//------------------------------// // BONUS CHAPTER: Aftermath // Story: Of Night and Stone // by Kirb //------------------------------// Of Night and Stone By Kirb Chapter Sixteen BONUS CHAPTER: Aftermath Puck floated away from Ponyville as quickly as he possibly could. He could hear Pinkie Pie’s yells of anger at him, but was luckily far enough away that he couldn’t make out what she had said. Phew, thank Oberon I’m away from her! I don’t think I could stand to be another minute near that strange pony! He remembered well. This didn’t happen often, him being so easily taken down by a mortal. What supernatural being must this simple earth pony be descended from that would give her the power to guess everything he was about to do? This was confusing to him and he didn’t like it! He then floated straight into the warm wet rich greenness of the Everfree Forest at night, where he navigated through the trees and briars until he came to the familiar creaky rope bridge, which he floated across to the former Castle of the Two Sisters. The castle was looking in much better shape than it was a few weeks ago, with many of the stones reformed and placed back in place to make it feel new and pristine again for its current owner. As he landed, there was another bright flash of light. When it faded away, Puck was gone. Instead, standing where Puck once was, was a human man, tall and slender, wearing glasses and with short blonde hair similar to Mr. Goodfellow’s. He was also clad in a black suit with a red tie, but him most notable feature was his left hand that seemed to be frozen in place as a stone fist. He walked through the many, many halls of the castle, the familiar smells of an abandoned castle filling every hallway--damp air, dust, plants growing on the inside walls--until he arrived at the throne room. There, sitting in the large throne that had once belonged to Princess Celestia, sat a man in his thirties, over six feet tall, and handsome. He had long brown hair tied back into a ponytail, and a neatly trimmed goatee. “There you are, Owen,” he said to the man. “I was wondering where you’d disappeared to.” “I was in Ponyville for a short time,” said Owen, speaking in the same accent as Mr. Goodfellow’s. “I had to deal with some business.” “Business that you didn’t tell me about?” the other man asked him, sitting up in the chair. “Remember that I’m still your boss, Owen.” “I know, Mr. Xanatos.” Owen remembered this. “I was finding out some things for you.” “What more is there to know?” Xanatos asked in response, looking at a pile of books that sat next to his throne. He’d read every one of them, looking at the history of Equestria, the politics, culture, and everything he needed to know. “You’ve given me all these books, and you’ve told me that Elisa and the gargoyles are currently in town.” “Yes, but I did find out something that might interest you,” said Owen. “It’s about the young gargoyle, Brooklyn. I have reason to believe he has become infatuated with one of the locals.” As Owen predicted, this piqued Xanatos’ interest. He looked at Owen with a raised eyebrow. “Go on.” “I assume you have read about the Elements of Harmony. Well, the Element of Laughter, Pinkie Pie, has a sister named Maud. This is the one who Brooklyn has fallen for.” “A pony?” Xanatos asked, and Owen nodded. “Huh. Well, this is certainly an interesting development. Still, I don’t see how it could help us in our plan.” “There is something else…” “What’s that?” “It seems the locals know about us.” “They do?” “Yes. Detective Maza has informed them of our existence, and they know of me, too.” Xanatos stood up and furrowed his brow. “Owen, what did you do?” Despite the frustration he was feeling, Owen kept his calm. “I merely tried to help Brooklyn and Maud Pie with their relationship.” Xanatos walked up to Owen and glared at him. “The whole story, Owen.” “Yes. I figured they would be better off if they were the same species, so I decided to turn Maud into a gargoyle.” At this, Xanatos rubbed his temples and groaned. Owen continued. “But they didn’t seem to like that, and I was attacked by Maud’s sister, the Element of Laughter. Ms. Pie certainly packs a punch.” “Enough,” Xanatos interrupted. “This isn’t doing us any favors with the locals. I’m afraid I’ll have to ask you to stop using your powers as Puck until further notice.” Owen nodded. “Yes, Mr. Xanatos,” he said with a hint of bitterness in his voice as he turned around and walked away. “One more thing, Owen.” “What is it?” “Have you figured out how to bring my wife and son here?” “No, sir.” Xanatos frowned. “Okay, go on.” He sighed as he returned to the throne. … “…so that’s the full story?” the Mayor asked Elisa as they talked in her office. “Yes, as much as I know,” Elisa replied. Her hand went to her face. “I swear, I feel so stupid. How could I not know that Mr. Goodfellow was Puck? The name should’ve been a dead giveaway…” “Hey, it’s an honest error,” said Twilight, comforting her. “No, I should know this! I read A Midsummer Night’s Dream. In that, Puck went by the name ‘Robin Goodfellow.’ Why did I forget that?” “…What’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream?” Twilight asked, confused. “I’ll have to tell you later.” Elisa yawned. “Well, Miss Mayor?” The Mayor rubbed her chin. “Hm. Well, this is certainly a strange story. Then again, a lot of crazy stuff happens in this town. Still, though, I don’t know how long we can keep the gargoyles hidden from the town.” “I know. That’s what worries me. How do you think the town will react to the gargoyles?” “No idea, Detective. They seem to be fond of you as a contributing member of society. Then again, I remember when Zecora came to town about a year ago, and ponies shunned her for the longest time.” Elisa frowned. “Zecora’s the zebra, right? You’ve met the gargoyles, they’re a lot more intimidating than zebras. I guess we’ll have to plan a good time to introduce them.” “This has given me a lot to think about, Detective.” The Mayor leaned back in her chair, rubbing her eyes underneath her glasses. “Right now, I don’t know if I can do my job. I stayed up all night and I’m sleepy as Tartarus.” “One of the many perks of being a night cop,” said Elisa, heading to the door, followed by Twilight. “Please let me know your final decision.” The Mayor nodded, then yawned. The door shut behind Twilight and the Mayor blinked a few times, then mumbled under her breath, “Dear Celestia… that Goliath’s voice… I wanna rut him so bad…” And with that, her head plopped onto her desk and she fell asleep.