//------------------------------// // Savor and Desire // Story: Walking Giant // by Gairenard //------------------------------// Chapter 9 – Savor and Desire Town square. Late morning. Twilight’s speech was about to commence. A crowd of journalists and citizens stood in front of a large platform at the mayor’s building. All of them waited for the princess to appear. Twilight trotted back and forth behind the stage. She was restless; her wings, ears, tail, and mind were unable to sit still. Her nerves were frayed, and she wished that Spike wasn’t on his massive grocery run so that he could give some desired moral support. Despite the thoroughness in preparation, Twilight still believed that something was going to go horribly wrong. Twilight heard Mayor Mare start her introduction, further increasing her anxiety. It was not the ponies that frightened her. Nor was it the speech itself. It was that the speech could potentially ruin the life of a certain giant, if things went badly. “Breathe, Twilight, breathe!” she muttered, trying to calm herself. “The fate of a friend is not immediate–but could be in the near future!” Twilight thought nothing of the positive possibilities. Her teeth chattered, only focused on what could go wrong and the consequences that go with them. “Keep your mane in the game, Twilight, everything should be fine. Should. It wi–should.” As Twilight contemplated the dim future, she heard the mayor closing her speech. “Now, I'd like to welcome Princess Twilight Sparkle to the stage!” In an effort to stem the raging adrenaline, Twi stiffened her body. Using all her concentration she was able to quell her movement to nothing but a mere shiver. Step by bone-chilling step, Twilight trotted on stage. The town square echoed with the sound of cheering and applauding ponies, and the flashing lights of cameras blinded Twilight as she stepped behind the podium alongside the mayor. Twilight smiled nervously at Mayor Mare, to which the mayor responded by patting her reassuringly on the back before making her way off the stage. Twilight returned her attention to the sea of eyes glued to hers. Twilight gulped and began scanning the audience, never focusing on a single pony. She focused the shivers on her rear half -- the half behind the cover of the podium. Her lips shaped into a fake smile that she had practiced so many times; speaking each word with extreme enunciation. “Good morning, Ponyville.” A short, awkward silence hung in the air. “I have heard your concerns about the giant, and I must ask that you do not fear him. I myself looked into this matter when rumors about him appeared. I-I’ve seen him up close, a-and…” Twilight stuttered for a moment, then pushed forward. “Observed his behavior. From that, I know two things for certain: Firstly, that he is a sapient and very intelligent being, and secondly, that we need to give him another chance.” A murmur of surprise and doubt resonated from the crowd. As Twilight furthered on in her speech, her anxious shivers began to dissipate. Her voice filled with confidence. “We as ponies are caring, loving creatures, who need to give him another chance. We residents of Ponyville do not want another rehash of events that what had transpired with Zecora. Should he be a true threat to our well being, than aggressive action will be taken to ensure the protection of this town. However, this isn't the biggest threat we have faced. These rumors you hear being passed around do nothing more than make the situation look more bleak than it is, but I can assure you all that these are nothing but mindless gossip! We ponies have been through thick and thin, and I’ll remind you all that it’ll take much more than a giant to break down this town we ponies call home!” There was a powerful silence. “I am now open to questions...” Press ponies in the front row answered this with a clamor of questions overlapping one another, each pony shouting to be chosen for the soul sake of getting the story first. Twilight almost laughed, it was the first time the press was this obsessed with her. From the podium, looking down on the ponies, the sight resembled a bunch of dogs growling and begging for the treat she was holding in her hoof. She randomly pointed at a pony. “Magenta unicorn!” Instantly the others silenced themselves as the mare quickly, but clearly, asked the first question. “What charges will go against the spotlight ponies?” Twilight was calm. She had already rehearsed the more obvious questions. “They will be questioned first, but at the very least they will pay a fine.” The mare seemed surprised at this answer, and her voice was somewhat heartfelt when she asked another question. “But they were just doing their jobs…” Twilight did not change her tone of voice in favor of neutrality. “Yes, but evidence shows that standard rational actions could have need taken to lessen the damages, and possibly avoid them altogether.” She then called on another pony. “Sky blue stallion.” The earth pony stepped forward. “Who will pay for the rest of the damages?” “I have sent a request to Canterlot requesting financial aid, but for now it will be drawn from the town treasury.” She pointed her hoof at another pony, but was instantly caught off guard by who it was. “Lyra...Heartstrings?” Why was Lyra standing among the press? Heartstrings smiled and waved. “Hey Twilight!” She looked down to read off the note pad hovering before her. “How do you know it is a 'he'?” Twilight opened her mouth to answer but then quickly shut it, nearly biting her tongue. This was one slippery question that she had no solid answer to. “Well...call it a hypothesis.” She gave a nervous smile. Lyra cheerfully continued reading the text. “How are you so confident in the fact that ‘he’ is not intentionally hostile?” Twilight’s ears twitched back and her nervous smile flipped to a frown. “Oh, welp, I-I am that sure of it based on my observations!” She raised her hoof. “Next po–” “Miss Heartstrings brings up valid points!” A mare earth pony, brown curled mane, forest green fur, and skyblue eyes came out from the crowd wearing a blue business suit. She trotted forwards with each hoof step firmly hitting the ground, and her eyes were locked on to Twilight’s in a lifeless stare. Judging by how the mare was looking at her, it was obvious that she was some kind of authoritative figure. Her voice supported this assumption. “How thorough were these ‘observations?’ ” Her tone was suspicious, and the smile she wore could have hailed from Tartarus. Twilight stood her ground as best she could, but her fears were catching up to her. “Um, who are you?” She never broke eye contact, not even to blink. “I am Green Ink, an administrator of the EBA.” She repositioned next to Lyra. “I’m sure you’ve heard of us.” The shakiness from earlier shot through Twilight’s spine like a lightning bolt. “Yes, yes I have.” Green put her foreleg around Lyra’s shoulder in a gesture of support. Lyra returned this gesture with a friendly smile. “Then I shall let Lyra continue.” Lyra did just that, being completely ignorant of the serious emotions surrounding the conversation. “How thorough were these observations?” Twilight was furiously trying to keep her sanity and words in a straight line. Scratching her head, tapping her chin, or otherwise fiddling around to appear professional. “Well, they were, from a distance. Over the course of...about three days.” Her professionalism looked silly. Lyra continued on as innocent as before. “Then surely you must have learned more than his intentions if you are so confident.” Twilight continued to fiddle with herself and her surroundings. “I-I cannot say for sure. He is a strange being. It is difficult to describe.” Green Ink spoke up nearly cracking up at the worried royalty, who was now rocking the podium back and fourth. “In that case we will see it for ourselves. Lyra, come with me.” There was a powerful silence as they walked away from the stage. Instantly the press ponies were barking up a storm again, although much more furiously this time. Barin emerged from the forest with Rarity in his hand. Looking up at him, she pointed at the tree cottage before them. “Fluttershy’s.” Barin looked at her, confused. “Fluttershy tree?” He pointed at the house with his other hand. “Eh, no, Fluttershy is not a tree. That is Fluttershy’s house.” Barin raised his eyebrows in understanding. “Ah!” He walked towards the house and saw the butter pegasus appear from the back door. His rumbling footsteps alerted her to his presence. Fluttershy gently flew up to greet Rarity. “Oh, hello Rarity! How was your time with him?” She kept eye level with Rarity as the hand lowered her to the ground. Rarity stepped off daintily. “He was a joy,” She looked back up at Barin sadly. “Although, I did find something, interesting, and I’ll admit it’s very sad.” She tore herself away from his face, her eyes on the brink of tears. “I’ll share it with everypony once we’re around table.” Rarity trotted her way inside. Barin decided to sit where he stood, the act of doing so created a small tremor which rattled the cottage’s windows. Fluttershy looked to Angel, who was standing in the doorway gawking at the sight of Barin. “Angel? Please, make sure none of the other animals get rough with him.” She looked back with uncertainty at Barin. “Though, I can't make any promises.” Once Fluttershy went through the doorway she turned back to the bunny and added, “Oh! And Angel, he will usually hurt anything that hurts him; just out of self defense.” She whispered. Angel responded with a dismissive wave, not fully understanding the gravity of things. The ponies had gone inside and shut the door behind them when Angel approached the giant, who had immediately taken notice of bunny’s small, but authoritative expression. “Hello, rabbit!” Angel scoffed back at Barin, before hopping away. However, the rest of Fluttershy’s animals began to investigate the giant for themselves. Birds flew around him and landed on what ever perch they chose; ferrets, cats and dogs began sniffing his clothes and climbing on his legs; and a bear was eyeing him from head to toe. Angel redirected his attention when he saw the bear step closer aggressively. Being the largest of the other animals, this bear did not like it when something bigger than him came to visit. It was one of the few things that could cause this bear to get upset, and challenge the opponent. The bear sniffed at Barin's shoe and snarled. Angel remembered what Fluttershy had said about Barin's defensive-aggressive habit, so he leaped over to the bear so that he could talk to him and avoid any conflict. Meanwhile, inside the cottage the majority of the mane six and Discord had gathered around Fluttershy’s table. Twilight looked at around the table at her friends, who were all sitting at attention, before beginning. “Well girls, I needed to call this meeting for two reasons. The first one is because Celestia sent me an interesting package recently.” Twilight used her magic to levitate a bucket onto the table. The bucket had a salty smell emanating from it that was immediately apparent. “This... is a bucket.” “Dear god!” Pinkie exclaimed in a dramatically low voice. “There’s more.” Pinkie jerked backward in cold fear and shock. “No!” Twilight looked at Pinkie, unsure whether she was being sarcastic or sincere. Or both. “Any–way.” She angrily pointed at the bucket. “There was an interesting letter inside that bucket! As well as a clam, that kissed me by the way!” She stuck her tongue out at the memory. “It took a lot to get that salty taste out of my mouth!” Fluttershy returned balancing a tray of fresh homemade cookies upon her head. She placed it down on the table, and then sat herself down in her own seat. “I made cookies, if anypony wants any...” Rarity levitated a cookie from the tray. “Thank you, deary.” She then looked to Twilight. “Might I ask, what does the bucket have to do with anything?” Twilight growled in her seat. “It was Discord! He’s the cause of this whole mess!” She gestured to the bucket as if it was the answer. “Using friendship to influence Barin!” The rest of the ponies froze in surprise, a silence lingered just moments after, allowing things to settle in. All of a sudden, Rainbow Dash raised her hoof in the air and slammed it down on the table. “I think Discord deserves a few days in stone!” Pinkie Pie copied Rainbow's action. “Yeah! Nopony takes advantage of a friend!” Fluttershy softly asked, “Please dont hit my table…” AppleJack held her hooves out in front of her. “Woah—Woah there! Ah would like nothin’ more than ta knock him inta next Tuesday, but let’s not let our tails git in a knot just yet!” Twilight nodded and levitated a cookie towards her. “AppleJack’s right, we need to focus, and make a plan. Discord will suffer later, right now we need to deal with the EBA!” Fluttershy raised her hoof. “Twilight, um, I think Rarity wanted to say something about her time with Barin.” Twilight was somewhat caught off guard, but intrigued nonetheless. “Oh!” She looked to Rarity with anticipation, her mood flipping entirely. “What did you find?” Rarity was chewing on her cookie, eating it slowly and carefully. However with attention now focused on her, she swallowed softly. “Eh, okay... Well, during my time with him inside the Castle, I got the chance to look through his sketch book, and what I learned was that he is an architect.” She opened her front legs wide. “He had designs for all these large and beautiful buildings, both with classic and modern styles!” She then placed her hooves on the table and leaned forward in excitement. “It was like seeing houses of the future!” She paused to compose herself. “Sorry, its just that, Deriving from that he is also a pencil artist. I saw a drawing of myself. A beautiful piece of art, and I was deeply touched by it.” Twilight was instantly ecstatic. Her ears shot straight up and her wings sprung outward which was then complemented by her goofy grin. “An architect! That’s huge! I need to see these drawings the first chance I get!” In her excitement, she shoved another cookie into her mouth where it was then chewed on excitedly. Fluttershy stood up from her chair. “I’ll get some milk, and maybe more cookies…” Rarity held up her hoof. “Wait! There is more.” The ponies refocused on her. “One of the drawings was of himself, and two others of his kind…” Rarity felt an emotion swell in her chest. “Well, quite simply I’m pretty sure is was a picture of him and his parents.” She preemptively wiped a tear from her eye. “Until today, I’ve never seen him shed a tear, and I will say it was hard to watch.” Silence. There was only silence from the ponies. Then Twilight sighed, a soft frown upon her face and her ears folded back in pity for the man. She stared down at the table. “He misses his family, as any of us would…” She looked up at Rarity. “Thank you for telling us, he’s often so quiet, and difficult to read.” Fluttershy added solemnly, “Even for me.” Pinkie looked out a nearby window, her ears folded back. “I wanna give him a hug. A big hug. But I cant. Because I’m small.” Barin could not be seen beyond the window, but among the silence his muffled voice could be heard. Rainbow Dash twiddled her hooves in a circle, before aggressively standing up from her chair in a determined mood. “If we don't make things right then he may never find his way home! And I’ll pull my feathers out before that happens!” In a turn of determination and uplifting spirits, the ponies all turned to Twilight while Fluttershy resumed her quest to the kitchen. AppleJack’s mouth was partially occupied with half a cookie she had proudly shoved in her face. “Rainbow’s right.” Applejack agreed by firing a volley spit and crumbs in Twilight’s direction. “Anyway, what were ya were saying about the EBA, Twi?” Twilight caught the crumbs in mid air and slowly explained. “EBA stands for the Equestrian Biology Association, and their headquarters is based in Canterlot. Their entire foundation is made up of respectable biologists and scientists from all around the globe.” Twilight thought this to be a sufficient explanation, until the ignorant faces of her friends convinced her otherwise. “They are the go-to ponies for anything about every living thing that walks these mystical and magical lands of Equestria.” She motioned a hoof towards the front door, outside they could hear the quiet mumbles coming from Barin.“Something like this would have caught their attention.” Pinkie had emptied the rest of her cookies into her mouth. “Mmy harv-nt herr o- th-m be-ore!” Some wet crumbs flew from her mouth onto the table. Twilight had her attention on the clock on the wall just off to the side. “Most ponies forget who they are. Their research is important, but they don't get much credit for what they do.” She rested her chin on her hoof. “Plus, they usually do private work and then release their findings at their leisure.” Rarity frowned and crossed her hooves in suspicion. “Private you say? From that kind of association it sounds suspicious if you ask me.” Twilight nodded sincerely. “You have no idea, they're like the secret service of equestrian science.” Fluttershy returned to the table with a fresh tray of cookies on her head, and a tray of milk glasses on her back. Seeing the amount of crumbs that had accumulated on the table Fluttershy sighed and placed the trays down and trotted back to the kitchen to fetch some paper towels. Without looking Twilight distributed the goods evenly with her magic, while using one cookie as a conversational pointer. “A long time ago, they asked me to be apart of their little group.” She took a bite out of the confection. “But the only reason, was because I had published–” She swallowed “–a collection of documents that disproved a biochemistry theory about the immune system in dragons. But the thing is, that theory was made by the EBA! They hate being proved otherwise!” She aggressively ate the rest of her cookie and drank a glass of milk before continuing on with her rant. “That was the third time I respectfully disproved some of their work, and they wanted me to join them for the sole purpose of getting credit!” She slammed her hoof on the table. “Almost every pony to them that does independent work is seen as competition! The only reason I’ve been able to do what I do is because I was a protege!” Fluttershy had returned with the paper towels and took note of Twilight’s now empty glass. Placing the towels down she leaned over to Twilight. “Um, w-would you like a refill?” Twilight calmed down enough to politely decline. “No thank you.” Rainbow Dash was intrigued by Twilight’s aggressive display. “Geez Twilight, I’ve never saw you to be the one to have egghead rivals.” She stretched over to grab another cookie off of AppleJack, who was unwilling to share. Twilight leaned back in her chair and stared at the ceiling. “No, we aren’t rivals, they’re just a nuisance that’s all.” She gestured circles with her hoof. “The whole association has an air of snobbiness.” Her hoof dropped to her side. “It’s like they think themselves as the best of the best, even though they’re not.” Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. “So what do they have to do with the big guy?” She took a deep breath and looked at Dash. “The EBA has the authority to declare anything they discover a hazard or even threat to all of pony kind. To help enforce immediate dangers, they have the power to request military action if necessary, and to that degree some military authority.” She shrugged. “But I digress.” She stuffed another cookie into her mouth. “My point is that they could declare–” She swallowed. “–him a threat to Ponyville!” Pinkie was about to indulge herself in another batch of cookies, however Fluttershy had not left her seat to fetch a third batch, so as to where this particular bakers dozen came from was a mystery. “Why would they do that? He’s nice!” Twilight swirled the milk left within her glass. “Hopefully, they’ll see him that way. Best case scenario is that they actually make him eligible to become an Equestrian citizen and that they help welcome him into society. Worse case.” She placed the glass down. “They drive him away from the castle and deeper into the forest.” Rainbow Dash spoke up without thinking. “Or lock’em up in a zoo.” Most of the ponies at the table gave her angry looks. Pinkie widened her eyes in horror, and made a successful effort to swallow all the cookies at once. “No! I don't want him to go away!” AppleJack placed her hoof on Pinkie. “And he won't sugarcube. He is tolerant, kind, and very gentle. We just need ta introduce him!” Rarity fiddled with her cookies and nodded her head. “While I agree with what you say AppleJack, I must say that Barin can be fairly frightening sometimes. I mean, he nearly scared the magic out of me back at the castle when I accidentally poked him with my horn.” Rainbow Dash had dunked a cookie in her glass of milk and held it there. “Well, I’m no egghead, but there’s a difference between being scary on purpose and just being plain scary.” She took a quick bite of her soaked cookie. “That and you ponies can’t really do much about it,” She said spraying another wave of spit soaked crumbs. Twilight widened her eyes and glared at Dash. “What do you mean “us” ponies?!” Dash swallowed her cookie whole and rested a leg on the table as she leaned forward. “I’m just saying, Twi.” Dash patted her chest with her other hoof and stuck it out proudly. “At least I would be able to fly away fast enough if he got mad at me!” Twilight’s eyes narrowed. “You know.” She pointed to a nearby window. “I could walk outside right now and put your words to the test!” Rainbow’s cocky expression did not change. “Your bluffing.” This enticed Twilight to smile, and teleport in a flash of light. The others looked to Rainbow nervously. “What?” Rainbow asked. “There’s no way she’s going to–” Rainbow was interrupted by Twilight’s dramatic whine that could be heard from outside. “Barin!” Rainbow’s face fell and she instantly streaked out of her chair towards the back door at lightning speeds shouting, “I didnt mean it!” However, when she did catch up to Twilight her jaw dropped at an unexpected scene. Barin was lying with his back flat against the grass, his limbs out stretched as he basked shirtless in the afternoon sunlight. Surrounding him was a vast array of woodland creatures doing the same, while the bear cowered just a few yards away; visibly shivering in fear while doing his best to avoid eye contact with the giant. Angel stood by him and patted his shoulder in support. Lyra turned a brass door knob and opened the wooden door just enough to poke her head through it. “You called for me Ms. Ink?” Green Ink sat proudly at her large office desk. A smile of questionable legitimacy stuck to her face and she gestured to the chair before her desk without saying a word. Lyra made sure to shut the door gently behind her, before she proceeded to the offered chair. The chair in question was simple and wooden, yet once she sat in it, it was surprisingly comfy. Unlike the chair’s simplicity, Green Ink’s desk was quite the work of craftsmanship. While there were no intricate patterns or fancy designs, one could tell that this desk was well put together, and probably had more glittering subtleties then what could be seen at first glance. In the background, there were muffled sounds of ponies moving about the building and the occasional rustle of papers and whispered conversation. Green Ink’s desk top was decorated with the intention of looking well prepared. On her left was a large stapler that looked as if it had taken on a fair stack of papers throughout its life, as well as a tape dispenser adjacent to it. On her right was a metal cup holding a mixture of pens, pencils, markers, and highlighters for any occasion. Next to this was an inkwell and a dry quill neatly placed side by side. There was a thin, but wide book directly beneath her hooves that rested on the table’s top. Finally, there was a metal basket full of papers of various purposes near the far right of the table, practically sitting on the edge for the depositor's convenience. Green Ink opened her mouth before speaking with a kind hearted tone, “How are you this morning, Lyra?” Lyra was somewhat nervous. The chair was cold despite it’s natural comfort. In fact, everything Lyra had touched thus far in the room felt cold. “I-I’m fine, thank you.” Green Ink reached down behind her desk without breaking eye contact and pulled out a document. She placed it on the table with more force than necessary. “I want to start the investigation of the giant today.” She broke eye contact for the first time, and shuffled through her cup of writing tools for a specific black pen that looked no more different than the other two black pens in the cup. Lyra perked up a little bit at the prospect of seeing the giant up close. “Great! I’ve been dying to see what he really loo–” Green held up her right hoof long enough to quiet Lyra, which wasn't long at all. “First of all, we refer to the giant as an “it” for the sole case of not truly knowing the gender without a credible source of evidence suggesting otherwise.” Lyra raised a brow. “Princess Twilight isn't credible?” Green was carefully but swiftly filling out the document. “No. Under article two section five of the EBA’s articles, it states that if a princess is suspected of withholding information to the ponies without logistical or moral cause, then the EBA has authority to discount her credibility.” She glanced up from her writing and smiled crookedly. “Twilight will rue her actions soon enough!” Having said that without falter, Lyra inferred that she was well rehearsed in the articles. She shifted in her cold chair. The heat of her body was barely doing enough to warm the wood beneath her. “If you don't mind me asking, Ms. Ink, do you have a grudge toward her?” Green Ink stopped writing, and stated blankly at the page. She then gently placed the pen down, and leaned back in her large black cushioned chair slowly. Some little part of her chair creaked under the slow shift in weight. “Under any other circumstance such as this, no. However, Twilight has been a pain in the neck for a while now.” Green stared into the distance, remembering an infuriating past. “That pony has done nothing but sour the EBA’s reputation, a reputation upheld by generations of ponies.” She returned her gaze to Lyra with a mild anger in her eyes. “Twilight has published numerous documents, data findings, and scientific discoveries as nothing more than a hobby! Many of these are projects that we were working on!” She looked down to the flat book on her desk and grew angry at it, “But with her being a royal protege, we couldn't do anything about it but sit there twiddling our hooves while she took what little credit there was to receive, passing it off modestly.” Lyra was sitting as stiff as the chair she sat on, surprised by this statement. “I thought the EBA was about doing science for the greater good of Equestria, not for show biz.” Green Ink looked up at her, her eyes were stressed, but her smile was lax. “We don't get much credit for what we do, even with lives on the line, so when one pony steals what little we have to be proud of, we do what we can to stick our name on it.” Lyra was now getting disturbed, but Green continued as if prompted to. Green stood up from her chair, and came around the desk towards Lyra. “I can't knock ya for that kind of good will and spirit, but our pain comes from working here for a long time.” Green put her other hoof on Lyra’s right shoulder, somewhat roughly. “We work practically twenty-four seven! Breaking our backs from leaning over a table! Or venturing to places no pony has ever trotted before!” Lyra was getting frightened by Ink’s increasing volume and negative passion. “Months or even years of hard work! And what do we buckers get? A letter signed from Celestia saying, ‘Good job! Here’s more money to fund your flying–feathers!’ That’s all we get!” Green jumped back from Lyra and gave her a quick look of apology for her aggression. “It’s not money for us personally.” Her anger resumed. “It’s money only to be used for research purposes!” She began to trot back to her chair. “I’m not saying that we get paid badly, but would it hurt to get a bonus every once in a while!?” She looked at the ceiling light as if it held the answer. Out of curiosity, Lyra managed to stammer another question. “H–Have you tried taking this up with Celestia? I’m sure–” Green Ink heaved in a deep sigh, and looked back to Lyra. “You think I haven't already tried?” She then looked at the ceiling again. “I’m not the boss. Our leaders consist of five ponies, who silence our voices before they reach the Princesses. They get better pay, better benefits, and overall no reason to complain. Those ponies have dishonored us, and the families before them! They barely know a thing about what we do, and what their ancestors did, because they hardly do any work in the first place!” There was sudden silence as her voice failed to echo. Lyra sat there, both scared at her boss, but also sorry for her pains. The clock on the back wall over looked the room and ticked very quietly, hour hand directly on two o’clock. Green returned her gaze and her pen to the paper. “I’m sorry you had to hear that Lyra.” Lyra waved her hoof aside and lied behind her pitiful smile. “It’s fine.” Green didn't bother to look up from her work. “It’s just a sensitive topic for me. Ponies like you though, they keep the EBA on four hooves.” She stopped writing and put the pen on top of the page. “You are the most valuable asset we can find, but we hope you understand the terms of your hard work.” She turned the paper around to face Lyra, and gently slid it toward her. “There will be no fame, no vast fortune, and hardly any recognition.” Lyra could see a place for a signature, presumably hers. Looking over the document a bit more Lyra could see that it was technical paper work addressing the terms and conditions agreed upon by ponies involved with an investigation. One line in particular said: “The pony(ies) listed on this document and who presumably sign this document have authority to request or deny personal protection, authorised equipment, and/or any other assets she or he deems necessary to complete data collection properly. Requests shall be granted by the lead manager or otherwise higher authority…” Lyra looked Green Ink straight in the eye. “Green, I request that I have no guards or any other pony join me.” Using her magic she lifted the pen. “However, I do request that you supply me with a large note pad, a pair of binoculars, a magically charged gem, and one sample container.” She quickly signed her name on the document. Green Ink leaned back in her chair again, with a cocked eyebrow. “No protection? You do realize where it lives?” Lyra smiled confidently, “I know enough spells to take care of myself.” She stood up from her chair. “Besides, if it is as smart as Twilight claims, then it could take offense to a guard brandishing a weapon, should it see me.” Green sighed and closed her eyes gently. “Yeah, about that.” She opened her eyes. “I need to ask something of you Lyra, something I normally would never ask of anypony.” Lyra tensed up, feeling that she would have carry out this favor whether she liked it or not. “My gut tells me that Twilight Sparkle has been keeping the giant to herself so that she could take all the credit for its discovery.” She rested her chin on her hoof. “If you deem it safe to do so, try talking to it, and see how it reacts. And if you can, find any evidence that suggests that Twilight has been keeping it to herself, because if I’m right; our latest princess could be guilty of the damage that giant has caused.” Lyra stood before the castle’s entrance, her saddle bag full of equipment that was mounted on her back. “So this is the place?!” she asked aloud while looking over the crumbling scenery. “A sensible choice I guess. It’s the only structure around here big enough to house him–err–it.” The ruins appeared to be no better than previous descriptions, the walls still appeared out of shape and littered with holes, across the ground large heaping piles of rubble still remained. However, given it’s new inhabitant, things could’ve looked worse. Lyra smiled and trotted inside without much hesitation. The castle ruins was plagued with the smell of stale musty air. The clopping of Lyra’s hooves echoed off the walls, floor, and whatever ceiling there was left of. A light wind created a an eerie howl in the background, and there was the occasional crumble of debris either falling or landing onto more rubble. Lyra’s eyebrows were slanted outward in a worried expression. “This place is kinda creepy.” The foreboding echo of something large crashing down on somewhere else reverberated throughout the castle. Lyra quietly whined and shot a glance over her shoulder. “On second thought, this place is really creepy.” The sunlight that shone through the cracked walls did not help with the ominous atmosphere. A few minutes of silence had passed,when all of a sudden a loud shout thundered throughout the castle. Lyra flinched as it caught her by surprise. The identity of the noise was far too distorted by the echo. However, the noise had left fast as it had come. Lyra stood there, waiting for something to happen. She could hear nothing but the howling of the wind and nothing more. Eventually once Lyra got her nerves together, she continued on, despite the sound of her own hoof steps unsettling her. Further down the seemingly endless corridor, she could slowly start to hear noises coming from a distant room. A noise that almost resembled a voice, as if something, or somepony, was talking. “Who else would be out here?” The voice sounded like it was spewing gibberish, none of the words she heard made any kind of sense. When Lyra turned the corner that led into the dining hall, she saw the source of what was making the noise. The giant sat on its makeshift bed muttering to itself. The creature would speak, then pause, then speak again. As if was having some form of conversation with someone she couldn't see. “I don’t know any better...Well, they haven't done me wrong, I need to trust them...Until I have a better understanding I have no choice...Touche.” Lyra’s jaw dropped to the floor at the sight of seeing the giant. Quickly the mare levitated her notebook out of her bag and began to write furiously. Half way down the page, Lyra froze when she to the realization that she was out in the open; exposed for all to see. Horrified at the thought of being seen, she dove back behind the entryway for cover. Lyra sat there for a few more seconds as she tried to wrap her head around the situation. “Keep your head in the game Lyra!” She hissed, “Remember what Green Ink said.” She turned around the corner to take a look at the creature again. The giant was still occupied with a large bundle of vines, stretching them and tugging on them, as if testing their strength. She just stood there, observing it, listening to its ramblings. “There is less to do around here lately...I miss her company...As nosy as she is, I feel like I connect with her the most...I agree....No, I can't agree with that. I want to be friends with her…That may be true but it doesn't change anything!” Lyra froze. She distinctly heard something that sounded familiar, almost like a name. She listened further, hoping to hear it again. Unfortunately, she got was more gibberish. “The orthodox levels of this are most un..! Things will get better! They have to...” Lyra’s ears folded back as she realized what had to be done. “I need to find out, if Twilight is lying, then this is the chance to discover the truth!” Lyra slowly crawled out from behind the entrance. In the distance, the giant lowered itself onto the bed continuing to fiddle with the large bundle of vines. Lyra gulped, and looked left then right as if checking for traps, seeing that she was clear, she preceded. Step by step she trotted forward quietly; trying to keep the sound of her clopping hooves at a minimum. Barin was still mumbling to himself, which was likely covering up the sound of the hoof steps. “A man rides the bus; he holds a precious present; it’s snowing on Mt. Fuji...” Lyra didn't pay any heed to what it was saying, and just made sure that every step was a quiet as possible. Half of her wanted to communicate with but, her other half was very terrified of its scale. The closer she got, the smaller she felt. But she couldn’t double back. Now she had to see its reaction, for it could spark the beginning of a royal controversy. However, Lyra couldn't help but take note of its obsession with the vines. It had started furiously pulling on them, trying harder to break them apart. The giant took one particular strand, wrapped each end around his digits, and began to pull. The vine had put up a fair fight before giving in, the recoil forced one of the giant’s arms jerked him backwards, Lyra froze when she saw its eyes flicker in her direction for a millisecond before returning back to the broken vine. Its eyes then flash past her again before going back to the vines. The giant then paused and frowned with confusion, next it began to turn its head, slowly; so painstakingly slow that the tension in the room literally began to boil. Lyra felt as if she was going to die, that this...thing was going to eat her or something! It stopped. Right above her, eyes locked on hers; both stuck in some form of staring contest, a contest in which Lyra took as if it was some life or death situation. You blink, you die. Lyra was visibly shaking in fear, not having any idea as to what she should do or say next, nor the potential hostility of the beast. The contest went on for another thirty seconds, though for Lyra it felt like an eternity had passed The giant however blinked a few times, opened its mouth, and spoke with optimism, “Hello?” Its Equestrian caught Lyra off guard, her brain didn’t know how to react. First she was struck by fear, then confusion, and a tsunami of sudden excitement washed over her and she responded instinctually, “Hi!” She shut her mouth quickly, cursing herself for losing control so quickly. The seemingly friendly giant stuck out its hand, and held it in front of her. The limb alone nearly took up her entire field of view. “I am Barin.” It spoke in clunky Equestrian, rather than fluent gibberish. Lyra was still shaking in her horseshoes, trying not to completely flip out. Part of the problem was she didn't know if she should completely geek out and hung its massive, meaty hand like no tomorrow. “I–I’m Lyra. Hi.” She tried to lift her leg in an attempt to shake its hand, but her quivering body wouldn’t allow it. She saw the hand retract and the fingers curl into a state of rejection. Her mind was screaming yes, that this was appropriate to lose control over. The giant named Barin stared at her for a few moments. Analysing her with mild interest, its eyes dilated between blinks. “Leeroy scared?” It asked. Lyra quickly glanced at the ground, trying her best not to laugh at the butchering of her name. “Its, uh, Lyra! Ly–ra, and,” She was afraid of her answer. “yes? Matter of fact I’m petrified.” She mumbled the end bit. Barin sighed deeply, and placed the bundle of vines down, and reached over to Lyra again with his hand like before, but used only one finger. Lyra stared at the finger, still not sure what to do about it. However, before she could do anything it began to creep. Like a slithery snake the appendage invaded her personal space. Lyra reared her head back, but her body still refused to take a single step. Unable to get away, she bit her lip and braced for impact. At first the sensation of being touched in such a way was absolutely alien for her. Lyra felt a warm and smooth object gently caress the fur behind her ears. After the fear had passed, the warmth felt good. Very good. Although, this only seemed to make her even more confused, but at the same time her emotions were being overwhelmed by a slow, but powerful realization. Not only was she making contact with a finger, but a finger that belonged to a giant with a whole set of them! Lyra couldn't hold herself back anymore. She pushed into the warmth of the finger like it was a soft teddy bear. Lyra felt the rest of his hands begin to please her. She melted in his hand, and began to rub and press her body into it with each stroke. After a few seconds, Barin retracted his hand in favor of his other. But in the few moments Lyra was left untouched, she made a mad dash towards him. In this momentary down time between hands, Lyra remembered what she was supposed to be doing. Collecting data. She took this moment to reach back into her bag and retrieve the notepad, before swiftly resuming her approach. Once Lyra felt she was close enough, she sat down and waited for Barin’s hand to come to her. Once his hand got in range, Lyra gently grabbed it and with a surprising amount of strength, managed to force open the fist. Barin watched on with mild surprise as he observed this crazy pony examine his hand as if she were a palm reader. A pen was scribbling in a notepad she was levitating with her magic. As Barin watched this, he became aware of the sound of flapping wings that came from above. Looking up, he could barely see a purple figure squeeze it’s way through a small hole in the roof. Twilight Sparkle, silently glided over to Barin before landing softly on his shoulder in an upright sitting position. Twilight greeted Barin with her usual air of warmth and whispered into his ear, “Hello Barin.” Barin greeted her silently by mouthing the word “Hi.” He was keen on letting Lyra do her thing uninterrupted for the sake of his amusement, and figured Twilight was being quiet for the same reason. He felt the princess lean against his head, her fur cold from flying through the air. Twilight’s feathers fidgeted against the skin on his neck making it slightly irritated, but not unbearably so. Barin didn't want to turn his head, lest he disrupt Twilight’s comfort. Instead he just observed Lyra doing her thing. Lyra was poking at the skin, pulling it, smelling it, and even went to the point of licking the palm with a quick swipe. Barin’s hand jerked back in surprise at the ticklish agitation from her tongue. Twilight stuck her tongue out and voluntarily voiced her disgust out loud. “Blech! Do you have any idea where that has been?!” Lyra jerked her head up, saw the princess, and blushed. “Oh! Hi…” Barin used his thumb and felt over the spot where the pony had licked. His face was morphing between amusement and disturbed, not being sure which one suited the situation best. Lyra shouted up at Twilight, “What are you doing there?!” Twilight pointed back down with her hoof. “I should ask you the same thing! Your lucky he didn't hurt you!” Lyra shook her head. “I dont think you understood my question!” She glared upward. “What are you doing there?! On its shoulder?!” Twilight pointed at Barin. “First of all Barin is a he!” She then pointed at Lyra. “Secondly, I’m here on official duties! You are performing an investigation without my permission!” Lyra seemed taken aback. “Official duties?” She smirked and raised an eyebrow. “Without telling the rest of us?” Twilight frowned. “I-I, welp, he’s learning Equestrian. And in turn I have also been learning his language.” Lyra wanted to laugh, but given that Barin spoke her name earlier it was now obvious who had taught him. “How far have you possibly gotten?” Twilight looked at Barin, and spoke in his language. “Barin, cal–or iz Lyra?” Barin glanced at Twilight. “It’s col–or, Twilight. Color, and pronounce ‘is’ with a ‘s–s’. Ask again.” Twilight repeated the question, being careful to pronounce the words. “Col–or is–s Lyra?" Barin looked at Lyra, responding in Equestrian. “Lie-ra is. Light green, and white.” Twilight clopped her hooved in applause. “Yes! Twilight co–lor?” Barin didn’t look at Twilight. “Purple, and pink.” He shrugged the shoulder Twilight sat on, which prompted her dismount from her perch onto the floor beside Lyra, who had her jaw dropped open. Twilight’s smile turned into a giddy giggle. “We’ve just covered the words ‘and’, and ‘is’! Plus his colors are getting better as well!” She waved to Barin and he turned away, to resume handling the vines. Lyra closed her mouth quickly, and watched Barin as he tested the vines’ strength. She asked Twilight, “How smart is, he?” Twilight was still amused by Lyra obsession. “He’s very smart, no less intelligent than you or I.” Lyra turned her attention back to Twilight, snapping out of her state of wonder. “Wait a minute!” She turned to Twilight with anger burning in her eyes and acid dripping from her words, “You did lie!” Twilight put her hoof on Lyra’s shoulder and spoke sincerely, “Lyra, you should stay for a while,” Lyra shoved Twilight hoof off her. “I can explain!” “Explain what!? How you told him to terrorize the town!?” Lyra’s anger was boiling over. “Ponies could have been killed!” “It wasn’t my fault! Discord was the one who told him to do it!” Twilight argued. “Isn't Discord your responsibility? As an element of harmony?!” Twilight threw up her hoof in frustration. “You expect me to keep constant tabs on a God of Chaos?!” Lyra rolled her eyes and spoke sarcastically. “Oh! So it’s responsibility you have trouble with!” Twilight took a step forward and gritted her teeth. “I was obliging to Celestia’s request!” Lyra leaned forward aggressively, both of their heads nearly coming into contact. “Oblige?! You still obey her like you're still a protege!” “Hey! Your following under Green Ink! She’s a biased–” Lyra grew more furious, and butted her head against Twilight’s.“You are working directly against the EBA! If you wanted our help you could have just tried a more honest approach!” “I did what I had to do!” Twilight pushed back. “That’s crap and you know it!” Lyra broke away and began to trot towards the exit. “You can explain everything to Ponyville when you're on trial for violating the Royal Articles!” At that she started to run towards the exit. Barin looked back and saw the ponies chasing each other, he shrugged and made no move to stand up or follow. Twilight flew behind her, keeping pace. “Lyra, please! What if I did tell the truth!? What would have the ponies said?” The pair darted around the archway and out of the dining hall. Lyra continued to make her way out of the ruins at a brisk pace, with the walls echoing the furious galloping. The pair of ponies occasionally swerved left or right to avoid hitting an obstacle, but neither of them showed any signs of slowing down. “I’ll be honest Twilight, I can't say! But this is my job now! I’m doing this for him, and I’m doing this for the good of Equestria!” She quickly looked at Twilight, “You need to face the facts!” She looked forward and swerved to avoid debris. Rounding another corner, Twilight began to beg. “Lyra please! I need the support of the EBA! If we work together then all of this will work out in the end!” Lyra’s anger drained, but her speed did not falter. “Twilight, I’ve been trusted with responsibilities I’ve wanted for a long time. As a friend, I’m sorry, but this needs to happen.” The exit was in sight. “I can't risk it, even if the EBA is not what I thought it would be.” She levitated a glowing gem from her bag. Lyra’s horn swelled with a magical glow, before flashing a blinding light. Leaving only Twilight left in it’s wake, on the verge of tears, and desperate for some help. Barin poked his head around the corner out of both curiosity and concern. “Jesus,” He said turning around and going back to his bed. “I don't know exactly what, but some shit is going down right now.”