//------------------------------// // 06 – Negotiations // Story: No Heroes: Beyond the Everfree // by PaulAsaran //------------------------------// The ponies stared at the thestrals, most in shock or disbelief. The thestrals stared right back, proud and defiant. Fine knew he was probably the only pony not gawking. Although the thestrals’ arrival had been a shock – indeed, their very existence defied everything he thought he knew about them – he had far more important priorities to address. For starters, “Don’t bother me with semantics. Thestrals are still ponies.” The green stallion opened his mouth to speak. Rainbow beat him to it. “That’s what you’re worried about?” Her gaze remained focused on Fine as she pointed at the newcomers. “Thestrals are supposed to be extinct! They can’t be thestrals.” Pinkie bounced through the water, splashing Nye as she did so. She circled around the two thestrals as she looked them up and down. “Dunno, Dashie, they certainly look like bat ponies to me.” “Uh, Pinkie?” Fluttershy ducked her head as she spoke. “I think they consider that term derogatory.” Indeed, the two thestrals were now glaring at Pinkie as if she’d just insulted their mothers. The soaked Nye promptly grabbed her by the tail and dragged her away from them. Once they were a safe distance away – that is to say, behind Fine Crime and Rainbow Dash – he let her go and said, “Please don’t mind her.” Fine cast his eyes around, first to make sure that nopony else was going to speak up, and second to ensure he knew exactly where to go if another fight started. He pointedly avoided looking at the pool’s drop off, which he remained uncomfortably close to. All that settled, and now reasonably sure he could speak without interruption, he turned his eyes back to the ever-glaring thestrals. Now that he had the chance, he took the time to properly sizing them up. The stallion – green with a blue mane – had good musculature but a small frame. Curious, considering he was the taller of the two. He had a cutie mark, but Fine couldn’t see it properly from this angle. He looked to be around Fine’s age, upper thirties tops, and had the composed manner to suggest the experience to go with it. The mare was only slightly smaller and had a stocky build, reminding him a little of Applejack with wings. Her black coat glistened as water continued to drip from it, which revealed that she was no slouch in the muscle department. Her light brown mane was long and tied into a trio of ponytails, and she wore a band around one leg with a yellow gemstone embedded in it. Fine could easily tell she was the younger of the two; she had the fire of youth in her eyes, which glared at him with a certain, familiar passion. “Alright, I don’t give Celestia’s hindquarters that you’re thestrals. I do care that you just attacked my friends.” He sat, eyes narrowing at the green one. “Explain.” They both responded with slightly widening eyes. They shared a curious look, though the mare’s scowl didn’t waver. After a few seconds the stallion turned back to him. “We weren’t trying to attack, we were trying to help. We didn’t intend for this to turn into a brawl.” “Help?” Rainbow snorted and kicked at the water. “You were flying at my coltfriend in an attack dive!” The stallion nodded, appearing no less stern for her doubt. “I had to move quickly. Your friend was about to come in contact with a demon.” Nye’s face dropped into a deadpan stare. “A demon.” Pinkie proved a bit more enthusiastic. “Oh, wow, that’s scary! Was it a big mean centaur thing that sucks ponies’ magic dry leaving nothing behind but withered husks? Because that would be creepy.” “Pinkie,” Rainbow growled, her eyes not leaving the thestrals, “there’s no such thing as demons.” Fine raised an eyebrow. “Does this demon have a name?” Rainbow gawked at him. “You don’t actually—” She paused when Nye set a hoof to her shoulder. They shared an uncertain look before turning their attention back to the thestrals. The stallion nodded, once more undeterred by the skepticism of Fine’s friends. “Lord Rex.” “Hmm…” Fine rubbed his chin as he thought on the name. It wasn’t one he was familiar with, and considering the sheer amount of Archon knowledge in his possession, that said one of two things: either they were lying, or this was a threat even he wouldn’t be prepared for. He wasn’t about to ignore the first possibility, but he knew from experience that some threats weren’t as imaginary as they might seem. At last he nodded. “Come with us to our camp. Let’s talk.” “Whoa, whoa, hold on.” Rainbow stood between them, shooting Fine a sour frown. “You’re not just gonna trust these guys, are you?” Nye stepped beside Fine. “I’m with Rainbow on this one.” Fine heaved a deep, exasperated sigh. “They already know where we are. What would you rather me do, kill them?” Fluttershy, still safe on dry land, stomped her hoof and spoke firmly. “There will be no killing.” Pinkie had somehow found her way to Fine’s side. “I think Fine’s right. We can feed them and make friends while they tell us about the creepy demon Rex thing! Besides, if we just let them go they could always attack us again later. At least this way we’ve got our eyes on them.” Fine smiled and raised his hoof as if to put her on display. “Thank you, Pinkie, for recognizing my purpose.” She giggled and batted his hoof down. “No problemo!” She took a couple steps closer to the thestrals, who were watching the entire scene with uncertain expressions. “I make it a point to be friends with everypony I meet, and I’m not going to miss out on an opportunity to be the first pony to make friends with thestrals. So what are your names?” The two shared questioning looks yet again. The mare whispered something in her partner’s ear, but he shook his head and stepped forward. “I am Polar Aim. This is Nib—” She whacked his flank and, though it didn’t even budge him, he still winced. “Fang. This is Fang.” Fine nodded. “I hope it will be a pleasure.” He proceeded to introduce himself and his friends. That done, he stepped aside and turned his attention to the water. His horn glowed and he scanned the depths until he finally found what he was looking for. The cooking pot Nye had dropped arose, tipped over, then settled onto Nye’s back exactly half full. “Now then, shall we?” Pinkie led the way, hopping along as if the two dangerous ponies right behind her were of no threat whatsoever. Fine and Rainbow followed, with Nye and Fluttershy taking up the rear. Pinkie had little trouble navigating the thick foliage and uneven ground with her constant bouncing, which allowed her to easily keep pace with Polar Aim and Fang. The trio quickly distanced themselves from Fine and the others, who were having significantly more trouble with the terrain. Rainbow complained and tried to hurry forward, but Fine made no attempt to keep up. When they at last broke through the trees, Pinkie had the two ponies sitting by the fire as she gathered up ingredients from her own packs. Neither of the thestrals tried to speak over her rambling, although they did seem nonplussed by her friendly manner. Fine knew that feeling well. Rainbow, however, wasted no time. “Pinkie, why did you get ahead of us like that? I told you to wait for us!” Pinkie glanced over her shoulder at them. “But we need to prepare the meal for a larger group, right? I thought I should hurry. Can’t keep our guests waiting, that would totally be rude.” Rainbow huffed and shook her head. “They’re not our guests! Did you forget how they tried to attack Nye and me?” “But they weren’t trying to attack,” she replied easily, pulling a knife from her mane. She started cutting up the vegetables, her eyes never leaving Rainbow. “They said so.” “Uh…” All eyes turned to Fang, who watched Pinkie uncertainly. “Shouldn’t you be watching what you’re doing?” “Hmm?” Pinkie glanced down at the vegetables on her wood cutting board. They were already half-finished. “Too many vegetables?” She heaved a massive gasp. “You ponies don’t eat meat, do you? Because I don’t have any of that and I don’t think I could get any on such short notice and I’m sorry if you do but we weren’t expecting meat eating ponies so—” Nye put a hoof to her mouth, stifling the flow of words. “I think she just means you might cut yourself. I seriously doubt they eat meat.” Rainbow’s piercing gaze hadn’t left the thestrals. “Then what are the fangs for, huh?” Fluttershy, with Fine’s help, had set the pot over the fire and had already started adding herbs. “Probably for sucking the juice out of fruit,” she said. At her words, Fang and Polar Aim shared dumbfounded looks. “How did you know that?” he asked. She shrugged, her eyes still on the pot. “Ponies are herbivores, and I can’t imagine that would change without some powerful magical intervention. Vampire fruit bats use their fangs to suck the juice and pulp out of apples, so I assumed yours were for the same thing.” Nye, after checking to make sure Pinkie wouldn’t start talking the instant his hoof was removed, slowly stepped away. “Fluttershy knows animals.” Fine, who had been keeping a watchful eye on their guests, added a quiet, “And Pinkie’s good with knives. Trust me when I say no blood will be drawn unless she wants it to be.” Most of the ponies present ignored the comment. Fang appeared to be impressed, her eyes set upon the blade that moved as a blur in Pinkie’s hooves. Only Fine noticed the worried glance she shot him. He offered only the briefest of smiles, a quiet reassurance that she seemed to accept… albeit grudgingly. He turned his attention to the thestrals. “Fang, Polar.” Their heads snapped his direction in unison. “Why don’t we start with a little background? Where are you from?” They shared a long look, and Fine could see the communication passing through their eyes. Their expressions gradually shifted to firmness before turning back to him. “We don’t really know,” Polar said. “We’ve just… always been out here.” Fang raised her head in a proud display. “We’re creatures of the jungle. We came upon one another by accident, really. A fight over food.” “Oh my goodness!” Fluttershy at last turned to them, covering her lips with a lone hoof. “That sounds terrible. You mean you have no home?” “That’s really no fun,” Pinkie added as she dropped the freshly-cut vegetables into the pot. “Like, super duper sad! But hey, we know a good place that you can—” “Whoa, whoa, hold on.” Rainbow, who had not once stopped glaring at the thestrals, shook her head firmly. “There’s no way I’m trusting them with the location of Ponyville.” Fine’s face remained as hard as those of Fang and Polar. “In much the same way they aren’t willing to trust us with the location of their home.” A glint of surprise appeared in Fang’s expression. Polar’s proved far more controlled. “The jungle is our home.” Fine’s eyes narrowed. He scowled. “I know canned lines when I hear them. Neither of you were born in the wild, your grooming alone tells me otherwise.” He paused long enough to let them examine their own coats, wet but clean and short, as if they’d forgotten all about them. Fang made a blushing effort to hide her three ponytails. Fine continued, “Your fighting style isn’t that of a brawler, but of training; somepony taught you how to do battle against other ponies.” He stood and approached Fang, who regarded him as one might a snake prepared to strike. He grabbed her hoof and raised it high, putting the silver band with its yellow gem on display. “This is not something you just find in the jungle. It’s been carefully crafted, and you’ve taken good care of it.” He released, and she pulled her hoof close to her chest as if to protect the jewelry from him. Though she tried to appear defensive, the alarm shined in her eyes like beacons. He walked about her and poked at her flank. “You’ve got a cutie mark. Fruit. A basket of fruit. Not just a basket, but a woven one.” He leveled her with a hard look. “You’re going to have a hard time convincing me that you have no idea what that is or what it means.” He turned to Polar. “And yours? A compass pointing at a star. Please don’t insult my intelligence by asking what a compass is.” Silence reigned. Slowly, Fang pulled away from his touch, eyes like saucers and her wings tucked back as though to hide her cutie mark. Polar’s jaw, shoulders and wings had all gone slack. Fine sat down and crossed his forehooves, patiently awaiting an explanation. Instead, he heard Nye whistle. “Holy cow, Fine, that was awesome.” Rainbow came next. “How did you notice all of that?” He couldn’t help feeling a hint of pride at their words. Then he glanced over and saw Fluttershy’s smile. It shined so brightly in his mind that he barely acknowledged the similar one on Pinkie, and he promptly swelled with confidence. His not-so-subtle smirk fell upon the thestrals, who now stared at one another in an apparent search for a new story. It seemed they could come up with nothing, for after a while Fang threw a hoof over her muzzle and Polar bowed his head in defeat. “Alright, fine,” he grumbled, “we do have a place. But we’re not telling you anything about it.” Rainbow scoffed and turned her upturned muzzle away from them. “Well then, we’re not telling you anything about where we’re from, either.” Fluttershy’s eyebrows rose at that proclamation. “But… they didn’t ask.” “Not the point!” “And you already named Ponyville,” Pinkie added before taking a sip of the soup. “Hmm… needs more garlic.” “Wait.” Nye caught her hoof on its way to her pack. “Can they even have garlic?” At this Fluttershy sighed. “They’re thestrals, Nye, not vampires.” “Oh… right.” “So,” Fine caught Polar’s and Fang’s attention once more. “You won’t tell us about your home. I can live with that. We’re not looking for it. Why don’t you tell me about this ‘demon?’ ” A groan rose from Rainbow’s chest as she threw her head back. “Come on, Fine, you don’t really believe that story, do you?” His head whipped to her. She started to meet his gaze, but upon seeing his hard expression her ears folded back. “What?” Fine began firmly whacking one of his forehooves into the other as if to count. “Ever heard of Nightmare Moon? How about King Sombra? Does Tazel Wyrm ring any bells? And let’s not forget Riptide. We all have direct experience with things that we all thought were impossibilities before. Call them demons, call them ponies, but whatever you call them, it’s part of my job to keep an eye out for them. If this ‘Rex’ isn’t just a story—” He turned his hard gaze upon the thestrals, “—and I will know if it is, then I have a responsibility to know all I can about it in case it becomes a problem later.” Polar winced and wouldn’t meet Fine’s gaze. Fang, however, rediscovered some of her bravado. “So you’re what, some kind of hero?” “Fine is many things,” Nye said before Fine could respond, “but ‘hero’ might be stretching it.” “I think he’s a hero,” Rainbow declared. She blushed as all eyes turned to her. “What? If not for him we’d all be slaves. Or dead. Equestria wouldn’t exist anymore.” Fang’s ears perked, her heated gaze abruptly fading to wonder. “Did you say Equestria?” Polar groaned and slapped her ears lightly. “Come on, Fang, where did you think they came from?” “Excuse me if I’m a little curious about a place that has only been told of in legends since before our great-many-times-over grandparents were born.” Fine threw up his hooves. “Focus, ponies! Rex. What is it, where is it, and why do you think Nye almost came in contact with him?” Polar blinked at him. He fidgeted, thought. Fine realized he was probably having trouble keeping track of the conversation so far. He didn’t blame him. At last the thestral frowned. “Why should we tell you? How do we know you won’t try to free him?” Rainbow stomped. “Why you—” “Guys!” All eyes turned to Pinkie, who was stirring the pot but giving her friends sans Fine a frown. “Let Fine talk to them, okay? This conversation’s not going anywhere with everypony interrupting.” Yet again, the jungle went quiet. Some, like Rainbow and Nye, were gaping at Pinkie as if she’d grown a second head. “Thank you, Pinkie.” Fine waved the others away. “Why don’t you guys chat with Fang. Remember, she’s not an enemy. For now. Meanwhile, I’ll negotiate with Polar here.” He turned to the aforementioned stallion. “Sound reasonable?” Polar brushed his mane back with a sigh and nodded. “Yes, thank you. Fang.” She glared at Fine, then at the other ponies. Her wings flapped a couple times and she sneered. At last she stood. “I’m watching,” she hissed to Fine before walking towards the others. Fine merely nodded. He and Polar turned and walked to the edge of the camp, keeping a respectable distance from one another. As soon as they were near the treeline, Polar turned to Fine with a growl. “If you even think of launching some kind of surprise attack on me…” Fine stared at him with a dull frown. He waited patiently for the threat to continue, but it didn’t. Clearly the stallion’s fierce gaze was meant to say everything. With an exasperated sigh, Fine shook his head. “You’re obviously not used to this. You two are just guards, aren’t you?” Polar’s teeth clenched and he tensed. Fine merely sat. “Look, I don’t care about your town or village or whatever you have. That’s not why I’m out here. I get that you have a job to do. So why don’t you just tell me what we have to do to gain your trust?” The thestral snorted, steam swirling in Fine’s face. “Why would you trust me?” It took a lot of effort for Fine not to groan at the pony’s amateur negotiating skills. “You could have run off while we were in the jungle. You could have attacked Pinkie before the rest of us caught up. Why wouldn’t you take the opportunity presented to you? And let me remind you that you attacked us.” Polar’s lips sealed in a thin line as he considered Fine’s words. His eyes shifted in quiet thought. He dropped to his haunches and sighed. “You do this a lot, don’t you?” Fine relaxed and offered a small smile. “Comes with the job.” “Which is?” The smile faded instantly. “Protecting Equestria from all potential threats. Like this ‘Rex’ of yours.” At Polar’s scowl, he raised a hoof. “Alright, I get it. You’re not talking. Maybe in time you’ll be willing to explain. For now, perhaps you can help us with the real reason we’re out here.” Polar’s ears folded back, his gaze tired. He waved a limp hoof in invitation. “And what’s that supposed to be?” Ah, finally we get somewhere! Fine regained his smile. “We have a friend who has fallen ill. Petrification, to be specific. We’ve learned of a potion that can cure him, but there’s a rare ingredient we need: the skin of an alpha gargoyle.” Polar’s pointed ears perked. Fine logged the reaction in his mind and continued, “I have a source that tells me of some kind of structure out here that is overrun with the things.” Another reaction: Polar’s eyes went wide. “Our job is to find it, capture or kill an alpha gargoyle and bring home a piece of it for the cure.” Polar swallowed audibly, his body gone rigid. “I… see.” Leaning close, Fine whispered, “You know the place, don’t you?” “What? No, of course I…” Polar stared at Fine’s deadpan frown before groaning and covering his face in both hooves. “By Luna’s glimmering mane, I’m supposed to be a guard, not a diplomat! Look, yes, I do know where the temple is. No, I can’t show you, or tell you how to get there.” Fine blinked. “Temple?” Pinkie’s sing-song voice came back to him: ”We’re off to see the temple, the wonderful temple of tides!” He chuckled and shook his head. “How does she do that?” “Do what?” Polar asked, head cocked. “Nothing.” He focused his attention on the stallion once more. “Okay, so the Temple of Tides. What—” “How do you know it’s name?!” “—is it going to cost us to get there?” Fine tried to keep his smile friendly. “We’d really prefer to get this done quickly.” Polar’s eyes were wide, his wings half-opened with alarm. “Answer the question!” “No.” Fine’s smile didn’t so much as flinch. “Trust is a two way street. I’ve been nothing but honest with you, so I think it’s about time you started to reciprocate.” At the stallion’s slack expression, he added, “I mean, it’s time for you to give me something in return.” Seconds passed as Polar considered this. He’d lost all his confidence by now, his eyes darting about and his lips working soundlessly. He shuffled in place, occasionally glancing towards the others. Time passed as Fine waited, but Polar seemed outright incapable of making a decision. He really doesn’t know what he was doing, does he? Fine sighed and set a hoof to the stallion’s shoulder. The contact was enough to get him to look into Fine’s eyes. “Listen, I get it. You have a job to do, and this isn’t part of it. You’re out of your element, happens to all of us. So why don’t I illuminate the situation for you and give you something to try?” Polar leaned back, rubbing the outside of his lip with one of those long fangs. Fine recognized it as a nervous habit. “I’ll listen.” With a nod, Fine turned to gesture to the others. Fang was in an animated discussion with Pinkie and Fluttershy and, curiously, seemed to be enjoying the conversation. Even so, she kept casting furtive glances their way, and neither Nye nor Rainbow were eased. Both watched the thestral like hawks. “You’re outnumbered,” Fine said, keeping his tone light and conversational. “Even if you weren’t, you’ve already seen that we can defend ourselves well. But we didn’t hurt you any more than we had to for self defense, and we don’t intend to do anything else if we can help it. You have no reason to trust us, but we have no reason to trust you either. You are the one at a disadvantage, because we don’t have to play nice.” He turned to Polar, who flinched and stepped back. “However, we need to cure our friend. We could scour this jungle looking for the temple, in which case we’ll probably end up running into more of you guys. That won’t end well for anypony if we have to hurt you to do it. We’d rather get your help.” He wasn’t about to mention that Fluttershy might never speak to him again if he resorted to less diplomatic methods. “But clearly you aren’t the pony who can make that kind of decision.” He sat back, giving the stallion plenty of space. “So here’s what I suggest: one of you can go.” It took Polar a moment to register that. “Wait, what?” Fine nodded. “Neither of you are decision makers, right? But I bet you can’t risk leaving the ponds alone to a bunch of strangers. So, one of you can stay here and continue doing your duty, and the other goes wherever they must to get somepony who can make the call you can’t.” The thestral’s eyes narrowed. “Now hold on, that sounds dumb. What’s to stop you from attacking the one left behind?” “What’s to stop the one who leaves from coming back with a small army to kill us if that happens?” Polar blinked a couple times, his lips parting slightly. “Oh.” “You get it.” Fine swept his hoof towards the unawares Fang. “We assume the bigger risk. Sure, we could capture her and force her to tell us all your secrets, but in doing so we end up pissing off what I expect are a lot of thestrals. Frankly, we’d rather get out of this jungle alive, whole, and in good standing.” He crossed his forehooves and waited. Polar scrutinized him, eyes roaming Fine’s body before centering on his horn. There they remained, narrowing to mere slits as he leaned a little closer. The gaze left Fine curious; it almost seemed as if he’d never seen a unicorn before. At last, Polar turned to the camp. “Let me talk to Fang about it.” “As you wish.” Fine turned with him and they approached the campfire together. Now that he could finally listen to what was being said amongst the others, Fine couldn’t help but be surprised; Fang and Pinkie were enthusiastically discussing potential herbs to improve the soup. Fluttershy stood nearby, monitoring the flame and trying to follow their suggestions, but she seemed to be struggling. Every time one of them suggested something, the other would chime in with a question or a worry and she’d barely manage to snatch her hoof – and the ingredient – back in time. Nye hadn’t changed his manner in the slightest, but his hard gaze was now set on Polar. Rainbow, on the other hoof, had the wolfish smirk of a pony seeking a challenge. As soon as she saw Polar and Fine approaching, she marched right up to the thestral. He paused when she stood before him, her chest puffed out and wings on display. “I hear you’re a fast flier.” Eyebrows rising, Polar cast an uncertain look towards Fang. She gave him an apologetic, sheepish smile. “Well, I like to think so. What else did she—” The pegasus stepped closer, her eyes alight with eagerness. “How fast?” At last he turned his gaze fully upon her, and he didn’t look amused. “Fast enough. What are you after?” Rainbow’s grin turned wicked. “Let’s race.” “You want to—” Polar’s face shifted from threatening to shock to exasperation in the span of a heartbeat. He turned and thrust a hoof at Fang. “You. Me. Talk. Now.” Wincing, but not losing her bashful smile, Fang nodded and launched into the air, swooping over them and heading for the same area Fine and Polar had just occupied. Polar shot Rainbow one more annoyed frown before marching after her. Rainbow sat back and rubbed her mane back with a scowl. “What’s with him?” Fine tugged lightly at her shoulder, guiding her back to the fire. “He feels like he’s caught between a Pie and a rock.” That prompted a few giggles from Pinkie. “I take it you guys learned a few things talking to her?” “Oh, yes.” Fluttershy nodded eagerly. “She doesn’t seem like a bad pony at all, just serious about this whole Rex business. Did you learn anything about that?” “Nnnope.” Fine glanced at Pinkie, who busied herself stuffing ingredient container back into her bags. “Sounds like you two hit it off.” “Yep yeppers!” Pinkie bounced a small can in her hooves playfully. “Turns out her cutie mark is for baking with fruit. They have all sorts of weird ones out here in the jungle. Isn’t that cool? I bet Applejack and her would be best pals!” “And she mentioned that Polar there is the fastest flier she knows.” Rainbow looked back at the two, who appeared to be engaged in a heated debate. “I thought for sure he’d want to test those bat wings against mine. I’ve gone way too long without a challenge. Bummer.” Fine turned his eye on Nye, who continued to watch the thestrals as if they might turn vicious at any moment. “What’s with you?” Rainbow chuckled and elbowed her coltfriend in the ribs. “He’s just jealous. Thinks some other colt’s caught my eye.” To Fine’s surprise, Nye didn’t laugh. He didn’t blush or stammer or defend himself. Instead, his lip curled up to show gritted teeth and a quiet hiss escaped through them. If Rainbow noticed, she showed no sign. A quick glance revealed that Fluttershy was intently looking away from Nye, but if Pinkie noticing anything amiss then she hid it well. “So,” Fluttershy said a little too loudly, “what did you learn about Polar?” Fine decided to follow her lead and let it go… for now. “He won’t tell me anything, but I learned enough anyway. The two of them are clearly just here to guard the ponds, which are somehow linked to this Rex character. There’s a community of thestrals somewhere nearby, of that I’m confident, and they know where the temple is.” Fluttershy’s ears perked and her face lit up— “But Polar refuses to tell me anything about it.” —only to fall once more. “You couldn’t convince him?” “Oh, come on,” Rainbow grumbled. “We’re this close! What’s the hold up?” Pinkie, now sucking on the spoon she’d procured from Fluttershy, spoke from around the wood. “Mebbe shey shink we’ll free shis Rexth guy?” Fine shrugged. “Whatever the deal is, they’re obviously very secretive.” Nye’s voice cut through their chatter like a knife. “They don’t want ponies to know they exist.” All eyes turned to him. He had finally stopped glaring at Polar. Now his gaze, calm and focused, was set on the fire. He spoke with a commanding certainty few of them had heard from his lips before. “Think about it. They disappeared a thousand years ago, right after Nightmare Moon appeared. The public story was that Luna had gone crazy and tried to raise an army against her sister. Luna told me that those armies consisted largely of thestrals.” He looked at each of them in turn, the firmness of his gaze stilling their tongues. “How do you think they were treated once she was taken out of the picture?” All the ponies present shared concerned gazes, but before any of them could conjure a response, Polar and Fang approached. “We’ve decided,” Polar declared, his gaze falling directly on Fine Crime. “Since I’m the faster of the two of us, I’m going to go. I’ll come back with a higher authority who can decide what to do with you. Fang’s staying behind to keep an eye on all of you and make sure you don’t try something stupid.” His tone dropped to a growl. “If you or her are not here when I return, we won’t be stopping to ask questions. Make no mistake, we will find you.” Rainbow rolled her head back. “What kind of ponies does he take us for?” “The cheesthy kind?” Pinkie ventured with a thoughtful look, still sucking on the spoon. Fine, however, maintained a professional stature and tone. “We understand perfectly, and agree. About how long should we expect to wait?” Polar’s eyes narrowed. “As long as it takes.” He turned around and whispered something in Fang’s ear, but she shook her head. He cast her one last worried gaze, spread his wings— “Soups on, everypony!” —and nearly faceplanted from the volume of Pinkie’s cry. He jerked around to glare at her, but Pinkie only giggled and began pouring the soup into ceramic bowls. She winked at Polar and raised a bowl towards him in offering. “You can’t go without dinner. I mean, c’mon, Fang went through all that trouble to help me get it right!” “I don’t have time for—” Polar closed his eyes and grimaced as Fang pressed a hoof to his side and said something in his ear. Fine noted the small smile she sported. “Fine, but only one serving. Make it quick.”