//------------------------------// // You've Been Poisoned // Story: The Olden World // by Czar_Yoshi //------------------------------// With a rush of air, Wallace landed on the deck of the Immortal Dream, four mares on his back. Shinespark and Amber immediately jumped down, with Valey close behind. "...Hey. Wallace." Valey paused, hesitating at the entrance to the stairs. "You two girls go on ahead. I'll be right behind you; I got a thank-you to say." Amber and Shinespark both nodded, heading below. Valey was left on the deck with the griffon, Puddles smiling at her from his back. "So, uhh..." Valey rubbed her neck. "Thanks. I guess enough people pushing hard enough was just what I needed to get through whatever was going on." Wallace bowed his head. "Take care of yourself, young Valey. There are many who are beaten down who fail to rise to their legs again. I'm proud to see you aren't among them, though you must still use caution. Above all, trust your friends. Shinespark and Amber are here for you, and many of the others as well." "Got you covered." Valey nodded. "Believe me, feeling terrible feels... well, terrible. It's not like I want to be a mess, or anything. But anyway, thanks." She glanced at the sky. "I guess you've gotta get Puddles back home?" "Indeed." Wallace straightened up. "Though before I go... a word of parting advice?" "Yeah?" Valey tilted her ear to listen. Wallace drew closer, voice lowering. "Exercise caution around Felicity and her kin. They were raised on the wastes of Gyre. Manipulation runs through their veins. I know their kind well, and even when they truly wish to help someone, they are often incapable of being straightforward or honest in their manner of aid. Don't hurt yourself, and remember who they work for." Valey frowned. "I appreciate the sentiment, but Felicity is my friend. And her sisters, too. I get exactly where she is, know the kinds of things she's used to doing to survive. I see a lot of myself in her, and it would be equivalent to saying I wasn't worth it if I didn't give the same chance I had to her." "The table is set with your stakes." Wallace backed away. "This is your judgement, and I hope it is true. But I learned the hard way that the belief that anyone can be redeemed is not the same as that the redeemed can be anyone. Ponies like Morena, Diego and yourself who can claw their lives back from impossible precipices prove this can be done, but it is not a guarantee it will happen. Be careful, and may your ideals strike true... but do not give in to wallowing again should your trust be met with betrayal." "That... Yeah." Valey gritted her teeth and folded her ears. "Don't you worry. I know what they'll choose. Felicity trusts me, and I trust her. And if it turns out I'm wrong? We'll cross that bridge when we come to it, but I will survive." Wallace gave her one last concerned look, then nodded, spread his wings and soared away, leaving Valey to make her way downstairs. The library was empty, and for good reason: everyone was in the dining hall below. The room's table was lowered in place, a miniature banquet by Maple most of the way through being devoured. Felicity, Senescey and Larceny held spots of honor at one side of the table, with Maple, Starlight and Jamjars sitting next to them and everyone else sitting across. Only Crystal was absent, though Harshwater was conspicuously seated as far away as she could be from the three sisters. "Woah." Valey blinked, seeing even Nyala given a chair. "What's the occasion?" "Valey! Sorry..." Maple's ears folded in embarrassment. "We heard about the fight this morning and decided we had plenty of reasons to celebrate. But I was expecting you earlier and might have mistimed having the food ready. Sorry if we made you late to your own party..." Felicity dabbed at her lips with a napkin. "Late? Oh, nonsense, darling. A lady always arrives precisely when she means to. And I have to say, this isn't a spread we'll be finishing by ourselves any time soon..." Shinespark and Amber were just loading up their plates, and to their side Slipstream saluted. "It's also a party to celebrate nearly two weeks of success with the restaurant! And the sisters dropped by, so it's hospitality as well. We've been catering to aristocrats for days now, so why not throw ourselves a feast?" Gerardo winked. "Indeed. We haven't taken any reservations for tonight. The occasion is just because we can." "Well, hey, I'm down." Valey strolled to the table, plopping in next to Harshwater and surveying her clean plate. "Hi, by the way." She nudged Harshwater's shoulder. "Hello." Harshwater munched on a half-full plate of salad. "Don't wander off after this. We're going to make sure we know what condition Crystal is in and get this over with." Felicity nodded from across the table. "Okay..." Valey surveyed the serving platters, eyes settling on the bowl Harshwater's salad had likely emerged from. "Hey, everyone has mostly already served what they want, yeah? Since I'm late and all?" "If you're asking whether you can help yourself, please do," Maple requested, sitting across from her and pushing the salad bowl closer. "I made all this for you!" Valey took the bowl, hesitated... and with a little extra willpower, her promise to Shinespark won out over good manners. "Sweet," she declared, chucking the serving tongs over her shoulder and tipping the bowl straight back toward her mouth. Everyone stared, though some were polite about it. "What?" Valey asked around a mouthful of greens, lowering the bowl to reveal a leaf sitting on her nose. "I'm hungry." "Darling, I never knew you had a barbarous streak," Felicity coyly remarked, folding her hooves beneath her chin and smirking. "Yeah, right." Valey used a wing to cram the rest of the salad into her mouth, cheeks puffing like a gopher. "I'm always like this." Maple blinked in astonishment at the empty salad bowl. "That was two whole servings..." She glanced back at Valey. "You can fit all that in your mouth and still talk?" Valey smugly chewed, swallowed, and made a show of patting her stomach. "Oh yeah. Good stuff, Ironflanks. And when has food been able to make me shut up?" "Are you feeling alright?" Gerardo raised an eyebrow from far down the line. "You're being... spunkier than usual." "Yeah, something like that." Valey surveyed her handiwork with the salad bowl, nodding in approval. "Actually, you could say I'm having a really good day. So what should I try to fit in my mouth all at once next?" When the banquet had concluded, Valey leaned contentedly against a wall, licking her lips and flicking her tail contentedly. Maple, Amber, Slipstream and Gerardo bustled in the background, hauling dishes and preparing the cleanup, and Felicity soon approached with a businesslike smile on her face. "Hey, girl." Valey turned alongside her, self-consciously bumping flanks and hiding her guilty thrill when it made the older mare blush. "What's up?" "Well, you're certainly in a different mood than last I saw you." Felicity turned so they were facing each other again, a don't-try-anything-in-public look in her eyes. "Looks like someone figured out how to let loose a little?" "Yeah, you could say that..." Valey rubbed her neck. Even if she went through the motions and could have fun doing so, she was quickly realizing she wasn't far enough back to be shameless about it yet. "So, Amber told me you wanna get a look at Crystal for us? Since Harshwater's been having an impossible time getting her to consent to a medical checkup, and she probably needs one after that explosion and with her kid and all? I kinda wanna get this out of the way..." Felicity nodded sagely. "Don't you worry about Crystal." She tapped her cutie mark with a wing. "I can be very persuasive when I want to be. But yes, let's get your friend looked at and ensure there's no nasty surprises we'd like to find before she either collapses from an unknown injury or goes into labor." The two mares quietly made their way up through the library, where Harshwater joined them, to the door to Crystal's room. Valey cleared her throat, stepping forward and knocking. "Uh... hey. Crystal? Can I come in?" "You know my policy," Crystal dryly answered, inviting them in by refusing to give permission. Valey slid the door open, revealing a room with the lights off. Harshwater instantly flicked them on with a wing, revealing some exercise equipment, a picture of Izvaldi's undestroyed capitol, another of Percival, and finally Crystal, laying in her bed and stroking her belly. Crystal watched everyone as they entered, glancing at Felicity without recognition but not reacting. Harshwater took a deep breath, stepping to the least-occupied corner of the room. "I'd appreciate getting this over with quickly." Felicity raised an eyebrow. "Nervousness?" She turned to Crystal. "Come now, darling, we're here to help you. I'm sure there will be no need for whatever behavior's putting anyone on edge." "It's not that." Harshwater averted her gaze. "I'm alone in a room with three batponies. Having uncomfortable flashbacks to Mistvale." "...Ah." Felicity worked her jaw slightly. "Let's get this over with indeed. May I?" She reached a hoof toward Crystal. Crystal met her with a disdainful look. "I'm not a pleasure mare. Get your cheap enjoyment from each other." "Ohhh my." Felicity's ears fell. "You certainly are a problem patient, aren't you? Miss Crystal, I am the closest thing to a doctor you're going to see in your life who isn't either a mad scientist or a shill who will turn you into Garsheeva for heresy. I've heard all about what kind of child you have in that womb of yours." She sharply pointed her hoof. "And you have been through a recent calamitous event with obvious damage to at least one leg, not had your child or yourself checked since, and for that matter only been seen to by the corrupt staff of Izvaldi's so-called advisor prior to that. Insult my character all you like and see how much I care about your wellbeing, but that ill-conceived child in your belly is innocent of all this and I would very much appreciate your consent to an examination so they don't risk suffering for your stubbornness, madam." "What does my consent have to do with it?" Crystal frowned. "There are three of you and one of me. I can't stop you." Felicity stepped back, looking vaguely revolted. "I-I..." She fumbled for words, then narrowed her eyes. "You will not disparage our attempts to provide legitimate and skilled aid. Take that back this instant or I will start playing dirty." Crystal curled her lip, but Valey butted in before either mare could say another word. "Woah, woah, slow down. Hey Crystal, we saved each other in the hospital, right? You trust me?" "...We worked together and survived," Crystal admitted, not admitting to any trust. "Thank you." "Cool." Valey nodded. "So here's the deal: you're being a jerk to my friends. Now, I normally try my hardest to be nice, but today is your unlucky day, because I just had a friend make me promise to try a little lower at getting what I want. I want you to be nice to my friends. They want to make sure your kid's healthy. But you know what else I want?" She licked her lips, eyes gleaming dangerously. Crystal watched her, concern for her foal and mistrust of Felicity and Harshwater fighting behind her emerald eyes. "What?" Valey grinned. "You've got some really great legs." Felicity and Harshwater both looked at her strangely. "Darling...?" "Hold up! Hold up." Valey raised her wings for peace. "Remember the first time we met? How you went out of your way to get me riled up? Congratulations, first impressions matter. Now, I have been beating myself sideways trying to be an upstanding citizen, and like I said, that just changed. So either you are going to politely and sanely ask my friends to please make sure you and your kid haven't been injured by that explosion in some lasting, long-term way, or else I'm gonna be my worst self and pin you down with a big hug and enjoy it while they look you over anyway. Savvy?" Crystal rolled her eyes. "I won't betray my true love. Do what you must." Valey noted both of her friends' expressions shifting to concern. "Hey, believe me, this doesn't feel great," she promised. "But neither did this meeting before I said that. Would you rather I threaten to kick her off the ship and have her tell us we're forcing her with threats? No? Cool. Now get to work." Determined, she stomped up, flopped on the bed and wrapped Crystal in a hug, pinning her legs while keeping the burned wrist and Crystal's belly where her friends could see them. The contact made her skin crawl; Felicity and Harshwater's expressions doubly so. "What?" "We... need to check her over completely, and you'll be in the way..." Felicity managed. Harshwater nodded. "Well, bananas." Valey got back up, feeling vaguely disgusted with herself and not at all having enjoyed anything. So much for that idea... Now all her emotions from the cave were stuck mixing with her thoughts on Crystal. The cocktail was almost enough to make her sick. "Darling? Darling!" Felicity snapped, waving at her. "Please, could you stand a little further away from her? Something about this is giving me a bad feeling. I don't like the way this is making you behave." "Yeah..." Valey nodded, thankfully taking Harshwater's corner. "Not feeling so great myself..." Harshwater stepped up by Felicity. "Right. If she's not going to fight, let's check her over and be done with this. I'm better with physical wounds, you check her foal." "Alright then..." Felicity bit her lip, stretching a hoof for Crystal's fur. "I'm going to be gentle. Please don't fight me." Valey expected a reaction, and didn't jump when something happened. What she didn't expect was for the reaction to be entirely Felicity's: her friend spasmed faintly, almost as if shocked by the contact. Harshwater didn't seem to notice, and Valey herself might have missed the sudden muscle twitch if it hadn't been accompanied by a sign she was much more familiar with: the calming emotional suppressant of Felicity's cutie mark. "Hmm?" Crystal poked up her ears, watching Felicity's changing expression. "I... ah..." Felicity migrated her hoof down Crystal's curved belly, feeling various spots and using what Valey was sure were monk arts to inspect the mare's body. "Y-You're very tight, darling. And definitely full-term. I don't know how you usually are, but I wouldn't be surprised to see your child in a day or two. It's a very good thing we didn't put things off..." Valey zoned out. The feel of Felicity's cutie mark, emotionally damping and strong, was exactly what she needed right then to feel some clarity amid her muddled thoughts. This was messing her up again. She had just promised Wallace she'd be careful, just promised Shinespark she'd be her old self, but the moment she tried it around Crystal, things had gone wrong. What had gone wrong? Shinespark responded well to her less-than-politeness. She had earned a blush out of Felicity. Seeing her friends flustered had made her feel at least a naughty thrill, right? What was wrong with Crystal, then? There was something irresistible about the mare that made her eyes wander to her whenever they weren't otherwise occupied. She was hot, right? Valey wanted... something with or from or for her. It had nothing to do with her being pregnant, since she hadn't known about that when they first met and she still felt this way. Crystal needed help. She wanted to help her, see her not be utterly dysfunctional all the time. That was it. Was that it? She examined her friends; Felicity had gotten her wings aflutter plenty of times in the past and Harshwater was definitely a mare when she stopped to study her. She tried to let her imagination wander, but her eyes quickly drifted back to Crystal when left alone. It wasn't something physical, then. At least, not fully. But no matter what she tried, helping Crystal made her feel awful. It was almost like Crystal goaded her into things that left her feeling like drained garbage. But the way she felt was the result of her own actions, right? If her friends said they didn't want to snuggle and she hugged them anyway, what would happen? Depended on how serious they were. Maybe they'd blush and get annoyed, or tell her more firmly to stop... Crystal never told her to stop. Crystal just told her even interacting with her was a crime, and then let her do it anyway. And this was after whatever goodwill they had built helping each other escape from Izvaldi... Slowly, memories of the other times she had met Crystal filtered through Valey's mind. Their aftermaths, specifically. Dunking her head in the fountain, rolling over and doing nothing in the grass, feeling like she had betrayed Amber by being unable to stop eying another mare... That time would have been right before she was captured by Puddles and taken to Goldoa, so by then she was already feeling bad about eyeing up another mare while being in a relationship with Amber... Valey's eyes widened as her brain pieced together the missing link that had prevented her from explaining why Puddles affected her so much in the cave. Getting cuddled by a windigo? Fine, she should have gotten past that. It was on Puddles, not her. But she had already been feeling this way before that thanks to Crystal! Puddles' treatment had been a reminder, rubbing an open wound! As several long-buried memories connected themselves under Felicity's calming, peaceful aura, Valey felt her breathing slow down. Sure, the Empire as a whole had been awful to her, but was it her repeated run-ins with Crystal that had finally broken her back? Not all by themselves, but at least making a significant contribution? A small flame of indignant anger lit in her heart, tamped down by her friend's power yet mixed with triumph at catching something that had been making her feel undeniably nasty. The whole story or not, this was important. If she saw a problem, she could do something about it... so now she just needed to figure out what to- "Ahem." Felicity tapped her, and Valey tuned back to reality to see Crystal left alone and Harshwater nowhere to be found. "You and I need to talk. In private, please." "Oookay?" Valey's ears perked nervously as she felt Felicity's aura lift. There were a whole lot of things this could be about... Felicity whisked her out of Crystal's room and into another, closing and locking the door behind them and turning on the lights. She waved Valey to the bed, sitting down herself, and took a deep breath, staring her straight in the eyes. "There is something deeply and disturbingly wrong with that mare." "You don't need to tell me twice." Valey grimaced, glad she didn't seem to be in for a lecture about herself. "She's like... What was she even trying to accomplish?" "I'm not talking about her actions." Felicity lifted her forehooves, tapping them together to indicate her monk arts. "I'm talking metaphysically, about her body and magic. For starters, she has multiple brands." Valey took a long, slow moment to blink. "Run that by me again?" "Multiple brands, darling," Felicity said, confirming that Valey had heard her correctly. "More than one. And I'm not talking about the child she's carrying. It's hardly the only thing strange about her, too. Using Mistvale arts requires a strong understanding of ponies' bodies, so believe me when I say I know what normal is, and this isn't it." "But, like..." Valey squinted. "How does that even work?" "You ever seen someone who used obsidian?" Felicity raised an eyebrow. "It's difficult to put into layponies' terms, but you know the one they absorb from the stone isn't theirs. It's like... Mmm. No. This is a bad example." She rubbed her chin. "It's like her body is a bag. And everything that's sewn in place in their proper places aside, there's at least one extra brand floating around freely inside. To me, it felt like an outward pressure from inside her skin. At least, that's the best way I can describe it." Valey blinked. "That's kinda creepy." Felicity looked too troubled to find any mirth in agreement. "You don't even know the half of it. Our bodies physically process our emotions, you know. It's a large part of the basis of how Mistvale arts work, and why only we sarosians can perform them. But the emotional lines and pathways in her were completely wrong. We should normally resemble trees, made up of lines with our limbs like branches, and she... was more like a shell, field or bubble." Valey's face scrunched. "Okay, so what's that actually mean?" "I have absolutely no idea," Felicity admitted. "She is not a normal sarosian on a biomagical level. It's possible she was born this way, but that just shifts the suspicion of what happened up to her parents. And what isn't possible is that this was an accident. It reeks of intelligent design." "Intelligent..." Valey frowned. "Hold on. Before you go any further, how possible is it she's somehow magically able to influence me just by... I dunno, me looking at her?" Felicity's ears fell. "I wish I could tell you. I haven't a clue. But if you're thinking about what I think you're thinking about, stop. She was asking for a pummeling, and you were very gentle to stop at threatening hugs. I don't think being in that room was healthy for any of us." "Yeah... it'll be fine." Valey shook her head to clear it. "What was that about intelligent design?" Felicity took a deep breath. "Like I said, her emotional pathways form a shell or bubble just below her skin instead of a tree or network of lines near her skeleton. Furthermore, a regular pony's emotions are extremely complex. For every real emotion you register yourself as feeling, there will be hundreds of smaller feelings, impulses and sensations coming nonstop as you perceive the world around you. You may not be thinking about the effect this room's atmosphere is having on your thoughts right now, for instance, but I don't even need to look to tell you it's there. We look like... rapidly changing light shows, to use a visual metaphor. Sometimes quieter, other times more active." "And her?" Valey nodded for Felicity to go on. "Her." Felicity nodded too. "I could pick out the emotional patterns of regular thought, but they were muted by a much stronger wave of purely negative feeling that was far too constant to be any mortal's thoughts. Do you see my verdict in all this?" "Ehh..." Valey tilted her head in extreme thought. "Like... something to do with that time you were talking about objects with emotions burned into them? Because they're constant?" Felicity shook her head. "Well, maybe, but what I'd guess is that her unusual emotional mechanism is an artificial state designed precisely to allow her to contain more than one brand. I've heard from Gazelle a decent amount about the comings and goings in Izvaldi, and Chauncey was the type of stallion who would experiment with these things, correct? Brands are meant to be hopes and dreams incarnated into magical ability. A seamless shell of negative emotion would be a twisted, if sensible, way to attempt to contain one..." Valey sat down hard. "Oh bananas. So she's a walking, twisted emotional fusion experiment from Chauncey, or something? Bananas, that's messed up..." She slowly recalled Crystal's relationship with Stanza, and wondered if one was a byproduct of the other or if Chauncey just really liked using her for experiments. Not that she'd ever learn what had happened between them to make them start hating each other... "I hate to say it's possible." Felicity sighed. "I'd be willing to wager this is at least part of why she's so... unpleasant. You can't just go doing these kinds of things to your body without seeing an effect on your mind as well." "And an effect on the ponies around you," Valey muttered. "I really hate Chauncey now." "Well." Felicity fell back against the bed. "That's my verdict. Are you alright, darling? I was using my brand a lot in there, and you look somewhat shaken..." Valey shrugged, flopping on the bed as well. "On the one hoof, no, I'm not. On the other, I'm a whole lot better than I could be. Bananas, I wish we could just dump her with Percival and never look back. Magic aside, how else is she doing?" Felicity scooted slightly to make room. "I can't see her waiting much longer to foal. She's certainly full-term. I'm almost tempted to stay the night, just in case anything decides to happen this evening. Aside from that and that unusual scar on her wrist, though, she's somehow the picture of physical health." "Really?" Valey raised an eyebrow. "Good muscle structure." Felicity nodded. "She exercises, and it shows. Fed well and properly nourished. Her child seems healthy; I got a heartbeat. She grooms herself well, too. No sign of any injuries, internal or external, from Izvaldi. Except the line around her wrist, of course. In overall better health than many mares her age, even, I'd say. Slightly strange given the condition of her magic. If she's sickly on the inside, I would have expected it to have some physical manifestation as well." "I... Huh." Valey worked her hooves. "Hey, this might be a weird question, but do you think she's hot?" Felicity chuckled. "I think she's one of the least-attractive mares I've seen in a very long time. But I don't have the most normal ways of assessing others. How about you?" "I mean, yeah, she's terrible. Makes me feel bad every time I talk to her." Valey fidgeted. "I'm not talking about whether you like how she acts, though. I just mean, like... You don't find her more irresistible than she should be?" Felicity's colored lips drew into a knowing smile. "You mean physically? Interesting tastes. But no." She shook her head. "Please understand I mean this delicately, but I have..." She paused, choosing her words. "Well, I'm not exactly new to the idea of getting to someone a little closely. It's not difficult for me to find my way into a bed if I really want it, if you know what I mean. And with the amount of ponies there are in the world, physical traits are easy. I'm far more attracted by a pony's mind, darling. So I don't have attention to waste on ponies like her." Her eyes shadowed. "You sound like your thoughts aren't nearly as solid." Valey's ears folded. "Yeah, I dunno. Something keeps me coming back to her, and I dunno if it's me wanting to help her or something else or what. But I feel like garbage every time I do without fail. Bananas, I wish I could just get rid of her, have her be someone else's problem and not worry about it." "I..." Felicity hesitated. "Is anything stopping you from returning her to Lord Percival right now? Just making the trip, leaving her in Izvaldi?" Valey frowned. "Well, Percival's probably busy with the whole national crisis thing going on, what with his capitol being destroyed and his chief advisor blowing up Garsheeva. We planned a bit before everything went up in flames, and what we basically need is a way to get Gazelle to let Percival abdicate so he can retire to the countryside with her and live together with no one watching." Felicity nodded seriously. "Absolutely. And Gazelle... has Percival on a tight leash about that, because if it's discovered Izvaldi is without a leader or sphinx, he'll be promoted to the new Lord Izvaldi in a heartbeat. These kinds of shenanigans are unfortunately common, but that's how the Empire goes..." "You have any leverage with Gazelle that might be able to help?" Valey tilted her head. "Since he's the one stopping us from just leaving the two together for a happily ever after?" Felicity bit her cheek. "I... don't think I do. I'm sorry, darling, but even though he listens to me and we work closely together, I can't simply ask him to accept a future he doesn't want and expect him to listen. And truth be told..." She trailed off, voice growing faint. "What's up?" Valey glanced at her in concern. "Darling... Valey." Felicity took a deep breath. "We didn't... come here tonight just for a social visit, the three of us. I have something difficult we need to ask of you." "Uhh." Valey's heart grew louder. "Look, I'll do my best, but I've got a really lot on my shoulders already, and-" "Shhh." Felicity closed her mouth with a wingtip, pressing it to Valey's lips, and managed a shaky smile. "We've come to a decision. Made up our minds. The three of us... are done with the Empire. With politics, with working..." She swallowed, ears folding and coming forward again. "We want out. We're ready. We want to throw in our lot with you and your friends instead." Valey brightened. "Wait, really?" "Is that... offer still valid?" Felicity winced, hesitant. "I know you asked us if we would drop our dealings here and change our ways quite a while ago, and..." "Yes." Valey's voice was adamant. "Bananas, yes it is. If you guys wanna change for the better, we'll always..." She reached forward and grabbed Felicity in a careful hug. "Always be there for you. I know exactly where you've been, getting caught up in all this. You're welcome here, I promise." Felicity's expression devolved into a watery smile, and she hugged back. "Awww. Thank you..." After a minute's embrace, Felicity let go. "That said, we... need to talk business about how this is going to go." Valey sat up seriously. "I'm all ears." "Right." Felicity nodded. "So, as you know, I hold a rather high and important position in Stormhoof." Her eyes flicked toward the window, though night had well fallen and nothing was visible. "It's actually somewhat of a manufactured position. You see, Gazelle is in close contact with Meltdown, who's in charge of the Empire's power system. If there's price-fixing to be done, they get to do it. The two of them have essentially been creating a deliberate security flaw in Stormhoof for around a year now, starving the island of energy with the justification that they can afford it and creating dark streets and corridors that are easy for sarosians to roam through unchecked. This, when the whole island is built atop a network of tunnels and ruins that provide abundant routes and hiding places for the less-savory among us." Valey's ears fell. "I thought something like that had to be going on. Bananas, when I first got here I busted my way all the way to the top of that tower, after getting monked up and without even hurting a single guard." "A demonstration the public felt keenly," Felicity confirmed. "And actually the one Gazelle used to get me hired." "Wait, really?" Valey's eyes widened. "So that's why he was so interested in me doing that..." "Likely so." Felicity straightened her back. "It's been a matter of finances. The argument was always that Stormhoof could afford to pay more for energy, they just weren't because the money could be better spent on other things... Eventually, I was hired for my ability to keep tabs on the underground and catch word of any pre-emptive attacks before they happened. My salary is handsome and I'm effectively outside the chain of command, which are very small prices for Stormhoof to pay next to the cost of power. It's a manufactured need for me. You see?" Valey nodded. "Yeah, makes sense. So now you need a way to withdraw from that without... someone actually taking advantage of this, or something? Or without Gazelle getting mad that his gift is being spurned, or whatever?" A broad smile reached Felicity's face. "Actually, Gazelle is in on this, and we have both his and the Night Mother's blessings. Our service has been appreciated, so we have them as allies on our way out. You may have noticed that official embassy designation he earned your ship not long ago?" She winked. "A bit of a pre-emptive move, but that's so you can grant us asylum here and political immunity if we walk out and Stormhoof is screwed." "...Okay, that's pretty crafty." Valey blinked, then furrowed her brow in thought. "So are there any downsides to this for us? Or when you say you had something big to ask us, is that to deal with someone being furious about this?" Felicity sighed. "That's where I'm going next. We actually arranged for Gazelle to show up sometime later tonight, because there's a little bit of wiggle room in the plan. We thought it would do for you to have some input, given that I'm important and this will likely be a significant affair. The pin around which this next bit hinges, though, is your testimony regarding Izvaldi and the rocket from Yakyakistan." Valey's eyes widened slightly. "Bananas. I knew that was part of someone's plan..." "Ours." Felicity smirked apologetically. "The Yakyakistan part of the testimony was neither here nor there. What we really wanted was a footnote in the records from the place where you talked about his experimentations with the power grid. The details on the Empire's power grid and its architecture are very secret and held under heavy lock and key, but the story from Meltdown that the entire Empire is getting is that Chauncey's stunt damaged some critical components and we're under a continent-wide energy shortage while they're being fixed. Essentially, it's the fault of a dead, goddess-hating sarosian that Stormhoof's power is still rationed, not some price-fixing scheme." "And will stay rationed once you bail," Valey finished. "...Bananas, what are you guys planning? Leaving a giant hole open once you're gone? Are you staging an attack on your own country?" "That much is up to Gazelle." Felicity's shoulders sagged. "If I had details, I'd... Well. The furthest my involvement extends in the plan is to ensure that there is a hole. What it's to be used for or why is anyone's guess, but either way, Gazelle and the Night Mother believe my sisters and I have done our part. All that remains is for you to get us out of here." Valey stared at the door. "I don't like this. Feels like something bad is gonna happen." "Happen to whom?" Felicity raised an eyebrow. "Darling, Stormhoof is not the greatest province to live in with leathery wings. And it's currently overrun with Everlaste guards, who need I remind you are from the worst province for us to live in. While I highly doubt Gazelle plans to sneak around and give all the guards surprise presents, the ones who seem poised to lose from anything that happens are our enemies. If you really need to know, you can ask Gazelle himself when he gets here, but this is a ship that can fly more swiftly than any guard, is well-stocked from your restaurant endeavors, and in a worst-of-the-worst-cases scenario, we could take all your loved ones and run. Gazelle did also mention you asked him for some Writs of Harmonic Sanction..." Valey bit her lip, then sighed. "You know what? Yeah, I guess you're right. Screw Stormhoof. Anyway, what still needs to be finalized?" Felicity nodded. "The terms of my resignation. As-is, there's two easy outs: I walk away myself, or we goad Lord Stormhoof into firing me." "Well, the first sounds easier," Valey remarked. "And the second still gets you disliked, just for different reasons, right?" "That depends on how eager everyone is to find someone to blame for my disappearance," Felicity answered. "The latter could be harder to pull off, but less heat on us after. Essentially, though, you remember how I told you back in Mistvale that I was... pregnant, right, darling?" Valey's eyes wandered to Felicity's belly, which was plenty flat and not conspicuous. "Uh, I think so." "Well, I am," Felicity sighed, placing a hoof on her abdomen. "Around three months. Not quite showing, though you can feel it and probably will be to a discerning eye before long. But what I don't think I mentioned was my foal's parentage." Valey thought for a moment. "Nope. Not ringing any bells." Felicity settled out onto her back, watching the ceiling regretfully. "Prince Geribaldi Stormhoof. It was... part of a very complicated series of crossing and double-crossing between Gazelle and Lord Garland Stormhoof that ultimately ended without either of them getting what they wanted, though I was stuck with this. Many planning iterations ago, I hoped to get something of my own benefit out of those events..." She stared back down ruefully at herself. "Either way, if something about this is revealed, we could find ourselves anywhere from Everlaste calling for my resignation to Lord Stormhoof himself being forced to banish me to try to bail himself out." "...Woah." Valey thought for a moment, then glanced again at Felicity. "So wait, that's a sphinx?" "I'm carrying a sphinx," Felicity confirmed, patting herself gently before sitting back upright. "Huh. Anyway." Valey looked away. "So, condition of mine on all this: you guys work out your own exit plan. I really don't want heat getting drawn on our ship because you decided to go out with a crazy stunt rather than patching your hole smoothly and turning the lights back on. Now, if you need my help actually carrying something out, ask and we'll see. But leave us out of the planning. Especially my friends. We've had the kind of stress that brings before, and it's really uncool. Like, deal with that yourselves, please." Felicity swallowed... and bowed. "Of course, darling. We will try our utmost to leave all your friends out of this." "Sweet." Valey stared for a moment longer. "And after that, that's really it? It's all over with you and Stormhoof? You're just turning over a new leaf, hanging out with us?" "Well, that's the hope, darling." Felicity's smile returned. "We can't attest to how easy it is, and I know you're closer to us than some of the rest of your crew. We'll probably have to prove ourselves a little bit, but I've flown with you before and think we'll probably be able to fit right in. I'm looking forward to it. So... thank you for giving us this chance." Valey closed her eyes and sighed, finally content. "Yeah. Hey. You're welcome." She felt Felicity shift up against her. "Mmm." "...You mean anything by that?" Valey felt a wing twitch, and she opened one eye to see Felicity's contented expression. "Oh, nothing." Felicity winked. "Just a reminder that if you're ever feeling a little lonely, I always appreciate being appreciated." "Uh. Thanks." Valey felt herself redden. "Bananas, reminding me of talking about Crystal again." Felicity pursed her lips. "Aww, certainly I'm much nicer than she is. Come, darling, don't feel embarrassed about me. Or do, because it makes you very cute." "H-Hey!" Valey's ears folded. "No, I mean like... Oh, fine, whatever." She put a hoof around Felicity. "There. Love you too." Felicity giggled. "Hey, seriously, though." Valey's voice slowed, a real thought crossing her mind. "Can you talk about that extra cutie mark thing she had, again? I just got a weird idea." Felicity grabbed her with both forelegs, dragging her further up onto the pillowed side of the bed. "Only if I can do it like this. What about it?" Valey grew redder. "Making it hard to think, here. So like, how strongly is it stuck inside her? You compared it to a normal pony using moon glass? But it didn't go into her kid, probably because they're a griffon? And you said it was just floating around. If she touched a piece of moon glass, you think it would drain it? Would it drain all her marks, or just one? What about something less drainy that still holds cutie marks?" Felicity slumped. "That's an awful lot of questions, darling. Where are you going with this?" "Just a crazy thought." Valey got a shoulder beneath her, still in Felicity's embrace. "We've got Nyala's empty batpony body down in the food pantry. Batponies get drained by moon glass, so worst case we can tap whatever happens with some and get her back the way she is right now. But if we had the body and Crystal hug, or something, and maybe put them in the engine room so there was some harmonic energy and good feelings going around... you think that extra mark would transfer?" Felicity released her, sitting back in thought. "That's a very interesting question, and I honestly have absolutely no clue. Why would you even want to try such a thing?" "Curiosity." Valey shrugged. "I went through our existing moon glass supply a while ago with that pendant I have that lets batponies borrow the marks inside of moon glass, and... What?" "You have a pendant that does what?" Felicity frowned, deeply curious. "Yeah, never mind." Valey waved a hoof. "I'll tell you about that later if you want, but the point is I'm curious about what's inside. The other part is that I have a sister I really wanna put back together, and trying weird stuff like this is how we learn about how cutie marks work and maybe to get hers out of that glass and back in her body where it belongs. Best case, we even learn something about transferring memories, but that's a long-term goal." Felicity sat up slowly. "And you'd use your sister's body for this? Doesn't this seem like a bit of a shot in the dark?" Valey skewed her lip. "...Yep. It does. But hey, you were the one who made me think of Crystal and then this. Look, though, I just had a big talk today and am kinda feeling like trying a little harder for my friends right now. At some point, I need to start making a serious effort to help get her back, and I'd rather not wait until I'm either not feeling it again or we've found a way to get rid of Crystal. How cool would you be with trying this right now?" "I suppose it's as good an introduction to properly being on your team as any," Felicity agreed. "You fetch Crystal, I'll get Nyala, since she'd probably like to be there. Everyone else is probably enjoying themselves after cleaning up downstairs..." "Yeah, yeah, I get to lug around Crystal. It's a deal." Valey flipped to her hooves, sighed, nodded and exited the room. As Valey walked through the hall from Felicity's room to Crystal's, a drumroll sounded on the roof above, rising in intensity over several seconds as the skies began to rain. Valey folded her ears at the melody; they hadn't had a good storm for a while. It would be nice, as long as no one had to go outside. "Hey, Crystal!" She didn't bother knocking, sliding open the door to the other mare's room and stepping inside. "What?" Crystal looked up, laying on her back with a weight stretched uselessly in a hoof. "We need you down in the pantry," Valey commanded, trusting that orders would stir the stubborn mare more than pleas. "Come on. We've got something we need to try." Crystal rolled to her hooves, her long, straight aquamarine mane nearly brushing the floor as she walked. "Fine," she agreed, massaging her huge belly with a wingtip as she stood. "...You okay?" Valey knew she would regret talking, but raised an eyebrow, asking just to make sure. "Ye..." Crystal started to snap, then trailed off and looked down. "When am I going to see my lover again?" "Hopefully?" Valey's shoulders sagged. "Real soon. I dunno. If I had my way, we'd fly you back to Izvaldi tonight. But we still got stuff to deal with. Trust me, though, we're working as fast as we can." Crystal flicked her tail. "...You know what I want. Lead the way." Valey obliged, taking the back staircase through the cargo bay and entering the pantry from the rear. Felicity and Nyala were already there, the latter perched atop a potato bag as the former observed the empty body with interest. Crystal stopped in the doorway, staring at the chitinous, pupilless husk. It stared back, more expression than it was usually capable of. "It's empty," Crystal dryly observed. "Sure is," Valey replied. "And we want you to give it a hug and seen what happens. The biggest, nicest hug you're capable of." Crystal blinked at the body, then turned to her and gaped. "...Why?" On the potato bag, Nyala's wings swiveled. "You want her to hug my old body? Yeah, why?" "'Cuz according to her..." Valey pointed a wing at Felicity, then at Crystal. "You've somehow got more than one cutie mark? And I sort of doubt this will actually do anything, but if they, like, flow from a batpony with too many to a batpony with too few? That would actually be really neat to know. Could get us a step closer to putting you back together. Crystal, please hug?" Crystal gave her a dubious look. "Oh. Beautiful. Are you sure?" "Hey." Valey grinned. "Being not sure and not doing anything because of it is a really great way to wind up never doing anything. Give it a shot." "Fine." Crystal rolled her eyes, stepping towards Nyala's shell. "Experience is a good teacher. Next time, if you want to know about Chauncey's experiments, just ask me instead." "Wait, what?" Valey blinked in confusion. "You mean you already know what's gonna-?" SHHZZZZT! There was a bright dancing of energy as Crystal and the body made contact, followed by a shower of colored sparks that obscured Valey's vision and forced her to blink. When she opened her eyes, Nyala's body was gone, replaced by a long-maned sarosian stallion that instantly caused her to pale. He seemed disoriented, but the moment he got his bearings enough to notice her looking at him, he went paler. Valey pointed a shaky hoof. "Wait, how were...? You were in...? We brought back you!?" Navarre, mad scientist of Yakyakistan, creator of Puddles the windigo and Valey herself, last seen having his cutie mark removed forcefully from Nyala's body by an attack from Stanza, trembled in fear at her hooves. "What do you want with me?" he breathed, voice shaky and airy. Valey just gaped. "Of all the things that could happen, I just acted on the first random hunch that crossed my mind and accidentally brought back you? Why!?" She stomped a hoof. "Bananas, why couldn't bringing back Nyala be this easy? Why?" "He must have been removed by Stanza," Crystal managed from the side, voice tight and pained. "I told you, Stanza and I are one. I was the storage repository for brands Stanza had taken and not returned...!" "Yeah, yeah." Valey waved her aside, not even looking as she stepped toward Navarre. "...Bananas. And Stanza got blown up, now, too. Now we just have to get rid of him again." Navarre pinned back his ears. "Please just don't prolong things. I'm sorry!" Valey stood over him, detecting no likelihood of attack. She raised an eyebrow. "Um. Valey?" Nyala's voice sounded from behind her. "Look at Crystal..." "Why, what's...?" Valey turned to Crystal and blinked. The other mare was seated on the floor, teeth clenched, holding her limbs around her belly. "Oh, come on." "Please not now," Crystal whimpered. "I want Percival..." Valey thumped her head against a sack of flour. "Oh, come on! It was just a weird arcane magic shock! That's not enough to... Aww, bananas, what do I know." She flipped upright. "You! Egghead!" Navarre cowered, still chained to the wall with the collar that had kept Nyala's body from wandering off. "You stay here." Valey pointed a hoof at the floor. "Nyala, watch him. If you run away with my sister's body, I will find you, but I've got bigger things to deal with right now. Crystal, let's get you back to your room. Felicity, congrats, you get to stay with her. See whether this is a false alarm or her kid has really fantastic timing. Sound cool to everyone?" Navarre nodded as hard as he could. Crystal shakily got to her hooves, giving Valey a hard look when she offered her shoulder but taking it anyway. "I can walk. I'm not an invalid." Three minutes later, they were back in Crystal's room, Felicity quickly surveying the place. "Right, we'll need some materials and don't want to make a mess of things..." "You got that?" Valey asked, backing out through the door. "I'm gonna ask everyone and see if we can't time it to Izvaldi, really fast! She's mean, but deserves to see her dude. Gazelle can-!" She bumped into someone in a hurry through the hallway, afraid for half an instant she had jinxed it and it was Gazelle. Valey instantly let out a sigh of relief upon seeing it was Larceny. "Oh, hey. Glad you're here. Listen, we-" "We've got trouble," Larceny interrupted, pointing toward the library. "Big trouble." Felicity appeared in the doorway, giving her blue sister a stern look. "Tell me it's not more troublesome than a passenger who might have just accidentally sent herself into labor?" Valey winced. "Look, I know it was a hasty and completely random idea, but you don't need to rub it in!" Larceny fixed both of them with a piercing gaze. "Gondolus Gyre just showed up, and he wants to call in an immediate favor from everyone here. Shinespark owes him for something in round two. This is not according to plan." Valey and Felicity turned to each other and gulped. "I... Sorry, darling!" Felicity called back to Crystal. "We've got to deal with something for just a few minutes! You're a strong mare and you'll be okay, and I'll be back as quickly as I can!" She then nodded determinedly to Valey, slid the door shut, and the three set off quickly for the front of the ship. "Look, it's just a little favor," Gondolus Gyre wheedled, his large frame looking slightly less large with all his fur plastered from the rain. "And you owe me. I'm not even asking for your wish in the tournament, when let's not forget I sabotaged my own star fighter by giving you a leg up on him." "Dripping on someone's library is not a good way to ask for favors," Shinespark countered. "And asking us to publicly endorse Gyre, consider it the location for a permanent Ironridge embassy, and turn over reams of technical data relating to Sosa's airship designs in order to get your province in the air is not small! Where would you even get the money to build these things when your province is as starved as it is? You haven't even offered any incentive for this beyond 'promoting our ideas.' I'm sorry, but we don't owe you that." Lord Gyre cleared his throat. "Showing feebleness before the elements and wearing a coat is not the way of the mighty. And here I thought you wanted to help ponies and griffons who are in need. You must have heard the reputation of my province. Does it seem in need to you? I extend my own paw to help you in the tournament, and you want to withhold knowledge that would help my citizens." He shook his sopping head. "I know you have a good reputation here, in the Griffon Empire. Wouldn't it help you sleep at night if that was truly earned?" "We're not interested." Shinespark stood up. "Please leave." The soggy sphinx gave her a rude look. "I'm a lord. I can go where I please, and I'll thank you not to boss me around while pretending you owe me nothing." Gerardo, Senescey and Harshwater stood behind her, though the rest of the crew had retreated below or to their rooms. "You can go where you please within your territory," Shinespark countered, "but this ship is designated as the official embassy of Ironridge. You're standing on our soil, and here I outrank you. Please leave civilly." Gondolus Gyre raised a wet eyebrow. "You mean the city that's stranded thousands of miles away and normally takes two months for a round-trip communication, and has been out of the world economy for half a year? You're being very hostile for a diplomat, Princess Shinespark. But what's your worst resort? Declaring war on me? You and what army?" "Hi, I'm an army," Valey loudly announced, strolling arrogantly into the room. "What's up, kitty? I hear angry words and have a million things more important to do than ask why you're on our ship." Lord Gyre gave her a pitiable look. "Coming to collect on past dues. Your friends here are being very unfriendly to common sense." "Milord, I apologize, but this is not a place for you," Felicity added, stepping in beside her. "Whatever you're after, this isn't Gyre and you can't get it through intimidation and instability." "Felicity," Gondolus disappointedly purred, curling his wet lip. "I pay you to back me up in situations like this." "Oh, I'm sorry, did I forget to tell you?" Felicity checked her hoof, as if it was far more interesting than the sphinx. "We quit." "We quit," Senescey and Larceny echoed, stepping up and flanking her. Lord Gyre smiled, showing teeth, and his eye twitched. "This doesn't please me." "We're not interested in giving you large amounts of classified Ironridge information just because you ask for it," Shinespark confirmed, staring him down with everyone else. "...Be that way." The sphinx flicked his ears. "And you too, traitors. Enjoy living with yourselves." He turned and walked for the stairs. Everyone collectively released their breaths. Instead of climbing the final flight to the exit, Lord Gyre turned and stepped into the engine room. "Hey!" Valey surged forward, Shinespark and Senescey at her back. "Where do you think you're going!?" "Picking out a souvenir," Gondolus casually replied, looking around at the powered-down machinery. "Since you're being so kind as to share your technology with me, I figured I'd get a head start." Valey and Shinespark prepared to charge together. "Oh, so you want a fight, huh? Bring it, kitty!" Senescey urgently tapped their shoulders, holding them in place. Both mares looked to her just as Lord Gyre started reaching for the exposed windigo hearts... and with a tiny sliver of silver from beneath her wing, Senescey darted forward, nicked him, and was back on the staircase landing in less than a second. "Owww!" The sphinx jumped, clutching his shoulder. "That stings! What did you do?" Senescey stared levelly at him, a tiny knife in her mouth pulled from a camouflaged sheathe. "You brat!" Gondolus Gyre lurched forward, suddenly uneven in his stride. "You're going to get it! You're...! Hurrrkk!" He made it as far as the engine room door before collapsing with a strangled choking sound. Both paws gripped frantically at his neck as he rolled on the landing, grabbing uselessly while his eyes bugged in desperation and he turned blue. "...You've been poisoned," Senescey remarked with a detached look, sliding the dagger back where it belonged. Lord Gyre choked, watching her, his struggles growing fainter. "We're assassins," Senescey said, watching him die. "That's how it's always been. And now we're changing sides. You shouldn't have crossed our friends and forced our hooves. I'm sorry, but I won't lie: this was satisfying, knowing how you treated my sister. Good night." Neither Valey nor Shinespark had words as Senescey stared at her kill, Gondolus Gyre asphyxiating on a swollen windpipe. At last, he stopped moving, and everything was still. "...Did you just kill him?" Valey stared at her with wide eyes. "I killed him," Senescey confirmed, everyone else watching from the staircase. Felicity stepped forward, slowly reaching a wing for her back. "I guess we're not on Gyre's side anymo-" CRACK! Senescey screamed as a bolt of bright blue energy lanced down the stairs, missing Valey and Felicity by inches and striking her squarely in the back. The impact bowled her over, and she landed against the far wall, coat smoking slightly and eyes sightless and unseeing. "Senescey!" Felicity hurtled forward, latching onto Senescey's singed form. "Senescey, no!" At the top of the stairs, as a silhouette framed by pounding rain, High Prince Gazelle stepped into the light, the crackling tip of a freshly-fired mana pistol at his side and a thunderous look on his face. "I'm sorry, did you just make me the new Lord Gyre? Because I have not spent this long planning my rise to become the new Lord Gyre." He blew on his gun tip as he descended, fixing each and every pony with a look before ending on Felicity, tearfully cradling her sister's fallen body. The corners of his mouth upturned in a regretful grin. "You shouldn't have done that, little bat."