Daring Do and the Amulet of Graveeda

by Bother

Part 3

 
The world came back in a rush. Daring snapped her head back and yelped, breathing hard as the feeling of horror left her. She finally registered that she was back in her own body, and she found herself looking down at the swell between her legs. Never before had she been so happy so see and feel its warmth. She gave it a loving stroke and to feel the life within, and the foal kicked back at her worried prodding.

“Wow…”

Daring jumped. She looked up and noticed that the librarian was standing at a distance, a look of awe on her face.

Daring rubbed her head. “How long was I out?”

“Only a few minutes, but your eyes...” The librarian shook her head. “I've never seen a pegasus' eyes do that before. I didn't hurt either of you, did I?”

“No, but—” Daring cut herself off with a shiver. The echoes of that scream were still ringing in her ears. “Sheesh. I'm... sorry about what happened. I didn’t know it was like that.”

Either Daring hid her pain badly, or the librarian could hear it in her voice. “You saw—”

“More like f-felt.” Daring wasn't the type to cry, but the memory of that thing crawling through her and doing something unspeakable was enough to make her voice tremble.

The librarian trotted over and sat down next to Daring. “Hey, it's alright, see?” Shepicked up one of Daring's hooves and let it rest upon her own, less gravid belly. “You brought him back, and now he'll never be taken away.”

Daring smiled as she felt the life jump within them both. Even if she didn't know how she’d done it, the fact that such a horrible thing had been undone left her in a moment of pride. Maybe being the Godmother wasn't such a bad thing? She still wasn't quite sure.

The librarian seemed to sense her slight change of heart. “So, you think you could help my friends out? Help us all out?”

Daring couldn't look her in the eye. A part of her wanted to say yes, but it was a tall order. “I don't know. I want to, believe me, but I'm just not sure how I’d fit ‘em all in here.” She gave her stomach a casual tap.

“Well, you already have a few in there, don't you?” the librarian asked. “Think you can fit a few more until we figure out how the Godmother deals with the curse?”

Daring winced. “Er, actually, this is just yours.”

The librarian stared at her. “You're kidding.”

Daring’s expression remained unchanged.

The librarian laughed nervously. “Are… are you sure that that melon you have in there is just mine?”

Daring just shrugged. “Yeah, I'm sure.” She wasn’t sure how, mind you, but she was.

The librarian went pale. “I'm going to get THAT BIG?! Ahhhh! I'm not going to have anything to wear! Oh, my mother was right about Clydesdale foals!”

Daring couldn't help but laugh. “I’m sure that—”

She was cut short by the sound of the front door being forcibly swung open with a loud CRASH!

“Clever Quill!” A loud voice shouted through the space. “We need to speak with you!”

Daring had been through enough scrapes to recognize the sound of trouble. She was already getting up to leave by the time the librarian’s name was called out. Meanwhile, Clever Quill was leaving to see who had just arrived.

“Wait!” Daring called after her. “Your dress.”

“Oh! Right.” She quickly began refitting the buttons.

The booming voice from before spoke up again, “NOW, Misses Quill! I don’t have all day!”

“One minute, you oaf!” Clever Quill yelled back. “Your overtly loud entry knocked over the books I was sorting!” She turned back to Daring and spoke in an undertone. “There's a back door over in that corner. Use it just in case.”

Daring looked where she pointed, and could barely make it out in the darkness of the back room they were in. “You know, I usually don’t hear the words 'just in case' unless—”

“You're far more important than I am!” Clever Quill said in a rushed voice. She heaved Daring up onto her feet. “Go. I’ll be fine.”

“MISSES QUILL! When I said NOW, I meant—”

“SHUT UP!” Clever Quill roared. “I’M FREAKING COMING! BLOODY HELL!”

Daring began slinking like a shadow towards the door. As she got close, though, she couldn't help but stop. She couldn’t very well have anything bad to happen to the mother of the foal she was carrying. Clever Quill was now arguing with whoever was at the door, but Daring couldn’t make anything out from so far away.

Cursing, Daring doubled back around and got closer so she could hear what they were saying.

“I've never heard of your order and I think you’re full of manure,” Clever Quill said. “If a group like that was real, then either you’re all utterly incompetent, or you enjoy watching the entire town suffer! If all you’re going to try and intimidate me with a load of horseapples, you can—HEY!”

Daring heard the sound of a dress being ripped.

“What in Celestia’s name is wrong with you?!” Clever Quill shouted. “You stupid jerk! That was a brand new dress!”

“Your husband wrote within the Book of the Godmother that our order was to wish well for your lost foal yesterday,” the gruff voice said. “And yet here you are, heavy with one.”

“He was mistaken,” Clever Quill said. “I was mistaken, rather. I overreacted at dinner last night.”

“Mistaken about losing a foal?” The gruff voice let out a snort. “Are you saying your husband lied to the order? Because that’s a capital offense… and so is lying to me!”

“S-Stop! What are you—what in Equestria is that?!”

Daring didn't know what to do. She couldn't very well fight with a full-term foal in her! But she couldn’t just leave Clever Quill like this; there had to be something she could do!

“Just a trinket that's going to tell me that you're lying,” the gruff voice said. “And oh, hey! Would just look at that! Magical residue all over your belly! And not just any residue—Godmother residue.”

“That’s not even a thing!” Clever Quill spat. “It sounds like something you made up just now! And even if it were, it wouldn’t prove anything other then that the Godmother is back!”

“I might believe that, but you also have some on your hooves…” there was a pause. “...and your dress, and even your mouth! Damn it, you had some very close contact with her, and bloody recently, too! Tell us where she is!”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about, moron! Why don’t you and your goons go—OOF!”

Daring heard the sound of a mare grunting in pain.

“BRASH! Are you insane?!” a new voice cried out in alarm. “Back off! You’re going way too far—HRK!”

There was a second grunt, this time from a stallion.

The first voice spoke again in a low, dangerous tone. “We’re going to find the Godmother, and when we do, we're gonna lock her up until we all get what we deserve! Search the entire library from head to hoof! Three of you, check the upper floor! The rest of you, sweep the ground! Cinderwing, you go check that room she came out of, and don’t you dare miss a damn thing.”

Daring muttered a curse. Opening the door now would just let them know she was there. But then again, it'd probably take the heat off of Clever Quill. She decided to take the risk. She peeked beyond the door to see how much time she had, and that’s when she noticed that one of the stallions was brandishing a strange silver coin in his magic. It was giving off a strange light that was moving all over the room, and when it passed over Daring, the warmth in her belly increased. It began to spread to the rest of her, and by the time she realized what was happening, it was already too late.

FLASH! Daring’s entire body lit up like a firework.

The stallion almost dropped the silver coin. “SHE’S HERE!”

“Shit!” Daring waddled to the back door and disappeared out into the old alleyway.

“OUT OF THE WAY! SHE’S MINE!”

Daring suppressed a sneer. She certainly knew which voice that was. She'd be happy to do a number on him if things were different, but as it stood, she had to get away as quick as she could.

The sound of the back door smashed open wasn't a good sign for her progress. She debated stopping and trying to fight anyway, as the weight of her cargo already starting to tire her out, but she didn't want to endanger the little one. She had no way of knowing what would happen to Quill's foal if it was hurt in her own womb, and she wasn’t about to risk that.

“Give it up, Godmother!” Brash called after her. “You know you can't run.”

Daring hated admitting it, but he was right. Every fiber of her being still ached, and she was already out of breath. She just wasn’t agile like this, so she stopped and turned around to face her pursuer.

“Well, well, look at you!” Daring finally met 'Brash', a young earth pony, large for his age, wearing some kind of robe that was probably a uniform of some kind. “Aren’t you the pretty thing! If you weren't so important and fat, I might do some things to you.”

She could already tell he had a sparkling personality.

“Oh yeah, Quick Fix is gonna have to pay up big time for this,” Brash said, smirking. “Nice lookin' little meal ticket like you? Hoo boy, the things I would’ve done to you before this. I’d seriously kill for a mare or two with as nice a plot as yours.”

Daring narrowed her eyes. “Is everypony in your order a gentlestallion like you?”

Brash chuckled. “Too long of a story to say why, but let’s just say the Headmaster will skin Quick Fix alive if he finds out I got put in charge of finding you. Fortunately, long as I have my way, nopony’s ever gonna be the wiser.”

Daring was tempted to give him a piece of her mind, but her attention was elsewhere. Her gut was beginning to feel weird, and not in a good way this time. She was beginning to worry it might have something to do with Clever Quill, and the thought of this idiot hurting her or the foal made her want to give him a taste of cast-iron horseshoes.

“This whole deal’s kind of a hush-hush thing back at the palace,” Brash continued. “Not very many ponies know that the Godmother is real, and because of that it won’t be hard to ‘detain you’ in exchange for ‘tradeable currency,’ if you catch my drift. I'm gonna have so many bits in my pocket I won’t even know what to do with ‘em! Maybe I’ll get some fine ladies to follow me around.” He circled around to her backside. “Or just find one or two with a plot as nice as yours, heh.”

The unpleasant feeling in Daring’s belly was getting worse. It felt like an intense version of nausea, and it was causing her to double over in pain. A rather strange sensation abruptly rocked her womb, and she had to roll onto her back to prevent falling on her face.

“What did... you do... to Clever Quill?” she barely managed to ask before the feeling increased yet again.

Brash shrugged. "Snooty librarian was giving me lip, so I knocked the wind out of her to shut her up. Now, get up off your back before I make you. I gotta take you someplace more private before anypony else turns up.”

Daring couldn't answer him. A blind seething rage had consumed her over hearing that he’d knocked the wind out of a pregnant mare. She wanted to kick his ass, but instead all she could do was groan as her stomach felt woefully sick.

“Whoa, what the hay?!” Brash took a step back. “What's going on?”

She wasn't sure if he expected her to answer. It felt like her stomach was being compressed, but that was actually a good thing, as the pain diminished considerably along with it. Her breathing picked up as she felt the warmth of her paunch slowly degrade, and she opened her eyes to see that with her every exhale, her gut was shrinking.

“No… NO!”” She didn't want to believe what she was seeing, nor did she want to believe what it meant. “Not that! Please—GAH!”

Brash had kicked her hard in the ribs. “Knock it off, bitch! They ain't gonna believe I have the Godmother if you don't have a nice big foal in ya! Grow it back, now, or you and that kid are in for a world of hurt!”

Daring couldn't hear him. Not over the anguish in her mind, and certainly not over the white hot fury. She looked up at him, that big stupid slack-jawed face positioned perfectly behind her back legs.

“HAAAAAAUUUGH!” With a savage yell, Daring pulled her rear legs close and bucked him with everything she had.

WHAM!

She felt his jaw shatter beneath her hooves. The teeth flying overhead were certainly a nice bonus, but the real icing on the cake was his sudden backwards flight down the alley. He landed flat on his back and twitched a few times on the ground, his eyes glassy and unfocused before going out like a light.

Daring got to her hooves and spat in his direction. “You slimy little shit! I should smash your balls while I’m at it! How dare you threaten—”

There was a loud gasp from the library’s back door.

Daring looked. It was a unicorn; mostly like one of Brash’s goons. He was looking between her and Brash with wide-eyes, momentarily at a loss. She was tempted to rearrange his face as well, but she knew better than to full-out charge a magic user. Even the inexperienced ones had a trick or two up their sleeves usually, so instead she opted for Option B.

“Girls, don’t fail me now.” Her wings were still sore, but now that she weighed considerably less, she was confident that she’d be able to get away. Without a second thought she took to the sky, aiming for distance instead of height as she sped past the tops of buildings. Before long the library was far off in the distance, and she was left alone gliding between the puffy clouds.

Daring couldn't help but think about what’d just happened as the adrenaline wore off. She didn't know much about being the Godmother yet, but something told her that spontaneously losing her ‘cargo’ like that wasn't a good sign. She debated circling around back to library to check on Clever Quill, maybe see if she could get her to safety, but just then, her gut began acting up again.

“What now...” she groaned. It was getting warm, really warm, and rumbling something fierce, too. Something in her told her she had to land, fast, so she did in an alleyway several blocks away from the library.

The warmth in her stomach redoubled as soon as her hooves hit the ground, spreading out farther and rumbling her belly about in a big way. She felt something heavy begin filling and stretching out her womb, something familiar and pulsing with life.

“Ohhhhh...” Daring fought to keep her senses throughout the pleasurable haze. She’d be lying if she said it didn't feel incredibly good, and she’d be lying twice if she said she wasn't relieved to feel these sensations returning... but she couldn’t do this here. It was too vulnerable in an exposed alleyway to be incapacitated, and so out of necessity, she chose the nearest doorway and scrambled inside, closing it behind her with a click.

The room was dark, but not so much that she couldn't see. She was inside a small under-tended kitchen with little bits of clutter scattered here and there on the counters and table. It was blissfully empty, and looked like it had been for a while.

The waves of magic demanded that Daring find a place to safely plant her fuzzy rump. She made no fuss as she sat against the tile floor, a cupboard propping up her back. The floor was cold, but she was radiating so much heat that the entire space was already starting to feel cozy.

Daring tried to think while she was lucid. What did this mean? Was she about to start carrying a different foal? It didn't make sense for it to be spontaneous, though. It had to have been caused by some sort of trigger. She remembered the shock from when she’d touched Clever Quill. That was most likely it, but she hadn’t touched another cursed mare since then, and if she hadn't touched another mare then that meant—

Daring’s gut began to rumble, the warmth blooming alongside her labored breathing. Each intake gave her eyes a new sight to see as her belly grew, the weight within slowly becoming more prominent as its distinct shape could be seen again. She cooed softly and cupped it gingerly in one of her hooves, just feeling it grow and push against her arm while the ghostly hooves returned to join in on the lovely belly rub. A great kick from within made her blush, and she enjoyed the moment of joy alongside a flush of gravid goodness as her stomach rocked about.

It was Clever Quill's foal. She didn't know how she knew, but it didn't really matter to her at the moment. She simply relaxed and let the magic do its work as it spurred on her growth. It was a familiar feeling, yet at the same time new, as this time she was more aware as to what was happening.

If she was honest with herself, she could get used to these strange, lovely feelings.

Daring just breathed, feeling her gut move against the pressure of the hooves that stroked her. It didn't take long for another rumble to rock across her stomach, the mass pushing forward to encompass her entire middle. She could feel the heat so clearly, the skin becoming taut and stretched, a gentle throb racing across the surface. She continued to focus on breathing, the rush of air enhancing the effects as her belly swayed in and out.

The hooves continued to work, and she could feel them leeching something into her that coaxed her belly's warmth to the surface. Another rumble disturbed the calm, and her womb surged out even more as its shape became more and more distorted with every breath. Daring could feel it weighing her down properly now, her every breath increasingly labored as her belly pushed itself out farther. The pressure was like a spring inside her, and when she opened her eyes she saw stretch marks briefly appear on her skin before vanishing in quick bursts of light.

The foal continued to grow inside her, and she groaned at the feeling of it, a need for release as her bellybutton began to show itself once again. Her paunch was truly grand in its size, yet still well short of her previous proportions. She just continued to breathe, her immense package rocking to her labored motions as she grunted from the buildup. The warmth continued to build alongside the pressure, her muscles growing tense as her stomach contracted itself against the growth. The magic took a distinctive red hue as Daring held in a breath, the entirety of her belly shaking from a strong throb echoing through the mass. She could tell a big pulse of magic was coming, and she pushed against her own limit with everything she had.

Her womb exploded in size. Her mind became a storm of growth and weight as the sudden release did not let up, her womb continuing to grow heavier as she breathed harder and harder. Every pass of the hooves made her gut spasmodically twitch, its size swelling more each time. She hummed as the magic kneaded her flesh, a tingle erupting across her gravid surface as it slowly filled out. To her delight, she noticed the crest of her mountainous waist reaching out farther and farther, but then suddenly, she felt the growth halt.

Her size seemed right to her now. She just rested for a time, taking stock of herself and noting that apparently, she really did have some room to spare in there. Perhaps she could take on a second or third, after all. She lovingly stroked her stomach and bathed in its warmth, nothing at the moment meaning more than to see her womb returned. She noticed something a bit off about it, though—it'd stretched so quickly that her navel hadn’t been pushed out, and it remained as flat, ingrown, and normal as it’d ever been.

There was a deep gurgle in her gut.

Daring gasped as her belly lurched outward a few more inches. The pressure returned with a vengeance, this time focused on her belly button. Her womb pulsed in time with her heartbeat as more magic rushed into her body, fighting for every last inch of room she had to give to push out her navel from within. She groaned as her nub begin to poke out once more, its once miniscule size slowly becoming greater as it tried to force itself out. Alongside she could feel the weight of her gut increasing sharply, the magic pressing against every part of her bulbous belly.

Daring felt the nub push against its constraints, an eager thrust alongside every pulse of growth it obtained. The thrusts increased in intensity, one after the other as her belly became firmer and thicker. The feeling of her breathing only served to enhance the effect, her nub feeling closer to escape the deeper she breathed. Her muscles tensed in a subconscious reaction that made her stomach churn forward, and she was forced to suck in mighty breaths, again and again and again. An absolutely delightful feeling rushed through her every time, swamping her girth completely and infusing her with heat.

There was an audible noise from her gut, the loudest one yet so far. Daring felt something churn just behind her navel, and her belly was flooded with pressure. The magic took on an even redder hue as her belly repeatedly began pushing outward, trying to force her navel forward in a constant climax of action. Daring instinctively thrust her gut forward, trying to help it along as best she could. Her innie began to move, slowly but surely, and finally she felt the soft sensitive flesh sliding past the walls of her navel. She could see it now, standing out clearly from the rest of itself, throbbing and swelling as it finally began to have room.

Daring continued to push and thrust, and her entire belly contorted as a spasm rocked its surface. Her navel pushed outward in a single loud POP, then immediately surged in size from the pressures used to force it out. Daring just panted as waves of heat from her gut bathed over her, the gentle throb of her bellybutton fading as it returned to a normal size. Her womb lost its reddish glow and returned to a regular sheen, the warmth receding into an even tide of comfort rather than a constant turmoil of pleasure.

Daring put a hoof to her head. Her thoughts began to become a little more coherent, and she tried to figure out what to do next. She wasn’t sure what to do about her situation, or the curse for that matter, and now that a group of ponies were apparently after her—

BAM!

Light flooded the room as a pony barged into the kitchen from the far door. It was a brown unicorn stallion with a cream mane and tail, and his emerald eyes were alight with fury as he wielded a broom in his magic.

“Alright, weirdos!” he growled. “Get out of my spa before I…”

He stopped dead when he saw Daring. His eyes widened upon seeing her stomach, his broom clattering to the floor.

“Buh?”

Daring almost laughed. Who could blame him for his confusion? What would she say if she barged in on a very pregnant mare after hearing a slew of questionable noises?

“Wait, are you my twelve o'clock?” the stallion asked. “I thought you canceled... what are you doing back here?”

Daring was about to say no, but then thought better of it. This guy would only get more suspicious of her, might even cause a scene. She didn’t need that with those robed goons on her tail, and she didn't exactly want to place bets on her gut magically shrinking again.

“Y-Yeah,” Daring said. “I just came in through the back because I didn't want anypony to see me. Sorry about that.”

The stallion gave her an odd look.

Daring thought fast. “Y-Y’know, they might think I was fat and stuff.” Her eyes narrowed. “Do you think I look fat?”

The stallion’s eyes shrunk to pinpricks. “NO! Oh, ah… erm, no, heh. Certainly not. You look beautiful! Lovely! Radiant, even! And about to start a wonderful family, too! You must excited!”

Daring barely withheld her smirk. Even she had to admit that that was downright evil, but damn if his reaction wasn’t priceless.

The stallion shuffled his hooves. “But, um, what was with the racket earlier? I heard, ah… noises.”

Daring smiled and patted her belly. “Junior likes to kick a lot, and sometimes he can be pretty rowdy. I’m so close to my due date that I thought it was labor starting. I get a little scared whenever I think he's coming.”

As if on cue, the foal in her gut gave forth a heavy kick, rocking her womb around enough that the stallion could see even from across the room.

That seemed to put him at ease. “Oh! Well, that's perfectly natural. My own wife always was a little nervous when ours started getting active, so I can understand that.”

Daring nodded. “So you’re a father, then?”

A flash of pain ran across his face. “I, uh... well, y-you don't wanna hear about somepony else's kids when you're about to have your own on the way. I’m sure you have other things to worry about. Er… so anyway, what made you change your mind about coming? I hope it wasn't to force your advance payment out of me. I told you over the phone that you have to warn me a lot sooner than a few hours for a refund.”

Daring bit her lip. “Um, well… m-my sister got some bad news recently, and I thought I should go see her! That’s why I cancelled, see. But then my husband and I talked about it a bit, and we decided I shouldn't go because of... well, you know.” She patted her immense womb.

Thankfully, the stallion didn’t seem to have issue with the story. “Perfectly understandable. Well then, how about we stop dwelling on undesirable topics and give you that world-class belly message you ordered, hmm?”

The words ‘belly’ and ‘message’ together drew Daring’s attention like a moth to a flame. “Yeah… yeah. I think I’d like that.”

She got up with a little help from the stallion, and the two of them went out to the main floor of the spa.

“What in Luna’s luscious lanyards happened out there, Quick Fix!?” the Headmaster roared. “I thought you understood what’s at stake here!”

Quick Fix kept his head bowed. “I'm sorry, sir! I was just doing what I thought was best!”

“And that was to put Brash in charge of finding the Godmother?!” the Headmaster slapped him with his telekinesis. “He’s the absolute LAST pony you should’ve chosen! He was on probation for a reason, you dolt!”

Quick Fix winced from the pain. “H-He told me he’d been pardoned—”

“He LIED!” Flecks of spittle flew from the Headmaster’s mouth. “The only reason he wasn’t excommunicated in the first place was because his father begged me not to! And if that weren’t bad enough, while he was out there, he tried to pass off a band of mercenaries as members of the order! There’s no telling what might’ve happened if the Godmother hadn’t used her power to escape them!”

Quick Fix jolted up, his mouth agape. “W-What?! Mercenaries?!”

The Headmaster’s glare drilled through the young stallion. “Explain yourself, Quick Fix. Tell me why you put a pony of such dubious character in charge of this! What was going through that thick head of yours?!”

Quick Fix gulped. His body was wracked with shivers, and it was a wonder he could stand up straight. He was quiet for a few seconds before finally giving his reply in a hollow whisper. “H-He blackmailed me, sir. He’s known a secret of mine for a long time, and he threatened to divulge it if I didn’t let him run the investigation.”

The Headmaster coldly narrowed his eyes. “And that secret is…?”

Quick Fix let out a sigh. “I trust you remember former Headmaster Drake and his wife.”

“What of them?”

“When Drake was ousted, he vowed vengeance on the ponies who supplanted him. His wife was with foal, and so they came up with a plan to have their child infiltrate this order and seize it from within.” Quick Fix gestured to himself. “That child was me. I was raised to exact revenge on my parent's’ behalf, but… I don’t want that anymore. I listened to your teachings, saw the good the Order was doing, and I began to question what my parents told me. I wasn’t going to go through with it, but then Brash found out and threatened to expose me, and I was forced to do what he wanted.”

Quick Fix seemed almost ready to collapse, but he managed to keep it together while the headmaster watched him intently.

“Oust me,” Quick Fix said. “I endangered the mother of mothers with my cowardice. I don’t deserve to be in your confidence now that you know who I am. I don’t even deserve the honor of being in the order devoted to her servitude. I...”

“Stop.” The Headmaster's old voice rang out in the dusty office. “I will personally see to it that both you and Brash are properly dealt with according to the tenants of our order, but right now, I need you to be the stallion that earned his place here.” He held the the pendant that seemed to glimmer less and less as he looked at it, little motes of light disappearing one after the other. “We’re running out of time.”

Quick Fix lowered his head further. “I... let my fear control my actions. I acted in an unprofessional manner and nearly cost us everything. I’m not worthy to be a part of this order.” He reached inside his robes and placed a small silver coin at the Headmaster’s hooves. “I’m willing to resign from my position.”

The Headmaster mulled over his words. He picked the coin up in his magic, examining it in the light.

“No." The Headmaster set the coin back down in front of Quick Fix. “You’re getting off the hook that easily. You helped make this mess, so by Celestia, you’re going to help us clean it up. You’re going to assist in the search for the Godmother, and only after she’s rescued will you be punished for your actions.”

Quick Fix nodded. “I understand, sir.”

“You’d better,” the Headmaster said. “We didn't rise up against Apate just to become our own enemy. We need to work together right now, or everything we’ve built will be lost.”

Quick Fix rose back to his hooves. “You don’t really think that'll happen… do you?”

“Not while I have the reigns it won’t,” the Headmaster growled. His voice began to rise again. “But it doesn’t help when I give my number two simple instructions, and he allows pieces of scum like Brash to take advantage of him!”

Quick Fix’s ears drooped. “I… I have no excuse.”

The headmaster sighed deeply as his tone cooled. “We’ve worked so hard these last years. Trying to undo the damage of the past, watching over the Godmother in secret, all to let the ponies of Prodigal Point live normal lives. This little debacle is just a testament to how fragile this whole plan is. If we don’t move carefully, we’re going to have the entire town thinking that we’re some kind of dictatorship. You got lucky that it was only Brash that was so disrespectful to our code, that he was stopped before things got any worse.”

The Headmaster drove his point home with his gravelly voice. “And I DO mean you got. Bucking. Lucky.”

Quick Fix shivered. “I-I understand.”

The Headmaster picked up the silver coin and bounced it off Quick Fix’s head. “I’m going to be overseeing this personally from now on, and we’re going to be doing things my way.”

“Yes, sir.”

The two of them looked at a pedestal beside them, where the Amulet of Graveeda hung by a platinum chain. The spark of light within it was dim, only getting weaker by the second.

The Headmaster swallowed hard. "Let’s just hope we’re not too late."