The Numbers Don't Lie

Chapters

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"...and, figurin' that this here ain't exactly Apple Buck Season, I can only chalk up the farm's most recent success to them weather ponies and their fancy hoofwork in helpin' the fields get rain extra early. Which just goes to show that, when yer wantin' to make the best of things—to seize the day, as it were—it's a might bit hard to do it by oneself. Teamwork really does make the world go round, Yer Highness."

With a smile, Applejack plopped her hat back atop her golden mane and tossed a bright smile across the dusty library.

"Yer loyal and dependable subject, Applejack."

"Aaaaand..." Spike licked the edges of his mouth as he finished the final scribble across the brown parchment. "...Done!" He rolled the scroll up and smiled. "Whew! Fastest letter I've ever written!"

Applejack gazed aside, her freckles awash in a slight blush. "Ya reckon we should change that to 'Miss Applejack' or somethin' fancy right there at the end?"

Twilight Sparkle giggled, shaking her head with a flounce of her mane. "Not at all, AJ. The Princess knows fully well who you are. The Kingdom of Equestria has depended on you and the other Five Elements of Harmony time and time again. You're practically family now!"

"Family? Awww, shucks..." Applejack rubbed one hoof against the other as she gazed nervously towards the floor. "Not sure I feel quite right with myself, bumpin' branches withthe princess' family tree."

"Awwww, please, AJ." Twilight trotted over from her reading seat and gave Applejack a friendly nuzzle. "Don't sell yourself short. Celestia cares for you no less than any other pony."

"Enough to read an entire letter about my recent success with the apple crops?" Applejack asked with a raised eyebrow. "Seems rather borin' for the ruler of Equestria, don't you think?"

"Not at all, Applejack!" Twilight grinned. "She's always asking to know more and more about the friends I've written about! Your letter is perfect!"

"Not to mention simple!" Spike gave a thumb's up while sliding a seal over the scroll in another. "It certainly made my job a lot faster!"

"Spiiiike..." Twilight glared his way.

"You sure that I wasn't too... oh, I dunno..." Applejack scratched her chin with a hoof and thought aloud, "What's the word that Rarity is always usin'? 'Uncouth?'"

"Heehee! Hardly!"

"I know I went on and on quite a bit about the weather ponies waterin' the crops for the early harvest. Thang is, I just don't want them to be losin' any credit for what they did n'all..."

"Applejack, it's okay! You were completely and utterly honest," Twilight said with a wink. "And if there’s anything that ponies have come to expect from a friend like you, it’s the truth, forever and always." She turned and glanced at Spike again. "How's the letter coming?"

"Way ahead of you!" He raised the letter to the ceiling, and, with a belching sound, sent it across Equestria on a wave of green flame. "Whew! Talk about feeling accomplished!" He excitedly pumped his arm and grinned. "Now I can go back to shoveling for gemstones outside of town to fill my dragon cupcake batch!"

"Just don't track any mud on the way back in from your digging, Spike." Twilight raised an eyebrow, smirking. "We talked about this, remember?"

"Funny..." Applejack brushed some bangs out from under the brim of her hat. "It must be diggin' season or something. Apple Bloom asked if she could borrow the family shovel this morning."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. Seems like they're havin' some fancy shmancy science project at school. Earth worm diggin' or something. Brrrrr. Just glad they didn't make us do that when I was a filly!"

"Really?" Twilight blinked awkwardly at her. "Today is a Thursday. Cheerilee always gives out quizzes on a Thursday. We've talked about it over tea before. There's barely any room to fit in a project like that, on account of all the schoolwork."

"Heh..." Spike waddled across the room, carrying a dirt-stained bucket over each shoulder. "If you asked me, somepony's not planning to do any studying today!"

Applejack frowned after his moving figure. "Are you makin' sass about my lil' sis?"

"You gotta admit, AJ," Twilight said. "It is kind of odd, don't you think?"

"Land's sake, Twilight!" Applejack chuckled and gave her an oats-eating grin. "This is 'Honest Applejack,' remember? I swear, if you trotted door to door to every household in Ponyville, you wouldn't find no foal who was raised more proper than the one Big Mac and I looked after." Her smiling teeth glistened.

"Dig faster, girls!" Apple Bloom shouted, her face covered with dirt and clumps of grass as she stood, panting, over the edge of a tremendous ditch on the east side of town. "We've been at this for three hours and we've barely made a hole big enough to fit a trough in!"

"Ugh... I'm telling you..." Scootaloo hissed, using her tiny wing-stubs for counterbalance as she heaved more and more clumps of earthen clay out of the muddy pit. "We're too close to the river! We're not going to find any gold here!"

"You're thinking backwards, you emu!" Sweetie Belle squeaked. With a high-pitched grunt, she flung her sister's ornate garden shovel into a wall of mud and glanced up at Apple Bloom. "Apple Bloom, could you hoof me that book again?"

"Sure thang!" Apple Bloom snatched a book entitled Gold Digging for Donkeys that was lying by her side. "I don't see what good it's gonna do us! I've been takin' a gander at it ever since we switched places, and I haven't seen anythang that'll tell us how to dig better!" She nevertheless tossed it down to the dirt-stained filly.

It bonked hard off the side of Sweetie's fluffy head. "Ow!" her voice cracked. She rubbed her soiled mane, then gasped down at her hooves. "Oh no!"

"What?!" Scootaloo jumped. "Is it a snake or something?"

"No, it's worse," Sweetie whined. She knelt down and winced as she gingerly picked the mud-splotched book out from the depths of the brown muck. "It's messy now from front to back!"

"You..." Scootaloo squinted. "...didn't check that out from Twilight Sparkle's library, did you?"

"Uhm..." Sweetie's cheeks turned rosy. "Maaaaaybe."

"Ungh! Perfect!" Scootaloo shoved her shovel down and barked up at Apple Bloom. "I told you guys that this was a bad idea! Cheerilee is going to give us detention! Then kill us! Then give us detention again!"

"She'll forget everythang once we've shown up to school with some sparkling gold!" Apple Bloom remarked with a bright grin.

"Uhhh..." Scootaloo bore a lethargic expression. "Just how's she not gonna wanna tear us limb from limb and tell on our families?!"

"Cuz we'll be the only fillies in the last hundred years of Equestria to earn ourselves cutie marks in gold diggin'!"

"Uh, maybe that's because the last miners who ever tried digging for gold all died in a freak accident ages ago!"

"Hey!" Sweetie Belle brightened, holding the book up high. "I think I found something!"

"Really?" Apple Bloom hopped down into the dirt and crowded around her along with Scootaloo. "What is it?"

"We're not supposed to be looking for gold next to the river..." Sweetie Belle looked up at the others. "We're supposed to be looking for gold inside the river!"

Scootaloo and Apple Bloom blinked. The feathered filly was the first one to groan.

"That's it! I'm going home!"

"Awwwww! Come on, Scoots!" Sweetie Belle cooed.

"Yeah! Just give it a chance!" Apple Bloom pleaded.

"I've gotten in enough trouble for skipping school already without you two adding to the mix!"

"That's because yer always sneakin' out to watch Rainbow Dash kick clouds all day," Apple Bloom slyly said. Sweetie Belle giggled.

"Hey! Shuddup!" Scootaloo frowned and grabbed her shovel. "I'm going home! The sooner I get there, the sooner I can fake being sick and save my flank today!"

As the pegasus made to hop out of the ditch, her shovel ran into something, making a reverberating clanking noise.

"Shhh! Did y'all hear that?" Apple Bloom whispered.

"Scootaloo, freeze!" Sweetie insisted.

Scootaloo did so, her wings sticking in place. Her violet eyes blinked as her two companions crouched around a tiny, muddy object that the shovel had exposed from within the deep pit.

"What in tarnation is it?" Apple Bloom murmured.

"It made a loud noise... like it was made of metal or stone or something..."

"Does gold make that sound?" Scootaloo hoarsely inquired.

"Why should you care?"

"Pfft! I'm just asking! Jeez..."

"Hold up." Apple Bloom dug at the thing, wiping her yellow hoof across its grimy exterior. Soon, a polished surface appeared: the color of silver. "Well, t'ain't gold."

"I wonder what it is..." Sweetie remarked, trembling in a breath of uncertainty.

"Oh for crying out loud." Scootaloo dove in. "Allow me."

"Hey!"

Scootaloo courageously plucked the cylinder from the muck with a squelching noise. Not expecting the size of it, she did a double-take at the reflective object dangling in her grasp, marveling at all the shapes and lines being exposed as it dripped clean of all the soil and detritus. The images of several grimacing unicorn faces shimmered in the noonday sun.

"Whoah, hello there."

"It's... it's..." Apple Bloom blinked.

Sweetie Belle bit her lip and squirmed away. "It's sc-scary-looking!"

"Pfft! It's just a totem pole!" Scootaloo said with her wings buzzing.

"A totem what?"

"Rainbow Dash told me all about them from her visit to the buffalo of Appleloosa."

Apple Bloom raised her eyebrow. "Since when do buffalo make things out of silver?"

"Yeah... well..." Scootaloo twitched. "I wanna see you two come up with a better explanation!" She shook the object to get the rest of the mud off, and suddenly it glowed with a loud hum. "Uh oh..."

"Scootaloo!" Sweetie squeaked. "What did you do?!"

"I-I dunno!" Scootaloo's teeth chattered as she held the vibrating cylinder at forelimbs' length. "I think the stupid thing doesn't like to be shaken!"

"Well drop it!" Apple Bloom shouted.

"Drop it where?!"

"Girls, look out!"

All three of them squealed and dove to the side as a bright flash of silver luminescence fountained outward from the object. Every blade of grass, every green leaf, and every fluff of cloud billowed from the glowing wave's touch. The sparkling aura swam from horizon to horizon, briefly engulfing the blue color of the sky. Then, as swiftly as the pulse had began, it ended, drizzling a fine layer of twinkling dust over everypony's coat that disappeared after a few fragile seconds.

"Unnngh..." Apple Bloom was the first to get up, rubbing her skull and blinking dazedly across the tiny trench. "Mule muffins! What was that?" Gulping, she gazed around the hole. "Is everypony okay?"

"Apple Bloom?" Sweetie Belle blinked steadily at her. "Are we dead?"

"No, we certainly ain't dead!"

"Then how come you have a halo over your head?"

"Huh?" Apple Bloom made a face. "The hay are you goin' on about?"

"That halo!" Sweetie pointed. "Over your head!"

Apple Bloom felt a hoof over her mane, but all she made contact with was her hairbow. "I feel nothin'..." She did a double-take, then leaned forward with a squint. "But you sure as heck got one over yers..."

Sweetie gasped, flinging her hooves up. From Apple Bloom's perspective, the tiny unicorn's forelimbs were waving through the shape of a vertical ellipse, as if shadows were passing through a silver beacon of light. The circular emblem stayed hovering at a fixed point over Sweetie's head, no matter how many times or in what direction her skull moved.

"I don't feel anything..."

"I'm not makin' this up, Sweetie Belle! You've got something over yer head!"

"Well, you've got something over yours too!"

"Unnngh..."

At the sound of the moan, both girls looked over at their pegasus friend. "Scootaloo! Are you okay?"

"Nnngh... uh..." Scootaloo sniffled. Sitting up, she stared at a nasty bruise on her forelimb. It started to bleed while throbbing with undeniable pain. Nevertheless, Scootaloo dried her tears before so much as looking the other fillies' way. "Ahem. Yeah. I'm f-fine..."

"Ya sure? Cuz you just took an awful tumble—" Upon hearing a magical chime sound alight the air, Apple Bloom did a double-take. Her eyes shot up over Scootaloo's head.

Sweetie Belle gasped, her hooves flying to her pale muzzle. "Apple Bloom, look! She's got a 'one' over her head!"

Scootaloo blinked awkwardly, unaware of the floating silver "1" above her crown. "The heck are you two going on about? Did you hit your heads hard or something?"

"Scootaloo..." Apple Bloom gazed suspiciously. "Are ya sure yer alright?"

"Didn't I tell you already?" Scootaloo sniffled and hid her bruised forelimb. "I said I'm fine, sheesh!" This time, she too heard the magical chime. The number "1" morphed into a floating "2" over her head. She blinked nervously and began to sweat. "Uhhh... what are you t-two staring at?"

Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom exchanged glances. Collectively, the nervous trio gazed at the still-glowing totem in their grasp.

"Huh... That was really strange," Lyra remarked. She and everypony else in the center of Ponyville had frozen in what they were doing to glance up at the sky. "That wave of light just now..."

"It was probably the sun passing through a cloud," spoke a mustached unicorn waiter who stood beside her table at a restaurant patio. He levitated a pen over a notepad and scribbled across a sheet of paper. "Will that be all you're ordering today, madame?"

Lyra snapped out of it, wrenching her gaze from the equine passerbies who were frozen in their awkward skygazing. "Oh, uhm... that's all for me. I'm waiting on my friend. She should be here anytime now."

"Very well." The waiter gave a curt bow and pocketed away the order into his suit. "I'll leave one menu with you."

"Oh! Really quick!" Lyra smiled and pointed at the chalkboard resting on the front of the restaurant behind him. "I was passing by here yesterday, and now I can't help but notice that the Soup of the Day is the same as was written on the board last afternoon. Is that a mistake? I mean, your soup is always fresh, right?"

"Absolutely, madame!" the waiter smiled pleasantly. "Freshest soup in all of central Equestria!" There was a chiming sound, and the number "1" appeared over the stallion's head.

Lyra blinked. "Uhhh..." Her brow furrowed. "Huh... well... thanks?"

"It is my absolute pleasure to serve you, madame," the waiter said with a slight twitch, issuing another chime. A "2" appeared over his head as he bowed out and trotted off towards the kitchen.

Lyra scratched her chin. Her ears flicked as she heard more chiming sounds from behind. She turned around to see Berry Punch chatting pleasantly with Minuette over a table of daisy alfredo.

"And that was that!" Berry grinned wide, a "4" levitating above her skull. "Since then, I've been completely dry!" The "4" flickered and was replaced with a "5." "I'm telling you, I'm completely giving up the bottle, for real this time!" With another chime, a "6" appeared.

"Uhhh..." Minuette sweated nervously, scrunched up in her chair. Her eyes were locked on the number above Berry Punch's mane. "Berry? Are you... well..." She smiled awkwardly. "Are you telling me the truth?"

"Of course I am!" Berry Punch frowned. It was a "7" now. "Aren't we friends?! Don't you trust me?"

"Oh, you know I do!" Minuette nervously squeaked, and just like that her "0" became a "1."

"Ugh! The nerve!" exclaimed a feminine voice from behind.

Lyra spun and looked towards the street corner. Blossomforth was hovering down the sidewalk with an indignant upturn of her nose. Behind her, Thunderlane stumbled with drooping wings.

"Honey! I don't get it! What's the big deal?!" the stallion stammered in spite of the huge, glaring "12" hovering over his spiked mane. "I've only ever been honest to you!" With a chime, a "13" appeared. "I think you're making a mountain out of a molehill!" Chime. "14."

"Hmmmph!" Blossomforth spun around, her forelimbs crossed as she glared and said, "And what about Cloudchaser and Flitter? For such molehills, you've certainly hiked across them like the Haymalayas!"

"Darling, how many times do I have to tell you?" Thunderlane sweated in spite of his courageous smile. "Those two fillies mean nothing to me!" Two chimes: "16."

"Ungh! I don't know why I've never bothered to notice, before, but I can look through you like you're made of glass, Thunderlane! Leave me alone!" She flew off.

"Baby! Baby, come onnnn!" He hovered limply after her, whimpering. His voice was drowned out by a gradually rising commotion as every pony in every corner of Ponyville stopped to murmur, gripe, and bicker with a random friend or stranger.

Lyra blinked several times, running a nervous hoof through her bangs. She was almost oblivious to Bon Bon when the mare finally showed up at the table, pausing in the middle of unshouldering her saddlebag to gaze awkwardly at the confounded villagers.

"Yeesh!" Bon Bon's voice squeaked. "Looks like everypony's got the case of the grumps!" She sat down in a slump. "You have any idea what's going on?"

"Not a clue," Lyra murmured. With a jolt, she polished the table with her forelimb and looked down. In the glossy reflection, she barely made out the number "1" above her lime green horn. "Hmmm..."

"Whatever the case, sorry for being late. I got caught up having to cross some ugly construction site at the corner of Mane Street, downtown."

"That's n-no problem," Lyra murmured. However, at the sound of a loud chime, her ears twitched. She looked up, squinting.

The number "3" hovered over Bon Bon's head. "So, they're serving soup today!" The mare grinned, her blue eyes swimming over the menu she held in her grasp. "Mmm-mmm! I'm famished!"

"Right..." Lyra slowly nodded. She gulped and leaned forward. "That's why you hurried here, correct?"

"Oh, you know it!" Bon Bon smiled without looking at her. "I got here as quick as I could!" With a chime, a "4" appeared.

Lyra blinked. With thin, scathing eyes, she murmured, "Bon Bon, you... did agree to go on that diet, right? Cuz of your high sugar levels?"

Bon Bon gave Lyra a double-take. "Why, of course, Lyra! We talked about this!" Chime. "5." "I haven't snacked on any sweets for over two weeks!" "6." "You know you can trust me!" "7."

Lyra was glaring at this point. "So, you haven't been by Sugarcube Corner today...?"

"No!" Bon Bon frowned, completely oblivious to the "8" above her head. "Honestly! What do you take me for?"

"Honestly...?" Lyra droned.

"Honestly!"

"Well, honestly... erm..." Sweetie Belle looked down at her squirming hooves as she stood beside Scootaloo and Apple Bloom atop the welcome mat of the Carousel Boutique. "It was Diamond Dogs." Chime. "4."

Rarity glared down at her sister and her two friends. "Diamond Dogs..." She murmured, "Is that true?"

"Mmmhmmm!" Sweetie nodded. "5." Her green eyes went wide as she gasped, "They tossed us around like hoofballs, demanding gemstones and jewels!" "6."

"Yeah!" Scootaloo added, still trying to hide her bruise. "Mostly diamonds!" With a chime, she flashed a "4" over her head.

"Cuz that's what diamond dogs want!" Sweetie Belle grinned. "Diamonds! But we were just like you, sis!" She waggled her eyebrows. "With our ladylike charms, we got them to leave us alone!" "7."

"Yup!" Scootaloo nodded. "We're all perfect ladies!" Double chime. "6."

"So I see..." Rarity paced before the group. Her scrutinizing gaze fell upon the centermost pony who was presently hanging her head. "Apple Bloom, darling, you've been awfully quiet. Was there any glistening nugget of truth you wished to add to this most disastrous account?"

Apple Bloom fidgeted, staring down at her hooves. Her lips moved, producing an indecipherable mumble.

Rarity leaned in. "I beg your pardon?"

Apple Bloom looked up, flashing an awkward, mud-strewn smile. "The d-diamond dogs were sure... f-fixin' to make us... dig our way to Ch-Chyneigh?" Her smile cracked as soon as she heard the chime. Her skull brandished the paltry number "1," and yet she instantly broke into a fountain of tears. "Auuugh! It's a lie! It's all a lie!" she drawled, falling to her haunches and burying her face in her forelimbs. "Please don't be mad at us! My big sister's gonna lock me up in the barn for an entire year!"

"Unnngh..." Scootaloo face-hoofed while Sweetie Belle rolled her eyes. The two slumped in defeat as the most conscientious of the three wailed like an infant.

"Now don't be making such an outrageous scene, Apple Bloom. I am not entirely mad at the three of you." Rarity smiled and reached her hoof out to comfort her. She paused in mid-gesture, however, as she studied all of the mud and grime on the yellow filly's coat. "Erm..." She not so stealthily floated a towel over, wiped Apple Bloom's skull clean, and then finally leaned in to give her a delicate hug. "If anything, I am most exceedingly glad to have witnessed you three returning home safely. There's been a relatively calamitous series of events transpiring around Ponyville this morning; I've had three separate customers abandon the Boutique in the middle of exchanging bits over dresses. Celestia above! I saw ghastly numbers floating above the ponies' heads as if they were haunted! I suspect some foul magic is at play, and it's such a relief to know that you three are safe in spite of it all!"

"Foul magic?" Sweetie Belle remarked, her eyes thin. "Really?"

"Shhh!" Scootaloo swatted her atop the pale horn. "Come on! Shut it!"

Rarity frowned at the gesture Scootaloo made to her younger sister. She leaned forward over Apple Bloom's sobbing form. "Scootaloo..." The fashionista's blue eyes fixated on a sparkling item clutched beneath Scootaloo's orange feathers. "Be a good dear and show me what it is that you're hiding."

"It's nothing!" Scootaloo chirped with a twitching smile. "Honest!" Her "6" skipped all the way to "8," and her wings drooped as did her expression.

"Mmmmm..." Rarity's glare could shatter diamonds.

"Fiiiine..." Scootaloo limply hoofed over the glowing totem. "We found this in a hole by the river as we were digging to discover our gold farming cutie marks," she droned.

"My word..." Rarity held a hoof over her gasping chest as she levitated the silver item in front of her dazzled eyes. "This is... certainly a most remarkable find!" She gulped dryly and bore a delirious smile. "You mean to say that you found an item of such resplendent fabulosity in the middle of an ordinary ditch?!"

"It took a lot of digging," Sweetie Belle's voice cracked. "And it sent off this big flash of light after Scootaloo shook it!"

"Hey!" Scootaloo squawked. "Don't blame all this on me!"

"Blame all of what on her?" Rarity remarked with a raised eyebrow.

"I d-don't want to live in a baa-aa-aarn!" Apple Bloom continued to wail.

"Now, there there, darling..." Rarity consoled her with a hoof-pat to her shoulder. Her eyes studied the silver shine of the totem, comparing it to the glowing "8," "7," and "1" over the fillies' heads. "I do believe I'm starting to ascertain the truth here..."

/ /

"This is..." Twilight's mouth hung open as she levitated the silver cylinder of grimacing unicorn faces in the middle of the library. "This is absolutely incredible!" She looked aside. "Where did you find this?"

"It was Sweetie Belle and her charming friends who travailed upon it, I'm afraid," Rarity remarked from where she sat at a reading seat. The windows to the library rattled from a rising commotion in the village outside. "I didn't think there was anything significant to it—besides a most charming lustre, of course." She chuckled briefly, then sighed. "Ahem. I do believe you see the obvious connection." She pointed at the silver totem, then at the zeroes floating over each of their heads.

"Right!" Twilight breathlessly nodded. "I've been working all morning trying to come up with an answer to the mysterious flash of light that erupted all over town hours ago..." She gingerly levitated the object over to a wooden table in the center of the room and placed it down. "First, there were the numbers, but now this..."

"Could it be the cause of all the chaos that has befallen Ponyville?" Rarity asked, craning her neck to gaze upon the shiny, shiny object some more. "When Apple Bloom finally finished bawling her eyes out—the poor dear—her testimony matched that of the others. She's always the most honest of the darling little trio, as we could all guess."

"I'm definitely sensing a connection," Twilight remarked, squinting at the totem as her horn glowed with pulsating resonance. "I feel a complex web of leylines emanating at countless angles from this artifact. There's no doubt in my mind that it's responsible for the spell that's causing us to see the numbers."

"An ancient lie meter! Hah!" Rarity flipped her blue bangs and smiled. "Who could imagine such a thing!"

Twilight gazed thinly at her. "Rarity. There's nothing to confirm that."

"But what else could it be, darling?" Rarity grinned. "You should have seen the three sprites as they stood on my doorstep, making one outrageous fabrication after another! Oh! The air positively rang with the sound of otherworldly bells as their numbers jumped!"

"Only careful research will have an answer to all this. Speaking of which." Twilight spun and frowned across the room. "Spiiiike?"

"I'm coming already! Jeez!" Spike stumbled down a series of steps, struggling to balance a thick, dusty tome in his arms. "It's hard enough as it is to concentrate with all the ponies in town getting ready to riot outside!"

"Ohhhhh, Spike Wikey!" Rarity cooed. "They most certainly aren't rioting! Heheheh..." She paused, then blanched after a few seconds. "Are th-they?"

"Anywho, I think I found something! 'Ye Olde Equestrian Curiosities!'" Spike raised the book up with a victorious smirk. "Check it out!"

Twilight levitated the tome from his grasp. As the windows rattled nearby, she scanned the age-worn, brown pages. Her eyes darted from the words to the illustration of a slender object before jumping off the pages to scrutinize the silver totem once more.

"This looks to be the right description," Twilight thought aloud. "'A silver rod of glowing might that exposes ponies to honesty's sight.'"

"Good heavens!" Rarity did a double-take. "Does this infernal thing have a name?"

"It says here that two hundred years before the end of the Paleo-Pony Period, a civilization known as the Trudian Empire existed in the center of modern day Equestria." Twilight's lavender hoof slid across the page in question as she continued. "It was a utopian society built upon the principles of trust, pacifism, and communal autocracy. Apparently, the Trudian equines were so intent on living in cooperation with one another that they sought to achieve a oneness of mind. To that end, they built the Four Wands of Binding."

"So, which Wand is this?" Spike asked, making an ugly face to match the unicorn effigies that comprised the totem. "The Wand of Worst Sculptor Ever?"

"'Silver embossing... Unicorn faces... Glows with pale luminescence...'" Twilight's eyes wandered up from the tome. "This is most definitely the 'Wand of Walling.' Apparently, its purpose in the Trudian Empire was to reinforce a truthful community by exposing ponies to a quantifiable measurement of their own dishonesty!"

"So then..." Rarity smiled and fluffed her mane some more. "A lie meter?"

Twilight rolled her eyes. "Rarity, don't you get how serious this is?" She leaned forward with a worried expression. "We're dealing with magic that is older than Neo-Equestrian sorcery! I-I don’t even have a spell in my entire library that can counter this sort of thing!" She turned back to the book and pointed at another sheet. "Also, it says here that once the spell has gone into effect, the immediate area surrounding the magical emanation shall remain continuously bound to the Wand until the totem's power is nullified." Twilight bit her lip, then added, "In other words, we're all stuck with these numbers so long as we stay in Ponyville, whether or not this artifact is taken away from here."

"So what does that mean?" Spike asked as he glanced fitfully between the two unicorns and the rattling windows beyond. "The entire town is stuck forever with these numbers floating over our heads?"

"Surely, there must be a way to undo this object's... nngh..." Rarity shivered. "...most garish blight!"

"On my own? Unlikely." Twilight gazed out the window, murmuring in thought. "But Princess Celestia..." She brightened, her fuzzy ears twitching. "Of course! She's an alicorn, and alicorn magic is the oldest and most powerful magic there is! Surely she could undo a Binding Spell brought upon us by a Trudian artifact!"

"So send her a letter, then!" Rarity insisted. "Or send her the totem itself!"

Twilight's ears drooped. "That's just it. This Trudian magic is terribly old and unpredictabe. I don't want to teleport it across the landscape and risk destroying it or something worse. Who's to know if the spell would become irreversible once the atifact is broken?"

"We could have it flown to Celestia!" Rarity insisted. "Miss Hooves is always begging for side jobs these days."

Spike cleared his throat.

Rarity rolled her eyes, sighed, then said, "Oh very well, then. Have Rainbow Dash do it. The mare could use the extra bits."

"I thank you for such great ideas, Rarity, but this object has already proven to be dangerous and magically volatile." She bit her lip as she gazed at the shimmering totem. "I don't want to risk affecting any other pony communities between here and Baltimare."

Rarity made a confused face. "Baltimare? What has Baltimare have to do with any of this?"

Twilight gave her a tired smile. "Fate would have it that Princess Celestia is far away in Baltimare as we speak. She's paying an impromptu visit to examine the city's most recent damage from a nasty hailstorm. Even if we sent a letter to her and she received it right away, Celestia wouldn't be able to get here in a few days unless there was an emergency."

"Like this isn't one?!" Spike stammered.

"Ohhhhh Spi-i-i-ike..." Rarity stroked his green scales and patted his shoulder with a wink. "You underestimate the integrity of the ponies in this town!"

"Uhhh..." Spike gulped, still nervous from the commotion outside. "Really?"

"Look no further than your own mentor!" Rarity gestured at Twilight. "Why, if she's at such a low count, surely even more of our friends are remaining just as dedicated to truth and sincerity!"

Twilight glanced at her reflection in a picture frame. Sure enough, a glittering "0" hovered above her head. A humble blush washed across her cheeks as she snuck a glance back at her friend. "Ahhh... well, I've... uh... I've always valued pure honesty when dealing with the world." She fidgeted slightly. "It's a virtue that Princess Celestia had taught me at an early age to respect. The way I see it, if you're completely honest with your friends, then you have the chance to solve problems as soon as they show up, because at least you know that you're capably handling your end of the situation. Besides... it's a nice thing to be honest, don't you agree?"

"Oh, absolutely!" Rarity rolled her eyes and chuckled elegantly. "I am always honest with the ponies I love!"

There was a chiming sound...

Twilight blinked. "Uhm, Rarity?"

"Yes, darling?" Rarity stared at her, then blinked. She glanced down at Spike.

Spike was wincing and pointing at Rarity's skull.

The fashionista lifted a compact mirror from the table and looked at the glaring "1" above her head. Her pale features blushed slightly. "Erm... wh-what I meant, Twilight, was that being honest has always served m-me in the past!"

Another chime.

Twilight's gaze melted into a thin glare. "Uh huh..."

"Oh! Uhhh... Uhhh..." Rarity began to sweat as the mirror trembled in her magic grasp. "I mean it! I at least endeavor to be more honest than Sweetie Belle!" Chime. "3." She grimaced. "I'm her one, single role model and she looks up to me more than anypony!" "4." "Oh for the love of—" Rarity stumbled out of her seat, almost tripping over her elegant self. "If you'll excuse me, I'm needed at the Boutique, seeing as I have several half-finished dresses that need my immediate attention—" "5." "No! I am most certainly not thinking about taking a long, steaming hot lavender bath to calm my nerves—" "6." "Rrrrrghhh!" With a regal hiss, she bolted out of the room like a pale comet.

The library hung in silence after her exit.

Spike blinked, then said, "I love it when she gets angry." A pause: he glanced up at the "0" lingering over his head, then pumped his fist. "Yes! Ha! Not such a baby dragon anymore, amiright?" He turned towards Twilight with a grin.

Twilight was gazing at her reflection again. Her bored eyes hung sadly on the shimmering, silver ellipse above her skull.

"Uhh... Twilight?"

She snapped out of it, glancing his way. "Hmm? Yes, Spike?"

"So... uh..." He stirred where he stood. "Should I send that letter to the Princess now? Y'know... asking her to help cleanse Ponyville of this curse?"

Twilight glanced between him and the glowing, Trudian artifact. "I almost wish we didn't have to."

His scaley brow furrowed. "Twilight?"

"Ahem. Yes. Prepare a letter, Spike." Twilight paced around the shimmering totem. "I'm heading outside to give the town an update."

"I wouldn't go out there if I were you."

"Oh please, Spike..." She smiled over her shoulder at him with one hoof on the front door handle. "You underestimate Ponyvilleans! It's not like an ancient lie counter is gonna tear this village down to its foundation!"

"This is an absolute catastrophe!" Dr. Whooves shouted with a "5" over his head.

"I can't even run my business without ponies glaring at me!" Roseluck snarled, bearing a "9."

"Not to mention that these glowing numbers are scaring off our livestock whenever we try to feed them!" Carrot Top added with a shimmering "7."

"Every merchant pony who walks into this town turns and runs away as soon as these stupid numbers appear above their heads!" Ace shook an angry hoof and grumbled, "How will I ever get my new tennis racket?! Can't you do something about this, Mayor?!"

"I... uhh... uhm..." The Mayor, suddenly a jittery pony with her bifocals lopsided and her mane a mess, trembled from behind a podium erected just above the front steps to the town hall building in the center of Ponyville. "I am... s-sending letters out to areas outside of the affected radius of this spell, contacting the appropriate powers that be..." She gulped. "I am asking for help from the m-most powerful magicians in Canterlot to c-come and lend us their aide!" She smiled nervously. "We should have this problem fixed in no time!"

"Oh yeah?!" the ponies grumbled. "And why should we believe you?!"

"Huh? Oh. Yes... well..." She adjusted her collar as her twitching eyes darted up. A glaring "72" hovered over her skull. "You see, the thing is, I-I had a meeting with some delegates from Trottingham this morning, not to mention dozens upon dozens of papers to sign, scrolls to be stamped—the usual routine of running a town. And, yes, well... eh heh heh... I'm always doing what n-needs to be done and saying what needs to be s-said for the best interest of this village's success!"

The resulting chime sounded off like a gunshot as her "72" became a "73." She blinked at the crowd, sweating profusely.

"H-how does lowering taxes this year by zero point two percent sound?" she produced with a cracked grin.

Everypony resumed yelling, spitting, and howling in anger. An entire cluster of them crowded the edge of the town hall, just inches away from knocking the podium over.

Across the town square, Big Mac and Caramel trotted side by side, lugging wagons full of apples across the village. Sporting relatively low numbers, they glanced at the riotous scene.

"Hey Big Macintosh..." Caramel turned and smirked slyly at his huge, red cousin. "You notice how all the mares' numbers are nearly twice as high as the stallions'?"

"Heheheh..." Big Mac's lips curved around the stalk of hay he was chewing. "Eeeeeeeyup."

"Ponies! Ponies! Please!" the mayor shouted, waving her forelimbs. "There's no need for all this bedlam! I already told you that I've called out for the most powerful magicians in—!"

"But don't we already have Equestria's most powerful unicorn of magic right here in Ponyville?!"

"Yeah!"

"The Element of Magic!"

"Where is she?!"

"See if she can help us!"

"Uhhh..." The Mayor chewed on her hoof. "Uhmmm..."

"Hello! Hey! Uhm... Excuse me! Whoops! Pardon me! I'm so sorry!" A lavender shape threaded her way through the thick group. With a panting breath, Twilight Sparkle ascended the platform and stood beside the town's leader. "H-hello, Mayor. So sorry to steal the spotlight..."

"Oh, pl-please!" The frazzled old pony gave a twitching smile and backtrotted, gesturing towards the podium. "By all means..."

The ponies finally cheered, thunderously clapping their hooves against the ground as Twilight stood at the podium.

"Uhm..." She ran a hoof nervously through her bangs and gave an awkward smile. "I'm sorry that I didn't bring any notecards today. I've been busy writing back and forth with Princess Celestia and studying up on this most recent situation and I didn't want to cut any corners—"

"Just tell us what's going on already!" Several ponies muttered in approval of the one crier's shout.

"Alrighty then. Ahem." Twilight took a deep breath. "A group of young fillies accidentally dug up an ancient artifact from the era of the Trudian Empire. Rather than get into the elaborate history of the totem's ancient origin, let me just confirm that this object is responsible for... well... the numbers that are floating around town. Ever since this totem emitted a magical burst across the landscape, a circular area encompassing Ponyville and the surrounding farmlands have been effected. That's why ponies dwelling within the spell's range and those from outside who've been trotting into town have had numbers appearing over their heads."

"Then why don't we just smash it?!" A pony grunted.

"Yeah!" chanted dozens more in unison.

"Please! Please!" Twilight waved her hooves. "Hear me out!" She bore a concerned expression as she went on. "Destroying this artifact won't stop the spell! It might only make things worse! So would transporting it across the kingdom or jostling it in any minor way! The only possible solution to reversing what's happened is if a more powerful counter-spell is cast! Now, I'm only an apprentice in Equestrian sorcery, and I'm not strong enough to take the numbers away!" She smiled hopefully. "To that effect, I've had my assistant Spike send a letter to Princess Celestia. She's since written back to me, expressing her deepest concerns over the situation here in Ponyville. However, she's currently busy in Baltimare, helping the ponies there recover from a terrible storm that has damaged and destroyed many of their homes, so—all things considered—she will likely not show up until two days from now at the earliest!"

Everypony groaned and sighed in dissatisfaction. Several glaring eyes swam across the already sullen scene.

Twilight flinched back from the unhappy crowd, her ears drooping. She heard a hissing whisper off to the side and turned to look.

The Mayor was gazing at her with wide eyes, gesturing towards the crowd. "Please, Miss Sparkle!" she hoarsely exclaimed. "Say something positive! Something that will ease their fears! You can't give them nothing but bad news!"

"I..." Twilight looked at the crowd, at the silver numbers of various quantities hovering over their heads. "I... I-I..."

The ponies all gazed at her.

She sighed, leaning limply on the podium. "I am so very sorry, my dear ponies. But that's the best news that I can give you. We simply can't do anything to make these numbers disappear until Celestia gets here. We will have to keep the totem in safe keeping and wait for two days... maybe even more before the artifact can be purged of its power!"

Everypony grumbled and trotted away, kicking at the dirt in frustration. The Mayor face-hoofed, slumping to her haunches with an anguished groan.

Twilight smiled eagerly. "But—it's not the end of the world! Considering the nature of this ancient magic, we're lucky that it has not affected us in any truly adverse way! We've dealt with worse situations when Ponyville was visited by both Nightmare Moon and Discord, and yet we've managed to pull through! What this means is that we're far stronger than we give ourselves credit! What's more, we're all in this together! So, let's be glad that we can... trust each other... to b-be truthful..." Her words dripped off as the grim crowd parted like an oily sea. Everypony refused to look at one another.

"What am I going to do?" the Mayor whimpered, rocking back and forth as she cradled her head in her hooves. "My career... my entire legacy is crumbling to bits!"

"Well, uhm..." Twilight turned and fidgeted. "Just be honest with everypony, Ms. Mayor! That's what matters, right?"

"Really, Miss Sparkle..." The old pony gave her a dull stare as she got up and trotted towards the front doors of town hall. "Do you think a pony with my power would have gotten to where she is now by being perfectly candid?"

Twilight opened her mouth to say something. The door to the town hall closed coldly behind the Mayor, leaving the unicorn alone with her "0" in the abandoned heart of Ponyville.

She sighed.

/ / /

"I once flew twelve loops around a raging hydra!" Rainbow Dash leaned forward across the table, grinning wide. "Three orbits for each fanged head!"

When no chime sounded, Pinkie Pie frowned. "Hmmph!" She took a sip from a mug of cider, slapped it down, and pointed. "Oh yeah?! Well I ate six marble cakes one weekend and didn't go to the fillies' room for four whole days!"

Again, there was silence.

"Argh!" Frustrated, Rainbow Dash took a sip of cider, belched, and pointed. "Yeah, well, I once did the Buccaneer Blitz in a rainstorm with two seriously angry phoenixes chasing my tail!"

When there was no sound, Pinkie Pie gasped. "No way! That's gotta be a lie! How can phoenixes fly in the rain?! They're made out of fire n'stuff!"

"They evaporated the raindrops with their awesome flames." Rainbow Dash folded her forelimbs and grinned. Sure enough, there was no chime, and her grin widened even more. "That's two sips, girl!"

"Ugh! Fine!" Pinkie Pie chugged her mug twice. She hiccuped, spitting out a sudsy cider bubble that floated towards the ceiling as she teetered in her chair. "Yeah... well... I... erm... I-I once bathed a cockroach in cake matter! And I ate him whole!" Just then, a chime lit the room, and the number over her fluffy mane increased by one. "Shoot!" she slapped the edge of the table. "Okay, so it was a cute little pill bug, but I was just a toddler, darn it!"

"Yes!" Rainbow Dash pumped both of her forelimbs. "I win again! Hah!" She pointed with a devilish smirk. "Drink the rest of your mug, girl! You're gonna be soooo wasted!"

"Ugh! HIC!" Pinkie frowned. It was the morning after the spell struck the town, and she and Rainbow Dash were squaring off from one another at a table in the center of Sugarcube Corner. Business was thin compared to normal, so the two had dragged a barrel of apple cider over, a barrel from which Pinkie Pie was regrettably pouring herself another mug. "I'm not letting you—HIC!—win that easily!" Another chime. "Oh fiddlepoops!"

"Hahahaha!" Rainbow Dash leaned back in her chair. "Wow, this is too good." A different kind of bell rang, and Rainbow Dash glanced upside down to see a lavender shape trot in through the door. "Heya, Twilight! Nice to see somepony who's willing to show her face out in public!"

"Mmmm..." Twilight's bleary eyes barely twitched as she strolled limply through the bakery.

"Wowsers, Twilight!" Pinkie Pie slurred. "You—HIC—look like you haven't gotten—HIC—a single wink of sleep!"

"That's because I haven't," Twilight muttered. "And that's no lie. I really, really need some coffee."

"Heh..." Rainbow Dash gazed with legitimate shock at the "0" above Twilight's head. "We believe you, girl! Seriously, though, how'd you accomplish that? Did you lock yourself up in the refrigerator over the past twelve hours?"

"How'd I accomplish what—?" Twilight glanced over at the table. She froze and gave a wide-eyed double-take. "Oh my goodness! Girls! What... What...?"

"What's the matter?" Rainbow Dash shrugged. She and Pinkie Pie were sporting a "57" and an "62" respectively. "You look like you've seen a ghost!"

"I almost wish I had!" Twilight bore a blanching expression. "How could... c-could your numbers be so ridiculously high?"

"Hah! You call these big?" Rainbow Dash smirked. "I did a fly-by over town and I swear I saw numbers three times as large! But not for long!" She cracked her neck joints and flapped her wings in an athletic manner. "Once I drink Pinkie Pie here under the table, I'm gonna outshoot everypony else in Ponyville!"

"But.. b-but... why?!" Twilight frowned. "This is a serious, malevolent spell of arcane origin! How could you possibly make a game out of it?"

"Pfft!" Rainbow rolled her ruby eyes. "Well, you told all of Ponyville that Celestia's going to fix it eventually, right?"

"Yes, but... but..." Twilight sighed. "How can anypony be so casual about lying?"

"Oh come—HIC—on, Twilight!" Pinkie Pie raised her mug and teetered drunkenly. "It's not like you've never told a white fibblio with that lavender tonguelio of yours...-lio!"

"Pinkie Pie, I for one am not a fan of deceiving other ponies," Twilight said with a hardened expression. "I certainly haven't been perfect in my young life, but I value honesty among friendship more than anything!"

"Heehee... Oh Twilight, you really do need to lighten up!" Pinkie Pie grinned with rolling eyes. "All three of you!" She took a mighty, mighty sip of her mug.

"Uhhh... Pinkie?" Rainbow Dash winced and pointed. "We haven't even started the game again yet—"

"Hmmm-Weeeeeeee!" Pinkie Pie fell back in the chair. Her legs shot up like a dead insect as the inebriated mare snored into her empty mug, out like a light.

"Meh. Whatever." Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes and smirked. "I was gonna win anyways." She held a hoof up, then grinned as there was no resulting chime. "See? Hah! Totally true!"

"I don't think it works like that," Twilight muttered.

"Yeesh! You really are glum today, Twi!"

"I just can't get over how this spell has changed so many ponies," Twilight remarked with a sad breath. "I just trotted all the way from the library, and it was a veritable ghost town! Why is everypony so... different now that they have to force themselves to be honest?"

"Hey, beats me!" Rainbow Dash shrugged, then hovered over by Twilight's side. "I've been known to tell one or two tall tails in my life." With a ringing sound, her "57" turned into a "58." She winced openly.

Twilight glared at her. "'One or two?'"

"Okay, so a lot." Rainbow Dash groaned, then smirked. "But that doesn't really change things, does it? I mean..." She leaned in and nudged Twilight's shoulder. "You know that I'll always be there for you, right?"

After a few seconds, Twilight smiled. "You certainly are the most loyal friend I've ever had, Rainbow Dash..."

"Yup!" Rainbow's voice cracked as she shut her eyes with a proud smile. "That's me!"

"But..." Twilight's face turned sad. "When stuff like this happens, and I know for a fact that you're not always honest, well..." She stirred and murmured in a vulnerable voice, "I feel like I can't always trust you."

Rainbow opened her eyes, blinking. She glanced above Twilight's head, and upon seeing the "0" remain a "0," she winced. "Ouch..."

Twilight's ears drooped. "I-I'm sorry. Rainbow, I—"

"No. Heheh..." Rainbow grinned awkwardly from where she floated, rubbing the back of her head through her mane. "It's alright, Twilight. I guess... well..." She put on a brave face as she shrugged. "Sometimes, the truth hurts." A chime lit the air.

Twilight's brow furrowed curiously.

Deadpan, Rainbow uttered, "Okay. A lot of times the truth hurts."

Twilight Sparkle gazed down towards the floor. "Yeah..."

"Mmmmff!" Pinkie Pie shot up with a gasp, spitting the mug off her cider-doused face as she shrieked, wide-eyed. "I'm sorry, Mommy! I don't know where I hid the sugar-coated rocks!" With a chime, her number jumped. She knocked her own skull several times with a pink hoof. "Shoot! Shoot shoot shoot shoot shoot shoot shoot!"

"But Lyra, I'm telling you, I only hid the truth because I didn't want you to be mad at me!" Bon Bon's voice wavered across the marketplace, though it was drowned out by the chiming of her own rising counter.

"Bon Bon—please—just quit while you're ahead!" Lyra snapped, glaring at her from where the two mares chatted. "Don't you see, you're only burying yourself more!"

"I'm just trying to explain why I lied about buying sweets at Sugarcube Corner—" Again, Bon Bon was encumbered by magical ringing.

"No, you're only trying to placate me! And you need to stop! You just need to stop talking!"

Bon Bon frowned. "Now you're not being fair—"

"Look, this is not a good time! Not for us—not for anypony!" Lyra grumbled as she trotted towards the apartments beyond in the golden sunset of the dying day. "Bon Bon, I love you to death, but right now I can't deal with this! Just give it a rest!"

"But Lyra...!"

Twilight felt her heart pounding as she watched the bickering couple trot away. She glanced across the marketplace, seeing many of the shops abandoned and covered in canvas tarps. Most of the ponies were locked up in their homes. Most of them...

"Please! Please!" Rarity hissed, her mane in disarray as she practically tugged on the hooves of several richly-garbed mares trotting angrily from the location of the Carousel Boutique. She levitated several lengths of shimmering lace and ribbon beside herself. "I'll give you all discounts! I'll make the next commission half off! I'll even craft each and every one of you diamond-studded tiaras! Diamond studded!" she hoarsely roared.

"No deal, Miss Rarity!" one of the eloquent mares grunted, adjusting her headdress in the sunset's glow. "When we heard the news about this... magical affliction here in Ponyville, we came all the way from Trottingham in hopes that we might salvage our dresses before an economic crisis ran you out of house and home! Little did we expect to find that you've been nothing but a common charlatan all along!"

"I am most certainly not a common charlatan!" Rarity said, but instantly winced, as if expecting a house to fall on her. When several seconds of silence passed by, she gave a raspy laugh and pointed above her head with a wide-eyed expression. "Ah ha! Did you see?! Feast your eyes upon my unabashed honesty!" She squeed.

The one mare paused in her tracks, turned, and glared lethargically at the glaring "173" hovering over Rarity's horn. "Darling, you do so terribly hurt your own case. If I were you, I'd bury myself and make way for a pony who doesn't cut corners in the fabrication of Canterlotlian ballroom gowns!"

"But th-they were matching your specifications!" Rarity's voice squeaked as her moist eyes sparkled. "To the 'T!' The ever glittering, fabulous 'T!'"

"Indeed, until you committed the irredeemable crime of opening your mouth, child!" With an upturn of her nose, the mare trotted away. "Good day, madame!"

Rarity gawked at her. Her nostrils flared and soon she was fuming hotly enough to melt a hole in the earth's surface. "Irredeemable?! Irredeemable?! You asked for perfection in your dresses!" She slapped her ribbons onto the grass and stamped her hoof down. "I'm a busy mare! I never promised that such perfection would be perfect!" Just then, there was another chime, and her coat turned twice as pale. She glanced every which way to see a plethora of equine faces aimed towards her. "Don't... look... at meeeee!" she uttered in a vampiric hiss before galloping/sobbing her way back towards the Boutique beyond the nearby street corner.

As the commotion died down, Twilight took a deep breath. She looked at a polished, brass dish hanging from one of the few open vendors. The number "0" still hung brightly above her head. She sighed, and her ears twitched as she once again became privy to the conversation of two mares standing beside her.

"...so I sent all the foals home early yesterday afternoon," Cheerilee was explaining to Fluttershy. The two stood at a seamstress' vendor, waiting for the teacher's saddlebag to be patched up. "When they asked why, I told them that it was because the town had an emergency and that they would be safer at home with their families. And... well..." With a bashful smile, Cheerilee pointed at the "4" over her fuchsia mane.

"But... But that doesn't make much sense!" Fluttershy remarked. "Well, maybe a little bit of sense. Though it could j-just as well be... uhm... my mistake..."

"The way I see it," Cheerilee said, "Even though I said that it was an 'emergency,' I believed in my heart that it really wasn't. I mean, I had been told about the spell and how it relates to lying. I guess, to me at least, an entire town being exposed to quantifiable dishonesty didn't really count as an 'emergency.' If anything, it's an ironic form of justice. Don't you agree?"

"Oh, yes. I do agree..." Fluttershy said, but in that same breath she winced and uttered, "Well, maybe just a little bit. I'm not really an expert on... erm... moralistic philosophy and things of that nature..."

Twilight blinked. She glanced above Fluttershy's head, seeing a very whimsical "7.15" morph into a "7.25." She couldn't help but bear a tiny smile.

"What do you think, Twilight?"

"Hmmm?" Twilight snapped out of it and looked aside.

Cheerilee was staring at her. "Could the spell be related to absolute truth, or relative truth?"

Twilight ran a hoof through her violet bangs as they glittered in the bright red glow of the sunset. "The Trudian 'Wand of Walling,' from what I've studied, works from the standpoint of a pony's conviction. We are more than just living, breathing beings. We are ponies, and we are all innately imbued with spiritual energy that... makes us relate to one another in some fundamental way. In sorcery, this connection is studied through the ethereal geometry of 'leylines,' though, you being a school teacher, I suspect you’d already know this, so I apologize if I sound redundant."

Cheerilee giggled. "It's quite alright, Twilight. I love hearing you explain it. Sometimes I think the personal apprentice to Princess Celestia would make an adequate substitute at the schoolhouse if ever I am sick." With a chime, her "4" turned into a "5."

Fluttershy and Twilight both did double-takes.

Cheerilee chuckled breathily and gave a rosy smile. "Alright... a fantastic substitute!"

This time, there was no sound. Fluttershy and Twilight giggled—breathily at first, then with a grand release of nerves and pent-up breaths.

Fluttershy gulped and said, "Whatever the case, I just wish this would end soon. I... I-I feel so exposed with these scary numbers above my head." She bit her lip and hid behind a pink lock of hair. "I only left the cottage because Angel wanted something to eat and Carrot Top wasn't letting me borrow any of her carrots—or, well, yes she would, but she kept g-giving me this dirty glare and I was too afraid to approach her front door... though I did try once..." Her counter limped from "7.25" to "7.40" and finally settled on "7.70." The weak pegasus sensed it, and she whimpered with remorse.

"Fluttershy, don't fret," Twilight said with a reassuring smile. "I know that you're trying to tell the truth."

"Ohhhhh... if only I knew your secret, Twilight!" Fluttershy said with a long face. "I've been all around town, and so far you're the only pony with an absolute 'zero' above her head!"

"She's right!" Cheerilee remarked with a sincere nod. "That's quite the accomplishment!"

"I ran into June Bug over by the mill, and even her number was higher than yours!" Fluttershy said, then winced again. "Oh my... the counter doesn't measure gossip as well, does it?"

"Not that I know of," Twilight said. "Still, it's just as bad." She looked earnestly at the two mares. "We've had parasprites and Ursa Minors and Diamond Dogs wreaking havoc in this town. I really can't say I've seen the ponies this miserable during any of those situations! Why now?"

"I suppose this hits us all right at home," Cheerilee said, pointing to her chest. "Right in our hearts."

"Exactly." Twilight gulped. "The ancient Trudian Empire valued peace and coexistence above everything else, which is why they made this spell to begin with: to expose everypony to each other's potential deception." She sighed and hung her head. "I've spent over two years in Ponyville, studying on the magic of friendship, and it seems like in one fell swoop it has all become a very tenuous thing!"

"I wouldn't say that, Twilight." It was Fluttershy's turn to smile reassuringly. "We're all still talking to one another, aren't we?"

Twilight looked up, only to glare. "Have you spoken to Rarity lately?"

Fluttershy blushed and squirmed. "Yes... well... erm..."

"I wouldn't know about friendship..." Cheerilee smirked mischievously. "But this whole thing seems to be doing a number on every couple in the village. Did you hear that the Cakes are keeping silent around each other?"

Twilight blinked. "I was at Sugarcube Corner this morning! I didn't even see them! Are they okay?"

Cheerilee shrugged. "Nopony knows. Whatever may be the issue, at least they're being quiet adults about it, not like Thunderlane and Blossomforth."

"Ugh!" Twilight tossed her head. "Don't get me started! Though, if you think about it, this comes as no surprise; Thunderlane's chauvinistic adventures behind Blossomforth's flank could be seen coming from a mile away!"

"Thunderlane's been seeing other mares?!" Fluttershy gasped. "I had no earthly idea!"

The chime that rang through the air was deafening. Fluttershy's pupils shrunk as the number above her head jumped solidly up to "9.0."

Cheerilee and Twilight glanced at the number, then at her.

With a sheepish blush, Fluttershy slowly, slowly backtrotted away from the scene.

After a few seconds, Twilight cleared her throat and looked at Cheerilee. "So... uhm, if you don't mind my asking..."

"Yes?"

"How did you manage to get your students to believe you?" She winced slightly and clarified, "I-I mean, when you told them that they had to go home to their families simply because of an emergency—"

"They would have seen and heard the 'lie counter,' right." Cheerilee nodded and smiled. "The fact is, it didn't really matter."

Twilight squinted curiously. "It... didn't?"

The schoolteacher shook her head. "I think, Twilight, that when you trust somepony—like really closely—then you believe them no matter what."

"But..." Twilight's eyes narrowed. "Don't you think that could backfire?"

Cheerilee stared at her solidly. "I would never do something to compromise the trust of my students. Ever."

"Well, of course not!" Twilight remarked. "And I believe you, Cheerilee. It's just..." She sighed and kicked at the ground. "I've never looked at things that way: that life could run on lies as well as truths, even if the lies were ‘tiny.’ After all, Princess Celestia has always taught me the value of honesty over everything else. She's never lied to me..."

A nervous fidget overwhelmed Cheerilee's features.

Twilight saw it. Her brow furrowed as she blurted, "What?"

"Oh, it's... it's nothing, trust me," Cheerilee said. Right then, a chime sounded; the schoolteacher shut her eyes and breathed heavily as her "5" turned to a "6."

Twilight gawked at the number. Slowly, like a melting candle, she bore a deep frown.

"Look..." Cheerilee gulped dryly and turned to her with soft eyes. "Twilight, please, allow me to explain—"

"I've been exhausted all day," Twilight muttered, already turning around. "I think..." She grumbled. "I think I just need to go home."

Cheerilee shuddered as she watched her friend leave. She turned and leaned against the market vendor's table with a heavy sigh.

When Twilight arrived home at the treehouse library, it was in a limping state. She dragged her hooves through the door, shutting the place off to the dying sunlight outside. She looked left, immediately gracing her reflection in a picture frame. For a second—gazing at the floating ellipse over her crown—she pondered on murmuring a big fish tale to the wooden walls of the place, if only she could then blend in with everypony else.

Spike's voice called out from across the front room, snapping her from such a thought.

"Hey! Awesome sauce! You're finally home!"

"Nothing awesome about today, Spike," Twilight muttered as she made her way up the winding, wooden steps to her bedroom. "More than anything, I just want to hit the hay."

He waddled up, grinning as he held a book in his clawed grasp. "Funny you should say that! I've spent all afternoon studying and I think I found—"

"Spike," she groaned, not looking at him. "Just tell me: did Princess Celestia send us another letter since her last correspondence?"

"Uhhhh, no, Twilight. I'm guessing she's gonna be showing up in Ponyville in another day or two like she last said."

"I'm not sure there will be a Ponyville left in a day or two."

"Huh?"

"Never mind." Twilight reached the door to her bedroom up above. "Did you clean up the reading room like I asked you to?"

Spike froze, hesitated, but ultimately blurted, "Absolutely! Dusted and mopped everything up! Now if you'd just look at this book—"

The room echoed with a chiming noise.

Twilight froze. Blinking, she glanced icily down at the baby dragon.

Spike's mouth hung open. He gulped and eventually uttered, "Uhm..."

Squinting quizzically, Twilight galloped down the steps. Her lavender hooves stomping, she made a bee-line for the door to the reading room across the library.

"Wait! Twilight!" Spike clung to her tail, his clawed feet dragging. "Please! Don't look—"

She flung the door open with purple telekinesis. Her face nearly blanched from what she saw. Not only was the floor riddled with loose papers and layers of dust, but over in the corner by the patio door rested two buckets full of gemstones, along with a grimy shovel and a layer of caked mud splotched across the floor.

"Unnnngh—Yeahhhhh..." Spike grimaced, rocking back and forth on his feet. "About this..."

"Spike, this... that... I..." Twilight sighed heavily, running a hoof over her exhausted face. "I thought I told you to do two simple things over the past two days: 'Clean the reading room' and 'Don't track mud inside from your gem-digging.'"

"I forgot about it, Twilight! I'm sorry! You see, I had this bright idea about—" He tried gesturing at the book in his claws.

"Spike, it has nothing to do with what you forgot or didn't forget!" She turned and frowned at him. "You just lied to me! You purposefully and willfully tried to cover up the fact that you left this place a mess and—" She stopped in mid-speech, her eyes twitching.

Spike's number wasn't a "1" like Twilight had suspected. As a matter of fact, it was a glaring "12." He clung to the book behind his tail, wincing as he felt her gaze swimming all over the floating meter.

She blinked several times, ultimately frowning as she growled, "Just how many lies have you been telling lately?! Huh?" She leaned forward. "Better yet, how many more lies were you going to try and use to convince me that you hadn't done what I had asked you to do time and time again?"

"But Twilight—!" He stammered, waving the book around and finally blurting, "I knew how exhausted you were lately, and I was thinking about it when I came home from gem-digging today. And suddenly I remembered this book on 'Old Mares' Herbal Remedies,' and I figured if I read through it, I'd find a potion we could make to help you sleep better!"

"Spike, that was very, very nice of you... and I can understand now why it possibly distracted you from cleaning up after yourself..." She pointed at the numbers above his head. "But did you really have to lie about it?! Things would have been so much simpler if you just explained it to me without trying to cover up for what's otherwise a forgiveable mistake!"

"Otherwise?! Come on, Twilight!" Spike shrugged. "Aren't you making kind of a big deal out of this?"

"Excuse me?!" Twilight leered in his face, frowning. "Spike, all relationships are built on trust and commitment! When Princess Celestia entrusted me with raising you, she gave me the responsibility for bringing you up with a firm, moral center! But when you purposefully lie like this, it makes me wonder if anything I've ever taught you got into that thick, scaly skull of yours! You may be a baby dragon now, Spike, but you're growing! And the responsibilities you're going to have as you get older will only get bigger and bigger. I need to know that I've instilled within you honesty and integrity!"

"Sheesh! For real, Twilight! What's with the third degree?" Spike planted his hands on his hips and glared. "It's not like you've never lied in the past yourself! Even Celestia has forgiven you!"

Twilight opened her mouth, but only shook with anger. Stepping back, she closed her eyes, sighed, and trotted furiously back up the steps. "I know what Celestia has taught me, Spike. However, from the looks of things, I'm the only pony who seems to care about it as of late."

"Twilight..." Spike hugged the book to his chest as his lips quivered around a cold breath. "I'm sorry for lying about the mess. Honest!"

"If you were honest, Spike, I think you'd try harder not to deceive me."

Sniffling, he nevertheless managed a frown. "And yet, did you hear a chime just now?"

Twilight paused, staring ahead of her. After a breath of silence, she marched coldly into her room and closed the door loudly behind.

Spike sat at the bottom of the stairs, muttering to himself as he stared with misty eyes into the far corners of the room.

/ / / /

All night, Twilight tossed and turned, regretting many things. The top of the list: not indulging in Spike's "sleeping remedy."

She sighed and sat up, hugging herself as she stared out beyond the window by her bed. She stayed still like that for a long time, even into the bleak morning hours. All the while, the words of her fellow villagers—especially the bitter, bickering ones—swam through her head. The more she "listened," the more she honed in on one angry tone and one alone: that of her cold words during her spat with Spike.

It bothered her that they had come to such an impasse, and yet she didn't have to say a single, dishonest thing. Glancing aside, she saw her reflection in the window, lit up by the floating "0." Spike was the one who had lied, yet Twilight couldn't help but feel as though she was the one at fault, the uglier of the two.

"You were right, Rainbow," she muttered aloud. "It does hurt." She groaned and ran her hooves through her mane. "Ughhhhh... Celestiaaaaaa, come here soon already!"

Silence hung over the shadowed lengths of her bedroom. The darkness was a very familiar thing to Twilight, a quiet shroud that the bookwoorm was once all too well acquainted with before fate and providence brought her from the lonely chambers of the Royal Palace to the sunny lengths of Ponyville. There, the wondrous light of friendship revealed the undiscovered corners of life to herself, and she had explored every nebulous nook and cranny with great vigor, bolstered by the foundations that trust and companionship had so recently provided.

But now, those very same things appeared fragile and fragmented, easily dissolving into that familiar old darkness, a place in Twilight's youth that only the beacon of Celestia's lessons on honesty could illuminate.

"Without the Elements, my life just feels so..." She winced before ultimately murmuring, "Threadbare. Like all the magic is gone."

Just then, a sliver of gold light shimmered over the east horizon. Twilight blinked, and she thought of a mare whose mane matched that immaculate shine.

"Perhaps I've just lost track of the most important Element that eludes me right now!" she said, beaming to herself.

Though she had been sleepless all night, Twilight now bounced with renewed energy. Hopping out of her bed, she swiftly washed up, brushed her mane, and made her way out the door, heading west towards the farm fields just outside of Ponyville.

Twilight figured that Applejack would be up already to do morning chores. When she rounded the final hill leading to Sweet Apple Acres, she realized—to her joy—that she was absolutely right. She approached the red barn where Applejack was busily loading baskets full of freshly harvested apples into a wagon.

"Uhm... hey there, AJ."

Applejack glanced over, and her emerald eyes lit up, catching the morning light rising from the east orchards. "Why, howdy there, Twilight!" She adjusted her hat and wiped a fresh sheen of sweat from her orange brow. "My stars, fancy meetin' you at this hour! Yer usually restin' that smart lil' noggin' of yours until nine o'clock sharp, aint'cha?"

Delighted to be in the company of her honest companion, Twilight giggled and leaned against the wagon with a smile. "If you must know, Applejack, I couldn't sleep."

"Oh?" Applejack raised an eyebrow as she heaved another basket into the wagon beside them. "I don't reckon it has somethin' to do with this downright bothersome spell that's got the whole town bent out of shape?"

Twilight gulped and gazed down at her hooves. "I've... had a lot on my mind, Applejack. Recent events have gotten me all mixed up inside."

"Tell me about it!" Applejack panted, sweating some more as she lifted another basket. "I had to give Apple Bloom an earful the evenin' before last. With the early apple harvest that the family's deliverin', we ain't got time for no trouble-makin'! As of now, she's havin' to refrain from hangin' out with her rambunctious friends for an entire week while she does extra chores so she can think about what ruckus she's put the town through! My, my, don't I feel a might bit responsible for it all! I should have been more suspicious about her when she first asked about borrowin' that gul-durn shovel to begin with."

"I hear you," Twilight said with a nod. "I just... had a rather nasty argument with Spike over being dishonest myself."

"Oh? Our lil' baby dragon? That Spike?"

"Yeah, can you believe it?" Twilight ran a hoof through her bangs and sighed. "The thing is, even though he was the one I caught lying about something, I can't help but feel guilty about the whole thing."

"Guilty? In what way?"

"Oh, it's a whole crazy mess, Applejack," Twilight groaned. "I-I probably shouldn't have come here, especially this early." She gulped. "I apologize. There's no need to bother you with it all."

"Oh Twilight," Applejack cooed. "T'ain't no problem whatsoever." She swiveled about, panted one last time for breath, and said, "You know that I always have time for you."

"Well, in that case, I—" Twilight froze, her eyes wide.

She had just heard a chime.

"Twilight?"

With a quivering lip, Twilight looked up.

Applejack was squinting at her, her head cocked aside in an expression of concern. None of these details, however, could make Twilight ignore the unmistakable shimmer of a "1" over Applejack's blonde mane. "Is somethin' the matter? You look like you just gave up the ghost..."

"I... I just..." Twilight shook her head in disbelief.

"Twilight, calm down, darlin'." The farm mare gave a consoling smile. "I'm yer friend! You can relax and tell me anythang; I don't mind!"

Another chime. The glaring "1" morphed into an even more hideous "2."

Twilight started trembling uncontrollably. When she spoke, her voice came out in a foalish whimper, "AJ? AJ, h-how could... h-how...?"

"Twilight...?" Applejack breathed, taking a worried step towards her. "What's the matter? Talk to me. You know you can trust me, sugarcube."

Chime. "3."

"N-no!" Twilight spouted, her violet eyes springing forth tears as she backtrotted from her, hyperventilating. "Not you t-too!" She sobbed, openly. "Please, not you!"

"What about me?" Applejack's face paled in confusion. "I only want to help you—"

"4."

"J-just stop talking!" Twilight shrieked, shaking her head furiously. "Just stop! Ohhhh..." She turned about and galloped straight out of Sweet Apple Acres.

"Twilight! Wait up!" Applejack called after her.

It was too late. Twilight ran towards the rising sun, her body heaving in mid-gallop. Applejack's voice was a distant, warbling sound. All that Twilight could register was the noise of her own sobs.

Hours later, as the sun climbed its way towards the noonday position, much of Twilight's tears had dried. The exhaustion of the previous day had fallen upon her shoulders once again. She sat in a lethargic slump atop a wooden bench bordering the town's grassy park. Her tired eyes swam over the distant image of Carousel Boutique, its windows boarded up with a melodramatically painted sign displaying: "Closed Temporarily Due To Magical Crisis."

Twilight sighed. She rested her tear-stained muzzle on folded forelimbs and shut her eyes, remembering days of foalhood when she rested within the crook of Celestia's warm embrace as the two of them studied history, magic, and astronomy together in the royal archives. Aside from memories of her mother, Twilight couldn't recall another time in her existence when she felt so safe, secure, and at ease with the world.

Everything had been succinctly concrete and pure, presented to her in truthful clarity by the matriarch of Equestria, the one equine in all the land who refused to let down the ponies of that glorious kingdom. Celestia brought light to the world, exposing all the lies and holes in reality, so that Twilight had grown to respect—from early childhood—the undeniable power of conviction and integrity.

The warmth and toastiness of this delightful reminiscing almost distracted Twilight from the sound of voices behind her. Opening her eyes, Twilight sat up and glanced curiously over her flank.

"You mean we have to go for another day without school, Miss Cheerilee?" Snips asked. He and his lanky companion, Snails, stood before the schoolteacher on a bend of the park's dirt path. "That's like four days in a row!"

"Oh, what's this, now?" Cheerilee knelt down to smile at the two young colts. "You suddenly want to sit for hours on end in the classroom?"

"Well, erm..." Snips stirred nervously. "It's just that we have nothing to do, and our moms and dads aren't in the mood to go outside and do stuff."

"Plus, it's kind of freaky to not have school like normal!" Snails blurted.

"Shhh!" Snips slapped Snail's side with a hoof. "No, it's not! Stop saying stupid stuff like that, dummy!"

"But you were telling me the other day how creepy this whole spell thingy felt and—"

"I said can it!" Snails barked.

"Now now, boys..." Cheerilee leaned forward and rested a hoof on both of their shoulders. "Be nice to one another! What's all of this about, really?"

Snips and Snails hung their heads, not saying a word.

"You know..." Cheerilee smiled, ignoring the numbers hovering over their craniums. "It takes brave stallions to admit that they're scared of something."

Snips sniffled and gazed up at their teacher. "Really?"

"See?" Snails muttered. "What did I tell ya?"

Cheerilee stifled a giggle and said, "It's the truth! But I'm glad that I got a chance to run into the two of you. I now have a chance of delivering the good news!"

"Huh?" Snips looked up, his face brightening slightly. "What good news is that?"

"That Princess Celestia showed up here just overnight!" Cheerilee said with a bright grin. "And she's already cured the magical curse!"

Twilight raised an eyebrow from afar.

Snips and Snails did double-takes, their eyes wide. "She did?!" they both chanted at once.

"You betcha!"

"But..." Snails raised an eyebrow. "How come we still see numbers over ponies' heads?"

"Yeah! You even have one over yours right now, Miss Cheerilee!" Snips added.

"Do you?" Cheerilee waved a hoof over head, oblivious to the rising counter. "Well, I don't see any numbers over yours!"

"Huh...?"

"It's simple, really!" She smiled. "The spell is wearing off, but it does so at a different rate for each and every pony. Adults are the first to stop seeing numbers, but that doesn't mean you get to start telling lies left and right!" She winked. "This whole thing was just a test, you see, to see if Ponyvilleans like us could work well with one another while knowing what the other was thinking!"

"What—you mean Celestia made it up from the beginning?"

"Pretty much!" Cheerilee smiled.

"Wow, we sure failed the test, didn't we?" Snails said with a big dumb grin.

Snips chuckled. "Yeah! I'd say!"

"Did you really fail?" Cheerilee smirked. "Right now, I see two brave ponies in front of me who realize just how important this magic spell has been to the town, as well as to their families. It's one thing to be afraid of imaginary monsters and creatures under the bed—but as you grow older, you start having to deal with different, far more real concerns, such as how what you do and say can affect those around you. I think you both have gotten a very real taste of that way of thinking, and I can already see how genuine your concern is for your fellow equines."

"We just want everypony to get along with each other, Miss Cheerilee," Snails said. "It's no fun when we're all nervous around each other."

"Then live in a way so that you don't have to grow up building walls around each other," Cheerilee said, standing up straight as a gust of wind blew at her fuchsia mane. "Life's precious, and it's meant to be shared. You can't do that without trust and respect, now can you?"

"Heheh... I guess not..." Snips said.

"So... uhhhh..." Snails blinked. "The spell is gonna wear off? Does that mean we'll be going back to school on Monday?"

Cheerilee shook her head. "This week has had a toil on all of us. I think an extra day or two of recess is in order."

"Permanent recess!" Snails reared his front hooves and cheered. "Yeaaaah!"

Cheerilee giggled. "Now I didn't say it was permanent, my little ponies! I'll send a message to your families when I'm ready to start teaching you in class again."

"Thanks, Miss Cheerilee!" Snips waved as he and his buddy trotted off towards the green fields of the park. "Even when you're not teaching us, you're teaching us!"

"Heh... imagine that!" Cheerilee waved back. "Play safe, now!" She exhaled softly, all the while the numbers above her head ticked up until it settled on a glowing "23." She turned and gazed over at the bench, as if she had been aware of Twilight's presence the whole time.

Twilight gazed back, silent as stone. A lump was caught in her throat.

Cheerilee trotted over and stood beside the bench. "No doubt, you would like to chastise me now, Twilight."

"Well, no... n-not really..." Twilight gulped, trembling slightly. "It's just that... that you utterly lied to them just now." She narrowed her eyes. "Your students."

Cheerilee nodded quietly. "I know."

"Celestia hasn't even remotely reversed the spell. She won't be able to do it for another day at least, and we both can see the numbers above those colts' heads as clear as day."

Cheerilee looked across the park towards where Snips and Snails formed two distant dots on the sunny green horizon. "They weren't the first of my beloved foals whom I fabricated that story to today, and I seriously doubt that they'll be the last."

"But... why, Cheerilee?" Twilight gulped and rubbed invisible tears off her cheek. "I mean, I-I really don't mean to be ridiculing you or anything. I just... I just want to understand—"

"Why I would lie to a child and not feel remorse? Twilight, I am a bearer of knowledge. It isn't just my job to teach; it's my calling in life." The sun glinted off the smiling flowers on her flank as she trotted over and squatted on the bench beside her. With a warm breath, she said, "I've been thinking about it ever since our... chat that we had yesterday afternoon."

Twilight fidgeted, avoiding her gaze.

Cheerilee continued. "I thought about what life must have been like for you, having Princess Celestia as your only source of information and inspiration for so long. How lucky you've been, Twilight! The very apprentice to Equestria's bringer of the Sun! With a teacher like that, what I have to do or say must come across as relatively insignificant."

"Oh, Cheerilee—" Twilight began to protest.

Cheerilee raised a hoof and smiled. "And then I realized something, and it's what has allowed me to sleep for several hours last night. I suspect it will help you sleep as well."

Twilight gazed at her with a foalish expressin. "What's that?"

"It's fair enough to label each truth as 'good' and each lie as 'evil,'" Cheerilee uttered. She stared at Twilight as she then said, "But what is 'good' and what is 'evil' does not always factor into what is wholesome."

Twilight blinked at that.

"I want my students to learn, Twilight," Cheerilee said. "But more than that, I want them to live... free from fear, free from worry, and free from paranoia. I do not condone erecting a façade for our children no more than we already do for each other, but I do have faith that Celestia will come and free us from this spell, and furthermore I have every reason to believe in a beautiful tomorrow. I want ponies like Snips and Snails to believe in the same thing. Sometimes, I think... yes... I think that the facts of life stand to be the biggest and most distracting walls that stand in the way of embracing the feelings of existence, things such as friendship and love, which are precious qualities that can withstand even the rockiest blunders made in one’s commitment to trust."

Twilight gazed at the schoolteacher, her lips pursing. She glanced off towards the distance, thinking aloud. "The biggest and most distracting walls... walls..." She gulped. "The 'Wand of Walling.'" Suddenly, her eyes lit up. "Of course!"

Twilight hopped down from the bench, landing on wobbly legs.

"I-I gotta get back to the library and research something!" Twilight exclaimed. "Something that the Trudians forgot to make obvious!"

"And just what is that, Twilight?" Cheerilee asked.

Twilight was already galloping away. "What else?!" She smiled in mid-sprint. "The truth!"

-/-/-/-/-

"It's all in shambles!" Rarity howled, teetering backwards as she rested a dainty hoof over her unkempt bangs. "My career! My artistic endeavors from here to Manehattan! All burnt to ashes!"

"Will ya stop gettin' yer mane in a twirl?!" Applejack frowned from where she stood with Rarity outside of Sugarcube Corner in the sunset. "Yer business sure as heck ain't ruined! No worse than anypony else's in town!" She smiled awkwardly, patting a hoof on Rarity's shoulder to console her. "This crazy spell has been afflictin' equines of all walks of life, and I reckon they'll all forgive each other in the end, on account of everypony's reputation bein' taken to the woodshed! So quit yer whinin' about the Boutique and help me find Twilight already! I've looked everywhere, even at the library! I gotsta find her!"

"You call this n-nothing?!" Rarity pointed at the "311" over her head as she gripped Applejack's shoulder and slumped forward with bug-eyes. "This is not a lie counter! It's a bullseye, and Mistress Fate is frowning upon me! Now I have no choice but to habitually spit out the truth! It's the only way I can make penance, Applejack! Do you not see?!"

"Erm... that's... quite interesting, uh, Rarity..."

"My favorite color is mauve!" Rarity hissed, her eyes twitching as she hung more and more limply from Applejack's chest. "I once wore plaid to a dinner party! Chalkboards make me cringe! I have a disgustingly insatiable appetite for vanilla wafers!" She shook Applejack's neck and sobbed outright, "I made sissy in my bed until the age of fiii-iii-iiive! Euuuughhh!"

"Brrrrrbbb!" Applejack shook her head free of Rarity's embrace and patted the caterwauling unicorn's mane. "Now, uh... there there. I reckon we all had experiences with... uh... drinkin' too much milk right before—" She looked up and brightened. "Twilight!"

"Mmmmm!" Rarity sniffled, then glanced up with a decidedly deadpan face out of nowhere. "Now that doesn't quite make much sense—"

"Twilight, you're here!" Applejack beamed, lowering her hat at the sight of the gently smiling unicorn. With a nervous twitch, she pulled Rarity up to her hooves and pointed her towards the front entrance of Sugarcube Corner. "Uhm... why don't you give us a few minutes, Rare? Go inside and... uhm... have yerself some of them hoof-lickin' good vanilla wafers you take such a likin' to."

"Mmmm... Vanilla wafers won't salvage my crashing and burning career," Rarity cooed as she nevertheless limped inside the colorful eatery. "But th-they'll help!"

Once she was gone, Applejack sighed and trotted over towards Twilight. "Twilight, sugarcube, I... I-I don't know what to say!" She gulped as the number "4" hovered shamefully above her head. "I feel plum awful about what happened this mornin', and I was hopin' that I might have a chance to explain why I lied and—"

"Applejack, it's alright," Twilight said softly, her face the very definition of calm. "You didn't lie."

The freckled mare blinked. "I beg yer pardon?"

"And even if you did, it doesn't matter to me," Twilight said, her voice wavering a bit. "Not anymore."

"I... I-I'm a might bit confused." Applejack plopped her hat back on and squinted. "You mean to say that you no longer care if I lied to you or not?"

Twilight paced across the sunset's glow to stand closer to her friend. "I did some studies on the cause of this spell. You do know the cause of it, yes?"

"Uhm... somethin' or another about a 'Wand of Wally?'"

"'Wand of Walling.'"

"Right. That." Applejack cleared her throat. "What about it?"

"I didn't realize for the longest time that the true nature of the spell was eluding me, and yet it was staring at me the whole time," Twilight said. "At least in the name." She swiveled and faced Applejack directly, her eyes as soft as her next few words. "'The Wand of Walling' is a rough translation from the Trudian tongue into modern Equestrian language. As it turns out, it isn't strictly about establishing barriers of deception between ponies."

"Then what do you reckon it's about?"

Twilight breathed evenly and said, "It's about building façades, period." She gestured as she explained, "It's about pretending to be feeling one way, when you're actually feeling another. That doesn't always have to involve outright lying to another pony, though that's a part of it. The truth is, you can be doing your best to protect another pony's interest, and still it counts as building a wall, be it a wall constructed with one's composure, one's strength, and even one's courage."

"I... d-don't think I read you correctly, Twilight," Applejack said. "A lie's a lie, ain't it?"

"Oh Applejack." Twilight smiled at her, her cheeks rosy. Moisture clung to the edges of her lashes as she summoned the courage to confess, "I let myself get so upset this morning because I made myself think that the one thing you're good at is being honest and nothing else. But life is too complex, and so are you—though you might think of yourself as simpler. The fact is, there's more to you than just telling the truth, Applejack." She sniffled and bore a brave smile. "Besides, how would I be able to rely on your better qualities if I relied exclusively on your honesty all the time?"

Applejack squinted sideways at her. "And them qualities are...?"

"Strength and faithfulness..." Twilight took a deep breath, then whispered her words succinctly. "Without both of which... Celestia knows where I would be today." She leaned her head to the side. "Now, did you wish to tell me something about this morning?"

Applejack blinked. Slowly, she smiled a soft smile and said, "Simply that, when you visited me at Sweet Apple Acres this mornin', and I told you that 'I always had time for you...'" She gulped. "The fact of the matter is... I..."

Twilight stared at her. Her lips quivered, but she remained quiet, patient.

Applejack sighed and nervously adjusted the brim of her hat. "I-I did have time for you, but I-I didn't rightly plan on sharin' it with anypony, even if I could. Ya see, Twilight, th-there's a reason for why I've done such an early apple harvest, and it's for a reason that I didn't even mention in the letter we sent to Celestia just recently. So there's another case of me fibbin' like a snake in the grass, and to the Princess no less..."

"Shhh..." Twilight leaned forward, her eyes warm and earnest. "Go on..."

"This time of the year—this week in particular—is the anniversary of my folks passin'. And don't get me wrong! I-I ain't grievin' or nothin'! I mean... sure, I get pretty misty-eyed this time of year and such, but I'm well beyond the days of bawlin' my eyes out like a little filly. It just so happens that I have a tradition that I stick to every year..."

Twilight nodded. "You wish to get the farm operating in perfect fashion, to honor their memory."

"To make them proud," Applejack said. "And as much as I can afford to spend the time with my closest friends—with ponies I love and respect, ponies like you, Twilight—I guess I..." She seethed, wincing as if in labor. Eventually, she let it out: "I-I don't particularly enjoy breakin’ my attention away from the task of gettin' the apples harvested this week of all weeks."

"And I understand that, Applejack," Twilight said in a soft tone. She wore a smile to match it. "What you do every year, it makes sense now. I think it's a very noble thing—"

"But t'ain't yer problem to deal with!" Applejack said with a frown. She sighed and stared down at her hooves. "What I mean is, y'all shouldn't have to worry about me none. I'm an adult now and I can deal with everythang that comes with this time of year. I wanna be there for you and the rest of the girls, but... mmm..." She grumbled. "Gosh darn it... I reckon a part of me doesn't feel up to it from time to time. I-I wish I could say that I'm one hundred percent strong every second of he day, Twi, but... but..."

"Applejack..." Twilight trotted over and placed a loving hoof on Applejack's shoulder. Her voice wavered in a sympathetic tone. "You don't have to put up walls around yourself just for our benefit."

"Yes. Yes I do, Twilight..." Applejack gazed up, her lips quivering. Moisture clung to the edges of her green eyes, a very rare sight for Twilight. "'Cuz I don't rightly know how to handle things any other way. I can look after myself. You ponies shouldn't have to bother about me."

"But what if we want to?" Twilight asked. "We're your friends and we care." She gulped. "Enough to... t-to feel angry and confused for all the wrong reasons when we spot a crack in your armor." She hung her face as a tear finally ran down her cheek. "And... And I'm sorry for that, Applejack." Her shoulders began to shake. "I'm so... so sorry for the way I treated you this morning."

Applejack bore a strong, warm smile. She caressed Twilight's cheek until it was dry. "I reckon we should be mostly sorry for the way we treat ourselves from time to time."

Twilight chuckled dryly, her voice still shaking abit as she then said, "Yeah, well, I've been treating myself like a saint all this time and..." She choked on a sob. "It doesn't feel right. It feels... lonely. And I used to feel lonely all the time, Applejack. It's a very d-dark place, and I only received the light from one source." She clenched her jaw and steadied her lungs, speaking in a far firmer tone. "Now I'm older, Applejack, and I have to light my own path... as well as the path for those around me. And... I'm thankful to you and Cheerilee and other ponies who are making me look twice so that I can stumble less. It'd help if there were less walls in the way, of course, although I'm starting to understand what some of those walls mean."

"Yes, I reckon." Applejack nodded, then smiled. "And I also reckon it's a tad bit lonely being the only pony in town sportin' a halo."

Both mares laughed cheerfully, and as the melting sunset bathed them both, they shared a friendly embrace, for everything had crumbled between them.

Twilight Sparkle was sitting on the balcony to her treehouse that night, waiting patiently, when the first hint of glowing light came. She stood from her half-read books and glanced up, squinting into the slowly coalescing orb of luminescence.

With regal grace, the orb solidified in the form of Princess Celestia. The alicorn princess touched down to the balcony on gold-plated hooves, having finished her transportation spell. At long last, after three long days of delay, she had arrive in the magically afflicted town to lend her aid.

"Twilight..." Celestia breathed, and her placid voice carried the tiniest hint of surprise in its exhalation. "You are... awake, I see."

Twilight nodded, her glowing "0" bobbing with the motion of her head. "I have been having trouble sleeping as of late, Your Highness."

"I trust that you have had your hooves full while I was busy tending to matters in Baltimare."

Twilight tried to smile, but her lips broke in a nervous twitch. "Yes. Many ponies were hoping that I might somehow have a cure to the ancient Trudian spell that I wrote to you about. But... well..."

"Things did not escalate too chaotically, I hope?"

"No, Your Majesty," Twilight softly shook her head. "Though, if you suspected that they would, I... imagine that you would have arrived here sooner."

"Yes, Twilight," Celestia said softly, her voice navigating the silent cloud hanging between them. Above her shimmering visage, a glowing number hovered, and it was well into the triple digits. "I would... and could have arrived sooner."

Twilight simply gazed at her.

"Twilight, my good and faithful student," Celestia spoke dryly, trying to compose herself with an immaculate smile, but even that seemed as jaded as the magenta lustre in her eyes. "I... trust that you must have many questions. Anticipating them—as well as your potential shock—was part of the reason for why I delayed my arrival for so long. I did not mention this in my response to your letter, but this is not the first occasion of the Trudian spell having graced modern Equestria. Four hundred years ago, something like this happened in much the same way, and I had to... to explain things to my apprentice at the time. Needless to say, the exchange that followed shortly after my dispersal of the spell was not exactly... fortuitous to our ongoing studies, and..."

Silence reigned.

Celestia finally uttered, "I want you to know, Twilight, that I have always wanted the best for you. I wanted you to live a life of absolute integrity, a life that I could only illustrate for you, as I have no legitimate example to present, for I am far too encumbered in the task of assuring the greater good of this kingdom and—"

Celestia's speech came to an end before the Princess could even begin to fumble for words. A warm, lavender body had crossed the distance between them and was nuzzling her like a foal would greet its mother.

"Twilight...?" Celestia stammered.

"Do not worry, Princess," Twilight said, tears trickling down her smiling face. "I understand. And though it may not be everything that I understand, I want you to know that it's all okay." She gulped. "You're the light of my life, and I-I love you too much to feel any differently..."

Celestia rode the crest of a heavy breath, and her eyes finally sparkled once more as she reached a wing around to hold the little pony close to her. "My dearest Twilight," she whispered and leaned her head down with eyes shut to nuzzle her. "I am so, so very proud of you." She smiled. "Now and forever..."

Twilight cracked a smile, though she weathered it with a sniffle or two.

The Princess and her apprentice hovered there for a long period of time. There was no royalty and no mentorship; just two hearts sharing in lucid, honest warmth. They had reunited, as if iron bastions had been lifted for the first time in ages. The stars above serenaded the moment, so that they almost forgot that there was a curse to fix in the first place.

"Bon Bon, just hear me out..." Lyra reached across the eating table and caressed the earth pony's forelimbs. Hours ago, all of the magical numbers had at last vanished from the air, allowing the full afternoon light to twinkle in their joined eyesight. "The fact that you've been sneaking bites of food that's dangerous to your blood sugar doesn't bother me. I understand temptations, and I know that—in spite of your weaknesses—you are improving." She smiled softly, attempting to wipe clean the sad, worried expression on her beloved's face. "The fact that you lied to me—on several occasions—isn't the heart of the issue either."

Bon Bon shivered slightly, chewing nervously on her lip.

Lyra leaned forward and spoke in a low tone, "What bothers me is that you thought that you had... th-that you had to deceive me to make me happy. After all, we've been working so hard on this special diet of yours—together. Would I have been mad at you if you just confessed your secret trips to Sugarcube Corner? Yeah, sure, I would have been mad. But there's a reason for why I get angry at you, Bon Bon." She smiled, her amber eyes glossy. "It's because I'm so deeply in love with you, and I want what's best for you... what's best for us. And when you resort to... to lies, well, it hurts me, Bon Bon. Because I-I feel as if it sets our relationship two steps back with each bit of false pretense. And I hate the idea of being distant from you, Bon Bon." She sniffled. "I don't want to be alone again like I used to be. You've brought too much sunshine into my life for me to go b-back to that..."

"Oh Lyra..." Bon Bon choked back a sob and clasped Lyra's hoof with her own. "If I had known that it mean that much to you..."

"That's why I'm telling you now." Lyra wiped her cheek dry and smiled painfully at her marefriend. "Because I want you to know. I need you to know. I don't want any stupid barriers between us, Bon Bon. Even when you're doing stupid things, I'd rather I just know. Because I'm willing to forgive you, Bon Bon. And... I-I hope you're just as willing to forgive me when I do even stupider things, like telling you to ‘shut up’ only because I am angry..."

"Of course I am willing!" Bon Bon whispered, caressing Lyra's cheek. She scooted around the table until she was close to the unicorn, squatting beside her seat. "I love you, Lyra. Can we just, I dunno, move past this and start over?"

Lyra cracked a bittersweet smile. "Why start over? Let's j-just continue from where we are now." She shuddered. "'Cuz now feels good."

Bon Bon smiled, her eyes tearing. "I agree whole-heartedly." She pecked Lyra on the cheek and nuzzled her dearly.

Lyra leaned against her, shutting her eyes and breathing in peace.

All of this, Twilight couldn't help but observe as she trotted past the restaurant. She smiled to herself and hummed a tune as she carried a saddlebag full of market-bought things across town and to the front door of the library treehouse. Stepping inside, she was greeted by Spike who was carrying a miniature broom and dustpan.

"Hmm?" Twilight squinted suspiciously. "What are you up to now, I wonder?"

"J-just cleaning the place up like you've been asking to!" he fitfully exclaimed with a nervous smile. "Honest!"

"Keep saying that word and you'll wear it out," Twilight muttered, hanging her bag up onto a wrack.

"Ugh..." Spike sighed, his body sagging as his gaze fell to the library's wooden floorboards. "I know."

With a clanking noise, a sparkling new garden shovel landed at his feet.

He did a double-take, glancing up at Twilight. "What... wh-what's this?"

"It's a lot easier for you to carry around than a large shovel built for an adult pony, don't you think?" Twilight uttered in a sing-songy voice.

"Well, yeah... but... but..." Spike cradled the thing in his claws and stammered, "D-did you seriously just go out and buy this for me?"

Twilight giggled lightly. "You've still got gems to dig up for baking your special dragon cupcakes, right?"

"Yes! But... but..." Spike bit his lip and rocked back and forth, nervously. "After all that's happened as of late..."

"Spike, come here..." Twilight knelt down and scooped him into a surprise hug. She nuzzled him closely. "We may both do things to annoy each other from time to time... maybe even to hurt each other's feelings. But—look at me."

He did so, emerald eyes sparkling.

She caressed his green spines as she said, "It doesn't matter in the long run. I love you... and I trust you. Do I like you lying to me? No... but I like the idea of us drifting apart even less. So, let's work on it together, shall we?" She smiled as she squeezed his shoulder. "You try fibbing less, and I'll try not to get so hung up on the small stuff. Deal?"

Spike tried to carry a strong breath, but it was betrayed by the wateriness in his eyes. "D-deal." He nodded.

"Now none of that..." She brushed the edges of his eyes dry and stood up. "You have some gem-digging to get to!"

"But..." He squirmed, glancing from the fresh shovel in his claws to the dusty lengths of the room. "You... don't want me cleaning up after all?"

"Go out and dig, Spike, before I change my mind," she grumbled.

He squinted at her with a suspicious smirk. "You still haven't slept much. Promise me you'll go get some sleep? I'll get to this place eventually."

"Spike, there's nothing I'd rather do right now than hit the sack," Twilight said, stifling a yawn for emphasis. "I know that I like having this place all spick and span for when Ponyvilleans show up to check out books, but I kind of value my sanity all the more."

"Well, good then!" Spike beamed. "You go get some much-needed sleep, and I'll go dig up some gems!"

She called after him as he waddled briskly out of the building. "Just be sure that you don't accidentally uncover any more insidiously buried wands of ancient magic!"

The door closed behind him.

She stared at the entrance, taking a deep breath, smiling warmly to herself. After a few moments, she turned around and trotted... albeit not to the stairs leading up to her bedroom. Instead, she opened the rest of her saddlebag's contents, pulling out a brand new feather duster, bottles of cleanser and disinfectant, and a bundle of fresh rags. She proceeded then to clean the room of dust and grime, returning the library to its usual shine before the incident with the floating numbers brought everything to a grinding halt.

About twenty minutes into the clandestine act, she paused to levitate a pad of paper into a wooden drawer of a table located in the far corner of the library. On the topmost sheet, she inscribed her name, then drew a single hash mark above it, the first of many.

"Living with walls is fine from time to time," Twilight Sparkle said with a meditative smile, sliding the drawer shut and returning to her cleaning. "So long as we mind the gates."

Author's Note

I did not create this story. This is the brainchild of theworstwriter , writer extraordinaire and one of the sharpest and most valuable members of SATGF.

Weeks ago, I came to him, asking that he give me a story prompt so that I might practice "what it means to deliver a commissioned fanfic on time." I endeavor to do this with more of my close brony friends as I attempt to weigh the possibility of exploring such a means of writing.

Anyways, theworstwriter apparently had this story concept kicking around in his head,but couldn't get around to writing it. What's more, he was hung up on how to end it (according to him, he never went further than the scene where Twilight Sparkle has an emotional breakdown in front of Applejack). The CMC's involvement, the magic spell, the lie meter, and Twilight Sparkle's central performance were all his origination. Most of the other stuff is me filling in the gaps and adding my own version of an ending and moral to the whole thang. I worked with him on outlining it, and he helped me come up with a few more ideas.

What have I learned from all of this? Well, the challenge of writing someone else's story is actually pretty exciting, and I found the scenes easily flowing through the word processor. It was a genius idea, and it gave me plenty of opportunities for slipping in poni poni poni cameos into every conceivable orifice.

However, there are quite a few things I'm not proud of. Though I promised him a finished product in three weeks, it wasn't until well beyond the second week that I actually *started* writing. What's more, he agreed to a 10k word limit, and of *course* I went over that (if it was a legit commission, I wouldn't have charged him for the extra words, so I'm just shooting myself in the foot). It goes without saying that I could have edited and changed the end product a great deal more, and yet I held back because I found myself becoming attached to the version of the story that I had brought forth. If I'm to actually consider writing commissioned stories, I need to detach my ego from the narrative and lose all sense of possessiveness. Until I get that worked out, I have no business pretending I can do something like this with any considerable ounce of professionalism.

So, yeah. You may be seeing more of this kind of stuff from me. It's not like I've run out of ideas of stories to write. I have a stupidly huge amount of ideas, but almost all of them balloon into crazily huge epics that would devour far too much of any lemur's time, much less my own.

Thank you for reading, and do check out theworstwriter's stuff, for he is a genius in brony's clothing.
-SS&E