//------------------------------// // Voyager's Arc: Night Of The Silent Glass // Story: Of Laurels & Lace // by WritingSpirit //------------------------------// It's been a week since the ponies have emerged from the underground city. The Patriarch assured each of them to have a rest despite his suspicions among the Voyagers, though Pinkie knew she had to answer a few questions in the near future. The pink mare herself was in the room, ruffling through her knapsack. Unbeknownst to the rest of her friends, she had kept her trusty party equipment she had bought from Canterlot a few months ago, after her original had burned down, along with her house... and her... parents... She shook her head, flinging the thoughts out of them. Not now... Trying her best to smile, she grabbed a small gift she had prepared last night, her tail wagging with excitement. Primrose was discharged from the hospital today, having been treated with a bandage around her hoof and a few words of comfort from Caduceus, formally known as Doctor Brineheart. Charter had just notified her that the caramel mare was in her room, along with a warning of her unusually gloomy mood. "Prim?" the pink mare called out, giving the door a small knock. With a creaking open, she soon spotted the mare on the bed, relishing a moment of solemnity. Her eyes were closed, her hoof tucked under the sheets of the bed. She slowly turned towards Pinkie, before finally smiling. "Hey..." "Look what I brought for you, Prim!" the pink mare exclaimed, handing her the gift, which the caramel mare accepted. She watched as Primrose slowly unwrapped her present, the contents of it making her chuckle. It was a small book; a near-perfect fit for a diary, actually, with its mottled cover decorated in small, ivy prints and a grand circle with the vibrant, glossy pink words that shouted 'Property of Primmy Custard Pie!!' out loud, though the mare only realized what it was as she flipped the pages, reading out: "Burdock. A type of thistle. Commonly found in the temperate regions of the north." With a short laugh, she grinned at her enthusiastic friend, who was practically swaying side by side and wearing a large grin. She glanced back at the book again, finally speaking: "Thanks, Pinkie. Without this, I wouldn't be able to find out where my herbs are growing in!" "See? I knew you'll like it!!" Pinkie hopped right in front of her friend, the caramel mare nearly jolting in surprise. With a giggle, the pink pony danced frivolously around the bedroom, crying out in a singsong voice: "A present for Miss Grumpy Primmy always cheers her up~!" "Very funny, Pinkie," she laughed it off, placing the book aside. "I know you're here for more than just giving me a present, right?" "Of course, silly!" she screeched. "We're friends! Every friend has to talk once in a while!" "Yeah..." she only muttered, looking ahead at the window, the afternoon light shining down on her abruptly crestfallen expression. "Friends..." The brief silence that suddenly overtook the room made Primrose turn. Usually Pinkie would be yapping despite her solemn mood, but it seems this time the pink mare knew better. The pink mare's face was near expressionless, the only leaking emotion she could see being a mix of disapproval and disappointment. Her seriousness was shown from her hooves as well, which were tensing slowly along with her voice, sounding like an interrogator instead of the jolly, happy pony she was. "You're leaving us, aren't you?" Primrose laughed nervously, her hoof waving dismissively. "Leaving? Really, Pinkie? You think I would do that? Why, that's just a little horrible to leave your friends behinds to all their troubles, ain't it?" Her friend's lips were straight as a ruler, her frown becoming evident. "You can't lie to me, Primrose," she said, before stating: "You've packed your things, because the last time I went in here a few days ago to help get some things for Charter, there were a lot of glass phials filled with your herbs on the table. I'm sure they're somewhere in your bag right now, ready for your departure." "Pinkie, you can't be saying that-" "You planned to leave Pendant Lakes at around midnight - no - in a few hours," she continued, ignoring the caramel mare's sudden change of mood. "We'll be visiting Dresden at the hospital then. Seems like a good time for you to sneak away, isn't it?" "Stop, just stop." Primrose sighed in defeat, her eyes already starting to water, revealing the pressure she was trying to withhold. Her hoof was slightly shivering, calming down only when she felt the warmth of her friend's hoof above hers. "I don't want you to leave, Prim," the pink mare told her, her voice much more soothing, filling up the empty sadness in her heart. "If I were you, I would stay and find out what's going on in Pendant Lakes. Gypsum would've want us to continue searching for the reason why, Prim. She wouldn't want to see you leave if she were still around." There was a shudder, before the caramel mare slumped back in her bed. "You know, it's curious," she began. "Sometimes you sound more mature than you actually are." "I'm just eighteen!" Pinkie squeaked, her bubbly voice returning instantly. "A lot of ponies do amazing things when they're eighteen," Primrose responded, letting out a giggle. "Though it seems we've all done some pretty amazing stuff in these past two years, huh?" "Back when Gypsum is around!" the pink mare added. The two mares laughed, both in remembrance and amusement. Pinkie glanced at her friend's bandaged hoof, before asking with concern, her brows drooping with the weight of worry: "Does it hurt?" Primrose's laugh faltered immediately, following her friend's gaze. The loud, nightmarish screams quickly slammed back into her head; the same ones that had kept her awake during her stay at the hospital, the fatigue from tossing and turning all night still evident from the eye bags and her rustled mane. Holding her shivering breath and trying to kick away her sister's deranged smile, she just replied: "Not as much as before." <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> "I assume you've gathered the evidence required, Chief Blackhoof?" There was a nod from the old colt, who tipped his bowler hat to his second his command, Deputy Griffonhooves. The pegasus was about a decade younger from his chief, though already mature in his job in the department. Winter Palgiot opened the file handed to him, biting his lip as he read the printed words carefully, though the chief himself read it out in his raspy voice, his throat coarse with age: "Your cousin was, as known, shot by a 50 cal, from an approximate range of around eleven to eighteen meters. A pedestal was found in room five-one-seven in the Pastoral Hotel." The Patriarch wiped a few drops of cold sweat as the police-pony continued: "There were no ponies that were seen leaving the room during the interval she was shot until her pronounced death at the hospital. Cameras never picked up anything, meaning our assassin just disappeared from sight." "Hold on, hold on," Winter raised his hoof. "You mean our assassin just vanished into thin air?" "In a certain kind of way, yes." Chief Blackhoof handed him a few slips of paper, which made the stallion's eyes widen as he continued: "After a close examination, we've found out that the security camera's time frame has completely skipped about a minimum of ten minutes, giving time for the assassin to escape." "So you're saying that somepony," the Patriarch began, unable to believe what he just heard: "Just came in and took out ten minutes worth of footage while leaving the rest behind?" "Security guards were in the room during the supposed departure of the assassin, so I doubt anypony would've come in and just steal footage without being noticed." The chief then handed him another paper, though this time it looked more archaic, with its inscriptions scrawled as if it was some sort of lost language. Winter furrowed his brows as he read the faded writing, softly muttering out: "It couldn't be..." A small knock on the door interrupted their discussion, as a pony stepped in, giving them a bow. "Blackhoof!" he cried in surprise, waving his hat with a grin. "I thought you were retiring already!" "And leave the case, not to say one of the most intriguing yet, to the rookies?" There was a loud, hearty laugh from Chief Blackhoof, the old stallion swaying in his chair. "A major offer like this is a shame to turn down, Caduceus." "True," the doctor nodded, before turning to their Patriarch. "Lord Palgiot. I have some... incriminating news." Winter sighed, rising from the seat. Together, the two left the room, leaving both chief and deputy in the office. Sliding out of the door, he held his breath as Doctor Brineheart handed him a report, opening it as the doctor himself explained: "I've performed the autopsy on one of the creatures, like you said." "Creatures," the Patriarch mused grimly, remembering the incident a week ago. The Crux Four had speculated of the monsters that attacked the Voyagers during their escape in the long-buried Academia Nox. It was Sidus that went down to recover a body of those creatures to have an autopsy performed on, though the assassin himself scowled at his job. "What have you found out?" "It seems these monsters are of Tartaric in nature." "Wait," the stallion halted. "You meant to say that they faced a demon?" "Demons. Plural," the doctor corrected, before continuing: "From the autopsy, and a little bit of reference from ancient transcripts, it seems these demons were of the lowliest form; in short, they were only imps." "And exactly what kind of demons are they?" "From the transcripts, they're of Præstaproditio in nature, meaning they usually come in dozens, though it seems strange that only two were present in the academy. That suits for one half of the word: præstantissimi, meaning swarms. The other half of the word, however, is more explanatory." The doctor reached inside his file, before taking out another sheet of paper. "These imps specialize in morphing, though they could only morph in the form of proditio, or betrayal." "The betrayal of friends, of relatives..." Winter Palgiot looked through the papers again with realization, before handing them back to Caduceus. "I see. Thanks for the information." "There's one more thing, however." The words practically stopped the Patriarch in his tracks, who was already leaving down the hallways. "I've also tested the length of time they were absent from Tartarus. It seems they were not down there for a long time at all. In fact, my results came back saying that they've been recently summoned as soon as they stepped into the building." "Recently summoned?" Winter asked, unable to hide his surprise. "By whom?" "I've had my suspicions. There must be a reason why there were only two of them, knowing full well that these imps love to travel in groups." Caduceus Brineheart folded in his hooves, holding his breath at what he was about to say next: "In my deductions, I believe the conjurer had little time and experience to summon demons from Tartarus, meaning to say that one of the ponies that were down there was the culprit." "You're saying one of us," he began nervously. "Actually had the nerve to summon demons to attack us?" "That's right," the doctor replied, before continuing: "Though it seems queer that only one of the Voyagers isn't attacked, isn't it? Which only leads me to one possible pony..." "Harmony Peridot," they said in unison. Winter frowned in deep thought. Why in Celestia's name would the mare do that for? In fact, how is it possible that his marefriend had known of such illegal, devilish magic? There cannot be a guide or inscription she could learn it from. Unless... His eyes widened in realization and horror at the facts before him. It couldn't be... "Damn it!" he hissed, making Caduceus jump. "Why didn't I see this before?" he scowled, before marching away furiously. "See what?" the doctor shouted out his question towards the Patriarch. Winter just whirled his head around, mumbling out loud before rushing off down the corridor: "Mundus Regis." <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> "What do you mean it doesn't matter?!" Harmony just kept quiet at the Patriarch's furious yell, the frown on her face darkening at any moment at her coltfriend before him. Her cold gaze laid at the book in his hoof; the same one she was intrigued by, with the golden, varnished title at it spine shining with every enraged swing he makes. With a scowl, Winter slammed the thick, frayed book down on the table, before crossing his hooves. "Explain." "Why don't you explain, Winter?" she shot back. "What did you do to the city?" "What do you mean?" "I went down there with a few ponies from the press, Winter, and for some stupid bucking reason-" "You BROUGHT THE PRESS?!!" the Patriarch shouted, infuriated. The mare just ignored him in her indignation, instead just continuing: "- the whole city just disappeared! I want to know what the hell did you do, and I want the Celestia-damned answer right here, right now!!" "What do you expect, Harmony? It's Calormor we're talking about." Winter tried to quell his anger, settling down on the seat, his hoof clutching tightly on the book resting on the nightstand, explaining with his cold, harsh voice: "It's fractured time, meaning that for some reason, the Pendant Lakes of the old crossed into our dimension from a parallel world. Calormor is the given name because my ancestors found out that in the version of the town, Ravine Palgiot and the family ran off, leaving Parsan behind to relish the town." "So what, you're trying to tell me that it vanished to thin air," she began, glaring resentfully. "Just because time somehow just changed? Which crazy part of you thinks that anypony would believe that story?" "That's the truth-" "IT'S A BUCKING LIE!!" As she shouted that, the mirror on the nightstand cracked, making the Patriarch turn in surprise, gazing with worry at his shattered reflection. "Why are you hiding things from me?!" Harmony continued her ranting, despite her coltfriend's stubborn ignorance, his head turned away in spite. "You want to hide secrets from me that badly, is it? IS IT?!" "I'VE DONE THIS FOR YOUR CELESTIA DAMNED SAFETY!!" "WELL, GUESS WHAT, WINTER PALGIOT?!!" she yelled back wrathfully. "I DON'T NEED YOUR DAMNED CONCERN!!" That sentence practically shocked Winter, who could only stare in shock, his mouth agape at his marefriend's powerful outburst. His mind, as well as his heart, stirred in the tight clenches of turmoil, a whirlpool of emotions thrashing about. "You don't need my concern...?" he muttered softly yet callously. "Get out!" Harmony yelled, slamming her hooves at the wall, before shouting again in a louder, tumultuous tone to get the message clearly across. "You heard me, Winter!! GET. THE. BUCK. OUT!!!" Storming out the room without another word, his hoof snatching the book, the Patriarch slammed the door. His head pounded on the wooden surface of it, wanting to slam out his exasperation and frustration. Clenching his eyes shut, his hoof wanting to just drill back inside the room, Winter managed to gasp out a sigh, before it became mumbles and mutters of near-silent curses. "W-Winter?" The stallion immediately whirled around in surprise, before sighing with relief. "It's only you, Pinkie..." Pinkie looked at his crestfallen face, her own deep with concern. "I've.... heard you guys shout..." she admitted. "We were that loud, huh?" the Patriarch joked, his forced laugh faltering. "Never mind about that. Not really anything to worry about." "What do you mean?" the pink mare asked questionably. "I never heard you guys shout that loud before." "I don't think it's suitable to talk about it." Winter sighed, before looking back up at the pink mare's curious, wanting face, trying his best not to laugh. "Well, if you want to know that badly, you have to promise me one thing." The pink mare was hesitant, though she was eager to know more. Her gaze flipped from his face to the tempting yet shredded book in his hoof. The Patriarch seemed to notice it, as his grip on it tensed immediately, his frown becoming darker. "Well... what is it then?" she asked. "We'll have to go somewhere secret, and I know just the place." The stallion held his breath, before continuing: "Alright. Tonight, go down the forest path; the one that leads to the beach. Once you reach the split road with the sign..." <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> "...take a slight turn to the right, into the woods. You'll find me in a small pasture, underneath an open sky. To help you along with it..." "I'll be beside a small bonfire..." Pinkie muttered, the Patriarch's words of the afternoon frozen in her head. The soft, soothing serenity of night thrived in the indigenous, pristine pine woodlands around him, the green trees flourishing under the cloudless, grand expanse of the night sky. The moon shone brightly, illuminating the gravel path in a mystical blue along with the orange ray of light flickering from the mare's torch, which reminded her, much to her annoyance, the lack of a flashlight that they forgot. She raised it up high with her teeth, revealing the road splitting into two like a snake's tongue, bending into the dense undergrowth. A wooden stake dived in between, with its cracking arrows pointing in opposite directions. The pink mare breathed in, the cooling, invigorating air consoling her slight tick of frustration. Her ears shivered at the appeasing sound of chirps, hoots and croaks, admiring the nocturnal symphony that only glorified the forest around her. "Take a slight turn right," Winter's voice reminded, prompting the mare to do so. Stepping off the gravel floor, her hoof trudged into grass, already feeling the dew sprinkling across the floor. Her trek seemed luxurious more than tiring; everything around her, from the small, tingling veils of mist around her hooves to the twinkling stars in the sky, seemed to be guiding her smoothly along her strayed path, despite her slightly convincing skepticism that she was lost. Sure enough, the trifling flickers from behind a few bushes immediately caught her attention, dancing like serenading fireflies from a distance. "Pinkie!" Winter waved a branch in his his hoof, beckoning her out of the bushes. The pink mare smiled with delight, scampering towards the stallion gleefully, her rusted torch swinging in the dark. She settled herself down on a mat of fallen leaves, right beside the Patriarch with a giggle. "So this is your secret spot, huh?" she asked teasingly, the stallion letting out a sheepish chuckle. "Not really a secret hideout or anything, but nopony really knows about it." "Nearly nopony," Pinkie corrected, the two of them laughing warmly. Looking up the sky, the pink mare closed her eyes, cherishing the soothing moment of the night. The question of the afternoon kept bugging her, however, prompting her to ask: "So what happened?" "Well..." Winter began his long explanation: about how he had found out Harmony was the one that summoned the demons and attacked the Voyagers, about their argument over her. Pinkie's face darkened with worry and disbelief as he progresses his story, leaving her in deep thought. "...and now I'm here," he finished, raising a frayed book; the same one she saw this afternoon. "About to burn this corrupted little thing." Pinkie glanced at the bonfire before them, the flames raging fiercely with power. It was greater than the ones she had made when the Voyagers were camping in the woods, the mound of logs crackling under the intense flames. "Would Harmony mind?" she asked out of curiosity. There was a sigh, before he glanced down at the book impassively, wrinkling his snout. "It doesn't matter now, does it?" Without hesitation, the Patriarch tossed the book into the fires, expecting to burst out in impressive, streaking purple flames, though it merely responded with a crackle. He and Pinkie watched as the shredded pages started to blacken and crumple, the remains of it drifting in the slight breeze. Pinkie remained silent, her mind still wrenched in turmoil. "Harmony..." "She was once like you," Winter muttered suddenly, making the mare turn in surprise. "Always having fun. Never a dull moment around her." "Really?" The stallion nodded with a small grin, holding Pinkie's hoof in his. "Harmony wasn't always the serious type," he continued, gazing at the sky and oblivious to the deep pink blush on the mare's cheeks, her glance flitting between their joined hooves and the stars with uncertainty. "She always wore a smile on her face back in the day. Looking at her now..." Winter sighed with dejection. Somewhere behind that, the pink mare could hear disappointment in it as well. "I don't know what happened to her. Something just... flipped." Before Pinkie could respond, a loud array of booms suddenly exploded in her ears, the mare instantly turning up, gazing at the sky in amazement. Over their manes, the colorful blooms of fireworks dotted throughout the sky, filling it up in a grand spectacle of dazzling shapes and patterns. They swarmed through the air with a high-pitched whizzz~ into the air, outshining the calm brilliance of the stars and moon that hung behind. The pink mare turned to Winter, confusion and curiosity beckoning her to ask: "Is there some sort of party going on? Cause I don't wanna miss a party such as this!!" A deep, loud laugh emanated from the stallion, wiping a single, joyful tear off his eye. "It's the Night of the Silent Glass festival!" "Huh?" Pinkie scratched her head, glancing back down at the Patriarch. "What's it for?" "To celebrate the day when my uncle Harrow abolished the order of Sicarius Nox!" Winter watched the mare smile widely, gazing at the brightly lit sky. "I think maybe that's why I brought you here. To have a good look at the fireworks." "Is that it?" she asked with a sly grin. The Patriarch let out a sheepish laugh, a faint, pink blush rushing to his cheeks. "Look, Diane," he held his breath, the pink mare giggling at her middle name before he continued: "I really like you. Alright, I mean I love you, okay? I really wish that I could just start over in some point of my life with you, because I'm with Harmony now and... things... with her... can't really escalate from there on out." "You mean-" "Harmony changed for the worse," he cut in before she could speak. "And seeing you.... you're the most special pony I've ever met." Pinkie fumbled around with her words, trying her best not to blush in front of the stallion. She could feel her heart starting to burst out of her chest with a flurry of need, before noticing her tail suddenly starting to twitch rapidly. "Twitch-a-twitch!" she squeaked out, the two of them gazing at her cotton-like appendage tossing about. "Twitch-a-twitch!" "What do you mean by 'twitch-a-twitch'?" Winter asked frantically. "Is it something you ate this morning? I can't really help you when I have no idea-" *BOOM* "AH!!" The pink mare suddenly hopped in surprise at a loud explosion in the sky, hanging there for only a mere second before snapping out of the weak thread of air. Winter suddenly let out a loud 'umph' as the full weight of the mare suddenly crushed down upon his hooves, her face looking down onto his. He could feel her warm breath on his face with every pant she makes, before Pinkie let out a small giggle, her cheeks reddening with time. "It's my P-Pinkie Sense," she explained sheepishly. "A twitchy tail usually means something is falling. I though it was a firework, but it seems it was just me..." "You fell for me?" he rephrased, giving her a small grin. The two of them started to laugh, though the pink mare never lifted herself up. She grew closer to the stallion, her ears tingling at his small breaths. She tried not to give in to the urge, but the smile on Winter's face only beckoned her closer, his small, permissive nod only wiping out any discouragement. In a split second, the pair's lips met, instantly warming up in the sensuality of the night. Her tongue was like an aphrodisiac, Winter thought to himself, feeling his own squirming around hers with the sweet taste of cotton candy (or maybe it was just her?) already starting to leak out of their mouths, dripping onto the cold, smooth carpet grass that they were lying on. The stallion brought her closer, her arousal shuddering with every moan she makes. Her hooves responded with a wonderful caress on his cheek, the soft and tender grind of chest against chest a shower of water on the seeds of lust, the roots of it entangled in their oral arabesque. "W-Winter..." Pinkie shuddered as she felt his hoof running down her waist, her tongue still working furiously and drilling into his mouth, letting the lewd mixture of their saliva crawl down their cheeks. She ground herself against his hoof, letting out a pleasured cry whilst breaking their kiss immediately, followed by a squeak of humility. "I'm... I'm sorry..." Winter just smiled, before jerking her back down again, his tongue immediately plunging into her mouth, re-engulfing them in a torrential wave of ecstasy. Body against body, tongue against tongue... it seemed perfect to the both of them. A small tear fell onto the stallion's face, only making him produce his own as well. Their sweat and teardrops fell with the saliva from their mouths, their hooves gripping tightly with the yearning of never wanting to let go. The heat flourished between them, nourished even more by the grand bonfire that blazed right beside them, before their kiss broke, snapping them out from euphoria. Pinkie sniffled, before crying in Winter's chest, the stallion still lying on the ground, trying to wipe his own tears away. He felt her hooves snuggle around his waist, whimpering out softly: "I don't want you to go...... I d-don't want you to....." The stallion returned her embrace, watching the last of the fireworks fizz across the sky. His heart was tangled in love, with one side pulling the strings of Harmony and the other doing the same for the mare that was lying on his chest. "Let's sleep here for the night then," he suggested, making the pink mare look up. "R-Really?" "Just the two of us," he stated with a grin, making the mare giggle. "No other pony than you and me." "I'd.... love that," she whispered quietly, before closing her eyes. Letting out a murmur of delight and satisfaction, her hooves still embracing the stallion, Pinkie started to smile, even more so when the Patriarch stroke her mane. Winter soon closed his eyes as well, feeling content for the warmth of the mare on his chest. He held her close, letting out a silent yawn, as the pair slept under the bright moon, relishing in the quiet, serene moment of the night. With nopony else but each other. <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> Present Day Fatigue encumbered their hooves as Winter and Harmony streaked across the polished marble floor, the ponies all around still watching in awe and amazement at their seemingly endless waltz. The two smiled, trying to hide their discontent and distrust from the bystanders, unaware of the devilish battle sparking from their cold gazes among each other. Harmony scoffed first, her impatience growing as she scowled: "Stellar really thinks he's got everything under control, doesn't he?" "Believe me, I would've killed him myself," the Patriarch replied coldly. "Who wants to dance with their worst enemy anyway?" "Just plain lovely..." she hissed as a response, making Winter chuckle. The stallion glanced around among the innocent faces of the crowd, seeing a few of the palace guards and notable police-ponies sealing the entrance and exits, their attention fixated at the dancing duo. He bit his lip; Caduceus could've at least send more capable ponies to handle this job. They wouldn't stand a chance against Harmony if she attempts to escape. "So," he mused, catching the pink unicorn's interest. "It seems you're here for some reason." "You could say that," Harmony replied, flashing him a devious grin. "He has plans to make, and he requires my specialty." "Even if you'll fail?" "That's the best part," she cried out gleefully, her hooves quivering with excitement. "He always finds the answer to everything. If I fail, he always knows how to make it up." "And would you say that this mysterious pony," Winter began, giving her a questionable stare. "Would be here right now?" "Not that I know of." The pair continued their dance, their steps memorized with a hint of nostalgia. All eyes were fixed onto the pair, the symphony finally escalating to the climax, signaling the ending of the dance. Harmony suddenly smiled cunningly, her voice a content whisper: "I think I know what to do." "And what is that?" "You need to convince your guests that there's nothing else besides the ball, and I need to just find a certain somepony." The mare cackled under her breath as Winter's face darkened, her two blades beginning to unsheathe with the red aura from her horn. "You think I would let you go that easily?" the stallion scowled, twirling her around his hooves. "Don't worry, Winter," Harmony replied, letting out a mere giggle. "I'll make sure this ends spectacularly for you." As soon as the music stopped, the Patriarch felt himself being suddenly pushed away, watching in surprise as the pink unicorn raised her hooves, glancing sultrily towards him. With the last hum of the string, she clopped them together, before swinging her dress wide to the side, whirling it like a propeller at full speed. His horror only came later when the dress spiraled inwards like a black hole, vanishing into nothingness. The loud sound of everypony else clopping invaded his ears, as he could only stare in shock. The doors frantically opened, the stone panels of it grinding loudly with the guards that once stood beside it now rushing out frantically, their words and explanations rushing into their radios. Winter could only growl at Harmony's disappearance, yet he couldn't storm off just yet; he still had a crowd to appease before him. Forcing out a wide grin, his jaws already hurting, he gave a slight bow, only making the clops ever more louder as the Patriarch himself cursed under his breath, before muttering at the recently absent mare: "Still the same cunning, little fox..."