Entry 9, Part 8 (Look Before You Seer)
A thick miasma of smoke had engulfed the library.
All-encompassing, all-consuming; the fog concealed everything in sight.
To the outer viewer, nothing else remained inside of the Golden Oaks Library save for the mist…
… to the inner viewer, however, a sole roundtable stood resolute.
Three stallions sat before the wooden structure; their hooves full of playing cards, and their mugs brimming with fruity elixir.
An intense game of wit and strategy was already well underway.
“...”
“...”
“...”
Shifting around the long, slim object that lay slack upon his lips, Applejack murmured something dark under his breath as he continued to scan through his hand.
Across the way, Elusive's eyes started fiercely back from atop the rim of his thoroughly chilled wine glass.
“...”
“...”
“... Got any two-”
“Go fish.”
“CONSARN IT!” AJ angrily spat out his toothpick. “Yer cheatin’, aren’t ya?!”
“Applejack there were literally only two options left,” Elusive paused to take a long swig of his iced apple juice. “I can’t help it if you have rotten luck.”
“Actually, considering the remaining deck size and the moves that have already been taken, Applejack in reality had a one in five chance of selecting the correct number,” Dusk Shine explained offhandedly, though his snout remained buried within the pages of Guys Nights: A Primer. “An estimate of two was both logical and mathematically sound in this current arrangement.”
“Now don’t go throwin’ math into this, hayseed," Applejack continued to fume, uncaring for how immature he looked. “This here’s supposed to be a game of readin’ ponies, and spottin' tells, and- cough cough, an- cough cough… an- COUGH COUG- Can sompony please turn off those goshdarn smoke machines already?!”
“But the diagram clearly depicts a card table being enveloped in a thick fog of-”
“Dusk ah'm about to 'clearly' hack up a lung if you don't turn those damn contraptions off this instant!”
“...”
… Twinkletwinkle
Click!
With a small spark of magic from his horn, Dusk Shine swiftly silenced the smoke machines.
“S-sorry,” he then winced, his shame evident by his now reddening face.
“Don’t be,” Elusive shrugged, reassuring his friend; unphased by AJ’s shouting. “I felt that the mist added a bold, masculine aura to this humble soirée of ours.”
“Ain’t nothin’ manly about chokin' to death, ya frickin’ nutcase,” Applejack growled heatedly, with glare aimed squarely in Elu’s direction.
The fashion stallion retaliated in kind with a dirty look of his own. “...”
“...”
"..."
“... Sooo… Is it my turn yet?”
Knocked off guard by Dusk’s sudden question, AJ nervously turned back towards the gracious host.
“Umm, m-maybe we should be thinkin' about switchin' games here, hayse-”
“Go right ahead, Dusk~” Elusive bluntly cut off Applejack’s retreat. He shot a mischievous smirk the earth pony’s way as well, to ensure that his less-than-noble intentions were made crystal clear. “Take your turn~”
Ecstatic, Dusk Shine quickly readied his hand of cards…
… and his abacus…
… and his chalkboard, his dictionary-length notebook, and his fifty-two individual notecards; just as he had for all his turns prior. Soon he became busy as he ran probability scenarios, card counting calculations, historical Go Fish tournament plays, common tell matrixes-
“Annnnd there goes another hour of mah life down the drain,” AJ whinnied morosely, as his studious friend once again entered ‘the Egghead zone’. “This colt's more of a killjoy than a porcupine in a ball pit.”
“Could be worse,” Elusive shrugged, indifferent to this turn of events. “We could be playing poker like the book suggested. Can you imagine it, Applejack? Turns that take literal days to complete?”
“D-don’t even joke about that, Elu!”
“I’m just saying,” the unicorn shook his head, speaking casually; less inclined to watch his words now that Dusk had gone off into his own little world. “If we had followed that blasted book to the letter things could have been much worse.”
“Or better,” the goateed cowboy argued back, stomping a hoof against the table to express his frustration. “If we had real cider around here, ah bet we’d be havin’ a heck of a lot more fun than we are right now!”
“Hah!" Elusive rolled his eyes. “I highly doubt that. You would have probably gone overboard, Dusk would have likely been a lightweight, and I, without question, would have been the sole pony sober enough to foalsit the two of you in the aftermath.”
“Oooooh?! Are mah ears trickin’ me here, Elu, or is somepony claimin’ that they can outdrink an Apple?!”
“No, I’m not claiming anything of the sort, good sir… I’m simply stating the facts.”
"..."
"..."
“... Snrk… Why you cheeky priss,” Applejack chortled fiercely, now thoroughly entertained. “Ah didn’t think you had a bite like that in ya!”
“There’s a lot you don’t know about me, cdibet runca.”
“Hey none of that fancy talk now,” AJ attempted to be civil. “Ah’m tryin’ to give you a compliment here, haystack.”
“Well you’re failing spectacularly.”
“Hmph… Ever since ah met ya, ah’ve been tryin’ to peg what kinda stallion you are, Elu,” the stetson-adorned pony continued, choosing to ignore the insult. “You're a real pompous type, just like a certain pegasus we both know, but I’ve seen you willin’ to throw down with the best of us too.”
“Yes I can get my hooves dirty when the situation demands it,” the well-groomed colt admitted, now eyeing his opponent more carefully. “So what of it?”
Applejack’s lips twisted upwards into a wicked grin.
“Sooo,” said grin grew larger, as the farmer attached to them leaned in closer. “This here’s supposed to be a guys night, right?”
“... Yes… And…?”
“...”
“...”
“... Lightning Rod, or Caramel?”
“... I beg your pardon?”
“Lightning Rod, or Caramel?” AJ repeated himself, confusing Elusive further. “Ah know you’ve seen them both around town before. Shoot, ah'm pretty sure they're even customers of yers too…
"... So which one of those two fine mares is yer type?"
“M… M-my type?” Elu gasped, becoming flustered; much to the other stallion’s twisted amusement. “I-I do not have a type!”
“Oh don’t go foolin’ yerself, haystack; ah know yer full of it. Every stallion’s got a type.”
“T-that’s a preposterous suggestion,” the white unicorn huffed, turning away; unable to face his hackler’s judging eyes. “Such a thing is beneath a gentlecolt such as myself… A-and why do you suddenly care about my preferences anyway?!”
“Just tryin’ to be friendly,'' AJ’s smile turned wolfish as the so-called 'gentlecolt' squirmed in his seat. “Like Dusk’s book said; talkin’ about girls is the best way for guys to bond.”
“I thought we already established the bunk nature of that trashy book.”
“Yeah, but this guy's still readin’ it," the mischievous colt continued to taunt the haughty pony, though now he was nudging Dusk with his elbow as he did so. “And we wouldn’t want to ruin his first guys night, do we?”
“Huh?” the bookworm fluttered his eyes, re-entering the conversation. Having just been knocked out of his intense Go Fish metagaming, his brain needed a moment to reboot. “Are we doing something else now?”
“Ah just asked Elusive what his type of mare is, hayseed,” Applejack brought his purple friend up to speed, stealing sneers at Elu all the while. “That book of yers said it was a good icebreaker, right?”
Oblivious to the animosity his two companions had for one another, Dusk innocently bobbed his head in confirmation.
“Oh! Yes, it did,” he bounced in his seat as well, now thinking more deeply. “Ummm… Well, I never put much thought into it, but if I had to pick a mare I find aesthetically pleasing I’d say that the common historical depiction of Starswirl the Longmaned has always managed to capture my imaginati-”
“Older chicks, got it,” Applejack, despite not knowing who Starswirl was, accurately called Dusk out; turning the unicorn’s face apple red. “You do you, hayseed. You do you.”
“I-I just really like her mane…”
“As fer me, ah’m the kind of pony who leans more towards hearty mares like Lightning Rod.” AJ went on, relishing in how uncomfortable Elusive looked with the entire exchange. “Her golden eyes and dark grey coat are real purdy to look at too, same for her feathers. She’ll probably become a Wonderbolt one of these days if she keeps workin’ on those strong wings of hers, and not to mention that flank, hah! Now that’s a flank that just won’t quit ah tell you what, though ah guess Caramel has her beat in that category. Earth ponies usually do... Shame about her coat though. Ah hate the idea of bein’ with a pony who has a similar coat color as one of mah kin. Don’t want to be thinkin’ about Apple Buck when I’m cuddlin’ with somepony… If she dyed her fur though… Hmmm...”
“Blah. Glad to see you consider such ‘sensible’ things when it comes to finding a special somepony, Applejack,” Elusive spat irefully, his tone oozing with pure disgust. “Solaris forbid you prioritize personality or interests when you’re on the prowl.”
“Mares are too complicated for us guys to figure out, Elu, so why even bother?” AJ fired back, sticking to his guns. “Best we can do is narrow down our choices and go from there.”
“And you narrowed yours down to Lightning Rod and Caramel…?” Dusk asked inquisitively, ever eager to learn.
“In Ponyville at least, yeah,” Applejack nodded, pleased that at least one pony was listening to him. “Those two are the mare-ist of mares I’ve ever met in this here town, so ah’m certain that one of them would be the perfect fillyfriend fer me!”
“Relatively certain that Lightning Rod only has eyes for other mares, and that Caramel would rather become a stallion than be with one, but sure. Why not?” Elusive grumbled to himself, fed up with the whole deplorable discussion…
… But then an idea began to take root:
A bad idea.
A stupid idea.
A devious idea…
...
… Feeling generously spiteful, Elusive put his terrible plan into action.
“Aren’t we forgetting somepony on that little list of yours, AJ~?”
“Huh?” Applejack whipped his head towards Elu, surprised to see that he no longer looked flustered. “Ah ain’t forgettin’ nopony. Those two are the only mares in this here town hot enough to interest me.”
“Oh, I’m not arguing that,” the seamster smiled sweetly, flashing his teeth. “If those two are the only mares then they are the only mares…
“… All I’m saying is that it’s rather unbecoming of the Element of Honesty to lie like you just did.”
“L… L-lie?!” the blond stallion howled, his anger growing sharply. “Ah ain’t a lier you no good son of a-”
“But you are,” the indigo-maned unicorn interrupted, silencing the now furious stallion. “You most certainly are. After all, coat colors and flanks aren’t the only features that 'do it’ for you; you also care about attitudes and aesthetics.”
“No ah don’t!” Applejack yelled, becoming red in the face. “Quit puttin’ words in mah mouth!”
“I am doing nothing of the sort,” Elusive defended himself with a raised snout, before turning his attention back towards Dusk Shine. “You know who I’m referring to, don’t you?”
At first, Dusk didn’t…
… but then, after a moment of thought, a light bulb turned on.
“Ooohhh! You’re talking about… Yeah, I can see it.”
“See what?!” AJ demanded, now raring on Dusk. “See what?!”
“Your tastes are a bit broader than you realize, Applejack,” Elusive teased, regaining the earth pony’s glare. “Not only do they include feminine mares with generous flanks, but also strong ponies with a strong sense of honesty in both themselves and their words. Your preferences also lean towards those with aerodynamic designs…
“... and who may or may not have rather colorful mane-”
Whoomp!
Before the inevitable could be uttered, a roar of primal rage left Applejack's throat as he leaped across the table and tackled his ‘friend’ to the ground.
With cards scattering, and with glasses either being spilled or shattered, Dusk watched impassively as the two stallions began to violently duke it out.
“...”
… Flip flip flip
“... Um, guys? The book says that roughhousing is supposed to take place after another round of drinks. You’re skipping ahead two whole chapters…
“...
“... G-guys?”
~At the Same Time, Underneath the Same Sky~
Stardust Glimmer, age eight. Birthplace: Shire’s Hollow. Testimonial Talent: Illusion Magic. Observed Talent: Illusion Magic. Cutie Mark Awakened approximately seven years ago. Born to a Miss Firelight of Shire’s Hollow...
...
… I…
… I had expected more.
I had expected something earth shattering… I had expected something concrete.
This though…
… This tells me so little.
He was born in Shire’s Hollow, he’s a year younger than Dusk, his talent is apparently in illusion magic… What else is there to learn here? I doubt what it says about his cutie mark is true, considering how his Talent Spell works, but the official observation lists illusion magic too! That vetoes my own take pretty harshly...
… Ugh.
This file was supposed to grant me insight on how Stardust thinks, and clarity on what his possible connection to Dusk could be... but all it’s done is make me even more confused than I already was! He wasn’t born in Canterlot, but that doesn’t rule out the possibility of him having moved there to go to school. He’s not the same age as my charge, but that doesn’t rule out the possibility of him skipping grades due to a clear gift in magic. His special talent isn’t in cutie mark swapping, but that doesn’t rule out the possibility of his Talent Spell evolving to be able to pull that off...
… Double ugh!
Looks like the Cutie Mark Index ended up being a bust. Now what am I going to do? I'm running out of time before I have to bid the Prince farewell until next month...
…
...
… Although... that having been said... I suddenly find my gaze being drawn away from the file altogether, and instead towards the attached profile picture.
Something about it just feels… off to me...
… Can’t for the life of me figure out what though, as the photo itself isn't all that special from a glance. All it depicts is an eight-year-old with much of the same features as his modern-day counterpart. Same pink-ish coat color, same persian blue eyes, same falling star cutie mark; the only real difference here is in the age and the singular ponytail.
In comparison to all the other youthened photos I’ve described so far today, there's nothing especially unusual about this one in particula-
Wait, hold on…
...
… No.
What I just said was a lie.
There is something different here, and it's something so small that I almost overlooked it:
His expression.
Dusk Shine, Elusive Belle, Butterscotch, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Bubble Berry, and even Trixster; all their photos contained ecstatic foals full of energy. Each ponies’ smile was either large or goofy in their mugshots, as too their body language. All seven of them were overjoyed to have finally found their purpose in life, and to have finally found their long-awaited cutie marks.
Not Stardust though.
Stardust looks angry.
He’s not pouting, and he doesn’t look upset per se. The more I look at him, the more I’m convinced that he’s not angry in the same way a child would be. It's easy to imagine that not every photo in the Index contains a grinning foal just as it's easy to imagine that not everypony receives the cutie mark they want, but little Glimmer’s photo doesn’t really paint me the picture of a colt who didn’t get their desired butt stamp.
If anything, it paints me the picture of a pony who just lost something he can't get back.
It’s his eyes that are giving me this impression. There’s something hollow about them; something that’s screaming out a message of ‘this is unfair’ to me. For some reason Stardust is unhappy with his position as a foal who just got his mark… but why? Does he hate cutie marks? Is there something about them that a non-pony like me could never understand...?
... Hmmm… no… No, I think my earlier assessment is still the correct one; Stardust lost something that he can never get back. What the something is I can only guess, but I’m certain that I’m on the right track. I can feel it in my gut, and see it in his eyes…
… His hauntingly familiar eyes…
...
… Where have I seen eyes like his before…?
They're full of hate, that much is certain; hate for the world around them, and hate for the indignity of it all. They’re also full of longing; a desire to return to the past, or to maybe return to a former state of being? They contain a hint of loneliness in them as well; the frustration of being by oneself, and the pain of suffering through something alone.
I’ve seen these eyes before.
I know I have.
I saw them real recently too… But where…?
…
...
… Maybe it was... Crow Inkwell…?
… I… guess that could be it. He did seem reasonably irate over his shrunken predicament... Were his eyes full of hate, longing, and loneliness though? I’m not so sure about that... They were still super similar to what I’m seeing now, however, but how does that correlate with Stardust's own? Similar, but not familiar. Similar, but not familiar… There has to be a commonality here, but what could those two possibly have in, well, common…?
The answer must lie in their eyes.
It must.
With Mister Inkwell’s face now in the forefront of my memory, I give little Glimmer’s photo one final look over:
Let’s see here... To me, it feels like Crow and him both have the eyes of a pony who is going through the motions, and who is hating every degrading moment of it. They both seem to have the eyes of a pony filled with accepted inevitability as well, like they understand that their situation is too unfathomable for them to do anything about. They also both have the eyes of a pony filled with directionless rage on top of it all, it being barely hidden underneath their seemingly calm façades.
Hate, longing, loneliness, disgust, inevitability, hidden rage…
...
… Why are their eyes giving me such stupidly detailed descriptions?!
Reading one or two emotions from a picture isn't all that impressive, but it feels like my mind is practically writing their flipping autobiographies here! Why is that, I wonder? What is it about those two that's making my imagination run wild with crazy guesses and even more insane assumptions...?
…
...
… !!!
Wait.
Wait wait wait wait.
The reason why Stardust’s expression is captivating me into connecting dots that don’t exist, and the reason why my instincts are linking Mister Inkwell into all this as well… Is it because, deep down, I know exactly where I’ve seen their eyes before...?
… Is it because I know exactly what they’re both going through...?
...
… No.
No no no.
That’s…
… T-there’s no way… There’s just no way…
...
… Is… Is Stardust Glimmer…
…
… Is he the same as me?
“Any detail sticking out to you so far, dear Barbara?”
Eep!
Oh flaming dragon dung. I completely forgot that Prince Solaris is still in the room with me, and reading over my shoulder!
We’re on the ground right now, thank goodness, having landed shortly after opening Glimmer's file. This made it easier for the big guy and me to look through the paperwork together.
This, however, also made it easier for him to read my own expressions.
Even now he’s staring at me, and waiting patiently for my reply…
“... N… N-not really,” I unapologetically lie to his face. “Sorry.”
I know exactly where I’ve seen Stardust's eyes now.
I saw them during my infant years.
Back when I was first forced to accept the reality of my second life and the death of my first, I often saw those eyes of his reflected through my nursery’s mirror. Trapped in youthful flesh, unable to turn back the hands of time; my hate was all-consuming in those days, as too my longing, my loneliness, and my disgust… Everything that I can clearly see being echoed here in Glimmer’s photograph.
An unwanted second childhood; that’s what his expression reminds me of.
Thank you, Mister Baby Inkwell, for reminding me what such a thing looks like...
… This is, of course, still all conjecture.
For all I know the little colt was just upset over a friend moving away, or something equally benign, but I can’t shake the feeling that I might be on the right track here. Thanks to Artemis' reveal about Starswirl, I now know that my bizarre situation isn't limited to me, myself, and I; a pony as script unabiding as Stardust is probably sitting in a similar boat.
Too bad I can’t share this hypothesis with Prince Solaris... ever.
I’m still uncertain what the consequences of coming out as human to him are yet, let alone reincarnated! It wouldn’t be wise of me to get others involved until I have a better grasp on what, exactly, we even are; as of now the only details I know with a degree of certainty is that Starswirl was likely part of our ranks, that Elusive might be a member too, and that we all apparently share a love of hoarding secrets... Beyond that though, I’m completely clueless.
The smart move would be to keep this revelation to mysel-
Pat pat
Solaris’ sudden head-patting abruptly ends my internal plotting.
“Chalk that up to a lack of experience, not skill, my dear little Squire,” he chuckles as I attempt to correct my now tarnished findo. Jerk. “There is much to glean from this report if you simply know where to look.”
Twinkle twinkle twinkle
Using his magic, my host next hovers the file over so that we’re once again looking at it together.
“Take for example Stardust's history,” he continues to lecture, pointing his hoof now at the mentioned section. “Him being a year younger than Dusk is a minor clue that can lead us towards a plethora of possible motives. Jealousy, inferiority complex, grandiose delusions; the list goes on and on.”
The alicorn’s hoof then shifts elsewhere.
“Him having only one parent listed is also quite peculiar,” he further explains, making me grow equally curious. “The lack of a father on this report suggests to me that one was never a part of his life in the first place. As you no doubt noticed on dear Applejack’s profile, even deceased parents are listed on these forms. This is certainly a detail worth considering.”
With one final motion of his foreleg, Solaris’ hoof lands on yet another section of the file.
“Lastly, and most importantly of all, there’s the matter of... this.”
“... The cutie mark descriptions?” I ask, having realized what he's pointing at. “Well, yeah, that’s the first thing I looked at. I don’t really see anything super important about it though... I mean besides it being wrong.”
My accusation causes my teacher’s lips to turn upwards into a smile.
“Wrong?” he questions me cheekily, eager to hear my response. “Wrong in what way, my dear?”
“I saw him using his Talent Spell in Ponyville,” I repeat what I had said earlier, recognizing this pop quiz for what it is. “I was in the bushes when he put Rainbow Dash’s cutie mark on Trixster’s flank, so I know him flying all over the place afterward wasn’t some kind of trick! I was completely out of Stardust’s line of sight when his partner was up in the air too, so the odds of it being an illusion spell are slim to none... not to mention there were way too many ponies in the crowd for illusion magic to work at all! Talent Spell or no Talent Spell, using magic on more than one pony at once would have spread the mana too thin for it to solidify properly… And even if he is some kind of badflank magician skilled enough to pull something like that off, his spell crafting would have made my scales shake at least a little bi-”
Clop clop clop
“Well done!” the Prince grants me honest applause, making me blush red. “Well done! And here you claimed you weren’t well-versed in spells, hah! I doubt even my fifth year students would have been able to break down the fallacies of the illusion school of magic that thoroughly!”
“Um, t-thanks,” my cheeks continue to burn. I'm not really used to receiving compliments like this… which is kinda sad, now that I think about it.
“I trust your observation on this fact, Barbara,” Solaris resumes, regaining my attention. “With it in mind, I’m now able to see the deception on this page for what it is; a misdirect.”
“A misdirect?” I parrot, pushing my brain into overdrive. “A misdirect from what?”
“The truth,” the stallion nods, and I force myself not to react to the T-word.
‘Truth’ is a very touchy subject for me right now.
“It would seem that Stardust did not wish for his special talent to become public knowledge,” Solaris goes on, tapping the file for illustration. “This is not an uncommon practice, dear; foals are sometimes influenced into concealing their mark's meaning for one reason or another. Whether it be due to shame, or rivalry, or pressure from their families is irrelevant. It’s for this reason that the outside observer section exists at all, so that the truth may shine out through the lies…”
“But Stardust’s observed section lists illusion magic as well!” I finish the alicorn’s thought for him, my eyes growing wide as the contradiction comes to light.
“But Stardust’s observed section lists illusion magic as well,” my host parrots me this time, and again he beams at my progress. “Exactly! That is most unusual. Observers are generally employed for their impartial nature, as well as their dedication to the job, so it’s unlikely that this is the result of a lazy observer. Revealing themselves to their targets completely voids their work too, not to mention their paychecks, so it’s equally unlikely that an unethical observer is the culprit for this intentional duplication...”
“I see,” I murmur, deep in thought; still trying to make sense of it all.
“... Accepting bribes for favorable reporting is also a capital offense worth ten years of imprisonment for everypony involved, so I believe we can safely rule out that possibility as well while we're at it.”
“Agreed,” I rub my chin, my mind still elsewher-
Wait what was that last part?
“T… T-ten?!” I gasp. “T-that’s a bit much, isn’t it?!”
“A necessary evil,” the Prince shrugs back, unphased by my shocked reaction. “It’s worked wondrously in discouraging ponies from attempting such for the last hundred years or so, and I have no reason to believe that it won’t be equally effective for the next hundred years as well, so I've seen no need to revise it."
“... Still though… Ten? That’s super harsh…”
“If it makes you feel any better, dear, I can count the number of times I’ve actually imprisoned a pony using this method on a single hoof.”
“Considering that your hoof is flat, big guy... No; it doesn’t make me feel any better,” I keep my commentary to myself, where it belongs. “Guess that means you don’t believe Stardust bribed somepony to do that for him then, right?” I switch the subject back to the original one.
“I doubt an eight-year-old possesses the funds necessary to pull that sort of black market exchange off, Barbara,” Solaris laughs at my suggestion, having found the mental image it conjured to be humorous. “It’s more a question of whether his mother does… Since I do not recognize her name, however, it’s unlikely she’s a member of Equestria’s wealthy upper crust. Only a pony from that exclusive circle could afford to attempt something so heinous…”
“...”
“...”
… My arms cross as I wait for the stallion to complete his thought.
I recognize the face he’s making.
That’s his annoying ‘I’m about to blow your mind’ face.
It's the very same one he used on me right before revealing his Seerdom, and Eris’ true nature as Discord. It’s a face I’m also quickly learning to loathe for both its vagueness and its association with everything I've grown to hate about the big guy’s manipulative mind games. My friend one moment, my enemy the next, and possessor of a millennia's worth of conversational knowledge and experience… How can anyone hope to stand against him in a battle of wits?
The answer is you don’t.
You’re just supposed to grin and bear it.
“... The fact that both Stardust’s observed and testimonial sections list the same magical talent, however, points to something else entirely,” Solaris at last finishes in his usual, overly dramatic fashion.
“And what’s that?” I have no choice but to play along.
Slam!
Twinkle twinkle pop
With a loud shutting and magical dismissing of Stardust’s file, the Prince turns in place to face me head-on.
“I’ve seen this sort of tactic used before,” he starts slowly, making damn sure I’m following along. “Stating that their talent is the same as what others can easily observe; it’s a maneuver often utilized by rookie members of a certain group of individuals. It's meant to conceal their presence to others, in a bid to appear normal, but their inexperience blinds them to the fact that doing such paints a larger target on their back than the truth would have. They often still take the risk though, history be darned, though I suppose running away from their gifts was always the end goal... I pity them, in a way.”
“Who?” I bite, fully aware that he’s stringing me along towards his own ends. “Who are you even talking about? What group?”
In response to my desperate plea for clarity, my host's grin grows toothy.
“Why, isn’t it obvious?” he teases me, as if I should already know the answer. “A group who often runs away from their destiny first before embracing it? One made up of individuals who want nothing more than to operate in solitude? Now... doesn’t that all sound awfully familiar to you, my dear Barbara? Does it truly fail to ring any bells?”
“...”
“...”
… Suddenly …
... it clicks.
“You’re… talking about Seers,” the dots finally connect. “Seers run from their destiny.”
“Just as you and Clover the Clever once did, yes,” Prince Solaris nods cheerily, his smile pleasant. “I’m pleased to see that you remembered our talk from so very long ago!"
“Just because I was royally pissed off at you at the time doesn’t mean I wasn’t listening,” I muse internally, equally pleased that I had somehow managed to recall such a minor throwaway line from such a super long time ago an-
Hey, wait, back that up a sec.
If trying to hide your specialness by lying about your talent is a sure sign of Seerdom in a pony, then that must mean...
“So Stardust is a Seer then!” I yelp, surprised to see that one of my earlier guesses was actually on point.
“Or at least somepony with knowledge of the future,” Solaris fully confirms, giving me pause. “Forewarning is the only way a pony can successfully conceal a magic-based special talent from the Index, so I believe we have now zeroed in on the very real possibility that he is, indeed, hiding something.”
“...”
“...”
“... Or at least somepony with knowledge of the future?” I stop to think, only narrowly avoiding asking the obvious follow-up question of, "How's that any different from a Seer?" aloud.
It's a good thing I did too, because on further digestion I stumbled on the answer on my own:
Someone with knowledge of the future, who isn’t a real Seer... that sounds awfully familiar, doesn’t it?
That sounds an awful lot like me.
The image of Stardust’s youth-less expression resurfaces in my mind's eye…
…
…
“... We should try to talk to him,” I, at last, make up my mind; resolute in my choice. “If he’s a Seer like us then he needs to learn that using his gift selfishly is wrong.”
“I wholeheartedly agree,” the royal alicorn sides with my request, believing our goals to be aligned.
Oh how wrong he is...
… But regardless of my true intent, the die has still been cast.
You better watch your flank, Stardust; your days of messing around with destiny are numbered!
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“... Brrr… Hey, Trix?”
“Hmm? What’s up, my faithful assistant?”
“Umm… Well… N-nah, never mind. It’s silly.”
“... If something’s bothering you, Stardust, you’re more than welcome to share it with the Great and Powerful Trixster. Need I remind you that I’m a Great and Powerful listener as well~?”
“... Heh… Thanks, man.”
“Anytime… So what’s up?”
“I… don’t actually know… It's like the most sinister chill just ran down my spine, and now I have this sinking suspicion that a bunch of ponies I’ve never met before are saying weird things about me behind my back, and plotting stuff…”
“...”
“... Is that weird?”
“...”
“... I-it’s weird, isn’t it?”
“... Hehe. Nah.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Stardust, we're performers! It’d be weirder if there weren’t ponies whispering jealously over our Great and Powerful exploits!”
“You think so?”
“The Trixster knows so, my faithful assistant.”
“... Heh… Thanks, Trix. Guess I can always count on you to hear me out when it comes to stuff like this.”
“Hah! Was there ever any dou-”
“Excuse us, fine gents!” a thoroughly dirty, as well as cloaked, stallion suddenly stumbled his way out of the treeline and onto the sunset-lit road. “We are in dire need of direction! Would either of thee be willing to offer onto us some assistance?”
“... Oh wow, rude much?” The Great and Powerful Trixster raised his snout skywards, greatly unamused by the stranger’s abrupt appearance. “Can’t you see that The Trixster was in the middle of a very important conversation?!”
“Ah, a-apologies,” the dark blue pegasus winced, becoming self-conscious of his muddy attire. “It was not our intention to be rude! We simply have a powerful need to locate shelter before the local inns cease their operations for the day. We made the mistake once before of lingering too long under the light of our-, er, the precious moon the other eve, for it was both large and gorgeous, only to then discover that most establishments this far south do not continue their services during the nighttime... Hmph... ‘Tis quite the shame that even now ponies will do whatever it takes to avoid the darkness of the unknown an-”
“Oh sweet Solaris he’s still talking... Why is he still talking?!”
“Hay if I know, Trix... M-maybe if we keep trotting he’ll get the hint and fly off?”
“... But of course, the simple fact that light can not exist without the dark is lost on most common ponies. It is a delicate equilibrium, one that is mirrored in many aspects of not only Equestrian life but the rest of the world as well! There is also the matter o-”
“... Stardust… He’s still following us…”
“I can see that, Trix.”
“The Trixster finds the stranger's unusual manner of speech to be annoying…”
“... No comment…”
“... Buuuuttt-”
“Trix, no.”
“But Stardus-”
“Don’t you dare.”
“The Trixster feels…”
“Don’t you dar-!”
“... that we should probably help him out.”
“Why?!” Stardust Glimmer shouted angrily, halting in place. Trixster’s wagon soon followed suit once its primary puller, the Great and Powerful Trixster, chose to stop as well. “Trix, it's almost nighttime, and I’m flipping tired! Let the dude sort his own crud out.”
“The Trixster doesn’t believe he’s capable of doing so,” Trixster reported matter-of-factly, pointing a hoof at the still monologuing pony. “The poor stallion looks a little out of it.”
“... And we tried to be cordial in Hope’s Hollow, but apparently it’s now ‘illegal’ to Dreamwalk without written consent! Hmph! The nerve! Who's the philistine who passed that legislation?! Why, when we find them, oooohhh there will be a reckoning! Of this, we swear upon the crest of the roya-”
“Even more reason why we should ditch him,” Stardust snarled, pushing his way forward. “Come on, we’re losing sunlight here.”
“Bu-”
“For the love of all that is pony, Trix!” Stardust at last snapped. “Why in Celestia’s name are you so insistent on wasting our precious time with some random, smelly, hobo?!”
“... Um... W-we are still very much present here,” said hobo interjected with an indigent huff… before proceeding to shyly give himself a sniff. “Bleh. Perhaps we should have invested Barbara’s bits into a bar of soap instead of postage… Also, who is this ‘Celestia’ of which thou speaks? We’re certain we’ve heard that name uttered once before, but can't recall where.”
“You must be hearing things, stranger,” The Trixster explained offhoofedly, before turning back towards his assistant. “And come on, Star; we’re all heading the same way, so why shouldn’t we help the poor guy out?”
“Because it’s almost the dead of night and he’s a stranger and what is so hard about this, Trix?!” Stardust Glimmer’s forehead met Trixster’s own.
“What’s so hard about lending somepony a helping hoof, Star?!” Trixster retaliated in turn, crossing his blue horn with his assistant’s pink. “It’s the gentlecoltly thing to do!”
“But what if he tries to mug us?!”
“Look how scrawny he is! The Trixster can easily take him on by himself!”
“We feel the need to remind thee that we are still standing, right, here.”
“W-well what if he leads us into an ambush?! He might not be alone!”
“Oh, thou art ignoring us.”
“Star… Look at him… Is that the face of a pony who has lots of friends?”
“...”
Uncoupling his horn with Trixster’s, Stardust leaned to the side and gave the strange stallion another searching look over.
“... I… I-I guess not,” the unicorn with the purple mane finally admitted, conceding this point to his partner.
“... We are starting to have second thoughts about requesting thy assistance…”
“Come on, Stardust,” Trixster attempted one final time to get through to his oldest friend. “Let’s help him out.”
“B-but, b-but,” Stardust stammered, still fearing for his friend’s, and by extension his, safety. “W-w-what if he tries to stab us?!”
“Hah! With what?” his foalhood companion chortled boastfully back, amused by the very suggestion. “His cutting wit? The Great and Powerful Trixster assures you that his is sharper than all the rest...” The Trixster then quickly turned back towards the pegasus. “... You don’t actually have anything sharp on you, right?”
“...”
“...”
“... W-well… In the spirit of Honesty…”
… Sling
“SWEET TAP DANCING SOLARIS IS THAT A SWORD?!”
“It’s a short warblade, actually. It’s enchanted with over twenty different utility spells an-”
“BANISH HIM TO TARTARUS, STARDUST! BANISH HIM BEFORE HE CAN CUT MY GREAT AND POWERFUL FACE!!”
“... You’re lucky you’re cute, Trix,” Trixster’s non-cowering assistant signed to himself, before turning to address the stranger…
… the one he was slowly starting to realize was too dumb to mean them any harm.
“Look, buddy?" he began. "Despite what my pal is currently screaming, I know he probably still wants to help you out. The city of Sonnambulo is supposed to be an hour away on hoof from here, and that’s where the two of us are heading now.”
“Sonnambulo!” the cloaked stallion whinnied, his excitement evident in his tone. “Excellent! That is exactly where we’re heading too! It’s the northernmost entrance to the Great Southern Dessert, you see, and the starting point towards our true destination o-”
“Yeah yeah, don’t care,” Stardust deadpanned. “Keep your life story to yourself.”
“Ah… A-apologies,” the stranger blushed red. “We’re not normally this talkative, it’s just we've recently come to the realized that keeping things bottled up, and not sharing, was what ultimately caused our current predicament and…”
Stardust raised an eyebrow threateningly.
“... A-and we’ll attempt to not be such a mouth motor starting now,” finished the pegasus, before nervously looking away. “Or was the expression ‘motormouth’...? What even is a motor anyways?”
“... Riiiiggghhht,” the pinkish unicorn shook his head, starting over. “Anyways, like I was trying to say; as long as you’re willing to hoof over that oversized letter opener until we make it to our destination, you’re welcome to follow behind our wagon trail.”
“Preferably far, far behind,” The Great and Cowering Trixster peeked out cautiously from around his Great and Powerful Assistant/ponyshield.
Hearing this, the stranger’s smile turned jovial.
“Huzzah!” he cheered loudly, and dramatically sheathed his blade. “We shall gladly accept these terms! Please take good care of Fati-Torquent in the meantime.”
“Gesundheit,” the faithful assistant muttered habitually, as he stretched his forelegs outwards in anticipation of receiving the sword…
… but then his eyes wandered towards the saddlebags the pegasus had kept hidden beneath his muddy cloak.
His cape had risen slightly via the usage of a blue feathered wing, with the intent being to easily remove the blade’s sheath out of the bag. Though the action itself had lasted no longer than a second, said second was long enough for Stardust to recognize the cutie mark emblazed upon the bag’s fake leather:
A large magenta star surrounded by a second white one...
… This was not the stranger’s cutie mark.
Stardust knew with certainty that it couldn't have been, for only one pony had that mark; the pony he hated above all others.
The pony he had sworn vengeance upon so very long ago.
A memory of lavender wings, outstretched and regal, replayed itself within his mind; devouring all other thought.
“...”
“... Shall the three of us depart now?” the stranger inquired innocently, completely unaware of the dark things that now swam at the forefront of the unicorn’s being. “The night grows closer.”
“...”
… Stardust Glimmer smiled sweetly back.
“Sure thing, mister…” he fished for a name.
The stranger inhaled…
… paused…
… and then replied somewhat reluctantly with:
“Archie.”
“...”
“...”
“... The Trixster thinks your name is stupid.”
“Yeah… Sigh… We do as well, Mister The Trixster. We do as well…”
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I shouldn't have read this before bed, it'll probably be stuck in my head, but no regrets. This story is too good to pass up. I wish I had your commitment.
Execute the bitch.
Stardust's reason for destroying time better have a good reason than not being able to send letters to a friend.
Oh, Stardust, you got Solaris on your trail plus his personal prodigy, Barbs.
derpicdn.net/img/view/2015/7/13/936388.png
Esto se pone interesante 😀😀😀😀😅
10863096
I'm relatively certain this one won't leave you with any nasty dreams, so please enjoy...
... Can't really guarantee the same with tomorrow's though
10863117
You don't understand though! She was really, really lonely!
People have slaughtered timelines for less, you know
... It's safe to say that Stardust has a tiny more going for him than that. Trust me on this ;)
10861914
10863204
¡Muchas gracias como siempre!
10863117
Yeah thanks to him trickster is never going to forge his bonds with ponyville or partake in saving everyone from the changelings .
Because now he has no reason to seek revenge in the first place.
Everyone's gay and I love it
Good chapter as always
Two guys talking about girls: I sleep
Its Elusive(?) and Applejack: REAL SHIT
-----
Manly Derp pulling off throwaway lines and complete game changers:
“See? I pulled a little sneaky on ya.“