Once More, with Feeling

by Amaranthine Thought


Chapter 6: The Party, Second turn

            Twilight slipped away quietly, Blueblood doing a fantastic job of capturing the attention of the nearby crowd.  Once she was fairly far away she nodded to herself and relaxed again.

            Looking around, she could see Celestia still greeting ponies, that task going to take up most of not all of her night.  A few of the ponies nearby noticed her, but most seemed content to look from a distance and nopony had the courage to approach her.

            Twilight sighed as she reviewed what she had learned from Blueblood.

            If anything about it was true, something very suspicious was going on with Gold Coin.  It sounded bad.  Possibly very bad.

            Ponies disappearing.  Packages delivered to hidden places, to be picked up in secret.  Nopony knew his family, and nopony really knew where his wealth came from?  He had planned this party, and for what reason?  What was he after?  What did he want?

            She hoped to learn more later on, but what she had learned set her on edge.  The twin princesses concerns came back to her, about her being used to upset the balance in Equestria.

            She was already upsetting it in too many ways just by existing.  If somepony tried to use her, it could easily be disastrous.

            She needed to make some headway, but how?

            Twilight had never really been concerned with intrigue, much less the working of the nobility.  Where to begin was a mystery to her.

            It wasn’t like she could just send somepony after Gold Coin on suspicion alone.  He had to be good at hiding if he had worked for this long, and a mistake could easily set her in a bad position for later attempts.

            Twilight kept walking as she pondered what to do.  Moving with all the elegant grace of an alicorn, but with a faint frown and her head slightly lowered in her thought.  Ponies noticed, and a faint murmur began as some theorized what might be upsetting her.  Most were wild guesses, some in jest, and only a rare few in seriousness.

            But one began spreading.  One, based on an old rumor, caught on, and ponies whispered that perhaps Princess Rest found the accusation more serious than did Celestia or Luna.

            An old rumor long dismissed gained new life in the wake of her, and it spread swiftly.  Swiftly enough that it overtook her, and as she entered another room, it came to the ears of one pony in particular.

            Not that it was said to them, nor to anypony near them.  But they heard it, and a few words was all it took for that pony to imperceptibly tense, and turn to watch Rest from the corner of their eye.

            Because while most were uncertain, only passing on the rumor because it was interesting, nopony actually knew the truth.

            That accusation was true.  And the idea of it finally gaining credence to an alicorn might spell its revelation.

            And that pony could not let that happen.

            Twilight paused upon hearing a familiar boisterous voice.

            She looked up, and spotted Rainbow Dash, the mare rather stand out.  She was at a distance, standing amongst the Wonderbolts.

            Wearing one of their uniforms.

            Twilight gaped for a moment.  Rainbow had obtained her dream.  But when?  And maybe how?

            She dearly wanted to go and ask, but she couldn’t.  It would be too strange for her, Rest, to go to Rainbow and ask such things so directly.

            She had to do it like a stranger would.  Which might be easy; Rainbow wasn’t as familiar as she could be in the uniform.

            She headed that way with purpose, steeling herself for the encounter, and a few around the room watched intently.  The rumor that most thought inane looked more real suddenly, and they waited with breathless anticipation.

            What would Princess Rest do?  Why was she going with such a determination?

            That pony steeled itself, well used to tension, even grave tension.  There was still a chance.  It was just a rumor; there was no evidence.  Act and speak normally, and nothing would happen.  Deny, and nothing would come of it.

            The Wonderbolts stopped speaking amongst each other as Twilight approached, and as one, saluted her, which made her pause.

            “Princess Rest!” Spitfire said, still saluting.  “The first flight team of the Wonderbolts, at the ready!”

            “… At ease.” Twilight said, hardening her voice.  She had heard and seen her brother commanding the troops.  With luck, it would work the same way for her.

            They relaxed and Twilight smiled a little.  It did work the same way.

            “Do you need something Princess?” Spitfire asked.

            Twilight thought for a moment.  Stranger, not friend.  Just remember that.

            “I wanted to speak with her.” she said, gesturing at Rainbow who started.  “Rainbow Dash, wasn’t it?  Bearer of the element of loyalty, and fastest pegasus in Equestria, correct?”

            Rainbow, in a remarkable show of restraint, looked at Spitfire.  She nodded, and Rainbow practically burred to Twilight, beaming in pride.

            “That’s me!” she said.  “The fastest around!”

            Something about the way she said that made Twilight wonder.  It sounded… strained as compared to her normal boast.  Like Rainbow was just a little less proud of it than she used to be.

            “Can I see a demonstration?” Twilight asked, smiling already.

            Rainbow nodded, took to the air, made sure that she wasn’t near anything, and then zipped around the room in a long rainbow blur.  She stopped back in front of Twilight in a moment, not even winded.

            “That is very fast.” Twilight said.

            “Thank you Princess.” Rainbow said, landing again.

            “How is a bearer part of the Wonderbolts?”

            “Easily.” Rainbow said, puffing up in pride.  A few of the Wonderbolts looked either happy or mildly annoyed at her assertion.

            Twilight chuckled.  She should have known that was too vague for Rainbow.

            “Don’t your duties allow you no time for such things though?  Surely, being the bearer is something that demands your full attention.”

            “Not really.  In fact, saving ponies only happens like, every few weeks or so.  Captain gives me a special leave to deal with it.”

            “Really?”  Twilight felt a touch mischievous.  “But I have heard endless tales of your heroism.”

            Rainbow blinked, slightly stunned.  Twilight advanced.

            “Saving Luna from Nightmare Moon, and defeating Discord, saving everypony not once, but twice.  The endless tales of your strength and speed, from personal accounts to official events.  I imagine that you are the pride of the Wonderbolts.”

            Rainbow was speechless.  Nopony had ever really praised her like that, so thoroughly.  There wasn’t a way for her to boast; Twilight had already done so for her.

            “She is our best recruit.” Spitfire said.  “Set more than a few records in fact.  Get a little bit of discipline, and she would be golden.”

            “Rushing off on her own?”

            “Pretty much.”

            “Not listening to the plan, and doing something that is risky?”

            “Yeah…” Spitfire eyed Twilight as Rainbow fidgeted.  Her emotions pulled one way and then the other.  From prideful to worried that it was turning into a dressing down.

            “But she still gets the job done, and done better than anticipated, doesn’t she?”

            “… Yeah... “

            And then back again.  Rainbow wasn’t sure if she was supposed to feel proud and happy, or concerned and worried.

            “Do you know her Princess?”

            “I have only heard of her.  But what tales they were.”

            Twilight looked back at Rainbow and giggled at the indecision in her eyes.

            “Rainbow, whatever your flaws, you are a true example to others.  A hero, a real hero.”

            “I don’t think that there is anypony else who deserves to bear loyalty more than you.”

            It was just an instant.  Just a fleeting look in Rainbow’s eyes, there and gone in less than an eyeblink.  Twilight might never have noticed if not for looking directly at her and knowing Rainbow as well as she did.

            In that instant, a kind of horror and sorrow passed through her eyes.  A deep trauma of some kind.  Buried so deep that even Rainbow might not know it was there.

            “Thank you Princess.” she said, puffing up again.

            “You can go.” Twilight said, and Rainbow did so.  Twilight stared after her, thinking.

            What had that been?  Why was it there?  It was somehow connected to loyalty, but what was it?

            Spitfire noticed Twilight’s thoughtful look as Rainbow went back to the others.

            “Something bothering you Princess?”

            “…It’s nothing.  Just… thinking.”

            Twilight sighed gently, turning to look at Spitfire.

            “Sometimes things are buried deeply.” she said, and several ponies, mostly Wonderbolts, stopped talking nearby.  They turned to look, but also tried to make sure that they weren’t seen looking.

            “Deeply enough that nopony ever knows about them.”

            “… Princess,”

            “Princess Rest!”

            Twilight turned and saw one of the night guard approaching her.  A batpony, causing some stir, but not too much.

            “Princess Luna wished to speak with you outside.  In the gardens.”

            “I will be right there.” Twilight said, and headed away.

            She left behind many who watched her go in silence.  Many who began whispering even quieter that Princess Rest knew something that they didn’t.

            And that pony watched her go in no small amount of fear.  She knew.

            She KNEW.

            Something had to be done.  It was very bad.

            Maybe Rest didn’t know where.  Maybe she did.

            Hiding it again would take too long.  Princess Rest had to be distracted.  Eluded.  Thrown off of the trail.  But that would only slow her down.

            There was only one choice left.  The only question left was how.  How?

            How were they going to kill an alicorn, an immortal being?

How were they going to kill Princess Rest?