Once per Day

Celestia took a delicate sip from her tea, enjoying its warmth which complimented the sun's light that was beaming through the windows of the private sitting chamber she'd asked Twilight and her friends to meet her in. Of course, despite the cozy atmosphere of the room, it was tinged with an anxious air as the princess' words hit home for the five younger ponies present and gathered around the low table with her. Five, as Fluttershy had politely declined the meeting for some reason.

"They- They can't just do that can they?" Rainbow demanded with an uncharacteristic quaver. Her head whipped back and forth as she looked around the table for an answer from her friends. "Like, I didn't think it was legal to try and kick the princesses out!"

"That's sadly just a simplification," Twilight murmured in response, her eyes cast down at the table and her ears pressed against her skull. "And sadly, yes, what they're doing is legal." Rainbow recoiled slightly and slowly sank in her spot. Celestia hummed, drawing the ponies' attention back to her.

"Now that the heads of at least three noble families have declared 'no confidence', the other families must all come to Canterlot," she explained, managing a serene smile despite everything. "That in and of itself will take time, and once they arrive the process of deciding whether or not the throne should be vacated will also take time." Pinkie gasped and shot up before jabbing a hoof in the air.

"That means we have time to find a way to stop them, right?!" She cried, at which Rainbow blinked and then beamed.

"Yeah! What she said!" She added. With the exception of Twilight and Applejack, all eyes again turned to Celestia. The former still had her head hanging, and the latter had her attention locked on Twilight. Celestia meanwhile hummed and nodded.

"In a manner of speaking," she said, drawing hopeful smiles from the ponies. She tilted her head in thought as she continued. "Though, I am not entirely blindsided by this turn of events. I have a few contingencies I can pursue." Twilight's ears perked up at her words and she looked up at her mentor. Before she or anyone could ask, however, Celestia continued, rising from her seat.

"In the meanwhile, I would like you to focus your efforts on apprehending the Avatars of Chaos," she explained with a solemn nod. "Regardless of what happens to Luna or myself, those two must not be allowed to run rampant." The girls stared at her for a moment before sharing a determined look. They all rose from their seats as well and lined up beside each other.

"If you think that's the best course of action, you can count on us," Twilight declared.

"Darn straight," Applejack added before rubbing her chin. "But, uh, there bein' two of 'em and all, don't reckon you have a notion which one we should, uh, get after first?" She fixed the princess with a hopeful look. Celestia smiled at the six before tilting her head back in thought. Her eyes drifted left and right a few times, and her wing bristled once. Finally, she nodded and faced them again.

"Of the two, I believe Blackbeard to be the greater threat," she replied with a severe look that the girls mirrored upon hearing the villain's name. "Mr. Fremont is a relatively new arrival to our world and despite the loose following he has gained, I do not believe he has had time to establish himself or gain enough knowledge of our world to be as serious a threat."

"-When used by at least one or more individuals who represent the stated Elements of Friendship, the power of the Elements will enable them to produce a single, unstoppable spell effect," I read aloud, my hand slowly dragging down my chin as I nodded. "The effect of this spell is virtually unlimited, but a wise, or perhaps petty redacted may prefer to tune its effects to match the exact intention the individuals were attempting to achieve." I snorted a quiet laugh at the wording. Even though this was one of the 'newer' entries, it still matched what I'd expect from this kind of book.

"Examples include having the target simply leave the vicinity if the desired effect was to get rid of them, but not destroy them outright. Huh," I rested my head back against the headboard of my bed. "Yeah, okay. I can work with that." Setting my book down with the others beside me, I reached over to the sandwich I'd been brought a few hours ago. Once again, I was in real wizard hours and had forgone simple mortal needs in favor of study. Sash hadn't appreciated that statement when he delivered my food, but he was but a mere sheep. And he also couldn't read what my books said.

As I munched on my food, I leered at the set of books that I'd largely neglected until we left Canterlot and mentally chastised myself for that. Even Discord had instructed me to study them all carefully, so it wasn't as if I had a solid excuse. I'd just been too focused on the immediate gratification and use that came from just the spells. Then again, who trusts Discord to know what the best course of action is at any given time?

I don't know how much all this information would have helped me days ago, but then again hindsight is twenty-twenty. And I do get the feeling if I had known all this garbage that I might've been a little overwhelmed and fumbled at a critical moment.

After all, having a Monster-Manual-styled catalog of, well, every living species and monster as well as several high-profile named individuals and an entire book mostly dedicated to the countless magical tools and gizmos lurking in the world is quite a bit of information to digest. Even now that I'd decided to only focus on reading on the Elements of Harmony, the jewels, not the ponies since they apparently either weren't important enough or weren't powerful enough on their own to get their own entries, it was still a lot to take in. And I still hadn't checked what the rest of my books had, cover-to-cover.

Granted, like with everything else Discord had given me, there were some quirks. For example, where the writing was obviously intended to reference the 'Dungeon Master' or 'Referee,' it instead said redacted. There was also an immovable sticky note firmly adhered to the page with the Elements that read 'Fingers crossed this is patched out in the fifth edition! Still not as bad as the Rainbow in first, however.' Whatever that meant.

A knock at my door followed by the voice of Sugarplum drew me out of my musing. "Avatar?"

"I am delving into deeper lore and do not wish to be disturbed," I replied, wiping my mouth with my thumb.

"Oh! Sorry. I just wanted to tell you we made it home," she replied. I hummed and nodded, finishing the last of my food before carefully stacking my books together.

"Excellent, thank you. I'll be out in just a moment," I called back.

By the time I made it onto the deck, the cultists were already disembarking. The ship was brought down to hover just inside the fort wall, and the gangplank was extended to the wall itself. I leaned over the edge of the ship opposite the fort wall and scanned the courtyard. Despite not being vacant for all that long, there was a hefty layer of dust and sand built up over everything, and the gate was still broken.

"We aren't going to be here permanently. We're just waiting for Psuedo to return," Sash said, drawing my attention to him at my side. He leered down at the courtyard with a weary expression. "Now that the Equestrian government knows about this place, we're going to have to find a new hideout."

"Lucky for us we nabbed that airship!" Turnip called from the edge of the gangplank. "That'll make the move way easier." Sash nodded at him as he and his sister disembarked. Sugarplum looked back at me with an unreadable expression before dipping out of sight.

"In any case, please make yourself comfortable Av- Victor, in your old room or otherwise. I'll send somewooly to let you know when Pseudo returns," Sash said, offering me a smile.

"Gotcha. Thanks, Sash," I replied. With that, he bowed and made his way for the plank. I lingered for a moment and looked down at the yard again. The cultists began spilling out and heading for the caves. All the little shacks and such that had been here previously were gone, and the piles of debris in a few places suggested they'd either collapsed or been deliberately torn down.

Watching the cultists and studying the old fort wound up holding my attention for longer than I intended. As I leaned and rested on the ship's railing, Sneaky and Nettle popped up in my mind, specifically their absence. I once again mulled over the fact they'd cut ties and dipped the moment they had the chance to, and found myself wondering 'Why?'

With Sneaky it still kind of made sense, but then again, the memory of our talk at that awful little hotel popped up. Hell, the memory brought with it a dull ache in my knee from where she'd nailed me. I held my chin with one hand and furrowed my brow.

Even if I granted Sneaky the admittedly reasonable desire to be done with me despite my show of trust and sincerity, what about Nettle? What had I done or not done to make him willing to cut ties?

And all of this led me to wonder about the cult.

They were firmly in the ride-or-die camp for me, but that was because they believed I was some weird society messiah or something, and therein came a glaring issue. You don't just go and upset the balance of the wider world without having to trade blows with the people profiting off that balance. I hadn't even managed to play nice with someone who'd upset that balance without getting hurt, how the hell could I make the kind of changes they believed I could?

And when they realized I couldn't?

"What are you going to do now, Goobèr?" I nearly jumped out of my skin and whirled around to see Honeysuckle beside and staring at me. I caught my breath and scowled.

"My plans and intentions are beyond your ken, creature," I hissed in my wizard voice. She snorted and screwed up her face.

"Uh-huh, is that why you had that ditzy, lost look in your eyes a second ago?" She asked causing my eye to twitch. She huffed and glanced down at the courtyard. "I still find it utterly bewildering these wayward souls think you're going to solve anything for them." A chill danced up my skin and I narrowed my eyes at her.

"Maybe I'll surprise you. I haven't really had a chance to get started," I spat, at which she tilted her head. Glancing down, I saw Turnip and Sugarplum making their way inside. "Still don't know who Bad Teeth is, for instance." She hummed and slowly nodded with a palpable sarcasm.

"Bien sûr, bien sûr. And he's a monster if you actually care," she explained with a grunt before making her way to the gangplank. "Where he came from I cannot say for sure, but there are rumors." I furrowed my brow and moved to follow her.

"Such as?" I pressed. She glanced over her shoulder at me with a thoughtful hum.

"A few other lieutenants believe he was abducted as a pup from some Diamond Dog hole and mutated by unicorn academic wizards," she explained as we descended from the wall before fixing me with a smug leer. "Like the ones I was going to give you to, actually." I hummed and nodded with a slight shrug.

"Not as bad as what I gave your mom last night," I retorted. She froze right as her hooves touched the soil and clenched her teeth.

"Vile, little-" She shuddered and huffed. "Just go talk to Turnip or his sister if you care, Dork."

"Will do," I chirped, striding past her and waving back as we parted ways. "See you, Honey! Try not to get lost or hurt, 'cause God forbid you make me happy."

"If my continued survival is such an irritant, then I shall endeavor to ascend to Alicornhood, Goobèr," she called back. "Just for you." Having read about Alicorns and their immortality and power, the thought of Honeysuckle achieving such a state sent an icy chill across my entire hide.

Suppressing that dark image, I made my way into the cave system. Slipping by the starry-eyed other cultists and only having to ask for directions once, I quickly found Turnip and Sugarplum having a hushed conversation and turning into one of the little rooms.

"Excuse me," I said once I arrived at the entrance to their room. They both turned and looked at me in surprise.

"Avatar?" Sugarplum squeaked.

"Hey, what's up?" Turnip asked. I stepped inside, idly studying their space as I did. It was just a simple little room with two beds and not much else, not even any chairs, so I stood with my arms tucked under each other.

"Sorry to bug you, but I was looking to get some details on who this 'Bad Teeth' weirdo is, and I heard you'd be able to help me out," I explained. Turnip jolted and Sugarplum's ears snapped back before she shook and then tumbled over. I flinched as she whimpered and blinked away tears that began to form. "What-"

"You! Go find Victor!" Sash commanded before the pony he was ordering split off and galloped down a separate corridor. Sash continued hurrying to the courtyard and upon emerging, he found the rest of the Children of Change gathered around their high priest. Sharing a look of relief with his two remaining companions, the sheep trotted down to meet him. As he approached, his fellow cultists parted and he quickly found himself looking up at the high priest.

"Pseudo!" Sash cried.

"I have come to collect a few things from my office which may or may not be useful," the tall creature said plainly. He looked up at the caves dotting the cliff. "I also suspected Blackbeard may have been directed to this place. It does not seem so, however." Sash paused and looked about at the other cultists, only then noting the anxious and confused stares they were sharing.

"What about Blackbeard?" One of the ponies who'd followed Sash asked. Pseudo glanced down at him.

"He is the Avatar and I will be attending him," he replied, raising one hand. "Or I will not. Death follows him closely, so survival is not guaranteed." Sash wilted.

"Attend- What are you saying?" He huffed.

"I am saying that Victor Fremont is not the Avatar I sought," Pseudo said with a wave of his hand. "He is an Avatar, certainly, but he is tainted." Sash's jaw dropped and through the corner of his eye, he saw the shocked expressions of his fellows.

"Tainted?" He murmured.

"I could have told you that," Honeysuckle chirped from somewhere amidst the crowd. Sash shot a glare in her direction before looking up at Pseudo again.

"There is within him a sickness that I perceived from the moment I laid eyes upon him," the priest explained. "It is far too common a thing in thinking beings, and has no place in an Avatar I follow." Pseudo raised both hands and closed his eyes.

"Blackbeard is free from this thing. He does as he desires from the moment he desires it," he added clenching his hands together and bowing his head. "Id given flesh. Chaos on two legs. The safety of those who follow him is not even guaranteed. Who better to carry the title and my loyalty?" He held his hands out to Sash and tilted his head, causing the sheep to stammer.

"You- I don't understand," Sash huffed recoiling a few steps and shaking his head. "How can somewooly like that build a new-"

"It was never my intention to build anything," Pseudo said with an uncharacteristic sharpness that caused Sash to bristle. "But I also saw no reason to dissuade you from such perceptions. You are, as they say, a useful idiot." Ice crawled across Sash's skin as Pseudo's words hit, and the tall creature's eyes took on a cavernous, void-like quality. Though they were the same blue spheres they'd always been, the vacancy, the apathy, and the indifference within them were now all too visible to the sheep. The entire gathering shuddered and looked between Sash and Pseudo, as the change in the pair's bond was felt by all.

Then, as Pseudo snapped his attention up and away from Sash, they all turned to see Victor emerge from the cave, led by one of the ponies who had been accompanying Sash. The human's eyes were uneasy and his brow was tightly knit. As he approached, his gaze briefly passed over Pseudo before locking onto Sash, who slowly turned and quietly gasped before murmuring at the human.

"Victor, Pseudo is-" Victor cut him off with a shaking, raised hand. He paused and seemed to catch his breath before pointing at Pseudo.

"I'll talk to you in a minute, okay?" He hastily asked.

"No. I am collecting my things and leaving," Pseudo said plainly. Victor tilted his head slightly as Pseudo swept his arms out and faced the crowd. "As always, you are encouraged to do as you please. But I do not go with the bespectacled magician." He finished his statement by staring back at Victor, who fixed him with a perplexed leer for a moment before shaking his head.

"What the fuck ever, you weirdo," he spat and waved his hand drawing a gasp from the crowd. Pseudo recoiled at his response but said nothing as Victor approached and knelt near Sash's eye level. "Listen, you're tuned in to things, right?" Sash blinked and furrowed his brow, still reeling from Pseudo's declarations.

"Huh?" He quietly huffed. Victor rolled his hand and shook his head as he searched for the words.

"Like, you know how noble guys work, and all that?" He asked. Sash's eyes darted slightly before he slowly nodded, a gesture Victor mimicked. "Cool, uh." He bit his lip and rolled his hand again.

"If I wanted-" He hesitated and stared off to the side. "If I wanted to hurt one. Like really ruin him." He sucked in a breath and met Sash's uneasy eyes.

"Do you think you'd have an idea for how to do so?" A tense quiet fell between the two, during which time Pseudo slipped away. Finally, Sash swallowed and nodded.

"Ah, it- It depends. Who are you referring to?" He murmured and tilted his head. Victor nodded slowly and glanced back over his shoulder at the caves.

"She said his name's Whole Grain," he replied before meeting Sash's eyes again. "You know him?"

TWO YEARS PRIOR

"Happy birthday, Sugarplum!" Sugarplum flinched, as the moment she'd opened her door to get ready for breakfast, her uncle, Nectar, had popped up and all but shouted in her face. Blinking, she looked left and right down the short four-door hall her room was in. Seemingly, the little two-story farmhouse she'd lived in for many years now was undecorated, confirming her suspicions and adding to her confusion.

"It's not my birthday," she murmured, fixing her uncle with a perplexed stare. The green, yellow-bearded earth pony blinked and then recoiled.

"Aw, shoot, my mistake!" he huffed, taking a step back before whirling around and holding something out to her. "Well, guess I'd better give you this to keep you from telling your brother I got my days mixed up when he gets home! That'd be embarrassing." Sugarplum looked down and smiled before taking the fluffy stuffed sheep doll her uncle presented.

"Thanks, Uncle Nectar," she replied with a giggle before the two shared a hug. They held each other for a few moments, during which time Sugar's smile faltered and her eyes drifted to the now vacant room beside her own. "I miss him." Nectar sighed quietly and nodded.

"Yeah, I miss him too," he replied before pulling back and holding her chin with his hoof, offering a smile. "But he's only got a two-year contract. He'll be back before we know it." Sugar took a shallow breath and nodded, managing a smile in response after a moment. Both of their happy expressions wavered when a knock came at the door, however.

"Ah, I'll get it," Nectar said with a grunt, gesturing to the bathroom door as he began to descend the stairs. "Breakfast ain't ready yet, so go ahead and get cleaned up." Sugarplum nodded, but lingered for a moment, considering the little stuffed sheep in her hooves. Giving it a squeeze she slipped back into her room and set the doll on her pillow before heading for the bathroom. Before she made it, however, she heard Nectar stifle a shout. Curiosity got the better of her and she crept to the top of the stairs and peeked down.

Nectar was still at the door but had pulled back a few steps, allowing the local governor, Baron Whole Grain, two of his guards, and a tall thing in a heavy coat and smiling mask to step inside. Despite the mysterious looming creature's presence, it was the sight of the thin and sneering orange unicorn baron that unnerved Sugarplum.

"You said you'd forgive that dang road tax if I let you ship Turnip off to the guard!" Nectar whisper-yelled, stamping a hoof at the baron. "For cryin' out loud, I practically sold one of my dang foals to you!" Whole Grain snorted and brushed a hoof against his coat pocket.

"He was your sister's, not yours," the baron hummed, drawing an angry growl from Nectar, at which the tall creature stirred. One of the creature's arms slowly slipped into its coat, but the baron held up a hoof. "And since you brought him up, let's talk about young Turnip, hm?" The baron began pacing around Nectar who tracked his movements with a scowl.

"He's in a very good position right now. Nice and safe in central Equestria," Grain purred with a slow nod. "He's fortunate they didn't deploy him somewhere dangerous, like to the border or the Crystal Mountains. But that's no coincidence, Nectar. That's my doing." Once he was in front of Nectar again, the baron turned to face him with an even glare.

"I could very easily pull a few more strings to reverse what I've done for him, you know," he added. Sugarplum quietly gasped as Nectar's jaw dropped. While the two stallions held each other's attention, Sugarplum noticed the tall creature seemed to glance up her way for just a moment.

"You're a liar," Nectar finally spat, retreating a step. "You can't-"

"Are you willing to bet his life on that?" Grain chortled. A tense silence followed for a few seconds.

"You ain't forgave nothing," Nectar murmured, looking at the baron in disbelief. "You just wanted a darned hostage." Grain pursed his lips with a hum as he turned to the door, his entourage parting as he made his way.

"Think what you want, so long as part of your thoughts are on how you're going to pay what you owe," the baron paused just at the door, casting a sneer back at Nectar. "And if selling this land is too much to bear, well." His eyes drifted up the stairs and briefly fell on Sugarplum before she ducked out of sight.

"You could always sell the other one," Whole Grain added with a laugh. Several hooves and the heavy footfalls of the tall creature followed and then the door clicked shut. A painful silence followed, during which Nectar uttered a heartfelt groan. Slowly, Sugarplum peeked back out to see him sitting just before the door with his head hanging. However, as if sensing her, he perked up and looked up at her, managing a weak smile once their eyes met.

"I'm sorry Turnip and I had to come live with you," she squeaked, causing Nectar to jolt and jump to his hooves.

"What?" He squawked as he began trotting up the stairs to her. She averted her eyes and wiped on with a hoof.

"If you didn't have to pay for our schooling and food and all that when we were growing up-" She was cut off when Nectar made it beside her and pulled her into a hug.

"Naw! You hush up," he curtly demanded, holding her tight. Sugar clenched her eyes and threw her forelegs around his neck in response. "I'll figure something out. That old grump's just mad I didn't sell him this farm years back." The pair held each other for a few minutes before finally parting and sharing a smile. Then, Nectar nodded his head at the stairs, leading the way to the kitchen. Once there, Sugarplum sat at the table while Nectar dug into the fridge.

"But how're we gonna pay off the road tax? If we pull any wagons into town, the baron'll charge us for it again," she grumbled, fidgeting as she glanced through the window at the rows of trees and the vineyard they'd tended. "So we can't even sell the stuff we're growing." Nectar kicked the fridge shut as he carried a jar of pickles in his teeth. Once he arrived at the table, he set the jar down and sighed.

"And my hip's still aching so I can't run the farm on my own," Nectar replied. Sugarplum sat with her head resting miserably on the table, and she winced slightly when a pickle suddenly rolled over and bumped her nose. Blinking and looking up at her uncle's smirking face, she tilted her head. "Yep. It's a real pickle, alright." Sugarplum stared evenly at him for a moment before averting her eyes with a quiet snort and a smirk. Grabbing the pickle with her magic she took a bite from it and looked off to the side at the kitchen's calendar. There was a big red circle on it, indicating when the Summer Sun Celebration had been.

"What about the princess?" Sugarplum suddenly asked, turning to look at Nectar who blinked in response. "Doesn't she have stuff set up to help ponies in need? Can't we write her for help or something?" Nectar paused and rubbed his chin.

"Now that you mention it, I'm pretty darn certain this is what the day court is for," he hummed, rolling his head to and fro in thought. "Folks coming up to Canterlot and approaching the throne with their problems and such, you know?" Sugarplum tensed up at his words and the hopeful smile that formed on his face.

"Do you think we could do that?" She squeaked.

"Shoot, we could try!" Nectar replied with a firm stomp.

The next morning, Sugarplum pulled the door to the farmhouse shut with her magic before trotting up beside her uncle, who marched forward with a poorly masked wince. He made it as far as the fence gate before stopping to adjust his saddlebags with a grunt.

"You okay?" Sugar asked as she trotted just ahead of him. Despite his nod, she frowned and grabbed at his bag with her magic. "Here, let me take your bag." He waved a hoof at her.

"Aw, I'm fine. Don't worry about me," he grunted, hastily standing up straight and taking a firm step forward. "Come on, can't miss our-" Sugar tilted her head before turning to see what he was staring at, wilting with a squeak at the sight of the tall creature who had visited the day before, standing a dozen feet up the road. Except for the farm's little orchard and vineyard, the road was free from any shrubs or trees, making the thing's sudden appearance all the more frightening. There was simply no place it could have been hiding up until she noticed it. And something that tall and menacing would've been easy to spot from the front porch, Sugar thought.

The creature's masked head gently swayed left and right as if it was studying the pair carefully, and Nectar took another step toward it with a huff.

"Mr. Bad Teeth, right?" He demanded, causing the creature to pause. After a few seconds, it rumbled and nodded. "Baron said I had a month and a half, and we ain't hauling nothing but our rears, so what in Tartarus do you want?"

"Reckon I want to keeps an eye on ye since that's the sorta thing I was hired t'do," Bad Teeth replied with a voice that sent chills up Sugar's spine. He nodded at their bags. "Where you two off to?"

"Ain't none of your darn business," Nectar spat. Bad Teeth traced one of his claws along the hem of his coat before sweeping it back and sticking one talon into his belt from which several nasty and scary-looking tools were hanging.

"I can make it my business," he replied, at which Nectar glared and Sugar whimpered. "Or hers." That addition caused Nectar to wilt with a grunt.

"Alright! Alright, fine," Nectar huffed, shaking a hoof at the creature. "We're heading to Canterlot." Bad Teeth hummed with a nod, closing his coat and folding his arms.

"Canterlot, huh? What for?" He asked before jolting and waving a hand at the pair. "Nah, that's fine. Think I can guess."
As some clouds rolled in, casting the spot in heavy shade, Nectar recoiled and furrowed his brow. "What-"

"Good luck t'you!" Bad Teeth chirped with a laugh.

And then he was gone.

The pair of ponies flinched and looked around for any sign of the creature, but all they saw was the farm and grass and all they heard was a slightly heavy breeze that rushed by. Sharing an anxious look, Nector swallowed before adjusting his bag and leading the way down the road just as the clouds rolled away, lighting the road up and revealing the heavy shadow of something soaring high above and away from the pair.

During school, Sugarplum had read a lot about Canterlot and the School for Gifted Unicorns. While she didn't have the magical talent to attend the magic academy, the descriptions had always captured her imagination. The tall, alabaster towers topped with purple and gold spirals, the paved and polished brick roads, and the lush gardens and parks tended by the best earth pony magic Equestria had to offer, all working together to present some kind of fairy tale wonderland.

She never could have imagined how quickly her first visit would sully her view of the city. And yet, as she took a deep breath and heaved out a sigh, scanning further up the hall of the castle and at the line she and her uncle were stuck in, she certainly found herself wishing she was anywhere but in Canterlot.

"Shoot, I figured if we got here at the crack of dawn we'd be one of the first to see her," Nectar groused, rearing up to peek further ahead and drawing annoyed glares from the other ponies present. "Look at this line."

"Do not attempt to jump further ahead in line," came a sharp command, causing Nectar to jolt. Whirling around, he met the stern eyes of a royal guard who'd popped up beside him and Sugarplum.

"I wasn't! I was just checking!" Nectar retorted. The guard said nothing in response, at which Nectar shook his head before sharing a weary look with Sugarplum. From there, they waited in silence as minutes turned to hours and they slowly inched toward the courtroom door. All the while, the guard remained right beside them, drawing an occasional annoyed leer from Nectar.

Eventually, the mare just ahead of them slipped inside the courtroom. Sugarplum blinked before gasping. "Uncle Nectar!" She turned and jostled her snoring uncle whose head was slumped off to the side. He jolted with a snort before looking at her with tired, red eyes. "We're next!" Blinking, he looked forward.

"Shoot! We're next!" He cheered. The pair shared an eager smile, before facing forward. After just a few minutes, the doors swung open and the mare who'd gone in ahead of them came trotting out with a smile. The pair shared a smile again and moved to enter.

Only for a well-dressed pegasus with a monocole to trot right passed them. As they both recoiled the doors shut on them and Nectar gasped. "Hey! We were next in line!"

"Lord Taproot is a member of the governing class. Civilian grievances are secondary," the guard just beside them declared. Sugarplum wilted with a whimper at his words.

"But!" Nectar squawked.

"I don't make the rules, Sir," the guard replied. Nectar's jaw dropped before setting in a firm snarl.

"Fine. Guess we'll wait," he spat, sitting with his forelegs folded. Sugarplum looked at him wearily before looking at the window across from the throne room door. The sun was now beginning to inch toward the horizon.

Sugarplum sat curled up on her bed in the cheap hotel they'd rented, watching her uncle angrily pace to and fro. He grunted and kicked over his bag. "Fifth darn day in a row! Figure that Taproot fella'd be all grievanced out by now!" Nectar shook his head with a grumble before looking at his bag and whispering to keep his niece from hearing him. "Heck, we ain't gonna have enough to pay for the tickets home at this rate." Sugarplum's ears snapped back, but she pretended not to notice. Fortunately, a knock at the door drew both of their attention away from their situation.

"Great. What now?" Nectar muttered as he went to answer. Pulling the door open, he blinked and fixed the sheep in a suit waiting outside with a confused leer. "Can I help you?" Sugarplum sat up and tilted her head at the sight as the sheep removed his stout top hat and bowed.

"Good evening. My name is Sash, I'm head of the Vanhoover Executive Bureau of Administration under Baron Truffles. I've seen you making your way to the day court every day this past week," he explained, reaching into his coat and presenting his identification to Nectar. The stallion looked at the card and back at Sash who shook his head with a frown. "And I'm very sorry, but I'm afraid you've come here for nothing. Taproot has no intention of ever letting your story reach the princess." Sugar gasped quietly as Nectar recoiled. The two shared a look before Nectar peered outside and then urged the sheep inside. Once he was clear of the door, Nectar shut it and faced him.

"The heck do you mean?" He demanded. Sash nodded and loosened his tie.

"I'm here on official business myself, which has made me privy to certain," Sash explained, a scowl steadily forming on his face. "Dealings the common pony is not aware of. Such as that between Taproot and Whole Grain."

"The baron?" Sugarplum murmured, at which Sash nodded again.

"I'm not sure why, but he's requested Taproot interrupt your attempts to meet with Her Majesty for as long as you remain in the city," he replied. Sugar and Nectar both froze at his words and the sheep turned to fix Nectar with a sorrowful look. "Mr. Nectar, the guards are watching for you and reporting your continued presence to him." Sugarplum stopped breathing for a few moments as a tense silence gripped the room. Nectar slowly shook his head and stammered before muttering something.

As the two continued speaking, despite her uncle's voice becoming increasingly frantic and annoyed, she barely heard what either was saying over her own racing heart and the ringing in her ears. Her mind flashed back to the guard who had always popped up beside them and waited the whole day with them. Had he been doing that to flag them out of the rest of the crowd?

"So what the heck do we do?" Nectar finally groused, managing to draw Sugar out of her own head. "Just- Just give up?" The stallion huffed and sat on the floor with a dazed, weary expression.

"I can't say. I cannot approach the princess about this without risking my office," Sash murmured, shaking his head. "But I had to do something. I hoped at least making you aware could be of some help." He frowned and looked between the two.

"I'm very sorry," he finally added. Nectar's head slowly sank as silence again gripped the room.

"Why-" Sugarplum hiccuped, drawing their attention to her as she fidgeted and winced. "Why's this allowed to happen?" She sat up and shook her head. Nectar trotted over and hopped up beside her before pulling her into a hug.

"Why can they do something like this?" She whimpered and sniffled. "I- I don't get it." She sobbed quietly and leaned into her uncle as Sash averted his eyes.

"All this over a dang road tax," Nectar quietly hissed. Sash perked up at that and raised an eyebrow at him.

"Road tax?" He repeated. Nectar nodded with an angry light in his eyes.

"The baron placed a tax on wagon traffic on his roads," he explained, offering a shrug to the sheep. "It's pretty recent, but it's still made selling our produce a pain. Pretty much we're having to pay three times as much what we're selling for, you know?" Sash furrowed his brow and scanned the floor in thought for a few moments. During that time, Sugarplum stopped crying and looked down at the sheep as he hummed to himself.

"All regional laws and tax codes are submitted to Canterlot," Sash finally said before fixing Nectar with a determined look. "If I were to get you into the records, do you think you could help me find this road tax?" Nectar recoiled slightly before sharing a look with Sugar.

"Well, maybe? Why?" He slowly replied. Sash narrowed his eyes with a firm nod.

"Because in law precision matters."

Despite how far from town Nectar's farm was, it was still the baron's duty to keep all roads in his realm tended. As a result, it was either a miracle or an act of spite that Sugarplum had found the only uneven part of the road for probably several miles. With a little effort, Sugarplum managed to pull the barrel-laden cart over the bump in the road, and she gasped in relief when the whole thing rolled free again. "There we go!"

"Nice job, Sugar!" Nectar cheered from a few steps ahead before a guilty look fell over his face again. "You sure I can't-" Sugarplum waved her hoof, stumbling a bit before catching herself and continuing to pull the cart.

"No, I got it! I got it!" She chirped. "You gotta rest your hip, especially after getting stuck waiting in line from dawn to near dusk for the past week." Nectar blushed and averted his eyes before nodding with a grunt. Once they were side-by-side again, he turned and the pair trotted along together. Looking further down the road, they paused and shared a look before lowering their heads and continuing on.

As a result, after just another minute or two they came to a stop right before Baron Whole Grain and his entourage, including Bad Teeth, who were blocking the road.

"Mornin' Baron," Nectar grumbled.

"Nectar," the baron hummed in response. The unicorn fixed him with a critical leer before pulling an official-looking paper from his coat with a sigh. Sugarplum recognized the ribbon hanging off it as being from the bank and her breath hitched. "I am impressed you managed to find somepony willing to cover your debt." She sighed in relief and a smile broke across her face.

"Sash! You actually did it!" She cheered mentally. Her subdued jubilation was cut off when the baron smirked.

"But I hope you're not going to be relying on miracles like that in the future. Especially if you're going to keep letting yourself get penalized hauling your goods to town." Sugarplum felt an eager jolt dance up her spine as she and Nectar shared a look. After just a moment, her uncle stepped forward.

"Penalized? How you figure?" He asked, causing the baron to raise an eyebrow and gesture to their cart.

"The road tax?" He said plainly. Nectar nearly leaped before jabbing a hoof at him.

"Oh! Well, good thing this here ain't a wagon. It's a cart," he quipped.

"It has two wheels instead of four! That's the legal definition!" Sugarplum hastily added, eagerly tapping her forehooves as she spoke. Nectar paced to the side as he continued.

"And according to your law, it's wagons that get taxed," he whipped around at firmly tapped the side of the cart. "Not carts."

"Cause carts are classified as recreational vehicles in Equestria law!" Sugarplum cheered.

"And are thus tax-exempt regardless of the contents they're carrying, so long as they do not violate Equestrian Civil Code 12-D-300," Nectar added.

"Which is a regulation on alchemy stuff!" Sugar squealed.

"And we're just hauling peaches today," Nectar finished with a huff and a firm, hopeful grin. Grain's guards all recoiled at the legal display the pair had presented, while Bad Teeth stood with his head tilted and the baron maintained an unimpressed glare. However, none of them said anything.

After a few seconds, Grain turned to look back down the road and then turned again to look the way the pair had come. Narrowing his eyes he turned to Bad Teeth and gestured at him. The creature paused before grunting and pulled his mask up slightly. Sugar winced at the barest sight of his unruly maw of fangs as he seemed to sniff at the air in a few directions. Afterward, he pulled his mask back down and shook his head, drawing a sigh from the baron before he turned back to Nectar.

"How much?" He asked. Nectar hesitated before furrowing his brow and looking at the cart for a moment.

"Couple barrels-"

"No. For the farm," Grain said curtly. Nectar recoiled and then glared at him.

"Ain't for sale," he replied, causing the baron to growl and shake his head. At the same time, Bad Teeth drew his coat back, which caused Sugar to shiver.

"You're the only one-" the baron began.

"Who still owns his land, yep," Nectar interjected. A brief pause followed as the baron stood with his eyes shut.

"I'm trying to be nice, Nectar," he said with audible restraint. Nectar snorted and shook his head before stomping forward a few steps and jabbing a hoof at the baron. The guards didn't respond, but Bad Teeth tilted his head as one claw slipped inside his coat.

"Uncle Nectar?" Sugarplum squeaked.

"You call nearly driving me and my niece into poverty nice?" Nectar spat, jabbing his hoof again. "You call holding my nephew hostage nice?" The baron's eyes shot open and he adopted a warm smile.

"Yes," he said, leaning forward with his eyebrows raised. "And for your consideration?" His expression fell.

"Shoot him."

SNAP

CRACK

Sugarplum shivered as Bad Teeth's claw suddenly whipped up and then back down faster than she could really see, and despite it not making much sense, it felt like the noise that suddenly split the air had been slower than whatever it was he'd done.

Now, the creature stood with a sling hanging from his claw and his mask's eyes locked onto her own. The baron moving forward and making an effort to step over something in the road was what snapped her out of her stupor.

"I don't know where you two got your shiny new legal education from, but here's some extra credit for you," he said once he stood right in front of her. As he spoke, his guards stalked forward and surrounded her cart.

"Little mudrakers like you don't make the rules. We do," Grain said with no small amount of venom in his voice and gaze. "When we demand you sell something to us, you sell and thank us for giving you the chance to at least earn something from the exchange." He took another step closer causing her to recoil until she bumped against the cart which was now held in place by the guards as they unloaded it.

"There was a time when we just took from your kind, you know," the baron added before pulling back with a solemn nod. "But these are civilized days, and I prefer amicability." He tilted his head at her as she shivered before humming.

"Ah yes, and no one will ever believe you," he declared. At the same time, Bad Teeth began chortling as he adjusted his coat.

"Reckon bandits and monsters roam these parts all the time, you know?" The monster offered.

"Precisely," Grain replied with a smile that vanished as he turned to scan the countryside. "I have designs for my realm which your uncle has impeded for long enough." The guards stepped on either side of Sugar and heaved the harness off of her before hurling the cart over. Slowly she sank to a sitting position and her eyes drifted down. Just past the baron's hooves, she saw her uncle's unmoving body and she hiccupped.

"I hope for your brother's sake you won't be so obtuse. I'll be along tomorrow to discuss a fair and reasonable price," the baron added before turning and leaving, followed by the guards as they carried her cargo away. She sat staring at Nectar for a while. Time seemed to sit still with her until finally she was suddenly and violently wrenched forward by her horn. With a scream, her eyes were forced upward to look at Bad Teeth's smiling mask as the monster loomed over her.

"And hey! If this has all got yer brain clouded and you ain't sure what to do?" He began before pulling out a sling stone and gently pressing it between her eyes. "I'm happy to help you clear your head. Anytime." She shivered under his gaze before he finally released her with a hearty chortle and lumbered after the baron. Once she hit the ground she covered her eyes and face with her hooves and howled.