//------------------------------// // Part 2, Chapter 8: The Maid of Everfree // Story: The Maid // by Dinkledash //------------------------------// While there are many tales regarding fabulous, and often quite dangerous creatures living in the Everfree Forest, the extent to which these creatures' existence has been verified according to reliable sources is rather limited. Everfree is itself magical and appears to be almost intelligently hostile to ponykind, making scientific inquiry into its flora and fauna hazardous at best. The failed, and probably ill-advised, Royal Society expedition of AC 356, only netted samples of a few dozen plants, six small creatures such as jackalopes and star spiders, and one manticoress, examples all of which were known to natural philosophers at the time, at the cost of the expedition leader Baron Bluewine, two eminent scholars of the Society and six bearers. The survivors, most bearing wounds both physical and psychic, told mane-raising stories of ambushes by animated plants, nighttime raids of their supplies by diminutive but savage bideps with glowing eyes and short stabbing spears, and strange mists that turned mid-day to night and led the explorers into deep swamps, chasms and the lair of an unlikely creature they described as a flying six-armed bear with a stinger. What stuck in the minds of the members of the expedition who made it back, more than any one creature, was this feeling of being constantly under observation. The deeper they explored into the trackless, dense woods, the more oppressive it was; all agreed that there was a malign consciousness within the heart of the forest, inimical to ponies. Of course, this could just be the fevered imaginations of the survivors of a long-range expedition into what is well known to be a dangerous wilderness filled with carnivores, pests and rough terrain. It must be said though, that the stories written by Sugarlump Surehoof during her stay in the Canterlot Asylum are considered some of the most terrifying psychological horror novels ever written in the Ponish language. If novels they truly are. Excerpt from "The History of Two Legged Beasts" by Edward Clopsell, AC 412 Giacolto collapsed after delivering his brief and unenlightening message. Celestia caught him with her magic before he hit the ground, her eyes wide with alarm and worry. Lady Rubymane set down her tea and sat upright in her chair. "Who is he and what in Equestria happened to him?" "My jester, and I don't know." Her control slipped and he fell hard on the floor with a groan. "Oh dear! I'm sorry!" She stood and crossed the floor, scanning him, her eyes narrowing in frustration. "He looks like he was hit with a fifth or even sixth degree power bolt, but I can't read... wait a second!" "If he was hit in the chest with sixth degree power, he wouldn't just be dead, he'd be disassembled, party pony or not." Rubymane tried to rise, sighed and sat back down. "I'm sorry, I'm not going to be of any use for a while. Celestia, he's the one who had Clementine, isn't he? What has become of my poor mai- what is that?" Celestia pulled a black cloth object from within the folds of the jester's smoldering costume. There was a distinct smell of ozone and burned cream pie. She carried it to the desk, holding it away from herself. "The anti-magic bag." Rubymane involuntarily scooted away from it. "It must have absorbed most of the energy from the bolt. He only got hit by the deflected portion of the bolt." "So... he must have removed the anti-magic bag from Clementine's head at some point before he got hit by a power bolt that an adept or magister class mage might use to drive away a great drake or to knock down part of a castle wall." Rubymane tapped one hoof on the table in thought. "Two possibilities I can see. One, he removed it from her head to allow her to run to save herself from whatever attacked him on the road." She sat quietly, chewing her lower lip. Celestia turned to look at her. "Two: Giacolto removed the bag from her head, and she attacked him." Her mouth cut a grim line as she returned to look at the supine jester. "He's lost consciousness. He has a nasty concussion, several broken ribs, and he appears to have first-to-second degree burns on his chest and forelegs." Her magic washed up and down his body. "Dozens of scratches and bruises. His breathing is strong though; none of the ribs appear to have pierced his lungs." "You can't seriously think a filly did that to a full grown earth pony." Rubymane sounded like she was trying to convince herself as much as she was Celestia. "In any case, she's magically crippled; she never lifted so much as a straight pin that I saw!" "But the glamour... you believe it wasn't just her appearance that was altered; her gift was also suppressed. You said that when you spoke about the kitchen fire. Her head was in an antimagic bag for... well. perhaps for an hour, depending on how far Giacolto had gone down the road." She whipped her tail in agitation. "Rubymane, I don't have enough information to make the best decision, but I have enough to make what I think is a good decision. If you don't mind, I'll need to commandeer the library and the dining room. And your staff." She opened the door as Rubymane nodded acquiescence. "I need Captain Steelfeather, and get me the butler!" "Yes, your highness!" One thick-necked earth pony guard stayed at the library door, while another ran out the main hall through the front door. Within a minute, Steelfeather, Captain of the Guard, was standing at attention before his princess. "Yes, your highness?" His gold chased armor was lighter weight than that of the earth ponies, and his light blue coloration would have served as effective aerial camouflage without it. "We are searching for a unicorn filly. Her name is Clementine. It is possible that she will be gray, with brownish hair, or she may be white with yellow hair; descriptions are varied. She may have started anywhere between here and Stablesboro, and we don't know her destination, or if she even has one. She may be alone, or she may be accompanied. Somepony, or something, very powerful is in the game here." She indicated the injured Giacolto. "Whether she is accompanied or not, she is to be treated with extreme caution. She is NOT to be harmed, but if it appears she requires a rescue from imminent danger, that is authorized." She glanced at Rubymane, who nodded with the barest ghost of a smile. Steelfeather looked down at the jester, appalled. "Your highness is a suggesting a filly may have done... this?" "I don't know. It is imperative that she be found, unharmed, rescued if necessary, covertly tracked if possible, and that I be informed before any further actions are taken. You have your orders, Captain." He saluted sharply with a wing. "Yes ma'am. I recommend that all but two of the First Flight be committed to this search. One will stay here and provide air cover for you; I'll send the Top Wing up to Canterlot for reinforcements. Five of us may not be sufficient. I'd like to bring in second and third squadrons. We can have them here right at sunset." That would leave Canterlot defended only by fourth squadron, the Thundercrackers, but she did say this was imperative. There would still be three squads each of unicorns and earth ponies on the walls. Still, she worried that the second and third may not be fully prepared to fly out on such short notice. "Captain, what's the point of bringing the Cloudbreakers and the Skysplitters down here before daybreak?" "A filly may use a light spell to travel at night, if she doesn't just go to ground. That's an easier spell than night vision, ma'am. It'd be easier to spot her at night that it would be in daylight, if she does that." She nodded. "Indeed it would be. Good thinking, Captain. Do as you see fit. And remember, first sign of her, come get me, even if it's the middle of the night." He sketched a bow, lifted himself with a single flap of his wings, turned quickly and sped out. Before the door could close, Mr. Glass appeared, slightly winded from running in response to the summons. He entered the room and bowed very correctly. "Your highness, how may I serve you?" His voice was a slightly gravely, pleasant baritone, but his stress showed through even so. "Ruby, do mind?" Celestia turned and smiled at her friend, but her stress was also apparent. "Glass, it would please me no end if you gave Princess Celestia the same excellent service that you have always given me." "Of course my lady, I am honored." He bowed again, somewhat less stiffly this time. That's a loyal butler, worried what Ruby would think about me summoning him, thought Celestia. "I know this is going to wreak havoc on the household, but we need a sick room to be set up, and the dining room is the only room large enough. Place four beds to in there; one for the Lady Rubymane, one for my jester here-" Glass glanced down and started to see Giacolto, "-one for my doctor, for she will have to sleep sometime I suppose, and something for me to sleep on as well; some pillows on the floor would do; there are few beds large enough for me. And I require a space cleared in the library large enough for my guards to manage their... mission. Six chairs, this desk," she indicated the large desk that Rubymane was sitting at, "and a large horizontal board on a stand of some sort, if you could arrange that. Perhaps the village carpenter could knock something together." Mr. Glass was focused on the princess' instructions, not on her floating mane the color of the northern lights. She could see he was categorizing her instructions and gave him a second to complete that mental task before moving on. "In addition, the kitchen will have to start preparing food for a force of thirty guard ponies in addition to the rest of the household." He couldn't stop himself from wincing at that. "I know I'm asking for a great deal. The royal purse is open; get what you must. Victuals, nothing too fancy mind you, I'm not here for feasting; and extra staff. Set up a second kitchen outside under tents if you have to. Get the wheels in motion, please, then come and see me." Glass bowed. "Your highness." He stood, then turned slightly to face Rubymane. "My lady, " he said, inclining his head, then turned and moved quickly from the library, closing the door behind him, and calling out to the staff. Celestia knelt next to Giacolto, stroking his brow with her wing. "You have a good butler here, Booby." "Don't go getting any ideas, Moo-moo," growled Rubymane in return. Celestia allowed herself a small smile as she monitored her patient. "I don't think I could entice him. I know love when I see it." Rubymane's eyebrows shot up, eliciting a chuckle from the princess. "No, not that kind of love. He's fiercely devoted to you, though." "Damned if I know why. I've been a noble, if not royal, pain in the flank these past ten years. But I'm sure he'll have some good years left when it's my time to move on, so please feel free to keep him in mind. If he can weather my tantrums, he can probably survive yours." "It's good that you're being practical again, Booby. But isn't that a little harsh to young Goldbolt? Won't he need a butler?" "Glass would be wasted on him. Frankly, the pot girl would be wasted on him. If it doesn't involve gambling and alcohol, it's of no interest to that one." "You forget, Booby, I remember you when you were twenty." Celestia raised one eyebrow and tilted her head. "Be that as it may, I wasn't an heiress then, with responsibilities." "No, you were just the valedictorian of the Royal Academy and the most beautiful bachelorette in Canterlot. And always getting me into trouble." "Me getting you into trouble?" Rubymane feigned shock. "The first time Springheart saw you, you were doing a keg stand in the palace ballroom." "I don't remember it that way!" "You wouldn't, given your state at the time. I've never seen anypony struck down by heartache like he was. You wouldn't give him the time of day, remember?" "I was just blowing off steam before my sabbatical. I didn't need any complications; I was going away for a whole year." "He spent that year pining for you. He went to sea to forget you, you know." Rubymane nodded, her eyes starting to water. "I know, I know. And somehow, miraculously, he was first mate on the ship that picked me up in Griffonstone to come ho-" She stopped short, looked thoughtful, then stared at Celestia, her mouth opened and her eyes wide. Celestia pursed her lips and looked away. "Just a... fortunate coincidence. Those things happen you know." She cleared her throat as Rubymane glaresmiled at her. "Aaaanway. Goldbolt is young. He may well grow into his responsibilities. Perhaps owning this magnificent library would put him into more of a scholastic state of mind." She gestured at the books that surrounded them. "Bah! He'd keep the erotica and sell the rest! I'm leaving the library to Clementine. She'll use them properly. And I'll be covering her entry into the Academy when she's thirteen." "Really? She's made that much of an impression on you? And you have erotica?" Celestia turned to look at the bookshelves with the appearance of increased scrutiny. "Yes, yes, and a couple of novels in the foreign section, purely for the purposes of cultural research." Rubymane appeared to be interested in the ceiling tiles for some reason. "Of course." Celestia cleared her throat once more and took on a more serious tone. "Ruby, I promise you that when we find Clementine, and we find out who she really is and what's happened to her, I'll deliver her to the Academy myself. We certainly can't have untrained adepts roaming the countryside frying hapless jesters, foalnappers or not." "Not right away, I hope! I would still want to be her teacher, at least for a few years. And besides, she's not old enough." "If she has this much power, Ruby, she's a threat to herself and everypony in a mile radius. Could you contain and bleed power from a panicked adept in the throes of a thaumaturgic feedback loop? Even in your prime?" Ruby sighed. "No. But we don't know she did that." She gestured at the unfortunate Giacolto. "She could have been taken by a powerful unicorn." "Why?" Celestia's brow furrowed. "Why did she have that glamour on her? To hide her from somepony, I'm thinking." "And would that somepony have suddenly noticed her after all these years, tucked inside a cart with a nullcloth bag over her head?" Rubymane chewed her lower lip. "Anything could have happened," she said, stubbornly. "Yes, I'm keeping an open mind. If she's still without power when we find her, of course she can stay here until she's of age, and you can tutor her and dote on her to your heart's content. But if she's a newly awakened mage..." "No, no. I'm sorry. I'm being selfish again, wanting to keep her here in the backwoods with me, when all the knowledge of Canterlot could be at her beck and call. I'll have her enrolled in the prep school so she can be properly prepared when she's of age." Celestia smiled warmly. "You'll visit her. You could take a house in the city and spend the season!" Celestia half looked like she wanted to prance in anticipation. "No, no. Given the last ten years of neglect, I must have made a proper hash of the demesne. I'm going to have to spend the rest of my life putting into a decent state so that Goldbolt can wreck it again all on his own." She shuddered. "I am really not looking forward to opening the ledgers." Celestia pursed her lips thoughtfully. "I've been considering building a proper highway from Canterlot to Baltimare. The Neighagra River, as you know, has unpassable rapids in several places. Not being able to ship bulk goods between Baltimare and Canterlot has seriously curtailed the development of the town, and that magnificent harbor. I need ships, Ruby. The Directorate is building ships. I need shipyards in Baltimare, and Baltimare needs commerce to attract all the craftsponies needed." "And you're mentioning this now because?" "Because Giacolto was here to scout out the route. The road between Saddleboro and Fetlock will be part of the project. He was also here to see how you were doing." Rubymane frowned pensively. "That will bring many tradesponies through here. Businesses will start up. Prices will increase, ponies will leave their farms for better job opportunities. A whole way of life is going to change." "Yes, but if living four lifetimes has proven anything to me, it's that change is inevitable. I will have to buy the right of way from you, Ruby. You'll be able to hire a proper estate manager. In fact, I know a pony who would be perfect and I can put her at your disposal. It will be better for everypony and you'll have time to visit Canterlot." Rubymane was quiet for a moment. "It's very generous of you, Celestia, but that's taxpayer money. Ponies haven't been working their flanks off to earn me a comfortable retirement. And I haven't earned it myself this past decade, have I?" There was a knock at the door. "Just a moment!" Celestia spoke in a low voice. "It's a strategic necessity and I insist. It's truly nothing I wouldn't offer to any other noble who's land happened to bestride the best route from the capital to Baltimare. And that's the end of it." She raised her voice again. "Come in!" Mr. Glass entered, the guard closing the door behind him. He bowed. "Your highness." "How go the preparations, Glass?" "We've cleared the dining room out, and the kitchen is in an uproar. Her Ladyship's bed has been moved down and we have additional suitable furniture for you, ma'am, though I fear it may be a bit snug, begging your pardon." Celestia smiled. "I'm sure it will be sufficient." His voice dropped. "Master Galeheart and Mistress Surehoof's beds, ma'am, rotated and placed side by side. For the wings, ma'am." "She's much better now, Glass. You won't have the trot on eggshells around her any more." His face started to light up, but he smothered it behind a mask of professionalism. "However, if you do have any eggshells, you may wish to save them for Dr. Starflare." Mr. Glass nodded, "I will take that under advisement, ma'am. Is she bringing an assistant to help with the nursing?" "No, and I would be obliged if you could find a pony who could serve in that capacity, perhaps the village wisemare?" "I will send for Callie Flour right away ma'am." "Thank you Glass, you are all that was advertised. Is there anything else?" "One thing ma'am. One of our maids is not accounted for. A unicorn filly named Clementine. She had gone down to the village to speak to the wisemare about her Ladyship's diet, and I was expecting her back before luncheon. Is it possible she was detained by your highness' guards?" There was somewhat more than professional concern in the question. "Glass, I will have to trust to your discretion." "Of course, ma'am." His brows beetled slightly, but otherwise seemed unperturbed. "Clementine is the reason for all this hubbub. She's gone missing, and the last pony to see her was Giacolto here." "Has she been hurt!? Ma'am?" Dismay was not very well concealed behind his eyes. "Not to my knowledge, Glass. I am doing all in my power to find her. But I shall need to know all about her that you know." The butler blinked, then nodded glumly, "Of course, ma'am." "Get Giacolto to bed, and Lady Rubymane as well, then finish with your preparations, get a good night's sleep and come see me tomorrow. I typically get up at dawn, if you weren't aware." She smiled and Glass's lip slightly quirked. "Is there anypony else here she is close to?" "Cookie has been like a mother to that filly, ma'am." "Bring her with you then. But first, be so good as to help Giacolto out of his costume, and carefully please. I'll keep him suspended." Glass bent to his task and started unbuttoning the ruined particolor outfit. "What's this?" Celestia quirked an eyebrow to see the exquisite red rose that Glass held up to her, which had been tucked into the costume. "It's lovely. Remarkable that it hasn't been crushed." She took it and placed it on the desk beside the bag while Glass quickly and carefully stripped the jester, then expertly folded and presented the costume to Celestia, who indicated it too should be placed on the desk. Rubymane looked at the rose with interest, then Giacolto. "Good looking stallion, when he's not dressed like a clown." Then she looked at the rose again. "I'll put him to bed, you do the same with your Lady, Glass. It's time you get some proper rest." After the patients had been ensconced in their beds, Glass went to the kitchen and Celestia returned to the library. She picked up the costume, sensing the raw magic that still permeated the fabric, along with the stink of carbonized particolored silk. Adept or magister class talent. Untrained, ungoverned, and at the beck and call of an exceptionally intelligent filly who might be experiencing a psychotic break. She tsked quietly. Celestia, you could have made an excuse to come earlier, even last year. Perhaps an inspection of the repairs after the flood damage, though of course the spring floods were bad that year all across the southeast. A visit would have shown you the taint, the emptiness that leads to despair in some ponies and madness in others when they resort to the dark arts. Her horn glowed and a drawer in the desk opened, revealing a pile of scraps of fabric and fragments of printed pages. The only reason she knew it was The Silly Prince is because Rubymane recognized the color of what was left of the bindings. It must have virtually exploded inside the drawer where they found it with the rest of Clementine's more scholarly books. Perhaps one of the Sensitives could examine it and try to make out if there was a magical signature on it, but Celestia could not sense anything. Rubymane said she thought it might have had something to do with what happened to Giacolto, given the strange deaths that had befallen the two rogues in their hideout in the woods earlier that year. She closed the drawer in frustration on the mystery. Who ARE you? WHERE are you? Somepony knocked at the door, three sharp raps. "Yes?" The door opened and one of the earth pony guards entered and bowed his head. "Your highness, Dr. Starflare has-" a violet unicorn with a silvery mane done up in a tight Prench braid pushed past him, "-arrived." "I was in surgery, Celestia. Dr. Sawhorse had to close for me. That stallion's scar is going to be somewhat more noticeable than it might have been when he heals up. I hope this isn't an ingrown pinfeather or something." The pretty, though severe looking doctor levitated a black bag behind her and placed it on the floor, taking a seat without being asked. She turned her head to the guard and glared at him as he retreated out the door, closing it behind him. "Doctor, when was the last time I was personally in need of your services?" "Never, but hope springs eternal, your highness." Gray eyes looked cooly at Celestia over round red-rimmed glasses. "Where is my patient?" "Patients. Lady Rubymane is suffering from malnutrition and dehydration related to long-term depression, and Giacolto was struck by a powerful energy bolt and rather seriously injured." Starflare stood immediately at the mention of Giacolto's name. "What has that idiot done noo? How bad is it?" She bit her lip. Celestia had never seen Starflare flustered, or for that matter more than even mildly emotional. The Van Hooverian had been setting up her practice in Canterlot when Celestia grabbed her for the post of Royal Physician. Celestia never got sick and was extremely hard to injure, and had only appointed a Royal Physician because several of her noble advisers were insisting she needed to get one, while not so subtly attempting to advance their relatives. So she got a physician to silence them, but one wholly unconnected to court in order to vex them. The fact that Starflare served as an eternal fountain of sass and sarcasm was just a bonus. "You and Giacolto?" Celestia raised both eyebrows. Almost five hundred years old and these ponies can still surprise me! "It was just a couple of weeks last year! He made me laugh, and nopony does that. Of course, he's impossible and it would never have worked oot, but please, Celestia, where is he?" "They're both in the dining room across the hall." The doctor nodded and opened the door, her medical bag in her wake. She swept past the cringing guard, who closed the door behind her after glancing awkwardly at Celestia. That's not cowardice, merely self-preservation. She returned to the desk and picked up the rose in her hoof. There was something about it. She looked closely at it and noticed there were no thorns. Not that they had been removed, but there was no sign that they had ever been there. Then she looked at the stem. It had not been cut; the bottom of it was sealed and rounded off. Well now. She scanned it and saw that the rose was alive. It was circulating nutrients and fluids, and carrying off wastes, apparently from the end of the stem. It must still be sympathetically joined to the rose bush. I've never seen this. It's a new spell. She went to put the rose back, then paused, and left the library, making sure to smile encouragingly at the guardspony. She crossed the hall to the Dining Room, and entered. Four beds had been set up; Rubymane was sat up in one, with pillows allowing her to sit up. Her eyes were closed and she was snoring gently. On the other end of the large room, Giacolto lay flat on his back on a smaller bed, probably one of the servants'. Dr. Starflare was scanning him magically, and had produced a clipboard. She was taking notes and appeared to be in an almost perfect state of concentration. I could probably yell in her ear and she wouldn't notice right now. She's got vinegar in her blood, but a house could drop on her when she was with a patient and she wouldn't flinch. Celestia placed the rose on Giacolto's pillow. Starflare didn't notice. She knows she has two patients; she won't neglect Ruby, but Giacolto has injuries that must be tended to. Better leave her to her work. Celestia noticed it was starting to get dark when the Top Wing of First Flight burst in the front door of the manor. Chief Master Sergeant Sugar Breeze, the senior NCO of Celestia's Air Corps, landed, removed her helmet, snapped to attention and saluted with a wing. She looked like she was all set to belt out at top volume, but noticed the beds and patients, and spoke in a soft tone. "Your highness, second and third squadrons are reporting to Captain Steelfeather as ordered." She was lathered after her six hour, nearly non-stop flight, latherin protein foam dripping from under her armor and helmet. "Good job, Top. You look beat. Why don't you go check your eyelids for holes?" "Saw some nice, soft looking clouds on the way in, ma'am. Thank you." Celestia nodded dismissal and the sergeant winged her way outside. She looked at the doubled beds and found herself yawning as well. It's not the Royal Suite, but it'll do nicely. She concentrated and the last of the sun's rays sped across the western sky as the moon arose in the east. Then she yawned in earnest. That always takes the most out of me. The sun is so much easier. She walked to the bed, used her magic to arrange the blankets and pillows, then lay down on her side. The last thing she saw before closing her eyes was Starflare, her intense concentration unbroken. She awoke in the middle of the night, with a thought in her mind. What if the pony that Clementine was being hidden from is ME? She tossed and turned for nearly an hour before drifting off again. The false dawn woke her, as always. The sun was ready to rise, the moon ready to set. A brief moment's concentration and the moon set as the sun started its daily transit. And she was fully, immediately awake, though not as refreshed as she may have been. She looked over at Rubymane and saw that the doctor had hooked her up to a medical apparatus last night. It appeared to be a glass bottle hanging from a pole, containing a clear solution that dripped regularly onto an iron plate. The glyphs and sigils of symbolic magic were inscribed onto the plate. Symbology was not Celestia's speciality, but she figured it must represent Rubymane, and iron was associated with blood magic. As each drop of fluid hit the plate, it vanished in a small flash of power. The Baroness had much better color now, and her cheeks were fuller. She was sleeping, so Celestia decided to leave her be. She turned to look at Giacolto, and saw that he now had bandages wrapped around his midsection and that the burned hair from his coat had been removed. The burned skin was covered in a clear salve. A bandage bound his head, as well. He was asleep, but it didn't seem to be the restful sort; he had not yet regained consciousness. She looked at the final occupant of the room. Dr. Starflare was sprawled on her bed, fully dressed, snoring. She had clearly worked all night and exhausted herself. It also seemed, Celestia noted, that her bed had been moved rather closer to Giacolto's. Those two? Seriously? She glanced back at the rose, still thriving. A new spell. If this was Clementine's spell, either she already knows magic she learned outside of Equestria from before the glamour, or... she's a wildmage. The princess frowned, not certain which possibility she prefered. Perhaps it was a third party. But in any case, why the rose? She left the room and crossed the hall to the library, her guards snapping to attention. She shushed them and they nodded, opening the door. The desk and chairs had been arranged, and somepony had found a large piece of plywood for her map board. It was resting on the windowseat for the moment, presumably until the carpenter could be engaged. No word means no news. There was a knock. "Yes?" One guard poked his head in. "You asked to see the butler and cook, your highness?" "Yes. Please send them both in." Were this a criminal investigation, she wouldn't be interviewing two suspects at the same time, but according to Ruby, her two most important servants were also her two longest-serving, and predated Clementine's arrival by more than a decade. She smiled graciously as they were led in, attempting to put them at ease. The guard waved them in, then backed out of the library, softly closing the door behind him. Cookie was practically knock-kneed, shrinking back from her sovereign even as she dipped in an ungainly curtsy. Glass she knew by now, of course, and he was more relaxed, but still quite formal as he bowed. She nodded in return. "Be at ease, goodponies. I am aware of your long and faithful service to my good friend, Baroness Rubymane, and I am grateful. I have to reason to think that you may be able to assist our guards in locating Miss Clementine. Please understand that I wish only to find her and to help her." Cookie swallowed a lump of fear, then Glass spoke up. "How may we assist you, ma'am?" "Why don't we all have a seat? Some tea perhaps?" "I shall fetch it straight away, ma'am." With royalty in the house, the best tea service was always on standby, kept hot and periodically dumped and refreshed by the kitchen staff. "That shant be necessary, Glass." She concentrated and the tea service, trolley and all, flashed into existence at the side of the desk. "Would you allow me the honor, ma'am?" Mr. Glass bowed while Cookie caught her breath. Celestia nodded and Glass expertly poured a cup of steaming hot tea with his hooves, giving her the one lump of sugar he no doubt knew was her preference through whatever murky back-channels he had with Palace staff back at Canterlot. "Glass, I truly do appreciate your adherence to protocol, but I grant you my permission to use magic in my presence. We're not at court right now; this is an informal interview. And please, pour tea for Cookie and yourself." Mr. Glass smiled broadly, knowing the compliment that was being paid not just to himself, but to his Lady, even though she was convalescing in the dining room. His horn glowed and two more cups were filled in short order. "Sit, sit! Relax!" Celestia used magic to pull up three chairs in a circle and she sat in the largest, with Cookie and Mr. Glass giving each other slightly abashed glances before sitting gingerly, as though worried what the other might think. "Cookie, would there happen to be something under that silver dome that might break the fast of the royal stomach?" Celestia's eyes rested on the covered serving tray. "Oh!" Cookie stood up. "Yes ma'arm! Indeed ma'arm!" She picked up the tray, removed the cover, and the smell of warm scones filled the room. "Raspberry, blueberry, and ma'arm, if I moight, suggest the cranberry-pecan?" "With rosemary!?" Celestia's nostrils involuntarily flared. "I don't know no other way to make 'em, ma'arm." Cookie was all smiles as Celestia's horn glowed and the savory scone was swept off the tray to a plate suspended in front of the princess. Butter was liberally applied and Celestia motioned for them to have the other two scones while she munched on hers, smacking in a rather less than royal manner. "I'm sorry Cookie, but the palace is going to have to requisition this recipe." Celestia, through force of will, did not gobble the whole thing, but instead waited politely for the servants to catch up, so they could drink tea and speak of important matters. "Well then," she said, sipping her tea, "let us talk about our little friend. Cookie, I understand that you found her a bit more than seven years ago?" "Yes ma'arm. It was in late spring." "Tell me what you found." Celestia concentrated closely, trying to visualize as the cook spoke. "Well ma'arm, it was a black coach, overturned in a ditch on the side of the road about a mile out of Saddleboro. I was on me way back from market with me own cart for produce and all, and I unhitched and went over to see if there were anypony hurt. And I found that little blue-eyed mite, all alone, in a rut under the coach, crying for her mama." "And there was nopony else about you say? Any blood, any signs of violence? Was the foal hurt?" "No ma'arm, nothing, and little Clementine weren't hurt, just scared and all alone, her and her blanket." Celestia's eyebrows rose. "Blanket? You wouldn't still happen to have it?" "Yes ma'arm! I've kept it for when she grows up and find her special somepony and has a foal of 'er own. Thought she might want it." "Cookie, you treasure, would you mind fetching it back here for me? Please? I'll keep your tea warm." Celestia's horn glowed gently. "Right away ma'arm!" Cookie rose, curtsied ponderously, then left the room at her best speed. Glass regarded his monarch cautiously over the rim of his teacup. "Glass, I sense that you might have some observations you would like to share." "Ma'am, if you will permit me." Celestia nodded. "When Clementine was brought here, I was aware Cookie had a fosterling, but I could never recall seeing the child. It wasn't until a strange fire in the kitchen this winter that I was made particularly aware of her presence. Clementine put the fire out, and I knew that Lady Rubymane would wish to meet her, to thank her, for this action." "Remarkable for a child of... eight? Nine, perhaps?" "Yes, ma'am. It was the strangest thing, though in hindsight now it makes sense of course. I told her ladyship about it but then I was surprised to see her when she did show up. I thought I must have had more pressing matters and this meeting had just slipped my mind. Her Ladyship appointed her to the position of 'Maid of the Library,' if you will. And then I forgot all about her again!" Celestia nodded, sipping her tea and finishing the scone, blotting up every last scrumptious crumb with well-practiced magic. "Do go on, Glass." "Ma'am, it wasn't until after the awful events down in town that I even noticed her again. And then, it was only because she was under my desk, tying a loop of her hair to my leg!" He rolled up his sleeve to show the golden braid, causing Celestia to blink. "THAT'S what her hair looks like? May I?" Glass unwrapped it and gave it to her immediately. Celestia lifted the locks with magic, turning them in the sunlight that streamed through the windows of the library. " And here I thought she looked like a wet dishrag. Remarkable. Lovely. She'd be the toast of Canterlot with a mane like that. So... sympathetic resonance allowed you to focus on her?" "I'm not very strong on theory, ma'am, but I think so." "May I keep it?" "Of course ma'am. Do you think it may help you find her?" He reached into his pocket, and pulled out a second loop. "This is the hair that Lady Rubymane took from her. Would you like it as well?" "You care for her, don't you Glass?" "Very much, ma'am. She's a good girl. She cares deeply for her ladyship, and she's sharp." "A sample of her mane can only help to find her. Here, you take this one back; it's her gift to you, after all. I'll take the one Lady Rubymane wore." Glass nodded and exchanged locks of hair with her, refastening it on his foreleg, while Celestia moved the other lock to the desk with the rest of the evidence. "Any other observations?" "Ma'am, I did speak with her only two nights ago. We discussed this glamour, and I mentioned that I thought she had a very mature disposition for somepony of her age. And I asked her how she had learned to read. She did not remember." At that, Celestia's eyes narrowed. "What are you saying?" Glass swallowed sharply as the royal interest fell upon him with greater focus. "Ma'am, I think that among the glamour and the protective spell that saved her in the woods from those brigands, she may also be under an age spell. She may be older that she appears to be. Or, appeared to be." Celestia shot up. "We've been assuming she's eight or nine! She could be twice that age or more!" Celestia's heart beat faster as the pieces of the puzzle started falling into place. "The search radius... she could be twenty miles outside the search circle by now! GUARDS!" The Canterlot Voice rebounded around the room, staggering Glass. The room was instantly crowded with four burly royal guardsponies, eyeing the butler suspiciously. "No, no, he's fine. Tell Captain Steelfeather we may be... we are! We are looking for a mare, not a filly, with a white coat, blue eyes and a mane that's..." she lifted the circlet of hair," like spun gold, like this! Bring it to him and show him, then bring it back. And tell him to throw the search circle out another thirty miles, she could be halfway to Manehattan by now." The guards stared at her dumbfounded, but one sergeant rallied quickly, grabbing the lock of hair from her magical grasp. "Immediately, your highness!" They swept out of the room, closing the door behind them. One figure remained behind; Giacolto stood on slightly shaky legs. "Giacolto! Thank the stars!" Celestia crossed the room and tenderly enfolded him in her wings. "If I knew I could shout you out of your bed, I would have done it yesterday!" He smiled weakly, then tottered. She caught him with her magic, then brought a chair. "You are going straight back to bed. Glass, would you be kind enough to fetch the doctor? And my apologies for your suit jacket." "The tea will come out, ma'am. I'll return with the doctor at once." After the butler left, Giacolto looked up at his princess, his face grim. "Your highness, I have failed you." "Don't be ridiculous. You accidentally foalnapped a magister unicorn for me; it's a miracle you're in one piece, much less alive." Celestia ran her hoof through his mane in a motherly fashion. "I'm so happy you're back with us, you silly pony." "The Silly Prince!" "Yes, you are a prince among... wait. The book? What of it!?" Celestia was suddenly all business. "We were in it! I was taking her to the safehouse in Saddleboro and suddenly I was a character in some adventure story being chased by a dragon, an earth pony... I really should read that book. Is there a copy in the library?" Celestia raised an eyebrow, then opened the drawer, pulling the exploded mess of a book out of it. "Ah." "You're not surprised?" Celestia raised an eyebrow. "Not at all. That spell started coming apart when I put the bag over her head. All the spells did." "Including her age spell?" Now Giacolto raised an eyebrow. "How did you figure that out?" "I'm an alicorn. We have our ways. Now shush, the doctor will be here." She returned the remains of the book to the drawer. "But where is she? Please?" His voice broke. "I have half the Royal Guard out there looking for her now." Celestia soothed him with a wingtip as his eyes rolled in sheer agitation. "No, your highness. I have to find her. I have to find her now!" "No, your highness? I haven't heard that one in about four hundred years." She gave him her best motherly stare, but it bounced off. "I'm in love with her. I need to find her, to protect her. My Clémence. I need to keep her safe, your highness. She's not ready to protect herself, and she's in great danger." His voice was weaker but he still started straight at her with an earnestness that she'd only seen a few times, even in her long life. "She nearly put a hole in your wide enough to drive a cart through, and you think she can't protect herself? And you barely know her. How do you go from putting a bag over her head and throwing her into a cart to being in love in under three hours?" She was genuinely puzzled. While she understood romantic love on a theoretical level, and took particular pleasure in matchmaking among her friends, in practice, romance had always eluded her. Of course, the prospect of watching my lovers grow old and die while I stay young forever doesn't help me relate. Clémence?! Giacolto thought of that final moment of annihilating fury when the two of them were alone at the last instants of a universe, however fictional, sharing perfect, infinite oneness. "I guess you had to be there, princess. Please, she's in danger. Somepony... something... wants her." Then his strength gave out and he sagged in her cradling wings. Mr. Glass returned with the doctor. "Now, now what are you doing out of bed, eh?" The violet unicorn ran a quick scan down his ribs, her silvery mane spilling messily where it had come unbraided in the night. "Didn't rip open a lung, at least. Mr. Glass, could you help us oot?" The butler supported one side of the fainting party pony while Starflare took the other. She looked at Celestia and scowled. "You have to give him time to rest up, Princess! No more parties for a week! And no jackanapes neither!" Mr. Glass stared in shock as Celestia bowed her head. "Sorry doctor, I promise not to play with him again for at least a week." Celestia smiled as Mr. Glass and Dr. Starflare helped their patient out the door. Before the door could close, Cookie entered, holding a parcel wrapped in paper. She looked about, concerned. "I'm sorry, your highness, did I miss all the excitement?" "Cookie, my sincerest apologies, but I fear I allowed your tea to grow cold. Mr. Glass proved most informative and I feel we are closer than ever to locating Clém...Clementine. Tell me something though. You said she was crying for her mama? Do you mean she was just a small child, crying, and you assumed it was for her mother?" "Oh, no your... ma'am. She was crying mama, mama. Actually, it was ma-ma, ma-ma." Cookie put the emphasis on the second syllable. "Sounded a bit off but she was all choked up." Celestia nodded quietly. "Thank you Cookie. May I have the blanket?" The cook give it over with a smile. "Such a lovely shade of blue, this blanket. Please find her safe, ma'am. I love 'er something terrible." As Celestia held the parcel, a feeling of dread clawed at her heart. "Thank you Cookie. It has been a great pleasure, and please, I would have you come to Canterlot and show my cooks how to make those scones. When you can be spared from your duties here. It was wonderful." She fought hard to keep a smile on her face while her heart pounded in her chest. Please please please please just go! Cookie smiled and curtsied, "Ma'am I'm ever so thankful to have met you. And if you need anything, just ring!" She slowly made her way out of the library and closed the door behind her. Celestia's smile cracked like a porcelain vase dropped onto a marble floor. The package glowed and the paper was whipped off, revealing the royal blue baby blanket, with the white crescent moon in one darkened corner. Oh sister, what are you up to now?