The Tale of Lord Barleycorn
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Chapter 18: The rocks aren't going anywhere.
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The rain did relent after another hour of consistent downpour, allowing the eight ponies to move about the farm at last. The road and fields were pockmarked with puddles and the creek that ran beside the farm was swollen from the runoff.
Eager to make good on their word, Daisy and Lily Valley were the first out the door to get to work. The gray sky that still hung overhead looked like it could resume raining any second, but Daisy and Lily began work in earnest despite the slight shake in their knees. Roseluck traveled with them, her nonchalance and casual conversation helping them remain calm.
While everypony else headed toward the fields, Carrot Top had quietly circled back around the house to collect the dry clothes she had set on the bathroom window sill. Leadfoot had been surprised when she had covertly asked about the scarecrow's clothes.
"They were my grandpa's," Leadfoot had said upon leading her to his grandfather's trunk, "Don't ask me why grandpa cobbled them together like he did. He always insisted on doing the sewing and he had a habit of collecting them and stitching them together in his spare time. We never did anything about it, and they made good scarecrows until the crows stopped being afraid of them."
That tidbit of information had stuck in Carrot Top's mind as she stalked to the barn, clothes resting on her back. "Clothes meant for ponies or even gryphons wouldn't fit Lord Barl-no, Jack's tall body. He'd have to wear custom made clothes, but that whole trunk was full of clothes he could wear."
The furless creature hadn't moved since he and Carrot Top had parted company. Jack was still shivering under the blanket, but he perked up considerably once Carrot Top presented him with dry -if somewhat musty- clothing. He eagerly slipped the heavy sweater on, but when it came to the patched, elongated pants he strangely insisted that Carrot Top turn away.
"What about your mask?" Carrot Top asked as she faced the barn wall. "It won't be dry for quite a while."
"I shouldn't move around for a day or two with this foot, and the rest will be good for my fever." Jack grunted as he stood, "I'll need it back by tonight regardless, and my hat. Changing clothes is one thing, but Corn Crib knows that mask, it'd be best if I kept one part of this costume consistent. You can turn around now."
Turning about, Carrot Top saw that despite his new layer of clothing, he had rewrapped himself in the blanket and sat in the hay. "I couldn't find anything for that fever of yours, so I'll have to slip into town. Sorry about that."
"If there's anyone here to be sorry it's me for being sick." Jack shrugged, "And for me monopolizing your time, which could be better spent working on the farm."
Carrot Top snorted and turned her head away. "I'm doing this so you don't get sicker and take up even more of my time."
The corners of Jack's mouth perked upward into a smile, but it was destroyed when he lapsed into a coughing fit.
"I... better go. I- er... The longer I stay here the less daylight there is." Carrot Top began to slink back to the stairs. "You... er, take it easy."
Jack cleared his congested throat, "Will do..."
After clearing the stairs, Carrot Top cast her eyes back at the wooden stairwell. Whatever Jack was, he possessed an incredible level of patience. Carrot Top was certain that if she was left alone in a barn all day, sick or not, she'd be climbing the walls. She reasoned that pretending to be something that stands around all day must come natural to him.
Returning to the house, Carrot Top retrieved her saddlebags and bits before scribbling down a note for anypony to find. Sneaking out like this was bad enough, but sneaking out without any explanation whatsoever would just make Carrot Top feel worse. After leaving her destination and a plausible excuse of concern for Lily and Daisy's health, Carrot Top stepped out onto the road.
The dirt road was soggy, but thankfully it wasn't soaked enough for Carrot Top's hooves to sink up to her fetlocks. The sun peeked out from between the thinning clouds, and had begun to win out against the light chill in the air. Carrot Top figured that if the sun kept this up the fields would be dry by tomorrow afternoon. Maybe not the crops, but the ground would be a welcome start.
The sudden fluttering of many wings startled the carrot farmer, almost causing her to tumble into the ditch. Looking out to the field, at least two dozen crows were trying to land in the corn. Carrot Top turned her attention back to the road, but the cawing and flapping only continued. The continued noise warranted another look, and the crows were still trying to land but seemed unwilling to settle among the rows for more than a second before taking off again.
Rearing up on her hind legs revealed something else in the corn. A solitary scarecrow stood in the field, not far from where these black birds were trying to roost.
"I thought Leadfoot said they weren't scared of the scarecrows." Carrot Top landed back on all fours, "Whatever Jack did for the rabbits, he must have also done to the crows too..."
Leaving the birds to their indecision, Carrot Top hurried toward Hollow Shades. The schoolyard she passed was overgrown with weeds, and the state of the schoolhouse itself would have made Cheerilee cry. Carrot Top had only passed through Hollow Shades a day ago, but she had forgotten how heavy the spirit of poverty hung over this town.
The main boardwalk was hardly bustling, despite it being the late morning. In Ponyville the farmer's market was an almost daily affair, with nearly every earth pony out selling the fruits of their labors before noon. The bright kiosks and stalls would line Ponyville were comparatively extravagant to what laid out before her now.
Bored teenage colts and fillies minded the bare wooden tables that dotted the sides of the main road. Some where reading, others were asleep. The bits they accumulated were sitting on the table, out where anypony could just walk up and take them. The produce looked decent, but it looked like everypony in town had already gotten what they wanted.
A thought suddenly made Carrot Top shudder. "If business is this bad, I can't see Summer trying to get a market stall, er, table here in town. The only way he'd be able to sell anything at a profit is if he exported to anywhere else. The transport fees alone will take a chunk out of his profits but there's no way Leadfoot and Summer Harvest could haul all of their crops. It'd take a hundred years if they did it themselves, so there's rental fees for bigger carts and payment for help on top of that..."
Carrot Top stopped and rubbed her forehead, the likelihood of her extended family paying off their debt was looking increasing poor the more she examined the situation. Needing a moment to focus her mind on the matter at hoof, Carrot Top took another look around. The stores were largely uninteresting; an antique shop held some interest but there was no time to waste on window shopping. The barber shop had no ponies waiting or in the chairs, and the barbers themselves were out on boardwalk humming a tune in practiced harmony. Perhaps they were the reason why some of the older foals were asleep.
It was then that Carrot Top lifted her gaze over the roofs and noticed a strange plume of white smoke rising up from behind the shops.
Peeking through an alleyway, the carrot farmer saw a chimney poking out from crop of trees. The heavy autumn rain had knocked a large portion of the leaves to the ground, effectively pulling the curtain back to reveal a two story building that normally would be hidden from view. Unlike the rest of the village which was built with wood, this building was assembled from cinder blocks and half consumed by ivy.
One stallion was idly hauling a cart full of glass bottles toward the side of the building, presumably to take them inside.
"That's right... Leadfoot said the town had a brewery. Brewing what, though?" Carrot Top strained to remember what Berry Punch told her about her business. "If there's smoke, then... what are they making? I don't think you boil wine, and I didn't see any fruit for sale."
Carrot Top shook her in self-induced irritation, she could do her sightseeing when she wasn't strapped for time. Only now did she realize she should have told somepony she was leaving instead of leaving a note on the kitchen table, then she could have gotten directions to the local clinic.
One positive note came from the unlikely source of Lily Valley and Daisy's chatter. They had apparently met the doctor while Carrot Top had been in the fields with Corn Crib. Roseluck had gone through great lengths to describe the stallion, a pegasus with a bright red coat, green mane, and a surly disposition. Carrot Top had to conclude that he probably would be wearing the iconic white doctor's coat as well, the white and red would be easy to spot in all this brown.
A glance up at the sky showed Celestia's sun approaching its zenith, and any self-respecting doctor would be at work. Seeing no other choice but to ask one of the adolescents to point her in the right direction, Carrot Top turned back toward the main road.
Before she could take a step Carrot Top looked back at the brewery. For just a second she had seen a blob of red in the corner of her eye. Her mind went to Big Mac, whom she could pick out of a crowd anytime back home, but Big Mac had no business out here. Thankfully, the pony that came around the bend was far too small to be Big Macintosh. This particular pony, however, perfectly fit her friend's description of the doctor. Roseluck had said he was pegasus, and Carrot Top was ready at amend her description until she noticed the bulges under his coat. All three of her friends had mentioned something about his wing being messed up, and if it was as bad they portrayed, it was probably for the best. The doctor hadn't yet noticed Carrot Top gawking at him, he was too distracted by the brown bottle seated in the breast pocket of his coat.
"Okay, note to self: If I get a broken bone or need stitches, I'm going to hobble all the way back to Ponyville. I'm not having a drunk work on me." Carrot Top hurried to hide her scowl as the doctor's eyes locked with her.
"Something the matter?" Cherry Nova asked as he approached, "A mare hasn't given me a look that cold since after that show back in... Trottingham? Must've been, she was a pinto."
"I'm... a little lost. I'm looking for the local clinic. I need to pick up some medicine." Carrot Top tried to smile for the sake of being polite, but she had a hard time pretending while he had that bottle in his pocket. "Seriously, if I were him I'd at least try to care what my patients thought of me!"
Dr. Nova regarded the mare for a moment with a raised eyebrow. The way her eye slipped down to the bottle in his pocket spelled it out pretty clearly. If she didn't like how he chose to spend his nights -his long, boring nights- that was her problem. Still, there was one thing he had to know before taking her back to the clinic, something that could make this the best day he'd had in weeks.
"I don't think I've seen you before, so you're probably from out of town?" Dr. Nova asked.
"Yes," Carrot Top answered slowly, "I just came into town yesterday."
Dr. Nova suddenly broke out into a smile, "Then you've just made my day. Follow me."
Carrot Top blinked, completely mystified as the doctor cantered past her and turned up the street. Catching up to him wasn't difficult, but Carrot Top couldn't fathom what had him in such a good mood. Shouldn't a doctor be concerned if somepony needs medicine instead of... elated?
"Um..." Carrot Top successfully caught her guide's attention. "Is this a slow day for you?"
"A busy day, I've had two patients and now you." Dr. Nova said, "I rarely have that many in a week. And since you're an outsider, that means you'll pay me... in cash!"
Carrot Top tilted her head, "Of course I'd pay, doesn't everypony?"
"Hay no!" Dr. Nova laughed as he turned to cross the street. "Bits are rare out here, and since you traveled here I don't have to accept any bartering!"
"It's bad manners to try and talk a doctor's bill down." Carrot Top frowned.
"That's true, but I mean you won't try and pay with eggs or corn." Dr. Nova's grin widened, "I'll be able to buy some new supplies, some real food... what kind of medicine did you need?"
Carrot Top didn't like this doctor's blasé attitude, but she didn't have any other options. Maybe this was just a bad first impression... "Well, my friend has a fever, a bad cough after getting stuck out in the rain. And he twisted his foo- I mean he strained his fetlock."
"A cough and a fever?" The doctor's grin deflated as he looked at the ground, "Those are pretty common symptoms, probably just a cold. But to be on the safe side I'll sell you some cough syrup. Give him plenty of rest and fluids and if his symptoms persist you can bring him in for an appointment."
The building the doctor was leading Carrot Top toward wasn't a proper clinic, but a store that had been converted to suit the doctor's needs. On either side of it sat two other stores, both of which were boarded up and empty.
The doctor threw the door open, not bothering to hold it open for Carrot Top as he walked inside. Annoyed but undeterred, Carrot Top entered what passed for the clinic's waiting room. What she saw was almost depressing.
Loose linoleum tiles attempted to cover the bare floorboards, but the slightest hint of mud on Carrot Top's hooves caused them to stick and move out of place. With a dissatisfied frown, Carrot Top lifted her head only to see the doctor retreating though a privacy curtain and into the back room.
Now alone in the waiting room, Carrot Top could see why the doctor could be so excited at the prospect of money. Shelves that had once held groceries were pushed up into a makeshift wall to separate the rest of the clinic from the waiting room. The privacy curtains the doctor had just passed through were actually just shower curtains, suspended from these shelves. Carrot Top could see a dozen or so uncomfortable looking cots on the other side of the shelves, all of which were probably as old as Granny Smith.
Turning her attention back to the waiting room, Carrot Top found very little to entertain herself while she waited. The furnishings consisted of a table and a few chairs. The walls -the ones that weren't shelves- were bare save for a diploma, Dr. Nova's. On the table was a deck of cards, which were set out in an abandoned game of solitaire.
The only other thing to look at was the old check out counter which held an ancient cash register that looked like it had rung up more groceries than medical bills. A service bell sat next to it, which sported a few dents and dings in its silvery surface.
The sound of the door being opened startled Carrot Top, and she quickly sidestepped before turning to see who it was. An older, coffee-brown stallion limped past her, his jaw clenching with each step. Carrot Top couldn't see what was wrong with him, but the stallion's ailing foreleg was tied in a red towel. He only casually glanced over to Carrot Top before moving to the service bell and slammed his hoof on it.
"Just a second! I only left you there half a minute ago!" The doctor growled, reappearing through the curtains. His irritation dissipated when he saw the other stallion, his eyes quickly locking onto the towel. "Muddy Roads, what happened?"
"Not much, just accidentally brushed up against kettle number three." Muddy Roads said plainly, nodding to his leg.
"Miss, I'm afraid this takes priority." Dr. Nova hurried back into the back room and returned with a low rolling stretcher. "Alright Muddy, hop on."
Muddy frowned at the stretcher, but very slowly managed to get down onto the mobile bed. His wrapped leg was very gingerly laid out in front to him, which got a pained grimace out of the brown earth pony. He was doing his best to remain stoic and calm, which Carrot Top chalked up to 'male pride.'
"Okay, let me take a look..." Dr. Nova pulled on the knot and peeled the towel back, revealing that the upper edges weren't red but white.
Carrot Top turned away, preferring to stare at the tiles on the floor than whatever was under the towel. A strained hiss of pain welled up from Muddy, and Carrot Top was instantly convinced she had made the right call.
"Jeez, Muddy how'd this happen?" Dr. Nova asked, trying to maintain his professionalism. "You're the one always going on about the new workers ignoring safety regulations."
"Some foal's been going around town trying to get everypony to look at pictures he's got." Muddy Roads grumbled, the hoof of his injured leg twitched as the doctor gently turned it. "He came right up to me and wanted to know if we could put it on the bottles. I knew Stiff Drink wouldn't got for it so I told him no and sent him on his way. He screamed and yelled that nopony was listening to him 'bout some scarecrow thing."
"The Sprout's youngest." Dr. Nova muttered, "He came by here with the same story. Tried showing me a whittling knife like it was some kinda proof."
Muddy Roads continued, trying to keep his eye on the doctor and not his leg. "He got me flustered an' I turned around without looking, slammed my leg right into the main kettle when it was full boil."
"That... explains a lot." Dr. Nova shook his head, "For a burn this bad, you're gonna have to be sent to Ponyville medical. You're gonna need a skin graft Muddy, I can give you something for the pain and redress it but that's about all."
A scornful frown emerged on the brown stallion's face, "What'd ya mean? Ain't you a doctor?"
Dr. Nova's ears folded forward, clearly offended. "I... It's not a matter of skill I don't have any means of-"
Muddy Roads turned his head away, his calm facade cracking as the exposed wound continued to seep onto the towel. "Whatever. Just patch me up so I can get to somepony who can fix me up right."
The doctor's brow furrowed and he opened his mouth, the fire in his eyes ready to burn more of his patient away. None came, instead of raising his voice Dr. Nova turned and retreated back behind the clinic's privacy curtain.
Carrot Top glanced up in time to see the rubber curtain's shaking come to a halt, and a glance to her right caused her see a little too much red on Muddy Roads' leg for her liking. She snapped her head back down to the tiles. She cleared her throat and tried to busy herself by organizing the tiles so they covered more of the floorboards. A clattering of bottles rose up from the back, which got Carrot Top to look up at the curtains before she forced her attention back to the floor. Muddy Roads coughed but didn't bother to try and lure the mare into conversation.
The clop of the doctor's approaching hooves finally destroyed the awkward silence as he hurried to disinfect the exposed flesh and give what he described as a 'local anesthetic' before wrapping Muddy's leg in clean bandages. He never looked Muddy Roads in the face, and the entire time he kept a neutral, calm demeanor about himself.
"Do you have somepony who can get you to Ponyville medical?" Dr. Nova asked flatly.
"... The forepony was gonna contact my wife." Muddy Roads said, no longer able to look the doctor in the eye. "She'll be 'round in a little while."
"Then you can wait inside. I'll direct her back when she arrives." Dr. Nova stated with the all the compassion of an alligator.
With nothing more to say Dr. Nova wheeled both bed and patient back behind the curtain. When he reappeared, he flashed Carrot Top an apologetic look before taking a sip from the bottle that had been sitting in his pocket the whole time.
"Okay, fair's fair. I'd want a drink if my customers acted like that. It's not his fault he couldn't do anything. Of course, I wouldn't be very easy to deal with if I had a chunk of my skin missing either." Carrot Top put on a friendly smile for the doctor, which became more genuine when she saw him relax.
Dr. Nova placed the bottle of liquor back in his pocket. "Sorry about that. Cold medicine and an ice pack, yes?"
A nod from Carrot Top confirmed his question.
From a different pocket Dr. Nova produced a rubber ice pack and a bottle of thick, purple syrup. "Directions are on the bottle, and ice his fetlock to keep the swelling down."
The doctor took a deep breath, releasing it in an exasperated sigh. "That'll be six bits... please."
It felt strange for Carrot Top not to haggle over prices, but after that exchange she felt the doctor deserved some armistice. Six bits were counted out on the table and the ice pack and medicine placed in her saddlebag.
"Thanks doc." Carrot Top said, "But what was that about a scarecrow?"
"It's nothing really." Cherry Nova shrugged, eyes locked on Carrot Top. "The Sprout's youngest foal had some pictures of a scarecrow he claimed was alive and was stealing eggs. Most of them were too terrible to even tell what they were. One, yeah, looked like a scarecrow with eyes but... come on. The colt probably put his teddy bear under that sack. Nothing that big would have eyes that small."
"At least everypony sounds like they aren't taking this seriously..." Carrot Top smiled, "Foals will be foals I guess. Really, thanks for this doc, and I'm sure my friend would thank you too."
The corner of the doctor's mouth twitched, and for a moment Carrot Top thought she'd get a smile. Instead what appeared was a wounded grimace before he turned away to sit by the table.
"It's just cold medicine." He muttered bitterly, then added; "Ice is in the general store. Across the street."
As the doctor began to pull the cards over to himself Carrot Top decided to depart before she really wore out her welcome. A flustered pegasus mare passed Carrot Top on the way out, Muddy Roads' wife if her guess was right. They exchanged glances, but nothing else.
A quick stop at the general store and two bits later Carrot Top was headed back down the muddy road toward the Harvest family farm. She wanted to put the whole experience at the clinic behind her. Her focus had to be the farm, and the ponies who were working so hard to fix it. Besides, if the medicine worked she wouldn't be seeing Dr. Nova again, so there was no reason to dwell on him.
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=== Canterlot ===
Princess Celestia was resting after bringing the sun to its noon position. She had about a half hour to relax before she had to begin arcing it back down again, and to see to more affairs of state. Even with her council of nobles to help run the leviathan that was Equestria's government, things still needed her personal attention.
The solar diarch was walking the halls of Canterlot with a cup of her favorite tea, levitated high enough that it wouldn't be spilled by a passing servant or guard. It happened more often than somepony would think, and once was too many for an avid tea drinker like Celestia.
The hallways were quiet, allowing Celestia time to let her mind wander. Occasionally she heard snippets of the maids or guards chatting, but always the conversations would come to a dead stop at her approach as they hurried to appear busy. Celestia stifled a giggle, if somepony didn't know better they'd think she was a cruel taskmaster.
Her tea was nearly depleted, it wouldn't be long before she had to return to her throne. Moving the sun was second nature to Celestia, but some of the ponies entering her court today were ones Luna had begun to call her 'regular visitors.' They were nobles who had the influence and volume to step over the lower level arbitrators and judges to bring their often silly and meaningless arguments to Celestia's doorstep.
As tempting as Luna's suggestion had been, Celestia knew she couldn't just turn them to stone and set them out in the courtyard to scare the other nobles into place. Celestia also knew Luna was kidding when she had brought it up.
Her sister's voice caught Celestia's attention as she neared the end of the hall. Normally at this time of the day Luna was in her room, hidden away in her room behind heavy blackout curtains and snoring like a demon.
"I hope she hasn't starting having insomnia..." Celestia leaned closer to the door.
Another voice revealed Luna was holding a conversation, but this pony didn't sound very enthusiastic about the topic. Whoever Luna was talking to, she sounded bored, almost apathetic as she spoke;
"-and that's my theory to why he made them using marble." The mare droned, "Princess. You're asleep again."
Celestia nudged the door open with her nose. The room was one of several sitting rooms that populated the castle floors, but the decor was presently... peculiar. Rocks of all sizes and types were scattered around, mostly common variants that were of little interest to anypony without a degree in geology.
Luna was nursing some tea, looking ready to crash on the floor any second. "Yes, I'm sorry. You possess an almost.. hypnotic tone of voice Ms. Pie."
The gray and very stoic-looking mare blinked her eyes, but showed no sign of being offended. "Yes, I've been told I have a very nice voice."
Celestia cleared her throat, catching both of their attention. "Sorry, am I interrupting?"
"No, sister we-" Luna yawned, "Excuse me. Ms. Pie and I have been in contact about something she found on an expedition to Horseshoe Bay."
Luna directed her sister's attention to a large gold ring sitting on the table. It was a thick chunk of gold with a flat outer edge, it was too large to be a ring for a unicorn's horn, and too small to be properly described as a golden wheel. Strange indentations were around the outer circumference, and upon coming closer these markings turned out to be words, written in flowing, stylized longhoof.
The words themselves had little meaning, taken either by themselves or as a whole. One line of the ring read; "Love-money-stronger-house-help-brother-boat-money-father-food-land-friend-fishing-new-..."
"Strange." Celestia frowned, "Have you discovered this... object's meaning? A code perhaps?"
"No. It appears to be non-magical." Luna yawned again, "Pardon me again. The words don't have anything tying them together that we can discern, and I've never seen anything like this. Have you?"
Celestia shook her head, "Nothing that I can recall. Ms. Pie, your thoughts?"
"You can just call me Maud, everypony does, and I don't know anything about the ring." Maud then looked to one of the rocks on the table, "I did find this with it."
To Celestia's eyes, it was just an ordinary rock. It was a uniform gray that lacked any sort of marbling or luster, but what was odd was its shape. It was a perfect sphere; not a single scratch or blemish marred its surface, and its curvature was so precise that only a mad pony could have carved it by hoof. Celestia was no expert on geology or rocks in general, but she knew that no rock, gem, or crystal naturally formed a perfect circle. Even pearls were always flawed in some way.
"An odd piece of jewelry I suppose, an ancient dragon's bauble." Luna sipped her tea.
"Then why the strange choice in inscription?" Maud stated bluntly.
Celestia smiled, few ponies every spoke to her in that tone, intentional or not. It was almost... refreshing. "You have a point. But perhaps you could halt this investigation until later? Luna needs some rest before she has to raise the moon tonight."
"Ms. Pie, Maud... we will continue this tomorrow." Luna said, "I'm afraid I can stay awake no longer."
"The rocks aren't going anywhere." Maud droned, "I'll be here when you get back."
"Do you need help back to your room?" Celestia asked.
Luna smiled for her sister's concern, but shook her head. "There's no need to worry, I'm merely excited about Nightmare Night approaching."
A fresh smile crawled across Celestia's face. Ever since her prized student had helped Luna see the joys of that holiday, Luna had been excited as a foal about what she was going to do next Nightmare Night. She'd bought several costumes, learned several songs and games, and even had plans to reintroduce some old nighttime traditions from a thousand years ago into the holiday. She'd even once asked Celestia to leave the sun down an extra hour but quickly retracted her request out of shame. Celestia naturally would have done just that, if Luna hadn't been so quick to take back her request. Luna deserved a holiday of her own, afterall.
"Regardless of where or how you spend it, as long as you enjoy it to the fullest it'll be great." Celestia smiled, "I'll see you tonight Lulu."
Luna blushed at her fillyhood nickname, "Tia, not in front of guests."
Maud blinked her eyes, but gave no other inflection. "I didn't hear anything."
Luna looked at her. Was Maud being sarcastic? Nonchalant? Teasing? That tone and that neutral expression she wore were something to admire. It alone would have made her a powerful politician and mediator. Luna felt it was a shame Maud got her cutie mark in rocks.
"Good day Maud, I'll see you later." With one gulp, Luna finished her tea and headed for the door.
Watching her sister slowly walk toward the door quickly lost its appeal, and Celestia looked at her own cup. It was cold, and she'd have to get back to the throne room soon. Looking back at the ring, Celestia reread the inscription. It was a puzzle she felt, and like with all puzzles there was some little hint or common thread that tied all the other parts together. But the words didn't have any obvious connection. Context and meaning aside, the words themselves were strange. It was paradoxical for such gibberish to be engraved so neatly... was it a clue? The more she stared at the ring, a sense of familiarity began to emerge.
"I feel like I've seen this hoofwriting before..." Celestia tapped her chin with her hoof. "Maud, would you mind if I informed my student about your find? She might have some useful input-"
"I don't mind." Maud stated.
Despite the interruption, Celestia gave the mare a friendly nod. "I'll write to her at the end of the day. If you could transcribe what the ring says exactly I would be grateful."
Maud responded by picking up a piece of paper, the words already copied down to the funny way the engraver had looped his 'o's. "I already did."
Taking the paper with her magic, Celestia thanked Maud and offered her a room to sleep in. Maud quickly explained in her own and very blunt way, that Luna had made her a similar offer but had turned it down. Apparently she preferred sleeping in the sitting room with the rocks, which apparently where hers.
After saying her goodbyes, Celestia neatly folded the paper and passed her cold tea cup off to a passing servant. Twilight's letter would have to wait, day court could not be put off any longer...
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To be continued...
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