Snails grinned as he trotted out into his front yard and took a deep breath of fresh air. It was, he thought, going to be a wonderful morning. This wasn't just because the sun was bright and warm, or because the fluffy clouds in the sky were making all kinds of fun shapes, or even because he could smell the delicious scents of candy and licorice floating over from Bonbon's candy store. No, it was going to be perfect because it was a weekend morning, which meant that it heralded a full day of pure, uninterupted freedom. No class, no tests, no homework. Nothing but bugs.
"Now, remember," said Shutterbug, hurrying after him and energetically ruffling his mane with her hoof. Her wings were busy folding laundry, and Snails was pretty sure that she was also calculating taxes in her head, but Snails was used to his mother's compulsive multitasking by now. "If you need money for breakfast or lunch, drop on by Carousel Boutique, since I'm helping Rarity with some publicity photos today. Oh, and don't spoil your appetite for lunch--you may buy one piece of candy from Bonbon, but no more. And don't--"
"Mom!" Snails groaned, though he threw a big hug around his mother anyway. "I'll be fine! Don't worry! I'm a big colt now!" He focused and telekinetically levitated an apple from the fruit bowl by the front door, knocking it into himself a few times before slipping it into his bag. "See?"
"I know," said Shutterbug. "I just worry sometimes." She returned the hug. "Are you going to have fun with your friend Snips?"
"Oh, no, Snips got in big trouble. He can't go out today." Snails chuckled at the memory.
"Why, what did he do?"
"Well..."
***
"Hey, sis, look!" Apple Bloom hopped from hoof to hoof. "Come in here an' see what Snips an' Ah did!"
"What is it, Sugarcube?" asked the farmer, trotting into her living room.
"Well, Ah thought it'd be nice ta show a little support fer the Farmer's Union's trade booth, so Ah had Snips help make sure Ah looked real supportive!"
Snips, using his magic to hold onto a pair of scissors, nodded his head furiously. "What do you think?"
Applejack stared at Apple Bloom, who now had a ragged 'FU' cut into her coat. "Uh."
"It's the Farmer's Union's initials!" said Snips, as if it was a great revelation. "Isn't it a perfect uniform?"
Applejack looked at her little sister's beaming face. "Uh."
"What's all the commotion?" yelled Granny Smith from an adjoining room. "Plum woke ma right outta ma nap!"
"Granny Smith! Granny Smith! Look at ma!" called Apple Bloom.
Applejack's eyes widened. "Ah don't think that's a good idea, Sugarcube. Ah--"
But then Granny Smith entered the room, and by the time things settled down, Snips had been chased off the property, Apple Bloom had been dunked into a bath of hair-regrowing solution that smelled of prunes, and all three of them were grounded for a very long time.
***
Shutterbug blinked. "All three of them?"
"Uh huh! Snips, Apple Bloom, and Applejack too for letting it happen!" Snails giggled at the thought of an adult being grounded. "And now Apple Bloom looks like a really fluffy pony from all the hair-regrowing stuff. But I think she's supposed to be back to normal in a few days."
"Oh," said Shutterbug. "Well, I'm sorry to hear they were grounded. But I'm sure you can amuse yourself, or play with your other friends."
"Yep! I'm gonna go play 'look at bugs!' Snails nodded his head fervently. "Then later, I'll see if Dinky wants to play 'look at bugs.' And if she doesn't, I'll see if Alula or Firelock or Pipsqueak or Truffle Shuffle wants to play it!" He began to trot out of their yard. "See you later, Mom!"
The young unicorn whistled as he trotted through the town, watching the clouds and wondering if Raindrops, his sister, had sculpted any of the more bug-like ones in order to make Snails smile. After all, he had the greatest big sister in the world, and she loved to do nice things for her little brother. Hey, I know! he thought. Maybe I'll see if I can find some bugs that look like those clouds! Then, if Raindrops really did get some bug clouds for me, I can get her some real bugs! He smiled to himself. I'm sure she'll like that!
When he reached his first hunting ground, the pond, he carefully unpacked his bug-hunting equipment--his safari hat, his Daring Do official spyglasses, his jars, and his syrup solutions that would attract bugs who liked sweet things--and set them up. "Let's see," he said as he spread himself out and began to monitor the ground. "Ooh, a bumblebee!" he said, noticing a black-and-yellow bug buzzing around a big daffodil. "Hi Miss Bee! How are you today?"
The bee gave no response.
Snails chuckled and walked over to the flower. He knew that a lot of ponies were afraid of bees--particularly the ponies who sold flowers in the town square--but he liked them. Not only did they make delicious honey and have awesome stingers, but when he'd had trouble sleeping for a few nights due to a bad cold, his pet bees had taken it upon themselves to buzz at just the right pitch to help him drift off. Twilight had called that a 'white noise' signal when he'd told her about it, though he was pretty sure that it was more of a 'yellow and black noise' (and he'd been surprised that Twilight didn't know what colors bees were). But either way, Snails thought that bees were a good type of critter indeed. "Are you having a good breakfast?"
The bee continued to ignore him.
Kneeling so that his muzzle was brushed up against the flower, Snails called, "Do you want to go for a walk? I can show you around Ponyville, and maybe you'll see some other bees to make friends with! And then I can take you home and you can meet my awesome big sister, and Mom and--"
With a small jolt, the bee finally took off from the flower and settled on Snail's muzzle.
The colt grinned. "Oh boy! What do you want to do first? Hey, have you ever been to Sugar Cube Corner? They have a honeyshake that's--"
The bee stung him.
It wasn't so much the pain as the surprise that knocked him backwards onto his flank. The bee floated up to the level of his eyes, turned sharply enough to be obviously dismissing him, and then buzzed away. Snails stared after it as it went.
Unbidden, thoughts were coming to the forefront of his mind. Just last week, when he'd done very well on a test about farming bugs, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon had cornered him outside the classroom. "I guess it's a good thing you're good with bugs," Diamond Tiara had said, "because it's the only thing you're good at!"
"Yeah!" Silver Spoon had snapped. "You'd better hope that bugs are always nice to you, 'cause if they decide to play with better ponies, you won't be able to do anything. You're so bad with magic your head almost exploded before Trixie taught you how to fix it, and you're not smart or fast or classy or elegant or anything!"
Diamond Tiara had continued, saying, "Ugh, I feel bad for Raindrops. She could have had any brother in the world, but she got a one-trick pony who won't even have that one trick once the bugs around here get some class. Don't you ever feel bad that she's stuck with you?"
Snails had just waved his test paper with the big red 'A' in front of him like a banner, chuckled, and said, "Nope! You're just jealous I beat you on the test. Now, I'm gonna go play with my ants, and I'm gonna tell my sister how awesome I was! Have fun studying for the remedium test next week!"
"Remedial, you featherbrain!" Silver Spoon had snapped. But Snails had already been trotting off, hurrying home to tell all his bug friends how he was really glad they had helped him study because it had clearly paid off so much.
But now he could only bring a hoof to his muzzle in shock. He had known intellectually that some bugs might not like him--even bugs occasionally had very poor taste--but to sting him? Why would a bee do that? He hadn't done anything to it. Maybe it was just a grumpy bee... or maybe it wanted to play with better ponies like Silver Spoon had said. And if the bugs wanted to play with better ponies, then according to Diamond Tiara he wasn't good at anything at all. And if that was true, then it was also true that he was a bad brother. And that meant...
Tail and head drooping, he slowly walked away.
***
"Snails? Are you okay?"
Snails looked up. He had tripped near the edge of town and tumbled into a patch of dirt near a large rock, and after that it had just seemed like too much bother to get up. Instead, he poked his hoof at the dirt and hoped that the stupid day would just end already. "Fine," he grumbled.
He felt somepony picking him up, and then saw the banana-colored face of his sister. "Come on, Snails, I know you better than that." Raindrops carefully wrapped Snails into a big hug. "What's wrong?"
Snails sniffed. "A bee stung me, which means that bugs might not like me anymore. And if bugs don't like me anymore, and Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon told me that if bugs don't like me then I'm bad at everything and..."
"Hey!" Raindrops scowled briefly before softening her features. "That's not true. You know that, right? Those two are just jerks."
"Yeah, but... but they said I'm not good at anything. And every foal in town is smarter than me and better than me and worth more than me... and that I'm a terrible brother.."
For a moment, Raindrops looked like she was going to fly to Filthy Rich's house and begin tearing it down brick by brick, and her hooves were making divots in the ground. After a moment, though, she seemed to get herself back under control. "They're idiots. You're the best brother I could hope for. You're kind and you're loving and your wonderful in every way." Raindrops gave Snails another hug. "You're a wonderflu brother, and I love you so much..."
"So... I'm not worthless?" asked Snails.
"Of course not! Everypony has worth."
"Even me?"
"Even--Snails, listen. You know more about bugs and little animals than anypony I know. You've got an encyclopedia up there." She gently poked Snails' head, eliciting a small giggle. "You try everything as hard as you can--you don't get lazy or quit, like a certain pink-coated earth pony who probably has her butler do her homework when she doesn't understand it. You're industrious. You're compassionate. You are a wonderful brother, and don't you let one mean bug--or Diamond Tiara--tell you different."
A smile had crept back onto Snails' face. "Really?"
"Really."
They hugged in silence for a moment, and then Raindrops said, "I have an idea. Cheerilee and Carrot Top are going up to Canterlot today to see the grand opening of the new insectarium. It's supposed to have more bugs per square foot than anywhere else in the nation--and they're all super friendly, so none of them should be mean to you like that bee. Now, Cheerilee and Carrot Top each have an extra invitation they aren't using. Maybe you and I could go with--?"
"The insectarium? Really? Wow!" Snails gasped, then let a grin spread over his face. Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon were clearly wrong, he told himself; Raindrops loved him, and she was the Element of Honesty and wouldn't love a bad brother, so therefore he was a good brother. He had worth. He wasn't the terrible pony they had said he was. "Can we really go?"
"You bet!"
"YAY!" Snails hugged Raindrops. "You're the best big sister ever."
"And you're the best little brother ever."
After a long embrace, Snails got onto Raindrops' back. She began flying them to the library, telling Snails that she had made plans to meet Cheerilee and Carrot Top there before going to the train station. "We'll just pick them up," said Raindrops. "And then we'll go, okay?"
"Uh-huh. Oh, and Raindrops?" asked Snails.
"What?"
"Are there adults like Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon?"
"A few. But don't worry." Raindrops was silent for a moment. "When you grow up, you'll learn better ways of dealing with ponies who want to bully you and make you feel small."
***
Baroun Mounty Max of Nulpar looked at Archduke Bobbing Fisher and wished he knew a better way of dealing with a pony who made him feel small.
They were at an early morning meeting of the Canterlot Security Ministry, a group of nobles and officials who dealt with the internal security of Canterlot itself. These nobles included Archduke Fisher, the committee chair, because by statute the Minister of War ran this particular Ministry. They included Vicereine Wallflower, because she governed the province of Canterlot. They included Viscount Silver Shackles, because his duties included overseeing the Police and Jail Committees of the Court. And they included Baron Mounty Max, albeit for no reason that he had been able to discover.
Max had tried, with the same amount of determination and fervor that he tried everything else. Ever since the Grand Galloping Gala, he had been working very hard to accomplish more in the Court. He had gotten himself onto a few small committees, none glamorous, but all engaged in important work. He had shut himself up in the library for many deeply boring hours, studying the varied issues that the governing officials would be considering in the coming months. He had even begun drafting bills, forcing himself to learn the obscure language of the laws of the Court, and submitting himself to repeated embarassment when Duchess Fragrant Posey gently pointed out that he had gotten a clause wrong and some other pony could use his error to twist the bill into something unrecognizable. But he kept going, he persevered, and by the end of his first year in the Court, he had gotten three bills to the floor. The first was rejected, the second was tabled, but the third--an omnibus bill providing funds for building roads and rail lines in rural provinces such as Nulpar--had passed. It was unusual for a first-year noble to get anything to the floor, much yet actually pass something, but he had done it. Because he was Mounty Max, and however new, or inexperienced, or naive he was, he did not give up.
He had applied that same attitude to his efforts to learn why he bad been placed on the Canterlot Security Ministry, but to no avail; all his efforts could find no purchase against the solid wall of the Night Court bureaucracy. It was as if he was trying to climb a perfectly smooth marble surface. He knew that he had not asked to be on the Ministry, that nobody on the Ministry really desired him to be on the Ministry, that it violated tradition for any noble with less than five years of experience to be on that Ministry, and that Archduke Fisher positively wished to throw him off the Ministry (and possibly the Canterhorn; they didn't get along). And yet there he was. Max's only remaining theories were that Luna had added him of Her own accord, that a clerk had added him by mistake, or that the Ministry had become sentient and added him itself. He wasn't sure which one was more ominous.
But be that as it may, he was on the Ministry, and he was determined to do a good job... even if Fisher kept hinting, or outright stating, that he needn't be so concerned about attendance. So he said, in response to Fisher's latest jab, "Don't worry. I don't mind being woken up for something important." He sat at his seat, the lowest at the table. "I don't need to go back to bed."
Fisher muttered something inarticulate, then looked around the room. The Ministry met in a nice room, one of the large meeting halls near the center of the castle. There were statues of famous soldiers and warriors, and a big mural of questionable accuracy depicting Equestria's founders putting a stake through a windigo's heart. Now, Fisher moved towards one of the statues--one depicting an ancestor of his, Max noted--and began. "Unfortunately, we must deal with an emergency today. Viscount Shackles?"
Shackles, an earth pony with a green coat and a blue mane, nodded. "Thirty minutes ago," he drawled in a slow, tranquil voice, "We received notice of a break-out at Foalsome prison. Over a dozen prisoners escaped."
"Anypony dangerous?" asked Captain Shining Armor, head of the Royal Guard of Canterlot.
"About half of them were in prison for nonviolent crimes--fraud, forgery, theft. But the rest could be threats. In particular--"
Fisher cut him off. "Three are particularly dangerous. First: Manetelli Luca, boss of the Fillydelphia mafia. He ran a major salt lick ring; his competitors tended to wind up in hospitals. Second, Mareio Luca, Manetelli's brother and subordinate. Manetelli wasn't afraid to get his hooves dirty, but when he could help it, he had his brother do his dirty work for him. And lastly, Soleil Superior." He was silent for a moment. "Sun cultist."
"Any connection between the cultist, the mafia, and the others?" asked a tall unicorn with a purple coat, black mane, and unusually long and pointy horn. This was Volk, Fisher's bodyguard, if Max remembered correctly. Posey had said that Volk had the bearing of a street gangster, and Max found himself in agreement--the unicorn always looked like he was spoiling for a fight. "If they teamed up, we could have a real tough fight on our hooves." Volk grinned. "Could get messy."
"Not that we can find, but it's possible they might have aligned to get out of the prison," said Shackles. "Doubt they'll stick together long enough to get out of town, but it's possible."
Fisher turned his gaze to the rest of them. "I do not need to remind you how dangerous they are. A mafia group attempted to abduct the Element of Kindness's daughter last year. The Sun Cult was responsible for attacking three of our fortified outposts on the northern border, and managed to burn one of them down. These ponies must be found and arrested."
Max had an idea. "I--"
"So," interrupted Fisher. "I recommend that we mobilize all available police and sweep the city. We'll focus on the mafia ponies first, since they're the most likely to have dangerous underlings in the vicinity. Additionally, since at least one of the criminals is allied with the Tyrant Sun, I recommend that the Royal Guard assist with the search. Many of them have been trained to deal with the Cultists, and besides, the city is large enough that the police will need as much ponypower as they can get to track these criminals down before they escape Canterlot."
Viscount Shackles shrugged. "Speaking on behalf of the civilian police force, I don't foresee any objections."
"Well..." Captain Armor tilted his head and was silent for a long moment. "Usually that requires declaring martial law, and I don't really think the situation calls for it."
I have--" began Max.
Fisher didn't seem to notice. "Canterlot is big, Captain Armor. It would be an incalculable loss if the Sun Cultist were to escape the city--especially with actionable intelligence for the Tyrant Sun." Fisher's eyes glinted like steel. "I'm not declaring martial law. Nopony is shutting down transportation to and from the city or mandating that ponies stay indoors. I am simply asking that the Guards partner with the police, so that their investigation is not hampered by a lack of ponypower."
"I still think Princess Luna should have a chance to weigh in on it."
"And we can discuss it with her when she returns from Pferdreich tonight. However, we obviously cannot wait until then."
"That's true." Armor nodded slowly. "If you think it's really necessary, I'm okay with it for now--provided this remains a police operation. We're not declaring martial law. We're just temporarily deputizing the Guards so the police can cover more ground in less time. And we'll notify the princess as soon as she returns."
Fisher nodded. "Of course. As a second point, I have several members of my private security force here in the city guarding my various properties; I'd like to deputize them as well to help ferret out Soleil--they're trained to deal with the Sun Cult."
"Sounds good to me, " said Shackles, and Armor nodded his head as well.
Max tried again. "I--"
"Very well," said Fisher. "Now, as for specific tasks--I will remain in the Castle and coordinate the search. Viscount Shackles, you brief the police on what the escapees look like and anything else you know about them. Captain Armor, get your Guards ready; Volk, prepare Factory Security to assist them. Viscount Fudge Ripple..."
He continued through everypony there, except for Max. "I think that's everything," he said at the end. "Let's get about it." The ponies rose, and Fisher himself trotted for the nearest door.
Max hurried to catch Fisher before the Rushian escaped. "Excuse me," he said. "Archduke," he began. "I also have some ideas. In particular, we could try using Diamond Dogs to follow the scent of--
Fisher turned. "Baron Max. I apologize for the messenger's error." His horn glowed and some papers on the table began to gather themselves. "He should have told you that your presence was not required for this meeting."
"But I think--"
A frown flashed over Fisher's face for a moment. "Baron," he said. "You have no experience with the military or with security forces. With all appropriate respect, your thoughts are not required here."
"When we had graffiti vandals in Stalzburg, I helped catch them." Max frowned. "And I'm learning. I've been reading--"
"That is not the same thing." Fisher shut his eyes for a moment. "Your zeal is appreciated, but this is not the sort of agency for a newcomer to the Court to learn what he is doing. This Council matters, Max. Lives are at stake. If we make a mistake, the escaped criminals could flee the city. They could take hostages. That cultist could burn down the castle. We do not have the luxury of indulging inexperience. Go learn on the other councils."
"All the councils are important," objected Max. "Pony lives depend on all of them. And I'm not that new anymore. I've been here for a year--"
Fisher shook his head. "Baron Max. With respect to your heroics, there are many ponies on this Council who know what needs to be done to keep this city safe. You are not one of them." He began to trot out the door. "Go back to your studies, Baron. Or the Duchess of Cloudsdale, if you require coddling. Leave the War and security to those of us who know what has to be done, and who know how to do it."
Max could only stare as Fisher left. He knew that Fisher hated him--Max had flatly refused to allow Fisher to turn his portion of the border, which Fisher claimed was a weak spot in Equestrian defenses, into a long series of fences and armed checkpoints, unless the full Court voted on the issue. Fisher had carried a grudge ever since. But it still rankled him to have to deal with it.
But what could he do? Complain to Fragrant? Whine to Luna that Bobbing Fisher was being mean? What would that accomplish? Besides, they were probably both asleep now anyway, and the threat of the criminals was imminent. That was no good.
He wanted to just go back to bed. But he was Mounty Max of Nulpar, and he didn't give up. There was a problem, and when he found a problem he would move stars and seas to solve it. So instead he turned on his hoof and went for the castle exit, deciding to talk to somepony who could give him a bit of advice.
***
Raindrops knocked on the library door. "Hello? Cheerilee, we--"
The door burst open and a scraggly-looking Twilight poked her head out. "Raindrops! Thank the Moon you're here. I really need your help." Her horn glowed and she dragged Raindrops, as well as a giggling Snails, into the library. Depositing them in front of a massive pile of clothes, books, snacks, and maps, she shoved a saddlebag into Raindrops' hooves. "I need to get all these things into this bag!" She paused. "You might need to squish them a little."
Raindrops let the laughing Snails down off her back so he could run around in the library. "Packing?" she asked, looking at the pile of gear. "I thought you were under house arrest."
"I am, but I've been here for six months and I've shown really good behavior, so they're letting me go back to see my family for a few days!" Twilight grinned. "I'll get to see Mom and Dad and my BBFFF..."
"BBFFF?"
"Big Brother, Fantastic Friends Forever." She paused. "I mean, he used to be Big Brother, Best Friends Forever but then I realized that I might technically make another, better friend while I was in Ponyville, and then calling him my BBBFF would be technically inaccurate and so I thought of calling him my BBCQD, but that was right out, and..."
"Easy, Twilight." Cheerilee walked down the stairs with a single closed saddlebag. "You don't need to stress. You're going home for a few days, and I'm sure you'll have lots of fun with your family." She smiled. "There's nothing to worry about."
Raindrops frowned. "You've only been here six months. Is it normal for them to give you a trip home so soon?"
"No, but maybe they were really impressed by my behavior or something. I mean, I helped with Winter Wrap Up, Running of the Leaves, I put out the fire at the Ingathering... and I've made so many friends!" Twilight grinned. "Just yesterday, Lily Vale was in here to look up a book on flowers, and we talked for hours about fractals in nature! Did you know that there's an entire family of roses whose petals arrange in a perfect fractal pattern?"
Raindrops blinked. "...sure?"
Twilight gave a small 'squee' of happiness. "I didn't, but she taught it to me and now she's coming by next week with tea!" She levitated a few books on 'having the perfect tea party' to another stack. "Friendship is awesome!"
Raindrops couldn't help but laugh; her anger at Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon almost forgotten. "I'm sure you'll have fun," she said.
"If I may ask," said Cheerilee, "Why are you packing so much?"
"I know it might look silly, but I'm so nervous! I haven't seen my family since my trial, and I want everything to go perfectly! I don't want anything to go wrong!" Twilight began grabbing at items from the pile near Raindrops. "What if it rains? Or sleets? What if there's a grocer strike and we can't get food? What if--"
Cheerilee put a hoof on Twilight's shoulder. "You'll be fine, Twilight. I promise."
The mage took a few deep breaths. "Sorry. I know I'm freaking out right now..."
"It's fine," said Raindrops. "I'd probably be nervous too."
"It's just... I don't want to embarass my family anymore."
"And you won't," said Cheerilee. "You're a good pony. You're making amends for your mistakes. You'll be fine."
Twilight smiled. "You two are great friends."
"We try," said Raindrops. "I--"
"Agh!" The three looked up to see Snails running away from a large rolling globe that had fallen from a shelf and was chasing him down. "Help! It's trying to crush me!"
Twilight levitated Snails up and stopped the globe with a hoof. "Careful, Snails!"
"Thanks, Miss Twilight!" Snails grinned. "You're awesome!"
The mage laughed. "I am?"
"Yeah! Everypony thinks so!"
"Everypony around here, anyways." Twilight lowered Snails back onto Raindrops' back. "Thanks."
"Around here? Is anypony giving you trouble?" asked Raindrops.
"Not much. I'm still getting a few letters from the upper crust in Canterlot. Most of them just say they'll help 'rehabilitate my image' in exchange for getting my dad to give them political favors. Most of the rest just tell me how I should be ashamed of myself... you know, so if I do violate my probation and get sent to jail, they can tell everypony they saw it coming. And then there's the weird ones." She floated a letter over to the knights. "Look at this."
Raindrops took it. "Dear Twilight. I can't believe the shame and dishonor you brought upon your famly name. Captain Shiny Armor is a strong, handsome, galliant stallion who is too good to be associated with the likes of you. As his future wife, I say..." She paused. "Future wife?"
"I know, right? As if that were possible." Twilight rolled her eyes.
"Your brother's not the dating type?" asked Cheerilee.
"Uh. Yes. That's how I know. I never put a geas on him when I was eight compelling him to tell me if he fell in love." Twilight blinked a few times. "Anyways. I really don't get that much hate mail, and my friendships in Ponyville more than make up for it. You ponies have been some of the most wonderful I've ever met."
"We try," said Cheerilee. "Incidentally, who sent that letter? I'm going to Canterlot on the next train. If you want, we could talk to her for you. We're Knights; if we tell her what you're really like, I'm sure she'll believe us."
Twilight blinked. "There's no need for that, really. I'm fine. If I get a real threat, I'll report it to the appropriate official in Canterlot--"
"The government's not always the most efficient agency in Equestria," said Cheerilee. "As any resident of Ponyville could tell you. And you shouldn't be getting hate mail. If you are, I'm sure myself and the other knights can take care of it right away."
Twilight thought for a moment, then shook her head. "I'd rather you didn't. I'm fine, and honestly, I've been having so much fun in Ponyville I barely ever think about letters like this anymore." Her horn flashed and the letter burst into flame and burned up, eliciting a gasp from Raindrops and applause from Snails. "Have fun seeing your old friend in Canterlot. I'll have fun with my family."
"Great," said Raindrops. "Now--Cheerilee, okay if we head to the insectarium with you and Carrot Top? Snails wants to see the--"
"INSECTARIUM!" cheered Snails. "With all kinds of bug buddies!" He beamed. "I called them buggies!"
"Sounds great!" said Cheerilee. "Carrot Top's coming with too--she's been waiting at the train station for over an hour, she really wants to see the Farming Bugs they're showcasing there. We could spend the day together!" She chuckled. "It'll be fun to spend some time in the city with a bunch of our friends!"
Snails grinned. "Carrot Top's fun too!" he announced. "She knows all the best bugs around here, and she even asked me to help her trap some rare ants in the Everfree!" He began to bounce up and down on Raindrops' back. "This is going to be a blast! Yay!"
"Have fun!" said Twilight as the others began to leave.
"We will!" called Snails as they left. "This is going to be the best day of my life!"
***
"This will be the worst day of your life."
Greengrass blinked as he looked at the aged equine behind the counter. "I'm sorry?"
"I said, today will--"
"No, no, I heard that part. Rather..." Greengrass paused. "This is Climbing Ivy's Garden Supplies Emporium, yes?" He gestured at the plants and gardening tools arrayed on shelves. "Not a purveyor of arcane fortunes?"
"Oh, yes. But Climbing is on vacation today. I'm her cousin, Creeping Ivy." The equine rose to her hooves, but wrapped in a cloak as she was, Greengrass couldn't even tell if she was a pony, donkey, elk, or zebra. He saw hooves, eyes, and not much else. "I'm a professional fortune teller, but I also run the store when my sister is away."
"I see." Greengrass looked at the dilapadated storefront and decided that it was no real surprise why the store, despite having been described in a trade journal as being one of the best places in the city to get supplies for rare and exotic plants, wasn't terribly popular. "Well, in the interests of running the store, perhaps you could show me to some fertilizer for a few gloriosa that I recently acquired. They're a--"
"I know what they are," said Creeping Ivy. "Right this way, sir."
She led him through a maze of dimly lit shelves containing a variety of plants, some of which Greengrass knew through his hobby, and some of which were totally foreign to him. Many looked like strange crossbreeds of flowers that no one would ever think to put together. One smelled like a perfume Luna had worn at a few formal ceremonies. Another smelled like a rotting corpse. But they finally reach an aisle with bags of fertilizer, and Ivy carefully put one onto Greengrass's back. "Here you go, sir. Perfect for gloriosa. Are you a gardener, by chance?"
"More of a hobbyist, really," he said. "I have my own plot in the city."
"A hobbyist?" murmured Creeping Ivy as she began to lead him back to the front of the store. "May I ask your profession?"
"I am a Duke in the Night Court," said Greengrass. It had hurt, in the immediate weeks after the Gala, when he had lost his political influence, to think that he had lost his chance to guide and someday rule the nation... but he had grown inured to it, and could speak of it without even frowning now. After all, no serious player of games would waste time turning over losses in his head when he could get right back into it. Rather her than cry about his loss of influence in the Court, he would just focus on making his remaining gardens as beautiful as they could be... whether the garden in question was the flower plots under the abandoned warehouse on the city's lowest levels, or the nation itself. Besides, any good Game has ways for defeated players to return. I will abide. I'll get back in there someday. "Why?"
"You seem like a pony who is focused on a specific purpose. I was just interested as to what that purpose was."
Greengrass enjoyed manipulating other ponies by psychoanalyzing them--his special talent was even searching out their weaknesses--but he didn't much appreciate the standard cold-reading nonsense he'd heard from numerous phony psychics. If somepony would try to manipulate him, they could at least put some effort into it. "Well, I think that's all I want here. How much--"
"Would you like a fortune?" asked Ivy. They reached the counter and she began ringing up the purchase. "An ominous presence trails you. I can help you prepare for the day to come."
"No thank you."
For the first time, an expression flashed over Ivy's face. It was a good approximation of concern, Greengrass noted; if she wasn't clearly trying to sell him a useless fortune, he might even have been fooled. "I would urge you to reconsider, sir," she said.
"Really, with how expensive the fertilizer is, I just haven't the money," lied Greengrass.
Ivy hesitated for a few moments, then said, "Then... I will do it for free. I would be ashamed if I let you walk into the jaws of fate without even a warning, sir."
Okay, this is a better grift, thought Greengrass. First one's free, I suppose. And I'm actually curious to see where this goes, so... "Very well. What is my fortune?"
Ivy gestured for him to place a hoof on the counter, then carefully began studying it. "Oh my," she whispered. "I see doom. Doom and misery and unhappiness. And..." She paused. "Despair. There is despair in your future, sir."
"I suppose that it can be averted with a certain rare charm which you, fortitiously, are willing to sell to me?"
The fortune teller shook her head. "Oh, no sir. I have no magic powerful enough to avert this despair. I am very sorry to give you this news, sir."
Greengrass paused, trying to work out the scam. "As it happens, I've had some fairly bad days. I'm a bit skeptical that this could be the worst day of my life, as you called it when I entered."
"Let me see, then." Ivy resumed examining Greengrass's hoof. After a few minutes, she nodded. "My mistake, sir. I apologize. This will not be the worst day of your life."
"I should hope--"
"This will be," And when the fortune teller looked into Greengrass's eyes, the noble had the distinct feeling that she wasn't lying or putting him on in the slightest, "The worst day of your life so far."
***
My little pony, My little pony
Ahh ahh ahh ahhh...
My little pony –
Friendship never meant that much to me
My little pony –
But you're all here and now I can see
Stormy weather; Lots to share
A musical bond; With love and care
Teaching laughter; It’s an easy feat,
And magic makes it all complete!
You have my little ponies –
How’d I ever make so many true friends?