Unwelcome Visitor
Carnival of lies part 2
*Earlier that day*
On the edge of Ponyville within a small farmhouse, a lone mare paced between her kitchen and living room. Her hoof falls echoed through her home, which was void of life save for herself. While pacing, her mane had become disheveled from continuous head shaking. Since awakening not an hour earlier, she had devoted most of her morning to spiteful slander. “How dare he come back! That rat sack of toad dung is going to ruin everything!” The mare's words were loud, but in no threat of being heard by anypony. “Just one more month and she would have been transferred to a different orphanage, probably Manehatten's, which would have been most ironic. Considering that was the place where Cheerlee had stumbled upon him. Too bad, I know him better than to rut some two bit mare who's too drunk to even walk.”
The mare's voice dropped in volume, not for fear of being over heard but she didn't want to be hoarse later on. “It was a good thing the Mayor told me about his return. She knows if these plans go sour, she is going to lose a lot of money. Sometimes that bitch cares too much about her town's image... Just because we have the princess' student living here, doesn't make this place anything more than a farming town.” Her pacing increased in speed along with her going anger. “What made her think that because we have a student of her royal highness, ponies would come flocking to this town? Tourist revenue my plot. If the mayor wants more money for the town she needs to stick to my plan.” Her voice then turned to a snarl. “But that little twerp of a pegasus just had to be born. Too bad for her that I was never too fond of her mother. If I had attacked Raindancer when she was at her prime, I would have lost. It's a shame I'll never be able to thank that stallion who crippled her.” Her pacing halted in the archway between the two rooms. A wicked smile crossed her lips as she recalled the look of horror on Raindancer's face. That event had cost her a lot; time, money, and more than a few words to certain ponies that made that whole area vacant for a mere half hour.
The mare moved into the kitchen and sat down at the table, papers of various types covered it's surface. Some were tax forms and others were profit numbers and product inventory. The mare looked over all the papers, then shoved them away violently, placing her chin on her hooves. “I won't kill a child and I'm nowhere close to being strong enough to take out Blazewing. If I can't kill him, I'll just have to run him out of town again... The Mayor won't be able to help this time around. I can't confront him directly. He knows I hate him and by default, he'll know I hate his pathetic excuse of a foal as well...” The mare rose from the table to fetch a glass of vegetable juice as she pondered this turn of events. She had seen them in the cemetery last night. She wasn't blind to the fact that those two had bonded quickly. Scootaloo was young and a mild trouble maker, but the worst she ever did was botch a love potion. “I can't think in here. I'll head to town and see what's going on.”
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“Ah can't believe it.” Applebloom was walking beside Sweetie Belle as they roamed the orchard of Sweet Apple Acre. She had been in town that morning with her sister to sell some more apples in town when they ran into Scootaloo and Blaze. Scoots had told her that she was going to Hooffington to watch her father perform, and she would be gone until Monday, and that she was sorry for missing crusading over the weekend. Sure, Applebloom was mad, but she knew how much Scootaloo wanted to learn more about her father. It still made her feel a tad jealous. “Ah can't believe that she would just ditch us when we had plans.”
Sweetie, on the other hoof, was a bit more practical in her own thoughts. “Well, yes, but you know Scoots wants to know more about her dad because she barely knew she had one.” Scootaloo had shared all the letters Blaze sent to her with the two of them. Not once did any of those letters invite her to a show, so Sweetie explained that it had to have been asked that morning.
“I know, I know. It's just that Ah think he did that on purpose so we couldn't go.” She had turned to her sister begging her to let her go to the show, despite how weird Applejack was acting around Blaze. Applejack stated to her that her chores came first. And that was something that had bothered Applebloom since that morning's encounter. Any time Blaze cast a look to her older sister, she looked away. Applebloom thought that Blaze had done something to her older sister before dinner, she just didn't know what that was. Every time she brought up the topic of Blaze, AJ would just clam up and start talking like Big Mac.
Applebloom had gone from worry, to fear of losing her friend, then to joy at happy news that Scoots would be staying. Now, finally to the confusion at how everypony was starting to act weird around Blaze. The first pony she noticed acting weird was Ms. Cheerlee. She didn't have her normal cheerful smile when greeting him. Then, there was Pinkie, baking all those cherry-filled treats, and nothing else. The last time Pinkie made baked goods consisting of only a pony's favorite, was when she made that particular pony unhappy in some way. Then, there was her brother, he just punched Blaze and they started fighting. And now her sister was acting all funny around him. “I know he came in just yesterday, but Ah noticed some ponies act strangely around him... You weren't there last night but my brother and Blaze started fight'n, but after Granny stopped em', they acted like they was best friends. And now AJ is actin' strangely every time Ah mention him.”
“You know, Pinkie knows every pony in Ponyville and that party ended up being for Scootaloo's father. Maybe we could ask Pinkie about him and find out what she knows.” Sweetie was concerned more about how little they knew about Scootaloo's father than with how a few of the town residents acted around him. She couldn't say that she was convinced about Blaze's feelings about her best friend; though the letters he sent were kind and loving letters and that must count for something.
“Yeah, maybe we can get some clues about what happened to Blaze that made him leave so long ago.” Applebloom piped in and motioned Sweetie to follow her as she galloped to Sugar Cube Corner.
A mare was standing not to far from the two crusaders, pretending to be absorbed in the clouds as she overheard the two fillies talking. After the fillies ran off to see the party master of Ponyville, a wicked smile crept across her face. “So you two want to find out about him.” The grin widened as the mare trotted back to her home. “Then, I have something you should find fascinating.” With a chuckle that dripped with malice, the mare knew just how to break the newly-formed family to pieces.
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After a quick bite to eat, Blaze and Scootaloo made their way into the fairground. Booths of all kinds were being crowded with families and couples enjoying the festivities. The firefly lamps lined every path, bathing the fair and its patrons in a soft amber glow. All around, Scootaloo could hear the joyful cries of foals as they played games, winning prizes, ate the deep fried carnival food, and spending time with their loved ones.
Scootaloo couldn't help herself as she began to wander around the midway eying the various games and prizes. Most of them contained small prizes for foals around her age, but few interested her. One booth had a filly-sized replica of Princess Celestia's regalia, but yet the it wasn't the grand prizes. The one that held that spot was a new set of royal imitation regalia in the likeness of Princess Luna's. Many of the other prizes included fake swords, spears, bows with a quiver arrows each, a white oak wand with the same swirly pattern of a unicorns horn, and fake royal guard armor.
Blaze was in no hurry to introduce his newly acquired daughter to his teammates just yet. So when Scootaloo veered off to the midway, Blaze silently followed, allowing her to take in the sights and sounds of the fair. When she stopped at one booth who's prizes consisted of cheap imitations, he wondered what prize she would go for if given the chance. “Hay Scoots, wanna take a crack at it?”
Scootaloo wiped her head around at the sound of her father's voice, then that competitive smirk came back. “You bet I do!” She turned to the booth's operator. “How much is each prize?”
The operator of the booth, a stocky violet earth pony stallion with a curly dark blue mane, looked at the little filly who's eyes burned with determination. “Each prize is based off of how many of the bottles you can knock down. You get three tries with a total of eighteen bottles. For the grand prize, you need to knock down all of the bottles. For second prize, it's twelve bottles. The sword, wand, spear or bow n' arrow, ya need to knock down four, and for the armor its two pins.”
“Alright, let's do this!” Scootaloo stepped up to the counter, Blaze placed a few bits for her to play. The operator set up three stacks of six bottles, then placed three balls in front of her. Sticking her tongue out, she eyed the first stack. She then reared back and threw the first ball.
Blaze watched as the ball soared through the air and impacted two of the bottom bottles blowing them away from each other, and knocking the third bottom bottle from its comfortable resting place. Clapping his hooves together and smiling. “Good job, Scoots.” Blaze had been to too many of these kind of fairs, not every booth was honest in its practice. His eyes turned from his daughter to the operator. The operator was sitting on his haunches and leaning on one of the stakes holding the booth upright, and looking positively bored. At least, until the resounding crash of more bottles falling drew both adults to the sight of the second stack completely knocked down.
Scootaloo stood there with her grin replaced with heated determination on wining this game. With the last ball in hoof she reared up for the last time and sent it flying to her mark.
All three ponies watched as the last ball was flung to the only remaining stack. As it moved through the air, all sound dimmed. The lights became brighter as the three stared, eyes wide. *Crash* The ball, much like the first, knocked two bottom bottles away, but the third was only clipped sending in wobbling around. Scootaloo's eyes were wide her wings stretched out in anticipation; Blaze held his breath; the operator's mouth was hanging open in pure shock, as the bottle tilted just a tad too far and fell to the table with a thunk.
Scootaloo jumped with her wings fluttering, pumped her hoof into the air and yelled. “YEA! WOO HOO! I DID IT!”
Blaze stood in silent awe, not because of his daughter's achievement, but because the operator of the stall was grinning from ear to ear.
The Operator shouted so any pony could in the area hear him. “Congratulations, little filly, you just won the grand prize!” Ponies from the area around started to gather around the booth to view the commotion. “One filly-sized set of Princess Luna's regalia is yours.” The operator boomed as he reached for the prize.
“I don't want that one.” Scootaloo interrupted the operator before he could remove the prize.
Blaze was eying his daughter, confused at her sudden refusal of the most sought after prize.
Scootaloo placed her for-hooves on the counter and stared at the the prizes. “Rather than that I want the bow n' arrow, the sword, the wand and three of the armors. That should total the same as the grand prize, right?”
The stallion blinked at the little filly's request, for all his time in this booth, all the little fillies wanted the sun or the new lunar regalia. This was the first time a filly wanted the lesser prizes meant more for colts. With a shrug of his shoulders and a hearty laugh.,“You got it,” taking the prizes off the high shelf and placing them all in a bag. “Here ya go, and have good night.” Turning away from her, he addressed the crowd that had formed. “Step right up and see if you got what it takes to win the grand prize. Only three bits a try.”
Scootaloo took the bag and quickly removed herself from the crowd with her father in tow. She, needless to say, was happy. Her hopping and her wings fluttering like a humming bird was a dead giveaway to any that bothered to look her way. She couldn't wait to get back home to show her friends and tell them what she had planned.
Blaze was happy himself. The sorrowful event last night now felt so long ago, it gave him hope that he was on the right track to fix his mistakes.
But once again, had he only known of the shadow that plotted it's revenge against him. And the first part of its plan was already in motion.
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“Where is that Celestia damned magazine?” The shadow mare was furiously tearing her room apart. Books, magazines, and newspapers were being tossed haphazardly around the living space. “Ahha, here it is.” The shadow mare hissed. An old copy of The Newmare Times held in her hooves. The front cover held a slightly blurry picture of two ponies walking, one a deep rusted red coat and dull yellow mane her cutie mark was obscured due to the second pony. He was a tall orange coat with a short dark brown mane, despite his own cutie mark being covered by a flight suit. It was the suit itself and his size that gave the stallion away. The picture of Blaze with his wing draped over the shorter mare who looked like she had too much to drink.
The shadow mare grinned maniacally. “Now, just to get this into the hooves of those filly friends of hers. The rest should take care of itself.” Laughter like that of an evil scientist echoed throughout the room.
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“Well, that went swimmingly.” Sweetie had tried to use a little tact when questioning Pinkie. Rarity had told her one time that, “Sometimes if you want some pony to tell you what you want to know, use a little finesse and you should do fine.” That was coming from a mare who would whine your ears off if you resisted saying anything. The questioning of Pinkie had gone smoothly until Applebloom asked directly. “What did Scootaloo's father and mother fight about all them years ago?” After that Pinkie had simply said. “That happened sooooooooo long ago, I can't remember what they fought about. All I can is that it was a nasty fight and nasty fights make ponies unhappy, and what's the best way to make ponies happy?... A PARTY!” After that, the whole of Sugar Cube Corner was in a new throng of a party.
“I'm sorry, Sweetie, I didn't know that ya were trying ta be all sneaky about it.” Applebloom had realized her mistake just a moment too late. She had seen her friend try to continue talking to Pinkie after that, but the overly hyper mare had escaped in the crowd of party goers.
“Its called being subtle, not sneaky. Anyways, we need to learn more about him and Pinkie knows him, but I doubt she'll talk to us now.” Frustrated with the lack of progress, Sweetie wracked her brain for anypony that might know Blaze. “What about Berry Punch?”
“Ya mean Pinch's mother. I think she lived in Ponyville back then, but she works in the wine shop. We ain't allowed in there.” Applebloom gave her friend a deadpanned stare for her short sightedness.
“I know, but doesn't she make some wine from the apples your family grows? Maybe you can deliver some and ask her some questions.” Sweetie was going to continue her plan until it was stopped.
“That ain't gonna work. It's either Big Mac or AJ that delivers the apples to her and she just bought some a week ago. And besides there has ta be others that remember him.” Applebloom now herself tried to think of some ponies that might fit the bit. “What about the flower sisters?”
Sweetie gave her a inquisitive stare. “You mean, Lily, Rose and Daisy? Why would they know him?”
“Well if anypony is gonna buy flowers, it's gonna be from those three. Let's head to the market. One of them should be there today.” Applebloom was optimistic about this prospect. With a nod from Sweetie, the two galloped to the market paying no heed to the mare following them.