Whew. Back to the old grind. Now the true test begins. The Chancellor was the key to all of this. Up until now, the detail regarding Cozy Glow’s first offense that caused her a sentence to Tartarus completely evaded me. No one had told me that, nor did any of the records in Ponyville explain such a thing. Why? Well I was about to find out.
The exact location of the Equestrian Education Association wasn’t really known to anypony either. Respectable, but suspicious. Why go to such great lengths to hide something that everyone probably openly knows about?
My wheel was spinning again. Alright. The plan was simple. I would need to head to the School for Gifted Unicorns. They were probably located somewhere around there, right? So that’s where I went.
I trotted up the steps and entered the magical academy. It was late in the afternoon, so most of the students were likely off on a lunch break. Which meant the teachers were probably on a break.
Stellar.
I approached the front desk where a secretary stallion was busy filing some papers. “Howdy my good man. I wish to know if Chancellor Neighsay is available.”
“Sorry, he’s on break, and doesn’t wish to be disturbed.”
“This is in regards to Cozy Glow. If he’s available, I think he needs to hear what I have to say.”
That certainly got his attention. Nervous as can be with a sweat drop down the side of his face, he rose from his seat, “I’ll...see what I can do,” and took off.
Just my luck. Seemed like he was here today. Maybe I would get lucky and find out more of the EEA’s juicy secrets regarding their...secrecy. Didn’t sound very epic when spelled out like that, though. Hm.
“Alright, uh...he’ll see you now. But a word of advice...try not to set him off. He’s very tense as of late due to his ahem--age.”
Heh. I’ve seen and dealt with worse. I pat the secretary on the back as I went through the door, “Relax, I’m a professional.” And I was now in the hallway, heading towards the end of it for the office. I could easily see where the inspiration for the School of Friendship came from. Although, the Unicorns school was more rustic in its style with more drab colors in the gray carpeting and cream walls. I appreciated a taste for the older times.
I noticed an office marked for Twilight Sparkle. But obviously, she wasn’t here. I’d be able to sense her enormous...magical presence by now. So I trotted past it until I found the Administrator office. “Aha,” I pushed it open, and found myself in a rather dimly lit room. The windows were shut, and all that provided light was a single candle on a desk.
At that desk was the Unicorn in question that I was looking for. “Are you going to stand there all day? Or are you going to enter?”
“My apologies,” I stepped inside and took a seat across from him at the desk.
“So...you’re here in reference to Cozy Glow, are you?” His nose was buried deep in a book. Every moment or so, his eye would come back to me for a side glance. It was like he expected me to do something, anything wrong. Why the suspicion?
“That’s right. Moreover, I want to ask another question: what was she sent to Tartarus for and why?”
His book shut with the heavy force of his magic. The sound caused an echo across the room. This topic wasn’t something he was fond of discussing. But that wouldn’t deter me. “Cozy Glow was sentenced to imprisonment in Tartarus for the heinous act of stealing and absorbing the magic of Princesses Celestia and Luna.”
Sounded simple enough, but there had to be more. So I pressed on, “Oh, really? Any idea what happened once she got there?”
He leaned forward and put both of his hooves together, “It was later found that Cozy Glow had allied herself with Tirek, Queen Chrysalis and Grogar. Soon after, it was revealed that Grogar was Discord and thus, was not tried.”
Discord? The god of chaos himself was involved?! Just what is going on here?! I was about to lose it. I had to mentally relax. Calm. Okay. First thing’s first. “So...you sent her to Tartarus without questioning her parents?”
“There were no records of her having any relatives at all. She simply showed up one day to the School of Friendship, and was accepted.”
Absolute pony dung. There was no way someone’s parents are that hard to find. Not unless they were killed beforehoof. “I see...so instead of stripping her of her power and attempting to reform her, she was cast to the absolute depths of the underworld?”
“Fool. She expressed no desire to recuperate her losses, nor display any remorse for her actions. The entire Association agreed that she deserved the maximum punishment for someone of her age. A threat that great to Equestria has no right to exist!” The headstallion glared at me, his eyebrows were like heated daggers that threatened to leap from his forehead and skewer me, “Are you questioning the actions of our princesses? Something like that would paint you as an enemy of society. Tell me, what is your name?”
“Sapphire Shores.”
“Hmph,” his response was a half hearted growl mixed with a chuckle, “You had best not toy with me, young man. Should you stick your nose in where it does not belong, your life could be forfeit.”
This gentleman was irritating me. Best to stack things in my favor before I get too deep. “Pale Vestige.”
“Ah yes...now I remember you. You were that vagabond from the streets of Manehattan. Tell me, how do you think the public would react to know their current Detective nearly killed a bunch of innocent elderly ponies in his youth?” He said with a smug, snake-like expression.
Wow. They really knew everything. They wouldn’t be the EEA if they didn’t, I suppose. But Cadence-damn it all. I felt my blood boil just listening to this guy. “Just how much do you know?”
He gave a proper chuckle this time, and used his magic to procure a file from underneath his desk, “The EEA knows everything about every foal enrolled into the education system. No matter where in the world you are. You routinely got into delinquent activities such as property damage, bloody battles, and nearly harming the defenseless elderly. Such a swine you were. And before you ask, the School District Manager of Manehattan reports every incident to me. I don’t recall every detail, but I have not forgotten you. What would your father think?”
“...” It was all laid out by now. So they really did know everything. If that was truly the case, then there truly was no record of Cozy Glow’s parents. My trail was officially cold. I had no hooves to stand on here. “...is that so?”
“Word of advice, child. Don’t try to outsmart the smartest pony in a village. It leads you in circles,” he reopened his book, “and beyond that, if you continue questioning the natural order of the way our ruler has done things, I’ll have no choice but to detain you. Perhaps banish you Tartarus myself, hmhmhm.”
I grimaced. My teeth ground into each other like nails on a chalkboard. The threats made against me in particular were of no power. But the arrogance. The arrogance on this stallion was a foul stench of controlled chaos that knew no bounds. And yet, I had no case. However, there was still one final question up my proverbial sleeve.
“So you’re okay with this? You’re fine with letting Discord roam free after manipulating a filly in Tartarus? A place that she probably shouldn’t have been in in the first place? You’re fine with knowing that there could have been something done to prevent this? And doing nothing about it?”
His book lowered just enough to expose his turquoise eyes, “Child. I know you may often witness ponies randomly break into song and dance to wistfully cast away their problems. But that’s not how it goes all of the time. Only a fool would be delusional enough to think it would be so easy.”
My head hung in defeat. There was nothing left to say. But yet, I felt that there was still hope to be had in my case. “That young ruffian is long gone, sir. You’d do well to acknowledge that,” I got up and turned to leave. Just before I stepped out of the office, the Chancellor would speak one last time.
“Take care and watch your back, Blood Viper. Nopony else is going to watch it for you.”
That was a name I had hoped to never hear again so long as I drew breath. Was that a threat? A declaration of war? Just what was this old stallion planning? I shut the door and ran out of the school, much to the confusion of students returning to class as well as the secretary stallion.
All the sudden, I felt my hooves dragged beneath me by force. “Wh--?!” I was pulled into the bushes by a magic aura that kept itself hidden the entire time. And it seemed that I too, was caught in this suppressive aura. An unfamiliar dull pink one.
“Shh.”
I couldn’t see who had captured me, but I remained quiet. If this was to be where I laid down to rest permanently, it would be too soon. Fortunately, it seems that my captor removed all suspicion of her presence.
“Good. I caught you at the perfect time.”
In a flash, we were both teleported. To a house. One that was far messier than my own. Books all over the place, a mess of quills and ink in one corner near the front door, and a disorganized shelf full of rare items.
“Don’t get used to this,” it was a mare. That was for certain. Her magical aura dropped me like a sack of potatoes. “I’m only doing this to ensure a good result on my research. Don’t get the wrong idea.”
“Ow.” A minor sting upon landing, but I would be fine. I rose to my hooves to see a dull yellow unicorn with a messy mane and tail that had red and two shades of purple. She also wore a pair of glasses that were held together by tape. “I...thank you? But why did you--?”
“Moondancer,” she stated rather abruptly. That must’ve been her name, “And I already know who you are, Vest. Your name’s been churning around the rumor mill lately.”
Rumors? In Canterlot? Typical.
She was at a blackboard and used her magic to write something with chalk as she spoke. “Neighsay thinks what he’s doing is for the good of Equestria. Been that way for the last few years. With the entire EEA on his side, he acts like he has nothing to fear. The geezer.”
I knew it. He likely hid behind the protection of those stronger than he was while he remained in power. Reminded me of those black and white Manehattan gangster movies. “I see, so--”
“Shh,” she interrupted me, “so you...you want to try and find out whether or not you can bring back Cozy Glow, huh?”
“That’s right.”
“You’re an idiot.”
I gave a proud grin, “Thank you--whaaaa?” and my jaw hung out. I didn’t expect that response, that was for certain. “How come?”
“Because, no sane pony is gonna support such a ridiculous idea. If I were you, I’d have given up a long time ago.”
“I see…” She was an odd one for sure. Didn’t like to make eye contact, nor speak more than necessary. I almost liked it. “How come?”
After she finished writing whatever it was on her chalkboard, she lazily flopped down on her living room couch, “I’d have given up because that’s an uphill battle I couldn’t be bothered dealing with. But you? I dunno if you’re brave or just plain foolish for it. But hey, it’ll be cool to see if your name goes down in history or in Tartarus flames, I guess.”
“Listen, there’s a whole lot of things wrong with Equestria that many a pony don’t realize,” I pleaded, and took a seat on the floor. I felt like I would destroy hundreds of hours of work if I took one wrong step.
Moondancer was keen on simply levitating popcorn into her mouth as she read through a book. Both held aloft with her magic. “Uh-huh.”
“If I can somehow just...tap into what’s caused this, I can maybe expose a fatal flaw in the justice system of the world! Don’t you think something like that is worth looking into?”
She stopped. “Tap, huh? Alright...I’ll help you on one condition,” she sat up, and put the book down. Her facial expressions had been rather unamused for the last few moments. But now? Now she had a deranged, twisted grin on her face while looking at me. Like I was food for a hungry griffon.
“A condition…?” I dreaded the thought. “What sort of condition are we talking about?”
“Just a bit of poking and prodding...so I can run some tests on you. Then and only then will I consider helping your sorry flank.”
I was out of options. This mare was my only ticket to escaping this high class city without suspicion. “...fine. How do we begin?”
“Take off that case and that vest for one thing, then follow me.”
That sounded way odder than it needed to be. But I removed my uniform and slipped into the case before I followed her into a deep, dark area of her home. “...You do lots of experiments, huh?”
“You could say that. I’m busy working day after day. When your best friend becomes the Princess of the world, you start to slump back into old habits,” she pushed a door open and it led to a small, round room with many devices, notes on whiteboards, and scattered papers. “Now look. I can sense strange magic within you. In your case, it’s Earth Magic.”
Magic? Me? Despite being an Earth Pony, there was indeed hidden potential we had. I knew it. But hopefully this little experiment didn’t take too long. I had to prioritize Cozy Glow after all. “I see...will this take much time?”
My face turned to a look of subdued horror when I witnessed Moondancer grab a set of what looked like electrical clamps! One red, one black. I could feel my pupils shrink into the back of my head. Maybe it wasn’t too late to try my hoof at running away.
“Oh, don’t look at me like that,” she scoffed and levitated them towards me, “this won’t hurt. Just a minor tickle at most.”
The researcher in me couldn’t resist the idea of finding hidden potential. So I went along with it. “Okay. Go ahead,” I flinched when I heard each clamp grasp my mane and tail. The red for the former, and the black for the latter This felt so foolish. All this time, I didn’t think to see what she had them connected to! My eyes traveled along the wires until they stopped at a device that looked like an analyzer of sorts. It had the appearance of an old printer with a layer of dust, which indicated it hadn’t been used in a while. “Um, what is--”
“Shh. Don’t talk. Just focus on your magic,” she went over to the device. It would appear that she was expecting some results rather quickly. Maybe this wouldn’t be so--
“GEH!” I felt some sort of controlled stimulant enter my body. It didn’t hurt much. Rather, just a minor tickle like she said.
After a moment or so, she had a printout ready for her from the device. The paper had details of just what I had been capable of, and so the clamps were removed from my body with her magic. “Uh-huh. I see…”
I wiped a bit of sweat from my forehead and leaned over her shoulder, “So...what did you find?”
“In a nutshell, your Earth Pony abilities aren’t geared towards plants like someone like Applejack. But rather, towards sensory magic. According to the notes, it says you’re able to sense magic from within the Earth itself and that allows you to not only sense magical buildup, but predict when it’s going to be expelled, and avoid it. This ability even works through walls and can potentially go for miles if you focus hard enough. Fascinating. Unicorns and Pegasi can sense magic as well, but not to this extent.”
Surprising. I always knew I had some sort of skill as a tracker. It was how I landed this job, after all. But as she herself said--not to this extent. I wanted to know more, but now wasn’t the time. “Okay, good. So do you think you can help me now?”
Her muzzle contorted away from a stoic frown to more of a disappointed one. “I was hoping you’d be willing to offer me some samples of your DNA so I could study it more. But a promise is a promise.”
Before I could get another word in, she teleported us both in a flash.
We were now in a remote location. Sprawling open fields with lots of trees all around. We couldn’t be that far from Canterlot, actually. “What are we…” I turned my head left, then right. And finally, I gazed upon something extraordinary with a gasp, “What?!”
The statue itself. Of Cozy Glow with a shocked expression while Chrysalis defiantly reached out and Tirek slumped over the bug Queen in defeat.
“But how...who?”
“Shush,” Moondancer stood in front of me, “If your magic is as strong as I think it is, then you should be able to tap into the petrification spell.”
I shook my head. Her explanation fell on deaf ears. “Wait…’tap into’ the spell? I can’t do anything about that.”
“No. You can’t undo it, nor can you activate it. However, you have a stronger connection to their auras than I. Can you feel them from where you stand?”
I closed my eyes. Yes I could. Their auras were still active and...wait a second. “I can, but...are they still alive? And fully cognitive?!”
“Yes, unfortunately. They can see us, but they can’t hear us. Only their own thoughts and each other. Think of it as an advanced form of solitary confinement or something,” she explained in a rather disgusted tone. It was hard to tell if she was annoyed with the spell, me specifically, or everything in general. Some ponies are just hard to read. “Anyway, if you want to hear Cozy Glow’s thoughts, try using your magic and feeling her aura. Focus on it like it’s the only thing left in the universe.
I nodded, and kept my eyes shut. My hooves firmly planted into the ground, I could sense a rather somber aura of magic. Regretful even. Being stuck in place for so long with nothing to look at but the endless horizon was a level of torture I simply could not fathom.
I vaguely felt the auras of the two tyrants beside her, but I did my best to push those away. My brain was entirely focused on homing in on Cozy Glow’s magic through the ground. Despite my eyes being shut, I could begin to see something. A faded image of the filly, sitting alone in an empty abyss of nothingness.
The harder I focused, the clearer her image became. Was this an illusion? A part of the spell placed on them? I wasn’t entirely sure, but pressed onward.
Then I heard her voice.
“Who...? Go away…”
“...!”
“If...there, don’t...me. No matter...you won’t...trust me. What am I saying...I’m going crazy...nopony there. Forever. With...that. But....too late for me…”
“AGH!” I had gotten a headache from the amount of time I had focused into the spell’s aura. It was powerful alicorn magic, and nearly sent me for a tumble onto the ground. “Whew...hah...how long...did I last?”
Moondancer had been watching me the whole time with a stopwatch, clipboard, and pencil all being levitated. “Five minutes. That was actually pretty long. Longer than I expected from someone like you. Maybe if we worked your muscles a bit more, we could get you to last longer before you’d have to pull out.”
I nodded again, too tired to give a proper response.
“Don’t worry, bud. Your stamina should return pretty quickly. Earth ponies have faster recovery times after vigorous activity than we do.”
Also correct. I started to slowly feel my breath--and my sanity--return to me. I pieced together what I could regarding the filly’s thoughts. “Ah, that’s good. Well, once I focused, I was able to see and hear her for a bit. She seems like she’s regretful but knows she can’t be trusted so easily.”
“Yup, that sounds like an accurate thought process to have after being restrained for so long. Whatcha gonna do about that?”
“Well...I still have to rally support for her case. Now that I know her perspective a little, I think I have an idea of what I should do next. What do you think?”
She raised her eyebrow and looked back at her notes, “I still think you’re out of your mind for trying since she’s a complete nutcase and doesn’t deserve to be brought back. I mean, Discord is still quite the ass if you ask me, so I don’t think she’d be any different.”
“So you think she should stay put?”
“Yup, no hope for her.”
I nodded, “I respect that. Even so, I’ll do my best to prove she does have hope.”
“Great. Mind giving me some of your DNA?”
This mare was really fixated, wasn’t she? Oh well, it couldn’t hurt, could it?
It wasn’t that painful, but there was a decent amount of being poked and stimulated that I did not want to go into detail about.
I took the train back to Ponyville. Between the stressful talk with the Chancellor, magical experimentation, and the focus I had to apply on Cozy’s statue? I was ready to drop to the dirt and never rise. By the time I got off the train, I was ready to simply drop.
“Agh...ow....for Cadence’s sake, my flank feels like it’s gonna explode!” I took a rest at a spot near a river and some scattered trees next to a hill. My stamina would return soon, but I couldn’t bear the thought of what I had just experienced. I needed time to recover.
That’s when I heard a rather strange sound. One that sounded like traditional braying. The language of our ancestors. Was I really about to travel to the afterlife? Not here! Not now!
“Ohmmm...neee-eee-eee…”
No, it was someone else. I was alive, thankfully. I inched my way over and found a secluded area concealed by bushes. A green mare, Earth Pony, was doing some sort of...meditation? I had no clue.
“Yoooo, man,” she addressed me with her eyes closed. Guess she had similar sensory abilities to me? “Your vibes are all over the place. Come and like, chill with me, bro.”
I was in no position to refuse. I needed a moment to loosen up and...think about certain things. So I joined her in those bushes. “...thank you?”
“Peace, man. Just relax and let it aallll out…”