//------------------------------// // Magic // Story: Little Truths // by EbonQuill //------------------------------// “Do not fear your enemies. Only a friend can betray you.” - Poison Pen The bare branches of the trees scratched at the cloudy sky, caught in a twisting autumn breeze. A timberwolf’s howl cut through the low-lying fog that curled up from its ponds, creating eerie shadows. Somewhere, a mournful dirge echoed from deep underground, like Tartarus itself yawned open nearby and all manner of dangerous creatures could be lurking nearby. Nightmare Night was upon Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns. The Lunar Meditation Garden had been renovated into a haunted labyrinth, and of course Lemon’s gaming group had wanted to explore it together. Lemon had agreed on the condition that they finish before sundown. Then she needed to change into her gown, do a final runthrough of her talent portion, and then there was the actual competition… Minuette had silenced her with a hoof against her muzzle. “So go be Princess, then have fun with your friends!” And she'd been shuffled off to the packed auditorium. She'd donned her gown, a gorgeous black sequined gown with bold white accents. Now, she was scouring the Masquerade Ball for ponies to review her body language cues with. She was the second of only three ponies to make it this far, so she had very little time to warm up for her cold reading routine. She'd taken so well to her body language lessons for Psychology that Sunset had introduced her to the world of mentalism. Her eye for detail allowed her to see every little clue as to her target’s state of mind. Once she'd discovered how much she could learn by asking vague enough questions, she had become a mind reader. A demonstration with Green Fields where she'd identified that he had somepony at CSGU that he “really, really, really liked, and would happily share sundaes with,” had convinced her to do this for the school. And she knew she was the lucky filly Green Fields would be sharing sundaes with, just like she knew she was going to be the first first-year Autumn Princess in CSGU’s history. All thanks to Sunset Shimmer, the best friend anypony could ask for. And there she was, alone near the punch, looking resplendent in her fuchsia gown. The ponies around her shied away, like they were afraid she'd bite them. Can't handle power. Cowards. She swallowed her distaste for the lesser ponies that she and Sunset towered above, and trotted up to her mentor. “Hi, Sunset!” Her face was summer fireworks. “Lemon! I thought you'd be backstage, getting ready!” “Why, isn't Dream Cycle up first?” The pretty unicorn had a penchant for elegant illusions, and specialized in a form of shadow puppetry she’d learned from a zebra. She was going to be hard to top. Sunset shook her head, displaying her glittering teal topaz again. “Had to withdraw. Remember Ashen Aster’s poison joke potions from the beginning of the year? Dream Cycle gave him the idea. Inkwell discovered some notes they passed stuck in the back of that zebra alchemy text they swiped, and well, that was that.” “Was she suspended?” Lemon gasped. Sunset shrugged. “Slate hasn’t said yet, but she was barred from participation.” She smiled, and tousled Lemon’s mane. “It’s just you and me, now, Ms. Hearts. Now go wow ‘em.” Lemon adjusted her coiffed mane, and smiled. “I will, thanks!” As she turned to leave, Sunset stamped her hoof once on the marble floor. “Oh, I forgot! Green Fields was looking for you! He said he had something to tell you!” Lemon did a little dance in her head, and made little fluttering sounds of joy. “Thanks!” “Now get a move on, you goof! You’ve only got twenty minutes to get ready!” Lemon raised an eyebrow, glanced at the nearby hourglass, and took off at a gallop. The backstage was a claustrophobic tangle of stagehooves, make-up artists, costume and other behind-the-scenes showponies. They accosted Lemon the moment she walked behind the curtains with hushed anger. “Where have you been?” One of them hissed. “You’re on in eighteen minutes!” “Sorry!” Lemon said as they pulled her gown this way and that. “I got—” A particularly rough adjustment spun the gown around her waist a little, revealing a shoulder. “—Ow! I got caught up.” “There. That’s perfect. Get Powder Puff,” a mare’s voice said. “Now? But there’s too many—” a stallion protested. “There’s no time! Fifteen minutes!” “Fine, but it’s on you! I wash my hooves of it!” “You always were small-minded. Get her! Everypony else, clear the area!” Lemon peered into the dark, but couldn’t make out the two bickering ponies. They stalked off in different directions as a taffy-colored unicorn with a heather purple mane coiling into itself approached. She was wreathed in her own cyan magic, and looked absolutely bored. “Y’ ready?” she asked, with a thick Brooklane accent. Lemon nodded, a little afraid. “Close y’r eyes. Dis might sting.” Lights and pressure, bathed in blue magic. Powder Puff was everywhere. And then nowhere. Her dress was now fitted and sewn, her makeup refreshed, and her mane pulled into a bun that sat high and tight on her head. In a flash of pale blue light, Powder Puff was gone. Lemon was alone. Until she felt somepony very close to her. “Hey, sunshine.” Lemon went stiff. She couldn't see him, but somewhere in the darkness stood Green Fields. “H-hey.” A thin red light clicked on, revealing Green Fields. He stepped out from behind a curtain with a flashlight capped with a red piece of cellophane. “They sure keep it tight back here, don't they?” “Y-yeah.” Green Fields tutted, “What was that filly thinking? Here…” His jade magic enveloped her mane, and she shivered a little. “Hey, Green?” “Shh. Lemme concentrate.” She felt her bun and braids unwind and trail down her neck. She felt his breath as he framed her face, and made adjustments to her mane. She felt her heart beating hard and heavy in her chest. “Green Fields?” His eyes danced across her mane, and down her muzzle as he brought her curls along her face. “Keep still. You don't want me to make a mess of your mane before your big moment, do you, sunshine?” I kinda do…. She watched him work, and swallowed hard against her nerves. It took all of her focus to maintain a steady breathing rhythm. He glanced back to his hiding place, and levitated out a headband made of large teal beads and a cluster of three pink flowers. He balanced it on top of her flowing curls, and tucked her ears within. Oh, gosh… He took a step back, and surveyed his work. A small grin played on his lips. “Well alright, sunshine, I think we got this.” “Sixty seconds, Miss Hearts!” The testy mare’s voice called from the shadows. “Oops! Sorry, took longer than I thought. But you look amazing, sunshine.” It was now or never. She'd never be able to focus on her act if she didn't move this instant. “Green, I— I r-really like spending time with you.” She felt her face flush hotly. “Yeah, kid. You're a lot of fun, too!” He leaned forward and kissed her forehead, directly above her horn. “It’s like hanging out with the little sister I never had. Now go knock ‘em dead!” She felt ice creep into her chest, and felt a cold wetness on her muzzle. She couldn't move. Sister? Little sister? Little sister? She racked her brain, struggling to find something, anything she could latch onto. But no, even that betrayed her. Moments that she'd assumed he was being a gentlecolt or playing coy now shone as Green Fields being a playful, encouraging older brother. He loved her, but not like she loved him. He looked back, a big grin on his face. He nodded encouragingly. She tried to smile, tried to see through the watery haze in her eyes. The curtains opened, and the gathered host of students and professors cheered her as a spotlight bathed her in its fierce light. She didn't know what to do. What to say. “H-hi, ev-everypony. My n-n-name’s…” I should have known better. Who'd want me? A sharp pressure at the base of her throat kept her from breathing without an audible catch. A burning in her eyes made it hard to see, the mass of ponies blurring into a sea of color. “In a p-pony’s mind, there are m-many—” Her voice sounded small and insignificant. She watched as the front row began to whisper in concerned tones. “—m-many hiding places for se-se-secrets.” “Speak up, please, Miss Hearts,” Dean Slate said from the first row. His cultured voice showed some strain. “There are those who can’t hear you. And we do so wish to, do we not?” The auditorium cheered for her. Somewhere, a voice shouted, “Yeah, don’t be so sour, Lemon!” Her eyes widened, as she shook with rage and betrayal. There, in the front row, with a hoof around Sunset Shimmer, was Green Fields. He still wore his goofy smile, like he hadn’t just destroyed her world. Like he hadn’t just brought the name she’d moved across the country to escape screaming back home. Sunset Shimmer kissed him on the cheek. He blushed a little, and his grin widened. Had she not learned how to read ponies, she would have missed it entirely. He loved her like a sister, but he was in love with Sunset Shimmer. She ripped off the headband he’d given her and threw it at him. The tears she held back for so long, going all the way to that first awkward day, came pouring out as she ran. From behind her came the voice of Dean Slate. “Sour Lemon, everypony. Hooves together.” * * * * She ran through the school, ripping away at her gown as it snagged on things or tripped her up. It was a ragged mess by the time she had run out of breath and ducked inside the nearest classroom. She dove in, almost tripped over some desks, and sat down at a lab table. She tore off the rest of her dress, let Sour Lemon out, and dissolved into a weeping, sobbing mess. How long have they been together? How could I not have seen it? She shot bolt upright with a realization that crystallized every little moment. How long has she been lying to me? She heard hoofbeats outside, and held her breath. She didn’t want to see anypony. Not like this. A familiar globe of the world caught her eye. Out of habit, she reached out with her magic and spun it. Its soft squeaking settled her nerves some. Until the door opened, and she walked in. Lemon tried to push away, to make herself smaller, to disappear, but no. She wasn’t her, after all. “They’ve gone. They think you’ll be heading for your dorm. Or Minuette’s.” Sunset Shimmer gently shut the door behind her, and strode into the room. Her hooves clacked off the hardwood floor like the ticking down of some terrible clock. Lemon Hearts wished she could teleport. Make herself invisible. Anything. “Stupid, I know. Anypony with a brain would know you come running here after every little setback so that Big Sister Sunset can make it all better.” Lemon gasped like she’d been slapped. Sunset sneered. “Pathetic.” Sunset cricked her neck, as if she was relaxing after carrying a yoke. “You have no idea how hard it was to keep this going as long as I have. Weeks. Months, even.” “H-how long—” “Oh, Lemon, dear, how rude of me!” She said, her voice thick with false humility. “I’ve forgotten the first rule of mentoring, ‘Always show your work!’” Sunset grabbed a piece of chalk, two rolling chalkboards, and a seat in one fluid burst of teal magic. They almost danced as they swirled about her. “Now, let’s see… I believe the first incident you were here for was the poison joke, right?” A blur of chalk, and the faces of Ashen Aster and Mulberry Bush graced the chalkboard to Lemon’s left. On the right was an image of a magazine. “They had a brilliant idea involving distilling alchemical reagent via plant biology. It would have been amazing to see, probably would have revolutionized an industry or two.” She erased them in one swipe of her magic. “However, I needed one more publication to be honestly considered for Best Young Mind In Canterlot. So they had to go.” “Over a title? You ruined somepony’s life over a—” Sunset silenced her with a look. It was cold, piercing, and held none of the warmth Lemon was used to. “Do be quiet, Lemon. We’ll be here all night if you keep interrupting.” The chalkboards hummed with her magic again, and the face of Raspberry Tart replaced the unlucky alchemists’ on the left. On the other was a sketch of Dean Slate and the CSGU campus. “Raspberry Tart, ah, she was fun. You should have listened to her more closely, Lemon. You may have learned something. She knew what the score was, and knew it would take someone who didn’t know me to take me on.” The placid mask of Sunset’s face twisted into a sorrowful expression, like one would give a foal who’d just spilled their milk. “She put her faith in you, dear. Wasn’t that silly? And the first thing you do with her advice is run right to me with it! Asking me to take you on as an apprentice! Isn’t that sad?” “So you and that dotty old bat Inkwell buy me some time to find her weak spot. Or didn’t you think it odd that I wanted to meet in the library, and why I sent that foal after you? Can you imagine how hard it was to keep her threatening me while you and that useless mare took your sweet time?” She glanced at her hooves, and puffed on one. She shined it on the ruins of Lemon’s gown. She never broke eye contact. Lemon’s brain was spinning. I’ve been dancing to her tune this entire time? Everything I’ve done, every little— Wait! Sunset laughed. It was harsher, more guttural than the laugh Lemon had heard so many times over the last few months. This one was without artifice or constraint. It was rich, full-throated, and left Sunset with little tears at the corner of her eyes. It was an honest laugh. And it left Lemon shaking. “You’re thinking that you somehow earned your place beside me, which is adorable. You never had a choice, Lemon. From the moment you raised your hoof after brewing the poison joke antidote, you’ve been my puppet. My catspaw. Do you know what a catspaw is? Hm?” The chalk buzzed in her magic again, revealing Lemon herself on the left and the Autumn Liege crown on the right. “Thanks to my assistance, you shot past most of the competition for the crown, which meant I didn’t have to lift a hoof. Either they couldn’t hack it, or were so embarrassed at losing to a first-year—” She said it like the phrase was made of nettles. “—that they gave up on their own. The only rough spot was Dream Cycle and her foalish little puppet show. “So a little forgery here, a little buttering up of Inkwell there, and lo and behold, new evidence regarding the poison joke prank comes to light.” She flipped her mane over her horn, and smiled coldly. “If I’d had my way, you would have been the one to discover the notes, but I couldn’t pry you away from that stupid game you and your fillyfriends play all the time, even by getting Gaffer’s marefriend a scholarship to Manehattan Academy of Fine Arts. All that work…” She sighed. “But oh, well! That’s the way the brownie burns, right? Still, you were going to be a challenge, no matter what I did. And you never socialized with Tart’s circle, so they couldn’t let you in on my little secret. So I hope you can appreciate how relieved I was when I caught you mooning over Green Fields.” The icy chill grabbed Lemon’s heart again. “So I suggested to him that you and he spend some time together, since you were new in town, had no real friends, and were so young and vulnerable. Of course, he ate it up, the big-hearted foal. And you fell right along with him. Getting him backstage tonight was almost academic. The rest is history.” Lemon felt her eyes stinging with tears. In a voice one part frog and one part manticore, she growled, “Why?” “‘Why?’” Sunset sneered. “Because I can. Because I have a destiny, and you were underhoof. That’s all.” Lemon couldn’t stop herself from weeping. “H-how could you… after… I just…” The sobs tore from her, despite her attempts to bite them back. Sunset blurred as tears streamed hotly down her cheeks. “After— we— you just used me… you knew and you used him against me…” “Yes, I did. That’s how the game is played.” Sunset smirked a little as she nestled the Autumn Princess crown in her mane. “I do have a consolation prize for you, though. You have potential, if you decide to grow up some. Here.” Her horn glowed as she pulled an old book out of her saddlebag. “Father gave me this when I was a little younger than you. It’s required reading if you want to play the Great Game. Read it, and maybe you’ll be at least interesting the next time we meet.” She set it down next to Lemon’s cerulean mane. Lemon could barely make out the words through her tears. Little Truths, by Poison Pen. “Or maybe you’ll throw it away, which would be a waste. Now, kneel before your Autumn Princess, Miss Hearts.” Lemon collapsed into a maelstrom of sobs and tears. A smile edged its way up Sunset’s face as she walked out of the room. “Very good. Be sure to clean up when you leave, Lemon. The cleaning staff have enough problems without having to deal with your trash. “Good night.” And the door clicked softly shut behind her. It didn’t open again until morning. The room was spotless.