Though Stalliongrad was built in lands reachable, it too, was shrouded in myths and legends, just like the floating island of Starspire.
Some say, that summer never comes to those lands and snow covers the streets throughout the year, which in part, was true, but only for the Frozen Plains - stretches of land that lead up to the Crystal Empire up north. Some say, the city loathes outlanders (‘specially unicorns), and that wild bears roam the streets looking for booze (local brew called Vodka). There are also whispers, that Stalliongrad - is a comfortable nest for the impudent outlaws! Eternal cradle for wars and strife! A city, that refuses to submit, even to the Princess Celestia, who herself united all of Equestria.
Well, the latter does sound a bit odd, considering that godlike sisters had to painstakingly gather and reunite the shattered lands after the Age of Discord and throughout the following Dark Ages. These sisters never intended to *conquer* anyone. Equestria, in its current state, prospered on pillars of friendship, understanding and harmony. Otherwise, it would have followed in the hoofsteps of the new Empire of R, which, just like the empire before it, was doomed to rot from the inside. The Sisters knew that too well, it is impossible to build a prosperous state founded on coercion, slavery and greed.
That was impossible even for them, with all of their might and wisdom.
Now as before, their main weapons were diplomacy, compromise and mutual benefit for all parties involved.
Seeing a prosperous new country beginning to form in front of their eyes, the old states were ready to take the oath of allegiance to the alicorns. Some needed protection, some trade, others – food, or, simply craved leadership.
To be fair, history books state that back in those days Stalliongrad did indeed refuse to join the new state: remote from the main trade routes, located in the resource-rich region, this city of proud earth ponies didn't need anypony’s help. Difficulties did not frighten the locals who fought back against the harsh nature of their native land, nor were they afraid of their neighbors - the arrogant and haughty griffins.
But, Princess Celestia wouldn't be herself if she hadn't found the key to Stalliongrads rigid heart. That key - was their sense of duty. Asking Stalliongrad to "protect the borders, in return for aid" Celestia (figuratively speaking) caught two falling apples with one hoof. First, it attached to Equestria, (albeit only formally) one of the most proud and irreconcilable tribes. And, while leaving Stalliongrad in widest autonomy, it did not hurt the feelings of the proud folks. Thus gaining a strong and loyal ally up north.
As time passed, the Age of Harmony slowly took its toll. The harsh northern stronghold gradually morphed into a city of skilled artisans, hardworking farmers, brave travelers and dashing fairs with unprecedented northern flavor. Stalliongrad was now filled with traveling unicorns and pegasi, while Princess’ *requests* were accepted and approved by the local council without any debate.
At least, that’s what captain Silver Shade told three little fillies, before dropping them off at the Stalliongrad sky port.
The *Selena’s* crew grew quite fond of the three.
Fierce boatswain, for example, could not stop hugging Aria when she was about to disembark, "You're a real pirate, just a small one" he said.
"A true DragonSpo, she is." Mute mumbled, scratching his leg.
The arrogant parrot was now staying as far away from the fierce thestral as he could: Aria’s previous fulminant leap rewarded her with a colorful feather from his tail.
"I'd like to stay," Aria replied, affixing parrots feather to her mane, "but you all have done so much for us, as it is..."
"Grow up, girls" smiled Captain, "then, return back to *Selena*. We always have a spot for brave flyoneers, crafty engineers, and gifted navigators."
"Promise?" Aria blurted in surprise.
"I promise," Captain nodded.
Three CMS's jumped and hugged the royal pegasus neck, that caused the crew to smile and captain to blush.
"Just be careful," Captain said her final farewell, "and good luck in your search, brave CMS's"
Loadstar, who had a chance to read up on propper crew protocol, saluted back, making the crews smiles grew even wider.
"We'll just get our homework - and will be right back" Aria nodded energetically, jumping in hesitation. "Thank you, captain Silver Shade!"
Grey Mouse whispered her gratitude, hiding her eyes: outside of the ships engine compartment, she turned back into a shy filly.
Stalliongrad’s sky port was unlike the one near the Sisters’ castle: a solid mass of stone with masts and berths on huge supports pillars allowed a variety of flying crafts to dock, unload and disembark passengers at the same time. The port was also a hub for various air vehicles like pegasus chariots.
And all of this lively hard-working bustle bewitched Aria’s heart.
Especially, the ancient warship, docked in its eternal resting place at the far end of the pier: sheathed in thick pieces of a tarpaulin, its closed cabin ominously bristled in embrasures.
Not far in the distance, beyond the port, fillies could see the stone and wood towers of the city, smoking factories, and even a preserved Kremlin: A white stone fortress, a leftover from the Dark Ages, it was built to protect the local ponies from the raids and wild woodland creatures..
But that was not the only purpose, up here, way up north, those high walls also performed an additional function - protecting from the piercing winter winds. Loadstar understood that when she felt a chilly gust of wind that flew out of the surrounding steppes run over her back. She could not believe that it can be so cold mid-autumn.
«I guess, winter around here feels just like the wild Islands of the Belt,» Thought Loadstar, «and locals wear warm clothes and drink hot cocoa…»
The group of friends looked at each other: they got the same idea.
"I think, we are not just going to get our homework back..." said Loadstar.
"Yeah," Aria nodded in agreement, "We are also going to get our cutie marks for sure. We will find an exotic northern animal for you, Mouse, and something smartly scientific for you, Curly."
"And what about you?" the mentat asked.
"And for a brave flyoneer like me," the little thestral tossed her unruly curls, "there is a whole new city to explore!"
A smile danced on her muzzle, and her voice sounded adamant.
"But before it all, we have to find four traveling performers," Mumbled Grey Mouse, "In this vast, unknown and loud pony mound."
"Oh, don't worry," Said Aria, hugging her friend, "together we will."
Loadstar smiled encouragingly.
The little thestrals, still waving to the *Selena's* crew, walked towards the ports exit. The crew could see that little fillies stopped next to the ancient warship, Loadstar afixed her glasses on top of the goggles, and started to lecture her friends.
Captain Silver Shade and her crew, waved back and smiled until fillies moved far enough from the ship.
The boatswain instantaneously dropped his smile, and turned to the captain:
"Should we report this back to the Spire, Your Highness? "
The captain responded, frowning:
"Immediately!"
* * *
The fillies walked down the busy Stalliongrad streets, talking merrily about random things.
Aria Midnight noticed that Loadstar, when emerged in an unknown environment, teetered on the verge of losing her self control. The white-tailed nerd wanted to learn all there was about the northern city, she ran to every single street sign to read it, stopped to look at the street musicians, tried to jump the line to the candy shop.
Well, that last one, Aria admitted, was not such a bad idea, if only they had more coins.
Variously shaped lollipops, crunchy cakes, glazed pretzels, honey roasted nuts, they all beckoned to the brave little CMS's rumbling stomachs.
Aria yanked Loadstar back and looked into her (even through goggles) wide open, excited eyes. Suddenly, the flight-lead realised that Loadstar was simply experiencing euphoria from her newly acquired freedom. Escaping from the constricting walls of the Academy, Loadstar immediately violated several paragraphs of the discipline code, that sudden calamity shook her foundation, turning Loadstar reckless.
"Would you look at that! How just a little drop of freedom can transform someone..." smirked little the thestral.
Grey Mouse, was interested in different things. Her eyes were glued to the stalls filled with windup toys, clocks, measuring tools and other mechanical wonders that were hoofcrafted by local engineers.
Aria was irritated that her friends had morphed into wild wide eyed foals. Both ran to the nearest stalls and then back to Aria (who at that moment, was guarding all of their coins), and begged her to buy something. Loadstar pleaded for sweets, while Mouse wanted to buyout the whole stall filled with mechanical gizmos.
«If we spend it all right now,» thought the flight-lead, ignoring her friends cries, «we will have nothing to pay for supper. And if we will have to spend the night here... also, how the heck are we supposed to get back to the Spire?... Oh-h, now I wish captain Silver Shade will wait for us back at the port while we get our homework back! Otherwise, we will have to construct another cloud chariot for Loadstar, and drag her frantic rump back to the Star Bridge ourselves!»
This sudden thought left Aria’s mind uneased. What made it all worse, thoughtful Loadstar and meek Mouse behaved like little foals, not helping at all..
"Curly," the little thestral called her friend, trying to turn Loadstar back into her usual nerdy self, "What's a *DragonSpo*?"
Loadstar looked back at Aria, and giggled awkwardly:
"Well, she is a.. ah... character... in a book. With pictures."
"Is she a brave character?"
"Very!" Loadstar giggled again, covering her mouth with a hoof.
"Weird name, is she a pony?"
Loadstar, grabbing at the chance to lecture her friend, was now slowly transforming back to her normal self of being a vocal quadrupedal encyclopedia:
"It's not a name, its her callsign. And yes, she is a pony. A unicorn, an enchantress. A famous adventurer."
"But what does it mean?" Aria persisted, waving off Grey Mouse, that was squeaking something about *microwalkers*.
"Well, uh..." Loadstar blushed. "It means... uh... *very brave*, uh-uh."
Aria noticed, yet again, that her smart friend was utterly useless at lying: lowered ears, shifty eyes and red cheeks gave her out.
"I WILL bite you," the flight-lead cautioned.
Loadstar gave up:
"It means... *Dragon Spooker*."
Aria stopped:
"The... WHAT!?"
Loadstar repeated, awkwardly lowering her ears.
"I'll... I'll..." Aria choked from frustration. "That's it! I am going back to the ship and eating that cockerel, feather and all!... And YOU!, don't you ever dare call me that!!"
Aria was about to take off, but a sudden yank stopped her. Looking back, she saw that her tail was caught in a red magical hold.
"Let it be, Aria," Said Loadstar, fixing her goggles. "First of all, DragonSpo - IS a brave adventurer and a good friend, and second - we are on a tight schedule, remember?"
Aria landed back on the paved street. Subconsciously, she noticed that the sky above Stalliongrad was pretty much empty: made sense, it was an earth pony city, and there were only a couple of pegasi flying around.
In a while, CMS's arrived at the Stalliongrad town square. Their outlandish appearance made a few locals turn their heads, but only a few. Apparently thestrals were not uncommon guests in this lands and arrived with cargo haulers from Starspire: Dustolite, or star dust, was highly valued on the surface due to its simplicity, low cost and unusual appearance, and Stalliongradians, (since ancient times) appreciated the practicality and utilitarian beauty.
Loadstar kept her eyes open. She was mesmerized by her surroundings: pointy houses made of wooden logs, trinkets sold at the stalls, bright colours of the streets filled by an unusually warm sunlight. Smiling and loud stallions in bright caftans, frowning workers in plain dirty robes. Mares in long sarafans with their manes tied in braids. Freckled muzzles and weird language dialects. A group of stallions, dressed in blue uniforms and carrying halberds, ran past the fillies.
All of it, was dissimilar to gloomy, quiet Starspire!
Loadstar failed to notice that Grey Mouse, who was standing next to the stall with clockwork toys, suddenly got distracted by another miracle of local engineering.
Not far from them, behind a thick wall of onlookers, a mechanical pony was displayed on a small wooden pedestal.
It was so intricately made, that Grey Mouse failed to realise what was so unusual about a small unicorn filly standing in front of her. But taking a closer look, little thestral saw that instead of fur, the unicorn was covered in coloured felt. Her yellow mane was made out of oakum, and eyes - made of dark yellow glass. The unicorn’s flank, where you would normally find a cutie mark, had a wind-up key sticking out of it. The key was slowly turning.
The little mechanical unicorn was anchored in such a way, that she could move her front legs and play checkers on a board in front of her. Her fake horn, it would appear, was just for show: it was still impossible for earth ponies to create artificial magic.
Grey Mouse could not walk past this miracle. Only a few ponies knew, but from young age Grey was fascinated by mechanical toys. Her massive collection of windup animals falsely clued her parents that little Grey was craving contact with real animals. Since those days, her austere parents pushed her to pursue that tallent, while in reality, the shy filly was terrified by real live animals: they were so unpredictable! And uncertainty always worried and even scared Grey, who from young age loved precision.
Grey’s timid attempts to explain herself to the parents were always met with adamant resolve that grownups knew what was better for their shy and quiet daughter. Grey’s thoughtful and expansive arguments turned to meek squeaks under her parents stern gazes.
The mechanical unicorn’s opponent was a young foal, bright-red, with a hefty scatter of white freckles on his face. Dressed in pale pink shirt, his mane was cut in a weird forelock and his cutie mark represented something that looked like a pair of elongated pierogies.
The unicorn made her move, a third white king appeared on the board. The black checkers were almost gone.
"Oy! Damn be it!" the red foal laughed, standing up. "I am give up!"
"Who else would dare to challenge Little Do?" a blue-eyed pony asked the crowd. She was dressed in workers’ blue overalls and had a pair of goggles perched on top of her head, that getup, unmistakingly painted her as the creator of this mechanical marvel.
The crowd laughed in reply and a pair of coins were tossed in the pan on the floor in front of the pedestal. Grey Mouse stomped her hooves in excitement. She would have thrown her coins too, but wistfully remembered that flight-lead carried the coins.
The little thestral looked around for Aria, but saw only ponies going about their business. Adults and fillies, earth ponies and a couple of other tribes. All the ruckus and commotion of a busy square suddenly filled Grey’s ears.
"EEP!" Was all she could say, realising that she might have got lost in a massive foreign city.
Lowering her ears, she looked around one more time.
Not a single hint of her friends.
Trying to stay calm, at least externally, Grey Mouse walked her stilted legs back to the spot she last saw Aria and Loadstar. They were not there, and Mouse reckoned it would be wise to head in the same direction they were moving before they got separated.
After a few minutes spent walking between stalls and performers, little thestral finally admitted to herself that she was lost.
Fear engulfed her. She wanted to scream for her friends, call for Aria, but only quiet squeaks left her lips, deafened by the commotion around her.
* * *
"... I can not believe, that you lost Mousy!" Aria scolded Loudstar. "What? Do you expect me to keep both of my eyes on you two? Should I get a leash?"
Loadstar lowered her eyes and realised that she never saw Aria acting like that: harsh and adult-like. The fact that Loadstar, herself, caused this mess, only made things worse.
"You! Stay here," Flight-lead ordered. "Not a single step. Got it? I will go above, find Mouse and bring her back to you."
Mentat sighed contritely. She was ready to do whatever had to be done in order to find her friend.
Aria flapped her wings and instantaneously shot up. Loadstar started to sigh, but a sudden loud shriek and a thump above her head made her jump up.
Ponies at the square turned their head up to the sky to see what was the cause of the ruckus. Loadstar looked up too and saw that a light-blue pegasus with a colorful mane was now holding Aria's limp body. A small floating carriage tugged by a peryton, was floating next to them.
Obviously, Aria's trademark ascent (fast, and not looking above herself) was halted by the bottom of a carriage. Which surely scared the pegasi and peryton that were pulling it.
It must have been a heavy hit, as the little thestral was knocked out cold.
"Quickly, which way to the hospital?!" Pegasi shouted down to the crowd.
A few hooves pointed in the same direction, and a blue bolt of lighting, leaving a colourful trail behind her shot in that direction, taking the injured thestral with her.
Loadstar, ignoring the flight-leads command, ran in the same direction. Fearing to lose Aria from her sight...
Only a few seconds later, Grey Mouse walked past the very spot where Loadstar had stood, but the little mentat was already gone…
* * *
... Aria Midnight, dressed in black uniform with silver trim, and an awesome (just like captain Silver Shades) tricorn, was standing at the sky ships helm. She was all grown up, with a jolly roger for a cutie mark. An iguana sat on Arias back, and no arrogant parrots were in sight.
The thestral looked at a flock of griffons trying to escape from her, all clinging up to the dragon's back. Looking through the looking glass, Aria could see a yellow scaly tail curling up in fear.
And for a good reason, *Mighty Thunderstorm* roams the skies!
"Hold the course!" She ordered.
"Holding the course cap'n!" familiar voice replied.
Aria turned back, and saw Loadstar behind the ships wheel; the grown mentat has a wicked bandana on her head, thick goggles, and for some reason, a smoking pipe. The horned mare puffed her cheeks, and her pipe spewed a slew of bubbles. Bubbles, just like on her cutie mark.
Aria smileed and wanted to say something, but boatswain Granite Candy interrupted. The earth pony was concerned that Grey Mouse was missing, and no one could find her. Aria nodded, and turned back.
All of a sudden, she realised.
Aria swiftly turned back to the boatswain, but the world around her started to crack and break, as if made of glass...
"....Mousy!"
Aria Midnight jumped up. Well, at least she tried to.
Strong hooves softly, but insistently, held her down... on the bed. A hospital bed, to be precise.
The little thestral, still in shock, looked around. She was in a small room, with a light-blue pegasus sitting next to her bed, her rainbow colored mane tied in a thick braid.
Aria's head was still spinning and hurt a bit.
"Easy now," Said the nurse, who was holding Aria down. "You need to rest."
"No time to rest!" revolted the flight-lead."I've lost my Mouse!"
"Oof, that sure was a hard knock," frowned the rainbow-colored pegasus, and slowly said: "you are in a hospital, don't worry about your pet."
"Mouse - is a pony," replied Aria, holding back her irritation, "My friend, Grey Mouse."
Aria’s voice sounded patronizing, (sometimes adults fail to understand such obvious things!)
"Uh-uh, and your parents?" asked the pegasus.
Aria paused for a moment. This pony looked early similar to the one the CMS's were looking for in Stalliongrad. At least, Aria had not yet seen anyone as colourful as this one.
"Who are you anyway?" Aria replied, "And where am I?"
"I am Aurora Blast. Our group arrived in Stalliongrad to perform, and we were looking for a spot in the main square for our platform, when some blockhead almost split our carriage in two. I got no idea who taught you how to fly, little one, but tricks like that would have left you without sweets for a week, back at Cloudsdale flight school. That's why you are in a hospital."
Aria did not reply, just leaned back on her pillow. Trainer Bane Fire always told her, that she flew *at breakneck speed*, and that one day she'd *crack her head like an egg*.
"So... Your parents, where are they exactly?" the pegasus asked again. "You know, I got other things going. So I'll need to inform them, and..."
"They are back at Starspire," Aria replied truthfully.
Blue ears perked up, and the pegasus peered back at Aria:
"Wow! And they let you go all alone?!"
"I'm not alone. I got..." Aria stopped. "Where's the mentat that was with me?!"
"The... what?" Aurora asked back.
The ponies looked at each other. This conversation is going nowhere, all questions and no answers.
"Okay, let's take turns," proposed the pegasus.
"Deal. Have you recently performed back at Starspire? And is there a Zebra and a Peryton ,and... uh... that, what'shisname... "
"A Dromad, yes, that was our previous stop."
"Where's my homework?!" persisted Aria, but pegasi did not buckle:
"Now's not your turn. What's your name?"
"Aria Midnight. Where is Loadstar?"
"No idea who that is," the pegasus shrugged, and asked her next question. "If not with your parents, who are you traveling with?"
"With my friends. Mouse and Loadstar. Where are our scrolls?"
"O-oh! You are those fillies that went up on the stage back then," Aurora smirked, "It all makes sense now. Amin got your scrolls. We had no time to drop them at a ‘lost and found’ office - we were late as it were. That's good, at least now we don’t have to mail your scrolls back to that Academy of yours..."
"Like you would bother!"
"You said *mentat*, what’s that?"
"Loadstar. Instead of wings, she got a horn on her head. She's one of the night folk."
"Uh-uh, you could have said *night unicorn*..."
"That sounds weird" Aria squirmed.
"...So," said the pegasus, making the thestral shiver from this sudden Loadstar-like mentor-patron demeanor. "If I got it right, you, and your friends, ran away from your parents (and mentors) just to get your dumb scrolls back, and now, you are all alone and lost in a faraway land?"
The pegasus’s piercing gaze made Aria feel very uncomfortable…
* * *
Grey Mouse, was walking down unfamiliar streets, and felt very sad.
As soon as she realised she was all alone, she sensed how big and loud this town was. Grey could not bear to think what could happen to a lone little filly in such a place.
Even stalls brimming with windup toys could not cheer her up anymore.
And to make it worse, her stomach grumbled everytime her nose sensed delicious smells. This time - gingerbread cakes.
Her mood was completely ruined. And worst of all, Grey had no idea what to do now.
"...and then we'll get our cutie marks!" she suddenly heard a voice behind her.
Grey turned back, she hoped to see Aria, but saw only three unfamiliar daylight fillies. A yellow earth pony, a little ruffled red-colored pegasus, and a snow-white unicorn.
"Oh look! A bat-pony!" the red pegasus shouted.
She jumped up, and amusingly buzzed her wings slowly gliding closer to Grey Mouse. The latter, in turn, got scared and lowered her ears.
"Are you really a bat-pony? What’s your name? What are you doing here? OH! you are a blank-flank too?" Grey was bombarded with questions.
She could only cover herself with her wings, and panickally squeak in reply.
"Hold on girls, I think we’re scaring her!" said purple-maned unicorn, after that, Grey felt someone hugging her. "Don’t be scared, wee just never saw your kind before."
That felt so much like her friends, that Grey Mouse dared to open her eyes. The three fillies were standing around her, smiling guiltily.
Grey noted, that these three were not locals either: they wore no clothes (unless you count a toxic-red bow on earth pony’s head and the unicorn’s scarf as clothes) and talked in common-equestrian without any noticeable accent.
The little unicorn that was still hugging Grey, said:
"My name is Sweetie Belle, that's Apple Bloom and Scootaloo. We are from Ponyville and we are..."
"... on a field trip!" little pegasus finished off.
"And we are looking for our cutie marks," earth pony added. "And you are?..."
Grey looked back at her new acquaintances, she wanted to share her fears with someone.
"I'm...I..." she started to mumble, but got herself together, "I, Grey Mouse."
"Are you real bat-pony, or is dat some getup you wear?" the yellow filly continued her questioning.
The purple maned pegasus, (introduced as Scootaloo) gently lifted Grey Mouse’s leathery wing. Poking it with a hoof, the day pony looked back at her friends:
"Dat doesn't look like a costume"
"Yes, I... I am a thestral" Grey confessed and tugged her wing back, remembering that Equestrians called her kind ‘Bat-ponies’. And if in older times that would have been a derogatory term, now, in the Age of Harmony, the negativity of that name was blurred out in ponies memories.
"Dat’s so awesome!" the earth pony shouted, scaring the little thestral. "And what are you doing here, in ancient Stalliongrad?... OW!"
The unicorn, that was still holding Grey's hoofs in her forelegs, kicked her red friend with a hindleg.
"I mean, in this normal Stalliongrad," said pony corrected herself, for some reason.
Grey looked at her new acquaintances through her thick goggles.
The initial shock from the sudden introduction had already passed, and Grey now remembered that she was all alone in an unfamiliar city.
Then, the next moment, she did what she’d wanted to for a while, with only fear having held her back.
Grey started to helplessly cry:
"I'm... lo-o-ost!"
Ponies around turned to the source of cries. The three little fillies huddled together and started to discuss something, Grey Mouse didn't listen, she was fully consumed by her grief and couldn't stop crying.
"CMC's are now — bat-pony comforters, yay!"a triple shout reached Grey's ears, and the next moment, she felt herself lifted from the ground and led somewhere...
...Soon, all four were sitting in the nearby cafe.
Filled with fizzy drink call ‘kvas’ and a hefty sandwich with chamomiles, Grey Mouse managed to regain her composure, and quickly told her story to the new friends.
"... and that's how I failed to find my homework, my friends and my cutie mark, I am lost in a foreign city and I’ve got no idea what to do," Grey finished and sighed.
Neither her filled belly nor the fizzy drink could bring a smile to her face when Grey imagined her friends looking for her, running around the city...
"Do not fret!" Scootaloo chopped the air with a hoof, and finished off her glass of kvas. "You're lost, so what? All you have to do is get found."
"That's it!" red-maned pony laughed. "After all, dat’s not you, who is lost, it's your friends who are lost, yeah! So, stop sitting on your rump, and go find them before they get into trouble... without you."
"And remember," added Sweetie Belle, "All ponies - are friendly by nature, do not be hesitate to ask for help. I'm sure someone around here saw your friends."
"Thanks girls," replied Grey Mouse, shyly hiding behind her glass, "You sure helped me a lot!..."
All three instantaneously swiveled their heads to look on their rumps, but, judging by their drooping ears, nothing new appeared on their blank flanks.
Grey Mouse wanted to ask about that, but a shouting voice cut her off:
"Finally! there you are!"
All four fillies flinched in surprise. An orange stallion approached their table. He wore a green tie, and a souvenir felt hat with a blue star - Stalliongrad’s crest.
Overall, he looked just like a common tourist, although, he held a weird lantern that was blinking with blue light. Why would he need a lantern in the middle of the day - was unclear.
Scootaloo shyly smiled and turned to Grey:
"Well, looks like we got found first."
Judging by their overall embarrassment, they were not allowed to be here, and were supposed to be somewhere else entirely.
"I see you wasted no time," the stallion noted and looked at Grey Mouse, "Please forgive these little rascals, young lady."
"N-no problem." Grey squeaked in reply. "They helped me a lot, actually."
"Glad to hear that!" stallion smiled, and turned to the three fillies. "And you, little urchins, have a lot to explain! You got some nerve, stealing my Tar... tarped cart, and escaping to different... another city!"
"We were just looking for our cutie marks..." Sweetie Belle quietly peeped in reply.
The stallion continued:
"That's the same excuse you use all the time! C'mon, follow me, you, creators of paradoxes and catastrophes!"
"Yes, sir." the three fillies answered in a dull chorus.
Grey Mouse couldn't keep herself from smiling, looking at this adorable scene. She liked the fillies, united by such a familiar problem,and they were determined in their cause.
But also - they were ready to lend a hoof to anyone in trouble.
The stallion threw a couple of coins on the table for the arriving waiter, sternly looked at the fillies, and marched to the exit.
Quiet whispers reached Grey's ears:
"Girls, she too has no cutie mark," said Apple Bloom, "maybe... we should invite her to join the Cutie Mark Crusaders?"
Three pairs of inquisitive eyes turned back to Grey, but she replied with pride:
"I'm already in a club, we are the Cutie Mark Stalkers! We do not fumble around, we follow our target professionally!"
Hearing that, earth pony turned back to her and said:
"And that - is very important, little thestral. Keep on it, and you will find what you are looking for."
"What about us?" asked Scootaloo.
"You too," the stallion agreed, but added after a brief pause, "IF, you'll stop getting in trouble, that is."
Grey looked at this weird group leaving the cafe, and waved her goodbyes.
Indeed, a solution to all of her problems was so simple.
I mean, how many little night ponies were running around Stalliongrad anyway?
* * *
Loadstar could not get inside the hospital. Yes, the receptionist confirmed that they got a bat-pony admitted to ER, but she already had two visitors in her room.
"So, relax little one, she'll be fine, go home."
Just as she finished saying those words, the old, beige earth pony was shocked when a little dark unicorn threw her forelegs onto the counter, lowered her ears, and hissed menacingly:
"That's MY friend, ma’am, and I have to see her right now. Imagine, if one of your friends got knocked on the head by a cart, and in a foreign city! I’d like to see how calm you would be then!"
"Fine, fine, you can go," the nurse sighed, trying not to smile looking back at the dark unicorns adorable angry face. "Just, keep it quiet, ok? And don't barge into the room. Deal?"
"Deal, Thank you, ma’am!"
...Loadstar did not like the hospital.
The pale green walls looked depressing, dim lights threw weird shadows on the walls, and odd chemical smells tickled her nose.
All of it was so unlike the wide and moonlit halls of the Academy's infirmary, that place always looked fresh, and was full of magic.
The halls were empty. On her way to Aria's room, Loadstar met just one doctor, an old bearded earth pony, rumbling in his trot, he almost trampled the little filly, Loadstar barely managed to dodge out of his way.
Another earth pony, dressed in a grey gown, was polishing the stone floors with a mop, spreading a strong stench of chlorine around her. Loadstar sneezed passing by, and was shushed at, as if she was in a library.
The little thestral hurried to move past.
Finally, the room she was looking for was just around the corner. Loadstar heard muffled voices, but her attention was now caught by the visitor sitting on the bench next to the door.
Thin legs, sorrowfully drooped round ears, and the expression on her face pointed to the fact: this was the filly... doe... one from the Peryton tribe. With freckles, deep-brown eyes and wings behind her back.
Arias voice was arguing with someone behind the closed door. Loadstar caught herself ogling the exotic visitor on the bench, she decided to go forth and be done with it. Loadstar grabbed the door handle in her magic, but suddenly remembered her promise not to barge in unannounced, she released the handle, took a few steps back and sat down next to the Peryton. Loadstar tried really hard not to look at her neighbour and prayed to Luna that thick goggles and dim lights hid her curious gaze.
A sudden commotion in the hall made both of them turn to see what was happening.
Strong orderlies were walking and holding a patient between them, followed by two doctors: a pale-green unicorn with a white mane and a blue earth pony with a grey-black mane.
The patient, a pale unicorn with a black tousled mane, fluttered sluggishly in his straitjacket. His head was covered in bandages and a couple of bruises were swelling under his eyes. Worst of all, there was a metallic contraption on his horn, held in place with a heavy lock, the contraption was obviously designed to prevent the patient from using his magic.
But somehow, the doctors forgot to gag him, nothing stopped the weird patient to shout pure nonsense:
"Griffons are the enemy! Equestria is surrounded! Till its too late, wake up you sheeps! To arms, to arms! Viva Legio!..."
The earth pony doctor sorrowfully shook his head, keeping up his pace:
"Poor unicorns... heads go haywire from all of that magic-shmagic... Poor dolt tried to pierce the wall with his horn. We have to move him into a padded room."
"Oh be fair, comrade" green pony replied, ignoring the insult on magic. "It's just a couple of bruises. But thanks for bringing him to me so fast. I get it, you are always busy in your ward. Psychiatry - is always a challenge for both sides, the sick as well as the healer."
The earth pony ignored her and continued the tirade:
"He's so unpredictable! One day - he is paranoid, just like now, the next day - he thinks he is a machine, and drinks all the ethanol in the ward... we still have no idea how he managed to get his hooves on it! And last week was the worst, he thought - he was a mare and a pegasus to boot! Almost jumped it out of the window! We grabbed him in the last moment..."
"Yes, comrade, a hard case indeed," the unicorn confirmed. "And an alcoholic too... a drunken pony always gets the worst bruises. As a surgeon, I know it too well."
"Ethanol - is my fuel!" the patient objected in a harsh tone, peering back at the doctors.
"Yeah, that's bad..." the psychiatrist sighed. "He gets better sometimes, but overall, it looks pretty bad."
"Just, don't let him harm his head anymore," the surgeon unicorn hinted, "And don't let him get drunk... or at least try not to."
"Birds excel at flight, and ponies excel at friendship!" the psychiatrist pointed, "We'll find a way to fix his poor soul..."
"To arms!" the patient shouted again. "Griffons are dangerous in large numbers!"
"Just... bury the hatchet already," the psychiatrist sighed, but their patient persisted:
"I'll bury it in your neck..."
The group turned around the corner, heading to the psychiatric ward. The doctors voices went quieter, and only a sudden shout reached Loadstars ears:
"I WAS PROMISED A PATCHWORK RUG!... LET'S JOIN THE REFORMERS PARTY! INFORM THE PRINCESS’..."
Loadstar sighed. Although this was a funny scene, she felt profoundly sorry for the poor patient. He got lost in the labyrinth of his own sick imagination.
«I hope they will be able to help him.» Thought Loadstar.
She was looking at the Peryton again, and the latter finally acknowledged that:
"Ok, enough. Let's just get acquainted already," said the the peryton in a soft voice, "I can see your huge eyes even through these weird goggles."
"Sorry..." Loadstar blushed.
"I get it, you probably never saw my kind before," she replied, "I get that a lot, especially, when i'm on the stage. Name's Ashiana Leaf by the way, I'm a peryton all the way from Cervyderia. What's your name, little night unicorn?"
"Loadstar."
"And your friend is in that room?"
"Yes... but how did you..."
"Wasn't that hard to guess. I doubt that you've arrived to get Aurora's autograph."
"Who's?"
"Aurora Blast. Our prima, thinks herself to be exceptionally great... Well, she's sorta right. You must've seen her. Pegasi with a rainbow mane. "
Loadstar smiled:
"Yes... you are correct. I am Aria's friend, and we have to find our third friend, who got lost at the square."
"Soon. Ponies around these lands are very friendly and will not leave a little filly in need of help... You wanted to ask something else?"
"About your lands," Loadstar blushed, while Ashiana sighed and shook her head:
"Sorry but no, I don't like talking about it. Plus, it's a bit of a hard topic for my kind."
"I get it," Loadstar squeaked, blushing ever harder.
Mentally, she noted that the Peryton's body language was eerily similar to Grey Mouse’: lowered ears, hiding her eyes, she even looked a bit like Grey.
"Do you think we can go in?" Loadstar pointed to the door, trying to change the subject.
"Aurora said to wait here."
Loadstar, suddenly feeling just like her disobedient friend Aria Midnight, smirked:
"Yeah, I was told the same thing."
"But you did promise to do as you were told, right?" Ashiana squinted.
"I wrapped my tail around my leg, when I agreed," she replied slyly.
"...I don't get it."
Loadstar suddenly realised that her new friend had stub bubble-tails, so, trying not to laugh, she explained:
"If you promise something, with a tail wrapped around your leg, it doesn't count."
Ashiana peered back in surprise, then burst in laughter:
"Oh! That's what it means!... Oh Aurora, I'll get you for this!"
Loadstar asked:
"What did she promise?"
"Not to tickle me," Ashiana answered, stomping her hoof on the bench. "The nerve!"
"I'm ticklish too," the mentat confessed, both giggling, although, Loadstar still tried to stay quiet.
When they were done laughing, they looked at each other. The voices behind the door got louder, so Loadstar and Ashiana decided to intervene.
Loadstar and Ashiana entered the room and saw Aria Midnight (head wrapped in bandages) trying to get out of bed and away from a light-blue pegasus and a pony nurse, both struggling to hold her down.
"...You're not my mom!" Aria shouted. "I don't have to listen to you!"
"Yes, you, do!" objected Aurora, "If you don't wanna go straight to the nearest orphanage!"
The opened door loudly cracked and all three turned their head to the entrance.
"Curly!" shouted Aria, immediately forgetting about everything else. "I'm so glad you found me!
"Wasn't that hard," smiled Loadstar, "just had to follow the sounds of mayhem."
"Oh great!" moaned the rainbow-maned pegasus, releasing Aria from her hold, "Now the whole gang's here."
"Gang?" Aria and Loadstar shouted in surprise.
"Well, you don't really qualify as a group," explained Aurora and turned to Ashiana Leaf. "Anyway, what are we going to do with them? Looks like they ran away from their homes."
"Hey!" Aria jumped on the bed, but no one noticed.
Loadstar, trying to stay calm, proposed:
"Exiting the Star Bridge, I said we were your assistants. The guards seemed to believe that. We can stick to that cover for now."
"Ha! you wish!" Aurora huffed. "Like we would ever need any assistants!"
Loadstar fixed her glasses and used her disarming-mentor tone:
"Otherwise, you will have to take care of us, at least until guardianship authorities will arrive from Starspire."
The peryton and pegasi exchanged concerned glances while the white-maned persuader used her newfound advantage and pushed on (although, Loadstar was not entirely sure if what she was saying was true):
"You two will have to fill out a whole stack of reports. Explaining how you found us, and why Aria got a horn-like bump growing on her head..."
Aria could not keep quiet anymore:
"We just need our homework scrolls and a short rest! After that, we will be on our way!"
Ashiana placed her foreleg on Aurora’s shoulder, and said:
"Fine. You will spend one night at our camp, and tomorrow - we send you home, deal?"
"No deal!" Aurora flinched, "I got no time to babysit these two! Let the local guards deal with them! We got a show to perform!"
"By the way," Loadstar casually noted, "It is entirely your fault that we are here, do you have any idea what the punishment for a lost homework scroll is? "
Aria wanted to point that - technically, they would not be punished for lost scrolls, only for running away, but managed to bite her tongue just in time, and just said:
"Yeah, and I'm all injured now, see?!"
Aurora Blast was surrounded, she decided to close her eyes and ears and turn to the wall, pretending to ignore everyone. Ashiana tried to persist:
"Aurora," she said, softly nudging her friend.
"WHAT?!" shouted pegasi, "I ran away when I was even younger than these two, and... "
"And what did that lead to?" Ashianas cut her off, "You only look like an adult, inside, you are still a filly... Oh stop pouting."
"Fine," grumbled Aurora with her back still turned to the three, "But I will not babysit them, mark my words!"
"Yay!" the fillies shouted in unison, anticipating a new adventure.
"But wait! we have to find Mouse first!" remembered Aria. Aurora just buried her face in her hooves.
"Not the whole ‘mouse’ thing again..."
"I'm here," someone said from the doorstep, everyone in the room turned to see Grey Mouse.
"Mouse!" Aria jumped in excitement. "How did you find us?"
The dark-grey thestral raised an eyebrow in surprise:
"You’re kidding me, right? We are not lost in the woods you know, it's a city full of ponies! Have you seen a lot of night fillies in Stalliongrad?"
Now it was Aria and Loadstar’s turn to be surprised. The latter decided to confirm her suspicion:
"You... you talked to other ponies?"
"Well..." Mouse got a bit embarrassed, "Yes, what of it?"
"But they could have been... not entirely good, you know?"
Mouse’s pair of golden eyes looked back at her friends:
"Girls, ponies, in general - are friendly, helpful and welcoming. Getting lost in the woods - would have been much. much worse."
"It almost feels like someone replaced our Mousy..." Aria pointed.
Grey did not deny.
"Wasn’t my original plan, yes, but I have met three little fillies... and then their dad, an earth pony with a blue lantern, I didn’t get a chance to ask for his name, they left so fast. But I got a good bit of advice to ask around if anyone have seen you two. The local ponies, as it turned out, are very friendly!"
"Loadstar," said Aria, planting her forelegs in her sides, "I've instructed you to wait! What if Mouse have passed by that spot? After all, nothing would have happened to me, it's not the first time i'm in a hospital..."
"Yeah, I'm not surprised of that..." snarked Aurora, and was rewarded with a pair of golden eyes peering at the back of her head.
"You could have made a plan how to find Mouse quicker" Aria continued, transforming back into a stern flight-lead. "Get your priorities in order Curly, You're supposed to be the smart one."
"Aria! Are you saying I was supposed to abandon my injured friend and wait for Mouse to ‘maybe’ walk by? Do you know the odds of that happening?" asked Loadstar.
"It's all right," said Grey Mouse, trying to disarm the tension, she walked closer to the frowning Loadstar and hugged her with a wing. "Don't be like that, Aria."
"Sorry Mousy," she replied, spreading her forelegs, "You know I am responsible for you, and you got lost anyway. Totally my fault."
Ashiana Leaf intervened:
"Girls, can I ask... why Curly?"
Aria Midnight grinned:
"Oh, that's a hilarious story..." she caught Loadstar’s pleading eyes and added, "...That Loadstar will tell us on our way, if she would want to."
"On our way?" asked Mouse, confused because she missed the first part of the conversation. "On our way where?"
"Where our homework scrolls are," Aria explained, looking triumphantly at Ashiana Leaf and Aurora Blast...
* * *
...the performers’ wagon was filled with many amusing things, just like Captains Silver Shade’s quarters. The big tarped wagon was a vehicle, a home and a dressing room for the little troupe. And the fact, that all four performers were from different tribes made it only more charming.
Prima-acrobat Aurora Blast was from Cloudsdale, predictably, her corner of the wagon had a real cloud-bed. The walls around it were plastered in posters advertising the upcoming debut of the ‘Legendary Heiress to the Sky Feather clan’.
Ashiana Leaf had her corner decorated with furniture made of ‘live’ wood, reflecting her homeland culture. The walls and ceiling were covered in sprawling vines and a colorful bonsai tree was blooming on the small table.
The dromad Amin (who’s real name was far too long and complex for anyone to remember) had his part of the wagon filled with soft carpets and pillows. He had a small writing desk brimming with papers and a single lamp: it seemed that the troupe’s compere spent long nights getting their paperwork in order.
The last part of the wagon belonged to the zebra-magician Mbandi. All she had was a couple of scary looking masks hanging on the walls and a pretty common looking furniture, albeit, old. If you can call an old cupboard filled with weird glowing potions and exotic ingredients - furniture.
"What are the Sky Feathers?" asked curious Loadstar, looking at the bright posters.
Aurora smiled proudly and explained:
"That - is an old and powerful pegasus clan. Members of which were united by a common trait: multicolored mane and tail. Nowadays - that's a real rarity, but, as you can see, I am a true heir to that name"
"Oh, I thought it was paint," said Aria Midnight in her usual filly-like simplicity. "You know, so that the crowd can see you better..."
Aurora glared back at the clueless flight-lead, and Ashiana Leaf, standing behind Aurora, quietly giggled in her hoof. Apparently, this was a difficult topic for the bright-colored pegasi.
Filing the paperwork at the hospital and then explaining the situation to Mbandi and Amin took longer than expected, the troupe has missed time for their performance, instead, they decided to take a day off. Obviously, the dromad was unhappy, Stalliongrad’s square was packed with a cheerful crowd which promised a good pay. Aurora waved him off, saying that the square would be packed tomorrow too.
The performers’ dinner, against Loadstars expectation, was quite simple: hay, fruits, tea. Sure, Mbandi added some tasty grass to the hay, and Amin - had crunchy honey-covered nuts to go with the tea. But, no shocking or exotic food could be seen anywhere.
Eating their dinner, the four performers chatted like old friends, who they apparently were.
When they talked about tomorrow's performance and tricks, Aria Midnight stepped in. The perky thestral could not contain herself, when someone else boasted.
That, almost lead to a fight, luckily Loadstar quickly saved it by asking a question:
"Tell us, how did four of you, so different, got together?"
Mbandi smiled and looked at Amin:
Oh, that story was long time ago,
And very unusual, I must confess,
It was very colorful, like four of us,
That gathered during this mess,
"I don't get it" noted clueless Aria.
"Oh, its nothing, really," said Ashiana, as if by chance looking at her hoof, "Except for the fact that my tribe traditionally live in seclusion, Sky Feather pegasi are one in a million, and the Dromad and Zebra tribes are on the brink of war."
"I used to do my tricks alone, at first," Aurora started to explain, "But then, I met Ashiana when one day she decided to perform on the same square with me. At first, we were rivals and squabbled a lot, even started a competition... which I obviously won."
"Wasn't that obvious at the time," the peryton intervened, flinching her ears, "but yes. Aurora won, and the bet was, whoever loses - leaves the square."
The pegasus huffed:
"I won fair and square. So, yeah, our little competition got us double the coin we each made in days, and I decided..."
"WE decided," Ashiana corrected.
"Uh-uh, we decided, that we'll work together and split the income in half. It was more that we made before. That's how our duo started."
The CMS's turned to Mbandi, but she just smiled and buried her muzzle in a cup:
Long time ago, when trouble came,
Two friends had turned up at our doors,
And if, you folks, would like to know,
In depth, that night, we can explore.
"Nope! That part is very-very boring!" shouted Aurora Blast. "Let's skip to the part when it all went downhill, and Amin..."
"Love - is never boring" objected Ashiana Leaf.
The rainbow-maned pegasus huffed and turned away from the table. Aria Midnight turned too, explaining her attitude:
"Eaugh, love-shmove! Tell us about that trick, what was it? Sonic Rainbow Boom?"
"If that's personal..." Loadstar started, but was cut by Mbandi:
It is of no secret,
No reason to hide,
And telling that lesson,
Won't hurt no-one’s pride.
"I'm not listening!" Aurora shouted. "C'mon munchkin. I'll tell you a real cool story, and not that sugary snot."
"Aurora simply can not allow herself to look weak," explained Ashiana, "Somehow, she thinks that's a flaw."
"Ow, we know it too well," Said Loadstar, looking at Aria. She seemed to ignore the remark.
"M-maybe we shouldn't talk about it then?" Asked Grey Mouse, looking at Aurora’s back.
"Oh, please!" latter cried out, "Talk about whatever you want, it won’t change my mind!"
"Ok, .. so... We are still talking about Mbandi's arrival, right?" Loadstar clarified.
She felt that the story, somehow, got derailed.
"Yes," nodded Ashiana, "Aurora got some painful memories about that..."
Mbandi looked at the acrobat that kept pretending to ignore them.
Sadly, Aurora remembers those days, full of pain.
Memories that, she refuse to purge from her brain.
"It was a valuable lesson for me" the rainbow-maned pegasus muttered, "Not to let anyone mess with my soul."
Having CMS's full attention, Mbandi proceeded with her tale:
Long time ago, I must confess,
I left my tribe, went on a quest,
I left, against my tribe's permit,
But I don't grieve, not a single bit.
I went up north, and then,
I settled in the Trottingham.
I sold potions to the folks,
They knew too well - I am no hoax.
One day, two performers came to town,
They traveled together, they came from afar,
Rainbowhead was young and bright,
And all was fair, until one fateful night.
She fell in love with local guard,
But they were forced to stay apart,
To heal her heart, she came to me,
*Forget it all!*, that was her plea.
In potions, her grievance drowned,
And soon, we three, have left the town.
“Pfff! Easy!...But can you do this?” Aurora suddenly piped up.
Everyone turned their heads and saw how she contorted her hind legs behind her head.
"N-nah," replied Aria.
"Momentz like dis, I praize Omnivor, dat ponis moral are so much freer den Dromads" said Amin with a smile "You can enjoy forbidden viewz, and not, be called a perverd"
"Not in front of the fillies!" squeaked Ashiana, burying her blushing muzzle in her hoofs.
Mbandi decided to put the dromad in his place:
A pervert, you, indeed, Amin,
Those words of yours, are sure obscene.
Avert your gaze, don't test your fate,
You, shameless, old cheapskate.
Fillies had no idea what was wrong, while Amin replied:
"I am not sheescake!I kare for the future of the trouppe!"
"No you do not!" Aurora lowered her hindlegs and crossed her forelegs on her chest. "I can't get a single coin out of you, but you're always around to take a peek..."
"Back home ad Camelu bazar, for a slave az flexible, I can pay three hundred drahmaz!" Amin smiled, "Can solve twoo problem at once!"
"That was, the, worst, compliment, ever. Even for you!" shouted Aurora.
"And how did you join the troupe, Amin?" asked Loadstar, turning to the dromad.
"Iz very izzy, little pone." He replied, "Zis beauties needed someone to do the counting. Someone, who would travel far, in a company of such different mares. Someone who would not care for their appearance, and their beautys..."
He suddenly paused, his big lips spread in a fatherly smile.
"Oh stop it!" Aurora Blast waved her hoof, "We all know what you are peeping at all the time!"
"At what?" Aria perked her ears.
"Something forbidden!" Aurora explained, then looked at the fillies and added "And you three, should go to bed."
A prolonged groan of frustration was interrupted by the sharp thud of a light-blue hoof hitting the table, all three fillies were led first to the washstand, and then - to the Ashianas bed, wide enough to accommodate all three of them. Aurora’s bed would have worked too, but Loadstar would have fallen through the cloud, and casting a ‘cloud-walking’ spell for the whole night would have completely drained her power.
"Where are you going to sleep?" asked Aria, settling next to her friends.
"With Aurora," the peryton replied and happily showed her wings, "I will not fall through the cloud, and we actually had to sleep together before, to stay warm."
"Sorry for the inconvenience," said Loadstar, "It's only for one night."
"It's okay," replied Ashiana with a smile.
Aria just grumbled:
"Such nonsense - sleeping at night!"
Back at Silver Shade’s ship, the little fillies were assigned to the night shifts. After all, most of the crew - were thestrals. But the *Selena* arrived at Stalliongrad in the middle of the day, so fillies had almost no time to sleep that day.
But, it seemed that Ashiana Leaf had already prepared an answer:
"Since you are down here, in Stalliongrad, you should obey the local norms. And every filly in Equestria - sleeps at night."
"It will be hard, trying to fall asleep with all the stars shining in the sky," noted Loadstar.
"Uh… Sure… Okay... What if in return - I will tell you a tale from my homeland?"
Fillies looked at each other. This temptation was too strong, and soon three pairs of vertical pupils stared expectantly at the peryton.
Ashiana settled next to the bed, raised her eyes dreamily, and started the tale:
"Once upon a time there was a Vitrang... that's like, a Peryton, who can cast spells with his crystal hooves... So, he lived in the woods, and he was a very powerful spellcaster. But, he used all of his might for narcissism. With a single tap of his hoof he could make the fields bloom, but he didn't want to. With a single thought he could have transformed deserts into lush forests, but didn’t. He could have protected his kind from dangerous beasts and outlandish raiders by making an army of live tree-protectors, but he didn't. He used his magic for utter nonsense. He grew gigantic mirrors to admire his own reflection. He would transfigure exquisite dishes and eat in magnificent crystal castles, that would crumble as soon as he would leave the doorstep."
A small Peryton tribe lived close to his woods, they were constantly attacked by the woodland creatures, lacked any stable source for food and could not construct proper shelters (you see, those were the old times, and only a few Perytons could cast magic). The selfish Vitrang did not care. He even froze the only lake in the woods, just to admire his own reflection. So, one day, an old Foredeer... that'a a woods Peryton, no wings, no magic but excels at finding hidden trails and very good with the nature. So, an old Foredeer came to the crystal castle and asked for protection from the wolves that were running after him. The egoistical spellcaster just laughed, and threw the Foredeer out.
Well, he tried to throw him out. Because suddenly, instead of the old Foredeer, there was a mighty Eikerren... That's like, an alicorn. The powerful king said that Vitrang was unworthy of his powers, because power - means responsibility. The spellcaster tried to plea and even resist, but all was for naught: his crystal hooves already turned into ordinary Peryton hooves, and his magical powers left him forever. Soon, he understood how hard it was to live in the wild woods without his powers. Vitrang understood that throughout his life, he possessed the power to save his kind if only he used his talents properly... alas, it was too late. King Eikerren never came back. And the former spellcaster spent the rest of his short life regretting the decisions he made before...
Finishing her story, Ashiana Leaf looked at the fillies, a smile brightened her face. All three were fast asleep, tired by the eventful day.
Fillies are always the same. Ponies, Perytons, or any other tribe...
Ashiana sighed: unfortunately, the moral of this story was long forgotten in her homelands: Cervyderia, her tribe now possessed knowledge of powerful magic and strived to seclude itself from the rest of the world. Ashiana was sure: their reckoning was coming, scary and merciless, just like in the tale.
That was the prime reason why young Ashiana ran away from her home. Fear. Fear drove her away, over the forbidden border, and fear drove her further still. Dark premonition never left the little perytons heart. Worst of all, not a single elder would take her concerns seriously, no matter how hard she cried...
She quietly got up and walked to Auroras corner. Aurora herself was long asleep, undoubtedly, lulled by Ashianas tale.
«She's still just a child» Thought Ashiana and gently lowered herself onto the cloud, leaning to her friends back.
Looking around the room, her brown eyes met with Amin Abu-al-Fath Omar ibn al-Nishapuri, who hadn’t gone to bed yet. fixing his glasses, The dromad was looking at the papers on his table and writing something down, holding a quill in his weirdly split hoof, mumbling as he went.
He was probably counting the financial loss from the missed day at the square. Amin was a tight-fisted accountant and tried to account for everything. He did that since the day he responded to the ad that the trio placed in one of the towns, at that time they were making triple pay, but somehow, always came up short on their payments.
As it turned out, all they had to do is to take account of what was bought and by whom. Nowadays, most of their income went straight to the Equestrian Royal Bank.
«For safer future» the dromad explained.
Ashiana could not understand that: what could happen in the future that would require so much money? But, the peryton knew that the old Dromad would know better and did not object. More than that, she persuaded Aurora not to object either. Mbandi approved their savings strategy too: most of her exotic grasses and leaves she got from the tiny greenhouse she had on the back of the wagon. Buying those locally, in Equestria, would have bankrupted them long ago.
Catching her gaze, Amin meekly smiled back and nodded. Ashiana would not have to worry about tomorrow's performance: the dromad, despite his late night work hours, never looked sleepy during his parts. At least not more than usual, his face always looked imperturbable and relaxed anyway.
Thinking about that, Ashiana Leaf covered herself with a woven blanket and closed her eyes, feeling the warmth of her friend’s back.
* * *
...Loadstar woke up.
She dreamed about the storm, the ship flying through it and a massive moon, covering half of the sky. Some mare's body glowed in the night light, that must have been the Night princess herself!
The first time she had that dream, was onboard the *Selena*, and since then Loadstar wished to see that dream again. It was the most beautiful thing she had ever experienced, and the overwhelming feelings were indescribable.
Loadstar turned to her other side but could not fall asleep anymore. She could still feel the cold winds of the storm on her skin and shivered in excitement.
Grey Mouse, as it turned out, was lying on her back wide awake. Noticing Loadstars movement, the little thestral looked back at her friend and smiled. Loadstar smiled back, and suddenly realised what was the source of the rhythmical sound that woke her up.
The only CMS that was deep asleep - was Aria Midnight: plastered on her back with mouth wide open, the flight-lead was out cold, snoring adorably, but loudly.
Feeling parched, Loadstar got up from the bed and walked to the table that had a jug of water. A lonely dim candle illuminated the dark wagon, but for night-pony eyes, the candle was as bright as a miniature sun. Loadstar’s irises turned into thin slits when she walked through the middle of the room, bathed in dim orange light.
After a few gulps, she saw Amin Abu-al-Fath... what-was-his-name... still writing something at his desk.
Curiosity took her over and she walked closer.
"What are you writing, Amin?" asked Loadstar, trying not to look at the blinding light of the candle.
The dromad raised his head and moved the candle so it would put Loadstar in a shadow.
"Traing to prove de theory of great Jalal Farid ibn Rahni" he replied, "Who's ancient scholars of Camelu called de *Troo Bastard*"
Loadstar peered at the rows of weird looking symbols in front of Amin, she realised, that Dromads knowledge of math was far greater than she initially presumed.
Although, it was not the math that caught the mentat’s attention in the dromad’s reply:
"How ancient?" Loadstar tried to clarify, settling across the table from him.
"Age of Discord, it was, little mastress. When de great mathemajician challenged the Unnamable Prankster."
"Discord himself?" Loadstar was taken aback.
"Dat wat you ponys call him, yes." Dromad confirmed.
"And?"
"Obviously, great Jalal lost. Math is powerless befor chaos. After dat, Unnamable Prankster made it so Jamal’s theories became unprovable."
"And you?..."
"Trying to prove one of dem. De first of so called *Bastard’s Theorems*."
The young mentat’s heart filled with admiration for the wise dromad, who dared, in such a unique way, challenge the spirit of chaos and strife.
"What is it?" she asked.
"De set of real numbez has minimal possible cardinality which iz greater dan de cardinality of the set of integerz." Dromad read aloud.
"...Has anyone managed to prove it b-before?" Loadstar stammered, even though she did not understood half of what he said.
"Nho. Never befor."
Looking at her quizzical eyes, the dromad added:
"But someone had to do id first, little masstress."
Such a simple answer shook Loadstar’s understanding of the world around her.
Someone. Had. To. Do. It. First.
"Gho sleep," said Dromad. "Is till too early."
"Thank... Thank you, Amin!" the filly mumbled, raising her wet eyes.
"Fhor waht?" he asked.
"Someone had to do it first" said Loadstar. "It's so simple!"
She suddenly felt a wing hugging her. Looking back, she saw Grey Mouse, who had silently walked (or flown) to her friend's side.
"Can I ask a question?" Grey asked meekly, but in the quietness of the night, her voice sounded surprisingly clear and stern.
"Sure, only if you go to beds afhter."
"You said that you «Care for the future of the trouppe»... what did you mean?"
Dromad sighed:
"Oh, filis. Dis girls are young, flexible, strong, noone of dem even thinks that dis will not last forevher. And soon, dey will need a home to settle, then, dey will have lumpy bags of coin waiting for dem in Equestrian bank. Enough to buy a house. Or even a few houses, for each one of dem, if dey continue to perform as good as now, for at least a few years."
"But they... and you..."
"Let dem call me tightwad and cheapskate," the dromad smiled. "But when age will catch up to dem, dey will not have to worry for a ruff over they head and hay for dey belly. I got dat covered."
Mouse and Loadstar glanced at each other. All of that meant that the future looked quite bright for the motley performers. The little night ponies were glad to know that the young performers were cared for, even if they could not fully understand that yet.
The same thought entered the fillies’ minds.
Both blushed, when they remembered master Blue Sage and trainer Bane Fire’s sternness towards them.
Loadstar and Grey felt ashamed while the only filly who could have justified all of their actions was asleep closeby, snoring.
Both had nothing to say.
"Go sleep," amin repeated, who could not see them too well in the darkness, "Or you vill nodd all day."
When fillies climbed back to their bed, both thought about the same thing...
* * *
...Master Blue Sage paced back and forth in his study experiencing a whole array of conflicting emotions.
All because of Loadstar, the best student he’d had in years. Was the best student he had, until her discipline crashed through the floor when she met those two hooligans from Flight school. For that, Loadstar was facing a series of hearings that would surely lower her overall grade.
Sage was angry. Very angry. Loadstar, who in his eyes was the embodiment of a perfect student, suddenly decided to run away. Not just from the Academy, but from the Starspire, willfully venturing down to the surface.
But at the same time, Sage was immensely relieved: Loadstar, and those other two had been found.
Although, their location was confirmed in the weirdest way imaginable. A letter, stating where little runaways were, came through the magical post service and was sealed with the stamp of Luna’s Royal Office. That itself was not just confusing but also raised a question if the fillies’ guardians would be held responsible for this debacle..
Anyway, right now a long road awaited ahead. All the way to Stalliongrad no less!
Someone knocked on the door.
"Enter, trainer Bane Fire!" Sage shouted, expecting her arrival, but, it was someone else.
"Master?" a little muzzle cautiously poked into the room, "It's me."
"Nightglow?" Sage was surprised, but momentarily regained his composure. "Sorry, I'm quite busy right now..."
"No problem, It’s a simple request."
"Speak then," Sage nodded.
The little colt entered the room, and Blue Sage saw that Nightglow was dressed for a long journey: packed saddlebags atop a warm cloak.
Preemptively answering the question, Nightglow gathered all of his resolve:
"Master, take me with you!"
"Take you where?" replied the confused mentat.
"To Stalliongrad! To save Loadstar."
"How the buck..."
"I... overheard your talk with Bane Fire. I have to go too!"
Blue Sage, confused by this development, missed the whole point of the colt’s request.
"Overheard? How?"
"With a spell."
"And the magical barriers of my study?"
"Cracked them... Master, I worry for Starly, surely she will comply if approached by one of her peers!"
Gathering himself, Blue Sage sighed and shook his head:
"Forget it. I got three fillies to catch, I don't need another runaway."
"Master, I have to go with you!"
"No you don't. Now back to your dorm!"
Saying that, Blue Sage turned away to recheck his bags, instead of the door closing behind the filly he heard Nightglow’s resilient refusal:
“Master, if you will not take me with you, I will go on my own."
"I'll just order the Star Bridge guards to detain all unaccompanied foals" the mentat replied, not bothering to turn back, "Minus four points for disobedience."
"I'll... I'll parachute down then!"
Blue Sage felt sick imagining little colt falling fifteen kilometers down with just a flimsy cloth behind his back. He would get frostbites trying to glide all the way down, or, if he failed to open the chute in time....
Sage tried to remain calm while little mentat pressed his advantage:
"I'll tell the whole class, where Starly went and that we have to help her!"
"But..."
"They'll agree to help me, since they still feel ashamed for what they did before."
Sage finally turned back to face Nightglow. The little colt was filled with resolve. If he would have been a thestral, surely he would have wings flared.
Sage contemplated getting Nightglow locked up in solitary for the duration of the trip. But he realised what excessive strictness could lead to; a scroll from Luna's office proved that: it would lead to desperate moves of brave little hearts.
Dressed in her flight uniform, trainer Bane Fire entered the room. She looked down at Nightglow and then at Blue Sage.
The latter sighed. Twice.
Then said:
"Slight change in plans. Could you take a bit more weight in the carriage, trainer?..."