Elements of Insanity

by Emeral Bookwise

Chapter 11: "What a Wonderful Wonder"

Carrot Top was glad to be back in Ponyville again.  She was just as glad that Trixie, Cheerilee, and Raindrops were all back from their own escapade as well.  They certainly had no less of an amazing tale to tell of all the ordeals they went through in Oaton, which Trixie of course proceeded to do with all her usual flair and bravado.  Well, that is, save a few instances when Cheerilee or Raindrops would interject to remind her it had been a team effort.

Still, the farmer couldn't help but be just a tad jealous.  Her friends had clearly all grown in surprising ways from the experience.  Cheerilee had reconnected with old friends, and even Trixie's ever present ego seemed tempered by a new found humility, while Raindrops… well, okay, maybe Raindrops hadn't changed all that much, although Cheerilee did keep teasing her about some pony named Cut-n-Dry.

It all just made Carrot Top feel as if her own feeble attempts to relate her own unexpected adventure seem empty and dull by comparison.  She didn't feel like she'd grown or changed at all — still just a simple mare with simple dreams.  Heck, she'd only even gotten involved at all purely by accident.

Of course her terrible ability to actually tell a coherent or interesting story certainly didn't help, as she kept finding herself having to double back to fill in details she forgot to mention.  Plus there were still a lot of things she was completely clueless on, having never been able to actually question Twilight about how everything had started in the first place.  As a result, it all just came out like a jumbled mess, and even listening to herself, Carrot Top wasn't sure she believed it either.

She really wished Lyra was here now, but the musician apparently had to rush off to Canterlot while they'd all been away, something about a symphony or such.  As an expert on myths and legends, surely her bardic friend could have at least helped figure out what kind of creature Lemon Hearts had been.  Instead, the farmer found herself tripping over her own words just trying to describe the strange madmare, only further adding to the confusion.

It probably didn't matter though.  After all, what were the odds anything so crazy could ever happen again?

Loosy looked through the observation window into the padded room and its lone occupant.  The blue-maned and yellow-coated unicorn was now no more than a shell of her former self.  Her physical injuries had been treated, most notably the jagged edges of her broken horn had been filed down.  Loosy really didn't know much about unicorn anatomy, so she didn't know if such an injury was permanent or not — she supposed it might not matter considering the mare's mental state, or rather lack thereof.

It was a condition in some ways not all that dissimilar to what Loosy had so very recently recovered from, except seemingly worse.  Whatever distant place Loosy's mind had gone off to, it had at the very least been a peaceful, free of pain and suffering, where she could just forget all the troubles of the world.   Troubled, however, seemed the only fit word to describe whatever it was that remained of Lemon Hearts.

Loosy pressed a hoof to the glass in sympathy as she watched the unicorn rock restlessly back and forth muttering dull nonsense.  It was a sight made only all the more unsettling by the mare's eyes which, while more or less normal again, were bloodshot and unblinking.  Worse still were the convulsions, violent tremors that would occasionally wrack some part of the former matron's body.

It sent chills down Loosy's spine.  Despite all the lies and betrayal, and who knows how many other countless unnamed wrongs this pony might have committed, Loosy held nothing but pity for the hollow remnant before her.  She sighed as she lowered her hoof.

"That ornery she-devil don't deserve the sentiment."

Loosy's eyes went wide, that voice, it couldn't be!  She turned and there, before her blinking violet eyes, stood the pony she feared she might never see again.  Rushing foreword, she locked the brown-coated stallion in a full-body embrace, holding tight to confirm that he was indeed real, and having done that holding only ever more tight for fear that he'd disappear again. "Oh, Silverstar, it really is you," she choked out as tears filled her eyes.

If any doubts lingered in her mind, they were immediately dismissed as she felt him return the embrace, stroking a single hoof through her gray mane and down her back.

Finally confident that the pony before her was no delusion, the mare loosened her grip and stepped back to fully drink in the sight of him.  Her smile faltered ever so slightly though as a question rose to her mind, "But how did you escape?"

Silverstar paused, as if considering what to say. "Well, crazy as it might sound, I didn't, but I reckon ya deserve to hear the whole story."

Silverstar sat alone in the windowless holding cell, his only regret being the uncertainty of whether or not his sacrifice had insured the safety of his comrades.  The weary stallion could, however, only take a small measure of confidence based on his captors' continued and rather insistent attempts to interrogate him in regards to the identity of his accomplices – like they had a fat chance of getting Silverstar to talk, not for lack of trying, mind.

The guards had tried the full gamut, from threats of punishment to offers of leniency in exchange for cooperation – Silverstar had no fear of the former and to trade for the latter would only betray the entire reason for allowing himself to get caught in the first place.  Though by far their most hopeless ploy was to outright lie about having caught the others.

…

"Ya've ain't caught nopony 'side m'self", he had said without a moment’s hesitance.

His interrogator tried to be smug while retorting, "Oh, but we have, you filthy scumbag, and so this is your last chance to save your own sorry worthless hide.  Come clean now before one of them takes up the offer and sells you out first!"

"What kind o' fool ya takin' me for?" Silverstar had chuckled, "I was caught red-hooved at the scene o' the crime; ya ain't gonna need no more evidence than that to put me away for a good long while.  So even if'n  there were anypony else for ya to catch, it'd be a cold day on the sun before I gave ya any help provin' they was with me!"

…

Silverstar could hardly fault them for trying though.  It was the guard's job… actually, with that in mind he did have one other regret.

To help guarantee the others’ safe escape, Silverstar had put up quite the fight before the guards finally managed to subdue him.  He still ached all over from the beating they'd given him in return, but he really was a criminal here and so he'd deserved every lump.  Those guards he'd bucked along the way, however, didn't deserve the pain.  Compared to the burden of sin he already endured for past errors, this newest misdeed hardly measured up, but that could scarcely lessen his shame.  Part of him even wanted to apologize, but he doubted any of the guards would care about the sentiments of an already condemned man.

As Silverstar brooded with his silent lamentations, he heard the peephole shutter on his cell door slide open.  Though the shackles on his legs were quite secure, he admired the guards' diligence to ensure he wasn't setting a trap before they entered.  The shutter slid closed again, followed shortly by the sound of the locks being unbolted, and the familiar face of his interrogator stepped inside.

"Eyes up, scumbag!"

Silverstar sat attentively, but still had difficulty keeping the exasperation out of his voice, "So then, pardner, what game will it be this time?"

"Shut up, scumbag, before I make you shut up!" The officer sneered as he menacingly raised an armor shod hoof.  Silverstar sat unflinching, but if the guard actually meant to strike or not, he would never know.  Instead the guard pony was cut off by a cough from the doorway. "Right, count yourself lucky, scumbag.  I'm only here to bring you a visitor this time."

"I already told y'all that I was workin' alone, so there certainly ain't nopony else that'd wanna visit me."

"Honestly, I can't see why she'd want to visit you either," sneered the guard, "But it's not my place to argue with a vicereine."

Silverstar probably should have been expecting this.  After all, he had broken into her estate and helped to pilfer her treasure vault.  He supposed, as such, it might make some sense that the vicereine herself might want to have words with him, perhaps in some misguided belief that her regal presence would cow him into submission and thus force a full confession.  He chuckled silently to himself — Don't much matter where, ponies who think their wealth and rank count for anything are all the same.

He'd not managed to catch sight of the vicereine at the party, having been preoccupied with other matters, but the pale-coated unicorn with her white and purple striped mane seemed far less imposing than he'd imagined… well, sort of.  The pony wore none of the decadent finery he might have expected, save a fairly simple necklace of pearls, yet in spite of that she did carry with her an obvious air of confident authority.  One inescapable observation did puzzle him though, "Ya seem more than a mite younger than I were expecting, Miss Puissance."

Before the middle-aged unicorn mare could respond there was a clang from an armored hoof striking against the stone floor, "Such insolence!" roared the guard as he raised his hoof again, but once more Silverstar would never learn if the pony had the will to see through on that threat.

"That will be enough, Lieutenant." The voice of the vicereine was soft but carried a commanding firmness that brooked no reproach, "Please wait, outside, while I speak with the prisoner."

"Vicereine, I… I must again object to this.  I can't leave you alone with this criminal scumbag."

"Your concern is appreciated, but would seem unwarranted… unless of course you have reason to doubt the craftsmanship of those manacles.  Now, mind your station and do as you have been commanded, lest I find your previous outburst in regards to showing the proper respect disingenuous."

"But I…" the guard balked before acquiescing, "Of course, Vicereine; as you wish." Without another word the armored pony left the room, though never taking his lingering gaze off of Silverstar until shutting the door behind him.

Silence hung in the air for a tense few moments before Silverstar spoke, "Pardon any offence, uh… Madam Puissance, but I don't rightly figure I've ever had any reason to learn the proper way to address a vicereine before," then as an afterthought, "…though guess beggin' yer pardon for a few misspoken words is a mite hollow sounding under the circumstances of the greater wrongs I've done ya tonight."

"No offence taken, Mr. Star; I'm hardly one to stand on needless formality.  As for the circumstances of this evening, you seem to have me mistaken for somepony else."

Now Silverstar was confused, "I thought the guard said ya was the vicereine though?"

The mare smiled bemusedly, "Have the educational standards in Caballeria really fallen so low; tell me, Mr. Star, do you even know how many viceroyal seats there are in Equestria?"

"Can't reckon I do, but please don't take that as any negligence on the schools'.  My parents might have been Caballerian, but they were also frontier settlers.  I was pretty much raised my whole life out on the open plains of the Mild West, where we had more practical things to learn… uh no, offence to ya, yer umm… lordship?"

"I thought I already told you not to bother with any pretensions of formality." Whoever this mare was, any attempt at reading her was proving most vexing; her demeanor seemingly both gentle and stern all at the
same time. "Now, before I introduce myself properly, allow me to briefly educate you.  Here in Equestria there are exactly three viceroyal seats, one for a representative of each of the three tribes.  Puissance may be an insufferable old bat, but she's not yet convinced the princess to bless her as such and so her wings remain the feathers of any other ordinary pegasus pony."

Silverstar mulled that over, not so much because it was difficult to follow the obvious train of logic, but more so because of the casual contempt this pony seemed to show for her fellow noble… also, he couldn't shake the feeling that there was something strangely familiar about this pony, even though he was sure he'd never met her before. "So since ya're a unicorn, I reckon that must make ya one o' the other two."

"You learn quickly Mr. Star; I am Vicereine Velvet of Latigo, though as I have already said there is no need to stand on formality here, you may address me simply as Velvet, if you like."

"Well, I thank ya kindly for takin' time out o' yer busy schedule to enlighten me, but I reckon now I'm even more confused as to why a pony o' yer eminence would bother with the likes of me."

"To be blunt, Mr. Star, under normal circumstance I wouldn't be bothered.  What Puissance does with criminals in her own territories is quite outside my jurisdiction.  Nor should I really have reason to take particular interest in you specifically either… the pony who recruited you for this audacious endeavor, however, is of great personal concern to me."

So that was it.  Silverstar wondered briefly if this pony was really even a vicereine at all.  If not, she was a remarkable actor to carry herself so well in the role.  Real or not, however it hardly mattered, "Look, I already told the guards, even if I had any accomplices, I wouldn't rat them out.  So ya can take whatever offer it is yer trying to peddle and shove off… err ma'am."

"Don't play me for a fool, Mr. Star; until just now you didn't even know Puissance was a pegasus.  Do you honestly expect me to believe you could have conspired all on your own to break into to her personal estate without ever having learned even that minor detail before attempting to rob her?"

"Guess maybe I'm just a bigger fool than ya'll reckoned."

"So it might seem, Mr. Star, but I'm not here to play games.  I don't need you to confirm the identity of your employer; I already know her as well as any pony possibly could."

As the vicereine paused at that implication Silverstar kept his gaze level, careful not to show any hint of alarm.  Inside, however, he was anything but calm.  Twilight had told him all the details of her altercation with the Princess's apprentice.  He supposed it might follow that could also earn her the ire of no small number of other nobles as well.  Velvet’s phrasing, however, filled him with a deeper concern that this noble held some specific grudge that predated even that — Consarnit girl, what more trouble have ya done started before we met?

Whatever the vicereine took of his silence, she only pressed further. "Tell me, Mr. Star, did you employer ever tell you who she really was, what she did to get herself in trouble, or even where she was from?  You don't have to tell me these things; as I just said, I already have all those answers myself, but just stop and think on this matter before you continue to play the fool."

It was a trick, it had to be a trick, she was just watching to see if he hesitated to think on those questions, and yet Silverstar couldn't help himself.  Now that he thought about it, Twi had always been rather evasive about most of her past before the ursa incident, at least whenever asked directly.  She'd never before struck him as a career criminal though, just a naive girl who'd made one big mistake, so he'd never thought to press the matter.  Not being much of a liar, however, she did occasionally let casual bits and pieces slip through.  For instance he knew her brother held some position in the royal guard.  Likewise, she'd even briefly mentioned growing up in… "Latigo, ya said ya were Vicereine of Latigo."

"Yes, Mr. Star, has that detail suddenly gained meaning for you?"

He blinked as he looked at the mare in front of him again, taking in every detail.  Tarnation, had he been blind this whole time?  The colors were different and she was older, more specifically she looked to be exactly old enough to be… "Yer her mother."

Suddenly the mare's entire posture relaxed, no longer imperiously commanding, but now instead only mournfully weary. "Yes, I am her mother, a mother that desperately wants her little girl back."

"I don't reckon I understand.  Why not just tell me so in the first place?"

She sat in front of him, abandoning the last vestiges of authority she'd been putting on before, "Because, Mr. Star, I had to be certain; I had to see the recognition on your face.  There are those in the Night Court that might try to use my daughter's situation against me.  I had to know it was really her you had met, and not some imposter."

As Velvet spoke, she looked at him with pleading eyes – damn those eyes.  The color was blue instead of violet, but they were just like her daughter's where it counted, and just the same, he found himself helpless against them.  Silverstar could already see how this conversation would end, and yet he was so very tired of it all.  He'd resigned himself to a fate, and was loath to change it.

"Well then, now ya have yer answer, so I guess ya ain't got no more use for the like of me."

"Perhaps, but let me ask you another question, Mr. Star; do you know how many ponies my daughter has ever called her friends?"

"Twi never spoke much about her past; I don't reckon she wanted any of ya involved.  I guess though she did speak of somepony she called her BBBFF, though my Equestrian ain't good enough to know what that might stand fer."

"That would be my son, her big brother best friend forever, as she was apt to call him.  There might be a few more acquaintances here and there, but for her entire life he has been the only one she ever truly confided in.  I think that may have finally begun to change, however, and I think that puts you in a unique position."

"If I'd really been any kind o' friend, I'd have talked her out of this here fool's errand, 'stead o' saddlin' up with her."

"Perhaps… or perhaps you knew better.  My daughter can be very stubborn when she sets herself to a task.  If after all these years not even my husband and myself can dissuade her, there'd be little chance you could have done any differently.  And that, Mr. Star, is the other reason I came to speak with you.  You safeguarded my daughter in her time of most desperate need, and I should like to return that favor."

At that Silverstar frowned, "How ya reckon t'do that?  Let me guess, yer gonna cut some shady back room deal, pull a few strings, and make the law bend to yer whims?" The stallion shook his weary head as he sighed, "And here I was for just a moment feeling sorry for ya, but ya ain't no different than any other politician I ever met."

The mare sighed as well, "Tell me, Mr. Star, exactly what crime is it you think you are guilty of?"

"You mean just t'night, or should I tell ya my life story?"

"Breaking and Entering.  Which is not to say Puissance couldn't easily trump it up with further accusations of conspiracy, perhaps even going so far as turn this whole affair into an international incident by attempting to claim you are an insurgent working for the Caballerian government."

At that Silverstar stared wide. "You don't mean to say she'd go so far as to start a war over this?"

"No, she might seek tidy remuneration perhaps, but no, Puissance isn't the type of pony to find any profit in war.  Lets just both be glad it wasn't Archduke Fisher's estate you broke into."

At that Velvet chuckled, but Silverstar only tilted his head in confusion, the name being unfamiliar to him.

"Never mind.  My point is that, at its most basic level, you committed only a singular crime against a singular individual.  As such, I don't have to bend the law to my whims, all I have to do is convince that one pony not to press any charges against you."

"Really?  And I suppose ya got some dirt ya intend to use to blackmail her with to make that happen, or maybe debase yerself by trading some political favor.  No thanks."

"Not exactly, Mr. Star.  As I should hope my daughter already explained to you, Puissance is a collector of rare and priceless artifacts. It just so happens that there are several items unique items in my own family's private holdings that she has enviously desired for quite some time."

"A bribe then; ya give her some fancy nick-nacks so she looks the other way and forgets about me?"

"It might be a bribe, if I simply gave her such artifacts.  Which is why I instead sold them to her."

"Sold?  Beg my pardon, but if'n yer being paid fer yer trouble, why would Puissance do ya any further favor of letting me off the hook."

"Consider it a coincidental act of benevolence.  Seeing how distraught my fellow vicereine is at the invasion of her home, I agree to sell her an item or two she's long desired so as to replace anything she lost, while also informing her that I intend to use the money to fund a publics works project back in Latigo, projects to which I will aptly credit her name as well."

"Still sounds a mite like playin' dirty pool to my ears, not that I reckon I rightly understand how she should owe me any leniency out of all that."

"Perhaps she wouldn't… that is if it weren't for you being a key witness in an ongoing investigation."

Silverstar frowned again, "And that's what this all comes back to, ain’t it?  Ya want me to talk, to tell ya were Twi is so ya can catch her yerself.  Tell me, what more strings ya gonna pull to sweep this whole mess under the rug, or are ya just plannin' to sell her out to save face?  Either way, that ain't nothing I want any part of."

"Mr. Star, do you really think so little of me?" declared the vicereine in as she slipped back into her regal demeanor, "My daughter used highly illegal magic to lure a wild monster into the center of a populated settlement, causing not only sizable property damage, but endangering everypony's lives as well.  These are not crimes that can simply be, as you put it, swept under the rug.  Whereas if I only cared to preserve my own reputation, I could have already long since disowned my daughter and washed my hooves of the matter.

Her lecture finished, Velvet sighed as she again relaxed her posture. "No, Mr. Star, I am only a mother and wife, desperate to do anything she can to save her family.  Not only do I miss my little Sparkle dearly, but ever since she became a fugitive, my husband has all but sequestered himself in his offices at the Canterlot castle.  I do not want to consider such thing, but I fear to what extremes he might go to if this situation is not resolved.  He's much like our daughter in that respect."

"I reckon she takes a mite after ya as well," muttered the stallion under his breath.  What was it about these two mares who could with those cursed pleading eyes always pull him out of his own resigned weariness?  Just as it had been with Twilight before, Silverstar found his flanks itching again, filling him with an unwanted eagerness to do everything he could to help take away this mare's pain.

"What was that?" she queered.

"I said I'll do it.  I must be sunstroked to agree to any of this, but I'll do it all the same."

"Excellent.  All that remains then is to discuss the matter of your payment?"

"Payment?" Loosy interrupted with a puzzled expression, "After everything else she did just to get you out of trouble, she's actually paying you?"

"Yeah, it confused me too, but she insisted.  Said it wouldn't be proper to contract my services otherwise."

"Oh…" Loosy turned her eyes away in disappointment, "So, does that mean you'll be leaving again so soon then?"

Silverstar let out a sigh, "I gave my word, and so I won't rest 'til that girl is safe at home with her family."

Silence hung in the air between them for long moments as Loosy fidgeted nervously, struggling to find the words to express her feelings.  As her mouth finally begin to form coherent sound though, she found a hoof gently placed over it.

"Shh…" Silverstar soothed here, "This is somethin' I have to do, and it's not a thin' ya can help me with either, so don't ya even think of askin'.  My heart couldn't bear havin' to tell ya no."

Loosy took his hoof in her own as she lowered it from her mouth to speak, "I… I know that, but it doesn't feel right to just let you go all alone."

"I've been alone most o' my life, and that ain't about to change now.  Besides, how could I rightly take ya away from that boy of yers; he needs ya more than I ever could."

"He was fine for months without me to look after him.  They grow up so fast, Silver, and while it makes me proud to see what he's becoming, I just… I just feel so useless." She turned her head as though doing so might let her hide from what she would say next, "And what kind of mother am I anyway?  When Lemon Hearts turned into that monster, and then when Woody went off to help fight her, I couldn't do anything but hide like a scared little filly back at the hotel.  If something had happened… I already lost his father because I was too much of a coward; how could I ever forgiven myself if I'd lost my son too?"

As she began to sob openly, Silverstar pulled her to his side, pressing her tightly to his barrel as he whispered into her ear, "Don't ya ever say such things.  Everything that boy is, he is because he had such a wonderful and caring mother.  His bravery is yer bravery.  He might not need ya to scrub behind his ears and change his diapers no more, but he still needs yer love an' support much as ever."

She whispered back, "Do you think all of that is really true, Silver?"

Silverstar smiled. "I couldn't speak it if it weren't so."

Breaking the embrace, Loosy declared, "Then it's settled!"

"Beg pardon?  I ain't rightly sure if I follow."

"The children of course, her orphans.  With Lemon Hearts in this condition they've got no pony left to look after them… and well, I owe it to her.   Maybe she was an awful pony; none of us ever really knew her and probably never will, but she's also the only reason I'm awake again.  All those children that depended on her, that home she built for them, it's a legacy worth preserving… don't you think?"

"It's an awfully big responsibility.  Ya sure ya can handle it all?"

"Maybe not, or at least not forever.  I'm just a carpenter, so maybe I don't know the first thing about what it takes to look after so many children, but my talent has always been making things fit together.  The way I figure it, the least I can do is help find each of those children a loving home."

"I think that's a great idea, mother," the two elder ponies around turned to see Woody.

Silverstar coughed, "How long have ya been standin' there boy?"

"Long enough, sheriff," he beamed with a knowing grin.

The stallion and mare each blushed and purposely put a bit of distance between each other, Loosy motioning to the empty space created for her son to come sit with them.

Woody only smiled, "Nah, I think I should give you two some privacy, but here," he set down a drink he'd been balancing on one wing in front of his mother, and a second drink from his other wing –likely originally intended for himself– in front of Silverstar.  As he turned to leave, he said, "I'll just head back to the hotel and start packing our bags."

With the younger pony gone, Silverstar blinked once then turned to Loosy, "Why is it that he's the kid, but I'm the one who feels like a foal caught who's been caught by his own parents in the bushes with my first sweetheart?"

"Why, sheriff," Loosy said with a light giggle, "That almost sounded like flirting."

Silverstar's eyes went wide as his lips scrunched inward.  He reached up and pulled the brim of his hat down to hide his embarrassment.  Realizing just how silly this must look he pulled just a bit more, letting that hat instead fall to the floor as he stomped a hoof. "Consarn it all, what sense is there denying it any longer when even a child can see the writing on the wall plain as day?"

"Then you, and me…?" Loosy said as she looked on longingly and full of hope.

"I don't know Loosy… it just ain't never seemed like it was the right time.  First ya was married, than ya was a fresh widow, and considerin' ya've not even really had a proper chance to mourn yet, what with yer condition and all…  I just don't wanna feel like I'm taking advantage o' ya."

"And what about how I feel!" the mare's sudden outburst forced Silverstar to raise his eyes away from the floor.  Her tear filled gaze quickly made him regret doing so, and yet he couldn't turn away again. "Shouldn't that matter?"

Silence was the only reply Silverstar could muster.  She was right, and he knew it, but still…

"I suppose it doesn't matter right now though," Loosy conceded with a sigh, "You've got a mission to go off on and I won't keep you from it, but I want you to promise me something first.  Once you find Miss Sparkle, once she's safe at home with her family, you come back to me.  We'll figure out the rest then."

Silverstar picked his hat up off the floor and placed it on his head, brim low to hide his gaze, "I reckon that'll do then."

"No... no it won't just do!" she insisted with unusual determination. "I need you to promise me.  You never break your promises and so I won't let you leave until you tell me in those exact words."

"I…" Silverstar gulped as he lifted his face to meet her gaze, "I promise… I promise that no matter what happens I'll come back to ya, I'll always come back, ya have my w—"

His words were cut off as Loosy locked her lips over his and pulled him into an embrace.  Any semblance of propriety melted away as Silverstar returned her passionate kiss in equal measure.  They stayed like that for what felt like both an eternity and yet also an all too fleeting instant at the same time.  The moment finally passed, however, and the two ponies separated.

Her cheeks flush, but her eyes penetrating, Loosy was the first to speak, "And don't you forget it, mister."

Silverstar, just as flush, answered, "No ma'am, I reckon I won't ever be able to forget."

"YEAH!"

Snowflake beamed with pride as he celebrated alongside his fellow pegasi.  The Fillydelphia waterspout team had been successful.  Not only that, but the special guest judge, Soarin of the Wonderbolts, had further announced that they had also set a record breaking 910 wing power.

It was an amazing feeling, knowing that he'd been a part of such of such a momentous event.  Now that he'd helped break one record though, Snowflake was only all the more eager to do it again.  For now he was content to party with his teammates, take a few days off to relax, but then it would be right back to training as usual in preparation for next year’s water raising… wherever that might be hosted.

Lucky sat in her apartment weighing circumstances.  That she even still had a roof over her head was a small miracle.  If nothing else, Lemon Hearts had at least paid her rent through the end of the month.  Unfortunately, that did little more than stave off the inevitable, as Lucky had no way to way to afford the following month's rent.

She'd had to quit her job prior to leaving on her ill-fated adventure, placing all her future prospects on the talent scouts Lemon Hearts had promised to introduced her to.  After a week of trying though, Clover herself still didn't know how to contact those scouts, or even if they'd still be willing to promote her.  Had they ever actually liked her act or had that all just been another of Lemon Hearts' deceptions?

What options did that leave her with?  Crawling back to her old job… not likely after the parting words she'd given her old boss.  It was a crappy job anyway though, so good riddance.

So then what?  She could always get another job, but really, with her lackluster skills all her other options were pretty much equally crappy.

No, the more she thought of it the more she came to the same conclusion.  There was nothing left for her in this town.  It was a scary thought, however.  Clover had lived her whole life in Manehattan, and never once had she dreamt of leaving.  Even in her wildest fantasies of getting her career as a comedian off the ground, she'd never really considered performing anywhere except the local clubs.  Now, however… well, now she couldn't really figure out what had kept her here all these years.  Familiarity, she supposed; it's all she'd ever known, but that had changed.

Ever since Twilight Sparkle –her Tenbre– had graced her doorstep, Lucky's world had opened up to new prospects and possibilities.  Sure the mission had failed and Lucky wasn't sure she'd ever meet the friends she'd made again.  None of that mattered though, because regardless of how things turned out, she was forevermore a changed mare for the experience of it all.

For the first time she looked around her crappy apartment and realized just how crappy it really was.  Well, actually she'd always known how crappy it was, but before Lucky had always been resigned to it, assuming she'd never be able to do any better — but no more.  Now she found herself filled with a restless wanderlust, her eyes opened to just how much world there was out there to explore, and she wanted to see it ALL.

Well, okay, maybe all of it was too big a dream.  Her finances were still just as meager as ever, but maybe… even if she couldn't travel the whole world, she could at least get out of this town.  Manehattan might be a city of boundless opportunity for many, but for Clover it had become a dead end, an open grave where she'd done nothing more then slowly waste away one year after another.

Her decision made, Clover retrieved what little savings she had from beneath her bed mattress, gathered together what few possessions she actually held any fondness for, and left her old life behind without a single regret… well maybe one regret.  She couldn't help but feel like her exit wasn't nearly as dramatic as such a momentous occasion deserved.  Ever so briefly she considered setting fire to place; isn't what ponies always did in the stories when leaving their old life behind?  That was probably a tad overly dramatic for real life, however, not to mention inconsiderate of all the other tenants in her apartment complex.

Oh well, her life in that apartment had never been eventful, so why should her departure be any different.

…

"Where to?" inquired the ticket-teller at the train station.

Clover hadn't really considered that.  She knew she wanted to go somewhere, anywhere really, but she'd never had any place in particular in mind.  Wracking her brain to think of any place worth traveling to she kept coming up blank and so finally decided it didn't matter. "Next train departing, end of the line."

…

A new town, new sights, new faces, but never any real sense of satisfaction.  Work whatever odd jobs were available, save up enough money, and buy another train ticket.  Maybe she'd finally find what she was looking for next time, and if not, then maybe the next after that.

…

The Journey had been long and Lucky was glad for another opportunity to stretch her legs.  Exiting the train, she looked up and read the sign over the station, Welcome to Ponyville.