The Storm's Challenge

by OneLonelyPickle

5 - Navigating the Strange City

Chapter 5

-

Navigating the Strange City

Fluttershy had carried two full buckets to the entrance of the Golden Oaks Library, excited to have brought the contents of the buckets, fresh water and gems, to Spike to assist him in his librarian duties. Once there, however, she was unsure how to open the door, given that just moving itself was a balancing act. It seemed less practical to put the buckets down first.

Fluttershy decided to use her teeth to turn the doorknob, and very delicately she was able to turn it enough to cause the door to open. She then gently nudged her way through the door and immediately noticed a shaking pile of books on the floor of the library. Other books had also been strewn about the library, as if somepony tried to blanket the entire floor but missed a few spots.

“Umm, Spike?” Fluttershy asked the pile. A weak voice could be heard underneath, speaking incoherently.

“…Bon-Bon, ‘History of Sweets’… Wonderheart, ‘How to Knit Gracefully’… D-Dooey Decimal system… c-coffee…”

Fluttershy stepped forward and noticed a few porcelain mugs on a table nearby. She smiled at the pile of books.

“Would you like some help, Spike?”

A little dragon hand sprang out of the pile and gave a vibrating thumbs up.

“D-don’t worry about me, Pinkie Pie! T-Twilight trusted me to h-handle things, and I can d-do it!”

“Umm, Spike, it’s Fluttershy, not Pinkie Pie,” the quiet mare corrected. She slowly lowered herself so that the buckets could slide off without spilling. Once that was done, she started to put books away based on their name. Everything seemed to be alphabetized, so Fluttershy saw no issue with what she did. The pile of books erupted. A purple and green blur whizzed right up to Fluttershy and she jumped with a yelp.

“FLUTTERSHY!” Spike cried, his eyes dark circles and his headcrest drooping. Fluttershy felt woozy trying to focus on his shaking form. “T-Those don’t go there! There’s a system, a system! P-please!”

Fluttershy blinked rapidly. She gingerly handed the book to Spike. “O-okay, well, I brought you some refreshments.” Spike seemed to teleport to a spot on a distant shelf and slid the book into its correct place, then returned to Fluttershy’s side just as fast.

Spike might have been shaking his head “no”, but it was hard to tell. He grabbed a cup off the table.

“Need c-coffee. Not water. Not gems. Coffee so good,” he said in a drone. Taking a long swig, Spike’s eye and mouth twitched. The library door opened and Spike ran right up to it. Fluttershy watched this energized Spike with awe.

“H-hello!” Spike stammered to the pony in the doorway, who jumped in place upon seeing the shaky dragon. “W-what can I do for y-you?”

The pony asked for a book on gardening. Spike became a blur once again, leaping up to grab a tome on a high shelf, then landing with a thud, as if he had just performed a slam dunk. He returned to the pony with some parchment and had the pony sign out the book. Spike then found another list and marked something on it as the pony left.

“Spike…” Fluttershy asked, “Are you sure you’re okay? You should at least drink something that’s not coffee.”

But the little dragon was muttering to himself and checking multiple lists at once. He ran over to the pile of books and began to rapidly stack them in his hands.

“T-these all go in section D… yes, and then, there’s section E—oh, and I need to r-reorganize section Z…”

Spike zipped to a shelf on the other side of the library and began to fire off books into their respective places like a party cannon shooting confetti. Fluttershy lifted a hoof and opened her mouth to speak, but lowered it and closed her mouth with a “Hmm.”

After a moment to think, Fluttershy spoke with a smile.

“You know what, Spike? I’m going to go ask some of my bird friends if they want to help you with the books on the higher shelves. And I think a few of the other animals can help organize the shelves. And I'll help with the ponies who come in looking for books.”

Fluttershy moved to the door as Spike protested.

“NO! I h-have to do this myself! Twilight trusts me, Fluttershy! T-Twilight! S-she believes I can do this!”

Fluttershy shook her head.

“I won’t take no for an answer,” she said firmly, “Twilight wouldn’t want you to be doing this all by yourself.”

* * *

Twilight rubbed her itchy nose. She sneezed. The air in Clopstantinople was dustier than the Castle of the Two Sisters the first time Twilight and her friends had been there.

She kept her head down as much as possible as she traversed the roads of the metropolis. Ponies, most of them earth ponies, were moving to and fro, completing their daily business with a regimented zeal.

Quite industrious, Twilight thought.

Clopstantinople’s ground level was covered in ash and soot. Muscular stallions, pickaxs strapped to their sides, were pulling carts full of rocks with hints of gem in them. Emerald, ruby, sapphire, onyx… Twilight recognized a few that looked familiar. Others were not.

It’s just like Celestia said… these ponies specialize in mining and working with gems.

Other ponies were pacing back and forth with magically floating lists in front of them. They would review the lists and give orders to pegasi, who would fly into the air and off into the sky. Twilight concluded that she would never be able to live in Clopstantinople — it was much too loud.

What kinds of machines are making these noises?

It sounded like great pistons and turbines were turning and spinning and moving huge objects. Steam whistles blew every couple of seconds, and eventually Twilight reached a spot with a wide opening where many ponies, clearly having just been inside some kind of mine, were seated eating various things. A tall stallion walked through the ranks and barked an order.

“Lunch break, five more minutes! Don’t be late! Remember — our prince is always watching!”

Twilight lifted her head to get a better look at her surroundings, revealing more of her face than she liked. Still, she had to see the ponies around her with more clarity. Something continued to bother her ever since she boarded the airship.

After scanning too many blank flanks to count, and not seeing one single image on one single pony behind, Twilight came to a startling conclusion.

None of the ponies here have Cutie Marks! How can so many adult ponies in one place not have their Cutie Marks yet?

Twilight noticed a colt staring right at her with wide eyes. The little pony’s face was dark from soot and his clothes were tatters. He bolted in the opposite direction.

That can’t be good, Twilight thought. The fur on the back of her neck felt fuzzy and she looked behind her tentatively. Three stallions glared from a few paces away.

That doesn't look like the welcoming committee...

Twilight looked around for somewhere to escape to, as best she could without raising her head too high. A path to a higher level of the city caught her eye and she trotted towards it, unconsciously going faster than before. She did not have to look back to know she was not the only pony heading that way.

Just remember what the princess said, Twilight, the bookish mare reasoned, these ponies don’t know any better! I need to find the leader of this city and find out what the heck is going on!

The road leading upwards was much steeper than Twilight had hoped for. She was tired and hungry, and the pollution of the city did not help her feel any better. Ponies looked at her as she ascended the path.

At the top of the path, Twilight paused for a moment to take in a big gulp of air, and anticipating that it was going to taste as tainted as the air from below, she made a disgusted noise and stuck out her tongue, but only briefly.

Hey, this isn't that bad! Shuffling noises behind Twilight brought her back to reality. Oh, right!

Twilight started to calm herself and attempt to blend in with the busy crowd. It was clear that where Twilight had climbed to a different area of the city. The sounds of machines had dissipated somewhat, and buildings that looked like shops were abundant. Signs outside the stores had mugs of cider on them, loaves of bread, or spools of thread and needles. The majority of the signs, however, had pictures of amulets, rings, earrings, or jewels on them. Unsurprisingly, then, Twilight noticed jewelry was abundant on the ponies of that part of the city.

The smell in the second tier of the city was a mix of different spices and baked goods. Ponies shouted out advertisements for their goods. “Best drinks in the city! The prince’s own scribe comes here once a week!” cried one.

“Looking for flowers for a special somepony? Buy one bouquet, get a second free!” cried another.

Twilight stopped herself once she realized she was moving at a much-too-fast canter. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and exhaled.

I need to calm down. Don’t draw attention to yourself, Twilight.

A smaller shop caught Twilight’s eye. There were no descriptive features of what was inside except a wooden fold-out sign in front with a smiling mare and a glass of some liquid. She decided to enter, and moved towards the shop with a visible purpose.

Whoever runs that shop, they’re the first smiling face I have seen since I got here. That’s as good a place as any to start my search, though, things might get a little hairy if the ponies behind me follow me inside.

Twilight navigated through the streams of ponies on the road and entered the shop. It was indeed quite small, with only a bar right next to the entrance and a cozy seating area at the back. The walls were painted a soft green — the first vibrant colour, besides the gems earlier, that Twilight had seen in the city. Twilight hopped onto a bar stool and kept her head down. The barkeep gasped.

“Ohmigosh! A customer!” the barkeep said, clapping her hooves together in excitement. Twilight looked up. The barkeep didn’t have a single piece of dust or soot on her white fur, her poofy tangerine mane giving Twilight “Pinkie Pie vibes” with its devil-may-care structure. She was clearly the pony on the sign outside.

“Welcome to my milk bar! Care for a glass? Only 2 bits!”

Twilight looked to her right and saw through the door that ponies were still following her. A million thoughts ran through her mind. Her eyes pleaded with the barkeep.

“Listen,” Twilight began, “Are you a friend to Equestria? To the princesses?”

The barkeep’s face lit up.

“Totally! I even subscribe to ‘Princess Monthly!’” The barkeep grabbed under the bar and pulled out a magazine. The front cover was a picture of Celestia and Luna with clearly forced smiles holding up a product, headlines taking up most of the cover.

“The name’s Gossip Gab! I run this milk bar to pay the bills, but my REAL passion is—”

Twilight cut her off and threw 2 bits on the bar top, “If you’re really a friend to the princesses, then I need you to help me out! There’s no time to explain!” As soon as Twilight finished saying the words, the shop door opened with a clink of a bell.

To her credit, Gossip filled up a glass of milk and slid it Twilight’s way, scooping up the bits right after. She started to clean an empty glass with a towel.

“Hey guys!” she greeted the newcomers, who all sat close to Twilight. “What can I do ya for?”

A stallion leaned into Twilight, trying to see her face. Twilight instinctively grabbed the glass in front of her and raised it to her mouth. She reluctantly forced the milk into her cheeks and let it sit.

Yuck, milk!

“Who’s this, then?” the stallion asked with a snarl. Twilight knew there were two other stallions inside, but she couldn’t see them from behind her hood. She could hear them all, though, breathing with some struggle. Gossip poured each stallion a glass of milk.

“That’s just a friend of mine from the other side of the city! She’s deaf, dumb, blind, and she can’t smell a thing!”

Twilight cringed. There was barely any room in her mouth now for more milk.

That’s the best you could come up with?!

The stallion tried to get even closer to Twilight but she flinched and leaned the other direction, closer to another stallion, who she could smell even with a glass of milk in her face. He smelled of an earthy hole which probably meant he came from the mines.

“Is that so?” the stallion grumbled. Gossip hit the bar top with her hooves.

“Ohmigosh! Did you guys hear about that shop just down the street? Well, I heard from a friend that—”

Gossip buried the stallions in endless nonsense about the goings-on of the shops in the area. The high pitch and grating pep in her voice was even starting to drive Twilight a little bonkers. Finally, the stallion and his compatriots got up.

“Ugh, enough!” he cried. The company moved towards the exit. “If your friend isn’t who you say she is, then she better listen well: Prince Tsunami does not tolerate spies in this land. Keep that in mind if you don’t want to end up in a dungeon.”

With another ring of a bell, the company left. Twilight slammed her empty glass on the bar top and filled it with all of the milk in her mouth.

“Yuck!” she exclaimed with a throaty noise of displeasure, “I hate milk!” Twilight sighed and brought her hooves up to rub the sides of her head. She switched to the front of her face and let her hooves smoosh her features downward.

“Blahhh! And here I thought I was being careful not to stand out too much! What do I do now?”

Gossip cocked her head. She produced a glass of water for Twilight and slid it across the counter. Twilight eagerly thanked the barkeep and started to drink.

“Umm," Gossip began as Twilight finished the water in record time, "Do you mind if I ask who you are and what that was all about?”

Twilight almost threw back her hood, starting to feel claustrophobic within the fabric, but reasoned against it.

Gossip has a big mouth. I can’t risk it, even if she means well.

“All I can say is that I don’t mean you any harm,” said Twilight, “Those stallions are just being paranoid. I just want to speak with the leader of this city — I think that stallion called him Prince Tsunami. Do you know where I can find him?”

The sides of Gossip’s mouth drew up in a big grin and her snout wiggled with excitement.

“Prince Tsunami, you say?! I can tell you anything you want about him! He’s about two and a half feet tall when on his four hooves, he’s got this totally rad swirly sort of mane, it’s a deep blue, and his brother—”

“Gossip!” Twilight interrupted. She surprised herself with how she said it. Gossip frowned and sniffled. Twilight continued in a softer tone.

“I’m sorry, Gossip, I’m just worried. It’s dangerous for me to be here. I really, really just need to know where I can go to talk to Tsunami.”

Gossip started to put away some glasses. She rolled her eyes.

“Welllllll… okay! I’ll tell you what I know, because I like you! You’re not like the other ponies around here.”

Gossip cleared her throat and put away the last of the glasses.

“It’s impossible,” she said flatly.

Twilight replied, “W-what?”

Gossip shook her head. She scrunched her mouth into a sympathetic smile.

“You can go to the center of the city, Tsunami lives in the palace there. But he doesn’t take visitors and he almost never leaves. At least as far as anypony can tell.”

Twilight hummed thoughtfully and lowered her face to just above the bar top.

Then, what do I do? Do I break in and confront him in secret?

Twilight shook her head and looked back up. Gossip was watching carefully with a raised eyebrow.

No, thought Twilight, I can’t risk causing a conflict between Clopstantinople and Equestria. If I’m caught breaking in, it won’t look good! But if I—”

“You’re Twilight Sparkle, aren’t you?!”

Gossip’s words almost pushed Twilight off her chair. With a wobble Twilight steadied herself.

“W-what m-makes you think that, ha ha…?” Twilight stumbled over her words, trailing off at the end. Gossip brought her front hooves together.

“Wellll… you talk like how Twilight does, at least according to all the interviews I’ve read in ‘Princess Monthly’, and you were talking to me about the princesses, and it seems like ponies are looking for you, and Prince Tsunami doesn’t like the Equestrian princesses, and also…”

Gossip leaned over the bar top and pointed a hoof at something below Twilight. She turned to follow along.

“…your tail!”

Indeed, Twilight’s body and face might have been covered by her robes, but her tail was not. Anyone who had seen pictures of Twilight in a magazine, and especially anyone who read every tabloid, would be able to spot it. Twilight facehoofed.

Dang paparazzi!

With a sigh, Twilight threw back her hood. Her usual mane style fell into place and Gossip lit up.

“Ohmigosh! It is you! Twilight Sparkle, the protégé of Princess Celestia! I can’t wait to teumpfhfhfhfhfh—”

Twilight used her magic to zip Gossip’s mouth shut.

“Gossip, listen to me. Please, PLEASE don’t tell anypony that I’m here. I am here on the princess’s orders to find out more about your city and its leader, but I don’t think I have the time to just sit around and chit chat. I need to find Tsunami!”

Twilight closed her eyes tight, sighed in frustration, and made a decision.

“I need you to tell me how to get to the palace.”

Comments

[superfun]

Pfft, interesting decision to make Twilight hate milk.

[OneLonelyPickle]

10658580
Lol yeah idk why but for some reason I thought that would make the scene more interesting.

I am sure her hatred of milk shall return in some form or another, one day!