Entry 9, Part 7 (Look Before You Seer)
“... You know, when you told me that you knew a place where we could learn more about Stardust Glimmer, I was picturing somewhere a bit more… interesting.”
“Oh? Really? What, were you imagining the royal archives, or the library?”
“Um, yeah, actually. I was.”
“Hah! You truly are Dusk’s assistant.”
“I-I’m not saying that I was hoping for a library or something!” I feebly try to defend myself from atop the Prince's back. “It’s just, well, the place we’re heading to is kinda, sorta…”
“Old, drab, and not the most exciting building for a foal to be in; I know,” Solaris puts words in my mouth, spouting what he thinks is on my mind. “But I assure you, Canterlot Town Hall contains exactly what we’re looking for.”
“It’s not a question of whether it has what we need or not,” I mutter under my breath, my comment becoming inaudible thanks to the rushing wind. “It’s a matter of… Well, I guess we’ll find out soon enough.”
Background info time:
Smackdab in the middle of Equestria’s capital lies a structure not quite as impressive as Canterlot Castle, but is nonetheless just as important to the common Canterlotian; Canterlot Town Hall. From weather schedules to taxes, it’s from here where this city is truly run. The currently elected mayor, whose name escapes me at the moment, is the stallion who oversees daily operations in Solaris' sted. He also handles the civilian issues too minor for the Prince to bother with, such as zoning violations or protest registration, so I guess you could say that he's the real head honcho around these parts.
Town Hall is also where birth certificates and other legal forms are stored, like the original copy of my Title of Ownership, so I have a pretty good guess as to why we’re suddenly visiting it. ‘If Stardust Glimmer knows Dusk, then he must have lived in Canterlot at some point’ is probably what Solaris is thinking, and I'd be lying if I said that the thought hadn't crossed my mind. Considering Dusk's lack of a social life, it's highly likely that this Mister Glimmer is a former Canterlotian... or at least a stallion who studied at the same school as my charge.
Locking this pony's origin story to Canterlot would greatly narrow down the search to only a clawful of possible motives and trigger events. Us finding nothing would also serve a purpose, as doing so would grant my original hypotheses, that Stardust is a Seer, some much need credence.
Either outcome is acceptable to me, so long as something gets done about it at all. I doubt even Prince Solaris will want to remain impassive with such a large, unknown variable running around… Though, that having been said, the big guy's no stranger to subverting my expectations. He may be cooperating with me at the moment, but that could easily change in the blink of an eye. His decision to drag me to Town Hall is a good example of this dualistic nature of his:
If he was truly on my side we wouldn’t be heading there at all.
“This is likely your first time visiting Central Canterlot, isn’t it?” my steed asks me casually mid-flight. His gaze is aimed downwards as he searches for a safe spot to land. “I can’t imagine your charge would have had much need to traverse this far inwards except for perhaps a field trip or the like, correct?”
“Yeah this is my first time here,” I report impassively, keeping my tone in check; not wanting my apprehension to become apparent.
Logically Town Hall should do the job.
Logically Solaris should be able to find what we need there without difficulty.
Logically everything should be fine…
… The dragon-sneeze trees are making me nervous though.
Ponies don’t normally plant those things around structures where every creature is welcomed.
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Quick Equestrian fauna rundown for the uninformed; the leaves of dragon-sneeze trees are nature’s repellent for, you guessed it, dragons. One whiff of the junk can give a baby like me a serious case of the sniffles, while two will agitate my flame sack to the point of discharge. Three is where the "fun" begins as bile gets thrown into the mix, and as I get violently sick to my stomach. Lastly there's four, the unluckiest number of all.
Four is the number of death.
Now obviously slaying a dragon isn't as easy as shoving a branch of the crap in our face. If that were true I'd be dead three times over instead of the one. Extended exposure is necessary to achieve lethality, but that hasn’t stopped older Canterlotians from keeping leaves on them out of protection. A pair of inventive business mares even found a way to liquefy the effects, essentially creating easy-to-use dragon mace.
That tool in particular was Madame Red's favorite during my training days.
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Clip clop
Either unaware of this detail or simply uncaring, Prince Solaris lowers our altitude until we land smoothly upon the pavement...
... just outside the foliage's range.
Phew
"Whoa, did you hear how loud the hoof steps were on that last one? A really chubby pegasus must have touched down somewhere around her- OMS it’s Prince Solaris!”
Surprised gasps and joyful shrieks soon followed our arrival, as the nearby ponies abruptly became aware of their Sun Prince’s presence.
“Haha, please go about your business, my little ponies,” Solaris waves politely back to the gathering masses. “No need to halt your entire day on our behalf.”
“We love you, Prince Solaris!”
“Oh I’m well aware!” the Prince laughs heartily to the now decent-sized crowd of equines, earning himself a roaring round of hoofed applause.
My eyes, meanwhile, are rolling in their sockets.
Clip clop clip clop
Twinkle twinkle twinkle
Wrrrreee…
… Slam
With a quick trot up the stairs, a TK spell upon the door, and the shutting of said door; the two of us entered Canterlot Town Hall before we could get further hounded by the crazed groupies.
“Must be tough being popular,” I snark as soon as the noise dies down.
“You’ll have your turn soon enough,” Solaris snarks right back. “An entire Empire’s worth of admiration, in fact.”
“Heh,” I snort at the thought. “Good one.”
“...”
“... Wait was that a joke or a spoiler?”
“...”
… In reply... the alicorn simply winks.
“Good things come to those who wait~” he continues to tease, unphased by my pouting.
“Now who could be stopping by this late in the da- Oh goodness me; Prince Solaris!”
Startled out of our conversation, my ride and I turn our heads towards the new speaker. A short, portly stallion is galloping up to us with an excited expression upon his face, and a twinkle in his eyes…
… one that fades when he glances in my direction, but it returns once his attention switches back to Solaris.
Uh oh.
I’ve seen that look before.
That's the 'I'm not okay with you being here' look.
“I was unaware that you were paying my humble halls a visit today, your majesty,” the aging unicorn bows low, his horn almost scraping against the polished floor. “If I had, I would have made sure my team was here to greet you properly.”
“There would have been no need for that, Mayor Queen Bee,” my steed bows kindly back, almost causing me to slide right off of him. “My decision to stop by was quite sporadic, after all.”
“Understood, sir,” the emerald green, honeybee cutie marked pony rises fully from his kneeling. “If I’d be so bold to ask, what brings you here this lovely day?”
“My Squire and I require the Index,” Solaris cuts to the chase; pointing a hoof to his back, and thus me, for illustration. "Hopefully there isn't too long of a line."
Mayor Queen Bee’s eyes again dart in my direction.
Again they harden.
Gulp
“I… see,” Queen Bee replies carefully after a noticeable pause. “The Index room is currently empty, your highness. You are more than welcome to it."
Solaris' grin grows large.
“Excellent!” he chortles happily, pleased by the news. Trotting on past the Mayor, he then carries me along with him as we venture further inwards. “It’s still the furthest door on the left, correct? We won’t hog it for lon-”
“The dragon stays outside.”
The Prince halts in place.
The Mayor's demand lingers in the air.
The lobby turns deathly quiet as a sudden chill enters it from parts unknown...
… Sigh.
Called it.
“...”
“...”
With glacial speed, and expression frozen, Prince Solaris ominously turns his head back towards Mayor Queen Bee.
“I… beg your pardon?” he asks the unicorn somewhat quietly, as if not trusting himself to speak louder. “Good sir, I believe I mentioned that we both need to see the Index, not just myself.”
“You did,” the Mayor answers back neutrally, his voice equally reserved. “But I can not allow it. Such a thing would be against the long-established rules of these sacred halls.”
“The rul-”
“Solaris,” I whisper into my steed’s ear, halting his response. “Look,” Following where my talon is pointing, he quickly spies what I had just spotted a moment ago:
A sign.
A sign with a roaring dragon on it.
A sign with a red X.
“I can not allow a fire-breather anywhere near the Index, Prince Solaris,” Queen Bee holds his ground, earning back the Prince’s gaze. “I can not allow a fire-breather anywhere near our paperwork, period! One rogue dust particle tickling its nose could be enough to destroy generations of recorded text! You… Y-you have to understand, sir…”
The room grows colder.
“...”
“...”
“... She is allowed in the public library,” Solaris points out calmly, voice still unraised. “I fail to see what the problem is here.”
“Books are insured, documents are not,” the other stallion huffs back indignantly. “They’re replaceable too, unlike the contents of the Index."
“Barbara is also allowed in the royal archives though,” my ride counters, not backing down. “You’ll not find scripture more ancient or irreplaceable than the ones located in there… Again I fail to see your concern.”
Clip
“Your castle, your rules,” Queen Bee stomps a hoof against the ground. “My castle, my rules… I-I’m truly sorry, your highness, but the answer is still no. I will not yield, even for you.”
“Bu-”
Okay, I’ve had enough of this.
“Please stop,” I grip Solaris’ ear, forcing him to give me back his attention. “Just… stop. I don’t think you really need me here for this anyways. You’ve already heard everything I know about Stardust, so there’s no point in making the Mayor uncomfortable for my sake...”
“...”
“...”
“...”
Solaris remains silent.
…
…
… Clip... clop... clip... clop...
Solaris slowly trots back towards the entrance.
Solaris begins to lower his neck to the ground.
I ready myself to dismount from him…
… only to find that he’s not lowering the rest of his body.
In fact, it seems he has no intention of bending the knee at all.
“Mayor Queen Bee,” the Prince, in one smooth motion, aims his head back towards the aging stallion; angeling himself into a proper bow. “I humbly request that you alter the rules once again on my behalf.”
“A… A-again?!”
Looking up to Queen, I’m not surprised to find his face rapidly turning a furious shade of red.
“You are slandering my good name, Prince Solaris!” the grey maned unicorn shouts angrily, his voice echoing in the empty lobby. “I have never altered the rules once in my entire career! Not for friends, not for family, and certainly not for royalty! That’s why the fair citizens voted for me in the first place; for my dedication to them and their well-being above those who would do them harm! How dare you suggest otherwise?!”
“But… you have bent them, Queen Bee,” the Prince answers coldly, head still lowered out of ‘respect’. “You’ve bent them every single time you’ve allowed me entry, so why would this be any different?”
“W-what?!” Solaris’ opponent shutters loudly, losing his cool. “I have most certainly not! The sign clearly reads, and has always read, tha-”
“That no fire-breathers are allowed within this building,” his highness finishes, cutting off Mister Queen. “I can read it just fine from here. Though it bears the likeness of a dragon on it, the sign specifically lists fire-breathers so that it may exclude the likes of griffons and the fabled kirin as well…”
Solaris’ head rises.
Solaris’ eyes lock with the Mayor’s own.
Fzzzzzz
Solaris’ mouth begins to leak sparks and pitch-black smok-
Wait what?
“... Yet you’ve allowed the likes of me in since day one of your employment,” the Sun’s chosen wielder finishes matter-of-factly, as if flames weren't dancing across his lips. My scales remain unmoving as he speaks, informing me that this isn’t an illusion spell. “All I’m asking is for you to extend that same blessing to my Squire as well… I don’t believe that’s too much to ask, do you?”
“I er, ah,” Queen Bee stammers wildly, struggling to regain his composure. “B-b-but the rules clearly state tha-”
Clip
“My,”
Clop
“Little,”
Clip
“Pony,” the alicorn smiles sweetly, dripping glowing embers upon the marble floor. “Compared to the solar forces I channel through my body on the regular, Barbara’s dragonfire is nothing more than a tiny, wet, matchbox.
"Now, in understanding this, I will make my request one final time; if you and your forebearers have looked the other way for decades on an arguably greater risk to this facilities’ hard work, i.e. myself, surely you can look the other way for thirt-, no, twenty more minutes at the very least... Yes?”
“...”
“...”
“...”
… At a loss for words, unable to find the strength necessary to rise from the floor, Mayor Queen Bee simply nods his head yes.
All at once, the room’s chill vanishes.
The inferno in Solaris’ mouth disappears as well, leaving behind the calm, good-natured Prince that had entered the building earlier.
“Excellent!” said Prince cheers for a second time, acting as if that whole conversation hadn’t happened. “It’s still the furthest door on the left, correct?”
Again the Mayor nods yes.
“We’ll be in and out before you know it~” my steed singsongs his way past the catatonic stallion, carrying me along for the ride. “Is your favorite beverage still Honey Red Jade Tea, Mayor Queen Bee? I’ll be sure to gift you some for your birthday next week~!”
Rounding a corner, the victorious pony ventures forth with a noticeable spring in his step.
I, meanwhile, am too stunned to speak.
It turned out ‘furthest door on the left’ in actuality stood for ‘the furthest door on the left… of an entire other wing’. Canterlot’s Town Hall is quite a bit larger than Ponyville’s equivalent building, which meant Solaris and I (well mostly Solaris but boy is my scaly butt starting to get sore from all this horseback riding) had a fair bit of windowless catacombs to navigate first before arriving at our destination.
Throughout our travels, neither of us spared so much as a word to one another.
The tension was, and still is, unnerving.
“...”
“...”
“...”
“...”
“... My special talent allows me to ignite my inner mana into usable flame-”
“You know darn well that I don’t care about the ‘how’,” I, having rediscovered my voice, cut off Solaris’ explanation. “The only thing I need to hear right now is the ‘why’.”
“... The ‘why’?” the stallion tilts his head quizzingly, though his eyes remain locked on the path ahead. “Why, whatever do you mean, dea-”
“Don’t act cute with me,” I have to stop myself from snarling. Taking a deep breath to calm my nerves, I start over. “I mean, I-I don’t think the Mayor was in the wrong for wanting to keep fire-breathers out of this building. It does look pretty old and flammable…”
“And it most certainly is old, Barbara ” Solaris agrees, his eyes still aimed away from me. “But it is nowhere near as combustible as Queen Bee would have you believe, otherwise unicorns would be on that exclusion list as well.”
“... I still don’t think you should have bullied him like that though, sir...”
“...”
“...”
“... Have you been barred entry anywhere else lately, dear?”
“... Not since Dusk and I left Canterlot, sir.”
“Hmmm… So Ponyville allows you to roam freely then, like a normal foal?”
“Yes.”
“...”
“...”
“... Which town do you prefer mor-”
“Ponyville,” I answer without missing a beat. “Ponyville, full stop.”
“That will certainly make things difficult for you in the future, Barabara,” Prince Solaris replies grimly, expression unknown. “Do keep in mind that you may be forced into returning to Canterlot someday… Well, if you wish to remain by Dusk's side, that is."
This gives me pause.
"... Dusk is going to leave Ponyville?" I croak, having realized what he's implying. "But… B-but why? He's so much happier there! His friends are there! M… m-my friends are there… Why would he want to come back to Canterlot?!"
"Relax, little Seer," my steed laughs in the face of my fretting. "Relax. I've not foreseen such a future as of yet. All I'm suggesting is a hypothetical situation, nothing more."
“... Hypothetical...?”
“Indeed.”
"... Thank you for using the word 'hypothetical', and not feeling the need to sub it with something simpler because I'm a kid, sir."
"But of course... My question remains though,” Solaris, at last, turns his head; aiming his good eye in my direction. “If you were forced between staying in Ponyville or joining Dusk in Canterlot, which path would you feel most compelled into choosing?"
"..."
"... I'm honestly curious."
"I know,” I reassure the pony that I’m listening, even if I’m shying my own eyes away from his one. “I know. I just… I-I just don't like it."
"The question?"
"The idea of leaving Ponyville!" I grant the Prince the truth, as his dark suggestion begins to take root in my mind. "Dusk needs me, b-but I don't want to say goodbye to anypony yet…"
"But you would leave it behind for his sake?"
"Y...Y-yeah... I-I wouldn't like it though..."
"Well, that goes without saying… Perhaps you could make new friends here, to lessen the loneliness?"
"Canterlot hates me," I state the facts plainly, without hesitation. "Nopony here likes dragons, you saw it yourself."
"Gleaming Shield would beg to differ," Solaris fires back, his head turning away from me. "As would her parents, the nursemaids that once assisted you, the owner of that lovely donut shop off of Manestreet… and, of course, myself. Slowly but surely Canterlot is learning to be more open-minded, even if it doesn’t seem like it on the surface.”
“I’ll believe it when I see it,” I snap, my distaste clear in my tone. A clawful of ponies doesn’t make up for years of being treated as an ‘other’. “I’ll believe it when I see it.”
“That is perfectly fair,” the Prince’s head lowers slightly, though his voice remains at its usual tempo. “Healthy skepticism is the sign of a healthy mind, though am I correct in assuming that a major shake-up of the status quo would be necessary to grant you peace of mind? To have you remain ever vigilant beside my faithful student, and happy at the same time?”
“...”
“...”
“... You’ve been dodging my question.”
“Pardon?”
“Why did you harass Mayor Queen Bee?” I push forward, dragging this exchange kicking and screaming back to where it started. “That’s definitely going to bite you in the flank later, and for what? So I wouldn’t have to wait outside with the dragon-sneeze trees? So I could see this Index thing in person? Neither of those are good enough causes to justify a political incident over, sir.”
“The realm of politics is no place for a baby dragon,” my ride chuckles lightly, ignoring the elephant. “Perhaps one day it will be, but for now I implore you not to dwell on such things. I’m a big stallion, I can handle myself.”
“... You’re still not answering the question, big guy.”
“Ah. Apologies… What was your question again, Barbara?”
“Oh for the love of; why did you harass-”
“And here we are,” his highness silences my cry, as he halts in place before an unassuming door. “The Index.”
"Bu-"
Creeek
Placing a hoof upon the portal, the stallion then pushes the aging plank wood aside with hardly a screech of the hinges.
"You still haven't explaine-"
Clip clop clip clop
“... You’re not going to answer me, are you...?”
...
... Once the two of us entered inside, and it became abundantly clear that I wasn’t going to get an answer, I drop the subject altogether in favor of checking out at this so-called Index.
The first thing my eyes are drawn to is a filing cabinet…
… and then another filing cabinet…
… and then a dozen or so other filing cabinets…
… and then finally a circular formation of filing cabinets, stacked on top of each other, reaching all the way up to the comically high ceiling.
“Seems they installed a skylight since last I was here,” Solaris comments drolly, his neck craned upwards towards the intimidating mountain of metal containers before us.
“I'll take your word for it,” I remark in an equally dry manner. Can't even see what the hell he’s talking about; from my minuscule point of view, all that exists in this round room is filing cabinets, more filing cabinets, and a checkerboard style floor... "Please tell me that there’s an index for this Index.”
“I’m afraid not, my dear,” the sole pony present chuckles weakly, and begins to stretch out his wings in preparation for cramped hovering. “The creation of one was vetoed at the last meeting due to, in the opposition’s own words; ‘unicorn tradition’.”
“Of flipping course it was.”
“Language,” the Prince scolds me lightly, hardly granting me a glance. “I should still be able to navigate this monstrosity with little difficulty though.”
Flap flap flap
“Hold tight.”
Doing as I’m told, I grip white fur as the alicorn begins to rise.
“What does this place even have in it?” I can’t help but ask, and can't help but rubberneck. “Kinda seems like overkill for birth certificates.”
“Birth certificates are kept in an entirely different, not as impressive wing, Barbara,” my personal hover platform explains in a refreshingly straightforward fashion. “Those are only retained for a set number of years before being properly disposed of, or condensed into a smaller format. The documents in here, however, are retained forever.”
“Forever?” my eyebrow rises, as well as my interest. “What’s important enough to keep around forever?”
Twinkle twinkle twinkle
In place of answering me directly, Solaris instead uses his magic to reach into a passing filing cabinet and grab from it a grey folder. Floating it over to me, I tighten my leg’s hold on my steed's back to free up my claws for grabbing.
The first thing I notice on the file is a name:
Dusk Shine.
Surprised, I delicately open the flap and peer inside…
… which results in me cooing rather loudly, much to Solaris’ discomfort.
Hey if I see something cute I’m going to react appropriately, dude.
I will not apologize for being who I am.
“Aww~” I keep purring, genuinely sedated. “I forgot how adorable Dusk was as a little colt!”
A photograph of a smiling, much younger version of my charge is greeting from within the file’s flap. Along with it is a side profile shot, and a separate picture of his cutie mark. ‘Dusk Shine, Age Nine,’ is what the attached paperwork has written on it, though that's not all. ‘Birthplace: Canterlot. Testimonial Talent: Magic Copying. Observed Talent: Multiple Magical Affinity. Cutie Mark Awakened on…’
“The ‘Index’ is short for The Generational Equestrian Cutie Mark Index,” Prince Solaris explains fully, ending my reading. “When a colt, filly, or what have you discovers their special talent it gets recorded and stored here in Canterlot for anypony to access and view. Employers, historians, guard recruiters, and even royals such as myself frequently visit this room to get a better idea of who, exactly, we’re working with.”
“Historians?” I prod, having zeroed in on the odd duck out of his listing. “So you have info on ponies who are super long dead stuffed away in here too?”
“Very astute, my dear Squire!” my teacher praises me, making me lightly blush. “Yes, cutie mark information does not get destroyed. It gets held here indefinitely for anypony, such as researchers and descendants, to dissect and analyze to their heart's content.”
“... Huh,” I nod, somewhat interested in this discovery, but not really. “That’s neat, I guess… How does this help us with Stardust though?”
“Take another look at Dusk’s file,” Solaris suddenly commands, encouraging me to do just that. “Notice how it lists his talent twice?”
“Are you talking about the ‘testimonial’ and ‘observed’ sections?” I tilt my head, trying to piece together this puzzle. “I always thought Dusk's talent was just straight-up magic.”
“And it may very well be,” my steed agrees with my statement, confusing me further. “It’s not as though cutie marks come with an instruction manual or the like, as convenient as that would be. They are often subject to interpretation, hence why they’re described in the Index from both the pony’s own point of view, as well as the recorder’s.”
“So…” I mentally run back his words, doing my best to put together what he’s trying to explain. “Are the two definitions supposed to give us a better idea of what their talent actually is then?”
“Exactly!” the Prince again cheers me on, and I’m embarrassed to admit how rewarding somepony complimenting my intelligence for once feels. “The two viewpoints allow a reader to get a better understanding of what the pony’s true skill set will be like…”
A wickedly cocky grin suddenly appears on his lips.
“... It also gives one a better picture of how the pony thinks.”
Twinkle twinkle twinkle
Before I can ask for further elaboration, the alicorn’s horn glows brightly with the light of magic. Several filing cabinets then lit up at the same time, as each opened and had something levitated out from them; sometimes two. Soon five folders in total were floating around my head, holding themselves aloft in golden auras of the Prince’s making. They followed alongside us as we ascended, remaining perfectly paced with my ride’s gentle wing flaps.
Twinkle twinkle twinkle
Another pulse of light later and the folders flip right open, exposing five very familiar, if significantly younger, faces.
I’m fighting really hard to not let the cuteness overload consume me.
Inhale… Exhale… Okay. Let’s see, let’s see. Where to start… I think the least surprising colt out of this lineup is Elusive. At age ten he looks a lot like a slightly older version of Sweepy Belle, just with a more distinct mane style. It’s still somewhat looped like his current day doo, but not as much due to the lack of hair to utilize. He’s also smiling pretty goofily too, much like Dusk was in his. I guess these were taken shortly after they got their marks or something.
Next up we have tiny Applejack who again looks like a slightly older version of somepony else, this time being Apple Buck. He’s a bit bucked-toothed in his picture, which is pretty puny when you think about it, and he’s wearing what’s probably the same stetson he wears nowadays size be damned… but, beyond that, there’s nothing really interesting here.
Moving on we have Bubble Berry who… er… looks completely sloshed.
Considering he’s well below the legal age limit for drinking in this photo, that’s more than a little concerning.
Thankfully his mane is still disorganized and poofy like Pinkie Pie’s was in that one flashback episode of the series, so at least it seems like his origin story wasn't too radically altered. I was honestly starting to worry.
Speaking of similarity, here comes little Rainbow Dash looking near-identical to his filly counterpart in every conceivable way...
… This shall go on to be the least surprising thing I’ll see all day; mark my words...
... In fact, the only interesting thing of note here is that Dash's birth name of Rainbow Blitz isn’t recorded anywhere on his file. Ponies tend to change their names after getting their cutie marks, true, but you'd think past aliases would be an important thing to keep track of. Equestria must take deadnaming pretty seriously if it's that easy to erase an old one...
... Last and certainly not least there’s Butterscotch.
Much like filly Fluttershy, Butters’ younger form is a tad more mature looking than his peers. He’s already rocking the mane-blinds over his eyes in his picture, and he actually looks a heck of a lot older than what his bio would suggest. If I didn’t know any better I’d say that he was already a teenager in this shot.
“Do you understand what I mean now, dear?” Solaris’ words knock me out of my observations.
Oh, right. I was in the middle of learning something here, h-hehe.
Getting back on track, I take a moment to read aloud the talents to prove that I’ve been paying attention. “Um… Elusive marked his talent down as a gift for fashion, but the observed section says its gem affinity. Rainbow Dash said that his talent is rapid acceleration, but the observed states competitive tendencies. Butterscotch’s says critter heart-to-heart communication, observed just states body-language translation. Applejack wrote… apples… observed states apples too… And Bubble Berry has party party party written down, but his observed is… redacted?”
“Your guess is as good as mine on that last one,” Solaris replies bluntly, shrugging with a raised foreleg. “Can’t seem to get anypony to give me a straight answer on it, so I stopped requesting an observer long ago.”
“Eh, that’s BB for ya’,” I shrug in turn, as my mind briefly wanders to Feeling Pinkie Keen. “It’s best not to ask.”
“Indeed,” my ride nods, before turning back towards me again. “Still though, do you see what I'm trying to say?”
“That nopony understands cutie marks in the slightest?”
“Well… yes, I-I suppose that too,” the Prince concedes to me. “But I was more referring to how you can get a good read on how a pony thinks simply by asking what their special talent means to them.”
Hmmm…
… That…
… Okay, yeah. I see what he means now.
Elusive uses his talent for his fashion pursuits, Rainbow likes going fast and showing off, Applejack’s life revolves around apples, etc etc. The testimonials, combined with the observations, paint a pretty clear picture of their mindsets even if I didn’t already know these stallions personally.
“So this is how we’ll figure out what Stardust’s deal is then?” I inquire simply, at last understanding why we’re here.
“If not that, it’ll at least start us out on the right path,” Prince Solaris confirms for me, as he starts to slow down his ascension. “It's already getting rather late in the day, meaning our meeting is drawing to a close, dear Barbara.”
These words grant me a weird combination of relief and dread.
“Let us finish off with a game plan for how to proceed, shall we?”
“Let’s,” I nod determinately.
This is what this whole week was leading up to.
Before Discord’s magic started leaking out, before Artemis lost his horn, and before my mind was violated by a Dream Walker there was Stardust Glimmer; Trixster’s faithful assistant, and Dusk hater extraordinaire. With the formers I at least know their canon universe equivalents, thus I know when their actions are lining up with what’s expected of them and when it isn't... but with Stardust, I’m completely clueless! Is he a Seer? Does he have a long-standing grudge against my charge? Or does he just dislike purple unicorns…?
Time to find out.
Twinkle twinkle pop… Twinkle twinkle twinkle
High above the base of the towering room, Prince Solaris casts a series of complicated spells so that he could perform the following:
Number one, teleport all the files away to their proper spot.
Number two, shift through all the surrounding cabinets for something.
And, number three…
Twinkle twinkle twinkle
… Bring a file to my waiting claws.
It’s noticeably larger and heavier than the last sets, but a glance reveals to me why this is the case. The earlier grey folders were for an individual, while this green one is for a city.
Sire’s Hollow, to be precise…
… hundreds of years worth of Sire’s Hallow’s ponies, to be even more precise.
Oomph!
Even my dragon strength can’t hold up this much weight! M-my grip is slipping.
Twinkle twinkle twinkle
Solaris hastily coats the folder with his golden magic, lessening my burden.
“It goes by years first, then alphabetically from there,” the Prince explains curtly, strain present in his voice. “Believe it or not this is significantly harder to hold in place than the very sun itself, so please please please find the pair’s documents quickly, dear.”
“The pair’s?” I blink, startled by his request. “You want both Stardust’s and Trixste-”
“Less talking, more grabbing, Barb,” he grunts hastily, struggling to maintain both his magic and his hovering. “Do please hurry. I'm not quite the young stallion I used to be, h-haha...”
Taking the hint, I dive into the massive file.
“Year and alphabet, year and alphabet,” I repeat to myself, rapidly flipping through the folders. “How the hay am I supposed to know the yea-”
My ride dips suddenly in altitude.
My claws move faster.
“Year alphabet year alphabet year alphabet year alphab- Found Trixster’s!”
“A-and Stardust's?”
“Ummm… year alphabet year alphabet… If they were foalhood friends, then maybe…”
Solaris again abruptly dips.
A shriek escapes me.
“M-maybe the same year as Trixster's!” I settle, hurrying further back in time. “Must have skipped it over, but if I look at the exact year maybe I ca- Found Stardust’s!”
Twinkle twinkle pop
All at once the folder disappears, leaving behind the two I had grabbed in my haste.
Twinkle twinkle twinkle
“Excellent,” Solaris nods nonchalantly, his voice returning to normal.
Too dumbfounded to even, I offer no resistance as the Prince’s golden magic snatches the folders out of my claws and hovers them over to his face...
…
… I’m… not even going to ask.
Ignoring what just went down, I lean over to the side just enough to look past the alicorn’s head and read over his shoulder.
To my surprise, he’s going through Trixster’s file first.
“Hmmm… Born in Shire’s Hollow, stage magic is the testimonial magic, general entertainment is the observed… Oh?”
“Oh?” I parrot, leaning over a little further to get a better look. “Oh what?”
Solaris hmm’s a little longer, unresponsive to my poking.
“Oh what?” I repeat myself, and bounce a little in my seat. “Don’t keep a girl waiting here!”
“...”
With a laugh meant more for himself than me, the Prince finally relents.
“I know Trixster’s mother,” he reveals, as he brings the file closer for me to read. “Misses Jackpot was a rather famous stage magician back in the day, known throughout all of Equestria. She was even successful enough to perform at the Gala a few times, long before your hatching.”
“Noticing you’re using past tenses there, big guy.”
“Oh she’s still very much alive,” he corrects himself, clearing up the confusion. “If somepony as Great and Powerful as her perished it would certainly make headlines. No… the only thing that passed beyond the mortal coil in this story was her career.”
“Huh?”
“Jackpot retired from the stage about sixteen years ago, if I’m not mistaken,” he goes on, speaking wistfully. “I was present at her final show, where the mare could barely fit into her leotard. The poor dear must have been about four to six months pregnant with little Trixster at the time, but I guess she wanted to go out with a bang. She had a stallion for an assistant at the time, and there were plenty of rumors floating around about them being an item... but the pair disappeared altogether after the performance. Nopony really knew what happened to them...”
Twinkle twinkle twinkle
“... Until now,” the Prince finishes, bringing Trixster’s file forward. “Seems they married, settled down together in Jackpot's hometown of Shire’s Hollow, spent the last sixteen years raising a healthy foal-”
“And they all lived happily ever after,” I attempt to wrap up the reminiscing. Unnecessary Trixster backstory is unnecessarily unnecessary. “Good for them… What about Stardust though?”
“Ah, apologies,” Solaris blushes, realizing he had dragged us off-topic. “Got lost in my own head there for a bit.”
Twinkle twinkle twinkle
With a spark of magic, Stardust Glimmer’s file is finally laid bare.
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Interesting
Estoy tan feliz de que halla salido un nuevo capítulo de esta magnífica serie que tanto me gusta, espero con ansias el siguiente 😀😀😀🐘💨👈
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Yes! Week of updates! Huzah!
Solaris was actually pretty damn reserved, but what would you expect from someone who enslaved other without really realizing it? He's got a long way to go himself on the whole 'tolerance and self-awareness' thing.
Seems to me someone took Stardust Glimmer's file, shredded it into strips, and burned the whole thing into ashes. Solaris is really set into keeping canon the same if he's willing to teleport Stardust's file and destroy it in the most discreet way possible.
Madame Red maced Barb when she got out of line!? Oh, that bitch needs to get her kneecaps smashed! 😡
Where did you get the idea for the dragon trees?
10861555
So... No Sombra, Tirek, Discord reformation, Twilicorn, Starswirl, Starlight or Cozy Glow?
10862378
Never said that ;)
10862344
Actually they're part of the show itself! They were introduced in Princess Spike, an episode that I didn't particularly care for, but whose lore I did dig. Their existence helped to solidify the idea that Canterlot flipping hates dragons to my headcanon
I was thinking of a Colt Cozy Glow, and somehow all I could think was 'Honey' from 'Ouran High School Host Club'
Leaving that aside... Any spoiler about colt Cozy Glow? By the time you decide to put it or not, many could had forgotten it
10862536
Ouch bro, but true! Maybe just english mayor a sneaky hint into a chapter that one only really understands in the context of this convo?
10862536
I'll give you his name, at least! Warm Light.
"But, Derply, why do you already have a name picked out for a character who isn't supposed to show up for hundreds of more episodes?"
"..."
"... Derply?"
"... Mahaha... MAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!"
"... I'm sure that's a good sign."
10862786
And why do you have the name for a character that will not appear until 2024?
10862797
Now THAT, my friend, you'll have to wait and see
... Hopefully not all the way to 2024
10862797
10863245
because what better way to troll the reader than give multiple early references to gender swapped cozy glow making it look like him/her will be revealed soon
and then literally wait for 2 years to finally reveal him/her :D
(this is a joke btw)
10862786
A muse gotta do what a muse has gotta DO.
I was ready to dismiss Queen Bee as a straw bigot that exists only to be put in their place, but I like how he was used to introduce the deeper implication of Dusk possibly being forced to leave ponyville one day and if Barb would go with him. I’m kind of sad that we know that probably won’t happen due to cannon, It kind of takes the sting out of the conundrum.
I almost forget that a good number of ponies are outright bigots in this equestria. But damn I have to admire the sheer gall it took for Queen Bee to do what he did.