//------------------------------// // II. The Carousel Cabal // Story: The Abyssal Forge // by Ponydora Prancypants //------------------------------// II. The Carousel Cabal With a champagne-cork pop and a blinding flash, Rarity was someplace else. She could not yet say where, because her eyes were squeezed shut, and she was immediately fixated on stabilizing the rolling, heaving floor beneath her hooves, and waiting for her insides to settle. She would never regard teleportation fondly. Like most unicorns, Rarity was comfortable only with a limited range of spells that came naturally to her. Over the years she had honed her abilities with a few practical spells that aligned with her talents, which she could use in everyday life and in her business: transmutation, illusion, and fine telekinesis. But this was about as far as she had ever gotten with magic; the power to make something cease to exist in one spot, and instantaneously spring into being in another, was both incomprehensible and more than a little alarming. Nopony had ever adequately been able to explain to Rarity exactly where the object being teleported was between the original location and the destination. Could she really trust that the pony who reappeared someplace new was, in fact, the original? How could she ever truly be sure that she, as the teleportee, was not a duplicate, created on the spot, the original Rarity simply gone forever? If so, she was at least a dozen duplicates deep now, which was terribly disquieting. This was the sort of thing that kept Rarity up at night, and made her somewhat reluctant to spend too much time alone with Twilight Sparkle. In any event, the stomach-flipping anxiety of possibly imminent non-existence was hardly reason to refuse a direct request from Princess Luna, and so here she was—that is, Rarity, or at least a reasonable facsimile thereof. She opened her eyes and saw, just as the Princess had promised, that she was home. Carousel Boutique was more than home, actually: it was also by turns retail establishment, corporate office, design studio, garment factory, beauty parlor, and personal oasis. Once a crumbling relic of some grand fair from decades prior, the building had been a near-ruin when Rarity acquired it. At times it had felt that only her force of will and stubborn optimism prevented the rafters from tumbling down around her, but eventually she had transformed the wrecked carousel house into something beautiful. That was what Rarity did, after all. At the present moment, she observed that she was standing beside Princess Luna in her spacious living room on the building’s upper story. Though it looked a bit smaller than usual with an oversized alicorn Princess occupying much of the available space, the living room was warm and inviting, lit by a half-dozen gas sconces, and outfitted with an oversized fireplace, a pair of richly-upholstered divans dyed a bold purple that nearly matched Rarity’s mane, and a quartet of comfortable chairs. Rarity’s favorite fainting couch nestled against the far wall, beneath a large picture window that she had enchanted to allow easy summoning of the furniture in the event of an unscheduled swoon. Tonight, delicate webs of frost grew from the corners of the windowpane, and outside, a heavy snow was falling. Immediately after registering her location, Rarity noticed that that the room was quite clearly not as she had left it before trotting through the ice and snow to Cobblestone. The sconces had been lit, illuminating the room with an inviting glow, and the fireplace contained a cheery blaze that lent ample assistance to the gas furnace in the effort to keep the place warm despite the bitter cold outside. “You’ve already been here, haven’t you, Your Highness?” Rarity asked, doing her best to conceal her irritation at being trespassed upon, considering the identity of the trespasser. Actually, for all Rarity knew there was a law specifically permitting Princesses to make themselves at home wherever and whenever they wanted. “Indeed!” Luna replied enthusiastically. “We found your chambers most commodious, and we are certain they shall prove an excellent venue for our conspiracy.” She turned to look at Rarity and, much to the latter’s surprise, winked. “Conspiracy?” Rarity repeated, starting and shifting her gaze around the room. “I’m quite sure I don’t understand.” She had noticed that the Princess referred to "we," but there was nopony else here, so Rarity decided that Princess Luna had reverted to her old habit of referring to herself using the majestic plural. Of greater concern was this idea of a “conspiracy,” a word which reminded Rarity of the dreadful attempted coup she and Blueblood had helped to foil, and which had nearly been the death of both of them. Surely the Princess was not implicating Rarity or the Boutique in something so unsavory! Still, she was confused, and suddenly felt very alone in her own home, with nopony between her and a mysterious and immensely powerful alicorn. There was still so much she did not know about Luna. Nopony really knew her, except for Princess Celestia. Before the Princess could elucidate, there was a clattering noise and a thump from downstairs, followed by the unmistakable clip-clop of hooves on the stairs. Blinking, Rarity realized she could make out the voices of two ponies conversing in low tones. Stallions. Suddenly, she recognized both of them, including one pony who absolutely should not have been in Ponyville that night. “Wha—what in the world is this all about?” Rarity demanded of Princess Luna, totally abandoning decorum, just as Blueblood and Fancypants trotted off the landing and into the room. “Rarity, my dear! There you are! Jolly good to see you again!” Fancypants exclaimed, smiling jovially. He was customarily nattily dressed, with a dark gray coat tailored expertly to his high withers, a navy vest, and a gold silk bow tie that matched the monocle he usually wore. If he had brought a winter coat, it must have been left on the rack in the showroom downstairs. The tall whitecoat stallion wore his cornflower blue mane neatly parted, and his thin moustache had been carefully waxed. Rarity stood dumbfounded as he took her noodle-limp foreleg and kissed her cheeks, all while keeping a glass tumbler half-full of whiskey and ice levitating a short distance away. Blueblood, meanwhile, stared back at Rarity with an expression of resigned helplessness, and sighed, his broad chest shrinking in on itself and his strong frame seeming on the verge of losing its structural integrity. His own drink wobbled in mid-air, the cubes of ice rattling against the glass and the liquid sloshing dangerously close to the rim. Rarity stared back at him in furious wonder. He had turned down her invitation to dinner, had canceled his trips to Ponyville, and now here he stood, right here in her living room, having obviously raided her liquor cabinet. He could not have been bothered to explain to her what pressing business had kept him from her these last long weeks, and what he had told her was obviously a pack of lies. So much for being stuck in Canterlot! Surely Blueblood had some sort of excuse at the ready. He always did, and besides, Princess Luna’s presence attested to some sort of royal business. Maybe he had been caught robbing banks, and Princess Luna was here to ask if Rarity wanted to appeal for clemency on his behalf? If that was the case, Rarity would request a stiffer punishment. Whatever he had been up to, he had kept her utterly in the dark, and she could not even say for how long. “Hello, darling,” Blueblood finally said, smiling weakly. “Um, surprise?” Rarity did not respond, but turned away from him so quickly she nearly strained her neck. She made a point of looking around the room at everything and anything except Blueblood, while she tried in vain to process all the sudden strangeness surrounding her. It seemed impossible that just ten minutes prior she had been engaged in something so mundane as the opening of a restaurant in her little hometown. It had felt so critically important to her at the time, but it was a triviality next to the mysterious affairs of the Night Princess. What was all this? Fanciful ideas about what could have brought Princess Luna and the others to Carousel Boutique tonight raced through her mind like a squadron of Wonderbolts improvising their aerial tricks on the fly. Finally, Rarity blinked and shook her head gently to clear her mental skies. “You have all made yourselves quite at home, I see,” she said. “Yes, quite,” Princess Luna affirmed. “I do apologize that we did not notify you that we planned to call, but the matter was urgent, and the nature of our business a secret closely held. Please understand that what brings us to your dwelling tonight is a vital interest of the crowns.” Rarity stared back at the alicorn, pondering, still trying to piece together some rational explanation for the visit. This was official royal business. It involved Fancypants, fabulously wealthy, but still working to recover his influence after the Alicorn’s Cup catastrophe; Blueblood, formerly Duke of Canterlot and heir to the old line of unicorn royalty, now an aeronautical architect and businesspony in his own right; and, apparently, Rarity, a fashion designer. They were all closely connected on an interpony basis, but there were no obvious ties to any interest of Princess Luna's—at least not that Rarity knew. Then again, she could not really say that she knew any interests of Princess Luna's. “I also apologize for entering the premises uninvited,” the Princess went on. “Though I note you neglected to place an anti-teleportation ward on the building. In times past, such an oversight was considered most dangerous, and an invitation for trouble.” “A wha—” Rarity began. “Also, the back door was unlocked,” Fancypants added, gesturing with his whiskey. He then indicated Blueblood. “And he’s got a key, anyway.” Rarity gritted her teeth, and narrowed her gaze at her erstwhile boyfriend. “Yes, well, I wonder for how much longer?” Blueblood trotted toward her and offered a forehoof, which she ignored. “I’m sorry," he said. "I am truly, deeply sorry. But if you will hold off on making any irrevocable decisions about the future of our relationship for just a bit, the Princess will explain everything,” he said. The pained look he wore was in equal measures desperately imploring and pitiful. “I promise you will understand why I had to stay away until tonight.” “I seriously doubt that,” Rarity retorted, and raised a foreleg to point at his precarious beverage. “And if you were really confident that somehow I would just accept whatever supposed reason you’ve got for misleading me, your telekinesis wouldn’t be as shaky as a little unicorn colt’s.” “Please,” Blueblood implored, and nodded toward the Princess. “Just listen to what Princess Luna has to say.” Rarity merely glared at him, and his glass continued to wobble unsteadily. Finally, she gave an exasperated sigh and rolled her eyes dramatically. “Oh for goodness’ sake, I’m taking that before you spill on my imported carpet.” Deftly, she seized Blueblood’s glass from his magical hold, floated it toward her, and took a long sip of the pale golden liquid. The slow burn of the whiskey as it coated her throat felt good, and brought her back into this bizarre moment. As calmly as she could manage, she set the glass down on a coaster, turned her back on Blueblood, and faced Princess Luna. The Princess smiled gently as she gazed down at Rarity, and for an instant, for the very first time, Rarity saw a flash of Luna’s sister in the dark alicorn’s benevolent expression. It was there in the eyes, and on the muzzle; that centuries-honed patience coupled with boundless empathy that Rarity had come to know in Princess Celestia. Yet this was Luna, and no pony who had seen what the Night Princess had been could ever forget. Neither could Princess Luna, and that much too was evident on her face. “Do not judge Blueblood too harshly, dear Rarity, at least not for his silence,” the Princess said. “He appealed to me most vigorously for leave to speak freely with you of his work, and for permission to visit you here, but I forbade it. Please accept that he has been in my service, and that his desires have, of necessity, been subordinated to my needs.” “Oh …” Rarity trailed off, still staring up at Luna, finding herself captivated by the Princess’ fathomless dark green-blue eyes. “That’s … oh!” She shut her eyes tightly for a full second before opening them again. Twilight Sparkle had told her years ago that Princess Luna’s gaze was said to effect a mild sort of hypnosis on those who held it, even when the Princess was not actively casting magic. The Princess was covering for him, but Rarity was not going to let Blueblood off the hook that easily. “Your Highness! What do you mean, subordinated to your ‘needs?’” she demanded hotly, silencing the warning bells telling her not to demand explanations from the pony who held the moon on the tip of her horn. “What ‘needs?’ What have you forced him to do?” “Please becalm thyself, dear Rarity!” Princess Luna replied. She took a small step backwards, which Rarity considered a private victory. “We are well aware that thou hast claimed Blueblood for thine own, and we would not intrude upon thy carnal entitlements!” There were one or two sharp intakes of breath, and then, for a long moment, the only sound in the living room was the fire’s constant crackling. Slowly looking left and right, Rarity could see that Fancypants was flushed, more than the whiskey alone should have caused, and Blueblood looked completely miserable. As if a fog had lifted from her brain, she suddenly realized what she had suggested, and what Princess Luna had inferred. Now the Princess was staring silently back at her with her head slightly tilted, as if examining some strange specimen under glass. “Oh dear,” Rarity muttered, mortified. “Um …” “Darling, I assure you my work for the Princess has been strictly technical,” Blueblood said at last, vigorously massaging his right temple with a hoof. “There was nothing carnal about it.” “I, um, did not mean to imply—” Rarity started, but Fancypants cut her off. “I say, everypony, it is getting on rather late and we have not yet broached the subject which brings us all together this evening. Perhaps it would be for the best if we moved right on to that, hm?” Princess Luna nodded slightly in Fancypants’ direction. “Well spoken as usual, my friend.” Her horn glowed silvery-blue, and all of the window blinds in the room were drawn closed. The Princess then trotted over to Rarity’s fainting couch and settled down, folding her legs beneath her. Still embarrassed, Rarity strove to hide her indignation at this usurpation of her favored position as she found a spot on one of the divans. As she did so, Fancypants and Blueblood each occupied an upholstered chair. The fire provided soothing white noise as Princess Luna commenced to speak. “As stated previously, the matter that brings us together tonight is of critical importance to Equestria. I do not exaggerate when I say that the very future of the nation may be at stake, or that powerful forces are working against us at this moment. Time is chief among them, but there are others, more purposeful and equally merciless. Strict secrecy has only prevented our opposition from becoming legion.” “I still do not understand,” Rarity said, unable to stop herself. "If there is a serious danger, it sounds as though it might require the Elements of Harmony, but so far as I know, you have only contacted me. If it is some more traditional problem facing the state, then as Princess you have the entire resources of the nation at your disposal: the military, the best scientists, and the whole of the treasury. I see only the four of us here, in my living room in Ponyville.” Princess Luna nodded. “A perceptive analysis. You must understand, however, that there are problems which cannot be solved with powerful magic or by deploying hundreds of soldiers. Often, the best approach lies in identifying the few ponies whose unique skills provide the ideal, or barring that the only, solution. It is my conclusion that the three unicorns now in my company are the best ponies for the task ahead.” Rarity was far from convinced of the logic of any of this. "I will grant you that Blueblood is a technical genius, and Fancypants is Fancypants, but I cannot imagine any assistance I could provide that somepony such as Twilight Sparkle could not, and in vastly superior form. That is unless you need somepony to style your mane and dress you in something fabulous!” A chuckle died a quick death under Luna’s stare. “Ms. Sparkle has already lent her support to this venture,” the Princess said. “Without her unquenchable thirst for knowledge and unparalleled eagerness to sift through stacks of scrolls and documents, we would lack sufficient knowledge even to begin. But her part in this is now ended. My sister has tasked her with other work, equally pressing. Even if she was available, it is you, Rarity, whom I need now." Rarity nodded as though she followed Princess Luna’s continuing explanation, but in truth, she was more lost than ever. In what possible scenario could she be considered a desirable—or even viable—alternative to Twilight Sparkle? Their respective expertise had practically no overlap. If one needed a couture dress, one would come to Rarity. If one needed a long-lost arcane tome containing a spell for making toast butter itself, one naturally would go to Twilight Sparkle. Really, when she thought about it, there was only the one “matter of national security” that concerned Rarity more than it did Twilight. Coincidentally, the other two unicorns present had also been heavily involved in that business. But this couldn’t be about the stone. She had a promise from the Princess that it would not trouble her again. A promise! But that had been the other Princess … Rarity felt her throat constricting, and suddenly found it difficult to breathe. She had washed her hooves of the Heavenstone and all the nonsense surrounding it forever when she entrusted it to Princess Celestia's care. But what else could this be? There were none more closely tied to the events surrounding Windlass' mad plot against Equestria than the three unicorns assembled here. There was no pony still living besides Rarity who had been fully connected to the Heavenstone, nopony else who could feel its pull a thousand leagues away. Even though the stone was sealed forever behind an impenetrable magic shield in Canterlot, sometimes Rarity still had dreams of an enormous diamond, shining brightly, begging her to come and take it. She remembered the prophecies as well, those cruel words that Blueblood’s vile mother taunted her with. Rarity had never thought she would be glad of another pony’s passing, but she had felt a heavy weight leave her back after Blueblood told her that Palladium was gone. Still, the mare might be dead, but the words remained. Her mark is the Triskelion, the ancient song proclaimed. She who would bring about the end of ponies. Rarity closed her eyes and silently cursed the cutie mark she had once loved, and been so proud to earn. Princess Palladium had promised that Rarity’s fate would be bound up in those gems, and now Luna had come for her, and the others that accursed stone had touched. “Rarity?” Princess Luna asked. “Were you listening? I—” “No!” Rarity shrieked. “I can see what this is; why you've all come. When I gave it to your sister, I put it out of my life! It is your problem now. My fate is not bound to it!" Blueblood sprang from his chair and was at Rarity’s side in a blur of rapid motion, rocking back on his hind legs while he used his forelegs to pull her shaking body close and hold it. “It isn’t about that,” he said softly. “I would never have gone along with this if it was about the Heavenstone, royal edict or no.” “It is the others, then,” Rarity sniffled into his shoulder. “Or one of them." “No,” Princess Luna boomed, her voice reverberating throughout the boutique. At that, Rarity managed to sit up on the divan and face the Princess again, and she motioned for Blueblood to return to his own seat. “Blueblood speaks truly: our mission does not involve the Adamant Triskelion, if such a thing even exists. I admit to perusing the Platinum Vault, after it was made available in the wake of Princess Palladium’s passing. We have read the supposed prophecies that were revealed to you.” “Then you must understand why I cannot involve myself where those things are concerned,” Rarity said. "You of all ponies must understand the power of prophecy!" “I certainly understand why one might be reticent in such circumstances,” Princess Luna responded, nodding. “I would not demand your participation, were any Great Diamonds somehow involved. They are not.” “At least not at all directly,” Fancypants offered, between sips of whiskey. “In any event, you will never have to see, touch, or think about the Heavenstone on our voyage. You can put it entirely out of mind.” “Voyage?” Rarity managed to repeat, though the word came out as a sort of half-choke. She jumped up from her seated position in one quick, angry motion. "I cannot go on any voyage! I have business here. I have orders to fill! I just opened a restaurant!” First the Princess took her from her dinner guests, then she learned that Luna had ordered Blueblood to keep away from her, and now she was being sent away? Rarity found herself beginning to think a coup might not be such a bad idea after all, at least with respect to one half of the diarchy. “You will leave on the morrow,” Princess Luna declared firmly, though there was sympathy in her eyes. “Arrangements have been made for a private car on the first train to Baltimare.” Rarity stared slack-jawed, unmoving, even though she could feel her heart racing. She was being sent away, tomorrow. It was going to happen. She could not very well refuse a Princess. And Baltimare! What was in Baltimare, anyway, besides marinas and docks swarming with burly stevedores? What would she tell her friends, her parents, and Sweetie Belle? “Please forgive my impertinence, Princess,” she finally said, slumping back onto the divan. "It is only that it has been a stressful evening, with the restaurant opening, that strange mare who approached me, and now this. I do confess I am hoping it is all some sort of elaborate jest, and I am simply too naive to see through it." "I wish it were only a jest," Princess Luna replied softly. "If you knew all that troubles me, you would ..." She paused in mid-sentence. "Dear Rarity, you mentioned a strange mare. Who was that, and what did she want?" Rarity frowned. "I have no idea. She was insistent about coming back to the Boutique with me to talk about an order for dresses, but I rebuffed her. For one thing, she obviously knew nothing about fashion. Then she tried to frighten me with some vague warning about unsavory ponies here in Ponyville, if you can imagine." Rarity did not mention the strange stallions she had seen in the market, for she had decided the entire incident had been nothing more than her imagination manipulating her memory in response to what Coral had told her. Ponyville was as safe as it had ever been. "It's probably nothing," she continued, "but the pony who met with me had an unusual accent. She claimed she was from somewhere near Gallopoli." As she said the last, Rarity noticed Princess Luna fire inscrutable glances at both Fancypants and Blueblood. Finally, the Princess spoke. "Near Gallopoli, you say? This is troubling. I cannot fathom how anypony could have penetrated our veil of secrecy, and yet it appears somepony has." "It was nothing at all, Your Highness," Rarity protested. "Merely a strange visitor. I am quite certain she was harmless." "I do not share your optimism, dear Rarity," Princess Luna said. "It seems more likely to me that interested parties have somehow caught wind of our activities. This only underscores the urgency which must attend your departure." Rarity suddenly felt her coat crawl. "Your Highness, do you mean to say there is some real danger? If that is the case, then what about my friends, and my family? I cannot leave town while they remain at risk, even on royal business." The Princess shook her head. "If there is any danger, then it will surely follow you out of Ponyville. I know that is only small comfort, however, so I will post a detachment of my elite guard to watch over this town in your absence. Of course, there is no barracks, so they will need to be quartered here." Rarity did not like the idea of leaving her loved ones under threat, nor was she fond of the notion of a group of uncouth soldiers despoiling her home, but if there was a danger, Princess Luna's offer was better than nothing. She sighed. "Thank you, Princess. Now, if I truly must leave tomorrow, pray tell me why." Princess Luna frowned. "I am not certain that revealing further information would be wise at this juncture, if Ponyville is compromised. It may be that eavesdropping spells have grown more sophisticated during my absence, and my privacy barrier is ineffective. You can be fully briefed when you arrive in Baltimare." “Your Highness," Blueblood broke in. "We all understand the need for secrecy, but Rarity is part of this affair now. She deserves an explanation. Besides, it seems the secret may be out anyway." Princess Luna looked at Blueblood for a moment, then finally nodded. “Your points are well-taken." She turned to look at Rarity, and addressed the group. "We are preparing to embark upon a treasure hunt, perhaps the greatest ever undertaken, in search of wonders beyond reckoning.” Rarity took a moment to ponder what the Princess had said and try to make some sense of it all, but her mind kept returning to the words “treasure hunt” and finding them too absurd to process. Finally, she could ponder no more, and instead laughed so hard she snorted. “Oh, so—ha!—so sorry Princess, but you absolutely had me there. A treasure hunt, like the pretend games my little sister plays with her friends! And in the dead of winter! Ha ha! Oh, I am so glad this really was all a joke!” Blueblood then cleared his throat conspicuously, and Rarity looked around through mirth-bleary eyes to see that the others ponies remained stony-faced. Any hint of a further chuckle died in an instant. “Right. So then. Treasure. Baltimare. Ah, what sort of treasure are we talking about? Standard gold and gems?” “‘Tis alright. Your amusement is understandable,” Princess Luna replied, curling her lips into an almost imperceptible smile. “This whole affair is most outlandish.” The smile flattened out again and disappeared. “But it is also gravely serious. If others stumble upon what we seek before we can protect it, or if a true foe of Equestria should claim it, or if our mission is discovered prematurely, there will be unimaginably dire consequences for us all. That is why the others in this room have been working for months to prepare for it, and why you must leave immediately, now that those preparations have been completed." "And me?" Rarity asked. "If this really is a treasure hunt, I can only assume you want me for my gem-finding spell." “Do not sell your talents short," the Princess said. "By all accounts, you possess many attributes that will serve you well in this endeavor; your dowsing spell is merely one of them. While there will be many gems, and you will use your magic to lead us to our destination, the true treasure is not precious stones or metals, but something far more important." The Princess rose from the fainting couch and stood before Rarity and the others, her height and regal presence dominating the space. Her eyes seemed to glow with enthusiasm. “We seek to discover nothing less than an entire civilization, one lost to the world for thousands of years! We seek magic, technology, and unimaginable wonderments that would dazzle the eyes and astonish even the cynical minds of this age of steam and steel." Princess Luna’s great dark wings unfolded to fill the room, and her starry mane and tail billowed in a wind nopony could feel. “Indeed, Rarity, we believe we have identified the true location of the legendary lost kingdom of Benthippus!” Silence reigned, though Luna continued to maintain a rather striking pose. Rarity waited just a moment, until she was certain no lightning bolts were going to accompany the Princess' dramatic pronouncement. “Ahem. Pardon me, Princess, but I’ve never heard of this Ben … Benth … whatever it’s called. What is it?” The Princess of the Night deflated at once, her mane settling into a subtler wave as she folded her wings neatly. “Ah. Forgive both my excitement and my presumptiveness. It is no great surprise you have not heard the name. In truth, even I know little of actual fact about the ponies of Benthippus, save that they were said to possess powers and inventions the likes of which have never been seen again. Most today who have heard the stories believe that Benthippus is no more than a myth, but we have reason to believe otherwise. Indeed, I am certain that relics of the kingdom's might still rest in undiscovered ruins. That is why we cannot afford for somepony else to lay claim to what we seek first.” “From what we do know, they were a nautical empire,” Blueblood chimed in. “One that reached its zenith thousands of years ago. They were already nought but the stuff of legend in the Pre-classical Age, before the Great Blizzard forced our ancestors to flee to what is now Equestria.” “They were gone long before my time, or my sister’s,” Princess Luna added. “According to the remaining myths, they were raiders who terrorized the coastal ponies of their day,” Blueblood continued. "They had the power to trot on water, or gallop right through the waves if they wanted, and they could appear suddenly out of the sea-mists. The monsters of the deep were their friends and allies, and they held no fear of drowning. In fact, they were so closely affiliated with the water that they used a stylized representation of a half-pony, half-fish as their emblem.” “A seapony?” Rarity asked, incredulous. “But they are just a fantasy. There is no such thing.” “Seapony, mermare, hippocamp,” Fancypants said. “Different names for the same idea. While the mythical creature may not be real, the ponies who carried it on their banners were very much so. And in one form or another, the royal seal of Benthippus survived into the age of the divided tribes, through the Exodus, and into the present era, in our art, decorations, and collective consciousness.” “Adventurous ponies, lured by promises of riches and power, have searched for Benthippus for centuries without success,” said Princess Luna. “But in searching the Haunted Shore and the great fjords of the northwest, they only proved the few scholars who deigned to speculate had identified the wrong location.” “Badly, as it turns out,” Fancypants said. “Way off the mark. Couldn’t be further off, in fact.” “So you’ve found this lost kingdom then, someplace else,” Rarity prompted. “‘’Twould be more accurate to say that we have found the right part of the world to search,” said Princess Luna. “You will find the lost kingdom. The abilities you showed during the Heavenstone crisis convinced me that there is no pony more capable of using the dowsing spell to its full potential, and that includes both Ms. Sparkle and myself. A kingdom of coastal raiders will have been quite fond of gems, I am certain, and those hidden gems will lead us to Benthippus." “Even at fifty fathoms,” Fancypants added. He had drained his own glass, but by now had found Blueblood's whiskey, and was making good progress. “I could detect a nice fire ruby from fifty leagues if I wanted,” Rarity huffed. “But … wait … did you say fathoms? Or furlongs?” “Oh yes, he said fathoms,” Blueblood chimed in. “It’s all on the bottom of the ocean. The whole kit and kaboodle is probably buried in sediment too. Rather tricky business all around, getting at it.” Rarity’s eyes grew wide as she turned to him. “That is why you are involved, isn’t it? You said ‘technical assistance.’ The Princess asked you to dream up some way to get whatever this is off the ocean floor.” Blueblood shrugged. “Asked. Commanded. Take your pick. But yes. And I have done so.” “Commissioned, not commanded,” Princess Luna said chidingly. “You have enjoyed a generous stipend, and you will receive a substantial completion fee upon delivery. But do not, as they say, count your chickens, for there is as yet no proof your machine works as designed." "She will work as she is intended to work, Your Highness. Probably better." Blueblood seemed to sit a little straighter in his chair now that the conversation had turned to his area of interest. Rarity noted that his tendency to boast remained undiminished. He turned to her next, and spoke. “That is why I haven't been able to see you. I was working, every night, designing this ship. Er, ship, by which I mean a seagoing vessel, not an airship. It turned out the old Alicorn was watertight enough when it came down to it, you'll remember, so it isn't as though I have no experience with these sorts of things, but this one is something altogether new, and—" “Whatever sort of contraption it is, it cost me dearly enough in canceled dates and fitful nights that it had better be new, incredible, astounding, and whatever else it needs to be,” Rarity said, shooting a look to let him know he was anything but forgiven. "And you, Fancypants," Rarity began next, "how did you come be in my home, speaking of dangerous secrets?" "My involvement is largely for purposes of plausible deniability," the mustachioed unicorn replied. "A cover was needed for the construction of our vessel, and for various scouting expeditions to the area of interest. Officially, one of my mining concerns is interested in exploring deep-sea mineral extraction. I am here for other reasons as well, though. I suppose one might say that I am responsible for setting the gears in motion." "How so?" Rarity asked. "It was Fancypants who obtained the artifact that led us to Benthippus," Princess Luna declared. "I will show you." The Princess’ horn glowed brightly, and a spark shot from the tip and into the middle of the room, between the seated ponies. It hovered there, quickly growing in intensity like a tiny, pulsing star, before finally fading away all at once. It left behind a square wooden crate roughly a quarter pony length in every dimension. There were various markings and labels on one side, and Rarity quickly studied them. “The postal label says this was sent to the Royal Museum of Archaeology by Twilight Sparkle,” she observed. “Yet there is no receipt stamp. I gather Twilight sent this to the museum, but it was intercepted en route.” “I told you she has a keen eye for detail,” Fancypants said to Princess Luna, with a wink. The latter nodded before speaking again. “We requested that Ms. Sparkle analyze the object and confirm its suspected origins. I informed her that the artifact came from a storage vault below the castle that had not been opened in hundreds of years. That was a lie, but if she knew this find was recent, or that we were so close to Benthippus, her enthusiasm would be such that the secret would be out on the streets of Canterlot within the day. Worse, she would have abandoned her other work, which would be impermissible. Ms. Sparkle was instructed to send the artifact to the museum when her analysis was complete, but she did not know that her usual postal carrier is an agent of the Night Court." Rarity narrowed her gaze. "Your Highness' personal agent. Hm. Why do I suddenly have the impression that none of this has been sanctioned by Princess Celestia?" Princess Luna moved a forehoof in Rarity's direction, but stopped short of pointing it at her. "I am a Princess of Equestria, and I require my sister's approval for nothing," she said defensively. "Immediate action was required to secure our national interests, and I could not afford to waste months on discussions with Celestia, the privy councilors, the navy, and the Royal Archaeological Society." In other words, both Princess Celestia and Twilight Sparkle were completely in the dark. "So, this really is a conspiracy,” Rarity said, sighing. “I suppose I should have a look at whatever this is, then." "Give me a moment to open the crate," Blueblood said, as he trotted over to the fireplace and retrieved the iron poker from its place with the other fire tools. He jammed one end of the poker under the lid of the box, and began straining with his magic. "Must ... be a security spell," he said, grunting. Perhaps Princess Luna could have helped, but Rarity saw that she remained still, observing. "Right. Rather than sit and stare while he struggles, allow me to provide a few additional details," Fancypants said. "As I said, I more or less set events in motion, because it was I who provided the artifact to Princess Luna." "How in the world did it come to be that all my friends are leading lives of mystery and intrigue?" Rarity asked, offering him a smile. "I thought we were done with all that." "We are back in the thick of it, my dear," Fancypants replied, matching Rarity's expression. "You will recall I mentioned that the Heavenstone was not directly involved. That is true, but it did play a role in bringing the artifact to me. It all started when Windlass used the stone's power to call that terrible storm down upon the town of Gallopoli." "I shudder to think of that awful time," said Rarity, closing her eyes. "So many ponies lost everything. So many brave ponies died." "It was an unspeakable tragedy," Fancypants said, nodding in agreement. "I am still haunted by the fact that you and Blueblood were in the midst of that madness, fighting to save the town, while I remained safe at home, oblivious to the fact that I had been played for a fool by that mare. After the conspiracy was finally thwarted, it became clear that it was my duty to help repair the damage wrought by her evil, and I set my resources to work restoring some of what Gallopoli lost. "As part of those efforts, I have been encouraging my employees to take as much paid time off as they like, so long as they agree to spend that time working on the disaster relief crews. It was one of those employees, combing the beach for debris, who came across the artifact and sent it back to me. Princess Celestia was away on a diplomatic mission at the time, but Princess Luna gladly received me." "Good heavens," Rarity exclaimed. "Then, the lost kingdom is actually close to Gallopoli, of all places?" "Yes. We believe the artifact was washed ashore by Windlass' storm," Princess Luna stated, appearing to have regained her composure. "The ferocity of that magical tempest was far greater than that of any natural storm, and in churning the sea and the ocean floor, it revealed secrets that had remained hidden for thousands of years. Secrets that might never have surfaced otherwise.” Fancypants spoke next. "We set our best oceanographic minds to work, without providing all the details, of course. They studied the currents in the area, considered the power and direction of the storm, and identified a search area in which we believe Benthippus probably lies. In an ideal world, we would have found the lost kingdom already. Unfortunately, there are complications." "The search area lies in disputed waters," said Princess Luna. "Gallopoli already lies at the extreme southeastern border of Equestria, and our sea rights extend no further south than our terrestrial borders, and only three leagues from shore. Benthippus may lie partially, or even entirely, beneath water subject to an improper claim by the zebras. That is why we cannot establish a formal presence in the area, least of all a military presence. To make matters worse, the coastline south of our border is rife with corsairs, all of whom would relish the chance to plunder a treasure-seeking expedition with no military escort. You may now understand some of the need to treat this affair with absolute discretion." Rarity nodded, then suddenly shivered as a dark thought struck her. "Oh dear. That strange mare who came to me claimed to be from somewhere near Gallopoli, but I did not recognize her accent. What if she was a foreign agent, or working for the corsairs you mentioned?" "The thought had occurred to me as well," the Princess said darkly. "Though I cannot imagine how a spy could have learned of your planned involvement before we contacted you." Blueblood gave a victorious shout as he finally pried the lid of the crate. It clattered noisily to the floor along with the iron poker. "They could have been targeting Rarity to get to me," he said, breathing heavily. "Perhaps they learned of the ship, and sought leverage to obtain the schematics." "Lovely," Rarity said, pursing her lips. "You cancel our dates and you nearly get me kidnapped. I certainly have fantastic taste in stallions." "Fear not. You will be safe for tonight," Princess Luna said. "Two of my personal guard wait in the shadows outside. Tomorrow, your train will be protected both from inside and above. Now, let us examine the artifact together." The crate was filled with straw, which spilled over the sides and onto the floor as Luna telekinetically lifted the object inside from its confines. Finally, the artifact was free, floating suspended in the middle of the room. The device appeared to be covered or composed entirely of some iridescent material not unlike nacre. It had a squat, four-sided base, tapering slightly toward the top and covered in engraved markings. Rarity could see the seapony glyph featured prominently among dozens of other symbols she did not recognize. What appeared to be a small wheel extended from one side of the base, with a delicate knob attached to the rim that looked to be used for turning it. It must have been some sort of crank, or handle, Rarity decided. Princess Luna opened a small door set in the other side of the base, and turned the object to reveal dozens, or even hundreds, of minuscule, fine-toothed gears inside. Above the base, a small sphere of the same nacre material was suspended atop a short metal rod. A wide flat ring, so thin and delicate it looked like the slightest touch would shatter it, surrounded the sphere. The ring, too, was covered in markings. The device was amazing just to observe, but the most amazing thing to Rarity was that it seemed exceedingly well-preserved, almost pristine. Only a few blemishes on the surface marred an otherwise perfect finish. It seemed impossible to believe it could ever have rested on the seafloor, let alone for thousands of years. Rarity continued to stare at the artifact, and her eyes grew wide as Princess Luna turned the little wheel on the base. Immediately, the ring surrounding the sphere exploded into dozens of smaller rings that each tilted away from the others at apparently random angles, forming a sort of odd, gyroscope-like cage around the central sphere that shifted with each turn of the wheel. The markings on the individual rings zipped around and around as both the central sphere and the rings spun at different rates. "What is it?" Rarity finally asked. "I've never seen anything like it." “We have all studied the artifact closely," Princess Luna responded, setting the object down and releasing her hold on the crank. Promptly, all of the spinning rings settled down and formed one unbroken circle again. "All we can agree upon is that it appears to be an extremely complicated mechanical device for making precise astronomical calculations. Some of the small rings track the seasonal motion of major constellations. Others track individual celestial bodies. The innermost two appear to provide calculations for the sun and moon, and I suspect they could have been used to predict eclipses.” “But that makes no sense,” Rarity protested. “Nopony needs to make predictions about the sun and moon. They are moved by ponies. Before the Princesses, unicorns raised and lowered them with the help of the Heavenstone.” “It is certainly curious, and defies an immediate explanation,” Princess Luna replied, nodding. “As I have said, even I know next to nothing about such an ancient period in our history.” “Even the ponies of the Triskelion society supposedly used the Heavenstone to move the sun and moon, and they are supposed to have lived over ten thousand years ago,” Rarity argued. “We do not know how ancient Benthippus really is," Princess Luna replied. "It is very possible that the kingdom was lost that long ago, or even further back in our history. It is an unfortunate truth that pony history is marked by a succession of great upheavals. Who can say how many times our civilizations have been cast down or uprooted, only to rise again?” There was silence for a moment after that, and then Blueblood broke in. "There is one other oddity about the artifact. When it was first found and cleaned up, it was absolutely perfect. Only now that it has been in our possession has it begun to show age and wear. We have no idea why." "'Tis but one more indication that the wonders of Benthippus must be claimed by Equestria," Princess Luna stated. She turned to Rarity. "Now, dear Rarity, I believe you understand what is at stake, and your own experiences today underscore the urgency of this mission. I trust I can rely that you will be on the train tomorrow." "I will go to Baltimare and lend what support I can, Princess," Rarity replied. At least the Princess had not even bothered to give her the illusion of choice in the matter. More importantly, it was clearly not safe in Ponyville until she left. Who could say whether Coral would go after her friends next, and the strange mare had mentioned other possible ne'er-do-wells, too: potentially a rival faction. Rarity could not stay, even if she wanted to. "Excellent," Princess Luna said, nodding. "You are a brave pony, and worthy of the title of Bearer, fair Rarity. Now, I believe it is the proper hour to bid you goodnight and take my leave, for you require rest, and there is other business of the Night Court to which I must attend." "Back to Canterlot for tonight, then?" Fancypants asked, struggling to his hooves and tottering a bit once he got there. It was not like him to drink to excess, Rarity noted, wondering if perhaps the troubles of the recent past were affecting him more significantly than he let on. She supposed she would have time to find out once she arrived in Baltimare. Before anypony could bid farewell, Princess Luna nodded curtly and Fancypants disappeared in a flash, followed immediately by the strange artifact and its crate. "Wait, Your Highness," Blueblood hastily spoke up. "I'd like to stay here with the lady tonight. I can join her on the train." Rarity thrust a forehoof at him. "Who said I would allow such a—" "Goodnight," said Princess Luna, and she vanished with a pop and a brief flare of light. Rarity and Blueblood stared at each other in silence for a long moment, and then she spoke first. "You are going to be sleeping on the couch." "I know," Blueblood replied, sighing heavily before another long pause ensued. “So, it is just the two of us,” he finally said, clearly for want of anything cleverer. “Thank you so much for informing me of the number,” Rarity replied, rolling her eyes. “It is good to see that all the advanced mathematics instruction you received has paid off.” Blueblood sighed, and flopped back into his chair. “The point is that I’m here. You’re here. I know you want to talk.” “About what?” Rarity asked crossly. “About Princess Luna's probably-illegal treasure expedition? About the ponies who are apparently trying to ransom me for your schematics? Or about all the lies you told me at the Princess' behest?" “About us,” Blueblood said emphatically. “I want to fix this.” “Really?” Rarity arched an eyebrow. “Why did you let 'this' get broken in the first place? You are supposed to be this great genius, yet you could not manage to insert some coded romantic message in your letters that Luna would not suspect? Perhaps something to let me know there was a reason for your loutishness beyond you actually being a lout?” “How do you know I didn’t?” Blueblood asked with a tiny, wry smile. “It is certainly quite possible that all of my extremely polite letters refusing to come to see you are brimming with hidden messages and secret sentiment, but you simply weren’t clever enough to decipher them.” “No, it isn’t possible," Rarity retorted. "First of all, I am more than clever enough for you, and second, that is because you are a numskull. If you actually had a romantic bone in your body, you would have remembered how much I wanted you here, and how much I wanted you to appreciate Ponyville. You would never have avoided visiting for two months, secret project or no, because you would have understood how that would gnaw at me night after lonely night. You would have done something." “What did you want me to do?” Blueblood asked, throwing his forelegs up helplessly. “She had me under her hoof, day and night, working to finish the design.” “I don’t know!” Rarity shouted. “Okay? I don’t know. But I know I deserved better than this.” It took a concerted effort to suppress the tears welling up, but she would not cry for him now. Blueblood then stood. When he walked forward and pressed her warm cheek to hers, a tear got away from her. "You deserved better," he said. "You really did." "I know, I just said that." For some time, minutes perhaps, Rarity simply stood cheek-to-cheek with him, taking in the feeling of physical contact after such a long time alone. Blueblood, perhaps, was doing the same. In any case he made no move to pull away from her. "Right," Blueblood said at last. "For what it’s worth, I want you to know that I’ve actually come to like Ponyville, and I’m looking forward to buying you dinner at the new restaurant.” Rarity sniffed, and smiled faintly as she took a step back in order to look at him. "Such a gentlecolt. You know perfectly well my meals there are all complimentary. I am a co-owner, for pony's sake." "Well," Blueblood began, drawing out the word and screwing up his face. "One has to be frugal these days. It is not as though I am a prince anymore." “You most certainly are not," Rarity said, and cuffed him playfully in the shoulder with a forehoof. He moved close and leaned forward, and gently touched his long spiral horn to Rarity's shorter one. A familiar pleasant jolt shot through her body from her nose to her hooves. "That does not mean you should not be treated like a Princess." "Hm. You mean I should be deferred to without question when I tell you to lock yourself away and stop visiting your girlfriend?" "I trotted right into that." "Yes, you did," Rarity said. "But if you wish to treat me as royalty than you may." She gave him a solid shove with a hoof that sent him back into his chair. "And as royalty, I recommend you genuflect. If you show the proper fealty, it is rumored that Princess Rarity can be most generous with her forgiveness." Blueblood was much taller than Rarity when standing, but as he reclined in the chair, their heights were almost equal. She pressed forward aggressively and found his lips with her own before he could respond. She did not relent for some time. "How brazen!" Blueblood exclaimed, gasping for air. "Her Highness, and with a commoner, no less!" "Yes, well, the Princess has been without a consort for far too long, I think," Rarity replied, licking her lips. "I think it is time we—" "What was that?" Blueblood asked. Rarity had heard the knocking before, but ignored it. "I'm sure it can wait," she said. The pounding started again, this time so loud that it sounded as if somepony was trying to cave in the front door. "We know ye be in there!" a raspy male voice shouted. "Come on down now, afore this gets any uglier. I be ugly enough fer all of us already!" "Who in Celestia's name is that?" Rarity demanded anxiously. "One of Princess Luna's guards?" "That is no guard," Blueblood replied, frowning. He stood up and began trotting around the room. "I think that is one of the ponies the Princess has been so concerned about. They must have been waiting outside, watching for the teleportation flashes so they could be sure that Princess Luna had gone." He turned to Rarity. "Please tell me you have a brace of pistols, or at least a good sword around here." "This is a dressmaker's shop, not an armory. I have knitting needles," Rarity said tersely. She could practically feel her blood running cold. "That may have to do." "Listen up!" the voice called out. "There be six grim lads with cutlasses out here. Now, if ye don't wanna end up like them poor sods in the silly armor, witchyer head stuck a lot less firm on yer neck than ya might like it, you'll be sendin' the mare down to us. Be good, an' we won't have to hurt nopony else tonight." "Me?" Rarity hissed at Blueblood. "Why do you they want me if you're here? They must not know who they've got." "Then maybe I can save you, at least," Blueblood muttered. Shrugging Rarity off, he hurried over and threw open one of the smaller windows in the room. Outside, there was only empty, inky darkness. Not even the falling snow could be seen. "This is Blueblood!" he shouted. "I'm here. I'll give you whatever information you want if you leave this place and do not harm Rarity." "We don't give a sea-rat's tail-end about you, ye pompous buffoon!" the voice shouted back. "Ye get one last chance to give us the white mare under a flag o' surrender. Then we come an' get 'er." "I am quite certain I have faced far worse than the likes of you!" Blueblood shouted. "No deal!" When he turned back, Rarity looked him in the eyes. "Whoever they are, I'm certain they murdered the guards," she said. "I don't know what they want with me, but I don't want you to die for nothing." "I get the impression they will kill me regardless, once they have you," he said. "Have it yer way, lad," the voice called back. "We got no qualms about smokin' the both of ye out. Here goes!" Immediately, there was a great whooshing sound from outside. Rarity felt her heart clench. "No!" she shouted. "No! No! No!" The voice continued on. "Now that be done, so I suggest ye be leapin' into me hooves pretty soon, or you'll be a pair o' toasty ponies." Rarity could already smell the smoke. "You idiot," Blueblood furiously shouted down. "You've saved us! You'll have the whole volunteer fire department here in two minutes." "Ye may want to reconsider yer name-callin' lad," the voice called back. "But then, I can't rightly fault ye, as ye don't know nothin' 'bout the Gloom." Blueblood did not immediately reply, but looked to Rarity, who was so seized by the horror of what was happening that she could not make a sound, or even acknowledge him. "Alright," he called back. "I'll bite. What's the Gloom?" "The Gloom be impenetrable, hopeless darkness, lad. It be spread all 'round this place, aye, an' we control it. That's why ye can't see nothin'. Can't see out and can't see in. The flames could shoot up a half a league in the air an' nopony will see nothin' 'til this place is ash. As long as the Gloom surrounds ye, it's just us out here. I reckon ye got five minutes to pick a window an' jump afore the smoke gets to ye." Blueblood turned a panicked look upon Rarity, who still stood petrified, her blue eyes wide and unblinking. She could not move, or even try to think of some way to escape. All of her thoughts were fixated on one horrible fact. The sheer inevitability of it squeezed on her heart until she was certain it would burst. Carousel Boutique was burning.