Chapter 23
Thief
Rarity had gone off with Nopony, leaving Mickey and Twilight by the fountain.
Twilight was watching them long after they left, until she was snapped out of it by Mickey’s squeaky voice.
“Doesn’t look like we’ll be gettin’ much help from Rarity. Come on, Twilight. Let’s go lookin’ for what we need to fix here,” the mouse said.
It was true. Twilight knew the only reason the glittering light would have led them to Avalon was to solve some problem that was present. Except here, no problems were immediately noticeable. Still, she complied. Anything to take her mind off of her missed chance.
As she walked away with Mickey to a booth, she continued to look over her shoulder in the direction that Rarity and Nopony left.
She and Mickey arrived at a nearby booth, where a pair of kelpies were working on a stone carving.
"Twilight? Why're ya so jealous of Rarity?" Mickey asked.
"I...I'm not jealous of anypony," Twilight stammered.
"Aw, if you were any greener, I'd call ya cabbage. But, just ‘cause Rarity sprang on him first doesn’t mean ya have to get all down about it. I don’t even think he’s anywhere near your league anyway," Mickey said.
Twilight didn’t know how to answer. She never had a coltfriend before, but thought she saw something she could connect to with the lonely performer. Something she thought was on a deeper level than simply being impressed by his tricks. If only she got to know him better, before Rarity swooped in and snatched him away, then she felt she could have understood those feelings.
While Twilight mulled over her romantic woes, Mickey perused the merchandise at the booth.
Among the wares the kelpies were making, the mouse saw a carving of seven painted embossments. Each embossment was surrounded by a groove that was colored differently. Black, which was surrounded with gold. Yellow, which was surrounded with violet. Turquoise, which was surrounded with orange. Red, which was surrounded with white. White, which was surrounded with black. And green, which was surrounded with yellow. In the center of them all was a brilliant blue embossment that stood out greatly from the others. Surrounding the blue was a gorgeous green groove that shone brightly, and was carved in the shape of a sun.
“Welcome, boyo. See somet’in’ ya fancy?” the kelpie greeted Mickey.
“Nope. Just browsin’,” Mickey said. “Say, ya haven’t seen a floatin’ light around here, have ya? Or, maybe a big, fat cat runnin’ around?”
“Can’t say Oi ‘ave,” the kelpie shrugged, before he noticed Twilight, and sidled on over to her. “‘Ow ‘boyt ya, lass? Anyt’in’ catch yer eye?”
There was no trouble in that place, so Mickey and Twilight continued on.
The kelpie watched them both leave, his eye firmly on Twilight.
“Novo’s fins! T’at be a one o’ t’em royal folk been ‘ere,” the second kelpie at the booth said.
“Mighty grand she be. Ya t’ink she be goin’ for a ‘umble stone carver’s ‘pprentice?”
“Nah. She’s probably into t’em fancy toips,” the second kelpie said, before returning to his work.
“Roit! T’en Oi be stroivin’ become a master stone carver by t’e morrow!” the first kelpie declared, before he returned to his work with twice the vigor as before.
Of all the places, of all the times, why did Peg-Leg Pete have to show up just as Rarity was beginning a date with a stallion?
Rather than wonder, Rarity started to leave as the heavy rapidly walked closer.
“We have to go! Now!” Rarity said to Nopony.
“Without paying for my hat?” Nopony said, indicating the pork pie hat Rarity had placed on his head.
Rarity took Nopony by his hoof and started to lead him away, only to be stopped by a peg-leg blocking their path.
“Goin’ somewhere?” Pete said.
“I’ll have no quarrel with you! You’ve done enough to me already,” Rarity said, trying to sound brave in the face of the heavy.
“Sorry to disappoint ya, doll. But, I ain’t here for ya dis time. It’s him what I got business wit’,” Pete said, pointing a massive finger in Nopony’s snout.
“If you want another performance, you could just ask,” Nopony said, his eyes crossed to look at Pete’s pointing finger.
“I’d tell ya not to play stupid, if I didn’t already know better. Ya got somet’in’ o’ mine, an’ I want it back!” Pete accused.
“I wish I knew what you were talking about. You’re really scary when you’re mad,” Nopony said.
“Ya know durn well what I mean! A little green jewel, ‘bout yea big!” Pete said, holding his finger and thumb about three inches apart.
“You mean this?” Nopony asked, as he took the jewel in question out of his pocket.
Rarity’s eyes nearly popped at the sight. Under other circumstances, she would have marveled at a jewel so exquisitely cut. But, not when she was confronted by a dangerous criminal.
“Dat’s de one. Now, give it here!” Pete said, quickly grabbing for the jewel.
Nopony’s hoof was quicker, as he placed the jewel back in his pocket.
“Hey!” Pete bellowed.
“I didn’t steal that. I paid for it. And I’m not giving it back,” Nopony said.
“Ya didn’t pay for it, ya little guttersnipe! Ya switched it wit’ de nickel I put in yer bummin’ cup! Now, gimme dat jewel!” Pete said, as he drew a billy club from his jacket.
The camel who was running the hat stand quickly packed up her wares, and closed every opening on her shop. The front opened just enough for her head to poke out and take the payment for the hat from Nopony’s tin with her teeth, then quickly retracted to safety.
“Nopony, give him what he wants!” Rarity said.
“No. I need that jewel,” Nopony answered.
“An’ I need it more!” Pete said, as he wound up for a swing of his club.
Rarity dove to push Nopony out of the way of the swing, saving the performer as Pete’s club missed completely and cracked the ground where it struck.
When the two ponies impacted the ground, the jewel fell from Nopony’s pocket and slid across the ground.
Pete quickly ran to retrieve it.
Nopony took a juggling ball from his sleeve, and rolled it across the ground to Pete.
Pete was nearly upon the jewel, when the juggling ball rolled underneath his peg-leg, sending him swiveling about until he fell.
Rarity tried to stop Nopony from going after the jewel, only for the performer to agily slip through her hooves.
From his prone position, Pete grabbed Nopony’s ankle as the performer ran by.
Nopony fell forward, knocking over the hat rack that was on display, and sent hats sprawling everywhere.
Pete stood up and rushed to the jewel.
In one graceful cartwheel, Nopony collected his juggling ball, threw a hat over the jewel, and collected two more identical hats.
Just as Pete was reaching for the hat, Nopony jumped in and placed the other two hats he held on the ground and started shuffling them.
Making his first pick at the shell game, Pete flipped the middle hat, and found that it was empty.
Nopony started shuffling the hats again, backpedaling at the same time to escape Pete.
Rarity knew there was no stopping Pete on her own, and ran to where she last saw her friends.
Mickey and Twilight found their way to a row of painters, each one hard at work on their easels.
One of the artists was a silver creature that looked like a tall, slender-legged, cloven-hoofed equine, with a horn that branched like a tree, and a long, tufted tail.
“Hiya, pal. Seen any weird lights or fat, one-legged cats around?” Mickey asked.
“I have seen plenty of cats around ‘ere. Some of zem fat, but always with two legs,” the artist answered.
Mickey and Twilight were about to move on, when the mouse noticed what was on the artist’s easel.
There was a glen of six trees: black trunk with gold leaves, yellow trunk with violet leaves, and all the same colors as the pattern he had seen before. In their center stood a creature like the artist, though colored blue. Around her neck, she wore a necklace with a green jewel in it.
“There’s that design again,” Mickey thought.
“You know, I am always looking for a model for my work. Would you care to stand for me sometime?” the artist asked Twilight.
Before Twilight could answer, there came a call for help.
“Mickey!” Rarity called, when she found her friends.
Mickey and Twilight turned around, and were shocked to see their friend rushing toward them.
“Rarity? Is everything alright?” Twilight asked.
“It’s Pete! He’s here! He’s attacking Nopony!” Rarity said.
“That’s all I need to know,” Mickey said, picking up his gut and dropping it, before following after Rarity.
Twilight felt slightly miffed that the others simply ran off without her, but let it quickly pass. As long as there was trouble, it was her responsibility as an Equestrian princess to stop it.
The shell game continued with Pete chasing after the backpedaling Nopony, flipping the performer’s shuffling hats at the same time.
The heavy had enough. He reached out, grabbed the performer by his neck, stretched him like a rubber band, and released his legs to send him flying across the plaza.
With a stomp of his foot, Pete flipped all three hats into the air, and found the green jewel beneath the center hat.
“Gotcha!” Pete shouted, as he snatched up the jewel.
Nopony had landed on his face with his hooves sticking straight up into the air. His body fell to the ground with a thud, and he lifted his head to see Pete holding the jewel between his thumb and first finger.
The performer took another juggling ball from his jacket and wound up for a throw.
“Nopony!” Rarity called.
“Eh? Rarity?” Nopony said, before throwing his juggling ball down the street just as Rarity, Mickey and Twilight arrived.
The juggling ball bounced from a booth, to a sculpture, to the ground beneath a pedestrian, then finally toward Pete.
Pete was just about to put the jewel in his pocket, when Nopony’s juggling ball hit it out of his fingers and set itself in the jewel’s place.
“What!?” Pete shouted.
The heavy turned his head, and saw the gleaming green jewel fly through the air, until it landed in a jeweler’s booth.
Nopony jumped and collected his juggling ball from Pete’s grip, then rushed toward the jewel.
“Why, ya nimble little sneak!!” Pete bellowed, as he ran after the performer, followed by Mickey, Rarity, and Twilight.
Pete was running neck and neck with Nopony to the jeweler.
The jeweler screamed and ducked under her booth as the cadre ran toward her.
Nopony and Pete screeched to a halt in front of the booth at almost the exact same time. Pete’s stop left a long divot where his feet skidded.
It was too late. Pete reached for the jewel first.
Thinking quickly, Nopony placed another jewel in Pete’s hand before he could snatch the verdant prize.
“Huh!? Rrgh!” Pete said, before he stuffed the jewel in Mickey’s hands, who was ready to sock the heavy.
Mickey simply tossed the jewel over his shoulder, which was caught by Rarity and gently placed back on the booth’s display. Before Mickey could wind up another punch, another jewel was stuffed in his hand, tossed over his shoulder, then caught by Rarity.
Pete was repeatedly handed jewels before he could claim his prize, and subsequently gave them to Mickey before the mouse could throw a punch.
Every time Nopony tried to retrieve his prize, he was offset by how quickly Pete was reaching for it. Whenever he thought he was close to taking the green jewel, he had to react quicker by placing something else in Pete’s hand.
Twilight watched the chain of passing hands and hooves, trying to figure out how to make it end. She noticed that Pete was repeatedly reaching for the green jewel on the booth’s display, as though it were his single-minded objective. Not knowing why he wanted it so badly, she knew that she had to keep it from him.
Out of habit, Twilight tried to use her magic to retrieve the jewel, only to find that once more nothing happened.
With a frustrated groan, she ran forward. As scared as she was to face Pete without her magic, her most useful asset, she knew she still had to do what she could.
Rarity was just handed a pearl necklace by Mickey, before Pete took action.
The heavy had wised up, and thrusted his hips backwards to knock away Mickey and Rarity behind him.
Just as Twilight was reaching for the jewel, Pete thrusted his gut forward and knocked away her and Nopony.
Taking the jewel in his massive hand, Pete wasted no time making his escape.
From where she and Mickey lay tangled in the length of pearls, Rarity saw Pete getting away. Something had to be done to stop him. But, what?
In that moment, Rarity recalled how she had seen Applejack rein in unruly livestock with a lasso, and her eyes shot to the pearl necklace that entangled herself and Mickey. A feeling of sudden clarity and fantastic whimsy pierced her mind like a needle through a fine gown, and she took the length of pearls in her teeth. She was going to rein in an unruly cat. And she was going to do it with her own particular style.
Mickey was untangling himself, when Rarity suddenly yanked the entire pearl necklace.
“Whoah!!” Mickey yelped, before he flipped twice in the air as the pearls were unwound.
Rarity had done it. The pearl necklace had magically extended itself, allowing it to be twirled over her head like a lasso. With a graceful swing of her head, she released the nacreous necklace toward the heavy.
“Dat ol’ witch-woman’s gonna be real happy when she sees dis,” Pete said to himself, just before he was entangled by a string of pearls. “Hey, what!!?”
With a step of a ballroom dancer, Rarity pulled on the necklace, retracting it from around Pete, and sending the heavy spinning like a top. The necklace wrapped itself around Rarity’s neck, and glimmered brightly as the fashionista posed momentarily to show off her glamorous appearance.
Both Nopony and Twilight took a half second to look at Rarity. Nopony was awed and impressed by the ability and appearance of the mare far out of his league that he was on a date with.
Twilight too was impressed, but it was offset by the notion that she herself could have thought of something just like that.
After the half second of silent adulation, Nopony scrambled to his hooves and ran after Pete.
Pete crawled across the ground and pounced upon the jewel, rolling to his feet with his prize in his hand.
Nopony jumped onto Pete’s back and reached his neck forward to grab the jewel in his teeth.
Mickey jumped next and crawled around to Pete’s front to attack.
Rarity lassoed Pete with her pearl necklace again.
The heavy stumbled around. Strong as he was, he was having trouble keeping his balance with two extra weights on his body. He spun around on his peg-leg, and toppled over, before rolling across the pavement.
“NonononoNO!!” Rarity shouted, as her necklace was rapidly wound around the rolling Pete, before it went taut and pulled her into the jumbled heap.
Pete rolled along with his three hitchhikers, before crashing into an outdoor boutique beneath a span of wooden trellis.
The sphinx and her husband who were running the outdoor establishment shrieked in horror as their model dummies, rolls of fabric and clothes on display were knocked all about.
Much as it was back in the pawn shop where he first bought the magic mirror, Mickey found that he was now wearing a completely new outfit. He was now wearing a white, button-down, long-sleeve shirt; a cherry-red mantle, sleek black trousers with matching black shoes, and a black hat with a red band around it.
“Gosh, don’t I look slick?” Mickey said, when he happened to catch his reflection in a mirror.
“Wah-ha-ha-ha! I look fantastic!” Rarity said, stepping in next to Mickey.
Rarity too had found a new ensemble. Now, she was wearing a royal purple, double breasted coat; a black skirt, and a purple hat with a pearly white flower that matched marvelously with her necklace.
“I gotta say, I never looked better,” Nopony said, looking in the mirror next. He was still wearing his same clothes as before, only they now fit him, had no wrinkles or folds, and his sunglasses were no longer crooked. He still wore the hat from the hat shop.
“Yeah. Don’t we all look Jim-crackin’ dandy?” Pete deadpanned, stepping into view behind everyone, and wearing a lady’s corset around his fat gut.
With a grunt and a groan, Pete burst free of the constrictive garment. His fat gut shot out and knocked away all of his opponents. All but Twilight, who had just arrived on the scene.
The young alicorn watched the pandemonium ensue. She knew she had to do something. She knew just the spell that would finish Pete off and recover the jewel he was coveting so. But, without her magic it was useless.
She watched as Mickey artfully spun and swung his mantle at Pete, hiding every punch and kick he threw with ease.
Rarity too was faring well for herself. Her string of pearls seemed to have a life of its own as it extended beyond its normal reach to whip and entangle Pete.
Even Nopony was handling himself against Pete. His juggling balls and dance steps all synced in perfect rhythm to assault the heavy. He had never even experienced Mickey’s magic, and yet Twilight swore the young performer was still more skilled than herself at using it.
But, although the three were faring so well, Pete was still no pushover. Mickey’s blows were countered with hits that made the mouse spin. Nimble as Nopony was, the performer was not spared from Pete’s wild swings. One good hit, and Nopony was knocked off his feet, and his clothes reverted to their normal unkempt appearance. Pete had even wised up to Rarity’s pearls, and grabbed the necklace, before cracking it like a whip, flipping the fashionista into the air and slamming her to the ground.
Twilight knew she had to help in what little way she could. It was a little brutish, but she was able to push a table laden with fabrics hard into Pete.
“Hey!!” Pete shouted, as he was pushed slightly back by the impact.
Twilight was horrified to see she had only briefly winded him, as Pete lifted the entire table up in his bare hands, and smashed it hard on Twilight’s head.
“BRUTE!!!” Rarity shouted, as she threw three lengths of her necklace around Pete’s neck and throttled the heavy.
With a spin that wrapped her necklace back around her neck, Rarity sent Pete spinning into a wooden support beam, which cracked under the force of his head.
Dizzy and disoriented, Pete was barely able to defend himself from Nopony’s hooves reaching into his many pockets. Finally, the performer recovered the coveted green jewel from Pete.
Nopony jumped off of Pete and started to run away with his prize.
Pete had regained lucidity, and saw the performer escaping.
“Not so fast!!” Pete shouted, before he swung his fist through the support he had damaged.
Pete caught the trellis above that came crashing down on him, and heaved it toward the escaping Nopony.
Nopony was thrown off his hooves when he was struck from behind. When he landed on the ground, his hooves were caught in the woodwork of the broken trellis.
Looking over his shoulder, the performer saw Pete charging toward him.
Pete jumped into the air, ready to crush Nopony under his feet, before he was caught around the neck by Rarity’s pearls.
The heavy dropped downward, and landed on the edge of the broken trellis, making Nopony flip into the air like a coin.
Pete yanked the pearls, making Rarity fly toward him. Still on his back, Pete kicked his mismatched feet upward into Rarity’s stomach, launching her into the air. Rolling to his feet, Pete reached into his jacket and produced a throwing knife that he aimed at the airborne fashionista.
Mickey threw his mantle over Pete’s weapon hand, and when he withdrew it, the heavy was surprised to see not a knife but a single yellow daffodil.
Throwing the useless flower away, Pete simply leapt for Nopony again, as the performer tried to escape.
Mickey slid on his knees to catch Rarity in his mantle. Only, she was still larger than him, and promptly squashed the mouse.
“Mickey! Are you alright?” Rarity asked.
“*Aces*,” Mickey groaned, giving a thumbs up.
After helping Mickey up, Rarity and the mouse resumed their chase after Pete.
Nopony had led Pete into a lively outdoor performance by a group of costumed dragons. Each of the dragons wore a traditionally styled qipao or hanfu. Their long, slender bodies undulated about, while the female dancers twirled their long, silken sleeves in an artful display.
Pete and Nopony ended up in the middle of this performance, where the performer dodged the punches of the heavy.
The steps of the dragon dancers all created a rhythmic percussion that affected the movements of the two fighters, making them strike and dodge in time with the performance.
Rarity arrived with Mickey. After a brief hundredth of a second of admiring the clothes of the dancers, Rarity rushed into the fray with her ermine friend.
With a swing of her neck in time with the dancers’ steps, Rarity swung her pearls around her own neck, forcing the others around her to all jump.
With each landing, a new beat was created. Mickey made a soft tap. Nopony’s four hooves landed one after another. And when Pete landed, a booming thud sounded.
Seeing she was making things difficult for her friends, Rarity changed tactics. She swung her necklace overhead, making it come down on Pete.
Pete jumped over it like he was skipping rope, followed by Rarity jumping over her own necklace, her hooves making two dainty, musical taps when they landed, which perfectly complemented the clacking of the pearls on the ground.
Over and over Pete and Rarity skipped over her swinging necklace, as the dancing dragons began to rumble like distant thunder when their dance grew more energetic. Above the dancers, a cloud was starting to form, and a faded rainbow appeared in its midst.
Nopony did a graceful somersault in step with the dancers, as Mickey ran beneath him to attack Pete.
Pete once more was befuddled by the hidden strikes of the mouse, and no matter what weapon he drew it was magically replaced by Mickey.
Pete drew a blackjack, Mickey swung his mantle to turn it into a sock. Pete drew a hand grenade, Mickey swung his mantle to turn it into a party popper. Pete drew a flamethrower, Mickey swung his mantle to turn it into a lit candle. All in time with the dancers.
Pete glared at the candle, inhaled deeply, and belched loudly. The gaseous fumes from his rancid breath ignited, blowing forth a stream of flames that blew Mickey, Rarity and Nopony backwards.
At the same time, the dancing dragons all blew their flames forth, and the cloud above them burst into a gorgeous rainfall that spewed colors of the rainbow in all directions.
It was dazzling, enrapturing and most of all disorienting to all of those caught in its midst.
The crowd of onlookers that had gathered applauded intensely, thoroughly satisfied with the show they had seen.
For Mickey, he crawled out from the dancers’ circle and looked around for any of the others. Wherever he looked, Rarity, Nopony, and especially Pete were not to be seen.
“Rarity!” he called out.
There was no answer.
The mouse looked around, and saw that there was still no sight of them all.
“Gosh! They all just disappeared! Aw, this is bad!” the mouse thought.
His wandering eye caught sight of Twilight, who he had forgotten he and the others left back at the boutique. Currently, Twilight was talking with the two sphinxes who owned the shop as he ran over to regroup with her.
“I’m telling you, I can’t do anything about your shop!” Twilight reasoned with the husband and wife owners.
“But, you’re an alicorn! You’re one of the most magically powerful creatures in any land! How are you not able to do something as simple as repair the shop you and your friends destroyed!?” the male sphinx said.
“I--It’s--I can’t…” Twilight stammered. For the first time, now that she was forced to say so aloud, she realized that she was truly unable to use magic. Her own, or the foreign magic that Rarity had mastered so easily. The talent she had earned her cutie mark for was now nothing more than a worthless decoration for her, and a bitter reminder of what she once had. “I just can’t help you…” Twilight quietly answered.
“Typical! A vandal just plows on through and doesn’t even want to own up! What’s wrong with you? You’re supposed to be a princess in your own land, aren’t you? What good is an alicorn who can’t help out with something so simple!?” the female sphinx berated Twilight.
Those words stung Twilight hard. What good was she if she couldn’t help with something so simple?
“Hey! You guys leave her alone!” Mickey said, as he walked over. “We just came in bustin’ a known hoodlum, an’ you go pickin’ on one o’ the good folks tryin’ to stop him!” Mickey reached into his pocket, and produced a handful of change, which he placed in the male sphinx’s hand. “I don’t know what good that’s gonna do here, but it’s a start to get yer shop fixed up. Come on, Twilight. Let’s go.”
Mickey and Twilight walked away, leaving the indignant sphinxes behind.
“The nerve of that rodent! I have half a mind to bat him between my paws and eat him right in public!!” the male sphinx said.
“Darling, look,” his wife said, indicating the money.
The male sphinx looked at his paw, and saw that he was given several silver coins, as well as some copper ones. Far more valuable than the money they normally exchanged. With a suddenly elevated mood, they went about going to get the services to repair their shop.
As she walked away, Twilight mulled over her rapidly mounting failures. It was a terrible burden for her to bear, especially when all the others back home were expecting her to succeed as she had done so many times before. What would Princess Celestia say if she ever saw how Twilight was faring now? The mere thought nearly made Twilight buckle.
Mickey led Twilight back to the group of dancing dragons to look for the others. Nearby, the female dancers threw their silk sleeves into the crowd, one of them landing on Twilight’s head and draping itself over her horn.
Twilight shook the silk from her horn, letting it fall to the ground. She looked at such a simple garment that was used to such artful effect by the dancers. And how similar articles of clothing were used to even greater effect by Mickey and Rarity.
Looking next to the sleeve, Twilight saw a flower growing through the pavement. A flower that was clearly carefully avoided from being stepped on by all others passing by.
It was like an epiphany for Twilight. After so much tenacity, after much strife and trying, that little flower was able to push its way through the pavement and blossom for all to see and appreciate.
Taking the silk sleeve in her teeth, Twilight stared at the flower. Deep in her heart, she wished and hoped to help the flower. She imagined the flower blooming huge and strong, and with several others growing around it.
Closing her eyes, Twilight draped the silk sleeve over the flower. She imagined the image of the beautiful bunch of flowers in her mind and whipped the silk sleeve away.
She dared to open her eyes, and was dismayed by the sight. Had the flower remained unchanged, she wouldn’t have been so disappointed. However, her jerking movement had made the silk catch on the flower’s bud and pull off all of the petals and break the stem.
“Ohhh…” Twilight groaned.
She jumped slightly when she felt Mickey’s hand on her shoulder.
“Don’t feel so down about it, Twilight. Fightin’ a guy like Pete’s not somethin’ ya get on yer first try,” Mickey said.
“Kind of like your magic?” Twilight bitterly asked.
Mickey saw the broken flower, and got a hint of what Twilight was truly dismayed about. His own magic was easy enough to use, but one had to know how to use it. Unfortunately, such a thing was easier learned than taught.
With their gazes cast down to the broken flower, they were able to see when a foot stepped on it.
“Excuse me,” the foot’s owner said.
Mickey and Twilight looked up, and gasped at what they saw. Standing before them was a creature unlike any they had yet encountered in Avalon.
There was a terrifying, yet beautiful aesthetic to her face. Like, something that was at once devilish, cunning and repulsive. Yet, at the same time her face was glorious, thoughtful and welcoming. Her gigantic ears, which were set atop her head, were laden with jeweled earrings of every color of the rainbow. Her pointed muzzle had grooves of color running along the bridge, and up around her eyes. Her eyes, which were narrow and stern, yet the soft red color lent to a feeling of a warm fire burning in a hearth. Her gown was long, elegant, and made from material neither Mickey or Twilight recognized, and added volume to her thin appearance.
“Since we ran into one another, maybe you can help me. I’m looking for a thief who’s stolen something very valuable from me,” the lady said.
“A thief? Gosh, uh, what was stolen,” Mickey inquired. For whatever reason, he was feeling a sudden surge of anxiety before the lady. A lady who he realized only then was a bat. A tall, slender, bipedal bat.
“It was a jewel. A priceless, irreplaceable jewel. Have you seen it, or the guttersnipe who’s stolen it?” the lady-bat asked.
“Could ya describe it a bit?” Mickey asked.
“It was a green jewel, cut to look like a verdant sun. And it was stolen by a shabby-looking earth pony about your age,” the lady-bat said, pointing to Twilight.
Both Mickey and Twilight’s minds clicked at the description.
“I-uh...I...I think they went thattaway,” Mickey said, pointing in one random direction he chose.
“I see. Thank you,” the lady-bat said. She began to leave, when she took a second look at Twilight. “On second thought, I think I’ll let my assistant take care of that thief. You: you’re an alicorn, aren’t you?
“Um--yes. I mean, I wasn’t always, but--” Twilight didn’t finish her sentence. Somehow in her mind, her feelings of failure were amplified and mixed with feelings of fear and disappointment.
“It’s alright. I’m not asking how you became an alicorn. I just want to take a look at you. Forgive me if I’m being presumptuous.”
Twilight’s body locked up when the lady-bat knelt down to eye level with her. Simply by looking her in the eye, Twilight felt as if she were pierced by a shard of ice. And the chill worsened when the lady-bat placed her claws on Twilight’s chin.
Twilight’s head was gently rotated side to side, and was analyzed sternly by the lady-bat’s icy gaze.
“Mmm...You’re certainly beautiful…”
For the nagging anxiety she was feeling, Twilight managed the smallest of smiles. Even as the lady-bat’s claws gently scratched through her mane, then down her neck to the wings at her sides. Twilight felt her whole body shiver when she felt those claws gently grasp her wings and extend them outward.
“And your color would complement what I have in mind...Yes. I think you’ll do wonderfully.”
“Do for what?” Twilight asked.
“As it just so happens, I need one more model for a show I’m putting on today. And you are the perfect vision of my inspiration,” the lady bat said.
Inspiration. That was a feeling Twilight almost felt like she had completely lost. Even though she was bogged down by her mounting feelings of failure and disappointment, she felt a tiny spark within herself when she heard the lady-bat’s words. However, she had a duty to keep to.
“I’m sorry. I have to look for somepony too. But, thanks for offering,” Twilight said.
“I understand. You’re of better use elsewhere, than what I can see within you. Carry on,” the lady-bat said.
“Better use--” Twilight thought.
Those words cut through her mind like a razor-sharp blade. As she was now, where she was now, she would do no good to any of her friends. With this creature, she felt she had a chance to discover what it was that she was lacking.
“Wait!” Twilight said to the departing creature, “I’ll do it. I’ll be in your show.”
“What about the others?” Mickey reminded her.
“You can find them without me. I think I can really get somewhere if I go with her. Please. I feel like this is my last chance,” Twilight said.
Mickey glanced down to the broken flower, and understood completely where the young alicorn was coming from.
“Alright. I’ll go look for the others. But, how do we find you afterward?” Mickey said.
“Just look for the sign that says ‘Amaranthine.’ And when you get there, ask for Souris Chauve. That’s me, by the way,” the lady-bat answered.
“Thanks. You take care now. I’m gonna go see if I can find Rarity an’ her new boyfriend,” Mickey said, before leaving.
Twilight felt another blow. Why did Mickey have to remind her that Nopony had chosen Rarity over herself?
“I can tell you’re feeling a little lost right now,” Souris said, snapping Twilight back to reality. “I’m no mind reader, but it seems to me that you don’t feel like anything is going your way lately.”
Twilight didn’t answer in any discernible way, only sighing deeply and hanging her head. Her head was lifted by the Souris’ claws gently placed on her chin.
“Don’t worry, my little nonpareil. I can make it so you can have everything you ever wanted for yourself,” Souris said, at once devilishly and sweetly.
Twilight didn’t care to ask how. So long as she could become what she wanted to be. She could regain her mastery over magic. She would become an integral facet to the restoration of Equestria, and to end whatever trouble was plaguing this city. And perhaps she would win the heart of a certain stallion.