//------------------------------// // Chapter 4 - Tempers Flare // Story: Schism // by FireclawDrake //------------------------------//         Twilight was sitting impatiently, waiting for one of the doctors to come and suture the slash. True healing magic was surpassing rare, and all but impossible to cast unless it was your special talent. It was on Twilight’s list to attempt now, though she’d have to be careful to avoid a burnout with such complex magic. I mean, even if she did burnout, it would be worth it to learn. What if one of her friends was hurt? Most of the pain from her shoulder was gone thanks to Fluttershy's ointment, but it still hurt to move, and her stomach has developed a nasty pair of bruises. She had tried distracting herself by reading the various posters which seemed to adorn every medical office (a diagram of pony musculature was the closest to where she was seated, divided in two with one side for non-flighted ponies with the other dedicated to pegasus ponies and their special flight muscle groups). Twilight found she couldn't really focus well enough to engross herself. Looking at the diagram just made her think - just a dozen centimeters, and the horn might’ve punctured her chest. Twilight shivered, though the room wasn’t cold. Fluttershy was sitting somewhat nervously nearby, unsure how to comfort her friend. She had been truly shocked to hear how Twilight had gotten her injury, and seemed to have lapsed into her own silent contemplation. The corporal had left Twilight with a nurse to take statements from Lloyd and his entourage, as well as Midnight Punch. The colt's own injuries weren't as severe as Twilight's, but still required medical attention - the bruising on his foreleg and face had been visible even through his dark blue coat. Melancholy wasn't something Twilight had felt in a long time - ever since she had moved to Ponyville, really - but her experiences today had caused a jarring shift in perspective. First had been Granite's casual acceptance that she and her friends were a target for any of Equestria's enemies, and the second… A pony had almost murdered her. She was still wrestling with that. "Twilight?" Fluttershy's voice was quiet but insistent, and Twilight realized that she had actually said her name several times now. Too lost in thought. She shook her head and turned to her friend. "Sorry Fluttershy." Fluttershy looked bashful at having disturbed her friend's reverie, hiding an eye behind her flowing pink mane. Her voice, soft as always: "That's okay. We've had a busy few days. You especially. I'm just worried is all." Twilight smiled at her ever-caring friend. "I'll be alright Fluttershy. I'm just a little shaken." Twilight paused, and scooted closer to her friend to give her an affectionate nuzzle. With the pain of her injury mostly numbed, Twilight was now able to put on that brave face. Fluttershy returned the nuzzle, a little bit reserved as was her nature... or was something else bothering her? Twilight didn't get the chance to ask, as the door opened and in swept a tall unicorn wearing a labcoat, a stethoscope hanging around his neck. His fur was the same boring beige as the walls. He didn't even look around when he came in, so focused on the file floating in front of him. He set the file down on the counter without greeting either of the occupants. Twilight's tail twitched in annoyance at the doctor's rudeness. "Got into a bit of a scuffle did you?" he said, though the flatness of his voice told Twilight that he didn't really care. Again without even looking at his patient, the doctor opened a drawer and brought out several tools, a few of which glowed faintly with magical resonance as the unicorn's levitation set them on the counter. One tool in particular floated up as the doctor turned to finally look at Twilight. "Now let's see that wound. Hold still, please..." Twilight winced and felt Fluttershy’s hoof on hers as the doctor began to work on the wound, the magical tool buzzing away. It stung as it cleaned the wound. In short order, the slash was sutured and bandaged, and Twilight was left with a set of after-care instructions and a magical meal supplement to speed along the healing process. His job done, the rude doctor turned tail and left the examination room without so much as a farewell. *        *        *         One count of Assaulting a Minor, one count of Assaulting a Royal Guard, one count of Illegal Use of Combat Magic, one count of Assault with a Deadly Weapon, one count of Attempted Murder, and one count of Resisting Arrest. There was a whole lot of pain coming for Steel Cardinal, assuming he was found and arrested. There was a massive ponyhunt on for the unicorn, but nopony had seen him since Granite had lost him in the chase this morning. The time it had taken for Granite to see his charge to the hospital and to take statements from the unicorns who had been present (including Midnight Punch, who had identified the unicorn but refused to say why they were in the alleyway) had probably allowed Steel Cardinal enough time to slip out of Canterlot. Perhaps he had chartered a skychariot, though if he had there was no record of it at the skyport. The only train to have left Canterlot station since then was searched thoroughly to no avail, and the search of the twisting and winding road down that led down Mount Canterlot also came up empty. Still, Princess Celestia had sent out missives to all the Sheriff offices, Guard detachments and Police departments of virtually every village, town, or city in Equestria with a description of the unicorn and his cutie mark. (Some places in Equestria insisted on maintaining their own Police force independent of the Royal Guard - a right granted them by the Treaty of Unification, and some simply weren’t big enough to warrant a Guard detachment). The Princess seemed intent to stomp on this criminal with all four hooves. Unsurprising, really, given who Steel Cardinal had almost struck down. I wonder if the bastard will be de-horned if caught, Granite thought idly as he ambled along towards the barracks. While de-horning was almost unheard of, it was one of the punishments the law allowed for a unicorn who had used their magic to attack another with intent to kill. It was somewhat barbaric, and hadn’t been practiced in several generations. Exile was far more common. “Daaaang Granny.” came a familiar (and annoying) voice from above the earth pony. Granite didn’t even glance up. “I know you’re an overachiever, but--” “Not now Morning.” he grumped back, cutting her off. The day that had started out crappy had gone downhill rapidly after his return to the castle, being repeatedly grilled by his superiors for details of the incident (not to mention being subjected twice to the changeling detection spell). He had avoided being punished, only due Princess Celestia intervening directly on his behalf. To his superiors, he had almost gotten his charge killed, but to the Princess, he had saved her beloved student from her own impetuous behavior. “I’m tired.” he explained. “Hah! You think you’re tired?! They had us pegasi flying all over the place today looking for that guy! You’d think after the changelings they’d give us a little bit of a break but nooo. Granite Clash had to go and almost get the Element of Magic killed.” Morning Glory’s voice was playful and cheery, but Granite really wasn’t in the mood to be teased. “It’s not my fault that dumb bitch jumped into the middle of that!” Granite snapped angrily, stomping a hoof for emphasis. His steel shod hoof made a sharp metallic noise at it clanged on the marble floor. Anger was making him stupid, and he wanted badly to buck something (and buck it hard). There was nothing in the Palace hallways that he could easily afford to replace though, and he wouldn’t stoop so low as to buck another pony. Morning swooped down and spun around, landing gracefully and blocking any further forward movement by Granite. He briefly considered simply continuing his gait and running her out of the way, but the look in her eyes caught his attention and he stopped. She was still wearing her golden armour, her curly mane showing around the edges of her helmet. Her eyes (which, Granite noted, were the same rich purple as her mane) looked worried as she met his gaze. “Hey, Granite, I was just ki--” “Fuck off, Morning Glory. I don’t need your pity.” Granite interrupted, moving again to brush past her, but she blocked him again, the worry vanished from her expression and replaced with anger of her own. “Excuse me, Corporal?!” she snapped, rearing up to put a hoof on his chest. He might have been taller than her, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t look intimidating, especially reared up with her wings splayed out. “That is not how you address a superior, and while we are wearing our uniforms I expect you to follow protocol! Unless you’d prefer to attend a training session on decorum!” Granite stepped back, somewhat shocked by her sudden shift in attitude (and the fact that she had thrown his own suggestion from this morning back at him). Fierce stubbornness kept the glare on his face a moment longer before he let it fall into a neutral expression. “My apologies, Lieutenant.” Granite said steadily, adopting a submissive posture with his head ducked low. He knew he had stepped out of line. “That’s better. You are setting a poor example.” Morning continued severely, looking over Granite’s shoulder at somepony behind him. Granite glanced backwards. Standing there looking rather shocked (and somewhat abashed at having attention called to her) was a unicorn mare with a pure white coat and a shock of scarlet and silver under her Night Guard helmet. Her rank insignia was less than that of Granite’s - an Initiate (by the Day Guard’s ranking, a Private). Granite had the good grace to be embarrassed at his outburst, his cheeks reddening under the slate-grey fur. “Now, Granny, apologize to the Initiate for your behavior.” Morning scolded, lowering her hoof and closing her wings, her flippant attitude returning with a suspicious ease. It made Granite wonder if she had actually been angry or had been trying to make a point. Not that it mattered. She was right in this case. “Er, that’s okay!” the Initiate said, raising a hoof to stave off any forthcoming apology. “No, it’s not okay at all.” Granite countered, having turned his stubbornness towards this new task, “She is right - I was out of line and being crude, and I apologize that you had to see it. Such behavior is unbefitting of the Royal Guard, and I hope you will not take after my example.” The unicorn glanced away nervously. The hoof that had come up to forestall the apology instead moved to the back of her helmet, trying to be nonchalant. “Ahhh… that’s okay,” she repeated. “Just cause we’re Guards doesn’t mean we aren’t ponies too, and everypony has bad days.” Granite snorted at that. “We should hold ourselves to a higher standard.” That earned him a light smack upside the head from Morning’s wing. “Don’t listen to Granny here. He acts like he’s three times his age.” Granite shot the pegasus a look only to find that she’d preempted him and already had her tongue stuck out, further teasing him. Who was it that needed a lesson on propriety again? “I’m Morning Glory, and the grumpy guy is Granite Clash.” another wing-smack there, as if it were punctuation. At least it didn’t hurt. He was still smarting from earlier. “Um, nice to meet you!” the unicorn replied, trying to be cheerful. Maybe Morning Glory’s strange attitude was putting her off, but she must have forgotten that she was supposed to introduce herself in return. “And you are…?” Morning prompted, smilingly. “Oh! Sorry! I’m Moondancer!” she said, practically jumping when she realized she had forgotten to introduce herself. “Well Moondancer,” Granite rumbled. “I’d love to stay and chat, but I’m exhausted and I still have one more day in my rotation.” “Oh come on, Granny! It’s still early, come and have a pick-me-up with me! After these past few days, I guarantee you need it!” Granite had to admit… there was a certain appeal to that suggestion. He really could use to unwind a little. He hesitated, and Morning pressed home the point, seeing the opportunity. “Hah! I’m right and you know it, so quit being stubborn and come on!” “I’ll have you know that being stubborn is my special talent.” Granite said seriously, carefully resisting the urge to smirk. “Pfft, I knew that already.” Morning said, waving a wing dismissively. “So, does that mean you’re in?” she continued, her excited optimism bleeding into Granite. Was this really the same filly who had just cowed him into apologizing? That was twice today that this pony has turned a sour mood around with a few words. What was it with her anyway? Granite finally capitulated. “Alright, alright, I’ll come. But only for one.” “You say that now…” Morning said, grinning triumphantly. “What about you, Moondancer? A nightcap for the Night Guard?” (That earned a small snicker from Granite). Moondancer looked from side to side somewhat uncomfortably. “Er… I probably shouldn’t. I’m supposed to report for training in three hours and--” “Wait, wait, three hours?” Granite interrupted, shocked. “Why in Equestria are you wandering the halls in your armour three hours before you need to?” Continuing in her campaign of looking uncomfortable, Moondancer pranced on the spot. “Well, I didn’t want to be late! I don’t want to make a bad impression!” “You’ll do fine, Moondancer! You should come with us! Maybe a drink before you go in will help you relax a bit! You’re acting like a filly on the first day of school.” Ever tactful, that was Morning Glory. Granite flicked his tail, whipping the pegasus’ side. “Now who’s setting a poor example.” he hissed at her. “I’m not saying she should get wasted, but one drink a few hours beforehand won’t hurt!” Ugh, I didn’t want a drink with a unicorn. Granite thought bitterly. He’d had enough unicorns today to last a whole month. “I…” Moondancer hesitated again, then smiled. “Okay. I’ll come.” “Yes! Victory for the Day Guard!” Morning proclaimed loudly, rearing and fluttering her wings while pumping a hoof. “We’re not gonna have any fun in this armour, so everypony change and meet at the Guard entrance! Last pony there buys the first round!” With that final proclamation, the pale blue pegasus kicked off the ground and flapped hard, speeding away. “Hey! Wings are cheating!” Moondancer called after her, breaking into a gallop (and a giggle). Okay, sometimes pegasi rubbed their magic in your face. Granite thought wearily as he set off to his own barracks at a slow trot. *        *        *         The mood on the train ride back to Ponyville was the opposite of what it had been when they rode to Canterlot to participate in the Royal Wedding. Whereas before it had been a party atmosphere (except for Twilight, who had been sulking), now it was completely subdued. Even Pinkie seemed struck with the mood, her usual antics in abeyance. Rainbow Dash was refusing to look at Applejack, probably still peeved about having being snatched away from her makeout session with a Wonderbolt. Nopony was quite sure how to handle the news that Twilight had been gored by somepony in Canterlot.  The sunset blazed away on the horizon, shining it’s glorious light directly into the passenger car. Even that light couldn’t seem to strip away the dark atmosphere. The six friends (seven, with Spike) sat in silence in their private car. Rarity and Rainbow Dash were gazing out the window, watching the sun slowly slide away. The usually brash and loud pegasus seemed to be lost in thought. Twilight was watching the moon rise through the opposite window. It was, amazingly, Fluttershy who broke the silence, some twenty minutes into the train ride. “Hey, um, Twilight?” she asked hesitantly, as if the silence was a balloon and she was poking it with something sharp. Twilight glanced over, wincing slightly as her shoulder twinged. “Yes?” “Oh… um, well, I was just wondering if you had any books on changelings.” Fluttershy asked, pawing her seat nervously. Twilight shook her head. “None, sorry. I’ve never even heard of them before yesterday. Only Princess Cadence seemed to know a lot about them.” “Oh, I see.” Fluttershy sounded a little downcast. “Do you want me to send a letter to her to ask if she has a book on them?” Twilight offered. If there was one thing that could cheer her up right now it would be reassuring Fluttershy that the changelings couldn’t get to them. What better way to start learning about them than reading! “Er… yes, if that’s okay. I’m just worried about them.” Fluttershy admitted, pawing again. Twilight opened her muzzle to reassure her friend but Rainbow Dash was faster, her mood broken as she leapt off her seat into the air. “Hey, if those changelings show their  ugly mugs again we’ll just beat ‘em down even harder! Blast ‘em with the Elements until they learn never to mess with Equestria again!” There was murmurs of agreement from Applejack and Twilight, but Fluttershy just looked more worried. The yellow-coated pegasus hesitated for a moment, glancing at Rainbow worriedly. Her jaw set though. “I… I’m not worried about them like that. I just… well... I’m worried that they’re hungry.” Silence, take two. Not for long though. Everypony talked at once. “What?!” “Seriously?!” “Now wait an applebuckin’ minute.” “Hey, I’m hungry too!” Fluttershy recoiled slightly, putting her long pink mane to use and hiding behind it. Only Rarity and Spike hadn’t exclaimed something. Twilight waited for everypony else to quiet down before speaking. She really didn’t understand. That wasn’t at all what she had been expecting. “Fluttershy, they’re evil. For pony’s sake, why are you worried about them?!” Fluttershy shot Twilight a defiant look, sitting up straight in her seat. Her voice was still soft and gentle, but there was conviction in what she said. “I don’t think they are evil, Twilight.” Images came unbidden to Twilight's mind, flashing in quick succession. Cadence:  starving and abused. Shining Armour's blank stare. Princess Celestia thrown down, her horn scorched black. Her parents cowering as the black terrors swarmed around them. “Not evil? Not evil?!” Twilight shouted, unbelieving. “They mind controlled my brother and plotted to take over all of Equestria!” “Twilight.” Rarity rebuked gently, shuffling over a little and putting a hoof on Twilight's withers in an attempt to calm her. Twilight took a breath. Fluttershy had cowed a tiny bit at Twilight’s shout, but hadn’t backed down, still sitting up tall. “Doesn’t anypony else think... that, well, the whole attack seemed a bit… I dunno, desperate?” Applejack was looking at Fluttershy with an appraising eye. “That there ‘Queen’ did seem… mighty surprised when she beat the Princess. Her plan don’t seem like ‘twere too well thought out.” “Yeah, she just got lucky!” interjected Rainbow, not wanting to be left out. “So… why?” Twilight said, that niggling thought returning in full force. The invasion had seemed strange to her, and she never could put her hoof on it. Was this it? “Everypony has to eat, Twilight.” Fluttershy said softly. “How hard must it be to find love to eat? It’s not like apples, you can’t just grow it out of the ground. You can’t harvest love.” Applejack looked like she wanted to say something about apples “just growing out of the ground” but she held back. “We don’t even know if the changelings are sentient though. I mean, they’re all buggy! What if they work on some sort of hive mind or pheromones or something!” Twilight said stubbornly. “Oh, they’re definitely senti-whatever.” Pinkie bounded into the middle of the conversation (both figuratively and literally), the first thing she’d said since declaring her hunger. “One of them was goofing off with me when we were fighting them on the street. She even changed to match me when I asked!” “Okay, but none of that changes the fact that just because they have to eat doesn’t mean we should let them eat us.” Twilight said stubbornly. “We don’t let manticores or hydras snack on ponies.” she added snarkily. Fluttershy glared at Twilight’s sarcasm, her voice rising well above it’s usual demure quality. “Funny you should bring up manticores Twilight, or did you forget the night we met?! You all were so gung-ho about attacking that manticore that none of you even tried to understand it! Nopony thought to help it!” Fluttershy was shaking with emotion and nerves at this point. “You chastised us for fearing and shunning Zecora just because she was different. How is this any different?! Don’t be a hypocrite Twilight!” she finished, pointing an accusatory hoof at the unicorn, her wings flapping to keep her balanced. “Oh, right! Cause it’s totally reasonable to just walk right up to a roaring predator and nuzzle it! And I guess I must have forgot the part where Zecora invaded Ponyville with a big army! Oh wait, Zecora never attacked anypony! Zecora never mind-controlled anypony!” Twilight shouted back, whinnying and tossing her head in anger. “Girls!” Rarity snapped loudly, commanding attention as she stepped between Twilight and Fluttershy. “There’s no use getting upset at one another.” Her voice became smooth as silk. She turned her head to Twilight, the disarming smile on her face cutting through Twilight’s anger. “Twilight, darling, you said it yourself, we just don’t know enough about the changelings.” She swung her head back to Fluttershy with the same smile. “And my dear Fluttershy, I’m glad you’re being more assertive and standing up for what you believe, but getting angry doesn’t help you get your point across.” The train car was quiet for a long moment as Fluttershy and Twilight each took deep breaths.  Applejack, Rainbow, Pinkie, and Spike looked on, somewhat shocked that the discussion had escalated so quickly. “Sorry, Fluttershy.” Twilight said quietly, her head bowed shamefully. “You don’t deserve to have me shouting at you.” Fluttershy gracefully fluttered across the aisle to sit beside Twilight on her uninjured side. She nuzzled tenderly up under Twilight’s head, her muzzle pressed gently under the unicorn’s chin. “I’m sorry too Twilight. This is pretty personal for you, and I should’ve been more tactful.” Twilight pressed down into Fluttershy’s nuzzle, intensifying the contact for a moment before pulling away. She wanted to look her friend in the eyes. “We’ll find out more about them together, okay?” Fluttershy just smiled and pressed her muzzle into Twilight’s neck before nodding. Across the train car, somepony cleared their throat. Twilight didn’t bother opening her eyes, unwilling to break away from this moment with Fluttershy. “Hey, AJ?” came Dash’s voice. It was unusually hesitant. “Seeing as how apologizing is the cool thing to do right now, I’m sorry for cussing at you last night. Thanks for sticking up for me. I’d way rather nail Soarin when I’m sober anyway.” Applejack just grinned and stuck out a hoof. When Rainbow’s own hoof connected with it, she said: “Ain’t nuthin’ to it RD. You’d do the same fer me.” Even as the last light of sunset shimmered and vanished below the horizon, the warmth of friendship was palpable in the train car as the soft light of the moon shone in. *        *        *         “Wouldst thou care to repeat that, guardsmare?” Luna said dangerously. Her voice was not raised. She was not using the Royal Canterlot Voice. Even so, the mare blocking her path trembled slightly. Luna’s anger was rolling off of her in waves, and the Day Guard was blocking her from entering one of her chambers. Had she been thinking more clearly, she would’ve praised the Guard for her bravery. Few would dare to block either of the Princesses, especially not a visibly angry one. But she wasn’t thinking clearly. She wasn’t even thinking about correcting her archaic form of speech. “Y-your Highness, my orders come from Princess Celestia herself. I c-cannot let you pass.” the mare replied nervously, but she stood her ground in front of the set of warded double doors. Luna’s nostrils flared as she snorted angrily. Lashing out at this Guard would achieve nothing. She was not the pony who had hurt her friend, and she was not the one responsible for barring Luna. “Very well.” Luna said, reining in her voice, trying to project a veneer of calm. She turned away and began to walk. To Celestia’s chambers. *        *        *         The doors to her sister’s chambers were guarded, but the Guards allowed her to pass. She shut the doors and quietly cast the familiar muffling spell. The Guards need not hear this. “Celestia! What is the meaning of this?!” she shouted, marching out from the antechamber and into the main space. It was getting late, but her sister was still awake, seemingly reading through scrolls and reports that were piled on her desk. She looked up from what she was reading when Luna stormed in, playing innocent. “Whatever do you mean, dear sister?” Luna whinnied as she stomped her way up to the desk. Her wings were spread in a display of aggression. “Thou have posted a guard outside of Our Dreamscape chamber with instruction that We are not permitted to pass! Explain thyself!” Celestia - with infuriating calm - set aside the scroll she had been reading and looked at Luna. Her tone was measured. “Why do you need to enter the Dreamscape?” “It matters not! It is Our domain!” Luna snapped. “It matters to me very much, dear Luna. You want to use it to track Steel Cardinal.” Celestia’s voice had not so much as even the slightest inflection. That sobered Luna slightly. She wasn’t calm. She was controlled. There was a difference. “Am I mistaken?” “No. Thou-- you are correct.” Luna said, her anger flickering away slightly. “I will not permit you to do that.” Celestia spoke with finality. Luna’s anger waxed. “And why should thy dictates overrule Our own?!” “Because I cannot lose you again, Luna.” Celestia spoke quietly, barely above of whisper. There were tears in her eyes, and an ache in her voice that wasn’t there a few moments earlier. Again, the anger waned in Luna as she was struck by the sincerity, and the borderline desperation in Celestia’s voice. Her own voice quieted to match. A tremor of fear ran through Luna. “I… what do you mean?” Something told her she didn’t want to know. “You don’t remember?” Celestia asked, sounding pained. The fear continued to creep up Luna’s neck. She focused on the feeling, trying to coax it into something else. Fear could be turned into something positive. “My… my memories are spotty in some places.” she admitted.  “They have been since...” she trailed off, glancing away. “Since I lost myself.” “Luna, the darkness that took you… it first began to creep in when you used the Dream to find Star Swirl’s murderer. Do you remember?” Celestia asked gently, moving gracefully to Luna’s side and brushing against her comfortingly. Luna closed her eyes, trying to focus. That creeping fear was still there, making her spine chill. “I… I only remember that I managed to exact justice for him.” Celestia pressed herself more against her sister, the warmth of the Sun spreading outward from her, banishing the cold. “What you did was not justice.” Her voice was ragged, stretched thin. “Please do not walk that path again, Luna. Please. I… I do not want to have to choose between my subjects and my sister again.” Luna turned away, head held low. She could feel tears beading behind closed eyes. “I should’ve been with him, ‘Tia. Maybe I could’ve...” Luna’s voice cracked and fell silent. The wounds were old. Dozens of generations had passed since then. Why did it still hurt? Celestia rested a wing on Luna’s withers and pulled her a little closer. “It’s the nature of things, Luna. We can’t always stop these things from happening, even to those we care about the most.” Luna was quiet for a long moment, pressing back up against her older sister. Tears streaked down her muzzle and dripped silently on the floor. Her gaze went to the window, where the moon was shining in, blurry through Luna’s eyes. It was Celestia who broke the silence, still speaking softly. “The Dream frightens me, Luna. Please be careful. Emotions become reality so easily in that place.” Luna didn’t look like she was listening, looking out at her charge. “He always wore those damn bells.” she said with a sad, nostalgic smile. Her voice had an odd timbre when she spoke next. “‘Hear me, Clover. I shan’t sneak into their lair like a thief in the night. We are powerful magi. We announce our presence wherever we go.’ Arrogant incorrigible bastard.” Celestia matched Luna’s sad smile with one of her own, offering her own anecdote. “I still remember the look on Clover’s face when Star presented her with her own set of robes, bells and all. ‘Thou art not wearing that accursed potato sack any longer, Clover! A proper maga does not look as though she is a vagrant!’” Luna giggled, shocking herself somewhat. It wasn’t a healthy giggle: it was the kind that was punctuated with a sob. When the pain is given just a tiny reprieve and other emotions try to rush in to fill the void. “He spent all day chasing her around the palace trying to strip her rags from her and get her dressed that outfit. I’ll never get the jingling of those bells out of my mind!” “You know there’s a Hearth’s Warming carol which came from that? ‘Jingle Bells’."  Celestia replied wryly, unable to keep from giggling herself, seeing her sister actually smile. "I’m sure Star would’ve loved to know that." “You mean that inane ditty? Hah!” Luna laughed aloud this time. The sisters giggled and reminisced a while longer, laughing over stories from times passed - at least, the ones that Luna could remember. The happy ones. Just as laughter could banish fear, it could do the same for sadness. Luna would look back on this night and smile. Pinkie Pie’s asinine assertion held deep wisdom. Giggle at the ghostie. Even when the ghostie was your own mind. It wasn’t overlong before Luna’s responsibilities began to call to her again, as the moon rode higher and higher into the sky. Besides, their sides were starting to hurt from laughter. Luna stood from where they had settled in front of Celestia’s fireplace. “Thank you, ‘Tia.” “No, thank you Luna. You’ve been worrying me lately, and I’m glad to see you smile.” Celestia said warmly. Luna fanned the air with her wings dismissively, trying to be serious for a moment. “I believe we ought to post a detachment of Guards to Ponyville, ‘Tia. Twilight and her friends may come under threat from the changelings.” Celestia grinned at that. “My dear Luna, I’ve had Guards posted in Ponyville since the day of your return. Some of my very best, and even a Night Guard auxiliary. Shining Armour and I were very careful to select ponies who would be discreet. Not even Twilight knows.” Celestia stood and turned, her mane flowing behind her as it always does. “They can’t do much against the likes of Discord or an Ursa, but they can protect them from more mundane threats. I hope you didn’t seriously believe either myself or Twilight’s brother would leave her completely unguarded.” “No, I suppose not. I do not see the need for discretion though. Would it not be better that Twilight knows?” Luna frowned thoughtfully. “Perhaps, but don’t you think the ponies in Ponyville might resent the Elements if they thought they were bringing danger to them?” Celestia countered amiably. Luna shifted weight from hoof to hoof for a moment, thinking. “That may be so, Celestia. I would prefer to be honest with them, but I am still learning how things are done these days. I will defer to your expertise.” “Part of being honest is knowing which things need to be kept secret.” Celestia replied seriously. Luna’s wings fanned the air again as she considered that, frowning. “I suppose you may be correct. Either way, I shall take my leave. I have responsibilities to tend to.” But she couldn’t resist a wry grin before she turned to leave. “Sweet dreams, ‘Tia.” Celestia chuckled. “Sweet dreams to you too, Luna. I’ll send word to pull the Guard from your chamber.” *        *        * “No way!” Moondancer said, tears in her eyes from laughter. “I swear it’s true. By Celestia’s dock.” Morning grinned back, raising a hoof in mock display of solemnity. Granite couldn’t take it anymore. He snorted his drink right into his nose as the highly inappropriate oath. Coughing and spluttering, he pounded a hoof on the table in the bar they’d stopped at for drinks. The Gilded Lily was the closest bar to the Palace, and was the antithesis of every other establishment in this high-end part of the capital. Even the name was a sarcastic quip at other high-end establishments. It primarily catered to off-duty guards, serving cheaper drinks and a more lively atmosphere. Off-duty guards like the trio that was currently sitting in a corner of the bar, all laughing at the story Morning Glory had just finished telling. Granite finally was able to get a breath in, the scent of mead lodged deeply in his nose. A pleasantly warm buzz infused his body. “Okay, I can see why the old Captain resigned now. She would never live that down.” “Yeah, no joke!” Moondancer added, having developed a small hiccup from all the laughing. Granite had been pleasantly surprised with Moondancer thus far. She had admitted to having attended Princess Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns (Granite noted how there wasn’t one for gifted earth ponies), but that she had made the decision to leave the school and join the Guard. She wanted to help in others in a more tangible way. Granite could respect that. Of course it had taken a few drinks for him to get to that point. Things were a bit rowdier at the table now. Moondancer wiped a tear from her eye with a bit of magic and smiled at her two new friends. “Well, as much fun as I’ve had, I should really go. I have to report in half an hour and I still need to get back into my armour.” “And trim your mane!” added Granite, actually grinning. It’d been too long since he let go like this. “It’s way too long. I’m surprised you haven’t been chewed out yet.” “Aww but that’d be such a waste!” Morning cooed, reaching a hoof across the table to stroke Moondancer’s mane along her crest. “It’s so luscious!” The hair being subjected to such praise was silky and long, a lovely crimson colour set against Moondancer’s white coat, with a single silver streak through it. The pony that bore it was somewhat shy, and the blush in her cheeks soon matched her mane at Morning’s compliment and overly familiar manner. “Er… thanks!” Moondancer replied awkwardly, having not had nearly as much to drink as the other two. “But I really should go! See you later!” They said their goodbyes to the unicorn and she went on her way, leaving Morning and Granite sitting next to each other, half-full drinks on the table before them. “'Only one' he said.”  Morning quipped happily, taking a pull from her drink. “Yeah yeah.” came the genial reply. “So,” Morning said, leaning back and stretching her hind legs and wings. “Granite Clash, getting along with a unicorn. Whoda thunk it?” Granite’s good feelings fled almost instantly, a frown creasing his muzzle. “Hey, that’s not fair.” “Oh come on Granny, don’t deny it. I’ve seen the way you look at unicorns. You’ve even given me that look in the past.” Granite grumbled in response and took and long drink, averting his gaze. “I’m not trying to make you uncomfortable, I’m just trying to understand.” Morning continued, and gently laid a wing across Granite’s back in what she hoped he took as a friendly gesture. Granite sighed and set down his drink, staring at it and fiddling with his hooves. Barely audible, he whispered back. “I hate feeling weak.” Morning fought hard to stifle a laugh. There was a time for joking and playing around, but this wasn’t it. “Granite… you’re one of the strongest ponies in the whole Guard! I’ve seen you crack a stone block right in half with a single buck!” “Yeah, and any unicorn can outdo me with the right spell.” Granite was still fiddling with his drink, looking downcast. “I thought you didn’t want my pity.” Morning deadpanned, grimacing. “I don’t!” Granite snarled, finally breaking away from staring at his mead. “So what is it then? Wish you were born a unicorn?” Morning said, pressing. Granite was finally opening up after months of poking at him and she wasn’t about to let this chance pass. “No.” “A pegasus, then?” she took the opportunity to playfully flutter her wings. “Not that I’d blame you.” The upbeat act wasn’t fooling Granite. He knew why Morning was asking these questions in particular. Tribal Identity Disorder was a condition wherein ponies felt as if they were born in the wrong bodies - they identified more strongly with the other tribes. They would seek out magical means of changing their bodies when possible, and in very extreme cases, could hurt themselves in an effort to correct what they thought was wrong. Granite wasn’t what you’d consider educated, but all it took was being called to the scene where a disturbed pegasus had taken an axe to their wings in an effort to be more earth pony-like to have the facts stick in your mind. That story had spread through the Guard like wildfire. Of course, that was far from the norm for transtribals, but the incident was recent and Morning was trying to make sure her friend didn’t up the same way. He almost rolled his eyes at Morning’s silliness. “No, Morning, I just… don’t know. I get angry when I see pegasi and unicorns doing things that i can’t. Things I’ll never be able to do.” He sighed and took another drink. In spite of his dejection, Morning smiled at him and put a hoof on his cutie mark - a golden helmet smashing against a stone wall. “Hey, Granny.” she began, before taking a sip that left foam on her upper lip. “I think you should focus more on what you can do. So what if unicorns and pegasi can do things you can’t, so what if you’re a stallion in a mare’s world, and so what if your cutie mark says your special talent is just one thing. All that’s crap, and deep down you know it too. You fought to protect Twilight today. I doubt you were sitting there thinking ‘Oh yeah, she’s a unicorn so I won’t help her.’ You signed up for the Guard when virtually no other earth ponies do. You even made Corporal in a few months. When the bits are on the table, you’re a pretty awesome pony. You don’t need wings or magic.” Morning paused before sticking her tongue out.  “Even if you can be pretty grumpy.” Granite smiled a little at that, and took another pull of his mead. He had proven his work ethic pretty quickly. “Maybe you’re right Morning…” he trailed off, squirming a little in his seat. “Heh, Mom was an earth pony, so I kinda get it. Pretty sure she wanted me to be an earth pony too, what with my name and all. She never said it though.” Morning Glory said offhandedly. Granite sat quietly for a long while, eventually Morning withdrew her hoof and wing, and Granite looked over at her. He caught his eyes sliding down her exquisitely toned form to her cutie mark. A flower blossom with a stylized star. He looked away again when her tail swished against the bench. She was giving him a weird look, so he tried to play it cool. He hadn't really been checking her out, after all. That was just the booze talking. "Hey, thanks for dragging me out here tonight. I'll try to be less grumpy with you." "Pfft, don't worry about it. Moondancer is right, we're still ponies. Being grumpy is part of your charm." Morning said with a smile. "Besides, what are friends for if they can't get you tipsy and have a heart-to-heart?" She stuck her tongue out again and Granite actually laughed this time. The warm buzz in his stomach wasn’t all booze. *        *        *         Twilight and her friends were one of the last to disembark from the train after its arrival. This was no surprise given the luggage they had with them (everyone but Twilight and Rarity just had a dress cozy and a saddlebag’s worth of toiletries, it was Rarity’s baggage that held everypony up). Her friends all said their goodbyes, excusing themselves for various reasons and hurrying home. They had been away for a few days now after all, and no doubt Fluttershy and Applejack were behind on their chores. Spike had gone off with Rarity to help bring her luggage in. Dash had stayed behind to offer Twilight help in getting home, but Twilight had waved her off with a smile. The darkness of late evening blanketed the small town, with the final traces of orange fading from the sky. The few street lamps scattered around the town were lit, mixing with the soft illumination of the waning moon. The train platform was mostly quiet, save for a small group of ponies standing next to the exit. Twilight recognized all of them from around town, but in particular she recognized Lyra Heartstrings and Minuette - they had been her sister-in-law’s bridesmaids before the wedding and had been mind-controlled by the Queen. Her curiosity was piqued, wondering how a pair of unicorns from a small town like Ponyville knew Cadence well enough to be her bridesmaids. She was going to ask them. Walking was still proving to be somewhat difficult. The stitching on her shoulder had been expert, but that didn’t erase the wound. She had settled into a sort of awkward limp that kept most of the motion away from that leg. She really really didn’t want to accidentally open the wound again. Her rather massive parcel of books from the Archives floated along just behind her, caught in her levitation. Minuette must’ve heard her odd hoofsteps, because the blue unicorn glanced over at her. She frowned ever so slightly but then broke into a cheery smile. “Hey Twilight! What’s with the…” she started to ask and made a vague motion with her hoof to indicate she meant the bandages. “I mean, I thought you came outta that changeling business unscathed?” Twilight shook her head, giving a small smile and trying to be nonchalant. “Don’t worry about it. Kinda stuck my muzzle where I probably shouldn’t have.” Lyra was sorta staring off into space, and hadn’t even really acknowledged Twilight. She had a bizarre smile on her face. As for the other two standing with them, they were pegasi. Twilight knew them, barely, and only because she’d helped out with hurricane season. Silverspeed and Star Hunter. Silverspeed had come in very high on the wingpower charts, which was odd considering she wasn’t a part of the usual weather team. Huh. All four of these ponies have short-cropped manes. Weird. Twilight thought. Not that it was overly strange, but longer manes seemed to be the fashion recently, among mares at least. “Me and Star are gonna head out, kay? See ya later!” Silverspeed spoke up. She and Star Hunter both gave Twilight a friendly smile before the mare sidled up next to the dark-coated stallion. The pair began to trot off, tails occasionally intermingling. “Behave, you two!” Minuette called after them good-naturedly, before looking back at Twilight with a smirk. “They’re not gonna behave.” she added saucily. “Depends on what you qualify as behaving, Minnie.” Lyra replied distantly, though she still hadn’t turned to the conversation, staring off towards the dark horizon with that odd smile. Twilight was blushing, as might be expected. She quickly changed the topic. “Hey, so, um,”  she said awkwardly.  “I wanted to ask you two how you know Cadence?” Minuette blinked and cocked her head to the side slightly, as if unsure how to respond to that. Lyra finally turned her gaze away from the horizon. Her smile was still odd, but it wasn’t creepy. Lopsided, maybe. “We grew up in Canterlot. Cadence was actually in the same class as us, believe it or not.” Twilight knew that Celestia had ensured Cadence attended public school instead of having a private tutor. She wanted Cadence to learn what it was like to be an everyday pony. An alicorn sticks out like a sore thumb no matter what, but obviously it had worked given how sweet Cadence had turned out. It was the same reason why Twilight had to spend a year in a public school instead of at Celestia’s personal school. Twilight was so caught up in her own thoughts that she missed Minuette shoot Lyra an annoyed glance. “So, why Ponyville then?” Twilight said after a quiet moment. “The universe brought us here.” Lyra responded cryptically, her gaze having trailed away from Twilight again. Twilight blinked in confusion. She was starting to feel like she was the butt of a joke. “Uh… what?” Minuette laughed at Twilight’s expression and waved a dismissive hoof. “Just wanted to get away from the stuffiness in Canterlot. Ponyville’s a nice town with a surprisingly active art scene, and our families are just a quick train ride away. We've got some friends here too.” "Uhh... art scene?" Twilight asked, looking at the cutie marks of the other two unicorns. An hourglass and a harp. The harp was obvious at least. Twilight hadn't known that Ponyville had an art scene, but she supposed it makes sense. Several times in the past two years had Rarity hosted important ponies for her own art. Minuette grinned at Twilight’s confused expression, tilting her flank slightly to show off the hourglass more prominently. "Dancing is all about timing. Being in the right spot and the right pose at the right time." Twilight nodded. “Oh, uh… fair enough, I guess." Lyra was kinda weirding her out, and Twilight had Research (!) to do. "I should probably go. I need to rest my shoulder and all." "Need a hoof home?" Lyra offered, her attention having returned to Twilight once again. Twilight shook her head. "No no, I'll manage, thanks. Have a good night." They parted ways and Twilight slowly wound towards her home. It was good to be back in her own library. These past few days had been way too crazy, and she was looking forward to having a nice long break where she could relax and get some studying done. And hopefully Shining Armour would write soon so she could stop worrying about him. He hadn’t really had time to recuperate from the whole ordeal before going off on his honeymoon. Twilight briefly sorted her collection of books on combat-related spells and selected the book on the top of the pile (The Complete Guide to Basic Self Defense Magic) to read in bed.