//------------------------------// // Chapter 20 - It's the Most Fun in the Park // Story: Servant of the Queen // by A bag of plums //------------------------------// The next morning dawned bright and early on the Wings Estate, and it was with great enthusiasm that Moonglade left the squashy confines of her four-poster bed and joined everyone else at breakfast. Her mind was already brimming with excitement as she thought of where she and the sirens could go today. Unfortunately, the moment she finished breakfast, Ebony Wings held up a finger, pointing it at Moonglade. “Mrs. Crescendo Melody will be coming in about an hour to supervise your violin lesson. After that, then you’ll have your swordsmanship lessons with Ms. Lionstrike. After all that is done, however, I thought we might do some alchemy together, since I’m free. There are a few reagents that I’ve been working on that I think you’d be interested in learning about.” “Yes, mother.” Moonglade tried to keep the disappointment out of her voice, but Ebony must have smelled something, because her mouth twisted in a wry smile and said, “Don’t worry, you’ll still have enough time to go fool around in Canterlot. The sirens have business with your Aunt Ivory anyway, so even if you didn’t have lessons, you still couldn’t go.” “We have business?” Sonata Dusk looked at her sisters, confusion written all over her face. “I want to talk about fixing your gems, remember?” Ivory supplied pleasantly. “After all that’s happened, I would think that would be one of your priorities?” Sonata’s face cleared. “Oh. Yeah.” Ebony Wings smiled thinly. “Well, now that everyone knows what they’re doing, let’s get to it.” Everyone at the table got to their feet and began to head to their respective destinations, when Ivory glanced back at her sister, who was still sitting down, sipping coffee and reading the morning newspaper. “Er, don’t you have somewhere to go?” “Nah,” Ebony said with an outrageously fake yawn. “Not yet anyway.” “But you just said-” “I’m also the queen,” the actress waved a hand to shoo her sister away. “Do as I say, not do as I do.” “So Equestrian magic destroyed your gems?” Ivory Wings watched the sirens nod their heads slowly. “Yes…” Adagio Dazzle ended on a sour note. “And that’s how we lost our powers. Because of those Rainbooms…” “Hmm…” Ivory crossed her legs and put a hand to her chin. “You know, girls… The first thing I want to address. Your plan. They had a lot of flaws and if you had done things differently, maybe you would’ve come out as the victors and the world would be yours. But you didn’t. I think you’ve spent too much time with my sister.” Adagio wanted to say something, then she sighed and leaned back into the couch. “You’re probably right about that…” “Oh, but don’t look so down, girls. Perhaps taking over the world wasn’t the plan for us anyway. See? Even my sister’s mellowed down a little, living here and making a name for herself instead of trying to rule the world.” “She kind of does rule the world though.” Adagio pointed out. “I mean, celebrities are basically this era’s kings and queens.” “Well, if you put it that way, but she’s doing it in a different way. A less violent way.” Ivory smiled and pushed up her glasses. “I like this way. So when I do manage to restore your gems, please, let’s live it out like we are now. Peacefully.” “Woah, when did you suddenly become a peacebringer?” Aria asked the elder changeling. “I’ve had time to think. Lots of it. And I’ve heard a few good opinions here and there, and I think they were all right. Violence should be saved as a last resort. But as Commander Vespa said, if fighting is sure to result in victory, then you must fight. I won’t shirk from a battle, but when there are alternative methods, why not try them first, hmm?” “She certainly has a point.” Adagio looked at her sisters. “And now Chrysalis has a daughter to look after too. Times certainly have changed.” “That being said, I think I’ll want to schedule a meeting with these ‘Rainbooms’. Do you know the name of their leader and how I can get into contact with them?” “Twilight Sparkle, am I right?” Aria folded her arms and snorted. “I thought it was Sunset Shimmer…” “Sunset Shimmer? She was the outcast, remember? She tried to take over the school before we did.” “But Sunset Shimmer’s the one who turned the tables on us in our hour of victory. She has to be a major player now.” “So this Twilight Sparkle and Sunset Shimmer are directly involved with your gems breaking. And you say they have the gem fragments of you two?” Ivory pointed at Aria and Sonata. “Well then, it looks like I’ve got some plotting to do. Not to mention some alchemy.” “Are you going to kill them?” Aria looked just a little bit surprised. “While I wouldn't mind, you were just talking about not killing anymore.” “Nothing like that, Aria.” Ivory waved a hand. “We’re changed people, remember? I’m just going to have a friendly talk with them. Sort out an agreement of sorts.” “Sounds great!” Sonata threw herself back on the couch and waved her hands around. “That way, no one has to die!” “Hopefully, no one,” Ivory muttered. “How are you going to get them to help, though?” Aria pointed out. “They spent an entire musical number beating us, why would they go back on the decision?” Ivory Wings flashed the sirens a sinister smile. “I can be very persuasive when needs be,” she said with a chuckle, green fire shimmering in her eyes for a brief moment. “Now, tell me everything you know about these Twilight Sparkle and the Rainbooms. You know the saying, ‘Know thine enemy’.” “Great work so far, Moonglade.” Ms. Lionstrike wiped her face with her towel. “You seem more dedicated with your attacks, but also, not to burst your bubble, you seem somewhat distracted.” “Sorry, Ms. Lionstrike.” The girl pushed her sweaty locks of blonde hair from her face. “Just a little excited. I’m going out later.” “You are? Well I hope you have a good outing, but for now, try to focus on the lesson. Remember, keep moving. The warrior who moves,” Lionstrike prompted. “Her valor she proves!” Moonglade chorused back. “And the warrior who stands still?” “Is a target to kill.” Ms. Lionstrike patted Moonglade on the head. “Very good, my student. Now, let’s go again.” Giving her glasses a wipe, Moonglade continued her lessons, working on her footing and her timing, but she still had thoughts of the theme park and convenience store on her mind. He sparred to the best of her ability, but she still missed a few times and got hit a few times. “And that concludes the lesson today, Moonglade.” Lionstrike drank deep from her water bottle. “Remember to keep your eyes on your opponent at all times. You’ve looked at the wrong place on a few rounds. Still thinking about your outing, I presume.” “Sorry, Ms. Lionstrike. I’m just so excited.” “It looks like I’ll have to excuse you for today then,” her teacher smiled. “You’re still a teenager. You have your life ahead of you. Well, go on then. I shall have my shower before I leave, so don’t mind me. Go have fun.” As Moonglade packed up her sword and gear, she looked up and noticed the face of her mother peering down at the courtyard through a second storey window. Moonglade didn’t have to smell the air to tell that she was looking down with an expression of disapproval on her face. Not wanting to be caught in her sights any longer, the girl packed up her gear and scurried off into the manor. After taking a quick shower, Moonglade met up with the sirens in the second floor living room, just outside of their sleeping quarters. “Ready to go? Ready to go?” She couldn’t contain her excitement, jumping up and down like Sonata did sometimes. “Don’t you have alchemy with your mom?” Moonglade’s heart sunk. “Oh yeah… I do…” She had forgotten all about it. That was when Ebony Wings walked into the living room. “Not anymore you don’t. Your aunt has invaded the laboratory, and is cooking up lemonade or something in there. Either way, it’s her space now and there’s nothing I can do about it.” “Then-then we can go out, mother?” Moonglade’s eyes sparkled. “Yes, you may go.” Ebony looked at the sirens. “But before that, I would like to have a word with my daughter. Alone.” Uh oh. Moonglade thought as she watched the sirens comply, closing the doors to the living room behind them. “Sit, Moonglade.” Ebony directed her to the couch. “Y-Yes, mother.” Moonglade hesitantly did as her mother asked, sitting on the longer couch, anxiously fiddling with her fingers. “I understand you were distracted at your swordsmanship lesson today,” Ebony stated. She carelessly checked her fingernails. The young changeling looked away, afraid to make eye contact. “I-I was, mother…” “That simply won’t do, darling. You of all people should know that your lessons come first. You can’t afford to be sidetracked by a small thing like an outing. What’ll happen when you grow up and have to deal with more important things?” “I’m sorry, mother,” Moonglade said with a sigh. “It’s just that going outside is so exciting and new, I can’t help but get worked up about it.” Ebony Wings sniffed. “Well, just make sure you’re not distracted anymore, or I may have to cancel your little trips outside. Do you understand me?” “Yes, mother.” “Alchemy will have to wait until tomorrow then. You may go.” Ebony Wings stalked off, throwing open the living room doors and walking past the sirens. Moonglade sheepishly got up, rubbing the back of an arm. She’d never been this excited all her life and it had almost cost her her freedom. She couldn’t be like this, not again, if she wanted to be able to keep going out on the weekends. Focus, Moonglade. She thought to herself. It would not do for her to become distracted again. But for now, the young changeling could barely suppress her glee. It was time to go. As usual, Aunt Ivory was already waiting in the car when she and the sirens got in. Their first stop was the convenience store. Moonglade had wanted to see it, because she was told that they sold all kinds of things you would need at the last minute. If she were to ever need something in the middle of the night, this was the place to go, if she were allowed out, that is. Though, her home basically had everything covered already. “I’ll be here, sweetie.” Ivory parked the car in the nearby carpark. “Don’t take too long. The theme park is next, isn’t it?” “Sure is, Aunt Ivory.” Moonglade slid out of the car after the sirens. “We’ll be back soon!” The convenience store was just around the bend from the carpark, a separate building from all the other ones, which had adjoining walls. There was a huge sign above the store’s roof, reading ‘Twenty-four Fifty-six’, which was likely the name of the store. As they approached the entrance, the store’s glass doors slid to the side, allowing the girls to walk in. Moonglade marveled at how bright it was. It might’ve been a small place, but they sure spent a lot of money on the lighting. There were racks and racks of food, magazines, stationery, and rows of drinks in refrigerators. “Woah…” Moonglade took her glasses off and cleaned them. She wanted to be sure she wasn’t dreaming. “This place is fantastic! If you ever really need anything quickly, this is definitely a good place to go.” “It’s called a convenience store for a reason.” Aria stood by the doors. Like in the pottery store, Moonglade darted from this display to the next, awestruck by the sheer amount of selections that were available for purchase. “There’s so much of it…” she murmured. “How do I choose?” “I think you already have enough of everything back at home, don’t you think so?” Adagio picked up a packaged sandwich. “Unless you’re looking for something more… normal. Everything your mother has is really classy.” “Yeah,” Sonata added in. “I think everything in your home costs more than everything in here.” That comment got the attention of some of the other people browsing the store. Some of them had their eyebrows creased, like they were trying to remember where they had seen Moonglade before. “Umm…” Moonglade took interest in the magazine section, pulling out one to hide her face behind, pretending to read it. “Can we, uh, not make comparisons to home, especially around other people?” she whispered. “Sure, if it makes you feel better.” Aria shrugged. “And by the way, that magazine looks like it’s for men.” Moonglade closed it and looked at the front. It was a picture of Fast Bender, one of those famous actors her mother had worked with before. He was standing there with barely anything on. “Um, right…” Moonglade grew red-faced and quickly put it back in the stand and headed for the door. “I think we should come back another time, don’t you girls agree?” “Alright!” Sonata grabbed a heated sandwich from one of the stands and paid up before joining her sisters and Moonglade outside. After getting back in the car, Ivory made a u-turn and headed for the theme park Moonglade had seen during her tour of Canterlot. Compared to the convenience store, this one sounded like it was going to be a lot of fun. It didn’t have things like rollercoasters that Moonglade had read about and seen on the internet, but it looked like it still had some rides worth the money. In two more turns and a straight road down, Ivory Wings stopped the car in the park’s carpark, entering through an arched gate where some other cars were parked. “Now, you’ll have about two hours until we need to head back home, so make sure to enjoy yourselves. Get some cotton candy or something. It’s been a while since I’ve been to one of these places myself, so take some pictures. I’ll see you all in two.” Moonglade hopped out, walked around, and threw her aunt’s door open. “Come on, Aunt Ivory. This time, you’re coming with us.” “Oh no, I couldn’t possibly…” Ivory waved both hands at her niece. “Come on, Aunt Ivory. Even you need to have fun sometimes.” Moonglade pulled her aunt’s hands. “Well…” Ivory put a finger to her mouth. “Once in a while won’t hurt. You win, sweetie.” “Yay!” Sonata shot her hands up. “Ivory’s coming with us!” The older changeling smiled and patted the blue haired siren on the head. Moonglade figured they must’ve spent a lot of time having fun back when things were still going great for them. “In that case, I’ll buy the tickets.” Ivory held out her wallet and walked to the ticket booth. While the girls waited, a strange man with a white painted face, red nose, and funky green hair approached them, holding on to a whole cluster of colorful balloons. He had on a bright yellow suit and huge red shoes, almost as big as his whole calf. Possibly bigger. “Hi, girls, would you like a balloon?” He smiled at them and gave his balloons a shake. “They’re free. Complimentary of the park. Today’s our fiftieth day open!” “Oh, sure, thank you!” Moonglade picked a pink one. The weirdly decorated man gave them one more wave, then walked off to offer more of his balloons to other people. “Wow, I’ve never held a balloon before.” Moonglade looked up at it and gave its string a tug, watching as it floated down, then up again. “And what was up with the man’s costume? He looks kinda strange.” “That’s a clown,” Ivory Wings explained, returning with the tickets to the theme park. “They’re meant to be entertaining, though a large amount of the population finds them unsettling.” She shrugged. “I personally don’t care one way or the other.” “I don’t find him unsettling.” Moonglade watched as the clown handed a small boy a blue balloon. “Though the makeup and outfit do look a little strange.” “No kidding.” Aria deadpanned. “You know, I think I read a story once about a serial killer who dressed as a clown.” “Oh, you mean your biography?” Sonata giggled. “No, I was talking about your diary, Sonata.” Aria frowned. “Hey! I don’t even keep a diary!” “If I have a biography, you have a diary.” Aria prodded her sister’s chest with a finger. “And your diary is full of clowns and killers.” Adagio introduced her palm to her forehead. “I’m not even going to bother pointing out how that doesn’t make sense…” “Enough negativity, girls.” Ivory waved the tickets. “How about we go in and have some fun instead?” “Sounds awesome, Aunt Ivory,” Moonglade agreed. “Come on! Let’s go see what they have!” The bespectacled girl was the first through the turnstiles as she handed the ticket off to the attendant. “Have a great time!” the attendant said. Moonglade raced around the immediate area, marveling at all the different attractions from the entrance. She just couldn’t decide where to start. “How about we start with the left.” Adagio pointed to a ride with teacups as seats. They were all connected to a pole in the middle. “Let’s go!” Moonglade waited impatiently in the queue, tapping a foot against the gravel. She kept sticking her head out to see if the queue was moving or not. When people got on the ride, it lifted them high in the air before spinning the teacups round and round, gaining speed as it went. It looked really fun. After about five more minutes, Moonglade and the others were finally given a chance to get on the ride. Each teacup had six seats, which were not too comfortable, but decent enough. Strapping themselves in, the ride attendant pulled down a metal bar from above their heads, locking them in place. “This is so cool!” Moonglade tapped on the metal bar excitedly. When it was time, the teacups began rising up into the air, well over the ground. When they reached their maximum height, they began to spin. Moonglade held on tightly and smiled as it began to go faster and faster. Sonata and Adagio was screaming beside her and Aria was as bored as she always looked. Does anything please that girl? Moonglade soon joined in, yelling at the top of her lungs as the scenery whizzed past her face. She didn’t know why, but flying around the sky so fast was just so exciting. Maybe that’s why people like rollercoasters. It’s a pity this one didn’t have any, or she might’ve gone straight for one after this ride. Soon, however, the ride had to end, lowering itself down before coming to a stop. Moonglade got out and rearranged her curly blonde hair, then patted down her attire. “That was… so awesome!” she smiled and jumped happily like Sonata does. “I haven’t seen you this excited before, dear.” Ivory Wings patted her on the shoulder and adjusted her glasses. “You’re really enjoying yourself with this.” “It’s just that I’ve never been to one of these before!” Moonglade ran on ahead, looking at the other attractions. “Have you girls ever been to a theme park? And you, Aunt Ivory?” “I have a long time ago,” Ivory said. “You know, it was the first theme park in the world, actually. They didn’t have much back then, but it was entertaining during that time.” “We’ve been to plenty.” Adagio smiled and gave her orange hair a flick. “But not in the last few years, no. We haven’t quite had the time, especially now that our gems are gone.” “Well then we can come here more often!” Moonglade tried to cheer them up. “You girls deserve more for being with mother and Aunt Ivory for so long.” “And as I’ve said many times…” Ivory put her arms around the three sirens. “I’m working on it. You’ll see. They’ll be back in shape one day.” The next ride they got on was a short round in a cart around an old mine, where random skeletons in miner outfits would jump out from the darkness and scare you as the cart went on. Moonglade found herself screaming twice during the whole thing, but the rest of it wasn’t too scary for her. When they had exited that ride, Sonata’s hair was all out of place, her eyes wide and her knees shaky. “It wasn’t that scary, was it?” Aria looked at her sister with an unamused face. “You’re just a pansy, Sonata.” “Hey, I’m not the pansy! You’re the pansy!” With that, the two sirens began squabbling again, much to Adagio’s ire. “Okay, on to the next ride!” Moonglade said loudly and led the way. The next one was something called ‘Bumper Cars’, which Moonglade was clueless about. How could a car possibly be a bumper? If a car crashed, it was pretty much totaled and had to be repaired or scrapped. Her questions were soon answered when they arrived at the boxed attraction. In a rectangular ring were round colored ‘cars’, surrounded at the bottom with rubber. Each one was driven by an occupant, who steered them into other cars, bumping into them. “So that’s why it’s called a bumper car…” Moonglade whispered. Then she turned to her aunt and the sirens. “It looks fun! Let’s go, let’s go!” “Do you know how to drive, sweetie?” Aunt Ivory put an arm around her niece. “Has your mother at least shown you how a car works?” “No, actually.” Moonglade shook her head. And she had never bothered to look at Silver Platter or her aunt when they drove. “It’s easy enough,” Adagio began. “An accelerate and reverse pedal and a steering wheel. That’s all you need to take into account. One foot to go forward, one to go back. Then just turn the wheel and you’ll be moving about easily.” “Sounds easy…” Moonglade shrugged. Hopefully it would still be easy when it was their turn in the ring. “Well, whatever it is…” Ivory looked at her watch. “This will have to be the last ride for today, dear. Your mother expects us home by eight.” “Already?” Moonglade groaned. “Time sure flies when you’re having fun, huh?” When it was finally their turn, Moonglade found herself getting into a green car, belting herself in. An attendant stood by to instruct her what to do, telling her where all the controls were. Moonglade nodded each time, but she figured she would learn it when she actually got started driving and bumping. There was a series of beeping sounds before Moonglade felt her car activate, along with everyone else’s. Stepping on the accelerator, Moonglade widened her eyes and smiled as she turned the steering wheel, getting a feel of the controls. Before she could get very far, she was rammed from the side by Adagio, who was smirking from ear to ear. After that, Sonata came from the other side, jolting Moonglade’s car again, but she didn’t care. She was having plenty of fun. Moonglade tried her best to ram the sirens and her aunt, but she almost always ended up getting hit by someone else. There was a little obnoxious fat kid that seemed to enjoy targeting her, but Moonglade wasn’t skilled enough to chase after him. Eventually, the ride came to an end as the attendants called the cars back. Moonglade hopped out of the small vehicle and skipped along after her aunt, who was already on the way out of the attraction. “That was so cool, Aunt Ivory!” Moonglade said as she arrived alongside the elder changeling. “Sure, I’m not all that good at driving, but I really enjoyed myself.” “I’m glad to hear that, dear.” Ivory rubbed the blonde girl’s head. “You, Aunt Ivory? Did you have fun?” Moonglade put her hands behind her back. “Oh, yes I did, sweetie. Thanks for getting me to get out of that car. I guess it’s good once in a while to enjoy myself. Sadly, we have to head home now. Your mother’s orders.” “Shame… Well, at least we had a blast.” “Sure did, Moony!” Sonata skipped alongside them. “Did you see? I got Aria soooo many times!” “Did not,” the middle siren answered. “And if you did, I was cleaning my eyes. Those rides are dusty.” “I clearly hit you both the most.” Adagio placed a hand atop her chest and smirked. “So it doesn’t matter. I won.” “Oh, you girls are so fun to hang out with!” Moonglade snickered. Ever since her aunt and the sirens had come into her life, things haven’t been as boring as they usually were. “I’m glad you’re so happy, Moonglade.” Ivory put a hand around her. “Come, let us return home and tell your mother what she missed.”