//------------------------------// // Dreadful Little Ponies - Old Friends // Story: Strange Reflections // by No one is home //------------------------------// “Yes…I understand…” A pale orange mare with an orange mane and a cutie mark of five orange pips paced restlessly across the Mayor’s office in Ponyville talking to apparently nopony at all. “Well please tell her majesty I respectfully disagree… Yes, Samantha, especially if HE is involved again!” “Honestly,” a pink, blank flank fily with a painfully straight even pinker mane leaned against Mayor Mare’s desk and said with a wide grin, “when I do that, they talk about ‘treatment options’, it’s totally not fair.” “Agent Moth--” the grey maned mare smiled worriedly at her older guest, her eye’s flickering nervously toward the filly, “--is there something I should be worried about?” “Yes,” the orange mare replied absently, only to go back to arguing with the empty space in front of her, “No not you, Samantha, I was talking to the Mayor.  The answer is still no, I DON’T think an extra unit of the royal guard will be sufficient to safeguard the Pastel larva!  I KNOW she has Pinkie Pie watching over her, but tell her majesty that we both know the element of laughter is going to be involved in other business!” “Yeah,” the pink filly examined the back of her hoof, “Looks like we’ve got work to do.” “Well, you honor, it has been a pleasure working with you.”  The orange mare strode casually towards the door.  “But it appears her majesty, Princess Luna, believes our services would be better utilized in Manehattan at the present time.  Come along Thirteen.” “It’s been loads of fun!” The pink filly flashed a friendly smile and followed obediently. “Wait!”  The flustered public servant trotted behind the pair, shuffling back to a respective distance at a warning glance from the filly.  “You said there was something I should be worried about!” “Yes, there are several things,”  The orange mare spoke in a bored tone, “For starters you should talk to the Pastel girl about the new safe words.  Make sure all new guards are cleared by the Element of Laughter before they’re given the safe words, and watch out for new ponies with names that sound like they literally mean ‘alias’.” “Agent Moth…” The mayor was quickly cut off. “That should pretty much cover it, at least as far as any pony here is qualified to deal with it.” Moth waved a dismissive hoof.  Before talking into the air again. “Honestly Samantha, you could ask your son that yourself if you really wanted to know!  Well I’m annoyed!  Yes I understand that studies agree that it’s important to give a colt their space, but it defeats the purpose if you just have me spy on him for you!  Well, I’m sorry, but would you believe I just got the worst news from my job JUST NOW!” “Yeah, it’s gonna be one of THOSE days.” The pink filly rolled her eyes.  “Aunt Moth, can I at least say by to Z before we skip town?” -=-=-=-=- “It’s a big train, Pip.”  The giant pale horse of a stallion glared at the much smaller mare.  “There’s lots of other seats… lots of whole other cars too, now that I think about it.” “Hey!”  The pink filly scowled mightily at the giant.  “You can’t call Aunt Moth, ‘Pip’!  Nopony gets to name you in the Shadow Hive but you!” “See, Pip,”  The giant said with a cold smile, “that’s why I trust that little psychopath more than you, at least you always know what side she’s on.” “It’s alright, Thirteen,” Moth reassured her ward, “Mr. Deadlift and I were friends before I took the name Moth.” “I wouldn’t exactly say we were ‘friends’.”  The stallion rolled his eyes.  “I worked for your cousin, the Goat, and we got along okay.  Trainwreck was my friend.  And the last time I saw you in Canterlot, you were headed off with his daughter to keep her out of too much trouble.  We all saw how that turned out.” “I did what I could, Deadlift.”  The orange mare shook her head sadly.  “I will be the first to admit I failed.” “Well that’s good, cause you won’t be the last, I can promise.”  Deadlift leveled a cold stare on the mare.  “Diane’s in tartarus right now.  You’re mare-friend, last I heard was heavily medicated and in the care of a ‘Professional Friend’.  Half the Shift sisters are still unaccounted for!  But you and that witch Shadefire came out smelling like a pair of roses that grew in a dung pile!” “Yes,”  Moth replied in a hollow voice, “Miss Shadefire, I underestimated her.” -=-=-=-=- “You pulled a Surprise Pastel?”  The hollow voice echoed with mirth.  “I underestimated you Miss Shadefire.” “Umbrum are frequently underestimated.” The tiny school teacher bowed respectfully. “A replacement for our little prodigal filly.  And produced by The Society no less.”  The voice’s laugher echoed through the compound.  “The green whorse thought she was so clever, capturing one of us… turning him against our purpose.  She nearly destroyed all we’ve worked for… but what you’ve done, Miss Shadefire, that is art.” “The simulacrum should be ready as we speak.”  The Umbrum only shuddered slightly as the fractured crystal hoof caressed her cheek.  “We missed two chances… but there is one more.” “The Pony of Shadows?”  Shadefire knew the answer, but still her body quivered in anticipation. “Yes, little monster.”  The torso of a changeling hovered out of the darkness, like some broken statue given horrible half life. “The Pony of Shadows… one more chance to show this world what ponies really believe… and beyond the Silver Sky…” “Darkness and fear shall reign eternal!”  The tiny unbrum embraced the head of the horrible construct as it’s broken hoof caressed her gently.