Apple Bloom sat at her dorm room’s desk as she poured over the latest reading material and homework assignment. Unlike every other school she had seen, Twilight’s Engineering College was fully modernized to hive standard: electric lighting in every room, automatic doors, the new craze of air conditioning, elevators, and for the top 0.1% of students, their own clockwerk servant. Although several older students ended up building their own personalized models.
It was a tactic Twilight Sparkle employed to fuel the love of engineering in her non-changeling students and drive them towards success, yet for all of that, there was still one thing that baffled Apple Bloom to no end.
Her dorm room was a small affair, enough space for a set of bunk beds, a pair of desks, and enough personal storage space for most needs. Her roommate was a sophomore male purple drone. This was yet another strategic decision on Twilight’s part. Every pony student living on campus had a drone dorm mate to promote long-term cooperation between the tribes, although having a stallion dorm mate was Apple Bloom’s idea. “Hey, Sine Wave, do you have a partner for the practical in Sprocket’s class? He seems a mite heavy hooved for a first year first semester teacher if ya know what Ah mean.”
Sine Wave let of a snorting giggle that sounded a tad feminine to Apple Bloom. “Yeah, he gave mother a really hard time before she became a queen, but no I don’t have a partner yet, so I’d be glad to take up your offer.” Plus it helps that the queens are offering extra bits to those who take pony partners. “But we’ve barely gotten into the week.” Sine floated the syllabus over Apple Bloom. “See? Just because we know it’s coming, doesn’t mean we know what the professor wants yet. It’s just a heads up.”
Ah keep forgetting all the guy drones were girls first. Maybe Ah can draw the stallion out of him over a few months. Making sure to keep her eyes from lingering on Sine Wave’s handsome physique, Apple Bloom refocused on the conversation and scowled at the paper. “Ah was wondering why he didn’t say anything about it yet. In all my other years of school’n when we were told of our assignment is when we got it.” Apple Bloom tossed the syllabus up for Sine Wave’s magic to reclaim it.
Sine Wave merely shrugged as he refiled his papers into a short filing cabinet. “Its how Granny Cadista ran her schools, and I guess momma liked the model.” Sine walked over to his closet where he kept his tools and school uniform. Said uniform consisted of little more than a yellow hard hat with Twilight’s cutie mark serving as the school’s emblem. All other safety equipment was kept at the various workshops. He pulled the hard hat on before making his way to the door. “Anyway, it’s your first weekend, so don’t sweat it too much. I’ll be back later.”
“Okay, see ya,” Apple Bloom replied as she carefully watched him go. Damn it, AB, this is no time to go colt crazy. Focus on getting squared away.
Sine Wave pulled to the side of the exit as a familiar pegasus and unicorn slid inside. Apple Bloom brightened considerably at the sight of them. “Heyya, Sweetie Belle, Scoots!”
“We’ve been looking for you all day, AB,” Scootaloo shot back with a trademark grin. She was wearing the khaki casual uniform of the Equestrian Navy consisting of a snug shirt and white soft cap with the name R.E.N. Manehatten stenciled on the front.
“I’m surprised you haven’t tried to find us first,” Sweetie Belle chided with mild annoyance. “You’ve been here for four days according to Applejack.” Sweetie Belle had a very functional teal dress on that made sure to keep freedom of movement a priority.
Apple Bloom abandoned her desk and ran over to hug her childhood friends while all three of them giggled at the reunion. “You two know how Twilight is big on learn’n. Even the first week here’s been as hectic as a herd of cows running from a flock a’ bugbears.”
“I can imagine,” Sweetie Belle replied conspiratorially looking down the hall Sine Wave had walked down. “So what’s with the roommate, huh?”
“He’s pretty handsome, right?” Apple Bloom started bluntly. “He’s like the perfect roommate too.”
“The Lings are pretty weird about relationships though,” Scootaloo replied with confusion written over her face. “What with them never wanting to settle down with a single partner. Doesn’t AJ disapprove of that?”
“It’s not like that,” Apple Bloom retorted with a hoof wave. “I mean, if he wants to, that’s cool, but no a drone’s the best roommate for school. Like Twilight, he won’t wander in late drunk off his rocker, he can help with study’n and homework, and whenever estrous comes around he can help me out with his heat-seeking missile and can’t get me pregnant. It’s like…” Apple Bloom started counting with her hooves. “Like six wins in a row.”
The other mares thought about it before either shrugging in Sweetie Belle’s case, or nodding approvingly for Scootaloo. “You really put some thought into that, not bad, Apple Bloom.”
“No kidding,” Sweetie added.
A light blinked on, making Scootaloo yipe out of excitement. “Hey, Sweetie, you could totally market lings as a safe and satisfying alternative for heat with your celebrity status!”
Sweetie Belle turned beat red with hostile irritation. “Absolutely not! The last thing my career needs is adding that to my resume! Not to mention my parents and sister would kill me.”
Apple Bloom giggled from behind a hoof while Scootaloo sighed in feigned sorrow. “A pity. You’d make a killing.”
Sweetie Belle refused to grant the idea any more attention. “So anyway, we should celebrate you finally making your way to Canterlot, AB. I’m actually going to be singing at the Marestrum Institute who's hosting the comic con all week. Why don’t you gals come watch, I can get you free tickets.”
“I’m on shore leave for a few days,” Scootaloo added with growing excitement at hanging out with her friends. “I’m down for it.”
Apple Bloom glanced back at her wooden desk that was still draped in notes, books, scrolls, pencils, and a few engineering tools. Well, there’s no telling where the Navy’s going to take Scoots, and it is just the first week of school. She turned back to her friends and nodded. “Sounds great, why don’t we hit the town until then?”
Sweetie Belle turned to Scootaloo with a conspiratorial eyebrow wiggle. The pegasus rolled her eyes in short lived exasperation before all three cheered. “Cutie Mark Crusader Town Painters, YAY!”
Doctor Arvatus once again found himself within Twilight Velvet’s mindscape. Gone was the hurricane of turbulent memories, instead he stood in the center of a maze of staircases and doors. Stairs ran along the walls, curved in on themselves, led into solid walls, the ceiling and to nothing at all. The doors themselves were carbon copies of each other, making it all the more difficult for Arvatus to figure out where to go first.
I’ve never seen anyone in her mental state have such a defense against intrusion. I see where Queen Twilight gets her craftiness and quick wit from. "How many times must we play this game, Velvet?” he challenged. His voice echoed throughout the expansive maze.
No answer was forthcoming.
“Tsk.” She’s hiding from me. Seems that silencing the outside influences has had an effect.
While the maze was somewhat different than what he had seen before, Arvatus was by no means foiled. With some effort, he placed a psionic marker on each door, making them glow in different color patterns.
Shielding himself in psionic energy, Arvatus made his way to the first door he suspected was not a trap. Pushing it open carefully, he discovered a small room with wall to wall chalkboards. Formulas upon formulas were written in extremely small print or in tiny diagrams. However there was a dissonance that kept flittering about. Even Arvatus’ predatory eyes could barely track the swiggle of black thread that shot around under and over the chalkboards. Strange… How can she form such a defense and yet have underlying mental instability? This must be taxing her far more than her sleeping outward appearance lets on.
He was about to search another door when he saw several equations give off brief flashes of white light. Bingo! Attaching a thread to hundreds of equations in the area, Arvatus waited for one of them to hit. At first, the blinking equations stopped, as if Velvet felt something was off, but Arvatus was careful, and minimized his presence by fading into an outline of a shadow along the wall.
Despite his experience, Velvet’s awareness was just as elusive as he was, keeping him from locating her central consciousness. Slowly, over the course of several minutes, Velvet’s attention shifted away from the equations and they started to blink again. The instant one of his marked equations flashed, Arvatus was flung through the maze of stairs and doors at lightning speed. Under arches, over a forest of doors, and a rat’s nest of disjointed stairs, Arvatus sailed right into the heart of the labyrinth.
The heart was a solid iron cube with a singular minute hole that the thread was pulling him towards. Upon entering the hole, Arvatus found himself in a well-lit operating theater. It was a small room with steep tiered seats reaching five rows high. A pony sat in each seat giving a critical eye down at Velvet who was standing near two parallel operating tables with Queen Twilight strapped in one and unicorn Twilight Sparkle in the other.
The audience was mostly unfamiliar to Arvatus, save for Night Light, the princesses, and Shining Armor. The majority of the rest looked like nobility with a small number of ponies looking like middle or lower class.
“Why do you continue to stall, Madam Velvet?” challenged a more familiar stallion with a blue coat and mane. “We need only to discover the cure for the changeling condition.”
Velvet tried to obey, but Princess Celestia held out a hoof to stop her. “Stay your magic, criminal! How long do I have to stand by Queen Twilight’s side to show you I have no double meaning for our alliance?”
“She is ageless,” countered one of the nobles, giving no forbearance to Celestia’s station. “The princesses are used to playing the long game. Cure Twilight Sparkle and you will see her true intentions.”
“Y-yes, of course,” Velvet turned to the queen, only for Night Light to stand in his seat. “Let her go, Velvet!” The mare turned to her husband in muted shock. “How dare you treat her like she’s still a filly hiding under your tail? She is a grown mare with her own ambitions!”
“Her ambitions are not her own!” countered the blue stallion with an angry wave of his hoof. “How can you call yourself a father with such flippancy?! Your daughter needs help!”
“Enough!” Velvet screamed with tears as she banished the audience with nothing but a ripple in space to mark thier passing. She collapsed to the floor for nearly a minute before shakily climbing to her hooves. The silence during that time was deafening. Velvet constantly shook with raw emotion. Though she had no need for breath here, she was gulping air as if she were on a mountain. Silent tears streamed down her face, carving rivers in her fur.
Only the two versions of Twilight remained with their eyes fixed on Velvet. “Save me, momma,” Unicorn Twilight pleaded shakily.
“I don’t need rescuing,” the queen stated angrily. “Save from you.”
“She’s not me,” the unicorn cried. “I love you!”
“I tried to love you,” the queen added with harsh bitterness and a hateful glare. “I would have gone to the four corners of the world for you. But you wanted me dead, going so far as trying to do the deed yourself.”
“I’m still in there, reaching for you, momma.”
“Life happens, mother,” the queen barked as if saying the word was poison. “It’s almost artistic in how it ruins plans, isn’t it?”
“That’s not me speaking!” unicorn Twilight said through mounting tears. “Cadista turned me into a puppet.”
“No more of a puppet than I was to you,” the queen rebuked maliciously, causing Velvet to stumble back a few steps. “Cadista lets me makes my own choices, allows me to rule how I want, and grants me the freedom to go against her wishes if I so chose. When did you ever give me such privileges before Cadista broke me from your control?”
Arvatus saw Velvet was trembling, though with sorrow or rage was hard to tell. “I never held you back, Twilight. You were the one who wanted to go to Celestia’s Sc-”
“And what happened after that?!” the changeling roared, causing Velvet’s hind legs to give out from under her. “My whole world became nothing more than books! You pressured me to spend every waking hour studying until that’s all I knew. The library became my second home, and books the ‘only friends I’ll ever need.’ It got even worse after Princess Celestia took me in!” the queen’s rage was flowing out of her like inky black oil, running down her form and oozing onto the floor. “No matter what the princess tried, I was too far under your hoof to ever make friends until she practically kicked me out of Canterlot! It got to the point where I only had three things in my life: my family, Celestia, and books! You made me abandon everything else!”
This time, unicorn Twilight snapped back. “We were in the most prestigious school imaginable, and then the Princess’ protege. If momma hadn’t pushed us, we’d have flunked out in a month! Do you really think we could have survived Celestia’s tutelage without momma’s support? Some ponies aren’t meant to have a foalhood.”
Arvatus had heard enough and stepped forward to make his presence known. “You can face those you’ve wronged here in your little corner of the world,” he said, causing all three mares to face him. He focused more on Velvet who looked positively unhealthy. Her coat was matted and thin, her mane was an absolute mess of knotted hair, her eyes were sunken to the point of being in shadow. Velvet’s frame was disturbingly thin, with her skin taut against her ribs. “But you can never heal if you don’t accept the truth.”
Both Twilights were silent as Velvet spoke with a thready voice that could have been lost to a small breeze. “You would have me accept her?” she waved a hoof at the changeling. “I loved my daughter more than life itself. All I’ve done is make the changeling in her all that much stronger.”
“Queen Twilight Sparkle may wear that one’s face,” Arvatus nodded at the same changeling, “but Twilight Sparkle is more than the child that either hates you or loves you.”
“Don’t piss on my head and call it rain,” Velvet wheezed out. “Whether or not Twilight is Cadista’s puppet, which she has to be, I’ve lost her…” Velvet turned to nuzzle unicorn Twilight, who readily returned the affection. “Why can’t you let me have this?”
“Because none of it is real,” Arvatus stated with iron and a stamp of his paw. “And this self delusion is slowly killing you.”
“Lies. I’m just tired of your constant intrusions,” Velvet said breathlessly. She started fumbling with unicorn Twilight’s restraints.
Arvatus raced over to stop Velvet from freeing the unicorn. “Wrong! Look at yourself. You are the only figment of Twilight Velvet left. If you don’t accept what you know to be true, there will be no recovery from this madness.”
“Let me go,” Velvet ordered feebly, as Arvatus kept her hooves away from the locks. “I don’t care about any of that!” she wept. “I just want my daughter back.”
“Both of them are your daughter,” Arvatus rebuked with a slicing motion from his left wing. Velvet hesitated, more out of confusion than anything else. “For they are one in the same.”
“They can’t be,” Velvet countered with no strength in her words. “I only did what any good mother should do.”
“At first,” Queen Twilight sneered with an angry leer.
“But your obsession drove me away,” the unicorn added.
A tremor shook the operating theater at the unicorn’s words. Velvet was speechless as the queen continued. “How many times did I try to be a good daughter after my rebirth?”
“How many times did you wish I had died in that jungle?” the unicorn accused.
Arvatus pulled away from the restrained Twilights while Velvet collapsed to her belly at the relentless accusations. “How long did you plan to kill me?”
“Were my father and brother acceptable casualties?”
“I never stopped loving you.”
“When did you stop loving me?”
Velvet’s fur was falling away in patches, revealing pasty grey skin. “I never stopped loving you, Twilight, I swear!” Her voice was so quiet that Arvatus couldn’t make out all the words.
“Then show me,” the queen demanded.
“Show me a mother’s love,” the unicorn added. “Show us.”
Arvatus expended a sizable amount of psionic power to conjure three levers on a narrow raised platform in between the two restrained Twilights. The word ‘release left’ ‘release right’ and ‘release both’ stenciled on the handles. “I can not do this for you, Velvet. I can only help you get there.” Velvet only gave him and the levers the briefest of looks before returning her attention to the Twilights. “Make your choice, Velvet. Die with the sweet lie, or live with the ugly truth.”
A second tremor rocked the theater, along with most of Velvet’s mane falling to the floor. Her tail only had a few strains left on it. With more effort, Arvatus shrank the levers and moved them within arms’ reach of Velvet.
Velvet’s gaze lingered on her unicorn daughter for what felt like an eternity. Twilight’s pristine lavender coat, her mathematically perfectly cut mane, the love and worry in her eyes, and that purple and white cutie mark they were all so proud of. Even here, in her own mind, Velvet tried to conjure what Twilight would have looked like with alicorn wings, but she didn’t have the strength anymore.
With a snapping rip, the upper seating section broke away with nothing but a black void beyond it. Arvatus was stunned that the labyrinth from before had completely vanished. Is her last spark of sanity collapsing that quickly!? Filled with a sense of urgency, he walked over and gently took Velvet’s right forehoof. “Velvet. You have the power to make this right.”
Velvet’s head slowly turned to face him with nothing more than black pits for eyes. “Why do you care? Wouldn’t the real queen be better off with me dead?”
With a ghost of a smile, Arvatus sunk down to his belly on the cracking wooden floor. “If I truly believed that, I would have never come here. She tries to hide it, but I know that Queen Twilight Sparkle wants nothing more than to feel a mother’s love from you again, if only for the briefest of moments.”
Twin lines of bare grey skin marked the passage of yet more tears down Velvet’s face. She averted her gaze out of a surge of intense numbing shame. Another chunk of the seating fell away into the empty void. If I linger too long, I’ll be sucked into depthless insanity with her. Arvatus tried to focus on his patient. With another exertion, he reshaped the levers into buttons and moved them directly in front of Velvet.
The motion caused Velvet to look at the trio of buttons then up to Queen Twilight. The changeling said nothing, save to stare at her challengingly, as if saying her mother didn’t have the strength. However, there was thinly veiled sorrow in the changeling’s visage that struck Velvet in her heart.
The queen was mostly correct. Velvet was so weak, she couldn’t lift a hoof. All she could muster was shaking her hoof on the ground. I’m so sorry, Twilight.
Arvatus’ survival instincts screamed at him to leave when the theater crumbled away to nothing more than the Twilights still restrained on the tables, and the shrinking platform where he and Velvet were still sitting. I won’t go back to PR a failure. If I leave, so do the buttons.
With a final effort, Velvet let her head drop. Her snout painfully slammed into a button. Her head flopped to one side to see both Twilights roll off their respective tables. Her daughters looked at each other before pressing a forehoof to the other, causing both to merge into one. The whole Twilight was still a full queen, but she wore the caring expression unicorn Twilight had.
Arvatus took to the air to allow Twilight to canter over and embrace her mother. “I’m here for you, momma, just like I’ve always been.” The black void was pierced by a bead of white light that grew ever so slowly.
Velvet was too weak to move, but the barest hint of color returned to her face. Twilight Sparkle rested a crimson wing over Velvet to shield her from the black abyss that still surrounded them. Velvet leaned against the changeling queen, weeping with what little strength she had left. “I’m so sorry, Twilight. I… I was wrong, I’m sorry.”
Twilight stayed close to her mother as Velvet repeated her apology time and time again.
With the last of his spare psionic energy, Arvatus empowered Velvet’s core. There, that should be enough for her to recover for now, but I will need to return tomorrow to strengthen her further. Lacking the energy to remain, Arvatus vanished from Velvet’s mindscape, leaving mother and daughter to heal together.
A shame it’s only her image of Twilight, instead of the real one. But… it is a step in the right direction.
Apple Bloom and Scootaloo sat within the Stirrup Theater of the Arts listening to Sweetie Belle ensnare her audience with soul-touching jazz. The comicon was no place for high culture opera, oh no, here every song had the same energy as the comic super heroes the event was here to celebrate.
The audience stomped their hooves to the beat of the drums while Sweetie Belle poured her heart and soul into every verse and dance move. Her electric energy ignited the ponies, and Scootaloo especially, as they all swung to Sweetie’s tune. Apple Bloom got a chuckle at all the cosplayers dressed as heroes and villains alike all joined together to hear Canterlot’s top rising star sing a popular hero’s theme song.
With the music rising to one last crescendo, Sweetie Belle slid on stage before stopping right next to the edge. “I’m still in a dreeeam, Raaaaaat eeeeaterrr!” she sang, pouring over every note. She peered at a random stallion with a sultry wink while the horns and drums gave a final few notes. Sweetie gave one last whisper in the mic, “rat eater…” before the curtain fell.
Thunderous applause resounded through the convention hall as Sweetie Belle was replaced by quieter atmospheric music. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo joined in with equal zeal, stomping their hooves.
“Come on, AB, we should go meet her backstage,” Scootaloo suggested with a nudge.
“Sounds good ta me.”
Pear Butter primped in front of the mirror backstage to get her costume just right. She was touching up her Mistress Mare-velous’ lasso along with several other paid costume wearers for the various booths and tables. Paint Brush grumbled as he circled her, making sure every aspect of the costume was in order. While Paint Brush had altered his colors and cutie mark to blend in with a crowd, Pear Butter took on a light tan coat with a dark blue mane and tail, perfectly fitting her new alter ego. Those colors alone, and her instilled changeling acting ability, allowed her to take the job of booth-mare.
As per usual, Pear Butter was in the guise of an earth mare, but that was equal parts for the job as it was her preference, while Paintbrush was still a unicorn stallion. One of the very few spells that Polybia bequeathed them was a privacy bubble since the queen adamantly refused to allow them to hive-chat unless she was directly speaking to them. “This would be a lot simpler if you just used your First Mother given horn,” he fumed as he straightened Pear’s hat with his magic. “You could have gone as the Matter-Horn at least.”
“Don’t ya think it’d be a mite suspicious if all disguised drones were pegasi or unicorns?” Pear did her best to think of herself as a mutated pony before anything else, but her body and hive mind refused to allow her such luxury. “The guards won’t randomly search an earth pony.”
“This is Canterlot, damn it! An earth pony sticks out far more than a bunch of unicorns,” he hissed angrily. He wanted to berate her further, but she started giving him the ‘pained look’. It was subtle really, a slight frown, sad eyes, and a partially furrowed brow, it all pulled at his heart, telling him to stop. The worst of it was his empathy, fully telling him she didn’t want to anger him.
Slowly, Paint Brush wilted under ‘the look’ and rested an apologetic hoof on her. “Look, Ah - Ah’m sorry, Ah just don’t know if this is going to work.”
Feeling a small amount of good humor returning, Pear pecked him on the snout. “It’ll be fine. Besides, Mistress Mare-velous is supposed to be an earth pony anyway. It pays well, and if I keep the job for the whole convention we can finally buy the good ID forgery.”
He let off a sigh. All around him the other actors started cantering out to their respective places, leaving the dressing room increasingly empty. “I can’t believe the princess was taken in by the Sparkles of all ponies…”
“I thought the queen was going to make Stopwatch’s head pop for sure,” Pear mused aloud with only the barest minimum of worry in her tone. I still have no way of freeing myself from the hive mind, and until then, Polybia owns me. Casting such thoughts aside, Pear appraised herself in the mirror and the comic book cover of Mistress Mare-velous, and found she was an excellent match.
“Jus’ remember to practice your magic though. Once the Sparkles put out a request for a nanny, they’ll want a unicorn for sure, ’specially since the princess is in th’ guise of one as well.”
“Ah don’t like it… but ya have a point. Still,” Pear stated with iron, “if Ah have to be a unicorn for the foreseeable future, Ah’m at least going to be an earth pony for the week.”
A stagehand bounded through the gathered actors, “to your booths in ten minutes!”
“Ah better get go’n. Bye, Paint.” With a brief hug, Pear Butter fled the dressing room and ran for her place.
Paint Brush shook his head as he departed the room as well.
As expected, Sweetie Belle was beside herself with glee when her friends found her in her private room. Apple Bloom smirked as Sweetie held a banana like a microphone, and was singing with her eyes closed. In the unicorn’s mind, her adoring fans were star struck by her talent.
“Great job out there, Sweets,” Scootaloo said with a smirk of her own. Sweetie Belle blushed and placed the banana back in the fruit basket near her mirror. “Had the whole crowd under your spell.”
“Yeah, you always had a talent for it,” Apple Bloom added as the newcomers shut the door behind them.
“Heh, thanks, gals. It may not be the concert halls of Broadway, but I’m getting there.”
“So what do you wanna do?” Scootaloo asked as she used the mirror to make sure her uniform was still in top shape.
“Weeeell,” Sweetie used her magic to grab several flyers and show them off to her friends. Each of them was an ad for the various booths with most of them focused on the Power Ponies. “I wanted to get one of the first printings of the newest PP comic. They’re finally giving Matter-Horn’s origin story a much needed overhaul, and I wanted to clear that horrendous first story out my head asap.”
Scootaloo snagged one of the flyers in her wing to take a closer look. “I don’t know about MH, but Zapp is the coolest by far.”
Apple Bloom scoffed and playfully swatted Scootaloo’s ear. “Yer only say’n that ‘cause Rainbow Dash and Rarity turned into them when they all got sucked into that comic book when Twi was restoring the old castle.”
Sweetie Belle shuddered at the memory since she had been visiting Phoenix’s Roost at the time. “The drones were not happy about that one.”
“We can argue who’s best later, let’s go!” Scootaloo started shoving her friends towards the backstage hallway. “I want to get my official Zapp plushie before they’re sold out.” Before leaving her room, Sweetie Belle telekinetically grabbed a brass pendent off her chaise lounge.
The other crusaders allowed themselves to be pushed all the way out until they were inches from the door between them and the main hall before Sweetie rolled out of Scootaloo’s grasp. “Wait up a sec.”
Donning her simple looking pendent, which had a smooth face, save for a small ruby gear in the center, Sweetie Belle fed her magic into it. Her friends looked on in silent curiosity when Sweetie suddenly erupted in lavender-orange fire. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo were taken aback by Sweetie Belle who now had a charcoal grey coat and frosty blue mane. “What do you think? Good disguise right?”
“Oh, so you can walk around in peace, not bad, Sweetie,” Scootaloo chuckled at her friends’ boxing mitt cutie mark.
“That’s the first Ah’ve ever seen sumthin’ like that. Can’t ya just use your horn for disguises?”
Sweetie shook her head. “Only somepony like Twilight or the princess can mimic changeling magic. I have to use this thing to do the same,” Sweetie said while proudly tapping her gifted pendent.
“Well at least it’ll keep us from gettin’ swamped.” Apple Bloom briefly wondered how the pendent worked when Scootaloo decided she had’ enough and finally shoved them out to main conventional area.
As Sweetie Belle expected, there were a number of ponies, mostly stallions and colts, who were disappointed at the fact that she had yet to show. Sweetie took the lead and quietly waved her friends towards the primary booths so her voice wouldn’t give her away.
The convention hall was a massive affair, for the limited space Upper Canterlot could afford at least. The ceiling rose two stories high and was filled with banners of a variety of different super heroes and villains from both rival comic book companies, RC and Mareval, along with a few more obscure titles trying to make a name for themselves. Along with the normal gathering of ponies, the CMC noticed a surprisingly large number of bat pony foals, none more than ten years of age, scattered all over the place.
Guess mah sister’s industrialization of the Jiyya trees is really starting to bear fruit.
Apple Bloom laughed inwardly at her own pun as the CMCs ignored most of the souvenir peddlers for their first destination. The comicon truly impressed both Apple Bloom and Scootaloo with its turn out. Ponies of all walks of life, both poor and noble, perused the plethora of merchandise and attractions. Dozens ponies waited impatiently in front of several closed doors, undoubtedly waiting for an event to start.
Yet due to the building's size, it didn’t take long for the three childhood friends to reach the official plushy stands. The trio was in luck. Since Sweetie Belle’s short concert was a big selling point, most events were pushed back until her performance ended, meaning the crowd around the plushies was relatively small.
“Sweet,” Scootaloo cheered with a wing pump, “let’s grab’m while the line’s short. AB, you got our bits right?”
“Yeah, yeah, one sec.” The trio cantered over to the back of the line while Apple Bloom fished into her saddlebags to retrieve three sacks of coins. “Honestly, y'all, if you was plannin’ on buyin’ stuff, ya shoulda brought your own bags.”
“And leave my bits unattended in my ‘private’ room during my performance? No way,” Sweetie said defensively.
“I sorta forgot mine, sorry,” Scootaloo shrugged sheepishly.
Rolling her eyes and side bumping Sweetie, Apple Bloom decided to drop it while observing the advertisement banners above the stands. I might just get a Mistress Mare-velous… Her eyes wandered over to the various booth mares dressed up as the comic characters and grinned widely at a new idea. OH! I can get it signed by Mistress Mare-velous as a joke gift for Applejack! It’ll be easy to give it to her in person since she’s still in Canterlot. Might as well buy an official lasso while Ah’m at it. Apple Bloom snickered at her master plan while evilly rubbing her forehooves together.
Pear Butter had to admit, this gig was easy money. She stood next to a stand of Mistress Mare-velous comics and dolls. The merchant next to her was doing all the work, frantically taking orders, bits, and doling out the toys. All Ah have to do is smile, wave, and occasionally strike a pose. Wish these conventions happened every week.
A young earth colt left the line with his father keeping his place so he could walk up to Pear Butter. The colt had a look of pure wonder in his wide eyes and slightly slack jaw. “Are you the real Mistress Mare-velous?”
Flashing a heroic smile and striking a pose with her lasso in hoof, Pear Butter caused him and several other children nearby to gasp in awe. “You can count on the me and the other Power Ponies, good citizen!”
The other booth mares nearby jumped to Pear’s side and struck equally heroic poses. “Power Ponies, Ho!”
“Wooowww!” The colt bolted back to his father and practically tackled the poor stallion as he dug into his saddlebags. The colt shot back with a pencil and notepad in his mouth. “Can I get your autographs?”
It wasn’t long before all six booth mares were swarmed by foals of all tribes in their desperate attempt to get autographs from their favorite characters. Pear was not only happy to see so many young smiling faces, but the love they radiated was refreshing beyond measure. So much better than feeding on lust from a crystal.
Pear Butter was more than happy to make each child’s day by signing away at all who requested an autograph from her. Although she was a little nervous when she noticed several blue and purple drones and nymphs were there to get autographs as well. Thankfully, most of them only wanted signatures from Matter-Horn and Zapp. I hope they don’t have any way of detecting me.
Trying to put the Phoenix Roost changelings out of her mind, Pear Butter was more than happy to have the throng of ponies serve as a distraction. When none of the drones, even with some coming over to her, seemed to have any suspicions about Pear’s true nature, she more or less relaxed back into the role of Mistress Mare-velous. A few dozen autographs and photos later, she was fully engrossed in her job. Making so many ponies happy and the bits of love they unwittingly gave her almost made her forget that she was a quasi enslaved to Polybia’s will. Thankfully, Polybia tended to leave Pear Butter and the others in Canterlot to their own devices, so the queen’s influence was typically minor.
Sadly, Pear’s good mood came to a screeching halt when she locked eyes with a particular pale yellow mare with a bright pink bow. The mare in question had a plushy of Mistress Mare-velous on her back with a matching lasso hanging around her neck. Something deep struck Pear in her core at the sight of her. The world, even the already quiet hive mind seemed to slow to a crawl, and for the life of her, Pear Butter couldn’t understand why. Her eyes misted over as she stared at the pale yellow mare in utter silence.
Apple Bloom glanced behind her, trying to see what the booth mare was staring at before turning back around and waving a hoof in front of Pear's face. “You okay there, MM?”
Pear Butter blinked as the world snapped back to normal speed, and quickly wiped her tears away. “Sorry, fair citizen, Ah thought Ah saw young Timmy who was lost to the Maniac.” She cleared her throat and glanced at the plushy’s tag-of-authenticity. “Ya wish for me to sign your action figure?”
Apple Bloom arched an eyebrow at her shift in speech pattern. “Ah wouldn’t exactly call it an ‘action figure’ but yeah.” She took the doll in her mouth and rotated it so the tag was facing Pear Butter.
“...And who should I sign it for?” Pear asked, hoping to glean some insight on the mare’s identity.
“Tag’s a little small for a full name,” Apple Bloom mentioned glumly. “Just sign it for mah sister AJ.” Filing away the initials for later investigation, Pear Butter deftly signed the small tag. “Thanks, MM, go ah… have a good day savin’ the city and all.”
As Apple Bloom turned away, Pear Butter watched her closely. She took notice when Apple Bloom hoofbumped an orange sailor. Pear went back to giving signatures and photos while she waited for the sailor to close in on Zapp who was next to her. Once the sailor was close enough, Pear casually leaned in close to read the name patch on the sailor’s right breast. So that yellow mare is friends with a sailor named Scootaloo and has a sister with AJ as the initials. I’ve got to find out who she is… But I better leave Stopwatch and Paint out of this. They might tell the queen and she’d command me to avoid her.
Pear Butter could only pay the rest of the day a fraction of her attention. Her mind kept circling around the pale yellow mare constantly. Damn, I wish she had been getting that doll for herself. I’ve got to find out who she is.