//------------------------------// // Ch. 1-18: A Pink Party // Story: Seeking A Quiet Afternoon // by Tired Old Man //------------------------------// Morning had started to creep up upon the land of Equestria. The magenta sky was the signal for Luna to go get her sister, so she began descending her tower to reach Celestia's room. The path she took was well worn with familiar hoofsteps along the crimson carpet in the well-lit hallways of Canterlot Castle. As she approached a door adorned with a sun crest, Luna mentally prepared herself. What she had learned would no doubt concern Celestia, but it might be difficult to convince her to not tell Twilight about it. She was her former teacher, after all. With a light telekinetic force, the door opened with a small creak. Celestia's room was a polar opposite to her own. The room was very bright, strongly lit with golden magelights scattered all about. It was almost blinding how bright the room was, even during the day. Luna giggled to herself for a moment thinking that Celestia was protecting herself from Bedbogs, fictional little creatures that hid under the beds of naughty children. Her giggling was loud enough to rouse Celestia from bed. Her tricolored mane was slightly frizzy, and she blinked her eyes frequently. "Morning, Tia." Luna smiled. She didn't get to see her sister like this often. Celestia yawned. "Morning, Lu." "I've brought some news regarding Mender...and you're not going to like it." Celestia was levitating a comb through her mane to straighten it. "What do you mean, Luna?" "Well, there are three things I can tell you. The first is about his dream, the second about the assassin, and the last is a request he has given us. Which do you want to hear first?" Celestia didn't need to think about it. "The assassin." Celestia finished prepping herself for the day, her mane flowing in a nonexistant wind. She stood in front of Luna, keen on hearing every word she was going to say. Luna took a deep breath before proceeding. She would be talking for some time. "Mender has been dealing with this assassin since approximately a year ago. To date, this assassin has tried to kill him 57 times." Celestia blinked at that number. Granted, there have been many assassins out for her life, and she has survived them all, but that was over the span of a millenia. Luna caught the look of shock on her face. "I wish the assassin was incompetent so as to make that number less shocking, but that is not the case. They are a professional, and the damage Rainbow Dash and Mender have sustained speaks for itself. However, Mender insisted that he was the lone target, and she was not. According to him, the assassin could not have predicted the damage Rainbow Dash would sustain from the fall, and as unfortunate as her injuries were, they were not intentional on the assassin's part. I took this to mean they didn't wish to kill her." "How considerate of them," Celestia muttered. "Yet when I asked him why the assassin hasn't killed him in the hospital, his answer was...odd. The assassin has an unusual respect for hospitals, enough to not kill him in it." "Spare life where it can be saved, spill blood when it cannot," Celestia thought out loud. Luna blinked. "Tia?" "It's an old saying from a group of ponies who had a moral code in their killing. I think I'm getting an idea of where this assassin came from...or who taught them, but please, continue." Luna was slightly confused, but nodded. "Anyway, this assassin is dangerous, but seeks to only harm Mender. That was the gist of what he has told me. Now I'm down to the other two things I mentioned, his dream and his request." Celestia wanted to hear the request, but decided to indulge her little sister for now. She was clearly seeking counsel for it. "His dream." Luna was taken back slightly, but continued. "Mender's dream was a nightmare in and of itself. He was trying to save his family from his burning house, but couldn't. He tried to save his wife, but could not. He then tried to save his child, but could not. It was a dream of ash, fire, and...despair, helplessness." Celestia could sense her sister's voice quivering slightly at her recollection. "But that's not all. After I left the dream, I heard laughter, sis. Sinister laughter. Not only that, but the laughter sounded...familiar. I want to say it's laughter we both have heard." "I've heard it?" Celestia pondered this statement. Sinister laughter they both heard? There were two laughs that came to mind, but one was when Luna wasn't present, and the other... ...could it be him? No, he has since been reformed, but she had to be sure. "Discord?" Realization was in Luna's eyes in an instant. "Yes, Tia! It was Discord's laughter!" At that moment, both of them shared the same concern. If Discord was indeed haunting Mender's dreams, a far bigger threat than the assassin would have to be considered now. "We will need to inform Princess Twilight and her friends about this," Celestia spoke. Luna nodded in agreement, they couldn't take risks when Discord was involved. "I'll finish up with Mender's request quickly then. He is asking us to keep this information about the assassin a secret, even to Princess Twilight. He wishes to not cause panic in the town, and considering who he's dealing with, I agree with his judgment. As for keeping it from the Princess, he's made a Pinkie Promise to tell her when he's done recovering." Celestia was silent, carefully thinking his request over. Keeping the population ignorant of an assassin isn't ideal, especially if the attempt is a public one. "How is he going to deal with the assassin?" "Three days after his release from the hospital, he will confront the assassin in his home. The house is out at the outskirts of Ponyville, away from the main town, so as to minimize any unnecessary bloodshed." "And he wishes to handle this alone?" Celestia didn't like this arrangement at all. "Correct. He doesn't want any outside interference from anypony." At this, Celestia grinned. "In that case, what if he received help and didn't know it?" Luna picked up on what her sister was driving at, and shared her grin. "Magic? Tia...that's a grand idea." "And I know just what we'll do, Lu. But first, I think I should send a letter to Twilight concerning our plan. I will abide by Mender's request and not tell her any details about the assassin yet...although I'm sure she's trying to find out what she can as we speak." ---------------------- Ponyville Library ---------------------------- Twilight was busy reorganizing the books in the library for the third time. Spike was losing track of how many books she looked through last night and this morning, impatiently waiting for a response from the Princesses in Canterlot about the assassin "Twilight, give it up already. You're not going to find anything about this assassin in these books, you know. None of them are related to war." "Well, I have to do SOMETHING while I wait for them to write back! Do you expect me to just sit back and relax while a pony we know is likely about to die?" Before Spike could respond with a quip, be burped an ember of green flame, and a letter materialized bearing the Canterlot seal. Twilight grabbed it with her magic, unrolled it immediately, and eagerly began reading the words. Dear Princess Twilight Sparkle, The news of this assassin you mentioned in your letter has troubled us most dearly. I thank you for bringing this to our attention. I'm certain that Mender will understand your concern for his safety regarding this matter. As per your request, Luna has delved into Mender's dreams last night. There are some interesting details we have uncovered from Luna's findings, but unfortunately we have not found anything out about the assassin. However, rest assured that we have a plan to deal with them. Luna and I will be coming by after Mender's recovery is complete to discuss the details with you in person. In addition, we will share the details we have uncovered from Mender's dreams at that time. We request you send a letter when he is a day away from leaving the hospital so everypony has time to prepare for our arrival. Keep an eye on Mender if you can, but keep your distance. If this assassin is as dangerous as you think them to be, then it is important to keep out of his affairs if you think your life will be on the line. Stay safe, Princess Twilight. Your former teacher, Princess Celestia "So, they didn't find out anything about this assassin either?" Spike asked. "I guess not. I am curious about what they uncovered within his dreams, though. Princess Celestia made it sound very important." "They also sound like they have a way to deal with the assassin, but that will all be explained as soon as Mender's out of the hospital, right?" "I guess so. It's all down to how long it takes for Mender to recover, then..." Twilight couldn't shake the feeling that something terrible was going to happen to Mender...even with the plan the Princess mentioned. Regardless, she could do nothing but wait. ------------------------------ Ponyville Medical ---------------------------------- Four more days have passed since Mender woke up from the Everfree Forest incident and Knife Point's attempt on his life. The recovery process was just as long as his last one, though he had company in the form of Rainbow Dash. After some prodding, Rainbow Dash started getting him into the Daring Do series, and Mender found himself eagerly anticipating Dash reading the stories to him. It was better than being bugged endlessly by Nurse Redheart and the three fillies, at least. That wasn't to say that Nurse Redheart didn't stop bugging him. She would consistently remind him about his breathing exercises while tending to his puncture wounds, in addition to the bruising he had suffered from the crash landing. He swore her treatment of him was rougher than last time, though he was afraid of commenting on it due to Dash and that pesky joke of hers. Despite her handling, Mender figured he was going to have to get used to her treatment of him like this. Honestly, he didn't mind. He'd suffered worse at the hooves of his Commanding Officer back in the army. Plus, considering he got a job here as a field surgeon, it would no doubt benefit him to learn how to be cooperative with the other staff working here...even if one of them was giving them a hard time. However, the biggest difference between this stay and the last was Young. When Dash was busy resting, Mender would stay up and catch him up on the earlier events he had missed before "accompanying" Mender. This included Mender's impression of the six ponies, the Crusaders, and the "Ghost Hunter" incident which still gave him chills. Young had laughed basically the entire time, and Mender wondered if he would die from lack of oxygen intake. He didn't, much to Mender's dismay. Today was the day he was going to be released. Dash wasn't leaving, as she had sustained far worse injuries than he did from the crash landing. However, the resident doctor, whom he had learned was called Doctor Stable, assured him she would be able to leave not long after he did. This was great news, considering none of the damage done to her seemed to carry any adverse side effects one would normally expect from being impaled so grievously. As Mender rose out of bed, he promised himself that today would be a day of rest and contemplation. His duel with the assassin would be in a few days from now, and he needed time to mentally and physically prepare himself. He waved goodbye to Dash in the room, and nodded to Nurse Redheart in the hallway as he descended the stairs to check out of the hospital. He didn't expect Twilight to be there as well. Damn, she really wanted to make good on his promise to her. "Afternoon, Twilight." "Hello, Mender. I heard you were leaving the hospital today, so I thought I'd help you get home." Hah, cute. She thinks that assassin will strike sooner than expected. Not that Mender blamed her for it, but she's way too protective of others. A fatal mistake that is...well, would be were it not in a town like this. Mender decided to indulge her. There would be enough time to fill her in on the details on the way home. "Very well, Princess. Just give me a minute to check out." There was nobody at the desk. Odd, but he didn't think about it long as he signed his name on a release form nearby, and left it on the counter. Somepony was bound to notice it there when they came back. Just like last time, the clean air inside was replaced with fresh, earthy smelling air as he exited the hospital. The skies were partially cloudy, and Dash had told him that some rain was scheduled for later this week. He would need to see how well his home held up against rain, but he bet that he would need a few buckets, just in case. Twilight spoke up as they began to leave the hospital. "So...uh...I heard you got a job at Ponyville Medical." Small talk? Mender knew she was nervous now, as she was beating around the bush. "I have. Field surgeon. If the injuries I've sustained here so far indicate what I have to deal with, I'm going to have some rough days ahead." Twilight giggled, relaxing a bit. "Nah, I don't think anypony gets injured as badly as you or Dash do, at least not frequently. You should be fine." "I hope so, Twilight. Now then, onto business. You want me to talk about the assassin." Twilight stopped. She didn't expect Mender to get to the reason why she was here so quickly. "Oh, don't look so shocked. I know you came here for that, so I'll explain on the way. I've a promise to uphold after all." Mender resumed walking home, and Twilight kept his pace, waiting for him to speak. "This assassin has been after my life for over a year now. 57 times they have tried to take my life, but they have failed every time. This number includes their most recent attempt, of course, so if you think them incompetent based on that number, I'll just refer you to this incident to show you they are a serious threat." Twilight had considered asking about that number, but remained quiet. "A few nights ago, I encountered him in the hospital room. We have agreed to a duel that will take place three days from now, in my home at the outskirts of Ponyville. This was to minimize damage to the town and its citizens, which I'm sure you'll agree is of the utmost importance." She shuddered a bit at hearing the word "duel." Mender wanted to guess why, but he wasn't finished talking yet. "In regards to this duel, I respectfully request that neither you or your friends interfere in this matter. This assassin is deadly, and has no qualms about killing any interlopers in our affairs." At this, Twilight finally objected. "Mender, if this assassin is so dangerous, why are you fighting them alone?" "Because I don't want others to die defending me. I've had that happen enough in my life as is." Twilight considered his words, and realized he was referring to his past in the army. She was about to respond, but Mender cut her off. "Besides, I don't plan on losing. They've tried to kill me 57 times and couldn't. Frankly, I think it's more likely that I'll kill myself first doing something stupid before they get to me." Mender smirked. This eased her worries briefly, but she still had a question. "What about using magic to help you from a spot far away?" "Two things. One, this assassin has killed unicorns that have used magic against them. Two, they're a master of closing the distance between them and their target. In the time it would take you to cast a spell from thirty meters away, they could approach you in less than two seconds." "Even if they didn't know where the spell originated?" "This assassin has a very keen perception, Twilight. They can detect how far away a unicorn is when their offensive magic comes upon them, and what direction the spell came from, within a second of the spell's impact." Twilight was baffled. She hadn't heard of anypony that well-trained, except for Rainbow Dash. But she was a pegasus, so her senses were already quite keen as she used the wind patterns in the air to predict some of the moves used against her...wait. "They wouldn't happen to be a pegasus, would they?" Mender was taken back slightly, but nodded. "Very perceptive of you, Twilight. They are indeed a pegasus." Twilight smiled. That did explain their speed and reflexes enough to satisfy her curiosity about their strength. "You can also see now why my home is our dueling site, then?" They approached Mender's small home as he asked this question. Twilight thought for a moment. "To restrict their movement as much as possible to even the playing field." Mender grinned. "Precisely. That already gives me an advantage unless they force the fight outside. Then I might be in trouble...but I doubt that will happen. Staying indoors is one of the many things I'm good at doing." Twilight chuckled, but she still had reservations about this duel. Mender noticed this, and said one last thing to ease her worries. "Twilight, I won't lose this duel. If I do, who would tell you all about the war stories you still want to hear about, hm?" The last of Twilight's worry finally faded. His confidence was exuding off of him in such a way that made her feel that things were going to turn out fine. Her concern was still there, however. "Alright, Mender. I trust that you'll live, but you better Pinkie Promise to tell me those stories later. Dying won't save you from the promise." "Well, when you put it like that, I really can't die now, can I?" He crossed his chest and placed a hoof over his eye. "Pinkie Promise." Twilight hugged Mender. He was caught completely off guard by her gesture, and awkwardly hugged back. Twilight giggled, and Mender grumbled. He wasn't the hugging type. Mender broke the hug, and waved off Twilight. She began to walk away as Mender opened the door to his home. ...wait, when did the door get replaced? He didn't have time to think further past that, as a few things happened that he was barely able to process. First, when he opened the door, he noticed a cannon pointing at him in the hallway, just past the door. Second, there was a string coming off the cannon's trigger at the back. Third, he just pulled that string taut from opening the door. The next few seconds were a blur as Mender was sent flying into the air away from his home. Twilight observed his sudden flight, and noted that he was followed by streamers and confetti as he sailed through the sky. Mender noticed the party favors as well, and immediately screamed the name of the pony responsible. "PINKIIIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" Twilight doubled over in laughter as Mender continued his unexpected flight. Young, having heard about Pinkie's antics recently, had laughed as well. -------------------------------------------------------- Mender's voice grew tired and raspy from screaming for what felt like hours. He envisioned his landing to be as terrible as the crash he and Dash suffered before that thought faded as he landed on a plush cushion that was set down precisely where he landed. The scent of sugar flooded his nose as he realized what he landed in was a giant pile of cotton candy. He was too dazed to even bother asking why. He opened his eyes and saw Pinkie's wide grin and blue eyes staring down at him. "Hiya Mendy! I TOLD you I'd give you that welcoming party as soon as you recovered!" Mender was still dazed, but managed to speak in a quiet voice. "...Pinkie?" "Yeah?" "I hate you so much right now." Pinkie laughed. "Silly filly, you don't mean that!" Mender grumbled as he rose out of the cotton candy. "I wish I did." Mender shook off his daze enough to gather some sense in his head. "What in Equestria was that thing that sent me here?" "One of my Pinkie Patented Party Cannons!" Party Cannons? What an odd thing...but it is Pinkie. She's the textbook definition of odd...wait. One? She had MORE? "Where are all of these...Party Cannons?" "Oh, they're everywhere! See?" Pinkie pulled another Party Cannon out of nowhere and set it down next to her. "Did she just pull out another cannon?" "Yep. Out of nowhere, too." Silence came for a brief moment before Young spoke again. "I think I may have figured something out. Gimme a minute while I go check something." Mender was curious. What had Young found out? "Mendy? You okay? You're kinda spacing out." Pinkie's voice broke his trance-like state. "Sorry, Pinkie. Just making sure my head's all in one place." "Oh, I have to do that sometimes too. You wouldn't believe how many things go through my head at once!" Surprisigly, Mender believed her. She was certainly scatterbrained most of the time he's been around her. "Right, so, this is my welcoming party?" Mender finally took time to take in his surroundings. The cotton candy he landed in was curiously shaped in the form of a catcher's mitt for Buckball. It looked like a puffy oven mitt. Trees with streamers surrounded the small field he landed in, but no other decorations were laid out. "...erm, Pinkie, this doesn't look like a party." Pinkie just grinned. "Of course it's not, I haven't laid out the spread yet!" She pushed a button on the Party Cannon, and Mender witnessed a whole different kind of magic. In a flurry of confetti, tables had set themselves up in the field, and upon them landed paper plates and utensils. One table received a ladle and a punch bowl, which miraculously didn't spill a drop of its precious fluids. Another two tables received two different cakes, while cookies and assorted pastries landed on a fourth table. The last thing to come out of the cannon were chairs, carefully spread around each table except for the one with the punch bowl. Pinkie looked at Mender, and giggled at the sight of his mouth hanging wide open. He was in complete disbelief as to what had just unfolded in front of him. "Alright, I'm back. What did I miss?" Mender was almost too stunned to respond, but he managed to think one word back. "Everything." Mender didn't hear Young respond for some reason. His mind was too busy trying and failing to process what just happened. Twilight finally approached the tree circle in a purple flash of light. "Hey Twilight!" Pinkie bounced over to greet her friend. "Hi Pinkie." Twilight then looked at Mender's aghast face, still frozen in place, and giggled. "He hasn't seen one of your parties, has he?" She had trouble asking between her giggles. "Duh!" Twilight finally gathered herself enough to approach Mender, who barely acknowledged her by looking in her direction, his mouth still locked open. "Mender, a word of advice. Don't try to think about how Pinkie does what she does. I tried figuring out her Pinkie Sense once. Her body would do these involuntary actions which would accurately predict certain specific events happening. I tried to research it, and...it nearly drove me crazy. I was also injured a lot trying to figure it out, so I suggest you not do the same." Mender finally managed to close his mouth and keep his rationale and ask Twilight a question. "What conclusion did you come to?" "It's just Pinkie Pie being Pinkie Pie." "That's a crappy conclusion." "You have a better one?" "I do, and I'll explain it to you later. For now, just play along." Mender frowned, and Twilight noted his dissatisfaction. However, he nodded, accepting her words...for now, she thought. Mender spoke. "Okay, I accept that Pinkie is...Pinkie, but this party is sort of...lacking in guests, isn't it? Don't get me wrong, I'm not surprised. I've barely made a dent in the town so fa-" "SURPRISE!" Pony heads all shot out of the trees surrounding the party setting. Mender jumped and fell onto his back. He heard laughter from Pinkie and Twilight as he rose to his feet to look at the guests in the trees. He recognized a few faces. Fluttershy, Rarity, Applejack, and the Crusaders were easily apparent to him. Some other faces he saw as familiar, but couldn't place a name...probably due to him having not asked. The head count was about a hundred, give or take five. Mender froze in shock as he would likely have to memorize everypony's name at this party. Mender sighed. So much for today being a time where he could be alone and rest in peace in that old rocking chair. ------------------------------------------------------- Much like the cannon that shot him here, the party itself was a blur to Mender. Pinkie kept dragging him around the party, making all sorts of introductions with all the other ponies. He barely had time to register their name and say hi before Pinkie either took him to another pony, or took a pony to him. When she wasn't flinging him about and tending to the other party guests, Mender actually took enough time to remember a few names. He had met such ponies like Lyra and Bon Bon, who worked at a restaurant called the Gilded Griffon. He had enjoyed a small conversation with the Mayor, who was happy to see a new face in Ponyville. DJ P0N3, who went by the name Vinyl Scratch, was the pony in charge of the music. She had a nice roommate called Octavia who was a cellist that Mender had heard of before. Mender wasn't a gigantic fan of music, though he had heard some pieces by Octavia in his last army days, and they were quite soothing to him in those times. He had socialized with Applejack and Rarity for small moments during the party. Applejack was happy to hear about his new job, and Mender saw an odd grin creep across her face now that she knew his pet loved apples. Mender cringed, he had a feeling she might be charging him more for her apples, but she laughed when she saw his fearful look. She claimed that her prices would be fair, sometimes even with a small discount when she could afford to give it, and Mender breathed a small sigh of relief. Rarity was surprisingly not the crazy fashion pony Mender remembered her as before. Sure, she wasn't that at the pet gathering, either, but Mender barely had time to talk to her before Crunch had an incident with her cat named Opalescence, or Opal for short. Mender silently cursed the cat's name at causing him so much grief, but beyond her shop and her pet, Rarity could carry on a nice conversation with him for hours if he let it. She was quite curious as to the fashions the army had been using, and Mender had spent a good deal of time going over the finer details of the armor worn by the ponies during wartime with her. She was slightly disappointed that none of the armor sounded fashionable in the slightest, but Mender reminded her that fashion didn't outrank function at that time, and that some of the "flaws" she had pointed out were actually intentional for a reason. That concept seemed to baffle her, so Mender had to spend even more time stating that such flaws were actually not flaws, and served the purpose of looking like weak points when they were actually more reinforced than the rest of the armor. Deception was one of the most powerful tools of warfare, and armor was no exception to this rule. She still seemed confused, but accepted his explanation on the matter. Twilight was also peaceful to socialize with, though she had to leave the party early. Mender asked why, and she stated she had some business to attend to with the Princesses in Canterlot. Mender nodded in understanding, thinking she would relay the information he had told her about the assassin, but considering that he told Princess Luna in his dreams, he chuckled at the thought of Twilight telling the Princesses information they already knew. Twilight WAS going to tell them what she learned, but she was also going to tell them about his release from the hospital. Their meeting would need to happen very soon, at the very least by tomorrow.. She teleported to the library posthaste and had Spike begin writing the letter.