Chapter 2
Chapter 2 – Spring
Saturday, 22 June 1003
Spring, to the surprise of a squirrel, woke up to find herself laying down in a clearing in an unfamiliar forest with the taste of blood in her mouth. Still too tired to completely register her surroundings, her eyes lazily followed the squirrel's path as it ran away from the waking alicorn. The light from the moon, nearing the end of its journey across the sky, casted weak but long shadows across the clearing, giving Spring the impression of being surrounded by large, sleeping creatures. The air was warm, with a light breeze passing calmly through the trees, tickling her wings as it played across them. Still quite tired, but unable to return to sleep, her curiosity overcame her laziness and forced her to arouse fully and take stock of her situation.
Okay... where exactly am I?
She stood up and shook her head, chasing the sleep from her eyes and preparing to give her surroundings a more through examination. In the moon's silvery light, she could make out burn marks across the clearing that outlined the necessary lattice for a powerful sealing spell, a lattice she was in the middle of. The trees around the edge of the clearing were burnt, most likely from the release of the sealing energy. To her left, the forest became darker and thicker, eventually obscuring her vision. To her right, it began to thin out, and she thought she could see what might be the lights of a city in the distance.
“How long wast I out?” She called to the world in general, not really expecting a response. Experimentally, she attempted to cast a light spell, her horn casting an aquamarine aura before fading out. She growled under her breath. Typical. Wake up from being sealed for who knows how long, only to find your magical reserves completely drained. Just another day. She sighed, then smiled. She was free again, and there was a new world to explore. Think of what could have changed while she was out! There were new cities to visit, new wonders to look at, new ponies to meet and subjugate. Or, perhaps, if the time was shorter, more of the same. Still, she couldn’t loose out, one way or the other.
Her memory was still dicey, not something she was used to. She had always been fond of her perfect recall, so having a blank was almost a personal affront as far as she was concerned. The last thing she remembered...
Spring sighed. It was so fuzzy. She knew she was fighting with Celestia again, but exactly what had happened was lost to her. She supposed she must have lost, given where she ended up. It was an alien feeling to her, not knowing. She always knew.
She supposed there was not much to do now other than wait for her power reserves to refill. After all, Celestia and Luna were likely still alive, and would most likely not be happy to see her. Though, who knew? Perhaps they had missed her. She smirked at that. Not likely.
Spring found herself very bored very quickly. She paced around the clearing, her mind racing with ideas and plans, each one more elaborate than the prior. Five minuets passed. She was tense, her impatience almost tangible. She knew that she was going to be here for another thirty hours until her reserves fully recharged, but the knowledge of this end did not make waiting for it any less boring.
To pass the time, Spring decided to give herself some mental puzzles to work through. First, as a warm up, she worked out the prime factors of 17,947,665,765 (32 * 5 * 17 * 1423 * 16487). Next, she calculated the finite field of order 5 from Z7 , all 16,807 elements. Glancing around her, she then worked out the total number of paths that could be made between the vertexes of her erstwhile seal, using only the runic connections and their current placement. Once she was done, she glanced at the sky. The moon was noticeably lower, but hadn’t set yet. She'd killed another half hour at best.
Spring wasn’t entirely sure she could make it thirty hours.
It wasn't just the lack of stimulation, though that certainly had something to do with it. No, it was the mystery outside that was making her so impatient. She wanted to explore. She needed to explore. She was an alicorn, used to doing the impossible! She was used to being in control, to understanding the workings of the world. She wanted that back, and right now, she wanted to be doing nothing more than working towards that goal. She wanted adventure. Or at the very least somepony to screw with.
However, Spring was also smart. She knew that rushing into the fray without power could get her killed. Though it went against her nature, she knew that staying here was the best plan. Revealing herself too early could end poorly for her. She cursed the lack of spontaneity involved, but be that as it may, she needed to stay here.
If only there wasn’t an alicorn of the stars. Then she might be able to figure out where exactly she was. As it stood, none of the patterns in the sky lined up with her mental star maps. She could be literally anywhere between the tropics and the arctic circle on either hemisphere of the planet.
Finally, after what felt to Spring like an interminable length of time, the sun peaked out over the horizon, illuminating the world with its warm light. Her internal clock said that she had been unsealed for about two hours now. Just twenty-eight to go.
Her stomach grumbled. She looked down at it, temporarily shocked, before realizing that she was hungry. It made sense; after all, she hadn’t eaten in years. Looking about, she spotted a patch of berries just outside of the clearing. They were a dark purple, almost black, and looked to be made up of many tiny fruit sacks all bundled up together. She stood up, stretched her legs, and walked over to them. Sniffing them tentatively, she searched her mind for their name but came up with no matches. These must have evolved in the time since she had last been here. Carefully, she picked one berry and ate it. It was one of the sweetest berries she had ever tasted, though it did have a fair number of tiny seeds. Whatever else held true, the future certainly had good wild berries. She picked the patch, eating the little black berries until she had finished the lot.
They had left a light black stain on her hooves, and she assumed her lips as well, but a quick flash of magic had her clean in seconds. Utility powers were best powers.
“Is anypony out there? Anypony hurt?”
Spring paused. Had she heard a voice? She checked through her memory. Yes, she had. The voice had said -.
“Anypony out there? Anypony hurt?”
Yes, that was it. It was much closer, this time. Spring cursed herself. Usually she was quicker than this. She could see the city, so it made logical sense that the city could see her, if she had a bright enough light. When the seal had broken, it burnt the trees around it! Anyone closer than the horizon could have seen that.
“Hello? Is anypony there?”
Three options. First, run away. Not a dignified approach, and well below her stature, but it might keep her unknown for a little longer. Second, disguise herself. Risky given cultural shifts which may have occurred since she last checked. One slip up, and her cover was blown, as there was no way she would be able to come up with a convincing cover story knowing nothing about the culture of the area, not even the locations and names of population centers. Third, kill the party. She was fairly certain that she had enough power to do it, and it would be the best option for her. However, if she didn’t get them all right off, there would be no chance of evading discovery.
“Miss?”
Or, apparently, fourth, stand still like an idiot until the party finds you.
Spring turned towards the voice. It belonged to a stallion, a orange-brown earth pony, perhaps forty-five years old, wearing what appeared to be a burlap saddle bag. He had a fold-out gurney strapped to one of his sides, and had an unlit lamp of some kind attached to his forehead by means of a strap.
The stallion took a more detailed look at his quarry, taking in first her horn, then her wings. Unconsciously, his legs began to shake slightly.
“Who... Who are you?”
She really should just kill him. He was alone, she should just kill him. He looked to be the type that wouldn’t be missed for at least a few days, she really should...
“I am Spring. Who art thou?”
The stallion bowed before her. Spring took this as a good sign. “I am Swift Tech, princess.”
“What doth thou mean by 'princess'? I am not thy mortal ruler, but thy goddess. Thee wouldst dost well to show reverence to me.”
The stallion flinched. “Forgive me, goddess.” Spring could tell that he was obviously frightened of her. Exactly what she wanted. Scared ponies were far easier to control.
“Thou hast avoided my query. I asked thee what thee meant by 'princess'.” She glared at him. “Art thou attempting to play me as a fool?”
It achieved the desired effect. The stallion flinched again, this time leaving a scared look on his face. Spring smiled. She had him in her control now.
“No, of course not, goddess! My inference earlier came from our princesses, Celestia, Cadence, Luna, and Twilight, who are all alicorns as you are. They are all referred to as princesses, so I thought that it was the correct term. Please forgive me.” The stallion lowered his head even farther towards the ground.
Spring paused for a second, pretending to think it over. “Thy inferences were logical. I wilt be'st merciful, as thee dost nay deserve punishment for that which thee wast unaware of.” She saw relief cross the stallion's face. “Who art Cadence and Twilight? Hath Celestia or Luna hadst children?”
“As far as I know, Cadence and Twilight are not the children of Celestia or Luna. I think that Cadence was born in another country, and came here about twenty-eight years ago. I believe she is thirty-five years old. Twilight used to be a unicorn, one of the barriers of the elements of harmony, though I don't recall which one. She became an alicorn less then a year ago, I recall.”
“I see. Then these newcomers art secondaries(1), not sharing the blood of Eris. They art of no concern to me.” Spring looked down on the stallion, still bowing at her hooves. “Swift Tech, thee mayst rise. Thee hast shown thy reverence in full, and thy words art muffled by the earth.” Eagerly, Swift Tech rose to his hooves, though he still stood nearly a meter shorter than Spring.
“Thank you, goddess!”
Spring couldn't believe her luck. The first pony she met in this new time was complacent, nearly bending over backwards to obey her. Most ponies from her time would at least be unhappy about it. It was almost disappointing, really. No challenge.
Spring glanced around. Since it would be a shame to kill him, she supposed that she could use him to help her stay hidden for the remainder of the thirty hours, while having more freedom of movement. First though, she had a few more questions.
“Where art we?”
“We're about five kilometers outside of Hoofany, a quarry town of seven thousand on the west side of the Everfree forest. The country is known as 'Equestria', and is ruled by a... Quadrearchy, I guess? Celestia and Luna do most of the actual ruling, so maybe it's just a constitutional diarchy. It's been getting more confusing as of late.”
“And where dost Celestia and Luna reign from?”
“The city of Canterlot, some two-hundred plus kilometers to the north-east of here.”
Spring nodded. “I see. It seems that their city has stood the test of time.”
Swift got a distant look in his eyes. “Yeah, the palace is really something else. Over a thousand years old now, and still sparkling like a billion gemstones.”
Spring was temporarily stunned, though she recovered quickly. “Over a thousand years?”
The stallion became anxious, backing away from Spring slightly while frantically searching for the correct thing to say. “Y-yes, over a thousand years. It's the year 1003.”
Spring, to his relief, turned her attention inward, walking in circles as she considered this new information. 1003... That would make 981 years since I was sealed. It's longer than anticipated, but of no real consequence. But how? I was expecting somewhat less then one hundred, not just shy of one thousand. Why did it take me so long to break the seal? And why now?
“Goddess...” Spring was brought back to reality by Swift's voice, cataloging her queries for later.
“Yes, Swift Tech? What is thy query?”
“Have I said something wrong? Are you... are you going to hurt me?” Swift flinched again, looking pale and scared.
“Thou hast delivered unexpected news. However, thee hast hadest naught to do'st with the creation of the event. I dost nay see reason in killing messengers.” Spring smiled, putting convincing but fake warmth into it. “But, if thou wishes, thee mayest preform a task for me to earn my favor.”
“Oh, anything, goddess!” Somewhat to Spring's surprise, though not to her disliking, the stallion dropped to his knees again, worshiping her hooves as tears welled up in his eyes. “Anything for you!”
Given his reactions to her, Spring had no choice but to assume he was madly in love with her. It was not completely unexpected. She was one of the most attractive ponies who had ever lived. Even naturally, she could force some stallions to their knees with no more then an flirtatious smile. However, she was nearly never simply natural. She had the fortune, or misfortune, of emitting a constant magical glamor, increasing her attraction to levels beyond what should be biologically possible. With her glamor, almost one in two stallions fell for her instantly and uncontrollably. It gave her hope that the ponies of this time were not weaker then in hers, but that she had simply been found by one of the poor unfortunates who found themselves incapable of saying no to her.
It was also very likely that Swift Tech was a coward, as the only thing that seemed to snap stallions out of her spell was self preservation, and Swift was spending an awfully large percentage of his time snapped out. Not that Spring had a problem with this. The longer he spent in her glamor, the less it would effect him, and though he would likely remain attracted to her for the remainder of his life, she would not be able to use it to control him. His fear of her, however, would likely not diminish.
“I hast need of someplace to live in until the next sunrise. It would also behoove me to begin observing the ponies of this time, to better understand how to regain control of this world. This as it is, I think it would be best if I were to be'st accompanied by thee in thy city. Thou canst show me the points of interest, and deter suspicion of my outdated mannerisms.”
Spring concentrated, her horn flaring as she casted a spell on herself, her body shrinking and wings fading, until she looked no different from a normal unicorn. As an afterthought, she casted another spell to cancel her glamor(2). It was cute, but she needed his fear thinking. “I shalt enter thy city disguised as such. Thee shalt refer to me as 'Running Waters', a friend of thy family who is paying a visit to thee. Thee shalt act as thee normally would, if thee were to be'st showing around a friend. Thee shalt act as natural as possible, even if thee must ignore me or my wishes to dost so. It is imperative that Celestia and Luna not be informed of my arrival until tomorrow morning.”
Swift swallowed. “Yes, Running Waters. Whatever you command.”
Spring smiled. “Thee shalt dost well, Swift Tech. My memory is long and eidetic. If thee preforms well, I shalt nay forget to reward thine warship.”
Swift Tech chuckled nervously. “And if I fail you?”
Spring said nothing, but made her was towards Hoofany, with Swift Tech following behind.
## ^ ##
“You... have been... most kind to me. Thank you.”
Swift Tech smiled encouragingly. “You are doing fine, goddess.”
Spring sighed. “My progress hath been slow, and my execution is broken. Thy words art reverent but inaccurate, and dost little to forward my learning. Thee hast also referred to me as goddess again. Thee canst nay make such a mistake in the city.”
“Forgive me, Waters, but I meant no flattery when referring to your progress. You have never been exposed to our syntax before, and to understand it fully in less than ten minutes, even if you can't execute perfectly, is no small feat. I have had the privilege of reading literature from your time, and even still have a hard time understanding you on the first pass. You have had no such difficulty.”
“Still, I feel that it would be'st best if I were to avoid extended social encounters, ere learning completely.”
“Whatever you wish.”
The two continued on their way, Spring taking the rear and letting the stallion take the lead. Swift had calmed down considerably in the hour they had spent walking, apparently having figured that if she was planing on killing him, she would have done so already. He was still acting reverent, which Spring appreciated, but had since fallen into a more relaxed tone. Though she sorely missed the thousands who worshiped her, she had always recognized the need for a few whom she could interact with in a less formal manor, and Swift, by way of being the first pony she met, was necessitated to be in this category.
“We're only about three minutes from the town limits now.”
That was the third time. Spring had thought that it might be a slip, but this time it was for certain. “Why dost thee refer to this city as a town? Doth it not hast seven thousand souls?”
“Populations have been increasing since you were last here, Waters. You need at least twenty thousand to be a city now.”
“Noted.”
As they approached the… town, Spring couldn’t help but be a little impressed. The houses and buildings were made of an assortment of materials, ranging from wood to brick to stone, each adding to the ascetic of the location. The architecture seemed simple, but well executed; gone was the sharp contrast in construction between the homes of the rich and poor. To each of these homes two cables ran, though what use they had was lost on Spring. She saw ponies in the streets, walking from place to place sedately, greeting passersby. Some foals were playing with a red ball, laughing as they tore down the street. It seemed so... so nice.
She was startled from her musings by a thunderous noise coming from her left. Turning, she saw a large wheeled vehicle of some sort belching steam from a stack in its front. It seemed confined to two metal rails, which it appeared its wheels slotted into. It looked as if it was slowing down.
Swift Tech saw her looking. Pointing at it, he said “That's a Friendship Express model 1 steam locomotive, second of its kind. Only eight months old.”
“Well, Progress always said that they would master steam someday.” Spring muttered. “Looks like she was right, after all.”
“What was that?”
“Nothing.”
“Fair enough.” Swift continued walking. Spring followed, though she kept watching the 'steam locomotive' out of the corner of her eye. Eventually, it stopped, letting out the ponies whom had been traveling in the compartments. Once it had been emptied, different ponies entered the compartments, and when no more ponies came forward, it began to move again. Spring noted its slow acceleration, and watched until she had determined its maximum speed at around 50 km/h. It might be imperative for her to outpace one of these at some point. Turning her attention back towards the town, she was surprised to see that they had already passed over the town line, and were mere seconds from passing the first buildings. She really shouldn’t let herself get so distracted by one thing as to miss the others.
As she passed the threshold and entered the town proper, she was once again startled by the lack of smell. The streets were, while not spotless, less dirty than she usually saw in cities of 2500, let alone seven thousand. The noise was also lower than she had expected.
“Hey, miss!”
Spring continued for a few more steps, before realizing that nopony else had responded. She turned towards the voice.
“Yeah, you! Miss, would you mind helping me?”
The voice belonged to a young purple-pink earth-pony stallion, perhaps thirteen, who's disheveled blue-cream mane partly hid the face of a small hot pink filly who stood at his side, presumably his younger sister. His grey-gold eyes were searching hers, and for the briefest of seconds Spring got the impression that he could be quite handsome if he only took better care of himself.
“What dost thee require?” The words were out of her mouth before she fully understood why. The little filly giggled.
“Please, you're a unicorn. Our cat has gotten himself stuck on our roof and won't come down. We need help.”
The filly spoke up as well. “Our parents aren't going to come home until Tuesday. She was crying. I think she's hurt and stuck up there.”
The young stallion's eyes were pleading. “Please.”
Spring considered just leaving. She owed these ponies nothing. Then again, she hardly had a strict schedule as of now, and it would be something to do. Sighing, she trotted over to them.
“Where is thy home?” Her utterance was accompanied by the laughter of the filly again, though Spring could not bring herself to bare it any ill will. The stallion glared at the filly.
“That was mean, Vanilla. This nice unicorn is going to help us get our cat, and you're laughing at her. Say you're sorry.”
The filly looked ashamed of herself. “I'm sorry.”
“I forgive thee.” Spring looked behind her, seeing that Swift Tech had not used her distraction as an opportunity to escape. “This is my friend, Swift Tech. Wilt ye permit him entrance to thy home as well?”
“Of course. Please, we want to get her down as soon as possible.” The young stallion and Vanilla trotted off quickly, with Spring and Swift in tow.
They wound their way through the town, eventually coming to a building that stood some six stories tall. On its roof, a orange cat was clearly visible.
“She ran away into the Everfree on Wednesday,” the stallion said, “and just returned this morning. She looked spooked, and kept jumping whenever we turned on the lights. We left for half an hour to find breakfast, and when we got back, there she was.”
Spring nodded, and with a flash of light, the cat was teleported from the roof down to the safety of the ground, a lightning bolt striking her point of departure and arrival. The stallion was shocked into silence by this, though young Vanilla seemed unperturbed, leaning over and picking the shocked and confused cat up into her hooves.
“Thank you!”
Spring smiled. “It wast my pleasure.”
With that, Spring and Swift left the two to their cat.
“That was unexpectedly kind of you, Waters.”
“Thee should presume to know nothing about my personality.” Spring looked back at the two, happily returning to their home with their cat. “Were their any direct benefit to myself, I wouldst hast no qualms ending their lives. I dost nay see any reason not to help those in need if it hath no impact on myself or my goals.”
“Don't”
Spring turned towards Swift. “What dost thee presume to mean by 'don't'.”
“Instead of 'dost nay', say don't. It's far less clunky, and concentrating on one at a time may let you get it down quicker.”
“Get what down quicker?” Spring asked, confused.
“Uh...” Swift sighed. "I can see that this is going to be quite the challenge. Lets work on colloquialisms first, okay?"
## ^ ##
“Thy home is quite cozy.” Said Spring, laying down on what Swift had called a 'sofa'.
“There is no need to patronize me, goddess.” Swift's voice was muffled by the sound of boiling water coming from his small kitchen, where he was preparing tea for the two of them.
Spring was confused. “I didest not mean to be'st patronizing. Your home is among the top quarter percent of mortal homes I have ever visited. By thy time's standards, this mayst not be the case, but for me it most certainly is.”
“Well, that's very kind of you, goddess, though I'm sure you're used to a higher level of comfort then I can provide.” Swift entered with the tea and some biscuits on a tray.
“Whilst this is the case, I fault thee not.” Spring sipped her tea, then sampled a biscuit. Both were of fair quality, though she was of the opinion that they would have been better had they been less sweet.
“Do you want more sugar?”
“Nay, I dost... I don't want more sugar. I wish for less.”
“Forgive me. I should have asked first.” Swift relieved her of her cup, and returned a few seconds later with another cup. “This one has half what the last one had.” Finding it to her satisfaction, Spring drank her tea and ate her biscuits in silence.
After the tea was mostly drunk and the biscuits mostly eaten, Spring turned to face Swift directly, looking at him for a moment. “Thee shouldst be commended for thy performance.”
“Hey, you told me to act natural, so I act natural.” Swift took another bite of his biscuit. “Natural isn’t hard.”
“Though this mayst be true, most wouldst find themselves too afraid in my presence to act as thee dost.”
“Most aren't me.” Swift looked down for a second. “I don't want to die. I'd do anything you asked, whatever the cost to myself. It doesn't matter how scared I am.”
“As long as thee continue to do'st as I say, I wilt nay harm thee. Though I dost nay consider thee as more than a tool, thee hath a life which I dost nay feel I hast the right to end for no reason.” Spring paused. “That said, if thee obstructs me in any way, thy life is forfeit.”
Swift turned, examining Spring closely, before speaking next. “How long are you going to be here for?”
“With thee? Less than another twenty-four hours.” Spring paused, then continued. “In this country, likely the next couple decades.”
“I don't presume to know your mind, but didn't you say earlier that you planed on taking over the world? Won't you be here longer?”
“I hast no patience for direct rule. Thee shalt be subservient to me, as shalt all the governments of this world, but I shalt hast little influence in thy day-to-day life. Thee also presumes that this nation is where command of thy world would stem, which is not necessarily the case.”
“Where would the command of our world stem?”
Spring smiled. “Wheresoever I desire to stay.” Her eyes gleamed.
Swift shuddered.
## ^ ##
“Is such attire necessary?” Spring asked, tugging uncomfortably at the edges of a dress which Swift had acquired for her.
“It is if you don't wish to stand out.” Swift said, leading Spring through the town towards the civic center, where there was a ball going on tonight in celebration of Celestia's birthday, which was tomorrow. Spring was slightly confused as to why they were celebrating her birthday the day before it happened, but Swift said that it was tradition in Hoofany that dated back nearly two hundred years. This left Spring no less confused, but she figured that she might as well attend. After all, important and knowledgeable ponies frequented events like this, and there was a fair chance that she could gleam some information off of those attending.
Seeing his opportunity, Swift continued. “We don't need to go here at all, you know.” He said nervously. He had an overwhelming sense of dread regarding the whole situation. He really couldn’t see many ways introducing the disguised and dangerous goddess to the stuck up nobles could end well for anyone involved, except perhaps for Spring.
Spring laughed. “Getting … cold hooves, wast it?” Her face darkened. “Or art thou seriously suggesting that we don't go with my twitter-light plans?”
Swift said nothing, and silently led Spring on.
Eventually, the two made it to the 'ballroom', which was obviously the town's civic center temporarily converted for use. However, any fear of having been led on evaporated as she crossed into the building. A hundred dazzling lights shown down on her, each one fifty times as bright as a candle. At least one thousand ponies had gathered here, talking in groups and dancing across the spacious hall. For a second, she simply marveled at the room, its insides having been converted into day by unknown means. Discreetly, she went over to one of the lights. Peering in, she saw that inside of the globe was a thin wire filament, which glowed white hot on the inside.
“Ah! An incandescent bulb! That must be what the wires art for, transferring electricity.”
“You recognize the bulb?” Swift said, curious in spite of himself. “And know of electricity?”
“Indeed. My first cousin once removed, Progress, used to work with such things. She wilt be ever so pleased with how far the world hath come once I free her(3).”
Swift was about to make a comment, when he suddenly realized that Spring was no longer with him. He suddenly felt very afraid. After spending nearly a day with her, Swift was fairly certain that Spring was unlikely to indiscriminately start murdering those in attendance, but it was not out of the question. If she was shown great disrespect or insult, say, by one of the nobles in attendance, a fatality was almost certain. He shivered. How had this happened? The first time in months he had worked up the bravery to enter the Everfree, to attempt to help somepony, and he got saddled with a psychotic masochistic revenge-seeking goddess with plans of world domination. It was as if the universe itself was warning him to never leave his home.
Perhaps enough was enough. This could be his chance. He could leave here, before anything went down. He looked around. Nopony was looking at him, and he doubted any would remember him entering with the aquamarine mare. He could just go, perhaps even get away from Spring. He would likely not be missed for a few days at least, by which time Spring would likely have more important things to do than look for him. He could just go...
Swift turned around and exited the Hoofany civic center. He passed out of the doors without incident. Nopony looked at him twice. Soon he would be home, then it would be straight to packing. He knew a few ponies who would probably let him stay a few days, until this whole craziness blew over.
It was almost fifty seconds before he realized that his hooves were taking him not towards his home, not towards the train station, but towards the Hoofany guard outpost. He paused. Why would he be doing a thing like that? He contemplated turning around, but that seemed wrong. You're not brave, he told himself, what do you think you're doing? And he was inclined to believe himself, but he was only twenty meters from the station now, and now he was ten, and now he was three, and now he was...
Spring was enjoying herself far more than she could have anticipated. Though most of the Hors d'oeuvre were too sweet to her tastes, she much enjoyed the bread and cheese available. The wine was not free, as she quickly found out, and without any money she was unable to procure any. She had seen Swift Tech leave the building, though she couldn’t guess why. She considered trying to find him, but decided that in the end the wine wasn’t worth all that trouble. Besides, it was likely sweetened, just as everything else seemed to be.
Though the differences in class present here were obviously not as severe as her time, they were still apparent in the dress of the attendees and the way they held themselves. After careful consideration of all the data presented, Spring came to the conclusion that the dress she found herself wearing was somewhere in the bottom of the upper third in terms of fashion. Those who she assumed to be the upper classes seemed to range from about there to the top, so if she was smart about it...
Her eyes latched onto a stark white mare with a curly purple mane, who's dress found itself in a category slightly higher then hers but who's occupant was quite obviously not used to wearing it. Sensing an opportunity, Spring approached her.
“Hello. How is thy younger sister?”
The mare stared at her for a second, before recovering and replying “Fine, thank you. How did you know?”
Spring smiled. “Thy dress is beautiful, its many silken layers accenting first thy eyes, then thy coat, then thy mane, all addressing the magnificent form of thy body. Though most wouldst nay notice, the inside two bands flip once towards the beginning, as if the pony designing the piece was distracted. Though whoever made the dress masterfully turned it into a flourish, it is trivial to see the accidental nature of its conception based on the fact that it is of a length which does not evenly divide the length of the dress. The dress is form fitting, perfectly matching thy body, but thee acts uncomfortable in it, suggesting thee does not find themselves wearing such dresses with regularity. Thus, thy dress is most likely made by thee, as thee art unused to going to occasions such as this, and art not accustomed to presenting thyself in such a manor. Thee does not possess any band, necklace, or other notification of engagement, so thee must have been distracted by a younger sibling, not a child. I know it was not thy cat because her hair is present only on the front, suggesting that she only appeared after the dress was completed, and thee had laid it down on a surface front up. The sister was naught but a guess, though population mechanics being what they art, it was far more likely.”
The mare stared at her for a second, then laughed. “Oh my. That was really something else. You have quite the talent their, miss...”
“Running Waters.”
“Miss Waters.” The mare hesitated, then extended her hoof to Spring. “Rarity.”
“Honored to meet thee, Rarity.” Spring bowed lightly, and was pleased to see Rarity do the same. “Thy art truly deserving of standing far above that which thee possesses.”
Rarity laughed daintily, though the smile which graced her lips seemed genuine. “Oh, I don't know about that, miss Waters, though I much appreciate the complement.” Spring returned the smile.
“It would appear that we dost find ourselves in similar positions.”
Rarity looked at her quizzically. “Whatever do you mean?”
“I mean to refer to our seclusion from those whom we wish to be courting. Thee hast come here for that reason, yes?”
Rarity's eyes twinkled, and Spring was suddenly sure that she had made the right choice. “I see we think alike, miss Waters. Though I must say I'm quite surprised you've had any trouble attracting any stallion you chose. Most I know would be beside themselves at the opportunity to enjoy your company.”
“Most art. I hath other goals in mind, however.” Spring flashed Rarity a conspiratory wink. “Though I dare say that it shalt be a boon to our ends.”
Rarity giggled, still quiet but this time carrying the tones of real mirth. “Well, who shall we take first?”
Spring made a point of scanning the crowd, though she already had a mental map detailing the locations of everypony of interest. 'Finding' a suitable target, Spring nodded towards a group of five ponies, three mares and two stallions, all of whom appeared to be of the high upper class. “Dost any of them catch thy fancy?”
“Oh, they do indeed.” Rarity began to walk slowly in their direction, still talking to Spring as they covered the distance. “You know, you speak fabulous early-modern equestrian, but I dare say that it does come off as a little odd.”
“It is the way I speak. I am getting used to thy speech, but it shalt be some time until I master it.”
“Oh, I was not aware. I thought that you were doing it on purpose.”
“Nay, thee hast full rights to assume such.”
By this time, the two mares had crossed nearly three fourths of the distance, close enough to overhear the conversation cycling through the group.
“ … half tonne of sugar and very nearly five thousand eggs. I swear, the antics which Celestia pulls are beginning to become scandalous!”
“Be careful who you say that to, Leaf. Some ponies might get the wrong idea.”
“And are you one of those ponies, Steel?”
“You know full well my...” One of the stallions, a sliver-gray unicorn with a smart suit on, noticed Spring approaching, and instantly lost his train of thought. She smiled at him sweetly, pleased to see his face melt before her eyes.
“Well hello there. And who might you be, angel?”
“I am Running Waters, and my companion is Miss Rarity. And who art thee?”
The stallion bowed. “I am Steel Sheen, at your service.” He very nearly tripped over his words, and his face was beginning to take on a blush. Spring couldn’t help but giggle at that. Three seconds, eight words, and she already had him wrapped around her hoof. It seemed her charm had not fled her in the intervening 981 years.
“And I am Golden Leaf.” The mare with whom he had previously been talking, a dusty yellow unicorn with a near golden mane, stepped partly between Steel and Spring, subtle but detectable coldness present in her voice. “These are my sisters, Rosebud and Brilliant Glimmer.” The other two mares, both of whom were also unicorns, nodded briefly, the rose red first, followed by sunlight yellow one. “And this is Thunder Burst, Aka the handsome one.” The Pegasus stallion's face flushed as Spring's gaze passed over him, then flushed again when he met Rarity's eyes. Spring had to agree, the pegasus was the better looking of the two stallions, though she found neither particularly attractive.
“Please, join us.” Steel beckoned Spring and Rarity forward, to the pointed stare of Golden Leaf. When they had been assimilated into the group, he made sure to be standing next to Spring, while Thunder made his way to Rarity's side.
“This is quite kind of you,” Rarity said, giving Thunder Burst a flirtatious look that nearly turned the navy-blue stallion purple, “letting us join such fabulous ponies.”
“Oh... Uh... Well...” Thunder played his hoof against the back of his neck, obviously sweating.
“We could not let ponies such as yourselves be exiled from our group.” Steel said, giving Spring a warm, but to her expert eye fake, smile. “You are obviously of more refined stuff then your compatriots.”
A few seconds passed in which no one seemed inclined to comment. Thunder shifted on his hooves nervously, feeling the tension in the air. Spring, for her part, was wondering if Rosebud or Glimmer would speak, and was not aware of the growing silence until nearly ten seconds had passed.
“I could nay help but overhear the end of thy last exchange,” she offered, “and I find myself quite interested in any 'antics' Celestia mayst be pulling.”
“Oh, that. Well, she's pulling together quite the birthday cake this year. It's rumored that the completed piece will weigh nearly four tonnes, and stand four and a half meters tall. Celestia's had always been known for her fondness of cake, but... this is just excessive.”
“She is thy ruler, is she not? Is it thy place to check her?”
Golden Leaf looked slightly offended. “Whatever do you mean, check her?”
Spring looked shocked. “Thee are but her subject, regardless of thy social standing. She is thy leader and goddess. Thee hast no right to determine her actions 'excessive'.”
“We're entitled to our own opinions, and allowed to say what we wish of whoever we wish.” Golden Leaf smirked down at Spring. “Or hast I damaged thy fragile sensibilities?”
Spring resisted the urge to kill her.
“Please, let's not fight.” Rarity spoke up, her smile warm, her words respectful but forceful. “I'm sure we have plenty other matters to discuss.”
“Cutting out the gossip from the upcoming celebration in Canterlot, you may find Leaf a lackluster conversationalist.” Steel chuckled, then turned his attention fully to Spring. “I'm sure you lovely mares have some interesting things to tell us. To start, what brings you to this place?”
Spring put her hoof to her mouth, taking on the look she expected a demure young mare would make when talking to this obviously important stallion. “Oh, I have such an idea! We shalt make a game from it. Ye can take turns asking us questions, then we can ask them of ye.”
“If you wish.” Steel smiled again, motioning with his hoof. “Come, let us go somewhere more quiet.”
The party moved itself to a lounge, where the seven found themselves alone. The lounge itself was quite comfortable, equipped with four sofas and a round, soft mattress in the center made of some substance which Spring found herself unfamiliar with. The color pallet seemed to consist of primarily reds and pinks, though some greens and blues found their way onto the furniture.
Spring noted that Swift had been gone for seven minutes now.
“So, if we are all comfortable,” Steel said, “perhaps we can begin Water's game?”
“To answer thy question, I hath come from out of country to visit my families friend, a Swift Tech. I plan on staying no longer than tomorrow afternoon, likely even morning.”
Rarity hesitated, then said “I heard about the celebrations which take place here, and have been wanting to come for some time. This is the first year it's worked out. I was planning on coming with a friend or two, but one was busy at the time and the other... well, the other disappeared on me the day before, so I decided to come alone.”
“So you two are not traveling together?”
Spring waggled her hoof playful. “Thee hast asked thy question, it is our turn now.”
“Fair enough. Ask away.”
“When I leave here, I plan on taking somewhat of a tour of thy country. Of course, I canst nay miss visiting Canterlot. However, I hast a problem. I need to be returning by the twenty-fifth, and canst nay afford to waste time. I wish to enter the city as discreetly as possible, so that I mayst visit as much of the city without the obnoxiousness of being given the 'tourist package' as possible. Would thee know of such an entrance?”
“Yes, I would.”
“Where is it?”
Steel was about to answer, when Leaf smirked at Spring and waggled her hoof mockingly. “Remember your rules, Water. It's our turn.”
Spring fumed internally, while putting on a weak smile. She was at about two-thirds power by now. Maybe she would be fine revealing herself. After all, she was hardly going to be at full all of the time, right?
In reality, Spring once again maintained control and did not kill Golden Leaf. “Thou art correct. Ask away.”
Golden Leaf smiled. “Let me see... where did you pick up that peculiar speech pattern?” Then, she added just loud enough for Spring to hear, “the caves, the pits, or the forest?”
Unfortunately, Golden Leaf was less discreet then intended, and her words were picked up by Rarity and Thunder Burst as well.
“Golden Leaf!”
“Really, was such a comment necessary?”
Spring looked directly at her, her eyes cold as ice, her gaze piercing deep into Golden Leaf's eyes. Golden Leaf was instantly mesmerized by her stare, intoxicated and held by the depth of her gaze. She felt as a pony poised above the abyss, unable to look away. She could almost feel the power contained in that gaze, a power which had leveled cities and ended civilizations. She suddenly found herself terrified, more terrified than she had ever been in her life, but unable to look away(4).
“Thine language is not my first, and the pony whom I inquired after for help learning it hast an... uncommon sense of humor.”
Golden Leaf let out a breath that she hadn’t realized she had been holding. She shook her head. She was acting irrationally. It had been nothing but the cold stare of a hurt pony.
“Well, that much is to be expected from a commoner. It is hardly strange that you may have had some difficulty getting your head around our language.”
“Leaf, if you wouldn’t mind not antagonizing water? We're trying to have fun.”
“It deters me not. Her irrational prejudice towards me is most easily explained by jealousy, a state I am perfectly happy to leave her in.”
“Um...” Rarity cleared her throat, obviously wishing to defuse the situation. “I do believe it is my turn.” She tittered for a second, then turned towards Thunder. “Thunder Burst, where do you live?”
“Oh, uh, me? Well, I kind of live around. I have a house in Cloudsdale, two in Las Pegasaus, two in Canterlot, and one here in Hoofany. I don't really spend much more time in any over the others.”
“You must be very rich, to have six houses.”
“Well, my family was quite rich at one point, but now it's really just the property left.” He looked to Steel. “May I ask the next question?”
“I don't see why not.”
He turned back to Rarity. “Would you like to see my Canterlot residences? They are quite large homes to have to oneself, and I wouldn’t much mind your companionship.”
Rarity was stunned for a second, before she cleared her head. “Well... I did tell the others that I wouldn’t return until Monday... so I don't see why not.”
“It is my turn.” Spring looked again as Steel. “Where is the discreet entrance into Canterlot?”
“You're quite intent on finding this.” Steel looked at Spring, a undertone of suspicion clear in his voice.
“Thee hath agreed to my terms. Thou must answer, or forfeit thy ability to ask.”
Steel looked at her for another few seconds, before his attraction overshadowed his suspicions. “Fine. If you walk around the city's edge, you will find guard access ladders ever fifty meters along the edge. From the main entrance, the access five along the west side is unused due to it leading to nothing but a small, unimportant back ally, and is not watched. You would be able to enter the city unseen from here, so long as you were not spotted coming up.”
Spring nodded. She had hardly expected to figure out such information with this much ease. In fact, it almost seemed too easy(5). She eyed Steel suspiciously. How much had he guessed? Was he feeding her false information? She chuckled to herself. If he thought he could outsmart her, he was sorely mistaken.
There was a knock on the door.
“Yes?” Rarity called out. “Who is it?”
“Somepony with a message for Running Waters.”
Spring stood up, approaching the door. “What dost thou wish with me?”
The door burst open, twenty guards advancing on her, weapons drawn. Spring had, of course, been expecting this. Nopony besides those currently in this room, those two earth-ponies from earlier, and Swift Tech knew that alias, and any of those parties could have delivered her any message personally.
Her horn flared, and a shock-wave repelled the guards, instantly knocking two unconscious and throwing the rest three meters, stunning them.
“Rarity, get down!” Spring warned, then her horn flared again, this time emitting a set of rapid blasts which tore holes in anything they hit. Half of the guards dropped where they stood. Spring was unsure whether or not she had killed them, though she didn’t much care. The ponies around her, those who were not trying to attack her at any rate, were screaming and ducking, unsure of what was going on. Taking advantage of the chaos, Spring quickly dispatched Golden Leaf, cast a charm of protection on Rarity, then left the building in a rush, breaking through the weakened and confused ranks of the guards who surround her.
“Fire! Fire!” Spring called out into the crowd, causing a panic to spread. “The building is on fire!” The effect was near instant and almost exactly as she had hoped. Coupled with the confusion her spells had caused and the surprise generated by the guards, the entire ball devolved into chaos, which Spring used to escape unseen.
## ^ ##
Swift Tech was running. He needed to get to the train, get to Canterlot. But his eyes were blurry, and he didn’t know where he was. He had stayed just long enough to convince the guard of the severity of the situation before bolting. He knew that he had likely sent those guards to their deaths – no, he was certain he had. They had no idea what they were up against.
Why had he done it?
“Why... why... why...” His breath came out in bursts, delirium fogging his thoughts.
“I canst nay answer that.”
Swift stopped dead, then slowly turned. Spring was standing behind him at a distance of seven meters, her face obscured by the darkness. Silhouetted by the moon, he could make out the outline of Hoofany some three kilometers or so away, its lights sparkling like stars. It looked so beautiful in the clear summer night, the home he had known for his entire adult life. For whatever reason, he felt calm, his composure strong and stable.
“Thee betrayed me.”
Swift nodded once, never taking his eyes off her.
“Dost thou hath any final words thee wishes to say?”
Swift shook his head, then lowered his eyes. In the last seconds before everything went dark, he was brave again.
## ^ ##
Spring brushed some dirt off of her hooves, looking over the plain which stretched across from the forests in the direction of, if the geography had not changed, the mountains. Behind her, Swift's unconscious body lay, half burred by the foliage surrounding the edge of the forest where she had dragged him. He would find his back legs broken, but if he stayed strong she was sure he would be able to drag himself to whatever near by settlement she could see over the hill. He would survive. A gift for his act of entering the forest, his attempt at rescue for a pony he did not know.
The cool summer night felt wonderful to Spring, the light of the very-near full moon illuminating the world around her in its sliver glow. It was truly a beautiful sight, the light breeze playing with the grass, creating shimmering waves of silver that danced before her eyes. The stars sparkled like gems, lending their awe inspiring light to the void, their patterns alluring and sublime.
“I'm back.” She whispered, her words penetrating the otherwise silent night. It would be hers again, soon, this beautiful and wondrous world.
Extending her wings, she took off in a northeasterly direction, towards the sleeping city of Canterlot.
“I'm back.”
End Chapter 2
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Keep building that World! I can't wait for the ride.
I dispute that, considering it seems, for all intents and purposes, identical to the type she's used to. Different vocabulary? Yes. Different grammatical syntax? Hell no.