Illusions and Reflections
Applejack and Rainbow Dash wandered around the monotonous and desolate hallways.
"Face it Rainbow, we're lost." The blond of the two commented, Rainbow scoffed.
"We are not lost. We just got... turned around. That's all." The skeptical look on AJ's face probed more convincing. "Look, we just need to go down those stairs and take a left."
"We went down more stairs 'N we came up!"
Rainbow rolled her eyes. 'This mare, she always nags. She could write a book about it how she perfected the art, I swear.' "What ever, C'mon, we're wasting time."
Again, Applejack followed her friend's lead and, again, they didn't find the right door.
"For pete's sake Rainbow. Ah told ya we shoulda asked before headin' to tha little filly's room." Yep, and the nagging goes on.
"Hey, don't blame me, you could have asked too." 'Just because you're the element of honesty doesn't mean you need to get a word in on everything.'
"Ah was gonna, but somepony, had the brillian' idea tah we could fig'er it out fo' our selves."
She had her there, but in her defense, Rainbow thought the toiletries would be simpler to find! Seriously, they've been on at least four different levels, and haven't seen a sign of a single restroom. Ever since their failure to find it, they've been trying to find their way back to the rec room. With pretty much the same results.
Conceeding to the apple mare's point, Rainbow Dash pushed for the issue to be laid for a later time. Right now, they needed to find their friends before somepony else found them.
Deciding it best to follow AJ's directions this time, she allowed her to lead, and they went up two flights of stairs. After, they repeated the routine of going around the hall way and checking each door to see if it was the one they needed. No luck on this floor, so, they walked up to another one. Than another one, than another one.
Wait a minute, this doesn't seem right. The two went up another flight of stairs, we did not go this far down. "Wait a minute Applejack." Rainbow warned holding her position on the flight. "We didn't go down this far."
The orange mare looked at her confused. "What do ya mean? Course we did." She pointed to the stair case.
The speedster shook her head. "No, we didn't go down this many flights of stairs." She couldn't prove it now, but she knew that she'd put in alot more time going up the stairs than going down them. Even if they didn't come to the rec room, they should have hit the work station floor by now. Something didn't add up.
Applejack noticed the serious look on her face and gave the accusation a bit of thought. "Ya know, come to think of it. Mos' those doors did look alike from one floor to 'nother."
That was another thing, each time they climbed or dropped a stair way, Rainbow could have sworn the same. The doors were almost in the exact same places. At first she thought it was just the design of the building, but the door they were looking for had a window on it. And as far as she could tell, there hadn't been any with anything other than the typical cold and grey solid metal.
"What's goin' on around here?" AJ demanded slamming her hoof on the ground.
"Perhaps I can be of service?" The duo looked to the top of the stairs to find a dark blue minataur with his arms folded smiling down at them. Rainbow flew into the air and demanded he identify himself. "Of course, my name is: Tosh. And you don't have authorization to be here." He smirked.
Rainbow was about to explain their situation, but a sudden feeling of nausia caused her to fall silent and descend to the ground.
"Rainbow?" Applejack asked concerned. "Are you alright sugarcube?" The pegasus pony couldn't reply, she didn't want to open her mouth on the chance that something might come out more than just words. AJ's eyes trailed up to the minotaur. "Whadidya do to 'er!?" She demanded.
Tosh chuckled lightly. "I don't like it when others fly up to my face." He snapped his fingers, and the sudden wave of nausea passed, leaving Rainbow wobbly but still better than she was. "Now, I'm going to ask some questions, and you're going to answer them. First off, how did you get in here?"
Rainbow shook her head clear and resisted the urge to rush her aggressor into the wall. After being insulted by that Mary guy, argued down by Applejack and now sent into an unknown educed sickness fit; this place had been a definite stress on her ego and temper.
Instead, Applejack tried to explain that the two were with a group of others, escorted by Ace and Sin. And that when they were looking for the little fillies room, they'd some how gotten lost. And now, here they were.
The amused look on Tosh's face didn't sit well with the mare, it was the pretentious and self serving smile that she'd always loved to rub off of other pony's faces after they thought they could take her in a race.
"There is no 'Sin' in the Syndicate. If there was, I would have met him." he cleared his throat. "And Ace is on a high level mission out of the country. Do you care to try again? Perhaps the truth this time?"
He doesn't believe us?
"We are tellin' tha truth!" AJ insisted with a stomp of her hoof. The Federalist sighed and shook his head and offered her one last time to give him a better answer. When she failed, he smack his lips together and grinned.
"Well if that's the story you're sticking to, I suppose it can't be helped. I'll get the truth," He snapped his fingers. "Eventually." And in the blink of an eye, the beast was gone. No flash of light to suggest teliportation, no evaporation, he just vanished.
"When you're ready to talk," Tosh's voice echoed, it's source untraceable, "I'll be ready to listen."
The two stood in silence, their senses on high alert. Rainbow wouldn't show it, but she was honestly a little scared right now. A minotaur who could teliport and some how keep them in a elongated stair way that seemed endless? It was defiantly something new to her. Especially considering that, to her knowledge as limited as it was on the matter, their species had no magical abilities what so ever.
"Ah don' ge' it." Applejack said. "Wha' did'e mean Sin wasn't part of this? Practically everyone recognized him."
Rainbow nodded in agreement before something stuck her. "Wait, didn't Ace call him something else at the door?" Uncertain for a moment, AJ thought back than smiled. "What was it?"
"Colaberating your story, ladies?" Tosh's voice echoed again. "A lie is a lie, no matter how much you convince yourself of it." He paused for a moment. "I'll make you a deal, If you tell me you're names and who you work for, I might be lenient."
'Lenient? What, trapping them in this wasn't cruel enough for him?'
"Listen you psycho, I've had it wi-" The pegasus' words were cut off by an orange hoof.
"Easy there, sugarcube, we don't know what else he could do to us here." Her friend warned. "My name is Applejack and this here is Rainbow Dash. We aren't working for anybody."
Silence overtook grayed stairway, both ponies hoping that their story would be accepted.
"Okay, if you're going to give false names, you could at least give ones that are believable."
Rainbow still couldn't understand what was so weird about it.
"No, honest, those 'r our names!"
Another moment passed, and another sigh. "Very well." The door to their immediate right creaked open, and Rainbow's heart soared. 'He's letting us go!'
"You bring this on yourselves."
As Sin walked back from Mary's office, a nice bit of money in his saddle bag he had hidden in the stallion's safe, he walked past the work stations and into the double doors that lead to the lower levels. He was a little surprised when he saw Pinkie walking up... alone.
"Where are you going?" Sin asked looking down at her.
"For a walk." Pinkie mumbled.
"Alone?"
She nodded.
Sin took an indecisive moment to think something over. As much as she irritated and scared him, he didn't want her walking around this city by her self. Fuck, this was his home town and he wouldn't walk these streets alone if he could help it. Since he hadn't said anything, Pinkie moved past him and continued on her way.
In the brief moment he'd seen the mare's sad and forelorn eyes, a rush of memories came flying back to him on how exactly Pinkie had treated him, and how he'd responded to it. For all of his paranoia and almost sacred belief that she was trying to "get him", he couldn't really find a time where she'd directly gone out of her way to cause him pain. Yes, there was the time she slammed into him, but that wasn't so much against Sin as it was for the agent he was questioning.
Maybe she wasn't the problem of the two, what if it was him? Maybe it was time to give her a real chance? Not the constant 'trying to find something wrong' mindset he'd been stuck on, but maybe a real chance.
"It's not safe to walk in this city alone." He turned, "There's something I've been meaning to see for a while now anyway."
The mare's face lifted and she smiled at him. "But no reading my thoughts, alright?" Pinkie nodded and happily preformed the Pinkie Promise and the two walked out into the desk room and silently made it out to the lobby. Once the building was cleared, Pinkie chanced a question.
"Where are we going?"
Sin looked around, unsure of himself. "Hmm, I need to remember where it would be at this time of day."
Pinkie tilted her head in confusion.
'Come on Islander, think. You used to be obsessed with it!' Suddenly he scoffed. "What am I doing?" After a quick chuckle, he lead Pinkie a few blocks down to a large notice bored. While she began reading all of the missing pet notices and specialty dishes at various restaurants, Sin was busy studding a play schedule. "Mid west plaza in-" He looked at the clock tower, "Ten minutes."
Suggesting they move quickly, Pinkie followed closely as the two lost themselves in the busy streets.
He polity apologized to anyone who he'd run into, it was one of the quirks he didn't care to control. After a few yards in, he looked back to make sure Pinkie was still in range of him. Though, something else seemed to have caught her interests. When he looked over to find out what, it momentarily confused him. 'A Roger?' He observed the steam powered "automobile" for a moment than realized himself.
The stallion gained Pinkie's attention and with one last look back, the two continued forward.
"What was that?" He heard the mare say over the crowd.
"An automobile." Sin replied. "It's meant to be a revolutionary invention to transport both citizens and goods with out the need of a wagon being pulled. Only drawback is that it's energy source is so expensive that only the wealthy can afford to own one." They turned onto a less crowded street. "That, and the things break so often, most Citizens have enough sense to wait until the kinks are worked out."
The two continued to converse, heightening and lowering their volumes when necessary. Sin tried to give a brief synopsis of what an automobile actually was, astoundingly, Pinkie seemed to correct him and finish his statements alot. He would never have guessed that this pony had a knack for engineering and craftsmanship. She spoke fluently about the intricacies of mechanical parts that, despite his wide vocabulary, he couldn't understand what she was talking about.
Ironic really, a mare talking about mechanics and the stallion's the clueless one. Gender stereotypes be damned.
In a slightly better mood, the party mare was finishing up on something she called her "party cannon" and "Welcome wagon". If what she said was true, she could teach the actual engineers back in the Syndicate a thing or two.
Finally, they'd reached a small clearing of grass, fenced off by a short and long beams of metal. The sign over the opening read: "Vickors' City Park". As usual, it was a good turn out for the show. While the pedestrians walked along the outside of the fence, many spectators sat in the grass with picnic baskets, blankets and their families.
And there it was, one of the most important parts of Sin's childhood. A large black and white stage with an all too familiar red wagon sitting behind it. "The Herald-Mage called Vanyel" written in gold letters above the back door.
Sin couldn't suppress the smile, this play was his absolute favorite even if it was done in daily segments of thirty minutes. He turned to look for a good place to sit but his eyes locked onto Pinkie staring very intently onto the other side of the park. He chuckled, 'of course.'. He began walking forward and motioned Pinkie to follow.
They didn't wait in line long until the desired stand was free for them. "What can I get ya?" The pony behind the Ice Cream cart asked.
Sin moved aside and motioned for his companion to choose her desired flavor. He didn't know a whole lot about sweets, but seven flavors was a good amount to choose from for Ice cream... right?
After declining to get anything for himself, he paid the need amount of money and placed a little bit in the tip jar. "Thanks Mac, you and your girl have a good day alright." He wiggled his brow knowingly.
Instead of correcting the stallion's assumption, he was simply thanked for his service and the two wondered off to a relatively open space to watch the show.
"Are you sure you don't want anything?" Pinkie asked, her triple stacked strawberry cone having yet to be touched.
"Yes Pinkie, I'm fine." Sin smiled. The mare shrugged and began blissfully devouring the iced treat.
Suddenly, a band of old style trumpets began to yell from the stage below. The crowed cheered as a portly older griffin stepped forward and looked upon them with disinterest. He cleared his throat, adjusted his monocle and in a very prestigious voice, that was obviously trying way tuo hard, read: "Hear ye, hear ye. It is with great privilege, that I announce the battle between The mage: Herald Vanyel of Valdemar Vs The Evil Lord Nedran and his men."
The crowd erupted into cheers again and Pinkie leaned over to ask what was going on. Sin explained that the griffin up there now always came out at the beginning to explain what was going on, the pretentious voice was purely for comical effect. As was the infamous quips he made at the end of the crowed applauding.
"Yes, because glorifying violence doesn't send the wrong impression to children, now does it?" He said dryly. As the crowed gave a light hearted chuckle at his words, the announcer walked off the stage and a soft musical guitar began to play with a dozen or so oddly dressed minotaur took to the stage and started a rushed tip toeing from one side of the hill land set to the other.
When they were a quarter of the way across, lyrics began to accompany the solo acoustic guitar.
"Along a road in Hardorn, the place called Stony Tor
A fearful band of farmers flees Karsite Border war.
A frightened band of farmers, their children, and their wives,
Seek refuge from a tyrant, who wants more than just their lives."
By this point, the group of half breeds were half way across the stage, when a White minotaur walking beside an alabaster earth pony marched in from the other side.
"Now up rides Herald Vanyel. 'Why then such haste?' says he.
'Now who is it pursuing, whose anger do you flee?
You are all of Hardorn, why seek you Valdemar?
Is Festil no protection? Nor bide all his men too far'?"
Sin watched with a goofy grin, as he relived one of his childhood moments. The music foretold of how the king of the fleeing villagers cares not for their plight against the evil lord whom wishes to use their body's and souls to feed his minions. The play continued and the actors flew in sync as Vanyel agreed to confront Lord Nedrin. He trudged up to another minotaur in black with a green caped unicorn standing beside him. When asked who dare block the path of Lord Nedran, Vanyal answered.
"Now there stands great Lord Nedran, behind him forty men,
with a Wizard there beside him, he pales and speaks again.
'so you are Herald Vanyel, this place is not your land,
so heed me Herald Vanyel and now turn aside your hand'."
"'Let be I'll give you silver, and I shall give you gold,
and I shall give you jewels fair that sparkle bright and bold,
and I shall give you pearls, all treasures of the sea.
If: you will step aside here leaving these poor fools to me.
And now came the part Sin couldn't help but mouth the words to.
"What need have I of silver with sweet Yfandes here?
And all the gold I cherish is sunlight bright and clear.
The only jewel I treasure's a bright and shining star,
And I protect the all helpless not just those of Valdemar."
It was like he heard it all for the very first time again.
Nedran scowled before the music gave to him once more.
"Now I shall give you beauty, women slaves and men,
And I shall give you power, you'll never see again,
And I shall give you mansions and I shall give you land,
If you will turn aside this day, aside and hold your hand."
The Mage was quick to answer, a faint hint of mockery to his demeanor.
"Now beauty held in bondage is beauty that is lost.
And land and mansions blood-bought come too high the cost.
The power I have already-all power is a jade-
So turn you back, Lord Nedran if of me you are afraid!"
Suddenly, Nedran begins backing away, though the green robbed unicorn stepped forward and, as the song went, commended the Herald for his boldness, but assured him of his demise. After a defiant stare from the protagonist, the wizard shot a spell at the ground, emitting a thick fog to hide with in.
The squeals and gasps from the crowed encouraged Sin in the pleasure he took from the play. The one sure fire way to determine if a theater piece is well done is if the audience feels as though they are actually there. And with younglings and hatchlings alike quivering for the safety of the hero, it was a safe bet that the show was still as well received now as it was back when he was younger.
"The wizard calls his demons, the sky above turns black.
The demons strike at Vanyel, he stands and holds them back.
The demons strike at Vanyel, they strike and hurt him sore,
But Vanyel stands defiant, only to raise his hands once more."
The music continued, though the guitarist played a harsher melody to compliment the battle scene. This was why most of the young males watched it anyway, the fighting choreography was quite amazing actually. Originally, Vanyal was only suppose to raise his hands and capture the demons, now played by black clothed diamond dogs, but when you're trying to hold the attention of adolescent stallions... physical battles are more exciting than mental ones.
Actually, it was the mental quips Nedran and Vanyel had that was always his favorite part. The hero of the story choosing righteousness over jewels and sex, to protect the weak instead of indulging in the luxury of land and servants. If the legends held true, the human was quite the noble soul indeed.
"I can't believe that nasty ol' Nedran!" Pinkie pouted. "Where does he get off trying to take others lives and souls?"
Sin chuckled. "Yes, that Nedran is quite the character isn't he?" Too bad that deep down, Sin was more alike with him than Vanyel. While Vanyel was selfless, courageous and and merciful, the stallion was more selfish, cynical and unforgiving.
It wasn't something he was proud to admit, but in all honesty, he wouldn't have helped the villagers if he were in the mage's place. The farmers running showed their cowardice and lack of initiative to fight for their liberty and freedom. Instead, they elect to flee and hope that they are not caught. Even if the battle wasn't winnable, he still saw their running as pathetic and gutless.
"Quite the character?" Pinkie repeated looking at Sin dubiously, "He's just a mean and nasty ol' meanie pants." She stuck her nose up in the air, than comically lifted the remaining scoop of Strawberry to her muzzle and began finishing it off.
After a few minutes of fighting and a few funny quips between the mage and wizard, the guitar cut off with a harsh strum before going back to the relaxing melody of story telling.
"The sky itself descending now, upon bare Stony Tor
It hides the awful battle. The watchers see no more.
The wizard shouts in triumph-too soon he vents his mirth.
For Vanyel calls the lightning down, and smites him to the earth!"
A loud crack of thunder emits as the wizard unicorn teliports himself from the stage. It was cleaver actually, most kids didn't know the art existed.
Finally, the dark grey cloths held by magic lifted away revealing all the 'demons' tied up helplessly on the floor. The Herald than turned to a retreating Nedran and his men, and the song said the rest.
"He looks down on Lord Nedran; his eyes grow cold and bleak-
'Now I shall give you, Nedran, all the power that you seek-'"
The alabaster minotaur rose his hand and the demons were suddenly freed. Keeping up with the narrative, they begin to attack and slaughter Nedran and his men.
Oh how satisfying it was to see Vanyel not be a complete and utter good guy.
"Now Vanyel calls the farmers. 'Go tell you near and far,
How thus are serves the tyrants who would take Valdemar.
I am the bane of demons, their query I defend.
Thus Heralds serve a foeman and thus Heralds save a friend'!"
And with the final strum of the melodious instrument, the crowd began to cheer, stomp, clap and all other manner of praise. Though, one did stand out above the rest, and unfortunately, she happened to be right next to him.
"Woo hoo! Alright Vanyel!" Pinkie practically screamed, wearing one of the happiest faces Sin had ever seen
He would be lying if he said her lifted spirits caused him more grief than relief. For all her deception, she was a good kid at heart. Perhaps he had misjudged her after all, maybe his gut feeling could be wrong.
"That was amazing." Pinkie praised before turning to Sin, "Thanks for bringing me with you." He huge grin turned into a bashful smile.
"Of course. Consider it my apology."
"Apology?" Pinkie tilted her head again.
"For the way I've treated you." Sin nodded, his ever present scowl lightening a bit. He looked around at the departing families and props being loaded back onto the wagons to give himself a moment of thought organization. "The hard time I've been giving you wasn't justified. You've been nothing but friendly and I've been a jerk to you for it." He looked at her. "And I suppose that is something I should apologize for."
The mare giggled before giving a sly grin. "You suppose?"
"I don't apologize for much kiddo, don't push it."
He looked forward and tried to drone out the mare's incessant giggling. He was a bit confused at this point. He'd shown his remorse for his transgressions, yet he didn't feel any better for it. Pinkie was smiling now, he'd bought her ice cream -and ANY sweets in the Federation came with a hefty cost, considering the sugar tax- and showed her a play.
Why didn't that nagging in the back of his mind go away yet?
"Does that mean you're ready to talk?"
'Oh yea, that's why'.
Sin looked back to the beaming face of the pony, the first time he'd seen her smile like that; he wanted to slap it right off her face. But now, he was just indifferent about it, it was just Pinkie Pie being Pinkie Pie as far as he was concerned. Assuming the stories were true.
Still, nothing bad happened, he'd spent at least an hour with her, and there were no mind games, no real attempts at probing for information and nothing threatening. She just ate her sweets and watched the entertainment like everyone else... Perhaps it really was all in his head all along, at least, that's what the evidence was pointing to.
"Nah, I'm good." He shrugged, Pinkie gave a playful pout and crossed her forelegs.
She may have been a good kid, but he still didn't trust her as far as he could throw her. "Come on." He stood up, "the others are probably wondering where you are."
And with that, the two left the park and walked back to the Syndicate Head Quarters.