//------------------------------// // Chapter 5 - The Collection // Story: An Alternative Beginning // by ultrapoknee //------------------------------// [Canterlot - High Elm Estate] Ink Blot trotted down the halls of her master’s palatial mansion. In one wing, she had a stack of fresh reports she’d received from numerous sources around Equestria. Sources that reported to her master and gave him information about various events around the nation and even a few outside as well. She always received the messengers, who would drop off their reports anonymously in the back of the house through a hidden slot. There, she would read over them, organize them quickly in terms of importance, and report them to the master of the mansion, High Life. She had already done the first two, and was now in a hurry to reach her master’s chambers where he spent most of his time looking over expense reports for his businesses, dealing with other visiting nobleponies, or some other business that wasn’t any of Ink’s own business to know. Still, despite the major news she had read about in the reports earlier, she was nervous. It wasn’t often that news of the caliber she’d received  was reported to her master. She wasn’t sure if he was having one of those meetings she was never to interrupt. Those types of meetings were hard to predict because they happened at random intervals, but thankfully for her, he would always attach a red handkerchief to the door handle whenever he was in one of said meetings. As she approached his door, she was relieved to see that one was not attached. She rushed over more quickly now, raised her hoof and knocked on the door. “Who’s there?” the voice of her master called from inside. “Sir, it’s Ink Blot,” she called in, before instinctively holding up the papers in her wing, “I have the daily reports for you.” “Come in, then,” he said, “and make it quick. I have a private meeting with Duchess Honeycomb in a half hour.” Ink Blot quickly opened the door, shutting it behind her quickly before facing the room. High Rise’s office was massive, a large rectangular space with a large window at the back of the room where his desk stood. There was a large comfortable couch on one side of the room and a fireplace at the other end with a roaring fire already burning brightly. Next to said fire was a circular table  with four chairs around it. There was a large carpet on top of the old stone floor, a massive chandelier hanging above the center of the room and paintings on the walls around them. Old paintings which had been created by the greats. High Rise was sitting at his desk, a few papers floating in front of him and encased in his magic. He put them down and gestured her forward. “Come along, come along, I don’t have all day,” he said. “Yes, sir, my apologies,” she said as she increased her speed until she was standing directly in front of the desk. She placed the papers in front of her, then opened the folder and grabbed the first report. “The first matter to report is a decrease in value among many of the residential properties in some of the newer districts in Canterlot and other major cities countrywide,” she said, placing the reports down in front of her master. “Many ponies are looking to sell before the market crashes, especially those ponies who live next to commercial districts. I have arranged many of the properties listed here in order of interest, starting with a neighborhood in Manehattan who’s hoping to sell and are very near one of your factories.” High Life nodded. “Send these reports to Money Bags. She can make arrangements to purchase those properties. What else?” Ink Blot picked up the next piece of paperwork. “There’s been a pushback from the CFE about unfairly imprisoned non-ponies all around Equestria,” she sad, “and a few were whistleblowers from one of your companies.” “Leave them here and I’ll read over the in more detail later,” High Life said. “What else?” “There’s been some incident in Ponyville that I think you’d be interested in learning about,” Ink Blot said. High Life scowled. “Ponyville? That backwards hick town? Why would anything that comes out of that backwater interest me?” “Well, one of our sources says that a group of ponies attempted to destroy the property of a newcomer in town,” Ink Blot said. “So? Why would that matter to me?” High Life asked. “Sir, the individual in question whose property was attacked is a human,” Ink Blot clarified, “a human who isn’t Jason Wright.” High Life paused. He scanned her carefully as seconds passed. Finally, he spoke. “If this is your idea of a joke, I’m not laughing.” “I’m not joking, sir,” she said as she held up the paper. “This came from Lambda.” High Life grabbed the paper out of her grip with his magic and scanned the page carefully. His brow furled. “Well…this is certainly an interesting new development,” he said with a sudden neutral expression. He looked up at her as he stood. “Cancel my meeting with the Countess and send her some violets as an apology. Send out emergency invitations to as many loyal nobles as can come. Tell them to meet here, but discreetly. Have the kitchen cook us up the best banquet possible on the double.” “As you wish, sir,” Ink Blot said. “What time should I tell them to be here?” He took on a thoughtful look, then said, “Three this afternoon at the latest.” “Right away, sir,” Ink Blot said. Turning, she walked out and began to make preparations. By two, High Elm’s dining hall was packed with almost all nobleponies from the Canterlot nobility. There were even a hoofful who had coincidentally been in town when High Life had issued the quick invite. The table was set with a hefty amount of the best food and drink that money could buy. A few were absent, most notably Fancy Pants and Fleur De Lis, but that wasn’t by accident. When High Rise had told Ink Blot to invite loyal ponies, she knew that meant the ponies who were pushing back against the reforms Princess Luna had been pushing through. There was even one of the latest nobles to join. Filthy Rich, recently divorced and recently granted a title of nobility, had arrived and was mingling, speaking with a small grin to some of the single mares who had arrived. After the plethora of servants had left them, High Rise, seated at the front of the table as was his right, stood, grabbed his wine glass, and tapped it with a spoon. The ponies around them all stopped and looked over at him. “Good afternoon, everypony,” he said cordially as he put the glass down, “and thank you for coming to this impromptu gathering. I do apologize if I interrupted any plans of yours, but I’d like you to indulge me just a bit more, if you would.” However, before he could say anything, the door to the dining hall opened. High Rise, unused to being interrupted in so rude a fashion, almost shouted angrily at the newcomer until he saw who it was. Chancellor Neighsay, one of his most loyal compatriots, came walking in. This confused him slightly, since he was under the impression that the leader of the Equestria Education Association was up north dealing with some new school that had been built. He held back his anger and nodded. “Chancellor Neighsay, this is an unexpected pleasure,” he said as he gestured to one of the still empty chairs. “Please, sit down.” “I shall not waste any of your time,” Neighsay began, “but it is my regret to inform you all that I was unable to disrupt the opening of the Seeds of Yggdrasil. Any attempt to gleam inside of the structure failed as well.” High Rise raised an eyebrow. “Well, I do believe that I informed you that you’d fail in that,” he said with a smile. “Still, Seeds of Yggdrasil, eh? That Starlight Glimmer has a flair for the dramatic, if nothing else. Did you at least get a look at what it looks like from the outside?” “Urgh, yes,” he replied, sounding disgusted, “and it’s completely gaudy. It looks like a group of primates put it together. Here…” Neighsay displayed an image of the school from his memory with his horn. Everypony in the room looked at it with various murmuring reactions. “Hmm, I see your point, but it does have a charm to it,” Blueblood said. “Surely, you jest,” Jet Set replied. “This school is an affront to everything we hold dear. The only prestigious school in the land has and will always be Princess Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns!” “But it’s not in Equestrian territory,” High Life reminded him. He liked making the older man flustered, just as he liked making beautiful mares smile. “Besides, didn’t I hear a rumor that the Gifted Unicorns school is losing students by the hoofful?” “Clearly, they must be students of below average ramble or low nobleborn houses,” Perfect Pace replied with a smug grin. “It’s nothing to concern ourselves with at all. I know my foal is excelling nicely.” “Well, you know what we should concern ourselves with,” High Life began, “is the appearance of a brand new human in our lands.” This caught the attention of the room. High Life’s news clearly was new to them, which was unsurprising as he always had news before anypony else. The room was dead silent now. Finally, Upper Crust broke the silence. “Explain yourself.” High Life shrugged. “Oh, nothing too big,” he said with a hint of mirth in his voice, “just that a human appeared in Ponyville recently and has already met with the former Princess of Friendship. She’s taken him in to her shelter already.” “You’re taking this far too lightly!” Jet Set shouted before bending over in pain as his wife tended to him. “We must stop this human and Jason Wright from ever meeting!” Filthy shouted. “One of them practically crippled our country and upended our way of life!” “This coming from a stallion who just lost his wife and his so-called beloved daughter,” High Life said, sneering down at the new noblepony. He hadn’t wanted Filthy Rich to be one of the nobles, but despite his wealth and influence, High Life was only one pony, and many other ponies felt that Filthy would be an asset.  “You should heed his words, High Life,” Jet Set warned. “Look at what one of those miserable creatures has done to our country. What if this is the beginning of an invasion?” “One human’s arrival does not an invasion make,” High Life replied. “Besides, you’re also forgetting about how these humans view our world. They believe this is a world where they can live in peace. They are naive, and we can use this naivety to our advantage.” “How so?” one of the others asked. “I plan on bringing a brand new proposal to the Princess,” he said. “A proposal about endangered species and their ability to live in our nation. After all, we can’t have this poor human being attacked, do we?” He grinned. “He needs to be protected. Guarded. Safe and far away from other ponies so they won’t attack him.” “Why in Tartarus would we want them protected?!” Filthy asks in outrage. “You’re not listening to me,” High Rise said. “Think long and hard about it. He would be guarded 24/7. He would have his needs met. He wouldn’t be able to do anything else other than enjoy his life. A life of luxury.” The nobles still looked confused until Blueblood eyes widened softly. “A gilded cage,” he said in realization, “one where we have the keys. If we stoke the flames of guilt with those that actually garner sympathy for these creatures, Auntie won’t refuse. We could potentially have them locked away for ages.” “You’re forgetting that we would essentially be paying for the apes upkeep out of our pocket!” Jet Set stated. “Not if it comes for the CFN,” High Life insisted. “Ponies have been donating towards them. Not to mention the support from the crown. We could make it so they would pay for the cage we intend for the ape. If not, I have another proposal to place involving all those nonpony freeloaders.” “What’s that?” Perfect Pace asked. “All of these proposal won’t mean much. Auntie knows who the troublemakers are in this room. She’s never go for anything you would suggest and I doubt I would fare any better.” Blueblood said. “Not if we create, or rather create again, the House of Lords,” High Life replied. “They were around before Princess Luna became Nightmare Moon. She’s more used to the idea than former Princess Celestia.” “Hmm, a council under our power? That could work,” Fine Line said. “And with Prince Blueblood’s recommendation, we can more easily convince Princess Luna,” High Life concluded. “My aunt is no fool,” Blueblood replied, “but she could be persuaded.” ‘What if orchestrated the need for the House? And for the need to ‘protect’ all endangered species?” High Rise suggested. “How so?” Filthy asked. High Rise turned to him, finding that there was indeed some use for the mudslinger. “Are you still in contact with those ex-guard friends of yours?” “Yes? But, Princess Luna has them heavily supervised,” Filthy said with some confusion. “That won’t be a problem. I just need you to get a message to them,” High Rise said. Sure, he could do that, but if things went wrong, he would need somepony to blame. He’d deny it, as would everypony else in the room. “Just a harmless little message. Understood?” [Rainbow Falls - Cloudy Lands] The year away from Ponyville had been hard on Scootaloo in the beginning. She hadn’t really eaten much and only walked along behind her parents whenever they were showing her around. This went on for two months. Her parents tried their best to cheer her up by showing her some of the places where their adventures had occurred, but she was too forlorn.  Finally, their parents, desperate to try and help their daughter, sat her down in an inn and asked her to tell them what was bothering her. Scootaloo had never felt so angry in her life. She let loose a barrage of angry words, berating them on why they were suddenly caring about her now instead of before. Why had they just abandoned her? And now suddenly she was just supposed to pack everything up and leave everypony she knew and loved behind? Her two aunts. Her CMC friends. Everypony at school. It wasn’t fair. Why hadn’t they been there for her? That seemed to really hurt her parents, but she was so angry that at the moment she didn’t care. She wanted them to feel what she was feeling. She wanted them hurt at that moment. After a few minutes of silence punctuated only by Scootaloo’s sobbing, her parents stood. Walking over, they knelt and started a long and heartfelt apology. They said that they kept her in Ponyville because they wanted her to have a stable life. They admitted that they hadn’t been the best parents but wanted to try and start again. There were tears from all of them that night and the three fell asleep on the floor, hugging each other close. That night was the start of their family beginning to bond even more. They still traveled Equestria, but didn’t move around as much. She learned more about her parents in that year than she had ever known before. They traveled for four months after that, with her parents showing her the many places where they’d discovered rare plants and animals or took down creatures that were threatening pony towns. Six months after her departure from Ponyville, however, Scootaloo got very sick. They were in a town called Rainbow Falls at the time and had sought out the help of the pony doctor there. However, the doctors weren’t able to help. Just when they were about to lose hope, Scootaloo’s mother remembered something. At the edge of Rainbow Falls, there lived an older reindeer doe named Dyani who was known throughout town as an eccentric doe, but with plenty of knowledge of herbs and medicines that nopony else seemed to know. Mane recalled that the townsponies considered her rather harmless and were fairly friendly to her. In their desperation, they called on Dyani, who took Scootaloo and looked her over while her parents watched anxiously. Finally, the reindeer began using her own strange magic to create a curious potion that glowed light blue. After Scootaloo drank it, she fell into a deep sleep. When she woke twelve hours later, the illness had subsided.  Her parents tried to pay Dyani, but the reindeer declined, saying that she did it to help Scootaloo from her illness. With that, the two came to a decision. They decided to take a break from their adventures for the time being and settle down in Rainbow Falls. They had plenty of money from their adventures and could afford to live rather comfortably in the town. They quickly bought a cozy cottage near one of the waterfalls and sent Scootaloo to the local school.  Her parents both got some form of work despite their financial security. Mane Allgood got a job as a substitute teacher at Scootaloo’s new school while Snap Shutter started a job as a photographer, taking pictures of the local flora and fauna before selling them to ponies who wanted them as pieces of art in their homes. Scootaloo still missed her friends, sure, but she made newer ones in town, including a couple of ponies who didn’t have their cutie marks. She fell into her CMC role and helped them discover their true talent, and soon those ponies had earned their own cutie marks.  She also learned that her mother had the same sort of flying troubles that Scootaloo was currently having. She would take her daughter out on many weekends to help her practice and bring out her strengths and build up her weaknesses. Dyani even helped, since as a reindeer she could fly in her own unique way. The reindeer crafted a glowing orange potion for the little filly that would slowly and permanently build up her own natural wing strength and give a boost to the pegasus magic inside her that was lower than most normal pegasi. And it seemed to be working. Currently, Scootaloo could fly, but only for a half hour at the most before she had to land and recover. Her mother told her that while it might take years to fly like most other normal pegasi, Scootaloo could do it.  Despite everything that had happened, Scootaloo’s main driving force behind her trying to learn more and more how to fly was the thought of Rainbow Dash and the many times her big sister figure had told her never to give up. It fueled her drive to succeed, mainly so that she could eventually see Rainbow and show her that the latter could overcome her injuries if she tried. She hoped to help Rainbow in the same way Rainbow had helped her many times before. It was early evening. Scootaloo was running fast through a small patch of forest, panting and spreading her wings. With an effort, she took off and flew up slightly, dodging and weaving through the trees for about ten or so seconds before landing. She glanced up only to see a shadow figure quickly zoom past directly above her. She sped up, running and flying up briefly before spotting a large tree near the edge of the small forest which she immediately ducked behind. Panting heavily, she took a hesitant look back to see if there were any pursuers. The forest was eerily silent now, not even a breath of wind passed by overhead. Suddenly, a bush nearby rustled. She threw herself down flat on her stomach, watching with bated breath. To her relief, a dark gray bunny came out of the bush. It stared at her for a moment, then its ears twitched and it bounced away. Scootaloo sighed in relief and relaxed. She was home free now. However, that was short lived as two figures proceeded to pounce on her. Her screams of terror quickly dissolved into uncontrollable laughter as her parents tickled her sides.  “Ooof. Too bad there squirt. You were almost home free,” Snap Shutter chuckled. “Now, you’re at the mercy of the tickle monsters!” Mane Allgood giggled. “N-No fair. Uncle. Uncle!!!” Scootaloo cried out in between laughs. The tickle assault lasted for another minute before they . “Now, see right there, Scooty? That was how your mum and I got the jump on that raging cragadile by Whintale Woods,” Snap Shutter said. “A little misdirection and ingenuity goes a long way,” Snap added. “I still can’t believe you captured a cragadile,” Scootaloo said in disbelief. “They’re like the top three most dangerous animals in the Everfree Forest!” “Nothing is impossible with teamwork on your side,” Mane Allgood said with a smile. Scootaloo’s smile faded, her face becoming dejected as she looked down. “...Teamwork, huh?  “Is something wrong, angel?” Mane Allgood asked, her smile replaced with a concerned expression. Scootaloo dug at the ground, sighing. “It’s just that…seeing how well you two work together, spending time here with me while laughing and playing…I just…it makes me miss my friends.” “Scooty, I know you had a bond with that Rainbow pony, but she’s not the kind of pony you should be admiring.” Snap Shutter said. “Your dad’s right,” Mane said softly, sitting down and wrapping the little filly up in her wings. “She hurt that human without any cause. Do you really want to be like her?”  “I know, and I’m not talking about Rainbow Dash,” Scootaloo explained. “I meant, my fellow Cutie Mark Crusaders. We just broke up. We didn’t even get to say goodbye.” Mane looked up at her husband. The two looked at each other as if exchanging a brief but silent conversation. Mane then turned back to Scootaloo. “Scoots, your dad and I are sorry we took you away so soon. We just wanted what’s best for you. Maybe…maybe taking you away from them without warning was a bit harsh. We’ve been talking, though, and we think a year apart is too long. I think it’s time you see your friends again.” “Really?” Scootaloo beamed. “That’s right, little Scooty,” Snap said with a wide grin, “I think it’s about time to mend some fences.” “We’ll start back tomorrow,” Mane said, “but for tonight, we’ll go out and have the best dinner possible.” “...What about Rainbow Dash? Can I go and see her?” Scootaloo asked. Mane’s smile faded at the mention of her. “My little angel, I know she was your idol, but look at what she did to that human. Rainbow Dash is irresponsible and reckless. Yes, I know she has her good qualities, but she’s not a good pony right now.” “For the longest time it was our job to look after and help preserve all exotic creatures,” Snap added, gesturing to Mane and himself. “We didn’t have any fancy Elements telling us how to act. It’s simply how all ponies should be and Rainbow failed in that.” “Loyalty doesn’t excuse cruelty,” Mane said, tightening the hug around her daughter. “I know you still have that signed picture of Rainbow Dash. The one you keep hiding from us. I know you still look up to her, but sweetie, she shouldn’t be your role model.” She paused, then looked at her husband. Slowly, she looked back at Scootaloo. “Tell you what, though, Dad and I will talk about letting you see her, but if we say yes, there will be some ground rules. We have to be there. No being alone with her.” “Okay, thanks,” Scootaloo said in a somewhat downcast tone, but one with a hint of hope behind it still. As the three began heading back to their Rainbow Falls house, Scootaloo began to think.. ‘It’s been a year…maybe…maybe Rainbow’s different now. Maybe she learned a friendship lesson about not being mean to other creatures.’ With these hopeful thoughts in her mind, she followed her parents back. She had a lot to pack before leaving for Ponyville. [New Hepsire - Northern Equestria] Sweetie Belle’s year away from Ponyville had been less than pleasant for her when compared to Scootaloo’s. Her parents, who now lived in a small hamlet called New Hepsire which itself was about a five hour train ride away from Ponyville up north, had moved her back with them and given her a new room. They set her up in the local school and had tried their best to provide for her as best as they could.  Sweetie Belle, however, was miserable. Many things in town reminded her of her old home in Ponyville when she lived with her sister. The town, while smaller than Ponyville, was built with the same types of houses that existed in Ponyville. The ponies in town were friendly folk and soon Sweetie found that she was a minor celebrity because of her relation to Rarity. It wasn’t a pleasant experience for the little filly because all she could think about her sister now was that night when Jason had arrived at Carousel Boutique. About a week after The Trial, Sweetie Belle’s memories were unlocked and she remembered that night. She remembered worrying about the strange creature that walked on two legs instead of four, she remembered how she’d tried to help Jason like she thought her sister would do, only to watch in horror as her older sister, one of the few ponies she thought the world of, threw Jason out and called him horrible names.  She remembered much more, too. She remembered the few times that she and Rarity had been out only for Jason to have come into town. She remembered Rarity standing between him and Sweetie while she and other ponies in town hurled garbage and rocks at the human, chasing him out with words of hatred that scared her. She remembered much more than just Rarity’s dealings with Jason. Her heart had broken when she learned about Spike’s crush on Rarity and her own sister’s cruel actions against the young dragon. Sweetie liked Spike and now wished she and her friends had made more of an effort to play with him and make him feel included. She remembered things that The Trial hadn’t mentioned. She remembered how her sister had acted during the Gabby Gums incident and during the Sisterhooves Social.  The more she remembered, the more she grew to realize that Rarity wasn’t the mare she idolized. That didn’t mean, however, that Sweetie wanted to abandon her, either. She was family, after all, and family didn’t just abandon each other. She loved her sister, despite her faults. It was early afternoon. Sweetie Belle was sitting on the porch of her new home with a forlorn expression. All the fillies and colts were out playing out in their yards. “At least some ponies are having fun…” she grumbled. The foals in the town had tried to make friends with her, but Sweetie had rebuffed them not too kindly. She didn’t want to make new friends at the moment. The pain of losing her old friends still hurt even after one year away from them. As she watched, Sweetie saw something unusual. Near the road just outside her house’s gate she spotted a pegasus, earth pony, and unicorn. All three of them were fillies, had no cutie marks and were running around with a wagon and a flag. Sweetie instantly thought of her days as a part of the CMC and looked away from them, a feeling of forlornness passing through her. From inside, Sweetie Belle heard her mother, Cookie Crumbles, calling out to her, “Sweetie! It’s time for lunch! I made your favorite, hay and noodle soup!” Sweetie said nothing but continued to watch the group of fillies as the pegasus pulled on the cart. The other two fillies sat inside, laughing and squealing in delight as the pegasus flew  above the ground. “...Scootaloo always pulled us around with her scooter,” she muttered,  “heh, I bet she’d be jealous.” Hondo Flanks, Sweetie Belle’s father, poked his head out of the door. “Sweetie? Your mom’s been calling you for the past five minutes. Are you okay?” Sweetie said nothing still as she kept watching. “I wonder if the earth point filly has a farm?” she asked with a slightly bitter jealous tone. “I bet the unicorn has an older sibling who’s into fashion and clothes. They don’t have cutie marks, so are they in a club that hunts for cutie marks too? I bet they get into trouble just like we do.” Sweetie’s face fell further as she corrected herself. “...Just like we did…” “Sweetie Belle. Your mom’s calling you, honey.” Hondo repeated, coming out to the porch. Finally registering that she was being talked to, she looked back at her dad. “...Hey, Dad. I’m sorry, but I’m not hungry right now.” Hondo came outside and sat next to her, putting an arm around the filly. “What’s wrong, pumpkin pop?” he asked. Sweetie leaned against her father. He was warm and smelled like cherry pie like he always did since he worked on a cherry orchard. “I, well, I miss all my friends,” she finally admitted aloud. “I miss Rarity. I miss Ponyville!” She turned and buried her face into Hondo, starting to cry. Hondo wrapped his front hooves around her and held her close, rubbing her back gently. At that moment, Cookie Crumbles came out as well. She came and sat, placing a hoof on Sweetie Belle’s back as the filly wept. After a bit, and after Sweetie was more or less done crying, Cookie asked, “Do you not like it here?” She sighed and looked out at the small hamlet. “It’s fine, but my friends aren’t here.” Cookie scooted closer to Sweetie. “Oh, Sweetie, we know the move was a bit sudden, but, with how everything played out during that trial…” Cookie paused as Hondo picked up the rest. “We don’t like what them ponies did,” he said. “Everypony’s mad at everypony else in Ponyville right now, and we didn’t want you getting hurt. But, you sister…well, we can’t help but feel disappointed in her. We raised her better than that.” “So, we can never see her again?” Sweetie asked as tears began to form. “I know she did something really bad, but we can’t abandon her.” “We haven’t, dear,” Sweetie Belle’s mom replied reassuringly. “I’ve kept sending letters and a small stipend to help out. Her businesses have taken a hit. She already lost one store in Canterlot. The letter she sent me was wet with tears and alcohol stains. She’s struggling a bit. I’m starting to worry.” “Well, I got a letter from her saying she’s helping make clothes and blankets for free for the homeless ponies. So, I think she’s changing!” Sweetie Belle said vehemently. Hond and Cookie shared a glance before responding. “Alright, pumpkin pop. We should go see how your sister is doing. I certainly want to talk to her about her drinking,” Hondo said. Sweetie hugs them both as she rushes inside. “Yes. thank you!”   [Ponyville - Outside Helping Hooves Shelter] Gregory watched the heartwarming scene of Twilight reuniting with Pinkie Pie with a smile. Twilight was talking a mile a minute, asking things such as how she had changed, how her family was, how she was doing etc. Gregory noted that Pinkie, despite being more serious than he knew her to be from  the show, was able to follow Twilight’s questions with relative ease. He could somewhat follow, and learned a lot about what had happened to Pinkie.  It hadn’t surprised him that she’d gone back home and worked on the farm. It seemed to have done her some good, at least according to Pinkie. He was happy to learn that their family was doing well, at the very least. He chuckled along with Twilight when Pinkie described some stories. He almost left, but Pinkie insisted that he stay, wanting him to hear about her home life as well. “It’s a good way to make a new friend,” she had said. The minutes turned into a couple of hours, and soon it was almost lunchtime. The three of them, along with Gregory’s two guards, were sitting in the back of the castle, ironically enough near the same spot where Gregory had appeared in Ponyville. They were sipping on some tea and eating some small tea cakes when Gregory held up his hand. The two mares sitting next to him both stopped. “What is it?” Pinkie asked. “Listen,” he whispered, tilting his head upwards and cupping his hand to his ear. “Do you hear a buzzing noise? Like insects?” Twilight’s eyes widened in recollection. “Oh no! It’s time for the collection!” she exclaimed. “Collection?” Gregory asked curiously as he stood and looked south. On the horizon, he saw a small wisp of black in the sky that seemed to be moving closer, and against the wind. “What the hell?” He quickly pulled out his phone, turned on his camera, and zoomed in. “Wait a moment…those look like changelings,” he said. “The changelings are out in the open now?” Pinkie asked. “Hold on,” he said, zooming in even more at a spot near the center. On the now shaky screen, he saw not one, but two distinct shapes approaching. One looked like a changeling, but a changeling that was bigger than the others. The second was being held by the first. He couldn’t see any clear details, but the black cloak that the second human shaped figure wore was all-too familiar. He put the phone down, staring at the oncoming hoard of changelings. “Jason Wright…” Suddenly he remembered the punishment that Jason had passed on Ponyville. “Oooh…that collection.” Gregory saw Pinkie’s eyes widening in alarm as she glanced over at Twilight who was now grimacing. “...I guess we’d better go meet him, then.” Gregory took a step forward, only to find himself stepping on something. Looking down, he realized that he’d stepped on the other metal pole that he’d sent through the portal. He reached down, quickly grabbed it, and turned towards the town. “I suppose it’s time we meet, too,” he said as he held the second metal pole in his hand beside the first. “I have a feeling we’re gonna have a long talk.” Gregory, Twilight, Pinkie and the two Royal Guards headed towards the front of the castle only to see a crowd of ponies gathering  in front of it. The changelings and Jason landed and some drones began setting up a large wagon to collect the bits. Gregory looked at Twilight. “Hey, I know about Jason’s condition of collecting half the bits in Ponyville, but does that include me?” She shook her head. “You weren’t involved in The Trial,” she whispered, “so the rule doesn’t apply to you and the Gjallarhorn effects won’t compel you to donate any bits. Believe me, some ponies tried to refuse last year only for their bits to magically teleport in the bin regardless of their protests.” He nodded, then looked around. “I understand.” He was about to say something else, when he heard Jason clapping. He turned his attention to his fellow human, staying out of Jason’s sight for the time being. Jason looked around at the gathered ponies with a smile on his face. A smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “Greetings, citizens of Ponyville,” he said in a pleasant but disturbing tone, “how’re we doing this fine evening?”  All the ponies wore expressions of contempt. One that Jason threw right back at them with a malicious grin. “...Just take our bits and leave!” one pony snapped. Jason put his hand on his chest as if offended. “Come on now, that’s no way to greet an old friend,” he replied, seeming to be feigning hurt in his tone. “Besides, we have a lot to talk about this time around. So, while you all are being good little criminals and obeying your court order, I want to know one thing. Where’s Gregory!?” “That would be me!” Gregory shouted, stepping out from where he had been somewhat hiding himself. He walked forward, much to the astonishment and horror of the ponies gathered around. He looked up at Jason, getting a good look at the scarred face of his fellow human. Seeing it in person really put things into perspective for how Jason had acted. He then looked next to him where Chrysalis stood. A part of him had somewhat found the changeling queen kind of cute in her animated form. In a realistic setting, she maintained that cuteness. “Hello there, Jason Wright. I’ve been hoping we’d meet.” Jason remained silent as he slowly walked over to Gregory. The area around was so silent that his footfalls on the Ponyville street created echoes. Jason stopped, looking Gregory over with his one good eye. With a bit of anger and resentment in his voice, he responded. “I see you have acclimated well here. Let me guess, you found a website promising to come here and jumped at the chance like a true fan of the show, hmm? Did you get the famous Ponyville welcome?” Pinkie briefly bristled at the comment. It had a faint implication of acknowledging her existence. However, since Pinkie saw that Jason still wasn’t looking at her, she instead greeted Chrysalis. “Hey there, Chrysalis. You’re looking well.” “Hmm, and you’re decidedly less puffy and annoying,” Chrysalis responded with a slightly raised eyebrow. “Although I’m surprised I didn’t have to pry you off of Jason this time.” “I’ve learned my lesson,” Pinkie replied. “Well, what do you know? It can be taught,” Chrysalis replied mockingly. Gregory raised an eyebrow, then sighed. “Come with me, Jason. There’s a lot we need to talk about, and I have a few things that I think you’ll be glad to have when I share them with you. Alone.” He then turned to Pinkie and Twilight. “I’m taking him to my room and I’d like it if we weren’t disturbed.” “I’m not inclined to go anywhere near that castle, let alone inside,” Jason growled. “If you want to talk, Chrysalis will put a silence dome around us.” Gregory took a deep breath, exhaling slowly. He looked up at Chrysalis and nodded. “That’s fine by me,” he said stalwartly. This Jason might have looked a bit older than he was, but he felt like he was talking to a child. “Still, you’re missing out on some delicious food I brought, but that’s your choice.” “I’ll manage,” Jason snapped.  Once the silence dome was up, Gregory took in Jason’s appearance. He was slightly shorter than him, with dark brown wavy hair and a hint of gray in them. He had dark brown eyes, or at least one. The other was milky white with blindness and had a lightning shaped scar going down it. He was wearing a long black cloak, brown slacks, a pair of makeshift shoes and a gray shirt over the cloak. Slowly, he took his backpack off, reached inside, and pulled out a granola bar which he held up. “Want one?” Jason merely stared blankly at the snack food before looking at Gregory. “Say what you have to say. I don’t want to miss the smelting of the bits. Seeing their hard earned money dissolve into liquid slag is cathartic.” Gregory kept his face neutral, but he didn’t move. He finally put the bar back in the backpack, slung it over his shoulder, and focused all of his attention on his fellow human. “I’ve seen it all, Jason,” he began, “and not just the crimes against you. I’ve seen all that the ponies of this town have done since the very beginning some hundred or so years ago. I’ve seen things that sicken me. I’ve seen every vile act these ponies have done.” Jason actually looked a bit surprised. “I guess the horn was stronger than I thought if you saw everything from that far back,” he said, “but it saves me the time of having to explain why you should leave here and never look back.”  “It took a while, but yes. I saw everything last night in a dream,” he replied, keeping out the fact that he saw the red and white being at the end of the dream. “Princess Luna and Prince Blueblood showed me the highlights of the trial, and the Gjallarhorn showed me the trial in its entirety. As for leaving, you made the last part very clear in how you worded your Ponyville punishment.. It’s up to me to decide whether or not I stay. For the present, I’m staying here. It’s not like I can drive my car on Equestrian roads, after all. And where would I go if I did leave? Griffonstone? You and I both know it’s a pigsty. The Dragon Lands? It’s across the ocean and barren. Yakyakistan? I’d die of hypothermia. With the changelings? We’ve both seen where they live, and if Chrysalis is still the queen, then her not-so-little Iron Throne hasn’t been destroyed by Starlight Glimmer yet.” “You say all that like it's a bad thing,” Jason said, “but I’m doing pretty well with the changelings. Having an anti-magic throne helps me sleep a little better. Besides, I think you’re rushing to judgment too fast. Yeah, the dragons and yaks are a no-go but I believe the griffins would be a good place to live. Just needs a little elbow grease.” “What they need is the Idol of Boreas,” Gregory replied quickly, “and you and I both know it’s at the bottom of the Abysmal Abyss.” “Hey, you could always call one of the Princesses to fish it out of there,” Jason replied with a small smirk. “Besides, you seem to have that one on your thumb.” With that, he pointed to Twilight who flinched at the gesture. Jason turned back to Gregory. “She’ll probably bend over backwards trying to make amends. Which is why nothing she does from here on out will ever be genuine!” “Now who’s being quick to judge?” Gregory asked calmly. He knew better than to raise his voice or risk aggravating a clearly distraught fellow human. “Who knows? You could be right. In fact, knowing Twilight as well as you and I do from the show, it’s more likely that you could be right. But you could very well be wrong. People can change. Look at Starlight Glimmer. Or how about Sunset Shimmer? Sci-Twi? Diamond Tiara? I’m not content to leave until I am absolutely sure.” “Sure of what? That the ponies have a heart?” Jason said bitterly. “The only one I can vouch for is Sunset, but she’s more human now than pony. Starlight may have come around, but let’s be honest,  she was sticking up for Trixie. I bet there’s still some resentment for the elements messing up her little socialism experiment. If you want any sort of decent life here, you should just come with me!” Gregory didn’t reply at first. The memories of all he’d seen in the previous night’s dream came back to him. He could see how Jason’s argument was valid. Then again, however, he also remembered seeing the strange white and red being at the end of his dream. She had smiled kindly to him, and since the dream had felt more real than reality even up to that point, he felt like there was a purpose in staying. “I’m the kind of person who gathers information before making an informed decision.” He tapped his head. “The Gjallarhorn dream I got made your point perfectly clear. Even so, and even though I’m free of Discord’s chaos magic that infected me, I’m not quite ready to throw in the towel.” Jason stiffened, glaring hard at Gregory. “Then I’m wasting my breath,” he said with a scoff. “You’re just gonna have to learn things the hard way despite the fact that there is living proof standing in front of you.” He turned and faced Chrysalis. With a nod and a slicing motion across his neck, the shield came down. “Goodbye, Gregory.”  Gregory watched as the shield was dropped. He saw Jason turn away, shaking his head and muttering to himself. He stood right where he had been, watching as pony after pony put their bits in the wagon. As they continued, Gregory decided to say one more thing. He called out, “Those punishments you gave the Elements of Harmony were great examples of an eye for an eye. I can’t argue with them, since as you said, the punishment fits the crime. Now, I can’t exactly say just how these punishments have affected them since I haven’t met them all yet. You’re probably thinking that I’m suggesting you forgive them, but I’m not. That’s your call, not mine. Still, I think that it’s probable that a couple of these punishments might be overkill.” Jason whirled on Gregory, fire in his eyes as he replied, “Yeah, it is my call. And they will not get a break. I don’t get one. I wake up everyday and I have to live with what they did to me. Now, they will too.” With that, he nodded to Chrysalis, who lifted her horn and fired a sickly green beam of light at the large pile of bits. The smell of smelting gold was immediate. Gregory, despite everything, was impressed by Chrysalis’ magic. Gold’s melting point was extremely high, he knew, so he knew better than to mess with the changeling queen. Seeing that he wouldn’t really get anywhere with Jason that day, he just sighed and watched as Jason spoke again. “Thanks for serving your community,” Jason said with a sneer, “you’ve all been gracious and I’ll see you next year.” Jason smiled at the scent of burning gold and despondent looks of the ponies. Chrysalis grabbed him and lifted him up effortlessly and the changelings began flying up into the sky, heading south. Gregory’s frown deepened as he watched the changelings and Jason rise into the sky, flying southwards. He knew Jason was well within his right to justice, but to him this seemed more like an act of childish revenge. Still, he’d only seen Jason’s torment and hadn’t experienced it firsthand. He knew how torture had permanently changed people on Earth, so he held back his judgement. Even so, the demented smile on Jason’s face reminded him of DC’s Joker, and the burning of the bits reminded him of the scene from The Dark Knight where Heath Ledger’s Joker burned his pile of money. Still, Jason wasn’t much like the Joker. He took a deep breath and turned his head back to the now dispersing crowd.  However, as he did so, he spotted a group of ponies separated from the others. He recognized the four as being the other Elements of Harmony. They were all looking not at Jason, but at him. Fluttershy, Rarity, Rainbow Dash and Applejack. All of them wore various expressions on their faces. Fluttershy and Rarity looked the most shocked. However, the latter quickly turned to disdain. Applejack had a look of shame on her face, but Gregory caught a grimace of pain from her. Rainbow Dash was the most concerning as she held a look of utter contempt for Gregory. Rainbow was the mirror image of Jason with her matching scars.  He held up his hand and waved, knowing that none of them would return it. Clearing his throat, he looked back down at Twilight and Pinkie. “Girls, let’s go back to the castle. I doubt I’ll be able to have any more conversations today. Besides, I have questions before I crash. Questions that need answering.” “Yeah, that may be for the best.” Twilight said. “Actually. I’ll catch up a little later,” Pinkie said. “I want to see how the other girls are doing. Maybe I can get a feel on how you can approach them.” “Fair enough,” Gregory nodded down at the pink pony. “Sounds as good a plan as any. Good luck, Pinkie.” Twilight said as she and Gregory headed back to the castle. Gregory could feel the cold stares of the ponies from behind him on his back as he and Twilight headed back to the castle. He was exhausted, mentally and physically. It had been a long day, and bed sounded really good about now.