The Magical Quest Starring Mickey Mouse: The Equestrian Adventure

by wingdingaling

Chapter 24: Chasing Inspiration

Chapter 24

Chasing Inspiration

Around the booths and buildings of the artisan’s plaza, Pete angrily clomped about, looking for his quarry. For nearly a minute, he hadn’t seen either one of them.

This was bad. As long as he didn’t have that green jewel, he would never be able to show his face to Souris and live. He would have to keep searching, and not let up until he had that jewel back. And to make sure it was never lost again, he was going to wring the neck of that brain-dead juggler until the gagging stopped.

Something moved in a nearby booth where draperies, doilies, and other household cloths were crafted. Pete looked, and saw a long length of pink drapes with white polka dots were on display. That wouldn’t have been any concern, only they were moving without wind.

The heavy slowly approached the drapes on display, and when he was close enough he lashed out like a cobra to rip them off their rod.

Nothing was behind there. And for the curtain and the rod he had broken, he incurred the wrath of the donkey who was running the booth.

“What’s the big idea, ya big, fat, curtain-rippin’ vandal! I oughta have ya tarred n’ feathered fer this!” the donkey shouted.

“Pipe down, ya ol’ jenny! It ain’t like yer gonna run outta coy-tains anytime soon!” Pete bellowed back.

The donkey’s rebuttal was a brief, but convincing one. She turned tail and bucked Pete to the other end of the next four booths.

“Hmf! Stubborn jackass!” Pete grunted, before standing up and moving on his way.

Things were not going his way at all. Souris’ jewel had gotten away from him, and now Mickey Mouse was running around looking for it too. On top of it all, Minnie Mouse was supposed to be delivered to him by his magical light, and that had never happened.

“Things’re lookin’ down, all over, ain’t dey,” Pete thought to himself.

Pete actually did look down when he felt something had snagged on his peg-leg. What he saw was the pink, polka dot curtain he had torn down from the shop, which had snagged onto his wooden leg.

“Aw, get outta here, ya no good--HWUH!!” When Pete tried shaking the curtain off of his peg-leg, he overbalanced and fell over, not realizing that the rest of the length was caught under his other foot.

“Why I oughta--!!” Pete growled, as he pulled his tommy gun on the curtain.

In an instant, an idea occurred to the heavy. He had seen the exact pattern on the curtain before worn by a certain mouse he knew.

With a devious chuckle, Pete tore off a small length of the curtain. Just enough to bring about the end of his longtime enemy.

Unknown to the heavy, he had been closer to his quarry than he thought. If only he had bothered to look up at the time when he was at the drapery shop.

“Do you think it’s safe to come down yet?” Nopony asked, as he and Rarity were suspended at the very top of the tallest display of drapes.

“Let me listen a moment,” Rarity said. She turned her ears to the streets below, and listened for the sounds of heavy feet followed by a wooden peg over the normal sounds of the plaza. “Alright. I think it’s safe now--Oh!”

At the confirmation of safety, Rarity had to hold tighter to Nopony, when the performer unrolled them both loose from the curtain they had used to escape. With a clop, their hooves touched down to the ground.

“Goodness. You must be stronger than you look to haul us both up like that,” Rarity said, still with her hooves around Nopony.

“I think so. Things like juggling, dancing, and aerial silk are a lot of work. I guess I just never realized how much,” Nopony answered.

“Clearly,” Rarity said, gently prodding her hooves on the performer’s body, feeling his surprisingly toned muscles. If only they weren't hidden beneath his baggy clothes.

Nearby, a clomping noise sounded. Both ponies snapped their attention to the source of the noise, but couldn’t find what it was. Little did they know, it was simply an elderly kappa grinding herbs with a pestle and mortar for natural medicines.

“Let’s go!” Rarity said.

“Amen to that,” Nopony agreed. “Where?”

Rarity hurried Nopony along, not caring where they went. As long as it wasn’t near Pete.

The two ponies quickly trotted away from their locus, until they felt they were a safe enough distance to stop. The place they chose to stop was on a bench in a part of the plaza that seemed dedicated to botanical gardens. All around them, flowers of all colors grew, and trellises covered with climbing plants arched over pathways where the pedestrians walked.

During their brief respite, Rarity glanced over to Nopony. They had barely begun their date and now she would have to end it prematurely. With a dangerous criminal after her, having fun and learning about one another was rather hard to do.

Nopony was idly bouncing a ball from his hoof to under the bench they were on. The ball bounced back to his hoof, and the process was repeated. He didn’t even stop as he used his free hoof to reach into his pocket and retrieve the jewel he fought so hard to possess.

Rarity watched the performer examine it in his hooves, wondering why he went to so much trouble for a single piece of jewelry. However beautiful it was, it surely wasn’t worth nearly dying over.

“Forgive me for asking, but what value is that jewel for you that you’d risk your life?” Rarity asked.

“This? I’m getting this for my dad’s birthday. He’s turning fifty in a few days, and I know this is exactly what he needs,” Nopony answered, as he added another ball to the juggling act.

“I see. Is your father a jeweler or a tailor?” Rarity asked.

“No. We make clothes,” Nopony answered, eliciting an amused smile and a roll of the eyes from Rarity. “But, that’s not what he needs it for. I need him to have it so…”

Rarity noticed the performer’s smile shrink ever so gradually, until it was barely a smirk on the corner of his mouth.

“So, what?” Rarity wondered.

“So that things can go back to the way they were,” Nopony said, before catching the bouncing balls in his hat, then flipping it onto his head.

“What do you mean?”

Nopony answered by reaching beneath his shirt and producing a gold locket. What a stallion was doing wearing a locket, Rarity didn’t have time to ask, before Nopony opened it up.

Inside, there were two pictures, each one showing a different pony. One was a stallion, who looked almost exactly like Nopony. The other was a mare who was dressed in an elegant gown, and had a vibrantly styled mane.

“That mare: that’s my mom,” Nopony said.

“She’s beautiful,” Rarity said.

“Yeah. But, take a look at that necklace she’s wearing.”

Rarity had to squint to see the necklace nopony’s mother was wearing. It took her a second until she realized it was the very same color, shape and cut as the one Nopony held in his hooves.

“Nopony, that’s--” Rarity began.

“The same as this,” Nopony finished. “That necklace was a gift dad gave to mom before I was born. And it was the only thing she took when...When she left us.”

“Oh, Nopony,” Rarity said, sliding her hoof over the stallion’s, “I don’t know what it’s like to lose a parent, but I hope that your gift offers your father solace for your mother’s death.”

“Death?” Nopony questioned, “My mom didn’t die. She left us.”

“...Oh,” Rarity said. For a mother to die, that was one thing. For a mother to walk out on her family, that was something else entirely.

“After she did, dad was never the same. He started acting like he was really mad at me, and never stopped. Ever since I was a colt, he acted like I wasn’t there. And the whole time, I wished I could have done something to help him. I tried everything, until I was left with nothing but wishing for him,” Nopony said.

The performer stood up on the bench, and nimbly jumped up on top of the back.

“Sometimes, I’d wish I was a gentle breeze that could blow past him, and calm his sorrow with a gentle touch,” Nopony said, as he slowly performed a graceful somersault across the back of the bench.

Rarity smiled at the performer’s antics and watched him stand tall as he balanced on one hoof.

“Sometimes, I’d wish I was a beam of sunlight,” Nopony said. He started swiveling in all directions. “I’d be what shines a light of hope and happiness on him, and show him there’s so much ahead.”

He leaned forward and gently tumbled to the seat of the bench.

Rarity reached out and caught the performer as he fell. Her heart skipped a beat when she found she was now cradling his head in her hooves.

His hat had fallen from his head, and his sunglasses had fallen into his hat, letting Rarity see his face in whole for the first time.

The first thing she noticed was how truly plain he was. He truly was no handsome noble, and his eyes didn’t sparkle like diamonds behind his dark lenses. Mostly, Rarity noticed his expression. The gentle, earnest face that conveyed both a hope and a hurt that had been borne for a long time. His was a face that never truly smiled. For every grin was not an expression of joy. Rather, it was all that was left to do when his sorrow had become second nature.

Rarity gently brushed her hoof along Nopony’s hairline as the performer released a long, quiet sigh. With the sigh, his smile faded completely.

“But, in the end, I know I’m just Nopony. I can’t be a breeze, or a sunbeam, or anything that can make my dad happy,” Nopony lamented. He held up the jewel, which he hadn’t even dropped during his performance. “That’s why I need this. I just know that if I can give my dad something really meaningful, he’ll go back to the way he was before.”

Rarity hung onto every word Nopony said to her, and suddenly recalled Mickey’s lesson of magic. There was a wish in Nopony’s heart that he desperately wanted to come true. And for as far-fetched as his plan was, his inspiration and love for his father was sure to see him through.

The fashionista leaned down and took Nopony’s sunglasses in her teeth. Holding them firmly, she placed them over Nopony’s eyes, setting them on the bridge of his nose with her muzzle.

“Rarity?” Nopony said, not quite sure what was happening.

“I don’t think you fully realize what you have,” Rarity quietly said, as she placed the plastic hooks around Nopony’s ears.

Nopony froze completely, and felt his entire body grow warm at the sound of Rarity’s whispering voice and the warmth of her breath in his ear.

“I’ve learned much since I left home on this magical quest. And I know the power of dreams, love and inspiration,” Rarity said, as she hooked Nopony’s sunglasses over his other ear. When she was finished, she hovered her mouth above the performer’s ear. “And you, Nopony, are somepony who is filled with all three.”

Dreams, love and inspiration. Words that Nopony had often heard, but held no meaning to him beyond simple words in a sentence. What was it Rarity was trying to tell him?

It seemed Rarity was going to make her message clearer when she rubbed her muzzle across Nopony’s forehead and whispered into his other ear.

“I know that you will reconcile with your father. And you will have your life back to the way you hope it to be. I know, because I believe in your dream the same as you do.”

Belief. Hope. These concepts had lost meaning to the juggler long ago. But, with the faith of a mare, he felt he was ready to rekindle what was dying within himself.

“You’re right,” Nopony said, as he sat up, “It’s going to work. This is the golden ticket I’ve been waiting years to get my hooves on.”

“And you would be wise not to waste it,” Rarity said, as she placed Nopony’s hat atop his head.

“Since I’ve never been wise, I guess I’d better do this now,” Nopony said.

The performer started to walk, but stopped shortly after the first few steps.

Rarity walked to his side.

“It will be alright. I’ll be beside you every step of the way,” the fashionista assured the performer.

“Thanks,” came the simple reply.

And the two ponies set off, ready to make the dream of a nopony come true.

“Do you always nuzzle on a first date?” Nopony wondered.

---

Twilight’s walk through Avalon with Souris was a strange mixture of awe-inspiring and unsettling. She had seen quite the many artistic wonders from just a simple escort. From the architecture to the artisan’s wares, everything was exquisite.

Everypony was more talented than herself. The artists, potters, sculptors, scribes and countless other artisans all made Twilight feel small in comparison.

Even the earth pony who was twirling a deck of cards in his hooves was better at magic than she was. And the point hit home especially hard when the magician disappeared in a 52-pickup flourish, and reappeared from beneath the wooden crate he was performing on.

Now that one of her most major assets had been taken away from her, all Twilight had left was her intellectual prowess. But, that would hardly do any good in her current situation.

“Are you nervous?” Souris said, without even turning to face Twilight.

“Huh? Nervous? About what?” Twilight asked.

“About modeling for my show.”

“No. I’m excited. Thrilled to be in your show,” Twilight said.

Souris smirked at the answer, still not turning to face Twilight.

“You don’t need to worry about a thing. You’ll do fine, even with your lack of creativity,” the lady-bat answered.

Twilight gasped internally at Souris’ words.

“But--How did…” It was useless to ask. Twilight simply sighed and muttered her next sentence, “Am I really that transparent?”

“Let’s just say that in a city with at least one hundred thousand ponies and one bat, you stand out even greater than I do,” Souris answered.

“But, why? What is it that makes me so different from all of them? Why can they do all of these things, and I can’t,” Twilight asked.

“You need to realize that once upon a time, none of these masters of their crafts were masters. They were just as inept and lost as you are,” Souris said.

Those words stung Twilight. She knew that she was no good with this new magic she was learning, but she never thought she was inept. Merely the idea of being inept at magic made her feel like going back to magic kindergarten and staying there.

What she thought was the cold sensation of failure settling on her shoulders and pricking her skin turned out to actually be Souris’ hand.

“Now, now. Don’t look so down. At one point or another, every artist stumbles on their way to greatness,” Souris said, her claws poking Twilight’s skin as she gently clasped the alicorn’s shoulder. “Whatever you’re looking for, I promise that I can help you find it. And you can shine brighter than any star you’ve ever seen. Once that happens, you’ll have everything you want.”

Looking up at the lady-bat, Twilight felt strangely at ease looking into her red eyes. If anypony could help her, it would surely be Souris. Twilight knew that if she was ever to be useful to her friends, to regain her talent with magic, to earn her place as Equestrian royalty, she would have to trust Souris. Perhaps Souris could even teach her the secret to winning a stallion’s heart.

It was only a short walk, when Twilight found herself before a wondrous sight.

There was a small stage set up with a runway in front, where models posed and sauntered about. After a few seconds onstage, the models would walk behind a curtain and be replaced with one or two new models.

The stage itself was a sight to behold. Even in the light of the sun, it seemed like it was lit up with special lights that made it glow and sparkle. The whole setup was a dazzling mixture of lavenders and blues, but most prominently was a color that looked a deep purple-red color. Above it all was a sign that read ‘AMARANTHINE.’ The logo that was superimposed behind the name was three triangles arranged to appear like the silhouette of a certain bat’s head.

As Twilight watched the models, she began to feel as if she were stepping into something out of her league.

When Twilight was led behind the stage area, she found herself in a busy workshop. There, models quickly changed their clothes before being ushered onstage. There were stations of tailors making the clothes, and makeup stations where the models’ makeup was done, redone and touched up. At other stations, jewelry and other accessories were given to the models to wear. And on almost everything was printed the same three triangle logo.

To Twilight, it all looked like Rarity’s greatest fantasy come true. And now, she was a part of it. Just looking at them all made Twilight dizzy. She had modeled before, but it was never anything like this. Unknown to herself, her forehead began perspiring as her eyes darted about.

“Souris, I don’t know if I can do this,” Twilight said.

“You have nothing to worry about, even if this is your first time modeling,” Souris assured her.

“It’s not. I mean, I’ve modeled clothes in a show for my friend. But, that was just on a small stage for a local show. This is huge. It’s--It’s…” Twilight trailed off as her anxieties started mounting in her mind.

“That’s doubt talking, dear. It’s true that even modeling has some very fine creative points to it. And only the best are known not only for their beauty, but their artistic use of movements and positioning. And you, my diamond in the rough, are certainly lacking in only one of those two things,” Souris said.

Twilight felt like she wanted to walk away. She couldn’t think of anything to say, let alone how to react beyond a quiet whimper.

“Don’t you worry about a thing. I’ll be with you every step of the way. And you will be among the greats when I’m done with you,” Souris said. “Besides, if it helps you to feel better, this is only a small stage at a local show. It shouldn’t be much different than what you’ve done before.”

It did make Twilight feel better to think that it wasn’t much different than what she had done before. She didn’t even flinch when she felt Souris’ hand touch her shoulder and lead her away.

This was the hand that would guide Twilight to her magical awakening. The cold, clawed hand that would take her to new, unstoppable heights. To be able to learn the secrets of the magic that had eluded her was the greatest, most intriguing, most seductive offer she could accept.

Twilight felt as if she were in a dream as she walked through the backstage area after Souris. She could practically feel the very magic the other creatures around her were emanating from their very beings, surrounding her, penetrating her. She thought she could even see the light of a unicorn’s magical aura in the corner of her eye, she was so lost in her thoughts. So lost was she that she bumped into Souris when the lady-bat stopped.

“Do you mind? I can’t have you losing your head now,” Souris said, as she straightened out her skirt.

“Sorry…” Twilight said, feeling another sudden surge of anxiety when she looked at Souris.

“See that you don’t do it again,” Souris answered, her tone and her face emotionless and unreadable. She reached a clawed hand out to pull away a curtain, revealing a dark room beyond. “Enter.”

Twilight looked into the darkness, and felt an inexplicable sense of unease growing in her mind. With only the slightest awareness, her hooves slowly backed her away from the entryway.

“No. I have to go in. If I’m ever going to be worth anything, I have to see this through,” Twilight thought to herself.

Fighting against her retreating hooves, Twilight walked into the darkened room. The curtain closed behind herself, and she was swallowed up by the darkness.

Inside the room, there was only a small station, which was lit by a few candles in jars. On the table at the station there were many papers, which Twilight trotted over to examine.

The papers were loaded with sketches of a single design of dress. Each one was similar to the last, but altered in some slight way. A process that Twilight had seen Rarity do many times before.

Finally, she found a design that was circled. The final draft of the design that was so sought after, and what a breathtaking design it was. Everything about it was of the highest quality, down to the stitching patterns. Such a thing that Twilight knew not even Rarity would have thought of.

Rarity, who was so obsessed with glamour, elegance, sparkles and jewels. Hardly any design she made had any substance or artistry to it. Even when she was at her best, everything Rarity made was a shallow attempt at emulating some perceived ideal of perfection.

Souris walked closer behind Twilight. Had Twilight been looking, she would have seen something about the lady-bat had changed. Somehow in a way that would have seemed monstrous. Even demonic.

“Do you like what you see?” Souris said, as she stepped in from the darkness beyond the light of the candle.

Twilight turned and saw Souris as unchanged as ever. Still with the same warm red eyes and fiendishly attractive face.

“Uh, yes. They’re really...nice,” Twilight said, at a loss for what else to say.

“Nice?” Souris said in a way that Twilight thought she offended her hostess. “‘Nice’ is good for a sunny day in the park with friends and family.”

Souris placed the tip of the claw on her index finger into the flame of a lit candle. Twilight watched in mortified awe as the lady-bat's claw pulled the flame from the wick, and rested atop her digit. Souris idly touched the flame between her claws, seeming to not care a bit for the intense heat.

“These, little princess, are divine!” Souris said.

With a wave of her arms, the flame went flying from the tip of Souris’ claws. With a burst of crackling starlight, the room was suddenly illuminated by candelabras and gas lamps.

All around her, Twilight found she was surrounded by more easels, all covered with several sketches. Each one of them was as gorgeous and artistically brilliant as the first she had seen.

“You designed all of these?” Twilight said, reaching a hoof to touch one.

The easel was suddenly enveloped by crackling starlight and pulled away from Twilight’s reach.

“Yes,” Souris answered, as she walked around the easels, visible only through the spaces between them. “Each one of them was a work of love. Each one created to inspire others to dream on. And I will use them to make you into a living dream come gloriously true.”

Twilight’s fears and anxieties of being around Souris completely faded in that moment. At Souris’ side, Twilight knew she was going to learn the secrets to truly unlock the potential of this new magic.

“So, um, do I get to pick which one to wear?” Twilight asked, as she looked over the seven clothing sketches. However, after spinning a full circle, she couldn’t find Souris.

“If six of the designs weren't already assigned to a particular model: no,” Souris said, stepping to Twilight’s side. “But, it’s just as well. The last remaining design is exactly what I would have wanted you to wear.”

Twilight looked to the sketch Souris was pointing at, and marveled at what she saw. There was a gown the likes of which Twilight had never dreamed possible. It was as elegant as a dancing breeze, as glorious as a rising sun and as delicate as a leaf that had but moments to fall from its branch.

As much as Twilight wanted it for herself, she couldn’t help but notice one particular flaw in the design of the dress.

“But, that’s for a two-legged wearer. Will that design fit me?” Twilight said.

“You don’t need to worry about any of that,” Souris said with a wave of her hand.

The sketches and easels all lit up with crackling starlight, and slid to the borders of the room.

“A great artist is one who can adapt to change. And I’m a master at making transformations. Hold still, while I take a few measurements,” Souris said.

Twilight was shocked by the sight of Souris pulling measuring tape from her empty palm, as though by sleight of hand. As the tape was placed around her neck, Twilight felt her fears replaced with eagerness. This was the magic she was going to employ, and she was going to use it to greater effect than any of her friends.

---

“Rarity! Nopony!” Mickey called, as he wandered through the crowd.

Ever since he separated from Twilight, the mouse had been searching high and low for his missing friend and her new squeeze. So far, no luck.

Mickey’s eyes scanned the crowd, looking for any trace of two white ponies. Everywhere, he saw ponies of all different colors, but not the ones he was looking for. It seemed that ponies with white coats were something of a rarity.

“Gosh. They could be anywhere in this place,” Mickey thought to himself.

A look to a booth full of tapestries next to him, and the mouse was struck by an inspiration.

Mickey pulled a tapestry off of its hanger, rolled it up into a cone and shouted into the narrow end.

“Rarity! Nopony! Where are ya?” Mickey called.

The rolled up tapestry was pulled out of Mickey’s hands, making the mouse spin around.

“Rongeur fou! What are you thinking, shouting to nopony with my wares!?” said the owner of the booth.

Mickey stopped spinning and fell over forward. After using one of the tent poles that supported the awning over the booth to climb to his feet, Mickey saw the owner was the same slender-legged, cloven-hoofed, tufted-tailed creature with a branched horn as the artist he met earlier. This one had a coat colored with gradients of red and yellow, and had brown hooves and a horn, bringing to Mickey’s mind an autumn leaf.

The weaver took the tapestry back to where Mickey had pulled it down from, and something began to happen. The weaver’s coat began to shine, and a breeze blew through the booth.

“Whoah!” Mickey said, as his mantle was caught in the breeze and blew him up like a parachute caught in an updraft.

The mouse quickly dropped back to the ground, and watched as the weaver steadily manipulated the blowing wind to pick up his tapestry and place it back onto its hooks for display. When the weaver’s coat stopped shining, the wind stopped completely.

“How in the heck did you just do that?” Mickey asked.

“It just comes natural to us cervequins. Ze same as your magic comes natural to you, Monsieur Tapestry-for-a-Bullhorn,” the weaver said.

“But--I mean--How can ya be doin’ that? Didn’t ya lose yer magic when Pete came to town?” Mickey said.

“I don’t know who zis Pete fellow is. And I certainly don’t know why or how our magic would be stolen from us. Is zere perhaps somezing I should know about ze matter?” the weaver asked.

Mickey tried to register what he had just heard. Pete had not yet stolen the magic these creatures possessed. If not, then what could the heavy possibly be up to?

As Mickey mulled over the new development, the design of the tapestry he had pulled down caught his eye. Now that he was able to see it in plain view, he saw the familiar design of six colors surrounding a seventh.

On the tapestry, there were seven creatures displayed. A black unicorn mare who wore gold clothes. A yellow camel who wore violet robes and a matching turban. A turquoise harpy who wore an orange shirt and trousers. A red buffalo who wore a white headdress. A white, bipedal monkey-like creature with pitch black hair, who wore a matching pitch black gown. And a green, bipedal plant creature who wore a very revealing yellow dress.

In the center of them all was a cervequin whose coat was many radiant shades of blue, and whose hooves and horn were colored light purple. Around her neck was what truly caught Mickey’s eye. A necklace which had a green stone like a verdant sun set into it.

“Hold on a sec’! What’s that?” Mickey said, pointing to the necklace on the tapestry.

“Zat? It’s just a necklace zat was worn during ze Afflatus Blessing,” the weaver said.

“Durin’ the what?” Mickey asked.

“You are clearly from out of town, so I’ll give you a brief history lesson. Ze Afflatus Blessing was ze event zat led to ze birth of Avalon,” the cervequin pointed to each of the creatures on the tapestry. “Seven creatures, all masters of ze arts, shared a dream of a place where artisans such as zemselves could grow and continue to master zeir respective crafts.”

The cervequin slowly swung his front hoof slowly across the scenery beyond his booth.

“And from one single collective moment of inspiration, zey built and created all zat you see before you. And with each generation zat passed since zeir time, it has only grown in resplendence.”

The cervequin turned to face Mickey.

“Zat, dear foreigner, is ze short version of ze Afflatus Blessing. Ze necklace you were so drawn to is nothing more zan a garment zat was worn on zat day.”

Mickey tried putting together all that he just heard. Pete had stolen no magic. And he was trying to possess a jewel that was the very same as the one a creature who founded Avalon had worn. So far, not a bit of it made sense.

“Are you feeling well? You look a little flustered,” the weaver cervequin said.

“I’m fine. I’m just thinkin’ I oughta brush up on my history lessons around here,” Mickey answered. That, and he still had to find his friends.

Mickey started walking away from the booth and continued his search. His eyes continued to scan for a pair of white ponies, when something else caught his full attention.

There, in the crowd of fine clothes with artistically intricate patterns and vibrant solid colors, Mickey spied a familiar sight. A pink, polka dot bow that appeared just barely above the others in the crowd, as though it were worn by a very short wearer.

“No way! It can’t be!” Mickey thought to himself.

For as far from home as he was, he never thought he would find his one true love wandering around.

“Hey! Over here!” Mickey called.

It seemed he was not heard, as the bow’s wearer walked further away from him.

“Wait for me!” Mickey shouted.

The mouse pushed his way through the crowd, following the phantom bow as it walked further away from him.

Soon, he had followed it to the front of a building that was on the border of the plaza where the crowd was the thinnest. When he arrived, there was no sign of anyone he knew.

“Psst! This way,” called a familiar sweet, dainty voice.

Mickey looked and saw just the edge of the bow go around the corner behind the building. This gave him pause. What reason would anyone have to go into that back alley?

Taking his mantle in his hand, Mickey cautiously followed down the alley.

When he reached the corner, Mickey pressed his back to the wall.

“Are ya still there?” Mickey quietly called around the corner.

“Yes. Mickey, don’t be alarmed, but I need your help,” said the disembodied voice.

“With what?” Mickey wondered. His caution faded slightly. If that truly was Minnie he had been following, and she truly needed help, he almost felt sorry for doubting her.

“What’s happened? Are ya hurt?” Mickey asked.

“No...but...Come around the corner. And promise you won’t yell at what you see,” came the reply.

Mickey’s caution was replaced with worry and concern. Minnie needed his help, and he was going to give it to her.

“Okay,” Mickey said, letting go of his mantle. “Here I come.”

Mickey stepped around the corner, and sure enough saw a pink bow with white polka dots. Only, that was all he saw of what he thought was Minnie. The bow was not worn on her head, but was rather held in a large, beefy hand.

“Gotcha!!!” a deep, booming voice shouted, as another hand reached out.

Mickey was suddenly hoisted off the ground by the back of his shirt, his mantle held firmly in the herculean grip, rendering his defenses useless. Once the mouse got his bearings, he saw he was now face to face with the laughing face of Peg-Leg Pete.

“Cheap move, ya fat palooka!!! Where’s Minnie!!? What’d ya--” Mickey yelled, before he punched by a mean left hook, which sent him spinning.

“Uh-uh-uhhh. Ya promised ya wouldn’t yell at what ya saw, runt. Remember?" Pete guffawed, speaking the last word with an uncanny imitation of Minnie's voice.

Mickey spun back the other way, and swung his fists at Pete. Quicker than he knew, he was cinched up inside of his own mantle like a sack.

Pete tied a rope around the top of the makeshift sack, then tied the other end to the axle of a trolley.

“You an’ me got some business to work out. ‘Til we get to our meetin’ room: enjoy de ride!” Pete said, as he stepped onto the trolley and rode it away like a scooter, dragging Mickey behind him.

After the first few feet, the trolly bent and broke under Pete’s weight, rendering the ride useless.

“Aw…! Cheap, sheet metal, piece o’ garbage,” Pete grumbled.

He would simply have to settle for carrying Mickey the old fashioned way. He untied the rope from the improvised sack and carried his unlucky cargo off.

Author's Note:

How's that for a cliffhanger? Rarity is setting off to make a dream come true, Twilight's fallen under an unsavory character's spell, and Mickey's now in the clutches of evil. Next chapter's sure to be exciting.
Before I talk about next chapter, let's talk about this one. The inspiration for this chapter was just that: inspiration. That and dreams and hopes. Some of them are seemingly impossible, like Nopony's. Some of them are twisted by our own ambitions, like Twilight's. Regardless, if we truly believe in them, we are the ones who make them come true, like Mickey discovered of the genesis of Avalon.
When Pete calls the donkey at the drapery shop a jenny, it's not meant as an insult. Real life female donkeys are referred to as 'jennies,' while males are called 'jacks.' Hence the origin of the phrase 'jackass,' meaning male donkey.
Nopony's speech about wishing he was a beam of sunlight or a gentle breeze was inspired by a song I like. The song is called 'Sonnenstrahl' by the band Schandmaul, and the lyrics describe a wish to be something that can bring happiness to all. Such is Nopony's wish for his dad.
As for Souris's, the logo of her little company is meant to evoke similarities to the Mickey Mouse logo. Sort of to convey that Souris is a twisted, corrupted parody of our mousey friend. How twisted and corrupted remains to be seen.
And I didn't think of this before, until my brother verbally vomited at the pronunciation of Souris's name, but in case any of you are having trouble pronouncing her name: it's 'So-ree.' Incidentally, her name was conceived as a reversal of the french word for 'bat:' chauve souris. I recently learned that 'souris' by itself means 'mouse' in french. Fancy that. I was driving home the connection between her and Mickey, and didn't even know it.
The creatures called 'cervequins' are my own creation. Well, not entirely, since their design is based on the depiction of heraldic unicorns. The horn that branches like a tree was my own idea, though. As for their magic, I decided that it should be something natural that would be akin to druid magic or witchcraft. Sort of like Souris's magic, but less devilish.
Whether or not a cervequin will appear in later chapters, I don't know. But, I had a whole city of llamas that I think went over pretty well with you readers. Maybe we'll drop by the cervequin city soon.
When Mickey looks at the tapestry two of those creatures are characters from another story I wrote making a cameo. The colorless monkey-like creature in the pitch black gown is Courtney Belmont, and the plant creature in the revealing yellow dress is her best friend, Molly St. John. Both are here from Witchcraft is Magic. Sadly, these ladies won't be having a larger role in this story beyond their cameo. But, that doesn't mean they are through appearing as characters.
That's about all I have for this chapter. Keep on rocking on, my beloved readers \m/

Comments

[Strawberry Surprise]

Oh my god! I couldn't stop giggling! Rarity and Nopony are so sweet together! Oh, please dear god let them become a couple! And Souris is such a bitch! Every backhanded compliment, every manipulating instruction! Twilight had better kill her worse than Rex got killed!