Camaraderie is Sorcery

by FireOfTheNorth

Chapter 2:19.1 - Coins and Kings

Author's Note:

Translations

Chapter 2:19.1 – Coins and Kings

The walls of Trotstagor towered over the Brave Companions as they approached the Vanhuv’r Gate. Trotstagor had once been a prosperous city, the capital of the Hill Kingdoms at their height. It was a city whose every detail had been designed with precision and care, unlike so many other cities across Equestria that had sprung up and grown with no direction. Trotstagor was perfectly square, with three elaborate gates on each side, each named according to the most important city at the time toward which the gates’ paths would lead. The wall and gates were still impressive, but the city less so.

Trotstagor was a city that had never fallen in war and yet had fallen nonetheless. The Hill Kingdoms had expanded and prospered before being forced back by powerful new neighbors like the Kingdom of Manehattan and the Principality of Stalliongrad. Today, the Hill Kingdoms were not really kingdoms at all, even if kings still ruled here (as vassals of Celestia). As the Hill Kingdoms had declined, so too had Trotstagor. Nowadays, only seven of the twelve great gates were still capable of opening: Stalliongrad and Bloodpeak on the north, Rhyspaen on the east, Cant’r Laht on the south, and Maryior and Vanhuv’r on the west. The wall, nevertheless, remained strong, and soldiers continued to pace it. After all, this was now the border between the Dominions of Cant’r Laht and the Kingdom of Manehattan, who had quite a bit of trouble getting along.

The Brave Companions had separated themselves from the caravan they’d traveled with thus far. While the wagons had trundled through the Maryior Gate, they’d headed north, seeking another entrance. Most of the merchants and followers were outwardly content with pitching camp for the night again, although they had no choice in the matter, but Twilight was determined to find them an inn tonight. After four miserable days on the road, it would be good to sleep in a real bed again, and not have to magically thaw and dry everypony’s tents and bedrolls.

“Hail, Brave Companions!” a unicorn noblestallion called from a tavern’s balcony shortly after they’d entered the city, “I was hoping you’d come in through the Vanhuv’r Gate.”

“Count Arnwulf?” Twilight Sparkle called up to the Cant’r Laht sorcerer, “What are you doing here?”

“I could ask you the same thing, though I think we both know the answer,” Arnwulf answered, “Best not to shout it out, though. Allow me to come down and join you.”

The Brave Companions waited in the street while the count settled his bill with the tavern owner and made his way down. Having just passed through a gate, they were on one of the six main streets that had once divided Trotstagor into sixteen even squares. It was quite wide, divided in the middle by a line of trees that had mostly been replaced here by street hawkers with the lanes on each side roomy enough for three carts to pass side-by-side. Even so, eight ponies and a dragon made quite an obstacle, and ponies grumbled at them as they were forced to go around.

“Why is it that we always meet in cities that history has passed over?” Arnwulf asked Twilight as he joined them, “Granted, Trotstagor isn’t quite as bad as Onon’r Laht, but still …”

“So, you are looking for the pony possessed by Discord as well,” Twilight Sparkle stated, returning to the conversation where he’d left off on the balcony, “Do you wish to join us? By my calculations, we are little more than a day away from them.”

“Well, then, your calculations are wrong,” Arnwulf said with a self-satisfied smirk, “You see, I happen to know that the pony you’re searching for is not in the Kingdom of Manehattan, but here in Trotstagor.”

“How?” Twilight demanded.

“I thought I might make a tour of Celestia’s realms, see exactly what these dominions that Cant’r Laht rules are like,” Arnwulf said, answering in as roundabout a way as possible, “I have plenty of time on my hooves, after all, ever since I was passed up for appointment as Prince of the City by your father.”

“I had nothing to do with that,” Twilight replied. I even advised Celestia not to do it!

“Maybe not, but you and your house will reap the benefits, and I must find my own way,” Arnwulf said with disdain, “But, back to the matter at hoof. I was visiting Trotstagor when I sensed the use of Discord’s twisted magic here in the city. I haven’t been able to pinpoint it, but I knew the six of you were somewhere out to the west and would be making your way here, so I endeavored to meet you when you arrived and join forces. And so, we are caught up to the present.”

“Do you have any idea where this possessed pony is?” Rainbow Dash asked, “Are you even sure they’re still in Trotstagor?”

“Quite sure,” Arnwulf replied, “They continue to use their magic, though they’ve found some way to mask it by diffusing it. It is very difficult to find the origin, though I am certain that they are somewhere in the city center, which just so happens to be where I’m already renting rooms, and plenty of them for everypony. Shall we make our way there?”

“I suppose, if you have already gone to so much trouble for us,” Twilight Sparkle said, and she gestured for Arnwulf to lead the way.

The party of ten now proceeded down the street to the east as twilight fell. Around the Vanhuv’r Gate and the city’s northwestern tower, the stone buildings still stood, but they soon gave way to abandoned structures and eventually countryside as the Brave Companions trotted along. Once Trotstagor’s population had dwindled enough that many of its buildings were without inhabitants, ponies had begun tearing them down and reclaiming the land for planting. On less than a fifth of the land within Trotstagor’s walls now stood the structures that had once filled and overflowed the city’s boundaries. Besides the pocket around the Vanhuv’r Gate, there was also a small settlement near the Cant’r Laht Gate in the south and the largest portion of old city, its southern edge skirting the city center and its northern reaches spanning the Stalliongrad and Bloodpeak Gates.

Arnwulf’s rented rooms were just east of the city center, so the Brave Companions had to pass through Kings’ Square to reach them. Kings’ Square was at the exact center of Trotstagor, where the street from the Stalliongrad Gate to the Cant’r Laht Gate and the street from the Maryior Gate and the Rhyspaen Gate intersected. Ironically, unlike everything else about Trotstagor’s structure, Kings’ Square was not an actual square. It was circular on three sides, surrounding a fountain with statutes of the original eighteen Hill Kings. From the northeast corner of Kings’ Square jutted the Bank of Trotstagor. It was for this reason that Kings’ Square was sometimes called Coins’ Square. The Bank of Trotstagor and its dedicated wizards set conversion rates for all coinage across Equestria, and its power had only grown greater after the Hill Kings had kneeled to Celestia and relinquished their sovereignty. For a long time, there had been a balance between the kings and the bank, but the bank was now ascendant.

The other three-quarters of the Kings’ Square not taken up by the bank was for the Hill Kings. Each of the segments between the streets had been subdivided into six manors so that the first eighteen kings could all have an entryway facing the square. The square had also been home to an amphitheater once, where the kings could meet, but that had been replaced after the number of monarchs dwindled to twelve. The segment of manors facing the Bank of Trotstagor was now a meeting hall, though it seldom saw any use. Rarity noticed that banners hung from five of the remaining kingly manors and asked about it as they trotted through the square.

“There will be a kingsmoot tomorrow, the first in years,” Arnwulf answered as he led them along a street that ran past one of the bannered manors, nodding politely to the ponies standing guard, “The last of the Hill Kings have all assembled.”

When the Hill Kings had pledged their allegiance to Celestia twenty-seven years earlier, the sorceress had imposed some conditions. The twelve kings had been allowed to keep their titles, but they weren’t allowed to pass them on to their heirs. Celestia wouldn’t tolerate kings in her domain forever. Seven had passed on, leaving their heirs to become dukes or counts, until only these five remained.

“What do you think they’ll talk about?” Rarity asked.

“Oh, probably the same things they talk about separately,” Arnwulf said, “They’ll complain about Celestia before admitting they prefer her to the alternative. The only thing that would really make them happy would be to see the Hill Kingdoms independent again, but that’ll never happen.”

As the Hill Kingdoms had grown, they’d added more kings, and so around the original ring of eighteen kingly manors were erected more manors for the new kings. One by one, they were all abandoned as the Kingdoms shrank, and those that hadn’t been torn down had been sold and repurposed. It was one of these manors that had become the inn where Arnwulf was staying. He hadn’t been exaggerating when he said he had plenty of room for everypony. They had the whole floor to themselves, with enough space for everypony to have their own room and bed, even Spike.

Twilight didn’t spend much time in her bed that night, nor did Arnwulf. The two mages spent most of their time between dusk and dawn working on some way to overcome the masking trick the Discord-possessed pony had picked up. Several times throughout the night, they felt the chaos magic at work, and each time they narrowed the location of the user further until they were sure that their quarry was located somewhere very near to Kings’ Square. Perhaps they were in the Bank of Trotstagor, perhaps they were among the entourages of the Hill Kings, or perhaps they were one of the many who came every night to the square to beg and were cleared out by constables the next morning before sunrise. Eventually, though, the two Cant’r Laht mages had to go to bed, to get a few hours of sleep in preparation for the next day, when they would catch the pony who contained the sixth piece of Discord’s soul.

***

The Brave Companions and Arnwulf headed for Kings’ Square first thing the next morning, eyes peeled for anypony suspicious. There were some very distinctive features that would mark the possessed pony as apart from others, but they couldn’t just go around staring into everypony’s eyes. They were as discreet about it as they could be, but plenty of ponies still managed to slip away through the streets leading away from the square without being checked. Soon, Kings’ Square was clear apart from the Brave Companions and a few ponies tossing coins into the fountain of the Hill Kings.

Bells chimed the hour from within the three bell towers atop the Bank of Trotstagor, and guards filed out of the five occupied kingly manors around the square. Kings and their entourages filed out behind the guards, dressed in finery. From one group galloped a frail-looking courtier toward the meeting hall. A few minutes later, he appeared atop the building and approached a large, mounted horn.

“Behold, the Hill Kings, who will gather in Kingsmoot to discuss matters of the realm. Your rulers assemble,” he announced, his voice projecting across Kings’ Square and beyond, “According to our traditions, the kings will enter the Hall of Meeting one at a time, eldest to youngest. King Roan of Dunhome, Patriarch of House Konstos, join the Kingsmoot!”

The second northernmost manor to the southeast was the current residence of King Roan. He and his entourage proceeded to the meeting hall, ponies about their business or passing through the square making way and keeping their distance from the guards’ spears. The livery on the courtiers and guards were the same color as the banner that hung limply from the manor: maroon.

“King Eritas of Peakness, Patriarch of House Manth, join the Kingsmoot!” the herald announced.

From the middle of the opposite section of manors, King Eritas and his entourage left for the meeting hall. A white banner hung down over the manor Eritas had chosen. None of the manors here were set aside for any king, all temporary, so it was first-come, first-serve on arrival, and the Hill Kings could choose their own residences while in the city. It was no coincidence that Roan and Eritas had chosen two manors nearly as far apart as you could get; the two did not like each other.

“King Magaphete of Sire’s Hall, Patriarch of House Renzostt, join the Kingsmoot!” the herald called next.

Magaphete did like Roan, so he had chosen a manor next to the elderly king. His green banner hung over the northernmost manor to the southeast, beside Roan’s maroon. He and his entourage looped around the fountain in the center of King’s Square on their way to the meeting hall, evoking grumbles from the entourages still waiting in the cold.

“King Guthram of Maddoch, Patriarch of House Saxe-Erebos, join the Kingsmoot!” the herald announced.

Guthram didn’t have far to take his entourage to reach the meeting hall. His yellow banner hung down over the manor closest to the hall on the southeast. He briskly made his way inside, grumbling all the while about having to wait.

“King Vanic of Ethrow, Patriarch of House Alle-Hotzern, join the Kingsmoot!” the herald said.

As soon as Vanic heard his name, he began marching to the meeting hall. He also didn’t have far to go, though he had no love for Guthram and had chosen a manor relatively near only out of convenience. A blue banner adorned the manor closest to the meeting hall on the northwest.

“The Hill Kings are gathered in Kingsmoot to discuss matters of the realm!” the herald announced once all the kings and their entourages were inside, “Your rulers are assembled!”

Twilight’s and Arnwulf’s heads jerked as a wave of tainted magic suddenly seemed to come from every direction at once. They were near the epicenter, that was for certain, and they were also close to the pony they were hunting. Both of them reached into their saddlebags for the equipment they’d tested the night before along with the things they hadn’t had a chance to test. The sorcerer was faster, whispering to a small amethyst at the end of a cable as soon as it was out of his saddlebags. The little jewel pulled the line tight, pointing straight to the structure that dominated the skyline here: The Bank of Trotstagor.

The Bank of Trotstagor loomed over Kings’ Square, a monumental building as large as a cathedral and nearly as impressive. Above the heavy doors, climbing up the front of the bank all the way to the bell towers, were friezes and statues of pegasi, unicorns, earth ponies, and even some goats. After all, they’d been valued and trusted moneychangers in the Holy Maenean Empire. Heroes, saints, and moneychangers were all depicted together, interwoven as if all had the same importance. Certainly, this reflected the Bank of Trotstagor’s view of the world.

This was undeniably the greatest bank of Equestria, and few even on the Eastern Continent surpassed it. While Trotstagor crumbled, its bank stood strong. It was the bankers here that had urged the Hill Kings to seek Celestia’s protection, for fear what would become of them should the city become part of the Kingdom of Manehattan. The Bank of Trotstagor was no ordinary bank. Their precise conversion rates were trusted across Equestria because of their staff of wizards that carefully analyzed the composition of every coin that could be found on the continent. If Prince Braid debased the Stalliongrad grivna or King Hadish increased the bronze content of the Manehattan quatrequatreloep, the Bank of Trotstagor would know about it, and soon everypony in Equestria and across the Shimmering Sea would as well. Despite the Hill Kingdoms now being part of the Dominions of Cant’r Laht, the Bank of Trotstagor still minted its own coin, the silver duurmark, which never changed composition and was the standard against which all other coinage was measured.

“Into the bank, then?” Rainbow Dash asked, looking at the artifact Arnwulf was holding.

The small crowd of ponies (and Spike) headed for the bank’s entrance. Guards in tall, polished helms and breastplates wielding guisarmes watched as they trotted through the gap left by a partially opened door. The doors were incredibly massive and thick, so it made sense not to open them all the way, but braziers burned brightly within the bank to compensate for the coldness outside, leaving a haze of smoke on the ceiling where the chimney grates didn’t catch it. As soon as the Brave Companions entered, they were guided along by the wooden fencing that stuck up from between the patterned and colored stone floor tiles to a line of windows.

“No weapons are allowed in the Bank of Trotstagor,” a guard droned on, sounding like she’d said it a thousand times before, “Please remove all weapons and mark them according to the posted instructions. They will be returned to you when you leave.”

“We’re here on important business for Celestia,” Arnwulf said, “We don’t have time for this.”

“No weapons are allowed in the Bank of Trotstagor,” the guard repeated, giving Arnwulf a pointed look, “Please remove all weapons and mark them according to the posted instructions. They will be returned to you when you leave.”

Begrudgingly, they complied with the guard’s instructions. All weapons were removed, marked with banners obtained from the ponies through the windows, and passed to the ponies through the windows. Then, everypony had to fill out a form with their names listing all the weapons they’d left and the numbers on the banners they’d marked them with. Rainbow Dash was left behind as she had to register all of her Hunter gear, which the ponies on the other side of the windows seemed to take amusement in until she glared at them. The group sans Rainbow Dash hurried on past the guards that approved them to pass on to another window with a long line.

“What now?” Pinkamena asked impatiently.

“We have to sign in, see?” Twilight said, pointing at a sign hanging over the window, just as exasperated as everypony else.

“Sign in?” Rainbow Dash groaned as she rejoined them, “We just signed in to drop off our weapons!”

Twilight Sparkle was determined not to let the bureaucracy get to her. She’d dealt with the Cant’r Laht Archive, and she could deal with this. As they waited in line, she watched what was going on in the rest of the bank and hoped to catch a glimpse of their quarry by happenstance. There were plenty of ponies moving about, most of them making their way to the exit doors through a queue moving just as slowly as the one they were in.

“Where are they going?” Fluttershy wondered aloud as she watched the other line grow longer.

“Haven’t you heard?” one of the guards pacing along the line asked, “The Kingsmoot’s started.”

“Yes, but isn’t the Kingsmoot off-limits to all but the Hill Kings and those they invite?” Arnwulf asked.

“For the moment, though if they vote to open the Kingsmoot as they did in the past in the square, then anypony can enter,” the guard said as if the traditions of the Hill Kingdoms were obvious, “Everypony wants to be the first. Also, anypony who works for the Bank of Trotstagor is free to leave and attend the Kingsmoot.”

“So, you could leave for the Kingsmoot?” Ream asked dubiously.

“Any clerk or evaluator is free to leave and attend the Kingsmoot,” the guard corrected herself with a frown.

“We aren’t just going to wait here, are we?” Rainbow Dash whispered after the guard had moved on.

“We will do what we must,” Twilight Sparkle replied, though like the others, she watched the ponies leaving worriedly, “You will see, Rainbow. We will get some answers soon.”

***

No answers were to be found in the Bank of Trotstagor. Nopony seemed to have noticed a pony with red irises, even the mare responsible for supervising everypony that signed in. Neither did the wizards (evaluators) have any clue where the sudden surges of tainted magic were coming from. They were somewhat worried that it could cause problems with their evaluation of coin compositions and worth at first, but after they could detect no change after the surges, were now fairly confident that they were unaffected. The bank’s bells rang several times while they were inside, and it was after midday when they left. Going through the exit line, they had to sign out and then could reclaim their weapons before they headed out, filling out more paperwork in the process.

No sooner had they exited the bank than another chaos surge washed over Twilight and Arnwulf. The sorceress was the quicker of the two this time, throwing a top on the ground that spun for only a moment before toppling over and pointing toward the meeting hall across Kings’ Square. Judging by the lack of a crowd in front of the meeting hall, the Hill Kings had either opened up the Kingsmoot or ruled emphatically against doing so. A few ponies trotted in and out through the doors and the guards posted didn’t stop them, however, so it was probably the former.

“They must have left while we were inside,” Twilight Sparkle said, concocting a plan, “Baldavin, I need you to go back through the bank and get a copy of the exit logs from when we entered to when we left. Take this letter from Celestia with you.”

“I doubt it will do me much more good than it did you, but thanks,” the Cant’r Laht soldier said, taking the letter before trotting back toward the bank’s entrance.

“The rest of us will see if we can find them at the Kingsmoot,” Twilight Sparkle announced.

She led the way until Arnwulf trotted up next to her, determined not to be her shadow, even if she was an impressive sorceress and Celestia’s personal protégé. The guards at the entrance to the meeting hall let them in, and though they eyed Rainbow Dash’s collection of weapons, they didn’t do anything to stop her. For that, Twilight was thankful. She didn’t think the Hunter would put up with having her weapons removed twice today, which was one reason she’d sent Baldavin to get the logs.

A stern-faced guard directed the ponies and dragon up to the second floor, where the observers of the Kingsmoot would be gathered. It wasn’t crowded, though there was a fair crowd of ponies seated up in the tiered seats surrounding a circular hole in the floor. The Brave Companions looked around the audience, but they couldn’t pick out anypony as being possessed by Discord. Did their eyes glow in the dark? Nopony could remember.

Down below, the Hill Kings and their entourages were also arranged in a circle. Most of the perches that traditionally had been used by the pegasus kings had been replaced by chairs, except for Guthram’s. Though he looked on the verge of losing his balance, he stubbornly stayed on the roost and looked disdainfully at the others’ chairs.

“I was only just-crowned when I made my vow to Celestia,” King Vanic was saying when the Brave Companions took their seats and began examining the ponies down below, “Should that hold me through my life and deny my crown to my children who were not yet born when I made it?”

“Yes,” King Guthram said gruffly, “We all made that vow, knowing what it would bring for our heirs. Yet, it was a better bargain than we would have gotten from Hadish.”

“You don’t know that,” Vanic accused, “He was merely crown prince of Manehattan then, and his father was a weak king.”

“Your lands do not border those of Manehattan!” Guthram bellowed, “Hadish crossed over into my lands then, burning as he went! He vowed to burn all of us if we didn’t throw down our crowns!”

“What about Stalliongrad?” King Magaphete asked, “Things are much better now under Braid than they were under Bann back then. In the Principality of Stalliongrad, we could have some measure of independence again, like the Haelds and the hordes.”

“Yes, if not us, then our heirs could swear fealty to Prince Braid instead of Celestia when the time comes,” King Roan added.

“Of course, that works for the two of you. Your domains border Stalliongrad and you already trade with them, but what about my fief along the mountains? What’s in it for me but to be pummeled by Celestia from one side and Hadish from the other?” King Eritas said spitefully, “No, Manehattan is the way to go. King Hadish is the only one to stand against Celestia.”

“He also holds a deep hatred for any non-earth ponies, and last I checked, that includes all of us,” Guthram said, nearly falling as he gestured to the other kings, “This talk is madness!”

“Twi’, I think I found him,” Applejack said, leaning forward to speak to the sorceress, “Th’ red-coated one down there by Guthram.”

“What makes you think so?” Arnwulf asked.

“I noticed ‘im leavin’ th’ bank—‘e’s got th’ same coloration as Big Mac, though none o’ th’ stature—only ‘e was wearin’ a clerk’s uniform then, not th’ livery o’ Guthram.”

“The anti-Element of Deceit,” Twilight Sparkle said.

“I think so,” Applejack commented, feeling for the Element of Trustworthiness in her saddlebags.

“Where are you going?” Twilight asked as Arnwulf rose.

“The Kingsmoot could go on for some time,” he answered, “I’m going to investigate Guthram’s manor while they’re here, and try to confirm that this is truly our target.”

“Are you sure that is a good idea?” the sorceress said.

“Celestia may command me, you may not. Not yet,” Arnwulf said gravely before his expression lightened, “And yes, I am sure that this is a good idea.”

***

The Kingsmoot went on, and the discussion eventually shifted from abandoning Celestia and the Dominions of Cant’r Laht to more mundane matters like border disputes, taxation rates on crops, and upkeep of Trotstagor. Baldavin arrived with a copy of the Bank of Trotstagor’s exit logs only shortly before their quarry excused himself. The Brave Companions leapt into action, departing the meeting hall and covering all exits. They might have a better chance with another mage here, but they couldn’t squander this opportunity just to wait for Arnwulf; besides, they’d dealt with possessed ponies before.

“Get him!” Twilight commanded as the Big Mac lookalike, dressed again as a clerk, sauntered out through the front doors of the meeting hall.

Rainbow Dash shot down from above, pinning the possessed pony to the ground. Ream and Baldavin held back the meeting hall’s guards who tried to intercede, and tried to explain the situation. Applejack rushed over with her Element of Trustworthiness and Twilight prepared to extract Discord’s soul fragment. The possessed pony looked up at the sorceress, an eye flashed, and chaos magic permeated the air.

From behind Twilight Sparkle came the sound of splitting stone, and she reluctantly looked back. Ponies screamed and ran as the statues of the eighteen original Hill Kings separated themselves from the fountain in the center of the square and began trotting toward the Brave Companions. A few of them tried to fly, but their stone wings couldn’t support their stone bodies and they fell back to the ground, pieces chipping off of them.

“Hurry, Twilight!” Rainbow Dash yelled.

The Hunter rolled to the side as an oversized spear flew past her, taking the possessed pony with her. She was thrown off of him as a massive tentacle burst through the cobblestones before turning into a tree and blossoming loaves of bread. He took off, trying to escape down a side street, and the other Brave Companions took off after him.

Ream and Baldavin were trying to fight the statues of the kings, the guards they’d been holding off before having fled, but it was a losing fight. The statues were larger than life, about twice as large as an average pony, and composed entirely of stone. Their weapons (except for the ones they’d broken off) were fused to their bodies and also made of stone.

“Onon’r nof bei’r magia’i acca Ye’r accael!^[1]” Twilight chanted, and one of the statues began to glow with fire from the inside, cracks forming along its body as molten stone seeped out, “Leya!^[2]”

The glowing statue lifted into the air as Twilight levitated it. She hurled the long-dead king toward a cluster of other statues, where it exploded in chunks of fiery rock, smashing apart five others in one go. That still left twelve more, and Twilight levitated another, swinging it around to smash the others to pieces, including one that had pinned Baldavin down with the sword forever clutched in its mouth. Rainbow Dash also struck out toward the statues, bringing a couple down with bombs. The possessed pony wasn’t through yet, though.

As Twilight wheeled toward him, a pillar burst up out of the ground beneath her hooves, propelling her upward. She teleported back to the ground, only for another pillar to shoot her up again. Again and again she did this, while her friends closed in on the possessed pony. With a wicked grin, he shot pillars up beneath Applejack, Rarity, and Pinkamena, who would not be able to teleport away. Torn between capturing the possessed pony and saving her friends, Twilight teleported up to Rarity’s pillar. Grabbing hold of the blacksmith, she teleported them both to Applejack’s pillar, then Pinkamena’s as they neared the clouds, before teleporting them all back down to the ground.

The entire square seemed to be spinning, the Bank of Trotstagor upside-down, when they landed. A flash of light at the bank’s door caught Twilight’s eye just before Arnwulf appeared behind the possessed pony and knocked him to the ground. Applejack rushed up and placed the Element of Trustworthiness against the pony’s flesh, returning everything to normal (except for the fountain, which was totally ruined now).

“Elf ikrin tur rei siss, hy Ye broci noya^[3],” Arnwulf incanted, and the Deceit fragment of Discord’s soul was drawn out into a diamond he held in one hoof.

“Where were you?” Rainbow Dash asked as she landed and Arnwulf set down the unconscious stallion.

“After investigating our friend’s rooms in Guthram’s manor, I thought to do some further investigating in the Bank of Trotstagor. I had no idea you would stage a fight in the middle of Kings’ Square,” Arnwulf said accusatorially, “I figured out his plan, if you would care to know. He had a whole heap of Manehattan coins, and he tricked the evaluators into thinking the Celestia had debased her currency so that he could trade in and cash in once they realized that they’d been deceived. It could have worked too, if we hadn’t been here.”

“That’s it?” Fluttershy asked.

“Well, he also deceived Guthram into believing him to be a trustworthy advisor and the bank into believing him one of their clerks, and who knows how he got all that coin, but yes,” Arnwulf said.

“That soul fragment, was it larger than the one in Onon’r Laht?” Twilight Sparkle asked apprehensively.

“Not really,” Arnwulf answered, “Why do you ask?”

Twilight had personally extracted the other four soul fragments, and as far as she could tell, they and the one from Onon’r Laht had all been nearly identical in size. That meant that Count Arnwulf had been right in his observation back in Onon’r Laht. There were seven soul fragments, not six. She was almost certain now that the last one existed somewhere in the Principality of Stalliongrad, but where? That wasn’t the biggest question on her mind, either. All the other soul fragments had been the exact opposite of an Element of Harmony, but they were all accounted for now. There was another soul fragment out there somewhere, but what was it?

Comments

[TasermonsPartner]

Huh, another one where they were right on the money (pun intended). I would've thought the fake clerk was a red herring, since, ya know, deceit and all that, and Arnwulf or somepony else was the real culprit.

I really appreciate all the effort that goes into the detail of this story. You laid out the history and geography of Trotstagor, the importance of the bank, the name and ranks of the kings and their houses; everything. It's stuff that's not really relevant to the plot, and may never be mentioned again, but it makes it seem so immersive and so much more real.