Moles in the Burrow
"Steven! … Starlight! Anypony!"
Twilight continued running through the darkened world. Not a single sight of anything around her. Not a bit of fur, hair, skin, or shard to be seen except for herself, trying to find her way around through the darkness of it all. Her voice carried on through the air like a ghost, her hooves rushing on through the non-existent ground. The only thing that existed were the many tunnels that twisted and turned to what felt like nowhere. Even if it seemed too disorientating, Twilight continued on. She knew ONE of them had to get out. One HAD to reach outside of the Deep Underground, out of Homeworld, A WAY BACK HOME.
"Come on, it's gotta be close," Twilight said to herself. There was no one else to hear her as she struggled on around for a while longer. But as she tried galloping along, something began pulling her by the tail. Harder, and harder. …
...
"WAKE! UP!"
Twilight bolted back onto her hooves in a startle. She was seeing a set of Grogar's guards opening her cell within the Deep Underground. The large guard, which looked like a large bear, waited for Twilight to move on out of her cell. She kept her groans to herself, her hoof stomping the ground briefly.
"Finally. Come out of there, you're wanted," the bear instructed, his large paw waving her to do so. Twilight needed to regather herself from the bear's bellows moments before, before getting herself onto her four hooves again. She wasn't too impressed or intimidated by the guards, and she simply walked out of her cell. She began to see herself on her way, but the bear grabbed her by the head and spun her around.
"This way."
"Isn't it time for our hour in the yard? The trail to that's over this way," Twilight questioned. The bear growled.
"I KNOW where the yard is! Captain Nichrome wants to see you THAT way. And he wants to see you."
"I'm sure he would," Twilight sighed, not looking forward to seeing Nichrome. The bear though gave Twilight a strong hit to the head, knocking her almost off the path, and into the abyss by her cell.
"Don't give me anymore backtalk, or I'll send you over the cliff!"
"OK, fine," Twilight groaned. It was just another reminder how much power they got compared to her right now. If she had her magic properly, she'd make short work of them here, but can't work magic without a horn. The bear huffed, wanting to hit her again, as the second guard (another bear) went over to him. Twilight continued going, but did catch a bit of what the bears were talking about as she did so.
"For Ursa's sake, why can't she just accept her place and stop acting so "high and mighty" already?" The first bear guard groaned.
"She is the ruler of Equestria, don't you know?" noted the second bear.
"NO, I don't know. And even if she is, so what?"
"Boss mentioned that she's gone through more crazy stuff than your typical horse. So she's gonna be a bit harder to crack."
"She'll crack. Either her skull or her spirit, whichever comes first."
That last part made Twilight feel uneasy, the bears following her to make sure she didn't try anything fancy. She glanced up to the many holes of the Supreme Kindergarten, seeing other Gems locked up and watching her go on her way, Twilight giving a look of reassurance to each and every single one of them. They all will be free from Grogar, one way or another.
"What are you looking at?!" one of the bears snapped.
"Just seeing the other prisoners," Twilight stated.
"Said who? Get moving!" Twilight huffed, and just looked ahead again, picking up the pace.
"I hope you're thinking of something soon guys. Or there won't be any Homeworld to save," Twilight thought. Only to get forced along by one of the bears.
"I said move, we don't have all day!"
"OKAY already, geez!" Twilight said, picking up pace again.
…….
Laying there, quiet and troubled, Twilight Sparkle was waiting for what these creatures had for her next. The guards forced her into this room, making sure her wings were left incapable of her flying (AKA tied up tight). Not that she would try to make a fly for it now anyway, a number of guards around itching and ready to jump her at a moments notice. And she knew what they were capable of without her magic to be used at her disposal here. The room though was not the throne room this time, nor the execution chamber, or the deep underground. Instead, this room actually looked a bit new to her, recently made perhaps, with a very long outlook from the window looking on throughout all of Tambalon. And in this room, she was not alone but lucky (or maybe unlucky) for her, Grogar wasn't the one who was there to see her. But he was just as manipulative with words as the king himself, and maybe even just as spiteful in recent days.
"Hello there, Twilight Sparkle. Are the guards treating you well?" asked the spite-filled, yet eerily calm voice. Twilight looked around for a little bit more, and soon she found "good ol'" Nichrome not too far away. As he did with Connie earlier, his front feet were pushing around some stray stones in front of him out of boredom, telling Twilight that he'd been waiting for quite some time.
"I'm fine," Twilight simply stated, sitting down on the ground. Nichrome kept his gaze away from her for a minute or two, the same way he confronted Connie earlier.
"And uh, your horn. It's not too much trouble for you, isn't it? Not being able to use any of your "friendship" magic," Nichrome inquired. Twilight turned away.
"I haven't gotten out yet. What do you think?" Twilight stated. Nichrome snickered, turning around to face her.
"Ah, good ol' Twilight. Defiant, even in shadow of one that can have her throat out," Nichrome hissed. Twilight Tried to keep a better head, but Nichrome could tell that it did give her goosebumps. It was amazing just how different so many of these creatures were to Equestria, especially when it came to morality.
"Do you even hear yourself? I mean, what kind of person actually enjoys killing anyway?" Twilight questioned, as Nichrome walked towards her.
"Oh, but I don't enjoy killing, I enjoy breaking. There is a difference you know," Nichrome pointed out. Twilight didn't believe him, not trusting this alien tar creature for the life of her. Even if he did have all the freedom to take said life if he so wanted to.
"You're NOT going to win, Nichrome. Not you, not Grogar, not any of you here. I can promise you that."
"Can you now? Well then maybe you can promise something else for me?"
"Like what?" Twilight huffed. Nichrome moved in close, eye to eye with the ruler of all of Equestria as of current.
"... I do want to point out something first. I actually want to say how impressed I am of you defying Grogar, even at the one chance to return home and out of his hooves. Such pride and devotion to your friends -"
"What're you getting at?" Twilight questioned, making sure nichrome wasn't closer than he needed to be.
"We kept you alive, princess, because we see value in you. All those Gems out there, and all the ponies in your world respect you. … I respect you. … And I want you to work for me. Being a captain and all the title."
"Figures. You want me to become a spy and ditch my friends, right Nichrome?"
"You use words like "spy" and "ditching", but what you'll actually be doing is securing the safety of your friends and family. You can be the one that reassures they have good conditions, plenty of resources, and happy lives."
On the surface that didn't sound too bad, but HOW that's achieved is very important, and Twilight wasn't up for any of it. She was ready to speak, but nichrome raised his own "hoof".
"Let me finish," Nichrome cut in, his hissing tone actually stopping Twilight's "dramatic" speech. "... You think it now, but I'm willing to let you reconsider the option in the next three days. And do know. Twilight Sparkle. That if you were to refuse … You will be sentenced to death."
"You know how "cliché" this all sounds, right?" Twilight questioned.
"Excuse me?"
"You can sit there, and try to tear me down all you want. But Me and my friends had faced villains again, and again, and again, and even when the whole world seems against us we always come out in the end. My friends saved the world more time than you know, and compared to what we faced. Nichrome. All you are is a Sombra wannabe from a mediocre fanfiction piece."
"WHY YOU LITTLE -" and Nichrome jumped her almost immediately. Even if he was weaker than the other guards, Twilight figuring that out just by feeling the hooves pressing her down, but it was just strong enough to keep her still as Nichrome's black tar-like skin began tp push her head down.
"I know you think of escaping, my alicorn, and you know what, I hope you do. Because I want to be the one to catch you, and believe in me I'll make you scream for your sun goddess Celestia, but SHE'LL BE A LONG TIME COMING!"
"That's enough, Nichrome!"
Before Nichrome could force anymore life out of her, another Captain Tempest came out from a nearby passage, just seeing the alien pinning the Alicorn down. She didn't look too impressed with the situation, but not in the same way as her friends would see it either. Reluctantly, Nichrome got off of Twilight, letting her get back to her hooves.
"Thank your lucky stars, you mule," Nichrome hissed. Tempest cleared her throat, and Nichrome stepped aside. For a moment, she and Twilight simply looked at eachother. A pair of broken horned magical horses, both stuck in the same place with the same problem.
"Send her back to her mark guards, I think she's got the message," Tempest instructed. The guards eventually came in in the form of the storm creatures, and Nichrome stepped aside to let them get her. Briefly the two were side by side.
"Thanks for the save," Twilight whispered.
"Welcome," Tempest whispered back. With that said and done, Twilight was escorted out, leaving a brief moment with Nichrome and Tempest. Tempest Shadow was alright and all, but Nichrome still was fuming from that insult.
"A Sombra wannabe? PAH! Just you watch me, Tempest, I'll make that troublemaker donkey quiver at the sight of -"
"Treat anything like that again. And you'll face me," Tempest suddenly cut in, anger filling her tone and a killer look to her eyes. "We're soldiers, not mad dogs!"
Even if Tempest was a rank underneath Nichrome, that was more than enough to put Nichrome in his place. Tempest Shadow went off, and Nichrome glanced over back towards where Twilight Sparkle had gone off. All he just did was roll his beady eyes.
"Stupid mule. Thinks she can beat us just because she and her friends already -"
Suddenly Nichrome got an idea. An awful idea. ... He got a wonderfully sinister idea.
"That might work."
~~~~~~
Three Guards. One table. A smaller, fairly empty room of Canterlot Castle. Four "officers". THAT was the main set up of the setting that was currently underway, as a number of the group was under interrogation. The trio of guards, each for Celestia's day guard patrol, looked around the room for a bit more until someone began to move out from the dark.
"Afternoon, stallions. I'm sure you three have a busy schedule on your hooves, but we just have a few questions for you. So soon as we get things cleared up -"
"We don't have all day Rarity, let's get on with it," Fulgurite cut in. The four officers today, (as it turned out) were Rarity, Fulgurite, Steven (on break from training), and a sort of fourth figure still in the shadows. They all knew the drill at this point, and there wasn't a need for such a big dramatic buildup here. Rarity ushered to Steven, as he checked a notebook he had on hand.
"Anyways," Steven continued, "So, you three were from the main guards under Celestia's wing?"
"We've been put there about four weeks ago by Captain Flash himself, yes, all working within the left wing," one of the Guards explained matter-of-factly. Steven jotted it all down in some notes nearby.
"I see. … Fulgurite, if you would," Rarity said.
"Wait, wait, do we have to do it this time?" Steven asked suddenly. However, Fulgurite was already on it, going behind them all and getting two strands each for each pony. Call it a security measure just in case somepony got a bit out of order.
"It's just a little shock Steven, to make sure no one's lying. We did this to over half the guard so far," Fulgurite said.
"I know, but please don't shock them too much this time? The last third guy you left with a burnt mane," Steven pointed out, which did worry the trio of guards slightly.
"He called my hair a bunch of cables, give me a break," Fulgurite retorted. Though admittedly, they were functioning in the same way as a lie-detector's wires would.
"Well, I can assure you, we have no reason to lie if it's under orders of the princesses," one of the guards reassured, the other two agreeing. Fulgurite looked suspiciously at them, knowing well she can just zap em at anytime. Then she snapped her fingers for another to come over out of the dark, this time one that made the guards themselves uneasy. And in a way, so did the other figure coming out, especially when they found out what he was.
"Changeling!"
"Don't be alarmed, he's with us," Rarity said.
"You sure about that? I-I mean … that's a Changeling!"
"But he's the best here," said Steven, "He can catch anypony lying no matter who it is, and knows more about deception than anyone else."
"Well, you kind of catch on when growing up in a Changeling Hive," Thorax said humbly, smiling as he rubbed the back of his head. The guards looked to one another, and all they could do was just go along with it. They could probably guess what this interrogation would be about anyway.
"Where were you three on the night that Twilight went missing?" Rarity inquired.
"We were here, guarding the main entrance hallway like we were supposed to do," the guard replied. He didn't look like he was lying to Thorax, and Steven continued jotting it down.
"A likely story," said Fulgurite.
"Hey, we were at our post the entire day and night following. All information we've gotten was that Twilight had a meeting on Homeworld, and we were to keep ourselves put for anything suspicious. We made sure no one got in, or out, of that hallway," the guard firmly stated, hooves crossed, confident in his words. Thorax paused and looked at him closely for any signs of a fib or lie, but eventually she shook his head.
"He looks like he's telling the truth," Thorax said.
"Okay, writing," Steven said, writing it down quick as Rarity continued.
"Very well. Now, does the name "Tempest Shadow" ring any bells? The same pony that turned the guards?" Rarity inquired.
"Who?"
"She's a unicorn that made two of the guards betray Canterlot. All that we know is that she promised something to them and … that's it," Steven explained, "You three know anything about that?"
The guards looked to one another for a moment, but unfortunately they shook their heads.
"Not really. All we know is that there were a set of guards that gave Twilight sparkle tasks to keep up with Celestia's work. They'll look up what work is to be done, and then report it in to Twilight herself."
"Man, that's the twelfth time they said that," Steven sighed, but he wrote it down anyway. It seemed regardless of what ranking, the end result was the same.
"You sure there isn't anything different any of you noticed? Like someone acting weird, someone new showing up, or someone not hanging out with everyone else, or something?" Steven asked, once finished. Thorax and Fulgurite waited a bit for an answer out of any of them, and while two of the guards didn't really say anything much, there was an answer from the middle guard after thinking a bit on the hooves.
"Hmm ……. well, there was something that happened a couple nights ago that did seem strange. Not bad, but, strange."
"Finally we're getting somewhere," Fulgurite said, "Well, what is it?"
"Well, as you can imagine being on guard duty all the time is … well, boring. Especially when you're just standing by a door all day and just counting the tiles and bolts all day long."
"How many bolts?" Steven asked, wanting to test that theory.
"I've counted all 345 bolts in the ceiling tiles 293 times," the guard said, and he said this without delay as if the fact was as plain as morning coffee. They turned to Thorax for some recognition, and he actually looked surprised.
"Really? 345 bolts?"
"Four per tile, with at least five bolts with the tiles holding the pillars up."
"... Huh. Wow. No lying there either," Thorax concluded, which admittedly surprised him as much as it did Steven. Steven jotted down the numbers.
"So what happened on that night that seemed off exactly?" Rarity asked.
"Well since we're being honest. And probably your Changeling would probably figure it out anyway. We had felt that we're not given enough recognition for what we do, except on that night when somepony was nice enough to leave a cake for us. ... So we did take one little break to eat that cake."
THIS was getting interesting, and no lies were out just yet. Steven decided to go in on this one.
"What kind of cake was it?"
"Cherry with a custard filling."
"Was it chocolate or vanilla frosting?"
"Vanilla."
"How was it decorated with flowers or roses?"
"Rosettes, and they were buttercream."
"UGH, who cares how the cake was decorated?! Look, did any of you see who was with Twilight when she left for Homeworld, or not?" Fulgurite said, cutting to the chase.
"No. As we've said, we only got word of it and were told to stay at our post, we didn't see exactly who left with her on the night she left," the guard concluded. There was a bit of a pause, Thorax checking each of the guards briefly before shaking his head.
"They're clean."
"Oh. Ok, you three can go," Steven said.
Again, no luck. Whoever the two guards were, they were avoiding them very well. Given the greenlight to leave, all three of the royal guard went off back to work, leaving admittedly four rather disgruntled detectives with barely much to go off of (again) except for a cake. Soon as the guards were gone, a groan was easily shared with them as they began to go.
"How hard is this? We've been at this with thirty guards, and all we got is "OH, we just got word of it, and we just stood there all day"," Fulgurite groaned.
"Hey, that's not true," Steven insisted, as he showed his notes on the cake, "We actually got something from those three; why would somepony just drop off a cake on a whim like that? Especially one that Pinkie Pie didn't know about?"
"Uh huh. Steven. My man. What does a cake have to do with Grogar, Tempest, or Twilight?" Fulgurite asked, eyebrow raised.
"I might have to go with her on this one," added Thorax, not sure what it would mean himself. Rarity checked out the notes herself, but unlike the other two she had a more decent idea in mind when it came to this case.
"Now, now, don't discount any evidence. As Shadow Spade always states "Even the smallest of bread crumbs can lead you on the right trail," Rarity noted out, the quote of hers with a bit of her dramatic flare to it. Fulgurite and Thorax both barely had any real idea about Shadow Spade, only recalling her from some detective's book that Rarity was into. It was possibly why she got involved in the interrogations in the first place.
"And besides, the guards said they got this just before Twilight got taken away, so maybe if we go and find out who made it ... eh? Anyone? Anyone?"
"Uh ... we can find out who made the order?" Thorax asked.
"Exactly! None of those guards did it, so who did? Cakes don't just pop out of thin air unless you can use magic," Steven concluded. It was still a stretch, but Fulgurite just shrugged.
"Eh, Steven's thinkin," Fulgurite shrugged, "Right now it's all we have anyway. Come on, let's see if Pinkie Pie can figure out where that cake came from."
Fulgurite and Thorax strolled off down the hall to do just that, leaving Rarity and Steven for a moment. As they went, Rarity turned and saw the particular cut still on Steven's face. It wasn't as prominent as before, but there still was a tiny bit left either way.
"Well, Steven, may I be the first to say that you've surely been holding yourself up better," said Rarity. Steven brought his hand to the cut on his head, knowing well what she meant by that.
"Yeah, it's not so fun when you gotta keep a secret like this from everyone. I'm just glad you're all not so scared over this," Steven admitted. Rarity smiled.
"True, but as they say "the truth is always better than a well meant lie". And, I think it's starting to fade away a bit. You can hardly tell it's even there now," Rarity noted, looking closer at the cut herself.
"You really think so?"
"Most definitely. I'd give that another week before it's gone for good," Rarity reassured. Steven surely hoped so, smiling to himself as he went along. The sooner he can go on and leave that cut behind the better. For a moment, Steven sighed in relief, but this moment of relaxing was cut short almost right away when he suddenly felt something touch his shoulder from behind.
"HI Steven -"
"HIYAA!" Just like that, Steven quickly grabbed whatever it was behind him, and swung it forward. The following slam caught Rarity's attention, along with Thorax and Fulgurite, and they all came back only to find -
"Hehehehe! Again!"
Pinkie. Well that was embarrassing, but at least Steven didn't hurt anyone too bad. He released Pinkie Pie's hoof, red in the face as Pinkie spun up and onto her own hooves.
"Sorry about that. You kinda startled me," Steven said.
"Of course I did silly, how else do I see friends?" Pinkie said, shrugging it off. Well, that was true.
"Right. So, what is it that brought you this way?" Rarity asked.
"Well," explained Pinkie, "I was just hopping along through town and then my Pinkie Senses told me somepony was talking about a mysterious cake, and I thought to myself "hmm, what could that be about" so I rushed right on over, and here I am after you threw me over your head! So where is that mysterious cake of yours?"
Sounds about right. Fulgurite and Thorax they figured didn't have to tell her after all.
"Eh, it's not here. I think the guards already ate it," Steven said.
"AAAWWW, but how can I test a cake that's already eaten? ... You got anything on it, Steve-O?" Pinkie asked. Steven then brought out the notes he took on it.
"Again. What does a cake have to do with -"
"Let's just see what happens, dear," Rarity insisted, Thorax still left confused.
"Hmmm ... A cherry cake with a custard filling, eh? ... Vanilla frosting ... buttercream rosettes ..."
Suddenly something seemed to click in Pinkie Pie's head, a huge, overly-reactive gasped escaping her muzzle as the idea shot into her head.
"Cinnamon Chai's Tea and Cake Shop! Nopony better than to make cream-filled cakes and make em fancy!" Pinkie gasped.
"ALRIGHT, PINKIE!" Steven beamed. But Fulgurite and Thorax were still a bit lost.
"Fill us in, please before we're left behind?" Fulgurite asked.
"That's a special cake shop here in Canterlot," Steven said, "That's got to be where that cake came from!"
"So?" Thorax shrugged. Rarity though just managed to get it.
"Of course! Clearly this cake was designed as a distraction given the time it was there and time of Twilight's capture, so if there's anypony what will know who set this all up, it's the ponies behind the recipe," Rarity concluded. All of a sudden the idea of the cake was actually starting to make more sense. As Rarity and Pinkie began to go off and see what that will give them, Steven glanced back to Fulgurite and Thorax.
"Even the smallest of bread crumbs can lead you on the right trail," Steven stated.
"Alright, you win. Let's go check this place out," Fulgurite decided.
"Show time."
~~~~~~
Outside of Canterlot Castle, aside from those who had already affiliated themselves with the whole "princess is gone" thing, the rest of Canterlot and it's citizens were still going on about their day as if nothing seemed to even happen, or even be happening at the castle. None of the ponies looked all scared, or remotely worried, under the idea that if there was any problem going on anywhere that the Harmony Gems will just fix it all up.
That also seemed more apparent as the group of five went off from said castle to the tea and cake shop. Compared to other eateries in town, this place didn't seem as different from other spots along the way; some potted plants being hung up along the walls, and a few outdoor tables set up. Even in autumn, there were still a number of ponies enjoying some teatime and small chat by the time Pinkie, Rarity, Steven, Thorax, and Fulgurite arrived. Before they got close though, Thorax already got himself a good pony disguise to make sure no one will freak out. The group began heading off to one of the tables, soon spotting a pony they assume to be Cinnamon Chai.
"Ah, hello there, what can I do you for?" Cinnamon asked, her voice a strong accent of "New Yorker".
"Hi there. We understand you make the best chocolate cherry custard cake with buttercream frosting rosettes in town!" said Steven.
"You've been in the right circles then kid, because we have the only chocolate cherry custard cake with buttercream frosting rosettes in town," the waitress said, cleaning off another plate and setting it on a nearby cart to be taken in. No doubt then this was the right place. The pony gestured to the window where a cake like that would be, but unfortunately there didn't seem to be any available. There was even a sign that simply said "out of stock" along the display.
"Oh, no, and you're all out," said Pinkie, looking in from the window, pushing her muzzle to the glass. She could just taste such a delicacy. All that creamy goodness, the custard and those delicious rosettes.
"Sorry bout that, I just sold my last one this morning for the day. Something about a celebration er something," Cinnamon said. This news, while irrelevant to the matter at hoof, did catch some interesting vibe to the pink mare as she back up off the glass.
"And who's the lucky pony?" Pinkie asked. Cinnamon paused and thought a little bit.
"Weeellll, I wouldn't call him a "pony" exactly, but he really wanted that there cake, I'll tell ya that much."
"Not a pony? Well dish out more info if you got any," Fulgurite said. Little off track, but this could be worth noting anyway. Cinnamon thought it over a little bit, working the gears in her head.
"Well he was fairly big looking fella. Got the hooves, but he looked kinda moldy. Y'know, like one of them hoof-puppets or something in the head, and he had these teeny tiny eyes. And he talked in this sort of raspy voice," Cinnamon explained.
They all had their own idea of what this could possibly be, though many of them didn't entirely picture a true pony persay. Sure it sounded close to one, but that didn't really say on the guards at all. Rarity for instance got this sort of mysterious shadowy figure lurking amongst the alleys of Canterlot, while Pinkie Pie (and probably Steven too) just thought of some pony with a sock on his head. Either way, it was something new.
"A non-pony? I didn't think you'd get other races visiting here," said Thorax.
"Actually it's a rare occasion. And when it is, it's usually when the princess are throwing their gallivant celebrations," Rarity explained.
"But who is this sock-puppet guy? He doesn't sound like any pony to be around Canterlot at all," Steven had to wonder, scratching his head.
... And it turned out, none of them had to wait around for very long.
"COME ALONG EVERYPONY, THERE'S PLENTY FOR EVERYPONY!"
"Huh?"
The distant voice was just about enough for them to catch wind of. No, the voice didn't really sound all that familiar to any of them, but curiosity is what it is. Their curiosity only got a bit more so when they began to see some more of the ponies start to venture over to the sound, whatever it was.
"Something going on?" Rarity wondered.
"Only one way to find out: let's go see," encouraged Fulgurite.
And off over they did.
"What the - ?!" Steven gasped.
"Easy everypony! Don't crowd! There's more than enough cake for everypony, and you'll all get your share!"
Out off across the next road from the tea and cake shop, it turned out there indeed was a special kind of commotion that's got much of Canterlot up and checking it out. Numerous ponies around the block had gathered around a quite impressive cake (guess where it came from?), up on display and at the point already looking it had been cut into. A number of the ponies around had already gotten a good slice of the cake, enjoying it for what it is, and as for who was serving it well, he seemed to be enjoying himself.
Standing off by said cake with a cutting knife in hoof looked to be a sort of large pony-like creature, dressed up as a standard pastry chef: white apron and chef's hat and everything in contrast to his black skin. With each pony that would come up he would slice up a piece and just give it away. It was free cake!
"Very suspicious," Pinkie noted, not trusting this display for a second. The chef took a glance over to them, seeing much of them except for Steven, who kept himself just out of sight but still watching.
"Isn't that the same thing that ordered your last cherry custard chocolate cake?" Steven asked. Cinnamon Chai soon recognized the resemblance, AND the resemblance of the cake. Sure the exterior looked slightly different, with a sort of bluish color of blueberry instead of the cherry red.
"Hold on, yeah it is! HEY YOU!" the owner of said cake went right on out to confront the chef in question. The chef paused and saw the rather angry pony trot over just as he got another slice of cake out to another aristocrat.
"Oh, hello there Ms. Chai. Come to have a slice yourself?"
"Yeah, sure, but that's Cinnamon Chai's cake you're selling," Steven said as the others came up. He kept his composure on seeing them, but when he saw Steven there, he almost had a very quick second of shock before it was hidden behind a comfortable smile.
"Selling? No no no, I'm giving it away! Celebration and all that, remember?" the thing reminded her, already cutting another piece of the delicious cake for them to have. "Taste the innovation?"
"Innovation? … Uh … thank. You," Steven said, taking a slice himself. He and company already were unsure about the cake thanks to Pinkie's own suspicions, which the chef noted as she sneered his way, eyes squinted in a judging look inches from his face.
"Uh … you okay, miss?" he asked.
"Hmmmm … I don't like it. Not one bit," Pinkie stated.
"Like what? The cake? Don't be negative, the cake's delicious!" the chef insisted.
"I'll be the judge of that!" Pinkie said, before going to the cake to check it out. She didn't eat it right away, and went up and down the cake to see just what the deal is with it. The chef watched her go up and down the delicacy, judging even the tiniest inch of the dessert as much as Rarity would examine a fashion statement. She popped up on top of the cake at one point, on the left side another point, and on the right side she sat down and just stared at it. Her tongue eventually shot out and gave the cake a tiny lick.
"Hmm … MMMMmm! It's super delicious! No evil taste here!" Pinkie realized, not tasting a hint of evil in it.
"Really? Let me see," Steven said, taking a taste of it himself. Soon as it hit his tongue, his eyes immediately lit up, sparkling. Nope, there's nothing wrong with this cake if it tasted this good!
"Oh my stars that is good!" Steven gasped, "Such a contrast in flavors!"
"Well," chuckled the chef, "as Cinnamon Chai said I can't take all the credit. In fact -" and he got the attention of the crowd as he said this. "- Everypony, I'd like to also mention this is sponsorship for Cinnamon Chai's Tea and Cake Shop! Any of ya want more delicious cakes like this, come right on down!"
And with that said, the ponies actually began to take his advice, and after tasting such a delicious cake like this, no doubt there was gonna be a bit more goodies over at the shop. Cinnamon Chai's anger was quickly swept away, and suspicions gone from everyone else for the most part.
"My golly, I better get back!" Cinnamon Chai said. she was about to gallop off, but quickly stopped and looked back to the chef. "Eh, sorry for jumping at you."
"No problem, chef," the chef shrugged, waving a hoof as she galloped off back to her shop, which they assured had plenty of customers by now.
"So you were just trying to spread the word about her tea and cake shop?"
"Absolutely. I'm just glad you got a slice of it before it all got cut up and gone," said the chef, giving Steven a fluff on the head. Steven couldn't help but chuckle.
"Yeah, sorry by the way. We thought there was something evil and suspicious going on here, but I guess not," Steven admitted, taking another bite of the cake. If there was anything too suspicious going on, Pinkie Pie would know about it, but guess they jumped the gun this time.
"Evil and suspicious? About serving free cake?"
"We've got our experience with weird things lately," admitted Fulgurite. "nothing personal."
"Well the only thing going on here is me helping out Cinnamon Chai's shop with customers. Eh, by the by, with all those ponies, think she might need a bit more hooves to do the job," the chef advised. Seeing how many went over - there was at least twenty five - Cinnamon might as well need it.
"Good point. Well, thanks for the cake sir …?"
"N Kelly. And yeah, see ya around. Now if you excuse me, I got some more cake to deliver," "N Kelly" said, as he got the cake and began going off to another part of Canterlot. Steven took a glance down at the cake for a minute or two, and eventually just sighed.
"Maybe it's just our imagination," he concluded, taking another bite of it.
They did begin to go from there, heading on back towards the main shop to help out the mare. The chef looked on from the next street corner until just after they went on out of sight. …
…
"Heheheheheheeee. Yes my friends, you enjoy that cake. We'll keep in touch," Said Nichrome, seeing a tiny part of Steven's shoe was already turning grey ...
~~~~~~
Throughout the rest of the day, things didn't seem like they were any different apart from that little encounter with N Kelly off in Canterlot. With little exact reason to believe he was suspicious or, well, BAD, they didn't really think on it very much except for how the cake tasted (which was pretty good). They all went through the motions, them and the rest of the Harmony Gems in either going about Gem missions, handling some fighting training, or handling the whole Twilight sparkle trouble. There wasn't as much free time as any of them would like it, and with each hour it showed, they got a bit more worn out as time went on by. Call it a weakness for an overworking team with a lot of problems thrown at them at once thanks to Grogar. As for Steven himself …
Not so well by the time the day ended. Steven was back in his room at that point, feeling very worn out and tired, not to mention slightly a bit bruised up thanks to Jasper's training course, with a bandage on his cheek, and a couple of bumps along his body. He was one tired boy.
With a sigh and a little groan, he tossed himself right into bed. He sighed in content when he felt his pillows and blanket again, not even waiting to get his nightly routine going before he began to tire out. No one else was in the Beach House so he didn't had anyone to talk to.
"PHEW. What a long day. All that fighting, and playing detective has worn me out," he said to no one in particular. Mental and physical exhaustion was never really too fun to anyone. At first he just stayed there for a bit, but then he turned his gaze away from his bed and to the picture of them all together. The first two that showed up to his eyes were the two that got him doing this in the first place: Twilight sparkle and Connie Maheswaran.
"I wish I can just find out how you're doing over there ..." Steven sighed. "Are you two holding up? Is Grogar at least feeding you well? Let you watch TV?"
Steven groaned. Why would Grogar let any of them do that, especially with one of them more as an example to the other prisoners, if what Flint and company said was anything to go by. Steven buried his face into his pillow.
"Grogar wouldn't do that. But I will get them out soon. … I just wish I knew how."
With a loud yawn, the tired boy then began to go right off to sleep. He'll freshen up in the morning.
"...…. Twilight ……. Connie ……."
…….
".... T-Twilight. Twi - huh?"
Steven was quick to open his eyes briefly, finding himself, he believed, to be a empty area. Rather quick from the comfortable bed he was just laying in, and he knew it the second he felt the cold hard ground. The ground was purely rock, flattened like a road. Steven eventually got right up to his feet to try and work out where this went off to, but the tunnel he was stuck in didn't have much to go off of at all. The only thing he could make out was the rocky exterior, and nothing else.
"Hello?" Steven asked. His voice echoed throughout the tunnel for a bit, not being met with much of a response. Steven looked to both ends of each tunnel, finding them both going pretty much nowhere as far as he knew.
"Can someone tell me where I am before I get lost?" Steven called again.
"Hey you! MOVE!"
His answer didn't have to wait very long this time. Kind of. Steven turned around, just in time to see what looked like a Gem suddenly tossed onto the ground nearby, seeming coming in from either the wall itself or just a curve in the path. This Gem, which looked like a Peridot but without her limb enhancers. Steven was taken completely off guard as the peridot was forced along by a rather unruly giant alien.
"Hey, leave her alone you -"
And they went through him. Just like that. Steven couldn't even finish his sentence when the Peridot and alien went right through and passed him, completely unaware of his presence at all. She felt himself shiver in discomfort, more from the fazing than the gem.
"Ok. So they just walked through me … wait, they didn't - …" Steven started to think some more about this, looking to his hands. Suddenly the idea struck him as he gasped.
"WHOA I'm doing that ghost thing again!" Steven exclaimed, "So that means no one can see me!"
His brief moment of realization was cut short when he heard the rough pushing again.
"Better not mess this up. So where're they going?" Steven wondered.
Well there was only one way to find out: knowing neither could see him entirely, Steven began to move off on his way behind the prisoner and officer. Sure none of them could see him, but he kept on the safe side and stayed fairly behind, only continuing to move forward when the others passed the next corner.
And that was when he saw it. Around the final turn in the tunnel, he soon began seeing signs that this "cave system" was not what it first seemed. Especially given that there were a lot more guards, a lot more gems, and WAY, WAY more holes in the walls.
"The Supreme Kindergarten …"
*clap*...*clap*...*clap*...*clap*
"Huh? Clapping?" The noise itself was a bit distinctive from what other distant voices he heard throughout this deep chasm of the Supreme, hearing it good and clear over the other noises. It took him a little bit more to work out where it was, finding a area with some walking room. Steven began to go down to investigate, but turned out he wasn't the only one hearing that noise, as a nearby guard started to take notice. This time it was a corrupted Gem joined by a bear, the bear ramming the side of the wall near the area.
"Hey, what's all the noise?!" the bear shouted.
*clap* … *clap* … *clap* …
Steven jumped down to the bear's side, being careful not to touch him or the corrupted quartz right next to him (can't afford to let them know he was there in spirit). Then he got a look at what was going on inside: the semi-corrupted Connie Maheswaran, looking around in a daze, and clapping at … well, nothing exactly.
"Connie!" Steven gasped. The bear snorted.
"Crazy runt," the bear snorted before going off on his own way. The corrupted Quartz was a bit retaliating, but the bear made her move on anyway, leaving only Steven and Connie there.
"She's lost it … Grrr, Grogar I hate you so much!" Steven exclaimed, only to quickly cover his mouth.
"WHOA. Steven, watch that four-letter word, he probably wants you to do that too. UGH, what doesn't he want me to do at this point?" Steven groaned. But he took another look in there and the clapping continued. However, this time it wasn't just Connie simply clapping in midair after some imaginary bugs. No, this time it was Connie actually doing some more exercise. It looked like push-ups but with a clap every time she pushed herself off the ground. And of course, she didn't look like she was crazy anymore, but instead determined and focused.
"One. Two. Three. Four," Connie kept counting to herself as she kept doing her training. And Steven noticed too as he strolled inside, hands behind his back (he's a spirit so he could) that Connie looked stronger too.
"Well she's not crazy, that's good. Should I interrupt her? …" Steven paused a bit, giving Connie a minute or two into the night to continue going on her practice before walking up to her, hand extended and gently placing on her shoulder.
"Connie?"
"Huh?!" - *THUD* one distraction and Connie was suddenly face-first onto the floor.
"Oops."
"Steven? … Steven, is that you? Where're you?" Connie asked, looking around frantically for Steven. She knew that voice anywhere, but no one was there that would be for that voice.
"Connie, I'm right here!" Steven insisted. This made Connie worry a bit, not seeing him anywhere. Eventually though, this began to bring Connie to tears.
"O-Oh no, what'd I do bad? S-Sorry, what's wrong?!"
"... It's true. You are dead! And now you're a spirit here to haunt me. I'm sorry, Steven!" Connie stated, now down onto her knees in defeat, just ready to collapse
"WHAT?! Connie, this is just my dream powers kicking in, I'm not dead, swearsies!" Steven made clear. Connie paused on that statement, but she wasn't so sure.
"Y-You sure?"
"Just this morning I had some cake over in Canterlot! Do ghosts ever eat cake? Connie, I wouldn't lie to you about anything," Steven reassured. Connie only recalled one time this dream power thing was ever used by anyone, but the more she thought about it, the more she calmed down.
"I knew you were still there. … But wait, how're you reaching me? You're still on Earth, can you actually reach that far with your mind?" Connie wondered, now more curious.
"Apparently I can," Steven stated, "But that's not important: how're you holding up in here? Did Grogar mess you up too bad?"
Connie felt humbled on that regard.
"Well … yes and no?"
"Oh no, mind games, what's he doing?" Steven asked.
"Well, it's not Mind Games exactly … but to put it simply, he wants me to become his bride."
…
"W-W-W-W-WHAAAT?!?!" Steven gasped, making Connie shiver from that noise. since you know, he was standing right next to her. "THAT'S SO CREEPY!!"
"I know, but apparently I'm the right age for goat marriage," Connie said, again shivering but more on that thought.
"You're not even a goat though!" retorted Steven. "I swear, when I get my hands on him, I'll make him BEG." That final remark Steven had a hand off of Connie so she didn't hear him that time, yet she probably felt the same way anyhow. First getting corrupted, NOW getting married?! Steven placed a hand on Connie afterwards to show he was still there.
"Please tell me Twilight's doing okay," Steven then inquired.
"I don't know. I last saw her being offered to go back to Canterlot, but she decided to stay here," Connie replied. Steven sighed.
"I don't even want to know what catch they wanted from that," Steven stated.
"Grogar said something about wanting her to "turn the other way" when they show up," Connie answered.
"I said I didn't - Wait. When they show - THEY'RE GOING FOR CANTERLOT?!" Steven gasped.
"I-I don't know, maybe?! They didn't do anything yet, so I think that might be their Plan B if Homeworld doesn't work," Connie said.
"You really think so?" Steven asked.
Before any of them could get another word in, suddenly another bang was heard just outside, this time the guard being the large and rather intimidating polar bear (the first bear was a grizzly).
"No talking! … Wait. Who're you even talking to?!" the polar bear demanded, claws digging into the sides of Connie's makeshift cage. Connie and Steven were left kinda stunned, but then Connie decided on something.
"I-I'm talking to … Steven?"
"Steven? You mean that dead kid?" the bear questioned. News of this "death" must've gone around everywhere, but Connie and Steven used it to their advantage.
"Yeah, see he's right here! The butter to my bread, my jam bud and peanut butter to my jelly!" Connie insisted, dramatically presenting Steven to the bear … who didn't see anyone there except for her.
"... You really are cracked. Just shut it in there! You're riling up the rocks," the bear said, a little bit disturbed that one of the prisoners ALREADY was bonkers. She kept that pose and big smile until after he wandered out of sight, sighing in relief that they didn't get found out. Though, it was impossible to say HOW they could be found out given Steven was just a figment at this point.
"That was close," Steven said, hand on Connie's shoulder.
"Really close," agreed Connie. The bear stopped briefly, but continued onward anyway.
"So, you and the gang have a gameplan yet?" Connie asked.
"We're working on something: Jasper's having us train a bit, the Diamonds had been talking a lot, and everyone else is doing other things. We're still trying to figure things out, but we'll get you and Twilight out, I promise," Steven admitted.
"I know you will. Jam bud," Connie said, smiling. She'd hug him, but she would probably fall over, not knowing where he was outside of her head. But Steven didn't hesitate, and hugged her anyway. At first this gave Connie shivers, but she accepted it, and managed to find where her arms go to return the favor. But as they were hugging, Steven began to feel himself start to fade out in flickering Connie only figuring that out by feeling his presence come and go, a voice starting to slightly echo in his head. Must be time to get back home for him.
"I know I can't see you, Steven, but … thanks for being here with me. At least I know you're alright."
"I'm just happy that you're alright," Steven replied, "We'll get back for Homeworld, for everyone. For you."
And Steven disappeared just before Connie could give him a goodbye kiss …
…
From his position in the Supreme Kindergarten, Steven's presence began to fly off away through, and into nothingness. Even if this all was a bit of a surprise, it still was good to know that at least one of them was alright, not to mention the possibility of a Equestria attack from Grogar in the future.
"Thanks for the update, Connie, now to get back and spread the news," Steven stated, making tracks. He may be simply running, but he felt that he was going a lot faster. For a moment.
"Not so fast!"
Before Steven could keep himself going, something suddenly appeared in his way and quickly made him skid to a halt. Or rather, made him bounce back after running straight into it. Steven didn't need to really wait to know that this isn't a normal presence, able to touch and react with him and all. Steven looked up and found his little trouble sitting right in front of him.
"N Kelly?!"
"Sure let's go with that," Nichrome said, snickering a bit, as he brought his foot forward, pushing down Steven's feet until he sprung back upright. Suddenly Steven found he couldn't even move, as much as he tried to.
"Hey! what're you doing? I need to get back!"
"Eh, in just a moment Steven. You had your cake and ate it too, I'd like to have some myself," Nichrome said, as a piece of that same cake he was serving earlier suddenly came up from behind him. This time though the cake did NOT look too well, looking grey, worn out, and simply disgusting. Nichrome cut off a piece of that cake the same size as he was doing it, setting it on a plate.
"E-Eh, I'm not hungry," Steven said.
"Who said you're eating it? Just going to warm it up for a second," Nichrome replied.
And suddenly Steven saw his stomach open up! Nothing grewsome, but more like a door to a microwave as Nichrome placed the cake inside of him, shutting the door before Steven could do anything to it. Soon as it closed, Steven heard a sort of humming inside of him, thinking that in some twisted way he was now a machine. However, something else began going on with him, Nichrome simply sitting aside and watching the fruits of his labor start to blossom.
Steven was losing his colors. Literally. Like draining water, all of his coloration began to fade away off of his body. Every bit of him: hair, skin, eyes, even the clothes he was wearing were fading away, being absorbed into the now Steven Universe-colored slice of cake within in.
*ding*
"Perfect," cooed Nichrome, before opening Steven up and taking the cake out. Steven froze.
"Y-You ARE EVIL."
"Sweet dreams."
THE CAKE IS A LIE. You're darn right it is. What did that cake do to him?! 
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I know you said this at the end, but I still wanna say it. *clears throat* THE CAKE IS A LIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I can't WAIT to see what happens next! OH STEVEN!!! I hope he's ok!
9678698
Grogar's Army will NOT give him a break
Connie is going all Uncle Iroh on us and "N Kelly" is giving off some Starscream vibes.
You should make another crossover story at one point.
Like with Star vs the forces of evil.
Or RWBY ( if you haven't watched it yet, you should.)
9680049
I've been considering what to do after this is complete. I'll let everyone know once this is over what comes around next
9680045
The vibes are strong with this one
9684085
plot is tricky to work around, especially with limited number of chapters per season. glad you enjoyed it all the same
You know, that not the most unconventional way of training.
I mean, you could always just launch a bunch of teenagers into a forest full of giant monsters who are attracted to negativity without giving them parachutes while having them come up with their own landing strategies... while also drinking some morning coffee and the look of someone who has done this over a thousand times (looks at Ozpin).
9686813
devious idea, that is …
It feels like we're getting closer to the endgame of this season now. Cause the moment Steven gets hurt, well, that's the cue for a grand plan to come together to figure out how to "fix" him.
Anyhow, we open with a maybe prophetic dream. Twilight, seeing something grandly dangerous in the darkness, and only being pulled back to reality by shoving. And much like say...a prince (just as a thought
), they can rattle her, but her spirit is too powerful now that she's actually got some sleep. Even after all the stress of filling in for "Celly", now that she's stuck in one spot, her sense and spirit takes over. And that means Twilight the iron maiden is up and going, a stoic, model "Never give them satisfaction" prisoner. And it drives them crazy because even through physical torture, her mind refuses to fall. Show em purple princess!
And in a super prideful yet somehow totally confident way, Twilight is using her history as a way to shove Nichrome's threats back in his face. That he can rage, threaten and prod all he wants, but she will not break, because the harmony gems have always found a way before. Though really? bad fanfic character? meta much? That just feels too self aware for the story.
On the other hand, there's something going on between Tempest and Twilight. Something where despite being the leader who caught her in the first place, Tempest Shadow actually has some kind of growing link to her prisoner? A mole in Grogar's camp maybe?
meanwhile, thousands of miles away, the fabulous investigation is under way. Small interrogations, following a cake in search of a betrayer. Only to hit what seemed like a dead spot. Only, it wasn't a dead spot. It was a trojan cake! And whatever it was, it allowed nichrome to invade steven's astral projection. Cause like when he had diamond dreams, or that time he had that out of body experience fighting the pony of shadows, Steven walked his spirit through dreams and subreality, seeking out his friends, hope never quite dying.
There's also an interesting distinction that's built into Steven's visit. In the quiet of her cell, connie is playing the fool while becoming the monster they made her by following the code of knighthood she always dreamed of living up to. Nobody and nopony can save her now. So she'll have to save herself and sacrifice her playfulness in the process like before. And yet, the second her true love makes contact, she becomes a scared teenager. Terrified that the lies were true.
But with a little reassurance, and an intel switch, it looks like the 2 of them are going to be that much closer to making a move. They even almost had a ghost kiss. That is, until someone else made his move. It's not clear what exactly happened. Maybe he got discorded? In which case, I think Discord might need to come in and share that Steven needs to remember who he is.