The flat edifice of the Restricted Section stood mere feet in front of Loki. Floating inches to the right of his head was the slip of paper that would grant him entrance to the enigmatic innards of the archives. A victorious smirk creased the edges of his mouth.
The door suddenly glowed a light amber hue. His paper was forcibly grabbed from his magical grip by an invisible hand. The paper flattened out as the door flashed a beam of light over its surface. The crimson seal fizzled and popped, burning away into the aether. Loki's muzzle scrunched as the smell of ozone teased his nose.
The light flickered dead without a sound. The permission slip fluttered to the ground unceremoniously, crumpling in on itself. Loki gazed down at the yellow piece of paper, then back up at the door as it began to pull open with a harsh grating sound.
The room beyond awoke with the buzzing of electric lamps. Lights hung low from the ceiling guttered and flickered to pale light, slowly heating up to full luminescence after long years of dormancy. Their cones of yellow light illuminated a room many times larger than Loki's. Tables and filing cabinets ran its length all the way to a tall, tightly packed bookcase on the far end. The dusty smell of age hung like a cloying mire throughout the room.
Stepping inside, Loki cast his gaze upon the items arranged neatly on the plain black-topped tables. Narrowing his eyes, he turned his head left and right. He scanned the plaque designating each box's contents as he slowly trotted the length of the room.
"This is..." His face scrunched into a look of incredulity, turning around to look back to the door. It had closed behind him.
"This is...junk." Loki sighed. He looked at a faded black book kept on a small pedestal inside a clear case. On The Possibility Of The Division of the Indivisible Elements of Life by Dr. Hockenheimer. On closer inspection, an aging seal at the bottom corner of the glass case read Redacted: Public Safety, by Order of the Princess.
"Fission?" Loki's question was a bare whisper of confusion. He swung his head around to read the title of another book and then another. "Petroleum products? Interconnected computers? No, no, no, no!" He stamped his hoof, trotting to the back of the room to gaze up at the tall bookshelf.
"Useless, useless! Where are the curses? Where are the secrets, the skeletons?" Loki frowned as the complete collection of Equestrian Flora and Fauna stared blindly back at him. Mere inches to his left, a single book stuck a few bare inches out of alignment with its kin.
"Cursed ponies," Loki growled. He punctuated his frustration by reaching up and forcefully pushing the offending book back into place. He leaned forward, resting his head against the bookshelf and closing his eyes. "Weeks of waiting, for a glorified museum."
For a few seconds, Loki simply drowned in his crushing ennui. A slow shuffling sound awoke him from his fugue. He pulled back, looking to his right to see another thick-backed book as it slowly slid out place.
His frown deepening, Loki reached up and slammed the book back. As soon as it had been soundly shown who was the boss, another book a few shelves higher slid defiantly out of sync. Tilting his head back to peer up at the rebellious tome, a snarl of frustration left Loki's throat. His horn lit up and a sheet of magic slammed the book in.
Again another book pushed itself out of alignment, and again Loki showed it the error of its ways. With each passing second, Loki's face pulled tighter and tighter, his teeth showing in a vicious sneer. His horn sparked as he struggled against the strange bookshelf as multiple books at a time began to push themselves out.
Uttering an inhuman cry of frustration, Loki reared up on his hind legs and slammed his hooves down. His horn sparked and guttered as he raised up a thick, tall sheet of solid magic. The wall glittered gold and green, covering the height and width of the bookshelf. He grunted and strained as sweat beaded on his forehead. The wall of magic pushed down against the tomes, forcing them back into their proper place.
His barrier melted away as he relinquished control. The bookshelf stood as silent as it had before. Not a single tome moved.
Loki nodded curtly, his nostrils flaring with a snort of satisfaction.
"Weeks," he whispered. Shaking his head with closed eyes, he turned his back to the room and marched to the door. He yanked the cookbook from its plinth almost as an afterthought.
"I wash myself of this entire mistake." The door scraped open in front of him. Loki continued a few more steps before stopping dead in his tracks, his ears swiveling about.
The door stood still and yet the scraping sound continued. Looking over his shoulder, Loki saw that the large bookcase was moving. It had split down the middle, each half pulling away from the center. Slowly it revealed a pitch-black room beyond. Loki raised an eyebrow as his jaw dropped open. He closed his lips quickly and trotted back into the room.
The air beyond flowed out to greet him, cold across his face and musty to his nose. He stretched his neck forward, peering into the black void. Silence descended over him like a thick blanket. Every second drew out like a knife's edge. His heartbeat was as the crashing of a wave against a beach inside his ears.
Bright, sterile light flashed to life in front of him. Loki hissed through his teeth and jerked his eyes away, raising a forelimb to shield himself. Spots popped to life in his vision. Ever so slowly, he adjusted and the spots disappeared. Opening his eyes, he peered into the chamber beyond the bookcase.
A circular antechamber stood in front of him, bare brick rising up past a single, low-hanging lamp that buzzed with electricity. A wooden pedestal stood at center, a book placed upon its flat, angled top. The book was bound with a dark brown, leather-like material, age cracking its edges. Elegant golden thread embroidered the face of a pony in profile. The figure appeared to be a stallion of advanced years, wearing a great beard that tumbled down his front as well as a pointed, star-patterned hat.
A title was also embroidered near the bottom of the book. The language was brutal and ancient yet strangely similar to the current written word of Equestria. Loki read over the simple line again and again, pouring his massive intellect into puzzling out its intention. Meaning fell into place mere seconds later.
Personal Journal, Property of Starswirl the Bearded, it read.
A wicked grin cut across Loki's sharp features.
-----------------------------
Loki set the book down on his room's desk. A record slowly turned on his player, filling Loki's quarters with a slow, bittersweet piano tune. Candles guttered as the sun set, their warm, welcoming light crawling up the curved walls. He tasted the last of a small salad he had prepared as he licked some remaining vinaigrette from his lips.
Floating a glass of wine close, he took a sip and set it back down. "You are a curious find," he mused as the dry flavor raced down his throat. His horn glowed and the book carefully opened. The spine creaked in protest, its yellowed pages stiff as they settled into place.
Loki blinked. There weren't any words on the pages. Thin horizontal lines denoted spaces for its owner to write out his thoughts, and yet it looked at if nobody had ever laid pen to paper. Loki's horn lit up as he gingerly flipped through the pages of the journal. Each new page was as blank as the next. Loki only realized he was gritting his teeth when his jaw began to hurt.
"Was this entire world made just to tease me?" He hissed, slamming the book closed with no mind for its brittleness.
"Aw, someone's mad." A resonant male voice filled Loki's chambers. He jumped up to all fours, pulling away from his desk. Scanning his eyes around him, he tilted his head up. Nothing stood beyond his room's skylight besides the slowly darkening sky.
"Down here, sharp stuff," said the voice once again. Loki's heart beat faster as realization set in: the book was talking to him. On its own, the journal opened, its pages settling to the very center of the ancient tome.
Loki stepped closer. As he watched, the thin guidelines on the pages were moving across the page as if alive. Each line bent and reformed according to some hidden agenda. Within seconds, what had began as a jumble of meaningless lines resembled an image of a pony from the neck up.
The facsimile of a bearded pony opened his drawn eyes, looking up from the journal to peer at Loki. "Well," Starswirl said, smirking his thin-lined mouth. "You're not me, that's for sure."
Loki opened his mouth to say something, closing it and then opening again. "Are you not you? Starswirl the Bearded?"
"Please." Starswirl rolled his eyes, waving away the question with a hoof that, until he moved it into the 'frame' of the book page, hadn't existed. "If I was going to place myself in something to live forever, I'd choose something a bit more mobile than my own journal. I'm just an incredibly complex spell meant to mimic my own personality. The real Starswirl is long dead."
Loki stepped closer to his desk, staring down at the living illustration looking back up at him. "Extraordinary," he breathed, seating himself. He pressed a hoof against the yellowed page.
Starswirl leaned away from Loki's hoof, grimacing. "Now, now, sonny. You haven't even taken me to dinner yet."
"Apologies." Loki pulled his hoof back, his magenta eyes alight with almost child-like curiosity. "I can create mirror images of myself and invest them with the illusion of life. To create something so convincing and complex, and to have it work so long after one has passed away..."
"Mirror images?" Starswirl leaned in closer, the page remaining flat while his illustrated face contorted to give his face the appearance of three dimensions. "That's quite advanced magic for someone so young."
Loki smirked, leaning back. His body contorted, swirling like a soap bubble as two copies of himself split off. They sat down beside him as all three smirked in unison. "Well," the three Lokis said, "I'm either a bit older than I look, or I'm just that talented."
"Bravo!" Starswirl clapped with his front hooves. Genuine respect was painted across his aging features. "Perfect copies, no alterations or mutations. You are certainly as talented as you say."
"Thank you, thank you." Loki's voices melted back into a single tone as his copies rejoined with their original. He favored Starswirl's illustrated doppelganger with a raised eyebrow. "Now that we've been properly introduced, I hope you will permit me to ask the obvious question: are you the only entry in this journal?"
Starswirl grinned, showing off long, thin teeth. "Curious young unicorn. Then again, our kind were always the curious ones. Experimenting, writing, collating." He pressed a hoof to his beard, stroking through it thoughtfully and fixing Loki with an enigmatic stare. "There are other things in this journal, yes."
"Such as?" Loki's tone was deliberately neutral.
"Potion recipes. Spell incantations. Love poems. Things of that nature." Now it was Starswirl's turn to raise an inquisitive brow. "I'm sure you're not just making idle chat. You don't seem the kind for that."
"Indeed." Loki drew himself straighter, for the moment missing the extra gravitas his armor provided him. "I wish to see the contents of your journal."
Starswirl also straightened himself up. Pressing a hoof to his mouth, he closed his eyes and coughed, the sound wet and hoarse. Setting his hoof down, he opened his eyes and spoke.
"To show you seek
Knowledge deserved
Please now speak
The Magic Word."
The poem settled over Loki like a wet blanket, drawing his brows closer together and deepening his natural frown. "A riddle?"
"A riddle," Starswirl confirmed. His features lit up with a teasing grin. "One I'm sure such a learned, worldly unicorn should be able to answer in a second."
Loki clenched his jaw, settling back on his haunches. For a few seconds, he alternated between opening his mouth to speak and shaking his head to stare off into the middle distance.
Starswirl scoffed, shaking his head. "Oh for goodness' sake! The answer's obvious, young'un!"
"There are hundreds of words of power," Loki responded. An edge of frustration was creeping into his voice. He counted at the floor with a huff, glaring down at the ancient illustration. "How am I to know which specific word you mean?"
"There's no penalty for a wrong guess." Starswirl shrugged, leaning back and crossing his forelimbs across his chest. "I've no pressing appointments in my datebook."
"Trial and error is not my nature," Loki breathed, running a hoof through his messy black mane. "And beside the point, you've given me no reason to think such an endeavor is worth the time and effort."
For the first time, it looked like Loki had befuddled the elder pony. "Do you not know to whom you speak? Have you no idea what is contained in this journal? Surely you've heard the legends?"
Loki rolled his eyes and waved away the question. "Indulge me. I am not from around here."
"The Mortis Potion," Starswirl said simply, an altogether different sort of grin stretching his craggy features. "My greatest creation. Simple, elegant, and yet its applications are limitless. It works no matter the condition of the recipient, with one-hundred percent effectiveness." He leaned forward, fixing Loki with an intense stare. "As the name suggests, the potion's power is too great to publish. I hid it away here, to keep it from falling into the wrong hooves."
Loki let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. He leaned in closer to the page, his voice barely above a whisper. "Does this potion do what I think it does?"
"Hah!" Starswirl laughed right in Loki's face, shaking his head. "You'll have to get in to find out, young'un. However, I will say that I was not simply tooting my own flugelhorn when I said the applications were limitless." Again he drug a hoof through his beard, his appearance thoughtful. "Why, I'd say it would even work on an alicorn under the right circumstances."
Loki leaned back, forcing his mouth to close lest he appear a slackjawed idiot. Looking out his window, he caught sight of the monolithic palace as it was framed by the last warm vestiges of the setting sun. Its banners flapped in the breeze, images testifying to the greatness of Princess Celestia.
"Pull back on that grin, Loki," Starswirl chuckled. "A pony might think you were up to no good."
Loki faced the book again, drawing back his positively evil grin into a mere self-satisfied smirk. "Well, then," he almost purred. "Shall we get started?"
-----------------------------
Loki reached up and rubbed a hoof across his forehead. The beginning of a headache was coalescing behind his eyes.
The evening trailed away, his record player droning out music meant to be relaxing. The stringed instruments only bit into his mind as he struggled to find a word he hadn't yet tried. His horn glowed and the needle scratched, allowing blessed silence to reign over his quarters.
"How in all the hells did you get this job, young'un?" Starswirl reclined in a lineart hammock, forehooves slung behind his head as he rocked side-to-side. "I would have thought a bloody archivist would know the magic word."
"You are not helping," Loki hissed through gritted teeth. "I have tried every word of power in every language I know. I am beginning to suspect you are simply having fun with me."
"You know," Starswirl grunted, sitting up and smirking. "In three hours, you've never actually asked me what the magic word is."
Loki sighed, tilting his head back. "All right. What is the--"
"I mean, I'm not actually going to tell you." Starswirl settled back in his hammock. He sighed and pulled his pointed cap down over his eyes. "I just figured you would have asked the obvious question by now."
The ghost of a laugh trailed from Loki's throat. "Were it not for this Mortis Potion, I would send you through a shredder."
"Promises, promises." Starswirl rolled over and scratched his rear end.
Loki frowned. He slammed the book closed with a glow of his horn. His frown deepened as he closed his eyes tightly.
"Well," he breathed. "Now what?"
"Maybe something to eat?," a feminine voice said.
Loki's eyes snapped open and his entire body went rigid. Slowly turning his head, he saw a grey-furred, blond-maned pegasus sitting next to him. A pair of saddlebags emblazoned with the Equestrian Mail Service were slung across her back. Her askew eyes and empty grin instantly scratched at the inside of Loki's mind.
"Where did you come from?," he practically spat.
"Blame my parents." She giggled.
One of Loki's eyes twitched imperceptibly. "There are many things for which your parents should be blamed. Now—"
"Sssshhh," she said, pressing a hoof to his muzzle.
He smacked her hoof away. "You do you think you are?"
"Ditzy Do the mail mare! My friends call me Derpy!" Ditzy grinned again. She hopped up onto all fours and danced in place. "Guess why I'm here! Guess! Guess!"
Loki closed his eyes and sucked in a deep breath, slowly exhaling. "Do I have a letter?"
She openly gawped at him. "Wow. You're good at this!"
"Your approval is existentially fulfilling." If Loki's tone were any drier, his tongue might have crumbled and blown away.
"Thanks!" Derpy reached back with her muzzle and fetched the letter from her pack. Loki accepted it with a swipe of his magic.
"Thank you," he said with no gratitude in his voice. He turned his back on her. A few seconds later, he looked over his shoulder. She stood there, grinning at him. Her eyes never quite lined up properly.
"Do you mind?" Loki's eye twitched again.
"Nope!" She sat her rump down. "Don't mind a bit! Thanks for asking."
Bile rose in the back of his throat. For one glorious second, he imagined freezing and then shattering the cock-eyed mare.
"I am sure you have other customers waiting," he said through gritted teeth. "I would not wish to delay you."
She shot up, mouth opening in a small O of shock. "Oh goodness! Thanks for reminding me, Loki. I've got, like, twenty more letters to deliver." She spread her wings out, holding up a hoof and waving. One great flap later, she shot backwards out the open window. Her giddy laughter stabbed into his eardrums.
"Inbred little troglodyte," he grumbled to himself. His horn glowed and his windows slammed closed. Facing his letter, he practically eviscerated the covering into a fog of paper particles. Unfolding it revealed the neat, particular lettering of Twilight Sparkle.
Dear Loki,
Hello! How is everything in Canterlot? I hope you're enjoying your job as the archivist. I wish I could see everything you're seeing! Even the Princess's own faithful student needs a pass to rent a book from the archives.
Since you're new here, you're probably not aware that next week is the annual Founder's Day celebration. It's a day when we celebrate the founding of Canterlot, as well as the coming of the Alicorns. There's going to be a parade and games and all sorts of other things.
The girls and myself will be taking a train up to Canterlot in a week to join in the festivities. We'd be so happy if you'd join us! My foalsitter will be coming as well, and I'd love for you to meet her.
I hope you RSVP in the extremely positive!
Yours in friendship,
Twilight Sparkle.
Loki set the letter down. Closing his eyes, he rubbed a hoof over his forehead. The headache was coming back with a vengeance. "I suppose," he mused to himself. He looked at the journal, sitting so innocently on his desk. "It's not as if I have anything better to do."
In a few minutes, Loki's quill scratched along his parchment. He did indeed RSVP in the extremely positive. He hoped he sounded enthusiastic despite the headache throbbing behind his eyes.
The letter was folded and stuffed in an envelope for only a second before the gray mail mare plucked it from the edge of his desk.
Loki's calm exterior cracked for a split second. He jumped away from Ditzy, face screwing up in anger. "How do you do that?"
"Do what?" Ditzy blinked. Her eyes yet again came within centimeters of matching up before going completely cattywumpus.
Loki's shoulders sagged. "Never mind," he sighed with defeat. He opened one of his drawers and tossed her a few bits. "Keep the change."
Ditzy grinned. Deftly she turned her body and caught the bits in her open saddlebags. "Thanks, Loki!" And once again, she flew ass-first through the open window.
Loki stared after her. The tick-tock-tick-tock of his wall clock filled his quarters. He turned to face his desk as his headache blared like a fire engine behind his eyes. With a soft thud, he pressed his forehead down against the edge of his desk. Time escaped him.
"Loki?" A deeper, yet still feminine, voice filled his ears. Luna glided gracefully into his room, landing without a sound. She tucked her wings against her body and stared with concern at Loki's back. "You know your windows are wide open, do you not?"
Loki laughed tiredly.
-----------------------------
Loki worked tirelessly over the next week to suss out the password. It was not long before his personal repertoire of magical incantations was exhausted. He then delved into the archives themselves. Stacks of books, parchments, and codices were recalled to glean whatever tidbits of information they contained. A week later, the password still lay outside Loki's grasp.
Decorations had begun to creep into the city during that week. Banners proclaiming the greatness of the Princesses fluttered from rooftops and windows. Tour guides led foreigners, students, and tourists through the winding streets to show off ancient landmarks. What seemed like thousands of merchants appeared a day before the celebration, setting up their carts in preparation to hawk their wares.
Founder's Day. A carnival-like atmosphere descended upon the city. Ponies crowded the street, playing games and buying trinkets they didn't need. Gigantic floats were lassoed by thick cords above the city's stone buildings. The city teemed and roared with the hooves and voices of hundreds of thousands of ponies.
Loki continued to work.
"Do you have any friends?" Starswirl reclined on his hammock. The hand-drawn wizard flipped through an equally illustrated magazine. "Other than that smoking-hot princess, of course."
Loki rubbed his temple. His room was in shambles. All manner of books and codices were scattered around the edges of his circular quarters. Parchment spilled over in great piles on the floor. Even his bed had been taken over by the mess.
"It sounds like there's a big party going on out there." Starswirl flipped his magazine to the side. He grinned as a folded page fell out into his lap. "If you want my professional advice, you need to go out and have some fun."
"Fun is the purview of mortals." Loki said the word 'fun' as others would say 'pus'.
"Such a humble unicorn," Starswirl riposted. He looked out of the book and sighed. "Loki, you've been at this for a week. A little fresh air and social interaction might offer you a new perspective."
Loki sniffed at the idea. Even so, he closed the book. He swept his eyes over his room and sighed.
"Perhaps the sketch is right," he sighed.
"I heard that," came a muffled voice from the book. Loki smirked.
-----------------------------
Loki had never seen the streets of Canterlot so active. He pushed shoulder-to-shoulder through the small, winding streets. His golden armor gleamed in the light of guttering streetlamps. As he approached his destination, the dull roar became an unavoidable cacophony.
He rounded a corner and walked into the same circular hub he'd seen on his first day in Canterlot. The large expanse had been overtaken by booths of every different stripe. Delicious foods both foreign and domestic were sold at exorbitant prices as their smells mixed with the odor of thousands of ponies; clowns laughed and jeered from target-collapsible seats above tubs of water; fabulous prizes hung for foals of all ages to compete over in multitudes of games. Discord's statue stood in the central fountain where some enterprising young stallion offered to take a picture of any pony with the fallen god. For a small fee, of course.
Into this controlled chaos strolled Loki. He kept to the outside of the main flow of traffic as he took in each booth with his cool, collected gaze. His stomach suddenly grumbled at him loud enough to carry over the maelstrom of talking and music.
A few minutes and several bits later, Loki stared at the gigantic pink fluff that was a batch of cotton candy. "So this is what Pinkie went on and on about," he mused. The sweet string melted in his mouth as he took a bite. The sweetness was overbearing yet not altogether unpleasant. He licked his lips and shrugged, taking another bite and walking on.
The crush of ponies ebbed and flowed like surf against a beach. Sometimes Loki could walk freely; at other times, he had to push and shove through a veritable wall of technicolor equines. It wasn't until he heard an indignant squeak that he realized he'd actually run into one of them.
"Excuse me," he said. No pony answered and none in his immediate field of vision seemed out of sorts.
"Loki!" The squeaky voice came again, and Loki looked down. Sweetie Belle grinned up at the armored stallion. She stood up onto all fours and looked behind her. "Girls! I found Loki!" Three others fillies trotted out from the crowd. Loki recognized Scootaloo and Applebloom. The third filly was a light purple unicorn with a blond mane.
"Hello, Cutie Mark Crusaders," Loki said. The familiarity of their moniker could not separate it from how inherently silly it felt to say. "I am afraid I do not recognize your friend."
"I'm Dinky." The purple unicorn smiled politely. She bowed her head and gave what seemed to be the pony version of a curtsy. "Pleased to meet you, Loki. My fellow Crusaders told me all about you and your awesome ice magic. I'd love to see it sometime."
A smile stole across Loki's face. Were he any other person, Dinky's polite and unassuming character would have been utterly heartwarming. "The pleasure is mine, Dinky. Sweetie, are the Elements with you?"
"Yeah, they're right around..." Sweetie trailed off as she looked behind herself. "Oh no." Her ears drooped along with her shoulders.
Applebloom shook her head. "I told ya y'shouldn't have run off like that."
"It's not my fault!" Sweetie squeaked again. "I saw Loki's horns and I knew they were looking for him and--"
Scootaloo sucked in a breath between her teeth. "Rarity is gonna be so mad."
"Now, now," Loki said. "I am sure we can find them if we all look together." Loki made a motion with his hoof. "Stand around me and let's retrace your steps."
The Cutie Mark Crusaders voiced their approval of the plan in their usual manner. Loki wondered if it was really equivalent to having an ice pick shoved in his ear. Perhaps he was exaggerating.
The Crusaders formed up into a square around him and the five of them trotted through the crowd. Loki's stature as well as his armor helped to push through the crush of ponies in front of them. Every once in a while, one of the fillies would pipe up with directions and the group would shift course to compensate.
When Sweetie Belle gasped, Loki smiled. He followed her through the crowd as she took off. The Crusaders came with him as they finally came through the main thoroughfare. Loki furrowed his brows when he found Sweetie standing in front of a vendor's booth, gazing up at a rack of prizes.
"It's so fluffy!" She squeaked again, staring up at a big, pink fluffy doll. It looked like a pony with a fur problem to Loki. Sweetie rounded on Loki and her eyes seemed to grow twice as wide. "Oh please can't we try to get it? Oh please please please?"
Loki raised an eyebrow. "I do not think we should be getting distracted. We need to find your friends. They are probably quite worried about you."
The four fillies stood in a row in front of Loki. Their eyes bulged and their bottom lips quivered. Scootaloo even let out a plaintive whimper.
"Please?" Their voices rang out in unison.
Loki snorted derisively. "You are trying to appeal to my sympathies using your own natural adorableness."
The fillies backed away a step. They looked at one another as a card player would when caught cheating.
"No we're not!" Scootaloo objected. Her voice wavered and cracked.
"Don't be ashamed." Loki smirked, his horn glowing as he pulled a few bits from his saddlebags. He set them down on the counter in front the rough-looking attendant. He leaned down and pressed his hoof against Scootaloo's muzzle. "Just try not to be so obvious next time. Subtlety is key, Scootaloo."
"You're up, little lady!" The attendant, a burly Earth pony with a small cap and a five-o-clock shadow, set a trio of balls down on the counter. A strange contraption, catapult-like in appearance, was attached by a swivel to the counter. At the far end of the booth stood a tower of milk bottles, ten in total. "Knock the tower down, and you get to walk away with the fluffy pony!"
Scootaloo's wings buzzed eagerly as she clambered her way up onto a small stool set in front of the counter. Grabbing a ball with her muzzle, she set it down in the cup of the catapult and pulled it down. The springs in the machine whined dangerously just before she let go with a happy giggle. The ball rocketed straight up and hit the ceiling, landing in front of the tower uselessly.
"Aw, shoot!" Scootaloo stamped her hoof. Her face softened and she looked down at Applebloom. "Hey, you get up here and give it a try. You're good with machines and stuff."
"All right!" Applebloom grinned and followed Scootaloo onto the counter. She took careful aim with the second ball as the bored-looking owner looked on. She released the ball with a happy yeehah! The ball arched perfectly and struck the tower head-on.
The tower barely moved.
"Aw come on!" Applebloom's cheeks and ears turned almost as pink as her mane bow. "That's not fair!"
Loki's eyes narrowed. He shifted his head slightly to the right, paying special attention to the blue-colored wall behind the milk bottle tower.
"Sorry, little lady," the attendant said. His voice remained level and gruff. He leaned over and looked down at Sweetie and Dinky. "One more ball. Who else wants to give it a try?"
"Sweetie," Loki said, smiling down at the filly. "Why don't you have the last ball? You do still want that fluffy pony, don't you?"
"Yes!" Sweetie Belle jumped up and down eagerly. Her eyes darted up the prize that lay just outside her reach.
"All right, come on up and give it a shot. But remember." The attendant motioned to a sign placed on the inside of the booth. NO MAGIC, it read in bold red letters.
"I can't even lift things yet," Sweetie said with a huff as she clambered onto the counter. She placed the last ball on the catapult and lined it up.
"Come on, Sweetie Belle!" Dinky hopped up and down as sparks shot from her horn. "You can do it!"
"You have our support, Sweetie," Loki said. He kept his eyes trained on the catapult.
Sweetie Belle stuck her tongue out from her muzzle. She took her final aim and released the ball. As she did, Loki's eyes narrowed. His horn, however, remained silent.
In the middle of its lazy arc, the ball suddenly took off and careened forward as if blasted out of a cannon. The milk bottle tower shattered apart as it slammed through it. The wooden backing painted to match the booth's walls exploded in a shower of splinters. The ball finally lodged in the rear wall, making the entire booth creak in protest.
The stallion and all four fillies stood with their jaws hanging open. Sweetie Belle finally broke the silencing, squeaking her victory and hopping up and down. "I did it! I did it! I got the fluffy pony! Woohoo!"
"You cheated!" The stallion's slapped a hoof down on the counter. "My sign specifically says 'no magic'."
"I didn't use any magic!" Sweetie looked aghast at the accusation.
"Well, you cheated somehow." The attendant looked at the gathered group with suspicion in his eyes. "That machine isn't strong enough to break through the—" He stopped suddenly.
"Break through the what?" Loki asked. A small smirk quirked one side of his mouth.
The attendant glowered at the group. He stomped over to the prize rack and pulled down the doll. "Take it and get lost."
Loki smiled. He watched as the four fillies gaped and laughed around their prize. Sometimes, he thought, you have to savor the small victories.
-----------------------------
"Sweetie Belle!" Rarity grinned as her little sister came into view. The five other Elements of Harmony followed her gaze. They saw Sweetie and her three friends emerge from the crowd. Loki brought up the rear, unmistakable in his Asgardian armor.
Loki opened his mouth to say something only to leave it open in shock. Rarity's ensemble for the night was a gold-and-green mixture that took open inspiration from Loki's armor. Where Loki's was relatively subdued and conservative, Rarity had taken the chance to expand upon Asgardian design philosophy. She had adorned her intricately-sewn golden top with matching jewels. Rather than a cumbersome helmet, she wore a jewel-encrusted tiara with a smaller pair of horns. The entire affect was similar to a child trying and adorably failing to copy its parent's wardrobe.
The rest of the Elements stood behind her, dressed in similar yet more tasteful attire. Each of them wore an ensemble that matched their personality in some fashion, from Applejack's simple and rustic sensibilities to Fluttershy's connection with nature. Standing with the six were three other ponies, as well: Ditzy the mail-mare, wearing a simple blue gown; Shining Armor, dressed up in his royal armor; and standing next to Shining was a pink-furred pony Loki had not seen before. His eyebrows raised when he saw she was an alicorn.
Sweetie Belle rushed to her sister, friends and prize in tow. "Rarity," she exclaimed. "Look, look, look! I won!" The three other fillies lifted up the fluffy pink prize. They grinned and giggled in happiness for their friend.
Rarity regarded the cheaply-made doll with a small, nervous smile. "Yes, well. Isn't that something? Ahem." Her blue eyes darted to Loki and she grinned. "Loki. A pleasure to see you again. Notice anything different about me?"
Loki looked Rarity up and down. "Hmm. Did you get a new mane style?" Rainbow Dash giggled as Rarity pouted.
"My dress, Loki," she said, striking a pose. "Trés chic, non?"
Loki drank down the visual image of Rarity's gaudy, twinkling bastardization of his armor's design aesthetic. "Words fail me," he finally managed. Rarity trilled and danced in place. Loki began to understand just where Sweetie Belle got her ability to torture others with her voice.
He turned to Shining Armor and offered an incline of his head in greeting. "Hello again, Shining Armor," he said. He looked at the pink alicorn. "I do not believe we have been introduced. I am Loki, formerly of Asgard."
"A pleasure to meet you, Loki." She bowed, her multicolored mane bobbing around her face. "I'm Mi Amoré Cadenza. My friends call me Cadence."
"She was my foalsitter," Twilight piped up helpfully. "She's also my sister-in-law now." The two of them laughed at the notion while Shining looked on with a proud smile. Then, apropos of nothing, Twilight and Cadence began to dance and sing.
"Sunshine sunshine
Ladybugs, awake!
Clap your hooves and
Do a little shake!"
The group laughed and smiled at the display. Loki struggled to keep his face neutral even as he felt his stomach churning. Perhaps I should let myself get found out, he thought.
"Muffin!" Ditzy grinned. She scooped up the little filly in a tight hug, snuggling her close.
"Mom," Dinky whined. "Stop, you're embarrassing me!"
"It's my job," Ditzy replied. She grinned and snuggled her daughter even tighter.
Loki watched the scene, his stomach settling but only just. "So," he said, approaching Ditzy and Dinky. "Has your daughter inherited your skill at sneaking?"
Ditzy looked up at Loki, a confused look written across her face. "Beg your pardon?" Her walled eye rolled around lazily. "Have we met?"
Loki found his bile beginning to kick up again. "You delivered the letter inviting me here." He caught movement out of the corner of his eye as Rainbow Dash trotted over to join the conversation.
Ditzy grinned and waved away the question. "Nope! Can't be me. I'm a mover, not a mail-mare."
Loki's jaw clenched and his nostrils flared. He could feel the familiar throbbing of a headache working its way through his skull.
"Pst." Rainbow Dash leaned in and whispered into his ear. "Trust me: it's better if you just stop using logic around her. Same with Pinkie Pie."
Loki let out his breath in a long slow sigh. He tilted his head forward and pressed a hoof to his forehead. This place is going to be the death of me, he decided.
Morbid thoughts would have to wait as trumpets blared and the crowd soared in adulation. All eyes turned towards the castle as a pair of figures emerged from the tall, monolithic towers. They floated serenely through the late evening sky, a bright red splotch of color traveling between them.
As the figures drew closer, they resolved into the twin rulers of Equestria. Celestia's golden gown brought memories of Asgardian statuary to Loki's mind as it glittered in the light of the city. Her tall crown twinkled with encrusted jewels and sapphires. Luna's attire was far more subdued. Soft blue colors melted into darker hues, reminiscent of the evening sky. Her crown was as dark as the deepest night, its surface having more in common with an oil slick than some form of metal. The red shape became a thin, graceful bird colored in many different variations of red and orange.
The sister Princesses of Equestria came to rest on a raised platform Loki had not yet noticed. Celestia smiled up at the bird, calling it down with a nod of her head.
Loki walked up to stand next to Twilight. "I have not seen a bird of that kind before," he said, keeping his voice low.
"I'm not surprised," Twilight responded, straightening up with barely-contained pride. "It's not every pony in the world who owns her very own phoenix."
"A phoenix?" Loki looked up at the stage. Celestia held one of her hooves up, the tall bird settling onto her forelimb. It preened itself openly, chest held out in a prideful display.
"Philomena," Fluttershy said from Loki's left. She smiled, her eyes closed as she remembered their last meeting. "She's a mischievous girl."
"Citizens of Equestria!" Celestia's voice boomed across the gathering. All conversation stopped, rendering the entire courtyard eerily silent. "Today we celebrate the founding of our great city. It is today as it was always meant to be: a shining light for all Equestria. It's art and culture—"
Celestia's speech faded into the background. Loki studied Luna from a distance as his headache finally began to recede. He had never seen her in anything close to the dress she was wearing. The ultimate effect of the dark blues and reflective surfaces was enough to impress one as old and jaded as he.
Luna turned her head in his direction. The bored look she wore turned into a brilliant grin that lit up her entire face. Loki's stomach clenched as he felt her enigmatic aquamarine eyes singling him out in the crowd.
Without even realizing it, Loki smiled and returned Luna's wave. His smile faltered as he caught himself. He looked down at his hoof. His stomach clenched again.
"—me proud to call this city my home." Celestia grinned out to her gathered subject. Love radiated from her immaculate face as heat did from her star. "Now, my little ponies, let us throw our voices to the sky in exultation. Let us celebrate our Canterlot, rising from the strife of history."
Philomena spread her wings to their full extent. She crouched low and took off like a rocket. In moments she soared above the crowd to dizzying heights.
"Like a phoenix from the ashes!" Celestia called to the sky. Philomena spread her wings once again as dazzling, pyrotechnic flares burst from her body. Hidden fireworks joined in the display as they careened up to explode in a cacophony of sound and color. The dense smell of gunpowder settled on the gathered crowd. The entire sky was painted in every color of the rainbow as the fireworks' voices added to the sound of thousands of ponies crying out in happiness.
Loki neither saw nor heard any of it.
He could only stare at his hoof.
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"Loki." Luna smiled as the crowd parted around her.
Loki looked over his shoulder. He hastily swallowed down his mouthful of confection (Pinkie Pie had called it a 'funnel cake') and smiled in return. The six Elements of Harmony, as well as their friends and loved ones, sat at an outdoor dining table. Twilight's parents had joined them, while Rainbow Dash had left the group to go chasing after some pony she'd recognized as being a Wonderbolt.
"Luna," Loki said. He slid off his pillow seat and stood up. As Luna approached, he gave her a humble bow. "That was a most impressive show this evening."
The gathered ponies added their assent and Luna could only laugh politely. "Thank you, thank you. I am afraid it was all my sister's doing. She loves this holiday so." She turned her attention back to Loki. Her smile grew deeper. "Loki, might I trouble you for a moment alone?"
"Of course," Loki said. Luna lead them away from the table and into the thinning crowd. Looking over his shoulder, Loki saw the table of ponies staring after them and whispering to each other. Pinkie Pie giggled.
The two arrived in a small alcove between a pair of booths. The night was rather cool and pleasant away from the noise and press of bodies.
"Loki." Luna's voice quavered slightly. A normal pony might not have caught it. To Loki it couldn't have been more obvious. He sized Luna up, noting the awkwardness in her stance. "I wanted to ask you something. If you are busy or do not wish to, please do not hesitate to let me know. I will understand."
"Please ask," Loki responded. His curiosity was tempered by his natural suspicion.
Luna met Loki's eyes. For the first time he noticed her ears had turned a light shade of pink. "I am putting on a meteor shower in three day's time," she said. "I have a private garden on a balcony. It is perfectly situated to see the shower, and I was wondering if you would care to join me whilst I perform."
Loki blinked. Of all the scenarios he had imagined, this was probably one of the least likely. Rarely wrong-footed, he put on a charming grin. "Luna, I would be delighted to join you."
Luna straightened up as a relieved smile washed over her face. "Oh, wonderful. I was so hoping you would agree."
Loki chuckled. "Why would I not? I do enjoy spending time with you."
Luna laughed in return. "As I, you."
"Should I bring anything?"
Luna looked pensive for a moment. "Something to drink, perhaps. Your taste in wine is always impeccable."
"You flatter me." Loki bowed. "Shall I expect you for our game tonight?"
Luna shook her head. "It takes quite some effort to prepare, and I also must assist Celestia with royal business." She looked up at the night sky. "Speaking of whom, I must be off."
"Well," Loki said. "Until then, I look forward to your performance with anticipation."
Luna grinned. The gesture was at once adorable and alluring. "I do so hope you like it, Loki."
They parted ways, each wearing a smile on their face.
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"What'd she say? What'd she say?" Pinkie Pie was practically effervescent. She bounced up and down on her seat pillow and nearly knocked over the ten empty bottles of Pop-Fizz in front of her.
Loki resumed his seat across from her and shook his head. "I am not sure I am at liberty to discuss our conversation."
"Aww." Pinkie's mane drooped fractionally.
"Oh, that's all right, Pinkie Pie." Rarity smiled cattily. "That just means we can make up our own ideas about what was said."
"Certain to be far more salacious than the truth, I would wager." Loki shook his head with a half-smile. He picked up his fork and knife to slice himself another portion of funnel cake. The exterior crunched merrily and the softness inside was pleasant on the tongue. The food is agreeable at least, he decided as he swallowed it down.
"Mom?" Dinky swiveled around on her pillow. Her forelimbs were held down between her legs and she looked as if she couldn't sit still. "Can I go to the bathroom?"
"I don't know," Ditzy said from her seat next to her daughter. "Can you?"
Dinky pouted. "May I go to the bathroom?"
"Ah ah ah, Dinky." Her mother shook a hoof at her, managing somehow to look stern even with her walled eye. "What's the magic word?"
"Please?" Dinky's intonation was a mixture of desperation and frustration.
"That's better. Go on, get outta here." Ditzy smiled after her daughter as the little filly took off like a rocket towards a nearby port-a-potty.
Loki's silverware clattered noisily onto his plate. The table went silent as all eyes turned to him. He stared off into the middle distance as his jaw worked up and down noiselessly.
"Loki?" Twilight leaned across the table to look at her friend. "Loki, what's wrong?"
"He looks like he's chokin' or somethin'." Applejack stood up and trotted over to Loki. She slapped a hoof against his back. "C'mon now, sick it up."
On the third slap, Loki burst out laughing. The gathered ponies jumped at the sudden explosion of sound. Loki shook his head and pressed his forehead into one of his hooves. He grinned from ear-to-ear as the laughter kept coming.
"It can't possibly be that trite," he finally breathed.
Twilight looked at Applejack questioningly. Applejack shrugged, then crossed her eyes and twirled her hoof near her head.
-----------------------------
Loki stared down at the journal. It sat on his desk as it had done almost every hour of every day since he'd found the damned thing.
"So, come back for more, have you?" Starswirl taunted as the book was opened. He reclined in his hammock as he always did. Tonight he was entertaining himself with a yo-yo. Throwing it out and drawing it back in, he grinned up at Loki. "I gotta give you credit: you are tenacious. A lot of kids might have given up after so much failure."
"May I please see the contents of this journal?" Loki spoke slowly and clearly. He enunciated every word as precisely as he could. He didn't even bother to hide the relish in his voice.
The change in Starswirl's demeanor was almost immediate. His yo-yo tumbled to the ground forgotten. His old face went from mocking to serious in the blink of an eye. He grunted and pulled himself out of the hammock, walking toward Loki. When his face took up the entirety of the page, he raised an eyebrow.
"So," he said. "You think that's the magic word, do you?"
"I would not think you would hide such secrets behind so common a word," Loki answered. "I am, however, forced to admit to its...counter-intuitive nature."
Loki and Starswirl stared at one another. Starswirl stroked his beard slowly as the seconds dragged on. Loki became painfully aware of the sound of his candles in the background. His own heartbeat was like a drum in his ears. He had to press his forehooves against the floor to keep from counting.
Starswirl chuckled. "Why not?" He clapped his hooves together and the world exploded.
The pages burned bright with the light of a sun. Loki's apartment was rendered bleached and shadowless for a few painful moments. Despite the brightness, Loki could still see. He saw the pages flipping back and forth as writing began to appear on them: algorithms, lists, spells, histories, lovingly rendered drawings and anatomical renderings. The sound of a thousand quills scratching a thousand lines on hundreds of sheaves of parchment filled his ears. The smell of ink, earthen and heavy, filled his nose.
Loki's grin was demonic in the harsh light of the journal.