//------------------------------// // Pointer // Story: Glimmer // by Estee //------------------------------// Multiple words were withering in her throat. Do I feel welcome? Actually, if I were to describe my current emotional state in fully accurate terms, we would need to begin with 'rather unnerved'. Because there is something about your community which acts as near-invisible razorwire laced into a private garden's border bushes, and that is before we begin to deal with the shield. From a distance, matters might appear to be fairly normal. Then you come closer, and wonder why portions of the wood are reflecting light. Inspect too closely, and the resulting wounds will require treatment. Additionally, this is a mission and as such, there is a part of me which is perpetually wondering whether I am about to die. Unfortunately, it is very nearly possible to become accustomed to that -- -- she's looking at me. This new one and Starlight. I've been quiet for too long again... "Of course!" Rarity lightly told the younger -- younger? -- with Starlight in the area, exact comparisons of age suddenly felt rather uncertain -- unicorn mare. "There's simply a rather persistent layer of surprise present. As none of us were truly expecting to be welcomed at all. Not by ponies." The most recent mare to approach brightly nodded. "It is a surprise, isn't it?" she asked. "A happy one, I hope." Her ears perked up. "Especially since we're always happy whenever anypony new comes in." Rainbow was being fairly quiet, and that worried Rarity: it was a state which seldom held for very long. Pinkie was just... watching, and for those who knew her, there were hints of visible concern in the set of her tail. The performer was just barely in view: a state which made the designer want to wrap this up so she could once again get a line of sight on the more familiar (and perhaps less 'potential') menace. But this was one of the locals, and there were certain expectations to fulfill during a meeting. "I am Faceti," Rarity politely lied. "That's fine for now," the local decided with a smile. "And you are...?" the designer carefully inquired. Brightly, with open joy, "Nira!" Rarity felt her own head tilt slightly to the left. Nira...? It might make more sense once she heard the rest of it. Perhaps a little too carefully, "Do you have a surname?" "No," Nira quizzically said. "Should I?" "Is that from a foreign language?" Rarity evenly asked -- then, somewhat more quickly, "No fault, of course! As we all know that there are more than a few parents who decide that the best way to make their foal seem somewhat more exotic is to borrow the appellation from another tongue." The tips of Nira's ears twisted a little. The half-deflated tail twitched. "No..." came in the tones of a mare who hadn't quite understood the question. Or why it was being asked. Rarity's stained tail indulged in a small twitch of its own. I don't feel as if this is going well. I've made small talk with any number of customers, and rather more with those who turned out to not be customers at all. Names are one of the simplest topics which exist. And this is where matters seem to be breaking down? "I didn't feel that you were foreign," Rarity hastened. "You sound Equestrian." Which just made Nira smile again. "We're working on that." ...they're working on... "Forgive me," the designer carefully began, "but... I find myself at something of a loss. What does your name mean?" Nira's head tilted. Left, right, back to center. "It means me," the unicorn confusedly stated. "A name shouldn't mean anything else. Should it?" Starlight took a hoofstep forward. "They've been traveling through the jungle, Nira," the lilac mare calmly-if-unevenly stated. "As opposed to having come in through the usual route. They require a degree of rest before any true welcome can begin." There was a slightly too long pause. "Along with acclimation. It starts with recognition of safety." Nira happily nodded. "Pushing through the jungle for an unknown time," Starlight sedately continued, "can be wearying. And existence requires food." In what wasn't quite tones of lecture, "The environment provides water. But safe consumables can be difficult to pick out in a foreign place. So why don't you make them dinner?" Something about the cerise eyes seemed to hesitate. "It's -- being in a kitchen," Nira carefully said. "I don't always --" "A roasted vegetable platter," Starlight instructed. "That will be suitable." "-- oh!" the local unicorn happily said. "Just roasted vegetables? That should be fine! And I can grill some pineapple. They probably haven't even had that before. Hardly anypony has, when they first come to Truedawn --" "-- it's not a vegetable," Starlight calmly interrupted. "...oh." "But it is something you wanted to try doing," the lilac mare continued. "And you're always free to try, Nira." They both smiled. Starlight's came in at speed. Nira's seemed to have etched waiting arrival lines around her snout. "Follow us," Starlight instructed. "So you can see where they're being initially housed. And then you can bring them dinner when you're ready." Nira nodded. Smiled brightly at Rarity, politely nodded to the other new arrivals, and then dropped back. Carefully, with all four legs shifting in cautious reverse until a given amount of distance had been created. Stopped, then waited. Watching. "She's rather charming," Rarity told Starlight. It was something to say. "Nira has some seniority among our residents," the lilac mare evenly said. (Rarity considered the features of what had been a rather young adult.) "Her progress is significant. Do you require medical attention?" Rarity blinked. It was a fully reasonable question. It just happened to be one which had appeared directly after 'significant', with no chance in pacing or tone. We are changing topics now and while there would normally be something of a speed bump in the verbal road to make any conversational cart pause before advancing, this non-gallop is being done on the straightaway. Prepare for launch. Significant progress with what? But the topic had been changed. "No," the designer said. "Your dress has a bloodstain," Starlight calmly continued. "At the right shoulder." "A result from one of the many misadventures which can occur while exploring," Rarity told her. "It's healing quite nicely." Most of the medical items were presumably with Fluttershy -- but their side of the split had contained a few first-aid supplies. Rainbow, as somepony who usually tried to make it look as if the failed stunt had inflicted no damage at all (for just as long as she stayed within public view), was fairly adept in their use. Topical disinfectants had been deployed, and the injury was showing no signs of infection. No thanks to that one. "If you're certain it doesn't need further treatment," Starlight went on. "For now," Rarity qualified. Because with the way this dress was put together, I would have considerable issues in removing the front of it without discarding the whole. And since the non-you majority of your population is concealing their hips, please offer the courtesy of allowing me to continue doing the same. "But thank you." And paused. "However, in the event that it does somehow worsen -- your community has a doctor?" The hesitation felt oddly placed. Multiple ear muscles appeared to briefly go slack. "Some ponies have taken an interest," Starlight finally said. "But it's extremely specialized. I deal with anything complex." They don't have a marked physician. For a normal settled zone, it would have been an exceptionally strange and dangerous lack. A new community, trying to carve out a place in the wild and doing so without a doctor -- that felt as if it was verging on the suicidal. Or she could be lying. An isolated community of the ill for something non-contagious, and she's afraid to tell us about its true nature. But that could be done simply by cutting down on the number of declared doctors present. To say that there are none at all -- that arouses suspicion. And yet she said it anyway. Or perhaps Starlight -- -- maybe. Rarity didn't know what that abstract mark was meant to indicate. And removal of disease could certainly be described as 'cleansing'. "Should it worsen," the lilac mare went on, "come to me. Control over health is crucial." "Yes," Rarity eventually said, because it was a word which could be offered. "Perhaps. It -- truly is amazing, Starlight." "'It'," the mare said, "as a term, has to cover too many possibilities. Define." "To see all of you in this place," Rarity qualified. "We truly weren't expecting there to be ponies here. Not this far from home." Starlight thought about that. "You're here." With a small smile, "But we are explorers." The lilac unicorn visibly considered that. "So are they," Starlight finally told them, and added a tiny flicker of a nod towards the ponies who were watching them. "Exploring a better way of life." And with those words having been offered to the air, she began to move again. Rarity followed. The other Equestrian travelers trailed. Community members watched, offered greetings and welcomes and endless smiles. Nira waited until the group had moved a certain distance away, then followed. At one point, they came within easy viewing distance of the lake's shoreline. Rarity would have been expecting greenery: such had certainly been prevalent in the rain forest when you were approaching any source of water and given that the name of 'rain forest' contained no irony whatsoever, there had been plants everywhere. But the majority of the border between land and lake consisted of bare, almost flat rock. Cleared out to allow ponies a warm, somewhat more dry surface upon which to sun themselves, perhaps. Where they could simply relax, and stare out at the water. Or... do something else. There was a stallion sitting near the shoreline, and he was fishing. To Rarity, it stood out immediately. You hardly ever saw ponies fishing, because... well, even in the best case, there usually wasn't much point to it. If a pony wished to simply look at a fish... there was the option to visit a stream, Equestrian lake or, for those who possessed the proper coastal position, the ocean. Rarity imagined the same options to exist here, only with a degree of geographic removal. And in fact, if she squinted towards the lake's surface, she was able to make out brief flashes of reflective color as scales skimmed close to the surface. Scales. Where was Spike? How was his breathing? Not yet... Ponies generally made for poor swimmers. Still, some indulged -- although without the presence of a decidedly specialized mark, most of that interest stopped at the casual level. That meant needing calm waters, and with the waterfall cascading down on the other side of the shield... actually, there were just a few light ripples within. Swimming was likely possible, and it would certainly allow a pony to share an environment with the water-dwellers. Briefly. For those who wished further investigations... well, there were cage traps, but then you had to bait them and the process of dealing with something which a fish might want to eat tended to be nauseating. Hooks? Even for catch-and-release, you were going to produce a wound: hardly polite. Those who operated aquariums had much more gentle means of bringing future charges to their new homes and Rarity felt that if anypony truly wished to see those who had found a different form of flight, a ticket was the reasonable route. Except that... ...there were a few residents of Ponyville who fished. One of them was Flitter, and it was safe to say that releasing was no part of her intent. Rarity had once suspected that the acerbic pegasus simply enjoyed seeing the victims of her activities helplessly flop about on shore -- but the truth was that the town's true least favorite member of the weather team had a cat, and wished to make sure her companion received both the best and freshest nutrition available. For the same reason, Rarity's father had been known to bait the occasional hook, and that was something she was generally reluctant to admit. Both that he indulged in the horrible act -- and that Opal, with the perversity inherent to felines everywhere, had decided that she loved the stallion. For her father to come through the doors of the Boutique was for the cat to find him within seconds. She would spend the visit rubbing against his forelegs, snuggled next to his flank or, if he'd been there for more than an hour, curled up in the small of his back. Opal utterly adored Rarity's father, and did so when, in terms of visible affection, the designer was more or less being put up with. And so her parent had taken to fishing, because he felt that when a stallion was visiting two of the girls he cared for most, it was best to bring a present. She cared about Opal. She'd tried to go fishing. But there was something about trying to take up raw meat from the pet shop in her field which instilled an almost-instant nausea. And to have a living worm actively writhing within her corona... It was rare to see a pony fishing. This one -- a pegasus of a rather dulled greyish-blue -- was making the attempt with a rather awkward piece of equipment. The base of the pole had been jammed into a small crack between rocks, and the hoof pedals which extended from the central gear of the massive reel were at a decidedly poor height for comfortable operation: he had to rear up somewhat to push upon them, and it put too much of his weight on the platforms. Slipping occurred. And the cast-out portion of the line was resting on the surface of the water: too light to sink, or do much of anything else. It was possible to catch quick glimpses of the hook's eye as it bobbed about, never truly surfacing. Rarity had tried once. Failed, yes, but at least she'd tried. And her father had a rather disquieting tendency to talk about how the now-dead thing (recently deposited on her kitchen counter, and there were at least ten minutes of desperate post-visit scrubbing ahead) had been snared. It meant she was familiar with a few of the details. He's not using a bobber or a weight. Let alone both in conjunction, trying to keep the bait at the perfect depth within the lake while fending off any degree of current. There's no truly bright colors visible in the water. Which means he hasn't tried to construct a lure. Of course, that would generally be with feathers, and I haven't seen or heard any birds since we entered the shield. (There weren't any. Starlight understood how pollination worked, and so a number of insects were allowed to exist in the name of community -- but any birds brought within the dome had tried to migrate out.) He appears to be somewhat frustrated. Hardly uncommon when fishing, and especially when doing so with the wrong equipment -- -- he's looking around. Not at us. Inspecting the area -- -- ah. He's found some pebbles. And -- yes, I think I can see a bit of thread there. Which likely fell away from a portion of 'clothing'. And there go his head and neck. Reaching out. Admittedly, this is going to require quite the feat of mandible dexterity. I certainly wouldn't want to attempt it with an unpracticed jaw, especially when the thread is so fine. And his expression suggests that he recognizes the level of expertise this will require. It's the sort of thing where even the skilled might ask a unicorn for assistance. But if he's extremely careful, makes every attempt necessary with utter dedication, and is willing to settle for nothing less than perfection, he just might be able to -- The stallion stopped. His features contorted into an expression which rested at the midpoint between discomfort and pain, doing so as hip muscles twitched against the covering of the overalls. Something which would have normally suggested he'd been still for somewhat too long, and moved a little too fast -- except that he hadn't shifted that part of his body yet. He turned back towards the pole. Returned his attention to the line, which was rippling across the surface of the water while accomplishing nothing at all. And resumed the wait. Eventually, they reached what appeared to be one of the newer streets. There were five of the -- 'houses' still technically applied, although it was possible to use 'cabin' or 'cottage' with equal lack of belief -- and only two of them showed any signs of being in use. The others appeared to be simply waiting for occupation. Speculative residency. Starlight, who had been leading the way, turned just enough to look over the four travelers. A blue gaze effectively teleported between bodies, making evaluations and weighing off factors. A conclusion was quickly reached. "You two." A pair of forehoof jabs indicated Rainbow and their burden. "Stay in that one." The next pointing was towards the -- home? -- at the entrance of the street. "And the two of you --" Pinkie and Rarity "-- can have this one." A ramshackle with door and windows, fourth down the row. "We usually stay together," Pinkie said, and it felt as if she hadn't truly spoken up for at least a half an hour. "Well, most of the time usually. Usually-usually? Anyway, it's the majority --" "-- they're double-occupancy residences," Starlight sedately interjected. "Two ponies each. There are four of you, so it requires two residences. Take your baths. Nira --" and that blue gaze didn't bother to check anything at the proper distance back along the route "-- has seen where you're staying, and she'll come by with food. After you eat, we should be able to schedule a proper welcome." "We'll need keys," the performer said. Rarity immediately wished she hadn't. "They're not locked." Rainbow was the first to move towards her indicated door, because there was now a race of sorts and she certainly wasn't going to let the performer win. Rarity put her legs into motion and, after a too-long moment, Pinkie followed. Starlight watched. The smile appeared. "Settle in," she smoothly told them. "Take your time. There's no rush. And... you're safe here. Safe, after so much time out there. So clean up. Rest. Eat. And I'll see you later. And for the true welcome." "And when would that be?" Rarity asked. "Simply so we can prepare, of course." The lilac mare thought about that. (She thought about everything.) "True welcomes," Starlight said, "always take place at exactly the proper time. By definition." She turned. Trotted away, passing under two of the lampposts while stepping directly onto a pair of the surrounding quartz enplacements. Nodded once to Nira, followed by a few quick glances at anypony else who was still trailing: those ponies immediately rerouted into a departure. And then the travelers were alone. Four mares briefly looked at each other. Rarity immediately regretted the total, and then allowed her corona to coat a door. Rainbow nosed at the other. They went inside, because nothing was locked. You couldn't seal it from the inside, either. Why would there ever have been any need? They were safe. There was some initial exploration of the houses. Beds were designed for single occupancy: it was possible to push them together, but the frames were rather rough and created a significant gap between mattresses. Ramps could, with some care, be used as ramps: some of the hoof-planting divots didn't have enough support depth. The kitchen had a stove and a refrigeration unit, both roughly functional. Cooking equipment was lacking, and the utensil drawers were empty. Similarly, the pantry had yet to be stocked, and slightly-slanted bookshelves awaited their first volumes. But there were blankets on the beds, and cotton wadding had been pushed into rough pillowcases. It was necessary to step carefully. The flooring was largely composed of wooden planks, and somepony had missed a splinter here and there. Also there, there, over there, and that was a nailhead. Pinkie indulged in some rather precise stomping. There was a touch of artwork in both residences, at least insofar as a glass-covered poster which bore naught but words could be described as such. Each could be found in the respective bathroom. Pinkie located You are As Free As You Choose To Be. Rainbow had One Voice, which didn't seem to be anywhere near as potentially inspirational. The toilet trenches functioned, which was about as much as anypony could ask from them. And there was plenty of water for the crude single-occupancy above-floor wooden tubs, but the temperature... Rarity had already tied up the bathroom for an hour. Pinkie patiently waited outside the door. "I heard you get out again," the baker said. "Are you done?" "No," drifted into the makeshift hallway on a current of frustration. "I found another leak. I'm patching it now." "With what?" "The soap." "Soap dissolves in water --" "-- yes. That would be the usual theory. And until it actually begins to venture towards proof, I will continue to use this piece as caulk. Ten more minutes, Pinkie." "That's what you said ten minutes ago." A little too carefully, "Are you sure it's been ten minutes?" "I have a very good memory," Pinkie calmly said, "and I can count." Most of the muttering leaked out from under the poorly-fitted door. Splashing eventually resumed, and then stopped again. "You're still moving around outside the tub," the baker eventually added. "I can hear you. Are you doing something else?" "Dumping the fur dye," Rarity admitted. "We have no reason to be carrying it, and it's somewhat too late to be placing patterns into our coats. Very well, back into the tub..." "Are you going to leave me any hot water?" "There's nothing to leave you." Openly disgruntled, "So you used it all up." "No," declared the frustration. "There was no initial supply. The best way to describe this water's temperature, Pinkie, is 'extra-strength tepid'." "Oxymoron," the baker commented. "You haven't experienced the sheer amount of effort it's putting into staying that way... very well: I'm almost done. Believe me, Pinkie, I would rather have you in here to scrub my back. And then remain to take care of yours. But the size of this tub does not permit it, and the height of the rim creates some rather awkward sight lines. Did you happen to find any laundry facilities? Our clothing also needs tending." "Sort of." There was a long pause. "What exactly," the too-careful words pushed through the door, "do you mean by 'sort of'?" Pinkie hesitated. "Did you know," asked the world's least skilled rock farmer, "that's there's a lot of things which can be done by running water across stones?" Silence, or nearly so. "Rarity." No answer. "I can hear you. I know you just tried to put your head under the water." None at all. "And you still can't breathe through your horn." Eventually, the four mares came back together, and did so while Rarity's outfit was still drying. A feat which it had been asked to perform while still on her body, because it was possible that Nira might drop in, Rarity needed to be wearing something, and this was actually the best selection from the limited quantity available. Trixie had come into Rarity and Pinkie's assigned residence in the rough company of Rainbow. Rarity reluctantly allowed that it was probably best not to leave the performer to her own devices for too long. This was foreign territory and for all they knew, there was another amulet in the area. They gathered in what had probably been intended as the living room and in that sense, was underperforming. There was just about enough space for two ponies to spread out in relative discomfort, and the poorly-filled throw cushions which served as furniture promised that status wasn't going to change any time soon. It was somewhat easier to stand, but not by much. The group was clean again. Three of them were dressed. Notes were quickly compared regarding their residences, and the hot water situation was no better in the other house. It was agreed that the cabins needed to be smoothed out. Also that they would benefit from a few architectural flourishes, which was to say, any architectural flourishes. And then, with ears straining towards the unlockable entrance door as a just-in-case, they got down to it. "It's clear that they're covering their hips," Rarity said -- and then suppressed most of what would have been a surprisingly bitter laugh. "I would normally say 'marks', but given the reason why most of us are here, we can't make too many presumptions. The marks, or something in that area. Including a potential lack of icons. Starlight may have been nude simply because she has something which can still be displayed." "And if it's a place for sick ponies," Rainbow argued, "then nopony warned us! So either it's not contagious, or they just don't care! And if we're gonna stay here for any time at all --" "-- we are under a shield, Rainbow," Rarity's near-instant weariness reminded her friend. "One which I am certain I lack the strength to break, and we would need to find a generating device before trying to operate it." And there was a second, stronger unicorn in the room, but that one had decided she needed the Amulet. "We may not be leaving at a time of our choosing." "We still need to find out," the pegasus insisted. "Make sure it's not going to hit us." And perhaps not even she was aware of how much her volume had increased. "I don't want to lose my mark, Rarity!" "In time," Rarity roughly agreed. "We can make our inquires in time." "I can't --" Very quickly, "-- Rainbow, I understand your fear, but there is no lock on that door and I am entirely certain that there is no soundproofing in this entire building. If anypony is approaching this street, or is too close to one of the windows on an occupied residence..." The sleek jaw slammed shut. "We will need to be very careful about just how blatant our questions can be," Rarity said. "If they are sick, then... it's fairly obvious that they don't want us to know. And that is likely because they fear our reactions to learning the truth." With a soft sigh, "Perhaps that poor stallion did escape, and the last stages create a need to run. Temporary insanity. But we don't know. What we can be sure of is that we are, at least for the moment, rather stuck." "They figured out we were coming," Rainbow finally said. "And had some way of finding us. I don't think that was a random patrol." "Agreed," Rarity immediately said. "Which implies we missed a fly-over, or -- that there was magic used to detect us." And she hadn't felt anything active, but... ...average. Weak. "There was magic used for one thing," the performer abruptly said. Rarity glared at her. It didn't make a difference. The bitch kept talking. "Resonance," their burden stated. "Avoidance. Did you feel how we all kept skidding off to the side, just before they showed up? They've got an effect which directs traffic around the shield. Away from the community. And it came in slowly, subtly. I mostly spotted the effect when it stopped." ...very well. Enlightened self-interest arguably has a place in survival, and we are all stuck here. The performer wasn't Twilight, and couldn't be trusted too far. Or possibly at all. Additionally, there was another issue to discuss, and soon. But until then... "A defensive measure, perhaps," Rarity allowed through gritted teeth. "One which they shut down to bring us in," the performer pointed out. "They could have trusted it to just herd us away." "Or it's mostly meant for animals and -- monsters." Not yet... "We would have noticed eventually, unless the effect became so strong as to override reason entirely." A little more thoughtfully, "But if we had broken, and galloped -- we eventually would have gotten out of its range, or had the effect wear off." "And then we would have realized what had happened," the other unicorn agreed. "Recognized that some form of magic had been at work, and investigated with our own defenses up. You're right. It's not a perfect way of hiding the community." The "Agreed," just barely managed to make its way into the world. "Pinkie? Did you happen to pick up on anything we should --" The strongest form in the group reared up, and earth pony strength slammed forehooves into the floor. "-- she doesn't smile right." The words had been forced out through the tight lips of a pink-framed snarl. "Pinkie?" Rarity carefully asked. "What do you mean --" "-- Starlight," Pinkie half-hissed. "I was watching her --" "She is... socially awkward, Pinkie." The sheer degree of perceived understatement almost made Rarity smile. "Rather like Twilight, at the very start --" "No," erupted in a blast of open vehemence, punctuated by a furious stomp of the right forehoof and a lash of pink tail curls: something which almost made Rainbow pull back and put the performer into a tiny jump. "Twilight could smile, even on her first day. She'd just forgotten what to smile about, and most of the why. Starlight's smile is just lips moving. It's the sort of smile which you put on your face because it can't reach your heart. And the others..." Her features briefly scrunched. Blue eyes closed, looked for words within, and then opened again. "They're happy," Pinkie slowly said. "But something about that feels wrong. Like they've been happy for too long. And their smiles... it's as if they smile because... they've been smiling for a while, and everypony else is smiling, so they have to keep smiling." The stilled tail slowly drooped towards the splintered floor. "It's not joy. It's... repetition. And that's wrong. Does... does anypony understand what I'm trying to say...?" This is our empath. Not that Pinkie could directly tap into another pony's emotional state -- well, Rarity was relatively sure that the baker couldn't do it reliably. Certainly not on purpose: even if the chaos inside her occasionally allowed it, the effect wasn't under Pinkie's conscious control. But even without that -- when it came to how ponies were feeling, Pinkie was the most naturally in tune with the spiritual environment. If she felt something was that wrong... "I didn't see it, Pinkie," Rarity reluctantly admitted. "I will try --" "It's like the buildings," Rainbow abruptly declared. They all looked at her. "I mostly know cloud structures," the pegasus admitted. "Still. But I look at Ponyville's buildings a lot. Because they disrupt airflow and when I'm practicing, I have to work around that. Or with it." And crashing into most of them would have provided a rather brief close-up view. But Rarity held back that smile too. "And these buildings..." The pegasus shuffled her hooves, because there wasn't enough space to attempt a hover. "They don't look right. Like everypony's playing at making stuff, but they don't know how. They read half the book and decided that was enough. The boring half. And it's not just the buildings. I already tried out my bed." "How was it?" Pinkie quickly asked. "I didn't get the chance --" "I think it's straw ticking." "Oh?" "I'm sure about the straw." "Oh." "Watch out for ticks." "...oh..." The pegasus shuffled around a little more. "I may sleep on the floor," she decided. "After I kill all the splinters." Paused. "I was looking at everything I could. Maybe they are sick. But they mostly looked healthy enough." "Mostly," Rarity not-quite-asked. "None of the pegasi have their wing rest positions right. And nopony was flying." Cyan hooves scraped at the floor. "If... this whatever-it-is means you can't fly..." Pinkie shifted position, gently rubbed against Rainbow's left shoulder. The pegasus didn't seem to notice. "The only unicorn I saw with an active corona was Starlight," the performer noted. Not. Yet. Almost there... "So this could also affect magic," Rarity reluctantly agreed. "Any other observations?" "No pets," Pinkie immediately said. "Not where we could see them, anyway. And I don't know what the pet animals are like in this part of the world. Maybe they're all indoor types." "No birds," Rainbow added. "But that's the shield." "Some of the fur and mane colors felt dulled," Rarity observed. "But those may be their natural shades." Starkly, "No children." And then they were all looking at Trixie. "I have to sort out an audience in a hurry," the performer stated. "Who's where. How they're reacting. The mix of ponies in it. The youngest pony I saw today might have graduated secondary school last summer. There's no kids." Slowly, Pinkie nodded. "Not in sight," she said. "They might have been keeping foals away from strangers, but..." "I saw multiple ponies traveling in pairs," Rarity considered. "Some of them could have been couples. But that hardly guarantees fillies and colts. And --" the thought felt as if it made so much sense "-- if this is a disease of marks, and we are in a sick colony -- then there is a very good reason to not have children present, everypony. Those who have yet to manifest may be incapable of becoming ill." "It didn't protect Apple Bloom," Rainbow immediately said. "...who?" the performer asked. Nopony answered her. "Cutie Pox," Rarity said. "A known condition, with its own rules. This may be different enough to protect the young. Very well. Let us use this opportunity, before Nira arrives, to agree upon our lies. I am Faceti -- and we each give one name only. That way, if the others are found and ask about us, our own can be the surname." "That's still risky," Rainbow decided. "Agreed," Rarity grimly stated. "But it is a chance we must take. So. Names..." They sorted it out. The performer came up with one immediately. Unsurprisingly, really. She was used to lying about who she truly was. And 'what'. "Occupations," Rarity finished. "Rainbow, you can manage the myriad vocabulary terms of a weather surveyor? -- good. I wish we had a profession other than aeronautics for you, Pinkie, but there are only so many ways to interpret your mark." Especially since they didn't have a balloon with them, and Rarity really didn't want anypony looking for a crash site. "Please let me know if you think of a plausible one. Well in advance. And -- you..." Almost. "...researcher. For magic," Rarity reluctantly concluded. "I suppose you can fake that for a time." Trixie's eyes narrowed. But she nodded. "Very well," the designer said. "The two of you, back to your own building. Pinkie and I stay here, and we all await Nira." "Fine," Rainbow immediately announced. "I could use the food." With a soft mutter, "Unless you get sick by eating this stuff. Half of it didn't look right..." Pegasus and burden both turned: something which took a little work in the cramped space. Rainbow went out first. The performer began to trot -- Now. "Trixie?" Rarity softly said. "Dear?" The other unicorn froze. Stopped moving, and did so without giving Rarity the basic courtesy of looking back. "...what?" eventually drifted over a stilled tail. "Yes," Rarity acquiesced. "That would, in fact, be the question. Based on your words and rather too casual posture before we were brought here, I have been assuming that you did something with Spike. Which created his absence. WHAT?" Her volume hadn't changed. Only the intensity, and Pinkie pulled back as the streaked tail began to tremble. "...I hid him," Trixie finally said. "We've got to be within the lockdown, you know that. If he'd come in with us, then there's no one --" "NOPONY." "-- who can tell Twilight that we were taken in. She told me about what happened towards the end, with the castle. He can't send scrolls out of the spell's radius. It was about communication --" "-- I understand that," Rarity softly cut in. The trembling slowed. "You -- do?" "I also understand," the velvet-sharpened blade announced, "that he was sick." "He's a dragon," the performer desperately tried. "A dragon in a forest with no monsters. Even sick, he's the deadliest thing there. He'll be fine until they reach --" "-- you did the first thing you thought of, did you not?" Rarity quietly asked. "Once again. And that was to leave an ill child alone in a wild zone." Rather casually, "Do you have faith in anything, Ms. Lulamoon?" The mare's back, neck, and dock went rigid. "Why are you --" "Personally, I -- had something of a crisis in that department last year," Rarity serenely stated. "I'm adjusting. But I hope that you have faith, Ms. Lulamoon. Because I advise you to pray. Pray that they find him. Pray that he is alive when they do, that he recovers. And if he does not -- then when I learn of his fate, and I reach you, for all the good it will do -- PRAY." She looked away from the monster. And after a time, the streaked tail did her the favor of removing itself. Twilight's field lanced for the materializing scroll before the light finished coalescing -- "Easy, Twi," Applejack cautioned. "Ah can see that." The little mare fought back the blush, with limited success. "I know. 'Hide my field, nothing over a partial corona.' And even then, we'd be stuck with a scroll floating in midair. I just want to see what he needed to tell us." She could distinguish Spike's sendings from Celestia's: anypony could if they'd seen both and paid attention to the process. This scroll was from her brother. And it was a whole scroll, which meant he'd clearly had a lot to say. "...we're turning the corner now," Fluttershy softly noted. "Maybe they're at the waterfall. And since they know what some of the path is, he could be sending a map. Things to avoid, places where we go around..." Twilight nodded. "Making sure we can get there." Her field unrolled the now-solid scroll, began to bring the bubble through canopy-created patches of dappled sunlight. Moving it within group viewing range. "So let's see what he wants to say..." She read the first three words. They've been taken. Three words only. And then the horror set in.