Chapter Twenty-Two
When Twilight and Wise-Mind stepped outside, they found that not much had changed. All of her friends and the visiting wolves were standing by quietly, though Maxilla was still looking somewhat nervous with Swift-Pad standing defensively near her.
Wise-Mind stepped up to the pair and regarded them, then spoke. “Maxilla. I have come to understand that you may have disobeyed what you were told. Yet at the same time, I have found that her young Grace Sparkle has been most complimentary in speaking of you and what she has learned from your presence, and that she counts you among her friends. So I believe I can let this incident pass without further censure.”
Swift-Pad looked relieved at his words, as did Maxilla, who bowed. “Thank you, Packleader,” she said.
“And now,” Wise-Mind said, turning back to Twilight. “I believe you have been derelict in one of your duties, your Grace.”
Twilight tried not to look surprised. “And what duty have I been derelict in, Packleader?” she asked.
“Why, you have yet to introduce your companions from Equestria to me,” Wise-Mind said with a friendly glint in his eyes.
Twilight smiled. “It would be my honor to do so,” she said. Walking over to her friends, she smiled. “These are my closest friends. This is Spike, who’s been a part of my family since he was hatched.”
“Hi!” Spike said cheerfully. Wise-Mind gave him a careful look, before nodding.
“Applejack, the first pony to introduce herself to me in Ponyville.”
“Pleased to meet ya,” Applejack said with a bow. “An’... Ah know yer the same Wise-Mind who took in mah cousin Slice n' Dice, an’ for that, Ah have to thank ya.”
Wise-Mind had been eying her suspiciously at first, but her words clearly startled him. “Is that so,” he said, taking a step closer to her.
Applejack nodded. "It ain't right what them varmints did to her, an' Ah'd say that even if she wasn't kin. You did right by her when the rest of the clan failed her, an’ Ah can’t thank ya enough for takin’ care of her."
Wise-Mind’s expression wavered, before finally settling on a smile. “It is good to hear that from you,” he said.
Applejack bowed again before letting him move on.
When his gaze shifted to the next pony, Twilight indicated her. “This is Rainbow Dash, head of the Ponyville Weather Patrol, and aspiring Wonderbolt,” she said.
Rainbow Dash nodded at him. “Nice to meet you, sir,” she said.
Wise-Mind nodded back.
“Rarity Belle, proprietor of the Carousel Boutique, and one of the most generous ponies I’ve ever met,” Twilight said.
Rarity bowed to him, and he bowed back in return.
“Fluttershy, who specializes in animal care,” Twilight said.
Wise-Mind regarded the shy pegasus curiously. “There is considerably more to you than there appears,” he said.
Fluttershy smiled, before letting out a series of growls, causing his eyes to widen in surprise. “You speak our tongue fluently. How is that?”
Fluttershy smiled again. “One of your people was passing through the Everfree on a meditation journey and came near my cottage a few years ago,” she said. “I welcomed Well-Hidden of Thorough-Searcher into my home for as long as he needed, and he taught me his people’s language and customs.”
“This was… not something I expected,” Wise-Mind said. He smiled back at her. “But it is far from unwelcome. You are a true treasure among ponies.”
“Thank you.”
Wise-Mind gave her one more smile before turning on to face Pinkie, with Twilight quickly introducing her. “This is Pinkie Pie, the first pony I spoke to in Ponyville,” she said. “And her companion Gummy.”
The little alligator popped his head out of Pinkie’s mane, stared at Wise-Mind for a moment, and then gave his eyeball a lick.
“I see.” Wise-Mind looked somewhat taken aback by the alligator’s unexpected move.
“She’s Ponyville’s premiere party specialist,” Twilight explained. “I’ve learned to expect the unexpected when she’s around.”
“It makes life exciting!” Pinkie said cheerfully.
“So I see.” Wise-Mind gave her a nod before looking at Twilight. “We have some time before we need to head out again so if it will be alright, may we eat at your table, Slice?”
“Absolutely,” Slice said, smiling warmly at him. “Yer always welcome in mah home, you know that.”
Wise-Mind smiled warmly back at her.
A little while later, the entire group had gathered around and were enjoying their meals when Wise-Mind spoke up again. “Young Grace,” he said to Twilight. “There is one other thing that has recently occurred that I feel I must ask.”
“Yes?” Twilight asked.
“Would you, perchance, know why her Grand Grace Luna has suddenly recalled all of the Equestrian Border Patrol’s Sector Chief Patrol Agents?”
Twilight set her plate down, her mind whirring. For a few minutes, she was silent. Finally, she looked directly at him and spoke. “I think,” she said carefully, “That it must be connected to the letter I sent about Miss Slice here. I informed my fellow Princesses of the Equestrian Border Patrol’s role in her being rejected by a majority of her family, and while I don’t know for sure, I suspect that Princess Luna, in her role as head of all of Equestria’s military branches, is actively investigating the matter and called them in to discuss it.” She frowned. “I probably should have said something about how they acted when we were crossing,” she muttered. “They should have had their Most Wanted board up and properly displayed, regardless of who was going through at the time.”
Wise-Mind frowned and leaned closer. “Are you saying that they had the bulletin board blanked for your arrival?”
“They did,” Twilight confirmed. “The stallion we spoke to claimed it would be too ‘troubling’ for me to see.” She snorted in disgust. “As I informed them, that was not the case - I have spent time with Equestria’s Royal Guard when I was younger, and they had no problem with having their own Most Wanted board up in my presence.”
“That behavior is troubling indeed,” Wise-Mind muttered. “My pack should not have let such a thing happen. I will be speaking with them shortly about this lapse in protocol.”
“Begging your pardon, your Grace,” Little-Growl spoke up. “But why would you have been spending time around the Royal Guard headquarters?”
Twilight looked at him. “I accompanied Princess Celestia there more than a few times over the years,” she said. “And since my older brother was their Captain for many years, he and his fellow Guards knew I was trustworthy and were more than willing to explain things there to me when I asked.”
“Your… Captain Shining Armor, the guy who held a shield around an entire city for days, the guy who married the Grace who is now ruler of the Crystal Empire, is your brother?” Little-Growl looked very surprised.
“Yes,” Twilight said.
“Wow.” He sat back, still looking surprised with Thin-Tall and Big-Cheer snorting. The smaller wolf frowned at them. “I could still do it,” he said with a pout with his packmates snorting louder.
“Am I missing something?” Twilight asked.
“Little-Growl here has longed to be a guard,” Wise-Mind said, causing the trio of wolves to flinch and look away. “As with his littermates, they are improper candidates for being guards. Tall-Thin has far too little body mass to safely undergo standard guard training, Big-Cheer has always proven to be too robust and slow to advance in the guard training program and Little-Growl is too small and does not have enough weight to put on sufficient muscle mass.”
“Huh.” Twilight looked thoughtful, seeing how hurt the wolves were at these blunt descriptions but knew better than to try and interfere with Wise-Mind’s decisions with his own wolves.
Little-Growl nodded bashfully. “It’s been my dream for years, but we just don’t meet the physical standards for guard duty, among most jobs in the pack. Doesn’t stop me from admiring some of the better guards though. I’ve kind of always wished I could meet Captain Shining Armor and tell him how inspiring he is…”
Twilight gave him a friendly smile. “I don’t have any say in guard recruitment, even in Equestria and especially not here, but I can at least try to see about arranging for the two of you to meet at some point,” she promised him. Then something occurred to her.
“I know there’s going to be delegates from some different countries at the upcoming Equestria Games, even a few nations that aren’t entering the actual competition,” she said to Swift-Pad. “Are the Packlands scheduled to send representatives?”
Swift-Pad looked surprised. “I am… honestly not sure myself,” he admitted.
“There has been some discussion, but no decision has been officially made yet,” Wise-Mind said. “Why do you ask?”
“I was thinking that if there were, maybe some of your civilians could accompany them to watch, and that would give Little-Growl a chance to meet my brother,” Twilight said. “He’s the main announcer this year, since they’re being held in the Crystal Empire.”
“If Ah don’t need help on da farm, then Ah don’t see a reason he can’t go, Wise-Mind,” Slice said, looking hopefully at him.
“I will certainly keep that in mind when we discuss the matter at the next Gathering,” Wise-Mind said with a smile before turning to face Twilight. “It is what we call a meeting of all our Packleaders and the Elders,” he said. Twilight wasn’t sure but she felt he had stumbled and had meant to add something else to that list before stopping himself. She chose not to voice this thought though, and instead nodded in acknowledgment.
The rest of the meal went mostly quietly, and finally Wise-Mind announced it was time for them to go. Once Twilight and the others had gathered their belongings (and Applejack had taken a moment to have a quiet talk with Slice), they all went outside.
“It has been good to see you this day, Slice,” Wise-Mind said, tipping his head towards her. “And it has been an interesting experience to meet you and your friends, young Grace Sparkle. I am pleased to see that you and my packmate have gotten along as well as you have.”
Slice n' Dice blushed a bit. "They heard me out, listened ta me. Believed me without a second thought. That's more than any pony Ah've personally met since Ah moved here permanently has ever done fer me."
“And for that, I am extremely grateful,” Wise-Mind said.
Twilight bowed back. “It has been an honor to meet you, Packleader Wise-Mind. And to meet and get to know Miss Slice and her fellow packmates, and the people of this town. It’s been a very educational experience, and one I’ll always treasure.”
“Learning is always something to treasure,” Wise-Mind said.
Twilight smiled, before turning to Slice and her companions. “I wish you all the best, and I hope to see you all again at some point,” she said.
Slice smiled. “Stop by any time,” she said. “After what ya’ve done to help me, yer always welcome here. All of ya.”
“Thank you,” Twilight said, the others following suit and all of them bowing to her one more time before the two groups turned and headed for the gate.
They had been continuing along the road for some time when Twilight looked to the wolves. “Where are we going next?” she asked.
“Towards the Great Mound, the centre of the Packlands and where the other Packleaders and Elders are gathering to meet you, young Grace Sparkle,” Wise-Mind said. “It will take us several days due to your… physical natures.”
Rainbow Dash snorted a bit. “We’re faster than we look,” she muttered. “I got my cutie mark for speed.”
“That might be true, however, this is with the other Packleaders and Elders also running hard to reach the Great Mound and we wolves do have a bit of an advantage in that regard to ponies.” Wise-Mind gave her a sharp look. “Besides, the pack or herd is only as fast as its slowest member.”
“I gotcha.” Rainbow nodded. “‘Course, our slowest member - and no offense, Spike, but it’s the truth - can just hop a ride on one of us if he needs to.”
“None taken,” Spike said. “I know I’ve got shorter legs than all of you. And only half as many.”
“Um, I understand what you mean,” Fluttershy suddenly spoke up. “It’s because you’ve all planned the route out so everywolf arrives at about the same time, and that way they won’t be kept waiting for very long.”
Wise-Mind turned and looked at her with approval. “That is exactly right, miss Fluttershy,” he said.
Fluttershy blushed. “Twilight may be the organizational expert, but I’ve picked up a few things,” she said.
“Oh, darling, don’t be selling yourself short,” Rarity told her. “Why, you’ve been caring for all those animals out of your home without a bit of trouble for years, and that requires more than a bit of organizational skills. For that matter, you’ve been able to teach some of those same skills to the ones you left in charge. Teaching a bear to handle such matters is quite a feat.”
Wise-Mind’s eyes widened for a moment, before he seemed to relax. “An impressive feat indeed,” he remarked.
Fluttershy smiled. “Harry’s very good at what he does,” she said. “All it took, when we first met, was a little kindness.”
“A wise way to handle such things,” Swift-Pad noted. “I personally do not know of any wolf who would be capable of such a feat.”
“Fluttershy’s always had a way with animals,” Applejack remarked. “Hay, Ah remember how she calmed that manticore back after Twilight and Spike first came to town. An’ that night the Ursa Minor showed up? Ah bet if she’d been in town instead of carin’ for a sick chickadee, she probably could have calmed that critter in no time.” She faced Fluttershy. “Not that Ah begrudge ya for bein’ busy then,” she said. “Just sayin’, with yer skills, Ah know ya could have handled it easily.”
Maxilla looked startled. “You girls actually faced an Ursa Minor?”
“It was Twilight who actually tamed it,” Rarity said. “She played it some music, rocked it to sleep, fed it milk and then took it back home.”
Twilight blushed. “I just worked with what I knew,” she said. “It helped that all it really wanted to do was go back to sleep after a couple of colts so rudely woke it up. If it had actually wanted to rampage, it would have taken a lot more to calm it.”
“Still, it is a very impressive feat, your Grace,” Swift-Pad said. “And a rather inventive way of handling such an incursion.”
“I was following Fluttershy’s example more than anything,” Twilight said. “And also one of the lessons that I learned when I was younger. The stallion who was lecturing us was talking about the importance of simpler solutions, using your mind to solve a problem rather than just trying to brute-force through it. Lulling the Ursa to sleep made it much easier to deal with.”
“You make my point exactly,” Swift-Pad said with approval.
“Speaking of simpler solutions,” Wise-Mind spoke up. “I have been aware of your purpose in visiting these lands - to complete the work that Nobleblood was originally intended to lead, before his horrific rudeness. What is your opinion on such things so far?”
Twilight paused to gather her thoughts, before facing him directly. "As an alicorn, I have the magic of an Earth pony in me,” she said. “I haven't used it to affect anything since before we boarded our train to come here, but with it, I can feel the life energies of the ground and plants around me, and how healthy this place is.” She looked around, viewing the trees and bushes around them for a moment, before turning back to him. “I may not have seen your farming methods in direct action yet, but already I can tell that if they leave the land feeling like this, they must be very effective."
“Ah’ll second that,” Applejack agreed.
Wise-Mind regarded her. “And as a farmer, what is your opinion on things here?”
“Just what Twilight said,” Applejack told him. “‘Mah immediate family don’t use magic for growin’ anythin’ other than the Zap Apples, an’ they’re magic all on their own. But Ah can feel the life in the soil and the plants around me here, an’ it’s one of the most incredible things Ah’ve ever experienced… definitely not what Ah first expected.”
“What did you expect?” Wise-Mind’s tone suddenly sounded harsher.
“Somethin’ more… wild, like the Everfree, Ah guess,” Applejack said. “Mah family…” She closed her eyes for a minute. “Mah family may have gotten the first Zap Apple seeds from that forest, but we’ve always treated it with caution. And Mah brother an’ Ah’ve especially been wary of that place fer a good ten years now, since a little after Apple Bloom was born.”
“Why?” Wise-Mind seemed calmer.
Applejack looked at him. “Mah parents died ‘cause of that place,” she said. “They went in to retrieve one of the pigs that got loose an’... an’ they had a run-in with somethin’.” She looked down. “We don’t know what they met, but whatever it was, they got hurt real bad, an’ they barely made it back to Ponyville. They died of their wounds that night, an’ Ah’ve always been nervous about goin’ near there ever since.”
There were several gasps of horror, and all of the wolves and Maxilla bowed their heads, as if in mourning. Twilight, meanwhile, was staring at Applejack, aghast. “I… I had no idea,” she whispered. “All the times we’ve had to go in there, you never said a word!”
“‘s not somethin’ Ah like to talk about, but Ah felt you should know,” Applejack said. “Ah don’t mind admittin’ that there are things about that forest that creep me out, an’ those thorny vines of Discord’s really got me shiverin’ inside - what they did reminded me a little too much of the types of wounds mah folks had. But yer mah friend, an’ Ah value our friendship. Ah won’t let that forest scare me away when ya need mah help an’ mah strength.”
Twilight smiled, and placed a hoof around her, pulling her into a hug. “Thank you,” she whispered. “Thank you so much.”
“For you to come to a place that you thought would remind you of such a tragic event, out of loyalty to your friend, speaks much about your character,” Wise-Mind said as he finally lifted his head. “I believe I have underestimated you again.”
“Ain’t a problem,” Applejack said. “Nobody’s perfect, least of all me.”
Wise-Mind regarded her, before smiling. “If only we had had ponies like you in charge of the testing and observation team a hundred years ago…” he said.
Rarity snorted. “If Nobleblood was as boorish as his great-grandson, it is no wonder things did not work out then,” she said. “I hate to speak ill of our Princess, but I have to wonder what she was thinking, if she was the one who agreed to let him be part of the observation team.”
Swift-Pad looked at her in surprise. “You sound as if you have had some experience with his line,” he said.
“Quite,” Rarity said dryly. “I met him, Blueblood, at the Grand Galloping Gala. Needless to say, that… that Prince Charmless utterly soured my opinion of him, and even after hearing his reasoning for his behavior more recently, if I ever cross paths with him again it will be too soon.”
Maxilla let out a barking laugh. “Prince Charmless! Good one.”
“It is an accurate description,” Rarity said stiffly. “And I gave him quite the stern talking-to over it when it happened… imagine, using another pony as a living shield from a flying cake!” She shook her head. “Now, Shining Armor… he is a far better example of what a Prince should be like, even before he became one himself.”
Twilight looked at her oddly. “Rarity?”
Rarity looked back at her, and blushed. “I know he’s quite taken, and I respect that, but I could still see the qualities that attracted Princess Cadance to him right away,” she said. “And I so wish I could find an individual with those same qualities for myself.”
“Hmm,” Applejack suddenly muttered to herself, causing everyone to turn to her. “Ah wonder somethin’.”
“What is it Applejack?” Twilight asked, turning to face her friend who was picking up one of the apples that Slice had grown in her orchard before reaching into her pack and pulling out one of her own apples.
“Yer got way better Earth pony magic than Ah do Twilight,” Applejack said, placing both apples down in front of her. “Can ya tell us the difference?”
Twilight blinked in surprise at being put on the spot and was a bit miffed as well but pushed those feelings to the side and did what she was asked.
Giving a cursory look at the two, she could see that Applejack's apple was larger and more robust than Slice’s. Reaching out to take a bite of the two, she initially couldn’t tell a difference but then reached for that odd magic that she had learned was Earth Pony magic. She then found something weird; while both tasted the same, Slice’s felt more… impactful, for the lack of a better word. Applejack’s, on the other hoof, felt more sheltered and withdrawn, nurtured very carefully.
Giving both apples back to Applejack, she gave a look at her friend and at Wise-Mind, and thought carefully on how she would respond.
“They both have their different qualities,” she responded. “While Slice’s apple is smaller than Applejack’s, the taste is subtly better - the flavor is more concentrated, I think. I could only really tell if I focused my Earth pony magic on it.” She thought more. “I really can’t be sure of the exact factors that make them turn out different though - I know there are a lot of different genetics involved, literally thousands of apple cultivars that are each a little different in their own way, so I’d have to compare those too. And that’s even without analyzing the various environmental factors and magic or lack thereof that goes into growing either of them.”
“Exactly what Nobleblood was supposed to test, young Grace Sparkle,” Wise-Mind rumbled in a low tone. “Perhaps you can do a far better job than he.”
Twilight blushed. “Study and analysis are two of my favorite things to do,” she said. “And it is my official reason for being here, after all.”
“Hey, can I ask a question?” Rainbow Dash asked as she got closer to Wise-Mind with his rune wolves growling softly at her. “Why do you keep calling her young Grace Sparkle?”
“Primarily I can see calling the Grace Sparkle instead of Twilight unnerves her and I prefer to keep others off balance,” Wise-Mind responded with a chuckle and Twilight had to admit being called Sparkle wasn’t something she was comfortable with strangers doing. “And the Grace, as I feel that is your true question is because, to our people, all the alicorns are known as Graces.”
“Uh… okay.” Rainbow Dash scratched her head. “So, why do you call them that?”
Wise-Mind gave a low, almost amused, rumble. “Why, it is because they are goddesses to my people, Rainbow Dash.”
Several pairs of eyes widened at that, and Twilight decided to speak up. “It’s true,” she said. “Ambassador Swift-Pad has explained this to me before, and I have, in turn, informed him that while I respect his people’s beliefs, the idea of being worshipped personally makes me uncomfortable, and both Princess Celestia and Princess Luna - whom they call Her Grand Grace Luna, for her ties to the moon - would rather not be worshipped for much the same reason, and because they feel it distances them from non-alicorns.”
Wise-Mind turned to Swift-Pad. “Is what she says true?” he asked.
Swift-Pad lowered his head. “It is,” he said. “I have spoken with her Grand Grace Luna, and she has explicitly denied that she or her sister are divine creatures.”
He stared intensely at the other wolf before walking up snout to snout, “Why did you not inform me of such information, Swift-Pad.” He snarled in a low tone.
“I was planning to inform my packleader of this information first, Wise-Mind,” Swift-Pad shot back. “I had not expected anyone, wolf or pony, to bring up the subject before I had the chance; had I known, I would have told you privately.” He turned and regarded Twilight for a moment. “I admit, the first time young Grace Twilight asked me, I was caught off-guard, as I was now; a failing on my part.”
“No, it’s not,” Twilight responded sharply, stepping towards the two. “I had told my friends some of the customs here and I didn't think to tell them of this additional cultural aspect so it is my fault.” She looked at the others, who all had varying expressions on their faces.
Rainbow Dash stepped up. “Considering how uncomfortable you were about showing off what you’re capable of, or even how uncomfortable being hero-worshipped makes you, I can’t say I’m surprised that you didn’t want to bring it up,” she said. She turned to the wolves. “Twilight has something of a reputation back home,” she told them. “We met this one mare who loved to brag and show off about her skills, and I’ll admit I have a real problem with that too - ‘course, that’s kind of necessary in the line of work I want to get into some day. But Twilight’s just the opposite. She only shows what she’s capable of when she feels it’s absolutely necessary - to save lives, for instance.”
Applejack shrugged. “Ah can see why some people might think of alicorns that way,” she said. “What with there bein’ two immortals with control over the sun and moon, Cadance and her love magic, an’... magic in general, Ah guess, for Twilight. But Ah know mah friend, and like Rainbow Dash said, Ah’m not surprised she didn’t want to talk about it.”
“There is also the fact that religion tends to be a delicate subject that most in society simply do not wish to discuss out of hoof,” Rarity said. “I have seen more than a few nobles who became opposed to one another simply because they did not believe the exact same way.”
“And let’s not even get started on how some of those PVE meanies would use it as yet another reason to hate non-ponies.” This was Pinkie grumbling, to everyone’s surprise, her mane rising like a set of hackles. “As if we needed another reason to not like them…”
Fluttershy was quiet, merely moving up to lean against Twilight. “I knew about it from Well-Hidden, and I understand why you didn’t want to talk about it,” was all she said. “That’s why I didn’t say anything sooner either.”
Appearing satisfied with their reactions, Wise-Mind turned to Spike, eying him. “And you, young drake?” he asked.
Spike shrugged. “Goddess or no goddess, Twilight’s practically my mom after she hatched me. What other reason do I need to think the world of her?”
Twilight smiled down at him.
Wise-Mind regarded the pair, before turning to Swift-Pad. “Regardless of who seeks to take blame for this failing, you know that many will likely be disturbed to hear of this,” he said.
“I do,” Swift-Pad replied. “I admit, I myself was rather unnerved when her Grand Grace Luna said what she did; over a thousand years’ of our beliefs being rejected like that. Another reason why I sought to wait, to determine the most diplomatic way of informing our people of this without offending anyone.”
“You offer quite a conundrum, Ambassador,” Wise-Mind rumbled. “Yet the truth is out, and there is no way of hiding it again.” He looked contemplative for a few minutes, and finally spoke. “I accept and understand your reasonings for not telling me sooner.”
Swift-Pad looked relieved. “I thank you, Packleader Wise-Mind.”
“In any case, let us continue on,” Wise-Mind said. Taking the lead, he headed onward, his rune wolves taking their places closer to him with all of the rest of the group following them.
“Hey,” Rainbow Dash said quietly as she moved up to Swift-Pad’s side. “I really, really didn’t mean to cause trouble for you, ya know? Guess I should have waited until I could ask Twilight if she knew it.”
“What is past is past, Rainbow Dash,” Swift-Pad said. “You are not to blame.”
Rainbow Dash nodded, and kept quiet after that.