The Tale of Two Sisters

by Underwood

Chapter 8: Home Sweet Home

The wooden carriage carrying the former court-wizard Starswirl and Princesses Celestia and Luna creaked as it raced along the old dirt track, pulled by ex-royal-guard Ustiarius while the sun and moon erratically danced overhead. He had been running for hours in almost complete silence after an awkward tension had fallen between the two adults, broken only by the occasional musings of the pink-maned filly. Ustiarius couldn't help but let his mind wander back to the palace, back to his friends and colleagues, back to that cute maid he had been courting for a few weeks... He dreaded to think what their fate might be, given that the two most powerful unicorns in the land had lost to the creature that was now sitting on the throne. Here he was, forced to run away from it all to protect the heirs of Canterlot, leaving everything behind that he cared about for total strangers, more or less. He could accept that it was his job to protect the crown—and he would fulfil that role until his dying breath—but it felt so wrong leaving so many innocents behind to protect just three. He deserved to become an alicorn for this, he scoffed silently.

As the sun broke the horizon for the sixth time this hour, its golden rays sparkled and danced like diamonds in the distance for the first time on their road trip. Ustiarius immediately recognised the far glimmer as water, but what was more exciting were the shapes silhouetted against it.

“Is that-?” the driver muttered before calling back to his passengers. “Hey, is that it? Is that the village up ahead?” His questions went unanswered. Typical. He does all the work while everypony else takes it easy. “Hey! Starswirl!”

There was a snort and sudden shuffle behind him in the carriage.

“What?! What?” the disorientated old unicorn spluttered.

“Up ahead, is that our town? You said it was on the coast, right?”

“Wha-? Uh...”

More rummaging followed as Starswirl rifled through his enchanted chest, eventually producing a large telescopic lens. Looking up, Ustiarius flinched at the telescope precariously extending over him, pointing towards the distant black blur as it swayed atop its flimsy tripod.

“Well?” he asked after a few seconds of silence.

“Yes, yes, if you would just keep this blasted cart steady-”

Oh, great idea, genius, he thought, and just how am I supposed to do that? I'll go ahead and pave the road while I'm at it, hm?

“That does appear to be the South Brine,” the wizard continued. “Though I cannot make out the shapes with the sun directly-”

As if by command the sun snaked its way above them, pausing overhead to spin in a small circle, creating rather disorientating shadows across the land.

“Well then.” Starswirl returned his eye to the lens. “Hm. Mmhm. They certainly are buildings, as you surmised, and not of any design common to Central Equestria.”

Well that much was obvious, Ustiarious inwardly spat. You might not have realised it between naps, but we've travelled quite a long way.

“Of course I have no idea what the town actually looks like, so there is no real way of knowing if it is the right one until we get there.”

“Are you just now telling me that we came all this way and you don't even know what you're looking for?!”

“Stargazer the Braggart wrote about this villa offhoof in a scroll or two just to irk me. He was neither specific about its location, nor the surrounding landmarks. Be glad that we could find it at all, if this even is the correct location. So unless you have any bright ideas—which I doubt—just get us there in one piece and I will enquire with the locals to ascertain its legitimacy.”

Ustiarius grit his teeth in anger. He didn't deserve this treatment. Did this wrinkled coot have any idea what he had given up? Maybe Starswirl had no emotional ties to Canterlot, but he did. Heck, he was even worried about his estranged father in Vanhoover. Could the corruption have spread that far? It didn't bear thinking about. He shook his head, trying to free the choking thoughts from his mind. This was neither the time nor place for such worries, if there even was such a thing.

Minutes passed as the town on the horizon and potential end to their journey grew ever closer. Sweat rolled down the ponies brows as the sun baked Bone Dry Desert swallowed the landscape to their left, while a dense tropical forest to their right offered no protection from the sun, despite the colossal Arimaspi Peaks that loomed over them. As the exotic flora gave way to a more comfortable and familiar pine forest, the South Brine began to fill more and more of the view ahead—a truly awe-inspiring sight for anypony who had spent their life in Central Equestria. Ustiarius felt like he was galloping towards freedom itself—an endless, calming, blue expanse of nothingness, like the eye of the storm of his entire life.

“Girls. Girls, we're here,” Starswirl cooed. “We'll be stopping here briefly—or for quite some time, if we're lucky.”

Celestia stretched out across the red, padded bench, yawning. Luna let out her own tiny yawn from within the swaddling cloth she was wrapped in. These two seemed truly inseparable, which would be of crucial importance in the coming years.

“What time is it?” Celestia moaned, blissfully unaware of their situation in her sleepy state.

What time indeed, Starswirl thought. It wasn't worth referring to his time spell until order had returned to the skies. “Time to get up. We're here.”

“We are?!”

Celestia jumped up onto her hooves and clambered over the chest, hopped onto Starswirl's seat, and-

“Careful!” Starswirl warned, too late to have any impact.

-over, landing on Ustiarius' back, nearly giving him a heart attack. Starswirl almost had one too, watching the young princess leap from a moving cart onto a galloping pony.

“CELESTIA!”

“Woaaaaaah.” She didn't care about her tutor's objections with the wondrous sight that sprawled ahead. Seeking a better view, she made her way up Ustiarius' mane to peek over his head, to his amusement. Before her spread a seemingly infinite expanse of dazzling azure gems twinkling in the sun; the first time she had ever seen the sea, or any body of water larger than their garden pond, for that matter. Her eyes sparkled with wonder, having spend most of her life within the palace walls, longingly gazing out its windows at the emerald vistas she longed to explore—and now she was here, out in the middle of nowhere without a single wall in sight! It was breathtaking.

“Celestia! Get back into the carriage this second! Do you have any idea what your father would do to-”

Starswirl's err brought the whole party back to the harshness of their reality like a slap in the face. Eyes dulled, the off-white filly slowly made her way back to the safety of the seating area.

“Please be careful, Your Highness.” Starswirl's tone had softened dramatically, seemingly having settled more into his role as a carer. “I don't know what I would do if you were to be injured. I have a duty to fulfil, to your father and mother.”

“I know... I'm sorry.”

He smiled sympathetically, placing his hoof around her and steering her back towards the view, holding her safely as she leaned over the side of the cart. The view wasn't as good, but she deserved this at the very least.

The globe-trotting group were now close enough to make out details on the buildings ahead. The structures were unusual compared to typical Greater Canterlot architecture, utilising curved walls and mushroom-like tiled roofs instead of angles and thatching. The town was a quaint fishing village—trading what they catch with carnivorous races, particularly the Caitians—large enough to sustain themselves, but small enough for everypony to know one another. The familiar and welcoming sight of colourful ponies dotting the scenery confirmed they were still in Equestria, if only just, while the lack of any discordant corruption was a relieving sight to the old stallion. It might just be a matter of time, but at least for now he felt like they could let their guard down... Almost.

“Ustiarius! Stop!”

“Wha-” Somewhat panicked by the sudden command, he slammed on the proverbial breaks by digging all four heels into the ground, kicking up stones and clouds of dust as they shuddered to a halt. “What?!”

“We need to be smart about this approach. We have come this far incognito, so we should make our entrance as stealthily as possible.”

“Couldn't we have talked about this any time during the journey? You didn't have to scare me like that. Anyway, what are you so scared about? These are just random townsponies, who are they going to tell? If anypony comes this far to find us, they already have!”

“You are not seeing the big picture, Ustiarius. Problems are not always as small as the door you stand in front of.”

“Hah! That's rich. You're so focused on escaping that you haven't given a second thought to those we've left behind!” he scowled over his shoulder.

“That could not be further from the truth,” he glared back. “If a house burns in front of you, do you rush in and save the items within, losing the house, or do you cast water from your horn, hoping to save both?”

“What is this mission if not rushing in for the princesses, leaving the palace to burn?”

“A young stallion like you would be blind to the scope of this situation. This is not about the palace, or even Canterlot. This is a nation-wide calamity—ney, worldwide should it be left unchecked. The princesses are the water, not the valuables. They are our only hope of putting out this fire on our very existence! It would behoove you to listen to your elders—your superiors—and stop questioning me every—single—time I tell you to do something!”

“Well perhaps I wouldn't question you if you asked instead! I am not your servant, and apparently I am not your friend, so stop assuming I will follow your every word just because you said so! We are not in Canterlot anymore, and you are not a member of the court. There is no court! It's just you and me, and-” Ustiarius trailed off as he began to notice a background noise.

Curled up into a ball on the rear seat of the carriage, Celestia was quietly sobbing to herself with her hooves over her ears as the adults argued.

“Look what you've done!” Starswirl whisper-shouted to their driver.

“What I've done?! You started it!” he whisper-shouted back.

As the two unicorns glared at each other and the sobbing continued, their anger was quickly replaced by the more important matter. With a sigh, Starswirl climbed over his chest and sat next to the princess, putting his foreleg around her.

“There, there. We didn't mean to upset you... We were just having an adult conversation.”

“You were yelling! You hate each other!” she stuttered into her legs.

“We- We were just discussing, loudly. We don't hate each other. We're-” He looked up at Ustiarius, who was watching them, still strapped into the cart. “We are friends.”

The two weakly smiled to one another. It wasn't much, but there was a ring of truth to his words that calmed the guardspony's temper.

“So what was your plan?” he calmly asked, already prepared to acquiesce, for Celestia's sake.

“We go in stealthily,” Starswirl began, an unusual softness in his voice. “With my magic restored, I can cast an invisibility spell over all of us. We roll in, see if we can find the house, hide the cart and the princesses, then enter the town as visitors. This way nopony will know which direction we came from, and new disguises will make us untraceable between here, the inn, and home.”

“More disguises?”

Starswirl raised his eyebrow, to which Ustiarius just smirked and turned back to face the road.

“Alright then, do your thing.”

As the cart began to move forward at a gentle trot, the wizard released his stamina bond and cast a mass obscura spell, causing the carriage and all its ponies to fade into nothing, like glass into water. It was a bizarre feeling to look down and not see your own hooves or muzzle, which almost immediately caused Ustiarius to trip and fall flat on his face. Luckily for his sake, they had already turned off the track and onto the lush, mossy grass between the sparse pines. Recovering himself and thanking Elysium that nopony saw that, they continued forward, leaving behind nothing but the indents of two wheels and a set of hoofprints, slowly raising in the soft forest floor.

From between the quiet and musky trees, the dark shapes of the buildings they had spotted earlier reappeared. Exiting the wooded area, the invisible cart slowly came to a halt behind a small thicket, not far from the rear of a row of houses. Thanks to the sun's new location after a few 'days' had passed, their hiding spot was currently covered in shadow, nicely concealing the crushed grass beneath their mass.

“Okay, change of plan,” Starswirl whispered, projecting to their steed.

“What?”

“I thought Stargazer's holiday home might stand out from afar, but none of these houses follow a standardized blueprint, making them impossible to tell apart. I will have to stay here with the sisters and keep us concealed while you scout out the town.”

“What?! I did not agree to this!”

“If the situation changes, so too must the plan.”

“Why me?!”

“I just told you; one of us needs to stay with the girls, and if it's me, I can keep us invisible.”

“This is-!” Stopping himself, he let out an angry sigh. “Fine, whatever, but I don't know what I'm looking for! Am I supposed to ask every villager I see?”

“Yes.”

“Oh, great!” In a huff, Ustiarius began to unbuckle himself from the cart's rigid harness. “Fine. Fine!”

“Oh, and before you go, I'll give you a disguise.”

“What? Why?! They're even less likely to know me here than at the inn!”

“In case you mess up! It's called a safety net, so just accept it and go!”

“Fine!”

With an invisible flash of his invisible horn, Starswirl cast a Form Cloak spell over Ustiarius—notably different from a Transmutation spell, which molecularly alters its target, this incantation merely changes their perceived form.

“What... What did you do to me?” the guardspony asked, noticing a very definite change to himself beyond mere clothing.

“Oh, that's right.” With considerably more effort, Starswirl cast another spell, this time of the Transmutation variety.

“I feel-” Ustiarius cut off mid-sentence, not recognising the voice that had escaped his lips. “WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY VOICE?!” he screamed, breaking their hushed conversation.

“Shhhh! Keep your voice down!”

“Exactly! My voice! What did you do to me?!”

“I simply ensured your disguise was complete. Do not panic, I am perfectly able to return it to normal when you are done.”

A deathly silence radiated from the empty spot where Ustiarius stood. The wizard cocked his head, despite neither of them being able to see it, waiting for his companion to make a move. Slowly and with trepidant steps, their steed's new form emerged from the radius of Starswirl's invisibility field, himself shocked as a yellow hoof emerged in place of his own. With a backwards glare in the direction of the elder unicorn, he continued out of the spell's bubble and began to slowly turn in a circle, trying to see what had become of his regular form. Where there had once been muscular, off-white legs, there now stood slender daffodil-yellow ones. His short-cut mane—originally night-blue, then later brunette—was now shoulder-length, wavy, and salmon pink, as was his tail.

“What is this?!” he quietly shrieked with his newly acquired, feminine voice.

“A fantastic disguise, if I do say so myself. It will be quite impossible for anypony to recognise your original form now.”

“This is going way too far, Starswirl. I am not okay with this.”

“The sooner you succeed in finding the house, the sooner we can dispel the changes. Mostly.”

“What do you mean 'mostly'?!”

“Well, Form Cloak only affects light perception—your body. I had to permanently alter your voice with Transmutation.”

“PERMANENTLY?!” he shouted again.

“Shhh! Shut—up, or you'll blow our cover too! Yes, the spell is permanent, but I can cast it again once you're done! Now stop being so vain and get going!”

The guardspony grit his teeth and furiously stamped at the floor with all four hooves, trying not to scream in anger a third time. With a venomous growl he whipped around and stormed off towards the village street, wanting nothing more than to beat the wizard to within an inch of his life for this personal violation.

Coming around the corner, Ustiarius and his new self almost stomped directly into a female earth pony coming the other way, causing both of them to stagger backwards in surprise.

“Mais! Elysium above, ya gave me a fright, filly,” the local gasped, one hoof to her chest. “I was just on my way to pick some origanum majorana and heard a fuss. Was that you, dear? Are you alright?”

Ustiarius found himself lost for words, suddenly thrust into the worst possibly situation he didn't even have time to imagine. As air silently left his mouth, finding no purchase for words, he stared blankly at the mare before him. She seemed to be middle-aged, with a pale lavender coat, and a large stack of brown, curly hair over her head. Her expression was rapidly changing from surprise to confusion, prompting him to form some syllables.

“Oh, yes, I'm—fine. Just—fine,” he replied, choking his way through the unfamiliar vocal cords while forcing an uneasy grin. “I just—uh—I went for a walk in the woods and I—uh—stubbed my hoof. You know how painful that can be, right?” He strained a laugh so fake even baby Luna would have seen through it.

“Oh... Oh, I see, poor thing.” She didn't seem entirely convinced by his story, but seemed to be giving him the benefit of the doubt—a rare occurrence these days. “Would you like me to take a look at it? I'm the town herbalist, you see. I could mix you something to ease the pain.” She stepped closer, leaning down towards his hooves.

“Oh, no! No thank you!” he stammered while backing up, still forcing a smile. “It's fine now. Doesn't hurt at all, actually. A-hah-ha. Thank you, though, very kind.”

He looked around, desperate to find an escape. He couldn't go back to the cart or he would blow their cover, and he had no idea what was in any other direction. Why did he have to be the one to do this? He had no experience working undercover alone! Starswirl might be worse at interacting with ponies, but at least he knew what he was looking for! Was this revenge for one-upping him at the bar?

The lilac pony raised an eyebrow at the bizarre behaviour of the yellow mare. “Where in Equestria did you come from, ma cher?”

A lump jumped up his throat as she said this, wiping the poor excuse for a smile off his face. Did he blow his cover already, before he'd even entered the town? “I—uh...”

“You seem terribly nervous. What are doing here?” Her eyes narrowed.

“I-I-I-I-,” he stammered.

This was it, he was done. He'd choked and blown Starswirl's plan, putting the royal heirs and the future of Equestria in jeopardy. But why now? He'd been caught in the wrong before, back when he was stealing food to survive as a runaway colt. If he could do it then, surely he still had it in him.

Taking in a deep, shaking breath, he wailed, “I'm loooo-o-o-o-oooost!” falling to the floor and covering his face, putting on the best crocodile tears he could.

“Oh, ma chèrie!” The mare jumped to his side, laying her foreleg over him. “Non, non, non, shhhh, it's alright. I don't know how you managed to get this far, but we'll figure out how to get you home, I promise, it's okay. Shhhh, don't cry.”

He looked up at her, having rubbed his eyes red. “R-Really?”

“Oui, oui, of course! Come, I'll make you some warm tea, I don't live far.”

“O-Okay...”

What a performance; he deserved a trophy for that turnaround. He didn't know where this path was going to take him, but anything was better than failing at the starting line.

After being gently helped up by the kindly lilac mare, the two ponies made their way down the dirt street, back the way the herbalist had come. Despite being a rural village, the simple path was dashed with decorative, colourful cobblestones, while rainbow bunting fluttered overhead. The pair approached a vaguely gourd-shaped cottage, one of the buildings surrounding a small fountain in what he could only assume was the town centre. Directly in front of the house sat a number of large planters filled to the brim with colourful and aromatic herbs, while a sign displaying a potion bottle swayed gently in the lightly-salted sea breeze.

The elder mare climbed the two steps in front of the door and opened it for her guest, ushering her inside the dimly lit abode. Cautiously passing the thick, creaking wooden door, Ustiarius found every one of his senses assaulted by the cacophony of sights and smells inside. Silently stunned by the number of herbs and spices that adorned the walls and filled the air, the apothecary closed the door and passed him, offering him a seat while she brewed a pot of camomile tea. With a dumbfounded nod, he fell backwards onto a plush, yet naturalistic couch against the front wall, while his host retreated into a back room, presumably containing a kitchen. After a few minutes of clattering and running water from the other room, the mare's voice called out to her guest, snapping him out of his becalmed trance.

“So where do you call home, boo?”

Oh no. This was exactly the kind of question he didn't want to answer, one that that he would need to remember if asked again. Putting on a show to escape a situation was one thing, but long-cons were never his style. He couldn't tell her the truth, since Starswirl had been so adamant about masking their trail, so he said the first name that came to mind. “Ponydale. It's... a small farming village up north.”

“Zut alores! Why, there can't be a farming town nearer than a hundred miles! How in Elysium did you come all this way from Central Equestria? There's getting lost, and then getting lost, mon cher.”

Horseapples, was saying Ponydale a mistake? He hadn't considered how relatively close to Canterlot it was, especially this far out. He'd lived around farmland his entire life, so he hadn't considered it being a rarity in this neck of the woods.

“Uhh- Yes- I mean- No. We- Me and my parents are... uh, on holiday, down here, in the south.” He racked his brain trying to think of any Southern Equestria cities he could name, but nothing came to mind. These parts were almost entirely a wasteland of barren deserts and inhospitable jungles; nopony would travel to these parts for fun!

“Down here? Goodness, what on Terra would you want to see down here?”

“Oh, well, um-” His brain was spinning trying to come up with a backstory on the spot like this. Curse you to Tartarus, Starswirl! “Um, my dad, he's a- He's an archaeologist. He loves to cart around, taking samples, seeing rock formations...”

“Well isn't that exciting! Some ponies could only dream of having a job so adventurous,” she beamed, returning to the cosy lobby of her pharmacy while balancing a tray and full china set on one hoof. As she leaned over, pouring the disguised guardspony's tea from an earthenware pot, she mumbled, “Sounds more like a geologist, though.”

“Oh! That's right!” he laughed awkwardly, “I always get those two mixed up, I have no idea why.”

“Ah! Don't worry about it, cher, I was just the same way with my herbs when I started out. It was all 'plantago lanceolata' this and 'lawsonia inermis' that. Couldn't tell a bluebell from poison joke!” She chuckled, which her guest politely mimicked, having no idea what the joke was.

“So, um... My mother is related to somepony who lives around these parts, maybe you know him? Stargazer the Spangled.” He kept an expectant eye on her as he sipped his tea, careful of its temperature. It was good. Really good!

“Stargazer the Spectacled, you mean? Why yes, I do know that pony. I don't mean to sound like abagueleur,but being in this business you meet everypony sooner or later, and tend to hear a lot of things. Stargazer, though... Well, he's quite well known in this town. I had no idea he had family, though. I mean, one assumes—we don't simply appear out of thin air—but he never mentioned a sister.”

Spectacled? Great, he was really putting his hoof in his mouth with this exchange, but at least she didn't seem to be suspicious... yet. Nothing else he could do but keep pushing forward.

“So you do know him, that's great news! We were planning on finishing our trip by going to see him, which means my parents should be here at some point.”

“Ah! That is bonne news indeed, mon cher! Though I think you should know that Stargazer isn't here right now. He spends most of his time up in Canterlot or some-such as it is, only coming down here maybe a few weeks a year, though I'm sure you already know that. Did you not coordinate with him before coming?” The kindly herbalist placed her cup on the table, having finished.

“Oh dear, that is a shame,” he feigned, silently thanking Elysium. “I wouldn't know what plans my parents made with him, I just came along for the ride. But do you think it would be possible for me to stay in his house while I wait? I'm sure he wouldn't mind if he's out of town, and I don't want to burden anypony else with a silly lost... mare like me.” He managed to not say the wrong gender—or rather his real gender—but it pained him to do so.

“Don't be silly! That old holiday home will be cold, dusty, and have precious few supplies. You can stay here with me, mon cher. I have plenty of beds, an open fire, warm food and drink-”

“Oh, no, I could never accept such kindness. You've already been so kind, and you've got a business to run, I wouldn't want to get in your way, and I have no way to pay you-”

“Nonsense! I would never ask for money for helping a poor post filly such as yourself. Around here we look after each other for the sake of it. We don't even use bits in South Sea Post, aside from our trading exports; when it comes to ponies, we trade in favours and kindness!” She smiled warmly, and for the first time since arriving, Ustiarius returned it genuinely. Was this really what life was like outside of Canterlot?

Still, this was bad, he needed some reason to be taken to the house. Finishing his tea and savouring the flavour, he placed his cup back on the tray with a satisfied sigh.

“Would you like some more, douceur?” she asked, poised with her hooves over the teapot.

“No, thank you, but it was lovely.” He leaned back in the comfortable waiting-chair, momentarily forgetting why he was here. Everything about this room was the apex of relaxation, from the warm drinks to the earthy smells and tones, and especially its host. He felt horrible trying to manipulate her like this, but it was for the greater good. Maybe if he was just a little more direct? “Um, would you mind at least showing me St—uh—my uncle's house? I would love to see what it looks like, even if we don't go in.”

“Well, sure, I don't see why not.” She hesitated. “Just don't get your hopes up, mon belle. It may be somewhat big, but it's as dreary and unloved as-” She stopped herself, remembering who she was talking to. “Ah, but where are my manners, keeping you waiting. Let me wash up and I'll take you there right now.” She collected the cups and returned them to the tray, before taking them back to the kitchen. “It's not like opening times matter anymore with the sky doing what it's doing, feels like the whole world is going toqué. Can't imagine what's going on in Canterlot to cause this mess.”

“You have no idea,” he thought, at least glad that word had yet to spread this far. He might have been the fastest means of transport on hoof, but plenty of pegasi could have outpaced him. Still, he had completed his goal, somehow turning this bleak situation into a success, and it wouldn't be long before he could report back to Starswirl with the location of the house.

A short while later, the two seemingly female terrans casually trotted through the cobblestone-paved square and up one of the more rustic tracks that led to a fairly large, though not especially unique house. These structures really were unlike anything around Canterlot, with their curved walls and peaked roofs. If Ustiarius had to name the style, he might call it 'gothic mushroom'. Arriving at the house at the end of the road, one feature did stand out above the other buildings: a two-story turret rising from the right corner of the building as you approach it, with a substantial telescope protruding from its roof, presumably modified into an observatory for Stargazer's needs. The rest of the house was fairly mundane, with the front door embedded into the left corner, and various uneven windows scattered across its surface, some with window boxes. Reddish pine beams outlined the skeleton of the structure, while plaster dappled with purple hues filled the gaps. Had he not been lead here by this charitable mare, he almost certainly wouldn't have recognised this as the correct house.

“Such a shame... Such a nice house wasted on that pony...” the mare mused, forgetting again who she was with. “Oh! Forgive me, I didn't mean to-”

“It's okay, I know he can be a bit...much sometimes.” He didn't.

“It's just- With a small community like ours, seeing a whole house going unused is... well...” She trailed off and the two stood in silence for a moment, admiring the local architecture.

She was right about this building being unloved. Unlike the vibrant hues of the other houses, this one was worn and faded, while the wilted and dead plants filling the window boxes did little to change that impression. If he had to guess, it looked like Stargazer hadn't been back to this holiday-home for at least a year, and with everything that was happening in Canterlot right now, he felt safe that their little 'visit' wouldn't be interrupted by an angry high-wiard.

“It is a beautiful place, or was... Do ponies not like St- Uncle Stargazer around here?”

“Oh no, of course not, cher! He's a welcome member of the community!” she lied, badly.

“So let's say that, oh, I don't know, something happened to him—nothing bad—and he couldn't come down to—uh, Sea Port, was it?—you wouldn't lose too much sleep?”

“South Sea Post, mon belle.” The homely mare paused, looking around as if to check for spies. “Well, just between you and moi... this town could do with a little less pomp. He's so full of hot air, he could power a whole fleet of skypirate ships!” She giggled like a schoolfilly gossiping about her teacher, though the joke was once again lost on Ustiarius, who half-smiled back.

“So if somepony else moved into this house, you wouldn't mind?”

“Oh goodness non, in fact I think a lot of us would welcome it, but it's not up to us; he personally owns the deed to the property. If anypony wanted to buy it from him, they'd have to go to him directly, all the way over in Canterlot! Can you imagine anyone going that far? It would be easier to build a new house!”

“He's... still in Canterlot?” he asked dryly, unable to hide his worry for Stargazer's safety, even if he wasn't well liked.

“Oh oui, at least I imagine so. He's some bigwig in some council-or-other. Something to do with magic. I won't lie, a lot of his bragging went in one ear and out the other. Someponies, once they start talking, you just can't get them to stop. But mon cher, I'm surprised you don't know where your own uncle is. He couldn't wait to tell anypony here that would listen, and even those who didn't.”

“Oh, uh, well, mum and dad like to keep him at leg's-length. Like you say, he's chatty.”

“Ah, oui, that's probably best,” she nodded, trailing off before having a new thought. “So how come you're visiting him now?”

“Uh...” Now he'd done it. He went too deep with the backstory and was contradicting himself. “Well, uh, truth be told... Maybe we knew he wouldn't be here, and we just wanted to use the house...”

The herbalist cracked a mischievous smile, nodding wryly as she looked back at the house. “Well, maybe I didn't see you or your family,” she smiled, tapping her muzzle.

“Thanks, I'd appreciate it!” He grinned back, feeling quite smug that he had not only found the house, but manufactured an alibi for them to be there and for no pony to mention it. Things weren't going to get any better than this; time to leave. “Well, it's been an absolute pleasure, Ms....?”

“Oh! Where have my manners been today? My name is Meadow Flower, and it's been my pleasure to make your acquaintance, Miss...?”

“Uh... Miss...” He looked around, but nothing was helping him divine a name. All he could think of was that name Meadow Flower had kept calling him, but he couldn't just use that, it needed to be more! “Char...ade.”

“Well, Miss Charade, can I invite you back to my apothecary? Perhaps for some more tea, or just a nice log fire while we wait for your parents?”

Charade?! Really? Did he really just do that? It was time to leave, fast.

“Well Ms. Flower, I greatly appreciate everything you've done for me, I really do, you've been wonderful, but I need to get going,” he spouted, already starting to back away towards the general direction of Starswirl and the others.

“But mon cher, where are you going? You need to wait here for your parents!” She turned to Ustiarius as he retreated, raising her voice as he got further from her.

“Don't you hear that? I can hear them calling me, can't you?” he called back.

She paused for a moment, raising an eyebrow. Failing to hear anything, she shrugged in confusion. The disguised stallion placed one hoof to his ear and nodded, pretending to hear his character's imaginary parents as he continued backwards.

“Uh, alright then, well, don't be a stranger, bien?” she called after him. “Bring your parents over to my shop and I'll make some more tea!”

He nodded enthusiastically before turning and breaking into a full gallop, escaping beyond her view, behind the row of houses leading up the hill. A few minutes later he was beside the original house where he had bumped into Meadow Flower and made his way around the back, where the invisible cart and its occupants should still be waiting in the bushes. If this was all some elaborate plan to ditch him, he would not be pleased.

Back at Stargazer's manor, Meadow Flower sighed, suddenly feeling quite alone as the sun deflated below the horizon. “What a strange fille... I hope she's alright.”

“Starswirl!” he whisper-shouted towards the last known location of the wagon. “Stawswirl!”

No reply.

“Starswirl!”

His impending sense of panic was abated when a snort and giggling erupted out of thin air.

“Ah. Good one, your majesty,” he lied, stone-faced. “Starswirl?”

“Apologies, it was a royal request,” he whispered back, hiding an invisible smile.

“Well, can you change me back now?”

“Did you find the house?”

“Yes, obviously. Why else would I come back?”

“So where is it?”

“I'm not saying another word until you put my voice back to normal.”

“Come now, Ustiarius, there are more important things to-”

“Not—another—word, Starswirl.”

“Fine, fine.”

A gentle white glow surrounded the disguised unicorn's neck, causing him a slight tingling sensation for just a moment.

“There, happy? Now where is Stargazer's house?”

“Mah. Mah, mah, mah. Hello, hello?” Testing out his voice, he was delighted to find it back to its usual, stalliony self, despite it coming from the mouth of a bright-yellow mare. “Thank Elysium. Ok, so you're going to like this, not only did I-”

“Wait-wait-wait, enter the invisibility spell before you draw even more attention to us.”

Wrinkling his muzzle in annoyance, Ustiarius stepped forward, disappearing into the forest.

“Ok? Do you want to hear this or not?”

“Yes-yes, get on with it,” the wizard whispered, not losing a hint of the impatience in his voice.

“Alright,” he sighed. “So not only did I find the house, but I told one of the townsponies a story that means we can stay in the house without question, and they won't even mention to anypony that we were there!”

Starswirl raised his see-through eyebrows. “Not bad. I will admit I am impressed. What was this miracle-story?”

“Well it just kind of came out, you know? Like ad-libbing a whole backstory? It was cool, I've not done anything like that before. Maybe I'm a natural. Pretending to be a different pony at the inn was one thing, but I was still basically myself, but this was so different. The costume, the character, the high stakes, it was so thrilling!”

“Yes, I get it. Get on with the story,” he groaned, any semblance of goodwill already spent.

“Right, so I told the mare that I was here with my parents, and one of them was an archio- uh, geologist, and they were on holiday, doing work, and I told her that Stargazer was my uncle, so we were coming to stay with him. Turns out the ponies in town like him about as much as you do, so they'll turn a blind eye to us staying there!”

Starswirl took a second to process the rambling. “That was an awful story.”

“Well she bought it, didn't she?”

“And how exactly does that help us, blunthorn? She will be expecting to see you in that form again—with that voice—as well as another mare and stallion. Do you expect me to disguise Celestia as your mother? Or perhaps Luna can be your father? Oh, and let's not forget that we would have to keep those enchantments on us for the entire, indefinite length of our stay,” he growled, becoming increasingly angry as he spoke. “So fantastic job crafting a story we have no way of implementing. It was so simple; just go in, find the house, and we would sneak in without them being any the wiser. At the very least you could have made something up that included two stallions and two fillies, but no, you just have to make everything harder.”

“Hey, you were more than welcome to go and do it yourself. If you wanted me to say something specific, maybe you should give me a script next time?” he spat. “And by the way, your fantastic plan? What are you going to do about food, hm? Education? Having any comforts in the house? You can't just become invisible and steal everything you need for the rest of your life.”

The two stallion grit their teeth, holding back an explosive anger thanks only to the awkwardness of them quietly yelling at nothing but trees and grass. As their tempers gradually cooled, Starswirl exhaled, massaging his brow.

“Then let us compromise. We are tired, agitated, and under great stress, but we work better when we work together. We will not hide, for the sake of the fillies-”

“Wait,” Ustiarius thought, “he was actually going to stay invisible the whole time?!”

“But we shall have to wear disguises... They say the best kept secrets are hidden in plain sight, and while that is not an adage I agree with, it may work to our benefit in this case. Nopony would ever suspect that the princesses were living here, and I can blend in with minimal effort.”

“Hah! That'll be the day,” Ustiarius mentally interrupted again.

“The low-maintenance disguises will keep things simple, and we can continue to be ourselves, just as long as we are not candidly 'ourselves'. We just need to explain to your contact why it is us and not this family you made up.”

“Right, well, that... Uh, that's something I can probably do,” he nodded, unsure, though determined. “I did it once, so I can do it again. Easy.”

“Hmm,” Starswirl grumbled pessimistically. “Just do not make it overly complicated this time.”

“Okay, ready?” the wizard asked the group, their preparations complete.

“Yes!” Celestia chimed in, happy to finally be a part of something.

“Alright, let's go,” Ustiarius nodded, despite still being see-through.

“Brrrrbl~” Luna burbled, joining in with everypony else as she happily wriggled within her muslin cocoon.

“Okay. Here we go...”

With a slight flash from within, the invisible bubble surrounding their carriage melted from its peak, like raindrops down a glass dome, revealing the hidden troupe. While the carriage remained the same, its passengers had taken on their new roles. Ustiarius had returned to his original form—sans brown hair, much to his chagrin—while Princess Celestia had happily relinquished her crown and royal horseshoes, now almost capable of being mistaken for a regular filly. Meanwhile, Starswirl's pattern of dramatic costume changes continued, with him ditching his robes entirely this time for a shirt and waistcoat combo, transmuted from material within his magic box, with spats and a jaunty cravat to tie the ensemble together. With his fringe slicked back and mane in a ponytail, his disguise was so effective that the others barely recognised him themselves. Ustiarius was pretty shocked at the old stallion's sense of style; he had assumed it was cloaks or nothing.

“Well? Go!” Starswirl scowled, clearly still the same pony under the new clothes.

Serves him right for thinking something nice about the old coot.

With a grunt and heave, Ustiarius strained forward, slowly inciting the cart to move. Pulling it past the protective wall of houses, he turned left and into down, following the sparsely cobbled path towards the town centre. From within her shop, peered out the window at the noise, watching as the laden carriage turned right and up the hill, towards Stargazer's property. Their journey was short, but still managed to attract attention from the wandering locals, who began to mumble between themselves about the strange new arrivals.

“Well, this is it,” Ustiarius panted, parking the wooden transport next to the building's front door.

“Hm, it's a bit run-down,” Starswirl scoffed, unable to resist any opportunity to take a jab at his academic rival.

“Wooooow~! It's beautiful!” Celestia's eyes sparkled and her tail wagged as she stood on the side of the cart, eagerly peering up at the two-story building. It was nothing like the castle, but for her, this was her fairytale.

“It's alright. It needs a lot of work,” the wizard riposted, not even willing to let a filly indirectly compliment Stargazer.

“I'll just be glad to be rid of this cursed contraption,” their steed moaned, having to unbuckle himself from the reins yet again. With a contented sigh, he looked up at the imposing, yet modest estate as the sun stretched overhead—literally. “Home sweet home, eh?”

Starswirl snorted dismissively. “Home sweet home...”

Author's Note:

1st Edition - 21th April, 2019 - (Release) 6,581 words
2nd Edition - 23rd December, 2019 - (Rewrote Meadow Flower's character to fit with later chapters, along with various other edits) 7,398 words

Special thanks to ASorcerer for helping proofread my work.