Truth and Consequences
It was late that night at the outskirts of Daisy Joy Tech. Every pony was sound asleep in their dorms, with the exception of a few guards that patrolled the outer fields of the school for anyone who tried to break in or escape.
Deep within the halls of the dorms, Golden Lace snuck through with a saddlebag on her back. A bottle of ketchup peaked out from inside the bag. Lace’s footsteps are fast, but quiet as she made her way down the hallway.
But as Golden Lace made her way up to the door leading outside, she turned to her left and saw a window with its latch in the locked position. Golden Lace’s horn glowed brightly as she undid the lock of the latch before pushing it open with her magic. She jumped onto the top of the lockers before making her way out the window.
Outside, Golden Lace pulled herself out of the window and on the roof of the student dorm building. She checked the inside of her bag before taking a few steps to the edge of the roof. Lace looked down and saw the guards making their rounds in the garden area of Daisy Joy Tech.
“Wow,” Golden Lace said to herself. “Those guards take their duties more seriously than the teachers. Makes me wonder how Cozy Glow was able to sneak in without being detected.”
Golden Lace snuck across the roof of the building, with each hoof step as quietly as possible. She kept her eyes out in front of her along with the guards below, hoping not to attract their attention for the moment. She scanned her eyes around the front garden of the school.
“No sign of that elephant status,” Golden Lace said to herself. “Not yet. But if I know how pridefully they take their mascot, they stick it near the entrance of this blasted school.”
Immediately, Golden Lace jumped right behind a portion of a building and looked from behind the corner. A spotlight moved through the roof of the building, scanning for any intruders or escapees. Golden Lace kept herself hidden as the spotlight moved through.
“I gotta be careful until the very end,” Golden Lace said. “If I want this expulsion, I have to avoid being detected until that final moment.”
As soon as the spotlight moved away from the area near Golden Lace’s position, the filly jumped out of the corner and dashed forward once more.
“That’s just one of many spotlights of this blasted institute,” Golden Lace said to herself. “If I remember correctly, there are a total of four in the front area.”
Golden Lace looked forward, where she saw the spotlight emitter right in front of her. Lace jumped right behind the platform where the spotlight stood, with the operator of the light unaware of her presence. Golden Lace looked up at the pony operator scanning the bottom area.
“This has got to be the worst job to get in this blasted city,” the operator said to himself. “I was hoping to be a teacher for the students, and instead they assigned me this borefest.”
Golden Lace snuck off from behind the operator. But before she took off, she whispered to herself “I’m starting to feel sorry for some of these workers. It’s as if we share a similar misery even though we’re different.”
Golden Lace shifted her head to her right, where she continued to scan the garden area where guards continued to patrol the area.
“I should be getting close to the entrance,” Golden Lace said. “Once I vandalize that statue, the headmare will have no choice but to kick me out.”
Golden Lace looked up ahead to see the entrance of the school shut tight, with a number of guards standing in front. She quickly hid behind another building corner before looking over the wall.
“Look at all those guards,” Golden Lace said, looking down at the ground that is surrounded by the city of Manehattan from behind the wall. “They take escapees seriously. I try to go out this way and I will be ”
Golden Lace turned her head away from the wall before turning it towards the garden. She scanned the area, spotting a few guards and plants before her eyes saw a giant, golden statue of a cute Elephant wearing a skirt and holding a flower in the air. On the base of the statue was a plaque that said “Knowledge and Logic are your only friends.”
“That’s it,” Golden Lace said. “That’s the statue that this school takes pride in. From what I understand, there should be magical sensors built into the statue that detects any form of vandalism. All I gotta do is spray that statue down with the ketchup as much as possible. Once the guards come by, I’ll surrender myself and await my expulsion.”
Golden Lace threw down her saddle bags and opened it up. She pulled out a total of five ketchup bottles from the bag with her magic and proceeded to open the tops. Then she turned her attention towards the statue.
“I’m really nervous about doing this,” Golden Lace said to herself. “But at least Cozy Glow was able to steal these bottles from the other students as an act of revenge for that humiliation I went through. Time to put this to good use.”
Golden Lace looked at the spotlight that shifted back and forth at the front of the statue. She shifted her eyes at the guards positioned at the gate, who looked half-asleep. Golden Lace took a deep breath and backed herself up.
“This is it,” Golden Lace said. “My freedom awaits.”
Golden Lace ran as fast as she could and jumped off the roof. She landed in the bushes below, startling a guard nearby.
“What was that?” the guard said, taking notice of the movement of Golden Lace and the rustling of the bushes.
The guard marched forward, holding a prod in front with his right arm. He slowly approached the bush, nervously pointing the prod at the greenery.
“Whoever you are,” the guard said. “Come on out. We have you surrounded.”
But just as the guard inched closer, Golden Lace leaped out and squirted ketchup in the guard’s face, blinding him and causing him to drop his prod. Lace picked up the prod with her magic and made a run for it while also levitating the ketchup bottles.
“AHHH!” The guard screamed. “I’VE BEEN KETCHUPED! SOUND THE ALARM!”
Immediately, the alarm went off, causing Golden Lace to jump into another bush. She kept her eyes focused on the guards while she kept the prod and the ketchup bottles next to her. Lace watched as the guards marched past her all the way to the downed guard.
“That was close,” Golden Lace whispered. “No way am I ready to be nabbed yet.”
Suddenly, Golden Lace felt two arms grab her unexpectedly, lifing her out of the bush. She looked up and saw another guard holding onto her.
“I GOT AN ESCAPEE!” The guard yelled.
“LET ME GO YOU CREEP!” Golden Lace said before she lifted the stolen prod with her magic and smacked the guard in the face.
“AHHH!” The guard yelled as he dropped Golden Lace from his arms and held his face in agony.
Immediately, Golden Lace grabbed the ketchup bottles and the prod with her magic before running off. The sound of the guard’s scream caused the other guards to turn towards Golden Lace.
“THERE’S THE RUNAWAY!” One of the Guards yelled. “GET EM!”
The guards chased after Golden Lace, pointing their prods right at the filly. Lace turned around to see the guards chasing her before turning right back and focusing on the statue.
“Come on,” Golden Lace said. “Almost there.”
Lace immediately turned to her right to see another guard running right towards her. With a mighty leap and the magic in her horn transferring into her body, she jumped into the air, dodging the guard before it could grab her. She landed on the ground and ran off with the guard in hot pursuit.
“That was close,” Lace said to herself.
Lace saw the statue of Daisy Joy the Elephant. Looking around, there were a few guards heading right towards her.
“Give it up,” one of the guards yelled. “You’re surrounded.”
“Not yet,” Lace said to herself.
Immediately, Lace charged up her horn once more, causing some of the guards to back off a bit.
“She’s gonna blast us,” one of the guards yelled in fear.
But instead of firing off a blast, the magic infused into her body once more, causing Golden Lace to leap upwards with an impressive two stories tall jump. The guards just looked up, watching Golden Lace leap into the air.
“That pony is amazing,” One of the guards said.
“Yeah,” another said. “But if she leaped over that wall, the others will be there to catch her.”
But as they saw Golden Lace fly into the air, the filly landed on top of the Daisy Joy Statue, holding the ketchup bottles in the air with her magic before throwing the prod away.
“What do you think she’s gonna do?” One of the guards said.
“I don’t like where this is going,” Another guard said.
Immediately, a guard with a megaphone pointed it at Golden Lace and said “You are surrounded. Drop whatever you have and surrender. There is no escape.”
Golden Lace lit up her horn before transferring the magic into her throat. Then she yelled “Not until you see your precious mascot get what I got early ago.”
Golden Lace held the ketchup bottles in the air, pointing them right at the face of the Daisy Joy Elephant statue’s face. The guards looked up as if they’re about to freak out.
“DON’T DO IT!” the guard with the megaphone yelled in terror. “DON’T VIOLATE THAT STATUE. YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT CONSEQUENCES YOU WILL BRING IF YOU DO THAT!”
Golden Lace looked down at the guards and yelled “ACTUALLY, I DO!”
And with that, Golden Lace used her magic to squeeze out every ounce of ketchup from the bottles, covering the upper part of the statue in the thick sauce. Every guard in the vicinity yelled in horror as an even louder alarm went off.
“YOU KNOW WHAT YOU JUST DID?” one of the guards yelled. “NOW WE’RE ALL GOING TO BE IN TROUBLE!”
“Exactly,” Golden Lace said as she emptied the ketchup bottles and threw them away. “That was the plan all along.”
Immediately, the guards ran around like a bunch of crazed maniacs as the second alarm echoed through the school. One of them ran into the other, knocking the prods out of their hooves and sending it flying right at the legs of the statue, tipping it towards its back.
“I think I overdid it,” Golden Lace said as she felt the statue fall back. “But at least it was worth it.”
Immediately, Golden Lace jumped off the statue as it fell back and landed with a loud thud on the ground. Lace landed in the middle of the garden, watching as the guards continued to freak out.
“These are the toughest stallions to patrol this school?” Golden Lace said with a disappointed tone. “I’ve seen changelings that had better bite in their teeth.”
As the guards continued to flail around like a bunch of scared children, the loud roar of someone yelling “ENOUGH” echoed through the air, causing the guards to come to a half before they lined up nervously. Golden Lace turned around to see Headmare Honey Twist and a number of administrators approached her.
Immediately, Golden Lace held her hooves in the air and said “I surrender.”
Headmare Honey Twist stared down at Golden Lace and said “I will deal with you in a second. For now, the guards must be taught a lesson in failure.”
The two administrators grabbed Golden Lace and held her arms behind her before binding her hooves with handcuffs. Honey Twist looked down at the guards with total disdain.
“Look at you,” Honey Twist said in a scolding tone. “You’ve failed in your duties to keep the peace of this school, and you allowed a juvenile delinquent to besmirch the sacred statue of Daisy Joy the Elephant.”
“But how were we supposed to know she was going to do that?” One of the guards said. “We assumed her to be an escapee.”
“No excuses,” Honey Twist said. “All of you will now clean that statue off and place it back on the pedestal. I will withhold all of your meals until further notice. Do I make myself clear?”
“Y…yes my lady,” One of the guards said as he bowed before Honey Twist.
Another Guard rose up and said “You heard lady Honey Twist. Get that statue cleaned off and get it back on the pedestal.”
As the guards began to march towards the downed statue of Daisy Joy the Elephant, Headmare Honey Twist marched towards Golden Lace, who just glared up at the headmare with a cold stare.
“Tell me,” Honey Twist said in a cold tone. “Why did you vandalize my precious statue?”
“I WAS SICK AND TIRED OF BEING TREATED LIKE A TARGET!” Golden Lace yelled. “I was tired of all those students making me look like some kind of clown, and I was tired of all the Fs I’ve been getting since I first stepped hoof in his awful school. So I did it. I sabotaged that statue as a way to let my anger out. There, satisfied?”
Honey Twist looked at Golden Lace with a cold tone before lifting her head up and laughing out loud, confusing the little filly.
“What’s so funny?” Golden Lace said.
Honey Twist was able to contain her own laughter before she said in a more satisfied tone “Truth be told, I was hoping you would pull a stunt like that.”
“What did you say?” Golden Lace said as her face was a bit surprised.
Honey Twist turned to one of the administrators and nodded her head. Immediately, the administrator tapped a button on her collar and said “Bring him out.” Golden Lace looked at the front gate as two more administrators dragged Argyle Starshine from the door. The teacher was held at the end of a leash by his chest.
“MR STARSHINE,” Golden Lace yelled.
“I’m sorry, my faithful student,” Argyle Starshine said. “But they were on to me and they wanted to lure you into a trap.”
“A trap?” Lace said before she turned her head towards Honey Twist.
“That’s right,” Honey Twist said. “First I had to trick Argyle Starshine into confessing my plan to you, giving you an F on every test possible, no matter how well you did. Even if you got all the answers right. Your mother, Gold Banks, wanted you to be humiliated after you chose to disobey her and side with those foolish friends back in Canterlot.”
“Even if they are foolish,” Golden Lace said. “At least they’re not monsters like you.”
Honey Twist shut Lace’s jaw gently before she said “Tis better to be a monster than a fool, Miss Lace. And furthermore, the reason why I tricked Argyle Starshine in confessing what I’m doing to you was simply put: to trick you into pulling a stunt that would get you expelled, such as knocking down my statue.”
“That you have right,” Golden Lace said. “I did knock down and vandalize that statue. I read your rulebook and I know I violated that rule. Therefore, according to the rules, I am to be expelled from this school, shunned by the communities around me.”
Honey Twist laughed before she said “Except there’s one detail you missed. I lied.”
“You what?” Golden Lace said.
“I lied about the punishment,” Honey Twist said with a delightful tone. “About your expulsion. It was all a trap to see who would be foolish to pull a stunt, expecting to be kicked out. Oh no. Expulsion is too good for you. I have a more suitable punishment for you and for Argyle Starshine.”
“YOU TRICKED ME!” Golden Lace yelled as the Administrators held her right.
Honey Twist walked up to the administrator and said “Take her and Argyle Starshine to the kitchen area. They will both wash the pots, pans and dishes all night. And find the rogue daughter of Creme Dream. She’s in this school.”
Golden Lace paused for a moment upon hearing the words that came from Honey Twist. She looked up at the headmare and said “You know of Cozy Glow?”
“Oh we’ve known you had Cozy Glow smuggled in this school for quite some time,” Honey Twist said. “But don’t worry. You will reunite with her shortly.”
WIth that, the administrators dragged Golden Lace and Argyle Starshine away from Honey Twist, all while the sadistic administrator turned to the guards struggling to lift the statue back up.
“So much pain, so much suffering,” Honey Twist said. “And now, I am most pleased.”
Later that night, Argyle Starshine and Golden Lace were locked away in the kitchen area, scrubbing down the dishes, pots and pans in the vicinity. Lace looked dejected, all while Argyle Starshine just looked at her with a hint of concern.
“I’m sorry this happened, Lace,” Argyle Starshine said. “It’s all my fault.”
“No,” Lace said as a tear fell from her eye. “We were all deceived by that monster Honey Twist, tricked into pulling that stunt just for her own amusement. And now, the taste of freedom by expulsion was an illusion that lead us to this torture.”
“It’s not the first time I was locked away here,” Argyle Starshine said. “One week ago, I was locked away here just because I was visiting a relative due to someone close to her passing away.”
“That’s sick,” Golden Lace said.
“She wouldn’t let me leave to attend the funeral,” Argyle Starshine said. “So after I chose not to return here, risking a termination, she pulled me away after the funeral and locked me here for forty eight hours. Afterwards, I was forbidden from leaving the school grounds until further notice.”
“And now we have to suffer together,” Lace said as she placed the clean plate atop a pile of clean plates.
“Even worse,” Argyle Starshine said. “I fear for your friend. Cozy Glow, was it?”
“Yes,” Lace said. “Magistrate Creme Dream’s least favorite daughter who is now a friend of mine. I fear someone may have taken her and is doing horrible things.”
Suddenly, they heard the sound of metal clanging in the walls.
“Or maybe not,” Argyle Starshine said
Argyle Starshine turned towards a vent covering before grabbing it with his hooves. He pulled hard enough to pry it free. As soon as he did, Cozy Glow came tumbling down from the vent.
“Cozy,” Golden Lace said in a happy tone as she grabbed Cozy and gave her a hug. “You’re alright.”
“Of course I am,” Cozy Glow said. “What are friends for?”
“You must be Cozy Glow,” Argyle Starshine said, holding his hoof out. “I am Argyle Starshine, Golden Lace’s teacher.”
Cozy Glow reached out and shook Argyle’s hoof and said “Nice to meet you as well.”
“But tell me,” Argyle said. “How did you avoid detection?”
Cozy Glow released her hold on Argyle’s hoof and said “Believe it or not, I followed Golden Lace from right behind when she least expected it. I wanted to see if she would pull that stunt off and get herself expelled, all while I stayed hidden away from prying eyes.”
“I didn’t know,” Golden Lace said.
“But when I saw Honey Twist arrest you and heard what she said,” Cozy Glow said, “I began to freak out. I had to hide away in the vents of the school, hoping to avoid any detection.”
“And they never expected to see you?” Golden Lace said.
“No,” Cozy Glow said. “In fact, I was surprised there were so few guards that were looking for me, especially after I saw their punishment for failing to stop you from vandalizing the statue. And furthermore, I felt sorry for them.”
“I hate to say it as well,” Golden Lace said. “But so did I. They may have been the ones who wanted to impede my progress, but even they didn’t deserve that kind of treatment.”
Argyle Starshine placed his arm around Golden Lace and said “You have a wonderful friend, Golden Lace. And I believe Princess Celestia once said that Friendship is Magic.”
“It is,” Lace said. “But I’m afraid for Cozy Glow’s well-being. Once the Headmare finds out where she is, I may lose her for good. If there was a way to smuggle her out.”
Immediately, Lace heard someone calling her name. She turned to her left to see a portal form in the kitchen, with Princess Luna walking in.
“Princess Luna,” Golden Lace said with her face beaming.
Golden Lace and Cozy Glow let go of each other before the two ran up and gave Princess Luna a big hug. Argyle Starshine got up, took off his glasses and wiped them with a handkerchief before putting them back on.
“It’s great to see you again, Princess Luna,” Golden Lace said.
“The feeling is mutual,” Princess Luna said with a warm tone from her voice. “I’m sorry that you had to go through all this madness.”
“But how did you know I was going to be here?” Golden Lace said.
“Prior to your departure from Canterlot,” Princess Luna said. “Princess Celestia placed a spell on you. It allowed us to know where you were so we would come to visit every once in a while. A shame that it had to be on such dreary notice.”
“Dreary is an understatement, Miss Woona,” Cozy Glow said. “Golden Lace and her teacher were forced to wash every dish, pot and pan in this room as punishment for Lace’s attempt at expulsion.”
Princess Luna let out a sigh and said “Lying about a punishment just to lure anxious ponies into a trap. Well, let's see her go through this lie.”
Princess Luna lit up her horn and emitted a light from it, covering the room with the bright light. When it disappeared, every dish, pot and pan in the room was sparkling clean. Argyle Starshine, Golden Lace and Cozy Glow looked around, amazed by the results.
“My word,” Argyle Starshime said. “So this is the true power of the alicorns.”
“Only a fraction of it Mr…” Luna said.
“Starshine,” Argyle said. “Argyle Starshine, at your service.”
Luna nodded to Argyle Starshine before turning to Golden Lace and said “By the way, Miss Lace. There is someone who wants to see you.”
Princess Luna stepped aside from the portal, causing Golden Lace to tear up. Emerging from the portal was none other than Silver Banks.
“Daddy?” Golden Lace said.
“I never thought I would say this,” Silver Banks said. “But it is good to see you, my daughter.”
Silver Banks held his arms out as Golden Lace ran up and gave him a hug.”
“I am terribly sorry for all the horrible things I’ve done to you,” Silver Banks said. “The abuse, the mean words that I cannot take back. Even if you don’t forgive me, what matters is seeing your face again once more.”
“I’m just glad to see you again, Daddy,” Golden Lace said.
Golden Lace looked up at Silver Banks as the two shed tears from their eyes.
“My only regret was allowing you to attend this horrible school,” Silver Banks said. I should have taken the fall and become a pariah for your sake, maybe let you stay with Princess Celestia so that you would be safe.”
“Daddy,” Golden Lace said. “I know why mom forced you to do this. But truth be told, it wasn’t just you that she would ridicule. It would have been me, and my friends. Especially Princess Wanda and Princess Sunset Shimmer. And especially Cozy Glow.”
Princess Luna walked up to Golden Lace and said “Speaking of which, it’s time you knew of Cozy Glow’s little secret.”
“Secret?” Golden Lace said as she turned to Cozy Glow.
The pegasus filly flew up to Golden Lace and said “Truth be told, I’m not a Pegasus despite my appearance.”
“Wait,” Golden Lace said. “You’re not telling me that you’re…”
Cozy Glow held the front of her mane back, revealing a unicorn horn on her forehead.
“Yes,” Cozy Glow said. “I’m an alicorn like Princess Luna.”’
“My word,” Argyle Starshine said. “I didn’t know that you’re an alicorn like Princess Luna.”
“I only kept this secret because of my shame with my own mother,” Cozy Glow said. “And my sister Majesty. I was treated like dirt when it came to Magistrate Creme Dream. But she treated Majesty as if she were a favorite while I was undesirable to her.”
Lace’s face turned into a sad frown as she turned towards Luna before she said “Princess Luna, I wish for you to take Cozy Glow away from this school.”
“Lace,” Luna said with a bit of a surprise. “I didn’t expect you to say that.”
“Unfortunately, I am not safe here,” Cozy Glow said. “The school is aware of my presence and is now hunting me down. I don’t know what would happen if I were detected. Lace is right. I must leave this school for my own sake.”
“Poor daughter of Creme Dream,” Silver Banks said. “You don’t deserve to be in this predicament.”
Luna nodded and said “Very well. Cozy Glow, when we depart, you will accompany us. Are you sure of this?”
“I am,” Cozy Glow said before turning to Golden Lace. “But I will miss my bestest best friend.”
Silver Banks placed Golden Lace on the floor as Cozy Glow flew up and gave her friend a big hug.
“And I will miss you too,” Golden Lace said. “My alicorn friend. It’s too bad I can’t go with you. My mother would freak out and turn the Princesses into instant Pariahs the moment I was in their vicinity.”
Argyle Starshine walked up to Silver Banks and said “Mr Banks. I would be honored to look after your daughter even further.”
“Make it so,” Silver Banks said in a somber tone. “Keep her happy in this dreary place, no matter what.”
“It shall be done,” Argyle Starshine said.
As Golden Lace gave Cozy Glow one last hug, Princess Luna walked up to Lace and said “We will try to pay a visit every once in a while to keep your spirits high. And should they disable your magic beacon, we’ll be ready.”
“You think so?” Golden Lace said.
“I know so,” Princess Luna said. “The moment that magic beacon is removed, we will be alerted to it and we will make our move. But for now, it’s safe within you, and we will come to you when needed. Never forget that.”
“Princess Luna,” Golden Lace said. “I won’t.”
With that, Princess Luna hugged both Golden Lace and Cozy Glow as Argyle Starshine and Silver Banks watched with warm smiles on their faces.
“One day, my daughter,” Silver Banks said. “You will be free as a bird. And you will know happiness once more. I promise you that.”
To Be Continued in…
Arc 4: Cozy Glow’’s new home
Far From Her Friend.