for the longest time, with a roll-top cover and double drawers acting as its legs with a lamp resting on top.

I sneer at the alien environment, turning to an open window next to my desk. A magically amplified telescope poked out from its opening and pointed to the snowing night sky. Despite the silence, it was almost deafening to me as I grimaced at the town named Ponyville on the other side of the window.

It had been four days since my talk with Moondancer, and the results were mixed, to say the least. Of course, I left out the part about a stranger breaking into my workplace and spewing nonsense about revenge. But it was a nightmare convincing my assistant about Made in Heaven, however. I'm ninety percent sure she thinks of me as insane now. We, thankfully, had decided to drop the topic and go our separate ways for that night, but I couldn't sleep.

There was no way I could ignore that night's events.

So the morning after, I instantly started looking for a new home, hoping the stranger wouldn’t find me. If he knew where I worked, what's to say he doesn't know where I live? Moondancer predictably started to ask questions; I chalked it up to the academy having me stationed somewhere for a project. I tried to convince her to come, but she wasn’t comfortable with moving far away from Canterlot. So I promised to send letters and provided a paid vacation until I returned, cheering her up slightly; she is more important than my job. As for the academy, I had sent them a formal letter stating that I was going on a scientific expedition for an indefinite amount of time, but it’s not like they’d ever question me- suck-ups. I hate to lie to the young mare, but I can't risk my loved ones getting in that stallion's crosshairs. I need to, at least, divert attention away from my observatory. Lead the dog with a treat on a stick, as I say.

Now, on the topic of Ponyville. Where do I start with this place? When I began my search for a new place to lie low for the time being, the location was clear…but hard all the same. Places like Vanhoover and The Crystal Empire were too far from my job in Canterlot, and I don’t want to be far if something happens to my assistant. Others like Manehatten and Appleoosa were not the ideal environments for me to work in: noisy, and the locals are bothersome. So, that only left Ponyville, which wasn’t much better.

No matter how many ponies from inside and outside the backwater town babble about how peaceful it is, I am no fool. I will have to admit- compared to its past -Ponyville has gotten a better image over the last four years since the war against the three villains.

In spite of its relatively 'new' upbringing, chaos still runs through this town's veins. Example: When I first arrived here, some foals had set a large pack of angry cats loose by accident, causing damage to ponies, buildings, soft furniture, and curtains alike. Of all things, some students from the local School of Friendship had utilized catnip to calm the felines.

Despite that and other…things about my stay in Ponyville, It is tolerable most of the time.

I shivered when a cold breeze grazed my face, snapping me out of my thoughts. Swiftly, I knocked down the buildup of snow on the window edge and closed it, letting myself fall back onto my chair and hang my head low.

Again, I took a moment to glance at the papers on my desk from the corner of my eye. "What am I doing with my life?" I muttered to myself. This study is a waste of time, distracting myself with such nonsense, all because I'm stressed and refuse to face what is in front of me. I have to do something, anything! But what can I do?

With nothing to do, I turned to the only thing I could think of in times like these. In my younger years, I had terrible anxiety due to being anti-social. To fight it, I created several ways of keeping a strong mindset, like counting prime numbers, with one of them analyzing things to get a better sense of the subject in question. Now I turn to these habits mostly when I am stuck on an assignment or project.

Focusing on my inner energy, I manifested Made in Heaven next to me. It casually floated above my desk, and not a single item on the wooden surface shifted.

As I overlooked the apparition, the cogs in my mind started to turn. "These stands seem to resemble that of ghosts from old foals tales. They appear somewhat transparent, can float without wind or magic, and No ordinary pony can see them, but with two exceptions."

"Excluding Valiant and I, princess Twilight can see them as well, as far as I know, even though she displayed no physical evidence or knowledge of a stand after two instances of them. So can stand users and alicorns only see stands, or are there special traits one needs to view a stand? Before the fight at the theater, I had no clue that Made in Heaven was a part of me. But what that stallion said about helping Valiant awaken his stand leaves more questions than answers. Do these stands appear at birth or some other point in life, or are they earned by a means I know not of? What are stands for, anyway? Using Valiant Hearts stand again: he sported a bow and arrow-styled combat. My stand doesn't seem to brandish a weapon, so does it have magic or an ability like Seven Nation Army controlling its arrows? If so, I do not wish to risk causing unnecessary damage in pursuit of an answer."

Growling in frustration, I rested a hoof against my temple; these answerless questions started to bug me. So much for that. Deciding to take a break from my analysis, I quickly spotted the half-empty mug of coffee on the edge of my desk and went to grab it.

However, before my hoof could twitch, something extraordinary happened. As the thought of grabbing the mug serged throughout my brain, Made in Heaven looked at it, leaned down, and wrapped its right hoof around it. Turning back to me, Made in Heaven offered me my beverage. In my shock, I half-expected it to follow up by saying: “here you go” or something of the sort, yet no words passed through its lips.

I took the mug in my left hoof, making Made in Heaven return to its original position, looking down at me as I stared at it with wide eyes. My attention switched back and forth between the mug and my stand, but eventually, I took a sip. I’ll have to look into this further, maybe there is a local library in town, there I can look-

KNOCK, KNOCK, KOCK!

Nearly choking on my drink from the loud and frantic bangs, I coughed into my foreleg and sat my mug down. "Who is up THIS late?!" I say to myself in irritation. Speed walking out of my room to confront the pony who dared disturb me, I had failed to notice cracks forming on my mug, spilling coffee on the carpet.

After trekking through my two-story home, I threw open the door with a scowl as Made in Heaven disappeared. My expression instead switched to Confusion at seeing a particular party pony on my welcome mat. "Hello, Mister!" She Happily greeted me as her face practically beamed with joy, her pink fur body covered by a brightly colored winter coat.

I blinked several times before looking side to side to see if anypony else was there, only to spot nopony except her. "Aren't you the element of laughter?" I redundantly asked despite knowing who she was. How was I to approach this strange mare exactly?

She burst into a fit of giggles with one or two snorts for good measure, "No, silly. My name is Pinkie Pie!" She laughed, "But you were close." She then pulled out a black and gold colored gift box from her mane and placed it on the snow-covered ground. Pulling a simple hoof-crank from her poofy mane as well, she stabbed it into the side of the box and turned it clockwise with blinding speed. "Don't be late~." She said before dashing off down the street.

I stared in bewilderment at the party mare disappearing in the distance. The sound of a cheerful chime caught my ears, making me look down to see it was coming from the box.

The chime played for a couple more seconds before the top flew off with a bang, streamers, glitter, and party horns following soon after. I jolted back in surprise as a plastic clip attached to a spring shot out from inside the box, a small piece of paper in its grip. Silence filled the air as the held paper bobbed back and forth in place before I hesitantly grabbed it in my hoof.

On the black postcard-sized paper, small drawings of stars with smiley faces and plants littered its surface with golden glitter accompanying them. In the middle, with a swirly font, were the words: Surprise at Sugar Cube corner tonight!

I stare at the card with a confused scowl, wondering why Pinkie Pie bothered to come out here this late at night for such a thing. "A surprise, huh?" I say under my breath. Looking back toward my room/study, I hung my head in defeat. "It's not like I have anything better to do." I sighed with a sour tone.

Locking my door with the spare key under my welcome mat, I took to the streets of the quiet Ponyville, ready to face what awaited me in Sugarcube Corner.

Moondancer (3rd person)

Moondancer slightly shivered as a gust of frigid wind passed over her. Using her magic, she pulled her black, red-brimmed beanie down more and adjusted her similarly colored coat to protect herself from the cold weather.

"Stupid weather, stupid mystery pony, stupid arrow shard, stupid everything, stupid…stupid!" She grumbled, wondering why her home was so far from the royal palace.

The reason for her nightly stroll was that she had the idea to ask Princess Twilight directly about the arrow shard she received in the hospital. If she could get Twilight’s attention, she could get Celestia’s and maybe figure out what crisis is supposed to happen and who sent the package. "I could be inside my nice, warm house reading a good book. But no! I'm out here while everypony else is locking up for tonight because some stupid pony I don't know has gotten me paranoid!" She ranted in her mind; the enraged fire in her eyes for F.V. could have warmed all of Cnaterlot.

It was bad enough that her old friends were either busy spending time with family or out of town and her parents were still on their "around Equestria" tour. But the absence of her boss was downright depressing for the poor mare. When Pucci stated his reason for his departure, she hated not being able to join him. It felt as if she would never be able to see him again. That wasn't going to happen, of course, She did plan on visiting around Hearts warming eve in two days, but still, it was disheartening to see him go.

A drunk smile spread across Moondancers muzzle suddenly, her glasses somehow fogging up. "But imagine. Pucci and me sitting by a warm fire, snuggling up to each other and wrapped in a blanket. His forelegs gently wrap around me as I bury my face into his chest and feel his lips pecking my head." Moondancer thought as she giggled madly, a heavy blush on her face.

But noticing the royal castle's front gate ahead, Moondancer wiped her fantasy away and cleared her classes as she approached. Two golden-cladded guards spotted the approaching mare and straightened their still stance.

"State your business, citizen." One of the guards spoke with a deep voice.

Moondancer cleared her throat before speaking, "I'm here for the night court with Princess Twilight." She stated.

The second guard shook her head, "We're sorry, ma'am. But night court has been held off for tonight." She said. Since there was only one Princess now, it would be impossible and unhealthy for Princess Twilight to attend both day and night court. So as a compromise, she had declared that day courts would be only held on weekdays, with night courts being exclusively for weekends. It was confusing at first, but everypony had gotten used to the new schedule by now.

"What?" Moondancer blurted out, "I didn't hear anything about this."

"It was an order issued an hour ago concerning personal matters. We can’t disclose any information and suggest leaving, coming back later, or waiting until the next morning." The second guard calmly said.

Moondancer stomped her left hoof on the cobblestone road, "No! I need to see her now. It's-" She was cut off as the two guards blocked the gate with their spears in an 'X' formation. "I-It's important!" She finished.

The first guard narrowed his eyes at Moondancer, "Leave now, or we'll have to use force." He said with a threatening tone. Both guards and Moondancer stared at each other, unmoving, as the winter air passed by with a hollow howl. After seconds of tense silence, Moondancer huffed and turned back, walking away from the guards as they returned to their original positions.

“Stupid guards.” Moondancer spat quietly once she was a good distance away. Now with her mood sufficiently ruined, Moondancer traced her steps down the road she spent so much time walking along with a scowl. “Well, it’s time for plan B: Go to the Library.” She said.

When all else fails, your answer will always be in a book.

It wasn’t long before Moondancer reached the enormous structure of literature and knowledge and passed through its large entrance. Warm air washed over her as soon as Moondancer closed the doors, electing a smile on her face. That smile was also one of nostalgia, her eyes gazing over the numerous rows of books hundreds of feet away from her. So much of her life was spent in this one building; it was like a second home to Moondancer. She remembered all those nights studying for exams with Twilight, excitedly awaiting the next volume of her favorite series to hit the shelves, and coming here when she needed alone time. In all the years Moondancer has known this Library, it didn’t change a bit.

“Ahem.” Moondancer’s thoughts were halted by the sudden voice, making her head turn to the Librarian’s counter. Behind the counter was a mare in her early thirties with a blue-green coat with a curly white mane and tail, her mane tied back into a bun, and an image of three flowers on a stem on her flank. She wore a sweater like Moondancers but yellow instead of black, and red-framed glasses sat on her face. “Is there anything I can help you with, Moondancer?” She asked kindly, her voice speaking with a hint of a Trottingham accent.

Moondancer nodded and got closer to the counter, “Yeah, Poppy Vine, I do.” She said, resting a hoof on the desktop.

The mare known as Poppy Vine gave a sympathetic frown, “Rough week?” She asked.

“You wouldn’t believe it.” Moondancer replied, “ Look, I’m kinda in a rush, and I need your help finding some books if you don’t mind.”

Poppy Vine smiled, “Oh, sure, I don’t mind. What exactly do you have in mind?” She said, lighting her horn expectantly.

“I need anything relating to old artifacts, decorative, weapons, unexplained, magical, anything really.” Moondancer listed off, “I’m looking into something I was given, and I don’t exactly know what it is. So if you have anything that can help me, I would be grateful.” She finished with a friendly smile.

With no word, Poppy Vine nodded and levitated a pen and paper in front of her. The pen glided across the paper in swift motions, writing down dozens of book titles one by one until there were about fifty titles written down, separated into two columns. Resting the pen on the desktop, Poppy Vine gave the paper to Moondancer, who took it in her magic. Despite being new to her job, compared to dusty pages, Poppy Vine was excellent at her job.

“Here ya go, Moondancer. Most of those should be in the history and archaeology section, but the rest are scattered here and there. Hope that helps.”

“It will, Poppy,” Moondancer said, a nervous drop of sweat rolling down her head at the sheer length of the list. “I’ll be going now. It looks like I got a bit the read.” She joked.

Walking away, Moondancer prepared for her extended stay at the Library as she dived into the depths of the many rows of books. Unbeknownst to Poppy or Moondancer, a figure shrouded in darkness looked down at the Library from atop a building as a strange silhouette wrapped around them.

“So the hunt begins.”