13. Reflection Sum – Part 2
P A R T T W O
S W E E T I E B E L L E
“Stars alive.”
No kidding. Talk about ritzy. This hotel was leaps and bounds beyond what I could have imagined.
“You sure this is the place?” I asked Button.
“Waldam Astoria,” he said with a nod, pointing at the embossed golden sign above the glittering awning.
Yeesh. “Eternity must be selling like hotcakes if they can afford a place like this. You think they booked the entire hotel?”
“That would be super-cool, for sure,” said Button with a chuckle as we approached the doorway. “But they probably only got the ballroom.”
The stallion standing at the front opened the door for us as we approached. “Good afternoon, madam and sir.”
“And you as well,” I said with a curtsey, remembering my lessons on social etiquette.
“To what do we owe you the pleasure?”
“We’re here for the Eternity event!” Button exclaimed with absolutely no sense of decorum.
“Ah yes.” He indicated with a hoof. “That would be the Vanderbit Room to the left of the lobby. The event begins in two hours.” He stepped aside, and with a curt exchange of nods, we trotted in.
The inside of the hotel was even more magnificent. Hooves pranced across reflective marble floor, their sharp clops echoing throughout the lobby. Around us spiraled tall pillars that rose to greet an ornately-painted ceiling. A breathtaking glass chandelier hung, sparkling with brilliant points of light. From somewhere as yet unseen came the tinkling notes of a grand piano, decorating the lobby in rippling glissandos.
“This is so cool,” said a reverent Button.
I could only muster a dull nod of my head in response.
“C’mon, the guy at the door said it was this way!” Button grabbed my hoof and trotted off towards the left of the lobby. And I, still puzzling out the implacable grandeur, matched his stride in silence.
This was way bigger than I expected for it to be. And I didn’t even just mean in size. Why all the glitz and glam? Why a ballroom in one of the fanciest, most expensive hotels in Manehattan? Over a video game, of all things?
“Mare, it’s too bad your sister had already booked the other hotel by the time we got the invite,” he said excitedly as we strode past ornate lounging areas and the stately-looking ponies that occupied them. “I’d have been down to stay here if Miss Prosperity were offering.”
My insides seized up at the mention of her name, and I felt a nervous chill run down my spine. Somehow, in all of the overwhelming fanciness, I had completely forgotten we were about to meet Miss Prosperity.
Miss Prosperity. One of the developers behind Eternity. One of the curators of the world that I called my second home.
And that’s when I was slapped across the face by the full force of what exactly was about to happen.
I was going to meet one of my heroes! How the heck was a nopony like myself supposed to process that? I had never done anything like this before!
…What was I talking about? Of course I had. I knew the Elements of Harmony! I knew the Archmage of Equestria! …Gah, but they were all pals with my older sister! It wasn’t the same! Gah!
“W-wait, Button!” I quickly freed my hoof of his grasp. “Just gimme a second! This is happening way too fast!”
“Too late!” he grinned, rounding the corner. “We’re here!”
Gulp. My eyes followed his into the room—a massive, open-entryway ballroom, above which hovered a banner with the word ‘ETERNITY’.
He trounced inside like it was nothing, and I numbly followed him in.
As expected, the inside of the ballroom was a lavishly ornate affair. It was wider than it was deep, and cordoned by velvet ropes into three distinct sections, the recessed center area featuring a dance floor and a stage towards the front.
Unexpectedly… the room was also a huge mess. There were tables and chairs haphazardly scattered everywhere. Ponies were running to and fro, carting equipment and rolled-up stratoscreens every which way.
“Looks like they’re still setting up.”
“This looks like chaos,” I said quickly, glancing over my shoulder. “Maybe we should get out of the—“
“Goodness, are attendees already showing up?” came a womanly voice to our right, and we turned to face…
…a tall unicorn mare.
With a white-coat and a billowing red mane that surged past her shoulders.
And a tricorn hat.
And she was coming straight this way.
…Awww fiddlesticks.
“So sorry!” she said breathlessly as she trotted up to us, brimming with a matronly aura. “The event doesn’t start for a few more hours, and we’re still trying to get everything ready! If you could please—”
“Yes, apologies for that,” I said quickly. Seeing an out, I made to leave. “We’ll go ahead and get out of your mane—“
“Hi, Miss Prosperity!”
…Button, you friggin’ idiot.
Miss Prosperity’s eyes narrowed in curiosity. “Have we met—? Wait… you sound familiar.” Her eyes widened in sudden recognition. “Aren’t you—?“
“It’s me, Mash!” he squealed in excitement, running up to greet her. “From Sanctuary!”
“Oh! Oh, goodness, yes! Hello!” she replied, her face lighting up like the summer sun as she met his outstretched hoof. “Thank you ever so much for coming, it’s so wonderful to have you here!” She paused for a moment. “Though I, er, imagined… well—”
“Taller?” Button giggled his stupid happy giggle.
“Well, no… just, I didn’t realize you were so, um, young!”
“That’s what you said the first time you met us, silly!”
“Oh! Did I? I’m so sorry.” She blushed daintily, her manner so endearing that I’d’ve forgiven her for ethnic genocide. “Things have been really busy today, so— oh! MacGuffin, Amaranth, the two-meter tables are going to the vendor area, right side!”
“You got it, Props!” came the hearty reply of a gray-coated stallion. As he changed course, he made a point to whirl his messy dark-blue mane dramatically about the air like a wanna-be fashion model.
“Oh, quit being such a poser, Mag,” muttered a motherly-looking pink-coated mare behind him.
“Can’t help it, Ami, my hair is fabulous,” he joked, turning to Miss Prosperity with a melodramatic look. “Agree with me, for it is true!”
“You won’t be making runway with that five o’clock shadow,” replied Miss Prosperity with a light chuckle.
“Gasp! You dare besmirch the face fuzz!” He feigned outrage for a few moments, before his face fell flat again. “Seriously though, don’t diss the manly stubble. It adds character.”
“Your characters have more character than you, Mag,” teased Miss Prosperity.
“Oh snap,” said Button in awe.
His jaw dropped, but before he could reply, Miss Amaranth spoke over him. “Prosperity, how many tables do you need on stage?”
“Just two, if you please, and push them to the back!” said Miss Prosperity, waving her hoof. “Also, Amaranth, do you mind taking the floor? I need to step outside to speak to our guests of honor!”
“Ooh, they made it? Lovely!” replied the mare called Amaranth, immediately ticking off some boxes on her list before waving at us excitedly. “Good to see you here! Wow, you two are adorable. Go ahead and get them settled in, Props! I got things covered for now!”
“Yeah, and while you’re at it, take a break!” added Mister MacGuffin. “You’ve been working like crazy, go grab a sandwich and sit down for a bit!”
“A break? Are you sure?” asked Miss Prosperity, to which she received a very flat look from both ponies. “…Alright, fine, I get it, I’ll go take a break. Thanks for your help, you two!”
“Yep, see you in a bit!” replied Miss Amaranth.
Miss Prosperity turned back to us. “Right, well! Let’s go outside, shall we?”
She led us out the door and towards a quiet lounging area just across from the ballroom, before turning back to us with a smile on her face.
“So sorry about that! We’re still in the midst of preparations, and things have been quite hectic, so forgive me if I’m a bit… frazzled at… the…”
Her speech petered off as her ice-blue eyes roamed to… oh Stars, she’s staring at me, whadoido?!
“…moment?” She blinked once, and then again. “Is that… are you Dovetail?”
“…Yes?” I nodded slowly. “Um, hello.”
“H-hello…” she said, nervously gazing into my eyes… no, past my eyes.
And onto my cutie mark.
Hoboy.
“…May I?” she asked in a near-reverent whisper.
“G-go right ahead.”
Her approach was cautious and her expression mesmerized. I could see her eyes tracing the contours of the mark, like she couldn’t believe it was true. Honestly, it was just a little discomforting to be under such close scrutiny by somepony I barely knew.
…Yep! I’m going to pretend that was just plain ol’ discomfort, and not, you know, complete and total mortification from having attention lavished on me by somepony I admired. Whatever helps cleanse the red off my face. Stars, I better not be blushing.
“Goodness… it’s so real,” she said breathlessly. “I mean… not that I didn’t believe you when you said it, but… to see it in person, it’s just…”
“Awesome, right?!” exclaimed Button, in what I could only describe as an act of conspiracy with Miss Prosperity to maximize my embarrassment. That little traitor.
“…Yes. Yes, that’s a good word for it.” Her smile glowed even brighter. “Awesome.”
It… wasn’t that awesome. Not after what it did to my week. But damn it, I couldn’t bring myself to argue the point, or crush that delirious smile on her face.
She blushed as she met my eyes. “I’m sorry, where are my manners? Miss Dovetail, I’m so glad you could make it. It… really, it’s an honor to meet you.”
…Huh?! She was honored to meet me? No, nonono, this was all backwards! Gah! Okay, okay. Calm down, Sweetie Belle. You got this. Remember courtly manner! …Wait, no, that doesn’t apply here, it only works when— ah, screw it.
“The honor is mine, Miss Prosperity,” I replied with a trepid curtsey, doing everything equinely possible to ignore the hammering of my heart against my ribcage.
She giggled lightly—it was working! …I think. “Miss Dovetail— is it alright if I call you Miss Sweetie Belle?”
I nodded mutely. “Just Sweetie Belle is fine.”
“Sweetie Belle.” She smiled softly. “I know we barely know each other, but I hope that it isn’t too forward of me to say that it… it really fills me warmth knowing that my work was able to inspire your mark. Congratulations, Sweetie Belle.”
Excising my tone of whatever contempt I felt towards the cutie mark in question, I replied with a curt bow of my head. “Thank you, Miss Prosperity. You are too kind.”
“Aw, c’mon, Sweetie!” groused Button as he punched me in the shoulder— ow! “Why you gotta be so stiff?”
I glared daggers at Button. He eased off. “Ehehehe…”
“Just ‘Prosperity’ is fine.” She smiled easily. Too easily. “It’s alright, we don’t need to be formal.”
Dang it, but she was so cool and so much more mature than I was and oh my Stars I wish I was half as calm as she was right now!
“I know, Miss— err, Prosperity,” I said, racking my brain for something to say. “I’m just… a little frazzled right now too. It’s been a really long week—“ nope, bad direction, don’t spoil the mood with your personal problems “—and everything’s been happening so fast, what with clearing the Vault, and getting my cutie mark, and learning about Shadow and Stranger, and hearing about the tournament and traveling to Manehattan and going to this event and meeting you and—“
“Sweetie Belle,” said Button, putting a hoof on my shoulder. “Breathe.”
I shut my trap as soon as I realized I was rambling. Or maybe because my face was burning up hot enough to bake cookies on my cheeks. Or maybe I needed to ponder the sheer irony of Button telling me to breathe.
But he was right. I was just blurting out verbal garbage and humiliating myself in front of Prosperity. Miss Prosperity, who was standing there amid the storm of chaos unfolding around us—ponies running around and tables being arranged and the room being set up and the planning she was no doubt undergoing in her head even as she spoke to this idiot spilling spaghetti all over the place. And yet, she just stood there, serene as a sunset, the patient smile never leaving her face.
I needed to slow down. My anxiety was getting me nowhere.
So I did as Button said—breathe in, breathe out—and tried relaxing enough to start choosing my next words with more intent.
“Sorry,” I finally said, looking up at Prosperity. “I guess I’m just getting caught up in the…” Stress? Pressure? Anxiety? No. Stay positive. “…The excitement of it all.”
Her expression softened, and her next reply came in gentle tones. “I understand. I can imagine that things have been pretty… exciting for you as of late.” She echoed my hesitation with that word, as if handling something fragile. “But I’m glad that, despite everything, you were still able to make it. If it makes you feel any better, I’m hoping I can make this event a chance for you to—” a momentary pause that lasted just a tick “—catch your breath, and hopefully not have to worry about too much for a spell.”
Great. She had caught onto my distress. I couldn’t decide whether to be mortified that I had been so damn transparent, or relieved that she was apparently sympathetic to my problems.
Whatever. It’s not like I could screw it up any worse at this point.
“Yeah,” I replied with a defeated sigh. “Yeah, I hope so too.”
“And, if I can be honest for a moment,” she continued, stepping closer and lowering her voice, “I’m really, really relieved you two are here.”
“Huh?” I blinked. “Why?”
“Well,” she said carefully, “let’s just say projected attendance wasn’t looking too pretty yesterday.”
“Really?” Button said. “Not a lot of ponies were coming?”
“No. Generating interest in the event has been something of a… struggle. But when I made a global Eternity announcement this morning that Dovetail and Mash of Sanctuary would be in attendance, we got a surge of interest.”
“Cool!” exclaimed Button.
“Do you honestly think ponies care about us that much?” I asked like a total jerk who needed to bite her tongue right now.
She chuckled. “I wasn’t joking when I said your team has been making waves. Why do you think I sought you out in the first place?”
“Yeah, she’s the community manager!” said Button. “She knows what she’s doing!”
“…Right,” she agreed, nodding quickly.
Yeah, hey, Sweetie Belle, maybe you should shut up before you question the smart mare’s decision-making skills. I mean, it’s not like it’s her job title or anything.
“That… makes sense,” I said. “I guess I just kinda find it hard to believe that ponies would even know my name. I’m mostly a nopony where I come from.” Well, ignoring the fact that I was the sister of the Element of Generosity, of course. But I tried not to make a habit of advertising that fact, and I wasn’t about to start now.
“Oh, don’t say that about yourself,” Prosperity said supportively. “You’re not a nopony.”
“Yeah!” chimed Button. “Your sister’s the Element of Generosity!”
…Sun damn you so much, Button Mash.
“…I’m sorry, what?” said Prosperity, her eyes widening.
I sighed heavily, but maintained my composure. “It’s not important, but my older sister is an Element.”
“Of Harmony?”
“Yes. Those ones.”
“That’s…” She blinked a few times, jawing at her next words. “Wow. I must say… never in my years did I ever expect to meet a filly quite as remarkable as you.”
That didn’t make me remarkable. I wasn’t remarkable at all. Especially not compared to Rarity.
…But it was rude to refuse a compliment.
“Thank you,” I replied in a controlled tone, “but could I ask you a favor?”
“Anything, Sweetie Belle.”
“Please keep that information on the down low. And that goes for you too,” I growled, shooting an angry glare at Button before turning back to Prosperity. “I just… after Ponyville, I really don’t wanna have to deal with the extra attention right now.”
She froze. “Oh. I’m… Sweetie Belle, I’m so sorry. I’ve been pushing so hard to have you as a Guest of Honor, but all this time I should have asked—”
“No no, that’s fine,” I quickly assured her. “There’s no way you could have known how much baggage I was carrying going into this. And besides, you did ask, and I agreed to it. I mean, I guess I didn’t really realize how big of a deal it was, but it’s not like you didn’t let me know.”
“Still, if I had known things were so tense…” She looked genuinely remorseful. Dang it, I didn’t want to make her feel bad! Ugh. How could I turn things around? Because it really wasn’t a big deal! After all, I was…
Oh hey, there we go.
“Mi— Prosperity, I promise, it’s not a problem.”
“…It’s not?”
“Nope!” I said, this time with honest cheer. “Because I’m not Sweetie Belle here, right? I’m Dovetail.”
That was most of the reason why I came here, after all. To get away from Ponyville, if only for a weekend. I stared around the room, at the ponies milling about, getting things ready.
I didn’t recognize a soul.
“I get to be somepony else for a weekend. Aside from you and Button, nopony knows who I really am,” I explained. “And… I’d like to keep it that way, if at all possible.”
Her eyes shimmered in understanding, and she nodded. “Of course. That won’t be an issue. All of the announcements up until now have been purely with your character’s name, and same can go for any appearances you might make on-stage.”
“Perfect. Then we’re all good—” Heeyyyyyy. “Waitasec. On-stage?”
“Right, that.” She turned towards the far front of the room. “We have a bit of live programming happening on the stage set up near the front, and we were planning for you two to make a few appearances during key moments of the event.”
…Yeah, I should have seen that coming. Why else would we be invited as celebrities, if not for us to have a major attention-grabbing presence? “Oh. Um, sure. That’s fine. Do you need us to do anything specific?”
“Yes, probably,” she said, staring into space for a moment. “I have an overall idea of how I want it to go, but I haven’t had a chance to work out the details yet.”
Hadn’t had a chance to work out the details? The more I listened to her speak, the more it felt like this had all come together at the last minute. Wasn’t this supposed to be a pretty big event for her company? Why did it seem like they were just… winging it? And how could she seem so calm despite all the—
“Miss Prosperity,” said Button, approaching her slowly, “are you okay?”
Alright, now what was Button up to? Prosperity was fine, right?
…Actually, no. Now that I wasn’t completely caught up in the moment of being a star-struck idiot, I had a chance to really observe her posture. Though she was good at hiding them, a few telltale signs of exhaustion began to sink in—a tiny slump to her shoulders here, a twitch to her smile there…
Nonetheless, she seemed to take Button’s question in stride. “Me? Yes, I’m quite alright. Just a bit… frazzled, like I mentioned earlier.”
“Are you sure? It seems like you’ve got a lot on your plate,” I observed. “The event’s starting in only a couple hours, right?”
“Yes, well… it’s been a bit of a struggle. A lot of things only just came together last minute, which is why your invites were so late.”
“Really? Hasn’t this event been in planning for a while?”
“It has been,” she said with a slow nod. “But it was only maybe a few days ago that I began coordinating the efforts.”
What.
“I already mentioned to you that I’m not just a community manager, right?”
We nodded. “You helped make the game, right?”
“Yes. I’m the lead writer and creative director.”
What.
“Lead writer?” said Button, dumbfounded.
“Creative director?!” I sputtered. “Isn’t that, like, the head of everything?!”
“Well… almost?” she said in a hesitant tone, as if it weren’t the most important thing in the world. “I was one of the heads. I did some things on the gameplay and technical side, but most of my job was writing the setting, storyline, and history. And a lot of the missions, as well.”
“Horseapples,” I said in awe. “So… you practically created Eternity.”
“A lot of other ponies helped, of course,” she said quickly. “But… yes. I conceived of the world of Eternity.”
And with that, all the nervousness came rushing back. I didn’t know if it were even possible for me to respect this woman more than I already did. She had played such a huge role in making the game! Why hadn’t she said anything? How did I not already know any of this?
“That’s weird, though,” said Button, the information not seeming to have fazed him at all. “It sounds like a totally different ballpark from what you said you’re doing now.”
“It is,” she confirmed with a nod. “The development team and the publicity team are usually completely separate. But the whole studio’s been wanting to do a big tournament like this for at least a couple months now, something they could market as a big industry publicity event for our company.”
“A couple months seems like a lot of time,” I noted.
“It was, but the executives only gave marketing the green light to actually move forward about a month ago. They booked the date and event space shortly after. But they didn’t realize how little time a month was, in the grand scheme of things. Most of their ideas to drum up publicity didn’t work like they thought it would.”
“Why?” asked Button. “A lot of what you told us about seemed like a really cool idea.”
“But most of those ideas weren’t in place until I came aboard,” she admitted. “And, well… it was as Dovetail said when we first spoke. Most of our demographic is somewhat solitary, or too young to make the journey on their own.”
Oh mare, I had hit a little close to home with that comment, hadn’t I…
“But things worked out, didn’t they?” asked Button.
“Eventually, yes, but not after a bit of a panic,” she replied. “With the date approaching fast, the executives were starting to doubt that the event justified the expense, so marketing began asking around the studio for help to drum up ideas.”
Button appeared to be in thought for a moment. “If the game is finished, then that means most of the developers weren’t busy, right?”
“Not exactly,” she said. “Most of us were actually wrapping up development on the next expansion—” oh Stars, a content expansion! “—but I had some time to pitch a few things, since the bulk of my personal duties were… finished.”
…Huh? ‘Finished’? Something about the way she said that word…
“And I’m guessing they really liked your ideas,” Button continued, apparently not noticing.
“Essentially,” she said with a nod. “With all the free time I’ve had over the last few weeks, I’ve been sort of… invisibly floating about to get a feel for our fans. You know, find out their thoughts on how the game was going, what the biggest topics were, what everypony seemed to care about the most. For some reason, it hadn’t occurred to them to directly observe our fan community for ideas.”
“You mean they hadn’t thought of that before?” I asked, a little bit baffled. “That seems kind of obvious.”
“Right? That’s what I thought!” she said indignantly. “But at least it made sense to them too, after I mentioned it. The more I pushed them in that direction, the more they wanted me to help them out.”
“And what did you find out in the end?” asked Button.
“Well, something the marketers didn’t realize was that all these people weren’t just players. They were also creators, like artists, musicians, writers and such. And they were making their own things inspired by the game.”
I blinked. “Really? Ponies make Eternity stuff?”
Prosperity tilted her head at me quizzically. “Very much so. A lot of players spend tons of time lounging around the Last City drawing art, or making remixes of some of the game’s music, or writing and sharing stories about their characters and their adventures. And there’s a ton of it out there. I knew that ponies did this in general, but I was pretty blown away when I found out exactly how much.”
“I honestly had no idea,” I said, dumbfounded.
“…Huh. I found out maybe a month or so back. I’m… surprised you didn’t know by now.”
“She doesn’t actually spend a lot of time at the Tower,” said Button, giggling.
I whirled on Button. “You know about this too?!”
“Yep!”
Wow. Talk about out of the loop. “I… huh. I’ve never even seen that before.”
“That’s what happens when you spend pretty much all of your time in the library or running around Old Gryphos trying to track down Autumn’s Lair,” he said, shrugging.
“Well, to be fair, there hasn’t been any real place for these artists to congregate,” explained Prosperity. “We’re actually planning on introducing a sort of ‘bazaar’ just outside of the Tower, where our players can showcase their own creations. An ‘artist’s alley’ of sorts.”
“So, like you’re doing here?” asked Button.
“Exactly,” she replied with a proud grin. “I convinced our team to showcase player-created art at the event, to tie-in with the reveal of the same feature in Eternity itself. That’s why we’re setting up a market area for artists to sell their works, and also planning a kind of dance, with fan musicians slated to perform.”
Clever. I glanced towards the open façade of the ballroom, where it seemed like most of the preparations were starting to come together. I could tell that the room was being cordoned off into three distinct sections: a gaming area on the left with tables for stratoscreens, a stage at the center with an open dance area and assembly-style seating, and booths for artists on the right.
She had really thought this through, and I was starting to realize how much more there was to the event than what I had imagined from the start.
“That’s actually really cool,” I finally said, turning back to her. “Getting the community more involved definitely seems like the right move.”
She blushed a bit. “But that all only came together at the very last minute, when I jumped onboard.”
“A week ago?” asked Button.
She gave us a tired smile. “Exactly.”
Wow. She wasn’t kidding. “That’s… really not a lot of time at all.”
“No, no it wasn’t,” she said. “Which, unfortunately… is why both of your invites came so late, and why I only have a little bit planned for you so far.”
Horseapples. I didn’t blame her. I glanced at Button, who was looking back at me with a meaningful expression.
He turned back to her. “Is there anything we can do to help?”
I nodded in agreement. “Maybe we can help take some of the load.”
Her posture seemed to visibly relax at that. “That would be a huge relief. In fact, I already know that having you two here so early is going to be a big help.”
“Glad to hear it,” I said, putting on my gameface. “What can we do?”
“Well, for starters, I need to know what you’re capable of. Most of what I’ve come up with so far involves standing on a stage and addressing a crowd, or being a part of stage events, and I wasn’t sure if that was something either of you would be comfortable with.”
“Oh, that’s something we’re comfortable with, alright,” said Button, turning to me with a huge grin. “Years and years of Crusader talent shows.”
“That was when we were kids.” And far more fearless, to boot. But now, we’re older! And a lot warier about what other ponies think of us when we make fools of ourselves in public. After all, with age comes critical self-examination and crippling personal doubt!
“But that doesn’t stop us from knowing how to get a crowd excited,” he reasoned.
“That’s exactly what we’re looking for,” said Prosperity. “We have a short lineup of live programming, and we need ponies who can work a crowd in between events, as well as participate in them.”
“What kind of events?” I asked.
Prosperity put a hoof to her chin. “Not very many, actually. Right now, just a short introduction, then the tournament needs officiating. And we were toying with the idea of Sanctuary having a play-session with myself and a few other developers.”
“That sounds fun!” Button exclaimed, proudly holding a hoof to his chest. “Leave that to us!”
Well, thanks for speaking for both of us, I guess.
“Sweetie Belle?” asked Prosperity in concern. “You seem quiet.”
Oh hey, she noticed. “I’m just thinking about it.”
“Well, I don’t want to pressure you into doing anything you’re uncomfortable with,” she said assuredly. “How do you feel in front of a crowd?”
“…Alright?” I replied uneasily.
“You’re kidding, right?” said Button in disbelief. “You’ve acted and sung in front of crowds before, Sweetie Belle! You know you’ve got what it takes!”
Yeah, but those are scripted! I’ve never just flat-out spoken in front of crowds before. I suppose I’ve been to enough events in the past to know what would be expected of me, and I guess it was also true that my upbringing had involved a lot of drills on speechcraft and performance arts.
“Plus, this isn’t just any random crowd,” added Button. “This is our crowd. We’re gamers, they’re gamers. We know these kinds of people.”
“Yes, exactly!” said Prosperity excitedly. “You can draw from your mutual passion for Eternity and channel that into your presence on stage.”
“And I’ll be right up there with you, Sweetie,” he assured me. “Just play off me, and I’ll cover you when you’re feeling iffy about something.”
Okay. Just relax. The odds were in your favor. What could go wrong?
Oh Stars, don’t think that phrase. Nope nope nope. Erase that from your head.
“Alright,” I said, stifling the unease in my heart. “Yeah, we can handle that.”
“Great!” said Prosperity. “Oh, you have no idea how much of a relief it is to hear that.”
Yeah, you say that now.
…Urgh. Sweetie Belle. Stop making this about you. You’re here to help Prosperity, so you can at least be confident for her sake if not your own.
“Glad to help,” I said with a nod.
“Excellent,” she continued, pulling a piece of paper from her bag. “Actually, now that I think about it, I have a list of potential events here that you two can start planning for— oh, Mag, Ami!”
Prosperity waved a hoof over our heads, and we turned to see Mister MacGuffin and Miss Amaranth approaching us from the ballroom.
“Heya Props!” he said heartily, trotting up. “How’s your break?”
“Better than you would believe,” she replied with a grin. “How’s setup coming along?”
“Almost done!” said Miss Amaranth, still scanning the checklist on her clipboard. “All that’s really left at this point are setting up the stratoscreens, and we’ll be good to—” she glanced up, and her eyes found us. “Oh, hello!”
“Hiya!” said Button.
“Good afternoon,” I said with my usual curtsey.
“Oh, aren’t you just the most gracious little filly!” she cooed, and I blushed at her compliment. “You must be Dovetail and Mash. So good to meet you! My kids are huge fans.”
Kids? Fans?
What.
“Um, likewise!” I said anxiously. “Er, well, the meeting you part, not the kids part. I don’t have kids. Obviously. Umm.”
I coughed. Her eyes lit up in mirth and she snickered.
Damn it, Sweetie Belle, you really do suck.
“Right, where are my manners?” Prosperity turned to us as well, indicating with a hoof. “Dove, Mash, this is MacGuffin and Amaranth. They’re part of my writing team.”
“Good to meetcha!” said Mister MacGuffin as we all exchanged hoofshakes. “Congratulations on your cutie mark!”
“Thanks,” I said, in numb realization that I’d probably be dealing with this reception all weekend.
“The entire studio was so excited when Props told us,” said Miss Amaranth almost dreamily.
“And to think that some of our top players are still so young,” said Mister MacGuffin with a chuckle. “You two must be pretty darn extraordinary.”
“Mmm, to say the least,” hummed Prosperity, giving me the slightest of winks.
“Says the creators of the coolest freakin’ game in Equestria!” exclaimed Button. “You guys are wicked awesome!”
“Mm, yes,” said Mister MacGuffin, nodding sagely. “Yes, I can get used to this.”
“Oh hush!” Miss Amaranth swatted him in the shoulder. “Don’t mind Mag. He’s just… well, he’s…”
“He’s MacGuffin,” Prosperity said with a giggle.
He chortled. “Sounds about right!”
“Yes, well, we just wanted to check up on you, Props,” said Miss Amaranth. “How are things going?”
“Oh, don’t worry about me, I’m alright,” said Prosperity with a genuine smile. “The break was definitely what I needed. What’s say we head back in and wrap everything up?”
“Sounds like a plan!” said Mister MacGuffin, turning to Miss Amaranth. “Ami, what’s left on the docket?”
“Well, the tables and sound systems are set up,” she said, consulting her checklist, “but we can’t move the seats yet, and we’re still waiting on the stratoscreens and consoles.”
“They’re not here yet?” asked Prosperity, looking worried. “Those were supposed to be here thirty minutes ago. Who has them?”
Miss Amaranth gave a sideways glance to Mister MacGuffin, who merely shrugged. “Big Miller’s bringing them in his carriage. We were expecting for him to show up while we were taking care of tables, but…”
“That’s… not good,” muttered Prosperity, checking a clock on the wall. “The event’s supposed to start in a couple hours, and the tech is gonna take by far the longest to set up.”
“And the hotel won’t let us start setting up the seats, either,” said Miss Amaranth worriedly. “They carted them in already, but the hotel says it’s some kind of… union thing?”
“Union thing?” Prosperity furrowed her brow. “They’re just cushions! What’s wrong with moving around a bunch of cushions?!”
“That’s what I told them!” Miss Amaranth said in in exasperation. “But the hotel staff said they’re ‘legally obligated’ by unions to have the hotel staff move them for us! Except they’re busy preparing another ballroom!”
“Uhhh…” I felt a nudge on my shoulder from Button, who was watching the commotion in what could only be described as awe. “Maybe… we should give them some space?”
No, no. Watching these clearly-grown adults descend into a chaotic maelstrom of panic was mesmerizing. In a morbid sort of way. I could almost imagine the locks of Prosperity’s mane curling up in anxiety.
…Okay, no, now I was starting to feel pretty bad.
“I feel bad for Miss Prosperity,” said Button, echoing my thoughts.
“Yeah…”
“Props! Ami! Mac!” bellowed a voice down the hall, causing everyone to turn towards the source—a stocky, clean-shaved gray stallion, stumbling towards us in clear exhaustion. “Sorry for being so late, traffic was a killer!”
“Ey, Big Miller, you made it!” exclaimed Mister MacGuffin.
“Oh thank the stars!” said Prosperity. “Please tell me you have the screens with you.”
“I’m fine, huff, thanks for asking,” he managed between gasps of breath.
“I’m sorry, Miller!” she replied, wringing her hooves in apology. “It’s just, our schedule’s become so—”
“Relax, I’m screwin’ with ya,” he said with a placating wave. “Carriage is out front, gonna need some help carting stuff in.”
Suddenly, Button hopped forward, apparently sensing an opportunity. “Hey, um, do you guys need help?”
Prosperity blinked. “I… appreciate the offer, but…”
“You know these kids?” asked Mister Miller, eyebrow raised.
“They’re our guests of honor,” she explained, “but that’s all the more reason why they shouldn’t need to—”
“Please, it’s alright.” I stepped forward to follow Button’s lead. “We want to help get everything ready in time for the event. If there’s anything we could do, anything at all…”
“Yeah, just tell us where we’re needed and we’re on it!” said Button confidently.
“Hey, I’ll take any hooves I can get,” said Mister Miller, turning to trot back down the hall. “Carriage is outside!”
I looked back at Prosperity, who stared at me for just a moment, her expression conflicted. But eventually, her shoulders relaxed.
“I suppose I can’t stop you, then,” she said with a smile that was at once both tired and relieved.
“Great, lead the way!” said Button.
And with that, we trotted out the hall.
S I L V E R S P O O N
It was settled. I would be returning home. Today.
The plan was to retire to my hotel room post-haste, pack everything I owned, check out, and catch the afternoon train home. To this end, I weaved through crowds and navigated across streets, letting nothing stand in my way.
No more dilly-dallying about town. No more screaming at brick walls in abandoned alleyways. It had been folly for me to pursue my emotional whimsy, to let myself fall prey to outbursts of emotion. Those were not my way, and they did nothing to fix my problems.
Of which there were many. I had left Ponyville at a critical moment in my life, and staying any longer in Manehattan would be ignoring a problem that needed to be addressed immediately. Any further delays would simply cause the situation to spiral out of control even more than it already had. Every second mattered, and I could no longer tarry.
First order of business: head straight home and deal with Quicksilver. A full day away was more than long enough for her to cool her temper. I had to set her straight. I had to establish whose authority claimed dominance in mother’s absence. I had to remind her who was the heir, age be damned.
No doubt placating my sister would require a delicate touch, though it would most certainly try my patience. She wouldn’t listen to me if I merely put my hoof down. No, I needed to play this smart, play this right. Appeal to her pride. Appeal to her concern for mother, and correct her misgivings about my own supposed lack of it. It was a tiresome task, dealing with her, but I would not make progress otherwise.
From there, I would be heading to Diamond Tiara’s to apologize. Of course, the apology would be a farce, as I had nothing to apologize for. But I needed to stay in her good graces. And sometimes one simply had to set aside one’s pride in order to reassert control.
I had been foolish. I had been clumsy. I had lulled myself into a false sense of security, into a state where even a mewling little tryhard like Diamond Tiara could take advantage of me. No more. I was not her plaything. I needed to reassert control over our relationship, flip the power dynamics back to the proper position, and restore the status quo.
My hotel was in sight now, and, thanks to the pace I had set for myself, it wasn’t all too surprising that I had made it there with plenty of time to pack before the next train. Good. Progress was good. One step at a time. I crossed the street, my eyes locked to the doors…
…which burst open, a stocky gray stallion cantering into the daylight with due haste. Hmph! Were they honestly letting such claptrap into the Astoria these days—?
Ah. A tall mare with flaming red hair and an elegant cloak and tricorn hat quickly strode out behind him, leading a throng of other ponies into the daylight, all rolling carts. No doubt she was the leader of the pack, and the rest were merely the help—
Suddenly, a diminutive little white ball of puff emerged from the open entryway and scurried down the steps.
And she was dreadfully familiar.
I adjusted my glasses to make sure I wasn’t seeing things, and sure enough, it was Sweetie Belle, shortly followed by the brown blob that I could already tell from this distance was Button Mash.
Oh dear.
I quickly threw myself behind the staircase leading up to the entrance of the hotel so that neither of them would see me, and peered out from between the rails, unable to control my scowl.
Ugh! That damnable filly! What in blazes was she doing here at the Astoria?
I watched as the two cantered towards a large parked carriage that the rest of the group had begun to gather around, and Sweetie Belle quickly began exchanging words with the elegant red-maned mare.
Who was that woman? What business did Sweetie Belle have with her? Was she some sort of high-society figure with connections to her sister? She didn’t look like anypony I recognized, but just the thought of Sweetie Belle rubbing fetlocks with the elite of Manehattan was enough to set my furs on end. I had never known the filly to pursue social capital before, and this display was unsettling, to say the least.
Eventually their conversation was interrupted by the mane-shaven gray stallion, who emerged from the carriage laden with several crates that he placed on the carts, which Sweetie and Button began hauling back towards the hotel.
Curious.
After they disappeared inside, I swiftly trotted out of my hiding place and made my way towards the doorman, who was holding it open for the other ponies.
I trotted up and quickly checked the open doorway to ensure that Sweetie and Button weren’t on the other side. Seeing no sight of them, I addressed the doorman.
“Excuse me.”
“Good day, Madame Silver,” he replied in his posh Trans-Antleric affect. “How may I be of service?”
“There’s quite a lot of commotion. Is something going on?”
“Indeed there is, Madame! In less than an hour, a large promotional public event will be underway in the Vanderbit ballroom.”
“Oh? Of what sort—?”
Wait. Wait wait wait. A large public event. That Sweetie Belle is attending.
…Oh dear.
“A tournament, hosted by Mythic Corporation, for their video game Eternity.”
His declaration struck with the reverberating finality of a gong.
Oh dear.
Before I could even think for a moment of the staggering odds that this could be happening here of all places, a new voice perked up from right behind me.
“Oh, are you here for the Eternity tournament?”
I whirled around to find myself face-to-face with the red-maned mare, herself pulling a cart up to the entrance door. Up close, she looked somewhat bedraggled, but otherwise emanated with dignified presence.
“We’re still preparing, but we’ll be underway in less than an hour!” she said with a practiced smile. It spoke legions of her upbringing and social capacity.
The stallion behind her cursed under his breath. “Drat, more ponies are showing up already?!”
“No, sorry,” I explained as curtly as I could. “I was just curious of the commotion.”
“Oh, my apologies,” she replied with a hoof behind her neck. “I didn’t mean to presume.”
“It is no trouble,” I said, stepping backwards as I made my way towards the door, anxious to make myself scarce before Sweetie or Button could show up. “I’ll let you be on your way.”
The doorman bowed and stepped aside to allow me passage. “Good day to you, Miss Silver.”
I nodded at him, then turned to bow a quick farewell to the red-maned mare—
She was standing, frozen at the doorway, her eyes boring into mine.
What? What was with that expression?
“Silver?” she uttered, blinking. “As in, Silver Spoon?”
Oh? Perhaps she knew of my heritage? She certainly seemed the sort to frequent a higher class of pony, and my name did carry weight in some circles. “Yes?”
“What, do you know this one too?” asked a larger blue stallion approaching from just a few feet behind her.
“I do!” she exclaimed, strolling in as her team followed closely behind.
Did we now. I quirked an eyebrow at her. “Have we met?”
“We haven’t had an opportunity to until now!” she said excitedly. “Oh goodness, I was under the impression you wouldn’t be attending at all!”
Attending? “I’m sorry, you must have me mistaken for—”
Wait a moment.
Sweetie Belle said that the mare she spoke to from Mythic had known my name. And, more importantly, the character associated with that name.
I glanced towards the west wing hallway. Seeing no sign of Sweetie or Button, I turned back to her, my gaze darkened and my expression grave.
“Ah, yes, Prosperity! It's so good to meet you in person!" I said, coating my words with a carefully controlled veil of cheer. "Actually, I'm quite glad I ran into you when I did. I have important news! Could you spare a moment of your time? In private?"
Mere moments passed before the mare’s face paled. With a slow nod, she told the rest of her crew to go on without her, then followed me as I quickly made my way towards the east wing of the hotel, which was mercifully empty.
Her visible trepidation made it quite clear that she knew a line had been crossed. Of course, I wasn’t just cross, I was furious—she had nearly revealed my identity in front of several other ponies—but I stifled my anger. I was certain this mare was the one named ‘Prosperity’ that Sweetie Belle and the rest of the team had spoken to. But I still had no measure of her, who by her dress and manner seemed far more important than I gathered through Sweetie Belle’s hearsay.
No. This needed to be handled delicately.
This close, I took stock of the full extent of her height. Not only did she appear to be over twice my age, her height exceeded that of the average mare. As I was still only a smidge taller than a typical filly my age, this gave her a natural poise and grace over me. Furthermore, she knew many details about me, while I knew next-to-nothing about her.
She had me at a disadvantage. So I had to project confidence. And, more importantly, I had to find out how much she knew.
As I slowed down, she was the first to speak. “Miss Silver, I—”
I swiveled on my hooves to face her.
“No apologies necessary,” I said, cutting her off immediately. This conversation would take place on my terms, even if I had to crane my neck a bit to wage it. “I presume that you are Miss Prosperity?”
“That’s right,” she said with a hesitant nod. “And you are, in fact, the Miss Silver Spoon that I believe you to be?”
Of course, the answer was yes. But I should take the opportunity to establish my standing early in the conversation.
“As the heir of a multinational corporation, my name carries some weight in certain circles,” I informed her matter-of-factly. “So it will depend on how you know of me.”
She paused, appearing to take a moment to absorb that information, before continuing. “Through the billing and registration info you provided when you created an account for Eternity. You are… well…”
She hesitated. Perhaps now, knowing what kind of mare I was, she recognized the value of my anonymity. Good.
I urged her on nonetheless. “Go on. Nopony is here.”
“…You are Shadow Song, of Sanctuary,” she finished quietly. “A guildmate of Dovetail and Mash.”
Just as I thought. She knew everything. And even though I had surmised as much mere moments after we had met, the sheer weight of how much was now at stake brought me no comfort. I could be outed through means entirely beyond my control.
But there was no undoing what was already done. Now it was time to do damage control.
“Then yes,” I confirmed. “You do know of me.”
“I… see.” She said nothing more.
From the look on her face, she knew that I was not happy with her. I wondered if I scared her. While I relished the thought… that would not do. I needed to loosen her up. Let her know she could at least trust me to be civil. After all, she would be more open to suggestion if she felt she was in my good graces.
“I must say, I wasn’t expecting to be meeting one of the creators of my favorite video game,” I said, daring to tip the scales slightly in her favor just enough not to reverse the balance of power. “It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Miss Prosperity.”
This appeared to take her by surprise. She likely didn’t suspect I would be making small talk. “The pleasure is mine, Miss Silver Spoon.”
“If I may ask, what role did you perform at Mythic?”
“I’m the… Creative Director of Eternity,” she said.
Really? Well then, that was quite impressive. But… why the pause? Something about the way she said that seemed to put her at unease.
Hm. I dismissed it as mere humility. “So you’re one of the masterminds behind this little universe of ours?”
“I suppose I am,” she said with a hesitant chuckle. “Though I have a large team to also thank for helping me with the heavy lifting.”
“I see. Nevertheless, this is quite the honor. The game is an impressive bit of artistry, and your work is truly captivating.”
“It’s nothing, really,” she replied, waving a hoof. “You said you’re the heir of a corporation?”
“The Silversmith Mining Company, yes. We deal in multinational resource acquisition and industrial metalworking.”
“That’s quite impressive.”
Hm. Compared to earlier, her reactions were remarkably more conservative. Perhaps even measured? “Thank you.”
“And on top of that, you’re guildmates with the sister of—” she froze “—wait, I’m not supposed to… er, do you already know?”
“Know what?” I asked. “Ah, that Dovetail is Sweetie Belle, the younger sister of Lady Rarity, the Element of Generosity?”
She nodded. “Yes. Though I was told by her that she would rather keep it under wraps.”
Oh, I was very much aware, to my utter revulsion. Not that there was anything wrong with Lady Rarity herself, of course. Just that Sweetie Belle would have the fortune of being borne into such a high standing. I doubt the girl would be worth anything otherwise.
“I’m aware, yes," I replied. "It's no surprise. That girl has practically no ego to speak of, so I hardly think she'd ever want to parading around her familial connections."
“Haha, yes,” she chuckled. “Despite her extraordinary circumstances, she seems quite the humble filly.”
Humble? Pah. More like insecure. After all, Sweetie Belle likely knew just as well as I that mere circumstance didn’t make a mare.
No. Skill did. Power did. Control did.
And it was time to demonstrate what I was capable of.
“Which brings us to the crux of a… concern that I’ve had,” I said, trotting up slowly, but never breaking eye contact. “You see, earlier this week I had a particularly interesting conversation between myself and Dovetail. Apparently she had just finished talking to you. About the tournament, about our guild… and about me.”
I was standing less than a meter in front of her now, my gaze never having broken from hers.
“Specifically, the part where you revealed to her that I lived in Ponyville.”
This close to her, our height difference was far more pronounced. But I ignored that. After all, I was not the one who committed a slight. I owed her nothing.
“Now, the issue, as I’m sure you’ve realized, is that she has no knowledge of Shadow Song’s true identity. So you can imagine how this caused a bit of a… rift, between us.”
I began pacing.
“You see, Dovetail and I—as Shadow Song—are… friends. Very close friends. We trust each other very much with things we wouldn’t tell others. I don’t know what it is about the Stratonet, but I believe it’s our presumed degree of physical separation that made it possible.”
Of course, there was more to it than that. Not that Prosperity would need to know the full details, of course.
“But for her to find out that somepony she trusted as a friend and confidant, yet somepony whose identity she has no knowledge of, was actually so very close to her all this time? And without her having any idea who it was? Well. Let’s just say I imagine her trust in me is nothing short of shattered. And to say nothing of the fact that I play a stallion in-game! She nearly accused me of being a… predator.”
I shot a look at Prosperity, and she visibly flinched.
“So you can see where my concerns may lie,” I finished.
The response was immediate. “Miss Silver Spoon, please… accept my sincerest apologies. When I saw that you lived in the same town and were nearly the same age, I wrongfully assumed you knew each other outside of the game.”
“And I understand why you would make that assumption,” I conceded to her. “For what it’s worth, you’re actually on the money. Dovetail—that is, Sweetie Belle—and I are students at the same school, and share a graduating class.”
“So you do know each other outside of the game?” she asked, genuinely perplexed. “And you’re not friends?”
“She despises me.”
Her eyes widened. “…What? Why?”
“I’m very close friends with someone she loathes. This makes her hate me by proxy.” Hm. There was another card I could play. I turned to the side. “See this bruise? I received this not two days ago. One guess as to who was responsible.”
“I… wow.” Miss Prosperity was breathless for a moment, staring at my side. “How did that happen?”
“It’s complicated, and I don’t feel like getting into the specifics, but there was a… physical altercation between her and my friend. In my attempts to put an end to it, I sustained this blow.”
“I… see.” She was silent for a moment, digesting this information.
“For what it’s worth, I don’t hold it against her. My friend instigated the fight by provoking her.”
She stared at me. “But… I don’t understand. Why?”
I sighed. “As I said, I’m not interested in getting into the specifics—”
“No, sorry, not that,” she hastily clarified. “I meant, why are you… friends with her? In-game? Why go through all this effort to disguise your identity for someone whom you think despises you?”
Hm. Conundrum. How to answer this? As much as I was tempted to lie about my opinion of Sweetie Belle, I hated lies. They were brittle things, susceptible to deconstruction.
Better a twisted truth than a fragile lie. I formulated my story.
“When I first started playing Eternity, I sought out people I knew. She was somepony I knew. So I gravitated towards her. And before I knew it, I was a part of her guild. Over the months, its members became ponies I could rely on. You’ve seen how much we’ve accomplished together.”
“I have, yes. Your team has incredible chemistry, and you seem like a very tightly-knit group.”
“Then I’m sure you understand where I’m coming from. I want to maintain my connection with the guild. But… with what’s happened between me and Sweetie Belle, any prospects of my continued membership are… tenuous at best. Because now… well, I wonder if she’ll ever trust me again.”
I let that sentence hang on a tone of helplessness. This way, I could make it sound like I was trying to hang onto something that was unfairly being taken away from me. If I wanted Miss Prosperity to do as I wished, it would be better to play to her sympathies.
An uneasy silence passed at this proclamation.
“Not that I’m trying to guilt you any further or anything,” I hastily added. “You’ve made your apology, and I accept it. I just… I’d just rather she not know I was here. It would only exacerbate the problem. As long as I can have your assurance on that, then I have no further concerns.”
“Of course, I understand.” She glanced over her shoulder towards the west wing, likely to check if Sweetie Belle had returned. “Though it will be difficult to hide your identity at the tournament…”
“As I said before, I wasn’t planning on attending.”
“…Right, of course. That’s disappointing, but given the circumstances, I don’t blame you.” She looked askance. “But… how is it that you’re here?”
“Pure, staggering coincidence,” I said flatly. “I took a trip to Manehattan as a sort of vacation from Ponyville. The Waldam Astoria is one of the most luxurious hotels in Manehattan, and my family has connections with the owner, so it was only natural that I end up here. And I certainly wasn’t expecting for your company to be holding the tournament in an Astoria ballroom. It seems…” I tongued for the right word, “…ill-fitting, for a video gaming venue?”
“Ah, right, concerning that,” she said, her tone shifting to the practiced manner of a public figure. “It’s meant to be something of an industry event as well. This video gaming tournament is the first high-profile event of its kind to ever be thrown, and there are various enterprises throughout the entertainment world that have expressed interest in sending representatives.”
“Ah, so you wanted to pick a venue that would impress.”
“You know how it is,” she said with a chuckle.
That I did. Very much so. These were the actions of a very ambitious entity trying to impress other very wealthy entities. Business is as business will be.
That being said, it was clear this mare knew how to work the farm. She clearly had the resources and the moxie. Per my evaluation, I honestly would put my bets on her success.
“And you’re… absolutely certain you won’t be attending?” she asked.
“Hm?” I blinked, apparently having zoned out. “No, unfortunately not. For more reasons than just the fact that Sweetie Belle will be present.”
“Oh?” Miss Prosperity gave me a curious look. “Do you… mind my asking?”
Hm. Well, this mare was likeable enough. She was actually beginning to endear herself to me. I might as well humor her. Perhaps it’d even pay dividends to have such a high-profile executive on the inside of the company that makes Eternity.
I thought back to what I told the Archmage all those months ago. The same tactic would work now.
“You’re a mare, like myself, so perhaps you can empathize with me on this point, but… well, I’m set to assume a rather prominent role in my family’s company in the very near future. This, out of necessity, requires me to take great care in controlling my public image.”
“I believe I can see where this is going already,” said Miss Prosperity with a sigh.
“As I knew you would. As a mare, especially of my standing, it can’t be known that I play video games. I’m sorry, but even if there were no bad blood between myself and Sweetie Belle, attending… simply wouldn’t be an option for me.”
“Of course. I understand.”
“I’m glad you do.”
She sighed, staring out into the lobby.
“It’s just… such a shame,” she said wistfully. “It really is. You shouldn’t have to be ashamed for loving what you love.”
“But that’s just the way the world is,” I reasoned. “Sometimes we can’t fix the world. All we can do is live in it best we can.”
“I suppose that’s the truth,” she said with a resigned sigh.
And in that moment, I understood. I understood why it mattered to her so much. Here was a highborn mare, just like myself. But unlike myself, she was in the thick of it all. Not just playing video games. Making them. With an artistry that betrayed the perceived immaturity of her medium.
How she got into the position she held… I couldn’t possibly fathom.
“But you know, Miss Silver,” she said, eliciting my attention once more, “there are things you can fix.”
“Hm?” I quirked an eyebrow at her.
“I don’t mean to pry, or anything, but… even if she does learn of your identity, I don’t think your friendship with Dovetail is something that needs to end. Have you considered telling her the truth?”
If you don’t mean to pry, then don’t pry. “No.”
“Why not?”
It was obvious. What was the point of this line of questioning? “Because she would despise me even more than she already does for betraying her trust. She’ll know that our friendship was a farce.”
“How can you say that? You’ve spent hours and hours with Dovetail at this point. Just because your identity was a ‘farce’ doesn’t mean that your relationship is.”
“Don’t take this the wrong way,” I said darkly, “but you know nothing of my relationship with Sweetie Belle.”
She opened her mouth to respond, but I didn’t let her speak.
“Over the years we’ve known each other, our relationship has been entirely defined by animosity. We don’t like each other. We have never liked each other. I don’t see that changing anytime within the next fifteen millennia.”
“That’s not true,” she insisted. “You have liked each other. As guildmaster and guildmate.”
What a loathsome prospect. “Even as my guildmaster, I keep her at arm’s length. I’m less interested in her as a friend, and more interested in the guild, and what they can help me accomplish in Eternity.”
She winced. “That’s… terribly cold.”
“I will not deny that it’s cold,” I admitted, “but at least it’s civil. And quite honestly, after years of hostility between us, I think that’s far more than she deserves.”
“But… how could you say that about her? Didn’t you say she trusts you? Don’t you trust her?”
“She does.” A lot. “And I trust her as well.” A lot. “Of what few secrets I’ve revealed to her about my own life, I know I can have faith in her discretion. But just because I can trust her doesn’t mean I like her.”
“But what if she discovers your duplicity? Would you continue to trust her then?”
“She already has, remember? At least in part.”
Prosperity flinched. “Oh… right.” A moment’s pause. “But that doesn’t answer my question. Do you still trust her, even now that she’s discovered something so integral to your identity?”
“…Yes,” I repeated, growing weary of this. “Unquestioningly.”
“That seems awfully risky. What sort of things do you even confide in her?”
“Exactly why does it matter to you?”
“It doesn’t,” she said quickly. “I just… don’t want you to be hurt, or for my mistakes to come back to bite you.”
I suppose that was fair. She made a mistake, and she wanted to know its potential consequences. Maybe to cover her own hide, in case the situation got worse and I decided to recant my forgiveness. But either way, it would cost little for me to settle her uncertainties.
“We talk about our lives. Our feelings. General insecurities. Maybe romance or friendship, and dealing with people. She asks for friendship advice often.” As always, more to it than that, in many surprising ways that I had no desire to disclose. “But nothing that can compromise my identity, I assure you.” Hopefully that’s enough to assure you. I was growing more irritated by the second.
“Is that so.” She hummed. “That’s quite personal, and yet… you’re certain you feel nothing towards her?”
“I… no,” I declared with what I hoped was absolute finality. “No, I don’t. Nothing in regards to friendship. I trust her enough not to betray my trust, and she trusts me enough not to betray mine. She has my loyalty, if nothing else. That’s enough.”
That was met with silence as she contemplated my answer, and I still wondered why the mare cared so much about my relationship to Sweetie Belle.
“Is that the last of your questions?” I asked, making it clear I was not interested in waiting for her, or to interrogate me further.
“I suppose it is,” she finally said, shrugging her shoulders. “If that’s how you feel, that’s how you feel, and I guess there’s no helping it.”
“There never was.”
“…But, based on everything you’ve told me, may I offer some advice?” she ventured carefully. “I promise I won’t ask any more questions.”
Was I interested in listening to this mare’s thoughts on my life situation?
…I suppose it wouldn’t hurt. Perhaps she had some game-specific insight to offer that could help mollify Dovetail. A means of circumventing my relationship with her entirely, while maintaining my ties with the guild, would be ideal.
“You may.”
“Alright.” She took a breath. “You probably already know this is coming, but even if you don’t like Dovetail, I suggest fixing your relationship with her. You stand to lose much if you let it to fester.”
“That much is obvious,” I said with a scoff. “But how exactly do you propose I do that?”
"It doesn’t matter how you do it,” she answered. “And it doesn’t matter if you’re sincere either. But I have confidence that you can do it. You are clearly a smart mare who knows how to work other ponies, as you have been trying so very hard to do to me this entire conversation.”
I froze, and stared at her. She did not stop.
“Your guildmates provide a stable, reliable team with which you can achieve the game’s goals. But your tension with Sweetie Belle threatens all of this. Everyone on the team obviously holds a great deal of respect for her as a leader, and if you start having problems with her, then it’s going to reflect badly on you as a guildmate. This will create disharmony in your team.
“You know just as well as I do how important it is for ponies to like each other in order to work well together. Being likeable creates trust, trust creates unity, unity creates cohesion. It opens ponies to suggestion, compelling them to a consider other perspectives and proposals. Like you have compelled me to consider yours.”
This… this mare. What was she doing? What in all the Stars was she trying to pull?
“I would also suggest revealing your identity to Dovetail. She will take it better if you do so on your own terms than if something or somepony else does it for you. And you know as well as I do that there are elements beyond your control which threaten to do so. I am one such example. Until you met me, I was an unmitigated risk that could have blown your ruse at any time. I very nearly did. You know what stopped me? Dovetail.”
Dovetail? Sweetie Belle herself? “How in Equestria would—”
“She interrupted me when she realized I was about to say your name, and compelled me to preserve your privacy. I obliged.”
She… she what? She was that close to figuring out who I was, and she… prevented it? Despite wanting to know for months?
“The point is, you were lucky. You may have a knack for risk management, but even cautious risk-takers recognize that there are things beyond their sphere of influence. You will not always have the luxury of preempting disaster. Wildcards like myself are everywhere, and you cannot be everywhere at once.”
Well, she wasn’t wrong about the last part. But did the gains outweigh the risks in the first place? How could I be so sure she’d forgive me? “Miss Prosperity, if I reveal myself, the chances of her accepting me are—”
“Higher than if you were revealed through other means,” she interjected, holding up a stern hoof to silence me. “You may not think your friendship to her is real, but she does. She will have a vested interest in preserving that friendship, even despite your betrayal of her trust. Because regardless of how you feel about her, you have exchanged moments of personal trust with her, and she will put that into consideration in her evaluation of your continued friendship.”
Continued friendship? “You say this as if it’s guaranteed. Do you honestly expect her to simply forgive me on the spot just because I was honest?”
“Of course she won’t, at least not immediately. But if she cherishes your friendship more than she scorns your deceit, then she will forgive you in time. She has come to rely on you for emotional support, and she won’t want to give that up easily. She cares about you, and she thinks you care about her.”
“But I don’t care about her!” I snapped.
“Then simply don’t tell her,” she retorted. “You are clearly very well-practiced in lies of omission, so I imagine that will be mere child’s play for you.”
I gritted my teeth at her proclamation, saying nothing.
“Honestly, it is not that hard. Simply tell her that you wanted to protect your identity, just as you have done the entire time you’ve known her. She is not an insensitive mare. She will respect that. That respect, your history together in Eternity, continued assurances that you have her best interests at heart, and your honesty, will work together to counteract your deception.”
“It won’t counteract years of animosity,” I muttered.
“So you think, but how can you be so sure? Ponies change. And with your silver tongue and sharp wit, you are the ideal candidate to induce that change. I’m sure you can manipulate your way into her good graces without much trouble.”
…
“You’re flattering me,” I observed.
She gave me a cold smile. “Is it working?”
I said nothing.
What could I say?
For the first time in my life, every aspect of my character that I prided myself on had been deconstructed and used against me.
How could anyone respond to that?
Did any of it really matter?
“Is the trouble even worth it?” I asked quietly.
“I don’t know, is it?” she asked, her tone somehow free of scorn. “What do you stand to lose? Your guild, several of your friends, a reliable team to fight alongside. Maybe, if you lose all of this, you might lose the drive to play Eternity at all.”
…Hmph. “No offense, but I’ve lived twelve years of my life without it. I think I can manage.”
“That you have,” she mused. “And perhaps that’s all that matters. You’re a ‘made mare’ after all, aren’t you? The heir to a multinational mining corporation. Perhaps that’s enough for you. Perhaps you can delete your character, cut all ties with your guild, never play again, and move on with your life. After all… it’s just a video game. That’s all it is. Right?”
I sat there in silence, contemplating her words, contemplating all that I stood to lose, contemplating this… video game. Was that all it was? Did it matter? Did any of it matter? Did I need Eternity? Did I need my guild?
Did I need any aspect of that life, at all?
“I must apologize, Miss Silver Spoon, but you’ll have to excuse me,” she said, and only as she leaned back did I realize how much closer she had gotten to my face. “I have an event to prepare for, and I must be on my way.”
She made to turn, but then suddenly stopped, locking eyes with me once more. “But if I may leave you with one last parting piece of advice… your so-called ‘friendship’ with Dovetail? The thing you so adamantly claim to care nothing for? Well… I wouldn’t take that for granted, if I were you.”
She tipped her tricorn hat. “It was a pleasure and an honor speaking with you, Miss Silver Spoon. I hope the rest of your afternoon fares well.”
And she departed without another word, leaving me in the silent halls of the east wing.
Alone.
Enter Player Three.
Credits:
Thanks to Zaid ValRoa and Fourths for pre-reading and editing. My editors continue to be a bucket of laughs. ( "Stars alive." | Fourths on Hyphens | The problem with hands )
The conversation between Prosperity and Silver is one of my favorite conversations I've ever written. It's a lot of fun getting into Silver's headspace, especially now that she's realizing that she isn't the only one capable of playing the Great Game.
Man. I'm awful. I really should have just written some kinda story on high-society politics instead of this. =_=
Prosperity is a very interesting and challenging character to explore. She, like many other characters in this story, is inspired by an influential figure in my life, an inspiring artist that I've been incredibly blessed to call a friend. Her character arc will very much reflect her history working in her industry over the last few years. I only hope I can do her story justice.
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ooooh snap.
Silver just got trounced at her own game.
...Daaaaamn...That was one heck of a conversation.
I feel for Silvey. She knows how to manage and manipulate risks away from her, but is far too cautious of taking a risk herself. While this may keep her safe it will stagnate her and prevent her from ever experiencing true happiness. "Every risk yields reward; nothing ventured, nothing gained."
derpicdn.net/img/view/2016/7/31/1213811.png
It's not too late to cancel this story and write a new one about high-society politics
I am kind of put off with prosperity, it kinda feels like she was very heavily encouraging SS to manipulate Sweetie Belle further. And I just kinda feel like Sweetie has been manipulated enough.
That is not what I expected to happen.
Very impressed.
three questions, one how did Miss Prosperity acquired such high skill in word play as a lore master?
two Miss Prosperity was hesitating when she was mentioning her job, it hinted me that she no longer have or soon will lose it, so how did that happen? while being so good with words
three moar, well that wasn't a question but this story is so good, i love it
This chapter has a lot of interesting Interactions between the characters especially Sweetie and Silver, I hope we get more great chapters like this, Swan Song.
Well, that was a damned good chapter. I could just see Silver's face as she was systematically shut down by someone else who knows how to play the game.
Holy shit Prosperity is a badass
. compare her now to how she appears to Sweetie and previously with the Regal 6, and comes out as a sort of future-sight Silver Spoon. Really looking forward to more!
7441301 I think that Prosperity was once like Silver Spoon. She's trying to patch their relationship from a viewpoint that would convince Silver. Silver obviously has no taste for the sentimental and nigh obsesses on risk management. Prosperity's argument wasnt necessarily to manipulate Sweetie, but to present the advice in Silver Spoon's lens
7441368 I gonna respect that but I'll tell one thing before you go. The story is about fighting for your happiness. Sweetie is going through a lot but she is learning a lot. Abandon the story, but know that you are leaving behind the one of the best cast of characters on Fimfiction (IMO)
Have a good one
7441288 Actually it is. For now we MUST see Sweetie Belle learning about Silver Spoon and having that event resolved. If it was before that reveal about Silver being in Ponyville, you would be right about it not being too late. But now? It is much too late. Doesn't mean the Author can't make a second story after this one tho.
7441574 Well you got to remember that the ponies in this story are starting that age old arguement that violence in video games are corrupting the children.
And she is, effectively, the HEAD creator of this BIGGEST violent video game. I am better she has to deal with a LOT of stuff because of her job and passion in life.
Fuck me that was cool.
7441994 You're right. Swan should just abruptly change this story to be that, and never address any of the other plot threads ever again :3
7442005 I totally agree. Im comparing her outward demeanor of a slightly self-concious, frazzled, adorable game dev to her inward core of steel. Im realizing that she's a grown up mix of Sweetie and Silver. She knows and plays the Great Game (apparently well enough to dupe Silver), knows her high-society etiquette as both Sweetie and Silver do, yet she has taken a similar path that I see Sweetie following. She chose to follow her passions rather than get wrapped up in high-society or a sense continuing any sort of dynasty. I see her as past Sweetie Belle because she would naturally have been plagued by the same close-minded criticism for her passion. This adversity directed towards her passion has tempered her into an (appearingly) magnificent character. I hope that we get to explore Miss Prosperity more in future chapters.
Continuing with Prosperity being a future of Sweetie and Silver, I want to address what I think to be a theme/goal of This Game of Mine: finding happiness with who you are. This sounds like a total cheese out of theme, but this is one of the best portrayals of it I've ever seen. This more than a "feel good cuz you do you". It's a "this world's gonna give you a lot of shit, but you'll be fine because you can learn to deal with that shit". Prosperity exemplifies this because she seems to have reached the end of the journey that Sweetie and Silver are embarking on some time ago. That journey being of self-discovery and self-fulfillment. I hope Prosperity can remain as a friend and guiding force to both ponies. Schooling both Sweetie and Silver.
Weird tangent, but your comment got me rolling on the analysis train
Oh snap that right there is a badass example of Awesome by Analysis.
Holy shit. Just. Wow.
This was a really interesting chapter, and one which added to the tension without being overly dramatic. It's interesting how formal you write dialogue. I mean, the show itself has numerous examples of upper class and ruling class ponies who have a general laissez faire attitude to formality, and many of those who do show over-the-top attitudes tend to be the ones marked as antagonistic. On the other hand, it does make sense that this fic takes on a slightly more rigid structure to dialogue when it focuses on making a more visceral and introspective world than the show does.
>reads the description
>sees it's tagged
i66.tinypic.com/w8bbsj.jpg
Feels like the CMC tag should be replaced with Button Mash, since Scoots and AB haven't really been in the story very much. And Button is definitely a big supporting character here.
Seeing Silver trounced like that — having her personality dissected and the game she's been playing turned on her — was an incredible experience. I look forward to seeing what becomes of this.
Soooo awesome!
The blushy blushy blushy and the social jujutsu, both!
Heh heh, lady, you have NO idea. Foreshadowing!
Wow, you've really evoloved since the Doubting Swan blog a few months back. I love where this story is going, and how well you're writing it. It was especially wonderful to see SS (the little manipulator) get played right back so skilfully! I'm really liking how Prosperity is developing, and hope to see much more of her back story.
hmmm -- where have I heard that name before?
And Big Miller -- as in Big Jim Miller?? Nice!
prosperity vs silver spoon.... KO PERFECT VICTORY!
I'm not sure what you mean here, but i.... don't think it's trounce.
That's probably the most appropriate name for a side character EVER!
7443761
The surprise twist is that Button is a Princess.
7442118
I love you
7445089 gasp senpai!
"Enter P3"
Oh shit
#rekt
Oh, Silver, you poor poor thing...I have but an inkling of how you must have felt.
I haven't started reading yet, but that cover art is fucking cool.
You have lost a quality-Connected: The Great Game.
Already? I thought I had a couple more chapters to catch up. Anywhoodle, sweet villain foiling there. Looking forward to Spoon's reaction, and seeing what may happen at the
conventionparty.That was awesome, lol. I love how Prosperity just completely tore open Silver's persona and taught her another way to play the games she's already so good at. Still, I'd be very surprised if Dovetail actually took it in stride and remained friends with Shadow Song.
This is the second night in a row I have stayed up past 4am just to read this story. You sir, are a master at your craft. I came into this story expecting some nice little slice of life fic featuring best CMC, not this MAGNIFICENT work of art. The Characters, the Drama, the External and Internal Conflicts, the way you have crafted this story into what it is now, beautiful.
I have many stories in my collection, a small handful I hold in high regard, and this my friend is one of the best.
someone needs to be burned at the stake because i'm READING this story...
...and not bringing it home from EBgames with a nice, big 'Telltale' or 'Naughty Dog' slapped on the cover
7442728
Button isn't a character tag yet. That said, an "other" tag or an "oc" tag would both fit the story.
7441082
flashbacks to Halo Wars
god damnit sergeant forge
Damn.
I can only say oh my god like
I'll leave a real comment later but just
Swan
This is my fave thing ever rn omg
This has been an amazing ride so far. There are quite a lot of ways it's easy for me to empathize with Sweetie Belle in this story. At times it even feels like the realism level is cranked up a little too high. It certainly ruins the re-readability to some degree - some of this stuff was hard enough to take the first time through, when you don't know what's coming.
Diamond Tiara is kind of an unredeemable bitch in this, isn't she? It makes me long for the petty bully we're all familiar with from canon episodes or other fanfics. I was a little confused as to how she even had Filthy Rich under her hoof, but then I remembered you write this as a much more clearly female-dominated society. I also wondered if she has some kind of dirt on him as well... that's probably the case, too, though. Well, I hope she gets her comeuppance in the end, or at least gets marginalized - which, for her, is pretty much the same thing, isn't it?
Silver is a different story. I'm looking forward to see where she goes from the end of this chapter. It was nice for her to get a wake-up call here and realize there are other ponies that do what she does, and that it doesn't have to be turned to evil ends (kind of like the lesson Diamond learned in S05E18).
I'm also looking forward to the other members of Sweetie's group being revealed, especially Silver and Luna. I have no idea how the Saddle Arabian fits into the whole 'Regal Six' theme, but there's got to be a story there, too, right?
I can't wait for the next chapter. Keep up the good work!
I absolutely love this concept.
*checks for pulse*
*thump thump*
7844556 It's Destiny + Fallout + early WoW. The multiplayer is just flat-out Destiny. Not really anything like TF2/Overwatch (which are hero shooters, not class shooters) or CS:GO (which is way too limited). Not sure what you mean by sprays either.
nya