Once More, with Feeling

by Amaranthine Thought

Chapter 24: Flash and Hate

Twilight had often noted that her teacher would sneak out of the castle from time to time; young Twilight being one of the few ponies she’d confide that little fact in. However, Twilight knew that her casual public appearances were just part of what she did; the other was her teacher disguising herself as somepony else before leaving, Twilight only really noticing because things didn’t quite add up when closely examined.

She’d never mentioned anything about it, since she respected the princess and otherwise didn’t really care what Princess Celestia wanted to do while pretending to be somepony else. It had never really been important to know why she did that.

However, then sitting in Ponyville general, Twilight was suspecting she might have just gained a glimmer of why her teacher might have done that.

“Opinion on Ponyville’s medical facility, Princess? How about Ponyville, oh, the bearers, how about the bearers? Was that the bearer of magic, Trixie, I saw coming in with you? She seemed hurt, was she? Why are you here? What about the other bearers? Can I get a smile?”

She didn’t even know the pegasus’ name, and so far, her questions hadn’t stopped. Not getting an answer didn’t seem to actually matter to her; that or politeness, since she’d ‘introduced’ herself via taking a picture without warning. Flashed it right in her eyes.

Twilight’s wings were forming a feathery cocoon around her, and even that wasn't dissuading her, Twilight wondering what, if anything, she should say.

“Hey!”

“Huh?”

Twilight paused, listening. “We don’t like paparazzi around here! Get out and stop bothering the princess!”

“I was just,”

“Out, out, out!”

Twilight, her eyes still at ouch spotty, carefully peeked, and spotted Redheart, bullying the pegasus out of the door. The nurse managed to keep her angry look all the way to the door, where the pegasus flashed a picture right in front of her eyes, making her yell and flinch back as the mare escaped.

Twilight slowly lowered her wings as Redheart sat back and held her eyes, clearly disoriented by the bright flash. It seemed nopony had much liked the pegasus either, ponies nearby with little disapproving frowns, though, Twilight considered, that could have been because she’d flashed Redheart, a well-liked pony in town.

Redheart shook it off and headed back to her, Twilight noting the mild daze from having a bright light go off in your eyes on the mare as she blinked a bit too much. “Sorry, princess.” Redheart told her. “I’d have gotten to her sooner, but I was a little busy and it’s rather rare that their kind come here, you understand.”

“…Who even was she?” Twilight asked.

“I have no idea.” Redheart sighed. “But by her get-up, she’s a photographer and by her attitude, its for some Canterlot magazine or something. If I had to guess, she spotted you coming inside and waited for an opportunity.”

Twilight slowly nodded, thoughtful, but focused, and asked, “How is Trixie? She went back earlier; did you see her?”

“The doctors going over her now, princess.” Redheart reported. “I think she’ll be fine. It’s a nasty gash, but its nothing too serious, and her stiffness is wearing off over time. The doctor’s just going to make sure and change her bandages and then she’ll be right out; should be done any moment, actually.”

“That’s good.” Twilight sighed, relieved. “…Would you happen to have a good recommendation for somepony whose lost a lot of blood, by the way?” she asked.

“Lots of food, princess; the greener, the better.” Redheart said. “Trixie hasn’t lost too much though; she seems pretty good all things considered.”

Twilight nodded, making a mental note for Fluttershy and for the Apples. Thus satisfied with that, she refocused, and asked, “Do you think that photographer had given up?”

“Well, that’s her peeking through the window over there, so I’d say no.” Redheart sighed, looking irritated. Twilight turned to see herself, and only caught a brief flash of red mane. “I’d recommend getting Trixie to deal with her.”

“Trixie?” Twilight asked, looking back.

Redheart nodded. “She should have experience with their kind; she’s invited plenty of them during her time in Ponyville. Nopony this bad, mind. I have work to do, but if she comes back in, just holler, alright?” Redheart asked, heading back to her desk.

Twilight nodded, finding the Trixie idea fairly good, and relaxed again. A few minutes later, and Trixie reappeared from a door, freshly bandaged up.

“All done, princess!” Trixie happily reported, heading to princess Rest. “Trixie is all good to go now!”

“That’s good.” Twilight said, smiling. “But, Trixie, could you do something,”

“Is that Snap Blush out that window!” Trixie suddenly gasped, looking away.

“Who?” Twilight asked, looking that way to see nothing, but Trixie was growing excited.

“Snap Blush, Canterlot’s finest freelance photographer, princess!” Trixie told her, tapping her front hooves. “Her photos wind up everywhere; everypony wants to have their picture taken by her! She had a talent for capturing the most natural moments! ‘Peeks into life!’ she calls them!” Trixie said, giving the title its own ‘snap’.

Twilight, however, wasn't feeling quite so upbeat. Wondering, asked, “Peeks into life?”

“Photos that catch perfectly natural moments! She’s very, very good at it, Princess!” Trixie told her. “You’d think you really were ‘peeking in’! Have you seen her most famous such photo, Princess Celestia enjoying tea on her balcony during sunset? It made her famous, you know.”

Twilight bet it had. She had seen the photograph later, but she never really had to.

She’d been there, after all.

She still distinctly recalled the look on her teacher’s face when that flash had gone off; the sudden shock and then swift anger, the first and only time Twilight had ever seen either on her teacher’s face. It had been the sole time she’d ever heard Celestia call for the guard seriously.

The princess had later told her that it had been a complete and total invasion of her privacy, trespassing on royal grounds included. She’d hadn’t heard the rest of the story, but she did know that princess Celestia approved of the picture everypony knew.

More pertinently, the pony that had just harassed her had been the same one as back then?

“She must be waiting for the perfect picture of you, princess!” Trixie said, speaking as if this would be the best thing ever. “If she’s lucky, maybe Trixie will be a part of it too!” she added, beaming before hesitating, spotting Princess Rest’s small frown. “…Princess? What’s wrong?”

Twilight didn’t respond quickly, thinking. Blueblood had warned her; ponies that excel in gathering sensitive photos.

“…Trixie how… sensitive, do Snap Blush’s photos get?” she asked, wondering if Trixie might happen to know; perhaps Snap Blush was just a simple sort of troublemaker, and not something she really had to worry about.

“Oh, Trixie doesn’t really read that sort of thing, you know.” Trixie said, Twilight gaining a note of concern as the unicorn looked away and gained a small blush. “But since it’s you who asked, Trixie had re, has heard, Trixie has heard, about her ‘ablutions’ series.”

Twilight didn’t especially care about Trixie’s verbal slip, nor how the unicorn was trying to pretend to not be blushing and giving her the most ‘please don’t have noticed that’ smile she’d ever seen.

It was just like Blueblood’s warning: sensitive photos. Snap Blush was almost certainly a member of Candid’s group, something she knew rather little about save for Blueblood having warned her about their ‘tactics’.

“…Trixie, I need you to make her leave.” Twilight said, Trixie pausing, blinking an unspoken question at her. “I do not want any photo of me taken without my permission; get her to go back where she came from or at least get my permission before she takes my picture.”

“Trixie can do that, princess!” Trixie said, nodding firmly, relief visible despite her snapped step. “Just give Trixie a few minutes, and she will deal with Snap Blush!”

Twilight watched Trixie leave, and having some free time, she sighed, and tried to consider things.

She really should have tried to get a hoofhold on this before she got to Ponyville, but Night had been far more important at the time. And with all the mess yesterday had been…

Had it really only been two days she’d been in Ponyville?

It felt a lot longer.

Twilight shook her head. It didn’t really matter; she had to deal with Snap Blush and anypony like her before anything happened. And check on the Apples and on Fluttershy, and get Trixie back with everypony, and do something about Icy Winds, and worry about Waker, and then the duty too…

Twilight felt rather upset as she thought all that. Just what had her life wound up becoming? Why were there four or five super important things all demanding her attention right now?

A touch of cold soothed her somewhat, and she sighed. Focus, she told herself. What is the most important out of all the important things?

Dealing with Snap Blush; Blueblood had explicitly warned her that even innocent photos could be used to no good and Snap Blush sounded really good at finding terrible moments to take pictures of.

She did have a few ways to deal with it immediately, but otherwise, sending a letter to Princess Celestia seemed in order. Surely, her teacher would know how to handle her properly. In addition, a letter to Blueblood might also be a good help:

He had, after all, promised to keep her safe ‘from such underhooved behavior’.

She smiled a little; he’d proven so different than when she’d first known him. Very helpful, and with any luck, he’d be able to ensure more such ponies wouldn’t show up.

And overall, she didn’t have to worry at all, thinking about it. After all, Trixie was…

Was coming back inside, angrily muttering to herself and blinking in that ‘camera flash in the face’ fashion.

“Stupid, bull-headed, no good, rotten,”

“Trixie?” Twilight asked, concerned, and Trixie startled, looking up at her. then she lowered her head, and gave her an apologetic smile as she headed over.

“…Snap Blush is a very determined pony, princess.” Trixie told her. “Trixie did her best, but the moment she told her to ask permission or leave, she flashed a camera right in Trixie’s face and was gone. Trixie doesn’t think she wants to listen.” she finished, sighing as she lowered her head sadly.

“Well, thank you for trying, Trixie.” Twilight sighed before she and Trixie startled at the sudden flash.

“Out!” Redheart screamed, and she spotted Snap Blush a brief moment before she was out the door again, Trixie looking that way in mild surprise.

“…Very determined.” Trixie remarked, slowly looking back before giving Princess Rest a weak smile before sighing and losing it. “Trixie…Trixie doesn’t actually know how to deal with this anymore.” She quietly admitted. “Maybe until she figures something out, she could just cover you in fog and hide you in the library?”

Twilight didn’t respond for a moment, and then she said, “No. Here’s what we’re going to do. You’re going to visit everypony and set things right, and make sure Fluttershy and the Apples are alright.”

“And you, princess?”

“I’m going to catch a problem.” Twilight said, mad.

---

Hunting Snap Blush proved fruitless. Twilight headed throughout Ponyville, her horn glowing, the alicorn ready to snag her the instant she saw the irritating photographer, but there was no sign of her anyplace. Twilight just got madder over time as she searched; part of that was because Snap Blush was irritating, but more so, that the mare was actively preventing her from being a part of her friends’ reuniting and setting things right.

It wasn’t for some time that she finally realized the flaw in her plan.

She was obviously mad and obviously searching; she even had a small group of ponies following her, searching despite that they probably had no idea what she was looking for. Several even had nets.

Snap Blush, a pony that had once snuck onto royal grounds and gotten all the way to Celestia’s balcony without being noticed, would not be an idiot and be anywhere near Twilight right then.

If she wanted to ‘lure’ Snap Blush, she had to act natural.

But how could she, with a camera mad, privacy breaking, possibly, maybe likely, evil pegasus someplace in the area, just waiting to snap a sensitive photo of her?

Her plan to write to Princess Celestia came to mind, and she nodded, reminding herself about Blueblood as well. That seemed her best plan for right then. Otherwise…

Otherwise, she would just have to try and either catch Snap Blush in the moment, or avoid her taking any photo of her.

At least, Twilight considered as she headed towards the library, her angry look should keep the photographer away for right then.

Why couldn’t she have done something when Snap Blush was flitting around her, incessantly asking questions and taking photos before?

Twilight shook her head as she reached the library. Regrets didn’t much matter right then. She should instead be thinking of how she would tell Princess Celestia about this problem, and how she would contact Blueblood.

For that matter, would having Spike send mail still work? She hoped so as she reached for the handle, then a little doubtful that she could just fall back on old habits.

She nearly screamed as the sudden flash, and whipped her head around to spot Snap Blush fleeing; just a moment too late to get her before she vanished behind the library.

“Not this time!” Twilight yelled, chasing after her, certain that, if she was quick, she’d spot Snap Blush fleeing, or otherwise catch her trying to hide.

But a quick run around the library and then a brief magical search of its branches found no trace of the red maned pegasus.

However, there was a new little note on the door. Which read ‘nice try!’, with a little doodle of a winking face, tongue sticking out, little star flicking off the winking eye.

Twilight tore it off and crushing it firmly in her magic, stomped inside, incredibly mad right then. Mad enough to stomp right past Spike, Trixie, and Rarity, all three of whom stared at her with wide eyes as she stomped up the stairs, and not even notice them.

They then leapt at the sudden, firm slam.

“W, what’s got princess Rest that mad?” Spike asked, shaking himself.

“I’ve no idea.” Rarity said, blinking up the stairs still.

“Trixie thinks that Snap Blush has proven to be a thorn in the princess’ flank.” Trixie shared, making both others look at her.

“Snap Blush, the famous photographer?” Rarity asked, blinking at Trixie. “Here, in Ponyville?”

Trixie nodded. “Trixie thinks she is here to get a picture of Princess Rest; and she wants one of her ‘peeks into life!’ too, despite that Trixie made it perfectly clear that Princess Rest does not appreciate having her picture taken ever.”

“Ah.” Rarity said, nodding slowly. “Camera shy?” she asked, and Trixie hesitated before slowly nodding. “Hm. Well, she is rather shy…” Rarity began before hesitating. As the other two hesitated, she continued, “Except she didn’t seem very shy just yesterday, thinking about it…”

“That was because of Trixie!” Trixie said, standing a bit taller. As Rarity looked at her, she added, “Trixie was distracting everypony for the princess, so she could feel comfortable.”

“That’s what you were doing then?” Rarity asked, and Trixie nodded. “…Well, I’m sure you helped, darling, but I think she was rather focused on Mrs. Delicate and poor Buttercup.”

“Who?” Spike asked.

“Oh, you didn’t hear?” Rarity asked, and Spike shook his head. “Well,”

“Princess Rest satisfied two ghosts, right in town!” Trixie interrupted, a touch proud.

“G, ghosts?” Spike asked, blinking as Rarity gave Trixie a mild frown. “In Ponyville?”

“Yes.” Trixie told him said, holding her head high as she added, “Trixie helped her.”

“If I recall, you attempted to attack Mrs. Delicate and Princess Rest came rushing back mere seconds afterwards.” Rarity said, eyeing the proud unicorn and breaking her stance.

“T, Trixie just doesn’t have a lot of experience with ghosts!” Trixie objected. “She had no idea you could make them leave on their own like that! Did Rarity?”

“Well, no…”

“See? Trixie was just trying her best during a very stressful situation.” Trixie said, huffing.

“So, what, exactly happened?” Spike asked, looking between the two.

“Go ahead darling; I wasn’t there for the start, after all.”

“Well, Spike, you see,”

“Spike!”

The trio jumped at Princess Rest’s call, and looked up the stairs.

“I need you to send a couple of letters!”

“C, coming!” Spike said, hurrying that way.

Trixie blinked as he did so. “…Spike doubles as a mailpony?” she asked, confused, and looked at Rarity.

“…I think he can send them specially, somehow.” Rarity said, at first thoughtful before drooping a little. “…Twilight always wrote letters to Princess Celestia, but she never used the mail service in town; I used to think it was just her teleporting them or something, but maybe Spike was responsible, somehow.” She finished, shaking the mild gloom off.

“…But how does Princess Rest know that if he can?” Trixie asked, making Rarity pause.

“…Perhaps Princess Celestia told her?” Rarity suggested after a moment, shrugging. “Oh! I nearly forgot, I have something for you darling!” Rarity said.

“What is it?”

“It’s in my boutique; I had planned to make some sort of memorial out of it, but since you’re back, it can now be put to its first purpose! Come along darling, I can’t wait to see you see it!”

Trixie nodded, smiling as she followed after Rarity.

---

Spike hesitated as he entered Princess Rest’s room. The alicorn herself was standing at a desk, the chair knocked over next to her, her horn alight and a pen wobbling over some paper; Spike instantly noting that it was doing so rather oddly.

“…Princess?” he asked.

“Just a moment Spike, I’m almost done.”

Spike slowly nodded, hesitantly coming into the room. He looked around, noting that Princess Rest seemed to not have done much inside of it before hesitating at a clear series of scratches in the floor.

He wondered about that as he looked back, and closer, easily noticed that the pen was wobbling; Princess’ Rest’s magical grip apparently very much lacking, limply holding the pen and using only its weight to push onto the paper, producing faint, awkward, wobbly writing.

Based on her expression, she was trying very hard, which rather confused Spike; she was an alicorn, but struggled with writing magically like a filly would.

“…C, can I help?” he hesitantly asked.

“…Could you?” Princess Rest asked, sighing, the pen dropping. “I’m really having trouble writing.”

Spike only nodded, picking up a new sheet and taking the pen himself. “Just tell me what to write.” He told her, readying himself. “I’m pretty good at this.”

Princess Rest nodded, Spike pausing as she gently smiled, the drakling spotting affection in her eyes before it was gone, suddenly.

He blinked, and Princess Rest coughed, and began, “Dear Princess… no, no, just Princess Celestia. Princess Celestia. I’m writing to you due to a small problem I have encountered.”

“Problem?” Spike asked as he wrote, dismissing his mild confusion, and easily settling into old habit.

Princess Rest idly nodded, thinking. “A pony by the name of Snap Blush has arrived here, and has not been listening to me, trying to take photos without my permission. I am worried about what she intends, and hope you might know how I can deal with her, and anypony like her. Princess Rest.”

“…Done.” Spike reported, finishing.

“Second letter.”

He nodded, getting another sheet, feeling comfortable; this was just like, the thoughts went, before he paused, and shook his head, firming himself.

He didn’t want to think about that.

A moment passed, and he looked up, to see Princess Rest staring at him.

“…Princess?” he asked, growing mildly uncomfortable.

She startled a little at his voice, and shook her head firmly. “S, sorry, I… Alright, ready?” she asked, and Spike nodded, more than willing to let that slide.

“Dear Prince Blueblood,”

“Blueblood?” Spike asked, pausing, and then looking up at her, confused.

“Yes.”

“…Alright…” he said, looking back, wondering just why Princess Rest was writing that particular pony a letter. He didn’t come up often, but Spike knew him.

Knew him a wiggling, slimy, good for nothing that was the worst sort of stallion, having just a veneer of honor and being the worst sort of arrogant: he treated everypony like the mud on his hooves save for the princesses and got away with it always.

“I’m writing you because I am being bothered by Snap Blush; if you haven’t heard of her, she’s a famous photographer and you should be able to ask most anypony who she is.”

Spike wrote, listening. Snap Blush again, he noted.

“She has very much concerned me, and I remembered you. I was… I’d like… If you could… give me a second, Spike, I have to think.”

Spike nodded, and waited, watching Princess Rest close her eyes. The action was faintly familiar, but Spike again firmly forced the sensation right back down, shaking himself since he had the opportunity and glaring a little as he firmly ignored it.

Then Princess rest made it easy by finally starting again, “That night in the library, you promised that you would defend my honor,”

“W, what!” Spike yelled, unable to stop himself, gaping, Princess Rest startling. “Tha, that, he, you, night in the, wha, what are you saying!” he asked, staring at her in some shock.

“…Blueblood promised me that he would defend my honor, Spike.” Princess Rest said, blinking.

“Well, don’t believe him!” Spike snapped, frowning. “That two-faced, slimy worm of a stallion’s word isn’t even worth a random pebble on the ground! And what about ‘that night in the library’! What does that mean!”

“That we met one night in the Canterlot library.” Princess Rest told the agitated drakling.

“Nopony goes to the library in the middle of the night though!” Spike objected.

“That was the idea, yes.” Princess Rest told him, which didn’t help at all.

“W, what did he do to you!” Spike demanded.

“Do to me?” Princess Rest asked, confused. “He didn’t…” The princess paused, Spike’s concern spiking with it, and she said, lightly blushing and looking away, “Well, he kissed,”

Spike broke the pen he was holding, the princess hesitating at the snap. That was it, the drakling decided. Blueblood had gone too far. However, there was a remaining question.

“Spike?”

“H, how did he force you like that!” Spike yelled, confusion as to how Blueblood had somehow overcome an alicorn fighting the urge to head to Canterlot to burn Blueblood’s tail off.

“Force me?”

“You, you should have been able to get him off or something!” Spike yelled. “Blew him through a wall or something, not, not just, just, let him do whatever he wants with you!”

Princess Rest’s mouth fell open. “…H, he just kissed my hoof!” she yelled, blushing suddenly, Spike’s anger coming to a screeching halt with that. “Not, not, not whatever… I invited him so I could ask him questions about the nobility in secret, and he just warned me about some ponies I should be aware of and promised that he wouldn’t let stuff like that cause trouble for me!”

“Ah…” Spike said, his face brilliantly red as Princess Rest yelled, her own flushed. He hid his face with the letter as Princess Rest glared at him, red-faced and agitated herself, while Spike wondered if he could maybe just run off and pretend it didn’t happen.

A long moment passed, Spike holding still, for fear that running away would only make the princess madder. Then she huffed.

“…S, so, th, the letter?” the drakling weakly asked, trying to move past it and hoping that Princess Rest would let him, slowly moving to the table and grabbing a new pen.

“…I’m sorry for yelling at you.” He heard Princess Rest sigh. “I should have figured it out before it got out of hoof like that.”

“It, it’s alright.” He said, still hiding his face. “Your letter?”

“Spike… alright. Where was I?”

“That night in the library.” Spike said, hoping his blush would fade before she was done.

“Right. That night at the library, you promised to protect me, and I’m fairly confident that Snap Blush is part of Candid’s group. Even if she isn’t, if you could reassure me, or help me to handle her, I would be very thankful. I don’t think we can meet again, but you can always send a letter to Ponyville library,”

“It’s Twilight’s library, Ponyville, princess.” Spike corrected. “I got it, don’t worry.”

“…If you want. Princess Rest.”

Spike nodded, calm as he finished.

“Get those off for me, Spike.”

“No problem, princess.” Spike said, giving her a quick smile and feeling rather happy that she didn’t seem upset anymore. He got both letters into envelopes and headed out.

“Where are you going?”

“To the mail office.” He said, pausing at the door and looking back. Princess Rest seemed confused. “…To send the letters.” He added, wondering why she was.

“But, just send them now.” She said.

“Now?”

“With your fire. Like…”

Princess Rest hesitated, but Spike didn’t really care, the drakling drooping, and looking down. “…I can’t do that.” he said, picking his head back up.

“Can’t do,” Princess Rest began, but Spike left without waiting, firmly shutting the door behind him.

There, the drakling took a deep breath, his eyes shut. Again, and again, and again, he forced his thoughts to stop, memories struggling to emerge even as he firmly beat them back.

After a few moments, he sighed, calmer, the mild surge ceasing. A thought wondered if he should maybe talk with Princess Rest before he stomped that flat.

Then he firmed himself, refocusing.

He had royal letters to send.

Comments

[Teraunce]

Well then. That sure was something.

[Direct Access]

?...
You just keep throwing new things in, without explaining.

[Mahtan]

11256666
I don't think there is anything needed to be explained yet.
Just like Twilight is just learning about a whole world she had no idea about.
Unless it is something else.