//------------------------------// // Chapter IV - From Correlation To Causation // Story: Subject #4: "Determination" // by Starlit Rose //------------------------------// Under the light of Luna's night, two partners discuss their plight. "It is rather unbecoming of you to arrange a meeting in the middle of the night. Though at the same time, it is what I expect of someone of your kind. What is the matter? Have you found out more information regarding her?" "Let’s just say we got ourselves a curious one. I think she is already figuring my game!" "Already? Well, I had been thinking to be more forward with our plan. Still, what have you found out so far?" "Hold on for a minute here. Let's not forget the first thing I had to do was to drive away the pesky book pony and her peer." "You mean Twilight Sparkle?" "I thought we had stated in our... agreement that you would deal with her. My job would have been much easier if she didn't try to meddle with our plans; that saboteur." "I apologise for the unusual circumstances." "Of course you do. It was only luck that my magic in the alcohol managed to make her drunk enough for me to charm all of the silly ponies to sleep, while of course being unnoticed too." "And I assume this included the barkeeper as well?" "Naturally. And if I may add, with nopony else being the wiser, actually." "Good to hear you are willing to see your methods through properly." "I am nothing if not thorough. But it doesn't stop there if you must know. In my rush to get rid of her, I had forged a letter advising her to return to her castle in the earliest manner.” "And what this letter entail?" "The message informed her of the return of the elements of harmony – the crown and the necklaces." “I had been wondering how Twilight had obtained her element to be sent off to Canterlot for study. Have you placed the Tree at risk again? Or have you presented them with merely trinkets, of no actual magical value?" "Neither; only a slice of the power was returned with the gems, the barest I was able to obtain without disrupting the balance of the wild magics. However, it is still enough to carry out the powerful arcanics of the old gods with how the bearers are strongly connected to the thaumic field." "This may create further complications for us down the road. But for now, it should not prevent us from completing our mission. You still haven't answered my earlier question; what do you mean about the mare finding out your ways?" "She has one of my bottles of cider." "I... See?" "I assume that she will decide to investigate the matter in the morning after experiencing the... side effects." "Ah yes, you are right in the assumption. That is worrisome news. We should initiate our first contingency then. I believe Princess Twilight had sent her crown - her element - over to the castle for experimentation." "You want to use the barkeeper?" "He has been serving our purposes quite fine now, hasn't he? How much harm can there be just using him a little more?" He grins her a wicked smile, "I thought you'd never ask." >>>>> Curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back. Results vary for ponies however. - Somepony. "Help!" That is the cry of a tan-coloured stallion riding a ten-ton boulder. A boulder rolling down the street towards an applecart. An applecart with two mares between it and the boulder. Many of the Canterlot nobles scream and attempt at evading the object. It is fortunate that they actually had some sense in them and decide to jump off to the sides of the streets and into alleyways instead of simply running away in front of it. For anything in the path between Moon Dancer and the Boulder, would have intercepted the spell which could very well save the day from certain destruction. "What the hay is going on here? Moon Dancer, I reckon we need to skeddadl- urk!" Moon Dancer fires a spell. Not aimed at the boulder however, rendering the previous point moot. She forms a teleport matrix with her magic, surrounding both her and the orange earth pony beside her with a light cerise aura. Within moments both mares appear off to the side of the street, away from the path of destruction of the boulder. "Somepony! Help!" The cry of the stallion falls on deaf ears for Moon Dancer. Serves him right. She does however notice the cart of apples; the livelihood of the pony beside her. Gritting her teeth while managing to fling off a barrage of curses at the day's sudden escalation into sudden disorder, she shoots a beam of magic at the boulder, intending for it to slow down and stop. Yet the boulder simply shoots off with increased energy; a faint yet shimmering black and yellow aura surrounding the boulder intensifying at the point of magical contact. Moon Dancer's eyes widen at the connection between it and the strange exotic arcanics she had discovered earlier in the day, and then immediately scrunches up as the sound of splintering of timber, mashing of apples and breaking of glass reaches her ears. Applejack simply lowers her hat in shock, her mouth agape yet failing to produce a sound. The stallion on the boulder almost loses his footing, but the magic emanating from the rock keeps him in place, forcing him to continue the circus charade. Moon Dancer frowns. The magic seems to control him, as if somepony else is forcing him along the act. An urge within the depths of her mind compels her to stop the boulder now. She feels an inexplicable drive to chase after it. But at what reason? She had already tried a spell, and that sure didn't work; what more is there to attempt? Besides, any magic would simply be absorbed anyway, so why try further? Why not just let the royal guards and mages deal with the issue? Where are they? Despite these logical questions she feels as though as if she needs to save the stallion's life - to play the hero. What kind of a hero is she though? A pony who regrets venturing outside in the middle of the night because of a headache from the alcohol? That night. Despite the morning afterwards, that night she had felt free. Lost in the symphony of the harmonious orchestra. Dancing through the streets of Canterlot, without the pressure of her research weighing her down. Without the thoughts of being abandoned, pain resurfacing from the encounter with an old 'friend'. And then that stallion, who had invited her for a drink. Nothing more, just amicable talk. Despite the conversation lasting less than ten minutes, those ten minutes had been golden for her. To simply talk with another pony without them reminding her of how much of a recluse, a failure, an alcoholic she is. And she doesn't even drink alcohol normally. Though in fairness, he did breach onto the sensitive topic. Even then the pony didn't pity her or try to weakly encourage her with her discoveries. Moon Dancer knows what she has achieved. She doesn't need another pony thanking her for something they don't truly know about. So Moon Dancer knows she cannot, will not give up on him. Not like how others have given up on her. She is filled with... something. Moon Dancer teleports again, and again, moving past the boulder, buying herself time to formulate a plan to stop the runaway rock. As if to support her in her quest, a gathering of unicorns band up together, firing off an assortment of spells to slow it down. The boulder simply absorbs the magic and continues uninterrupted, forcing all to teleport out of the path. Moon Dancer teleports onto the rooftops of Canterlot. Not only did it provide a better vantage point to observe her location, it also allows her to continue her path uninterrupted, without the fear of blinking into existence in places she most certainly does not belong; most ponies would be surprised to hear the shockingly high number of injuries from unicorns teleporting into trees. With the higher ground, she decides to gallop across the urban canopy, conserving her arcanical energy due to the substantial amount of magic she has spent so far. Her hooves drum across the tiles in a steady rhythm, much akin to the symphonic night yesterday. The screams from down below filter out in a haze as she focuses on that beat. The rhythm. The music. She dances under the light of Celestia's sun. A mare places her newspaper down on the bench. Taking a bite out of a hayburger, she gazes out across the scene before her. A boulder ridden by a tan-coloured earth stallion comes up from the horizon. Ponies scream and run and cry everywhere. She tut-tuts at the outlandish reactions of the nobles and takes another bite. She is simply used to bizarre happenings such as this one during her life. Besides, she'd be a hypocrite to find it weird anyway. She uses her magic to flip the page of the newspaper, noting the shift of her aura from gold, to orange, to cyan. She's no stranger to a strange thing in a strange place, in all honesty. She notices a mare flitting atop the rooftops, her amaranth mane with purple streaks trailing smoothly behind in the breeze. She would have given it no further thought were it not for the cutie mark the mysterious crusader displays - a crescent moon with three stars. This should certainly be interesting. Now that Moon Dancer has gained a formidable distance, and therefore time, she surveys her surroundi- How? The boulder is already ahead of her, somehow gaining speed; gaining energy; gaining magic. It appears to be on a one-way ticket to an intersection, where a group of ponies stand together in shock. Moon Dancer gasps, and then fires off a spell with what little energy she has left to redirect the boulder, to stop it, anything to avoid the demise of half a dozen ponies just standing in the middle of the street, huddling together in raw, primal fear at the end of the rock's destination. But the rock doesn't alter its course. Moon Dancer can only watch in horror as the boulder closes the distance to the terrified ponies. Just as out of ideas as she is out of breath, she once again shoots off an intense blast of magic at it knowing full well what had happened earlier in the morning with the small sample of tainted cider. And when the spell strikes, something does happen. The boulder jumps. Who would have thought? Certainly not the dozens of nobles who are frozen in place, mouths agape in unison. Their widened eyes tracking the boulder as it soars majestically across the sky. Moon Dancer traces the rock to its eventual destination. Her eyes soon join the rest of the ponies in widening, though not for the same reason, as Moon Dancer realises where she is, and where the boulder will land. In front of the castle. Initiate plan ‘Save Pone’. Start pre-emptive countdown. Four seconds. Phase One: Gain a positional advantage. In an instant Moon Dancer shoots off teleport spells with an exit vortex to the ground below - one to herself and another towards the tan stallion holding onto the boulder as it spins chaotically through the air. Her first spell successfully transports her to the cobbled streets of Canterlot. Phase Two: Remove fragile goods– The second spell didn’t. Even though it strikes with precision, her arcanics fails to produce a noticeable effect - the black and yellow magic simply absorb it, flowing over the stallion in a protective aura. Damn it. No contingencies to fall back onto. Three seconds. Moon Dancer’s expression slackens in grim realisation, succumbing to exhaustion. There is no more hope for him, not with the exotic magic having such a tight grip. Moon Dancer closes her eyes, avoiding the gaze of sheer terror etched in his eyes. Revaluating situation: Odds are statistically against success. Two seconds. Oh, to Tartarus with all of this. Moon Dancer opens her eyes. She rears her head back, unleashing a torrent of pure magic, unfiltered through any matrices. Raw energy blazes from her horn, impacting directly into the boulder. The rock consumes her magic in greed, though with each passing moment its jittering increases exponentially. One second. Moon Dancer digs into the ground. Or rather, the recoil of her magic grinds her into the cobbled streets, pulverizing the stones around her to fine dust. She strains under the magical tension, sparks spluttering out of her horn as she intensifies the beam of magic. The boulder shakes violently, heaving and buckling on its rippling surface. She is not going to make it. There is not enough time. The boulder is going to crash into the wa- It explodes.