Serus Illaesus
"You have been accused of openly defying the laws of the Canterlot Ministry, to advocate the blasphemous beliefs of atheism on the residents of Pendant Lakes and the surrounding regions, and to mock and ridicule, to scornfully provoke and resist the Great Princess Celestia."
Noir Palgiot just stood, sneering at the charges read before him. The judge gazed down from his podium, raising his eyebrow with suspicion.
"Does the accused plead guilty or not guilty to these charges aforementioned?"
The black stallion tried not to laugh. What do they think he is? Some small-town, low-class illiterate? Heck, he's Noir Palgiot! The Patriarch! The Grand Minister!
He gave the judge a devilish smile, his cunning mind already working on a few plans. He gave out a disappointed snort, answering the question calmly and coldly as he gazed at the officials around him:
"Not Guilty."
Rarity's eyes fluttered open, the unicorn sitting up from the bed with a gasp.
She looked around frantically, before letting out a relieved sigh.
"It was only a dream, Rarity. Get a grip of yourself..."
Octavia slept beside her gently, the morning sun shining on her grey face. Rarity turned to the window, the dazzling rays blinding her eyes.
A small knock came onto the door, catching her attention.
"Come in."
The door swung open slightly. Claws silently pattered on the carpet, making Rarity smile as she realized who walked in.
"Good morning, Spikey."
"Morning," the dragon said with a smile, carrying a small, silver tray. On it, an assortment of bread was neatly arranged, with two bowls of soup, smelling strongly of mushroom and garlic.
"I see Miss Rarity hasn't had her combing yet."
Rarity giggled slightly. "So you're going to help me?"
Spike shrugged his shoulders in response.
"I'll try."
The both of them laughed quietly, not wanting to wake Octavia. Rarity started spreading butter on a croissant, watching as Spike slurped his mushroom soup loudly.
"Manners, Spikey." she said with a giggle.
Spike settled the bowl down, quickly reaching for the comb. He started combing her mane carefully as Rarity munched on the croissant, watching the dragon doing his work from the mirror.
In moments, he started curling her mane. He groaned slightly, struggling with the curler while making the unicorn giggle.
"Oh, Spike..."
She looked over at the table. The dark purple book sat there, slightly beckoning her to open.
Spike followed her gaze, his face darkening with concern.
"You brought it here?"
The unicorn nodded.
"I'm trying to understand its contents. There might be something in there that can help find out who this Mirror Mare pony actually is."
"All right, I guess."
Spike placed his claw on her shoulder, his green eyes sparkling with worry.
"Just promise me you won't do anything I wouldn't do."
Rarity gave him a reassuring smile, pecking him intimately on his snout.
"Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye."
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Fluttershy panted, her pink mane dripping wet from last night's rain. Her eyes were tired, bloodshot with fatigue.
She had been trying to find Applejack for one whole night, with no success. The early morning sunrise only made her groan in annoyance, wandering around the meadow in frustration.
"Applejack!" she called out wearily in her gentle voice, slumping onto the grass. Drops of dew scattered into the air as her face landed onto the hillside, sprinkling onto her already wet body.
She closed her eyes, praying silently to herself.
"This is just a dream. This is just a dream..."
Silence filled her head, the serene atmosphere of dawn flowing smoothly into her ears. The sweet, mellow melodies of bluejays and canaries, the patter of rabbit paws on the grass and, on a rare occasion, the faint galloping of stags and does in the forest.
Then she heard it. The foreign sound. The sound of sniffling.
Fluttershy lifted herself up, looking into the dense overgrowth. She crept closer towards it, carefully avoiding the twigs and sticks laying on the meadow floor.
The despairing sounds grew louder as she ruffled through the bushes. A short, accented curse bellowed amidst the sobbing, revealing the crying pony's identity.
"Applejack..."
A loud *snap* made the pegasus freeze, looking in horror at the broken stick under her yellow hoof.
"W-Who's there?!" the orange pony shouted, making Fluttershy darting below with a nervous squeal.
She watched from the bushes as a pair of orange hooves trudged around, searching through the other overgrown shrubs.
It wasn't belong before the branches above Fluttershy parted, with Applejack gazing down at her, giving the orange pony a nervous chuckle.
Applejack's face darkened, leaving the pegasus in a huff.
"Applejack! Wait!" she managed to shout, scooting out from the bush after her friend.
"Just leave me alone, Shy."
"No! There's something I wanna tell you-"
"Can't you listen?!"
Applejack's scream made a group of birds flutter away, the pegasus cringing in fear as the orange pony advanced towards her. Something made her snap as Applejack shouted directly into her face:
"Ah told 'ya, I need some time ALONE!"
"Well, guess what?!"
Fluttershy shouted back, springing up from the ground, her face seething with rage.
"YOU DONT!"
Applejack tumbled back in surprise as the pegasus continued:
"You never, never, NEVER. Bothered to even give a BUCKING DAMN on what I'm trying to TELL you! I have spent ALL NIGHT, Applejack. ALL NIGHT trying to LOOK FOR YOU! I'm not just gonna WALK AWAY and leave you CRYING ALL ALONE BY YOURSELF!"
The orange pony gasped at the last sentence.
"You... Y-You mean..."
"ALL I WANTED was to APOLOGIZE!!"
Tears leaked from the pegasus's raging eyes, her body trembling violently with misery.
"THAT'S ALL I WANTED FROM YOU!"
She slammed her hoof harshly into a tree, wooden splinters grazing her face as they flew from the impact.
"Why can't somepony just, for once, just BUCKING LISTEN to ME?!"
Applejack watched in shock as her friend started sobbing, falling on the grass floor, the curses from the pegasus's mouth stinging deeply into her heart.
"Is it that hard..? To just stop and listen...?"
"Flut-Fluttershy..."
The pegasus raised her hoof, quickly silencing the orange pony.
"Don't..."
Applejack just stood there, watching her friend cry. Guilt and regret flushed through her mind, making her head pound.
She sat beside Fluttershy, who'd already buried her face in her hooves. A light bulb flickered in her head, as she opened her mouth and started singing:
"Hush now, quiet now,
It's time to lay your sleepyhead..."
Fluttershy looked up from her anguish, turning to her friend with a small whimper. Applejack gave her a smile as she continued singing:
"Hush now, quiet now,
It's time to go to bed~"
The pegasus started smiling, letting out a tired yawn. She started singing along as well, the two of them harmonizing each other:
"Hush now, quiet now,
It's time to lay your sleepyhead;
Hush now, quiet now..."
"It's time... to go... to..."
Fluttershy's voice drifted off, her eyelids closing slowly. It wasn't long before she slumped against Applejack's shoulder, snoring gently in the autumn wind.
Applejack chuckled at her sleeping friend. She placed her trademark hat on Fluttershy, giving her a warm smile.
"It's time to go to bed."
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"Just have another spoon, Twilight!"
"No! No way I'm having another taste of that, Pinkie!"
The pink pony just edged closer, forcing Twilight to back away, pushing her chair towards the wall.
Rainbow chuckled from the side, watching as Pinkie force-fed the unicorn with the powdered flowers.
Twilight's tongue hang out with disgust, quickly chugging down a mug of water while Pinkie snorted with laughter.
"It's suppose to make you feel better!"
"I feel perfectly fine, thank you."
Twilight stood up from the seat, before stumbling into a mountain of pots in a daze, the heap clattering loudly onto wood as it tumbled towards the floor.
Pinkie and Rainbow burst out with laughter, with Twilight blowing her mane off in annoyance.
"All right, all right. Maybe I'm not hundred percent fine."
"At least you're far better off than yesterday."
Primrose stepped in from her personal garden, carrying a rattan basket of fruits. Pinkie clopped her hooves with glee at the bountiful harvest, already ruffling through its contents hungrily.
The caramel mare chuckled at her friend as she found an apple, gobbling it up like she haven't eaten in years.
"I'm glad somepony likes my gardening," she said with a wink.
Rainbow picked out an orange from the basket, passing it to Twilight as she ruffled through the collection.
"It seems you and Pinkie had really known each other for a long time," the unicorn said, scraping the orange skin off with a peeler.
"We were adventurers back in the day, Miss Sparkle."
Primrose sipped on a warm cup of tea, indulging in the light, soothing yet refreshing mix of chamomile and spearmint.
"She always appreciate my talents of herbology and horticulture of medicinal and edible plants!"
"That's superdy-duper true!"
Pinkie pointed at her Cutie Mark: a sprig of herb, on her flank. "She's one of the best herbitty-herb-herb ponies I've ever met!"
Twilight chuckled at her pink friend's enthusiasm, watching the both of them giggle as they nudged each other playfully. She looked back at her bandage, stained purple from the coneflower mix in the poultice.
"It's not that painful compared to yesterday," she said with a smile. "You should really start a job with this or something."
Primrose just shook her head.
"I see it as more of a past time, really. Takes my mind off things."
"I understand," Twilight nodded with a grin, biting into the orange flesh, the zesty juices pouring into her mouth.
"In the meantime, I'm gonna pick some berries for lunch."
Primrose gestured Pinkie to join her, the pink pony bouncing out the cottage.
"Maybe make some blueberry pie."
"Blueberry pie?! I've really, really, really, really love your blueberry pie! I gotta learn how you make it! I've only learned how to make burnt blueberry pie and, trust me, Prim, when I say they're not the most-"
The door swung shut, leaving Twilight and Rainbow to giggle at their pink friend.
"Well," Twilight settled on the couch, watching the pegasus munching on a small pear, "what shall we do today?"
Rainbow just shrugged, wiping her mouth with a small napkin.
"Is there actually anything we can do here?"
Twilight just sighed, looking out the window at the meadow beyond her. The light was warm and inviting, the shallow stream trickling smoothly around the rocky bend.
"Maybe Primrose might know of Pinkie's relationship with Mirror Mare."
The pegasus just ruffled through the basket, completely oblivious to what the unicorn said.
Twilight looked over at her knapsack hanging from the coat rack. The flowered lid of Persimmon's box lay amidst the ruffled mess of papers, taunting the unicorn irritatingly.
"Bummer."
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"Try not to struggle too much, Rarity."
Rarity nodded as her hooves were fastened on the iron cuffs. Spike helped Octavia with the wires, his face flushed with doubt.
"You're sure it's safe, Sir Palgiot?"
"Call me Winter," the Patriarch said with a grin.
"And yes. It's completely safe."
Rarity gave a grin to the dragon, his claw holding her fastened hoof with concern.
"I'll be fine, Spikey."
Winter pulled the lever down, the Dreamscape machine whirring into life. Rarity closed her eyes, feeling her body propelling once more from reality.
...
The unicorn groaned again, lifting herself up. Her stomach retched and gurgled slightly, her head pounding with excruciating pain.
"Why must this traveling feel so nauseating..."
"Miss? You alright?"
Rarity looked in surprise to see an armored pony standing before her. She quickly brush her mane, giving the pony a nervous grin.
"Perfectly fine, thank you."
The guard's brow raised in suspicion, his hoof gripping tighter onto his spear.
Then he suddenly smiled. "No doubt you're here to see the procession!"
"The what?"
Rarity glanced around at the town around her. Ivory towers spiraled up from the ground, swirling with golden spires from base to tip. Streams and waterfalls ran through the roads like canals, with one or two bridges spanning across them elegantly.
Canterlot...
Banners were hoisted up into the air, the picture of the Sun sewn into place with fine, golden thread. All around, ponies were ascending towards a majestic palace, no doubt to attend the procession.
"If I may inquire," Rarity asked the pony, "what is this procession actually for?"
The guard laughed at her question, making Rarity raise her eyebrow in annoyance.
"You didn't know? To celebrate the departure of the Voyager Six, of course!"
"The Voyager Six..."
Rarity's mind lingered on the phrase. That was something that Sweetie Belle would've made up.
She giggled slightly at the fact, thanking the guard.
"I suppose I'll attend it, then."
The unicorn quickly trotted up the stairs in anticipation, joining the group of ponies swarming into the palace.
She tried to sieve through the crowd, trying to get a glimpse of the front of the room.
"Pardon me," Rarity apologized, bumping into a group of ponies. They just turned their noses with indignation, clearly annoyed by her antics.
While halfway through the room, the crowd started clapping and cheering. Rarity tried to look over the crowd, watching a familiar, white alicorn walk onto the stage. She gave the crowd a serene smile. brushing her mane in reverence.
"Princess Celestia..."
"To the ponies of Canterlot, and those that came from the further towns of Equestria, we have all gathered here to bear witness an important event!"
Rarity moved to the front of the crowd, panting with sweat flowing down her hooves. She watched in amazement as the Princess continued her speech:
"An event that will be the fore-frontier of spreading harmony across the whole of Equestria, the pioneer for the many generations to come!"
She held her breath, the silhouettes of six ponies stood before her in the dark. Princess Celestia's smile beamed with pride, gesturing the ponies forward.
"Please welcome: The Voyager Six!"
The world suddenly snapped around her, the sounds of celebration fading from her ears. Rarity felt faint, trying to reach around in vain for support, before falling onto the floor.
"Not now, damn it. Not now!"
Her vision started to blur, her head pounding like before. She gave one last look onto the six ponies, before blacking out.
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The forest was exceptionally peaceful today.
Pinkie's mane swayed in a light breeze as she bounce along the forest path, scattering mounds of dried leaves with every bounce she makes. Her eyes scanned carefully throughout the forest floor, searching for any mushroom or herb that crept out from the undergrowth.
Primrose was looking into the trees, plucking a few blueberries from the low-hanging branches. She breathed in the forest air, letting it cool her lungs.
She turned to the party pony, who was busy pulling out a sprig of saffron from the ground. Pinkie nearly stumbled backwards as its roots freed itself from the rocks, making Primrose giggle at the sight.
"So, Pinkie..." the caramel mare asked her friend, "what have you been doing these past few years?"
"You know!"
Pinkie pranced towards her friend, tossing the saffron sprig into the basket.
"Baking, partying and having fun!"
"I'm glad to hear that, Pinkie."
The afternoon sun gleamed brightly from above, filtering through the branches in seamless rays of light.
Primrose plucked a raspberry from the trees, closely inspecting it for any taint, before throwing it into the basket.
"I've heard rumors. That Mirror Mare returned."
Pinkie flinched at the mention of the name.
"...you've heard right."
Primrose sighed dismally. She looked over to Pinkie's slightly bandaged body, the party pony now turning morose with every passing minute.
"Did it... did it hurt you?"
Pinkie nodded slightly, wiping a small tear off her eye. Primrose couldn't help but gasp in shock.
"Celestia..."
"I know, right?" Pinkie said with a dejected chuckle. Her eyes suddenly flared with rage.
"How much times must it ruin my life?!"
The pink pony smashed her hoof against a tree, nearly splitting it apart. Primrose placed a hoof around her, letting the pink pony bury her face onto her caramel shoulder as Pinkie sobbed in torment.
"How much times more...?"
"Control yourself, Pinkie." Primrose whispered in her ear.
"You know what you're capable of."
She gestured her head to the splintered tree. Pinkie just gazed at it coldly, before looking down at her hoof.
"Capable?" she scoffed, "I can't even protect her and you call me capable?"
"That was a long time ago, Pinkie."
Primrose sighed, tightly embracing the pink pony. "If she were here, she would've want you to smile. Like you always do."
Pinkie trembled, before looking at the caramel pony.
"I guess."
The two resumed their scavenging, tossing a few branches, leaves and a few corrupted herbs and berries. Primrose could still hear the pink pony sniffling, despite her mane still being naturally puffy.
"Got any leads this time?" she asked Pinkie, settling her basket down.
Pinkie shook her head no, tossing a sprout of basil into the basket.
"I need a full list." the pink pony continued, trying to pluck another sprig. "I've had my suspicions."
Primrose raised an eyebrow.
"You have no idea what its motives were, and yet you're already suspecting somepony?"
"It pushed me out the window, Prim."
The caramel pony stood there, slightly stunned, before continuing her berry picking.
"So it was that close to you? I thought it would use some complicated contraption or something."
"This one is still a tough nut."
Pinkie threw a bundle of herbs and mushrooms in the basket.
"He doesn't leave any loose ends."
"Loose ends, huh?"
Primrose giggled slightly as Pinkie found an apple, chomping into it greedily to its core.
The pink pony wiped her mouth with her hoof, making her caramel friend's face twinge in both disgust and amusement.
She suddenly snapped her pink hooves, a cunning smile of wit aligned on her face.
"That might just be it!"
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"Noir, you're sure about this?"
The black stallion ruffled his golden mane with pride, looking at his sister. He placed a hoof around her, giving the mare a reassuring smile.
"Trust me, Crescent."
The judge fluttered through his papers, examining it before shouting it:
"Come forth the next witness!"
Everypony in the courtroom turned to look. Noir just took a glance at the pony, flurried with a cold ignorance. He tried not to scoff at the sight before him.
An aging unicorn slowly walked down the carpet. guided only by another pony. He wore a black suit, covering his wrinkled, brown body. Noir raised his eyebrow as the colt let out a cough, nearly stumbling backwards onto the carpet.
He couldn't believe it. This is the pony that'll stop him?
The colt sat opposite of Noir, glancing at the black stallion's cold smile. The prosecuting lawyer cleared his throat, as he began:
"Toothless Jaw, from your statement, you said you saw the accused spread disastrous lies across Pendant Lakes and endorse into propaganda and campaigns to promote atheistic believes of the Celestial Law. Is it true?"
"Darn truth, I'll tell ya."
Toothless stood up, pointing his hoof weakly at the Patriarch.
"He was there! Along with the other doggone scientists."
"He tried to chop my horn off!"
A few gasps of shock echoed throughout the room. Noir just stare at him, unconvinced.
"And you're sure you saw everything?"
Noir's lawyer nudged him, asking him to be quiet. He just brushed it off.
"Everything! Heck, to the tiniest little detail!"
"So you're saying," Noir shouted to the pony, "that with those two weak, pathetic eyes of yours, you saw even the tiniest detail?"
Everypony gasped at the black stallion's rebuttal. Even Crescent stared at her brother in disbelief, trying to grasp what he just said.
The colt just gave him a cold stare.
"You need to learn respect, boy. A lot of it."
Noir rolled his eyes. He slammed his hooves on the table, slightly scattering his lawyers papers.
"I don't give my damn respect!" he shouted defiantly, "for a sick, grizzled scumbag like you!"
Toothless just seemed unfazed by his comment, only laughing coldly.
"You really don't learn, do you Noir?"
Suddenly, the room rumbled. The lights around flickered, before blacking out, leaving the whole courtroom in the dark. Everypony in the room looked around frantically, with some already scrambling for the tall.
Noir watched in horror as Toothless Jaw's body started turning into a white, radiant void. The old pony grew taller and slender, a pair of wings suddenly sprouting from his back.
He wiped his eyes in disbelief as a familiar figure stood before him, replacing the old colt. She gazed down at him coldly, making him mutter:
"Pr-Princess?"
The alicorn shook her mane, walking towards the black stallion with malice. Everypony else in the courtroom bowed before her presence in fear, still stunned by her sudden appearance.
"Rise, fellow ponies," she spoke in her Canterlot voice, booming in a grand echo.
The alicorn turned to Noir Palgiot, who still hung his head down.
"You have deeply shamed yourself, dishonored your family and destroyed the reputation of Pendant Lakes and the regions surrounding. To humiliate the Equestrian society with your ignorance. To degrade the majesty of the past Patriarchs of Pendant Lakes!"
The room was hushed with anxiety. Crescent Palgiot turned away, awaiting his brother's sentence.
"And for that, Sir Noir Palgiot..."
The Princess's horn suddenly lit up. Noir couldn't help but gasp as a purple ray burst from her white horn, aiming directly at his body.
He emitted a loud scream, the ray piercing deep into his body.
Crescent felt the agonizing pain in her chest as well. She started yelling, falling to the floor with her hoof clutching tightly on her chest as a few other ponies tried to help her up.
"You will be cursed, as will the generations of Palgiots to come. Forever doomed to never use your talent, with every minute of so sapping against your life force."
Noir suddenly stopped screaming, panting heavily with exhaustion from his nightmarish ordeal. He looked up with contempt at the Princess, who was now walking out of the courtroom.
"Let this be a lesson, Noir Palgiot."
Rarity woke up with a gasp, gripping onto her sheets furiously. She looked around, beads of sweat trickling down her skin. Pain lingered in her chest, making her bite her lip.
Spike was sleeping beside her, his tail wrapping around her coat. He mumbled and muttered, before snoring gently.
The unicorn looked out of the window, slightly surprised at the bright sun still shining outside.
"It almost felt like a day..."
Rarity stretched her hooves, trying her best not to wake up the sleeping dragon. She gazed over at Spike, smiling as he tossed and turned on the bed, ruffling the bed sheets around.
She gave him a peck on the cheek, the dragon responding with a warm grin.
"Oh, Spike..."
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As promised, Monday! Chapter 27
Sorry if the pace slowed down a little. Busy tending to the notifications
The Scientist really overwhelmed Laurels by a heck lot. Maybe it's because I found a cover art way earlier than Laurels
But anyways, enjoy!
... You are an evil tease.
First teasing us about that Voyager Six, then teasing us about Pinkie Pie having relations to the Mirror Mare in the past... is she Palgiot? ... No not one of them. The bodyguards...
958338
...You'll see
Sorry I have not comment on the last couple of chapters, but i wanted to say you are doing a great job with the information you are giving to us and i am very curious on who the Voyager six are and how they play in tis story. As well as Pinke's history with Mirror Mare and Applejack's and Fluttershy's stories. Also love the Spike andRarity interaction and their romance and where it goes.
Keep up the great work can not wait to read the next chapter.
960430
Yeah, we will...
Still, thinking of what Gummy was like... I can't help but thinking that Pinkie was close to her... either related to her or her bodyguard...
961851
Thanks!
Also to reply: 962992
How Mirror Mare and Pinkie are related might be quite a shocker.
.
It's gonna be hard for me to get it down, since Pinkie's my fave
I feel like she's stealing the spotlight now, even though Rarity was the main character.
963576
A shocker? From you?
Never thought that could happen.
963600
Was an idea that came out of the blue.
But still, a shocker
I can tell you it shows one of Mirror Mare's personalities
963673
One of?! So there is more then one?
Great...
963705
... you read this story too much
Personalities as in characteristics which may reveal the identity, not ponies
963719
...
Why didn't you mean that clear?
963730
Forgot to mention! Since there's Romance, Sadness, Tragedy and Adventure already...
This is the part where the last tag returns!
Drawing inspiration from this, this, this and this
963833
Adventure huh?
Interesting...
963862
Just saying that Mirror Mare's gonna get a little bit more feisty...
Dark tags are there for a reason
963871
You mean it isn't dark already?
963902
What I'm planning to do is that Mirror Mare was suppose to strike fear, yet none of the Mane 6 seemed to fear it.
You could say it's gonna get frustrated
That's where inspiration comes in
963910
... That doesn't sound good...
The saying, the sins of the father, comes to mind here. Celestia fucked up it seems.
Wait... I smell a F/F ship in here. No.
Not here. Not in my favorite fic of all time.
...
No, it can't be...
It can't...
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