//------------------------------// // Chapter 9 // Story: Beginning of Autumn // by MagicTypingPony //------------------------------// Autumn’s eyes widened at the sight of the familiar griffon over him, “You!” “Yes...?” Will responded with a guilty smile. His smile instantly faded when Autumn lifted him up with his magic. Dragging him back into the room he was just stealing from, Autumn roughly shoved him into a wall. “What are you doing here?!” “Nothing...” Will replied. Autumn's horn began to glow brighter, giving him a more menacing look. “Ok, ok. I was just doing my job.” Noticing the sack that the griffon had dropped, Autumn picked it up and examined it. “Do I even have to guess what's in this?” “Nothing these ponies won't miss. You know, just the odd trinket, a few bits, and maybe some pieces of jewelry.” Raising his eyebrows, Autumn tipped the bag upside down, causing it relinquish its contents onto the floor. A small river of bits and gems poured out of the bag, forming a large pile in front Autumn. Bit’s and gems poured out of the bag like a small rushing river, Autumn was amazed how much he collected without raising anyponies attention. Autumn was shocked at how much the griffon was able to fit into the small bag. “And what is all this?” He asked. “I swear, I only took the non-essentials. Nothing they don't need.” Autumn thought for a moment before asking a new question. “How many noble families have you stolen from?” Will began counting. “One...two...three...four...I can't remember.” He suddenly yelped in pain as Autumn started pressing him more roughly into the wall. “Try harder!” he encouraged, his patience quickly running thin. “No seriously. I've lost count. If you wanted me to tell you how many families I've stolen from, it would take all night.” Upon hearing this, Autumn stopped pressing him into the wall. “That many, huh?” “Yep.” said Will proudly “And you've never been caught?” “What can I say. I'm the best at what I do.” “And yet you've managed to get caught by me. Twice.” “It won't happen again. I promise.” “Too right it won't happen again, because this time I'm turning you in.” Autumn started walking towards the door, dragging the now panicking griffon behind him. “W-Wait!” cried Will desperately, grasping onto the door frame as they passed through it. “Let go.” said Autumn, clearly annoyed with the griffons resistance. “No, wait. I can do something for you! I can help you out! J-Just please don’t let them take me!” Autumn turned back to the frantic Griffon, “Do you really think I’m just going to let you go after what you've done?” “B-But Autumn, you don’t know what they’ll do to me! They’ll clip my wings, cut my beak and trim my nails! I’ll be laughed at and paraded about like a trophy of failure!” “Well maybe that's what you deserve.” “Not exactly what I'd...” “Keep quiet!” Autumn's magic suddenly grabbed Will's beak, forcefully closing it. “Hmmm? HMHMMM?!…HMMMMMMMHMMMHMMMHH!” Will screamed through his sealed beak while he desperately tried to pry it open with his claws. “I said, be quiet!” Autumn hissed through his teeth. Will stopped trying to open his beak and nodded in reassurance. The glow around his beak vanished as Autumn released it. “I should have taken you in to my father the first time I met you.” Autumn said, his voice filled with frustration. “Ahhh yes, but you didn't, and for that I am very thankful.” “And you express your thanks by robbing some other wealthy pony?” Will looked are Autumn as is he was stupid. “Of course! If you release a thief what do you expect him to do? Go home and make cupcakes? I have a reputation to keep up.” “Well I'm sorry that I have to end that for you.” “Wait wait wait. Didn't you hear me earlier? I said I could help you out.” “And how could you do that? Unless you could teach me how to dance?” “I'm no dance teacher, but I could do anything else. I could steal something for you, set a house on fire, send a love letter...” Autumn narrowed his eyes. “...or do something more probable. The possibilities are endless.” Autumn thought about it. He could always use an ally. Or at least someone he could rely on. “How can I be sure that you'll keep your word?” Will let out a silent sigh of relief, he'd finally won the unicorn over. “Do I honestly look like the kind of griffon that would go back on their word?...Don't answer that actually.” Autumn stayed silent, encouraging the griffon to continue. “Okay, so I'm probably not the most trust worthy of allies to have, at least by my occupation. But I swear on the Griffon Kingdom that I will provide my assistance to you whenever I can.” Will placed on his talons over his heart, not that it added anything to his promise as far as Autumn was concerned. “We’re not even in the Griffon Kingdom.” “That is true...but you still have my word!” “Which coming from a thief, means nothing to me. Do you have anything else you can put forward to make yourself trustworthy?” “Not really...oh wait. I have one more thing.” Reaching behind his back, Will pulled out two small golden amulets with a red gem in the middle of each of them. He gave one to Autumn. “Where were you hiding this?” “That's not important. Now listen, these two amulets act like respondents to each other. You push the gem on one of them...” Will pushed the gem on his amulet, and Autumn's gem started flashing. “...and the other flashes. It works both ways, so if you ever need me, you know what to do. So what do you say? Am I trustworthy yet?” Autumn thought it over for a moment. “I...I don't know if I should...” “Come on. I mean, friendship is magic after all.” “Where did you hear that?” “When you're in my line of work, you hear a lot of crazy things. So do we have a deal?” Will offered out his talon. “I'm probably going to regret this later.” Autumn thought to himself as he took Will's talon with his hoof and gave it a light shake. as he shook Will's talon. “Deal.” “Then it was a pleasure doing business with you.” Will said as he made his way over to a nearby window and opened it. “And by the way, the assistance I owe you is a onetime thing. I'm just doing you a favor, not becoming your personal slave. Got it?” “Yes. So I guess I'll see you when I need you.” “See you when you need me. Or if you're snooping around the Blueblood's estate this time next week.” With that, Will jumped out of the window and disappeared with a flap of his wings. Autumn quietly shut the window and started to head back to the party, when he noticed that the sack and everything Will stole was gone. “That little...” he said softly under his breath as he trotted out of the room. -- Back in the ballroom, Summer and Amber were celebrating the start of a future union between their houses. “They're perfect for each other!” Amber insisted as he raised his cider glass. “You could seriously tell that from a single dance?” Summer commented, laughing softly. “Come now Summer. You saw the way they were looking at each other, the way they moved. The spark between them was obvious.” “Only to somepony who is blinded by their own vigilance to see it.” “Don't be daft. Autumn and Maple are clearly made for each other.” “Says the pony who probably already has their marriage planned in his head.” “How did you...well their marriage will have to planned eventually.” “One hoof in front of the other Amber. Marriage is far from being the next step.” “Then what do you suggest is to be done?” Summer swirled is cider glass while he thought. “Though it is small, their fire has been lit. All we need to do now is fuel the flame. A simple date will be nice start for their relationship.” “Might I suggest that we arrange their date at The Castle Corner. It's a nice little café near the castle. How about there?” “It should do quite adequately …” Summer agreed, nodding slightly as he took a sip from his cup. “Good, then I’ll make all the arrangements. Just be sure that Autumn gets there on time. I expect nothing but the best for my daughter.” “Trust me, Autumn will be there. I'll make sure of it.” -- Autumn timidly made his way down the stairs back into the ballroom, hoping to attract as little attention as possible. But he attracted the attention of the one pony he was hoping to not run into “What took you?” Maple's voice was filled with irritation. Autumn turned to the annoyed filly and tried a smile. “M-maple? H-how are you?” Maple leaned in close until their muzzles were almost touching. “Answer my question. What. Took. You.” “Ummm…I-I-I got lost…” Maple raised an eyebrow in disbelief, “You are the worst liar I've ever seen.” “H-hey, w-why don’t we have another dance?” Autumn said trying to change the subject. Maple was taken aback. “That was literally the last thing I expected to come out of your mouth.” Autumn frantically looked around, then his face went crimson. “Can we please go somewhere that isn't here?” “What's wrong with here?” “The attention…” Autumn whispered. Maple looked around and noticed what the 'attention' was. Almost every eye in the room was on them. Mares and stallions alike were looking at them out of the corners of their eyes. She heard somepony whisper “young love” causing a group of ponies to start chuckling under their breath. “I'm going to go look for father.” said Autumn before running towards the ballroom. Maple chased after him, prompting more laughter from the crowd of watchers. Chasing him through crowds of ponies, Maple finally caught up with him when he stopped for breath. “Some gentlecolt you are, abandoning your filly.” “What do mean, 'my filly'? You are not 'my' filly.” “I don't know if you forgot during your trip to the bathroom, but we danced, so that makes you my date.” “But...I...you...” Autumn stuttered for words as Maple smirked at him. Thankfully, the sound of a spoon tapping a glass drew their attention an elevated platform, where Maple's father could be seen. “Oh boy.” Maple groaned. “Brace yourself.” “What's happening?” “Father's about to give his speech. He gives one at every social gathering we have. And he's almost always intoxicated when he makes it.” “Good evening my beloved guests. I pray that you have all enjoyed yourselves a fair bit. Had fun eating my food, and drinking my cider. As many of you may not know, this social gathering has been held in honour of my oldest and closest friend, Summer Storm.” Amber moved to side so Summer could join him on the stage. A few whispers came from the crowd. In terms of magical studies, Summer Storm was an underground celebrity. “Summer Storm...?” “What does he do?” “They that his research will change Equestria itself.” “Those two are friends?” “Summer Storm,” Amber continued, silencing the whispers. “His studies in the potential of unicorn magic will hopefully one day, change this world for the better.” He then turned to Summer. “While I know that you are very secretive about your work, I hope that you may be able to provide us all with a sneak peek on your latest project.” Summer's eyes swept over the crowd of elite ponies, their eyes sparkling as they gazed upon him as if one of the princesses were standing in his place. His eyes found Autumn, standing timidly next to Maple. Autumn noticed his father staring at him and shrunk under his gaze. “While I am unfortunately unable to reveal any specific details about my research,” Summer announced without breaking eye contact with his son, “I can promise you that will indeed, as Amber said, change Equestria.” With that, he walked off the stage, allowing Amber to take the central spotlight once again. “Thank you for that Summer.” He said, a tinge of disappointment in his voice. “Now while it has been a lovely night I am sure, I'm afraid that we are quite past my daughter's bed time...” Maple grumbled something that Autumn couldn't make out under her breath. “...and therefore, it is time to wrap up this tonight's event.” Many ponies in the crowd nodded in approval. Some of them even yawned, though they tried to hide it. “Now while it is unfortunate that my sons were unable to make it tonight, I would just like to call upon the rest of my family to join me up here for a concluding farewell. Now has any pony seen my dear wife, Xylem Pearl, and my darling daughter, Maple Gem? ” “So Maple, are you going up there?” Autumn asked as he turned to where Maple was, but was greeted with a blank space. Turning his head to scan the area, he noticed an orange tail disappearing under a table that had been draped with a cloth. Sighing, he walked up to the table and followed Maple underneath it. “Any reason you're hiding from your family?” he asked, startling Maple briefly with his presence. “No, not really.” “But won't your father look kinda foolish if you don't respond to him?” “You say that as if I care about what kind of idiot my father makes of himself.” Autumn had no response for that. Sighing, he sat with Maple under the table, listening to Amber's calls as he tried to locate his daughter. “Maple!? Maple!? Has any pony seen her? Oh, don't worry about it. I'm sure she's around here somewhere. Now me and my wife would like to thank you all for coming. We hope to see you all at another gathering in future.” With that, the shuffling of hooves could be heard as the crowd of ponies began to dissipate towards the exit. Maple nudged Autumn, attracting his attention. “Now's our chance.” She said as she slipped out from under the table. Autumn followed her, awkwardly sticking his head out from under the table cloth before returning to the crowd. He and Maple weaved their way through the shifting current of ponies until they bumped into Amber and Summer. “Ah. Here they are.” Amber announced to Summer. “I told you that they were around her somewhere.” “Were you looking for me father?” Maple asked, her voice filled with false confusion and innocence. “I was calling out to you for the end of my speech.” “Oh father, I'm so sorry. I'm afraid I was using the little fillies room at the time.” “That's okay.” Amber shifted his attention to Autumn. “So your father tells me that this is your first social event. Please tell me what you thought of it?” “Um...it was...well...” Autumn stuttered as the stoplight was put on him, the eyes of Amber and Summer drilling into him. “It appears that you have left Autumn speechless with the example you've set for him.” Maple cut in. Amber seemed satisfied by this. “It appears I have.” He turned his attention to Summer. “I say, you must get your son out some more. He's only ten years of age and this is his first party.” “I'll consider it.” Summer replied before turning to his son. “Come now Autumn. We're leaving.” “Ok then.” “I’ll accompany you out.” “O-Oh n-no thanks M-Maple. That won’t be n-necessary.” Autumn stuttered as shuffled over to his father's side. Summer frowned at him. “Come now Autumn, she’s making an effort for you.” He turned to Maple. “Maple Gem, you may escort my son to the exit.” “Thank you Master Storm.” She almost sang as she grabbed Autumn and started practically dragging him towards the front door. “Please, call me Summer.” Summer called after her as he and Amber followed them. By the time the four of them made it to the front door, all the other guests had left. Only one carriage remained in out the front of the estate. Autumn's mother stood in front of it, waiting patiently for Summer and Autumn to say goodbye. “It was nice to meet you both.” Maple said, smiling her usual smile. “G-goodbye Maple…at least till I see you at school.” Autumn replied while trying to avoid eye contact. “See you at school.” Maple agreed. “And hopefully next time, you can give me that second dance you asked for.” Autumn looked horrified as Summer and Amber said their goodbyes. “So long, Summer. I hope we can meet up again soon the future.” “Like wise.” Summer responded as he started walking towards the carriage. Autumn followed him closely behind. Glancing over his shoulder, he looked back at Maple one more time. She winked at him. Turning away quickly, he hastily made his way into the carriage, his family following after him. -- The ride home was silent. Summer was staring out the window. Autumn's mother was filing her hoof, leaving Autumn to curl up on his seat and shiver from the cold. Fatigue was taking hold of the young colt's mind, despite how hard he would occasionally shake his head to fight it off. Eventually, Autumn's mother put down her hoof filer and created a bubble of warmth around her son. Noticing that he was no longer cold, Autumn looked up at her mother, who gave him a gentle smile. “It's ok if you want to sleep, we're quite away from home anyway.” Autumn nodded lazily, his eye lids drooping until they closed. When he was asleep, his mother turned to Summer. “So are you ever going to tell anypony what you're research is about, or are going to take it with you to your grave?” “I've already told you, my research is something I'd rather not discuss.” “Don't get defensive. I've already told you that I'm fine with you concentrating your attention on whatever it is you're working on. I just don't want you wasting your time trying to reach something that is unobtainable.” Summer shifted his gaze down to Autumn, and started stroking his mane lightly. The brown colt twitched slightly from his touch. “Do not fret. I'm closer to achieving my goals than I could have ever imagined. Soon, you and all of Equestria will see what I have dedicated my life to. I will recreate the world...” he turned back to his wife, staring her directly in the eyes. “...and our son will gain the biggest benefit of it.”