//------------------------------// // Dinner Time 4.1-4.3: Setting the Table // Story: The Pony Dialogues // by Knowledge //------------------------------// 1.1 How Accountants Suffer and Silverware Lead Silverton One would imagine life as a guest in the Filthy Rich mansion to be easy. You get what you want when you want it. While there is some truth to that, merely getting what you want for free comes at a price. No one knows this better than me, Lead Silverton. I am an accountant by trade. I had worked at Barnyard Bargain's corporate offices in Neigh York for years. Everything was going fine. I had enough bits to make ends meet and allow my wife, Silvertongue, to write her gossip column in the Tribune. I never took any risks, and my life was fine. Then one day, I get called up to a board meeting with the all the big wigs. I had been worked like some farm dog all day calculating the impairment to goodwill on one of our subsidiaries in Manehatten. I expected that is what they wanted to know. I could not have been more wrong. Once I entered the board room, Filthy Rich asked me if I ever played poker. I told them I hadn't but I knew the rules. More than satisfied, he threw me some chips and told me to play. I protested but the boss wouldn't hear any of it. Filthy and his poker buddies needed a replacement player after Prance Prints of Prince Prance Prints got caught plagiarizing his competitors in Manehatten for the third and final time. The amoral fool now does time in Canterlot. I hate taking risks while Filthy loved them. He knew how to make any uncertainty an opportunity to make more money. I was an accountant who could tell you how risky something was, and he was the businesspony who made all the decisions. Needless to say, I was a fish out of water playing poker. In less than one hour, I lost all that I had ever earned from Filthy Rich in my entire time working for him and more. I was about to break down and start crying when I realized what happened, but the businesspony started laughing. He told me he had never seen someone lose so bad ever before, then corrected himself when he remembered good-old Prance. Filthy wasn't a bad pony at heart, and he knew well enough that I had lost everything. This led him to invite me and my family to be guests at his mansion in Ponyville. Again, I couldn't really refuse. If I had, my soon to be foal would suffer out in the streets as I searched trash bins for food in our new found poverty. Nearly a decade later, I am still under Filthy Rich's care. I get taken along on his business trips. Giving out tips and gambling keep in a constant state of dependence upon my benefactor. These days, I swear that Filthy kept me for two reasons. First is to see me lose to him at everything. Second is that my daughter Silverspoon be his daughter's best friend. It has become essential to the survival of the Silver family that these two things never change. --------------------------------------------- In my study, I reviewed my family's finances. Things were looking up for once in a really long time. If things keep going as they have been, I should---- A knock came at the door. "Come in," I say, my weariness evident. Hensley, the unicorn butler, entered. "The master wishes to inform you that you are needed in the parlor. Should I tell him that you will be with him shortly?" "No need," I reply, efficiently putting all my financial statements into their correct folders. "I will be coming down with you." Hensley held the door open for me with magic as I exited my study. Soundlessly, he closed the door behind me. The fact he didn't even seem to notice the door while doing this unnerved me. I had nothing against Hensley or unicorns per se, but I could never get used to the effortless and subtle ways they could use magic. It was like having an ghost pony, and it is always mansions like this that get haunted. Filthy insisted that all his servants be unicorns and that at every possible occasion that they use magic to accomplish tasks. The goal from what I gathered was to demonstrate how wealthy he was that he could invert the natural order between ponies. A earth pony hiring a unicorn is perfectly legal albeit rare; however, the image of unicorn serving an earth pony was a clear statement. I truly wonder how long it will take before Ponyville's Magistry of Magic and Science takes corrective measures to restore the status quo. "Mr. Silverton has arrived, Master," the servant spoke quietly. This woke me from my private thoughts. I looked around the room. I immediately turned to face my boss. Filthy stood next to two tall unicorn stallions by the cupboard and table where he serves his Prench imported concoctions. He was not merrymaking. He was not in the middle of some wild tale of his business exploits, He was not pouring any drinks. Something was up. The unicorns were most definitely identical twins. One sported a mustache, which I used to tell them apart. Examining the room more, I was surprised to find the gardener, appearing markedly muddier than I have ever seen the unicorn. "Thank you, Hensley. You are dismissed," Filthy commanded. With that, the unicorn teleported out of the room and the door slowly shut to the influence of a spell he cast before leaving. I shuddered. My benefactor turned his attention to the two unicorns to his right. "Pardon me. I have some private business to discuss with Lead and our gardener." "My brother and I totally understand," said the mustached one. "We do?" the clean shaven one asked before correcting himself. "We do!" Filthy procured a bell from his jacket pocket and rang it. In a bright blue flash, another an unicorn mare materialized next to her master in a Prench maid uniform. "Eclair, would you escort these sales unicorns to the Lewy parlor until I have need of them again," he ordered. Eclair curtsied and replied."Certainement, mon maitre." She offered a hoof to the brothers. They delightfully extended theirs unaware of how Filthy's operates his house. The maid took forelegs by force and pulled them near her, causing the businessponies to blush in excitement and confusion. "Hold on!" She whispered in their ears, dropping her faux Prench accent. Then they left in another flash of magic. I had gotten used to such sights in the Rich mansion. My boss sat down and then directed me to seat, not being one who waited on anypony. "The gardener tells me that our girls tried to blackmail him into hurting another pony, a filly, with magic," Filthy began. He rang his bell again and Eclair appeared with Diamond Tiara and Silverspoon in tow. The sudden teleportation left them quite disoriented. "Our daughters claim that they brought him along to give some flowers to a new filly in town; however, the poor filly was allergic to the pollen. Angered that the filly didn't appreciate his hard work, he lashed out at the pony." He rang the bell again no longer needing our daughters as visual aides. Pointing a hoof at the gardener, he asked, "What you do in this situation?" "I would take my daughter to the filly and her parents and apologize with her," I said nervously. Filthy frowned. Apologizing was not something he liked to do, but he didn't stay rich from being inflexible. He rang the bell again. The maid brought the two fillies back into the room. Poor Silverspoon looked like she was going to puke right then and there. At least, she knew better than to due something that might cause a scene. We need to keep our good relationship with the Rich's if we are going to survive. A lesson I drove into her at a very young age. "My little princess, you are going to come with me to meet this new filly and her parents, right now," my boss commanded. Diamond knew better than to disagree with her father. "Now do you know where this filly lives?" "I don't know. She arrived like today. As far as I know, she lives in a barn," the little pony admitted. "That is not a good answer. Where did you last see her, think," he ordered. "Sweet Apple Acres!" the filly cried out in frustration. Suddenly, Filthy Rich's demeanor changed on the spot. His face spoke of thoughts wizzing at extreme speeding through his head like motored carts in Manehatten. Taking out his bell, he rang again. Our daughters tensed up for a spontaneous teleportation and sighed in relief when Eclair ignored them. With another flash, the two salesponies were back in the room. "There you are boys. I know you two probably want your drinks now, but how does a full course dinner at Sweet Apple Acres sound?" Filthy inquired. The clean-shaven pony barfed on the spot. A blemish quickly vaporized by another maid hiding silently in the corner of the room, ready for any and all messes that occur in this parlor. The mustached brother laughed nervously, supporting with a hoof sympathetically. "Ignore Flim. A meal with the Apples sounds appletastic." Turning his brother, the he continues, "Hear that Flim, we get pitch our proposal to Apples three days ahead of schedule." Flim raises his head to feign a smile but only manages to faint. Ignoring Flim's condition, Filthy directs the brothers and his daughter out of the mansion. The poor salespony was basically dragged out of the house by his brother. Silverspoon, the gardener, the maids, and I remained. "Should I apologize as well, daddy?" my daughter asked. I pulled at my collar. "It wasn't your idea to attack a filly?" I inquired. The filly gazed out the window as her only friend left for the farm. "No," she replied. "Then it is best to let them be. We would only get in the way of whatever gambit they are playing." My daughter contemplated my words for a moment before her stomach growled. "Dinner will be for two, I assume?" Eclair wondered. Whenever Filthy was not around, I insisted that she act 'normal'. I looked at the gardener who looked worse for wear. I guess he deserved something for what the girls put him through today, so I invited him to take Filthy's meal. It was not like he would actually mind or even notice that his meal was enjoyed rather than thrown out. Also, I could use a more down-to-earth pony at dinner, even if that pony was not an earth pony. 1.2 Revenge Best Served in Fire -------------------------------Ei Rikr (Ever Ruler)------------------------------------- Bonbon was taking the first shower in the limited stall on the side of the barn when I laid myself down to rest in my stall inside. I would take my shower after zir. I removed my saddlebags and organized my things. Among my effects, a particular vial of Poison Joke cure taunted me. I promised through my holes that I should just share the cure with Sophia, but doubts plagued me. There is no telling how she would react to the burden of emotions, having never experienced them before. What if she becomes a complete wreck? Moving to a new place can put a loss of stress on a young person. No, this wasn't a time to be uncertain. I should cure my daughter. I should have done it when I received the cure from Zecora in the first place. The sooner I transition her into the world of non-rational emotions, the easier it will be for her to live a healthy life. While these thoughts tousled through my holes, a well-masked killing intent in the emotional landscape of the room alerted me to a presence. Whoever it was had silently entered the barn. Were I not attuned to the slight changes in the emotional field around me to compensate for my missing sense, I would not have noticed this mysterious person. I couldn't pinpoint someone with this ability, so I relied on changes in the air around me to check when this presence got close enough to attack. "I know you are here," I state coldly. "I assure you, if you or your employer has business with me, I am very amendable to polite dialogue." The air became very still. "Knowing I am here is nothing," came feminine voice to my right. I turned to face the source only for a kick to my rear to knock my exhausted body down. "For here can mean so many things," echoed a masculine voice from behind. I clicked my tongue in frustration. This was no normal assassin. I could tell there was only one person in the room other than me, so they must be using magic or advanced ventriloquism to throw their voice around the room. The modulating of the voice into different registers had the purpose of weakening my focus and determination. These combat tactics were similar to those used by my sibling when we first met. This only added to my desire to know more about my assassin. "I also am familiar with what you are doing," I added, continuing our discussion. "Knowing what I am doing is nothing," came the feminine voice again. This time it came from above. I focused on the sudden changes in the air around me and barely had time to dodge an attack from my left. Unfortunately, I had not prepared for zir to immediately reverse their velocity to attack me from the right. "For knowing is not the same as stopping." During the initial dodge, I could feel the beating of wings. This explained the assassin's agility but not how they were throwing their voice around the barn. "Well, I guess I just need to know more until I am able to stop you," I casually replied, ignoring the micro-fractures forming through my carapace. I perfectly dodged the assassin for the next few attacks. I didn't merely read zir movements but began to predict the movements before they happened. For instance, I knew the assassin would reverse the vector of their attack, so there was no need to read zir movements during the reversal of momentum. I focused entirely on my assailant that I did not notice that ze had corralled me into a corner. My back against the wall, I prepared for the next attack. "Ha! Got you!" a male voice shouted from before me, which is exactly from where the attack came. Using a spell I learned during the Age of the Windigo, which ended the Ancient Era, I super-heated the air around me, causing it to expand quickly and repulse the killer. Taking advantage of the opening the spell made, I flew back to the center of the room. "You should know better than to corner your prey as you might find that it has fangs," I scolded zir. Our game of cat and mouse continued, but this time I had a better sense of the dimensions of the barn. Occassionally, I ran into a pull but I just burned some love and used the air to protect me. There were only two downsides of this. First, I was already weaken by a day's work, so the use of horsefly magic only served to drain my body more. Second, every time I created a barrier of air around myself, I lost my ability to sense the presence motions in through the air. Eventually either someone would come to my rescue or I would finally fall. "Why won't you just let me break you?!" a misdirecting voice screamed at me. This youthful, impatient, and passionate exclamation told me much of the character of my assassin. "I have a reason not to die right now," I responded. "Why are you fighting me?" "Like you don't know!" I clicked in what roughly translated as a disappointed sigh. How many times have I heard these lines before? How many times did someone treat me like some villain? "I really don't." The assassin slowed their movements. I could pick up that ze was moving closer. "For what are you resisting me, you murderer?" I balked at the accusation. Yes, I have killed before, but that was long ago and on another continent. Only in my imagination did my past haunt me so. "I resist for the sake of my daughter who I brought to this continent so that she may have a good life out of the forest in which I discovered her and for the sake of reuniting with my sibling who has made this journey to this hemisphere before me," I reply honestly, which I hoped might show my assailant that I am not some cruel monster. The presence stopped and then picked up something. The clinking of hooves against glass gave away what ze had picked up. "A potion, hmmm. Is this for you?" the presence asked. I did not respond. I couldn't as fear unbidden and heavy filled my plentiful holes despite my desire to be honest. "Or perhaps for this 'daughter' of yours?" My flame turned cold at the mention of Sophia. I froze, unsure of where the assassin would take this. "Oh, it is for her then." The presence broke the potion against the wall, its contents bleeding into the hay below. It was the first victim of this unnecessary conflict. The second was me as the assassin wasted no time taking advantage of my distress In the end, it was neither my blindness nor my weaken state that had done me in but rather my love for family that had been my undoing. Ze crush my flames out of me like yoke from an eggshell. Through all of this, I took dark solace in my daughter's inability to mourn for me, to be disappointed in me. A relatively recent memory began to burn within my poisoned eyes, giving me the ability to see a loved one as energy left me. A kindness of ravens and a murder of crows circled above me like a Yin-Yang symbol, but all black. A warmth both chaotic and loving radiated from their bodies and spoke directly into my mind. There were no barriers and no lies. "I warned you," said the chorus of the many who is also one. "I warned you so many times," ze repeated and then continued. "I will not see you destroy all that you, I, and all our friends have built." "What are you going to do?" I asked even though I knew the answer deep in my holes. "I and those who know what I know are leaving. We are leaving this reason-forsaken continent and making a journey to the other side where no one will ever hunt someone down again because they question everything, take the unpopular side to an issue, or find joy in something no one else understands." I clicked in frustration. My sibling could be so stubborn sometimes. I wondered why ze couldn't see that the very fact that the nations are coming to us is a sign that the world is changing and becoming more accepting of our ways. Did we not desire in the depths of our holes together those many years ago that the world might come to accept us? That they might learn how to share the energy of their passions with one another, that they may then manifest a willingness to change and adopt what makes others different to grow stronger and safer? "You say I am blind, but I think you have given up your vision," I screeched, my sadness and frustration breaking my usual calm. "A vision where the world becomes just like us? It was as narcissistic as it was naive," the ravens and the crows retorted as one. Hot passion rained down upon me, blowing all loose objects away from me and leaving me feeling vulnerable. Then all the avians swooped down before me. They flashed as green fire before condensing into the very solid body of a horsefly. "It is precisely because of that vision that I can no longer maintain it," the horsefly said softly, the other side of my sibling shining through. "I have done what you refuse to do and that is let what makes this world different to us into myself and change. These other nations treats us and everything related to us like an infection; as a result, our kind has almost been driven to extinction on this continent. You need to learn as I have to not trust people who lack a capability to change, to break from immoral and harmful forms, and then you will see that we must make the journey away from this land." Ze placed a hoof around my neck and pulled me in for a long hug. We basked in the warmth of each other's familiar love, which had sustained us through the most difficult of tribulations in the past, for the last time. We could not stop clicking in sadness and betrayal as our divergent minds had finally won against our convergent passion. Slowly, crows and ravens emerged from my siblings back until eventually one final crow from the murder and one raven from the kindness remained. They pressed themselves against my eyes, becoming flame once more, and fused with them. A flame to rest there if I ever wished to see the last invitation of Corvo Nevermore. ----------------------------------------Sophia--------------------------------------------- Apple Bloom guided me passed a barn. The scent of smoke clogged the stagnant air, prompting me to cough. Rationally, Apple Bloom diverted us toward the source of the smoke as it was her family's property which was at stake. A crowd of various species in the farm animal caste of Equestria, presumably the Apple family's slaves, were gathered before the burning barn. My friend, which is what one calls someone with whom you play discus and card games, struggled to find a path through the people who are legally her property. Normally, I would merely walk around a large crowd like this but given that fires are classified as emergencies, I decided I should probably do something. It was actually rather simple as most of the best plans are. I gathered my magic in my horned and encouraged the earth below us to rise. Not only did this cause some noise but also the shifting of the dirt below the crowd caused them to redirect their attention to their owner. Additionally, our perch gave us the vantage to determine the extent of the emergency and determine the next course of action. Apple Bloom held onto me while we rose. Once we had the slaves attention, she spoke to them, causing the crowd to split. I ignored this for the most part as the fire had really grabbed my attention. While there was indeed fire in the barn, patch of fire was, instead of the usual hues, green. This meant one thing: Ei Rikr had finally cracked up. It was a long time coming, and I could determine signs of stress upon his carapace had grown over the course of the year. The fact, however, that the flames hadn't completely dissipated meant there was still life in the ancient philosopher. I descended from my dirt platform and galloped through the parted crowd. I removed my shawl and wrapped it around my muzzle to reduce the amount of smoke that entered my lungs. Even before I entered the barn, which had just begun to catch on fire, my chest hurt and my breathing became shallow. I worried in the back of my mind that sickness might have taken me due to all the stale Equestrian air to which I have been exposed lately. Standing next to flames, I started gathering pushing them together with my hooves. Apple Bloom had yelled at what must have seem to her as me voluntarily ensconcing my hooves in flesh-consuming combustion. I indicated with the best of my ability that this fire was safe for me to touch, albeit I had to admit it was hotter to my touch than I remembered. Perhaps this is a result of my sudden sickness. The farm filly tentatively touched the fire but unfortunately this made the flames burst. Her emotional state must have reacted to my parent's essence, causing her fur on her hooves to be singed as the flames grew larger and hotter. This was detrimental to Ei RIkr's continued existence as all energy expended as heat would usher the horsefly towards non-sapient existence. Keeping my parent in one piece would ensure that ze would retain zir personality and memories. What was need was a new chitin to form. I gave my spare focus to giving Apple Bloom instructions on how I thought best with which we could deal with the fire. With my notepad in magical grip, I wrote that we would need plenty of muddy water. The filly took my notes with hesitation but I could not immediately tell if she understood its contents. Perhaps she took fault at me giving her orders given that I was technically her slave; however, she had shown no signs of thinking me as such. As I gathered my parent into one spot, avoiding the dangerous fire as much as possible, Apple Bloom went to work ordering her livestock to get buckets of water. The filly directed them to the side of the barn where I remember seeing several stalls with a solitary trickle of water exiting therefrom. Then I could hear a mare squealing for whatever reason. All other animal caste present were helping but one who stood somewhat off to the side. The bystander, a solitary pig, caught my attention because she had continued to stare at me for over five minutes. I decided to pay her no mind as I had more pressing matters before me. The sheep, cows, chickens, and pigs forms a jumbled line passing buckets of water between each other and the source of the water. Most of the water contained no dirt, so I directed my fellow slaves to poor it upon the orange fire. Some of them understood the common tongue which made matters easier. As for the dirty water, it was not muddy enough, so I supplemented the dirt with clay I summoned from below the barn. Forming a thick mud, I surrounded my parent's flames in an egg-like shell. Steam issued from my creation as Ei Rikr baked the mud from within. By this point, almost all the fire was out. Apple Bloom came to me and gestured toward the object before me. Hoofing her the notebook, she wrote. "What in the hay is that?" I replied with a full diagram of a terracotta healing cocoon with explanations of its ability to renew chitin. I based it roughly on a description I read in a Ei Rikr's journal ze wrote when ze had shortly been in Zebrica, learning about horsefly culture on a continent where horseflies had great cities and lived in peace with other species. My parent had taught me about the cocoon in order for me to practice my magic. Apple Bloom quickly flipped to a fresh page. "Can you explain so somepony other than Twilight can understand?" I somewhat understood the reference. Having read a small portion of one of Twilight's books, I found her to be an excessively detail-oriented writer. She had made the consumption of salad in Manehattan a two page affair. Those were giant pages with only two diagrams. It would not be far fetched that Twilight had rubbed off on me through the course of the day. "This cast for a broken bone and inside is my parent," I explained in simpler terms. Apple Bloom began asking many questions all at once, but a wet mare interrupted. I remembered her as the mare with whom Ei Rikr had struck conversation this morning. As for the animals, they had decided to give us ponies space. A mule approached with an elderly lime green mare and a large red stallion. They talked with Apple Bloom who pointed at me and then my parent. I had no idea what they were actually said as Apple Bloom left me out of the conversation. I took this moment to ask the candy-marked mare if she knew of what Ei Rikr's condition had been. She took my note book and stared at the words. I attempted to give her one of my writing utensil from my pack but my notebook had captured the entirety of her attention. Finally, something seemed to click in the earth pony's head. She looked around her location and spotting my pencil after making two full circles. She took the pencil into her mouth and pressed it against the paper only to break the tip. The mare return the pencil in is slobbery, broken state. I used my magic to peel back some of the wood and then reshape the graphite into a point. The earth pony reclaimed the pencil and resumed her attempt to communicate with a foreigner like me. When she was done, she flipped the note book to me. She had drawn three pictures. On top was a circle with two dots and a downturned curve. Below this was a depiction of an oval with holes in it. The bottom picture was of the sun and moon. I know that the top is an abstraction of a face, but I was unable to read these kinds of faces as they depicted emotions, of which my mind has no experience. The middle one was probably my parent. The last might be referring to time. I assumed this pony might be illiterate, so I replied in kind. I looked at the sky to see the sun approaching the horizon. I drew a picture of the sun disappearing behind the horizon. Realizing this could be misinterpreted as the morning, I frustrated myself with trying to clarify. I decided on using stars just so I didn't make a mistake with how ponies express cardinal directions. I gave the notebook back to the mare and she reviewed my picture. Then she reviewed the rest of the contents of my notebook. As I observed the earth pony, whose name eluded me, my stomach involuntarily growled. This attracted the attention of the Apple family. The big red stallion picked Apple Bloom and I and took us away from the barn and my father. The elder talked to the candy mare with my notebook, guiding her with us. Next thing that I know I am in an indoor bathtub with Apple Bloom. The smell of food encouraged me to efficiently cleanse my body of a day's worth of activity. 1.3 The Best Spice is Time and Hardwork --------------------------------------Lyra Heartstrings-------------------------------------------- I made my rounds of Ponyville. She had made contact with several problem ponies like Snowflake and Derpy Hooves who both have had to go through several reharmonizing sessions just to fit Equestria's rigorous standards for what a pony can be. Up next on my list was the reclusive Fluttershy who lived just outside of town. The yellow mare, while not technically a "problem pony" per se, required regular supervision from the Magistracy. Though I did not quite understand it. According to Fluttershy's file, the Magistracy warned that the pony never learn to completely stand up for herself. This was labeled a matter of national security as if Fluttershy not being able to deal with bullies would lead to some cataclysm. Unfortunately for me, the pet trainer had the penchant to learn self-confidence several times a year. Not only did this make redundant records of Fluttershy learning this lesson friendship reports and friendship journals, but also that the Magistracy had to roll back Fluttershy's character development in contradiction to some of those lessons. One time, Fluttershy had severe, simultaneous recollection of all her self-confidence lessons while interacting with a minotaur, leading to the personality we have been trying to bury for years emerging in full force and fury. Luckily, that time her friends were able to make Fluttershy repress it before the madpony became a true threat to ponykind. Her file went so far as to speculate that Fluttershy may be the only pony capable of defeating Discord alone through sheer power of determination, and if the draconequus ever escape his stone prison again and the elements were unavailable, the Magistracy would task the animal lover with controlling the lord of chaos. Approaching Fluttershy's cottage, I noticed the distinct lack of singing. A sigh escaped my lips. I knocked on the door to hear groaning. Perhaps the mare is ill. Angel opened the door, and seeing me, gave me the raspberry before shutting the door in my face. I rolled my eyes and forced my way inside. Not much an animal can do against a unicorn. Once inside, I found the source of the groaning--a full-grown female buffalo. "Where is Fluttershy?" I asked. The buffalo gruffly replied in incoherent grunts and groans as if speaking an actual language. Her injuries led me to believe she might have suffered brain damage. It would not be the first time I encountered something like this. Angel glared at me before giving me the usual sign that Fluttershy was gone. He then signed that Twilight, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie had gone with her on an adventure with no definite return date. I could only understand Angel's signing because we had plenty of time to get to know each other when Fluttershy inexplicably went on an adventure. This left the animals, who were trained not feed themselves, in need of some pony to care for them in the meantime. I wondered if Fluttershy never thought about how her animals survived her sometimes week long trips to other parts of Equestria because she had never had to deal with the consequences of her actions due to the Magistracy's intervention on the animals' behalf. Well, it is for the villains to think about consequences and the heroes to bask in how right they are. "I guess I have to take care of this mess," I declared, and directing my attention to the buffalo, I continued. "You probably need proper care for your injuries. Can you walk?" She gave me more grunts and groans. "I guess that is a no. Seeing you have a sling, I should have known. Well no matter, I have magic. I will just carry you to the hospital. A cottage is no place for a recognized species of the Equestrian government to recover from a fracture much less brain damage." My horn lit up and the buffalo became bug eyed with what seemed like fear. She rolled over reaching for a spear near the couch. "Oh, such hostility. Come on, no pony would ever hurt a buffalo," I laughed, picking her up in a tight telekinetic grip. My magical studies had indeed proven fruitful as the buffalo weighed negligibly against the power I mustered through my horn. Suddenly, Angel yanked my tail. "How dare you? Why are you doing this to me after all I have done for you?" I half asked, half shouted. I shoved my snout into rodent. He responded like the beast he is by grabbing my horn and disrupting my magic channeling. The buffalo fell onto the floor with a thud. While I struggled to remove Angel from my face, the buffalo dragged herself to the spear on the other end of the couch. "Get off me before I implode you like some useless clone!" I shrieked, rearing up and attempting to swipe off my attacker. Angel seemed to respond to this and happily hopped off the end of my nose just before my hoof hit me in the horn. I winced in sudden pain. Then I heard a swishing sound as I felt a breeze across my face, which shouldn't be possible under normal circumstances. I opened my eyes to find the buffalo's spear had what seemed to be magical properties allowing it lengthen and branch out into smaller spears. She had completely ensnared me in a trap, a very pointy and cramped trap. One false move, and I would find myself skewered in fifty different directions. A gulp developed in my throat but the look on the buffalo trapped it in place. Angel started talking to the buffalo, and they seemed to be having a mutual conversation. I would probably be more interested in the fact that buffalo were capable of animal speak, but oxygen was struggling to get to my brain. Suddenly, the injured buffalo fell unconscious. The spear retracted into itself and I was freed from my deadly prison. I took several deep breaths before examining the poor creature. From what I had gathered, the injuries were severe enough that a normal pony would have collapsed in pain. A mixture of determination and adrenaline must have kept her going. I charged up my horn again to begin my telekinetic spell once more when Angel pantomimed at me again. "No Twilight? Twilight isn't even here," I responded flabbergasted. The bunny smacked his face and then reemphasized the Twilight pantomime. It took me longer to figure out what he meant then I will admit. "Oh, you mean no magic!" This led to a new problem. "How am I going to transport her to the hospital without magic?" I inquired out loud. Luckily, the animals who were not just watching or playing with toys got me an old beat up cart from Fluttershy's tool shed. The bear lifted the buffalo carefully into the cart. I had to smack him across the head when he started drooling over the unconscious bovine. Speaking about eating, Angel wouldn't let me leave until I had taken care of Fluttershy's feeding chores. I make short work of that because magic is a powerful multi-tasking tool after all. After that, I harnessed myself to the cart and made to the hospital. It was a grueling journey, especially given that I had been basically running around Ponyville all day checking the harmony state of ponies. When I reached the hospital, the staff quickly took the buffalo off my hooves without asking any questions. Nurse Red Heart did tell me before I left that it would probably be forty-eight hours before the fractures healed and that she hadn't seen anyone this injured since Twilight's piano injury. While I knew the buffalo was badly injured, I did not think it was that bad. Even the worst injury for pegasi--broken wings--only takes twenty-four hours maximum to heal. I must admit I am not familiar with buffalo biology, but I trust the hospital staff know what they are doing. Leaving hospital, I put all this behind me, forgetting all about the buffalo in turn for a more pressing concern--finishing the prince's list. The last pony who I needed to find was Bon Bon. I couldn't find her earlier, but I assumed I would find her by the end of the day. The sun was setting, and I was ready to get dinner and retire. I trotted doggedly through the market square where farm ponies were already closing shop. The smell of apple pie stopped me in my tracks. A pony laughed at me. "Ah can see yah're hungry," said Applejack. I nodded absentmindedly. "Yah know we are closed right," she said. I nodded again, drool escaping from my mouth unbidden like some unicorn from the sticks. "My family is havin' dinner soon, and we always like guests. Why don't yah join us?" the farm pony asked. I nodded, paying more attention to the pie than to her. She suddenly shut the top of her food cart, waking me from my hunger stupor. "Wait wha...what?" I stammered. "No, I can't. I have to work." "Oh, yah look completely famished. A pony can't work on an empty stomach. And Twi tells me that yah an' her used to be friends back in Canterlot. Any friend of Twilight's is a friend of mine, and my family always treats a friend to dinner at least once." Not resisting as much I probably should have, the rodeo pony successfully roped me into eating at her farm. Hopefully I can find Bon Bon on my way home.