Another Member of the Band

by Magic Step

Endless Politics

Adorabelle didn’t really remember going home; it was all kind of a blur. She didn’t even realize that she was running until she found herself struggling for breath while yanking open the Perfect manor door. But run she did, all the way up the stairs and into Violet Edge’s room. She paused at the door, terrified of what she’d see when she opened it.

“I have mace,” Violet Edge said from inside.

Adorabelle threw the door open.

The light grey stallion with a darker grey mane, no cutie mark, and the brightest violet eyes anypony’d ever seen was standing by the door, a can of spray glitter Adorabelle had left accidentally held in a shaky telekinetic grip.

“Adorabelle, don’t scare me like that! I thought you were Aim!” Violet Edge said, dropping the can.

Adorabelle wrapped her forehooves around Violet’s neck and held on tightly. She tried to fight it, but she started crying.

For a while, Violet Edge just stayed stiff as a mannequin. “Adorabelle?” he asked.

“I’m sorry,” Adorabelle said, nuzzling his ear a little.

“What’s wrong? Why are you doing this?” Violet Edge said, sounding truly confused.

Adorabelle nuzzled him a little longer to buy time while she wondered just how much to tell him. He’d probably fret if she told him she was visiting a restaurant after hours where ponies had died. But she also needed answers.

“Like… don’t be mad… Or weirded out… but, like, I was afraid for a moment I imagined you or that you were a ghost…”

“What.”

“It’s, like, a long story I guess,” Adorabelle said. “The short version is… I… I was, like, trying to learn about the Missing Children Incident…”

“Why?” Violet Edge sounded tired, not mad. “I already proved your line of logic about that case was stupid.”

“Well, like, I don’t listen very well,” Adorabelle said.

“At least you’re self-aware.” Violet Edge untangled himself and moved to sit at his desk again.

“Hey, like, I need to finish answering your question,” Adorabelle said.

“I can listen and look at case notes at the same time.”

“But, no, like, listen, I heard one of the victims was grey with dark grey mane with no cutie mark-”

Violet Edge turned around and stared at Adorabelle. “You thought I suddenly became dead ten years ago because of that? Lots of colts fit that description.”

“And had brilliant violet eyes.”

“…Still not that…”

“And was, like, literally named Violet Edge.”

Violet Edge shifted to a blank stare. “You sure?”

“Very sure.” Okay, some might dispute whether Freddy counted as a reliable source, but Adorabelle didn’t.

“And this was a victim who… died?”

Adorabelle nodded. “Like, literally the only one confirmed dead was Violet Edge. The rest were just… well… Missing.”

“And… where is the body now?” Violet Edge asked.

“Vanished when the witness left to fetch the cops,” Adorabelle said.

Violet Edge sighed with relief. “Then that has to be ponyfeathers. I mean, I’m obviously alive.”

“Mmm-hmm…” Adorabelle said, unconvinced.

“…Why? What do you think the reason is?” Violet Edge asked, still clearly unnerved.

“Oh, like, I dunno.” Adorabelle hugged Violet Edge one last time. “I, like, have the name of the witness. Mechanical Flight. Any bells ringing?”

“I mean… yes. That’s another one of Steel Flight’s sons. The second one,” Violet Edge said.

“Did everypony really think Steel Flight ran away?” Adorabelle asked.

“…You heard about that?” Violet Edge said.

“I mean, like, yeah. That… that was what I learned when… um.” Adorabelle didn’t feel like reminding Violet Edge of the broken picture frame just yet.

“Well… my dad thought differently. So did Starburst. But because Starburst thought it nopony believed them…” Violet Edge said.

“Starburst?” Adorabelle said. “You don’t mean… the owner of the Rainbow Factory?”

“Yes. He was Steel Flight’s old boss.”

Adorabelle blinked, stunned. Non-Cloudsdale ponies had little chance to learn the truth about the Rainbow Factory because it was so shut up and secretive, but there were legends and campfire stories that couldn’t be disproven, and there were a few deaths here and there that were reported as accidents but were thought to be something else…

“But, like, what did he and your dad think?” Adorabelle said.

Violet Edge sighed. “Steel Flight was a mechanical genius. I don’t just mean that was his cutie mark; I mean that nopony could match him in skill. He designed safer and more efficient machines for the Rainbow Factory. Well, Perry Pierce in the Chocolate Factory apparently was jealous.”

The Chocolate Factory was Canterlot’s version of the Rainbow Factory, with a few differences. No one could definitively name anypony who died there. That was because nopony ever came in or went out of the Chocolate Factory except for Perry Pierce himself. At the same time, word on the street was that if a loved one needed money more than they needed you, Perry Pierce would pay top dollar for more… workers or test subjects; no one was sure.

“Is that what your dad thought then? That, like, somepony sold Steel Flight to the Chocolate Factory? Who?”

Violet Edge shrugged. “Could have been anyone. Slavers roam the streets with butterfly nets in the chocolate district, and Steel Flight did have the night shift after all. He would have been out at the most dangerous times…”

“He vanished from Freddy’s, though,” Adorabelle said.

“How would you know that?” Violet Edge said, startled.

“Well, like, I asked someone who was there,” Adorabelle said lamely.

“Who?”

Adorabelle sighed. The cats were all out of the bag now. “I went to Freddy’s and talked to the animatronics.”

Violet Edge blinked at her. “What.”

“It’s, like, the truth,” Adorabelle said. “They told me they saw Steel Flight taken away, but they were, like, half-unconscious and couldn’t do anything about it.”

“How could they tell you anything? They were glorified puppets!” Violet Edge said.

“No, like, they really talk and hold conversations. They do talk kinda funny though,” Adorabelle admitted. “Did you ever go to Freddy’s back then?”

“A few times. I didn’t like it; the robots were creepy. But it was a good place to meet…” He paused. “…Steel Flight.”

“Yeah, that makes sense,” Adorabelle said, studying his face like she could somehow find out what Violet was hiding from her.

“But they couldn’t talk except when they were acting their skits and things,” Violet Edge said. “They weren’t intelligent.”

Adorabelle stuck her lower lip out. “You think I’m lying.”

“Nnnnot per se…” Violet Edge said.

“Or, like, an idiot,” Adorabelle said.

“Okay, I don’t know. Maybe they updated them since I was there then.” Violet Edge stared at the ceiling in thought. “So assuming they’re telling the truth, Steel Flight was abducted while in Freddy’s… but that doesn’t make sense. They’re supposed to have a night guard there I think.”

“A night guard? For a pizza place?” Adorabelle said, confused.

“Because the animatronics were cutting edge technology that were likely to be stolen,” Violet Edge said. “At least that’s what they claimed but they didn’t seem very cutting edge to me…”

“So the guard didn’t stop it. Maybe he was taken out.” Adorabelle tapped her chin. “But then, like, why wouldn’t you just wait until Steel Flight left...? Unless… OMP…” Her eyes widened.

“What?” Violet Edge asked.

“The pony who sold Steel Flight… was the night guard,” Adorabelle said.

Violet Edge opened and closed his mouth a few times before saying “That… is sounder logic than I normally hear from you…”

“So, like, you think I’m right?”

“I think that’s not the only possibility, but it had merit, I guess…” Violet Edge said.

“OMP,” Adorabelle said, shaking with excitement. “I, like, can’t wait to keep investigating-”

“Why?”

Adorabelle stopping shivering. “Like… what do you mean ‘why’…?”

“Steel Flight is gone,” Violet Edge said, his expression blank. “If he’s really at the Chocolate Factory, knowing who sold him won’t help. Perry’s never suffered any legal action for anything he’s done ever; everypony knows how he likes to shut production down whenever he’s threatened and too many ponies depend on the medicine he makes for it to be worth the risk of investigating rumors.”

“You think he’s above the law?” Adorabelle asked.

“I didn’t say that. I do, however, think bringing him down is beyond the abilities of a spying little high school filly.”

“But, like, I need to try,” Adorabelle said. “And… and it’s not just for Steel Flight. Like, what if there’s other ponies this night guard has sold? What if the MCI is connected to him? Like, aren’t you even a little curious?”

“No. That’s all ten years ago.” Violet Edge turned back to his homework.

“You’re just scared because, like, you may be dead or something,” Adorabelle said.

Violet Edge stiffened slightly so she knew she was right.

“But, like, not knowing doesn’t make it not real…” Adorabelle said.

“I don’t want to talk about this right now…” Violet Edge said, his voice soft and tired. “I have to study for debate finals…”

“Oh… okay. Yeah. That’ll be cool. I’ll be there to watch.” Adorabelle kissed him on the cheek. “Night and sweet dreams. Don’t stay up all night studying please. It makes me sad to see you doze off everywhere…”

“Night,” Violet Edge said vaguely.

***

The day of the massive field trip to the Counsel of the Immortals began with the mock court finals. When the announcement came of Violet Edge and Silver Quill’s victory, Adorabelle nearly tossed Violet Edge into the air with joy, but because she wasn’t quite that powerful she settled for smothering him. He wasn’t as resistant as normal; he even seemed ready to cry with relief that he’d won.
Then they joined the lucky field trippers from all majors in the grandiose GUA amphitheater, all marble columns studded with gemstones. Safeguard, their escort for GUA attendees, gave them a speech about the history of the three immortals, Starburst, Perry Pierce, and Cherry Jubilee, how they became immortal, how they’d used their powers, relationship to Celestia etc. It honestly was stuff Adorabelle knew already because it wasn’t like she was going to miss out on cool celebrity gossip, even if these three celebrities were ones that the public would like to forget.

“Most importantly,” Safeguard said, “I want all of you to display proper decorum. No unnecessary sounds or movement; clap for those who arrive when appropriate, but we are here to observe proceedings, not to comment. Don’t let the bad behavior of others drive you to respond in kind. Understood?”

Every unicorn nodded. Adorabelle wasn’t sure why this was necessary; most of them learned back when they were five that talking out loud at public functions was a no-no.

“Then let’s get ready. Your carriages await; please board according to the number you received in your invitation.”

Adorabelle huffed in annoyance as she and Violet Edge joined the flow of ponies headed for the street around the college. “Carriages. Like we can’t just walk to the castle.”

“It’s about appearances,” Violet Edge said.

“And, like, that’s the problem. It looks so snooty,” Adorabelle said.

“I guess there’s a fine line between dignified and snooty…” Violet Edge admitted.

Riding in the earth pony pulled carriages made the trip only mildly shorter, especially since there was now suddenly lots of traffic. Canterlot Castle was probably more impressive to ponies who didn’t grow up in close proximity to it with the social status that got them invited to a moderate amount of royal things, but the Royal Meeting Chamber was still impressive. The whole room was made of white and purple marble with columns and alcoves and other lovely architectural things. The lower floor had the seating for the Princess and had switchable thrones and other furniture for whoever was petitioning or meeting with Celestia at the time. On the second level, high above the nobles' heads, was a ring of coliseum-like seating for audience members. All kinds of important events, both diplomatic and domestic, happened here.

Princess Celestia's pink throne with a sun emblem was empty for the moment. Princess Cadance was in attendance too and a bit more prompt than her senior; her throne was new and not as tall as Princess Celestia’s, and it was white just to be in contrast to Celestia’s pink throne.

“How annoying,” Sunny Flare said loudly.

“What’s annoying?” Adorabelle said.

“Those two.” Sunny Flare waved her hoof at Princess Cadance. The young mare was hanging around the edge of the royal hall, probably awaiting her official entrance. She was awkwardly talking with a blue-maned unicorn guard. The GUA students were seated far enough away that their facial expressions couldn’t be made out, but they both clearly wanted to talk but were afraid to.

“So, like… what’s annoying?” Adorabelle blinked at the law student.

“The way they’ve been holding each other at leg’s length for so many years,” Sunny Flare said. “They were on track to getting married even when they were still teenagers, to the point where there were rumors their parents would arrange an early marriage for them. And then suddenly they’re doing that disgusting thing where they both obviously still like each other but they refuse to get together.”

“Oh, and, like, you’re friends with them and sad that they can’t be happy or something?” Adorabelle said.

“Well. No.” Sunny Flare coughed. “But you have to think about all of Equestria as well. Marriage is even more magical than friendship and the union between them would have generated a lot of magic that… ah…” She withered under Adorabelle’s judgmental glare.

“Okay, like, I’m going to tell you why they’re so distant because, like, your dad or whoever skipped that part when they were teaching you their politics,” Adorabelle said. “You, like, know the story of the Hearts and Hooves day princess?”

“The princess who lost her kingdom because she couldn’t stop looking into her beloved’s eyes? Everypony knows that,” Sunny Flare said.

“Okay, and, like, archeological evidence is sketchy on that one but, y’know, G2 so who knows, but some ponies thought it was, like, a dire prophecy, a warning. So, like, when Cadance ascended into the princess of love someponies thought that, like, maybe she shouldn’t have any coltfriends at all…”

“They’re the minority,” Sunny Flare said.

“But, like, then something happened something like a decade ago where Cadance was fillysitting somepony… or Shining was, or both were; the gossip magazine was kinda sketchy,” Adorabelle admitted. “But, like, anyway, they were busy looking into each others’ eyes, and the filly wandered off somewhere and was never seen again.”

Sunny Flare didn’t say anything.

“So… like, now Cadance believes the prophecy and is scared.”

“Your sources hardly sound credible,” Sunny Flare said.

“Gossip magazine was, like, a bit of a stretch I guess…” Adorabelle said. She looked to Violet Edge for validation, but he just sunk further into his seat and shot her a look that said “Leave me out of this.”

The crowd stirred with whispers and cries of concern. Adorabelle peered down to see Princess Celestia and Starburst enter side by side like old friends. The cream-colored stallion with a blood red mane nodded cordially to Princess Celestia and kissed her hoof; his large dark sunglasses hid any trace of emotion. Then he joined his very small pegasus entourage. A blue-white pegasus stallion was fiddling with what looked like some kind of jointed child’s toy and clearly wishing he was anywhere but here; Starburst whispered some things to this nervous pegasus, who nodded frantically.

The anxious murmurs turned to wild cheers from a small section of the audience. Adorabelle looked around at her fellow GUA students, who all looked confused; why didn’t they realize this wasn’t the occasion for cheering?

A small entourage of ponies was filing in, all earth ponies, except for four unicorns carrying a golden litter covered with deep red velvet cushions and bordered with living flowers. Sitting on the litter was a white mare with a mane that matched her cushions. She waved and blew kisses at the cheering earth ponies as she was carried in. When the unicorns stopped and kneeled to let her off, the section of earth ponies cheering stood up and at attention while the mare stepped off to take her place with the other Immortals.

“Hail Manehattan!” the mare said, saluting her fans.

“Hail Jubilee!” they all shouted back.

Then all together they said “All hail the earth!” The devoted followers continued to cheer wildly while Cherry Jubilee once more blew kisses at them, her eyes moist.

“Look at her; she’s even pretending to cry,” Sunny Flare whispered to the ponies in her general vicinity. Other GUA students stirred and whispered at the fanatical display.

“Shhhh,” Safeguard said. “Don’t sink to their level.”

Adorabelle hugged herself and shivered. She’d heard stories of Manehattan fanaticism but it was so different seeing it right in front of her in the present day.

And yet it seemed so fun to be part of a group that loved each other and their leader instead of being stuck over here with the dry, emotionless intellectuals.

All the Immortals took their seats but the chocolate brown throne for Perry Pierce was still completely empty.

“Late again…” Cherry Jubiliee muttered… into the sound amplifier crystal on her collar that carried her voice through the whole room.

The mistake made Celestia’s lips twitch into a mischievous smile.

“The truly great are never late, my poor little truffle filler.”

Adorabelle looked up to see a grey-purple unicorn stallion chilling on the ceiling, his horn glowing faintly white. He wore an impeccable black and white business suit and top hat and spun a black cane topped with a golden ball in his telekinetic grip. As soon as he had everypony’s attention, he jumped onto a marble column and slid down it like he was grinding a rail, then jumped off at just the right moment to land on top of Celestia’s head, where he took a moment to laugh with glee before somersaulting over to his brown throne, which he took a bite out of.

It wasn’t like anypony at all from the GUA had to be told not to cheer for Perry Pierce. The greedy confectioner had briefly enjoyed fame as the not-so-secret leader of the not-so-secret unicorn supremacist political manipulators called the Blessing. But around ten years ago, when it became apparent that the unicorn supremacists were going to lose the Secret Wars to the Manehatten Civilian Militia, Perry threw every Blessing member under the carriage without a single hesitation. At which point it turned out that nearly every member of the Canterlot nobility was involved to some degree with the Blessing and no one single member, except possibly for Perry, knew about or was responsible for the full scope of atrocities the Blessing committed, so most of them weren’t prosecuted or were slapped on the wrist and kept under surveillance, but the bitterness wasn’t going to be fading any time soon.

Celestia stood to give the standard speech. “Immortal friends, we gather here before those ponies we protect and support-”

“I call Little Spark. Ha ha,” Perry Pierce said.

Cherry Jubilee stood up, her face tight with rage. “You can’t do that, you pompous fool!”

“Just did.” Perry Pierce stuck his tongue out at her.

“Children,” Starburst scoffed.

“I’m not the stallionchild, he is!” Cherry Jubilee said. “And we of the earth will not stand for you stealing such a precious resource-”

“Precious? What do a city of dirty farmers need with an unlimited energy reserve?” Perry said.

“Maybe if you didn’t lock yourself in your house your whole life you’d know why we need it so much,” Cherry said.

“To fry the popcorn in the fields to save a step?” Perry said, smirking.

Cherry folded her forelegs and smirked back. “You’re just jealous because we still have farmers. How’s that famine working for you?”

“We may have no fruits but I let them eat chocolate,” Perry Pierce said with a shrug.

“Shhhhhhhhhhh….” Starburst said, waving his hoof dismissively. The two warring factions just stared at him blankly; if Adorabelle hadn’t known better she would have sworn the pegasus cast some kind of spell on them. Starburst then turned to Princess Celestia. “Your Highness, if Little Spark is going to end up with any of us, I submit it should be me. Not only are we experienced with… entertaining the suffering… but Mechanical Flight has a proposal for a machine which will maximize the output from Little Spark while minimizing the damage to him-”

“Oh, sure,” Cherry Jubilee said. “Because only pegasi know how to use lightning, is that correct?”

Cherry’s loyal followers started booing and hissing. Adorabelle realized that a good chunk of them were in police uniforms.

“I never said that,” Starburst said, completely unruffled. “However, the Rainbow Factory has a greater need for an energy source-”

“You don’t need anything except pretty colors and the corpses of your own race,” Cherry Jubilee said.

Starburst lowered his head in what looked like an unseen glare. “I’d appreciate it if you keep your accusations to fact-”

“Then tell us. Better yet, let’s hear it from your chief mechanic.” Cherry stood up and planted her hooves on either side of the nervous pegasi’s head. “Tell us, Mechanical Flight, why do so many workers in your factory mysteriously die? Hmm? We’re wait-”

“Help me! Help! Anypony!” Mechanical Flight wailed.

Princess Celestia yanked Cherry away with her golden telekinesis, but Mechanical Flight was shivering, twitching, and still talking and whimpering to himself.

Starburst glided over and held Mechanical Flight’s head gently but firmly in his hooves. “Sh, sh, sh, it’s okay,” he whispered. “Calm down. You’re fine.” Then he said to Cherry Jubilee over his shoulder, “You ought to be ashamed of such tactics.”

Naturally, telling off the glorious leader got him more boos from her followers.

Adorabelle was on the edge of her seat. The last name matched… and he was definitely shy. He may even have inherited the mechanic job from his dad. Was this the witness Freddy had mentioned?

She looked at Violet Edge to try and gauge if he was as excited as she was.

“What the hay are you smiling about?” Violet whispered angrily at her. “This is a disaster.”

Oh. Fair.

“Ahem, may I approach the immortals?”

Adorabelle whirled around to see Doctor Whooves trotting from the audience to the dais where the immortals were seated, a small sound amplifying crystal strapped around his neck.

Somehow his mere appearance was enough to set off Cherry’s crowd of admirers. “Boo! Hiss! Get off the stage, Jewel Heart!” they all screamed.

Cadance stood up abruptly. “Citizens of Equestria! What does it say about ourselves that we feel the need to criticize all who don’t agree with us as somehow traitors to their kind?”

“Oh, but he is oh-so-much a unicorn-wannabe.” Somehow while the attention was off of him Perry Pierce had migrated to clinging to a marble column like a koala. “You want to know how much?”

“I’m coming here to try and say-” Doctor Whooves said, valiantly attempting to ignore Perry.

In a snap of white light, Perry Pierce teleported in front of Doctor Whooves and stuffed a large chunk of chocolate in the professor’s mouth. “It’s rude to interrupt. I was going to tell them the hilarious story of how you were so desperate to be seen as a unicorn, you actually married one of my concubines and tried to pass off my unicorn offspring as your own! As if!”

The resulting rage and mockery from Cherry’s side was predictable, but the GUA students became more restless than ever too.
“Doctor Whooves did that? Does he really have self-hate like that? Did anyone really believe his unicorn daughter was biologically his?” students muttered to each other.

Doctor Whooves spit out his block of chocolate. “As I was saying, my team and I have a solid history curing ponies with unique disabilities-”

“Cure him?” Perry Pierce says. “And I guess if you found the last of the flutterponies you’d rush to finish their conversion into a helpless Breezy?”

“That’s the exact opposite of what I’m trying to do!” Doctor Whooves says. “Little Spark was a healthy, happy pony before a freak accident made him a monstrosity and I just want to help him—”

“And cheat Equestria out of such an irreplaceable resource?” Cherry Jubilee said. “But we should expect such warped priorities from a traitor to his race.”

Unperturbed, Doctor Whooves said, “Why, Cherry, Perry, I’m so glad you can agree about something for once.”

The two warring immortals stared at each other warily.

“I’ve already made my decision before this counsel anyway,” Princess Celestia said, standing up. “I just found this argument amusing.”

“Your highness!” Doctor Whooves said, annoyed.

“When you’re immortal you need to get your kicks somehow,” Perry Pierce said, having migrated to standing on the underside of a balcony.

“Do I have to come up there and teach you what a chair is!?” Cherry Jubilee shouted at him.

“Little Spark will be placed in the care of Doctor Whooves. Equestria will not be a society that benefits on the backs of unfortunate individuals,” Princess Celestia said.

Apparently unrehearsed, most of the audience including Cherry’s followers burst out laughing. Even Starburst face-palmed at that comment.

“Equestria will not be a society that deliberately takes advantage of unfortunate individuals,” Celestia tried to correct, but the damage was done.

“Thank you your highness,” Doctor Whooves said, kneeling.

“Don’t thank me. I expect much progress from you in return,” Princess Celestia says.

“Naturally.”

Adorabelle clapped at the decision and then was disappointed to realize no one was joining her.

“Who’s Little Spark…?” Herbal Remedy whispered to the general vicinity.

“Y’know, like… the Cursed 5 member from Las Pegasus who was made of electroplasma?” Adorabelle said.

“But why isn’t he just in jail then…? Did he help save the world?” Minuette asked.

“Like, not exactly,” Adorabelle said. “He was, like, deemed not accountable because he was crazy from his mutation I think?”

“Why did those two clowns nearly turn Equestria into a laughingstock over a single weirdo from Las Pegasus?” Sunny Flare said, annoyed.

“The answer is in the question,” Violet Edge muttered darkly. “Apparently forever young means forever immature…”

Adorabelle grabbed Violet Edge’s foreleg. “Hey, look.” She pointed to Mechanical Flight, who, after whispering briefly to Starburst, got up to sneak out of the counsel room as best as he could when all eyes were on the center area.

“What about him?” Violet Edge asked.

“We, like, need to follow him because he’s the pony who testified he saw your corpse,” Adorabelle whispered.

“Oh you’ve got to be kidding…” Violet said, looking pale.

“This is our chance!” Adorabelle tugged Violet Edge out of his seat telekinetically and wove her way to the stairs connecting the audience seating with the main floor.

As she exited the main auditorium to the small platform outside the upper level seating, she could see the entire hallway from above. Some press ponies were already congregating, the ones who for whatever reason weren’t already in the counsel room taking pictures and notes. As Adorabelle watched, Mechanical Flight darted into view and looked around like he was trying to find a place to hide.

“Hey, hold up Mechanical!” Adorabelle shouted, waving to him.

Mechanial Flight spun around and stared at Adorabelle. His eyes widened with horror.

Then he bolted down the hallway.

“Hey!” Adorabelle shouted. “After him!”

“Or maybe leave him alone,” Violet Edge said.

Adorabelle didn’t listen and jumped down the steps several at a time before launching herself off the bottom one, her hoofbeats echoing in the large marble hallway as she pursued her prey. The pale blue pegasus kicked himself into the air and darted into a small side passageway. Adorabelle swerved after him and paused, annoyed, at the realization that this was a tower with three flights of stairs winding around and around the interior wall. Mechanical Flight got to skip all of them and rise straight up.

Darned if she was going to lose him when she was already so close. She galloped up the stairs, slowly but surely gaining on the fleeing witness, until she pounced, jumping from one side of the staircase to the other and seizing Mechanical’s tail in her mouth as she passed.

The pegasus screamed as he was taken down. “Help! Help! Somepony! Please!”

“I’m, like, not going to hurt you,” Adorabelle said.

Mechanical Flight was shaking so much he looked like he was having a seizure. “Don’t unlock me again! Please! I’ll do anything!” There were actual tears in his eyes as he folded his hooves in a praying gesture.

“Un… unlock…?” Adorabelle said.

And then she made the connection. Mechanical Flight had witnessed the Missing Children Incident. That meant he must have been cross-examined by…

“No, like, True Beauty is my mom. She’s the one who can unlock pony’s hearts. I just unlock, like, normal physical locks.” She watched the pegasus continue to quiver. “I… I’m sorry… if she hurt you…”

“Every time I saw her horn light… heard her order me to tell the truth… I felt something snap inside me and everything j-just came spilling out…” Mechanical Flight swallowed loudly.

Adorabelle struggled to be empathetic, but she had a hard time believing her mom would deliberately hurt anypony… right? “But, like, I’m not her, I’m me,” Adorabelle said. “I’m not going to hurt you.”

“You slammed me into the stairs…”

“I’m not going to hurt you anymore,” Adorabelle said. “Please, I, like, just want to know about-”

Mechanical Flight suddenly froze up, his eyes fixed on something over Adorabelle’s shoulder. Adorabelle looked behind her to see Violet Edge coming up the stairs.

“Why… do you… keep running… off after… silly leads…” Violet panted.

“No,” Mechanical Flight whispered to himself. Then, louder, “No! Go away! Please!”

Violet Edge stopped dead. “What…?”

“It’s not my fault you died!! Please don’t haunt me! Augh!” He wriggled out of Adorabelle’s grasp and ran up the stairs.

“Hey!” Adorabelle said, starting to follow, when a cream pegasus landed on the stairs blocking her path.

“Why are you harassing my chief engineer!?” Starburst spread his wings to block Adorabelle’s ascent.

“Oh, um, like, I know this looks bad…” Adorabelle said.

“ ‘Looks’ bad. How cute.” Starburst deadpanned.

“Hey, like, it’s not my fault I happen to look like a pony that traumatized him and I didn’t know that!” Adorabelle said, stomping her hoof. “Or that my friend looks like a ghost that traumatized him. Or that he’s easily traumatized period.”

“And yet you continued to question him instead of letting him leave when you saw you were tormenting him?” Starburst said. “And you literally pinned him down. And you don’t see a problem with that.”

Adorabelle hung her head. “I just… I like…”

“What possible excuse do you have?” Starburst said.

“I’m sorry… I’m so sorry…” Adorabelle’s eyes blurred with tears.

“A little late for that.” Starburst snorted. “I’m going to go see if I can calm him down. Don’t follow.” He took off.

Adorabelle stared at the steps. “You think like… maybe one day I’ll mess things up less?” she asked Violet Edge.

“Maybe if you stop vaguely wishing to be a less impulsive girl and start working on actually developing impulse control,” Violet Edge said. “What the hay did you gain from that?”

Adorabelle rubbed one foreleg against the other. “Well, like, now we know that you and the dead pony are the same…”

“We know nothing more than we did before!” Violet Edge said. “Mech was a nervous wreck! He may have just seen somepony who looked like me!”

“…Mech…?” Adorabelle asked. “Wait. Mechanical Flight is a Flight, so, like, didn’t you two know each other back when your dads were friends? Would he, like, really mix you up with somepony else…?”

Violet Edge cringed. “I… I barely knew of Mech’s existence. He shut himself in his room all the time and the few times I saw him it… wasn’t pretty.” He paused. “Mech didn’t really have a happy childhood… or a happy adulthood.”

“Oh…” Adorabelle said sadly.

“But why are you so bent on learning more about this incident? I…” Violet Edge placed a hoof on his chest. “I’m breathing. I have a heartbeat. Isn’t that enough to prove this must be a mistake?”

Adorabelle stared at her hooves, thinking of one of the few things her mother taught her so many years ago. “It’s our duty to unravel every contradiction, no matter how trivial or inexplicable it may seem.”

Violet Edge stared intently at Adorabelle, his eyes fearful and a little sad. Like he was saying “And what if you unravel me with it?”

Adorabelle threw her hooves around Violet Edge’s neck and pulled him into a hug. He didn’t reciprocate, which was normal enough, but he was limp as a ragdoll.

“I’ve, like, got a different idea,” Adorabelle said. “What if I, like, show you to Freddy and ask him to explain this? Like presenting evidence to witnesses?”

“Freddy’s is still open?”

“Okay, like, TBH I’m always going there, like, after sunset and stuff.” Adorabelle shrugged. “They seem like they get lonely at night so, like, y’know.”

Violet Edge gently pulled back. “And the night guard doesn’t stop you or anything?”

“I’ve, like, never seen him. I dunno where he is.” Adorabelle touched Violet Edge’s hoof. “So. You in?”

Violet Edge stared at her hoof. “This is so stupid…”

“Please?” Adorabelle said. “We need to know.”

Violet Edge sighed. “Okay… if it’ll make you act more normal after that.”

“I’m never normal.” Adorabelle gave him a quick peck on the cheek. “Thank you so much.”

***

Going to Freddy’s in the daytime was very weird. So was walking around in the chocolate district with Violet Edge.

“Not wearing clothes was a kind of smart move I guess,” Adorabelle told Violet Edge as they crossed the bridge.

“I never had clothes growing up, really,” Violet Edge said. “As weird as it is without my jacket in the rest of the world, here it would feel weird wearing things…”

“Oh, like, right… I keep forgetting you used to live here, back when…” Back when his dad was alive. No need to bring that up…

It was when Adorabelle reached the hollow tree where her costume was stored that she realized a fundamental flaw in her plan.

“Um… like… Violet… Freddy’s a bear, so, um…”

Violet Edge blinked. “R-right… I knew that…”

“But, like, he’s a nice friendly bear and I promise he won’t hurt you,” Adorabelle said, placing her forehooves on his shoulders. “Do you trust me?”

“Do you want the honest answer…?” Violet Edge asked.

Adorabelle huffed. “Okay, fine; I’ll, like, ask Bonnie or Chica or something, but I think Freddy’ll be the only one who can help. Normally I’d say close your eyes or something but if your eyes were closed the most distinct feature would be hidden…”

“Closing my eyes doesn’t make me feel safer,” Violet Edge said. “It just makes it worse because now I can’t see what I’m trying to escape.”

“But, like, we’ve come too far to turn back now…” Adorabelle whimpered. “What if I stand between you and the bear?”

“Why would that make it better!?” Violet Edge said.

“This can’t happen,” Adorabelle said. “Bears are not that scary Edgyyyyy… especially not cute bears.”

“I’ve yet to see a cute one…” Violet Edge muttered.

That did it. It was time for immersion therapy to prove him wrong.

Adorabelle telekinetically shoved the empty golden Freddy head in Violet Edge’s face.

Even for someone like her so habituated to not thinking plans through, this was an exceptionally ill-thought out plan. She wasn’t sure what exactly she expected to happen, but Violet’s reaction was not it.

Violet Edge reared on his hind legs, a strange, garbled scream echoed from his mouth, and in a flash of light from his horn, he suddenly fell limp on the ground, his brilliant violet eyes still open but seeing nothing.

Adorabelle dropped the head and let it roll away. She dove to Violet Edge’s side and desperately checked his vitals. He already felt ice cold to the touch, making her scream in dismay, but she held to his wrist like their lives depended on it, and before long she felt his heartbeat. She sobbed with relief, but he still felt cold, and his eyes still looked empty.

Adorabelle lay near him and wrapped her forehooves around his neck, like she could warm him with her embrace and love him back to life. “Please don’t die… please don’t die…”

She felt like she lay there for an hour but it was probably only a minute or two; anxiety that there was something else she should be doing to help him made her almost ill, but she was scared to leave him like that in the Chocolate District for fear he’d wake up only to be swallowed by the equine predators that prowled the streets if she wasn’t there to protect him. Carrying him was out; she had no idea if she’d just make it worse, even if she could sustain a telekinesis spell strong enough to carry him long enough for her to get somewhere important.

Then, slowly, she felt warmth return to him. She hugged him tighter, smiling through the tears. “Edgy?”

His brilliant violet eyes blinked, and focus on Adorabelle’s blue ones. They widened with surprise.

“Edgy!” Adorabelle nuzzled his ears happily. “I’m so happy you’re awake and alive and I’m so so so sorry and I’ll never do that again…”

“Do what?” Violet Edge looked confused.

Adorabelle paused. “Um, er…” No; bringing the costume up might cause the same thing to happen again. “You don’t remember the, uh, five minutes before you fell unconscious…?”

Violet Edge just stared at her, looking nervous. “Who… who are you…?”

Adorabelle’s ears slowly flattened with sorrow and horror. “Edgy….?”

“And…” Now Violet Edge looked really scared. “And who am I?”

Author's Note:

Happy Halloween (It's still the witching hour where I am; it still counts...) and happy 2nd birthday to AMotB.... wow, that's almost depressing. Hopefully next year will be more productive...

Comments

[BismuthBorealis]

Oh this is full on AU now, with the immortals. Neat.
And what with perry pierce and his chocolate factory... I wonder if there's a great crystal elevator somewhere in there too. It'd add a whole new level of connection what with the elevator inventor being super relevant... and whole new level of horror too, given great glass elevator's horror elements.