Chapter 11: Secrets and Flies
Here it was, the moment of truth.
The very purpose for Twilight’s journey was standing right before her violet eyes, her lips grown dry, heart pumping furiously from the rising fear of the towering task before her. She felt like her heart was being weighed down by cement blocks attached to razor sharp hooks. Princess Celestia was standing there; waiting, waiting to find out whose trust her prized pupil would ultimately betray: hers or the 6 friends back at Ponyville who already voted on this matter. Twilight felt like she should be banished to rot in a dungeon for even thinking about lying to Princess Celestia; especially for such a strange, creepy pony who was already marked as a fugitive, not to mention spying on her and her friends and assaulting them with dark magic. The legitimacy of Moonstruck’s charges weighed heavily on the purple pony’s mind however, as did the consequences that would come with those charges. One wrong word and a potentially innocent pony could be sentenced to an eternal nightmare; all because she did what was expected rather than what was just.
“Princess Twilight, is everything all right? You look flustered,” Celestia extended a wing to Twilight’s forehead. “I do hope you’re not coming down with something, perhaps you’d like to lie down or have a glass of water?”
Celestia’s endless kindness always put Twilight at ease, except in this case. The sweetness of her mentor only made this decision all the more difficult to make. How could she ever betray such a benevolent ruler, who had always been so kind and caring to even the lowliest of subjects?
“No, no, I’m f-f-fine P-p-p-p-princess,” Twilight hyperventilated; trying desperately to focus her rattled nerves. Celestia watched her pupil with deep concern, her milky white cheeks wilting upon seeing her treasured student panic like this. “There’s just SO much going on in my head now, I don’t even know where to begin.”
The white Alicorn levitated a pair of large, rose colored pillows underneath their flanks. She motioned for Twilight to sit, she followed. Celestia remained silent until Twilight finally calmed down enough to speak without wheezing and shaking. Twilight’s state deeply troubled the Sun princess; she hasn’t seen her frazzled like this since she overreacted to being tardy with her friendship report, or when she first heard of the crisis at the Crystal Empire.
“Now then, let’s start from the beginning. I believe you said you had something to tell me regarding Moonstruck, the unicorn who escaped from Tartarus?”
Twilight’s brow became thick with sweat; she wiped it clean with her wings. “Yes, I uh…I uh,” she tried to speak but her words fell apart like crumbling pastries. No matter how hard she tried, Twilight’s mouth would open but no words or sensible sounds would come out. She felt like her soul had robbed her of her voice; as if the universe itself was punishing her for not protecting Moonstruck as she had promised her friends she would. The princess forced her vocal chords to function but still sputtered out only a few words, “You see…uh…the thing is…I uh.”
Why can’t I say the words? He’s at my house, I HAVE Moonstruck in my basement, I’ve caught an escaped murderer; I should be screaming this at the top of my lungs! This is supposed to be the right thing to do. Twilight placed a hoof on her chest; she felt an aching sense of sadness inside. But I don’t feel like it is…I feel mortified, like I’m making a huge mistake even though every thought and brain cell is telling me this is the most logical thing to do.
“Yes, go on Twilight.”
This is just crazy! I feel like I have the biggest secret in the world and the one pony that I normally would seek guidance from, can’t be told. Even with all these weird feelings I can’t explain, there’s still so much about him I don’t know about. Does he really possess dark magic, what other abilities is he hiding, was he born with this gift of sensing madness or was he cursed, is he REALLY a killer? I don’t know what to do, I don’t know what to say, I just…don’t…know!
“Twilight,” Celestia softly said. She was about to stand up and call the royal doctor to examine Twilight.
“I MADE A MISTAKE”, Twilight suddenly screamed. She clasped her hooves over her mouth, her eyes darting around nervously; cheeks burning bright with embarrassment. Her scream echoed loudly in the castle halls; causing some guards to tilt their head and muse over the strange sound. Twilight took a deep breath and corrected herself; “I didn’t come with information on Moonstruck; I came to ask about information on Moonstruck.”
Celestia slowly returned to her seat; never taking her eyes off Twilight. This was very strange, this wasn’t like Twilight at all, the sun princess could sense a strong change in Twilight but she could not tell what had caused it. She nodded and leaned closer, “Of course I’m willing to tell you everything I know about this pony, but why come here to ask that? You could have had Spike send a letter and I could have explained everything via mail.”
“I know, I got the wanted poster and I thought that was enough to go off of,” Twilight sighed and stared at her reflection on the smooth, polished floor. “But it’s not, there’s no information detailing exactly what happened with this unicorn,” her eyes looked pleadingly to Celestia. “Please don’t ask me how, but I’ve learned that you were there when Moonstruck was arrested, which means you know more about him than any pony else does. If he really is a killer then I can’t take any chances, I need to know everything there is to know about Moonstruck if I encounter him.”
The word if raised many questions in Celestia’s mind, she couldn’t help but sense Twilight wasn’t entirely sincere in her pretense of this request. She could however sense the desperation and concern in her voice, that much was clear. Celestia rubbed her chin, pondering Twilight’s request; her reluctance caused Twilight to wonder if Celestia knew she was hiding something.
“All right then, I’ll tell you everything I know about Moonstruck and what happened the day he was apprehended.” Celestia stood up and started walking towards the royal vault; motioning for Twilight to follow her. Twilight may be acting strange, but Celestia never once doubted the purity of her heart. Twilight has saved Princess Luna, Princess Cadence, and Celestia herself on more than one occasion; not to mention all of Equestria. The angelic Alicorn had total faith in Twilight, and though she didn’t understand why she was hiding something; she knew Twilight must have a good reason for doing so. “But to do that, I must show you something first.”
The young mare followed her mentor into the vault room. She remembered this place; it was the same vault that housed the Elements of harmony; the same one that Discord broke into when he stole the Elements. The beauty of the room still impressed Twilight; the vault was just as gorgeous and immaculate as the rest of the castle. There were various objects sealed under impenetrable, magic proof containers. Some of them looked familiar to Twilight; others she was seeing for the first time.
Celestia stopped moving, her gaze cast downward; looking sad and wounded. “To explain what happened with Moonstruck, I must first explain my current state 2 years ago.” Twilight looked up at her mentor with a confused glance, why did she sound so sad? It’s as if telling this story was tearing open an old wound the princess would have preferred stayed shut. The pain, the sorrow, the heartache in Celestia’s voice, it all made Twilight feel guilty for asking for this.
But she had to know.
“I’m afraid I don’t understand princess, what do you mean your current state?” Twilight asked, softly.
“As you know, my dear sister was trapped in the moon as Nightmare Moon for a thousand years. It was not until you and your friends defeated her and restored her to her true form,” Celestia smiled sweetly and turned to Twilight. “Of which I am eternally grateful,” Twilight blushed sheepishly at the praise. She nodded and watched the sun princess look towards the object Moonstruck stole; her gaze and voice felt like they were off in another world of ancient memories. “But on the day that Moonstruck made himself known to me; it was the same day that I had been forced to celebrate in solitude: my sister’s birthday.” Twilight gasped the instant those words left Celestia’s lips. “Something I had unfortunately become all too familiar with during her thousand year imprisonment.”
Twilight bit her lip nervously, now she understood why her mentor sounded so sad. She couldn’t even begin to imagine how it must have felt to celebrate your own sister’s birthday alone for a thousand years, especially if you were the pony that locked her away.
“I tried to busy myself with my duties as ruler of Equestria so I did not dwell on my sister’s birthday, it became harder and harder each year to keep myself distracted, the pain always surfaced sooner or later. However, on that day, something far worse was happening in the castle.” Celestia’s voice grew low and dark, her stare intensified to the point Twilight felt uncomfortable. “Somehow, a thief broke into the castle, snuck past the guards and made his way to the vault,” Celestia extended her wing towards the object before them. “This is what the thief came to steal.”
Inside the sealed container was a silver colored metallic plate, it looked like the center piece of a suit of pony armor. The center of the plate featured a chrome pony skull with curved fangs, wings and fractured images of the sun, moon and a heart. Twilight looked at the plate like it was a puzzle. The plate was familiar looking, but the young princess couldn’t quite put her hoof on where she had seen it before.
“Why does it look so…familiar?” Twilight examined it closely, circling it like a vulture. The purple mare always thought she was on top of her studies, but clearly she’s grown a bit dull if she can’t recall why this looks so familiar. “And more importantly, why would he want this?” Suddenly her eyes widened; she knew exactly what this was. “Wait a minute, is that Star swirls-”
“Correct as always Twilight, this is the indestructible Star swirl center plate; hoof crafted by Star swirl the bearded himself.” Twilight turned into a giddy filly upon hearing her mentor’s answer. She looked over the plate, every inch, her eyes sparkling with the plate’s shape. The sun princess couldn’t help but giggle at her student’s enthusiasm. “Yes, it’s quite a sight, one of the most powerful artifacts Star swirl ever created.”
“I heard it can absorb the most powerful spells ever cast, not even the darkest magic can put a dent in it,” Twilight said, her voice full of pep and energy. The purple mare couldn’t believe her eyes, she only wish she had someone who knew Equestrian history like she did; she won’t have anyone to tell this exciting news to! This was a truly remarkable piece of Equestrian history AND magic. “I really should lecture more ponies about the history of Star swirl the bearded, no one is going to really appreciate how amazing this is.”
“Yes, the plate is indeed powerful, Star swirl originally designed it as the ultimate defense against any opposing force. Ponies could use the plate to protect themselves from any spell, dragon’s fire or magical based weaponry; it would absorb the magic directly into its core and make the plate’s defenses even stronger.” Celestia raised her hoof and ran it along the curve of the glass, Twilight’s eyes followed. “He wanted to shape it like a proper shield, but he ran out of the special indestructible material he was using and only had enough to make this single plate.”
“So,” Twilight placed her hooves under her chin and hummed, “This is what Moonstruck was after. Not that I approve of stealing, but at least I understand why it was this particular item he was after.”
Celestia nodded in sullen agreement, the sadness of the memories slowly returning to her voice. “Yes, but sadly, this wasn’t the only thing Moonstruck stole that day,” a single tear dripped from the Alicorn’s snow white cheek; it splashed softly by her golden hooves. Twilight looked to her mentor, her face strained with worry; oh how she hated to see Celestia like this. “Before the vault was moved to this location, it was originally in a different part of the castle and protected by my two best guards and most trusted friends: Cage Chamber and Trail Blazer. When we found out the thief was in the vault, my royal guard and I teleported to the vault as quickly as possible. We arrived to see that Trail Blazer had been killed.”
Twilight covered her mouth in horror. Celestia cringed at the memory; biting her lip, a mixture of anger and sadness overwhelming her; still horrified by the image of Trail’s bloody corpse lying on the floor. “Trail had been fatally stabbed, Cage was being held hostage with a knife to his throat by Moonstruck. He had already stolen the plate. He said that if we didn’t back down and let him escape, he’d slit Cage’s throat and I would have ‘Two corpses blood on my precious white hooves’ as he put it. Not wanting to lose any more friends, I agreed and sent my guards out of the room; giving Moonstruck my word I would not try and stop him.”
“And then what happened, did he escape with the plate?” Twilight asked, fearful of the answer.
“He did” Celestia said, pausing for a moment, a choking sob weighed heavily in her trembling voice. “But not before he slit Cage’s throat…laughing.” The sun princess broke into tears after finishing her sentence, Twilight immediately joined her. She couldn’t take it anymore, even after 2 years; the pain was just as fresh and severe as if it had just happened. Celestia’s voice became more shrill and hysterical as she recalled the events, moment by agonizing moment. “His b-b-blood splattered across my face, I watched it happen; watched my friends die right before my eyes.”
Twilight couldn’t form words; she was too busy trying to stop her own heartbroken tears from continuously falling.
“Cage and Trail’s lives meant nothing to him, nothing, and the only reason I lost track of him,” Celestia hung her head; tears splashing against her rainbow flowing mane, “Was because I was too shocked at seeing my loyal friends; dead in front of me.” The white Alicorn raised her head, staring at the container, the twisted face of Moonstruck laughing appeared on the reflection.
“Oh my gosh, Princess Celestia, I am SO, so, so sorry. I had no idea; I didn’t think ANY pony could be that…that…heartless.”
“I vowed to find Moonstruck, reclaim Star swirl’s plate and punish him dearly for Trail and Cage’s deaths.” Twilight was slightly scared at her mentor’s tone; she had never heard her sound like that in all her time knowing her. Her heart was always so kind and generous to others; always showing infinite patience and love, to think some pony could shock her to her core like that. “I’ll never forget that face, that sickening laugh and those horrible, lifeless dark blue eyes.”
“Thank you for telling me this Princess Celestia, I finally know the truth about-wait; did you say BLUE eyes?!?” Twilight shook her face in shock. She could still be too mortified from Celestia’s story to think straight, but she was positive Celestia just said Moonstruck had blue eyes.
Celestia looked to her student curiously, “Yes, why do you ask? You sound so surprised.”
“Oooooh n-n-n-no reason r-r-r-really”, Twilight laughed nervously. The young princess couldn’t believe it; Moonstruck was actually telling the truth! Twilight knew this thief sounded way too evil to be the REAL Moonstruck, even with all his weirdness and dark magic; the Moonstruck she met would never do something as monstrous as murder. “This proves it then,” Twilight quietly said to herself; “The Moonstruck that stole the plate was an imposter, he’s the real guilty party.”
“Princess Twilight, are you sure everything is all right? You seem anxious over something” Celestia looked to her with a worried frown. “Perhaps we should finish this talk another time; this story seems to be-”
“NO, no, no I’m fine, really I am” Twilight quickly interrupted. “It’s just a very emotional story and it’s hitting me um harder than I uh expected.” Once again, Celestia was suspicious of the purple pony’s odd behavior. Twilight never had to lie to her before, it’s obvious something is wrong and yet; she keeps hiding what it is or changing the subject. This was unusual behavior even for Twilight. “Could you please finish the story, when you’re ready?” Twilight gently asked.
Celestia nodded and reserved her thoughts about Twilight’s behavior for later. “Very well, we tried to follow Moonstruck’s trail but it had gone cold by the time we had gotten a proper search party arranged. A few days later, Moonstruck was spotted living inside a house in the Whinny city; it belonged to a friend of his. Once the house was secure and surrounded, the guards contacted me and I made my way to the location; I wanted to be there when they apprehended this murderer.” Twilight winced at the coldness in Celestia’s voice; she’ll never get used to hearing her like that.
“What happened when you confronted him?” Twilight asked, insistently.
“When we entered the home, we found Moonstruck sleeping in the master bedroom; he was completely unprepared for us. When he awoke, he claimed he had no idea why we were there and had no recollection of stealing Star swirl’s plate or killing Trail and Cage.” Celestia turned and pointed to the container with the plate. “A quick search of the home revealed the plate was in fact there, Moonstruck again claimed he had no idea how the plate got there.”
“What about this friend Moonstruck was staying with, did he or she have any answers?” Twilight pondered. She was hoping to find some clue or shred of doubt that would help change Celestia’s mind.
The white Alicorn shook her head, “Even though the pony that lived there was reported being seen with Moonstruck; there was no pony else found in the house. In fact, strangely enough, all evidence inside the house indicated that Moonstruck was living there alone. Moonstruck did try and call out for some pony; searching the house for this friend of his but didn’t find him, and no matter how hard we searched or how many ponies we asked; we never found any trace of this friend either.” Celestia scratched her chin softly, concentrating on the name Moonstruck called out for. “I’m afraid I can’t seem to recall the name he was calling out for,” she sighed and shook her head, “I was quite infuriated at the time.”
“So then what happened next?”
“We read the charges and attempted to apprehend Moonstruck, but he went into a violent, confused rage and unleashed the full force of his dark magic. I had never seen a pony display such destructive power like that, it was almost like a switch had been flipped; he was completely different than he was before.”
“He didn’t kill or hurt any pony else, did he?”
“No, I used a great deal of magic but I was able to stop Moonstruck and knock him unconscious. After making sure my guards were all right, we secured Moonstruck and transported him back to Canterlot for trial; he was sentenced to an eternity in Tartarus. But before he was incarcerated, I cast the most powerful concealment spell I knew to suppress all of Moonstruck’s magic. I made sure that no matter what he tried, his magic would be forever restricted; he would never use the power he displayed that day on any other pony ever again.”
Twilight was beyond puzzled; none of this was making any sense. If Moonstruck was truly innocent, then how does that explain the violent mood swing he went through to defend himself from Princess Celestia? And what about this imposter, what’s his story? She briefly thought it might have been a changeling, but changelings are perfect copies of the ponies they’re imitating; so then Moonstruck’s eyes should have been silver instead of blue. Besides, changelings feed on love; they don’t kill needlessly and they certainly don’t have any use for ancient magical artifacts.
“Thank you, thank you very much for sharing all of that with me. I know it must have been painful to bring up those dreadful memories,” Twilight smiled softly and placed her hoof over Celestia’s, “It must have been difficult to carry so much pain on your sister’s birthday.”
“It was,” Celestia looked into the distance; her eyes getting lost in the clouds and sky visible from the window. “I’ve often worried that I was too hasty in my decisions regarding Moonstruck, between losing two good friends and being painfully reminded my sister was still locked away on the day of her birth; I worry that clouded my judgment at sentencing time.” She shook her head; shimmering her flowing, colorful mane locks, “But that is another concern for another time. We must first locate Moonstruck and prevent him from taking any more lives; I’ve doubled security around the vault in case he tries for the plate again.”
“Something tells me this is the last place he’d be heading to”, she said with a nervous laugh. Twilight and Celestia exited the vault; the door was sealed shut behind them with the white Alicorn’s magic. “Well, thanks for all your help princess. I think you’ve given me enough info to work off of for now, I’ll write you if anything comes up or I have any other questions, say hi to Luna for me.”
“Aren’t you forgetting something Princess Twilight?”, Celestia’s voice caused Twilight’s purple hooves to stop dead in their tracks. Twilight tried to play dumb and pretend she had no idea what her mentor was talking about, but Celestia saw right through her pupil’s ploy. “Come now Twilight, you know you can always talk to me about anything, besides, it’s clear something is still troubling you.” Twilight gulped hard, she knew she was busted for sure! She slowly turned around, forcing herself to face the inquisitive stare of the majestic sun princess.
“P-p-p-p-p-p-p-princess Celestia, I SWEAR I can explain,” Twilight said nervously. Her face twitched, veins pulsated, sweat dribbled down her cheek and her eyes were blinking erratically; she felt and looked like her head was going to explode. “Y-y-y-y-you s-s-see I-”
Celestia interrupted with a harmonious giggle. “Oh please, no need to panic Twilight; forgetting to show me a scroll isn’t worth getting all worked up over,” Celestia explained. Twilight was baffled, she didn’t have a clue what her mentor was talking about. Celestia levitated the scroll from Twilight’s side and brought it towards her rosy pink colored eyes. “I figured you brought this for a reason. Someone as organized as you forgetting little details; what would Spike say?” she joked. Twilight sighed heavily.
Spike! That’s right, his letter; THAT was what Princess Celestia was referring too. Whew, I thought for sure she knew I was hiding something about Moonstruck. Well, I DID want to talk to her about that letter; I just got overwhelmed with everything she told me about Moonstruck.
Twilight smiled softly, for some odd reason; the thought of knowing Moonstruck wasn’t a killer gave her a great sense of pride and comfort. There was still a lot to figure out about the mysterious unicorn, but at least this put one of her biggest concerns to rest. She approached her mentor and began explaining the story behind Spike’s letter.
Meanwhile, at Chimera Khan’s cave…
Crowe and the Manticore trudged into the cave. The clanking sound of metallic spires and pipes echoed loudly in the monster filled cavern; both returning creatures had the metal pipes strapped to their backs. Every time Crowe stepped hoof into the cave, he felt like he was wrapping a noose around his neck, everything about this place and the creatures that live here send chills up his spine. He noticed some new additions to Khan’s creature horde: a Bug Bear, several Cragadile and a group of vampire fruit bats. The Earth pony was surprised so many monsters could fit under here all at once.
“This place looks more like a freak show than a base of operations,” Crowe muttered silently. The Manticore snarled viciously at the colt, his fangs and claws aiming to slice the pony’s flank into confetti. “I didn’t mean it like that, honest! Please, f-f-forget I said anything” Crowe frantically pleaded. The Manticore snorted angrily and stormed off, he swiped his scorpion tail at Crowe’s nose but narrowly missed.
“You’re late…again”, Khan said; staring at a wall covered with scrolls and maps. “I expected you two back hours ago, what pitiful excuse have you prepared this time?” the armored pony turned and blasted Crowe into a wall with a beam from his horn. “Rhetorical question” Khan shouted, not even giving Crowe time to attempt to respond or recover from his sizzling wounds. “There’s nothing you could say or do to excuse your tardiness, so just hurry up and hoof it over.”
Crowe weakly nodded, he coughed up puffs of black smoke and slowly stood back onto his wobbling legs. The metal rods from the element containment device dropped to the ground from Crowe’s back; the Manticore did the same. Khan levitated the rods towards Bubbling Cauldron, she quickly began preparing to cast her magic grafting spell; knowing all too well what would happen if she didn’t hurry.
“Master, if I may?” Crowe asked timidly, he raised his hoof up like a child in class. “I actually do have a very important reason why I’m late; in fact, I think it could be extremely useful in all your conquering…and evil plans…and stuff.”
“Keep stirring” Khan ordered Bubbling; the green mare nodded and continued preparing her spell. The blood red armor on Khan’s body shined like freshly polished fire rubies in the eerie glow of the cauldron’s brew, the glow made Crowe even more terrified of Khan’s menacing appearance than before. “You’ve got 5 minutes, make them count” Khan said coldly. Too late now, Crowe had Khan’s attention and he knew there was no backing out now; not unless he wanted another blast to the face.
“Well sir, after the Manticore and I disassembled the machine and strapped it to our backs, I discovered a staircase that leads to a cave beneath the castle. Inside, I found a tree, but not just any tree; the tree.” Crowe had faint sounds of hope in his voice; he hesitantly smiled and leaned closer to Khan, “I found the Tree of Harmony sir.”
“That’s 2 minutes wasted Crowe,” Khan replied; clearly unimpressed. Crowe backed away and gulped loudly, he was treading on very thin ice. Crowe is the only minion Khan thrashes on a regular basis, if he doesn’t say something that will impress the armored tyrant; Celestia knows what kind of torture he’ll inflict. “Better make good use of your remaining 3 minutes; otherwise, you’ll be spending the next 30 in agonizing pain.”
“W-w-w-well s-s-s-sir, I figured that since you were trying to conquer ALL of Equestria, if you destroyed the Tree of Harmony then that would destabilize the world’s sense of balance. Everything would be thrown out of whack, which would make it much easier to conquer” Crowe explained. He was certain this information would have been valuable, surely Khan would be impressed with him, or at the very least; be less inclined to sick his monstrous pets on him. “That way, you wouldn’t need to directly attack the princesses and the element wielders and you know” his voice sank; unable to finish his sentence without trembling and shaking all over, “Kill so m-m-m-many ponies, so what do you think?”
WHAM!
In the blink of an eye, the Manticore lunged at Crowe and firmly pinned him to the ground, the monster dug his lion claws into Crowe’s shoulders. The Earth pony begged and pleaded for Khan to call off the beast but he said nothing, he walked into Bubbling Cauldron’s room. Crowe screamed and writhed, the Manticore jabbed his scorpion tail at the pony’s head; failing to hit Crowe’s squirming head and throat.
“I’m sorry sir, please, I totally meant no disrespect whatsoever,” he cried out, feeling blood soaking his shoulders from the Manticore’s claws. “Uncle, uncle, uncle!” the winged beast wrapped his scorpion tail around Crowe’s neck; he picked him off the ground and flung him into the air. The Manticore smashed his lion paw into Crowe’s chest as he fell; slamming him back first into a cave wall. “Well that was…ugh…excruciating” Crowe groaned; his legs dangled in front of his face; slumping down in a most painful upside down position.
“That will teach you to waste my precious time with your worthless suggestions for my conquering plan,” Khan coldly stated, emerging with his newly grafted armor additions. “Destroying the Tree of Harmony would bring untold forces of chaos into this world. Discord would reign supreme and be able to upset the balance of all magical power; including the Alicorns. Even if he’s been reformed”, he said sarcastically; “I am not taking any chances that will tip the balance of power out of my favor.”
“Duly noted master,” Crowe said; coughing and wheezing in pain. “So, what’s next on the old world domination game plan?”
“You will go to Saddle Arabia and acquire the mystical gem known as Colton’s third eye,” Khan said commandingly. “After that, you will track down the last two magical items I require to complete my armor. They are all important, but it is these last two that will truly maximize my armor’s power to its fullest potential.” Khan’s orange eyes sparkled with dark magic, his twisted smile growing wider with every word spoken, “Not even Celestia and Luna will be able to stop me with that much power under my control.”
“What are the last two items, master?” Crowe asked; slowly standing back on all four legs. The armored villain levitated a scroll with images and descriptions of the two items, Crowe grabbed it and gasped. “B-b-b-but these are going to be impossible to get! One of them is locked REALLY deeply in the heart of Cloudsdale; I don’t have a clue how to get up there without any wings.” Crowe could already see a dozen negative outcomes popping up in his mind, he’s being ordered to go on a suicide mission. “No balloon would be fast enough to get me out of there in time, and as for the other; I don’t even know where to begin searching for that one.”
“No excuses this time Earth Pony! I want all 3 of those items found and brought back here within the next couple days,” he screamed angrily; glaring down at Crowe. “I don’t care what you have to do or who you have to talk to; just. Find. Me. Those. Items! As for getting up to Cloudsdale, I suggest you use that special contact of yours to get you up there.”
“Special contact? Master, I’m afraid I don’t know what-”
“Oh yes you do Earth pony,” Khan said, interrupting Crowe and leaning his armored mask into the yellow colt’s face. “You know exactly what I’m talking about, as I said; I don’t care how you do it so long as it’s done when I get back.” He headed towards the cave’s exit, leaving Crowe cowering like the frightened little weakling he always saw him as. Chimera Khan’s metallic joints clanked loudly as he trotted; turning his head briefly back to Crowe, “I’m off to recruit some of the more challenging associates to our cause. Even with the added firepower from those 3 final items, I’m not taking any chances with Princess Celestia. I have personally seen how powerful she truly is,” he said solemnly, hanging his head, “And how heartless she can be.”
Crowe didn’t hear Khan’s last words, and frankly, he was too terrified of his master’s wrath to dare ask him to repeat it. The armored villain exited the cave and vanished into the foggy mists. The yellow colt took a deep sigh and wiped his brow, his heart and his nerves felt exceedingly better now that the psychopathic unicorn was no longer around.
“You are one pathetic, sorry ass excuse for a pony, you know that?” a crass, obnoxious female voice said from behind. Crowe frowned and turned to see the voice’s owner: a light green unicorn; snickering at him behind her precious cauldron. “You walk, talk, sleep, eat and crap pure failure; that’s a new level of sucking I didn’t think was possible,” Bubbling Cauldron said.
“It’s bad enough I have to put up with that lunatic’s abuse” Crowe replied, angrily stomping his hoof. “I don’t need cheap commentary from a second rate witch who makes green snot that smells like Yak farts, so just stir your sludge and keep out of my dealings with the master.”
“But it’s MORE entertaining than going to the movies, it’s the only fun thing I get to do around here besides grafting magic items to Khan’s armor,” Cauldron said causally. “So I figured; might as well enjoy the show and see which body part gets twisted into a pretzel next.” The unicorn paused and licked her lips; drooling heavily in a trance like state at the thought of munching on pretzels. “Yeah, I could totally go for a few of those right about now.”
“Would you stop being demented for 5 minutes and just LISTEN?!? This guy is a legitimate psychopath; he’s going to burn Equestria to the ground and all you do is laugh like a maniac and help him every step of the way” Crowe said, exasperated at Cauldron’s laid back attitude. “Why would you help some pony like that?”
“Uh, HELLO” she said, rolling her eyes and brimming with sarcasm. “He’s an all-powerful, monster bad ass who controls every creepy crawler and blood thirsty beast with his voodoo magical armor, why would I NOT help some pony like that?”
Crowe slapped his face in frustration, “Because he’s PURE EVIL; what makes you think he’s going to keep us around OR alive once he’s done getting everything he wants? We’re not exactly talking about the Princess of Friendship here.”
“Ha, puh-lease” she said dryly, “Don’t lump me in with you. My magic makes me invaluable to the master’s cause; one that you keep questioning; rightfully earning you all those beatings.” Cauldron dropped some Piranha skeletons into her brew and continued stirring. “I make him stronger, you on the other hoof are nothing more than a delivery boy; replaceable and expendable whether or not the master succeeds. Of course he’s going to keep me around.”
“How can you be so sure, and furthermore, you never answered my question” Crowe stated, surprising Cauldron with his insistence. “He found me during my travels and forced me to work for him, but you never said why you started working for Khan and Khan never explained how he found you either. So, why are you willingly following his iron clad hoof steps?”
“You just don’t get it, do you Earth pony?” Crowe cringed at that name; he hated being reminded he was just a regular pony; no powers or wings whatsoever. Bubbling stopped brewing and approached the colt; sporting a sinister looking smile on her face. “I’ve wanted to smear my almighty name across Equestria ever since my cousin first boasted about how great and powerful she was when she was a little filly. I worked my flank off to be the baddest stack of awesome sauce that I am today and not once did my brain dead parents appreciate my powerhouse potential. THAT’s where the master came in. He found me during one of his mystical scavenger hunts and saw how badly I wanted to be the top pineapple.”
“Ugh that’s banana, top banana dingbat” Crowe groaned; rolling his eyes.
“Whatever! The point is, he needed the most powerful super-deluxe-combo-top-of-the-line unicorn to help him magically super glue all his creepy armor pieces together; like some jacked up jigsaw puzzle,” she said; puffing her chest out with an arrogant tone. “He said I was perfect and I signed up for this cause right then and there. With my magic, Chimera Khan will be the most unstoppable force this world has ever seen, and I’ll be right next to him; walking over every pitiful pony like the glorified stepping stones that they are; MWHAHAHAHAHAHAHA” she cackled; maniacally.
“You can’t possibly be serious” Crowe said; shaking his head wildly with disbelief. “He’s going to kill countless ponies and turn every town and kingdom into a pile of ashes and rubble, there won’t be anyone or anything left! How can you support this…this…slaughter?” he frantically shouted; his voice shrill with terror and tension.
“Because, I will be left and if there’s no pony else to challenge me or mock my awesomeness,” she said with a cruel, coy smirk. “Then I’ll go down as the greatest unicorn that ever lived; aside from our master of course.”
Crowe was shocked into silence; the realization of Cauldron’s twisted ambition wounded him like an icy blade to the heart. The only response he could muster was a bunch of nonsensical stuttering sounds. He knew Bubbling Cauldron was crazy, but now he knew she was just as crazy as Khan; if not crazier.
“I may not be number 1, but at least this way no pony else will either” Bubbling coolly remarked.
Back in Canterlot…
“And after I found this letter Spike wrote, I quickly hid it and made him think he dreamed it all up” Twilight said; a twinge of sadness in her voice. “I hated lying to him like that but once I read the letter, I knew I had to show it to you and get help with proceeding to the next step.”
“Next step?” Celestia asked, curiously.
“Yes Princess Celestia, after hearing everything I’ve told you about Spike, Rarity, their relationship and the letter, I need to know what you think I should do about all this.”
The white Alicorn rubbed her chin with her hoof, a radiant shine emanated from the combined glow of her flowing mane and gold plated hoof piece. Twilight always knew she could count on Celestia to guide her down the right path. Not only was Celestia her teacher and mentor, but she was the only other pony who knew Spike as well as she did; she should’ve talked to Celestia about Spike months ago. Celestia looked down at Twilight; smiling confidently.
“All right, I think I have the perfect plan,” Twilight smiled hopefully. Finally she would get some answers. “There’s this wonderful restaurant in Canterlot, it’s exotic, fancy; so I know Rarity will enjoy it, and they cater to special tastes so Spike could even enjoy gemstones there.” Twilight’s jaw dropped like a boulder, she couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “I’ll make a special reservation just for the two of them, do you think tonight is too short notice or do they need a few days?”
“ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?” Twilight shrieked, tugging at her purple locks in frustration.
Celestia sighed and nodded, “Your right; that is too soon. Spike’s a bit shy; it might take him a while to work up the courage to ask her out, that fancy restaurant may be too much stimulation for a first date. Let me see if I can find some place that’s low key but still nice.”
“Princess, with all due respect,” Twilight rushed against Celestia’s chest; frantically shaking her mentor’s long forelegs. “ARE YOU CRAZY?! You’re talking like you’re completely okay with Spike and Rarity actually going out on a date…together?”
“Of course I am, aren’t you?” Celestia replied, calmly.
“NO, NOT AT ALL, this is the exact opposite of what I was talking about. I don’t think Spike should be dating ANY PONY period; let alone one of my closest friends” Twilight said frantically. She began walking around, rubbing her hooves along her face in annoyance. Celestia remained completely unphased by Twilight’s panic attack. “This isn’t right, none of this is right, were talking about a baby dragon in love with an older pony; what part of that makes any sense?”
“Twilight, while it is true our knowledge on dragons is minimal, you and I both know for certain that what dragons consider to be babies is clearly different than foals,” Celestia explained.
The young princess hadn’t really thought of that. If Spike really was a “baby” like your typical foal, then he should be drooling and walking around in diapers like Pound and Pumpkin Cake. If Spike waited to be a teenager or a fully mature dragon before he started dating, every pony he knew would be as old as Granny Smith…or be dead already.
“But still, he’s too young to be dating. Spike doesn’t have a clue what it feels like to be in love, this is just some puppy crush that he’s fixated in, he has no idea how things work in a relationship” Twilight said; matter-of-factly.
“Based on everything you’ve told me on how Spike acts around Rarity”, Celestia lifted the letter with her magic. “And this letter he wrote, I’d say that he understands a great deal about love; at least more than you realize. The thoughts and feelings expressed in this letter are not those of a simple crush.” Celestia extended her wing and gently placed it against Twilight’s back; trying to ease her confusion and resistance.
“I just don’t understand how this could have happened, or how it could have grown like this when Rarity never really returned his feelings.”
“Oh Twilight, I’ve been around for thousands and thousands of years and even I can’t explain how love works” she said with a giggle. “Love is an elusive and mysterious force that is unexplainable, unmeasurable and defies logic and reasoning.” The young princess looked up at her mentor; listening like a child being lectured by its mother. “The only thing I can say for certain about love is that when it hits you, you’ll know it. You won’t be able to explain it or put it into words, but you’ll know it.”
“No wonder I can’t understand it,” Twilight said dryly; rolling her eyes. “Without logic or reasoning, everything turns to madness; the same thing happened when I tried to understand Pinkie Pie’s ‘Pinkie sense’.” The truth was; Twilight didn’t really know what it felt like to be in love. The only example she knew was her brother and sister-in-law, and she didn’t find out they were together until their wedding announcement; not enough information there. There was Flash Sentry of course, but neither one of them ever made a move and she never saw him enough to build a strong enough connection. She’s far worse at this whole “love thing” than she first thought.
“And to address your first question, it doesn’t surprise me at all that this happened,” Twilight blinked wide eyed at Celestia’s statement. “It was only a matter of time before Spike fell in love with a pony,” Celestia smiled. “Rarity’s quite lucky to have a sweetheart like Spike care for her.”
“How do you figure that?” Twilight asked, incredulously.
“Well, let’s look at it using the means you understand best: logic and reasoning,” Twilight nodded and sat down. The young mare’s face was focused and intense; as if being presented with a pop quiz. “Spike is a dragon that was given to you as an egg at a young age, when he hatched; he imprinted on you, a pony, as his mother and grew up with you in Canterlot and then Ponyville. This means that for Spike’s entire life, he has been raised and surrounded by ponies: he works with them, socializes with them and makes friends with them; everything he knows he learned from ponies. So it’s really no surprise he’s attracted to ponies because that’s all he’s ever known.”
“But he’s still a dragon, that’s a very big difference that just can’t be ignored,” Twilight solemnly replied; shaking her head. “I understand what you’re saying princess, but I always thought…eh I don’t know, someday he’d find-”
“A female dragon to love?” Celestia interrupted.
Twilight knew how close minded that made her sound, but ultimately she nodded in defeat. She couldn’t help the way she felt about Spike’s love life. In her mind, she still thought Spike was too young to even have a love life, let alone have one that involved someone from a completely different species.
“Let’s say we go down this route you’ve suggested, all right? Let’s say Spike does find a female dragon to date,” Celestia proposed. Something in Twilight’s gut told her that she wasn’t going to like where this outcome lead. She had a bad feeling stirring inside of her, one she knew Celestia was leaning towards, but she had to hear it even if she didn’t like it. “What do you think that dragon would be like, and furthermore, how do you think she would treat a dragon raised by ponies?”
Horrible images appeared in Twilight’s mind, like a relapse of long lost dragon filled nightmares. The dragons from the migration that Spike met on his quest were violent, prejudicial and total bullies. Spike was treated like an infantile outcast, deemed too weak to participate in their awful activities. When in truth, he didn’t have the heart to be that nasty; a fact which made Twilight infinitely proud. Dragons are by nature angry, destructive and selfish creatures; none of which sounded like ideal girlfriend qualities for her number one assistant.
“I think I understand Princess,” Twilight raised her head up; looking at her mentor with sincerity sparkling in her eyes. “The fact is everything I know about love I’ve read about in books and stories. I don’t understand everything that Spike is feeling, I didn’t even understand friendship until I came to Ponyville; so to try and understand romantic love is difficult for me.” She imagined Spike’s face lighting up every time he saw Rarity; the image brought a warm smile to the young Alicorn’s face. “But for Spike’s sake, I’m going to try and understand this as best I can. I have a feeling the answer is right in front of me, but it’s going to take me some time to really sort it all out.”
“As always Princess Twilight, I have complete and total confidence in your abilities,” Twilight blushed at her mentor’s kind words. “You’ve raised a wonderful son in Spike and perhaps by helping him with his understanding in love; you can discover your own understanding of love,” Celestia said; adding a knowing wink.
“Um yes…t-t-thank you Princess,” Twilight rubbed her neck nervously. She knew her mentor was wise, but had she already sensed the nature of her conflicted feelings about Moonstruck? Actually, did she even have feelings over Moonstruck or was it just hiding Moonstruck she was conflicted over? “Well, I really should be going now; I’ve got a lot of work waiting for me back home. Sorry again for the impromptu visit.”
“Think nothing of it Twilight, I always enjoy spending time with you” Celestia said; cheerfully. “Just be sure to write me and let me know what happens with Spike and Rarity. Being the ruler of Equestria means I don’t get to hear juicy gossip like this often, it’s so much more fun than dealing with royal duties.”
“Princess!” Twilight said, in a loud; scolding tone.
Celestia giggled, “I know how it sounds; but it’s true!”
Twilight waved to her mentor and exited the castle; heading towards the train station to make her way back to Ponyville. She only hoped things hadn’t gotten too out of hoof with Moonstruck. To be in Canterlot for even a minute longer than she planned was risky, she didn’t like shackling her friend’s lives to this situation for too long. But, she trusts them with her life and they’ve been in much tougher situations than this before. The young princess felt much better about Spike after talking to Celestia; she feels like she has a whole new perspective on her assistant and her Fashionista friend. Princess Luna trotted into the room, she approached Celestia’s side.
“Ah dear sister, there you are. You just missed Twilight” Celestia said; turning to see her Alicorn sibling.
“Forgive me sister but I was conversing with the royal guard; hoping to hear if any news of our missing prisoner had surfaced,” Luna said. She frowned and sighed, the sound of frustration echoed in her voice. “I’m afraid there’s still no sign of the scoundrel Tia, what news did Princess Twilight bring with her?”
“She came to ask about the very scoundrel we’ve been hunting, though something tells me she knows more than she’s letting on.”
“Sister, are you suggesting Twilight is aiding this villain in some way? I find it impossible to conceive she would house an enemy so vile.”
“As do I Lulu, which is exactly why I believe it is best we be patient and trust in Twilight’s judgment for the time being.”
“But you told her of the misery that took place on the day of my birth did you not? I just do not understand what manner of madness would possess Twilight to conceal such a fiend from us.”
“Perhaps Twilight knows something we do not about Moonstruck and did not want to tell us until she was absolutely certain of her findings. I am well aware of the severity of the situation at hoof, but as I said before; I have total faith Twilight will be able to handle this. She’s never let us down before sister.”
“And no pony has a greater appreciation for her accomplishments than me; I just fear what may become of her if she allows herself to be drawn in by one such as Moonstruck.”
Those last few words brought an odd but pleasant smile to Celestia’s lips; something inside her couldn’t help it. Her sister’s confusion was expected. Celestia giggled in reply; pondering about Twilight’s connection to Moonstruck. She felt an odd sense of familiarity with this predicament; as if she had felt it long ago and was still enchanted by it from time to time. It was like a dream she had once: unable to remember the faces and the names, but the feeling of attraction and warmth amongst a figure in shadows; that she would always remember without fail.
Something tells me something wonderful is happening to Twilight…she just doesn’t know it yet.
Meanwhile at Sweet Apple Acres…
Applejack entered the kitchen through the back door; she let loose a loud yawn and vigorously shook her face. The sky was getting darker and the sun was about to set. The country mare had been exhausted keeping up with her chores on the farm and keeping an eye on Moonstruck. The chores were always physically exhausting, but now she’s been mentally exhausted with all the trouble he’d been stirring in Spike, which in turn stirred some mighty emotional problems in AJ. “Never knew pony sitting a locked door would be this draining, Ahm more drained than a water balloon popped over a cactus.” She opened up the fridge, poured herself a cup of apple cider and gulped it down. “Ah swear, Ah wish Ah knew where Pinkie Pie got all that energy from; Ah was plum tuckered out just watching her.”
Click!
All the lights in the kitchen suddenly turned off, Applejack stood there; bewildered by the sudden blanket of darkness. A single light flashed on above the dining table, there were 3 shadows sitting in the dim light surrounding the table. The trio looked like they were some sort of mysterious cult.
“Now what in tar nation is going on here?” Applejack asked; irritated. She raised a curious eyebrow at these 3 familiar looking shadows.
For a moment, silence was the only answer given. “Applejack, we the Core Council here have gathered here to discuss a very important matter”, the middle shadow said. “You are makin’ a grave mistake, one that will cost you a lifetime of happiness if you do not act now.” The middle shadow leaned forward and poked AJ’s nose; the orange mare blinked and shook her head. “You must act now, act now; ACT NOW” the shadow said; in a moaning; ghost like tone.
THWACK!
“OW” exclaimed the shadow on the right.
“Granny Smith, what’d ya do that for?!? You totally ruined the ambiance Ah had going.”
Applejack had enough of this shadow game; she clicked on the other kitchen lights and finally got a full view of her so called shadowy visitors: Applebloom, Granny Smith and Big Mac. “Ya’ll mind telling what in Celestia’s name you three are doing?” Applejack demanded, her gaze hardened on her younger sister.
“It wasn’t mah fault! Ah was tryin’ to have this set up like one of those fancy ghostly science meetings so Ah could get yer attention.” Apple Bloom frowned and turned towards Granny Smith; still holding the flyswatter that bopped Big Mac on the head and ruined her ghostly intervention.
“Awe pony feathers Ahm sorry there Big Mac. Ah wasn’t tryin’ to whack ya, Ah was aimin’ for that confounded fly that’s been after me all day,” Granny Smith replied. Her aging eyes followed the buzz of a grey fly zipping around her head; she swung the swatter but just couldn’t land a single hit. Big Mac rubbed his head and gave an accepting nod to Granny’s apology. Apple Bloom sighed; annoyed by her grandmother’s vilification of a common house fly. “Ah am telling ya, this little critter has been harassin’ me all day!”
Applejack and her siblings just ignored Granny Smith’s eccentrics and turned back to the current situation. “First off Apple Bloom, ah think you mean séance meetin’, not science meetin’ and that’s fer summoning ghosts; not interventions,” she explained.
Apple Bloom looked to her brother and grandmother for verification, they both nodded. “Oops, guess Ah got mah set ups mixed up” she said, blushing brightly with embarrassment.
“And secondly, what’s this about grave mistakes and actin’ now stuff?”
“Ah talked it over with Granny Smith and Big Mac and we all came to a decision: You need to go out with Hopeful Romantic and live happily ever after together” Apple Bloom said. Applejack’s eyes widened temporarily before closing, she rubbed between her eyes and groaned; annoyed. “This is the whole reason we assembled the Core Council together, ya know, like an apple core? To salvage yer love life” Bloom explained.
“The Core Council? Heh that’s pretty clever Apple-” Applejack started. Before the orange mare could finish, she suddenly realized the last part of her sister’s statement, her eyes bulged wide and a fiery shade of red appeared on her freckled cheeks. “SAY WHAT NOW?!? MAH LOVE LIFE IS NONE OF YER DARN TOOTIN’ BUSINESS!”
“You have to have one before we can stay out of it,” Big Mac snapped.
A quick dagger filled glare from his older sister instantly silenced any further remarks from the red colt.
“Look, ya know nothin’ means more to me than mah family; but this is going too far,” Applejack protested. “Whether Ah choose to date Hopeful, or not date him, or any other stallion is none of yer concerns. Ya can’t just lasso me down a date without even askin’ me.”
“But he’s been so nice to you and us. He’s always polite, sweet and gives ya all those nice, fancy gifts. Why don’t ya at least give him a chance?” Apple Bloom asked.
Applejack shook her head, she removed her hat and ran her hoof through her blond locks; frustrated. Why does everyone have to ask her about her personal relationships? First Apple Bloom, then Moonstruck; now she’s got the whole family ganging up on her. At this rate, she may just date him just to shut everyone up. “Look sugar cube, it’s complicated and Ah just don’t feel right discussin’ this in front of ya’ll. The gesture is sweet and all but Ah just don’t got the time to be foolin’ around with fellers.”
“This wouldn’t have anythin’ to do with the fact he’s a Pegasus and not an Earth pony now does it?” Granny Smith asked; firmly. Applejack bit her lip nervously, her emerald eyes darted around the kitchen. The question clearly left the orange mare uncomfortable. “Cause if yer askin’ me, this whole ‘not havin’ any time for a man’ talk sounds like a whole load of bull squirt.”
“It’s n-n-n-not bull squirt,” she countered; nervously. “Ah got too many chores on the farm to be courtin’ around with some pony. Besides, he’s too pushy for me anyhow; always overloadin’ me with all these love gifts and-and none of our interests match.” AJ crossed her forelegs across her chest and nodded, “We just don’t mix right.”
Granny Smith pounded her hoof on the table, Bloom and Big Mac flinched. Applejack was equally stunned. “That’s a big fat load of fiddlesticks and you KNOW IT too! You talk about havin’ no time cause of the chores, yet you ALWAYS seem to find plenty of time to spend going on adventures with yer friends and travelin’ round Equestria.” The elder pony’s words cut through Applejack’s defense like a fiery knife, she continued hammering on; getting louder and angrier. Applejack bit her lip and fumbled her hooves nervously. “Work comes first; that’s a given, but to say the work’s keeping ya too busy to go out on one stinkin’ date to give that honest colt a decent chance, well now that’s the biggest load of horse apples Ah ever did hear!”
“Besides, Ah know fer a fact that you liked that stuff he made for ya” Apple Bloom added. “I saw ya readin’ some of the poems he wrote for ya, you looked like you were ready to cry and Ah NEVER see you get that weepy.” Applejack turned beat red in the face, Apple Bloom quickly cowered behind Granny Smith to escape her sister’s menacing glare. She knew her sister was gonna be peeved for spying on her.
“Look, mah reasons and mah feelings on this matter are personal and PRIVATE” Applejack shouted; glaring once more at her sister. “This is one part of mah life that Ah can handle mahself.”
“But Applejack, Ah just don’t want you thinkin’ that just cause our family is made up of Earth ponies that doesn’t mean you can only see and date other Earth ponies.”
The orange mare did a double take; she was genuinely surprised by Granny Smith’s statement. Even though it was never explicitly stated anywhere, Applejack just always assumed that there was some tradition involving dating ponies of the same race. She stood there, scratching her head and trying to make sense of this, “Huh, it d-d-doesn’t?”
“Of course not honey! There’s no Apple family Earth pony dating tradition rule, everyone in our family just happened to marry other Earth ponies. It wouldn’t make a lick of sense to cut our kin off from other kinds of ponies that could make em happy. You can date, marry and be with whatever kinda pony you want. Heck you could marry a Tatzlwurm if that’s what ya really want.”
Applejack didn’t want her family to think of her excluding Hopeful just because he’s a Pegasus, still, a part of her felt better knowing there never was any tradition that prohibited her from dating outside her race. She knew she was stubborn and resistant to change, things were always much simpler and easier to deal with when it’s your normal routine. The blond mare wondered why she would deny herself happiness over something as frivolous as physical differences. After all, she’s friends with a dragon, the Breezies and to a…lesser extent, Discord. She just kept on feeling uncomfortable about this whole situation. Why was she making up excuses and denying things she knows are true? She’s the element of Honesty for Celestia’s sake!
“So what do you say sis, can you give Hopeful a chance?” Apple Bloom sweetly pleaded.
“Ah uh…well maybe Ah could um…Ah don’t know,” she stormed off upstairs; shouting. “Ah just don’t know!” There was a loud slam that followed, Applejack had slammed her bedroom door shut and locked it.
“Well…that went about as smoothly as Ah expected it to go,” Granny Smith said; sighing heavily.
Apple Bloom and Big Mac hung their heads in defeat, sighing in unison; “Eyeup.”
“DAG NABBIT” Granny Smith shouted; wildly swinging her fly swatter. “Ah swear that little bugger is mocking me, Ah know he is!”
The next day at Fluttershy’s cottage…
Rainbow Dash finished explaining what happened with Arrowhead to Fluttershy. The Pegasai sat on couches, opposite from each other. Two cups of tea had been placed on the table between them. The Wonderbolts fan had desperately needed some pony to talk to, bottling up everything due to pride was driving her nuts and she couldn’t stand it anymore. Rainbow knew Fluttershy was the only pony she could talk to about this, her other friends would listen of course; but Fluttershy knows better than any pony else how complicated this Arrowhead situation has become. Plus, she’s the only pony who’s seen him up close and has an idea of what he’s like.
“I really messed up things with Arrowhead, not only did I hurt him, but now he thinks I’m a selfish jerk who cares more about my pride then him.” The cyan Pegasus sipped her tea and slowly placed the cup back down. She hated feeling like this, but worst of all; she hated to think that what Arrowhead said might be true. “I just don’t know what to do Fluttershy,” Rainbow’s wings sagged.
“Well, it sounds to me that you really do care what Arrowhead thinks of you. Otherwise, his opinion of you wouldn’t be making you feel so sad,” Fluttershy explained. “You care about what he thinks of you and after you tried to hide him from Scootaloo, I’m not really surprised he reacted the way he did.”
“But what was I supposed to do, let every pony in town think I’m a mushy little filly with a crush?” Rainbow said; dripping with sarcasm.
Fluttershy paused before nodding, “Well yeah; if that’s how you really feel about him.” Rainbow huffed in protest and crossed her arms; looking away from her pink haired friend. Fluttershy couldn’t help but giggle at her friend’s bashful pout, “It’s nothing to be ashamed of Dashie. Just because you like a pony doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with you, there’s no need to hide your crush.”
“PUH-LEASE” Rainbow snapped, “I never actually admitted that I have a ‘crush’ on any pony” she said; using air quote marks. “This girl doesn’t get suckered into sappy things like holding hooves or romantic dinners or anything like that, not one little bit. I’m way too cool for that kind of junk” she boasted, sounding more like she was reading off a script rather than her true feelings. Fluttershy knows when Rainbow is full of hot air; she always does it with things she really likes, like having Tank as her pet or enjoying the Daring Do books. “I think your just twisting it to make it sound like I like him, he’s just a casual acquaintance.”
The butter Pegasus had an idea; she knew exactly how to get her friend to open up. “Well that’s great to hear” she said; smirking. “Then based on what you told me, you wouldn’t mind it if I asked him out on a date.” Rainbow’s eyes bulged, that smug look of pride quickly melted into a panicky mess. “Sounds like he’s got a thing for Pegasai, I sure wouldn’t mind having him over for tea sometime.”
“KEEP YOUR HOOVES OFF MY MAN, HE’S MINE” Rainbow screamed. She blushed furiously at her sudden outburst; Fluttershy stared wide eyed at her friend’s reaction. The cyan mare instantly backed down and looked from side to side; trying to play it off causally. “I mean uh…yeah…uh…you can do what-whatever you want, I d-d-don’t care. He’s j-j-just a guy, no big thing, heh it’s not like he’s anything special.”
“Yeah, your probably right Rainbow” Fluttershy’s smirk grew wider and wider, Rainbow was so easy to read it was foal’s play. The cyan Pegasus rested her shoulders and exhaled. She felt much better knowing her nature loving friend was no longer interested in Arrowhead, even if her pride refused to admit it. Fluttershy sipped her tea and decided to poke the bear a bit harder this time. “After all, he’s not really my type; plus he looks out of shape and his butt looks kind of flat.”
“Out…of…shape?” Rainbow floated off her seat, her face twitching like her sanity was about to unravel. “ARE YOU BUCKING KIDDING ME!? Have you seen his body? He could probably give Applejack a run for her money, he’s got those chiseled abs, iron tight legs and that butt of his.” Rainbow’s face turned bright pink; she starred into nothingness with a dreamy look on her face. “He doesn’t know it, but I totally check out his plot EVERY time he-”
“Well now that sounds like some casual acquaintance you’ve got there Dashie,” Fluttershy interrupted; her voice had an all-knowing tone. “That is, for some pony you claim you don’t have a crush on.”
Rainbow was stunned silent; her cyan cheeks seemed permanently locked into blushing mode, despite her best efforts to hide it. Nothing she said would ever be able to undo what she revealed, and still, she looked as if her world had collapsed by confessing her feelings. She didn’t understand why she saw love as something to be embarrassed about; or why she’s so afraid to talk about this in front of Fluttershy; especially since she can clearly see right through her tough girl act.
“I just…I just”, she couldn’t finish the words; all the shame and confusion tor her up inside and she couldn’t hold it in any longer. “I just don’t know what to do. Everything feels weird, I don’t know how to deal with this kind of…mushy stuff,” she clutched her head and groaned. Rainbow felt like her pride was like a life support machine: it’s keeping her alive but it’s also keeping her bed ridden and stagnant. Bravado and earning fame was her bread and butter, but now they felt like poisons corroding her from the inside out. “Nothing makes sense, everything I feel hurts…but like in a weird good kind of way,” she looked to Fluttershy pleadingly; “What do I do?”
“I’m sorry Dashie, but this is a decision that only you can make” she patted her friend’s head; smiling sweetly to her. “I’ve always known there’s more to you than just acting tough all the time, I believe in you and I know you can do anything you put your mind to.” Rainbow perked up slightly, she sniffled loudly as Fluttershy gave her a tissue, “But you have to believe that yourself; you got to find out how important Arrowhead is to you. You’re the only pony who knows your own heart,” she flapped her wings and flew towards the front door; she exited the cottage and looked back at Rainbow. “I’ve got to head to Twilight’s for my Moonstruck shift, but you stay as long as you like to think things over.”
Rainbow smiled and nodded; waving as her friend flew off towards the library. She shuffled her hooves and sighed, thinking over everything Fluttershy said, not even noticing the small gray fly buzzing around her head and then flying out the window. The fly buzzed all the way to downtown Ponyville, its flight path circled around 3 particular fillies walking together. One was a yellow Earth pony with red hair and a bow, one was a white unicorn with purple and pink hair and the third was an orange Pegasus with magenta hair and tiny wings.
“So how did the Core council meeting go?” Scootaloo asked. “Did Applejack agree to go out with Hopeful Romantic?”
“Nah, she got all upset and ran off to her room, Ah didn’t see her for the rest of the night” Apple Bloom said; her bow wilting. “All we were tryin’ to do is help and she acted like we were bullying her.”
“That’s a shame, especially after you went to all that trouble of coming up with that cool group name” Sweetie Bell said.
“Ah know, right?” Apple Bloom replied; having much confidence in her “Core council” nickname. “She’s just too stubborn to appreciate when someone’s tryin’ to help. Now Hopeful is all bummed out, so now every pony is miserable and it’s like we can’t do anything about it.”
“Yeah I know how you feel” Apple Bloom turned to Scootaloo, “Rainbow Dash has been acting really weird too. I saw her talking to a stallion and she freaked and tried to hide him, it was like she was scared of me seeing them talking together or something,” the orange filly rolled her eyes. “What’s with every pony lately? It’s freaking me out seeing them acting all crazy.”
“Ah agree, Ah say we try bein’ detectives again and find out what’s going on with our sisters,” Apple Bloom placed a Sherlock Holmes hat over her head.
“Hold up Crusaders”, the two fillies turned their attention to Sweetie Bell, “Have you already forgotten the first mystery we said we’d solve?” Apple Bloom and Scootaloo pondered their friend’s words a moment; they smiled and nodded, remembering their first mystery. “We’ve got to figure out what’s going on at the library. Our sisters and her friends keep going there and acting all sneaky and secretive, and we said that it’s our mission to find out why.”
“Ah was so wrapped up tryin’ to fix my sister’s love life; Ah completely forgot to ask her about that,” Apple Bloom exclaimed.
“Eh I doubt she would have told you anything Bloom,” Scootaloo shrugged, “I asked Rainbow Dash about it and she didn’t want to talk about it anymore than she did bringing up that stallion.”
The 3 girls stood there, putting their heads together to try and come up with the best means of finding out what’s really going on at the library. All of their sisters wouldn’t say one word about it and their friends are being just as quiet. “We could try sneaking in through the windows or somethin’,” a light bulb flashed above Bloom’s head.
“Won’t work, Twilight has Owlicious flying around like a hawk…or an owl I guess? He’d bust us before we even got close,” Bloom’s smile and bulb vanished after hearing Sweetie Bell’s comment. The filly knew she was right, Twilight probably had a checklist of other security measures set up after she left. “What we need is some pony on the inside who already knows what’s going on but is willing to talk.”
“Where we going to find a pony like that?” Scootaloo frowned, “Pinkie Pie always lets something slip out; but Twilight made her Pinkie promise not to tell and you know how seriously Pinkie takes promises.” The 3 fillies all nodded in agreement, they continued thinking who they could trick to spill the beans on this mystery activity.
“Hey there girls, beautiful day don’t you think?”
The girls turned to see Spike walking past them with a stack of comics in his claws. The Crusaders looked at each other and had three mischievous little grins on their faces, it looks like they just found their inside man. “Oh Spiiiiiiiiiiiiiike” Sweetie Bell chimed, Spike stopped and turned his head, “We were wondering if you happened to know what’s going on at the library with our sisters and their friends.”
“Oh nononononono,” Spike shook his head and waved a nagging claw, “Just cause I look like I’m the same age as you guys doesn’t mean I’m that easy to trick.” The Crusaders frowned slightly; they also hated to be treated like children…even though they actually are children. “Twilight made it crystal clear that I wasn’t allowed to tell any pony under any circumstances, and there’s nothing you can say or do that’ll make me change my mind,” Spike said firmly. He headed back on his way carrying his comics, smiling confidently that he stood his ground.
“Even if I put in a good word for you with my sister?” Sweetie bell said, smirking just as confidently. Spike instantly dropped his comics and bolted towards the young unicorn, she practically jumped out of her curls she was so shocked. He looked to her with pleading eyes, desperately seeking confirmation about her offer. Sweetie Bell winked to her friends, she turned to Spike and smiled, “Give us the scoop and I promise Rarity will think your sweeter than chocolate.”
Spike blushed at the thought, to have Rarity think of him so fondly and sweetly; it just filled his heart with a swarm of butterflies. “All right then; I’ll tell you” Spike looked sternly at the Crusaders, “But you can’t tell ANY PONY; this has to stay just between the 4 of us,” the fillies nodded and Pinkie promised. “Your sisters are helping Twilight and the others watch over an escaped Tartarus criminal,” the fillies started to gasp but Spike hushed them and reminded them to stay quiet. “His name is Moonstruck; he’s a dangerous and powerful unicorn that we’re watching over until Twilight gets back from Canterlot. She went to ask Princess Celestia what to do about him,” the girls looked at each other; their eyes and smiles bustling with excitement.
“That’s amazing, it’s like we got a real live super villain under our noses,” Scootaloo bounced up and down cheerfully.
Apple Bloom grabbed Spike and shook him wildly, “What was he locked up fer, what’s his special talent, does he wear a mask or a costume or anythin’ like that, where’s he from, how did mah sis and the others catch him, how long has he been out?” Spike shook himself free; he placed a claw on her shoulder to calm her down.
“Sorry Apple Bloom but that’s all I know, I’ve told you everything I can tell,” the filly nodded and hugged Spike; thanking him for talking. “Just remember to keep your guys lips sealed about this whole thing or were ALL gonna be in big trouble,” the fillies agreed and helped Spike pick up his comics. He waved goodbye to them and went on his way. Spike could feel that familiar warmth he always felt when Rarity was on his mind, it’s the kind of warmth he hoped Rarity would feel when her sister talked about him with her.
The Crusaders also went about their way; ideas and theories buzzing around their little heads about this mysterious new guest in Ponyville.
Speaking of buzzing…
The gray fly that circled the Crusaders flew off as soon as they were finished talking with Spike. The insect continued flying farther and farther away until it was out of Ponyville; away from any pony’s line of sight or near any buildings or homes, it landed on the base of a tree.
SNAP!
The fly morphed into a strange, dragon Chimera like creature with various horns, limbs, wings and different colored fur sections over various parts of his patchwork body. It was Discord: spirit of chaos and disharmony.
“AH HA, HA, HA, HA, talk about some extra juicy gossip”, he materialized a carton of orange juice with the word “Gossip” on it. The chaos spirit guzzled down the carton’s contents and then liquefied the carton itself; drinking it as well, he wiped his mouth with his white tail tip. “Here I am, thinking I FINALLY mastered all the sophisticated trappings of friendship making, only to find my friends are secretly hiding OTHER friends and not sharing them with any pony,” Discord scratched his chin curiously; his horns morphing into the shape of a single green question mark. “There must be something that a charming and good natured Draconequus, like me, could do to help my pony friends with their particular predicaments,” Discord grinned a wickedly evil grin, he snapped his claws and materialized an octopus into his lion paw; stroking it like a cat. “I’m especially tickled pink at the thought of meeting this delightful Moonstruck character”, he momentarily turned himself bright pink before vanishing his entire body and the octopus into thin air; leaving only his yellow eyes floating behind. “Perhaps it’s time to pay this fugitive a visit; after all, I have just the chaos in mind to keep the girls busy while we have a little…chat.” The eyes slowly vanished; Discord’s laugh could be heard echoing hauntingly in the wind.
To be continued…