Heading Home
July 13: 11:55 PM
Everfree Forest
Northern Timberline
***
After having my moment with Derpy and Dinky, Kohryu was kind enough to bring us back to the surface. As soon as we got there, we saw practically everypony in Ponyville waiting outside with Princess Twilight Sparkle at the head of the mob. Before I could ask any questions, a familiar pink blur flew out from the crowd.
"Key Lime!"
Pinkie Pie rushed out and gave Limestone a big squeeze. Limestone let out a strained chuckle.
"Oof~! Easy there, Pink," she grunted. "Man, you really don't know your own strength sometimes."
"Oopsie. Sorry," said Pinkie, releasing her sister. "It's just that it's so good to see you're alright! Just wait until we get back to the rock farm! Everypony's gonna be so happy, and we'll have a big party!"
Limestone blinked. "Really, Pinkie? After everything I've been through today, the first thing you want to do is throw me a party?"
"Well, yeah," said Pinkie with a shrug. "Why not?"
"Well, let's see. How about the fact that it's the middle of the night, and everypony on the rock farm is probably asleep?" said Limestone.
"Then we'll surprised them!"
"I, don't think Dad's gonna like that."
"What's not to like, Key Lime? You've been rescued!"
"Yeah, but look at me, Pinkie. I was dragged around by Diamond Dogs, I nearly got roasted by a dragon, who by the way was my only companion for the majority of this mess, I haven't had a bite to eat all day, and oh yeah, it's the middle of the flipping night! Sorry, but I just don't have the energy for a party right now."
"Well, how about tomorrow then? We can make it a breakfast party!"
Limestone paused for a minute, and then sighed. "Alright, fine. But there had better be food. And I mean real food, not just those special rocks ole Stick-in-the-Maud digs up."
Pinkie pouted. "I wish you wouldn't call her that," she huffed.
"Well, I wish you'd stop calling me Key Lime. We can't all get what we want," said Limestone with a shrug. "Besides, she knows I don't mean it. I love all you guys, and you know that."
Pinkie's pursed lips curled into a warm smile. "Yeah, I know," she said. "And by the way, Marble misses you something terrible. She's trying to be strong for you, but I can tell that she's hurting inside. She's gonna be so glad to see that you're okay."
Limestone became all misty-eyed. "Aw, darn it, Pink. Wh-why'd you have to go and say that? N-now I've got something in my eye."
Pinkie giggled. "It's alright, Key Lime. Everything's okay now."
The two sisters then embraced again. Honestly, it was hard not to feel all warm and fuzzy inside watching them reunite. I'll bet you anything that by sunrise tomorrow, the Pies are gonna have one heck of a party.
"Derpy Hooves! Sparkler!"
A sharp voice snapped me out of my daydream, and my warm fuzzy feeling was replaced with a sense of dread. Turning around, I saw Carrot Top march out of the crowd and make a beeline for us.
"I was worried sick about you two!" she scolded. "Why did you both have to run off like that?! You could've gotten yourselves killed!"
"Sorry, Carrot Top," said Derpy, hanging her head in shame. "B-but, we had to rescue Dinky. We couldn't just leave her in the paws of those bullies."
Carrot Top sighed. "Look, I get it, Derpy. I really do. I was just as worried about Dinky as you were. But if you took a moment to think this through rationally, you'd realize that Princess Twilight was already prepared for this."
I blinked. "Wait, she was? But, how could that be?"
"I can explain that," said Princess Twilight, stepping forward. "I managed to find a spell that would free the Four Benevolent Animals and Kohryu from their curse. From there, we shared some basic information and formed a plan in case the culprit struck again. Isn't that right, Kohryu?"
"Indeed, that is correct," said Kohryu with a nod. "Of course, we didn't expect you and Hooves Derpy to run off like you did. Still, I think everything turned out quite well, considering."
"It sure did," said Derpy, giving Dinky a hug. "We're all safe and sound, Carrot Top. So there's nothing for you to get mad about."
Carrot Top sighed. "You're missing the point, Derpy. You really could've gotten yourself hurt."
"But I didn't," said Derpy with a shrug. "Ammy was there to protect me, and I was there to protect her. And we also had Ms. Mare-Do-Well, Mr. Kohryu, and Mr. Redvest on our side. Even when things were at their worst, we all pulled through together."
"And I'm very happy for that, but what you did was still very stupid," said Carrot Top.
"So? I'm always doing stupid stuff," said Derpy. "What makes this any different?"
Carrot Top let out an exasperated groan and smacked her forehead. "Why do I try? Why do I bother? Why do I bother to try; why do I try to bother?"
I chuckled. I know from experience that it's almost impossible to argue with Derpy. Part of it is because she's so stubborn, and the other part is that she's a kook who doesn't use the same logic other ponies do. And yet she's not as weird as the Pies. But, I still love her anyway. And I know Carrot Top does, too.
"So, I take it the Diamond Dogs decided to deal with the culprits themselves," said Princess Twilight.
"Redvest Rover insisted on that, Sparkle Twilight. I couldn't convince him otherwise," said Kohryu.
Princess Twilight frowned. "Well, their crimes are still punishable under Equestrian law. I still would've preferred bringing them to trial."
"I wouldn't bother with it," I said. "Whatever punishment Sykes Silvervest is going to dole out to those jerks is more than enough. Besides, I can understand where the Redvest pack is coming from. They need to reclaim their standing with the other packs after a certain incident."
"Ah, I see," said Princess Twilight with a nod. "And, what about that Dodger Dragonvest fellow who took advantage of Kohryu?"
"Last I saw him, he was getting the tar beaten out of him by Silvervest's bodyguards," I said. "I think it's safe to say that he's not gonna be causing any trouble anytime soon. Even if he did escape from Silvervest, those teenage dragons he tricked still want his hide."
Kohryu sighed and shook his head. "It's times like this that I wish I could educate my western cousins properly. Instant gratification only lasts an instant, after all. Unless you gain something else from it, in which case, it doesn't. Hmm, did I say that right?"
I still find it amazing that a supposedly great philosopher could let himself go senile like this. I mean, Princess Celestia's much older than he is, and her mind's still as sharp as ever. She's still allowed to run the entire country, for pony's sake. So what's Kohryu's excuse?
"Eh, it doesn't matter," said Kohryu with a dismissive wave of his claw. "I'll probably remember it later. For now, I think it's time my acolytes and I depart. My nest has remained empty for too many moons, and I'm sure my colleagues will be overjoyed to see me return."
"Before you go, may I ask you something?" asked Princess Twilight.
"You may," said Kohryu.
Princess Twilight cleared her throat. "Well, as one of the rulers of Equestria, part of my duties is establishing relationships with other nations and species. I was wondering if you would be interested in becoming Equestria's official ambassador for eastern dragons. I'm sure I can arrange something with Princess Celestia and Princess Luna."
Kohryu furrowed his brow. "I am quite flattered by your offer, Sparkle Twilight. However, I feel that I'm much too old for such a responsibility," said he. "But if you will allow it, I'm sure my acolytes can act in my stead. All of them uphold their noble title as the Four Benevolent Animals, and they are willing to share my knowledge with the world."
The Four Benevolent Animals nodded in agreement. Princess Twilight put a hoof to her muzzle.
"Well, I suppose that could work," she said. "I think. Again, I'm kinda new to this. I'll send Princess Celestia a letter and get back to you."
"How will you do that when you don't know where I live?" asked Kohryu.
Princess Twilight blushed. "Oh. Sorry."
"It's quite alright," said Kohryu with a laugh. "My home lies just beyond Equestria's southeastern border. Feel free to visit if you have the time. And with that, I must be off. Oh, and one last thing before I forget."
"What's that?"
Kohryu then turned to me and smiled. "On behalf of myself and the Four Benevolent Animals, Star Amethyst, I thank you," he said with a bow. "Your desire for justice is truly what won the day."
I felt my cheeks get warm as he said that. "Oh, well... Uh, thanks. I guess," I said sheepishly. "Honestly, I don't want ponies or dragons or whatever singing my praises. I just did what I thought was right."
Kohryu's smile broadened. "Wise words, Star Amethyst. And I'm sure a shared acquaintance of ours will agree. And with that, I bid you all fare well."
With that, he and the Four Benevolent Animals lifted off into the sky and disappeared over the horizon. As we all watched in awe, I felt Dinky poke my leg. Puzzled, I looked over at her.
"What is it, Dink?" I asked.
"I was wondering where Ms. Mare-Do-Well is," Dinky whispered. "She seemed to have disappeared before we could thank her properly."
Looking up, I saw that Dinky was right. Mare-Do-Well apparently slipped away during the confusion when Kohryu busted in on the Jadevest pack. I shrugged.
"Who knows? That pony is quite a mystery," I said.
Dinky giggled. "Well of course. After all, she is the Mysterious Mare-Do-Well."
I laughed along with her. I might've said this before, but I am so glad she's alright. And to think I was so worried about traumatizing her. Ah well, you live; you learn.
***
July 14, 12:10 AM
Ponyville
Golden Harvest's House
***
As soon as I got home, I went right upstairs in the hopes that I would get a good night's sleep. When I got to my room, I noticed that the door was ajar. Curious, I opened it up to see Mare-Do-Well leaning against the wall. I deadpanned.
"Really? This is where you ran off to?" I asked. "Why did you run off, anyway?"
"I was never one for crowds and recognition, Ms. Sparkler," said Mare-Do-Well. "I prefer to let my actions speak for themselves."
Just like the old Mare-Do-Well. I wonder if whoever created her did that intentionally.
"Well, right now, I don't know what your actions are saying," I said. "Why are you here?"
"I just wanted to thank you for your help," said Mare-Do-Well. "I know I'm not the easiest pony to work with, so I'm glad you bared with me."
"Yeah, well. Next time you feel like you need help, just be more assertive about it," I said. "I'm sure ponies will appreciate the straightforward honesty."
"Right. I'll, try to keep that in mind," said Mare-Do-Well, clearing her throat. She then sighed. "But you must understand, Ms. Sparkler. Even after all this time, I find that it's not that simple for me. After all, my identity is supposed to be a secret."
"Says who?" I said with a shrug. "You know, just because you were modeled after the Mysterious Mare-Do-Well doesn't mean you have to be mysterious."
Mare-Do-Well obscured her eyes with her hat. "Again, it's not that simple. I don't fully understand why, but it just isn't."
"Well, maybe you can talk about it with Princess Twilight," I said. "She is the Princess of Friendship, after all. She could give you some pointers."
"Perhaps when I become more comfortable with this concept," said Mare-Do-Well. "For now, I must continue my quest to protect those in peril."
"Well, at least you're doing something noble and productive with your time," I said. "Does that mean you'll be leaving Ponyville?"
"For now. After all, Princess Twilight Sparkle is still the only pony I trust to repair my core," said Mare-Do-Well. "But who knows when that will be."
"I see," I said. "Well, before you go, I wanted to ask you something."
"Yes?"
"That whole plan with Kohryu and Ponyville. You didn't happen to have a hoof in that, did you?"
Mare-Do-Well snickered. "Nicely deduced, Ms. Sparkler. Indeed, I did coordinate with Princess Twilight Sparkle and Kohryu. We didn't know what exactly was going to happen, but we figured it best to be prepared."
I smirked. "Well, thank you for that," I said. "If it wasn't for you, I don't think we would've made it out of there alive. Heck, if it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have mustered up the courage to do all this."
Mare-Do-Well tipped her hat at me. "No need to thank me, Ms. Sparkler. I'm just doing what I think is right."
Just then, I heard a tap on my door.
"That must be Dinky," I said. "Come in."
The door opened, and sure enough, Derpy and Dinky were right there.
"We didn't wake you, did we, Ammy?" asked Derpy.
"No, you didn't," I said. "I was just talking to..."
I gestured with my hoof, only to find that Mare-Do-Well had vanished and that my window was open. I still don't know why or how she does that. I mean, doesn't she realize how annoying that is?
"Talking to whom?" asked Dinky.
"Mare-Do-Well," I said with a sigh. "Sorry, you just missed her. She's probably off on another adventure or something."
"Oh," said Dinky, looking a bit disappointed. "I really wanted to thank her."
"I'm sure it's alright, Muffin," said Derpy, patting Dinky on the head. "I think to her, being able to help is thanks enough."
"Yeah, that's what she told me," I said. "Anyway, what's up?"
"We talked about it with Mr. Karat, and he says he's willing to give you the day off tomorrow after everything you've been through," said Dinky. "So, I was thinking we could celebrate by going to the Pie Rock Farm and join Pinkie's party to celebrate the rescue of Ms. Limestone."
I smiled and yawned. "That's, a nice thought, Dink. But, I think we're all exhausted. I dunno about you, but I'm planning to sleep in tomorrow."
Derpy and Dinky looked at each other, and then turned to me.
"Well, if that's how you feel, Ammy, I think you deserve it," said Derpy. "You really did a lot for us."
"You sure did," said Dinky, trotting up to me. "Just, one last thing."
"What is it?" I said, leaning down.
Dinky gave me a peck on the cheek. "We love you, Amethyst. Just as much as you love us. You're a great big sister."
I smiled and mussed up Dinky's mane. "Thanks, Dink. I'm, glad you think that," I said. "Now, I think it's time we all got some sleep. It's been a rough day."
"Mmm-hmm," said Derpy. "Sweet dreams, Ammy."
"Good night, Amethyst," said Dinky.
"Yeah, 'night," I said.
With that, Derpy and Dinky left. As they did, I felt the guilt that I experienced throughout this entire ordeal just evaporate from my being. They're safe and sound, and I managed to protect them. I really do belong in this family.
Right then, I think it's time I wrapped this up. Thank you for listening to me ramble on like this. I hope you at least got something out of it. As for me, I'm glad it's all over. Now, I can get back to my normal life here in Pony—
Pffft~. Okay, I can't say that with a straight face. There's no such thing as a normal life in Ponyville. Heh, man I love this town. It may be crazy, but to me, it's home. Alright, I'm gonna shut up now. G'night.
***
The Gemstone Godfather
~
End
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intermezzo.typepad.com/.a/6a00d834ff890853ef00e554f9e31e8834-pi
And so, another adventure is over. You should start doing "MDW will return in X" stingers.
Another job well done! Time for happy music:
Another awesome story.
Another great story as always.
I think the real strength in these stories are the characters you create. Each one is unique and the cast they come with are always sure to leave you in tears, both from the shear amount of comedy and drama.
I'm scared to start reading the next mystery, mostly because I don't like reading something that isn't complete, especially when it's a mystery I can't put down.
Well, here goes nothing.
5058922
The FoE rulebook states that a unicorn may levitate any object that fits within an X yard by X yard cube, where X is equal to half of Versatility iirc.
So, what would Marble's nickname be? There is something called Marble cake, but it just doesn't have the same ring to it (not to mention that it would be confusing since there is a Cake Family).
crummb.files.wordpress.com/2008/08/marble-cake-lo.jpg
5065211 I'll be honest; I've never really considered a nickname for Marble before.
Hmm. How about Mar-Mar?
5065234 Works for me.
3924837
But... if they didn't have to investigate until the very end, then they would be able to save some time and go somewhere else, to observe random things like sceneries, or butterflies?..
If characters stopped turning away for a second, would Mare-Do-Well be able to make such fast exits? What if they just stared at her and waited for her to leave?
And yeah, good ending.
6152446 Didn't Spitfire try that in the first story?
8582607
You are quite welcome, by the way have you ever considered doing (or having someone do) voice dubs of these fantastic mysteries?
8582613
I don't know. I'm certainly not against the idea, but considering the large cast of these stories, I can't imagine it would be easy to pull off.
8582628
True true that is certainly a factor to take into consideration, and I appreciate your reminding me. Well, in any case it might be a while before I tackled your works as I am currently working on my directorial debut project and it is fairly good sized especially considering the story in question is not even complete. If and when I get around to doing a dub of any of these I will be sure to keep you in the loop cross my heart hope to fly stick a cupcake in my eye.
Yea that was sweet.
You can has review!