//------------------------------// // Apr. 2014 - Sweat, Flesh, Blood, And Bones - 5. Shenanigans // Story: RoMS' Extravaganza // by RoMS //------------------------------// New Version: Birds chirped carelessly In the middle of Canterlot’s maze as the sun rose from beneath the horizon. The sunbeams licked the façades of the castle, casting its warming touch on every surface it could reach. In a remote place of the park, a statue of a unicorn stood high in the middle of a pond. Water jetted out of its mouth and the lapping of the stream was recurring, reminding to the ponies passing by that time was moving slowly, unbearably slowly. “I’m so fucking bored!” Maria complained loudly, chasing the birds away. “Shut up,” everybody replied with the same amount of boredom. Maria, Kreps, Verdugo and Ray were sitting on a bench facing the pond, as steady as the statue. They could see the canopy of the castle from their position, but they could not care less. They sighed once again searching around them anything that could be entertaining. Yet, with nothing but their unanswered question bouncing endlessly in their heads they could experience a slow but settling depression. “Two weeks!” Maria burst out. “Two damn bloody weeks we’re stuck here, doing nothing but standing with freaking talking ponies hanging around with wide smiles on their faces! Joker faces!” She took a deep breath. “Paradise is so annoyinh!” she shouted. “Shut up…” they repeated, on the brink of punching her in the face. Maria pouted and kicked a small rock with her foot. “Can we break something?” Maria asked. “No,” Ray ordered, hiding his face behind the palms of his hands. “Can I break something?” she continued. “Definitely no!” “Party-poopers!” she growled. “We can’t do anything, and we are always being spied on. Can’t we spice up this place a tiny little bit?” The bushes behind them rustled. They all shot deadly stares back at the wall of leaves. A pink pony dashed onto the edge of the bench. And bounced on Maria’s knees who gasped under the pony’s weight. “Somepony said ‘party’?” Pinkie Pie busted into laughter. “I love parties. Do you like parties? Because everypony love minmrglghmrlgl….” Verdugo had caught Pinkie’s muzzle with only his left hand. This did not stop Pinkie from bouncing around like crazy, unaffected by Verdugo’s attempt to shut her up. In one of her joyful jolts, she carried away the wounded man. Verdugo fell on the ground, flat on his wound. A grunt later, Verdugo started wobbling, grumbling, and cursing. Pinkie Pie laughed. “Oh, oh! I love riddles!” Pinkie intoned gleefully. “You’re a snake! No, that’s silly. A reed? No that’s crazy, but… I’d say a badger!” She giggled again under the bewildered looks of the three remaining humans. Kreps was taken aback, Maria wanted to kick the pony in the face and Ray, well, he was still stuck in his facepalming stance. Pinkie Pie finally heard Verdugo’s grunts. She stopped jerking around and focused on the poor human. Verdugo kept a hand over his damaged shoulder, screwing his eyes in an attempt to hold back his tears. “I’m… I’m sorry,” Pinkie blabbered, her mane flattening instantly. “That’s okay,” the man creeping on the floor retorted. “I’ve endured worse.” “But not a talking horse!” Maria snickered with a rhyme. Pinkie and everybody except Verdugo chuckled. Maria stood up and put a foot on Verdugo’s right side. From above he looked like a snail she thought, crawling away from a shoe trying to squeeze him. Verdugo had enough and tried to get up. Resting upon his arm, he trembled. Maria kicked him in the butt and Verdugo’s head dug into the grass in front of him. Maria laughed raucously. Pinkie Pie’s eyeballed her, horrified. “Hey! That’s not cool!” A mare voice bashed Maria. “That’s even the opposite of being cool!” Rainbow Dash leaped to Verdugo’s position from behind a cloud. She tried to put him back on his feet. Verdugo was heavy and she struggled helping him to stand on his unsteady feet. She grunted as much as Verdugo in the effort. Then the bulky human pushed her away. “No. I’m fine. I don’t need help,” Verdugo said, pushing Rainbow aside. “Maria is just slightly annoying when she can’t play the game.” Pinkie gasped at the last word. “Which game?” The pink pony asked, bouncing in joy. “I love games.” Verdugo stood up and looked down at Rainbow Dash. “Oh,” he interjected, casting an eerie grin at his friends. “It is not a simple game. It is called the ‘Baraka’, an old world coming from an ancient and foreign language.” “Ancient?” a new voice beckoned from behind the pool. Twilight came to sight, curiosity driving her to slither out of her hideout. “No, really!” Kreps raged, breaking the silence he had kept for a long moment. “Is everypony here watching us secretly?” Twilight came in full sight, blushing. She refused to meet the inquisitive stares the humans were shooting at her. Verdugo cleared his throat and continued, facing Pinkie again. “Baraka means luck, because you need it in this game, a lot. Because for playing it, the two duellists will need music and weapons, a lot of weapons.” Pinkie Pie’s smile died instantly. Rainbow and Twilight arched a brow, sensing a mean trick coming quickly. “Celestia told us to not give you back the… stuff you had,” Twilight teased, putting a hoof on Pinkie’s mouth. “We’re not stupid, Verd’, is that it?” “For you, it will be Verdugo,” He bashed before giving a swift glance at Maria. “Was worth the try I guess.” He looked back at the pony trio. “You know you only have a few objects we once had. We lost all our… stuff when your yellow friend brought a dra… wyvern on us all.” Maria sighed and eyed the sky through spite. She cursed the lack of tact her friend had just shown. Verdugo shrugged back at her. “Stop blaming Fluttershy,” Rainbow Dash ordered inquisitively. “You should be concerned for her. We know she had been attacked by changelings.” The last word disturbed Kreps who was going to ask a question about the nature of those… ‘changelings’, but Verdugo cut him off. “Therefore there will be no game. And for your own knowledge, Miss Dash, Baraka is much more dangerous for those who play it…” Verdugo paused, creating a slight suspense. “…than for those who just watch. It’s like a rodeo, the first one to get hurt or out lose.” Applejack popped out of a neighbouring corridor, holding her hat in her hooves. She had this smile on her face showing that she had finally heard something that interested her. She had rings under her eyes, showing that the human conversation had been deeply tiring. “Did someone say rodeo?” Applejack beamed. The four humans raged. Then their shoulders fell a little, abandoning. “If anybody…” Maria started. “Pony!” Rarity’s and Twilight’s voices corrected together as the mannered pony joined the group. Maria stared blankly at her. “If anypony could stop spying us! We ain’t monsters or lepers.” At the moment, they all wanted to stand up and leave. Having a bunch of ponies on their tracks was something they refused to let happen again. The ambiance defiled so rapidly it was poignant. Ray took the next step and yelled. “If anypony is spying on us right now, you can get out of your hideout and come here. It is not like we’re gonna eat you.” “But horse mea…” Verdugo added, only to get wacked back on the ground by Maria. A small bunny showed itself from the opposite of the square, pulling with him a butter yellow pony. Fluttershy cringed on her hooves once everypony and body had stuck their eyes on her. She shivered and covered her eyes like it was of any help. “We said everypony,” Ray asserted. Finally, four ponies showed up in pairs. Ray, Maria and the two other humans frowned, they did not know those faces. Celestia smiled at the muted child toddling inside the chamber of the throne. Only a couple of guards were present, standing still beyond the threshold of the gate. With her magic the princess levitated Luna’s teddy-bear and handed it to the kid. He grasped it greedily and rewarded the princess with a smile comparable to Pinkie Pie’s, like an alien version of it. “Luna will send me to the sun for this,” Celestia snorted with a small chuckle. The child ran around the vast room and laughed, surprising Celestia. The child’s genuine happiness was contagious. The child’s steps echoed on the marbled floor and the sound flew into the hallway leading to the room. Somepony cleared their throat and Celestia raised her eyes. A spokespony had just entered. Respectful, he bent to the princess. He had a several scrolls under his hoof, and in spite of his assertiveness, he seemed ill-at-ease. Celestia had a talent to pierce the masks of her subjects, one thousand years of experience was everything but irrelevant. Whatever the effort the spokespony would have put in staying as expressive as a rock, Celestia would have known. Sometimes, guards swore the princesses could read minds. Celestia arched a brow and the emissary took a deep breath. “We might have a problem. A big one.” The pony licked his lips, moistening them as the words he was going to say was making him sweat. “Somepony invited nearly all nations in the world to a reception in Canterlot. Today…” he finally said. Celestia slipped off her throne, eyes wide open. She laughed dryly and then snickered, still with a pinch of hesitation. “You’re kidding me right? Just tell me you’re joking?” she asked, unassured. “Somepony replicated official invitations with your signature…” The spokespony bit his lower lips. “The guests do think it is official.” “That’s really bad,” Celestia whispered, biting her tongue. She fretted, thinking at a fast-pace about the best way to get out of this plight. Another question sparked in her mind, the identity of the prankster. Pinkie? No, even if she was the queen of the tricksters, she knew that such a matter was not laughable. She would not have. Celestia could not come up with a perfect suspect. She was enraged, but shovelled her anger deep inside. “How much delegations are coming?” Celestia asked with a knot in her heart. “And when?” “Tonight, and there are at least a hundred expected emissaries,” the spokespony blurted out. Even he had a hard time believing it. “This will be a long night,” Celestia grumbled. “Take a note please. We’re going to need some help.” “What’s your names?” Maria asked, drumming on ground with her foot. “Your mothers never told you that spying was bad, m’kay?” The four ponies had lowered their head, ashamed and refusing to meet the woman’s eyes. The first pair of ponies was a contrasting couple. Two mares with completely different mane styles and colours. “Name’s Bon Bon,” the mare with a beige coat and a magnificent curled navy blue and pink mane said. “But it’s Lyra who got me here!” “Hey?!” her stooge shot back, ruffling her white and turquoise hair. Maria sighed and turned around to face the second group of spies. She eyed them with an inquisitive gaze. The group was as colourful as the first one. It was also like looking at a clash between two opposite lifestyles. The first mare was as white-coated as Rarity but her mane was ruffled, sharp and made of a blend of blue flashy locks like streaks of lightning bolt slashing the sky. Her eyes were hidden behind two massive purple sunglasses. The second pony was all mannered. Did Rarity have a sister? Her grey fur matched with a well-done dark grey mane. She had a pink bow tie. Both of them showed a music-related cutie-mark. “Vinyl Scratch,” the first mare said, wobbling her head to pull back her headphones on her neck. “And she is Octavia, my roommate.” She saluted the humans, raising her eyes toward the sky as Vinyl was jumping on her hooves, not hiding her excitement. “Did you say music?” she moved on. Maria shrugged, she had not seen these ponies before, but they already seemed to be accustomed seeing alien creatures. News were going fast around Canterlot. “Hey, what did you expect? Verd’ said it all. No weapons, no music,” Maria sniggered. “Oh, come on!” Vinyl complained. “I’m sure you have some good music from your world… like electro, wubs...” Every human fixed her with blank eyes. “You have music instruments?” a deep voice asked. Everybody and everypony turned on their feet or hooves and looked at Verdugo. He received weird looks. “You’re interested in music now?” Ray asked with a pinch of irony. “No,” Verdugo replied instantly. “But between sitting here and going to see something, it’s damn easy to choose.” His friends nodded. “And I don’t want to have that purple uni-thing to drown me with ‘tard questions.” Twilight sat close to the bench and pouted, vexed. Everybody laughed except Twilight who seemed to shrink on her hooves, covering her ears as the chuckles reminded her some dark times of her past… the kindergarten. “Oh sugarcube,” AppleJack started, putting her hoof on Twilight’s shoulder. “We’re sorry.” “I ain’t,” Maria replied. “Me too,” Verdugo added. Everypony glared daggers at them. They were not making the situation easier. Ray interposed, stopping the upcoming strife. “Well,” he settled. “Don’t we have some instruments to see?” Octavia nodded and, with everypony and everybody in tow, she went to a shop she knew well. Yet, she could not fight back this eerie impression she was going to regret it. “Luna!” Celestia cried out. The Princess of the Sun burst through the doors of her sister’s private chamber. She stopped and looked at the scene. Luna was having her own temper tantrum, turning her furniture upside down, shaking them to squeeze their content out with her magic. Pillows were ripped open, the bed linens had been thrown out of the window and her many toy boxes were sliced in half. When Celestia entered, Luna looked at her and saw the small human behind. Luna’s pupil shrunk to pinpricks when she saw her teddy-bear. “You,” she whispered with anger. “We meet again.” The child stuck his tongue out at her and disappeared in the hallway, running. Luna was ready to leap in his tow and chase him down, but Celestia blocked her way. “We’ve got more decisive things to do Sister,” she claimed. Luna was not convinced, forcing Celestia to take her time explaining the situation. Luna’s mouth opened wide when she heard that a sword of Damocles was hanging above them. “Who could do that?” Luna asked, awe stricken. “I have no idea. But we have to set up the castle before the arrivals in a few hours.” “Can’t we just all send them back home?” Celestia sighed. Her horn glowed white and with the same scintillating colour, quotation marks appeared in the air. “Diplomacy,” Celestia spelled ironically. “Do you speak it?” Luna grunted. “We have to set up the castle! Fast!” Celestia hurried, before she started running away to pump some stress into Canterlot’s staff. “What do we do with the humans?” Luna asked hesitantly before her sister left the throne room. Celestia stopped, her shoulders falling slightly. She gave a low grumble. Luna had revealed her sister’s ignorance on this issue. “This is a spine in my heel.” Celestia facehooved in front of her younger sister. “I take care of the castle. You, go and hide the humans.” Celestia teleported away in a white wisp. Luna’s face went red. “Why me?” She cried out her discontentment and looked around, nopony was there to listen to her. She did not even know where the group of primates were, and with the little one on the loose, it was going to be a hell of an afternoon. Luna ran into every room of the castle and found nopony that could help her. Then she headed to the catacombs of the castle, humans liked creepy things, right? They should have been there. Unfortunately, Luna only found old and dusty skulls. There was only one place she had not checked yet… the outside. The immense, flat or steep outside where the humans were within the sight of everypony. She cursed them for being so reckless. What if the incoming guests saw them? It would be a catastrophe. And the child, Luna was convinced he was looking at her from the depths of a shadow, right behind her, grinning. She was convinced he was mocking her while holding her teddy-bear. Luna was angry, and at the moment, she sought for nothing but an argument with somepony, or somebody. “Anyone of them would do fine,” she said with a grin and crept out of the catacombs. The surroundings of the castle, the parks and mazes were empty of human life and even Twilight and her friends were nowhere to be found. Luna was going to burst out. There was only one place she had not ventured in… Canterlot’s city. And oh god she knew she hated that place! She hated it so much for the stares she usually got back from everypony. She was a princess and thus, seeing her among the mortalswas considered as disrespectful for her own person. She never entered a shop and never bought anything. Secretly she thrived to try, at least for a day, to be a casual pony. She desired to hang around this kingdom her sister had run all on her own for centuries. Luna got an idea. In a pop, Luna changed into her filly’s shape, a light blue coated form that had not even her cutie mark. She felt like she had become one thousand years younger. She was far smaller than what she was used to. Everything seemed gigantic and unreachable. It was an eerie feeling, scary. And to be honest, she was also a bit amused. But she would never confess it. She shook her head and looked at Canterlot’s city. It was time to take a tour inside. Ponies stepped aside as fast as lizards fleeing a threat. The sight of the four humans accompanying a hoof-full of ponies was surprising, if not unsettling. And nopony dared to cross their path. Octavia headed the procession with Verdugo and Maria at her sides. She was not feeling good. Two large shadows cast on her back raised the fur on her neck. A chill ran beneath her skin. Only Lyra was really fascinated by the humans, and she did not hide herself from it. It was indeed a fascination, but a different kind from what Twilight had shown since the first contact. Lyra was annoying the thinner of the four creatures, Kreps. Mimicking Pinkie Pie, she was bouncing around the human, holding one of his hands in her hooves. True sadness was scarring Kreps’s face. And it’s with badly-repressed smiles that everypony and everybody were looking at the weird and loud duo. “Hey!” Kreps shouted. “Get over with that. I don’t want to get a fan club.” “This is irrelevant,” Lyra answered back. “You’re too extraordinary to let you… just go.” At the back of the queue, Applejack titled her head toward Rainbow Dash. “Ah’m thinking that we’ve found Twilight’s twin.” The two ponies chuckled. Everypony in Canterlot was aware of the humans staying within the walls of the city. They had been informed by Celestia and Luna. Yet, they had been forbidden to talk about it to strangers and ponies from the outside. The humans were kept in Canterlot as prisoners inside a golden jail. “Here we are,” Octavia announced. They all raised their heads and read the writing above the front door, ‘Absolute’s melody’. It was one of the old buildings of Canterlot. The front window was only showing closed navy blue curtains. “Well,” Maria initiated. “I’d have expected somethin’ fancier, coming from a talking pony.” “My name is Octavia,” the mare before her retorted. “And it’s a friend’s boutique. I will not complain about it. So won’t you.” Maria put her hands up, mimicking a scared foal. “Watch out, we have an angry pony over here.” Verdugo, Ray and Kreps laughed raucously. Octavia cursed them all and pushed the door inward. All followed. The inside of the store was blanketed with beige velvet. But the most amazing part was the hundreds of music instruments strewn over the place. Ray whistled with Verdugo and Kreps. Only one thing disturbed the group. The room was plunged into a slight darkness. Only shafts lights poured through the curtains. “Eh, eh you like what you see?” a feminine voice rose from a corner of the boutique. “Absolute… how many times did I tell you not to stay in the dark?” Octavia reprimanded. “We can’t see anything in this blackness.” The mare called Absolute chuckled. Octavia opened wide the curtains and sunlight flooded the room instantly. More than one pony blinked, eyes aching. The mare, a unicorn, in the boutique had two black glasses hiding her eyes. She had a brown fur and her mane was black. Next to her, given to see to everyone and everypony, was a walking stick. “Octavia, you know that’s useless for me, light,” she joked. “Maybe for you, but you won’t get earnings if you can’t attract clients. I’m not your boss you know. You should start thinking about yourself a little.” Absolute gave another chuckle as Verdugo walked around noisily, looking at the instruments. “You bring a minotaur here Octavia?” Absolute growled. “I thought I’ve already told you that they always break my instruments, they are too strong! My work need dexterousness.” “I don’t think we are minotaurs,” Maria retorted, she looked at Kreps. “Are we?” “Erm…” Kreps tried to reply. He was not really good at improvising. Maria looked back at Absolute and found the blind pony standing only an inch from her. The mare slowly raised her hoof and probed Maria’s face, searching for known features. “You must be the creatures that everypony is talking about,” she guessed. “Clever girl,” Kreps deadpanned, winking at Verdugo. Both laughed. Ray scowled at them, asking for silence. “Don’t worry, just a reference from a movie from our world,” Ray explained to the frowning ponies Rainbow Dash was the first to grumble. “Well, shall I show you around?” Absolute asked. “Of course,” Twilight cut off before any human reply with a stupid sentence or quote. Luna had tracked down the path left by the humans for nearly an hour. And now, she had found herself facing a dusty and old store. She jumped back when the curtains behind the window burst open, and hid behind a cart passing by before anypony could see her. A few seconds later, she made the decision to peer an eye through the door. She saw twelve ponies, and the four humans she was searching for inside. Thinking quickly, Luna cast a simple invisibility spell on herself and slithered in. “So, around here you’ll see cellos like the one Octavia owns,” Absolute explained. “Shush!” Octavia berated. “I don’t want ponies to know that my cello isn’t a unique one-of-a-kind model.” Luna chuckled, she knew Octavia for being one of the main musicians of the castle. She was always showing off her cello, pretending it was unique. Luna would now have a reason for Octavia to play more for her. Absolute gave a cute laugh and went on. She showed off her violins, lyres, double basses, saxophones, flutes, pipes, oboes and on and on for what seemed to be eons. As blind as she was, she could not see the bored expressions on everyone’s faces. Yet, no pony or human dared to disturb her. She was nearly in trance and nopony wanted to snap her out of it. Talking about the work she had done with her own hooves was a hobby she could not often do, she had probably only a few clients. To her avail, her instruments were a wonderful work. Luna stayed still in a corner of the room, invisible. Immobile she could not refrain herself from smiling as Maria drew bunny’s ears with her hand behind Absolute’s head. Footsteps echoed. Luna saw Verdugo breaking the circle. The human drifted toward an alcove next to him. A curtain hid the content of the chamber, flooded into darkness. Stares shot at him as he had cut Absolute’s speech. “Hey,” Applejack tried to contest. Verdugo was stomping correctness with not a pinch of care. “I just want to know what’s behind,” he growled. “Can’t you ask before?” “No.” Verdugo slid the veil on its rod and went inside. Twilight and Octavia followed. The second room was an empty space where a massive instrument was standing alone in the middle. A translucent Luna infiltrated the room in silence. She stood next to the wall where nopony could catch her. Octavia sighed. “Oh, the piano…” she said. Verdugo was awe struck, his mouth opened slightly. Amazed, he transfixed the instrument taking a nearly religious stance. A hoof full of heads stood in the frame of the door and stared at the human. Verdugo raised his only valid hand, trembling. He pull a single not from the ebony piano. The tone was grave and echoed in the chamber. Octavia frowned and looked at her friend Absolute, standing in the threshold of the door. “I thought you had got rid of that bunch of wood. It’s a griffon’s model, it isn’t useful for us pony.” Verdugo’s hand slipped on the keyboard of the piano and produced an ear-splitting tuning. “You said… what?” he erupted. Surprise got hold of Octavia. She cringed on her hooves at the sight of Verdugo’s bloodshot eyes. If they had the potential, they would have glowed bright red. “N… nothing,” she muttered. Verdugo was on the brink to let his anger flow out. “You said it was useless.” Octavia ran with sweat. “… for ponies,” she specified Verdugo’s rage exploded. “You don’t know what true music is!” Octavia wanted to reply, but stopped. Her eyes went watery, and big tears dripped on her cheeks. She dashed out of the piano room, crying, bumped into Absolute and Rainbow Dash and fled outside. Nopony tried to hold her back. Once every pair of eyes came back on Verdugo, they all saw the crippled human boiling red. “Just… get the fuck out,” Verdugo clamoured. “I need to be alone.” Twilight murmured they had to find out where Octavia had gone. And they all passed by the entrance door. Luna, still muted felt sweat running on her face, she knew she had to keep track of every human in Canterlot, she had to follow Maria, Ray and Kreps. But, she was not sure about leaving Verdugo alone her. He was dangerous after all. She took a short minute to make up her mind and choose to Twilight, keeping her invisibility up. Only Verdugo and the blind instrument maker stayed in the boutique. Verdugo faced the piano again and tried to play one-handed. His right hand stumbled and played a wrong tone. With rage spread on his face, Verdugo banged the keyboard with his hand. Then he let himself fall on the ground, laying. It has been too long since he had touched a piano for the last time. He gave a swift sob, then grunted. Absolute could not see but Verdugo was constricting the stump replacing his left arm so much that drops of blood dripped over his bandages. Pain numbed his body. The human shivered. “Something’s wrong,” Absolute asked, hesitant. “Phantom limb,” Verdugo replied between two sobs. “It hurts.” Absolute moved closer. She groped around the wound and understood Verdugo’s plight. The blind mare felt dizzy. Half an hour passed before she broke the ice. “I’m… I’m so sorry,” she said. “You shouldn’t. You’ve done nothing for breaking me.” “What are… were you?” Verdugo sobbed, then took a deep breath. “I was a professional pianist. You know before… No you don’t know… My world has been destroyed, and with him a lot of stuffs were lost or broken apart. When I saw it,” he continued, mentioning the piano. “I… it was the first time in years I’ve seen one, one that did work.” He grunted again, holding the shoulder of his amputated limb. “Funny thing is that fate must hate me… I find a working piano but I had to lose my arm just before… Fucking fair trade.” “Don’t think about it, you can’t fight to get back what is already lost… you have to get over with it. I could have stay in the dark, depressing because I lost my eyesight. But I moved on.” Absolute smiled at the human. Verdugo ruffled her mane gently. “I’m not over with my period of mourning. I’ve lost so much. And I’ve made a choice a while ago. I can’t back anymore and I will carry on. But I see so much memories surfacing along the path… Sometimes I just let the doubts drowning me. I just can’t kick them away. I try to, for my friends, but… It’s so difficult sometimes.” Absolute nodded. “Could you leave me alone here for a moment,” Verdugo asked. “I just need some time.” Verdugo wiped off tears from his face and saw Absolute acquiescing. She left him in the alcove and went through a secondary door that should go to the backyard of the store. Verdugo faced the piano in silence. Outside, the night was slowly setting and the interior was getting darker as minutes passed. “I never thought you would be that sentimental,” a voice whispered at his ears. Verdugo jumped with surprise. Twilight was right next to him. He had not heard her enter. “You were spying on me?” verdugo asked. “No, I mean… Yes,” she lowered her eyes, shameful. “But you know. You, Kreps, Maria, Ray and that child all came from a world I cannot imagine. You’re an object of curiosity for me. I must understand your group, what you went through, how you can adapt to Equestria. And of course, how you can threaten it.” Verdugo smiled. “Thanks for your outspokenness, your highness. I…” “I understand that you have chosen, maybe sworn an oath to protect your friends, whatever the cost. And I understand that you want to retrieve your weapons. It’s dear to you.” Twilight dropped a key on the floor. “Near of the garrison, there is the armoury. And right next to it there is a room. Here we locked the weapons we’ve taken from you. To get to it easily, just use one of the garrison backdoor. The guards are doing their shifts you won’t annoy anypony like this.” Verdugo’s face brightened. Strangely he hugged the young alicorn for rather a long time. “Awkward,” Twilight added. “I must go, thanks.” Verdugo jumped on his feet and was nearly out of the store when Twilight called him. “We also found your metal box, the exact way you described it.” Verdugo left the place running, leaving Twilight with a grin on her lips and a green light in her eyes. “Okay,” Vinyl said. “We should split to find Octavia.” “Well,” Maria countered. “Ponies and Humans form two different groups first.” “Y’all not gonna give up and walk back ta your rooms?” Applejack asked, suspicious. “No,” Maria laughed. “But I’ve had enough walking with… y’all for today.” Rarity huffed. “So be it,” the fashion pony declared. They separated and went down opposite ways. But thereafter, everypony found out that they had all to split again. Canterlot was huge after all. And therefore, Twilight walked down her own street, all alone. “Oh goddesses, why do I always have to face a jerk that can’t hold back his tongue,” she berated. “I…” Luna popped in front of Twilight so abruptly that she shrieked in terror. “Twilight! It’s just me, Luna.” Panting, Twilight got a grip on herself. “Don’t do that… ever again, understood?” “Sorry,” Luna giggled. “But I have bad news.” Luna explained the sudden trick Canterlot had fallen to, the impromptu invitations, the hundreds of guests coming over and the probable mess if the humans were to be discovered. “But tonight… it’s like in one hour!” Twilight shouted, her eyes shot open. Her head reeled, she had to rethink her whole schedule. “I guess you don’t know who planned this?” Luna shook her head and took a deep breath. “We don’t know.” she hesitated. “I’ve chosen to give back the weapons to the humans. They might be useful if somepony decided to attack.” Twilight did not reply instantly. She gave a strange look at the Princess, she sighed thereafter. “I guess you’re right. Does Celestia know?” “Not yet, I have to tell her. But acknowledge that for the moment I’m too busy to take care of it, if you see my sister, tell her that what the humans will do tonight is on your behalf. You must make sure that they are kept in security.” Twilight hesitated. “Don’t fret,” Luna reassured. “Go now. Celestia needs you.” Twilight dashed in the next alley, only her duty in mind. Luna smiled and gave a laugh. She swivelled soon on her hooves and a green flash revealed a tall and slender black pony-shaped creature. Her algae-like mane crawled on her face and her white smile changed into a wide grin. Next to her appeared a young blue coated filly with no cutie mark. The young pony was glued to the ground with slimy rivets and her mouth was gagged. “Too bad that you won’t participate to the party tonight, princess,” the taller changeling queen that had called herself Luna snickered. Celestia had to thank her subjects, the whole castle had been reshaped so fast it was a new record. The hallways shone with golden, ruby and silver draperies. The banquet room was overwhelmed with food and the air smelt of lavender. Celestia was proud of her little ponies. She swore internally she would reward them greatly. Yet, she had to greet every diplomat that had come inside Canterlot at the moment. It was boring. “Welcome to Canterlot, Lady Andraste,” Celestia announced, shaking the talon of the Griffin Empire’s Emissary. “Thank thee Princess, I’m thrilled to hear the reason why thou hast invited so many individuals from abroad Equestria. Your letter was quite surprising,” the griffon chuckled and passed by the princess. Celestia’s ears twitched. She felt stress getting a grasp on her. “Welcome to Canterlot, Sir Baramond,” Celestia announced, shaking the hoof of the Saddle Arabia’s horse representative. The diplomat smiled. “Thank you, Princess Celestia. How do you do since that last time two years ago?” “Quite well,” she answered. “Your letter was really funny, I can’t wait for your presentation,” Baramond said before joining the crowd queuing for the buffet. “I…” Celestia tried. The princess laughed dryly. Would she get any tips about the content of the letters? Where was Luna and Twilight? Celestia felt her hooves trembling in their majestic golden horseshoes. And then she saw the opportunity. A Condor from the Andine Federation and a bear from Sibearia were bargaining over their letters. The princess drifted toward the duo. “Everything is okay my lords,” she asked. “Oh Princess,” the massive bear said, surprised. “Your venue occurred at the right time. My friend and I are trying to understand the item you sent to both of us. But we are clueless.” Celestia asked to see them, pretending she did not remember which items she had send to them. The Condor had received a long cable of copper protected by a sheath of an unknown matter. The bear had been given a small bulb made of glass containing a strangely shaped wire of metal. Building on her thousand years old art of masquerade, Celestia smiled and gave them nothing to chew on. “Oh, you will see sooner or later,” Celestia said mystically. Both diplomats shrugged with a smile. It was bad, everybody was present and the Princess was alone to manage the banquet, and the stares and hoofshakes she was given betrayed that all the guests were impatient about her announcement, whatever it should be. She had to hurry… The assembly went silent so quickly it spooked Celestia. She raised her head searching for the evidence of an incident between two attendees. But her ears caught something instead. A whistle… no, it was a song, and the singer was singing loudly. “Mon petit oiseau a pris sa volée, Mon petit oiseau a pris sa volée, A pris sa… à la volette, A pris sa… à la volette, A pris sa volée,” Everybody had frozen,watching a massive gate carved in the wall opposed to Celestia’s location. It gave on the hallway leading to the garrison. “Il s’est appuyé sur un oranger, Il s’est appuyé sur un oranger, Sur un o… à la volette, Sur un o… à la volette, Sur un oranger…” And then the gate slid on its hinges and what Celestia feared happened. Turning his back to the crowd, Verdugo entered the banquet room, dragging a heavy metal case with his only arm left. He was sweating heavily and had taken off his shirt, unveiling all his ugly scars and marks, as well as his stump. After a few meters inside the room, he stopped to catch his breath. But it went short-lived as he heard a mumble behind him. On instinct, he jumped to face the origin of the sound. And more than a hundred pairs of eyes met his own. “Oh fuck man.” Old Version: Birds chirped carelessly In the middle of Canterlot’s maze as the sun rose from beneath the horizon. The sunbeams licked the façades of the castle, casting its warming touch on every surface it could reach. In a remote place of the park, a statue of a unicorn stood high in the middle of a pond. Water jetted out of its mouth and the lapping of the stream was recurring, reminding to the ponies passing by that time was moving slowly, unbearably slowly. “I’m so fucking bored!” Maria complained loudly, chasing the birds away. “Shut up,” everybody replied with the same amount of boredom. Maria, Kreps, Verdugo and Ray were sitting on a bench facing the pond, as steady as the statue. They could see the canopy of the castle from their position, but they could not care less. They sighed once again searching around them anything that could be entertaining. Yet, with nothing but their unanswered question bouncing endlessly in their heads they could experience a slow but settling depression. “Two weeks!” Maria burst out. “Two damn bloody weeks we’re stuck here, doing nothing but standing with freaking talking ponies hanging around with wide smiles on their faces! Joker faces!” She took a deep breath. “Paradise is so annoyinh!” she shouted. “Shut up…” they repeated, on the brink of punching her in the face. Maria pouted and kicked a small rock with her foot. “Can we break something?” Maria asked. “No,” Ray ordered, hiding his face behind the palms of his hands. “Can I break something?” she continued. “Definitely no!” “Party-poopers!” she growled. “We can’t do anything, and we are always being spied on. Can’t we spice up this place a tiny little bit?” The bushes behind them rustled. They all shot deadly stares back at the wall of leaves. A pink pony dashed onto the edge of the bench. And bounced on Maria’s knees who gasped under the pony’s weight. “Somepony said ‘party’?” Pinkie Pie busted into laughter. “I love parties. Do you like parties? Because everypony love minmrglghmrlgl….” Verdugo had caught Pinkie’s muzzle with only his left hand. This did not stop Pinkie from bouncing around like crazy, unaffected by Verdugo’s attempt to shut her up. In one of her joyful jolts, she carried away the wounded man. Verdugo fell on the ground, flat on his wound. A grunt later, Verdugo started wobbling, grumbling, and cursing. Pinkie Pie laughed. “Oh, oh! I love riddles!” Pinkie intoned gleefully. “You’re a snake! No, that’s silly. A reed? No that’s crazy, but… I’d say a badger!” She giggled again under the bewildered looks of the three remaining humans. Kreps was taken aback, Maria wanted to kick the pony in the face and Ray, well, he was still stuck in his facepalming stance. Pinkie Pie finally heard Verdugo’s grunts. She stopped jerking around and focused on the poor human. Verdugo kept a hand over his damaged shoulder, screwing his eyes in an attempt to hold back his tears. “I’m… I’m sorry,” Pinkie blabbered, her mane flattening instantly. “That’s okay,” the man creeping on the floor retorted. “I’ve endured worse.” “But not a talking horse!” Maria snickered with a rhyme. Pinkie and everybody except Verdugo chuckled. Maria stood up and put a foot on Verdugo’s right side. From above he looked like a snail she thought, crawling away from a shoe trying to squeeze him. Verdugo had enough and tried to get up. Resting upon his arm, he trembled. Maria kicked him in the butt and Verdugo’s head dug into the grass in front of him. Maria laughed raucously. Pinkie Pie’s eyeballed her, horrified. “Hey! That’s not cool!” A mare voice bashed Maria. “That’s even the opposite of being cool!” Rainbow Dash leaped to Verdugo’s position from behind a cloud. She tried to put him back on his feet. Verdugo was heavy and she struggled helping him to stand on his unsteady feet. She grunted as much as Verdugo in the effort. Then the bulky human pushed her away. “No. I’m fine. I don’t need help,” Verdugo said, pushing Rainbow aside. “Maria is just slightly annoying when she can’t play the game.” Pinkie gasped at the last word. “Which game?” The pink pony asked, bouncing in joy. “I love games.” Verdugo stood up and looked down at Rainbow Dash. “Oh,” he interjected, casting an eerie grin at his friends. “It is not a simple game. It is called the ‘Baraka’, an old world coming from an ancient and foreign language.” “Ancient?” a new voice beckoned from behind the pool. Twilight came to sight, curiosity driving her to slither out of her hideout. “No, really!” Kreps raged, breaking the silence he had kept for a long moment. “Is everypony here watching us secretly?” Twilight came in full sight, blushing. She refused to meet the inquisitive stares the humans were shooting at her. Verdugo cleared his throat and continued, facing Pinkie again. “Baraka means luck, because you need it in this game, a lot. Because for playing it, the two duellists will need music and weapons, a lot of weapons.” Pinkie Pie’s smile died instantly. Rainbow and Twilight arched a brow, sensing a mean trick coming quickly. “Celestia told us to not give you back the… stuff you had,” Twilight teased, putting a hoof on Pinkie’s mouth. “We’re not stupid, Verd’, is that it?” “For you, it will be Verdugo,” He bashed before giving a swift glance at Maria. “Was worth the try I guess.” He looked back at the pony trio. “You know you only have a few objects we once had. We lost all our… stuff when your yellow friend brought a dra… wyvern on us all.” Maria sighed and eyed the sky through spite. She cursed the lack of tact her friend had just shown. Verdugo shrugged back at her. “Stop blaming Fluttershy,” Rainbow Dash ordered inquisitively. “You should be concerned for her. We know she had been attacked by changelings.” The last word disturbed Kreps who was going to ask a question about the nature of those… ‘changelings’, but Verdugo cut him off. “Therefore there will be no game. And for your own knowledge, Miss Dash, Baraka is much more dangerous for those who play it…” Verdugo paused, creating a slight suspense. “…than for those who just watch. It’s like a rodeo, the first one to get hurt or out lose.” Applejack popped out of a neighbouring corridor, holding her hat in her hooves. She had this smile on her face showing that she had finally heard something that interested her. She had rings under her eyes, showing that the human conversation had been deeply tiring. “Did someone say rodeo?” Applejack beamed. The four humans raged. Then their shoulders fell a little, abandoning. “If anybody…” Maria started. “Pony!” Rarity’s and Twilight’s voices corrected together as the mannered pony joined the group. Maria stared blankly at her. “If anypony could stop spying us! We ain’t monsters or lepers.” At the moment, they all wanted to stand up and leave. Having a bunch of ponies on their tracks was something they refused to let happen again. The ambiance defiled so rapidly it was poignant. Ray took the next step and yelled. “If anypony is spying on us right now, you can get out of your hideout and come here. It is not like we’re gonna eat you.” “But horse mea…” Verdugo added, only to get wacked back on the ground by Maria. A small bunny showed itself from the opposite of the square, pulling with him a butter yellow pony. Fluttershy cringed on her hooves once everypony and body had stuck their eyes on her. She shivered and covered her eyes like it was of any help. “We said everypony,” Ray asserted. Finally, four ponies showed up in pairs. Ray, Maria and the two other humans frowned, they did not know those faces. Celestia smiled at the muted child toddling inside the chamber of the throne. Only a couple of guards were present, standing still beyond the threshold of the gate. With her magic the princess levitated Luna’s teddy-bear and handed it to the kid. He grasped it greedily and rewarded the princess with a smile comparable to Pinkie Pie’s, like an alien version of it. “Luna will send me to the sun for this,” Celestia snorted with a small chuckle. The child ran around the vast room and laughed, surprising Celestia. The child’s genuine happiness was contagious. The child’s steps echoed on the marbled floor and the sound flew into the hallway leading to the room. Somepony cleared their throat and Celestia raised her eyes. A spokespony had just entered. Respectful, he bent to the princess. He had a several scrolls under his hoof, and in spite of his assertiveness, he seemed ill-at-ease. Celestia had a talent to pierce the masks of her subjects, one thousand years of experience was everything but irrelevant. Whatever the effort the spokespony would have put in staying as expressive as a rock, Celestia would have known. Sometimes, guards swore the princesses could read minds. Celestia arched a brow and the emissary took a deep breath. “We might have a problem. A big one.” The pony licked his lips, moistening them as the words he was going to say was making him sweat. “Somepony invited nearly all nations in the world to a reception in Canterlot. Today…” he finally said. Celestia slipped off her throne, eyes wide open. She laughed dryly and then snickered, still with a pinch of hesitation. “You’re kidding me right? Just tell me you’re joking?” she asked, unassured. “Somepony replicated official invitations with your signature…” The spokespony bit his lower lips. “The guests do think it is official.” “That’s really bad,” Celestia whispered, biting her tongue. She fretted, thinking at a fast-pace about the best way to get out of this plight. Another question sparked in her mind, the identity of the prankster. Pinkie? No, even if she was the queen of the tricksters, she knew that such a matter was not laughable. She would not have. Celestia could not come up with a perfect suspect. She was enraged, but shovelled her anger deep inside. “How much delegations are coming?” Celestia asked with a knot in her heart. “And when?” “Tonight, and there are at least a hundred expected emissaries,” the spokespony blurted out. Even he had a hard time believing it. “This will be a long night,” Celestia grumbled. “Take a note please. We’re going to need some help.” “What’s your names?” Maria asked, drumming on ground with her foot. “Your mothers never told you that spying was bad, m’kay?” The four ponies had lowered their head, ashamed and refusing to meet the woman’s eyes. The first pair of ponies was a contrasting couple. Two mares with completely different mane styles and colours. “Name’s Bon Bon,” the mare with a beige coat and a magnificent curled navy blue and pink mane said. “But it’s Lyra who got me here!” “Hey?!” her stooge shot back, ruffling her white and turquoise hair. Maria sighed and turned around to face the second group of spies. She eyed them with an inquisitive gaze. The group was as colourful as the first one. It was also like looking at a clash between two opposite lifestyles. The first mare was as white-coated as Rarity but her mane was ruffled, sharp and made of a blend of blue flashy locks like streaks of lightning bolt slashing the sky. Her eyes were hidden behind two massive purple sunglasses. The second pony was all mannered. Did Rarity have a sister? Her grey fur matched with a well-done dark grey mane. She had a pink bow tie. Both of them showed a music-related cutie-mark. “Vinyl Scratch,” the first mare said, wobbling her head to pull back her headphones on her neck. “And she is Octavia, my roommate.” She saluted the humans, raising her eyes toward the sky as Vinyl was jumping on her hooves, not hiding her excitement. “Did you say music?” she moved on. Maria shrugged, she had not seen these ponies before, but they already seemed to be accustomed seeing alien creatures. News were going fast around Canterlot. “Hey, what did you expect? Verd’ said it all. No weapons, no music,” Maria sniggered. “Oh, come on!” Vinyl complained. “I’m sure you have some good music from your world… like electro, wubs...” Every human fixed her with blank eyes. “You have music instruments?” a deep voice asked. Everybody and everypony turned on their feet or hooves and looked at Verdugo. He received weird looks. “You’re interested in music now?” Ray asked with a pinch of irony. “No,” Verdugo replied instantly. “But between sitting here and going to see something, it’s damn easy to choose.” His friends nodded. “And I don’t want to have that purple uni-thing to drown me with ‘tard questions.” Twilight sat close to the bench and pouted, vexed. Everybody laughed except Twilight who seemed to shrink on her hooves, covering her ears as the chuckles reminded her some dark times of her past… the kindergarten. “Oh sugarcube,” AppleJack started, putting her hoof on Twilight’s shoulder. “We’re sorry.” “I ain’t,” Maria replied. “Me too,” Verdugo added. Everypony glared daggers at them. They were not making the situation easier. Ray interposed, stopping the upcoming strife. “Well,” he settled. “Don’t we have some instruments to see?” Octavia nodded and, with everypony and everybody in tow, she went to a shop she knew well. Yet, she could not fight back this eerie impression she was going to regret it. “Luna!” Celestia cried out. The Princess of the Sun burst through the doors of her sister’s private chamber. She stopped and looked at the scene. Luna was having her own temper tantrum, turning her furniture upside down, shaking them to squeeze their content out with her magic. Pillows were ripped open, the bed linens had been thrown out of the window and her many toy boxes were sliced in half. When Celestia entered, Luna looked at her and saw the small human behind. Luna’s pupil shrunk to pinpricks when she saw her teddy-bear. “You,” she whispered with anger. “We meet again.” The child stuck his tongue out at her and disappeared in the hallway, running. Luna was ready to leap in his tow and chase him down, but Celestia blocked her way. “We’ve got more decisive things to do Sister,” she claimed. Luna was not convinced, forcing Celestia to take her time explaining the situation. Luna’s mouth opened wide when she heard that a sword of Damocles was hanging above them. “Who could do that?” Luna asked, awe stricken. “I have no idea. But we have to set up the castle before the arrivals in a few hours.” “Can’t we just all send them back home?” Celestia sighed. Her horn glowed white and with the same scintillating colour, quotation marks appeared in the air. “Diplomacy,” Celestia spelled ironically. “Do you speak it?” Luna grunted. “We have to set up the castle! Fast!” Celestia hurried, before she started running away to pump some stress into Canterlot’s staff. “What do we do with the humans?” Luna asked hesitantly before her sister left the throne room. Celestia stopped, her shoulders falling slightly. She gave a low grumble. Luna had revealed her sister’s ignorance on this issue. “This is a spine in my heel.” Celestia facehooved in front of her younger sister. “I take care of the castle. You, go and hide the humans.” Celestia teleported away in a white wisp. Luna’s face went red. “Why me?” She cried out her discontentment and looked around, nopony was there to listen to her. She did not even know where the group of primates were, and with the little one on the loose, it was going to be a hell of an afternoon. Luna ran into every room of the castle and found nopony that could help her. Then she headed to the catacombs of the castle, humans liked creepy things, right? They should have been there. Unfortunately, Luna only found old and dusty skulls. There was only one place she had not checked yet… the outside. The immense, flat or steep outside where the humans were within the sight of everypony. She cursed them for being so reckless. What if the incoming guests saw them? It would be a catastrophe. And the child, Luna was convinced he was looking at her from the depths of a shadow, right behind her, grinning. She was convinced he was mocking her while holding her teddy-bear. Luna was angry, and at the moment, she sought for nothing but an argument with somepony, or somebody. “Anyone of them would do fine,” she said with a grin and crept out of the catacombs. The surroundings of the castle, the parks and mazes were empty of human life and even Twilight and her friends were nowhere to be found. Luna was going to burst out. There was only one place she had not ventured in… Canterlot’s city. And oh god she knew she hated that place! She hated it so much for the stares she usually got back from everypony. She was a princess and thus, seeing her among the mortalswas considered as disrespectful for her own person. She never entered a shop and never bought anything. Secretly she thrived to try, at least for a day, to be a casual pony. She desired to hang around this kingdom her sister had run all on her own for centuries. Luna got an idea. In a pop, Luna changed into her filly’s shape, a light blue coated form that had not even her cutie mark. She felt like she had become one thousand years younger. She was far smaller than what she was used to. Everything seemed gigantic and unreachable. It was an eerie feeling, scary. And to be honest, she was also a bit amused. But she would never confess it. She shook her head and looked at Canterlot’s city. It was time to take a tour inside. Ponies stepped aside as fast as lizards fleeing a threat. The sight of the four humans accompanying a hoof-full of ponies was surprising, if not unsettling. And nopony dared to cross their path. Octavia headed the procession with Verdugo and Maria at her sides. She was not feeling good. Two large shadows cast on her back raised the fur on her neck. A chill ran beneath her skin. Only Lyra was really fascinated by the humans, and she did not hide herself from it. It was indeed a fascination, but a different kind from what Twilight had shown since the first contact. Lyra was annoying the thinner of the four creatures, Kreps. Mimicking Pinkie Pie, she was bouncing around the human, holding one of his hands in her hooves. True sadness was scarring Kreps’s face. And it’s with badly-repressed smiles that everypony and everybody were looking at the weird and loud duo. “Hey!” Kreps shouted. “Get over with that. I don’t want to get a fan club.” “This is irrelevant,” Lyra answered back. “You’re too extraordinary to let you… just go.” At the back of the queue, Applejack titled her head toward Rainbow Dash. “Ah’m thinking that we’ve found Twilight’s twin.” The two ponies chuckled. Everypony in Canterlot was aware of the humans staying within the walls of the city. They had been informed by Celestia and Luna. Yet, they had been forbidden to talk about it to strangers and ponies from the outside. The humans were kept in Canterlot as prisoners inside a golden jail. “Here we are,” Octavia announced. They all raised their heads and read the writing above the front door, ‘Absolute’s melody’. It was one of the old buildings of Canterlot. The front window was only showing closed navy blue curtains. “Well,” Maria initiated. “I’d have expected somethin’ fancier, coming from a talking pony.” “My name is Octavia,” the mare before her retorted. “And it’s a friend’s boutique. I will not complain about it. So won’t you.” Maria put her hands up, mimicking a scared foal. “Watch out, we have an angry pony over here.” Verdugo, Ray and Kreps laughed raucously. Octavia cursed them all and pushed the door inward. All followed. The inside of the store was blanketed with beige velvet. But the most amazing part was the hundreds of music instruments strewn over the place. Ray whistled with Verdugo and Kreps. Only one thing disturbed the group. The room was plunged into a slight darkness. Only shafts lights poured through the curtains. “Eh, eh you like what you see?” a feminine voice rose from a corner of the boutique. “Absolute… how many times did I tell you not to stay in the dark?” Octavia reprimanded. “We can’t see anything in this blackness.” The mare called Absolute chuckled. Octavia opened wide the curtains and sunlight flooded the room instantly. More than one pony blinked, eyes aching. The mare, a unicorn, in the boutique had two black glasses hiding her eyes. She had a brown fur and her mane was black. Next to her, given to see to everyone and everypony, was a walking stick. “Octavia, you know that’s useless for me, light,” she joked. “Maybe for you, but you won’t get earnings if you can’t attract clients. I’m not your boss you know. You should start thinking about yourself a little.” Absolute gave another chuckle as Verdugo walked around noisily, looking at the instruments. “You bring a minotaur here Octavia?” Absolute growled. “I thought I’ve already told you that they always break my instruments, they are too strong! My work need dexterousness.” “I don’t think we are minotaurs,” Maria retorted, she looked at Kreps. “Are we?” “Erm…” Kreps tried to reply. He was not really good at improvising. Maria looked back at Absolute and found the blind pony standing only an inch from her. The mare slowly raised her hoof and probed Maria’s face, searching for known features. “You must be the creatures that everypony is talking about,” she guessed. “Clever girl,” Kreps deadpanned, winking at Verdugo. Both laughed. Ray scowled at them, asking for silence. “Don’t worry, just a reference from a movie from our world,” Ray explained to the frowning ponies Rainbow Dash was the first to grumble. “Well, shall I show you around?” Absolute asked. “Of course,” Twilight cut off before any human reply with a stupid sentence or quote. Luna had tracked down the path left by the humans for nearly an hour. And now, she had found herself facing a dusty and old store. She jumped back when the curtains behind the window burst open, and hid behind a cart passing by before anypony could see her. A few seconds later, she made the decision to peer an eye through the door. She saw twelve ponies, and the four humans she was searching for inside. Thinking quickly, Luna cast a simple invisibility spell on herself and slithered in. “So, around here you’ll see cellos like the one Octavia owns,” Absolute explained. “Shush!” Octavia berated. “I don’t want ponies to know that my cello isn’t a unique one-of-a-kind model.” Luna chuckled, she knew Octavia for being one of the main musicians of the castle. She was always showing off her cello, pretending it was unique. Luna would now have a reason for Octavia to play more for her. Absolute gave a cute laugh and went on. She showed off her violins, lyres, double basses, saxophones, flutes, pipes, oboes and on and on for what seemed to be eons. As blind as she was, she could not see the bored expressions on everyone’s faces. Yet, no pony or human dared to disturb her. She was nearly in trance and nopony wanted to snap her out of it. Talking about the work she had done with her own hooves was a hobby she could not often do, she had probably only a few clients. To her avail, her instruments were a wonderful work. Luna stayed still in a corner of the room, invisible. Immobile she could not refrain herself from smiling as Maria drew bunny’s ears with her hand behind Absolute’s head. Footsteps echoed. Luna saw Verdugo breaking the circle. The human drifted toward an alcove next to him. A curtain hid the content of the chamber, flooded into darkness. Stares shot at him as he had cut Absolute’s speech. “Hey,” Applejack tried to contest. Verdugo was stomping correctness with not a pinch of care. “I just want to know what’s behind,” he growled. “Can’t you ask before?” “No.” Verdugo slid the veil on its rod and went inside. Twilight and Octavia followed. The second room was an empty space where a massive instrument was standing alone in the middle. A translucent Luna infiltrated the room in silence. She stood next to the wall where nopony could catch her. Octavia sighed. “Oh, the piano…” she said. Verdugo was awe struck, his mouth opened slightly. Amazed, he transfixed the instrument taking a nearly religious stance. A hoof full of heads stood in the frame of the door and stared at the human. Verdugo raised his only valid hand, trembling. He pull a single not from the ebony piano. The tone was grave and echoed in the chamber. Octavia frowned and looked at her friend Absolute, standing in the threshold of the door. “I thought you had got rid of that bunch of wood. It’s a griffon’s model, it isn’t useful for us pony.” Verdugo’s hand slipped on the keyboard of the piano and produced an ear-splitting tuning. “You said… what?” he erupted. Surprise got hold of Octavia. She cringed on her hooves at the sight of Verdugo’s bloodshot eyes. If they had the potential, they would have glowed bright red. “N… nothing,” she muttered. Verdugo was on the brink to let his anger flow out. “You said it was useless.” Octavia ran with sweat. “… for ponies,” she specified Verdugo’s rage exploded. “You don’t know what true music is!” Octavia wanted to reply, but stopped. Her eyes went watery, and big tears dripped on her cheeks. She dashed out of the piano room, crying, bumped into Absolute and Rainbow Dash and fled outside. Nopony tried to hold her back. Once every pair of eyes came back on Verdugo, they all saw the crippled human boiling red. “Just… get the fuck out,” Verdugo clamoured. “I need to be alone.” Twilight murmured they had to find out where Octavia had gone. And they all passed by the entrance door. Luna, still muted felt sweat running on her face, she knew she had to keep track of every human in Canterlot, she had to follow Maria, Ray and Kreps. But, she was not sure about leaving Verdugo alone her. He was dangerous after all. She took a short minute to make up her mind and choose to Twilight, keeping her invisibility up. Only Verdugo and the blind instrument maker stayed in the boutique. Verdugo faced the piano again and tried to play one-handed. His right hand stumbled and played a wrong tone. With rage spread on his face, Verdugo banged the keyboard with his hand. Then he let himself fall on the ground, laying. It has been too long since he had touched a piano for the last time. He gave a swift sob, then grunted. Absolute could not see but Verdugo was constricting the stump replacing his left arm so much that drops of blood dripped over his bandages. Pain numbed his body. The human shivered. “Something’s wrong,” Absolute asked, hesitant. “Phantom limb,” Verdugo replied between two sobs. “It hurts.” Absolute moved closer. She groped around the wound and understood Verdugo’s plight. The blind mare felt dizzy. Half an hour passed before she broke the ice. “I’m… I’m so sorry,” she said. “You shouldn’t. You’ve done nothing for breaking me.” “What are… were you?” Verdugo sobbed, then took a deep breath. “I was a professional pianist. You know before… No you don’t know… My world has been destroyed, and with him a lot of stuffs were lost or broken apart. When I saw it,” he continued, mentioning the piano. “I… it was the first time in years I’ve seen one, one that did work.” He grunted again, holding the shoulder of his amputated limb. “Funny thing is that fate must hate me… I find a working piano but I had to lose my arm just before… Fucking fair trade.” “Don’t think about it, you can’t fight to get back what is already lost… you have to get over with it. I could have stay in the dark, depressing because I lost my eyesight. But I moved on.” Absolute smiled at the human. Verdugo ruffled her mane gently. “I’m not over with my period of mourning. I’ve lost so much. And I’ve made a choice a while ago. I can’t back anymore and I will carry on. But I see so much memories surfacing along the path… Sometimes I just let the doubts drowning me. I just can’t kick them away. I try to, for my friends, but… It’s so difficult sometimes.” Absolute nodded. “Could you leave me alone here for a moment,” Verdugo asked. “I just need some time.” Verdugo wiped off tears from his face and saw Absolute acquiescing. She left him in the alcove and went through a secondary door that should go to the backyard of the store. Verdugo faced the piano in silence. Outside, the night was slowly setting and the interior was getting darker as minutes passed. “I never thought you would be that sentimental,” a voice whispered at his ears. Verdugo jumped with surprise. Twilight was right next to him. He had not heard her enter. “You were spying on me?” verdugo asked. “No, I mean… Yes,” she lowered her eyes, shameful. “But you know. You, Kreps, Maria, Ray and that child all came from a world I cannot imagine. You’re an object of curiosity for me. I must understand your group, what you went through, how you can adapt to Equestria. And of course, how you can threaten it.” Verdugo smiled. “Thanks for your outspokenness, your highness. I…” “I understand that you have chosen, maybe sworn an oath to protect your friends, whatever the cost. And I understand that you want to retrieve your weapons. It’s dear to you.” Twilight dropped a key on the floor. “Near of the garrison, there is the armoury. And right next to it there is a room. Here we locked the weapons we’ve taken from you. To get to it easily, just use one of the garrison backdoor. The guards are doing their shifts you won’t annoy anypony like this.” Verdugo’s face brightened. Strangely he hugged the young alicorn for rather a long time. “Awkward,” Twilight added. “I must go, thanks.” Verdugo jumped on his feet and was nearly out of the store when Twilight called him. “We also found your metal box, the exact way you described it.” Verdugo left the place running, leaving Twilight with a grin on her lips and a green light in her eyes. “Okay,” Vinyl said. “We should split to find Octavia.” “Well,” Maria countered. “Ponies and Humans form two different groups first.” “Y’all not gonna give up and walk back ta your rooms?” Applejack asked, suspicious. “No,” Maria laughed. “But I’ve had enough walking with… y’all for today.” Rarity huffed. “So be it,” the fashion pony declared. They separated and went down opposite ways. But thereafter, everypony found out that they had all to split again. Canterlot was huge after all. And therefore, Twilight walked down her own street, all alone. “Oh goddesses, why do I always have to face a jerk that can’t hold back his tongue,” she berated. “I…” Luna popped in front of Twilight so abruptly that she shrieked in terror. “Twilight! It’s just me, Luna.” Panting, Twilight got a grip on herself. “Don’t do that… ever again, understood?” “Sorry,” Luna giggled. “But I have bad news.” Luna explained the sudden trick Canterlot had fallen to, the impromptu invitations, the hundreds of guests coming over and the probable mess if the humans were to be discovered. “But tonight… it’s like in one hour!” Twilight shouted, her eyes shot open. Her head reeled, she had to rethink her whole schedule. “I guess you don’t know who planned this?” Luna shook her head and took a deep breath. “We don’t know.” she hesitated. “I’ve chosen to give back the weapons to the humans. They might be useful if somepony decided to attack.” Twilight did not reply instantly. She gave a strange look at the Princess, she sighed thereafter. “I guess you’re right. Does Celestia know?” “Not yet, I have to tell her. But acknowledge that for the moment I’m too busy to take care of it, if you see my sister, tell her that what the humans will do tonight is on your behalf. You must make sure that they are kept in security.” Twilight hesitated. “Don’t fret,” Luna reassured. “Go now. Celestia needs you.” Twilight dashed in the next alley, only her duty in mind. Luna smiled and gave a laugh. She swivelled soon on her hooves and a green flash revealed a tall and slender black pony-shaped creature. Her algae-like mane crawled on her face and her white smile changed into a wide grin. Next to her appeared a young blue coated filly with no cutie mark. The young pony was glued to the ground with slimy rivets and her mouth was gagged. “Too bad that you won’t participate to the party tonight, princess,” the taller changeling queen that had called herself Luna snickered. Celestia had to thank her subjects, the whole castle had been reshaped so fast it was a new record. The hallways shone with golden, ruby and silver draperies. The banquet room was overwhelmed with food and the air smelt of lavender. Celestia was proud of her little ponies. She swore internally she would reward them greatly. Yet, she had to greet every diplomat that had come inside Canterlot at the moment. It was boring. “Welcome to Canterlot, Lady Andraste,” Celestia announced, shaking the talon of the Griffin Empire’s Emissary. “Thank thee Princess, I’m thrilled to hear the reason why thou hast invited so many individuals from abroad Equestria. Your letter was quite surprising,” the griffon chuckled and passed by the princess. Celestia’s ears twitched. She felt stress getting a grasp on her. “Welcome to Canterlot, Sir Baramond,” Celestia announced, shaking the hoof of the Saddle Arabia’s horse representative. The diplomat smiled. “Thank you, Princess Celestia. How do you do since that last time two years ago?” “Quite well,” she answered. “Your letter was really funny, I can’t wait for your presentation,” Baramond said before joining the crowd queuing for the buffet. “I…” Celestia tried. The princess laughed dryly. Would she get any tips about the content of the letters? Where was Luna and Twilight? Celestia felt her hooves trembling in their majestic golden horseshoes. And then she saw the opportunity. A Condor from the Andine Federation and a bear from Sibearia were bargaining over their letters. The princess drifted toward the duo. “Everything is okay my lords,” she asked. “Oh Princess,” the massive bear said, surprised. “Your venue occurred at the right time. My friend and I are trying to understand the item you sent to both of us. But we are clueless.” Celestia asked to see them, pretending she did not remember which items she had send to them. The Condor had received a long cable of copper protected by a sheath of an unknown matter. The bear had been given a small bulb made of glass containing a strangely shaped wire of metal. Building on her thousand years old art of masquerade, Celestia smiled and gave them nothing to chew on. “Oh, you will see sooner or later,” Celestia said mystically. Both diplomats shrugged with a smile. It was bad, everybody was present and the Princess was alone to manage the banquet, and the stares and hoofshakes she was given betrayed that all the guests were impatient about her announcement, whatever it should be. She had to hurry… The assembly went silent so quickly it spooked Celestia. She raised her head searching for the evidence of an incident between two attendees. But her ears caught something instead. A whistle… no, it was a song, and the singer was singing loudly. “Mon petit oiseau a pris sa volée, Mon petit oiseau a pris sa volée, A pris sa… à la volette, A pris sa… à la volette, A pris sa volée,” Everybody had frozen,watching a massive gate carved in the wall opposed to Celestia’s location. It gave on the hallway leading to the garrison. “Il s’est appuyé sur un oranger, Il s’est appuyé sur un oranger, Sur un o… à la volette, Sur un o… à la volette, Sur un oranger…” And then the gate slid on its hinges and what Celestia feared happened. Turning his back to the crowd, Verdugo entered the banquet room, dragging a heavy metal case with his only arm left. He was sweating heavily and had taken off his shirt, unveiling all his ugly scars and marks, as well as his stump. After a few meters inside the room, he stopped to catch his breath. But it went short-lived as he heard a mumble behind him. On instinct, he jumped to face the origin of the sound. And more than a hundred pairs of eyes met his own. “Oh fuck man.”