ACT THREE
Twilight had gone to the police and reported what she saw, and much to her surprise, the police had been on this case for a while now. There was even a wanted posted, with a picture of the prowler-- not a very good one as it was badly blurred, and only a shot of him in the distance.
The captain explained, “We’d had been receiving numerous reports of sightings of this hooligan, but he’s very sly and elusive. His suit magically resistant, we can’t even try to contain him in a force-field.
No one knows who he is or where he comes from, and more importantly why he does this.”
Twilight decided to get in on this herself, and though she had already been informed that magic wouldn’t work directly, she already had an idea of how to catch this prowler.
Meanwhile, the gang regrouped at the castle, and Starlight looked a little frazzled from trying to work and keep up with watching Flurry Heart. “How do you do it?” she asked the parents.
Cadance and Shining Armor couldn’t really answer. There were more important things to discuss anyway.
“I cannot believe that!” Twilight said “I refuse to believe that Courier doesn’t want any help.”
She had been told the story, she had seen the note, and she felt upset and livid at Courier’s behaviour and making Violet upset.
“I say we let him go.” sneered Rainbow “A jerk like him doesn’t deserve any help.”
The others disagreed with her. “Rainbow, we should at least find out why he’s being so mean.” said Shining Armor.
Cadance agreed. She wasn’t willing to give up her very first friendship mission so easily. “Besides, I also want to know what his problem is with me as well.”
Twilight had her own plans to deal with to catch the prowler, and she enlisted Rarity and Spike to help her.
“You want us to what?!” snapped Spike.
“I want you two to have a fight, or make it look like Rarity dumped you, Spike. It’ll lure him out into the open, and once I see him, Rainbow and I can follow him.”
Rarity chuckled nervously, “Darling, if I do that, there is the chance that happened to those other ponies may happen to me. I really do not want my beautiful mane to be harmed.”
“That goes double for me.” said Spike. He wasn’t trying to suck up; he really didn’t want Rarity to get hurt.
“You won’t have to,” said Starlight “Watch this,” and she cast a small spell on Rarity’s mane, turning it from soft and wavy to solid and stiff, like metal, so it couldn’t be harmed… though, it was a little heavy and awkward. Rarity had a bit of trouble keeping her head balanced.
“This feels… rather strange.” she complained.
Rainbow held in a chuckle.
“Come on, we’ve all got jobs to do.” said Twilight.
The gangs agreed and went off, once again leaving Flurry in Starlight’s care. “I don’t think I’m cut out for this.” she sighed.
It was getting close to sundown, and Violet had spent a while under her favorite tree contemplating and bewailing her rejection, still clutching the prowler’s rose.
“Why, courier?” she said to herself “Why can’t you give me a chance? We could have something special.”
She was snapped out of her trance when she heard the sounds of yelling in the streets. She looked up and saw Rarity scolding Spike.
“I said “No!”
“But why?” whined Spike “Why can’t you go steady with me, Rarity? You’re my special some-pony.”
Rarity scoffed “Because, you are a dragon, and I am a pony. Like day and night; we are simply too different. Besides, you’re too short for my liking anyway.”
Spike actually had tears in his eyes, despite this all being an act, it almost felt real to him.
Rainbow and Twilight were hiding nearby, behind a large shrub. “See anything?” Twilight asked.
“Not yet,” answered Rainbow. Then suddenly, “Wait! There he is!”
The setting sun made it hard to see, but she was certain she could see the prowler slinking about on a rooftop. He was writing a letter with his magic quill, and took the rose from his hat-- another one appeared magically.
He attached the note to the rose and was about to throw it at Rarity.
“Now!” snapped Twilight, and she and Rainbow soared out from the shrub and up to the roof.
The prowler saw them, and ducked out of the way.
Rarity and Spike looked up at the roof. “There he is!” snapped Spike.
“After him!” shouted Rarity. Spike mounted her, and she galloped off after her friends, though she moved a little slow because of her solid hair.
Violet saw the commotion and chased after the gang.
The chase was on, and the prowler leapt along the rooftops with Twilight and Rainbow closing in. He grabbed a rose ready to toss…!
“Not this time!” sneered Rainbow.
Twilight nodded, and cast soft light barriers across them, so the roses the prowler tossed just ricocheted right off them.
The prowler growled softly, but kept on running and leaping along the roof.
“I got him!” Rainbow hollered, and she charged ahead after him, but as she got closer, the prowler used his own magic to levitate her and toss her hard up into the sky.
“Rainbow!” cried Twilight.
Then she and the prowler glared at one another, and the prowler grabbed another rose, but rather than pitching it at Twilight, he pitched it at the ground, and it exploded as a dirt-bomb. Smoke flew everywhere, and while the smoke didn’t last long, Twilight had lost sight of the prowler, but she wasn’t deterred and flew up higher with Rainbow to look all around.
“Did you see which way he went?” Twilight asked.
“No. He could be in hiding.” said Rainbow.
Luckily for them, Spike and Rarity had spotted everything. “Twilight…!” Spike shouted way up, “…Follow us!”
Rarity continued to gallop along, “There he goes!”
The prowler was seen hoping along the roofs. Suddenly, he came to a huge gap, with the next rooftop far away, but he just gave a great big leapt and actually cleared the gap effortlessly.
“Whoa!” cried Spike “How’d he do that?!”
“Astonishing!” exclaimed Rarity. She almost lost track of herself and continued to follow him.
Twilight and Rainbow spotted him, and flew down closer. Twilight tried to aim her magic at him, but just as the police warned her, the prowler’s suit was anti-magical-- her powers couldn’t do a thing to him, at least not that way.
“What do we do now?” asked Rainbow.
“Oh, I’ve got an idea.” said Twilight, and she flew up ahead.
Meanwhile, Cadance and Shining Armor had gone to Courier’s home, and knocked at his door, but there was no answer.
“This can’t be right.” said Shining Armor “He can’t still be out on his mail route.”
“Maybe he just stepped out?” suggested Cadance “We better just wait for him.”
“Hey!” Spike called to the couple as he and Rarity came along.
“What are you guys doing here?” asked Shining.
“The prowler, he’s coming this way!” cried Rarity.
The prowler suddenly landed near Courier’s house, and he was shocked to see the gang, preferably Cadance standing there, which really infuriated him, but before he could try to escape again, the ground magically crumpled beneath his feet, and he fell into a small crater hitting his head on the side, and he was out cold!
Twilight then appeared in a puff of smoke, “Got him!”
She was the one who shot a spell at the ground beneath the prowler’s feet, hoping he’d fall unconscious.
Rainbow caught up to them, and Violet was catching up to the group, but kept out of sight, hiding amongst a couple of garbage cans. “They caught him!” she said to herself.
Twilight then got down into the hole to pick him up by herself. “I need help.” she called up to her brother “We can’t levitate him out because of his suit.”
Her brother agreed, and then got down to help her. They pulled the unconscious pony up to the surface, and Twilight cast her magic to reseal the pit.
Cadance moved in close to take off the prowler’s face-cover, “Let’s see who you really are.” But the second she laid her hoof on him, a bright force of magic shocked her painfully and she backed away.
“Cadance!!” cried Shining Armor, and he dashed over to his wife, “Are you alright?”
Cadance blew onto her burning hoof, “What was that?!”
The prowler then came to his senses, having been shocked by the magic as well “…It is the curse that I have.”
The entire gang looked at him, but Twilight then reached to take off his cover. She surprisingly didn’t get shocked, and removed the cover to reveal, “…Courier!”
Violet was shocked, “Courier…?”
Courier angrily demanded Twilight let go of him, “You’ve discovered who I am? Are you happy now?!”
Rainbow didn’t like his tone, “Hey, watch the tone pal!”
“I’m not your pal! I’m not anyone’s pal… I can’t be.” He paused, and everyone was confused by what he meant, until he eyes over at the royal couple, “…And it’s all because of YOU, Princess Cadance!”
“What… Me?” asked Cadance.
“What did she ever do to you?” asked Shining Armor.
Much as Courier didn’t want to explain, he felt he had no choice…
“I once lived in the Canterlot. I was a miserable pony, desperate to find love and romance.
Then shortly before the Royal Canterlot Wedding, you approached me, Princess. You could sense that I was down on my love life, and you told me that you could help me.
So you gave me this enchanted rose, and told me it could enhance me with great power, and it did. I was gifted with this magical suit, a quill that can write anytime, enhanced reflexes, strong magic, but most of all… I was enchanted with an incredible gift of passion and sensitivity which I could to write the most beautiful poetry any-pony ever dreamed.
I was so amazed that I even charmed myself, but unfortunately this power came with a nasty side effect-- I can only use it to help other couples. So I became this prowler, using my talents to help couples down on their luck by writing those letters and helping to improve their relationships.”
This made Spike and Rarity realize, “So you sent Rarity that love poem.” said Spike.
“Yes,” said Courier “I was delivering the morning mail when I couldn’t help but overhear you complaining about your lack of words to use. So I took your card and gave it to Rarity myself, and it worked, did it not?”
While Rarity agreed it did work, she really wasn’t one to condone snooping, but also she looked down at Spike, “You knew you didn’t send me that poem?”
Spike sadly nodded, “I didn’t know how you got it at first… really I didn’t. I was having trouble figuring out what to say to you, since… well… you know.” He blushed hard and turned away. “I wanted to tell you the truth, but you were so happy… and I was so happy when you said you’d be my special some-pony…”
Rarity only smiled lovingly at him and patted him for his honesty.
“Ahem!” snapped Courier “As I said, I help those who are down on their love lives, while at the same time punishing those who were nasty and cold-hearted by publicly humiliating them.
I am forbidden from having a romance myself, or coming into contact with any-pony that may harbor romantic feelings for me.
If I myself touch any creature of great love, or harbors romantic feelings for me, the powers will harm me and that individual. It drains our energies to the point of death!”
Everyone gasped in such horror, even Violet did. “You mean you have to live a life without love, or you die?” asked Rarity.
“Yes!” thundered Courier, and then he glared at Cadance again, “…I warned you to stay away, knowing if you came too close to me you’d get hurt, then again it would serve you right anyway for cursing me like this!
I was forced to leave Canterlot, and come here to Ponyville where no one would know me, and I could fresh start. Big mistake-- my handsome new looks made me a walking mare magnet, attracting lovesick ladies everywhere, and I couldn’t return their feelings for fear of putting them in danger.”
Violet heard this, and wondered if that was why he had avoided her and restrained against her.
“The point is,” courier growled at Cadance. “Now I can never find true love, never find a soul mate, and it’s all because of you!
…YOU RUINED MY LIFE!!”
Cadance was ever so horrified!