The Disappearance of Pinkamena Diane Pie

by Alubrony

Chapter 4: The Library

It was a simple enough plan: wait until Celestia goes to confer with Luna about Pinkie, then eavesdrop on their conversation to discover whatever it is they know about her. However, execution was going to be a bit more difficult: regardless of whatever method I decided upon, I would undoubtedly have to use various forms of magic right under the noses of two God-like ponies without alerting them; not so simple after all.

The doors to the library flew open from the force of my magic as I galloped into the main hall, Bastion right behind me. I skidded to a stop, causing him to slam into into me, knocking us both over.

“Oh crap, are you alright?” he asked, standing up and reaching a hoof out to help me.

“Ugh… I’m fine, don't worry about it.” I took his hoof and stood up, shaking my head a bit. I tried to give a small smile, “Sorry, I didn’t mean to make you crash into me or anything.”

“I figured that much.” He rolled his eyes, but his expression grew serious. “So, what’s this about finding your friend?”

Crap, I hadn’t meant to blurt that out, but I was caught up in the moment and too lost in my own head to think about what I was saying. Bastion seemed like a nice guy and all, but he was still a soldier in the Guard and relatively a stranger. It’s not like I could just go up to him and say, “Oh, by the way, I think the Princess is full of shit, so I’m just gonna sneak into her private quarters and eavesdrop on them, alright?”

“I… uh,” I stammered, trying to think of a lie on the spot. Lying wasn’t exactly my strong suit, and though Bastion’s didn’t appear to have a magically based talent, he was still a unicorn, which meant that he had some basis of understanding when it came to spell work. I couldn’t just throw together some half-assed magic talk that might fly over the head of an earth pony or a pegasus.

“Well?” he prodded, the question filled with impatience.

“Well…honestly, I was hoping I could try and find a spell that would aid in the search. Maybe a way of tracking her or something that could fly around and help look for her…”

That’s it! It was so simple, why hadn’t I thought of it sooner? I just had to enchant an object with a “Come Alive” spell and set up a mental link so I can directly control it. Then maybe a scrying spell so I can monitor its movements through a basin of water. Of course, I’ll also need to set up-

“So you wanna make a Saddle Scout?” he asked matter of factly.

“Wait, was I talking out loud?” I replied, mortified. Sometimes I couldn’t stand my tendency to think out loud. It was a bad habit I’d picked up as a filly. For some reason, speaking out my thoughts just seemed to make it easier to connect ideas together. Now, it just seems to be blowing my cover.

“Yeah, but that’s actually a good idea, you know? Saddle Scouts are really useful. We use ‘em all the time during operations,” Bastion explained, seeming pleased to know he could give some input. I sighed. Luckily, he didn’t seem to know what I was actually planning to do.

“So what exactly is a Saddle Scout?” I asked, raising an eyebrow. I had never heard of one before, but Bastion seemed very passionate about them.

“Technically, they’re kinda hush-hush around civilians,” he stated, almost seeming to flaunt his knowledge before me. I found it irksome at best. “But they’re exactly what you described, an enchanted object that moves to the will of its caster and has special charms that allow the caster to see and hear through the view of the object.”

“What kind of object is it though? From what I know of Come to Life enchantments, their range of movement is limited to the object in question,” I pointed out. Though I had a basic idea of what I would need, I wanted to get all the information on these Saddle Scouts I could.

“Actually, we use paper most of the time,” he stated, rubbing his chin. My head pulled back instinctively as confusion spread across my face.

“Paper? Like, just a sheet of parchment?” I asked, slightly disappointed in his answer. I failed to see how paper would be useful. If you wanted an object that had good maneuverability, typically you’d enchant something with wheels. Paper, on the other hoof, wouldn’t be able to just get up and fly around. Bastion sat there silently, his search for the proper words evident on his face.

“Have you ever heard of Origami?” he finally asked as he took a seat.

“Yeah, it’s a form of art from the Eastern Empires that involves folding paper.” I tried to find the connection. My knowledge of Origami was very limited because I’d never taken to studying art; though, I had a loose idea of it. I knew flowers were a major subject piece for the art, but I couldn’t determine how folding paper was useful for a Come to Life Spell.

“Basically, we fold the paper into whatever animal would best meet our needs: whether it be a bird for its flying capability, or a lizard for its stealth. We then cast a refined Come to Life spell that gives it the characteristics of whatever animal the paper was folded into. Of course, I’ve never been able to master the spell. It’s a little out of my league,” he admitted, his eyes turned to the ground as he tried to play the last part as a joke. Regardless, it was obvious he felt slightly ashamed with his inadequate spellwork.

“Hey now, that’s no reason to get down on yourself. Most unicorns only learn two or three complicated spells, and they tend to relate to their special talent.” I attempted to put on a comforting smile.

“Most unicorns know more than just two spells, though,” he rebutted, rolling his eyes. I, once again, found myself bewildered by his words.

“Wait, you only know two spells? Like only two? Not two higher level spells?” I regretted my words the moment they left my mouth. It hadn’t even occurred to me that this might be a touchy subject, and Bastion seemed taken aback by my bluntness. My eyes unintentionally wandered to the ground, avoiding his gaze. “I’m, I’m sorry, that was really rude of me…”

“It’s ok, I understand your surprise. It’s unheard of for a unicorn to be bad at magic.” He smirked, then perked up slightly as he changed the subject. “Shall we get started on this Saddle Scout?”

“Sure.” I smiled as I turned to face the beautifully ornate library before me. Viewing the thousands upon thousands of volumes on its many shelves sparked a certain energy in me, challenging me to get lost in the bountiful knowledge those tomes contained. I had to pause and remind myself that current events required that I resist that urge. I had some idea of which books I required, but there were a few things I would have to guess at. Come to Life spells weren’t simple at all. They involved laying out a very detailed set of instructions for how an object should act in a given situation. Thankfully, since I would be controlling the object directly, I only had to set out instructions for responding to my commands.

“So, what books do you need me to find?” Bastion asked as he gawked at the overwhelming number of categories that existed.

“I should be able to find most of them myself, thank you. I wouldn’t want you getting lost,” I joked, raising an eyebrow and smirking.

“Then is there anything I can do?” His question might as well been, “Please don't leave me to sit here bored.” His implied plea amused me greatly, and it would probably be better if I did give him some kind of distraction. In the long run, it would keep him from interrupting my work or from picking up on my true intentions.

“You could find a book on Origami and make some test pieces for me to work with,” I suggested, hoping he wouldn’t be too put off by the idea; he perked up immediately.

“You can count on me,” he replied with gusto as he turned and ventured into the labyrinth of tall wooden shelves that constituted the library. Having successfully distracted my companion, I turned my attention to my next moves. First, I needed to contact the girls somehow and tell them of what I’d been able to figure out so far. Also, if worse comes to worse, it might be smart to set up some kind of fall back. I had a fair bit of confidence in my ability to pull this off, but Celestia was not to be underestimated.

Standing up and making my way to the hourglass in the center of the library, it dawned on me that I honestly had no idea of the extent of Celestia’s magical prowess. Obviously, she was capable of controlling celestial bodies and had mastered other forms of great magic. Despite the many spells she’d shown me throughout my studies, I’d never seen her put her all into any one spell. Even moving the sun and moon seemed to be as simple as lifting a ball would be for myself.

“What am I getting myself into this time?” I asked myself, shaking my head lightly as I ventured deeper into the library.

About an hour later, I gathered a sizable stack of books over various forms of communication magic and Come to Life Spells. We found a cozy spot in one of the lounge areas of the library, and I was examining a few promising volumes on the uses of Dragon Fire. The hope was that I would be able to replicate the link Celestia was able to make between herself and Spike. Bastion was sitting across from me meticulously folding a piece of parchment. There were several balled up pieces of parchment around him and over the course of our time here he’d stormed off angrily to wander around the library on multiple occasions. I assumed this meant his skill in art was on par with my own.

“So what exactly is your special talent?” I inquired. It had been on my mind for some time, and since he had never taken off his armor, I hadn’t gotten the chance to observe his cutie mark.

“Mine?” He quickly looked up, surprised by the sudden break in silence. “Ah, you know…” he began, his gaze returning back to his work, lips trembling slightly as he forced a smirk on his face. “Nothing special, just your typical protecting ponies type of talent you tend to find on the Guard.”

“Are you not happy with that?” I’m sure his intention was to seem comical, but the presence of disappointment was unmistakable. I had never known a pony to be unhappy with their talent. Typically, it’s something they’d always had, but until their cutie marks appeared never actually appreciated. However, my experience with other ponies was, regrettably, limited to Ponyville and the few I interacted with during my time in Canterlot.

“It’s not that I’m unhappy with it, it’s just… I feel as though I’ve yet to live up to it, I guess.” He glanced upward through a skylight, set high in the eves. The sky had taken a brilliant orange hue and would soon turn black within coming time.

“What do you mean?” I asked, tilting my head in confusion. It seemed strange to me that one would feel that they hadn’t lived up to their own talent.

“It’s just, I’ve always wanted to help ponies in some way or another. When I was younger, I had hoped to become an Arcane Scientist and discover new types of spellwork that would benefit ponykind. Of course, that never came to pass, considering my complete lack of magical ability.” He raised a hoof up and began to take off his armor piece by piece. After removing the plates which covered his flank, I finally took my first look at his cutie mark.

The cutie mark was comprised of an elongated hexagon with a three-pointed shield in the center. I was unsure of what meaning the hexagon held, but the shield was an obvious sign of his talent in protecting others.

“I got my cutie mark when I got into a fight back during my school days,” his story began. He sat back onto his haunches and held up a plate of his armor. “These bullies had been picking on a friend of mine when I stepped in. Unfortunately, I wasn’t much of a fighter as a colt, and I got my ass beat.” He gazed at his reflection in the armor as though he was watching the events unfold upon its surface as he spoke. “After they had gotten bored and left, I looked down to find my cutie mark. At first I was worried that it meant my special talent was getting my ass kicked, but I soon realized that wasn’t the case.” He put down the armor and turned to me. His eyes held a certain gloss to them, as though he was still staring at his reflection instead of at me.

“My special talent is to protect ponies by facing the ones who threaten them.” He turned away from me again and returned his gaze back to the skylight, where a few stars had begun to show. A small smile formed on his lips. “At first I was pretty excited about it. I had always wanted to help ponies, and after finding out that my magical ability was sub-par, I was ecstatic to see that my special talent was still of some help to ponies. So, I learned to fight. I became somewhat of a local hero to ponies who got bullied, and when I became of age I left for the military.”

As he told his story, I tried to place myself in his hooves. This was my first time hearing such a story, and I couldn’t help but feel guilty. I’ve never really wanted anything in particular when I began studying magic. Honestly, the only reason I spent so much of my time studying it was because I was good at it. There was no sense of morality or duty, just the feeling of empowerment from hearing my parents praise me for my work. Before I knew it, I was being called a prodigy and sent away to study under the Princess, herself. It had never occurred to me that other ponies hadn’t had similar experiences; that maybe there were some whose dreams didn’t come true.

“Before long, I was shipped off to boot camp. As much as it sucked, being there made me feel like I had purpose in the world. Then I graduated, and that was truly the first time I ever felt I had accomplished anything in my life.” When his gaze once again shifted over to me, the smile was gone, replaced by a tired expression. “And then I realized how foalish I was. I’ve been in for three years now, and I have yet to do anything to protect anypony. I spend all my time standing duty in front of large doors, or simply patrolling around the castle. Occasionally, we go on training operations throughout Equestria to make sure we aren’t getting rusty in our combat skills, but that’s about the extent of my military career. Now all I do is watch the years go down the drain, wondering if I had made the wrong choice somewhere along the line.”

“But what about the Invasion of Canterlot? You protected hundreds of ponies in the battle. Surely that means something?” Maybe I misunderstood his pain, but anypony could see that he had done much more to protect Equestria than he seemed ready to admit. His eyes shut as his head tilted toward the ground.

“Twilight, I didn’t protect anypony.” He spoke softly, so much so that I could barely hear him.

“What do you mean? Of course you did. The Princess even-”

“The Princess wasn’t there: just me, my men, changelings, and the ponies they were slaughtering,” he spat, abruptly cutting me off. “Maybe from your perspective I’m some kind of hero, but I didn’t save anypony. Perhaps Celestia just didn’t tell you, but many ponies died that day and many more went missing, probably to be fed on later.” He ground his teeth as his voice became a growl. “Then those slimy little shits had the nerve to take the form of the ponies they’d just butchered. Do you know what that’s like, Twilight? To be forced to kill ponies you were used to seeing everyday? Even if it was just an illusion, they were so alike: their voices, their faces, their screams.” He suddenly stood and walked over to the open origami book surrounded by balls of paper. His magic enveloped a new sheet that he proceeded to fold with careful precision.

My head hung low as I sat stunned, unable to respond. I felt as if I had no right to speak. Bastion went through hell and hadn’t even gained the satisfaction of doing his part. All he saw was the faces of ponies he was forced to kill again and again. It wasn’t that I was unaware that bloodshed had happened, but my personal experience of that day had been so different.

After successfully driving away the changeling swarm without any real damage on our part, then carrying on the wedding as if nothing happened, I had just assumed that such triumph was felt over all of Canterlot. Maybe that’s what Celestia had wanted. My mind drifted wondering just what other atrocities the Sun Princess had covered up to keep the picture-perfect view of Equestria that her subjects so praised her for.

I kept silent, struggling to decide what I could say to comfort Bastion, but I knew he didn’t want to hear any of it. Clearly, he wanted to just let this moment be forgotten between us; a desire I shared. I returned to the book I had abandoned, and soon we found ourselves lost in our work once more.

---

I managed to create a new connection with Spike, allowing me to send him and the girls a letter detailing the day’s events. We formed a plan to meet up at Zecora’s if things didn’t go as planned. I felt slightly presumptuous assuming Zecora would be willing to let us meet there late at night, but she had always been there when we needed her, whenever we needed her. The only hole in the backup plan was that I was unsure of how exactly I would manage to travel all the way back to Ponyville on such short notice. Luckily, my research into dragon fire might prove useful in fixing that problem.

Bastion’s mood had improved to the point where he was once again smiling and humming to himself while he worked, which greatly relieved the tension that had built up. I had taken careful inspection of his work and was pleased to notice that he had gained a good bit of skill in origami. The pieces were amazingly detailed and if painted right would probably look just like their real life counterparts. It was certainly a far cry from what my minimal knowledge of the art held.

“They have to be that detailed in order for the Come to Life Spell to mimic the animals properly,” Bastion clarified, noticing the way I gawked at the bird, lizard, and squirrel he had made.

“I mean, I understand why they are so detailed; it's just I've never seen them so detailed.” I replied lifting up the bird and carefully looking over its many features. There were clear joints in all the right places so that it could, in theory, move like any real bird.

“Should I take that as a compliment?” he replied, smirking. I rolled my eyes in response and retreated to the book I was reading on the animation of animal-like objects. My research into Come To Life Spells was also showing much promise. There were a couple of hitches here and there, but for the most part, I was confident that I’d be able to have a working Saddle Scout in time for Celestia’s and Luna’s meeting.

While the night was still young we returned the books to their shelves before making our way out of the library. Night court wouldn’t end until midnight, so I still had a few hours to perfect a Saddle Scout back in my quarters in the castle. Bastion walked along next to me, once again wearing his armor. We hadn't talked about earlier at all, and guilt had been building up over how I had reacted. Even though he obviously was upset, I kept prodding him acting as if I understood something about how he felt, when really I had no idea.

“Is there something on my face?” he asked, alerting me to the fact that I’d been staring. I blushed and looked away.

“No… sorry,” I apologized abruptly without even knowing why.

“For what?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

“I dont know… I kept you busy all night, and you must be hungry,” I replied making up something on the spot.The temptation to pick up my speed as awkwardness settled in gnawed at my mind. Although my worry made little sense, I feared that sharing my thoughts on earlier might somehow upset him again. He chuckled.

“That’s alright, I should have an MRE laying around from our last training op. Besides...” He gave me a warm smile which came close to making me blush yet again. “I’m glad I was able to help. It was fun being with you.” He then sped up, placing himself just far enough ahead that I couldn’t see his face. I hoped it was because he was aware of how cheesy that was. Nevertheless, it made me smile.

“Whats an MRE?” I asked, wanting to extend the conversation just a little longer.

“It stands for Meal Ready to Eat. It’s supposed to be food that never goes bad, so we can carry it with us on long operations where there won’t be a cook present. Though, they might as well give us dog food, I’m sure it would taste better.” He looked back at me with a smirk. I tried covering my muzzle so I wouldn’t laugh too hard and ended up snorting instead. My face instantly turned red as Bastion burst with laughter. After giving him a well deserved glare, I flung my muzzle to the air and marched off ahead of him; my display only seemed to fuel his laughter.

Once we arrived at my room, Bastion bid me goodnight then left for the barracks to eat. He said he would be back before long and would be staying in the room next to mine for the duration of my stay. Within seconds of closing the door behind me, I began my preparations. There were only a couple of hours before the Princesses’ meeting, and I needed to ensure that my plan would go without a hitch. I laid out the materials in front of me.

Before I could begin, Bastion floated into my mind. I thought back on that evening. It almost felt like I would be sullying such nice memories by carrying out my plan. I shook my head, trying to knock the frilly thoughts from my mind. I didn’t have time to get carried away with such nonsense now. Pinkie needed me, and I wasn’t going to let her down. With my goal clear in mind, I set myself to work, hoping to finally get the answers I have long yearned to discover.

Comments

[gcwg57]

Is good. I'm assuming you have personal experience with MREs?

[Alubrony]

5317767 Lol I had to eat them for a month straight in combat training