//------------------------------// // Chapter Twelve: Mares on the Town // Story: Light's Rising, Shadow's Fall // by jwizard //------------------------------// Equestria, Trottingham, 03-15-05, 10:45 A.M. A.N.M. (After Nightmare Moon) The next morning saw Twilight pacing nervously as she waited for both Rainbow Dash and Clever Marigold to wake up. The night previously, Rainbow and Marigold both had talked with Trixie about having a day on the town. While it was true that they needed to unwind, they still had a task to do. There was still a mess that had to be cleaned up locally, something that was technically part of her princess duties. Trixie watched Twilight pacing with a certain amount of amusement. “Twilight, you need to calm down a little; taking a day to yourself isn’t going to end the world,” the azure unicorn said indulgently. Twilight glared at her. “Trixie, we’ve already been delayed for far longer than we should have been with all that happened in Hoofington,” the stressed alicorn said, still pacing. “I mean, I can see taking a day to help with some of the political mess that is here; that’s actually my job. But taking time to go to casinos, even using my own bits? That’s just too much like shirking my responsibilities.” Trixie sighed. “And I’m sure you still worry what Princess Celestia would say, right?” The unicorn facehoofed at Twilight’s reluctant nod. “Twilight, what you’re doing right now shows that you need this; being stressed out isn’t going to change anything, and may make the situation worse.” “Think logically for a moment; were you given a deadline to this task?” Twilight shook her head at that. Trixie smirked at that. “No, what you were given was a book, a scroll, and a former spy as clues, and told to follow wherever they led.” “Since that all happened in both Ponyville and Hoofington, you haven’t had a real moment to rest. I know that might not seem so important to you, given you’re likely used to it by now.” Trixie waddled over to Twilight and placed a hoof around her withers. “I do, however, think that you and Rainbow Dash need some time to just unwind.” Twilight looked at Trixie suspiciously. “You’re just saying that because Clover’s Crystal gave us those images,” she said in accusation. She frowned as Trixie shook her head. “There’s been at least a few times where that mantlepiece ornament has been mistaken, not the least of which was the confirmation of my pregnancy,” Trixie said rather sharply. “I’m saying this as a concerned friend of both you and Rainbow Dash. And Twilight, she needs this time more than you do; a metaphysical shift isn’t an easy thing to undergo for anypony, no matter how well adjusted they may be.” Twilight paled at that statement. “Oh, poor Rainbow; I didn’t stop to think about what all of this means to her.” She turned towards the unicorn sitting next to her. “You’re right Trixie; she needs this time to unwind, and I’m going to give it to her.” She wiggled her wings. “I’m a princess just as much as Celestia is, and have one-third of the authority in Equestria. One day isn’t going to make much difference, especially since the bad guys seem to be keen on waiting for us to come to them.” Twilight and Trixie both chuckled at that. Twilight got up and walked over to the coffee tray sitting on the nearby table. As she was pouring herself a cup, something that Trixie had just said registered belatedly. She frowned thoughtfully. “I know you and Rainbow are close, but I didn’t think you were close enough for her to have told you what she’s going through. How did you figure it out?” “What, did you think that something like that would escape the notice of the all-knowing Great-and-Powerful Trixie!?” she scoffed. Twilight just smirked at Trixie’s attempt at self-deprecating humor. Trixie smiled a bit. “Seriously though; a part of it is connected to my special talent, and a part of that is thanks to that overgrown paperweight.” She snorted as the crystal in question chimed an irritated arpeggio in response. Twilight chuckled along with her. “Stagecraft and illusions are part and parcel of what I do Twilight. Part of that is being able to detect wavelengths that ordinary ponies miss.” Trixie frowned pensively. “If I hadn’t had both prior exposure to one undergoing such a shift, I’m not sure I would have been able to articulate what I sensed. And she,”- she pointed at the now-brightly-glowing crystal as she said the next part -“did have something to do with it as well; I’ve become far more sensitive to thaumaturgic disturbances since I got her as a wedding gift.” Twilight nodded at that. A thoughtful look crossed her muzzle. “Actually, I think that the crystal likely just made you even more sensitive; something else probably just enhanced your perceptions. That is, after all, why experts believe they modeled the Alicorn Amulet after that crystal; one of its properties was the ability to magnify some of the more esoteric talents that ponies possess.” She frowned pensively. “I just hope there aren’t other ponies that have some connection to Pre-Unification artifacts that we’re going to run into; the vast majority of those that still exist were made for a much darker purpose.” Trixie winced as her unborn foal gave an extra hard kick. She rubbed in a soothing pattern; the foal soon settled down. She smirked at the concerned look Twilight gave her. “She gets like this at times; it’s going to be a right picnic when she comes.” Trixie’s expression grew thoughtful. “I can’t say with any certainty, as Magical Objects in History was a class I slept through. However, I do know that objects like that have a certain curse about them. They’re either attracted to people that can use them, or those that can destroy them.” Twilight nodded at that. “Exactly, though most of them are the next best thing to indestructible.” Seeing the confused look on Trixie’s face, Twilight elaborated. “Well, think about it. Most of the stuff that Daring herself goes after is tied to elemental forces in some way. Without understanding the processes that went into the creation of some of those artifacts, destroying them would be like snapping a rubber band that just happens to have all of Equus’ volcanoes tied to the other end.” Trixie paled as understanding came to her. “Not that something that serious would happen were we able to successfully destroy the Alicorn Amulet,” Twilight said hastily, trying to brighten up the mood a little. “I was just using that as an example for some of the Dark Artifacts out there. I actually have a theory as to why the Alicorn Amulet can’t be destroyed.” “And why can’t that misbegotten piece of trash be destroyed Twilight?” Trixie said in a stiff voice. “Simple; it’s tied to the Power of Darkness in such a way that the only way to destroy it is to destroy Darkness itself,” said a new voice. The other ponies looked up to see Rainbow Dash standing in the doorway. “Sorry, but I heard the last part Trix. And I know all the trouble that Twi and Zecora have had in trying to get rid of that thing.” “What was that part of it being connected to Darkness though? I mean, I get that Dark Artifacts are bad and all, but you almost sounded as though whatever that amulet is tied to isn’t truly evil,” said Marigold as she moved in from behind Rainbow Dash. Rainbow snorted. “I’m not big on the whole faith thing, but even a jock like me knows the difference between Darkness and Evil. You want Evil, just look at Sombra. Everything that alicorn-wannabe does is selfish and self-centered. But that doesn’t mean that the power he supposedly called on is evil in and of itself. It simply is.” Twilight frowned. “You mean what Sombra did,” she said automatically, only to facehoof at Rainbow sticking her tongue out at her. “Not getting into all of that now Rainbow Dash,” she said. “Anyway, you do raise an interesting point, though I don’t remember you ever being there whenever Zecora and I were discussing ways to destroy that amulet. We did find out that it’s tied to the Power of Darkness in such a way that the Power itself has to be destroyed. And that’s literally impossible; Darkness is the formative fabric of our world. We’d literally have to rip our dimension apart to sever the connection the Alicorn Amulet has to that Power, outside of actually having access to the forging process.” “Yeah. Hard find out how to destroy something that was created from before there even was an Equestria,” Rainbow Dash said after a moment. “Unless Princess Celestia and Princess Luna know something that we don’t and aren’t sharing.” “It wouldn’t surprise me in the least, given what I’ve been told since becoming a princess myself,” Twilight grumbled. “And I’m starting to wish I had done the same thing that Cadance did before the Crystal Empire returned. Sure would have been easier.” The other ponies just looked confused. Only Rainbow Dash noticed the slight darkening of Twilight’s coat, brief though it was. Marigold decided that now might be a good time to hash out the plans for the day. “So, are we on for today?” She asked. The others looked at Twilight expectantly. The purple alicorn nodded. “Yep; damn all torpedoes and full steam ahead,” she said impishly. Rainbow Dash just facehoofed. The group all dissolved into giggles after that. Equestria, Trottingham, 03-15-05, 4:47 P.M. A.N.M. (After Nightmare Moon) It had been a long time since Twilight had had this much fun. For the last several hours, Trixie had done her best to show Twilight and Rainbow Dash all that she had grown to love about Trottingham. And it wasn’t just the casinos. Sure, taking a big risk on a roll of the dice had its own charm. There was more than that however. From the dance shows to the magic shows, there was an incredible amount of things to see. And even though Twilight would have preferred a museum tour or perhaps a visit to the Library, she honestly felt that the day was better spent this way. Especially since she could see that all of it was making Rainbow Dash happy. Twilight had been burying it, but everything that had happened so far had made her worried about her chromatic-maned friend. Rainbow Dash always came off as brash and abrasive, but Twilight had lately gotten the impression that a great deal of that was a coping mechanism. Actually seeing her unwind was a nice change, especially considering how adorable her facial expressions were when she was excited about something. That was something that Twilight never got a lot of chances to see from day to day, and it always brought a smile to her muzzle. Another thing to consider was that this was one of the few times she had actually spent a prolonged period of time in Rainbow’s presence. While Twilight did make a point to spend as much time with each of the girls as she could, it all too often ended up being with more than one at any given time. Outside of their flight lessons when she first ascended, Twilight hadn’t spent as much time alone with Rainbow, barring their weekly reading afternoons. Twilight’s musing was pulled away as the show they were all watching finished up. While excellent, this was one she’d seen before at events in Canterlot, so there wasn’t anything new. Still, she clapped her hooves just as the other audience members did; even though the play was familiar, the actors had done a superb job. Twilight turned to cast an amused glance at the pegasus that was bouncing on the tips of her hooves. Rainbow Dash was almost vibrating with excitement, though she was doing a better job of hiding it than Pinkie Pie would. “Dashie, you’re going to bounce right out of your horseshoes if you don’t settle down,” Trixie said in amusement. Rainbow looked at her hooves in confusion. She rolled her eyes as the others laughed at her faux-paus. “Very funny Trix; you know I don’t wear shoes all that much,” she said as the four made their way out of the theater. “I’m just really excited; it’s been a long time since I’ve won it that big at a casino.” Rainbow hovered in place as they waited for a free taxi. She had a thoughtful frown on her muzzle. “I know that we’re on this big secret mission and everything, but I guess a part of me was looking for a vacation of some kind. Is that wrong?” Twilight hummed as she considered Rainbow’s words. “A change of scenery is as good as a vacation, but I don’t think that applies here,” she said after a bit. She frowned a little. “I guess we really did need the stress relief. A lot of stuff has been going on over the last few months, and there’s been little time for us to just cut loose and have some real fun.” Rainbow noticed the wince that Marigold tried to hide. “Hey now, none of that,” she said softly. “Yo goofed up as AJ would say, but you’re trying to do better.” Marigold sighed, but nodded. “I guess I’m more mad at myself than anything. I knew the whole thing was a bad idea from the get-go, but the money they were offering would have set my family in a way that we’ve never had.” She sighed again. “I let greed get the best of me, and forgot what my grandmother taught me when I was young.” “May, I don’t think there’s a pony out there that doesn’t go through life without making a few bad choices,” Trixie replied. “Look at some of the ones I made before getting with Rolly. The only time it’s bad is when we don’t learn from bad choices.” “Or when we decide that we’re better than everypony else because we have something they don’t,” Rainbow Dash said when Trixie paused. “You weren’t to that point; I can see that you never wanted any pony to get hurt. Twi’s given you a chance, and you’ve proven yourself so far. Not that you have a chance to to an awesome pony like me.” The others just rolled their eyes, chuckling a bit at Rainbow’s usual bravado. Twilight’s ears perked up as a taxi approached. “Well, what’s next girls?” she asked as they boarded the taxi. “We have a standing dinner appointment at an exclusive restaurant, where Rolly will be meeting us,” Trixie said in reply. “I received word about that while we were at the theater.” Marigold frowned. “I thought he would still be busy with the fallout over the attempted assassination,” she said. “How is he able to take the time off for dinner?” “Because it’s a business dinner apparently,” Trixie said. “We’ll be joining the Governor of Trottingham and a member of his cabinet as well.” Trixie sighed. “I do wish the Governor would deign to conduct business somewhere other than over a meal, but he’s just too old-fashioned for that.” “Golden Fields is the current Governor, right?” Marigold asked. Both Trixie and Twilight nodded at that. “Thought so. Doesn’t surprise me that he’s old-fashioned; I grew up with his granddaughter, and the whole clan are traditionalists.” “How bad are they?” Twilight asked with a sinking feeling. “Oh, not in the way of ‘one tribe over another’ or anything like that,” the unicorn said hastily. “More in how there are certain behaviours that expected, and a certain way that things should be done.” She snorted. “Actually, discussing business over a nice meal is one of the few formal traditions is one that I can wrap my hooves around, as it’s one that my family used often as well.” “As long as it doesn’t take too long; I prefer to use meals to unwind, not talk shop,” Trixie said, a cute frown on her muzzle. “Rolly has tried any number of times to remind the Governor of his preferences, but the old geezer won’t budge. At least this is the last term he’ll be serving; the Trottingham Council Charter limits the terms a Governor can serve to no more than five times.” Twilight nodded at that. “I know something of the clan; they’re actually relatives of a friend. In fact, the Governor himself was one of those that alerted both myself and Mayor Scrolls that there were some bad deals being made concerning mining rights.” The purple alicorn snorted. “And I had received word that they were going to contest my block on any further negotiations concerning that issue. I’ll stand by it though; they can get more useful gems from the Pie Family farms and other earth pony farms than they could from those veins.” “I just hope the business discussion doesn’t take the whole meal,” Trixie grumbled. “Golden Fields has a reputation of being a windbag at the best of times. Not to mention something of a bore.” The other chuckled at this as the taxi made its way to the restaurant. A few minutes later, the four mares were waiting for both the Governor and Centurion Rolling Roulette to arrive. Each one was doing their level best to stave off boredom. Twilight and Trixie were conversing quietly about some of the more recent happenings in Ponyville; those that didn’t have to do with their current circumstances at least that is. Marigold was perusing some documents that she had been looking at on and off all day. Rainbow Dash was munching her way through a bowl of peanuts and cashews that had been sat on the table while they waited for the stallions to join them. No matter how much she ate, Rainbow was always feeling hungry for some reason. Well, more than was usual anyway. Twilight and Trixie broke off their conversation as both Governor Fields and Centurion Roulette arrived on the heels of their waiter. “Ah, Princess Twilight, I am glad that you were able to join us this evening.” Golden Fields’ gaze fell on Rainbow Dash, who flushed a bit at his scrutiny. “Miss Dash, I would like to offer my condolences and heartfelt thanks for your quick actions yesterday morning,” the Governor said once he and Roulette had seated themselves. “It is regrettable that organized crime still has some hold in this city, despite mine and the Centurion’s efforts to eradicate it.” “Organized crime? You mean, like the Mafia?” Rainbow asked in surprise. The Governor nodded. “This will be my fifth- and last -term in office,” the stallion said after a lengthy pause. Said pause was to give them all time to place their various orders. “I’ve spent the vast majority of the last eighteen years doing my level best to eliminate whatever hold the Five Families have had on this city.” He cleared his throat. “Granted, the Centurion here has helped that process immensely; however, the greater effort has been as a result of my own knowledge of the subject matter.” “Then what rumor said is true; your family had some connection to organized crime,” Marigold said in a hostile manner. The Governor just looked at her sternly. “Miss Marigold, I am sure a pony such as yourself does not need rumor to clarify my family’s connection to ‘disreputable sorts’. I have never hid  my own father or grandfather’s involvement in such things. I have simply downplayed such things. I was never involved myself; I saw early on that that sort of thing was likely to end in an early grave, as what had happened with both prior generations.” The stallion took a moment to butter a roll before continuing. “I used my strong knowledge in the criminal element to secure many of the early arrests in my time as a D.A., and once I had corruption down, I was able to convince the voting populace that I was not my father’s son.” He sighed. “It does not help that there are those who still look to discredit me, even though I will be finished in two years.” “Wait, you mean the assassin wasn’t in response to what the conspirators planned in Ponyville?” Twilight asked, her tone on of surprise. Roulette shook his head in response to the question. “We don’t think so. We have the one who cast the spells, though he’s not talking at the moment,” Roulette said. “The tripwire tracer you suggested we use led us right to him. I suspect he’ll crack before too long; knowledge that his employer is now dead will likely spur him to either attempt suicide, or turn State’s evidence.” “What I think is far more likely is that this was more of an effort to discredit myself, and the one that they think is my incumbent. Since the Centurion here is a firm ally in all of my efforts, they thought that his death would spearhead my downfall.” Fields snorted at that. “All it really shows is that these fools have not a shred of real smarts. I did not get to where I am by supporting idiots, and the one that they think I have picked to replace me is a colossal imbecile.” “The only one I know that they would take offense to besides yourself is my cousin… and you’re right Fields, he is a colossal fool.” Marigold shook her head at that. “Honestly, do they really think ponies are that dumb?” “Yeah, pretty much. They sent you to Ponyville to try and trick the smartest egghead Princess in Equestria, right?” Rainbow snarked. The ponies all chuckled at that. “With all due respect Rainbow Dash, I was only waiting for the other horseshoe to drop,” Marigold said in a faux-huffy tone. That caused another round of chuckles. “I had already known that the plan was stupid; my own greed was what blinded me in the end.” “Do not sell yourself short; what information you have given us has enabled us to cut apart the greater weave,” the Governor said kindly. He said that because this last admission had caused Marigold to lower her ears in shame. “I myself am not blameless in any of this. I have taken bribes on occasion, and have no less shame for having done so. I may have had a greater plan in mind whilst doing so, yet that does not excuse what I did. What does is that I have since learned that there were better ways to do the same thing.” “It took getting your hoof caught in the cookie jar for you to realize that working with those in charge was better than working to cross purposes,” Roulette said in a snide tone. To his credit, the unicorn blanched. “Yes, you would be correct in that assumption.” He waved his hoof airily. “But that is besides the point. I did learn from my mistakes, and only did such things with the backing of the Diarchy.” “Wasn’t the Diarchy then though, right?” Rainbow said. To her shock, Twilight shook her head. “Actually Rainbow Dash, Equestria never stopped being a Diarchy.” Seeing the confused look on Rainbow’s muzzle, Twilight made to explain. “There has always been a certain number of powers that were held by certain groups that were a parallel to Celestia’s. Cadance took up some of them; however, they were really Luna’s all along.” Twilight’s smirked. “Despite their best efforts, the Great Assembly was never able to convince the Council of Eight that ‘the powers once held by the fallen Princess of the Moon’ should be fully given to them. Once she came back, they were returned to her.” “Which was done by a vote of the Council. Naturally, the Great Assembly protested, only to be informed that the PPP would no longer be serving them,” Roulette said with satisfaction. “There have always been those who knew the truth that the nobles tried to suppress; that Luna would one day return, and that when she did, her place in power would be restored to her.” “The fallout is what led to ponies like Ironside gaining power they shouldn’t have been able to,” Twilight said, her tone angry. “I’m not saying that Luna should have been relegated to the sidelines; she’s a friend. What I am saying is that the High Council should have realized that the moneyed lot and the ambitious wouldn’t just willingly give up what power they thought belonged to them.” “Plus, the criminal element always seeks to break the rules in whatever way they can,” Roulette said, sounding almost as angry as Twilight did. “I’ve spent my career doing all I can to stop ponies like that.” He sighed as he got a good look at the hurt expression that was on Marigold’s muzzle. “Then again, not everypony out there who has broken a law is bad. Sometimes you have to break the bank to save the bits. I’m mostly angry at those who only truly care for themselves; some have actually had the best of personal motivations for what they did.” After that statement, the conversation soon turned to other business. Twilight concentrated on her food for awhile before turning towards the Governor. “Governor, I’ve been wondering if you and Roulette have the matters surrounding what happened yesterday and the day before well in hoof.” The unicorn nodded. “We do; well, with the assistance of Miss Marigold that is.” He frowned as Twilight shook her head. “Clever Marigold won’t be relieved from her duties until the stated task is completed,” the alicorn said in response. She looked at the unicorn in question with a raised eyebrow. Marigold took the hint. “It will take two days of travel to get where I originally met with the conspirators,” she said. She sighed when she saw the look on Rainbow’s muzzle. “If we get an early start, the nearest train station to where this all started is only a few hours from here. However, it will take a day and a half to reach the location in question.” Twilight nodded reluctantly. “As much as going at this piecemeal pains me, we really don’t have much of a choice.” The Governor nodded in reluctance as well. “It will likely take two days for us to gain all of the information that we need. While I do not like it, there are few choices available to us.” He brightened. “At least we have time to enjoy a superb dinner, no?” The others all chuckled at that. The conversation soon turned away from business, as there was little more that needed to be said on that front.