Chapter 16: Repentance
"So...they want me to help keep Scootaloo occupied while they fix her house?" inquired Dawn after he finished listening to Fluttershy.
His mother nodded and giggled. "Since Scootaloo and you are together now, we figured you would be best for the job."
The colt tapped his chin a few times. "It doesn't seem that it will be all that difficult. Between school, our training, and working at the teahouse, we already have much of the day spoken for." He smiled. "I will do it."
"Oh, that's wonderful," said Fluttershy, "I'll have to let Twilight and the others know when I can."
Dawn nodded. He'd been feeling a little guilty about what had happened. The damage had been caused by Scootaloo using the skills he'd taught her. While Dawn knew that using those skills had ultimately been Scootaloo's choice, he felt a sense of responsibility, not only for Scootaloo's actions, but for the actions of the cultist who had been injured, as the stallion had been originally been fixated on Dawn's presence.
With a sigh, Dawn looked out the window, his eyes looking out at the distant town and wondering just how Scootaloo would react when she found out what the others had done on her behalf. He wondered if he should look forward to it...or dread it.
"So, ya think ya can help us Braeburn?" asked Applejack.
"Ah don't see why not," said Braeburn as he sipped from a mug of cider, "We got plenty 'o time to spare. The harvest's finished and that festival of yers ain't fer another week."
Having returned from their meeting at Sugarcube Corner, the Apple siblings and Red River were surprised to find Braeburn waiting for them in the kitchen, the stallion looking uncharacteristically...naked...without his trademark vest and hat.
Applejack let out a relieved sigh. "That's a load offa mah chest. The more ponies with experience in this sorta thing workin' on this project, the better. Ah was worried Blenheim'd want to drag y'all back to Appleloosa at the first opportunity."
"Actually, that's what Ah wanted to tell ya about," said Braeburn, "Uncle Blen's plannin' on headin' out on the first train Monday mornin' and, from what Ah gather, it ain't Appleloosa he's headin' to."
Applejack's eyes widened. Behind her, Apple Bloom and Big Macintosh shared a dismayed glance. "Is it that Supreme Pontiff fella we heard about?"
"Ah think so," said Braeburn, "Uncle Blen ain't told me exactly where he's headin', but that's the gist of what he's plannin'."
"It's Fillydelphia," said Mayweather, her unexpected presence causing everypony to jump as she stood in the doorway, "The boss is heading to Fillydelphia. From what I know, that is where the path begins."
"Path?" asked Bloom, "What kinda path is that?"
"It's a metaphorical one," said Mayweather, takin a seat at the table, "Those who seek an audience with the Supreme Pontiff must work their way through a series of...I'm not sure obstacles is the right word."
"Why's that?" asked Big Macintosh, "It don't make much sense fer yer leader to barricade himself up like that."
"It's a test of the seeker's determination and perseverance," explained Mayweather. Red River set a mug of cider in front of her, which the mare accepted gratefully. "It's more like working through bureaucratic red tape than any kind of quest. He must meet with several ponies and prove that he is seeking an audience for the appropriate reasons."
"I see..." mused Red, eyeing Mayweather carefully. There was something in his tone that drew Applejack's attention. When she caught his eye, the azure stallion gave her an incremental shake of his head. Now clearly wasn't the time to ask.
"If ya don't mind me askin'," said Big Macintosh, "Why are ya here? Ah don't think ya came up from the bunkhouse just to give us the lowdown on Uncle Blenheim's travel plans."
"Well..." said Mayweather, "With Quicksilver in the hospital and Garnet under arrest...after the boss leaves, it'll just be Rivercrest and me. Rivercrest has already said that he plans to head back to Appleloosa on Monday."
"But ya ain't goin?" asked Applejack, raising an eyebrow.
Mayweather drained her cider and thumped it down on the table. She was silent for a few more seconds before looking up. "I want to help," she said softly.
"What?" asked Applejack.
"I want to help. I heard about your plans. You're going to fix that filly's house." The stripe-maned mare sighed. "I want to help you. I...I feel that this whole thing is partly my fault. I was the first one to meet Dawn. I was the one who told the others. I started the whole thing."
"Hon, it ain't yer fault what yer friends went and did," said Braeburn, "Ah know both ya and Uncle Blen were against doin' anythin'."
"I know," said Mayweather, "But I still want to do what I can to help." She gave them a guilty smile. "I was hoping to stay and see the festival anyway, so I figured I might as well have something to do while I wait."
Applejack and her family shared one last glance before they turned their attention back to Mayweather. "Ah don't think there'll be a problem with that," said Applejack, giving the hired hoof an encouraging smile, "Tomorrow, why don't ya go help Pinkie Pie with her fundraiser fer a start."
"Okay," said Mayweather, missing the curious look Red gave Applejack at the suggestion, "Thank you for letting me help. I'll see you tomorrow."
"Goodnight," said Applejack as Mayweather closed the door behind her.
Red took a deep breath and let his awareness extend downwards and outwards. After a moment, he opened his eyes again. "She's away," he said.
Applejack turned to the stallion and eyed him curiously. "So, what's the big deal about what Mayweather said?"
"That 'path' she mentioned..." mused Red, "It troubles me somewhat."
"Why's that?" asked Bloom.
"From what she described it, it sounds as though it will be more of a series of interviews than any actual test of the seeker's dedication," explained Red, "Furthermore, she said that the 'path' begins in Fillydelphia, but not necessarily that it will end there."
"What's yer point?" asked Applejack.
"Given what happened the other day, it wouldn't be much of a surprise if the Guard were to take a much closer interest in the Cult Solar's activities," said Red, "On top of what's already happened with Fleetfoot and Willow, the authorities have plenty of reason to put the Cult as a whole under much closer scrutiny. I certainly intend to report what I heard in the morning, maybe even ask Spike to send a letter to Shining Armor. We now have a definitive lead on the location of the Cult's leader, the probable source of all our troubles."
"Then what's eatin' ya?" asked Big Macintosh, "Ain't that a good thing?"
"In a sense, but this 'path' that Mayweather mentioned suggested something to me." Red looked over each member of the audience. "I suspect that it's true purpose is not so much to test the seeker's determination, but rather a means of throwing off anypony that might be tailing said seeker in an attempt to use her to ferret out the location of the Cult Solar's leader."
"That ain't exactly surprisin'," Applejack pointed out, "Ah mean, givin' the things ponies are doin' in the name 'o the Order, Ah figure the ones in charge wouldn't want to be found."
"That shouldn't be an issue," said Red, "After all, it would be easy for the Cult's leadership to simply claim that those actions are rogue individuals who are misinterpreting their teachings. But this Supreme Pontiff seems to be going to great lengths to remain hidden and keep others from finding out his identity. It's more than a little worrying."
"What do ya think it means then?" asked Big Macintosh.
"I'm not sure," replied Red, "But I can't help but feel troubled all the same."
The next morning found Mayweather standing outside Sugarcube Corner. Strangely, it hadn't opened yet, despite it being a few minutes past the time it was supposed to be open. In spite of the inconvenience, there was a long line of ponies stretching out from the door. The sight made Mayweather gape, as she'd seen the shop during some of its peak hours and yet, never before had she seen so many ponies waiting for service at one time. Even stranger, there were no signs of anypony expressing irritation at having to wait. In fact, there was an air of excitement hanging over the crowd as the minutes passed.
Skirting the line and heading towards the back entrance, Mayweather knocked sharply on the back door. A few seconds later, a plump, blue earth pony mare answered the door. Mayweather remembered this mare as being one of the owners of the establishment.
"I'm terribly sorry dear," said the mare, "I understand that the line looks daunting, but we will try our best to make sure there are enough treats for everypony."
"Oh..." said Mayweather, "Actually, I'm from Sweet Apple Acres. I wanted to help with the fundraiser. Applejack said I should come here to help."
The mare's face brightened considerably. "Oh! That's so kind of you. Please come in. We could use all the help we can get."
Mayweather nodded and followed the blue mare in. "By the way," she said, "My name is Cup Cake. May I ask yours?"
"I'm Mayweather," answered the stripe-maned mare. As Mayweather entered the shop, she walked into a wall of smells that nearly overwhelmed her nose. The rich scents of chocolate and vanilla lingered heavily with the tantalizing hints of spices that flowed through the air, mingling with the yeasty smell of rising dough and the tantalizing sweetness of sugar to create a heavenly aroma that teased a low groan from Mayweather's stomach as it promptly forgot that she had fed it earlier that very day. Granted, her breakfast had been light, but, in all her years, the ritual of that meager yet very welcomed meal had never left her so hungry as it did now. She followed Mrs. Cake into the kitchen, where the sight that greeted them nearly caused Mayweather's eyes to pop from their sockets like champagne corks.
Pinkie Pie was nothing more than a blur, rocketing around the kitchen at speeds that made Rainbow Dash look positively placid by comparison. The pink mare seemed to be doing everything at once and, as a matter of course, be everywhere at once. One second she was whisking a bowl of batter, the next she abandoned the task to retrieve a pan from a nearby oven, before moving back to the bowl, with the whisk somehow miraculously moving on its own in between. Somehow, this indecipherable blur of motion was spitting out baked goods like an assembly line; brownies, sweet rolls, cinnamon buns, turnovers, and pastries of even wider varieties.
The finished baked goods were transferred to Mr. Cake, who was working nearly as frantically to get all the treats wrapped and packaged in clear plastic before Mrs. Cake moved behind him to take a load out into the main room. The three of them (even Pinkie, somehow) moved with the rhythm of a well-oiled machine, with Mrs. Cake getting the goods sorted out in the store's main room and returning just as Mr. Cake's pile of wrapped treats was beginning to reach critical mass, even as he managed to package all the food at a rate that kept him from being buried beneath the pile of food Pinkie's cooking process continued to churn out.
For a moment, Mayweather simply stared at the spectacle, at a total loss as to where she could insert herself to help. There was no way she could keep up with Mr. Cake's pace in wrapping the food. Even less likely was the chance that she'd be of any help to Pinkie and was more likely to trip the pink mare up as she sped around the kitchen, which, at her incredible velocity, could lead to a catastrophe of epic portions.
As she came in from her latest trip into the main room, Cup Cake smiled when she saw how lost Mayweather was looking. "Why don't you help me dear," she said, "Don't worry about trying to keep up too much. Every little bit helps."
Mayweather nodded and grabbed the handle of a basket, loaded down with freshly wrapped treats in her mouth and proceeded out into the main room. Sugarcube Corner's dining room had been transformed from a place of eating to a center of delectable commerce. The seats and cushions had clearly been stowed away. The tables had been pushed up agains the walls to form a perimeter around the room, leading to the counter, forming a sort of path that began at the entrance, wound its way around the room, then led straight to the register at the end. The remaining tables that hadn't been lined up along the walls were grouped together in the center of the room, with just enough space between them that a pony could weave her way through.
All of them were piled up with treats of every shape, size, and description. The tables practically groaned under the weight of the food. There were signs displaying the names of the selections, as well as their prices. They were sorted individually and in group packages. Wandering slowly through the room, Mayweather did her best to match the foods in her basket to the ones on offer at every table. It wasn't all that difficult. She also eyed the prices speculatively. She spotted several regular offerings from Sugarcube Corner, at their usual prices, but noted that if one bought the treats in groups rather than individually, they were actually paying more per unit. Setting her basket down, she frowned over at Mrs. Cake.
Seeing Mayweather's expression, Cup giggled good-naturedly. "Something troubling you?"
"What's going on?" asked Mayweather, "You're charging ponies more the more they buy."
"That's because this is a fundraiser," said Cup Cake with a smile, "We're not going to be profiting from this. Our store doesn't see a single bit from one of these sales. The entire point is to gather as much money as we can to help somepony else. Our customers outside are fully aware of this. That's why they're being so patient as they wait for us to open and why they don't mind paying extra for more food. Pinkie's specialty items are so good that most ponies don't mind in the slightest."
"What's to stop one pony from just buying more individual items to save on bits?" wondered Mayweather.
"We have rules for that," explained Cup Cake before she had to put the conversation on hold to rush back for another basket. Mindful of the job she was supposed to be doing, Mayweather quickly returned to distributing her own basketful of treats.
Cup Cake came trotting back into the room, continuing the conversation as though she hadn't left. "You'll notice that items are packaged in increments of five. So a pony can buy up to four individual pieces of a single selection. However, if they want five, they have to buy the package of five. If a pony wants more, they can buy the package of five and up to four individually before they have to buy a package of ten and so on...
"It serves two purposes. Firstly, it maximizes the money we can raise. Secondly, it discourages ponies from trying to monopolize one thing all for themselves so that as many ponies as possible can try Pinkie's best recipes."
"I see..." said Mayweather a little dubiously, wondering what the customers thought about the arrangement. The ease with which Mrs. Cake explained things indicated that this was a typical practice for their fundraisers. The fact that they were probably aware of this and still lined up around the block seemed to indicate that the townsponies were willing to pay extra for a good cause...Or maybe this mare's special treats are just that good...
Finishing her own task, Mayweather returned to the kitchen for more. At first, she couldn't match Mrs. Cake's pace as the blue mare moved briskly about the room. However, as she became more and more acquainted with where everything went, Mayweather managed to up her pace until she was making one trip to every two of Cup Cake's instead of every six.
About half an hour into their continuing work, Cup's ears perked and she came to an abrupt halt. Mayweather gave her a questioning look until her own ears picked up the faint sound of the cries of young foals from upstairs.
"Oh my," said Cup Cake. She turned her eyes to Mayweather and smiled. "I'm afraid I have to go tend to the twins. It sounds like they're hungry. Can you keep things going down here."
Though she was more than a little aware that she had no hope of keeping up with the workload on her own, Mayweather nodded and rushed out to finish distributing her basket before rushing back. Only two things allowed her to keep Carrot Cake from being buried beneath the pile of wrapped treats. The first was that she managed to up her pace a little bit more. The second reason was that Pinkie's output was finally beginning to slow down, an indication that her work was coming to an end.
Another fifteen minutes or so saw Mayweather laying out the last scones as the general cacophony from the kitchen ground to a halt. Panting softly, Mayweather surveyed the state of the room, her mind boggling at the massive selection and quantity of treats on display. She was so mesmerized that she was barely conscious of the sound of approaching hooves. A gentle hoof rested on her shoulder, making the stripe-maned mare flinch slightly. But, as she looked over, she relaxed at the sight of Cup Cake, who smiled cheerfully at her.
"Thank you so much for your help," she said, "Normally, I'm stuck running back and forth between caring for the twins and helping out. You're a lifesaver."
"Glad I could help Mrs. Cake," said Mayweather, still feeling a bit winded by her exertions.
"Now then," said Cup, warily eyeing the door, "All that's left is to open up and get started."
"Great!"
Again, Mayweather found herself jumping in surprise as Pinkie Pie's voice sounded off right in her ear. Spinning around, Mayweather was surprised to see the pink party pony grinning from ear to ear.
For a moment, Mayweather had to stop and take a few calming breaths, her hoof over her heart as she struggled to keep from fainting. After she'd...somewhat...recovered her composure, she turned to give Pinkie Pie some proper attention.
On initial inspection, Pinkie Pie, who had been moving around the kitchen like a living hurricane and, from the evidence suggested by the sheer amount of food on display, had been at it since well into the previous day, looked as chipper as if she'd jumped out of bed and enjoyed a well-balanced breakfast of an ice cream sundae with a heaping helping of double-chocolate fudge on the side.
However, if one looked closer, there were signs that Pinkie was not feeling as perky as she pretended to be. There was a slight glaze over her eyes, which, combined with the barest shading underneath, indicated that the sleepless night had taken its toll. Even though she was still bouncing in place as usual, one could see that she wasn't bouncing as high as she normally did, her legs' natural springiness no longer being enough to get her off the ground. Instead, she was making an active effort to continue jumping.
Still, Pinkie immediately turned towards the door and hopped to it. Whipping the sign around to "Open," she unlocked the door and pulled it back in. "Welcome everypony! I hope you're ready to buy some of my best treats!"
Pinkie bounced away from the door and, almost immediately, the first guests were rushing in to browse and look over the various goods on display, particularly the browies, which were piled up against the back wall like a massive load of dark-brown, nearly black bricks. As Mayweather watched, nearly everypony who came in the door picked at least one of those brownies before heading to the register, which Pinkie worked in her usual exuberant manner.
While most ponies seemed to be in a rush to get what they wanted before it sold out, Mayweather was both pleased and surprised to note that they were remaining civil. No fights were breaking out over the crystalberry scones or the zap apple cream eclairs. Ponies moved briskly from one table to the next before heading to the register to check out. Even more surprisingly to Mayweather (in spite of Cup Cake's assurances), there was no sign of anypony taking offense at the pricing issue that she'd noticed earlier. Everypony was apparently aware that their money was going to a good cause and were more than willing to part with some extra bits.
Cup Cake and Carrot Cake mingled with the crowd of ponies, answering questions and carefully moving things about to ensure that none of the piles collapsed because somepony removed the wrong pastry. Feeling a bit superfluous at the moment, Mayweather stood awkwardly off to one side, wondering if there was anything else she could do to help out.
That was when she noticed the drooping of Pinkie's ears, the sagging of her lids as she moved from one transaction to the next, her entire body slowly sinking, like a sugar sculpture melting underneath the hot sun. Her normally pooffy mane was beginning to droop as well, the masses of curls beginning to unwind and run more freely.
A feeling of concern rising up inside her, Mayweather carefully made her way back behind the counter before moving over to where Pinkie was.
"Why don't I take over," said Mayweather, softly so that they weren't overheard by the ponies waiting just on the other side of the counter, "You look like you could use some rest."
"But I..." Pinkie's expression fell and she looked uncertainly between the customers and Mayweather.
"Please," said Mayweather, "You look like you could fall over at any moment. It won't help if you work yourself into a collapse. I'll look after the register. You need to get some sleep."
"O-okay..." It seemed like considering and acknowledging Mayweather's suggestion was all that it took for Pinkie's facade of boundless energy to finally fade away as she let out a cavernous yawn. "I'll try to be back before it's over...maybe in an hour."
"Take as long as you need," said Mayweather over her shoulder.
Pinkie's tail swished back and forth in acknowledgment as she trudged out of the room, sinking lower and lower with each progressive stride, until Mayweather was afraid that she might simply pass out on the floor.
However, she made it to the door at least, shutting it behind her. In the general hubbub, Mayweather's ears couldn't pick up the sounds of hooves on the stairs, so she had no idea if Pinkie would make it to her bedroom, which was presumably up there. After making eye-contact with Mrs. Cake and using a few jerks of her head to indicate the door, Cup Cake picked up on Mayweather's suggestion and went to make sure that Pinkie made it to bed alright.
Pinkie taken care of, Mayweather, gulped and turned her attention to the line of customers waiting to pay for their goods. It's gonna be a long day.
Eventide's eyes moved ceaselessly, roving across the the glittering crystals, which glittered in colors ranging from mild violet to pale green, with occasional blues, whites, and reds dotting the walls, floors and ceilings. Some of them seemed to glow with their own internal light, while other picked up that luminescence and refracted it throughout the caverns, making the entire place seem to resemble a glittering starscape. It was a stunningly beautiful sight that the Viscount couldn't help but appreciate, in spite of his ill temper at the moment.
The crystal caverns below the city had been mostly forgotten until the changeling invasion, when it was learned that they were where Princess Cadance had been kept imprisoned by Queen Chrysalis. Since then, there had been a great deal of interest in the caverns, if only for the fact that ponies were wary of what else could be hiding in their labyrinthine depths. However, a great deal of interest could also be attributed to the properties of the crystals that had been found there; countless jewels and gems of breathtaking value and beauty, as well as more than a few that might have magical qualities that were of a great deal of interest to unicorns in particular. It was these gems and crystals that had attracted the first unicorn settlers in the days before Equestria had been officially founded, the reason that they had settled the mountain and made it the seat of the new unicorn kingdom, until said kingdom was merged with the whole of Equestria itself.
Eventide had no idea why the caverns had fallen into obscurity until recently. He had even less reason to care. Like many of the other nobles occupying the mountain, he had been fascinated by the caverns and eager to exploit the rich opportunities they represented. However, Princess Celestia had apparently anticipated this. An old law had been found that declared the Crystal Caverns to be under the stewardship of the royal family and a functional extension of the Royal Palace itself. This claim kept the nobility from acting to exploit the location's mineral deposits, which also kept them from fighting over it as well, the most likely reason Celestia had even bothered.
After that though, she'd hardly made any moves at all to do anything with the caverns. For the most part, she seemed concerned solely with keeping them in their present state, which, while beautiful, wasn't particularly useful or profitable. Sure, she'd approved the occasional petition by researchers from the School for Gifted Unicorns to take samples for study, but she seemed allergic to the possibility of any large-scale development or harvest of the caverns.
The mere thought made the Viscount heave a disappointed sigh. Such a waste.
However, that was a concern for another time. Right now, Eventide had come to the Crystal Caverns to settle the score with that upstart, Baron Elderflower. That the arrogant fool had dared interfere in Eventide's affairs was bad enough. That he'd done so, even knowing that Eventide was his superior was completely beyond the pale. That was why Eventide hadn't come to the caverns alone.
His small army of forty mares at arms was following behind him, at a distance. Once they were in position, Eventide planned on revealing exactly what was about to happen to Elderflower, enjoy the Baron's groveling and pleading for a few minutes, before giving him exactly what he deserved. Afterwards, the Baron's body would be thrown into the deepest crevasse Eventide's guards could find and that would be the end of it.
Now then, where is that fool?
As if in answer to Eventide's thoughts, a light-purple unicorn stepped out from behind a cluster of crystalline stalagmites, his dark-brown eyes immediately zeroing in on Eventide with startling intensity. The glittering motes thrown off by the surrounding crystals sent varicolored highlights running down the stallion's mane, which was a darker purple. His coloration, Eventide noticed, was actually not that far removed from Twilight Sparkle's own, though his eyes threw things off somewhat.
"Thank you for accepting my invitation, My Lord," said Baron Elderflower, smiling politely and bowing his neck, the formal respect clashing with the image his earlier indiscretions had painted in Eventide's mind.
"Given the circumstances," said Eventide levelly, "I felt as though I had no other choice."
Raising his head, Elderflower favored the grayish-blue stallion with an approving smile. "I knew you would feel that way," he said just as levelly, "A moment please..."
Elderflower's horn lit, filling the air with a a silvery aura that spread around the area before forming a dome that completely encased the two stallions. The ambient noise of the caverns, the slow dripping of water, the occasional crumbling and grinding of stones, and even stranger noises echoing down from above or from within the depths, vanished altogether. The silvery barrier also caused the view of things beyond its boundary to swim and distort.
"A privacy field," noted Eventide approvingly. Such a field would ensure that any eavesdroppers would not hear what they said nor be able to decipher it from reading their lips. It was the perfect way to ensure that nopony else would be privy to what they were about to say...though that wasn't why Eventide approved of it.
After all, the field worked both ways. This isolated space now carried no hint of what was going on outside. It was the perfect opportunity for his guards to move into position with Elderflower being none the wiser. Eventide had originally planned on doing the exact same thing himself. Elderflower's decision had saved the Viscount from having to waste his magic on a spell.
"Now then, since we won't be disturbed, we can speak frankly with one another," said Elderflower, "As I said before, I am sorry, but I could not permit your interference with the friends of Twilight Sparkle."
"I wonder where you got the idea that you had the right," mused Eventide, "Interfering in your superior's affairs so blatantly is a dire insult, one that demands punishment."
"Even so," said Elderflower, "I hope that you will be so kind as to grant me your forgiveness, My Lord. After all, I was acting in the best interests of Equestria as a whole."
"And what gave you that notion?" demanded Eventide, stepping forward, tracing a slow, clockwise circle around the Baron, "Why not simply admit that you wish to gain control of Twilight Sparkle so that you can use her to further your own status?"
"Because that is not what I was doing," retorted Elderflower, his eyes not even following Eventide's course, "Twilight Sparkle is a critical component to our plan to return Equestria to its proper course."
"What proper course?"
Elderflower let out an exasperated sigh. "Are you blind, My Lord? You need only look around to see the havoc that is being wrought. Our once mighty families, the stewards of the realm, shepherds of the Princesses' flocks, have abandoned their duties, surrendered their ancestral lands, even cast aside their rightful role as Equestria's ruling class. Now they are content to merely play amongst themselves, wasting time on pointless games, power struggles and useless grabs for status."
His head snapped to his left as Eventide completed his circuit around the other stallion. "To make matters worse, Princess Celestia hoofs over more and more power and responsibility to the commoners, even pegasi and earth ponies. Blinded as she is with her foolish sentimentality, she grants governance of the nation to a rabble and threatens to consign us to mob rule."
"My my," mused Eventide, giving his opponent a sly smile, "I can see why you've set up a privacy field. Such talk borders on treason. I find it hard to imagine that Princess Celestia is as foolish as you make her out to be."
Apparently missing the taunt in the Viscount's tone, Elderflower shook his head sadly. "Perhaps that is the natural fault of an alicorn. For one who can do everything that any of the three tribes can do, she has forgotten that there are things that only those of certain tribes can do, that only certain tribes are meant to do.
"Such has been the order fostered since time immemorial. Earth ponies tend the land and feed our nation. The pegasi are our guardians, their might to protect the nation. The unicorns are trusted with their wisdom to guide the nation. This order is essential to preserving Equestria's stability and strength.
"But we are slowly abandoning all of that. Pegasi and earth ponies can be elected to parliament if they prove popular enough amongst their peers. Ponies are beginning to abandon their proper roles to pursue their every whim. If this trend continues, Equestria shall crumble."
"Such dire pronouncements," said Eventide, "How then, does Twilight Sparkle factor into your plans? What makes her so important that you felt it necessary to disturb my arrangements?"
"Twilight Sparkle is the most important piece," replied Elderflower, "The keystone to everything. She is Princess Celestia's personal student, one of the mightiest mages in Equestria, if not the most powerful. Her brilliance is indisputable. Once she sees the truth of our arguments, she will be able to sway her mentor and we can restore things to their proper order.
"That is why I needed to stop you. Your efforts to control her through her friends would have only succeeded in alienating her. As intelligent as she is, as one not born to be amongst the rulers, she would naturally be ruled by irrational impulses at times. It would be only natural that her resentment could color any conversations we have with her in the future. She must be treated more gently if she is to be of proper use."
"I see," said Eventide, "How foolish."
Elderflower's eyes narrowed. "Foolish?"
Now it was Eventide's turn to sigh. "You honestly think that Twilight Sparkle would bend so naturally to your point of view, that she would acquiesce to what you propose, or that she would even be remotely capable of swaying the Princess if you, by some strange miracle, managed to succeed. It seems to me that you are living in denial of the true state of affairs. I commend your dedication to your...cause. But it is a fruitless one. It is a waste of your time, just as this conversation was a waste of mine." Eventide closed his eyes. "I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to ask you to die now."
"Alright," said the captain of Eventide's guard, "Let's get into position."
The swirling dome of magic loomed ahead of them, clearly marking the location of both their master and his quarry. The procedure was simple enough, surround the dome from all directions and, when it fell, kill anyone everypony except the Viscount. Given that Elderflower was a baron, and an unremarkable one at that, he didn't have the resources to mach Eventide's wealth. There was no way he could field a force even half as formidable as the assembled might of the mares and stallions that made up Eventide's personal guard.
As the mare looked to her subordinates, ready to start designating locations for them to wait, her eyes caught a glimmer of light reflecting off of a silvery surface. It was unlike the reflections that their own armor cast, something brighter, something purer and much more precious. However, the mare didn't have a chance to reflect on her concerns, as any curiosity was driven out of her mind by the sound of screaming.
Whipping her head around, the mare was just quick enough to see one of her subordinates, another unicorn, go down under an arcing spray of red. Two nearby pegasi whirled about, lowering their spears in preparation to attack. However, a flicker of silver flashed out from where the first pony had fallen. The two pegasi dropped their spears, reeling as blood spewed from their necks. The ranks around the commotion finally parted to reveal the source of the sudden onslaught. A cream-colored pegasus colt, clad in a black cloak smiled politely as he stood over the corpse of his first victim, the hem of his his cloak pulled back to reveal the two wings forged from silvery metal, spread out wide.
"Kill him!" yelled the captain, suiting action to word as she lowered her head and pointed her horn at the colt, a blaze of magical energy congealing into a mass of liquified fire that formed into a globule before she hurled it at her target. The burning, gel-like substance would cling to its target, searing and burning, all but impossible to scrape off. It was a highly-restricted combat spell, one that the mare wouldn't have been able to learn if she hadn't been in the employ of a noble family.
The colt, or maybe young stallion would be more appropriate, moved so smoothly that he seemed to be going in slow motion, though, in reality, the movement was blindingly fast. Twisting slightly, he folded one wing over in front of himself, interposing it as a barrier between him and the oncoming globule. The instant the spell made contact with his wing, the colt moved with incredible grace, delicately deflecting the attack while scarcely deforming the gel. As he swept it out to one side, his motion accelerated the globule becoming compressed against the face of his wing until he finished by whipping the appendage fully out to his side, completely splattering and scattering the deadly spell away from him...
...And right across the ranks of the guards approaching from his left flank, their front ranks falling, howling in agony as they desperately tried to extinguish the supernatural flames that clung to them. Only a few droplets of the burning substance stuck stubbornly to the colt's wing. But with a casual flick, he rid himself of those as well.
Even though she was distressed by how easily the colt had defended himself, the captain allowed herself a small smile. The foolish young stallion had announced his presence by appearing directly in their midst. In spite of the casualties he'd just inflicted, the colt had placed himself in a perfect position to be surrounded. There would be no escape for him now.
Lending credence to that line of thought, pegasi took to the air, though their maneuverability was hampered by the enclosed environment of the caverns. In the meantime, the earth ponies advanced steadily, their heavier armor ready to bear the brunt of the colt's attacks while the unicorns making up the rear ranks readied further spells. The cream-colored colt stood at the center of all of this with no hope of escape.
But escape was clearly what he did not have in mind. With a snap of his metal wings, the colt was airborne. Already, the pegasi guards were descending from above, ready to press him back down to the ground. However, the colt's wings beat erratically. Several feathers detached themselves, whipping about on thin wires. The thin, light, yet razor-sharp blades sheared through flesh and bone effortlessly, parting pegasi from their wings, sending them screaming into the ground or crashing onto their comrades from above. Ten pegasi dropped almost instantly.
However, the unicorns were already firing their spells. Blasts of eldritch power, gouts of flame, and glittering lances of light all rushed towards him. The colt was already in motion. Lunging he speared a pegasus that had ventured too close on the extended primaries of one wing, throwing the weight of his body into a roll that brought his unfortunate victim into the line of fire from the spells approaching from one side. At the same time, his other wing lashed out, batting away the spells approaching from the opposite flank, redirecting the magical fury into a scattered blast that wreaked havoc amongst the remaining pegasi, even as their comrade was reduced to a smoldering, lifeless husk before sliding off the feathers that had impaled him and dropping to the ground.
Completing his role, the colt rotated over his victim, carrying him over the rank of advancing earth ponies, and straight into the group of unicorns occupying his right flank. His body seemed to vanish in a silvery blur as his wings swept out. lashing and slashing at the unicorns as he danced among them. The earth ponies were already turning about, trying to aid their comrades. However, they were too late as the last of the unicorns on that side fell before the earth ponies could fully reorganize their line.
Instead, they turned just in time to catch the colt as his body went into a flat spin, his legs tucking in beneath him as he unexpectedly took the low road, seeming to skim across the ground like a thrown stone across the surface of a pond. The guards' armored greaves, forged with the finest steel money could buy, parted like paper before the silvery metal making up the colt's wings. Pained cries echoed through the caverns as stallions and mares collapsed to the ground, their legs having been literally cut out from beneath them.
The colt's spin carried him past the first rank and into the next rank, several of whom, having observed the fate of their friends, jumped up or out of the way. However, in doing so, they opened the path that allowed the colt to reach the unicorns on the other side of the formation, unimpeded. The unicorns were already falling back, trying to get a line of fire for their spells. However, it was useless. The colt's wings snapped out to their full extension, unleashing the wired feathers that lanced out from his wings like streams of water from a fountain, effortlessly finding their marks amongst the unicorn guards, slicing throats, piercing skulls, and sinking in between ribs with flawless accuracy.
The colt lifted his wings, pulling the feathers back out of their victims. However, instead of retracting them, he once again spun about, the wires radiating from him like the spokes of a wheel, sending them slicing into the remaining ranks of earth ponies, who were desperately trying to close with him again. When the colt retracted his feathers, only a small hoofful of guards remained. His wings flapping to speed his movements, the colt closed rapidly with them and tore them apart in close combat.
All through this, the guards' captain could only watch in stunned horror as her forces, the pride of the Viscount of Everhue, were decimated by the wings of a single pegasus colt. As the last of her subordinates dropped his head parted neatly from his neck, the colt turned around to face her, his polite smile not having faltered the slightest, in spite of the tapestry of bloodshed he'd woven about the cavern.
"Well, that was entertaining," said the colt, "After all that I had heard, I'd hoped that you would put up a better fight. Under ordinary circumstances, it wouldn't really be worth my while to kill you but..." He sighed and shrugged. "...My employer was very specific about his orders. Really, he's no fun at all..."
"Die?" Baron Elderflower raised an eyebrow at Eventide's remark, "Are you really so petty that you would go that far when something so important is at stake."
the Viscount smiled bitterly at the younger stallion. "You are sadly mistaken. There is nothing at stake, no point in encouraging your delusions. I fully understand that the nobility's power is waning. There is no point in struggling against the times. All that matters is securing the future."
Elderflower pressed his hoof against his forehead. "Apathy," he muttered irritably, "You are no better than those who play their pointless games of grabbing desperately for status and approval. You care nothing for the wider scope, of the fate of our very nation. Instead, you ignore your duties and responsibilities, choosing to indulge in nothing more than greed and hedonism; a sterling example of how far we have fallen."
"I have had enough of your disrespect!" snapped Eventide, stamping his hoof and releasing a surge of magic from his horn. The wave of energy met the Baron's barrier, disrupting it and bringing it down easily, "You have spoke about the importance of ponies knowing their place in the order of things. I think it is time that you have learned yours. Guards! Kill him!"
Nothing happened. A silence stretched through the caverns around them. This time, it wasn't any kind of magic that was the source of this silence. Instead, it was an unnatural silence, born purely from the absence of any kind of ambient noise, even though the caverns had seemed to alive with sound only moments earlier.
"Guards!?" The Viscount trembled, a sense of foreboding washing over him as the silence continued to stretch on. "Where are you! Answer me dammit!"
"I'm afraid shouting won't do you any good," said Baron Elderflower casually, "Take a good look behind you."
Eventide did as he was told. As he looked over his shoulder, his body suddenly felt icy cold. His entire guard lay scattered across the cavern floor, their bodies broken and bleeding. Unicorn corpses lay next to smoldering husks of their own allies. Here and there, flames from an attack spell were still burning. Pegasi hung limply, some of them having fallen to impale themselves on the jagged crystals jutting up from the cavern floor. It was a scene of bloodshed and carnage straight out of the darkest of nightmares.
In the center of it all stood a cream-colored colt, his coat speckled with flakes of gray. His metallic wings folded up against his sides, allowing the black coat draped over his back to fall over them once more. Tossing his silvery-blue mane, the colt turned and regarded Eventide with yellow, hawklike eyes.
"Allow me to introduce Perlin Bluestreak," said Baron Elderflower, surprisingly still managing to keep a taunting tone from his voice as he spoke, "I invested a great deal in securing his services. He came quite highly-recommended after all. While his personality may be...grating, there can be no denying his effectiveness in the job I acquired him for."
"My guards..." gasped Eventide, "...You killed them..."
"That I did," admitted the colt, "They put up an excellent fight. I can see why you would place a great deal of pride in them. It's a pity that I was ordered to kill them all."
Eventide whirled to glare at Elderflower. "You-!" His voice was cut off as he felt a sharp chill coming from his chest. Looking down, he saw the young stallion with drawing a single primary from between his ribs, flicking it as it cleared the Viscount's skin, flicking the blood away. Eventide barely had enough time to manage one last disbelieving look at Baron Elderflower before his eyes shut and his body dropped bonelessly to the ground.
Perlin gazed down impassively at the fresh corpse. "Well that was a rather disappointing way to end things."