Happiness Over One's Shadow -Part One
Fluttershy’s Shadow
Written by Broken Logic
Chapter Three - Happiness Over One's Shadow - Part One
“Now remember, humph! Only the finest apples will do. We need 'em, hah! Big and juicy for t'morrow's, yah! Apple bobbin' game,” Applejack declared between grunts. The Apple family started the day's work along with Celestia's vigil, so the air was nice and cool while having a few rays of sunbeams provide soft, adequate lighting.
“Eeyup,” Big Mac responded with a nod. He could hardly forget. Applejack had been going on all week about tomorrow's competition, completely fired up to beat her self-proclaimed rival's Carrot Shooting Range. Seeing as all the Nightmare Night games and activities were free, he wasn't quite sure how she planned to determine a win. Oh,well, he thought, twirling the blade of wheat in his mouth. So long as everyone has fun.
The rhythmic thuds of striking hooves set a steady work beat as Applejack and Big Macintosh bucked trees in the orchard. A sweet scent of baking pastries and a peppy tune, both originating from the kitchen, invigorated the siblings in their chores. While Granny Smith whipped up her apple pies, she sang an old ditty about a swag-pony being caught in the act of stealing sheep by the side of a lake. The pantry was quickly filling up with baked goods to be sold tomorrow on Nightmare Night.
Out of the reach of the dawn light, Apple Bloom let out a huge yawn in the shade provided by the barn. She had been tasked with picking the best apples to save for the game, but it being so early, she could hardly tell the difference between her own hoof and an apple. Every so often she wobbled drowsily as she fought against nodding off. Big Mac dragged his brimming basket over to the sleepy filly and gave her a fond nuzzle, causing her to stir.
“Huh, wha—?” stammered Apple Bloom, swinging her head from side to side in confusion. Feigning awareness, she quickly insisted, “I wasn't sleepin'! Honest...” but her head drooped soon afterwards.
“No slackin' off, hmf! Big brother,” Applejack continued. “I plan to be usin', hah! A whole lot of apples!”
Big Mac nodded indulgently. He collected a new basket and moved to the next tree.
"Breakfast time, everypony!" Granny Smith hollered out a short time later. Applejack bobbed her head to her siblings and they retired to a table laden with fresh-out-of-the-oven apple pies. Big Mac sat down with an appreciative groan, and helped himself to a generous slice. He spat out his wheat stalk and tried a nibble of the pie, careful not to burn his tongue on the fresh out-of-the-oven vittle. A large smile broke out on his face.
Granny Smith still has it in her, Big Mac thought, savouring the gooey, sweet juiciness that came not just from the use of fresh apples. This would not be the first time for such an appraisal, as his pride in his granny's cooking was second to none.
While gently maneuvering Apple Bloom's face out of its resting place in the middle of a pastry, he looked over the table to Applejack, whose mind seemed to have wandered now that she had a moment to rest. Probably has something to do with her friends, he surmised. She always had that thoughtful and semi-worried look when there were strange going-ons concerning that group.
“Hey, Big Mac,” Applejack tentatively spoke up as Big Mac took another bite of breakfast. “Would you happen to know if one of your friends might be attracted to Fluttershy?”
Bits of apple pie sprayed across the air in front of Big Mac.
Regaining his composure, and wiping a few crumbs off himself, Big Mac considered the question for a few seconds and then answered, “Nnnope.”
“Ah, horse feathers. Oh well, worth a shot.” Applejack got up quickly, the grimace on her blushing face showing her obvious discomfort at asking her brother such a question.
“Now wait a second. What did you ask that for?” Big Mac tried to ask, but was interrupted when Caramel called out to them as he came striding up the road.
"Morning, Apples!” the dun colt hollered enthusiastically. “Great day, isn't it?" The Apple family, sans Apple Bloom, looked into the sky. It was fairly overcast.
Disregarding Caramel's depiction of the weather, Big Mac greeted him back.
"Mornin', Caramel. You certainly look much better than yesterday. Maybe that night's sleep really did do the trick."
"Yea," Caramel agreed. "I feel like a million bucks. In a good way," he assured.
Fluttershy had just left her front yard on her routine early walk when a familiar shape in the corner of her eye cast feelings of dread over her.
Once again, she had been unknowingly beset by her shadow.
Her first instinct was to bolt back to the safety of her house, but her late-night self-hypnosis abruptly kicked in. She sat rigid as her fear and will waged a sugary, non-lethal, dessert-flinging war in her mind. Fluttershy's will of iron spatula eventually pancaked her fear and utilised the control point to launch an offensive strike. She soon heard herself stutter a few words to her shadow.
“G-g-good M-morning, shadow. H-how are you today?” Her commanding will pressed on doggedly when she did not receive a reply. “You look well. I was just wondering if you'll perhaps, maybe, if you don't mind...” You'll be at this all day if you don't mare up! she thought, berating herself. Just blurt it out! “Have breakfast with me?”
She was almost about to give up when a gust of wind rushed over her, tousling her mane and causing her to shield her face against the gale. As she did, the shadow made a fortuitous bobbing motion similar to a nod, and this sent Fluttershy into ecstatics.
“Oh, that's simply wonderful. I'm sure we'll have all sorts of fun together. I know a great place in Ponyville, so if you'll please follow me.” Fluttershy practically pranced in joy, barely keeping her hooves on the ground. “Oh, I'm just so excited.” She looked back to make sure the shadow was accompanying her and was satisfied to see that it was compliantly following her hoofsteps.
“Rainbow Dash is in the lead! She's coming around the final corner boasting an incredible gap over her competition,” the announcer broadcast with tongue-twisting speed, frenzied excitement dripping from his every word. “Never have we seen a more amazing pony, if only we could all be as cool as her. Now she's coming up to the finishing line, blazing down the home stretch. This is sure to be a new track record, folks. No doubt about it.”
Rainbow Dash puffed with elation, the sweet taste of victory already tangible in her mouth. She risked a quick glance towards the stands and saw her idols, the wonderbolts, looking on in total awe.
“This is sooo awesome!” she squealed, and mustered up a final spurt of speed as she neared the end of the race.
Then she noticed something odd.
A black figure had wedged itself a cumulus above the cloud race track, obviously trying to hide, but failing as it was completely surrounded by white. As Rainbow Dash approached its location, the figure moved enough to reveal that it was a masked pony armed with a pair of sais. The sight sent streaks of terror running up Rainbow Dash’s spine. The masked pony then dived purposefully from the cloud, its trailing headband rippling in the wind, and angled its descent for a collision course with Rainbow.
"Ahhh!" Rainbow Dash screamed, desperately backstroking her wings and forearms to brake. But she couldn't help but crash-
Onto the floor, entangled by her blankets.
She lay frozen in her awkward position for a few brief moments, panting heavily into her cloud carpet, before pulling herself together and righting herself.
"I gotta consider cutting back during the weekly apple pie night with AJ and Pinkie..." she mumbled to herself, rubbing sleep out of her magenta eyes.
"Rainbow Dash!" Pinkie's voice rang out from below, causing Rainbow Dash to stiffen for a second, and then sigh.
What is it this time? Rainbow Dash wondered with a look towards the heavens. She hopped back into bed, deciding to just ignore Pinkie Pie and go back to sleep, hoping for it to be dreamless this time around.
This proved to be a terrible decision, as only a short time later, Pinkie Pie crashed yet another flying contraption into her house, this one a large pink rocket that burst through the wall just to the left of the previous breach.
Speechless, Rainbow Dash could only watch as the enthusiastic, pink stuntmare righted herself and started tugging at a large, purple ribbon wedged into Rainbow’s carpet. Strangely, the pegasus found it somewhat familiar. Her brain jolted into motion the same moment Pinkie Pie managed to wrench out the silky streamer to reveal a less-pristine-than-usual, white pony attached to it.
"Heavens, Pinkie!” exclaimed Rarity, after dragging a deep, desperate breath. “When you said you had an elegant solution to the problem, I expected you to mean it!"
"Pinkie Pie? Rarity?” Rainbow Dash asked hysterically, regaining control of her dropped jaw. “What are you guys doing here?"
“While was nice of Twilight to teach you the cloud walking spell, it’s probably for the best that you don’t always have your head in the clouds,” Pinkie said with a giggle before finally turning to gleefully greet the pegasus. “Hey, Dashie!”
“Good morning, Rainbow Dash,” also greeted Rarity, but in a much more composed manner despite her preceding hardships, even holding back the groan from hearing Pinkie’s joke. She continued quickly so as not to give Pinkie time to rev her minigun chatter. “We've just popped in to see if you'd be interested in helping us with a few errands. I assume you know from Pinkie about Fluttershy's... delicate situation?”
Popped in? Rainbow Dash thought dryly, calm enough now to have accepted the situation as just being Pinkie Pie. “Kind of,” she replied out loud, “Pinkie wasn't very helpful in filling in the details. Girl never sits around long enough to hear the important things.”
Rarity suppressed a smile at the irony of Rainbow's statement.
“Well, in that case, let me bring you up to speed,” Rarity suggested, and launched into the story with characteristic fervour, dramatizing details as only the fashionista could. Regardless of her showmare’s flair, she found she was losing the attention of part of her audience near the end of her telling. “And that's how Equestria was made,” she ended, breaking Rainbow out of her listlessness. Pinkie Pie, in comparison, was engrossed by the narration and clopped her hooves together in applause of the telling.
“Huh, what?” Rainbow asked, shaking her head confusedly.
“Nevermind,” advised Rarity, her calm tone laden with generous patience. “So long as you know your place in the plan, you'll do just fine, dear. Seeing as we don't know who Fluttershy's secret admirer, I've concocted a foalproof plan to sieve out our colt in question. We all have our part to play, so I hope you'll agree to help out?”
“Of course I will!” Rainbow Dash declared hotly. “Fluttershy is my friend. I've got to make sure this colt is good enough before he even thinks about looking at her.” Her chest made a resounding thump as she smacked her it with a hoof for good measure.
“Great!” exclaimed Pinkie excitedly, unable to stay quiet any longer. “Our plan is to throw a party, and while I'd normally be able to handle that myself, we're doing it today with almost no notice, and that's why we need you to help spread the word, so that everypony knows that we're hosting a nice, nifty, not-totally-a-trap-to-find-fluttershy's-admirer, nearly Nightmare Night N-” Pinkie halted, a contemplative frown working its way onto her face when she was unable to find a word suitable to end the alliteration.
Rarity took the chance to wrest back control of the conversation.
“A party, yes," the unicorn agreed. "And as Pinkie succinctly put, we need you to spread the word. You'll be flying around town distributing flyers to everypony.” At this she levitated a bundle of leaflets out of her satchel and hoofed them to Rainbow Dash. She then directed a hoof towards Pinkie Pie. “Pinkie will be doing the same in Sugarcube Corner, while also setting up for the night.”
Pinkie, meanwhile, was still struggling to find the perfect word.
“Nativity?” she mumbled to herself. “No. Nepotism? No. Namibia? No. Neurological? No, no, no!”
She didn't appear to be finishing any time soon.
“And finally,” Rarity flourished, putting Pinkie's literal crisis out of mind and returning once more to her plan, “I will be fabricating a stunning new dress that's certain to catch, and hold, the eye of our mysterious admirer." Rarity clapped her hooves together happily, her eyes growing into large shining pools. "Oh, I can't wait to show it off! It's sure to make Fluttershy shine.”
Rainbow Dash looked down to the flyers in her hoof and read the headline out loud, “'Pinkie's Pre-Nightmare Night Party. Tonight at Sugarcube Corner. Be there or be some other shape that may or may not have more than three sides.'” She looked at her two friends and broke into a grin. “So, all I got to do is be awesome and make sure everypony knows about the party, right?” Rainbow Dash asked, summing up the situation, if somewhat brazenly.
“That's exactly right, Rainbow,” Rarity agreed, nodding affably. “Now that that is settled, I really must get back to my boutique. Today's the deadline for the batch of Nightmare Night costume orders I've taken on, and I've still so much to do.” She moved to head out, but suddenly realised one important detail, proof of her eye as a designer. She turned back and asked with a demure smile, “Do you think you could give me a lift down?”
In his quiet abode next to the Quills and Couches store, Shadow, himself, was having a vivid dream; a memory from his past choosing to surface at this time after several years of dormancy. He tossed and turned in his blankets, chased by invisible wraiths. Then abruptly, his face relaxed into tranquil state, and he settled down into a peaceful slumber.
“Wait!” he called out. His hooves made a dull percussion over the sound of heavy breathing and crunching leaves as he ran through a forest barely lit by a sun beginning to peek over the horizon.
Yang burn this curse, he thought furiously. His bones felt as weak as straws every time he put a hoof down, his muscles like mud when he lifted them.
“Go back, my friend,” a dim voice called back to him, its sound familiar, but lacking it's usual boisterousness. “Ponyville is where you belong now.”
“Take me with you!” He scrambled up a hill towards the voice, brushing aside countless branches and ignoring the cuts and scratches they were tolling. His fur was soaked by bushes laden with morning dew.
“You know I cannot.” The voice was weighted with a touch of sadness. “This journey is my own, selfish and fraught with danger. I could not ask you to.”
“You don't have to, I'm offering. I can handle myself,” he told the voice, anger and desperation in his own.
“I know you can,” the voice chuckled, “but a wanderer's life is behind you, now. Go back, regain your health and look after bright eyes for me.”
“Compass!” he screamed, but his friend had moved on. He could hardly focus through the haze of pain and weakness that threatened to overwhelm him. What was once a small exertion to him felt like a marathon. With a guttural growl, he pushed his body harder, regardless of the cost.
His efforts were soon rewarded when he broke free of the trees into a small clearing. At the other side of the glade, a figure stood, reduced to a silhouette by the awaking sun shining behind it. However, he could never mistake that shape.
“Compass!” he called out once more, and galloped towards the unicorn.
“Please. Go back-” Compass started, but was interrupted when a heavy blast of wind threatened to bowl them both over.
The ground around him darkened as it was engulfed by a large shadow.
He skidded to a halt and looked up. He dropped his mouth open in shock of what he saw. His vision was filled with the sight of largest avian he had ever seen, much less thought existed. Its open wingspan almost covered half the glade like a feathery roof.
“B'Luna, that's a roc!” Compass exclaimed, and then all sound was deafened by the ensuing screech, which sounded more akin to a roar than any other bird’s call.
The bird crashed into the clearing, keeping its wings outspread threateningly. And then quick as a snake, its head struck out towards him.
“Shadow!” his friend cried out fearfully.
However, in this case, Compass's dismay was unnecessary. He had managed to avoid the beak of the bird, and was currently trying to enter a blind spot under it. Overhead, the roc danced in a frenzy, attempting to peck and scratch at him as if he were a worm, and managed to score a searing gash along his ribs with a talon. He gasped in pain, but ground his teeth together and tried to ignore it. Still dodging beak and claw, he kicked back, striking the colossus on the under-beak and stunning it momentarily, agony running up his own side at the impact. He spent a few precious seconds scanning up and down the closest leg. Choosing the most likely point, he gritted his teeth again and bucked out. He then scrambled madly out of the way as the roc faltered in its balance and crashed clumsily, its numbed leg refusing to support its massive weight.
Taking his chance, he pelted towards Compass, who had been galloping to his aid. He felt a moment of relief, as he felt his energy was beginning to give out.
However, it was then that a second beast descended into the dale, flapping its wings menacingly and repeating the terrifying scream of the first. The buffeted winds knocked him off his hooves.
Dazed on the ground, he looked despairingly as he was once again cut off from his friend. Then, over the sound of beating wings, he heard Compass shouting.
“Hey! Buzzard! Yeah, you, ya lousy ostrich!” Compass yelled disparagingly. The bird turned its attention towards him, squawking angrily. The stallion dived out of the way of snapping beak.
Behind him, the ground rumbled. He looked back and saw the first roc had stood up. It had regained some control over its leg, and was beginning to limp over towards them, its feathers bristling in rage.
He stared at it tiredly, and then at his friend confronting the other monstrous avian. His side complained loudly, his muscles now had the consistency of water, and his friend would soon be bird food. A breaker inside him flipped, and a deep-seated calm washed over him. Though his mind was still hazed, it felt a little clearer. The felt the familiar sensation of his cutie mark changing, feeling rather than seeing the shade on his flank grow to encompass the whole wall as he drew on the final dregs of his stamina, and the few drops of earth pony magic that it was infused with.
The shadows of the rocs flickered, and begun to move independently of their sources, as if they suddenly had a life of their own. The shadowy outlines grabbed the attention of the birds, their avian intellects unable to understand the disconnected motions. Instincts told them that if something moved, it was either food or a possible threat.
Immediately as they were distracted, he bolted off the ground, around the bird in front of him, and, in a ragged voice, yelled desperately at his friend, “Head for the trees!”
They galloped as fast as they could to the edge of the glade, but the avians soon returned their thoughts to them.
Screeching, the rocs dove after them, and Compass and he barely made it into the thicket before the avians careened into the forest wall. They dodged the trees sent flying in dirt-scattering clumps by the thrashing of the monstrous birds, and galloped on for dear life.
However, he soon felt his calm serenity of mind cracking, and he faltered in his stride. His legs fell from under him, and he tumbled heavily. He heard his friend slide to a halt and turn back for him.
His strength expended, he lay on the ground, taking quick pants of air. His chest burned with a need for oxygen, but he didn’t dare to take the deep breaths his body demanded. His whole side screamed in pain, and, judging by how light headed he was, he had most likely lost a lot of blood. The lacerations must have been deeper than he originally thought, and he felt abnormally cold, but the simple act of shivering caused too much agony. He looked down at his cutie mark and saw that it had returned to a simple shadow on a wall. I guess this is it, he supposed as the frenzied cawing of the birds grew closer.
“Go, Compass,” he said, asking his friend to leave him. “You were right, the world is fraught with danger.” He coughed raggedly in an attempt at to laugh, regretting it immediately because the movements made his cuts sting harder.
“Don't be a drongo. What kind of stallion would I be if I left a mate hangin'?” Compass replied, leaning his face down close to his.
“Save yourself,” he pleaded weakly, his vision slowly darkening.
Silence was his only response.
“Come on then, I've had worse than you fer dinner,” he finally heard. The voice was full of cocky bravado, fuelled by the boldness that comes only during a last stand. He realised he had closed his eyes inadvertently, and opened them to see Compass standing in front of him protectively, the unicorn's stance wide and unyielding.
“No...” he cried faintly once more, hearing the loud wrenching of uprooted trees and angry cries that signalled that the rocs almost upon them. Seconds later, they burst into view, immediately twisting their heads towards Compass and himself.
Before the sounds of chaos refilled the air, a beautiful voice sang down from the heavens. The birds' predatory heads turned to track some figure as it descended through the forest canopy. Framed by the light of the sun, it landed itself between Compass and the pair of rocs.
Seconds passed, and then he heard the sound of the rocs bursting into flight. With safety now a serious possibility, he couldn’t help but relax his frail grip on consciousness. He saw an angelic yellow blur entered his vision moments before he blacked out. However, a soothing, tender melody continued to sing to him as he slept.
Fetlock and Watson considered their peculiar situation at the Ponyville Cafe. While they had eventually managed to extricate themselves from Sugarcube Corner, and Pinkie's conquest of personal space, they found themselves with two invitations to the pink mare's Pre-Nightmare Night Party and zero leads on their investigations.
“So,” began Watson, to break the silence, “are we going to accept the invitations?”
“We're not here to party, Watson,” Fetlock shot back, a little short of temper after their dismal night. After being discovered, they were made to do unspeakable things like bake cupcakes, decorate party invitations and sing. Fetlock shuddered at remembering Watson's rendition of “Somewhere over the rainboom”. He himself had been tormented with a sonnet completely devoted to chocolate mousse.
And then there was that strange little alligator that never took its eyes off Fetlock. Despite all his knowledge and experience, he couldn't get a read off the creatures passive face. Not that he had any better luck with the incredibly energetic mare's expressive face. He surmised that one could possibly fit an entire nightmare story in her grin, not to mention the audience.
Moving on in an effort to place the memories behind him, Fetlock explained, “We are here to follow the lead I picked up from Canterlot, that great waterhole to which all the loungers and idlers of the Solar Empire are irresistibly led to. A slue of suspicious events have originated from Ponyville recently, many of them being quickly hushed up. Though it's faint, I can tell the Princess's hoof has been in the matter. It can't be a coincidence, Watson. Something strange is conspiring in Ponyville, and I will not rest until I have discovered why this town commands so much of Celestia’s attention.”
“Aren't you over thinking things, Fetlock? The Princess, herself, said there was nothing to worry about.” Watson picked up a cup from their table, and held it up to his snout, breathing deeply. He let the light smell of camomile relax him, and then took a sip, savouring the almost burning warmth as it slid down his throat and into his belly. Fetlock, himself, had a cup of langsang souchong sitting front of him, releasing a wavy stream of gentle steam.
“That she did, Watson,” Fetlock admitted, and then leaned forward. “But I can tell when somepony is hiding something from me, and by Faust, she must have been trying to conceal an ursa major.” He slammed his hoof down, causing tremors to upset some of his tea. The bang on the table also startled Watson, who, in his alarm, almost spilled his own cuppa.
“I'm sure the Princess would have told you if anything was wrong,” Watson said, setting down his tea while making placating motions with his other hoof. “What reason does she have to hide things from you?”
“I intend to uncover that very mystery, my dear friend, if its the last thing I do.” Fetlock sat back with a snort, and then indicated around him. “It is my belief, Watson, founded upon my experience, that the lowest and vilest alleys in Canterlot do not present a more dreadful record of sin than does the smiling and beautiful countryside."
"That's horrible!" Watson said, with his eyes wide and his eyebrows raised.
"Ah, but the reason is very obvious,” Fetlock declared, shaking his hoof knowingly. “The pressure of public opinion can do in the city what the law cannot accomplish. There is no lane so vile that the scream of a tortured foal, or the thud of a salt licker's blow, does not beget sympathy and indignation among the neighbours, and then the whole machinery of justice is ever so close that a word of complaint can set it going, and there is but a step between the crime and the stocks. But look at these quaint houses, filled for the most part with poor ignorant folk who know little of the law. Think of the deeds of hellish cruelty, the hidden wickedness which may go on, year in, year out, in such places, and nopony know the wiser. For that very reason, we must keep an even greater vigilance in a quiet town like Ponyville, for our safety and theirs," he stated with finality, letting quiet settle once again over their table.
Minutes passed as ignorant, but happy, townsfolk walked by the eatery, an assortment of vendors carting their wares towards the marketplace, small laughing foals hefting school-saddlebags as they galloped off to learn and old veterans off for a brisk stroll through the park. In those quiet moments, birds gathered to perch on Watson's bowler hat. Fetlock tried not to let his partner’s skeptical glances get to him.
“So,” piped up Watson, again breaking the silence and scattering the fowls into flight. “Are we going to accept the invitations? I'd really like to try that cake I baked. I thought it turned out rather well, considering it was my first endeavor of the act.”
Fetlock face-hoofed himself.
“We'll see, Watson. We'll see. If every other avenue, and I'm mean every other avenue, has been exhausted, I'll consider us attending that peremptory pony's party.”
Watson smiled as if it were already decided.
“Thus,” Fetlock continued after seeing Watson's smug face, “in order to avoid such a conclusion, let us search out the library.” The sleuth stood up with renewed purpose, leaving the rest of his still barely-touched, and now lukewarm, tea. “Perhaps we can find direction from the local distillery of knowledge.”
A loud blast outside drew Pinkie to the entrance of Sugarcube Corner. Having returned from her friendly visitation of Rainbow Dash’s abode, she had taken up storefront duties for the bakery, though she hadn't had many customers as it was so early in the morning. The sharp burst of noise easily caught her attention as it filled the empty shop.
Opening the door to the eatery, she found a tall stallion in a grey trench coat and fedora smiling down at her. In the corner of her eye, a smoking trash can on four hooves staggered away down the road. She quickly matched the face of the stallion in front of her to one in her internal database of names, and broke into a mile-wide smile.
“Oh, hi, Uncle Gadget! It's so good to see you! How have you been?” Pinkie asked, giving him a spine crushing hug. The stallion fondly stroked her head as if he wasn't currently in a death vice. At their hooves, a dog yipped happily and brushed its head against the side of Pinkie leg.
“And hello to you, too, Brain,” Pinkie said, crouching down to pat the dog. The dog woofed again, as if in response. “What are you two doing here in Ponyville?” Pinkie asked as the dog licked at her face.
“Can't talk about it, Pinkie,” said Gadget, “but I'm on the case of something big. Being so confidential, I can't tell you that I'm following the trail of the devious mastermind Doctor Claw, Marine Biology.”
“You mean the silly old gryphon that lives in the mansion at the far edge of town and was always trying to take over Ponyville?” Pinkie asked without missing a beat. “He was Dashie's biggest nemesis, you know. Back when she was doing all that superhero stuff.”
“Yes, well, Pinkie, he is still at large and thus presents an imminent danger.”
“It's true that he was a rather big gryphon, I guess, but that doesn't mean he's all bad. If you want, I can take you to go see him later,” Pinkie offered enthusiastically, eager to be of assistance. “I’m sure he’d love visitors.”
“That would be helpful indeed, Pinkie,” Gadget said, patting her on the head. Pinkie leaned into it with a happy grin. “But let's put that aside for now,” Gadget continued. “Tell me, how was the toolbox I got you last Hearth's Warming?”
Shadow sat up reluctantly, awoken by the discomfort of sunlight shining into his apartment through a small window and onto his face with the all the precision a large ball of gas thousands of kilometres away that was guided by an all powerful deity can have. He rubbed his eyes, looked at his clock and cried out in dismay.
“Great Yang, I'm late!”
Shadow fell more than rolled out of bed and dashed out of his house, slowing only to grab a cold muffin out of a basket as he passed the kitchen and his postbag off the stand as he went out the door.
Fluttershy tentatively sipped at her tea and was overjoyed to see her shadow do the same. She sat at a table near the wall of the Ponyville Cafe, under the shade of an umbrella. A stray reflection of light, from a discarded tray on another table, projected her shadow onto the wall across from her, making it seem like it sat in the chair opposite her.
"How is it?” Fluttershy asked. “The tea, that is? I hope its not too hot. Is it too hot? It's too hot isn't it. I can blow on it for you, if you want," she insisted, her anxiety accelerating at a lightning pace before she reigned it under control. When she didn't get a reply, she took another sip to calm herself. Her nerves had quickly crept back now that they had arrived at the cafe. The compulsion of her Stare had been limited only to inviting the shadow to tea, and now that had been accomplished, she was left to rely only on her determination.
Grasping together the straws of her courage, she spoke up as if her life depended upon it.
“Wonderful weather we're having, isn't it?” she asked lamely. Way to go, Fluttershy, she thought, berating herself for asking such a boring question.
A passing waiter bumped the table with the light casting tray, wobbling it and bobbing the shadow.
“Oh, I'm glad you agree,” Fluttershy said, inordinately relieved and happy that her shade would deign to respond. She sat pensively for a while, once again attempting to pull together the strands of her mettle, the effort bolstered by her small victory. She pulled a long breath, and then spoke candidly to her shadow. “You know, I've always wanted to spend time with you, but I've always been afraid before. It's a failing of mine. I have illogical fears of a number of things. Like dragons, for example. I know they're sentient, and a dragon hasn't eaten a pony since Princess Celestia signed a treaty between ponies and dragons over two centuries ago. But just thinking about a huge, gigantic, terrifying, enormous, teeth-gnashing, sharp-scale having, horn-wearing, smoke-snoring, could eat a pony in one bite, totally all grown up dragon reduces me to a quivering pile of horse feathers!”
She paused to take a much needed breather. “And even now, after I’ve faced down a dragon, I still shake in my saddle thinking about them. And this is after meeting Spike. In fact, I love Spike like a little brother, now. Oh, do you know Spike?” she asked, realising her shadow might not have met Spike. “Spike is the baby dragon living with Twilight,” she explained, then wondered whether her shade might not know about Twilight either. “And Twilight a wonderful friend I met only two years ago. She lives at the library and teaches me all sorts of things about animals, even ones I've never seen.” She came to another realisation, which brought up an enthusiastic smile. “Actually, why don't I tell you all about my other friends?”
“Ah-hah! I always suspected you. Momma was right; never trust a clown!” Twilight exclaimed at the screen. “And now it is I who mustache you to leave.”
She was forced to pause in her smug tirade when a rapping sound echoed into the room. The unicorn lifted her head over the barricade of books that had grown around her. While the majority of the covers were titled with some reference to arcane measurement, the stack was peppered with the occasional romance novel or comic adorned with masked ponies posing in bright complementary-coloured full-body suits.
“Spike? Is that you?” Twilight called out, looking through archway towards the front door. “You just left a second ago. Did you forget something?”
Letting out an annoyed sigh, she put down her Nintendoe Gamecolt and got up on all fours. She then scooted out of her book fort and proceeded answer whoever was knocking.
The doorway lit with a purple glow, and swung open to reveal two stallions, a slightly taller one wearing a top hat and glasses, and the other hatless and smoking an ornate deerschaum pipe.
“Oh! Hello,” Twilight said, mildly surprised she had guests. “How can I help you sirs?”
“Excuse us ma'am,” the shorter one started, taking the pipe out of his mouth and dousing it. “But is this the Ponyville Library?”
“Yes. Indeed it is.”
“Fascinating, and a little bit morbid. Housing the shredded fabric of dead trees inside the astonishingly live remains of a hollowed-out hardwood.”
“Wow,” Twilight replied, raising an eyebrow. “I've never heard it described like that before.”
“That's not to say that your establishment isn't a fine specimen of environmentally-friendly urban planning,” the stallion redacted, realising his faux pas. “And forgive us for not introducing ourselves earlier. My name is Fetlock, and this is my associate, Watson.”
“A pleasure to meet you, miss?” Watson said, leaving the question hanging as he tipped his hat in a polite bow.
“T-Twilight. Twilight Sparkle,” Twilight replied, somewhat taken aback at how courteous they were being. She quickly revised her first impressions. “And the pleasure is all mine. The Ponyville Library welcomes all visitors. Please come in and peruse at your leisure.” She ushered them into the library and showed them to the central hall. “If I can help you in your search, I would be delighted to. Otherwise, I'll be in my, uh... studies.” She grinned and tried not to look guilty as she sent a brief glance towards her citadel of compendiums, and the enthralling invention within. What could she say. Work had started to pile up around her.
“Thank you, Miss Sparkle,” Fetlock responded. But he was intrigued by her odd hesitation. “If I might ask, what are you researching?”
“I don't mind at all,” Twilight replied, putting her procrastination out of mind. “I'm exploring the correlation of magical power with the stimulus of friendship,” she confided, giving him an enthusiastic smile brought about by a chance to share her learnings. “It's part of an ongoing study I'm performing on the greater topic, 'The Science of Friendship.'”
“Hmmm, that study name rings a bell,” Fetlock asserted. “I'm sure I've read of it somewhere.” He crooked his mouth in thought until a light flicked on in his head. “You wouldn't happen to be the Twilight Sparkle who was taken under Celestia's wing as her personal protégé. Hmm. I really should have noticed it before.”
“Yes,” replied Twilight, blushing. “That's me, heheh,” she giggled modestly, down playing the esteemed distinction of the Princess’s chosen.
“Than that must mean,” Fetlock continued, “that you are also the Twilight Sparkle who submitted the article 'On the study of Friendship: The psychological effects of friendship and its relationship with a ponies perception of events’. I found your analysis on Nightmare Moon very enlightening.”
“You've read my work?” Twilight asked, smiling delightedly.
“Yes. A few of your papers, in fact. They've been quite helpful in my investigations. Understanding a pony is very important in my line of work.”
“Oh, is that so? What is it you do, if you don't mind me asking?”
“I-”
Suddenly, the front door to the library slammed open, and a purple baby dragon shuffled in backwards, toting a paper bag larger than itself in its arms. Spike reversed slowly, taking each step cautiously while trying to keep a tenuous balance hefting the bag, which was almost overflowing with donuts.
He almost lost his hold when Watson gave a high-pitched scream and latched onto Holmes's head like a terrified school-filly.
The startled dragonling stopped and his head turned around towards them.
“Oh, hey Holme-boy. Watcha been up to?”
“Good day, Spike. Nice to see you're still looking healthy. Watson, I don't believe you've met Spike before.”
“N-n-nice to meet you,” Watson stuttered from his perch. Fetlock shook his head, dislodging the undesired fixture.
“Hi, there!” Spike greeted him back affably. He turned around and proffered the bag towards the stallion as much as he could without upsetting the load. “Want a donut?”
Watson replied with a vigorous shake of his head.
“You know Fetlock, Spike?” Twilight asked, looking at the dragon with her eyes wide in surprise.
Spike nodded back an affirmation.
“Yeah.” He padded carefully over to a free table and dropped his haul on it. He then gave a relieved sigh and wiped the sweat off his forehead. “He was a regular up at the castle. Celestia was always calling for him when some mysterious crime happened.” He smirked, and waved an admonishing finger at Twilight. “You'd have known that if you ever left your room.” He looked back Fetlock. “Pinkie told me she met you. Said you were a swell guy. Seems she's a fan of you, Mister Feltock Holmes.”
“Wait,” Twilight interrupted. “Fetlock Holmes? Why does that name sound familiar?”
“I'd expect you of all ponies to know, Twilight,” said Spike, crossing his arms. “After all, you've read almost every book in this library, and he's got a shelf all to himself.”
“Oh!” gasped Twilight, covering her mouth with a hoof. “You don't mean the famous ace detective who foiled Professor Moliati's plan to bury Canterlot?” She looked towards Fetlock questioningly.
“Well, yes. But I wouldn't believe everything they put down in those books. More fiction than fact, truly.”
“I heard Princess Celestia tried to knight you, once,” Spike mentioned.
“It's true,” Watson revealed. He gave his partner a wry grin. “But you wouldn't have any of that, would you, Holmes? No, you had to go and jump out a window, instead.”
“You'd consider it too if you had a giant, looming goddess brandishing a sharp, yard-long, inherently-magical spearing implement at you,” Fetlock replied, scowling. “She uses that thing to move the sun, for heaven's sake.”
“You really did that?” Twilight said, eyes wide in surprise. “I thought Watson was joking.”
“Well, sometimes fact is stranger than fiction, I suppose," Fetlock postulated, shrugging as if that was all the explanation it needed. It wasn't, and he spent the next few hours answering the eager bookworm's questions.
“You all right there, Shadow?” Derpy asked with a smile of mild amusement.
The pony in question lay stretched in his chair, panting and gasping, trying to catch his breath. He simply lolled his head towards Derpy, not having any expandable air to use for a reply.
“You know I’m not that strict with being on time,” Derpy mentioned, returning her eyes to her work. “If I did, I’d have to fire myself,” she joked with a laugh.
“That’s not the same, Miss Derpy,” Shadow argued, finally having tackled his wind. “Your task as a mother is as important as your work here at the Post Office, if not more so. Occasionally spending a little extra time taking your children to school is no wrongdoing. My error lies purely my own ineptitude. Having my responsibilities solely tied to the Post Office, I should take more care in my duties.”
“You’re too stuck up on duty, Shadow,” Derpy told him, exasperatedly shaking her head. “I appreciate you taking the job seriously, but lighten up a bit, would you? And while we’re at it, cut it with the ‘miss’. You’re still too formal after all these years.”
“Yes, Miss Derpy,” Shadow replied with a straight face. The mare rolled her eyes up and around in opposite directions. He tried to keep a smile from creeping onto his face. He grabbed an envelope from his stack of letters. The address read “7 Grizelda Crescent, Highrule, Gryphon Kingdoms”. Long distance correspondence required the official seal of the Equestrian Postage Service to mark the mail with approval of payment and authorization for delivery. Shadow reached into his mailbag for the necessary piece of equipment. He ruffled around for a bit with a hoof, before picking up the bag for a more thorough search. Eventually, he turned to his coworker and enquired, “Hey, Miss Derpy? Have you seen my stamp?”
Now that the floodgates had open, Fluttershy gushed, telling her simulacrum all about her amazing friends and their adventures. By the time she finished, it was nearly noon. The shadow had grown in the time she had started talking, and was now twenty percent bigger. However, when Fluttershy noticed this, she didn't instinctively react in fright as she might have before. She held it and managed to suppress it to merely a minor twitch.
Have I finally overcome my fear of my shadow? she wondered, smiling with pride. “I would love for you to meet them some time,” she told it. Looking around, she finally noticing how much time had passed.
“Oh dear, it looks like I've taken up your entire morning. I'm sorry,” she apologized, but not in a panic-stricken fashion as might have before. “I was having so much fun, I lost track of time. Thank you so much for having tea with me. If you need to leave, I’ll understand.”
Behind her a waiter bumped the table holding the light casting tray, causing the platter to drop and changing the tangent of its reflection away from Fluttershy. The shadow's sudden disappearance gave the pegasus goosebumps.
“Maybe, I'm not completely over my fear yet,” she said a little gloomily to herself. But she soon perked up. “But I’ll do better next time. Maybe.”
In the middle of her day dreaming, she was startled by a loud voice.
“Look! It’s Fluttershy!” it exclaimed.
As she turned to see who had spoken her name, she was assailed by three little ponies.
“Hey, Fluttershy! We heard you received some flowers,” said Scootaloo excitedly.
“Yeah, and that ya don’t know who they were from,” added Applebloom, without missing a beat.
“And isn’t it awfully romantic?” Sweetie Belle commented, right on the pegasus’s tail.
Fluttershy shook her head after the verbal assault to clear her mind.
“H-hello, girls. Shouldn’t you be at school?” she asked with a hopeful look in her eyes.
“It’s the weekend,” proclaimed Scootaloo.
“Oh. Right.” Fluttershy said, the hope fading. She resigned herself to their inquisition, thinking those perilous few words, How bad could it be.
“So, tell us about these flowers, Fluttershy!” Sweetie Belle asked.
“Yeah, tell us!” the other two chimed.
“Well, I received them yesterday morning, when I was out for an early walk,” she recounted. “The flowers were bright pink roses that matched my hair. They smelled so sweet and fresh. And I know who gave them to me. It was my shadow.”
“Oh, it was her shadow. Not a pony named Shadow, but her actually shadow,” Applebloom reviewed, slowly nodding her head. The enlightened nodding soon came to a halt. “Wait, what?”
“How can your shadow give you flowers?” demanded Scootaloo, tilting her head.
“Yeah, they don’t even have real hooves.” Sweetie Belle reinforced.
“Yeah! What?” Applebloom said, reversing the conversation. “Now, hold on a minute. Jes hold on. There’s gotta be a logical explanation for this,” she asserted. “What makes you think that your shadow gave them to you?”
“Well, it was the only pony there when I found them, so who else could it be?” Fluttershy told them.
“There’s also the letter that said ‘Shadow’,” reminded Scootaloo.
Apple Bloom didn’t looked convinced. She screwed her eyes closed as she tried to think.
“Where exactly did this happen, Fluttershy?” the red-headed filly finally asked, digging for more details.
“On the path to Sweet Apple Acres,” Fluttershy answered. “If I recall correctly, it was near an old oak tree.”
“Come on, girls,” Apple Bloom declared to her fellow crusaders. “Maybe there’s some clues there we can find.”
“Cutie Mark Crusaders Detectives, go!” they cried, and raced off.
Before she left, Sweetie Belle turned back and said, “If you get married, I hope I can be one of your flower girls.” She then ran off after her friends, leaving Fluttershy as she tried to hide her steaming face under her hooves.
After Fluttershy had composed herself enough to face another pony, she called to a waiter to pay her bill. She handed the stallion a few bits, and set off to her next engagement.
While cleaning the table, the waiter pondered the strange mare that just spent three hours talking to herself. Not only that, but she had paid for two cups, but only drank one in the end.
Mares, the waiter thought, shaking his head and dismissing the subject. He grabbed a discarded tray on the table over, stacked the cups on it and brought them back to the kitchen, smiling as the sun crept back out of the clouds.
“Whooooeeee,” Applejack exhaled while running her head under a hose, letting the pleasant coolness wash away her fatigue. When she was sated, she shook the water off her head and took in the view of the farm. As she looked over their work in their fields, she felt the stirrings of pride; for herself, and for her family. Hay, even Caramel pulled his weight today, she thought with a chuckle. The farm hand was still out there, trying to make up for his less-than-stellar efforts over the past week. He seemed pretty chipper compared to just yesterday. Wonder what picked him up.
Turning her thoughts from the calamitous colt, she considered her game plan for tomorrow.
We've rustled up a fine crop of apples for the bobbin'. Big Mac's working on fixing up the pie catapult. Granny Smith’s workin’ on the ammunition and confections. And all the buckets have been patched up. Just one last thing to take care of.
After shutting off the tap, she squared her jaw with a look of resolve and made her way to the storage barn. She climbed up the step ladder and peered around into the unkempt loft, full of boxes and old equipment. Not immediately finding what she was looking for, Applejack walked deeper into the bowels of the attic, past rusty floor lamps and crates holding nostalgic toys from Apple Bloom's infant days. Finally, her eyes swept across the target of her search, a cardboard box in a corner that was wrapped up in more tape than seemed necessary and weathered with age. She swiped a hoof-full of dust off the top and gave a wry smile as she read the label that was revealed.
"Heh heh. Frou frou.”
“And then I built a party wagon that was supposed to shoot confetti and bake cake. Only when I first used it, I put the cake mix in the cannon and the confetti in the oven, so poor old Cranky Doodle, a new donkey in our town, got a face full of batter and plateful of baked confetti. Cranky still hasn't totally forgiven me for it, but Matilda gets a laugh out of it every time I tell the story.”
“Ha ha, I can see why,” Gadget agreed, wiping a tear from his eyes. Pinkie and Gadget sat next to each other at one of the tables in the shop front. By their legs, Brain played with Gummy, barking happily and running circles around the reptile while the toothless gator took snaps at his tail. “Glad to see my lessons have been paying off. You've become quite the tinkerer, Pinkie.”
“One day I hope to be as good as you, Uncle Gadget,” replied Pinkie with earnest adoration shining in her eyes. A sudden remembrance set off a wide, eager grin, and she pushed her beaming face up close to his. “You've gotta tell me how you made that portal cannon you keep at home,” she demanded, excitement dripping from her words.
“Now, now, Pinkie,“ interrupted Gadget. He looked at her with his eyebrows bent down in a serious fashion. “That thing is dangerous. You’d have to really understand the responsibilities a lot more before I'd even consider it.”
“Hey, I can be responsible!” replied Pinkie. “Responsibility is my middle name!”
“I thought it was Glados, after your aunt?” claimed Gadget, scratching his head.
“Uh, my second middle name,” Pinkie backpedalled.
“I thought that was Diane?”
“It's in there somewhere,” she insisted flatly, emphasising her words with an definitive nod.
“Well, the point is that this time, you can't just laugh it off if it explodes. You have to be responsible.”
“Yes. I know. I will. I am!”
Her attempts to glean the plans for an item of potential further-universal-distortion was cut short as the door to the bakery opened.
“Hello?” asked a male voice hesitantly, its head poking through the space.
“Shadow? Is that you?” Pinkie queried to the voice, squinting at the door way. The owner shuffled in.
“Good morning, Miss Pinkie Pie,” Shadow greeted her with a polite bob of his head.
“Oh, wow, good morning! Did you come to take me up on my offer to show you how to bake an orange cupcake?” Pinkie asked pleasantly.
“Well, I'm really only here for a lunch,” Shadow confessed, “but I guess I can spare a half an hour...” It was then that Shadow noticed Pinkie had another guest. His eyes widened in surprise and blurted out quickly, “Actually maybe another time, Miss Pinkie Pie-”
“Great,” said Pinkie over his attempt to decline, and she pushed him inside. Remembering she hadn't introduced her uncle, she proffered her hooves towards Gadget. “This here is my uncle, Gadget Pie. He's here in town on business. This is Shadow, uncle. A friend of mine.”
Who in this town isn’t? Gadget thought, giving his niece an indulgent smile. He turned his head to appraise the newcomer. “Hello, Shadow,” Gadget said affably, grabbing Shadow's hoof and giving it a hearty shake. “Nice to meet you. I hope Pinkie hasn't been troubling you too much. I know the girl can be quite a hoof-ful sometimes.”
“Uncle!” Pinkie said embarrassedly.
“Ha ha,” her uncle laughed out at her chagrin.
“Eh heh...” Shadow chuckled weakly, eyes frantically darting between Gadget and the door. He had looked nervous before, but now he was overflowing with it. He wiped sweat from his brow and mentally counted to ten to calm himself. He stopped when he reached 43.
As his laughter died down, Gadget took a closer look at this Shadow fellow. Strangely enough to the older stallion, he seemed somewhat familiar, perhaps a face he had seen in a picture somewhere before.
“Hey, have we met before?” he asked uncertainly, squinting his eyes at Shadow.
“Sorry, Pinkie!” Shadow exclaimed, his voice almost breaking as he spoke in a volume louder than what might be considered normal. “I've just remembered I've got something I need to do somewhere, involving somepony! Goodbye!” He ran for the door.
Pinkie Pie suddenly blocked his path.
“Wait, Shadow!” she yelled in his face, stunning him in his panicked state. “There's a party here tonight, so make sure to come, okay?” she told him casually, filling his open jaw with one of her invitations and a bag filled with muffins. Pinkie closed his mouth and moved out of the way of the door. With the exit now clear, Shadow's legs instinctively propelled him out the door.
“Strange fellow,” Gadget said to his niece as she waved the colt off. “But he seems nice.”
Realising it was almost noon, Fluttershy made her way to the Day Spa, a salon and spa run by the triplets: Aloe, Lotus and Vera. Now was the time for her regular spa meet with Rarity, and she was looking forward to telling the tailor all about her tea with her shadow. A pink mare at the reception counter greeted her as she entered the building.
“Welcome, Miss Fluttershy,” greeted the mare. Her blue hair, tied back by a white headband, bobbed as she inclined her head politely. “Please go right in. Miss Rarity is already being seen to by Lotus. I do hope you enjoy your stay.”
“Thank you, Aloe. I'm certain I will,” Fluttershy replied, dropping her belongings by the counter and heading through the door to the spa room.
Inside, she found Rarity in the middle of a massage. The unicorn appeared to be in a field of bliss, eyes closed and happily groaning as Lotus kneaded her back in slow, graceful motions.
“Oh, Lotus, I know I tell you every time, but that feels wonderful!” Rarity crooned, eliciting a smile of a job done well from the spa mare.
“Hello, Rarity,” Fluttershy spoke up in greeting, “It sounds like you're enjoying yourself.”
“Hello, da~rling, I'm in heaven. But now, I think it’s time for a soak,” she said, dismissing her masseuse with a thankful nod. Lotus bowed respectfully in response, and left the two friends to themselves.
Fluttershy lowered herself slowly into the steaming tub, repositioning herself as Rarity's slid in next to her. The two friends sighed contentedly as they prepared themselves for an hour of relaxation and good company.
Unfortunately for Fluttershy's muscles, she was about to tense up quite tightly.
“So, how has your week been? Anything interesting happen?” Rarity asked nonchalantly, popping a lazy eye open towards her friend and, with a waggle of her eyebrows, made it obvious that the question had meaningful undertones.
“Uh, well, it's been... nice,” Fluttershy replied evadingly, looking anywhere but at her friend.
“Don't make me drag it out of you, Fluttershy, dear,” Rarity told her, unable to suppress the large excited grin growing on her face. She closed her eyes again and waited for Fluttershy to spill her delicious news. Gossip always tasted best from the source.
“Well, there might have been one thing, or two, that I guess could be interesting,” Fluttershy started hesitantly, but continued on. If there was anypony she'd share her day with, it would be Rarity. “Yesterday, I received a bouquet of roses.”
“That's wonderful!” Rarity exclaimed, hiding prior knowledge of the fact. “Who were they from?” she asked, feigning ignorance.
“Well, they were from my Shadow,” Fluttershy answered, demurely splashing a hoof in the water, causing it to make a small plop sound.
“Oh, come now? You can't really believe that?”
“Oh, but I do. In fact, I even returned the favour by asking her to tea.”
“You what?”
“I invited her out to tea, and we had a wonderful time talking. Well, mostly I talked, but she was a great listener.” Seconds passed as Rarity tried to make sense of the news. All the while, Fluttershy swirled her hoof through the water, quietly gathering up enough courage to confess what followed.
“Rarity,” Fluttershy begun. “I want to tell you something.”
“W-What is it, dear?” Rarity asked, still reeling from the previous news.
After another suspenseful moment of silence, she blurted out, “I think I might be in love with my shadow.”
Rarity's jaw hit the tub bottom, and her mouth quickly filled with warm water. Spluttering, she gibbered, “What, why, how? WHA-?” and promptly fainted.
Eyes wide in alarm, Fluttershy frantically splashed to the assistance of her friend.
She dragged the floating, marshmallow pony out of the spa and manoeuvred around to begin CPR. Just as she was inches away from Rarity’s lips, the tailor’s eyes snapped opened, and the unicorn shrilled, “Stop! I’m saving myself for my special somepony!”
“I'm so glad you're fine, Rarity!” Fluttershy exclaimed, gathering up her friend in a tight hug.
“Yes, yes, dear,” Rarity said, patting her friend on the back. She pushed the pegasus away gently. “ I'm fine, so you can calm down.” She pressed her hooves against her temples. “Now, tell me how you let this strange little notion enter your head. In love with your shadow, indeed.”
“Honestly,” Fluttershy confessed, “the flowers weren't the first time I've received a gift mysteriously. It all started about a year ago, the night after the Grand Galloping Gala. You remember how terrible it turned out to be? Well, that night, outside my cottage, I found a tape recording of the cries of crocodiles in the rain. The soothing sounds helped me get to sleep even after all that stress. Since then, every so often, I find a present just sitting outside my door. It's always very considerate. Once it was a nest for my chicken coop, only a day after Elizabeak broke hers. I've always wondered who they were from, and since I received the flowers, I'm starting to believe it was my shadow. Who else would know so much about little, old me? And after talking to my shadow over tea, I think it really cares about me.”
Rarity was dumbfounded, but she soon managed to close her gaping mouth. I shall have to consider fly-netting if this is to become a regular thing, she thought. Pressing her lips together, she decided to make a tactical retreat.
“That does sound wonderful, darling,” she said out loud. “But I don't think we should make any assumptions too soon. After all, it might know about you, but what do you know of it?”
“Not much, I suppose, Fluttershy confessed. “I spent most of our time talking about myself; I didn't really give it a chance to talk about itself. You don't think that was rude, do you?”
Rarity ignored her friend's fit of distress and sprang her ambush.
“See? What you need is another chance to find out about it, or whoever gave you the presents. And it just so happens that Pinkie Pie is throwing one of her splendid parties. Tonight's little bash will surely give you that chance. After all, everypony in Ponyville will be there,” Rarity informed her. “Including your shadow.”
“Really? Oh, well, that does sound nice. And I can never say no to one of Pinkie's parties.”
“Then, I'll see you at my boutique at 5 o'clock, and I won't take no for an answer. I've got dress all set out for you, and you deserve to look completely fabulous. IDE~A!” Rarity exclaimed suddenly. “Why don't you model it for me? It's part of a new line I'm making, and I would be so ever thankful if you trotted it out a bit.”
“I don't know, Rarity,” responded Fluttershy, frowning dubiously. “You know how I am in front of everypony.”
“It'll only be for a minute,” Rarity pleaded.
“I don't think I –”
“And it'll catch the eye of your admirer.” Rarity laid her puppy dog eyes onto the pegasus, and soon the defenceless Fluttershy caved in with a sigh.
“If you say so, Rarity,” the pegasus tentatively agreed, unable to say no to her friend, but her shoulders tensed with unaccountable trepidation. Despite this, she let herself be dragged into an embrace by the unicorn, and smiled at her friend’s happiness.
A while later, they slid back into the spa, and Fluttershy was able to find a measure of relaxation as she let Rarity’s prattling about future Fluttershy’s dress wash over her. She wondered if her shadow would agree to a dance.
Scootaloo's scooter screeched to a halt in front of the old oak tree along the road to Sweet Apple Acres. The fauna around them slowly swayed under a soft, but frequent, breeze. Giving each other a nod, the three occupants disembarked the vehicle and spread out to look for clues.
It wasn't long before Sweetie Belle was drawn near to the oak tree by a strange scuffing on the ground that looked like they were made by hooves. As she moved towards the disturbed patch of dirt under the tree, she stepped on something hard.
“Ow!” she exclaimed, sitting down hard and rubbing her hoof.
“What's up Sweetie Belle?” Scootaloo asked from the other side of the road after hearing her companion’s cry.
“Did you find anything incriminatin'?” Applebloom's head popped out of a bush and looked down to see the unicorn nursing her foot, and a small square object half buried in the ground. Scootaloo appeared next to earth pony a moment later.
“What's that?” Scootaloo inquired, following the line of Applebloom's interest. Sweetie Belle reached down and plucked the item out of the ground.
Turning it in her hooves she told them, “I think it's a stamp.” She proffered it to the other two. Applebloom took it and flipped it over to look at the insignia mold.
“This might be from the Post Office, girls. Look, it has their emblem,” she said, showing them the rubber pattern on the bottom of the stamp.
“Hey, yeah!” agreed Scootaloo. “Do you think this is a clue?”
“Maybe,” said Sweetie Belle. “I found it because I saw some suspicious looking tracks over there.” She pointed her hoof towards the oak tree, and Applebloom and Scootaloo swung their heads around to the area of interest.
“Nice work, Sweets,” Scootaloo praised, smacking the unicorn on the back cheerfully.
“Oh, it was nothing special,” Sweetie Belle dismissed humbly, rubbing her back with a wince.
They crowded around the hoofmarks and looked about.
“The tree's been scuffed as well,” Applebloom pointed out, indicating to a patch of bark that had been partially scraped off. “I wonder if somepony was hiding up there in the trees?”
“I'll take a look,” volunteered Scootaloo, flapping her wings and bracing herself. She then jumped at the tree, flattening herself against it, and shimmied up the trunk.
“See anythin' up there, Scootaloo?” Applebloom asked, intently watching the progress of the pegasus’s climb with interest.
“Hold on, I think I see a string or somethi—” Scootaloo's sentence was cut off by the crunching of a branch snapping. Sweetie Belle and Applebloom waved their arms above their heads, partly in an attempt to catch their friend, but also to protect their heads.
With a resounding, “Oof,” the three crusaders found themselves in a heap on the ground. Scootaloo lifted a wobbly hoof triumphantly, sticking it out like a flag. In it, she held a few strands of long grey hair.
“I think I found a clue.”
“Welcome,” Rarity trilled as she turned around at hearing the sound of her shop's entry bell jingling, “to Carousel... boutique?” Her greeting sputtered out when she saw the shop was still empty.
“Hmmm, strange,” she commented, but turned back to her designing, levitating up a bolt of silk and a pin she had put down when she had heard the door.
“Good Afternoon,” said a voice by her shoulder, shocking her into driving the pin straight through the manikin. Wide eyed, she swung around and saw Shadow looking at the dummy with a grimace of consternation. The shopkeeper blushed when he turned his eyes towards her.
“I'm sorry for startling you,” he apologised, folding his forelegs into a bow. “My name is Shadow; I'm here to pick up a kimono I dropped off for repair.”
“Shadow?” Rarity thought out loud. After a moment, Shadow saw a frown flash across her face, though she was quick hide it. “Oh, yes. Mister Shadow. I remember now,” she said carefully. “I've even added a few improvements, if I do say so myself. Free of charge.” The tailor directed a winsome smile towards the stallion.
“Oh, you didn't have to go that far, so thank you very much,” Shadow told her, returning a grin, but wondering what was worrying the mare. “I'm sure it will look great for Nightmare Night.
“No problem at all,” Rarity told him. “Anything for a customer, heheh.” She chuckled nervously, and moved off to retrieve the item. “Is it for a marefriend of yours?” she asked idly while rummaging through a closet.
“What?” Shadow asked in confusion. “No. It's for me.”
“Pardon?” Rarity asked back. “Why would you want to wear mares' clothing? Ah, here it is.” She brought the kimono out and brandished it for Shadow to see.
Shadow's mouth hung open in shock for the third time that day. He had to admit it would look good.
On a mare.
His father's old kimono had been redesigned to be slightly longer and a whole lot brighter and more vivid in colour, not to mention a tad more slender in nature. To top it off, there was quite the drooping chest line added. Shadow blushed to think of it displayed by a mare. Even though they normally didn't wear clothes.
“Miss Rarity,” he said plainly, holding in his discomfort, “it was supposed to be fitted for a stallion.”
“What? But isn't a kimono just a Japonyse dress?” Rarity asked in bewilderment. Shadow guessed that she hadn’t come across much far eastern fashion, as the worrying lines on her face showed she was more than a little unsure.
“Sort of, but they come in mare and stallion categories,” Shadow explained. “Stallion kimonos are usually more masculine in colour and more simple in design.”
Rarity shoulders drooped and her beautiful, once-smiling face appeared crestfallen.
“I am so sorry,” she apologised earnestly. “We had a little mishap in the workshop and your kimono was an unlucky victim. I had to sew it back together with second guesses and odd rumours. I admit I haven't had much experience with them, you see. I didn't even know they came in stallionswear.”
Shadow sat down heavily and dropped his bag of muffins, the muddled situation taking its toll on him. He looked at the remains of his family heirloom, not to mention nightmare night costume, and sighed in acceptance.
“Don't worry about it, Miss Rarity. I'll find something else to wear this year,” he said stoically. “Besides, I'm not really attached to it anyway. I've only worn it only twice. Both on sombre occasions.” He said the last quietly as if to himself.
“Let me make it up to you somehow?” Rarity pleaded, upset for her customer. “A refund? A new costume, maybe?”
“No, no, it's fine,” he told her honestly, looking her in the eyes. “You've made a beautiful kimono, Miss Rarity. It shall truly be a fine present for somepony,” he said, thinking that maybe Derpy would appreciate the foreign dress as a birthday present. Although, the new colours didn’t really match her coat.
Seeing the resoluteness in his eyes, Rarity acceded. She looked around absently, trying to think of another way to make amends. Her eyes halted on a pink card amongst the bag of muffins that Shadow had dropped.
“Is that one of Pinkie's invitations to the party tonight?” she asked, changing the topic to lighter things. “The darling pony is hosting another soiree. I'll also be taking the chance to show off some of my more marvellous dresses there. And I managed to convince Fluttershy to model a piece from my new range, the dear. I'm sure she'll look spectacular. I hope you can make it. I expect we'll all have a lot of fun,” she predicted, but Shadow had stopped listening and was staring fixedly at a wall. The thought of Fluttershy modelling again had overheated his brain.
“Something wrong?” Rarity asked with concern in her voice, seeing the stallion's state.
“Ah, ahem,” Shadow coughed, breaking out of his trance. “Yes, I'll be sure to make it,” he said weakly. He draped the kimono over his back and grabbed his lunch bag and invitation. “I'll be going, now. Thanks for your hard work, Miss Rarity. Please, don't worry about it.”
“You're far too kind. I'll see you tonight, then. And sorry again about the kimono. Please do tell me if there is ever anything I can do to return your consideration.”
Shadow nodded in acquiescence and headed out the door.
Rarity had a sudden thought shortly after Shadow left. A flash of hindsight that sparked a whole blaze of speculation.
"Shadow? No... It couldn't possibly be... Could it?" she wondered quietly. “I must keep a close eye on him during the party tonight,” she decided with a musing chin stroke. A grin grew on her face, followed by a delighted chuckle. Things were getting more interesting by the hour.
“Hey! Hey Rainbow Dash!” Pinkie called up towards the sky. Seconds later, a multi-hued mane poked out from a corner of a cloud, and then, suddenly, a blue pegasus burst off from the top of the nimbus. After doing a series of somersaults, the high-flier landing gently in front of the two earth ponies and crossed her legs nonchalantly.
“Hiya, Pinkie Pie,” she said, giving her friend a nod in greeting. “What’s up?”
“I just thought I’d introduce you to my Uncle Gadget,” replied Pinkie, indicating to her uncle. “He’s an inspector for the CPD, the Canterlot Police Department.” She then look at her uncle with an encouraging smile. “Uncle Gadget, this is Rainbow Dash, but I call her ‘Dashie’. She’s the one who pulled off the sonic rainboom.”
“Ah, the famous Rainbow Dash, huh?” the stallion blandished. “A pleasure to meet you, Miss Dash.” He offered her a hoof, which Rainbow shook heartily.
“You bet it is,” agreed the pegasus with a brash smile. “One day, you can tell your grandkids you met the one and only Rainbow Dash, the future face of the wonderbolts.” Pulling her head back out of the clouds, she asked, “Where are you two going?”
“We're off to visit old Geoff,” Pinkie supplied. Rainbow Dash gave Pinkie a questioning frown.
“Huh? What do you want to see Dr Craw for?”
Dr Craw? thought Gadget. Maybe I was pronouncing it wrong.
“My Uncle Gadget wants to meet him since he was a big shot villain back a while ago.”
“Oh, yeah. Fun times,” she said with a reminiscent smile. After a brief moment, she waved a hoof dismissively. “But we've both given up that gig. Too much saving the day, not enough naps.”
She gave a yawn to illustrate the point. “Later, Pinkie Pie. I’ve got some sleep to catch up on after all that delivery work. See ya tonight. And it was nice to meet you, Inspector.”
With that, the pegasus took off, and it was only seconds before she was out of view.
Derpy idly played with a set of Newton’s cradle, watching the swinging metal balls click back and forth. She was the only one left the Post Office and was thus mare-ing the service counter. But it had been a fairly quiet afternoon, and they’d finally sorted all their current letters. She was waiting for one final shipment from the main branch before performing the last round of deliveries. But that wasn’t for another hour, so when the door of the Post Office flew opened, it easily drew her attention.
When the dust settled, there were three little fillies standing in front of the counter.
“Hi Misses Hooves,” they shrieked happily.
“Why, hello there, Applebloom. Sweetie Belle. Scootaloo,” she said, greeting each of the three fillies in turn. She uncrossed her eyes, as they stuck to different targets, and examined the trio together. “What brings you to the post office today?”
“We’re on an investigation!” Sweetie Belle told her.
“Yeah,” Scootaloo piped up. “We’re following a lead we picked up.”
“Oh?” Derpy responded. This sounds interesting, she thought while hiding a grin. “What exactly are you investigating.”
“Fluttershy received a bouquet of flowers, and we’re trying to find who done did it!” explained Applebloom.
Yup, definitely interesting. Straining to keep a straight face, she asked them, “So, what do you have so far?”
The fillies looked at each other and nodded. Scootaloo stepped forward and begun to elucidate their findings.
“Well, we were told that Fluttershy received a bouquet early last morning, along the road to Sweet Apple Acres. Included with the flowers was a card addressed from Shadow. Sources informed us that Fluttershy believed the gifter was her shadow, this belief confirmed by Fluttershy herself. When investigating the scene of the crime, however, we found two pieces of crucial evidence.” With this, Sweetie Belle brought out two items and placed them on the counter. Scootaloo then propped herself up on the desk and continued. “Exhibit A,” she said, pointing at the strands of hair, “appears to be four grey hairs, possibly from a mane or tail. Our hypothesis is that they belong to the mystery admirer, seeing as it was found in the branches of a tree close to the site of the occurrence.” She pointed towards the other item. “Exhibit B is a stamp also found at the scene, perhaps dropped by the admirer. We believe it to be a stamp from the Post Office. Could you confirm our theory?”
“Why, yes,” Derpy agreed, picking up the stamp. “I do believe that is one of ours. Thank you so much for bringing it back. Hmmm.” She put on a look of strained concentration, so well done her eyes began to drift in different directions. “So, you think it might be somepony that may have been hiding in an oak tree,” she begun.
“Yes.” Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle and Applebloom concurred.
“Who works at the Post Office, lost their postage stamper, has grey hair, is probably male, and, if I had to guess, is about 4.28 feet tall exactly?” Derpy continued, stringing them along.
“Yes, yes, yes!” the fillies hollered, beaming with excited expectation.
She tapped her chin with a hoof, leaving the trio in painful suspense. “Nope, doesn't bring anypony to mind.”
“Awww...” they all deflated.
“Sorry girls, seems I can’t help you. But I do have a suggestion. Twilight Sparkle is a talented pony. Maybe if you show her the hairs, she could whip up a spell to identify the pony who grew it?”
“Why that’s a great idea!” Applebloom asserted, a large grin stretching across her face. “Come on girls, time’s a wastin’!”
They thanked Derpy and dashed towards the door, which swung out before they reached it. Without even slowing, the fillies rushed right past a grey stallion, who stepped aside hastily as he opened it to let them through.
“What was that about?” Shadow asked Derpy, closing the door behind him. Surprise and confusion marked his face.
“Oh, nothing,” assured Derpy. “Nothing at all.”
A glowering servant answered the door when Pinkie and Gadget rapped their hooves against the large gate-like entrance. The retainer, a short, yellow pony in a black tuxedo, glanced back in briefly and then pulled the door open fully to admit them into the mansion. Shortly after ushering the two visitors in, he vanished off down one of the many corridors leading out of the foyer, leaving Pinkie and Gadget alone at the bottom of a staircase descending into the room. The room also boasted a plush red rug that ran between two towering marble pillars towards what appeared to be a dining room. A voice soon greeted them from the top of the steps.
“Wercome to my humbre abode. I am Doctor Craw, marine biorogy.”
Their greeter was a large grey bald-griffon, whose wings, the colour of obsidian, were extended majestically as he made his introduction. Soft chandelier-light shone dazzlingly off his golden flower-embroidered vest as he descended the stairs. Reaching the bottom, he bowed respectfully to his visitors.
I guess I was pronouncing it wrong, Gadget thought. To his host, he said, “Great to meet you, Dr Craw. My name is Gadget.”
Turning to the inspector, the griffon coughed tensely.
“I-It’s Craw. Not Craw.”
“Oh, sorry about that, Dr Craw.” Before the griffon could repeat himself, Pinkie Pie wedge herself between them.
“Hi Geoff!” she said, snout to beak with the buzzard.
“Greetings, Pinkie Pie,” said the doctor, craning his neck back as far as it would go. When it could go no further, he took a step back as well. “Must I keep reminding you to use my titre?”
“Why Geoff?”
“Becraws,” he said, brandishing his talons menacingly at the filly.
“Haha! That was terrible!” Pinkie abruptly stopped laughing and sniffed at the air, and, just as suddenly, she began trotting off down the corridor to the dining room. “What's for lunch?” she asked without looking back.
Dr Claw deflated, and looked towards Gadget. “It’s hard being taken seriousry as a virrain these days. What, with the biggest evir since screw on bottre tops was defeated by friendship.”
Gadget patted the griffon on the back, and saw Dr Claw was misting up in the eyes.
“Go go gadget handkerchief,” he said, inclining his head towards the avian. The hat on Gadget's head suddenly opened its top, and a robotic arm unfolded out, holding onto a bolt of cloth.
However, the cloth was no lace napkin. Instead, Dr Claw found himself being strangled by a beach towel, as the robot hand tried to wrap it around his head. Luckily, the doctor's talons were able to rip through the material in short order.
“Ooo...” Gadget exhaled gingerly at the gasping griffon. "Sorry about that, chief.”
“Did my book come in yet, Twilight? I need it to double check a few last details on my costume for tomorrow.”
“Yes, in fact, just today,” Twilight said, answering the question posed by the aquamarine pony across the counter from her. She nodded to Spike, who hurried off into the back room. The dragon returned quickly and passed her a yellow comic book. She took it with her magic, and after looking over the item, she gave Spike a pat. “Thanks, Spike. Here you go, Lyra. You’re pretty lucky. They’ve only got a few copies of this in circulation.” She floated the book to her ecstatic patron, who was jumping with joy.
“Thanks, Twilight!” Lyra said, grinning happily as she held the book up in front of her face. She levitated the item into her saddle bag and shook Twilight’s hoof. “I really appreciate it.”
“No problem, Lyra,” Twilight replied, abashed at Lyra’s emphatic appreciation. “That’s what a library is for. I hope it’s what you were after.”
“Oh, definitely,” Lyra claimed, nodding her head. “I can’t wait to read it. I’ve been waiting ages for the conclusion of the Riddler arc. Thanks again, Twilight,” she said, waving as she trotted out the library door.
Twilight waved back, a pleased smile on her face. She then turned back to her other visitors.
“Anything else, I can get you, Watson, Fetlock?” she asked the ponies lounging on a rug surrounded by piles of newspapers.
“No, thank you, Miss Sparkle,” Watson replied for the both of them, with Fetlock grunting in affirmation. “Unfortunately, I think we’ve almost exhausted our possibilities. There’s just this last stack to go through, containing the editions from September to December last year. It seems that other than the incident with Nightmare Moon, Ponyville has had quite a peaceful stretch.”
“Oh, it is for the most part,” Twilight agreed. “We’re quite fortunate to have such a quiet town. But, I wouldn’t overlook that last stack of papers, if your looking into strange occurrences. A lot happened that Winter.” Watson gave Twilight a surprised look when a frown dropped onto her face. “A lot.”
Fetlock frowned himself, noticing her displeasure and Spike’s expectant grin, but went on to pick up the first item on the final pile. His eyebrows rose when he saw the headline bolded on the front page.
“Discord Defeated, Ponyville Saved From All Powerful Destroyer of Harmony,” Fetlock read in in a monotone voice. Picking up the next paper, he spoke, “Three Cheers For Rainbow Dash: Super Mare Saves The Day, Again.” Digging deeper into the pile, he pulled one more out. “Ponyville Survives Visitor From Hell: Cerberus Returned to Guarding Gate of Tartarus.” Fetlock looked up at Twilight with an impressed quirk of his jaw. “Quite an exciting couple of months you had there, Miss Sparkle.”
“Nothing we couldn’t handle,” Twilight responded, placing important emphasis on the we. “The elements of harmony, that is.”
“Yeah, these girls can do pretty much anything when they’re together,” Spike declared, puffing his chest proudly.
“I see,” Fetlock announced, taking in the assertion as Twilight bashfully told Spike not to over exaggerate. He went back to skimming through the newspapers, and halted on an edition on whose cover was printed the image of a blue pegasus facing a black-feathered griffon. “Watson, I believe we may have a lead.” The unicorn stood to his feet. “Come, we must be off before it starts getting dark.” He turned to the librarian. “Would you be able to give us the directions to this residence, Miss Sparkle?” He pointed to a line in the tabloid.
“Sure thing, Fetlock,” Twilight assented, moving around to look at the address. She gave Watson and Fetlock a wry smile. “And please, just call me Twilight. It’s getting a little embarrassing, you two calling me ‘miss’ all the time.”
Derpy waved good-bye to the departing Canterlot-branch postal worker and closed the door. Their visitor had dropped off the last bundle of postage for the day, which had been unloaded next to Derpy’s desk. The pile consisted mostly of letters and one single piece of shipping, a large bag of assorted seed for animal feed. Shadow had already taken and unraveled one stack, and was dividing them into alphabetized batches.
She dropped her head to the level of the address stamp, and a large grin spread across her snout.
“Hey, Shadow,” she called to her coworker. “We’ve got one final package to deliver, and Post Haste has already gone home for today. Why don’t you take care of it, and then head off as well. I’ll sort out the last few letters and clean up. Think of it as thanks for yesterday.”
Shadow looked over and answered from his desk.
“Are you sure, Miss Derpy? I don’t mind staying a little longer.”
“No, go ahead. I insist. Nay, I demand that you leave work,” she commanded with mock seriousness.
“I live to serve,” he replied in kind, and then gave her a thankful smile.
He left his seat and walked over. He picked up the package and read the postage label.
“Excuse me, but this address seems familiar,” he started, frowning apprehensively.
“Good. Hope to see your tomorrow!” Derpy said hastily, placing two hooves on his rump and propelling him to and out the doorway. “Bye!”
He turned back, but she had already closed the entrance. A few seconds later the door opened, and his mail bag was thrown into his arms. He couldn’t even slip a word in before the opening closed again.
Scrunching his together eyebrows, he gave the package sticker another read, and finally noticed the name attached to it. He spent a minute warring with himself, before accepting defeat. With a sigh, he slipped into the strap of his postal bag and hefted the feed sack onto his back. Then, contemplating his words every step of the way, he started making a slow journey towards Fluttershy’s cottage.
“Mrphm, wow, Geoff,” Pinkie managed to mumbled after swallowing a large mouthful of food. “The Cake’s make the best desserts, but I’m always impressed by the main dishes you dish out.” The mess surrounding Pinkie’s plate was contrasted by Gadget’s neat setup. Unlike the filly, he was employing a pair of utensils, a knife and fork being held by mechanical arms reaching out of his hat that methodically cut and proffered food right to the inspector’s maw.
“Werr, I wouldn’t be a very good host if I couldn’t provide a hearty mear. Even for... unexpected visitors.” The griffon said all this while casually stroking a snow-coloured pussy cat lounging upon his lap. Dr Claw’s poised acceptance of Pinkie’s manners suggested that it had become somewhat commonplace for him.
“I bet it’s all the training your cooks received from your cousin Gustave, huh?” Pinkie said, piling more helpings onto her plate, the empty dishes quickly being replaced with new meals by speedy servants, whose cool composure was underlined by a steadily growing worry.
“Yes, we have been bressed with a shred of his mastery,” Dr Claw agreed.
“I must add that these hayseed pies are quite delectable,” Gadget said, before taking another bite. “They have such a satisfying crunch.”
“Part of the reason I keep it on my menu,” Claw mentioned. Further talk was interrupted when a large creature landed on the table in front of them with a remarkably soft thump. Standing proudly in the middle of the dining room, on of its four paws in a bowl of mashed potatoes, the dark-furred monstrosity of lean muscle held a thin, white rectangular object in between its shiny, razor-sharp jaws.
Apart from the sound of Pinkie’s chewing, silence reigned for a few seconds while the wild animal shared a look of recognition with Dr Claw's cat that was almost warm. The connection was severed when Gadget stood up, prompting the beast to leap off the table.
“That's the second biggest leopard I've ever seen,” the stallion exclaimed. “Don't worry, I'll get it. Come back here, you fraidy cat! Go go gadget cast net.”
Gadget tilted his head forward as the top of his hat opened up. A gun, far too large to have physically fit inside, popped out from the hatch, and a spear blasted out of its muzzle. The projectile passed just to the left of the jungle cat and impaled itself into an unfortunate portrait of Dr Claw.
“Missed it by that much,” Gadget announced, surveying his handiwork. When he turned his attention back to the massive feline, it was gone. However, a low growling soon revealed its new location.
“Ah,” exclaimed the inspector, looking up. “The old-defy-gravity-and-walk-upside-down-on-the-ceiling trick.” Seeing the cat begin to tense on the roof as if to jump, Gadget quickly said,“Go go gadget shark cage!” A large rectangular plate of metal pushed it's way out of his hat, and steel rods dropped down from its edges into the floor. The cat pounced and landed heavily on the constructed enclosure, making the bars creak worryingly, but the cage held up. Gadget found himself looking closely at a maw full of sharp teeth hanging from the edge of his shelter's roof.
“Listen, Fluffy. I, uh, hope I wasn't out of line with that crack about you being a fraidy cat — YOWZERS!” Gadget exclaimed as the cat swung a large grasping paw through an opening between the bars, succeeding only in separating a few strands of the stallion's hair. The reason for the inspectors lucky escape was Brain’s courageous attack on the leopard. Grasping the feline’s tail in his teeth, he had jerked the cat’s balance off its perch on the cage the moment of its assault on the inspector. The beast roared, turning around and swinging a paw at the canine, but Brain let go of his hold and ducked his head to evade the swipe. Barking a taunt, he turned and retreated out of the room, luring the jungle cat away.
“Ha. Cats and dogs, huh?” Gadget commented, adjusting his hat, not even the least bit concerned that his pet was being pursued by an apex predator. He sat back down next to his niece and returned to his lunch. Pinkie, herself, had huddle over her plate during the encounter with a look in her eyes that threatened things if her meal was interrupted. A low growl still spilled from her snout.
Dr Claw sucked in a deep breath through his nostrils, and struggled to keep composed as the chaotic events slowly trundled further into the past. Petting his house cat helped him regain his inner calm. He tried not to let it shatter when Gadget piped up with a new question, but his wings popped out bristling nonetheless.
“So, where’s that accent from, huh? Doesn’t sound like you're from Prance like your cousin.”
“Werr, in fact I am,” Claw responded through his grinding beak. He furled his wings slowly in, though a few feathers continued to stick out awry. “If you are referring to my rhotacism, then it was an unfortunate accident during my chirdhood. I was bitten on the tongue by a crustacean during a… science experiment.”
Before Gadget could ask for the entirety of the tragic tale, his foreleg began to ring.
“Oh,” he exclaimed, bringing the chiming hoof up. “Pardon me while I get my horse-shoe phone.” Out of the horseshoe at the end of his limb, he pulled out an extendable antenna, and begun talking to the hoof. “Hi Chief. Uh-huh. Uh-huh. Oh? I thought you said that was tomorrow? That was yesterday, huh? Okay, I'll be there as soon as I can.” He put down his hoof with a click and turned back to the griffon.
“Sorry, Dr Craw. I've thoroughly enjoyed your welcome, but I really must go. It's come to my attention that I have an important appointment this evening in Canterlot, so if you'll excuse me, thank you and goodbye. We shall have to do this again, sometime. Come along, Pinkie.” Gadget stood up and ushered for her to exit her seat.
The pink mare pouted sadly, but stopped stuffing her face and left her chair. Gadget walked around the table to grab Dr Claw's hand and give it a hefty shake, before trotting out of the dining room. Pinkie followed behind and firmly gripped the griffon’s claw before it had stopped shaking, transferring the oscillations all the way up the doctor’s arm. The cat in his lap hopped off with a meowl as its perch experienced a localised tremor. Pinkie reached into her hair and drew out a square card.
“We’re having a Pre-Nightmare Night Party at Sugarcube Corner tonight,” Pinkie told him, placing the letter in his hand. “Hope you can make it. Thanks again for lunch.”
As the vibrations dampened out, Dr Claw felt aging coals rekindle inside. He had no words; instead the feelings were fed to the small, growing embers.
As they entered the foyer, Gadget and Pinkie were met by the same servant that met them at the mansion’s door. The aide bowed and flourished an arm towards the exit.
“Thank you for your kind service,” Gadget said to the attendant and continued on. But before they had made it all the way to the egress, Brain darted out from behind one of the foyer’s pillars to hide underneath the inspector’s legs, his whole body vibrating in fear. A menacing growl followed in the dog’s wake.
“Oh, come back to play, huh, kitty?” the inspector said as the leopard slunk around the column, rubbing its back against the cool marble. “Least I could do for the doctor is to take you outside,” Gadget told it. “Go Go Gadget Butterfly Net!”
Out of his hat protruded a mallet, which took a swing at the big cat. The feline casually leaped out of the way of the hammer, leaving the implement to slam its full weight into the pillar. Small cracks quickly spread across the circumference of the support.
“Ah, well,” Gadget exhaled in displeasure as the leopard bounded out of the room. “It’s unfortunate, but I’m already late. I’m sure the servants can catch Fluffy in no time at all, anyway.” He turned his thoughts to lighter things. “You were right, Pinkie, Dr Craw does seem like a nice fellow,” he remarked as they continued their departure along the crimson foyer carpet. “A little flighty, though. But that's to be expected, I guess.” he remarked, raising a hoof to his chin speculatively. And with that, Pinkie, Gadget and Brain, still clinging tightly to the inspector’s leg, left the mansion as the shattering marble pillar gave way.
“Eat your salad, now, Angel-bunny,” Fluttershy implored to her little pet. “You need the vitamins if you want to grow up big and strong.” The rabbit crossed its paws and turned away from the bowl of greenery. “Oh, come on, Angel. Please, for me?” She circled around in front of him and knelt down to the rabbit’s level to give him her most pleading frown. The gaze was obviously taking effect, as the critter began to sweat. Lamentably for Fluttershy, the bunny was granted escape when a knocking on her front door drew away the mare’s attention. Not letting the chance go, the rabbit scurried off out of the room. Fluttershy pouted at his vanishing cottontail until another round of knocks brought her attention back to the door.
“Coming!” she notified her visitor. The pegasus lifted herself from the floor and trotted over to answer the door. “Hello?” she queried shyly as she opened the door a crack. However, she was greeted with the sight of nopony. She swung the door open and took one step out, sweeping her head back and forth to see if anypony was around. She was wrinkling her eyebrows in questioning confusion when a polite cough drew her scrutiny directly in front of her. After a few seconds of investigating squinting her eyes made a discovery of a beige-coloured bag. Thereupon, her mind linked the connection to the stallion that was wearing it.
“Eep!” she squeaked, causing her caller to recoil. “Oh, sorry!” she apologized quickly, seeing the distress she provoked. “You startled me.”
“No, it was my fault, miss,” Shadow replied, hurrying to take the blame. “I’m sorry for startling you. It happens a lot.” They shared a moment of eye contact, before spending a few more avoiding it in silence. Eventually, Shadow swallowed his anxiety and spoke up.
“I’ve a mail package for you, miss,” he said, wheeling around to show her the animal food he had brought. “Twenty kilograms of assorted seeds for one Fluttershy.”
Fluttershy turned her eyes towards it, glad to have something to focus on. She recognised the item as her usual order.
“Oh, yes. That- that’s me,” she affirmed, exhausting her side of the dialogue.
Shadow’s postage worker instincts kicked in at the response, and he immediately reached for his mailbag. When he drew his snout out of the satchel, his teeth he held a clipboard with a pen, which he proffered to Fluttershy.
“Preaz sigh here,” he mumbled out the side of his mouth.
He felt a moment of lightheadedness when a delicate fragrance of lilac drifted over him as the pegasus moved closer. Wordlessly, Fluttershy unclipped the pen and signed the statement.
“Thank you, miss,” he said. Shadow checked the paperwork briefly and returned the items to his bag. He then placed his cargo down on the porch. Having done his duty, and sadly having no other reason to stay, he tipped his head in a polite nod.
“Have a nice afternoon, miss.”
A few steps down the path out of the yard, he took a wistful look back. He expected to see the closed front door of a quiet cottage. What he saw instead was a determined mare grunting through her teeth as she attempted to drag a sack of bird feed, the pegasus gripping the package in her snout by a corner. His heart went out to her as he watched her struggle to find purchase, her hooves scraping across the floor without achieving a fraction of motion.
Though they would have been in agreement, his body mindlessly drew him back towards the scene. Before he knew it, he had asked her a hopeful question.
“Would you mind if I helped you, miss?”
Fluttershy was only a little startled this time around, having spent a great deal of energy in her fruitless endeavour. She looked up to see the mail pony from before.
“Oh, yes,” she said thankfully, between breaths. “I don’t mind. That is, if you don’t mind.”
“If you do not mind, and I do not mind, then I guess nobody minds at all. Thus, it would be my pleasure to help you, miss.” The stallion smiled appealingly as he hefted the package back up. Though Fluttershy thought he was a little strange, she smiled back. While the gesture was held back by her normal timid restraint, to Shadow, it was like the twinkling of stars after a cloudy night. Elated, he simply stared, soaking in the radiance.
After a while, Fluttershy began to worry, her smile tinted with a hint of nervousness. Her eyes darted to-and-fro, wondering why the stallion was staring so.
“Is there something on my face? Have I got something stuck in between my teeth. Oh, no! I do, don’t I?” She folded up onto the ground, and threw her hooves over her face. “Please don’t look!”
“No, it's not that," Shadow refuted, "There’s nothing in your teeth. I'm sorry, I was lost in thought. Oh, please don't hate me," he blurted out. "I mean, where would you like this bird feed placed?"
Fluttershy drew her hooves apart enough to look at Shadow.
“Um. I’d really like it if you would bring it to the chicken shed. It’s around the back of my cottage.”
“Your wish is my command.” Shadow pushed down his uncertainty and extended a hoof towards Fluttershy. Through the gap between the pegasus’s forelegs, he caught her eyes and smiled again.
Wordlessly, Fluttershy placed her hoof into that of the stallion’s, and he lifted her to her feet. Shadow turned around so quickly that he missed the blush that had formed along the mare’s snout. He needed to hide the blush that was quickly spreading over his own.
“Around the back, is it, miss?” he said to fill the lull. “No problem.”
Fluttershy hid her face behind her hair and hurried in front to lead the way. Shadow followed, trying not to admire the mesmerising swish of her flank. Instead he swallowed, and turned his head towards the Everfree forest. At the sight of the browning sea of leaves, he was reminded of his dreams this morning. He turned his eyes back to Fluttershy and hummed contentedly.
Fluttershy turned around almost immediately, a surprised look on her face.
“Um, excuse me for asking, but where did you learn that song?”
“What?” Shadow replied, and realised he had been humming to the tune of the song he heard that fateful day, the day he first met Fluttershy. He decided to offer a half truth. “Oh, I’ve heard you singing this from time to time as I passed your cottage, and the melody really caught me. It’s quite lovely.”
“Th-thank you very much.” She returned her face to the front. “My mother taught me that song,” she explained, and lapsed back into silence. Soon they arrived at the entrance to the chicken coop, a gate placed along the fence walling the enclosure. Fluttershy lifted the latch on the gate, and pushed it open, allowing Shadow to step through. “That’s the chicken shed,” Fluttershy said, pointing to the wooden construction at the back of the coop. “I would be so grateful if you could place it inside the doorway, just to the left.”
Shadow nodded and headed to the ramp leading into the shed. He poked his head inside and found he was under the scrutiny of a dozen pairs of eyes, although one pair stood out strangely. When his own adjusted, he saw almost a dozen chickens as he expected, all clucking curiously. What was unexpected was the grinning grey mare that had taken residence in a roost near the back.
“Hey, Shadow!” she whispered, flapping her wings excitedly. “How’s the seduction going?”
“Miss Derpy?!” he whispered back, confounded by her presence. He stepped into the shed. “What under Ying’s claw are you doing here?”
“Nothing,” she replied with a smile.
“Nothing my flank.”
Derpy’s smile just continued to widened.
“You, however, seem to be doing a lot here. ‘Oh Fluttershy, what more can I do to help one so lovely as you?’” The pegasus snorted in an attempt to restrain her laughter. Shadow assumed a blank expression in an attempt to look composed as he placed his cargo down in the corner.
“Shush, you. I never said anything of the sort.”
“Ah, but I bet you’d like to.”
Shadow huffed in response.
“I am just offering my assistance to a customer. When did you even get in he—”
Fluttershy’s voice came up from behind him, sending spikes of panic shooting up his spine.
“Are you talking with somepony?”
He turned around sharply and threw his fore legs wide, blocking the doorway.
“No! Nopony at all,” Shadow immediately refuted. He twisted his head back and saw no sign of his pegasus employer.
“Oh. I thought you might be speaking with Elizabeak. She’s often quite the chatterbox.”
“O-oh, yes. Elizabeak has been very kind.” Realising he was still strewn across the opening, he dropped back onto four legs and moved to the side to allow Fluttershy access to the shed. “Is this where you wanted your seeds?”
“Yes, that will do perfectly,” the mare replied. Fluttershy led him back to the gate and let them both out. “Thank you so much for your kindness. It usually takes me an hour to get it over here.”
“Really, it was no trouble at all,” Shadow responded modestly.
They stood there for a few quiet moments, simply swishing their tails, not quite looking at each other. Shadow once again broke the silence.
“Well, I guess I should get going. If you ever need help, don’t hesitate to ask.”
“Thank you, I will,” Fluttershy answered. “And thank you again for helping today. Please take care on your way back.”
Shadow bowed his head and trotted off, this time having no courage left to steal a look back. Instead he gave his attention to the pegasus’s cottage as he sought to cool his head off. But there, in the window, he was dragged into the unrelenting stare of a rabbit. Thumping its feet against the window sill in rapid repetitions, the critter’s arms were crossed and its mouth turned down in a disapproving grimace. Shadow quickly swiveled his eyes back to the fore, continuing on at a slightly faster pace. However, he couldn’t shake the feeling of something boring into the back of his head.
A fair distance down the path back to Ponyville, the sound of flapping wings and a light descent occurred next to him. With his recent mental foray, it was almost enough to startle him. But he kept his composure by the string of his teeth.
“I thought you were closing up shop today?” Shadow said without turning his head.
“All done. All remaining letters sorted and sent. So, I thought I’d check up on my precious little underling.” The same mischievous grin from before made a return upon Derpy’s snout, and she gave Shadow a flank bump, which unintentionally threatened to upend him. “You did good.”
The stallion looked away embarrassedly, which only caused the older mare to laugh delightedly.
Amidst the piles of ruins that was only minutes ago Dr Claw’s mansion, a solitary head poked out from a mound of rubble. Occasionally, the sound of another wall collapsing washed over it.
Strangely enough, despite the situation, Dr Claw felt more alive than he had in a long time. The villain in him was finally awakening again, and, drawing from the bottom of his diaphram, he roared at the world.
“I'rr get you Gadget, if it's the rast thing I do!”
As if called by the oath, the leopard who had interrupted his lunch strutted up to him from beyond the wreckage, and dropped a letter by his head. The doctor wrested a claw out of the debris and tore the missive open with his beak. Shaking out a card, he flipped it open and read the message silently.
“Hahaha,” the griffon rumbled sinisterly. He tighten the grip of his other buried claw, which still held the invitation handed to him by Pinkie Pie. “What timing. But even so, it is not soon enough! Minions,” he called loudly. “To me!”
Across the street, Holmes and Watson surveyed the scene where a crazy old griffon laughed insanely, half buried in a pile of rubble, while his help scuttled about industriously.
Fetlock’s keen eyes noticed a strand of long, curly hair being pulled across the ground by the wind. He stomped down, trapping beneath a hoof. He lifted it up and took a sniff, before letting the breeze retake its hold.
“Pink, with a hint of fairy floss fragrance. It seems our Pinkie Pie is a force of law unto herself, Watson. One might call her, unofficially, the Baker Street irregular."
A large, dusty, pink stallion sighed to himself while nursing a nearly empty sundae alone at a cafe table. His weary eyes scanned the crowd despondently, not expecting to find the individual of his investigations. While he never did spot his intended pony that day, he did notice a dear friend of his appear on the street.
“Shadow! Hey, Shadow!” the travel-hardy unicorn called out, snatching his wide-brimmed hat off the table.
The earth pony of interest looked around, partly at the call of his name, but more so for the voice behind it.
“Compass…” Shadow breathed in amazement as the grinning stallion trotted over.
A familiar, but age-worn, castle room lay before her, the tattered remains of a banner making slow jolted motions, as if blown by a wind changing in quantized steps. While her mind initially tried to zone out the pixelated nature of the setting, through her vast experience as the Princess of the Night, she pieced together that she was, in fact, in her own dreams. In front of her stood 6 pixel ponies purple, orange, white, pink, yellow and blue in color. She smiled wryly as she surmised that she was witnessing a rerun of the banishment of Nightmare Moon, and also her redemption. She felt herself stamp her hooves and open her mouth. But no sound came out. Instead, words appeared in the air in front of her, printed backwards from her point of view, stating the lack of a sixth element.
How droll, she thought. I seem to be dreaming in 16-bit. Well, I might as well enjoy the ride.
She watched as the memorable heated debate was played out in text. She couldn’t help a cheer bubble up from her soul as Twilight Sparkle’s message box declared boldly the magic of friendship.
And then she heard an instantly recognisable tune begin to play.
Ah, of course. A boss battle.
A choice box popped up in front of Applejack, labelled “Attack”, “Elements”, “Blitz”.
I see where this is going, she speculated with a nod. Thus, she was a little surprised when the pointer blipped past “Elements” and settled on “Blitz”.
Hm?
Her eyes went wide when next a tag appeared above the earth pony’s head, reading “Suplex”.
Wait! she thought frantically as Applejack phased out of view. Stop! She felt a pair of hooves encircle her stomach. Twisting her head around, she saw the tell-tale stetson of the cowpony, and felt her forehooves leave the ground.
No, no, NOOO! she exclaimed to no avail. With an intense feeling of vertigo, her whole world turned upside down as she crashed...
Onto the floor. Not feeling the subsequent pain of being on the wrong end of a professional wrestling move, she opened an eye, and found herself back in her own chambers after having fallen backwards out of bed. Looking up at the ceiling in concentration, she tried to move her legs, only to determine that they’d been trapped in her blankets. She swivelled her gaze over to the window to see the sun still had a good few hours before it’s setting.
Using levitation to untangle the sheets off her body, Luna wriggled the full way out of her pallet and pushed herself onto her hooves. Yawning into a foreleg, she floated her royal bunny slippers on and made her way out of the room, not pausing to watch her magic set the bed. The two bat-pony guards on duty hid their surprise as the chamber doors opened and the Princess of the Night stepped outside. Though they hadn’t expected her anytime soon, they promptly fell into step a few paces behind on either side of the princess, keeping their questions to themselves, as was the way of the royal guard. They did, however, catch snippets of their princess vowing to cut back on her game time.
The entourage soon arrived at the dining hall, where Celestia was about to begin afternoon tea. The room was lined with the customary squadron of guards, and the floor was littered with waiters ferrying small sandwiches, cakes and slices. Celestia had a pained look on her face as her attendants continued to bring more and more food out of the kitchen. And an equal look of relief when Luna entered the room.
“Good evening, dear sister. You’re up early. Come sit by me.”
Luna happily obliged. When she had taken a seat, Celestia leaned closer and whispered, “I was worried I’d have to eat this all on my own. If I’m not careful, the sun on my flank will rival the one in the sky. However, I could not bare the ponies who’ve worked so hard for my sake see their efforts go to waste. I’ve taken to hiding food under my crown, it’s become that much of a problem.”
Luna attempted to stifle a laugh, causing a few eyebrows to be raised in the room. She took a calming breath, and spoke in reply.
“Thank you, dear sister. We are delighted that we can dine together this day. The fare looks simply divine.”
The pair of princesses caught the echo of some thrilled giggles flowing through the kitchen doorway, and Celestia sighed. Her face was crooked in a wry smile, but her eyes shone with real happiness.
Then, Luna watched as Celestia quickly stowed a bun beneath her crown without missing a beat. The moon princess felt her jaw drop.
“What, you thought I was joking?”
Before the younger alicorn could reply, a creature whisked in through an open window. It dived towards the alicorns, and then righted itself dextrously into a hover a few feet in front of them.
“Who,” the brown owl hooted at Luna.
“Good evening, Owlowiscious,” replied the Princess of the Night. “You’re looking well.”
"Who?"
"You."
"Who?"
"You!" Luna yelled with laughter.
Even after a few thousand years, she loved that joke. So much that it had become a habit of Owlowiscious to just speak in hoots. As she wiped the tears from her eyes, the dark-feathered princess noticed a small message tube was tied around the avian’s leg. “Oh, is that for Us?” she asked, reaching out to take it. And so, she was surprised when the owl shook his head, hooted a negative and pulled in its neck in a guiltily fashion. Having transferred its message, the owl then flew over to take a space on the royal bird stand next to Philomena. They shared a salutary chirp.
Luna raised an eyebrow of confused inquiry, and took a closer look at the scroll in her hooves. The seal securing it belonged to the Royal Princesses.
If that letter was not meant for me, then that would suggest...
"Tia?” Luna turned to addressed her sister. “We believe Our owl has a message for you."
"Oh, how dependable!” Celestia exclaimed, her unrestrained grin telling that was she extremely pleased by the news. “I hope it's- I mean, I wonder what it could be."
Luna dropped her eyebrows into a suspicious frown as her sister affected a comically bad poker face.
"We hope you're not involving him in anything disreputable," she announced.
"Me? Involving somepony in disreputable things? Nonsense," stated the Princess of the Day, putting on the airs of a sinless god. Which only lasted a brief second, as she quickly broke into a childish grin and beckoned scampishly. "Now gimme."
Luna held the letter back out of her sister’s reach, remembering another matter that was concerning her.
"One other thing. Are you aware that Canterlot's ace detective has been snooping around in Ponyville? We hope you haven’t sent him on another wild goose chase."
"Luna, how could you accuse me, your own sister, of insinuating to him that terrible things have certainly not been happening in Ponyville?" Celestia put on a face of mock hurt.
"We see..." Luna expelled through her nose and rolled her eyes in exasperation. "You know, one day we're going to have a serious situation in dire need of his expertise, and Equestria pray that Fetlock isn't chasing notional narcotic nimulus in Cloudsdale or, Mother forbid, Draconecous-worshipping pony cults in Trottingham. We know We needn’t have to say this, but, please don't abuse your power."
"Yes, sister," the solar princess responded, looking suitably chastened. "Now can I have the letter?" she pleaded, once again assuming her look of innocence, completely hiding her impish nature behind a pair of batting her eyes imitating that of childlike innocence.
"Oh, fine. Here." Luna handed over the letter and readjusted her seating to be closer. "So what's in the letter?"
"Nothing," Celestia answered, a little too abruptly for Luna's suspicions, even without the obvious give away of pulling the letter tightly to her chest
"Tia, you know that you can share anything with us." A brief look of mischief ran across the younger alicorn’s face, but she quickly turned it into a drooping depression. "Or do you not trust us anymore," she asked, blinking puppy eyes.
"No! That's not it at all," Celestia quickly assured her. "I'd trust you with my life, little sister." But it was all unnecessary. She realised as soon as she saw the grin on Luna's face that she had just been returned the wounded sister card.
“Alright, fine. Here you go.” The elder princess surrendered the letter back over to her sister, trying not to look too peeved.
Luna spent a minute reading before inquiring softly in a sweet tone, “Sister, would this happen to be a page out of a diary?”
“Simply a copy.”
“And would this diary happen to belong to your esteemed protege, Twilight Sparkle?” she asked, her voice losing some of its sugar.
“Would you be angry if I said ‘yes’?”
“Angry? We are mortified!” answered Luna, whispering a shout and waving the letter at her co-ruler. To the professionalism of the guards-ponies and waiters, each only glanced at the scene twice while feigning disinterest. “We cannot believe that you would intrude upon the privacy of thine own precious student, no matter how rivetting,” she mumbled the last to herself.
“Oh, but Luna~” whined Celestia. “It’s for her own good. I’m not omnipotent, and that filly’s mind is no open book. Sometimes I wonder if its even written in Equestrian. How can I hope to anticipate how she thinks without knowing every deep, dark secret of hers?”
“The grin you display when discussing your student’s dark secrets alarms Us,” Luna stated dryly. “We do hope you’ll at least endeavour to keep your inquisitive nature in check to a certain degree.”
“Yes, Luna,” the sun princess replied, once again suitably chastened.
They finished their meal in silence. Dabbing a napkin to her mouth, Luna spoke up tentatively to her sister.
“We don’t suppose, you would have any more examples of your student’s mind?”
“Follow me!” the Princess of the Sun answered conspiratorially, and the two sister’s left the dining chambers at a brisk pace, hastily followed by two pairs of matching guards.
Seconds later, Celestia’s secretary burst into the room, waving a handful of important documents and asking after the whereabouts of the monarchs (“ANY WILL DO!”). He was promptly ignored.
End of Chapter Three.
Next Chapter.
Happiness Over One’s Shadow - Part Two.
Also LikedSimilarAuthor
- Irrespective · 54k words · 402 11 · 6.5k views
- Ceehoff · 85k words · 783 55 · 21k views
- Ninjadeadbeard · 154k words · 216 11 · 5k views
- Noponythere · 47k words · 321 21 · 6.5k views
- DarthSylar12 · 1.8k words · 79 2 · 3k views
- Discorded SheepcityUSA · 42k words · 146 8 · 4.2k views
- Pinkies Imagination · 68k words · 281 26 · 7k views
- Dustchu · 8.5k words · 74 3 · 4.1k views
Stats
Page generated in 0.1 seconds
Total duration
936 users online
426,525 hits today, 2,073,628 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
I didn't check how long ago you updated this or if its still going on but I want you to know that this is an amazing story... plus, the whole tea-with-a-shadow thing was hilarious! Good job buddy!
5617216
Thanks for reading! As for updates, I wouldn't hold my breath. I found that I require way to much time to stitch together a story from my vague outlines. It might happen one day, maybe. But yeah, consider it on hiatus, while I read other peoples stories instead XD.