Spyra

by angelofrombelow

Chapter 3

It was a strange quirk of fate that Ponyville's celebration for the six heroes was a much more refined affair than the one held in Canterlot.

Many of the guests had already partied themselves out on the night before and were content to enjoy a slower, quieter event in the town hall. The mayor made a speech early on to congratulate the Elements of Harmony and then everypony was free to do whatever they wished.

There was a modest spread laid on by the staff at Sugarcube Corner and four members of the Canterlot orchestra attended to provide a genteel soundtrack to the evening.

Applejack left soon after the speech, claiming that she was feeling a little "under the weather" when in fact she was still nursing the mother of all hangovers, leaving her five friends to chat with the other guests.

A couple of hours into the event, Fluttershy and Twilight caught Rarity alone and began regaling her with tales of what had happened last night.

"Oh my," she gasped once their story was done, "Thank goodness I went to bed when I did. I don't think I could bear the humiliation."

"It was certainly a night that I'd rather forget, but I'm sure I'll look back on it and laugh someday," said Twilight, "No harm done. I'm just glad I didn't get in trouble with Celestia."

Rarity waved her hoof dismissively: "You worry too much, darling. You're her number one student – you'd have to do something pretty drastic to get in her bad books."

The purple unicorn smiled weakly: "That's just what Spike said."

"Where is Spike tonight?" her friend asked, "He's missing out on all the fun."

"He tuckered himself out last night, poor little guy. He did want to come along but he was just too tired."

Just then, Pinkie Pie hopped over, still full of energy and showing absolutely no signs for the worse after yesterday's shenanigans: "Hi girls! Having fun?"

Twilight eyed her friend warily. Her only knowledge of what she had been up to at Canterlot was based on rumour and wild speculation.

She said: "I noticed you didn't sleep in your bed last night, Pinkie. In fact, I didn't see you all night. Where were you?"

"Hmm… I have no idea! La la-la la-la!" the pink pony sang as she bounced away again.

The three friends shared bemused glances, momentarily stunned into silence. Before they could say anything, Twilight noticed Lyra standing near the bar and beckoned to her to come over.

The mint green-coated unicorn had already spotted her quarry – Carrot Top was also lingering near the bar, chatting with a couple of her friends. Lyra had been eavesdropping on their conversation and hadn't heard anything suspicious as of yet.

She decided it would be best to join Twilight and her friends. She'd be less conspicuous in a crowd and would still be able to keep watch over Carrot Top.

Her studious friend beamed as she walked over: "Rarity, Fluttershy, this is my friend Heartstrings. Heartstrings, this is – oh, well I guess you know who they are already."

Rarity's face brightened upon hearing her name: "Heartstrings! Oh yes, Twilight's been talking about you. I'm sure the two of you have much to discuss, so we'll just leave you to it."

She gave a sly wink to Twilight then indicated to Fluttershy that they should leave them alone. Her friend, who hadn't been informed of the latest gossip, looked at her blankly then turned to Lyra.

"S-so, um," she said, mostly focusing her attention on the floor at the unicorn's hooves, "W-what do you do for a living?"

"Oh, odd jobs really. Civic maintenance and anything else that needs doing around town. I'm happy to help anypony out if they need it."

"That's nice. Do you like anima – what?" Fluttershy looked at Rarity, who was now jerking her head in an increasingly obvious effort to tell her they should go, all the while maintaining an unconvincing smile.

She still didn't understand, so the white unicorn gave up the pretence and forcefully pushed her away, the pegasus's hooves scraping along the floor.

"It was nice to meet you," she called out as the pair made their undignified exit.

"They were rather quick to leave," said Lyra, "Twilight, you didn't mention anything about our conversation earlier today, did you?"

Twilight chuckled nervously: "Who, me? Oh no. No. Well, maybe a little. Rarity knows a lot about this sort of thing, so I asked her for some advice. Just on a hypothetical situation."

"Did you say anything about me and Golden Harvest?"

She looked away: "That… may have been the hypothetical situation I used, yes."

Lyra put her hoof to her face. The rumours were spreading already and that could prove disastrous to her mission. She would have to move fast before her cover was blown. Carrot Top had worked as a spy for Celestia and if she truly had gone rogue, she would no doubt expect that somepony had been sent after her.

"Never mind," she said, "Look, Twilight, I appreciate the fact you're trying to help but I've already told you, I'm not attracted to her."

"You're not?" the purple unicorn blinked in surprise, "But then why did you come to the party?"

Lyra shrugged, a bemused expression on her face: "Because it's a party. What other reason does somepony need?"

Twilight hesitated, then smiled as she realised she was being told the truth. Her eyes showed a little disappointment. She had been hoping tonight would give her material for this week's letter to Celestia, which was almost due.

"And here I was, convinced I was about to help you find true love," she said, "Well, the night's still young. Is there any other pony who you've got your eye on?"

Lyra shook her head: "How about yourself? I know you're always busy with your studies and all, but there must be somepony here you're interested in."

Twilight's face turned a deeper shade of purple and she became slightly withdrawn.
"There is somepony," she said, self-consciously kicking one of her front legs forward, "But he's way out of my league."

Lyra raised an eyebrow. "Okay, who is it?" she said, standing alongside her friend and waving her hoof at the crowd of partygoers, "You'll never know what he thinks of you if you don't ask. And when you think about it, this would be the perfect time for you to make a move on whoever it is. After all, you're the talk of the town right now. You're a hero."

Twilight was hesitant, suddenly nervous at the idea that tonight could be the night: "Me? No I'm not… well, maybe I am, but that's only thanks to the help of my friends. Anyway, you said it yourself: I'm much too busy to get involved with anypony. I've got to train my powers. I've got to study the magic of friendship. I've got to look after the library. In fact, it's been months since I gave those bookshelves a good clearout, I should go do it right…"

"You're not going anywhere," Lyra raised her leg to stop Twilight walking past her, "I want a name."

She scanned the room quickly while the young student debated whether to reveal the identity of her crush. The Canterlot musicians had finished playing their last song of the night and were packing up their instruments.

Carrot Top was alone now but hadn't moved from her spot. Good. As she watched, the yellow-coated pony turned her head and looked at a stallion who was also propping up the bar. His coat was a light blue, his mane was a much darker shade of the same colour and his cutiemark was a set of quavers. Carrot Top seemed to be taking great interest in him.

"Dr Whooves!" Twilight blurted out, interrupting Lyra's train of thought.

"Whooves?" she said, her voice softened by surprise, "Why are you interested in him?"

The purple unicorn was blushing again: "Well, he's so… handsome. Those strong, sensitive eyes, that glorious mane. I've never really spoken to him but I know he's intelligent and that's really important – I've always wanted somepony I can have deep, complex conversations with. I know he's older than me but I don't mind that. Quite the opposite. Oh, and he's a doctor. Mum always wanted me to marry a doctor."

"Whoa, slow down," said Lyra, still coming to terms with Whooves being described as handsome. She would never have seen him that way.

"Oh. Sorry. Got a bit carried away. But you see what I mean. There's no way he'd be interested in somepony like me and I can't go up and speak to him because I don't really know him and it'd be embarrassing," Twilight crossed one of her front legs over the other and looked at the floor.

"I know him. I can introduce you to him."

She gasped, her face lighting up: "You would do that for me? That'd be great! But, wait… do you think he'd be interested? Do you think we'd make a good couple?"

Lyra paused to consider: they were both smart and highly interested in Equestria and its history. Twilight was a little emotionally immature but Whooves had a protective nature and was a considerate sort. He was more of an extrovert but they had similar personalities and were both capable of moments of extreme nerdiness – she would probably make a great companion for him.

She nodded, delighting her friend, then said: "Come on. I've spent most of the night chatting with him, so I know he's around somewhere."

The purple unicorn took an inadvertent step back: "What, tonight? I can't! I'm not ready, I wouldn't know what to say. I haven't read anything about…"

"You'll be fine," said Lyra, dragging her along, "Just be yourself. If the conversation falls into a lull, just get him talking about history and you'll be set. Ah, he's over there."

Whooves was standing alone by a wall, absently watching the other guests enjoying themselves. Lyra went over to him, leaving a nervous Twilight by herself for a few moments.

"Ah, hello again," he said, the disinterested expression staying on his face, "This party's proving to be quite a drag compared to last night, isn't it? I don't think there'll be anypony here who'll have something to regret come morning."

"Well, last night was a special case – even the upper class ponies were letting their manes down," said Lyra.

He shot a small grin, then said: "In any case, this party is over. I'm going to head on home."

"Oh, wait just a minute," she said hastily, holding up her hoof to stop him, "There's somepony I wanted you to meet."

He raised an eyebrow curiously as she beckoned for somepony to come over, then blinked in surprise when he saw who it was. The purple unicorn had a faltering smile on her face and there was reluctance in her stride.

"Doctor, I'd like you to meet a good friend of mine," said Lyra, "This is…"

"Twilight Sparkle," he murmured, his mind racing. The doctor had a remarkable gift of foresight but he hadn't predicted that this would be the night they finally met.

He pulled himself out of his momentary trance and greeted her with a vigorous hoofshake: "No need for introductions, Lyra. Everypony knows Twilight Sparkle. Student of Princess Celestia, vanquisher of Nightmare Moon and all-round magical prodigy – not to mention, she's the reason we are all here tonight."

"Yes, um, thank you," said the bookish pony, perturbed by his enthusiastic greeting, "Couldn't have done it without my friends though."

Whooves nodded: "The elements of harmony. Quite remarkable. To think the princess would be capable of such a thing as weaponising friendship! A much more peaceful solution than the times of old."

There was then a moment of silence that went on for longer than Twilight was comfortable with. She stood with a grin frozen on her face, the heat from her forehead causing little pinpricks of sweat to form on her brow, and panicked internally as she failed to think up any way to keep the conversation going.

Whooves looked at her for a moment, slightly confused by the fact she seemed to have nothing more to say. Just a cursory welcome for tonight then, he thought. Probably for the best.

He raised his hoof in form of farewell: "It was good to meet you, but as I said to Lyra…"

"Hold on a minute," his friend interjected, "What you just said there, about olden times. Ah, Twilight, we were just talking about, um, we were just… weren't we?"

She gestured to the young unicorn, urging her to say something.

"Oh! Yes, we were," said Twilight, thinking quickly, "Talking… about how conflicts were resolved before the elements existed."

Whooves frowned. "Really?" he said, "That seems like fairly inappropriate conversation for a party."

"I just…" she grimaced to herself, then steeled her nerves and decided to just go for it, "I think about these things a lot. Not fighting, I mean. The past. How we came to be here. History holds so many mysteries that can't be solved just by reading books. Did you know, for instance, that there's no record of where the elements of harmony came from? The only information I've found about them is in a book that foretold the return of Nightmare Moon and even that relied heavily upon folklore. Do you ever think about how our society evolved, where it came from?"

Whooves paused, his attention caught by Twilight's curious mind. Perhaps a short conversation with her could provide the entertainment that tonight had been sorely lacking.

"I do often think back to our younger days, yes," he said carefully, "But surely the answers you're looking for should be easy for you to get hold of. After all, you're close to Princess Celestia…"

"That's true, but she doesn't speak much about the past," she said, "Whenever there's something I need to know, she'll tell me, but she has so many duties to attend to and she knows so much that I couldn't take up all of her time with my questions. Besides, it's so much more rewarding to find out the answers myself. I read a lot."

He smiled: "That's quite commendable. However, you can't find all the answers to life, the universe and everything in the pages of a book. For instance, you won't be able to find any information back beyond the story of how Equestria was founded. Have you ever wondered what happened before then or why that part of our history has been lost?"

"I have, and I think I know the answer. It all goes back to Discord. We've already had a taste of what life must have been like under his reign – with that level of chaos, it's little wonder nopony had a chance to sit down and write about it. I imagine there must have been a long adjustment period after the princesses took over, so perhaps everypony was too busy to make a record of the time."

"An adjustment period," Whooves repeated, "You're quite right. I believe you're right. They must have been tumultuous times indeed. But they pulled through it. Ponykind has a knack of coping with whatever comes its way."

Twilight nodded, her nervousness gone. She said: "Sometimes I wish I could find out what really happened. Just see it with my own eyes, you know?"

Their conversation faded out of earshot as Lyra walked away, smiling happily to herself. That was one good deed for the night – now she could refocus her attention on Carrot Top.

The yellow-coated mare was still sitting at the bar – anypony would think she had a drinking problem – and was chatting with friends, who appeared to be in the process of leaving. The blue earth pony she had been paying attention to earlier, a stallion called Noteworthy, had turned his attention to a member of the Canterlot orchestra and appeared to be making a move on her.

Lyra stopped to consider what she should do next but her thoughts were interrupted by a sudden outbreak of laughter from a group of ponies on the other side of the room.

"See, you guys? I told you this was going to be awesome," cried a voice that she recognised as Rainbow Dash.

The brightly-coloured pegasus was watching the antics of a purple earth pony called Berry Punch, who was balancing a shot glass on the end of her nose. The pony suddenly flicked her head and caught the glass in her mouth, downing the drink in one before placing the empty container on the table.

The group surrounding her clapped their hooves and whooped in appreciation of her party trick, then busied themselves trying to replicate it.

Berry Punch glanced away from them and caught sight of Lyra.

She frowned angrily, then slowly raised her hoof, pointed at her eyes, then pointed at the young spy.

Then she turned away to rejoin her friends, who hadn't witnessed the silent exchange.

Lyra stood, stunned, in the middle of the hall with her hoof still raised mid-stride. Berry Punch, a pony she had never really spoken with, had just sent her a warning – no, more than that: a threat. She had just sent her a message that was all too clear.
And the message was: I'm watching you.

****

Carrot Top waved goodbye to her friends and finished her non-alcoholic drink. She had not yet achieved what she had set out to do that evening, but she was nothing if not patient.

Noteworthy had been at the bar all night, making small talk with any attractive mare who passed by. She had only been tracking him for a short while but it had been time enough for her to decide that she didn't like him. He came across as a braggart without substance – a would-be lothario who had nothing to offer.

In short, a pony who deserved what was coming to him.

But he was hiding a particularly juicy secret and she was the only one in the room who knew what it was. Only she knew his true identity and how important he could be to the future of Equestria, unless she intervened.

She watched as he made a move on another unlucky mare. This time it was a member of the Canterlot orchestra, far too classy to give a pony such as him the time of day. Perhaps, once he had struck out again, Carrot Top would make a move of her own.

Noteworthy sidled up to the musician as she waited to be served. The mare had a grey coat with a black mane, and wore a pink bowtie.

"Excuse me," he said, smiling confidently, "I'd just like to congratulate you on your exemplary performance tonight. It gave the occasion a much-needed touch of class."

The mare looked at him disinterestedly, in no rush to respond to his praise. He continued regardless.

"I'm a musician myself and I know a master when I see one," he said, holding a hoof to his chest, "You have an incredibly light touch."

The mare turned away: "I'm not the only pony in the orchestra. We're an ensemble. Thank you for your praise, but I prefer a little solitude after a performance. No offence."

"None taken. Allow me to order you a drink – as a thank you from one music aficionado to another."

"No, that's really not necess…" she tried to stop him but he had already caught the attention of the bartender.

"What would you like?" Noteworthy asked. She suppressed a sigh of irritation.

"That's very kind of you," she said politely, "I'll have a vodka martini, no ice."

Noteworthy nodded to the bartender then turned his attention back to her: "It was always a dream of mine to join the Canterlot orchestra. I went to a tryout when I was younger but I missed out, sadly - although I've improved since then. I should probably make another go at it."

She frowned, feeling her hackles beginning to rise. It had taken her many years to reach the position she was in today and she was in no mood to hear anypony talk about it so flippantly. He was about to be taken down a peg.

"You think you have what it takes?" she said, arching an eyebrow, "Very well. What instrument do you play, and at what level?"

"The piano. Beautiful instrument, though incredibly tricky for us earth ponies to master," he said. The bartender served up the martini and Noteworthy paid a generous tip, making sure the mare saw him as he did so. "As for my ability? I'd say I'm edging on grade eight."

Her mouth twitched, the closest she'd come to smiling all night. "Grade eight?" she said resignedly, "Here's a tip – if you're going to lie to try to impress me, at least make it a believable one. Grade eight? Only a unicorn could perform to that level."

"True," he said, smiling as she turned away from him, "Only a unicorn. That is, if you believe the only way to play is by using magic or hooves."

That caught her attention. She looked at him suspiciously, unsure what he was talking about.

"Music isn't my only talent," he said, "I'm also an inventor. Just one example is how I improved our town's ploughs to aid in the annual Winter wrap-up – they practically push themselves now. But my greatest creation? A pair of boots that you wear on your front legs, each with five mechanised digits connected on the end. Tricky to use, but once mastered you can manipulate them through muscle reflexes and perform tasks that are usually only possible for creatures with fingers or claws."

The mare just looked at him, trying to figure out whether he was a technological genius or a pathological liar.

"You're serious, aren't you?" she asked, "Then… why haven't you sold this on? You'd surely make a fortune."

He grimaced: "They're incredibly hard to make and the parts for them are difficult to come by. They also need to be infused with magic, to act as a power source. Mainstream production is nothing but a pipedream, I'm afraid. But then, if everypony had a pair, I would no longer be the special one, would I?"

"Perhaps," she said thoughtfully, sipping on her martini, "If you really are telling the truth."

He moved in closer: "I don't blame you for doubting me. Maybe we should play a duet sometime so I can prove it to you."

She wasn't entirely comfortable with him getting so close, but she didn't push him away either. "I'll admit you've caught my interest. However, I'm not convinced I want to put on a private performance just yet."

Noteworthy took a step back. "That's okay, Viola. To be honest, I'm just glad you're speaking to me again after that embarrassing debacle on Nightmare Night."

The mare paused, holding her head upright as she realised something was off. "Nightmare Night?" she said.

"Oh, yes. You remember," he said, blustering a little, "That misunderstanding we had when our costumes, ah, accidentally got stuck together."

The mare moved away from the bar, feeling slightly dejected. "I think you have the wrong mare," she said, "My name's not Viola."

Too late, he realised his mistake and cursed himself as she began to walk away. He took a few steps forward to make one last effort to turn things around.

"Wait!" he cried, "It was just a case of mistaken identity. You both look very similar that's all, I… at least come back and finish your drink. It doesn't matter who I thought you were, you still really caught my attention tonight. It was a fantastic performance on the double bass…"

She whirled around, her face aghast: "Double bass? I play the cello!"

Noteworthy's mouth opened and closed a couple of times as he struggled to find something, anything to say. The mare snorted with dissatisfaction and went to leave.

"Oh come on, please, this is silly. Can't we just forget about it and move on? You haven't even told me your name," he said.

"What's the point?" she said, both irritated and disappointed, "You'll only end up calling me something else, anyway."

With that, she left the hall to go to her lodgings for the night. Noteworthy went back to the bar, head hung low. The martini was still there, half empty. He took a sip – no point in letting it go to waste – and avoided looking up at the bartender.

Carrot Top saw her chance and strolled over to him, tilting her head to peer up at him as he stared down.

"You're not having a very good evening, are you?" she asked, catching him by surprise.

"You saw that?" he said, "Well, if you've come over to make fun of me then there's little point. You can't make me feel any worse."

"Oh, on the contrary," she said, "If you'll pardon the intrusion, I overheard what you were talking about just then and I have to say it sounded absolutely fascinating. You must be ever so clever to have come up with those boots – did you have a name for them?"

"No, I never gave that any thought," he said, perking up, "But you're right, it is a rather complicated piece of machinery. It was a tough job to build, even for someone as talented as myself."

"Well, I am impressed," she said, fluttering her eyelashes, "Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Golden Harvest and I've had my eyes on you all night."

His face flushed. "You, ah, really?" he stammered briefly before regaining his composure, "My name's Noteworthy, but my friends call me Blues. And I do like a mare who knows what she wants. I commend you on your taste – and I must say, you are the most attractive pony I've spoken to all night."

Carrot Top smiled. He'd taken the bait. This job would be over before morning.

"So, that offer you made to the last mare – would you extend it to me?" she asked, "I'd be ever so appreciative if you would take me home for a private session."

Noteworthy leaned back, raising one of his front legs defensively: "You mean a private performance, right?"

She said nothing – the smile on her face and the look in her eyes told him all he needed to know.

This time, it was his turn to back away. He said: "Of course, nothing would give me greater pleasure. But I am a gentlecolt, first and foremost. I have no intention of taking a lady home without taking her out for dinner first."

Carrot Top was surprised, though she didn't show it in her expression. She'd misjudged him. His upper class attitude wasn't just an act, after all. He still held true to the values of his Canterlot upbringing.

But she had to get him alone, otherwise everything she'd planned would be ruined.

"That would be wonderful," she smiled, "If you're not doing anything tomorrow evening, we could go to Horte Cuisine's restaurant. How does that sound?"

Noteworthy answered in the affirmative, with as much panache as he could muster.

The party was over, so their conversation only lasted a short while afterwards. He didn't reveal any of the information that Carrot Top was looking for, but she wasn't concerned. She had him now.

Tomorrow night would be one he would never forget.

Comments

[the other sans]

There was a modest spread laid on by the staff at Sugarcube Corner and four members of the Canterlot orchestra attended to provide a genteel soundtrack to the evening.

Gentle.

[angelofrombelow]

576226

Thanks for the spot, but it's correct.

gen·teel   [jen-teel]
adjective
1. belonging or suited to polite society.
2. well-bred or refined; polite; elegant; stylish.
3. affectedly or pretentiously polite, delicate, etc.

[angelofrombelow]

Genteel is correct - I posted a response with the dictionary definition but it appears to have gotten lost in the system. It means "polite, refined or respectable". Thanks though.

EDIT: Double post = I fail at life.

[the other sans]

576254 Darn it, I got trolled by Sweetie Belle again...

[Fireseeker]

Nice chapter
Twilight & Doctor shipping! Also, "she would probably make a great companion for him."
cache.ohinternet.com/images/2/24/I_see_what_you_did_there_super.jpg

[Kit the Kite]

Inb4 Halloween