The streets of Ponyville were abuzz with activity as ponies bustled hither and yon among the dozens of stalls that had been set up in the main square. There was always a stall or two in the square almost everyday, but today was special: It was the town’s designated Market Day, when vendors would come from all over town, some even coming from outside Ponyville, to sell their wares. Stalls and tables of all kinds were set up all about the crowded square.
Applejack cast her eye around at all the other vendors that dotted the square, from her spot behind her apple stall. There were Lily, Daisy and Roseluck, the three local florists, the scent of their flowers wafting all around. There was Colton Vines, his table groaning under the dozens of bottles of grape-juice and wines that sat atop it. There went Pinkie Pie, bouncing about with a basket firmly strapped to her head, offering free samples of Sugarcube Corner’s finest treats. And those were just the ones she knew! Dozens of other stalls were set up, eager to make a name for themselves in Ponyville. It was probably Applejack’s favourite day of the month.
But the workhorse was brought back to the business at hand as two familiar mares approached her stall.
“Howdy Fluttershy, hey Rarity. How y’all doin’?”
Fluttershy smiled in reply “Oh, I’m just getting some new food for my animals. How is business for you, Applejack?”
She shrugged “Eh, a bit slow at the moment, but things usually pick up round midday. How ‘bout you, Rarity?
“Well, I honestly just came to get out of my shop for a moment. But then I spotted Fluttershy, and just had to say hello, so I’m just sort of tagging along now!”
“Heheh, nice.” Applejack chuckled “Well, I think I saw a fabric stall round here. Might find somethin’ you like there. So, y’all just come by to say hi, or are ya gonna buy somethin’?”
Fluttershy nodded “Actually, yes…two dozen apples please, Applejack. And eight apple fritters as well.”
Applejack raised an eyebrow “Eight? Sure thing…but that sure is alot of food fer one pony. You got a guest or somethin’?”
Fluttershy blushed slightly as she passed a small stack of coins to her friend. Guest was not honestly what came to mind. Patient, maybe, or even prisoner, but not guest. “Um…I suppose you could say that…”
But before Applejack could press her further about her guest, Rarity piped up “Ooh! I completely forgot, Fluttershy! I ran into Twilight Sparkle on my way here, and she told me to tell you that she was coming by later today to see you. Didn’t say why, though…”
“Maybe she just feels like payin’ a visit?”
“Perhaps. Though I daresay, she could do with a visit herself. She looked dreadful! Probably hasn’t had a good night’s sleep in days, poor thing.”
Rarity looked about a moment to make sure no other ponies could listen in on their conversation. She muttered quietly “Personally, I think she’s really letting this whole matter get to her too much. She’s working too hard!”
Applejack nodded “I gotta agree with ya there. I’d know better than anypony how rough it can be if you work yerself too hard” she said, hanging her head in embarassment. She still has not forgotten the events of the last Applebuck Season.
“Hmm…yeah, maybe…” Muttered Fluttershy. She had a good idea why. “A-anyway, thank you, Applejack…Erm, there is one more thing, actually.”
“Sure thing, Fluttershy.”
She leaned in closer, as if conspiring some great secret “I-I was wondering if you knew if there were any stalls here today that sell…T-Tarot cards?”
Applejack’s ear tilted in confusion, but Rarity was the one to speak up, looking at Fluttershy as if she had just sworn “Tarot cards?! Goodness, Fluttershy! What on earth are you doing looking up something so morbid?”
Applejack raised a hoof “Erm…Beggin’ yer pardon, but what the hay are Tarot cards?”
Rarity turned to her blonde-maned friend “It’s a sort of deck of cards that, apparently, can tell the future. But it’s all superstition, really! Just a parlour trick some ponies use to impress their friends or con some quick Bits on the street. But whatever could you want with such a thing, Fluttershy?! Surely you of all ponies can’t be into…er, that sort of thing!”
Fluttershy cowered slightly. It was not for her. She did not even know what Tarot cards were herself! But she drew herself up and quickly fabricated a story “Well…er, I…read about them, yes, read about them in a storybook…and I was kind of interested in the idea. So I thought I’d buy uh…myself, some cards of my own, just to see what they were like. So, er…would anypony here sell them?”
Applejack scratched her chin. She had to admit, whatever these Tarot cards did, Rarity made them sound like something Fluttershy definitely would not be into. But who was she to judge? It just sounded like some harmless game, like dripping candle-wax into a bowl of water and pretending to tell the future by what shapes the wax makes. “Well shoot…I reckon you should head over to Oddity and Curio’s stall, over there by the fountain. But be careful, those two are a mite…well, odd.”
Fluttershy nodded, closing the flaps on her saddlebag as she put the last apple in. She gave one last “Goodbye.” before fluttering off in the direction of the stall in question. Applejack and Rarity watched as the Pegasus flew away. “Well now, what do you suppose Fluttershy could want with something as strange as Tarot cards?” Rarity asked.
But Applejack just shrugged “Eh, don’t fret about it none. Everypony needs a hobby, I guess.”
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
Fluttershy landed on the dirt road that led up to her humble cottage, the weight of her saddlebags making her crouch a bit lower than usual upon landing. As she pushed the gate open, she mused on the strange cards she had just bought down at the market earlier that day.
As she had headed home, she had taken the liberty of opening the little black drawstring bag the cards came in, and look at the images drawn on each one. Many of them were hardly different from standard playing cards as Fluttershy knew them, but with different symbols. Instead of clubs, spades, hearts and diamonds, these cards were separated into swords, cups, disks and wands. And each suit had an extra court-card in it; as well as the standard king, queen and knave, there was also a knight. Also, rather than just having depictions of the number of suit-objects in the name of the cards, they were strange pictures of landscapes, buildings and ponies, each working the number of suit-objects into them. She remembered the “Three of Staffs”, which depicted a cloaked pony looking over a vast landscape, with two staffs stood up in the ground on their left, with a third staff on their right. The pony’s tail was curled around this third staff.
But in addition to the suit cards, there were a number of other cards mixed in, with no suit. Instead, they had names like “The Fool”, depicting a young wandering colt who looked up at the sky, blissfully unaware that he was nearing the edge of a cliff; or “The Star” which depicted a unicorn knelt by a pond, with an enormous star in the sky over her. Fluttershy smiled slightly at these cards in particular. A few of the cards did frighten her a bit (She almost fell out of the air as she saw “The Dragon”), but several had very beautiful images on them, printed in exquisite detail.
At first, she had been apprehensive about purchasing anything for her strange, masked patient. Rarity’s description of the cards only heightened her hesitance. But she reasoned with herself: They were just a game. Twilight had told her, only unicorns could tell the future, and even then, they could only be born with prophetic ability, which in itself was extremely rare. It was not something that could be taught, and certainly there existed no object that could be used by non-unicorns in lieu of genuine prophecy or clairvoyance. Not to mention, he himself was an earth-pony. What harm could he do with them? They were just cards, after all.
As she closed the door, she heard a male voice call “So, did you get them?”
She nodded as she replied “Yes, I did. I hope they’re what you were looking for.”
She extracted the small bag from her saddlebags and brought them over to the couch where the masked colt lay, his bandaged leg rested on the armrest. He sat up as she deposited the cards before him. Loosening the drawstrings, he pulled out the first few cards. Gazing over them, he looked up to Fluttershy.
“They’re perfect. Thanks.”
She smiled as she went to the kitchen to empty her saddlebag’s remaining contents “I’m glad to hear that. Oh, I hope you don’t mind, but I was told Twilight was going to visit today…I guess she wants to talk to you again.”
He sighed through his mask. “Still determined to fight a losing battle, is she?”
Fluttershy returned to the living room and sat down on a cushion “Well, I don’t know about that…B-but Twilight is certainly not the type to give up on anything. When she sets her mind to something, she’ll never stop… To be honest, that’s probably what I like most about her.”
But any further conversation was stalled as there came a sharp knocking on the door. Fluttershy jumped slightly at the sudden noise, but composed herself quickly enough and went to open the door.
“Hello? Who is…Oh, it’s you, Twilight!”
She held the door open as the unicorn entered “Yeah, hi Fluttershy. So, where is he?”
The Pegasus was slightly taken aback at the less-than-cordial greeting “Erm…he’s over on the couch…Where’s Talisman?”
“He’s back at his house. He, er…wasn’t feeling well.” Twilight replied. Lying to Fluttershy…she felt low as a dog. Truth be told, she did not feel safe bringing Talisman with her to speak with their masked guest. Last time they were together, Talisman has crushed his leg with a rock! Who could guess what else he would do if he had the chance?
Twilight sat down on another of the many cushions lying about, facing the couch where he lay. She noted with some surprise how relaxed and at ease he seemed. Of course, with such a blank mask, she could hardly even tell what he was thinking. He could be fuming or weeping for all she knew. So focused was she on his face that she failed to see him slipping a little black drawstring bag under one of his pillows. Fluttershy decided to give the pair their privacy, and trotted upstairs to check on her animals.
“Well, hello again, miss Sparkle. To what do I owe the pleasure?” he sneered.
Twilight frowned “Cut the jokes. I want to talk to you about what you and your friends are up to.”
He sighed “Why, whatever do you mean?”
“You know just what I mean! I know that you and your friends want to bring the Slendermane into Equestria…y’know, in its ‘true form’ or whatever. But just how are you gonna do that? How does it work?”
He did not reply. He merely rolled over, his face to the back of the couch. After a moment, there came a slightly muffled “Why should I tell you?”
“Well, no offence but you’re not exactly in a position to bargain. You’re stuck in here until I find out everything I need to know, one of your legs is broken, and you have no way to reach your friends in the Forest. Cooperate, and then we’ll talk terms.”
The masked pony just chuckled “Ha! There’s no way I’d betray my comrades. They know the rites well enough to carry them out without me. I’m just a guide. You’d have to torture me if you want me to talk!”
Twilight rolled her eyes “Oh please. Even I wouldn’t stoop low enough to resort to torture.”
He shrugged “Well, have fun failing to delay the inevitable then.”
The unicorn glared at the colt. Why had she ever been so naïve to think she could get anything out of him? Silence passed between the ponies. Twilight looked around the cottage, as if seeking inspiration from her surroundings. She could hear Fluttershy busying herself upstairs, talking gently to some small animal. Then she had an idea. A malicious grin appeared on her face as it grew.
“You know, there are other ways to convince a pony to cooperate…How long did Fluttershy say you’d have to stay until your leg was better?”
The colt rolled back over, his curiosity piqued by the sudden change of tone in her voice “She said it would take a few days before I could be up on my hooves.”
“Hmm.” Twilight mused. It wasn’t something she’d wanted to resort to, but desperate times call for desperate measures “You know, Fluttershy is about the only pony in Ponyville who’d be willing to treat you. All I need to do is take you away from…”
“You really think you can get to me with such idle threats, my pretty?”
Twilight glared at him angrily again, her hackles rising with her voice “It’s not idle! And don’t call me that!”
Under his mask, he smiled “You’d never be able to get Miss Fluttershy to stop treating me. She’s far too kind-hearted. You might think you have me as a prisoner, but I’ll be honest, she’s been treatin’ me like a poor little foal who’s sprained his ankle.”
Her eyes grew wide in response. She knew Fluttershy was a kind soul who was friendly to any creature, but surely even she must have her limit? She knew what he was planning, didn’t she?
He saw the look on her face. He had her right where he wanted her now. “Oh yes, she’s been a lovely little hostess to me. She’s fed me, bandaged me up, made sure I was as comfortable as possible...”
“Be quiet.”
But the colt continued his relentless tirade. He was getting to her. Perfect, “In fact, just today she even went and got me a present. A little get-well gift, if ya like. You should hear her, fawning over me, day and night: ‘Oh, here, let me change those bandages for you!’” He simpered in a cruel parody of Fluttershy’s voice “’Oh, how are you feeling today? Would you like something to eat? Would you like another pillow?”
“Quiet!”
“If I didn’t know better, “ The colt continued, his voice dripping with malice “I’d say she’s starting to like me. She’d probably give me a goodnight kiss if I let her! You got nothing to use against me…”
“SHUT UP!” Twilight screamed in the colt’s face.
Her eyes shone with fury and frustration. Before she knew what she was doing, there was a flash of light and the colt was in mid-air, his body surrounded by a magenta aura. The exertion was unbearable, but her sheer anger and desperation kept her from passing out from exhaustion. She snarled up at the colt who floated before her “Now you listen to me, buddy. I didn’t want to go here, but if it’s what it takes, I’ll do it!”
Fluttershy’s pink-maned head peeked down from the upper floor ”Erm…Twilight? What’s…Twilight! You’ve got your magic back!”
Twilight blinked, dull surprise all over her face as she recognised her sudden burst of magic. Her Vita was back!
But even this ray of good news did little to calm her mood. She growled in his face “I don’t know if you’re aware, but I have a direct link to Princess Celestia herself. She knows what’s happening to me, I’ve sent her notes, and bits of my research. Now, you’d better start talking, because all it takes is one letter to Canterlot, and I can have the Princess here in a matter of minutes. I’m sure she has much more effective ways of encouraging somepony to talk.”
Inside, she was cringing. She had never had to pull rank on anypony, and to be honest, it felt horrible. It was as if she was taking advantage of her special connection to the Princess and misusing it. But she was through being lenient.
“So, are you going to cooperate?” She said, in a cold, unforgiving voice barely above a whisper.
“Or do I have to get the Princess involved?”
The silence that followed was so thick, the sharpest knife would barely make a dent in it. The colt hovered above the couch, staring through blackened eyeholes into the glaring, violet eyes of Twilight, her face contorted with anger, her chest heaving with exasperation. Fluttershy had watched the exchange from the stairs, and only now spoke up, her voice hardly audible.
“T-Twilight? Could you, maybe…y’know, c-calm down a…”
“Stay out of this Fluttershy!!” Twilight shouted back, pointing a hoof at the pegasus.
Fluttershy cringed, as if Twilight had thrown something at her. It certainly felt like that to her. With a whimper, she hung her head “T-Twilight…I-I’m…”
Then it hit her. Twilight lowered her hoof and turned to look up at her. She felt a pang of guilt as she realised what she had just said. She had just verbally assaulted her friend, the most gentle and timid pony in Equestria. And now she was on the verge of tears. She felt lower than an insect “Fluttershy…I’m so-…”
But before she could finish, Fluttershy had scampered upstairs, whimpering, desperate not to let her friend see her crying. There was a slam of a door, and then silence.
Twilight stared dumbly at the stairs. Her mind was still trying to keep up with what she had just done. It felt like she had crushed an animal’s head beneath her hoof. She felt dirty, unclean. What had driven her to do that? What could have possessed her to shout at one of her greatest friends?
Her horn’s glow faded away, the colt dropping to the floor as the telekinesis wore off.
“Well, that was dramatic.”
The colt’s voice brought her attention back to him. Her voice was still caught in her throat, and she could only stare at the masked pony, who lay at ease on the couch.
“Now, correct me if I’m wrong, but you said that you sent some of your research to the Princess?”
Twilight nodded dumbly.
“Would this happen to include....photographs of my Master?”
Again she nodded.
Beneath his mask, the colt’s face broke out into a massive grin. “Oh, thank you...Thank you so very, very much. You may have made my job a whole lot easier.”
Her voice returned suddenly “Wha-? What do you mean?”
“You’ll find out soon enough. News travels fast round here. I’ll just say this: If you wanted her help…”
He leaned close to her, his voice a conspiring whisper:
“You shouldn’t have done that.”
Twilight’s mind whirred with activity. What had she just done?
Without another word, she got up and headed for the door. She had had enough for the night. Her mind was a maelstrom of uncertainty, with more questions than ever. Why would Celestia not help? Had something happened to her? Was she in trouble?
She gulped as a chilling thought appeared: Was it her fault? She had been the one to send her research evidence to her. Did this do something to her?
Before she left, the colt’s voice rang out again “Just who can you go to now, Twilight? Who can you trust? That’s a question you should ask yourself over the next few days.”
The door slammed furiously as Twilight left, unable to listen to any more. The colt giggled to himself, a horrible, high giggle. It was just too good. Could things be going any smoother?! He looked down at his broken leg. Well, yes, he thought. Maybe a bit smoother.
With a content sigh, he retrieved the Tarot cards from their refuge under the pillow and began to lay out a strange formation.
He first lay out a ring of cards, staring with the Emperor, then the High Priest, the Lovers,
the Chariot, Strength, the Hermit, Justice, Death, Temperance, the Dragon, the Star and finally the Moon.
“The circle is formed.” he said in a low mutter.
In the centre of this ring, he placed the four aces in a cross shape, placing the Knight of Swords upon it.
“The altar is prepared.”
Finally, he arranged three more cards outside the circle, The Fool, The Hanged Mare and The Judgment, in a triangle.
He looked in satisfaction at the completed formation. Most ponies insisted that Earth ponies had no magical ability… He pitied those who believed such lies. They had not been enlightened by the wisdom and power of The Mighty. From the 4th World, He had brought His own magic, teaching it to the worthy. Among this knowledge was the secret power that lay behind the cards of the Tarot. Opening up a communication lattice would be child’s play!
One by one, the colt placed more cards on the formation, muttering under his breath strange words. He would place the card down, then tap it with a hoof, reciting another stanza of the strange, alien chant his Master had taught him.
As he placed and tapped the final card, the Knave of Disks, upon the triangle, his head was suddenly wracked with a sharp twinge of pain.
“The way is open!” he groaned, feeling his mind connect to the communication lattice. Shutting his eyes, he strained as he probed about the lattice, a single thread weaving through many, seeking out somepony who was listening.
“Sir?”
Another voice echoed in his mind. He smiled with satisfaction as he made the connection to the other. “Excellent, somepony’s there! How are the preparations going?”
“As planned,” The other voice said enthusiastically “What happened? Where are you?”
He groaned “I’ve been…apprehended. I’m in the small cottage that lies just outside His Forest. They got me first, broke my leg.”
“What?! But how can we go on with the plan without you?”
“Don’t worry, I’ll be alright to leave in no time. The pony who has me under guard is a weak one. Getting her out of the way will be easy enough. And I bring good news!”
“Sir?”
He grinned as he spoke “First of all, we can cut out any worries of Celestia interfering. She’s found out about us.”
“Found out? Isn’t that a bad thing?”
“Normally yes, but with The Mighty, things are a little different.” he said, his voice dripping wth glee.
“How so?”
“Let’s just say The Mighty has awoken before, and leave it at that. The other good news is, we can push the rite ahead of schedule.”
“Really? Why?”
“Her Vita has begun to return faster. Emotions are rather running high here. I give it until... oh, about this weekend, and she’ll be all ready to harvest.”
The voice on the other end grew excited “And that’ll be it then? He’ll have enough power to return?”
Though the other could not see it, the colt nodded “In full. Then the Great Work can begin. Advance our work from Caeruleus to Nigredo phase.”
“It will be done, sir. No turning back now, I guess… Should we come to get you?”
“Be outside the cottage in two nights time. I’ll be ready by then.”
“Until then, Master.”
With that, the communication lattice fell silent. The masked pony let his link break from the interwoven threads, as the spell faded from his mind. Sweat dripped from all over his body as he panted from the exertion.
“H-how do…unicorns…do this sorta…thing...?” He trailed off as he collapsed into exhausted sleep.