//------------------------------// // Dragon Treasure // Story: An Eye for an Eye // by Gizogin //------------------------------// An Eye for an Eye Chapter 4 "So, you mean to tell Trixie that you are not only Princess Celestia's student, but her pen pal as well?" Trixie bore an incredulous expression, evidently not convinced by Twilight's story. It had started simply enough; Twilight had started to outline their plan of action for when they returned to the library. Then she'd made an offhoof remark about sending a letter to Princess Celestia detailing the situation, to which Trixie had responded with a barrage of questions. Eventually, the librarian had caved, explaining how she'd come to be accepted as the personal student of one of the two most powerful and respected ponies in all of Equestria. "I'm not her pen pal," Twilight scoffed. "We just keep up a regular written correspondence." "That's what a pen pal is," Trixie countered. "I'm her personal protege," Twilight insisted. "She's tasked me with reporting to her the lessons I learn about friendship. It's a very serious assignment." "Right, right. It'd be a shame to disappoint your pen pal." "She's not—" Twilight began, before realizing that Trixie was deliberately winding her up. The magician had a teasing smirk on her face, obviously pleased at the reaction her words were getting. Twilight took a deep breath, determined not to let Trixie get the best of her. When she felt sufficiently collected, she said, "Anyway, after I've sent that letter to the Princess, we'll just need to pack. I don't know how long we'll be, so it would be best to grab some overnight gear. There's a tent and some sleeping bags in the basement, along with some other supplies. I'll also look up the train schedule, to see when the next train leaves for Hollow Shades. Assuming they leave every couple of hours, we should have about—" "Twilight," Trixie interrupted, a wary edge to her voice, "are you expecting company?" With a start, Twilight realized she and Trixie had already reached the library. She was further surprised to notice some rather loud conversation coming from within. "No," she answered. "But it's a public library; Spike must've reopened when he got back from Rarity's." She kept walking, but when her companion didn't immediately follow, she asked, "Trixie, what's going on? You've been anxious and jumpy ever since we left Zecora's." "Hmm?" Trixie replied, distracted. "Oh, it's... it's nothing. Trixie had a rough night, that's all." Twilight sighed. "Trixie, I'm taking a pretty big leap of faith in trusting you right now. I hope you appreciate that. If there's something you're not telling me..." She left her words hanging, the implication clear. "Look, let's just say that Trixie will be happiest when all this is over." That did little to assuage Twilight's doubt, but she pushed it aside for the moment. There would be plenty of time for a heart-to-heart once the threat of the Tears had been dealt with. "Fine," she said. "Come on, we've lost enough time as it is." Most of Ponyville's residents held a positive view of Spike the dragon. He was friendly and cheerful most of the time, and could generally be trusted to lend a helping claw. Twilight may have been Golden Oaks' official librarian, but those who frequented the building knew it was Spike's constant diligence that kept all the books on the shelves and the dirt off the floor. He was a decent cook, and his penmanship was peerless. Sure, he liked to sleep late, and he had a few bad qualities—his appetite for gems was excessive even by dragon standards, and there was that time he'd destroyed half the town—but nobody was perfect. More importantly, if not to Ponyville then to Equestria at large, Spike had connections. Partly because he'd been raised by Princess Celestia herself, and partly because dragons were so rare, Spike was a minor celebrity among the elite of Equestria. He knew his way around the world of high culture and famous names, and had learned over time how to spot an important pony. Thus, when he'd seen Sir Hammer at the library door, he'd immediately judged him as a pony of some distinction, likely from an old family, and, most importantly, probably wealthy enough to afford the tastiest of jewels. Working on that basis, Spike had welcomed him and his companion in warmly, offered them drinks, and engaged in pleasant conversation. By his reckoning, if he could make a good enough impression, Hammer might see fit to keep in touch with the young dragon. A few carefully dropped hints, maybe a promise of an introduction to somepony famous, and he could be looking at a whole new stream of gems. By the time Twilight and Trixie returned to the library, Spike had managed to get Hammer talking about his hometown of Trottingham. Specifically, the weather. "Bipolar, I'd call it," he said. "It'll be clear one minute and chucking it down the next. And don't get me started on the weather teams." "What's wrong with the weather teams?" Spike asked, grinning. "Oh, what isn't? There's no consistency, they can't keep to a schedule, and nopony seems to have any idea how to work together." Despite his words, Hammer's tone made it clear that his complaints were in good humor. "I mean, you'll get one team bringing in a cloud bank from the north, only to have the next team clearing it away because they don't like the shapes. For once, you Equestrians actually have it right; there's that committee, what was it? The Cloudsdale something?" "The Cloudsdale Climate Council," Glimmer offered. She hadn't participated much in the conversation, instead looking over the bookshelves with an air of disinterest. Obviously, she'd heard this particular rant before. "Yes, thank you. That's what we need in Trottingham: some real organization." Had Twilight been listening for a moment to appear, she couldn't possibly have found a better one. Unfortunately, the thick, wooden walls of the library made it hard for sound to get through clearly in either direction. Besides, Twilight didn't care for grand entrances, and hadn't been paying attention to the conversation anyway. Thus, her entrance at that particular moment, though dramatically perfect, was entirely coincidental. "Spike," Twilight announced, "we're back." "Hey, Twilight," Spike greeted, looking over Hammer's shoulder. "Hi, Trixie." It was several moments before what he'd just said sank in, but when it did, it was with a double-take, a flinch, and a panicked exclamation of, "Trixie!?" Trixie winced. The last time she and Spike had met, Trixie had been under the influence of the Alicorn Amulet. She didn't like to be reminded of what she'd done during that time. "Hello," she said, rather sheepishly. That was about when Trixie noticed the other two ponies in the library. More worryingly, she noticed the intense, evaluating looks they were fixing her with. "Did you say, 'Trixie'?" Hammer asked. There was a moment of silent suspense. Spike, thankfully, recovered first, and had the presence of mind to defuse the situation. "Right," he said, "introductions. Hammer, Glimmer, this is Twilight Sparkle and—" he faltered briefly— "Trixie. Twilight, Trixie, meet Sir Hammer and Glimmer." He gestured to each pony in turn, and they exchanged polite greetings and hoofshakes. Introductions out of the way, Twilight asked, "So, where are you from? I haven't seen you around town before." "I imagine not," Hammer answered jovially. "As I was explaining to Spike here, Glimmer and I are from Trottingham. We heard of a possible business venture in town and thought it best to, shall we say, 'explore' it. Funnily enough, it concerns that mare behind you." "Trixie?" Trixie said, surprised. "You came here all the way from Trottingham to talk to Trixie?" She wasn't sure whether to be worried or flattered. Sir Hammer seemed friendly enough on the surface, but she definitely didn't like the look Glimmer was giving her. She felt like she was being sized up, the way she might gauge an apple's worth at the market. "Well, not directly. You're not an easy mare to track down, Miss Trixie. But yes, we did come to see you. Or rather," he corrected, "to see that little book in your pocket." "What?" Twilight and Trixie asked in unison. Trixie instinctively reached for her cloak, to check that Dowsing Rod's book was still there. Twilight focused on Hammer, her expression one of intense suspicion. "Oh, good," Hammer said, "you do have it." "How do you know about that?" Twilight demanded. This time, Glimmer spoke up, cutting off Hammer's reply. "That's not important. Dowsing Rod's journal is the property of the Hammer estate, and we demand that you return it at once." "Trixie never stole anything," Trixie said, angrily, "if that's what you mean. Trixie bought the book in a curiosity shop in Vanhoover. It belongs to her." "Vanhoover?" Hammer repeated, surprised. "Really? So that's where the old bugger ended up." He shook his head wistfully, and said, "Dowsing Rod was my great-great-granddad. My own granddad used to tell me stories about him, and how he was always going off on wild adventures, raving about the new discovery he'd made." "I'm sorry," Twilight said, "but we can't give you back your great-great-grandfather's book just yet. You see—" "How much?" Glimmer interrupted. "Um, what?" "For the book," Glimmer said, as though it should have been obvious. "How much do you want?" "It's not about money," Twilight answered, slightly insulted. "Well then, what would convince you?" Hammer asked. He still hadn't dropped his light, conversational tone. "I am quite determined, you see." Trixie believed him. He'd obviously put a lot of effort, and probably money, into tracking her down. Somehow, she doubted he'd be dissuaded by a simple refusal. Maybe, though, there was another way. "What do you want it for?" she asked. Her question had been addressed to Hammer, but it was Glimmer who replied, "That's none of your business." "Now, now," Hammer chided gently, "it's a fair question." To Trixie, he answered, "I trust you've read the book, yes? You've seen the way Dowsing Rod loved finding old artifacts? Well, the way my granddad tells it, in the last years of his life, Dowsing Rod became obsessed with a certain magical relic. A way to live forever, he called it. The Seaponies' Tears." "Of course," Twilight groaned. How could it have been anything else? "So, you want to find the Tears as well?" "Well, yes, I—what do you mean, 'as well'? Why do you want the Tears?" "They're cursed," Twilight answered simply. "Trixie and I want to make sure they stay sealed away. And you want them because...?" "Well, if what you say is true, then my reasons are rather irrelevant, don't you think?" Hammer put a hoof to his chin thoughtfully. "This is quite a development. What makes you so sure there's a curse?" Twilight deferred to Trixie, who answered, "Dowsing Rod found the Tears, but he also found something else. Something much worse. His book doesn't go into specifics, but whatever it was, it really scared him." Hammer sighed. "So be it. I had hoped..." he trailed off, his cheerful demeanor fading for the first time. He recovered quickly, apparently coming to a decision. "Very well," he announced. "You say you want to seal away the Tears? Then allow Glimmer and myself to assist you. What do you say?" "Um," Twilight said, taken aback. By the expressions on the other mares' faces, she wasn't the only one surprised by Hammer's offer. "You want to help us?" "Why not?" Hammer replied. "It was my great-great-grandfather who uncovered the Tears, so it's only fitting that I help to seal them away. Besides," he added, "if there's any chance he was wrong about the curse, well, all the better. So, will you allow us to accompany you?" "Well, I guess I don't have any objections," Twilight answered. "Trixie? What do you think?" Trixie hesitated. She still wasn't sure she trusted these strange ponies. Still, she couldn't really argue with Hammer's reasons, and it would probably be best to have another few helping hooves. "Alright," she said eventually, "Trixie will allow them to come."