Lightning surged through Tealove's body like a crashing wave of energy that vibrated straight down her bones. She felt the whirlwind of power spin around her, whipping her mane and tail, then the surge began pooling just behind her skull and with one giant explosion of magic, the pressure released. It traveled down to her limbs, regrouped at her hooves, then escaped into the outer surface of the wispy sphere she stood in, crackling until it zapped the air around her, illuminating the whole room.
Tealove wanted it to last forever. The energy, the strength, the power she felt inside that was finally being freed-it was the best feeling. She caught a glimpse of Beach Mark on the ground below, stole a glance at Bon-Bon and Big Mac beside him-her heart soared, rose to the sky she'd been born from. And it all felt right.
Blinding light suddenly covered her vision, shining out form her very insides, all she could see was an endless white, burning only a bit at her right hind leg's hock, and just when Tealove thought she was going to go blind, color was morphed back into the world. She felt the spark dying, her heart returning to her chest, then the wisping crystal aura began to become thinner and thinner until she felt her feet touch the ground. Then reality came back to her and Tealove was released from the wind and her curly mane fell perfectly back on her shoulder. She felt new, reborn, though the world was much less amazing than the light she'd experienced, it would have to do.
Tealove took in a deep breath then turned to the watching ponies. Mark was in awe. Bon-Bon was actually grinning. And Big Mac (I felt my numb face flushing) was smiling.
"Welcome to Celestia's Clandestine, Sweet," Mark declared, "You're officially in."
"Sorry Celestia couldn't make it," Bon-Bon said as Mark went off to fetch their things, "She always comes, but..you know."
"Yup," Big Mac agreed, but Tealove saw that he was gazing at her instead.
Tealove held her head high, proud of the step she'd just taken, then put forward her right hind leg to show off her newest pride and glory. On the outer side of her leg, right under the hock, was the Clandestine symbol, engraved into her skin, never to be removed. It was a Celestial Sun, half made from the upper half of their Princess.
"Alright!" Mark exclaimed as he returned, handing each pony a saddle bag and when he reached Tealove, he said, "Good luck, babe."
The mare scowled, but not even Mark could ruin her mood, so she grumbled, "Thanks," and hurried to join Big Mac and Bon-Bon at the threshold.
The ponies had been woken early that morning to prepare for the long journey ahead of them. Tealove had been relieved to see the Sun shining at dawn-that meant Celestia was alive and at least well enough to use magic. And though the three hadn't been let in to see the Princess, Mark had given them all the instructions they'd need.
"It's sort of exciting, isn't it?" Tealove whinnied as the ponies trotted out into the cool morning breeze, each bundled up in a sweater and hock warmers (which don't warm you at all! We just use the to cover our Clandestine branding), "A trip to Las Pegasus sounds awesome!"
"Yup," Big Mac replied and Bon-Bon chimed in, "We've been three times, but we've always been too busy there to enjoy the experience..and this time will probably be the same." (Well thanks for that, party pooper.)
"Well, do you think we'll have a few minutes to look around?" Tealove persisted, "Because have heard they have the most amazing productions and cuisine! Plus there's Tr-"
"We probably won't," Bon-Bon cut in, splashing into Tealove like a blasting hose on a fire, "Now everypony take a ticket!"
Tealove and Big Mac each took their golden train ticket to Las Pegasus then the three trotted across the dewed grass to sit on the very platform bench that Tealove had been attacked on two nights ago. As Big Mac took a look at the provided map of Equestria and Bon-Bon sipped at her Star Bucked Coffee, Tealove kept looking over her shoulder, scanning the pretty much totally empty station for any suspicious looking ponies. Ponies that might jump out with a knife or a-
"It's here!" Bon-Bon exclaimed, making Tealove jump as the Canterlot Express puffed into the station.
"All aboard!"
Right once the ponies took their seats on the train, Tealove dumped out her sweater pockets, quickly arranged everything on the bench then stepped back to admire her work with a huge grin.
"What's with all that?" Bon-Bon asked indignantly, pulling wind swept Big Mac back into his seat before he leaned out the window far enough to fall.
"What?" Tealove asked, gazing over the tea party and card games she had set up, "You don't really expect me to sit here for three hours doing nothing."
Bon-Bon rolled her eyes, but when Big Mac saw the mini apples cakes Tealove had whipped up just for him, he came running to join the party. (Victory! Now to trick him into saying more than 'yep' and 'nope'.)
"So, Big Mac," Tealove began casually as the stallion downed five mini cupcakes in one bite, "You live in Ponyville?"
"Yup."
"And what do you do there?"
Big Mac chewed for a moment then replied, "Sweet Apple Acres," and returned to his food. (Well, it's a start.)
"And..what's your favorite type of apple? I like the..red ones. Because they're crunchy!"
Big Mac swallowed then said, "Honey Crisp."
Tealove blinked, "Because..?"
"Oh," Big Mac quickly wiped his lips free of frosting, "because they're the sweetest."
"So you like sweet things?" Tealove pieced together, her hear pounding even more than before, "I love making desserts! Are you more of a chocolate pony of a chewy, hard type?"
"Chewy." (I can't believe he's actually talking to me!)
For the rest of the trip, Tealove spent her time sipping lemon tea and trying her best to force as many words out of Big Mac as possible. The ponies ate every last crumb of pastry and only when she was bribed with fudge brownies did Bon-Bon join and when Tealove brought out the card games, the three ended up screaming as they played. (Let me tell you, the competition was pretty fierce.) And before they knew it, the conductor's voice was calling through the cars, "Welcome ladies and gentlecolts to the ever fabulous Las Pegasus!".
"Already?!" Bon-Bon unexpectedly cried, pulling at her mane that was sprinkled with pastry crumbs, staring at the card Tealove had just put down that announced her the winner.The other two stared at Bon-Bon. (Well, I never thought I'd see that come out during this trip.) Bon-Bon sheepishly grinned as Bi Mac replied, "Yup," and began helping Tealove stuff everything back int her jacket pockets, and once everything was zipped and harnessed, the ponies made their way off the train.
Stepping off the platform was like stepping into a whole other world. Sidewalks packed with ponies styling the latest fashion, streets zooming with the newest cars, music and lights transforming the atmosphere into a party house. Glowing advertisements, giant bill boards, skyscrapers, every store a pony could dream of, the smells of a million different foods either coming form the cafes and outdoors restaurants or the many food trucks lining the streets. Everything was bustling, just the sight of it all was a roller coaster for the senses and as the ponies began trotting into the fray, it was hard to stay focused.
"Look! Oh my gosh, guys, look!!" Tealove cried, galloping as fast as she could to slam her face flat against a store front window.
"What are-" Bon-Bon started to ask, but then she saw the curly pink print on the glass and her eyes narrowed, "Really? Right no-?"
"Yep!!" and sure enough, Big Mac had his face flat against the window too, gazing longingly into the most famous tea time shop in Equestria.
"Tres Bella's Cafe is the most amazing place in all of the world!!" Tealove gushed, "It's the most famous, delicious, most beautiful cafe ever! It caters for all the biggest events-like the Grand Galloping Gala! And the Princess's Tea Parties! And snack times! They've traveled to every corner of Equestria, under the sea, to all the different species-and every pony, monster, deer, bug, zebra, donkey, griffon- everyone, everybody loves them!" the mare sighed dreamily as Big Mac started to fog up the window and Bon-Bon joined them.
"Wow," Bon-Bon said, scanning the window displaying a royal tea party scene, its fancy table overflowing with Tres Bella's specialties, "they do look...but we have to get going, so take your last looks and let's go!"
"But..," Tealove pressed her muzzle harder against the glas as if that would allow her to be sucked into her paradise, "I'b albays dreamb of tasting beir food..just to smell ib abb woulb be an honor! And-"
"Okay, Bon-Bon peeled Big Mac and Tealove off the window, leaving giant smudge marks, "Let's go before someone goes off on another Tres whatever's tangent!" (Noooo! But I can feel their strawberry scones drizzled in vanilla bean glaze with french creme filling calling me!!)
The ponies shoved their way through the bustle of the city until Big Mac finally managed to hail a taxi, then they squished in and rode deeper into the sparkling metropolis.
"Oh, look!" Bon-Bon cried, pointing to their left, "The Ghost of the Opera is in town! Oh, we have to make time to see-!"
"Now, Bon-Bon," Tealove interrupted as if she was explaining to a filly why two plus two was four, "We have to get going, so take your last look before I have to claw you away from the window seat!"
Big Mac chuckled, "Yep!" as Bon-Bon instantly blushed pink, giving Tealove her first feeling of superiority in the group.
Twenty sports cars, six taxis, five stoplights and one near crash experience, the ponies fond themselves staring up at the glass skyscraper that reached so high it disappeared into the clouds.
"Wow. Mark wasn't kidding when he said Celestia got us the best suite in town," Tealove grinned as they walked into the glamorous warmth of the hotel.
Almost everything was a white or cream color (it's a miracle how they keep things from staining!), crystal chandeliers tinkled on the ceilings, a neat lounge stood off to the right of the glass double doors, fresh complimentary cookies were set on every corner (which Big Mac quickly helped himself to) and classical music dancing through the air set the refined, but cozy mood.
"Good morning, beautiful ladies and fellow gentlecolt!" a young stallion bell hopper exclaimed as he approached the ponies, "Welcome to the Suites of Pegasus! I can take your luggage up to your room and you three just get comfortable, relax and feel free to help yourselves to anything you see!"
Tealove grinned as she unzipped her sweater, "Thank y-"
"We'll take our things up ourselves," Bon-Bon quickly cut in. Tealove shot her a look (you could at least be nice abut it!).
"If you're sure, madam," the bell hopper said, a bit taken back, "I'll just hoof over your room key and you can be off!"
Bon-Bon took the keys and as they trotted towards the elevator, Tealove called back, "Thank you!", then joined her companions as the elevator door slid shut.
Big Mac punched the level fourteen button, then the soothing piano music began and the elevator dinged until it jerked around for a moment and came to a stop at the tenth level. The doors slid back open and in trotted a mare with a light blue coat, a lime green, straight mane and tail that swept elegantly to the floor, each with one streak of white and a cutie mark that was a teaspoon sprinkling sugar down her leg.
"Hello," she said in a British accent that tugged something in the back of Tealove's brain, "What bring you three to Las Pegasus?"
Tealove was about to reply, but before the words could escape her throat, her eyes locked with the mare's and instantly, a harsh gust of wind seemed to force Tealove's knees together, causing her to collapse, breathing as if she'd just run a mile, and just as she caught a glimpse of the mare screaming and pointing at Tealove, her eyes rolled to the back of her head and she was swept away.
"An exchange, sir?" Queen Chrysalis crooned, "Oh, I' d be so honored!"
The stallion she spoke to was tall, broad and wearing a trench coat and hat that kept every other aspect of his appearance a secret.
"Yes," the stallion replied, "but only on one condition. If you and your Changlings assist in-"
"Yes, yes, I know," Chrysalis waved his sentence away, "I know your conditions, but there's only one condition that I will work by."
"And what would that be?"
Chrysalis grinned, hungrily licking up the saliva strung across her fangs, then asked, "Are you willing to kill to get what we want?"
The stallion smirked, "Never has bothered me, never will."
An evil grin curled up the Queen's face as she declared, "Then it's a deal! Now to carry out our first attack on-"
Suddenly, a splash of freezing water was dumped onto Tealove's face and she jerked forward, sputtering and choking, sweating and shaking. She was in bed, sinking into one of the fluffy mattresses in their hotel room, Bon-Bon, Big Mac, and the elevator mare standing anxiously at her bedside. Big Mac was holding an empty coffee mug in his mouth that read, 'I heart My L.P Casino'.
"Bloody hay," the mare-who looked almost totally different with her mane in a high bun and glasses-whispered.
"Tealove!" Bon-Bon exclaimed, exasperated, "What happened?"
Breathing hard, Tealove managed to reply, though her voice was raspy, "I..don't know. But I saw..,"
"You're seeing things," the mare softly said, and the way there wasn't even a hint of doubt in her voice scared Tealove.
"No, I..how long has it been?"
"An hour," Bon-Bon replied.
"Tealove fell back into the pillows and let herself sink in as images of Queen Chrysalis ran through her mind. That reminded her of her mom and dad..and her tenth birthday..Tealove quickly blinked back tears.
"You scared us so much, Sugar Kiss almost called the ambulance!" Bon-Bon exclaimed, then squeezed her eyes shut, opened them to reveal glowing irises, then somehow made a rag on the bedside table levitate to pat Tealove's face dry. Tealove quickly glanced at Sugar Kiss (don't use your magic while she's in here, hay bag!), but thankfully, she was too busy folding a hotel blanket to notice.
"Do you have these visions a lot?" the British mare asked just as Bon-Bon finished blinking furiously to return her eyes back to normal, causing the rag to fall lifelessly to the table, "What first caused you to have them?"
Tealove shifted nervously under the covers, (how do I know I can trust you, eh, Britt?) but now that she thought about it, everything she'd seen had started...after she'd seen Big Mac.
"It..started after I hit my head," Tealove shortly explained (it's not a lie!), "I'm fine though..let's go get lunch now, shall we?"
Big Mac glanced at her suspiciously, but thankfully Bon-Bon filled the silence.
"It's only ten thirty!"
"By the time you get through these bloody streets," Sugar Kiss laughed, "it will be lunch time." She unpinned her silky mane that fell perfectly to the floor then pushed her glasses to her forehead, "Mind if I join you? Desserts are on me!"
A huge grin spread across Big Mac's face and he cheered, "Yup!"
"Sure," Bon-Bon shrugged (why can't I just keep my big mouth shut?), "But we have no idea where we're going, so you can choose the place."
(Ah, thanks a lot, Bon-Bon! I just hope we end up at some fancy, clean place with mini bunt cakes and china cups.)
Three jerky cab rides later, the four ponies were seated on barrels at a wooden table, eating barbecue veggie roast burgers and glugging giant mugs of cider, all while watching a hoof fight go on across the wood plank and dirt floor restaurant. (Restaurant?! Madhouse!! And who eats food this big?! Obviously Big Mac because within ten minutes f being there, he'd already gobbled up two burgers. Gross.)
"This is the best lunch I've had in ages!" Bon-Bon declared, helping herself to some fries that their waitress had just set on the table. Sugar Kiss seemed to glow a bit more than usual then turned to her left.
"You enjoying the food? Big Mac? Tealove?"
"Eyup!"
"Um..," Tealove glanced down at the inch wide burger she had carefully cut out of the original one that was now pushed to the side, "Best..lunch I've had in ages!"
"That's what she said," Big Mac mumbled just loud enough for Tealove to hear, his cheeks lie a chipmunk's, stuffed with fries.
Tealove blushed, but could help sheepishly grinning, then she forced herself to pick up the burger (geez, this thing is heavy! That can't be healthy..) and decided to give it a chance. (Only because Sugar Kiss kept glancing at me like she was concerned..plus Big Mac was nudging me and nodding towards the burger, and I can't just ignore him...I don't even think my mouth can stretch wide enough to bite this!)
So with one deep breath through the mouth (so I didn't have to inhale all of that barbecue sauce), Tealove opened her mouth as wide as she could and (this better not make me obese!) she took one small nibble off the side. And Sugar Kiss burst out laughing.
"What kind of bloody bite was that?" she loudly laughed, "Don't tell me you've never eaten a burger before! Everypony who's anypony loves them!!"
Then she kept on laughing, hiccuping, giggling into tears. And Tealove was humiliated. She wanted to sink into the ground, escape from the shrieking laughter of Sugar Kiss, the stifled giggled form Bon-Bon and especially the throaty chuckle from Big Mac. If only she could rewind, refuse to let Sugar Kiss join them for lunch, transport herself back to her Tea Room so she could hug her kitchen aid mixer and mini cupcake tins and cry in a corner. (Okay, I'm only exaggerating a little...but I would hug the mixer.)
But instead of crying, Tealove managed to fake a laugh until their waitress came to their table to pass out to-go bags, and even though Tealove packed the rest of her burger away, she had no intention of eating it (even though all I had nibbled off was the bun).
"Any other plans for today?" Sugar Kiss asked cheerfully as the ponies stood at the street curb, Because I know the best place to spend the afternoon!"
"Actually we-" Tealove began, but then Bon-Bon cut in and said, "We don't have anywhere to be until dinner, so you can lead the way!"
"Brilliant!" Sugar Kiss exclaimed, "Follow me!" (It just keeps getting better and better.)
So for the rest of the afternoon, (four hours!!) the ponies shot across Las Pegasus's biggest and most extravagant shopping center, and even though Tealove would have preferred that Sugar Kiss had not been there, she couldn't helping enjoying herself as they tried on pretty much every piece of clothing in pretty much every store. Plus it was hard to not have Sugar Kiss's enthusiasm rub off on you. But after the first hour, Big Mac was dead bored, so the mares made a deal with him that for every forty five minutes of shopping, they would take him to the food courts for a break. There wasn't even one complaint after that.
"Bloody hay!" Sugar Kiss panted, collapsing into a pink plastic chair in the by the Fillydelfia food stand, "My hooves are going to be sore for days!"
"Totally worth it though," Bon-Bon grinned, falling into the seat next to hers and Tealove's, "I haven't been shopping like this since I joined t-"
Silence. Tealove froze under her pile of shopping bags and boxes. Big Mac froze just as he was setting down his Fillydelfia foo tray.
"Join the-?" Sugar Kiss began to press, but before she could finish, Tealove's leaning tower of bags flew in every direction. She pretended to clumsily try to catch them and in doing so, sent Big Mac's soda flooding onto the table.
"Sorry!" she cried, unusually ungraceful as she dumped the napkin container onto the mess, "There was a..on the floor..."
"Oh, hunky-dory," Sugar Kiss laughed and while she helped to sop up the mess, Bon-Bon mouthed 'thank you' to which Tealove gave a small grin.
"We should get going," Bon-Bon said after the table was once again dry, then she glanced at Big Mac who was still gobbling down a veggie dog, "I don't think we can afford anymore hours anyway."
Sugar Kiss giggled then began to rummage through her herd of shopping bags, "Alright, but before you go, I have a little something for each of you!"
After a minute of searching and mumbling about 'rubbish' and 'tosh I don't even remember buying', Sugar Kiss produced three parcels and handed one each pony.
"Open them when I'm not around though," she added before Big Mac could tear his apart, "But I hope to see you three soon! It was such fun to spend this time together! I know we don't know each other that well, but..I would consider you three my best friends."
(Oh, cream cakes, now I feel bad.)
"We definitely will do this again," Bon-Bon said as she hugged Sugar Kiss, "Thanks for taking us!"
"And for the gifts," Tealove whispered as she was squeezed by Sugar Kiss, "Whatever they are."
"Eyup!" Big Mac nodded and was about to join the other two mares at the door, but Sugar Kiss threw her arms around him before he could decide to pass without a hug. (Get your British hooves...)
By the time Bon-Bon, Big Mac and Tealove made it through the rush hour traffic and to the Suites of Pegasus Hotel, the sun was setting and Tealove's arms were as heavy as led form carrying all of her shopping bags.
"Hello and welcome back to the Suites of-" the bell hopper began, pushing forward his rolling carriage, but Bon-Bon quickly led the others past him.
"Thanks, we got it."
Then the elevator door slid to a close.
"You could try to be nice to him," Tealove suggested with pursed lips. Thankfully the cheery elevator music filled the silence. And during that, Tealove remembered. Remembered that that was the very place she'd been swept off her hooves. And she couldn't keep that secret anymore..or everypony would be left thinking she had a habit of fainting. (How lame.)
"Okay," Tealove sighed once the door to their suite was shut, "I've got something to tell you guys. So you know how I keep..collapsing? Well...Sugar Kiss was right. I've been seeing things..since I first bumped into Big Mac."
The other two ponies stared. Big Mac seemed a bit redder than usual too.
"Like what things?" Bon-Bon asked warily.
"Like..Queen Chrysalis. And Princess Celestia..being attacked."
"Chrysalis!" Bon-Bon cried, "And that's how you knew about Celestia..so what did you see when you collapsed fainted in the elevator?"
Tealove bit her lip and flopped onto her bed, "Chrysalis again..with some other stallion. They were talking about an exchange, but I don't know what about."
"We need to tell Celestia right away," Bon-Bon concluded, "She'll know why it's happening and what to do..but we'll send it later. Right now, we need to get ready to look our best!"
Tealove's heart flew a small wing beat upward-the thought of getting all fancy and dressed up was a relief amidst the other ones about Chrysalis. Plus she'd never been to a fancy dinner party, so even though the ponies wouldn't be there for the fun, Tealove was still bubbling with excitement.
"Okay," Bon-Bon declared once Big Mac had left and closed the door that separated the two connected suites, "You'r going to have to tell me what looks the best because I barely know how to dress up for an academy dance."
Tealove giggled as she dumped all her shopping bags onto the bed and began arranging outfit possibilities (I do consider myself quite the fashionista), "If you say so! But you have to help with my hair since I'm choosing your dress."
"Deal."
Big Mac ended up knocking on their door twenty times in one hour before the mares were ready, the first being ten minutes after he'd left to his room. (That's also when Bon-Bon and I shrieked at him for expecting us to be done so fast.) When every eyelash had been curled and every hoof shined, Bon-Bon and Tealove finally let Big Mac to enter the room, and when he did, he was hit with a pair of gorgeous mares now closer than ever.
"You look absolutely dashing!" Tealove cried, gazing at the tuxedo Big Mac was in, thankful that the blush was hiding her burning face.
"Thanks," he proudly held his head high, but bucked it back down to say, "You look great too."
Tealove flipped aside her bangs from the bun Bon-Bon had styled and swished her blue dress that had a leg slit just high enough to display her cutie mark (looks like Miss Mule's fashion's are rubbing off on me), "Thanks you."
"Come on, you two!" Bon-Bon called from the door in her white chiffon slit dress, half her mane pulled back by a golden bow, "The party awaits!"
The stars shown brightly in the sky, twinkling and casting shadows across the now sluggish Las Pegasus, the lights of the city staining the horizon, the noises now muffled as Big Mac, Bon-Bon and Tealove stepped out of their cab, facing an dark alley with only one lamp post hanging stationed over the gloom.
"Nice scenery," Tealove mumbled as the ponies wearily trotted down the brick corridor, "Are you sure this is the place?"
"One of our Coverts is disguised as a Broke and they said this is it, so..," Bon-Bon tried to confidently say, but her voice trailed off.
As they came closer to the alley's end, Tealove froze. There was something, sort of a tingle that had jerked behind her skull, but this time, she wasn't swept off. But she did see something.
"What?" Big Mac whispered close to Tealove's ear, but then he saw it too and Bon-Bon gasped.
The wall to their right was melting, morphing, being erased and replaced by a heavy wooden door with a brass handle and hinges. And before the ponies could take a breath, a small rectangle at eye level on the door slid open, revealing two staring eyes.
"Password," the deep voice rumbled.
Tealove glanced back at Bon-Bon (you're supposed to know what to do!), but she was just standing there, as clueless as the rest. Until their was another jerk behind Tealove's skull and she found herself saying, "Sugar sweet," before she could even think it through. (What was that? I don't even know what-)
"Correct," the voice said, then the rectangle was slid back into place, and after a moment of scraping chains, clicking locks, whistling magic and sliding bars, the door opened up to a small stone chamber where a black unicorn stallion in a white tuxedo stood.
"Welcome, fair gentlecolt and mares," his voice rumbled as Big Mac protectively led Bon-Bon and Tealove into the crammed room.
Tealove tried to say something in return, but not a word came out. Once the wooden door was clunked shut behind them, Tealove sort of panicked in the pitch black as the mystery stallion re-locked the entrance then used his magic to make it melt back into the wall. Then, without a word, he trotted past the ponies to the opposite wall, tapped his horn three times on the stone while mumbling furiously to himself, then it too morphed into a door, only this one was made of elegant white marble.
"Enjoy your stay," he said, almost sounding sinister, and at the end of his words, the new door instantly swung open and the three ponies were blinded with a sudden blast of bright lights.
Over the threshold was a giant room, to the right a dimly lit lounge, to the right glowing a dance floor, in front of them was an elegant bar and what was beyond that, they couldn't see. The place was filled with mares and stallions, most traveled in couples, linking hooves and all very nicely dress, drinking from slender glasses and lightly hatting as soft music played in the background.
It was a whole different world. Relaxing, but there was something sharp that Tealove sensed in the air. Then she noticed. Every single pony there was branded on the bottom of their left hoof, and it was a symbol Tealove had been trained to hate, to attack. The crest of the Brokes. And now they were locked in.
Locked in the Broke Equestrian headquarters.