//------------------------------// // Entry 3, Part 2 (... Friends?) // Story: The Poisoned Barb's Tale // by ManlyDerp //------------------------------// I'm happy to report that my flight between Ponyville and Canterlot was mercifully short, and devoid of further incidents. Our chariot departed from us equally as quickly too; well before I could so much as say 'thank you' to the pegasi who had broken many, many speed laws for the sake of getting Gleaming Shield's hooves back on steadier ground. In their absence I was left to tend to my 'little' airsick pony all by my lonesome. To ease her suffering, we used the spare time we had to quietly sit down on the ground, off to the side of the docks, and simply wait things out until she was feeling up to moving around again. The familiar mountain air did wonders to restore her to a state of normalcy, as too did the circular motions of my claws on her back. My efforts would ultimately prove pointless, however. What really restored Gleaming's vitality and energy, and got her up and moving again, was not my gentle care or concern but instead the timely arrival of a stallion. An alicorn stallion, to be precise. He was a pony I was unfamiliar with at the time, and certainly one I had not met before in person. Similarly to the rest of his kind I had met thus far, this pony was a majestic being through and through; one whose presence turned Gleaming’s four knees into pure jelly, and whose smile tinted her cheeks bright red. To those reading this who were originally from Earth, and who even less likely watched the show my new life is based on; this mystery alicorn was none other then Dusk’s old foalsitter from before I was born. He is this world’s version of Princess Mi Amore Cadenza. The surprise encounter was actually the first time I had ever met Princess Cadence’s male counterpart. I had remembered seeing pictures of him throughout Canterlot Castle, hearing small stories about him from his adopted uncle Solaris, and I vaguely recalled actually talking to him once before; back when I was an infant still relearning how to talk. I didn't think that counted at the time, and I still stick by that call now; the two of us had never properly crossed paths prior to that day. As another small note, Cadence’s character was introduced on the MLP show at around the same time as Shining Armor’s introduction. So, just like when I originally met Gleaming Shield; that day I knew that I was basically going in blind. From what I could still recall, from before we officially met, Cadence was the typical Princess archetype, save for possibly a bit more of a backbone. Thinking back on it now, as I write this, I'll admit that I was honestly a little excited for the encounter I was about to have with this man. He was another one of Dusk's teachers growing up, like Solaris, and based on her reactions Gleaming obviously liked him already. With two roundabout votes of confidence coming from two of my good friends, I was ready to accept this Prince in his entirety with open arms. Then he opened his mouth, and swiftly destroyed my excitement. This was due to the discovery of him being an ass a jerk a difficult pony Solaris Jr. evil cupid a well, him. ◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠ “Captain Gleaming Shield... Heh, you look like shit!” … I think it’s safe to say that our TV -Y rating has been thoroughly flushed down the toilet by this point, folks. I don’t think those words would go over well with the target demographic’s parents one bit... I don’t think a Prince of Love would go over well with parents period, now that I think about it. Especially when he looks like this. The best way I can describe the alicorn now approaching us is that he has… swagger. The way he trots is mesmerizing, I’m embarrassed to admit, and he travels about with his wings standing firm and fully erect. The pink of his coat is almost blinding as well, and it makes the magenta highlights in both his wings and mane stand out even more. Speaking of hair, the three colored mane on his head flows majestically uninterrupted over his features, resulting in it completely covering his ears and almost an entire eye as well. It sort of reminds me of Butterscotch’s mane in that respect, though it's admittedly a more organized mess then his. Not a split-end in sight, amazingly. As I watch him close the distance between us, I start to notice how mares across this shipyard, and even a few stallions, are now snapping their necks every which way for even the chance to catch a glance of the sauntering Prince… or maybe just his backside. That tail of his is super short, after all. It’s certainly not covering much of anything… … Oh dear god, Elusive might have made me attracted to ponies… Sudden horrific revelations aside; upon realizing exactly who was calling out to her, Gleaming gasps loudly and regains enough sense of her mental facilities to lower herself down in a speedy bow. “Prince Mi Amore Bolero!” she stutters out quickly. “W-what a pleasant surprise! What brings you here, your Majesty?” “A vacation,” Prince Mi Amore Bolero beams in good spirits, gesturing with his horn towards a fancy looking luxury airship docked a little ways over. A tinted pair of sunglasses are next levitated out of his royal saddle bags and, after a quick magical parting of his mane, are firmly placed in their proper place on the ridge of his snout. “I’ve been the acting ruler of Equestria for the last four days, Gleam!" he further explains, which takes me aback. I didn't hear anything about that in Ponyville! I should try to read a newspaper when I can... I wonder what else happened up here when Dusk and I were gone? While I ponder this, the young Prince chortles as he goes on to say, "Thanks to that literal nightmare, I need to spend the next four years in Los Pegasus to recuperate, stat! I think it's the least Equestria owes me right now, heh. You agree with me, right Gleaming? "... Get off the ground already, my dude. You’re making a scene.” With a nervous cough, Gleaming complies. “M-my apologies, Prince Boler-” Bolero rudely cuts off my gal friend by poking her hard in the breastplate, and randomly shouting, “Bolo!” I blink blankly. “... Bolo?” I ask in the awkward silence. “Bolo,” Bolero repeats for me, despite never looking my way. He nods his head in a sagely manner as he says it. I’m... confused. Without acknowledging me any further, the Prince resumes addressing Gleaming. “You know I like to be called Bolo, Gleam,” he chides the captain, laughing. “The least you can do is remember it, dude.” Gleam’s cheeks burn a deeper shade of red. “R-right, Bolo. Sorry…” “... Bolo?” I ask a second time, still very confused. Bolo disregards my lack of understanding with the wave of a golden horseshoe adorned hoof. “Oh, it’s just a nickname this cute little colt I used to foalsat a lot gave me. Smart kid, we even had a secret hoofshake, but he still had just the darnedest time trying to pronounce Boler-... wait…” the alicorn interrupts himself as he turns his head and looks at me a little bit closer. He tilts his sunglasses up a smidgen too, so that he can train one of this light purple eyes on me. “Heeeey... you’re Dusk’s dragon assistant!” at last recognizes the Prince of Love. He then lightly taps a hoof against the ground and hums as he rummages his memories. “What was your name what was your name… You’re Borb!” “It’s Barb,” I correct. “Yeah! That’s just what I said, my dude Borb!” … I don’t like this guy. Ignoring my clear frustration, Bolo keeps on chuckling away. “Yoooo! It’s been forever since I saw you or old Dusty around! Heheh! You probably don’t even remember me do you, little gal?” “Thankfully no.” “Haha!” he guffaws, happily allowing my insult to flow off him like water from a duck’s back. “Wow! You really took after Dusk, huh? Always loved how blunt that little dude could get... Say, how’s my favorite social despot doing these days anyways, Borb?” Snorting and crossing my arms, I make my clear lack of care for this pony’s brazen attitude evident to all. “He made friends and saved the world,” I state plainly, purposely leaving out details. “What have you done recently, hmm? “... I-I mean besides the whole ruler of all of Equestria for a bit thing,” I cough, adding this last part under my breath. Again Bolero laughs heartily, choosing to ignore my comments completely… … but then the laughter slows to a crawl as my words actually register with him. “He… made friends?” Bolero asks us; this evidently being his biggest takeaway from my report. He then turns his head back to Gleaming and redirects the question a little more forcefully. “He has friends, Gleam?!” This question causes Gleaming to finally let up on her shaking and her stuttering; she now grins joyfully towards her secret coltfriend (I mean it’s totally obvious, right?). “He made five,” she reports, smiling as brightly as her lips will allow. Prince Bolero mimics the expression perfectly. “O, M, S,” the pink stallion can’t hide his elation, even behind the massive wings he's now using to cover his mouth with. “After all those failed play-dates with his classmates? I-I thought he would never be able to... Are you two for real?” “It’s all true, Bolo,” Gleaming continues to gloat, glowing proudly. With her horn now shining bright pink with a levitation spell, a few of the photos I had handed out earlier float right on out of her saddlebags and present themselves forward towards Bolero. “Barb and I have the pictures to prove i-” “GIMMIE GIMMIE GIMMIE!!” I squeak in surprise as Bolero’s horn suddenly bursts into life and yanks one of Gleam's gifted pics away in a baby blue aura. The act shocks my unicorn pal just as badly, and causes her to drop the remaining pictures on the stone ground. With the group shot now successfully in Bolero's grasp, the Prince’s eyes meticulously jump about the sheet; carefully scanning every little detail the snapshot can provide for him. “... Large stallion, stylized goatee,” Bolo whispers rapidly under his breath, taking information in at a lightning pace. “Below him; a larger stallion, laying down, almost knocking his friends out of frame. Pink crest, pink beard, can’t see his eyes… A well groomed unicorn next to him; I'm jealous of the mane… Pink earth pony above him, overly excited. Love the piercings… There’s Dusk in the middle. Hasn’t changed his style since he was a foal, I see. Lastl- GASP!! GLEAMING!” the alicorn shocks us again with a large scream. Having assured our attention, he rotates the picture forward in his magic and points the tip of his hoof at one pony in particular. Rainbow Dash. “IS THIS ONE A MARE?!” Blinking, Gleaming recovers first from being stunned by answering the question with, “No. That’s a stallion, apparently.” “BUT IS HE A STALLION OR IS SHE A STALLION?!” Gleam takes a step back from the now very close pony. “W-why does that mat-” “THIS IS IMPORTANT, MY DUDE!!” “He!” my friend replies, flinching. “Barb said that he’s a he! He just likes being pretty!” Now its Bolero’s time to blink. Flipping the photo again in his magical aura, the stallion takes a closer look at the image... … He then conjures a pink pen out of the ether and uses it to draw little circles around both Dusk and Dash’s head-shots, as well as straight lines in order to connect the two together. I... don't like where this is going. “This could still work,” Bolero contemplates aloud, probably forgetting that we’re still present. “A little nudge here, a push there..." He begins steepling his feather tips in front of him, tapping each digit against one another. "Yeeeessss, hehehe… This could work indeed...” Sweat drips across mine and Gleaming Shield's faces as we start noticing, from the other side of the floating photograph, how Bolero is adding little hearts and stars around the two ponies’ images. “W... w-what could work, Bolo?” I drum up the courage to ask the flipping Pony of Love. I am fearful of the answer. Never looking away from his picture, Bolo, in a Solaris sort of way, answers my question with another question. “When do you think this ship will sail?” Gleaming and I both take this about as well as you would expect. “WHAT?!” we scream in unison; with Gleam's horn sparking fiercely and plums of emerald flames dancing in the back of my throat. Briefly I ponder if it’s still frowned upon to set ponies on fire around these here parts. Before my thoughts could stray even further towards the dark side, Bolo draws his gaze away from the photo and stares at the two of us intently for our reactions. His sunglasses magically float off of his face as he does, and perch themselves atop his forehead. “... The ship…” he repeats himself for us, drawing out his words effortlessly as we hang off of each one. He then… ... gestures with his horn towards the luxury airship still standing by behind us. Prince Bolero smiles brightly. “I wonder when it will depart?” he finishes in an innocent tone, fluttering his eyelashes. Gleam and I can only stare mutely in response. Having foolishly fallen into his trap, Bolo laughs loudly once more. “Hah! You girls are a hoot... But, like I said earlier, Gleam; you look like shit, dude!” he repeats himself, now choosing to change the subject. “Come on,” he then orders, lowering his shades again and stowing the photo away into his saddlebag. “You’re coming with me, soldier.” Gleaming Shield recovers quickly thanks to this command, and is no longer suffering the effects of the heart attack that almost claimed us both mere moments ago. As a quick side note; Dusk may be his own pony, and capable of making his own decisions… … BUT HE’S STILL TOO YOUNG FOR DATING END OF DISCUSSION. Moving completely on with our lives and never thinking about such direly dark thoughts again; the guard captain beside me shakes off the last traces of her daze and stands diligently at attention before the Prince. “Where am I needed, your highness?” Puffing out his chest, and raising his wings high, Bolero makes the honest effort to appear serious and, dare I say, royal for us for a brief shining second. “You are needed, Captain Gleaming Shield… “... In Los Pegasus… With me… As my personal guard… For like a week…” Gleaming’s posture weakens. “I… beg your pardon?” she inquires, her confusion clear. “Bolo… I can’t leave Canterlot right now. Prince Solaris-” “Is back and well and with his brother,” Bolero cuts off bluntly. “... Who I guess is also my uncle too, now that I think about it… Weird.” Gleam shakes her head. “No, Bolo. That’s not what I mean. I’m already duty bound to helping Barb right now,” she points out, aiming a hoof at me. “Prince’s orders.” “Well I’m a Prince too, my dude. I’m saying you’re good to go.” “Prince Solaris outranks you in the chain of command, Prince Bolero.” “And I outrank him in karaoke night!” “... How does that change anything… at all?” “Heh,” Bolero snorts in amusement. “It means that I can easily beat Uncle Sol on this, or any order if it’s challenged. So… come on! When was the last time you had a break, Gleam? You look so tired, and… I-I would very much like to spend some time with you,” the Prince blushes, turning away. “We haven’t really gotten to hang out since school, and work keeps things too... professional between us. Bleh.” Gleam’s face returns to its original crimson glow right alongside Bolero's own, and her knees resume their earlier wobble as well. “I-I-I still c-can’t, Bolo,” she answers, after having taken a second to somewhat compose herself. “Barb n-needs my hel-” Alright; I've seen enough. “Just go already,” I grunt, slapping Gleam roughly on her backside. She neighs cutely thanks to this, and unintentionally gallops away from my side and towards Bolero’s own due to the contact. With her cheeks burning even further red with embarrassment, and with her tail swung to the side to cover her now stinging flank, Gleaming pouts angrily at me. Crossing my arms yet again, I remain unamused. “I’m not really bringing back that much,” I explain, impatiently tapping my tail against the dock’s paved ground as I speak. “I can handle this myself. Besides, Prince Bolero is right,” I spit out spitefully, the words tasting bitter on my tongue. “You do look like… poo… You should really take a break.” “Bu-” My arms remain crossed. “Do it now, or I’ll tell him all about the last Ogres and Oubliettes session you invited me to. You know; the one where your minotaur paladin completed her quest to save the beautiful and majestic Prince Bootycal- oomph.” I now find a white, armored hoof in my mouth. Gee, I wonder where that came from. “O-okay okay!” Gleam hisses at me, glancing back to make sure the Prince doesn't overhear us. “I’ll go! I’ll go!” Behind the hoof, my lips curl upwards. “Go get him, tiger,” I cheekily cheer my friend on; after using my claws to remove the offending appendage blocking my mouth, of course. “Knock his socks off… or on... Whichever floats your boat. I'll be sure to let Prince Solaris know where you're at too, so no worries there either, you hear?!” Gleam now smiles back at me. “Thanks, Barb,” she whispers right back. We hoof/fist bump briefly before Gleaming rises up fully and turns back towards Bolero. “I’m ready to go if you are, Bolo.” “I couldn’t be more ready if I tried, Gleam,” bellows the Prince, now swaggering off to his ship. “Hope you’re okay with sharing a room with me for the trip… and the hotel… and literally every waking second for the next week!” Gleam and I stare dumbly at the Prince of Love one final time as he trots away. “... This is a dream come true,” Gleaming Shield admits quietly to herself, hearts clear in her eyes. "Gag me with a spoon," I mutter to myself alone as my unicorn guard gallops off after her so called Prince Charming. With a long wave goodbye to the two lovestruck fools, I watch silently as their ship departs slowly into the horizon. … Is it sad that I’m happy that Gleaming Shield is probably going to get sick again on that airship, and that Bolero is going to be the one who has to deal with her? Sigh. Yeah... it kinda is... I'm still going to feel good about it though! I’m sorry, but I do not like Bolero. At all. He's pretty loud and obnoxious, and his dude/bro voice makes my scales crawl. He has that manipulative atmosphere about him too, just like his uncle Solaris. It almost radiates off him when he so much as moves! It's like his whole being was simply made like this, like a perfect Greek god... which makes me a hundred percent certain that it was not. His entire persona has got to be fake. I mean, what does a Prince of Love even do, in all seriousness?! All I know is that he better not mess with Dusk or his friends any or I swear to the powers that be that I’ll… I'll... Ugh! ... … Double sigh. Despite my feelings on the subject... all that matters in the end is that Gleaming clearly loves him and, while still annoying; he doesn’t seem to be a bad pony. I guess I really don't have the right to object. Even if I didn’t already know that one of the future episodes is about their wedding, I think I could find it in me to give them my (reluctant) blessings towards their union. This is actually not the first time I’ve encountered a situation like this in my double length life. Back when I was Barbara D. Burns, I had similar reservations concerning my daughter Ashley’s choice of husband. The not-so-gentleman, Chad, was certainly not the kind of guy I imagined would take my little one’s hand in marriage. I didn't care for him as a person either... but I still cried like a faucet for both of them when they shared their vows. Ahhhh~ Good memories. … Well, I better get going. No point in sticking around here at the docks. With the clicking of my clawed toes against stone, and eventually marble, I take off towards the city. Despite the sun having risen not too long ago, we must be approaching the dinner time rush where Canterlot gets super busy. Where originally this loading and unloading area was bare and empty, save for a couple chariots and the Prince’s airship, it’s now becoming rather crowded. A few large flying vessels have just landed as well so now ponies, alongside other creatures from all over, are milling about as we speak. It’s sort of nice to watch all the foreign species exchanging ships or exiting towards Canterlot for their visits; it makes my little dragon-self feel a lot less like an outcast in the grand scheme of things. Minotaurs, oxen, and even what looks like a tall anthropomorphic cat are all gathered here today on equal footing, ready to take in the fabled land of ponies in all its splendor. The variety doesn't surprise me at all, not even the cat. Though rare, I’ve seen creatures like her before while growing up again in this city. I only ever get to see this sort of cultural variety when I'm granted the opportunity to visit these docks, however. Most visitors usually book it towards more entertaining cities like Manehatten or Las Pegasus the moment they're able to make it through the rather strict customs department. There's an atmosphere about this town that just seems to rub foreigners the wrong way. Perhaps Canterlot's generationally ingrained 'unicorns-are-better' mentality is to blame for this lack of diversity and unwelcoming atmosphere... but I'm rambling. What's important to know is that this planet is made up of so much more than just ponies. Yaks, griffons, cows, donkeys; and that's without even mentioning secret races like changelings! Equestria is such a small part of this world, and it's a part that sadly keeps mostly to itself. We know so little about what's going on out there beyond our own borders. A war could be raging on the other side of the globe and we'd only know about it once a survivor crawled their way here! We don't even really trade anything either; our land is bountiful, so no supply line would fall if a country out there was conquered overnight. About the only thing we do trade is stories; stories of heroes and adventures and history as well. I suppose that has a tiny bit of worth. For example; the story behind why creatures in this world still keep cats, parrots, and dogs as pets, despite there also being talking subspecies versions of all three, is actually really interesting. You see, long ag- “OMPH!” “Ah!” Ow ow ow! ... Whoops. I-I probably should have looked where I was going, huh? Hehe. I don’t know which one of us caused this crash, but I now find myself on the ground next to a similarly downed cloaked creature. “S-sorry,” I stammer out a quick apology as I rise back to my feet. I offer this person a claw to get back up with, more as a peace offering then any actual help. I'm stronger then you think I would be, but at the end of the day I'm still just a short kid. “That was totally my fault. Are you okay?” The blanket wearing… being remains lying down and unmoving. If not for the groans, I would have thought that they were seriously hurt. Whether it’s a he or she I can’t really tell, but I can tell that they are at least a fair bit taller than I am. A real shocker there, I know. After a solid awkward minute of silence, the creature shifts around on the floor and brings an arm up closer to my offered claw. It’s at this point that I’m finally given a clue to work with for figuring out what they are. The appendage being presented to me now is actually a hoofed foreleg with a light grey coat… … and with many black stripes running up and down the length of it. Huh? A zebra? In all my years living in Canterlot, I've never met one of those before. They apparently live really far away! Despite being taken by surprise at this revelation, I still lean forward with my arm so that I may better help him or her back up with it… ... though perhaps I can now refer to him as a he? It's a bit of a leap in logic, but there was only ever one zebra pony on the TV show. Not only that, but said pony is one who should be receiving their introduction episode any day now, if the show is still accurate in any significant way. Putting the puzzle pieces together, it would stand to reason that this must be Zecor- SLAP!! “Ow!” I gasp out as a sharp pain radiates from the claw I had been keeping aloft this whole time. Retracting my offer, I grip my injured digits with my other claw and gently blow air onto them to ease the stinging. I turn to glare at the mean being who I had been so kindly trying to help out. The pony in question is now back up on their hooves, having done so all by themselves. With the cloak still concealing them, I still can’t tell their expression right now. “W-what’s the big idea?” I angrily growl back at the zebra, once my mind processes that they were the culprit for this pain. “I said I was sorry!” The pony remains quiet. Before I can say anything more, I'm next forced to take a step backwards as the hidden pony leans closer towards me and puts their muzzle into my face. With them now uncomfortably close to me, I can finally tell that this… is a mare, not a stallion. The single scar around her lips is the second clue that convinces me that this is for sure not male Zecora. The third clue, the one that puts the final nail into the coffin, is her next few accented words. “Clumsy dragoness, interrupting my grand quest; begone from my sight!” That doesn't sound like a rhyming sentence to me, now does it? Having confirmed that this is a complete stranger, and a rude one at that, I snarl audibly in annoyance as she turns her back and tries to trot away. “I was just trying to help!” I raise my voice, not letting this injustice pass. “There’s no need to be such a bul-” SWISH!! The words die on my lips as, faster than my eyes could hope to process, a long wooden staff speedily materializes itself from out underneath her cloak. With practiced ease, the zebra twirls the carved weapon threateningly above herself before settling it mere inches away from my nose. I… I-I may have bitten off just a tiny bit more than I can chew here, folks. ~Gulp~ Now it's the mare’s turn to growl as she holds me at staff point. The object remains held in the crease of her foreleg, but it still looks plenty well gripped and masterfully handled despite this. “One who smells of fire,” she rumbles, “whose soul attracts birds of ash; your aid is poison.” With claws raised upwards in a ‘for-the-love-of-Solaris-I-surrender’ poise, I take a step away from the clearly deranged mare. Where’s a guard when you need one?! “Okay okay!” I plead, trying to retreat. “I’m sorry! Please p-put the stick away an-” “To call it a stick,” she points the staff closer to me. “Ignoring its length and strength; the insult is great.” “IT’S A NICE STICK!!” I cry, real tears dripping across my face. “I TRULY MEAN IT!!” "..." This pathetic display actually works, because the next thing I know the mare grunts one last time in annoyance and twirls her weapon back underneath her cloak. Without a single word more spared for me, she turns to leave... and I let her do just that without fuss thank you. As soon as she disappears down the path towards the train station, I collapse on my scaly butt and pant for breath. W-what the hell just happened? How the hell did she get past customs with that staff? ... And where the hell was her when The Nightterror showed up?! I think that stick is going to replace Nebula’s sword in my nightmares! Brrrr... ... Also, something about what she just said is bothering me now too. Something that’s on the tip of my forked tongue… … "... Let's see... 'One, who, smells, of, fire," I take a second to count the tips of my claws as I repeat the foreigner's words. "What was the next part...? Ah! Right. 'Whose, soul, at, tracts…’ Hmm..." ... ...!!! The light-bulb turns on in my head. Oh my gosh. I… ... I-I think that she… … was speaking in haikus! Huh... neat, I guess. Weird... but neat. … … … I hope I never see her again. ◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠ Once the craziness of the docks had come and gone, I decided that a well deserved break was in order. I wanted a place to sit down for a bit, and to write a letter to Solaris’ about our meeting as well, so I hit two birds with one stone by going to my favorite place in all of Canterlot. I ignored the fact that I had a dozen or so of BB's cupcakes piled up in my gut at the time, and I double ignored what happened on the chariot ride prior, as I made the highly productive decision to hit up mine and Dusk's old stomping ground; Donut Mary Joe’s Shoppe. It was going to be awhile before I had a reason to come back to Canterlot, so I thought I might as well leave it behind on a high note. My journey to the old store was not without difficulties though; Canterlot was still recovering from The Nightterror's, and now Prince Artemis’, return. There was much buzz in the air, and many ponies from all walks of life were sharing rumors with one another in the streets. This blocked the road, unfortunately, and made it difficult for me to navigate. I was forced to take the back roads and alleyways in order to progress. The chatter could be heard wherever I went, however, and made it impossible to ignore. From what I took away from it, everypony was scared. Prince Solaris had returned to the castle a few hours prior to this, and there had been no word on what had transpired. Members of the court weren’t able to help alleviate the fear of the masses either, as they too lacked answers. Whispers throughout the city spoke of a possible royal address happening in a few days, but it was speculation at best. To make matters worse, news of Artemis’ appearance had leaked; either from Ponyville or the royal guard is anyone's guess. According to a newspaper I read today, at the time of writing this, he was officially introduced to all of Equestria only this morning. The Summer Sun Celebration was a full week ago, for reference. On the day of my return to Canterlot, there was a nervous energy in the air as the city slowly approached the scheduled sunset. ◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠ ~Ding ding ding-a-ling~ The bell above the door to Equestria’s premier donut bakery rings out loudly as I enter the establishment. Nopony bats an eye at the noise or my entry, and frankly I don’t blame them. Based on how absolutely packed this place now is, and how busy the owner Java Cayuse (or Mary Joe, as she likes to be called) seems to be; I don’t think this should come as much of a surprise. Looks like a good chunk of Canterlot had the same idea as me and decided to go get some nice stress food to enjoy. There’s barely any room left in here, and no more outdoor seating either, so I guess I’ll be taking my order to go today. At least one thing is still constant throughout the multiverse; donuts are perfect for eating while on the move. May I never be reborn into a reality where this fact doesn’t ring true. Back to what I was saying, it looks like it’ll be awhile before I’ll be able to grab anything. I guess I have the time to wait; it’s not like I’m starving, and there’s no way Solaris will be able to answer my letter to him right away anyways. With mind made up; I grab an order number, pop a squat on the floor in a far off corner, and make myself comfortable. I make good use of my time too by drafting and sending off the meeting inquiry with the aid of my fire breath and a magic seal. Solaris promised me that he would find time for a talk but, now that he’s actually back on his throne, I figure that he must have a better idea of when said meeting could actually take place for us. He’s bound to be busy at the moment, but maybe he’ll clear his schedule early for me? I guess that’ll ultimately come down to how much he trusts my fake ‘seer’ talk. I’m pretty sure he’s still buying everything I’ve been telling him, but it’s really hard to tell with the guy. I know he knows that I’m still hiding things from him concerning my true nature, but he didn’t make any attempt to wrangle it out of me last time. That could have been due to him being exhausted from the night and his spell but, again, it’s hard to tell with him. One thing I know for sure; I imagine that we’ll probably not take care of this today. As I mentioned previously on the docks; despite the sun rising not too long ago, the clock on the walls says that it’s almost dusk time (the part of the day, not the pony). Through the window above where I sit, which I had cracked open slightly in order to send my scroll, I can see the sun beginning to set as if it were a normal day. Upon finishing my sightseeing through the portal to the outside world, having sated my curiosity, I turn around in order to sit back down. Before I can complete this task, I lift my head up slightly and notice that literally everypony in this room has stopped what they were doing… and are now jittering fearfully in place as they stare out the windows. It takes me a second to process the sight, but soon this reaction makes perfect sense to me. We’ve been devoid of the sun for the last four days. Now upon its return, after having just risen not five hours ago, it’s already setting? If I wasn’t so in the loop about the Elements and Dusk’s fight with Nebula, I’d imagine that I’d be shaking in my scales the same as everyone else! I wish I could tell everypony here not to worry, and that they don’t have anything to be afraid of, but I’m pretty sure nopony would seriously listen to the words of a chi- “LOOK UP THERE!!” A sudden voice, crying from outside, yanks me out of my thoughts and returns me to the now. I stand up, along with many others, as we all turn to see who had just said that. A few ponies gallop outside, to see what the speaker is talking about, and many more rush to crowd the windows. The one I had used not even a minute ago is abruptly taken away from me as I’m rudely swept aside without a second thought. “For the love of-. Does nopony in this town know how to properly treat a lady?!” I fume audibly, expecting to be ignored. Good thing I keep my standards low for this town, because that’s exactly what happens. Figures. Instead of focusing on my anger, I instead use this time to dash between the patrons’ many legs and work my way over to the front door. Once I make it outside, I stare as all heads turn upwards towards where the original, nondescript speaker’s outstretched foreleg is now pointing. My eyes soon join in as well, and trace where she’s trying to lead us all… … only for my sight to be drawn towards the highest tower in Canterlot Castle. This is where the Prince’s personal chambers lie. Taking my gaze off of the scene for a brief moment, I look around searchingly for a better vantage point. Spotting an abandoned table, I push myself into action so that I can climb and jump up on top of it with ease; all so that I can see things just a little bit better. From my raised platform, I draw my eyes back upwards and, as a result of my efforts, I can now thankfully make out what everypony else is currently watching very intently. You see, there's this small balcony attached to the Prince’s quarters where he uses his telescope and where he raises the sun and moon on a daily basis. Seeing him out on it now is such a normal, benign occurrence that on an average day I’m sure nopony would have ever taken the time to glance up to see if anything was amiss… But today is not an average day. Today the Prince has a guest. The murmurs from the pony crowd around me pick up in strength as this detail becomes more well known. The rising and lowering of the sun is such a private act for the Prince, only shared with his subjects on select days throughout the year, that the sight of a pony now standing next to him is enough to send the rumor mills into overdrive. Even from all the way down here, I can just barely make out the sight of Solaris’ horn glowing in direct correlation to the setting sun. As it dips over the horizon, there is a moment when the world is bathed once again in complete blackness. Arcane street lights start to turn on in response, and candles are burned as well as Canterlot passively fights against the night once again; the same as any other day. Gasps of shock pass over the gathered ponies, and the whole of Canterlot itself, when this normal nightly routine reveals one tiny deviation. That deviation being that the light from Prince Solaris’ horn is now fading. He has lowered the sun, but not raised the moon. The world is silent. … … And then Artemis’ horn glows bright blue. Screeches of panic and confusion ring out loudly in the streets as the unthinkable happens; as another is revealed to possess the power to move celestial bodies. As the moon streaks across the night’s sky, not aided by Solaris’ magic, ponies begin to cry out that this has to be the work of Nightterror Nebula. Many point out how the moon no longer has its ancient mark, and many more are begging to the sky for there not to be another eternal night. The angry whispers turn toxic as more and more rumors are born and quickly circulated; as ponies theorize that Solaris has been possessed by Nebula into relinquishing control, or that the so called ‘Prince’ Artemis was him in disguise. On and on the mob churns, getting madder and madder before my eyes. This lasts all the way through Artemis’ first moon rising since his return, and keeps going once the massive object has settled in its proper place in the sky. It's only once his horn ends its glow, and the stars start to slowly come out, did the crying and the fearful talks of fallen alicorns… finally stop. Words are lost on us all as we observe what is honestly the most beautiful night sky any of us had ever seen in our entire lives. This is not the same darkness Nightterror Nebula had created when he first returned to this world. That night was just like all the other nights Prince Solaris had conjured in his brother’s absence for the last thousand years. It was cold, and dark, and only broken up slightly by a few stars and, of course, the moon. Outside of the imprint of the imprisoned alicorn on the lunar surface, I would be hard pressed to tell you the difference between Equestrian Night and a regular night on Earth. With Prince Artemis back at the helm… well… I don’t think there’s a dry eye in the whole dang world. The stars don’t simply glow now, they shimmer and ignite. They are many and numerous, full of shapes and designs previously unseen on this or any world. Formations of creatures both mythical and real dot the heavens, and shine down on us now complete and whole for the first time in eons. Comets race across the black abyss as well, with coattails made of stardust sparkling brightly behind them. They’re not the only objects that shine brightly either. The moon is now larger and more prominent than ever. Though it doesn’t look any closer then where it was last night, it’s still now possible to see so many little details across its surface; from craters to scars to even the dusty remains of where the Man in the Moon’s image once dwelled. And I haven’t even mentioned the colors yet. I’m not talking auroras or describing any sort of technicolored hellscape here. No… what I’m talking about is the overall expression of everything, if that makes any sort of sense to you. The stars are made of blues and reds and yellows, and the moon isn’t just white. Rainbows dot the sky, made up of unthinkable amounts of stardust that fade slowly into the infinite expanse of space as quickly as they appear. I feel like a blind woman seeing the sky for the first time. It’s all so… indescribably wonderful. “If only I could see Dusk’s face right now,” I wish as I stand in awe of Artemis’ work. I wipe away happy tears from my eyes as I continue to enjoy the display. “I bet he’s losing his astrology loving mind, and saying things like, ‘Oh my gosh oh my oh my gosh!!’ He's probably bouncing all around with his friends too...” Hehe, yeah… that sounds just like him… ... … A cynical part of me is now pointing out that it’s going to get pretty hard to sleep in the future with all these lights now up in the sky... … I tell that part of me to shut the heck up. “Wow,” comments a nearby pony. It’s hard to tell where that came from, as similar things are being said and shared between all the ponies around me. There are still the occasional dangerous sounding whispers dotted here or there, muttering things about not trusting the sight, but they're being soundly drowned in the sea of excited and cheerful voices. Good. Despite this, I still make an effort to try to figure out who had just uttered their surprise so close to me. It sounded… a little familiar, so I’m curious. Rubbernecking about helps me locate this pony pretty breezily, as the speaker was actually sitting at the table right next to mine. I call out to this pony as soon as I spot him. “Lunardanseur?” Startled that somepony had called his name, the yellowish grey coated unicorn quits his stargazing as he searches back and forth for the speaker. His mane, filled with dark purples and brilliant amaranth (and styled so similarly to Dusk’s own, I might add), bounces as he jerks his head my way and settles his eyes on my form. He adjusts his glasses briefly, making sure they are correctly settled… … and then he frowns at me. “I told you to call me Moonhoofer, Barbara.” My cheeks light up thanks to this. “Oops,” I stutter. “Sorry, Lun-, Moonhoofer. Old habits are hard to break, h-hehe…” Moonhoofer continues to glare at me. I have a pretty good inkling as to why this is the case, and it’s not because I had just called him by his original name versus the one he gave himself upon getting his cutie mark. It’s been awhile, but if you can recall way back to four days ago; I was set, with gift in hand, to go to a party being thrown by a former sitter of mine. That sitter, I said at the time, was Lunardanseur. That’s what he was called back when I was, like, three. His was the first complicated pony name I was able to properly pronounce, so it was difficult for me to let that go when he changed it. Again, old habits are hard to break. Being a sitter, and working the castle part-time, wasn’t Moonhoofer’s life calling though; the study of magic was, similarly to Dusk. The two were even classmates for a time, along with a few other unicorns, and as recent as last year they were still attending study sessions together. Sadly I don’t think Dusk ever noticed Moonhoofer always being closely nearby, but that didn’t stop the latter from inviting him to that party we… … ultimately skipped out on. Pretty sure that’s why he’s mad now. “S-so,” I stammer out, trying to be friendly. I was the one who called out to him first, after all. “Sorry Dusk and I couldn’t make it to your party earlier.” The stallion remains quiet. I decide to keep talking. “W-we were totally going to go, I swear! But, well…” “I doubt that,” Moonhoofer interrupts, propping his head up on the table with a hoof. “It was a long shot anyways. Should have known that he’d get distracted by a book or something.” “That’s not true!” I retort loudly… only to immediately reconsider my words. “... Well okay it’s kinda true… but I was honestly about to come to your party, Moonhoofer! I had a gift ready for you and everything!” A teddy bear, you may recall. It was tragically impaled by my tail. I didn’t have time to check out the state of the other gift I had put in there either; the picture fra- “You don’t have to make stuff up, Barbara,” Moonhoofer cuts my thoughts off, continuing our conversation. “It’s fine that you guys didn’t come. It was a bust anyways…” The unicorn then looks up from me, and scans the nearby crowd. “... Where is Dusk, by the way? I don’t see him…” “He's not here,” I answer, bringing his attention back to me. “And it's what I've been trying to tell you! We really were going to go to your party, Moonhoofer, but Dusk got ordered by the Prince to go to Ponyville instead!” Moonhoofer cocks his head at this. “Ponyville? Why? There’s nothing there but the Everfree.” “And the Summer Sun Celebration!” I point out. “Oh… I guess you’re right,” Moonhoofer concedes. “I heard that The Nightterror showed up there.” “Yeah!” I reply, shaking my head. “And things got super crazy when it happened, but Dusk was able to handle it just fine!” “Handle? What do you mean?” I blink. Oh. Oops. Am I allowed to share the whole ‘Savior of Equestria’ thing with ponies outside of Ponyville yet? Gleam was going to tell her parents about it, so I guess family is okay... I probably should have asked the Prince about this before he left. Better play it safe for now. “O-oh, you know,” I try to brush his question aside with a wave of my claws. I turn my head away, and try to hide my sweat. “I mean he didn’t scream or do anything too stupid. That kind of handle.” I think he bought it. “Oh. That makes sense.” Looks like he did. “... But if you’re here… Does that mean he’s still in Ponyville?” I nod my head happily. “Yeah! Just like I said! We’re actually moving there if you can believe it!” “... What?” Pausing, I’m slightly startled by the tone in which Moonhoofer had asked this one word question with. “Er… yeah?” I answer, unsure about that response. “The Prince wants him to study friendship over there.” “F-friendship?” Again I nod my head. “Yeah. A lot has happened this week, Moonhoofer. You se- Hey where are you going?!” “Home,” the stallion mutters lowly, the words hitching in his throat. In leaving his spot, he abandons a half eaten donut, a full cup of coffee, and even a book. He mutters as he exits as well, but thanks to all the other ponies chattering I can’t hear a thing. “I really wasn’t good enough to be his friend… or anypony else's…” “Wait!” I cry out, trying to grab him one last time before he left. “Moon- Achoo!” Damn it Solaris your timing is freaking impeccable. Before I can say anymore a magically induced sneeze awkwardly cuts off my words, and releases a small stream of fire out of my nostrils. With the smell of brimstone now overtaking my senses, an object forms within the flames I had produced. On practiced instinct, I stretch out my claw and grab the dragonflame transported scroll out of the air before it can drop onto the ground. It bares the royal seal, and it’s addressed to me. This is obviously my answer to my earlier inquiry about our meeting. That’s all I notice about it, though, as I spare the object only a single glance before returning my attention back towards the retreating Moonhoofer. Too little too late. He's already long gone. Though I don’t have proper ears, the fins on the side of my head produce a pony-like response by drooping to show my disappointment. Moonhoofer… …  is kind of a jerk, if I’m being honest. And he’s self absorbed. And he doesn’t really give a flying feather about anything else but his studies... … In other words, he’s Dusk Shine 2.0. But... I’ve grown to love Dusk over time, despite his quirks. I was willing to give him a chance because I always knew there was a light at the end of the tunnel for him. With Moonhoofer, I’m unfortunately not so sure; I don’t remember if his mare version ever made an appearance on the show. Because of this lack of insight, and because I've never seen him make any attempt at bettering himself, I never really knew if the light at the end of his tunnel was the shining beacon of character development... or a speeding train. The result of this is that I've never invested too much time with him, but I still thought of him as a kinda sorta friend at least, just like the rest of Dusk’s classmates. I mean, hanging out every now and then is sort of what real Friendship is, right? It’s how it works on Earth at least... … Maybe this is why Spike, and by extension me, are not the main characters on a show aimed at teaching friendship lessons. 'On today's episode of My Little Dragon, we'll learn the value of calling up your friend once every three years, talking for only ten minutes, and then never speaking to each other for another three years! Yaaayyy!' Mine and Spike’s questionable role model worthiness aside; it’s not my job to worry about how Dusk’s move is going to affect the ponies he’s leaving behind. I have other things to worry about, like figuring out how I'm going to present the Discord episode to Prince Solaris later. Moonhoofer, Citrus Heart, Harpsy, and all those other dudes who used to ‘hangout’ with us aren’t important to the overall story. Dusk never considered them friends before anyways. They only joined him in study groups so they could get better grades, I bet. Acquaintances at best, and not really worth my time fussing over. … … … Maybe I should find time to get Moonhoofer that gift at least. Just like with this donut shop visit, I’m pretty sure I’m not going to get another chance to do this again for awhile. Maybe I should even tell Dusk about how he reacted to the news of him moving? He might try to come back to Canterlot if I tell him though, so he can speak with him directly. With the show now starting, I’m not sure if it’s wise to distract him from all the lessons he’s about to learn. We really should just stick with the script... Which is hypocritical of me to even think about because I’m planning on completely dismantling season two’s premier before it can happen! Boy this is getting confusing fast. Bottom line; I need to be able to make the decision, on the fly, on whether whatever I’m going to do will be beneficial to the future or damaging. Even being concerned for a kinda friend will have far reaching consequences if it disrupts the show... But I won’t have the show forever to rely on either! I only have so many episodes still in my head anymore. Soooo... maybe I should get involved with this jerky Dusk look-a-like, and maybe I shouldn't do a gosh darn thing, or perhaps… Ugh! What to do what to do what to do... … … An object suddenly sparkles out of the corner of my eye. Looking downwards, I spot a single Equestrian Bit laying by itself on the table Moonhoofer had just abandoned. Jumping across my table to the next, being mindful not to step on the 'Enchanted Objects Throughout History' book left behind, I pick up the common currency piece and consider it. One side has Solaris’ head on it, the other has his cutie mark. Due to its color and weight, it’s to be treated as the lowest amount of value a Bit can be; equaling only one of itself. Remembering that all payments are made up front at Pony Mary Joe Shoppe, and taking heart that this is most likely not some kind of tip, I grip the golden item in my claw and ponder it’s actual worth; the one it has to me in this moment. “... This is stupid,” I spoke to myself, in reference to the idea now forming in my head. And yeah… it is… ... But... "Both options seem viable," I frustratingly admit. "I-I can’t decide what I should or shouldn't do about this. I have a fifty fifty chance of my decision being the right one, and a fifty fifty chance it being the wrong one as well..." Which is why I’m going to now leave Moonhoofer’s fate up to chance. "Whichever god exists for real out there, please have mercy," I offer a small prayer, as I hold the unassuming coin aloft. “... Heads,” I declare boldly. “And I’ll tell Dusk what happened here and leave it up to him. “Tails,” I list in addition, balling up and applying pressure to the golden decider of destiny. “And I’ll seal my lips, and focus on the present. I’ve got more important things to worry about right now; I shouldn’t distract myself like this.” The coin feels heavy in my grip. My claw shakes. ... I take a deep breath to steady myself. “Well… here goes…” The Bit rests neatly on my thumbed claw, ready to fly. “...something!” I finish, allowing Lady Luck to take the wheel from me. Hopefully she's sober enough to drive. ~Flip~