//------------------------------// // In Which The Price Is Paid // Story: Lords And Ladies // by Void Knight //------------------------------// Carrot Top jolted awake. Instinctively, she tried to run, to flail, to fight, but the vines wrapped around her limbs held her motionless. After a moment, her rationality took over. She glanced around, curiosity bubbling up. She seemed to be back in the glade where the Lord of Summer held court, wrapped up in a veritable cocoon of vines and dangling from some unseen tree branch like a giant apple. Lyra, Kindle, and Smoke were likewise cocooned and dangling, the four of them in a row. The clearing was once again filled with Summerfae, the air was heavy with both the pleasant odor of cooking food and the reek of burning flesh, and Carrot Top could see the unfamiliar beast still spitted over a fire on the other side of the clearing. But this still didn’t answer the real questions. Why was she tied up? For that matter, how was she even alive? She very distinctly remembered the lion-fae ripping out her throat, and… she still seemed to have a throat.  "Greetings, Dame Toppington!" said a cheerful voice. Carrot Top twisted her head to see the Lord of Summer in front of her, a broad smile on his face. "I see you are once again in command of your faculties, so I shall release you and your fellow contestants in just a moment."  "What... How..." Kindle sputtered from where he hung wrapped in vines. "Really, Voice of the Sun, I'd think it was obvious at this point. The realm in which I hunted you was specially created for holding hunts of that sort. No harm suffered in that realm is true or permanent." Of course, realized Carrot Top. He couldn’t have been actually planning to kill us. We were, are, still protected by that safe-conduct guarantee, plus there were two more contests still to go. And he would have gotten both Corona and the Princess angry at him, which is definitely not a good idea. Now why didn’t any of us realize that at the time? Lord Summer stomped on the ground with one hoof and the vines holding them up began to elongate until they touched the ground, at which point the bindings came undone, releasing the four ponies. “Now, as it was the Voice Of The Sun who survived the longest, he has won the prize.” The Lord of Summer held up a horn. Carrot Top had no idea from what creature the horn had been carved, but it was dark and smooth and polished, covered in runes and banded with gold. Three diamonds were set into the gold banding, equally spaced around the mouth of the horn. “Thrice may this horn be blown, and thrice only. But when it is blown, the Wild Hunt shall be called into the world, to ride against whatsoever target the blower of the horn may designate. Use it well, Voice of the Sun.” “I shall, Lord Summer.” Kindle took the horn and held it contemplatively for a moment, before tucking the strap around his neck. “Unfortunately,” said Lord Summer, “We haven’t the time for a proper feast. You managed to stay ahead of my hunters for longer than I’d expected, and you’ll need to leave in a hurry if you are to reach Autumn’s domain on time. I do apologize for that.” “No apology is required, Lord Summer,” said Kindle smoothly. Escorted once again by Fae warriors, the four ponies left the clearing. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ “Slepnir’s legs...” Prince Fredrick looked about like Bon Bon felt. After a moment’s consideration, he swore again and pressed one hoof against his forehead. “I don’t suppose he said anything about where they were?” he asked, though by his tone he already knew the answer. “Nozing,” admitted Spear Fisher. He and the other Guards were now clad in their glamoured armor, and practically pawing the ground with their desire to go and do something about the threat. It raised Bon Bon’s heart just a tad to see such force determined to protect her love. But then she remembered just how terrifying the Fae could be, and her heart sank again. “Ve vere hoping zat you knew zomething of vere zey might haf been,” continued the guard, just a hint of hope in his voice. “I wish I did, but they could be just about anywhere now. Brudte gevirer, they could even be in Elkheim again. The Wild Hunt rides in our world as often as in the Fae, and it’s the solstice so they’d have no trouble shifting between the worlds.” He took a deep breath. “Let me think… there might be fae I could call on for answers. Runecraft can call the fae into this world, and with the right runes and a bit of fruit or something for a sacrifice I could get whatever I called to answer my questions.” “That won’t be necessary.” Everyone whirled around to see a sparkling white stag standing in the doorway. Immediately behind it were a couple of rather nervous-looking deer clad in armor and carrying spears. “Princess Luna’s champions have survived the Wild Hunt unharmed, though it was the Sun’s champions that won the trial. They are at present facing the Trial of Autumn, but they should be able to meet that challenge as well. But there is something I can and must tell you regarding the trial my own Lord shall set them…” ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The trek out of Summer was both like and unlike the trek into it. The terrain was much the same, but the mood was different. Smoke especially seemed withdrawn and distracted, even for her, but even Kindle’s exuberance was somewhat damped. After some time, they came to another wall, much like the one they had passed through to enter Summer. The Summerfae standing guard unbarred the gate and it swung open. As before, the ground in front of them was devoid of any identifying properties whatsoever. It was simply a stretch of ground, no more and no less. Across from them stood a low wall of stones, perhaps chest-high, with a barred metal gate more or less directly across from the gate on Summer’s side. The space beyond the wall was obscured by thick grayish mists. The four pony champions trotted across the ground. On the other side, the door swung open and what appeared to be an elderly moose trotted out. “Before you enter, you should know that the airs of this place are not healthy for mortals to breathe. I can place a spell upon you that shall protect you from such harm, if you have no objection. It shall of course fade upon your leaving Autumn.” Each of the four ponies signaled their assent, and the elderly-looking fae tapped each of them on the head. Their coats faded by a shade or two, and when he tapped Carrot Top, she felt a faint chill run through her, accompanied by a slight lethargy. But when they passed through the gate, the air was cold and smelt a tad stale, but was apparently harmless. The same mists that had obscured Autumn from the outside made for a remarkably eerie walk. For one thing, something about the mist seemed to muffle sounds. There were no background noises, and even the sound of their hooves on the ground was dampened. From time to time, things would loom up out of the mists. Tombstones, dead and leafless trees, run-down and abandoned houses, all sorts of things. The creepiest were the wraiths. They seemed to be made of mist themselves, barely darker and more solid than the air through which they drifted. They were shaped something like ponies, or maybe deer, but it was hard to make out any details. It had been quite a while before Carrot Top had even been sure that they were truly there, and not just her nerves playing tricks on her After a time, Carrot Top realized that she was alone, save for her guide and the occasional wraith. The other three ponies had disappeared, and disappeared so silently that she’d never noticed. “Your friends are fine,” said the guide. “Each of you must face Lady Autumn on your own.” At that moment, a massive building loomed up out of the mists. It looked something like the great wooden longhouses that Carrot Top had seen all over the elkish capitol, but covered in ivy and with the wood half-rotted. A faint silvery illumination shone from the gaps where windows should have been. “We’re here,” said the guide. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The interior of the ruined longhouse was lit by a hoofful of faintly luminous silver orbs which hovered here and there near the ceiling. At the opposite end of the hall from where Lyra had entered sat Lady Autumn at a table, a plate of muffins, two or three glass bottles, and a couple of wrought lead goblets on the table in front of her. A few Autumnfae were seated at various places throughout the hall. One was weaving cloth on a loom, another played the harp, See, that's a harp. Is it really so hard to tell the difference? A few were eating, and several Lyra had no clue what they were doing. "Greetings, Dame Heartstrings," said Lady Autumn. "Please, sit with me. We have things to discuss." Lyra took a seat, rubbing her Element uneasily with one hoof. "Before we begin, would you care for a muffin?" asked Lady Autumn. "There's plain, lemon, foxglove, and walnut. And of course we also have a good variety of drinks." Lyra blinked in astonishment, not so much at the words themselves as at the perfectly unremarkable tone they had been spoken in. "I'll pass, thank you," she replied. "As you wish," said Lady Autumn. "Now, I imagine you are wondering what is to happen here?" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "As you wish," said Lady Autumn. "Now, I imagine you are wondering what is to happen here?" Carrot Top nodded her head and took a bite of one of the walnut muffins, double-checking to make sure that it was walnut and not foxglove. It tasted slightly stale, but was still edible. "Each of my peers," said Lady Autumn, "owes debts of varying size to the Princesses Selenic and Heliote. Each has crafted a trial to determine which pony Princess shall receive the benefits of these debts. My court, on the other wing, owes no debts to either Princess at the moment. But it would not be suitable for three of the four courts to be involved in such an affair as this and the fourth to simply stand aside." "Therefore," she continued, "I shall propose various bargains, bargains which shall hopefully advance both side's interests. The test, if you wish to put it that way, shall be whether you are willing to pay the necessary price to win your side an advantage." Carrot Top gulped and adjusted her Element nervously. This was going to be tough. She was a bad negotiator, something she’d occasionally suspected was part and parcel of bearing Generosity. And ever since gaining her Element, or perhaps even before that, there’d been this little worm of fear at the bottom of her heart, that one day she’d give and give and find out that there was nothing left. She’d already put her farm and her livelihood on the line once, and come within an inch of losing both. “What bargain did you have in mind?” she asked. “Well, let us begin by considering this,” said Lady Autumn. One of the Autumnfae trotted up, carrying what looked like a suit of barding made of carved and polished bone. “Now, this armor has a very interesting property, one that I think will be of particular use to you. Not only is this material far tougher and rather lighter than you’d think, but it also negates nearly any magic. While wearing this, you will be virtually immune to unicorn spells and telekinesis, cervid runecraft, and almost any other form of active magic. Of course, it will likewise prevent even spells that you desire from being cast upon you, but that can be easily enough worked round.” “So why do you say it would be of particular use to me?” asked Carrot Top. “Because of one of this armor’s more irritating side-effects. It negates the wearer’s magic just as thoroughly as it negates all others. So a unicorn wearing this could not use their magic, a pegasus might very well be unable to fly, and a cervid would be unable to invoke runes. But you are an earth pony. The magic that grants you your strength is internal and innate, and would be unhindered by the armor.” Carrot Top took a deep breath. “Such a thing would certainly be useful,” she said. “What price would I need to pay for it?” “There are several prices that you could pay,” said Lady Autumn. “You could pay with your emblem, for example. Or you could pay with your capacity to bear foals.” Carrot Top took a deep breath, everything she could remember from Fredrick’s stories running through her head. It wasn’t nearly as much as she’d have preferred. “What would ‘paying with my emblem’ entail?” she asked. “Is that what I would call my cutie mark?” “Indeed it is,” replied Lady Autumn. “And as for what it would entail… the effects are as I would imagine you expect them to be. The emblem would vanish from your body, and you would find it very difficult to perform any task related to the talent it signifies. Your alchemical knowledge would be largely untouched, but you would be unable to farm.” Oh Luna, what do I say to that? I already wagered my farm once. But that was a wager, not a bargain. I could still come out of it with my farm intact, and I did. If I did this, there’s no chance I could keep my farm. I probably don’t need to worry about bits. Fredrick was right, if I needed it I’m sure Luna would provide me with money for all the things I do as an Element. That’s not the issue here. The issue is that I don’t want to give up my farm. No, that’s not the issue either. The issue is that I don’t know how much of me would be left if I gave up my cutie mark. That mark, that talent, is what makes me the mare that I am. And if I lose the talent, then I lose my farm and my legacy from Granny. What am I if you take those away? Just my Element, and my friendships with the girls. And I don’t know even about the latter. If the things that made me me were taken away, would there still be anything for them to be friends with? An epiphany lit up her mind, casting sharp-edged shadows across the table and forcing Lady Autumn to cover her eyes. This is why the Elements only work when they’re all together, isn’t it? Because if you take any one of them by itself, it goes wrong. Pure Generosity would give until it could give no more, and then keep giving. It needs the other Elements to rein it in, to remind it not to destroy itself in the attempt to fulfill everypony else’s needs. No, I can’t give up my cutie mark. Now, how about the other price she mentioned? Giving up the capacity to bear foals… not for that. It’s not like I really need that armor anyway. The armor the Princess gave me is already good enough. Maybe if she were offering to fix Corona’s mind on the spot, that might be worth giving up foals. Noon, that might be worth giving up my mark for. “I’m not willing to pay such a price for that armor,” she said out loud. “But I would be willing to give up my mark if it would cure Corona of her insanity, return her to what she was back when she and Luna ruled as equals.” Lady Autumn smiled slightly. “A worthy try, Dame Toppington, but such magic would cost far more than you could pay.” “Then I suppose we are done here,” said Carrot Top. “Yes, I suppose we are,” said Lady Autumn.  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "The question, Lady Autumn," said Kindle, "is not whether I am willing to pay the price. I would lay down my life for my Queen in a heartbeat. But my life is her property, not mine to spend frivolously. To make a bargain that cost her more than it gained would be mere folly." "Well spoken, Voice of the Sun," said Lady Autumn. She continued as Kindle took a sip of wine. "But before we speak of prices, let us consider what it is that you would bargain for." She reached under the table and produced what looked like a small square of knitted gray yarn. "This is an Unraveling. Press it against an enchanted item and pull it apart, and it shall likewise unravel whatever enchantments have been laid upon that item. Your Queen sought to acquire a similar item before you made your way to her. An hourglass, as I recall." Kindle considered the Unraveling. He hadn't heard that his Queen had been searching for anything of that sort, but then again none of Celestia's servants spoke much of the past. "I have no doubt that Queen Celestia could make use of such a thing," he said after a moment. "What price would I need to pay for it?" "Hmm..." Lady Autumn looked contemplative for a moment. "Your capacity to sire children would suffice, I think. The same price could also buy this." Lady Autumn held up a glass globe, inside of which grayish mist much like that outside the hall roiled and churned. "Smashing the globe shall release the mists within, and they shall spread to cover a considerable area. Now, do you recall how your guide mentioned that the air of this court is not healthy for mortals to breathe?" Kindle nodded. "These mists are similar, but much more potent. An unshielded mortal might survive the airs of Autumn for some hours. These mists, on the other wing, bring paralysis in seconds. Unconsciousness follows within a  minute, and death not long after. It does have its limits, of course. It cannot cross thresholds, and it will dissipate within half an hour. And I doubt it is potent enough to harm an alicorn." Kindle's eyes widened as an image painted itself across his mind. The Night Court in session, all the corrupt nobles and the traitor Princess gathered in one room. A red-coated Pegasus dashing into the room and smashing something on the ground. Gray mist billowing up, and then fading again immediately to reveal a floor littered with corpses. Queen Celestia striding across the twisted bodies of the cursed nobles to take her rightful seat... That would be worth the price, he thought. I have no plans to sire children at this point. And if my Storm Cloud ever does see the light, we could adopt. Wait a moment...  “Could you cure Dame Raindrops of her devotion to Luna? What price would I need to pay for that magic?” Lady Autumn considered the question. “To so affect the mind of the one under the mantle of Honesty, against her will and while she is not in the Fae? It might perhaps be within my power, but the cost would be far beyond anything you could offer.” Kindle sighed. “Very well, then. The other bargain it shall be. The death mists for my capacity to sire foals.” “Then drink this,” said Lady Autumn, producing a small bottle of some blackish liquid and pouring a measure of that liquid into one of the goblets. Kindle raised the goblet to his lips and drank. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ “The test, if you wish to put it that way, shall be whether you are willing to pay the necessary price to win your side an advantage." “That would depend on the price, I imagine,” replied Lyra. "Well spoken, Dame Heartstrings,” replied Lady Autumn. “Now, you and I are both aware that Apprentice Smoke has a deep and unreciprocated infatuation with the Voice Of The Sun. We both likewise strongly suspect that it is that infatuation, rather than any true loyalty to the Solar Princess, that keeps her in said Princess's service. It is well within my power to snuff out that infatuation, if the proper price is paid." "And what would that price be?" asked Lyra. "Oh, nothing too bad. A year's worth of memories is all I ask." "And which year of memories would I be giving up?" asked Lyra, raising an eyebrow. "Oh, I wouldn't take a whole contiguous year," said Lady Autumn. "That would leave far too big a hole. No, I'll spread it out, take a few hours here and there. You won’t even notice that they’re missing." Something was definitely up. “So… any particular theme to the time you’re planning on taking? Because I’ve heard way too many ballads to think that you simply intend to take my memories of standing around or using the toilet.” Lady Autumn shook her head and chuckled. “I see you have listened to the words you speak, Dame Heartstrings. Very well, then. To speak plainly, I shall take those memories that pertain to your infatuation.” “Wha… Bon Bon? You want my memories of Bon Bon?” “There is a certain symmetry to it, would you not agree? A gift for a gift, an infatuation snuffed out at the price of another.” “No, no, and three times no!” said Lyra. Her horn ignited, and around her neck her Element began to pulse with reddish light. “Calm down, Dame Heartstrings,” said Lady Autumn with a smile. “If you wish to snap your heartstrings, I won’t gainsay you.” Lyra took a deep breath and snuffed out her horn once again. “I think our business here is concluded,” she said, her voice still a tad shaky. “Yes, I think it is,” said Lady Autumn. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Greetings, Apprentice Smoke," said Lady Autumn. "Please, sit with me. We have things to discuss." Smoke took a seat. "Before we begin, would you care for a muffin?" asked Lady Autumn. "There's plain, lemon, foxglove, and walnut. And of course we also have a good variety of drinks." “No thank you, Lady Autumn,” replied Smoke. She wasn’t hungry. She still hadn’t recovered her mental balance from the Wild Hunt, and Autumn had her on edge. “Very well,” replied Lady Autumn. She was silent for another minute or two, before eventually speaking again. “There is something I would offer you. A gift free-given, without debt or obligation.” “And what might that gift be?” asked Smoke warily. “The gift of peace. Peace and the healing of your heart. You are tormented by an obsession with a stallion who does not love you.” “Kindle loves me!” blurted out Smoke. Some part of her knew she should be feeling terror. To contradict one of the four rulers of the Fae was just about the most foolhardy thing she’d ever done. But she couldn’t let the lie stand. “No, he does not. You know this, even if you deny it as hard as you may.”Lady Autumn shrugged her wings. “You can lie if you like, even to yourself. You are not a Fae, you are not bound as we are to the truth. But to lie to yourself, and forget the truth, is dangerous. He does not love you, and this obsession you have with him will only bring you pain. I can take that pain away, if you will let me. The nature of my Court permits it, with no price to you.” “What do you mean?” asked Smoke. Hope, fear, and confusion warred in her heart. “I can take away your obsession with Kindle,” replied Lady Autumn. “By so doing I will at once serve the nature of my court and make you free of the pain your crush on him brings. For this reason there would be no cost to you, for the act is its own payment.” “No!” said Smoke, just a little too firmly. “Kindle loves me, and I love him, and I won’t let you take that away.” “Are you so sure?” replied Lady Autumn. “What if I told you that at this very moment, or near enough, he is throwing aside any possibility of children with you? What if I told you that he tries to bargain for Dame Raindrops’s heart? Again I ask, will you accept my gift and give up your mad love?” “No,” replied Smoke. “Perhaps you must hear and see the truth, if you are to embrace it,” said Lady Autumn. With a wave of her hoof, several bubbles budded off from the nearest light-bubble and drifted towards them. As the first drew close, it popped, and voices spoke from thin air. Voices Smoke recognized. “Should I be jealous?” she asked. “Of my friend? No, she’s like a sister to me, I do care for her, but not in the same way I feel for you,” replied the imitation of Kindle’s voice. Another bubble drifted up. This one spoke in her voice. “He doesn’t love you, you know. He can’t, his mission is everything to him. The only thing he loves is his queen, and she is above such mortal emotions. You’re nothing to him!” The bubbles were coming more quickly now. “At least I have a pretty face. I bet no stallion ever gave you a second glance, certainly not the stallion you wanted anyway. Does he even notice you exist most of the time?” “If I turned to your side do you think he’d give me another ride... maybe he’d even let you watch? Maybe not, you being there would probably be a mood killer for him.” “A shame that Dame Raindrops was unavailable. Please convey my compliments to her and remind her that should she manage to survive our Queen regaining her throne, she shall have a place at my side.” One instead of bursting drifted even closer, and an image shimmered into view on its surface. An image of Kindle and that feathered whorse, wrapped in each other’s wings. Even through the barrage of words, Smoke could hear the little moans of pleasure coming from them both as the fake Kindle mounted her. “Stop!” screamed Smoke. Her horn ignited and she lashed out with telekinesis, smashing the bubbles. Then she realized what she’d done, and her blood ran cold. But Lady Autumn didn’t seem to be angry. “Thrice I ask and done,” she said, her voice level. “Will you accept my offer?” “NO!” shouted Smoke. “I don’t care what you have to say! I don’t care whether or not Kindle will ever return my love! Better unrequited love than no love at all!” “So be it, then,” replied Lady Autumn. “I would wish you joy of your choice, but I cannot speak what I know to be a lie.”