The sun slid closer to the horizon as the train made its way West. Thistleroot watched the plains slide past the window. The first trees of the forest were beginning to dot the landscape, and it wouldn’t be long before they reached the end of the line. After a night’s rest, they would be setting out on hoof. From there, the trip to Greenhaven Grotto would take most of the day.
“Still, you’d think she would have mentioned it,” Mimic said. She sat beside Thistleroot, her bearing set, as though she were standing at attention. It was a posture she took when feeling nervous, as he'd learned over months of O&O games.
Scootaloo shrugged from across the aisle, where she lounged with an older copy of one of the Daring Do books. “She’s a princess. I’m sure she has a lot to keep track of."
"Yes, but don't you think it's a little suspicious? We told her about what happened there, and she doesn't think to mention that she's sending us back?"
"Well, yeah," Scootaloo said, tilting the book away and looking up at Mimic. "But it’s not like she could have tricked us or anything. The name of the town was on the notes she gave him. What did she have to gain?”
“I guess,” Mimic said.
“Just try to relax,” Scootaloo said. “It's not a cruise ship, but we have a few weeks to just relax. We probably won’t even see anypony we met before.”
“Some of us won’t have much of a choice,” Thistleroot said, a little more sullen than usual.
“It’s just one meeting, right?” Scootaloo asked. “You talk to them, find out about this new plant animal, and then go see it for yourself.”
Thistleroot swallowed nervously.
“That’s all in the past,” Scootaloo said. “We did the right thing.” She was right. Thistleroot knew it was the truth, but he still couldn’t shake the doubt. He could see Midlight in his mind, the pegasus researcher, desperate to save his daughter from her mysterious affliction, crumpling in pain as Mimic broke his wing with a buck. He could see Star Charmer, his daughter, clear the way for them to escape with the last bit of magic that could have healed her.
He hadn’t been able to face them again. He’d stayed home when he heard that Midlight had come to Canterlot to seek an audience with the princess. He’d been hiding when she explained to him that the Elements of Harmony had been shattered.
He’d failed when asked to use them again.
A more objective pony might have said “they failed”, but Thistleroot wasn’t feeling particularly objective at the moment. After things had settled down, they’d returned to the now empty Night’s End castle, to show Princess Celestia and Princess Twilight that they could use the elements, and nothing had happened. Nopony knew if their use of the elements had been a one time thing, a final surge of power released by the elements’ destruction, or if they could only be used in dire situations.
He was pulled from his contemplation by the sound of the train whistle and the lurch of breaks.
“Well,” he said. “Let’s grab something to eat. At the very least we don’t have to worry about it just yet, right?”
“Right,” Scootaloo said. Mimic nodded.
He could enjoy this night, at least. He could grab dinner with his friends. There was absolutely no reason to freak out.
*****
“Okay, now I’m freaking out,” Thistleroot said as they passed the last of the trees and a sign that read: Now Entering Greenhaven Grotto. “Let’s go home.”
“Okay,” Scootaloo said. She and Mimic turned around.
“Wait, wait!” Thistleroot called. “No, we can’t leave. I told the princess that I was going to take this job. I’m not going to let her down.” Thistleroot took another step into town and paused. “On second thought, there’s—” Scootaloo and Mimic walked up to either side of him. With a wordless glance between the two of them, they each hooked one of their front legs under his and dragged him onward.
“Okay, you’re right,” Thistleroot said. “We can do this. No problem. Yeah. Or maybe we should... no, you’re right.” He trailed off, and they traveled in silence down the main street. Houses stood on either side of the street, widely and unevenly spaced out. As they drew nearer to the center of town, the houses became closer together, intermingled with the occasional business. A mom and pop store here, a family dentistry there.
After half a mile of walking, they reached the town center, a familiar circular clearing. Several roads branched out from this central space, and between them were buildings, all of them facing inward. Thistleroot could see the City Hall and public library to their right, and a bakery to their left.
Directly across from them was a gray stone building with a simple sign that read “SEA Research Center”.
“Okay,” he said, taking a deep breath. “We’re supposed to meet with somepony named,” he levitated a notebook out of his saddlebag and flipped through it. “Mayor Motts. Huh, I think I’ve heard that name before.”
“Well, assuming he’s actually the mayor and that’s not just a weird name, we should try city hall,” Scootaloo said.
“Alright, sounds good,” Thistleroot said. “Also, one other thing.”
“Yes?” Mimic asked.
“Can you two let go?”
Scootaloo and Mimic gave each other another wordless smile and dropped Thistleroot’s front legs. To his own surprise, he managed to catch himself before hitting the ground and straightened. “Alright, to City Hall!”
Greenhaven Grotto City Hall was a plain one story building of aged wood. Thistleroot gave the door a tug and it swung open with a small squeak. Inside was a plain beige office. Plastic chairs lined one wall, and opposite the entrance was a desk and another door. A ceiling fan spun lazily above them.
An elderly earth pony mare looked up from the desk as they entered. She adjusted a pair of thick, horn-rimmed glasses with one hoof while the other closed a well-read paperback and slid it off the desk and out of view. “Hello?”
Thistleroot smiled, waiting for somepony to take the lead before a prod from Scootaloo reminded him that he was the one here on business. “Yes, hello. Uh, I’m here to speak with Mayor Motts.”
The mare sniffed and stood. She wore a glossy maroon vest that clashed with her dark gray coat, and when she moved a number of beaded necklaces clattered against each other. “Concerning?”
“I was sent here by Princess Celestia concerning some field work she wanted done.”
The mare nodded. “Just a moment.” She left through the door behind her.
Thistleroot shifted his weight and looked around the room again. Waiting room chic, he thought. They even had the same doodle-design carpet as his dentist back home. Why did every waiting room have that carpet?
The door opened and the secretary reentered. “Go ahead. It’s the last door to the right.”
“Thanks,” Thistleroot said, starting forward. The secretary made a noncommittal noise before grabbing her book and looking for the right page. “What’cha reading?”
“You wouldn’t like it,” she answered without looking up.
“Uh, right,” Thistleroot said, giving his friends a shrug.
“We’ll wait out here,” Mimic said.
“Okay. Hopefully it’ll just be a second,” Thistleroot said as he made for the open door.
*****
“He’s about five seconds from panicking and running for real,” Mimic said after a few moments.
“What tipped you off?” Scootaloo asked. “I really don’t blame him. I’m really not looking forward to seeing anypony from SEA.” She hopped onto one of the waiting room chairs. “Some vacation, huh?”
Mimic shrugged. “It’s the best one I’ve ever been on, so far. We could be working right now.”
“I guess.” Scootaloo glanced at the secretary. Whatever she was reading seemed to hold the entirety of her attention. She hadn’t glanced up at anything they’d said. “You know, we haven’t talked about the elephant in the room.”
Mimic arched an eyebrow and looked back over the room again.
“We haven’t talked about the big, obvious thing,” Scootaloo said. “Libiris.”
“What about it?”
“Well, we’re here. Don’t you think we should go back, now that we have some time?”
Mimic shook her head. “Of course not. The last time we were there we were running for our lives while something “woke up”. Something a centuries old creature was supposed to be watching.” Mimic paused, blinking slowly. “A centuries old creature made out of wood...”
“Yeah,” Scootaloo said. “Like I said. There’s an elephant in the room, and nopony’s talking about it.”
“Actually, I think he was some kind of deer.”
*****
“Come in!” a creaking voice wheezed after Thistleroot knocked on the door. He opened it and entered a shabby little office. Across from him was another desk, this one made of a fine polished oak and covered in knick-knacks. One corner held a drinking bird dipping back and forth over a glass of water like a pendulum. On the other corner of the desk was a small stone bust of a handsome earth pony stallion. Two bookshelves behind the desk likewise decorated. An entire shelf was dedicated to snowglobes, and Thistleroot would have guessed the pair of snuff boxes on the shelf below them were older than his parents.
At the desk sat a wizened earth pony stallion, bearing a very faint resemblance to the stone bust. He had a brown coat and dark gray mane. Brown eyes squinted at Thistleroot from behind wide circular lenses. “Yes, hello?”
“Hi, Mr. Mayor. My name is Thistleroot. I’m here to do research for the princess. I was told to come talk to you.”
“Wazzat? Didn’t I already talk to you about that?”
“Um, no?”
“Hmm, I coulda sworn I did. Except you were an earth pony earlier today.”
Thistleroot arched an eyebrow, and then smiled. “Oh, I see. I’m not the only pony coming. I guess my partner for this beat me here.”
“Partner, huh? Hmm, I think the letters mentioned something like that.” He opened a drawer in his desk and began rifling through it. After a few moments he pulled out a manilla envelope. “Right, right. Two of them. Well, okay, let's go get you settled then. Need to get out and stretch my legs now and then.” The mayor hopped out of his chair, disappearing completely behind the desk for a moment. He circled it to stand before Thistleroot, his forehead barely coming to Thistleroot’s chin.
He handed Thistleroot the envelope. “All the paperwork was done before. You and your partners will be sharing a house that had been up for rent for a while, so it might need a little fixing up. Rent was paid in advance. Spare keys and your copy of the paperwork are in there.” The mayor held out a hoof and Thistleroot shook it. “Welcome to Greenhaven Grotto.”