//------------------------------// // Chapter 32: Discovery? // Story: Princess Essenta // by Pone_Heap //------------------------------// "Last Chance" Stopover Arc Under the stars a skylight was carefully pried open and a set of dark green eyes under an abnormally upkept mane peered down. Delia may have packed light for this job but there were a few things she’d never be without; taking the rope she tied off on a nearby chimney she slowly snaked the rope through the opening she’d made. Turning to Zyra and Wilka, the little maid didn’t even need to hike up her cocktail dress; it was pretty short to begin with, “I’ll go down first. You can magic down and fly down once I wave you in.” Wilka peered down the skylight into darkness, “Won’t somepony notice a big old rope hanging in?” Delia shook her head, “Nopony will be going in this room and we need a way back up if all else fails. Going back up might beat getting out another way.” The two company mares watched as Delia descended the rope. Landing softly on her hooves she quickly cased the room; seeing nothing of effect, she waved down the other two. Both came down by their ideal conveyance; Wilka whispered, “Zyra… I never knew you could fly.” She smirked, “Levitation ain’t flight but I’ll take it; it’s so cool…” The maid hissed, “Less chatter… we have four rooms to check out: the mayor’s office, his library, his bedroom, and his study. I have a nasty feeling I know where we might find what we’re looking for- if it exists- but the office is first… All part of the plan. Creeping out of the vestibule they encountered the upper reception area; to the rear they could see evidence of the ballroom lights and hear dinner starting through the glass doors. “Okay…” Delia proclaimed. “We stay together but spread out in each room. Leave nothing out of place; they can’t know we were here. Zyra… can you sense anypony up here?” Zyra closed her eyes and “felt” the upstairs; she wasn’t as adept as Dechaa at such things but was able enough, “There’s one pony- not a unicorn- in a room behind us.” Delia nodded, “That’s the night guard; we were unsure if he was patrolling but if he’s back there he’s observing the ball from the observation deck.” “If you knew there was possibly a guard up here why didn’t you say something?” Zyra wondered. “Because we can deal with it,” came her simple response. The maid produced a small article with a string and motioned the girls to follow. Outside a door they stopped. “This is the observation room,” Delia said; she cracked and slid the flat object under the door and quickly stuffed a few rags in the gap. “And this will knock him out for an hour.” Within seconds they heard a flump. “He fell off his chair,” Zyra guessed. “Out cold.” “He’ll feel that when he wakes up,” Delia retrieved the rags and the item on the string. “Stuff has no smell, is almost undetectable, and dissipates in about 10 seconds; it’s my own creation.” The company mares were impressed but Delia moved past. “C’mon, girls. Let’s see what sickness the office holds,” Delia didn’t even appear nervous. Wilka shuffled her hooves, ‘What are we looking for? Really?” The maid looked to the other mares evenly, “Anything Master Melchior can blackmail the mayor with.” Zyra cocked her head, “Anything?” Delia clarified, “Anything that goes beyond usual corruption. The mayor’s clean on the surface and he could rebuff most anything with his clout; we’re looking for something bad.” The two of Essenta’s company saw things getting worse and worse. Ah, piss… Delia picked the lock on a door and entered with Zyra and Wilka reluctantly following. With the aperitif out of the way salad was served. Ponies had finished joining the many tables, having left the snack buffet and the pools behind. Loress sat next to Clovis, munching on the salad given her; she cringed inwardly, watching Orni’s predicament. Dechaa stood leaning against a wall, as was her place that night, worried. Clovis wasn’t having the best experience either. There were a few colts- definitely young teens- seated near the mayor; he paid attention to them all but seemed to have an eye for “Nior Goldbrick”. “Tell me, Master Nior…” the mayor inquired. “What do you think of this side of the mountains?” The mayor was definitely on the way to getting drunk; throughout the social time leading up to salad he’d been drinking and talking up the young colts nearby. Orni knew her part, “It’s not much different than where our claim’s at, Mr. Mayor. Kind of dry and not without some greenery. A lot more field crops though.” The mayor nodded; he turned to Melchior’s “stooge”, “Hey, Clovis! How’s the greenhouse expansion going? Can we do a few more root veggies soon?” Clovis didn’t appreciate this; everypony knew they’d been trying and failing to start contained fields, hoping to expand the things they could grow on the oasis “Last Chance” City was built upon, “No dice, Mr. Mayor… I still have most of that imported. I’m thankful for vine and leafy crops… but we’re starting tobacco in the spring. We’ve been working with ponies from up north that’ve had some luck growing with floating containers. If we can do it inside, we could grow the stuff year-round.” Loress recalled Essenta jawing with Melchior about the hydroponics his interests ran; it was interesting at least. The mayor was actually impressed, “Imagine the money there! A lot less shipping from the tropics, at least.” “That’s the idea,” Clovis nodded, putting fork to salad. “But for it we need more land. Please consider-” The mayor waved a hoof, “Oh, pish-posh on that stuff; I treat dinner like business but do not discuss it.” Clovis insisted, “Master Melchior would like to-” “I know what he’d like to do, Clovis,” the mayor sucked down a goblet of red wine. “And the matter can wait.” Clovis looked discouraged, as if he’d been trying to breach the topic times untold, “Another time it is, then.” The mayor continued on his salad, “He can come discuss the matter if he wishes. It’s not like he’s banned from here… that’s just for tonight.” The guests laughed, likely remembering whatever it was that got Melchior on the shit-list that night; it was doubtful they’d laugh in front of the stallion himself, though. Dechaa was close enough to hear and Loress and Orni realized something too. Melchior was upset about “business restrictions” or something and the mayor “getting in the way” and “nosing around in his affairs”. It was clear: Melchior wanted land and apparently the mayor wasn’t budging on some matter that would allow its use. Loress had to talk with Clovis; she feigned ailment, “Oh, Mr. Clovis… I’m feeling a touch of the vapors… I’d like a moment outside.” A mare of her standing wishing for some fresh air was about as abnormal as a sneeze to all of the wealthy ponies present; it was hot in the ballroom to boot, even Loress’s new gown didn’t breathe, and the “delicate belle” had had a rough night, with her "slave" getting knocked out by a whiskey snifter… Clovis stood, “Mr. Mayor, if you’ll excuse us for a time…” The mayor shared in the pathos of his guests, “Oh, don’t fret, Clovis. You don’t need to ask permission from me.” Loress stood as well, giving a tiny curtsy to the mayor and his guests, “My apologies, everypony. Please do excuse me.” To a chorus of “it’s nothing”, “take your time”, and “such a dear” Loress smiled pleasantly in return. The mayor grinned at her, “Think nothing of it, my dear.” The dinner would go on. As Loress and Clovis left the ballroom, Clovis whispered to Dechaa, “Watch over Orni…” The unicorn nodded, looking green in the gills; she’d try. Outside, Loress leaned over the railing, “So that’s what this is all about… I thought Melchior was upset about the mayor looking into his less pleasant endeavors.” Clovis nodded, “That’s part of it, Loress. But, mostly, Mel wants control- and ownership- of a piece of land managed- but not owned- by the city. The old orchard there is failing and it’s time to uproot it. The city plans to replant but Mel wants to use it for… maybe the same reason or to expand our greenhouses. We haven’t made the decision if we get it.” “The city doesn’t own the land?” Loress wondered. “The land belongs to the family that founded this city; they let the city maintain it but private workers- not under us- run the orchard. Mel wants to buy it and the family’s willing, but the mayor and his cabinet don’t want Mel controlling or owning the land, so they passed a bill this spring; the bill states… a lot of things but the gist is Mel can’t buy the land and it’s to remain under city control and private ownership. It’s a fucking mess…” “I see…” Loress stared out over the city, as she had earlier; it was a place she’d be glad to leave behind. “Melchior wants the mayor to change the decision or step down. The deputy-mayor is in Melchior’s pocket, I take it?” “In ways you don’t want to even begin to think about…” Clovis sighed. She believed this, “That explains it. I admit… I thought this was something much worse that we were up to.” “Oh, it’s bad…” Clovis grumbled. “But it’s nothing any of you will die over.” Loress simpered, “That’s yet to be seen, Clovis… Let’s get back.” They re-entered in time for the main dish. “Keep alert, Zyra” Delia spoke quietly, feeling around the floor of the office for a loose board or evidence of a hidey-hole. “If you sense anypony other than us and sleepyhead a couple rooms over don’t be shy about letting us know.” Zyra was rifling through a drawer in the mayor’s desk, “Been on it, Delia… You figure we’ll find evidence of his penchant in his study… maybe in his bedroom… So why are we looking in the office first?” Wilka had been wondering this as well. Delia was checking out the liquor cabinet; she knew he kept one in most of his rooms, “Zyra… where do you hide your giggle-stick?” Zyra flushed in the dark, “…What?!...” Delia wasn’t messing around, “Where?” Wilka reddened and continued to look behind books in the shelves; she’d found a few governmental bills the mayor was sitting on and a few inside deals he was part of but no indication of the shadier relations for which they were searching. Delia smirked at their reactions, “Fine… Where do you hide the stuff you don’t want anypony to see? Do you keep it in your room or do you put it somewhere else?” Zyra muttered something about not owning a “giggle-stick”, “I… don’t know. It’s hard to know where ponies might come across things if they go nosing around; I mean… look at us.” Delia shook with jollity, despite the inappropriateness of the time, “Great answer. We don’t know where the mayor might be stashing things away; it’s a gamble, sometimes. But we have time to look so the order might not matter as much if we stick to a schedule. “Master Melchior is well known for hiding things in hollowed-out books (something I know nothing about, of course) which we’re not seeing in here and I doubt we’ll see it elsewhere. I bury my own valuables. But… what we’re looking for isn’t likely something to hide in plain sight, I’m afraid; and I am afraid. Still… I wonder…” The maid went to a table map next to the bookcase; it appeared to be a normal table with a topographic map of the nearby mountains and areas near “Last Chance” City. She knocked on a part of it with her hoof. Knock, knock, knock. She tried another place. Knock, knock, knock. And another. Thunk, thunk, thunk. “Ah, ha! And that was just on a guess,” Delia beamed. She pried out a patch of marshland on the north side of the mountain range; to the amazement of the girls Delia brought out a little vial. Zyra grinned, “Color me impressed; I thought I was the clever one around here…” Wilka gawked at whatever Delia had come across, “What is that?” Delia wasn’t smiling anymore, studying the item, “…You don’t wanna know…” Zyra chuckled, “No, seriously… What is it?” Delia looked uncomfortable, “Zyra… you’re familiar with compounds: it’s hydrogen cyanide…” Zyra recoiled. The mayor had something like that hidden in his office?! Even Wilka knew what that meant; she was aghast. Grimly, Delia put the vial back where it came from and it then appeared as if nopony had been searching around, “Whether it was meant for he himself or somepony else, he has something to hide if he’s prepared to kill… We don’t know what it is but there’s something big nearby.” The company mares shuddered. Delia had meanwhile gone to check out a portrait on the wall; finding nothing behind it she turned to the girls, “I’ve been poking around, and I doubt this is the place. We go to the library next. Melchior had been drinking pretty heavily the past couple hours, “Those shit-stains at city hall- or state capitol- who fuckin’ cares- ban me from the big jamboree?!” A couple ponies tried to reason with him; one of his maids begged, “Master, how about we just head back to your study? It’s late and we’ve prepared fresh pie in the kitchen.” “Fuck your pie,” Melchior spat; he was set on leaving. “I wouldn’t want it if you were in bed with your back legs open!” “What…?” she balked. To the disbelief and dismay of his staff, Melchior had been into his hard liquor cabinet. He so rarely cracked it open, other than for business he conducted, settling for his favored wine and occasionally beer in his leisure time. He was good and lit up and in a mean mood. “Yeah…” Melchior breathed as he reached the front door. “Who’s gonna ferry me there?!” He looked around, fully expecting somepony to gladly volunteer. This had escalated quickly; just a couple minutes before he’d seemed content to doze in his study. “Uh, Master?” one of Clovis’s crew saw things falling apart and had come to “the rescue” despite his lack of motivation to be firm with the frightening stallion. “Word is things are going smoothly at the ball; Clovis and Delia have a firm hoof on things and they need to be left to their work.” This was a lie, of course: the princess (that Melchior still didn’t know was a princess) had been brained with a snifter and the office and library had turned up nothing of consequence in the mares’ search. Melchior bucked aside a unicorn and Pegasus stallion- two of Clovis’s best spared just to keep Melchior at bay- and harped upon the staff, “Piss off, the lot of you! If nopony’s willing to get me there, I’ll walk; it’s only three miles!” It might be difficult to believe the staff were this afraid of Melchior, but they surely were; ponies that knew Melchior were usually dedicated to staying out of his way. They watched him disappear into the night. One of the stallions kicked aside sighed, “Somepony call up Clovis on the crystal ball; let him know what’s happened.” Clovis was none too pleased with the news, “You let him go?!” A panicked voice came through the little crystal ball Clovis kept in his pocket, “He hit the vodka, Clovis… I wasn’t gonna stand in his way!” “You’re magical! How many times have we put him to sleep with it?!” “I’m sorry, Clovis; we lost our nerve…” whined the caller. “Shit…” Clovis lamented from a side room; he was missing the main course, having left Loress at the table. “Please tell me you sent somepony after him.” “We did, but… we can’t find him.” Clovis felt his stomach clench, “You what?!” The flustered voice responded, “We lost him at the park south of the estate… Maybe he wandered off and we’ll be able to find him in the morning…” Clovis had no idea as Melchior was unpredictable; they’d once found him swimming in a fountain in the “redder-light” district where really special shit occurred, “Keep looking; keep me posted. I’ll let the guys here know to watch out for him. Things aren’t going the best but they’re going. We need to keep him away! Understood?!” “Yes, Clovis,” the crystal ball faded out. Clovis immediately called Delia, “Delia. Status?” “We’re just about done in the bedroom; no dice, yet…” Delia spoke back into the crystal ball. Zyra and Wilka were feeling around the wallpaper, looking for any out-of-place seams; they’d found no leads and neither had Delia. The mayor kept a pretty plain room and no potential hiding places were noticed. “Okay,” Clovis answered from the other end. “But there’s gotta be something up here,” Delia was sure. “He wouldn’t keep a suicide cocktail hidden in a table over a little embezzling; that’s small potatoes around here…” Clovis realized the mares had found some poison; it wasn’t not promising, “I see. The mayor might be a creep but he’s much cleverer than most would ever expect. And there’s another matter; now, keep your voice down about this…” “Why?” A pause; Clovis didn’t like it but Delia had to know, “Melchior got away and they can’t find him.” “Those assholes…” Delia pulled on her eyelids. “…Alright… Do you know anything else?” “Not now; I’ll keep you posted,” Clovis responded. “We’ll keep trying up here,” Delia whispered. “And please be careful; you never know what danger might lurk up there…” This gave Delia pause; she knew Clovis cared for her… and she wished she wasn’t always at his throat so much, “Thanks, Clovis.” “Be safe,” he signed off. The maid gave a wistful, little sigh; there were times Clovis seemed so cool- even a heartthrob- and other times he seemed like a dumb teenager (he was at least the teen part) who was always in over his head. But she could worry about her conflicting feelings later. Back to quiet, Delia turned to see Zyra and Wilka going through the dresser and closet. Delia exhaled, knowing they’d been doing all they could; they had at least 20 minutes once dessert began and that hadn’t started yet. And after dessert would be a brief coffee which even the mayor wouldn’t elect to leave. Her fear was somepony coming upstairs as dinner ended; the mayor often gave tours of his office to guests and she feared he might give a “tour” of his more private quarters to a certain little cross-dresser. “Girls,” the maid spoke up. “Spruce things up and then we go to the study; there has to be something in there.” The other mares nodded and set about with leaving no trace; they’d been quite good with that thus far. The main course was taken away. Loress was surprised at the pace which dinner moved at; 25 minutes had seen salad and the main course pass by. With the snack buffet it wasn’t necessary to have more than a few courses or make them large portions. The mayor didn’t like things bogged down and even dinner moved at a business pace; there was time for other pleasures after dinner. Dessert was passed out; the lemon tart looked excellent. The mayor was feeling his liquor; he regarded Loress, “Miss Strawhouse… how’s your hoofmaiden doing?” It seemed inappropriate dinner talk, but he was not sober, and he was the mayor so nopony raised an eyebrow. Loress tried to keep the emotion from her voice; she’d been trying to put Essenta from her mind, “One of Mr. Clovis’s is watching over her; she’ll be fine with some rest.” “That’s a relief,” the mayor was nibbling on the tart. “If there’s anything I can do to help you- or her- don’t hesitate to ask.” Unsure of his sincerity- though unconcerned as she’d not be asking it- she said gratefully, “Thank you, Mr. Mayor. If things come to that I will do so.” “Don’t hesitate,” the mayor restated. Loress poked at her own tart; dinner was delicious but the whole night left a foul taste in her mouth and her appetite wasn’t great. She thought about the girls up in the mayor’s private quarters and doubted they were enjoying the night any more than she was. She was pulled from her thinking by the mayor’s voice, “-you’d like to visit the office? You could see where we conduct the city business.” Loress knew, based on what Clovis and Delia had told them, that many wealthy families sent their colts and fillies to the big city for a number of reasons. One reason was to learn about business and politics; for all the illegal shit that went on in “Last Chance” City it bustled with both activities of the cleaner sort. Even listening to the colts at the table, a number of them were there for internships or apprenticeships. The colts were excited about the prospect of seeing the guts of the city government but one of them was less so… Orni had gone pale! The mayor smiled, “Well, then… once dessert concludes I’d like to bring up anypony that wants to see.” More than just the colts were pleased to hear this; several ponies at the table cheered. The mayor grinned, “Clovis! I’d hate to pull you away from your lovely guest, but would you accompany us on the tour? I sometimes think you know more about this building than I do.” This was unexpected; Clovis had been planning to sneak away upstairs after dinner but now he wouldn’t have to. Clovis glanced to Loress and both understood each other. Loress dimpled at Clovis, “Oh, Mr. Clovis… Please go! It would mean so much to everypony if you did! Doesn’t that sound fun, young Master Nior?” Orni’s complexion improved about 15 shades, back to her healthy blue-green, “Oh, it does; would you, Mr. Clovis?” Clovis beamed, “I’d be delighted! Make sure you save me a dance, though, Miss Resso.” Loress simpered, “With the line forming, I can grant you no promises…” The end of the table broke up with laughter; they knew just how popular Loress was at the party. “It’s settled then!” the mayor exclaimed. “After dinner!” Clovis felt his stomach clench. Shit! “Clovis, you better not have said what I think you just said,” Delia hissed into the crystal ball. “I can’t help it,” his voice came through; Clovis had excused himself again from the table. “That’s why I’m warning you. You’re in the study so keep at it. I’ll give you five minutes warning before we come up there; you have 10 minutes to keep looking.” “Well, we haven’t found fuck-in-church, Clovis…” Delia stated. “We’ve almost turned the study upside down and I’m running out of ideas up here.” “Keep at it. Expect a message in about 10 minutes." "What are we gonna do, then?!" Delia snarled. "I haven't decided; the tour won't last all that long, so it might be possible for the three of you to sneak out and then back in again." Delia almost chucked the crystal ball but kept her temper; she took a calming breath, "Well, you'd better decide quick!" "I'll message you." Delia fumed a few seconds; it was unlike her to lose her cool so badly but Clovis was impossible at times. Wilka didn’t like the look of things, “What is it?” Zyra looked away from the bookcase she was checking. “The mayor’s giving a tour to Orni and a bunch of the guests,” Delia cringed. “Clovis is coming up here too- and maybe Dechaa- in about 15 or 20 minutes.” There was a small consolation in all that; Wilka gave a sigh of relief, “If Dechaa and Clovis are there, then I’m not worried about Orni anymore.” Zyra felt the same way. Delia hadn’t thought about that, wrapped up in her own thoughts, “Yes… that’s a good thing.” Seeing how glad the girls were to hear the news, Delia felt like an ass, but she could worry about that later; their job wasn’t done yet, “Loress is staying downstairs for appearances and they might not even come in here. We did a fine job leaving things as we found them, so I’m not worried about that. There's a chance we can circumvent them and keep at this. I guess we wait for Clovis to call again and play things by ear.” The girls took a few seconds to compose themselves and continued poking around in the study. Off in the side room, Essenta stirred and the world was spinning, “Oh… my fuggin’ head…” “Just keep still, Princess.” She turned her fuzzy gaze to some stallion she didn’t know, “Who are fuggin’ you?” He tried not to chuckle at her mixed-up words, “I’m one of Clovis’s.” Essenta remembered something, “Is it over?” “Rest, Princess…” She didn’t have much choice; she slipped away again. A knock was heard at the door, “Emile…” The stallion watching over Essenta glanced over, “Come in, Clovis.” Clovis entered, “How is she, Emile?” “She’s woken up a few times… not making much sense. She got hit pretty hard.” Clovis wasn’t anywhere close to forgiving himself for the ill treatment Essenta received, “This is all my fault.” Emile had a hard time denying this, “Just be glad the Terran didn’t kill that bastard in front of everypony. I saw her; she was itching to pulp his ass…” Clovis didn’t need to be reminded of what Loress could do, “She’s playing her part about as perfectly as I’d dreamed… I guess the setup was for the best after all.” Emile knew Clovis had a reason for coming in, “What’s happening?” “Delia and Essenta’s two friends have about 10 minutes before the mayor heads upstairs with a bunch of ponies for a tour; I’m going up too.” Emile wondered, “It change anything?” Clovis shook his head, “Not really. I just have to make a call whether to call the girls off or keep the tour away from the study. If I can keep us out of the study they’d have more time in there, but I don’t think it’s worth the risk; I’ve been in there recently and there’s no hiding in there.” “So, they don’t have much time left… Dare I ask what you’re gonna do?” Clovis knew things would get messy if he didn’t have something to show to Melchior, “I don’t know yet; I was thinking about putting them back in once we'd finished the tour. If the mayor's away from the upstairs we'd have an open window." Emile grimaced, "We didn't prepare for this... A lot could go wrong, Clovis. We could have a changing of the guard or the mayor could retire for the night or any number of things could wind up happening." Clovis had considered this; it was hard to decide, "What do you think?" "I told you what I think: a lot could go wrong. Things could go bad but we might not get another shot this good... but it's your call." Clovis stroked his chin, "Yes..." Emile nodded, “Well… you’ve seen us through worse than this, Clovis…” This was true; they’d crossed the continent as foals and lived to tell the awful tale. Clovis kneaded his old friend’s shoulder; steeling himself, he'd made his choice, “Keep watch over the princess.” “Gotcha.” “You’re sure you can’t keep him out of the study?” Delia lamented. “Or at least give us another go later? We won’t get another chance like this…” Clovis was calling from down below, “We can’t risk it; he’s giving a public tour and we have no intel beyond our planning. Clean up and get out of there.” "What next...?" Delia knew the potential gravity of the situation; Melchior wouldn't be pleased. "You let me worry about Melchior... and the Princess's friends; it's my responsibility," Clovis sounded weak. Delia didn’t like giving up but there wasn’t much to do; she submitted, “We’re just about done. Give us five minutes and it’ll be like we were never here.” The maid slumped down against the sofa, closing her eyes. Zyra felt her stomach clench, “So… it’s over?” Delia looked up and nodded miserably, “It’s over…” Both company mares looked down at their hooves; they’d tried… Wilka whimpered, “So what now?” Delia stood, “We just need to finish cleaning up. We need to ascend to the skylight in about four minutes.” This was manageable. Delia noticed a book out of place, “Wilka… fix that book.” Wilka looked to the shelf; there was a small book turned onto its spine, “I didn’t touch it, though…” Zyra looked as well, “Neither did I…” Zyra put a hoof to the book; it was covered in so much dust she doubted it had moved in years. Righting the book, the three mares felt the floor shake. All jumping in surprise, the bookcase slid across the wall; there was a room behind it. Their jaws dropped as they took in the scene within. “No way…” Delia gasped. Wilka just about had a panic attack, sheltering behind Zyra; a cry escaped her throat. Zyra shook her head, aghast, “What the fuck…?” Clovis was just about to rejoin Loress one last time before heading upstairs with the mayor and the touring party when the crystal ball lit up in his pocket. “Yes?” he wouldn’t know who it was until he heard a voice. “Clovis! Keep the mayor out of the study!” Delia cried from the other end; she sounded… shaken up. “What?” Clovis took a moment to register this. “We found something… Something big… We found- holy shit!” she almost sobbed. “What did you find?!” Clovis tried to keep his voice down. “There’s no time to explain! We can’t get the door in shut again! It’s wide open!” “You… found another room?” Clovis couldn’t believe it. “Yes!” Delia was frantic. “We’ll keep trying to close it. Just keep the mayor out, whatever you have to do! If we can fix this, I’ll signal you with the special tap on the ball; we can still sneak out later if you keep them occupied.” “Fine,” he relented. “But if I can’t stop the mayor or you can't close it or you can’t get away, what do we do then?” “I don’t know yet, Clovis. Maybe Zyra can blast us out or something,” she wasn’t completely not serious. “Don’t do that… Okay… I’ll do my damnedest to keep them out.” “Out,” Delia ended the dialogue. Clovis felt a little lightheaded as he meandered back to his “date”; the night was getting to be too much. “Everypony: please enjoy the dance and after-dinner drinks; we have an open-bar!” the mayor declared. Hundreds of voices cheered in response. “I’ll be conducting a brief tour to the interested ponies,” the mayor smiled. “But upon my return I have a special announcement to make! Look forward to it!” Clovis hadn’t heard anything about a “special announcement” from the mayor but had a nasty feeling he’d publicly declare his stance on the piece of land Melchior wanted… Great… That on top of everything else. Sticking close to Orni and Dechaa- who’d been allowed to come along simply because she was “Nior’s” guardian- Clovis prepared to ascend the staircase with the mayor and touring party; he felt a tap on his shoulder. It was Loress; she looked at him with quite a bit of worry in her eyes, “Clovis…” “Yes?” he wasn’t enjoying how uncomfortable she appeared. “I’m… glad you’re going up there; I know you’ll do everything you can to protect my friends… and your friend, Delia…” He nodded grimly, “I’ll try…” “I know,” she said, misty-eyed. “If only you’d never pulled us into this but… No… What’s done is done; just try.” “Yes…” he didn’t feel too confident. She gave him just a little peck on the cheek, “For luck…” He nodded again, “Okay… You look good. No more crying and hold down the fort. You have some ponies to entertain.” She managed a small laugh, “I got this.” Watching her paddle away he tried to boost his confidence; it wasn’t easy as they began to move up the stairs.