Chapter 13: Gathering Knowledge
Twilight held her breath, her entire body was tense as she watched her friends scout. Fluttershy and Rainbow were once again wearing fake military armor and slowly making their way through a small town. They had yet to see any signs of the Water Nation soldiers, but were taking every precaution they could. Overlooking the town, a large stone building could be seen with tall stone towers. They'd yet to see any pony come out from it, but they decided better safe than sorry. A place like that was likely crawling with soldiers.
It was a great relief when the two flew off into the sky and, after a few minutes to wrap back around, came up behind them. Applejack was the first to react. “So, what yah find out?”
“No real presence here. Breachpass isn't very far away, we'll need to be careful to avoid it when we head through the mountains. Aside from lost soldiers and those on leave, they don't see many here.”
“Well, that's good,” Twilight let out a sigh of relief. “Anything else?”
“Ummmm, well... I found this...” Fluttershy said gently as she pulled out a small flier. “It's from the structure on the hill...” There was a big smiley face with words written under.
Are you a comedian?
Are you willing to go that extra mile to make a joke funny?
Would you dump a bag of flour on yourself in order to make a crying foal laugh?
Then we want you! To help prepare the most ginormous, awesomest, radicalness and coolness of parties for the coming festival of stars!
You'll be paid handsomely in entertainment, joy and the smiles of children. Oh, and bits.
Twilight stared at it and sighed. “We don't have time to--”
“We got a bitta time,” Applejack said quickly, startling the group. They all turned to her.
“You want to waste time and help setup a party?” Rainbow asked in annoyance.
“Well, no. But it could be a good way for us tah get some bits,” Applejack said with a stomp of her hoof. “We've gone an' stole what we needed, because we had no choice. But here we have a good chance tah make a bitta coin, an' that could allow us tah go an' buy what we need.”
Rainbow shrugged. “We don't hav--”
“We got a few days we can burn.” She glanced to Twilight. “So long as Twi here keeps practicin' her forms, ah don't see any reason the resta us can't go out an' make a bitta an honest livin'.”
“Yessss!” Pinkie squealed with delight. “Let's do it! Please please please? It's been sooooo long since I've been able to set up a party! A real honest to goodness party!”
Rainbow opened her mouth, but was caught off guard by a soft, gentle cough from besides her.
“I ummm... I agree with Applejack,” Fluttershy said gently, her eyes lowered. “Even if we worked for a few days, we could earn a bit of money. It would be nice not having to steal from ponies. And i-it would draw less attention to us.”
The pegasus rolled her eyes, before sighing. “Well, fine. I guess if I'm outvoted here, I'll go along. I still think it's a waste of time, even if we're swiping a bit of food here and there, it's not like we're not working our tails off for it.”
Applejack shook her head. “Yeah, we might be workin' for the good a the world. But that don't mean much to the ponies here when they work their hooves to the bone, an' got nothin' tah show for it. Runnin' a business ain't easy, an' it ain't cheap. An' ah ain't one tah steal and swipe when ah got a firm opportunity here not tah.”
Twilight nodded. “So we're in agreement. We'll all go to--”
Rainbow glared at the alicorn. She sighed and tried again. “Fine... everypony but me will go and get a job. I'll keep working on my bending. Happy?”
The ponies nodded. They then turned to the stone building on the hill. “Well, there it is. Guess we'd better get going why they still have positions available,” Rainbow said before the four took their steps forward.
------
Rarity dug out yet another old, dusty tome and added it to a small stack she had gathered on the table. The library was practically abandoned, with many of the tomes having remained closed for years. A token effort of cleanliness was still performed, with the floors swept and windows washed at least once a week, even the books dusted. At least near the entrance However, such a long time without having been opened and only their outer spines dusted had left quite a dust buildup on many of them.
Fortunately, very few were damaged beyond reading. Unfortunately, many of the tomes pertaining to the countries secrets, and likely the avatar, were kept under lock and key. She was hopeful she'd still find what she needed, but those hopes were quickly fading away.
Despite having searched since she left her aunt's presence, she had found little about the avatar or Discord. There were a few tomes about her ancestor's triumph over the previous avatar, but nothing about the avatar's abilities or even that Nightmare Moon, aside from a few token mentions. Granted, the tomes were no longer organized, seemingly having been put in random spots due to uncaring ponies. It didn't help that so many of their spines were worn beyond reading, so she had to open and scan through them to find the contents.
She flipped through the newest book of many that she had gathered, absently scanning for words. Starswirl's name popped up on occasion, but on nothing of import.
“Whatcha yah doin'?” a voice asked from behind her, making her jump with a shriek. She turned and glowered at the pony behind her, before letting out a sigh of relief.
“Hello Sweetie. I'm reading.”
“Why?”
“Personal reasons. I need to find out more about the avatar.”
The younger unicorn slowly nodded. “Why? She's dead. Gone. Kaput. Mom won't be happy if she finds out you're reading up on it.”
“Mom doesn't have to know. I can trust my darling little sister to keep my secret, no?” Rarity kept flipping through the book.
“Of course! Why isn't Spike coming out of his cage? I checked in on him, but he refused to talk to me.” The younger princess sounded a little angry when she said that. “I was getting pretty mad...”
Rarity froze in place. “You... didn't do anything to him, did you?”
“No!” Sweetie said quickly. “I'd never, ever, ever hurt anything of yours, big sister!” She gave the elder princess a tight hug. “I promise!”
Rarity smiled and slowly patted the mare on the back. “That's good. Thank you. He's... in a bit of a funk.”
“Ohhhh. Is that why you're looking into the avatar? Hoping to find something to cheer him up?”
Rarity opened her mouth, before quickly closing it. Technically it would be a lie, but could it really hurt? It wasn't like she could tell the mare the truth. “Yes. I'm hoping to find some old information about the avatar that I can use. However, most of the tomes here don't seem to have anything to do with them. Aside from the occasional mention. I'm guessing all the information is in the restricted area.”
Sweetie nodded. “Why not go there then?”
“I don't have the key and I'd rather mother didn't know I was looking. If she found out about Spike, well... I don't imagine she'd be happy.”
Sweetie's face lit up with excitement. “I could get it for you. Would you like that? Would you be happy?”
Rarity smiled and patted her sister. “Welllll... it would really help me out. But wouldn't that be kind of hard? What if mother--”
“Mother won't know a thing. I already do plenty without her knowing.”
Rarity chuckled. “Oh? Like what?”
“I'm the one who's been eliminating most of the assassins she sends after Caballeron. You didn't think he was staying alive all on his own, did you?”
Rarity's blood turned cold before she stared at her sister. “Mother... is sending assassins to kill the general? But he's... I thought he...”
“He's an earth pony, she's no happier with him than any of the other unicorns. I swear, sometimes she's sooooo short sighted. I'll get you the key though, okay? I promise!” The younger unicorn turned and hopped away, leaving her sister sitting there in stunned silence.
Rarity's mouth just hung open. She then turned back to the book, flipping through it as quickly as she could, looking over the words as she went. She felt so stupid. For a few seconds, she'd actually forgotten that that... wasn't quite her sister, any longer. She prayed that whatever it was her aunt wanted her to find, would lead to a way for her to save the mare.
Before there was nothing left to save.
------
Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie and Rainbow made their way up the hill, heading towards the large stone structure at the top. Angel had been left behind with Twilight, to ensure she didn't slack off on her training.
“I still think this is a waste of time,” the blue pegasus grumbled. “We should be grabbing a few things and then leave. Not working on decorations.” They trotted into the courtyard of the structure, which was surrounded by a wide, stone wall. The ground was filled with large crates, stacked on top of each other with addresses posted on the front. However, everything was plain and boring, the walls devoid of any decorations.
“An' ah told yah ah ain't gonna steal when we got a way tah earn our livin' honestly,” Applejack snapped, glaring at the mare. “Yah may be okay fillin' your tummy with ill gotten gains, but ah don't see how that makes yah any better 'an the Water Nation.”
“Because I'm not killing or enslaving any pony,” Rainbow hissed. “I'm just taking what I need to survive, so I can ensure that we ALL survive. I don't think asking for a few meals is really so bad considering we're risking our lives for everypony else.”
“That's cause yah ain't never worked a real day in your life,” Applejack shot back. “Always--”
“Heyyyy now ladies,” Pinkie interrupted, moving up between the two and pulling them into a hug. “Let's not forget we're all bestest buddies here, right? Harsh words shouldn't be passing between us like that.”
“But she--” the two said in unison, but were quickly silence by a hoof to the mouth.
“Nuh uh. We've been through too much, and stood by each other for too long, to start resorting to petty fights. Now apologize and make up!”
The two glared, but after a moment Applejack sighed. “She's right. Ah'm sorry. Ah know yah ain't lazy or none'a... well, ah know yah ain't lazy when it matters.”
Rainbow sighed. “Yeah. And I know you just don't feel right swiping here. To be honest, I don't like doing it either. If we weren't in such a rush, I'd be all for this.”
“It'll just be for a few days,” Applejack said with a smile. “We'll be out of here and on our way before yah know it. With actual supplies, we'll probably be able tah make it even further, faster.”
The pegasus sighed and slowly nodded before they stopped outside the doors of the large structure. “I guess. Besides, a little work never hurt any pony.” She smirked. “I'll bet I get all my work done long before you do.”
Applejack snickered. “Ah bet you'll barely be half done bah the time ah finish, an' ah'll have ta do half your job for yah!”
Rainbow smirked and held out a hoof as they stopped in front of the big, closed doors of the building. “Fine then, you're on! Last one done is a rotten toadstool!”
Applejack smirked and shook the hoof. “An' no bendin' no matter what. Yah got it?”
“Deal.” With a confident shake, the two grinned at each other and shoved the door open. The four were blasted by a sudden burst of confetti as the sound of dozens of ponies working their hooves off filled the air. Rainbow stared for a few seconds, before yanking Fluttershy and Applejack out of the way, barely avoiding them getting trampled by Pinkie as she charged in.
“What in tarnation are yah--”
Rainbow just shook her head and pointed at the pink blur, their friend moving through the huge, open building. Pinkie let out a shriek of delight, before stopping and spreading out her hooves.
“What's this, what's this? There's glitter everywhere!” She stopped in front of a bin holding rolled up wallpaper, all sparkly and glittery. She yanked a few out, tossing them into the air with excitement, before charging down to the next sight, her eyes wide in wonderment. A few pegasi flew in and barely caught the falling paper in time.
“What's this? There's confetti in the air!” She yanked out a noisemaker the size of her head and pulled the string, sending confetti streaming onto a poor unsuspecting unicorn.
“What's this? I can't believe my eyes!” She stopped in the center of the room and stared in wonderment at all the party favors, colors, desserts, wrapping paper and everything else she could imagine needed for a party, all gathered together in a single room. “I must be dreaming. Wake up Pinkie this isn't fair! What's this?” She darted towards her next interest, narrowly avoiding a pegasus who tried to grab her.
The pink bundle of energy popped out from a cake. “What's this? What's this? There's something very wrong!” She looked around in wonderment. “Why is no pony singing songs? What's this?”
She disappeared from the cake as a unicorn slammed into it, getting buried in the dessert. She dangled upside down by one of the windows, staring out with sad eyes. “The streets are lined with ponies barely living. With so much fun behind these doors why aren't they dancing on the floors? What isssss this?! What's this!” She disappeared as a pegasus flew through the window, letting out a shriek before flying back in and shaking off the safety glass pieces.
She popped out from one of the gifts. “All the foals that we've seen all so close to being dead, shouldn't they be here instead? Building gifts and toys and having fun some more, instead they're outside fretting about a little war. There's ponies--”
“WHAT IS THIS?!” a booming, angry voice yelled, interrupting her song and making everypony turn towards an office near the back of the room. A light orange earth pony, with a brown, wild mane to rival Pinkie's stood in the doorway. Everypony quickly pointed to Pinkie. His eyes turned on her and narrowed. “Who are you?”
The happy mare didn't even hesitate, she jumped in front of stallion and held out a hoof. “I'm Pinkie Pie, your newwwwww best friend ever!” she squealed with delight.
“I see...” he mumbled before looking around at the damages. “What is this? Why have you messed with our decorations?”
“I couldn't help it! Everything's so bleak and dismal and sad everywhere else, but here it's perfect! It's time for a real, awesome, amazing party! And I'm just the mare to help you! I can make noisemakers pop, streamers shine and make the bestest best best sugary treats of all time!” She couldn't contain herself, practically hopping about as she spoke.
The stallion stared at her for a few moments, one eye cocked as he stared at her as if she was insane. Rainbow face hooved. “We're so going to get chased out of town...”
“Well, miss Pinkie Pie, I have just one thing to say to you...” the stallion said before stomping a hoof down on the ground. Her friends recoiled and awaited the worst. He took a dramatic pause and deep breath and then... “Welcome to Cheese Sandwich's party emporium, the Water Nation's one stop shop for all your partying needs. We always have room for any pony who's happy and willing to work to bring a smile to anypony's face!”
Pinkie squealed in delight and clapped her hooves together. “Yayyyy! We can start throwing parties again! It's too bad we lost all our emergency confetti...”
“Oh, don't worry, we carry plenty here,” Cheese said before pointing towards a little red box on the wall. It read 'Break in case of confetti emergency.'
Pinkie let out another squeal. “Yayyyy! This chapter isn't going to be sad or depressing for once!”
Cheese nodded and disappeared into his office, the mare behind him. Rainbow glanced to Applejack and Fluttershy. “What... just happened?”
------
Twilight took a slow, deep breath and readied herself. A blindfold covered her eyes, so the only senses she had to know danger was coming was the light trembles in the earth. Angel slowly moved around her, a small stick in his paws as he gently hopped in a small circle. Small stones had been set up, surrounding the alicorn.
The bunny stopped in front of one and swung the stick, sending the stone flying at the mare. She thrust her wing out, but missed the stone and it bounced off her cheek. “Ow! Angel, not so hard!”
The bunny rolled his eyes before slowly slinking about to the next rock. He swung it again and the rock flew at the mare. This time she ducked under, avoiding the rock easily. “Hah, how about--” A second rock smacked her under the nose, making her yelp and rub it. “Owww!”
Angel face palmed.
------
Rarity awoke with a yelp, a sudden prod in her back startling her back up. “I'm awake! I'm awake! Huh? What?” She looked behind her and smiled sheepishly. “Hello Sweetie. I was just...”
“Really bored?” the younger unicorn asked with a chuckle. “I got the key you wanted.” She pulled out a small metal key, old and darkened. Parts of the grip had even chipped off, leaving only a few jagged prods for decoration.
Rarity squealed and gripped it in her magic. “Oh thank you Sweetie, thank you so much! How did you get it?”
“I stole it!”
“Stole... it?” the elder princess squeaked. “From... from mother?”
“Eeyup!” Sweetie shook her head. “Oh, relax. Mom will never know. I'll return it when you're done. Soooo, what are we looking for?”
“I told you. Information on the avatar. Maybe some information on the dragons, as well. Spike could really use some cheering up.”
Sweetie slowly nodded, before grinning. “Okay. I'll help!”
“Won't mother wonder where you are? She usually--”
“I can help for a little bit.” The young mare rolled her eyes. “If she misses me, she can just wait. My big sister comes first.”
Rarity let out a soft sigh, but a grin slowly spread across her lips. She reached out and patted the mare's head. “Sweetie, I just want you to know. No matter what happens, if anything happens... I always cared about you. I just... want you to know that. Everything I'm doing, even if it doesn't make sense, is for you and mother.”
The younger princess just stared in confusion, cocking her head to the side. “What?”
“Nothing. Come on, let's go see what we can find.” She hopped up onto her hooves and trotted through the library's book cases. The deeper they went into the library, the older and less used everything seemed to become. She hadn't managed to work her way into these sections yet, aside from taking out a few books for cursory glances. The floors were covered in dust and the books were even worse, cobwebs spreading out amongst them. If she wasn't afraid of getting noticed, she'd have told the maids to scrub it from top to bottom.
They soon stopped in front of a large, metal door with only a key hole and an ancient wooden handle marring the surface. “Here we are,” Rarity whispered, before looking to her sister. “Are you sure you want to help?”
“Of course. Go on, open it.”
Rarity gulped and slowly lifted up the key. It slid into the lock, but refused to turn. “Oh, come on you rusty useless wall!” she hissed as she wiggled the key a few times with her magic. She finally gripped the door grip and pulled on it, bending the key slightly
With a soft click the lock opened. However, as she pushed the door open, the handle broke off in her hooves, the wood practically falling apart in her grip. “O-oh no. It--” Rarity's words were cut off as air rushed into the room and dust billowed out, enveloping both the ponies in a thick cloud.
The two galloped back, hacking and coughing as they tried to clear their lungs. A thick cloud of dust stayed in the hall, covering the books nearest as the two princesses shook their manes and tried to remove the dust from their coats. Rarity glanced to her sister and struggled to resist it, but she couldn't. Her lips began to twitch, her hooves started shaking and then her resistance crumbled. “Bah ha ha ha ha! You look ridiculous!”
Sweetie stared up, glaring at the mare. Her coat and mane were almost completely gray, the dust so thick she had to squint to avoid getting it in her eyes. “You don't look any better!”
Rarity chuckled for a few more moments, before paling. She galloped through the library, trying to find the nearest reflective surface, before gaping in horror. Her beautiful mane was ruined, covered in dust so thick that only a few specks of purple could be seen. She took a deep breath, instantly regretting it as she collapsed into a coughing fit.
“L-let's close it back up and come back later, after we clean up,” Sweetie whined, shaking the dust out of her mane.
“No,” the elder princess said, before shaking her head and sending dust flying. She turned to the door, the dust having already mostly settled. “It's best to do it now. If we don't, we'll just have clean up again after.” A shiver went down her spine as she thought about having to go into the dark, dusty room. However, she was more than willing to face it, if it meant answers. She pulled a small lantern from the table and quickly lit it. “You can leave this to me if--”
“Not a chance,” Sweetie mumbled before moving behind her sister.
Rarity smiled and trotted forward, taking one last deep breath of fresh air before pushing the door completely open. The room was small, barely larger than the average walk-in closet. Two shelves were lined on either side with an old, unused desk sitting against the back wall. A lamp, completely empty, was resting on the best along with an old tome.
Rarity stopped and stared at the lamp for a second. It was the same design as the one she now held and a soft pang of sadness went through her heart. She motioned to the desk. “You don't suppose our father was the last one to come in here, do you?”
Sweetie shivered. “I... I don't know. Did father ever use this room?”
Rarity didn't answer, instead she walked to the desk. Her hoof steps were heavily muffled by the dust and, as she walked, she left little hoof prints in it. A single book was resting on the desk, closed for who knew how many years. She gingerly reached out and wiped some of the dust off the cover, but there were no words on it. It was just a plain, pleather bound tome. She sighed and slowly opened it, the pages crinkling as they spread.
The ink was old, but crisp. It only took her a few moments of reading before her eyes went wide and she flipped, delicately, to the first page. “This is the diary of Starlight. The first Nightmare Moon...”
Sweetie gasped and stared. “It... it can't be. Can it? I mean... isn't... if mother finds out we have that...”
“She'd be furious.” Rarity picked the book up in her magic and turned to her sister. “You won't tell though, will you?”
Sweetie slowly shook her head. “No. But--”
“It'll be fine.” Rarity closed it and held it to her side. “Come on, let's go. This should hopefully be enough.” If she was correct, and her father did use this, then it would be all she needed. She glanced around for a few seconds, gripping some other tomes that looked slightly less dirty than the rest. “Just in case.”
“Are you sure?”
The elder pony nodded and they stepped out, closing the door behind them. Unfortunately, the lock refused to close. “Come on your rusted piece of junk...” Rarity hissed as she tried turning the key harder. It started to bend and she stopped, her eyes widening before she pulled it back. She glanced to her sister. “How often does mother use this key?”
“I don't think she ever has.”
Rarity sighed, before looking to the door and the key. “If we broke it, she'd surely notice. But...” She pushed the door open again and looked around. She gripped the chair opposite the door with her telekinesis, closed the door and pushed the chair against it. “There. That should stop it from opening on its own.” She gave it a gentle push, but it didn't budge. Satisfied, she looked to the door handles. It took her only a few seconds to remove the remaining wood and then gather the fragments in her magic. She considered what to do with them for a few moments, before tossing them out one of the windows to let them be crushed into the ground outside.
“Won't somepony notice?” Sweetie asked nervously.
“Maybe, but hopefully not,” Rarity said back, before glancing back at the door. There was very little sign the wooden handle had ever existed, just a few screws and splinters. She doubted any of those who cleaned here really cleaned the area, judging by how dusty the books around there were even before the door opened. “Just replace the key and hope. There's nothing else we can do.” She held it out to her sister, who took it. “I'll be in my room, please let me know if there is anything important. If mother asks... tell her I'm working on the paperwork for our new territories.” She glanced down to her side and sighed. “After I have a nice, long bath.” She took a few seconds to shake the dust off the tomes.
Sweetie nodded, before following her sister out. A bath was in her future too. They closed the door behind them and trotted down the hall.
Once they were out of sight, a pony wrapped in a thick blue cloak came around the corner and slowly opened the door, stepping inside.
------
“So, what do you think they're doing in there?” Rainbow asked Applejack. The two were currently working an assembly line, putting the strings on noise poppers as they came down a small metal line. It was simple, but tedious work. Fluttershy was a few feet away, bagging up bundles of confetti.
“Ah don't know,” Applejack mumbled, occasionally glancing back towards the office the two earth ponies had disappeared into. Occasionally they'd hear explosions and laughter, but aside from when the stallion had popped out to tell them they were hired, they hadn't seen either of the two. If they didn't know Pinkie's laughter so well, they'd have been worried. Instead, they just worked where they had been told to work.
Behind the door, Pinkie giggled softly as she rearranged the party seats to best fit the amount of fun needed. “Now, all the foals should be closest to the stage in case they have splash back. The kids will love it, but some of the adults get all stuffy wuffy if they get water or glitter splashed all over them.”
Cheese nodded. “Exactly. But who should we set up next to the seven party cannon salute?”
Pinkie giggled and pointed towards the soldiers. “Well, that's simple. Having the soldiers nearby might freak them out. So we put the parents closer and have the soldiers near the back. It also works best if there is any problems, they don't have to run back out through the crowds.”
The stallion nodded and rubbed his chin. “Fascinating. Truly, truly fascinating. Pinkie Pie, to think when you first came here I thought to take you on as a student. However, I think you know enough of party planning to teach me a thing or two!”
Pinkie giggled softly. “Well, I just want to make everypony happy! A bad party just upsets everypony and makes them sad.” She shook her head.
He hummed and rubbed his chin. “Where exactly did you say you were from again?”
The pink mare chuckled nervously, giving him a small grin. “From? Errr... you know. Earth country. Heh heh...”
He slowly nodded and looked her over. “Truly fascinating. I wonder... Hold on. Could you wait here a moment?” He then zipped out of the room, running into the closet. The glass in the door illuminated him and a small... thin rubber chicken? “She could be the one, boneless. She's definitely got the skill and the energy. But I don't know if she has the timing.”
The chicken's head fell over.
“Well, I guess you've got a good point. It can't hurt to try.” The door swung open and he stood in the doorway, spreading his hooves wide. The chicken had vanished.
She smiled. “Soo... I could be the one for what?”
The stallion shook his head. “Your training is advanced. In fact, it's probably the most advanced I've ever seen. I believe you're ready to learn the most advanced techniques of a party pony.” He raised his head high and stared towards the sky. Well, roof. “It's time you learned the art... of party war.”
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I believe you mean avatar.
Also, party war?
mylittlefacewhen.com/media/f/img/mlfw4878-d99.gif
They should be afraid, very afraid.
Also, got that song reference in one.
I finally caught up. Excellent story!
Party war?
Bye bye, world!
Hmm, so, Cheese Sandwich. Fascinating. And what a fun chapter too, while also addressing the ethics of motivation and wrong action in war. Just, lightly. And twilight continues her work for bending practice. Get her muscles back in shape.
Rarity meanwhile discovered Starlight's fabulous diary with her sister, who is giving a serious case of disharmony between being bubbly and homicidal.
But who is the other pony who went into the library? Yes, who is the one who followed after?
Got the song by the second line....I was singing the words in my head.
A party war? Sounds awesome!
Awesome. And such a fun twist on Azula.
I laughed at the irony.
11326752
A lil bit. Happy to see you're enjoying this story. Been a long time since I got comments on it and I've been loving them all. ^^