Chapter 38 - Loose Ends
"I can't believe you did this!" Starlight cried as she paced back and forth in the Castle of Friendship while it was Sunday morning on Earth. "What were you thinking?! Were you even thinking at all?!"
"You're blowing this up all out of proportion," said Trixie in a sedate voice.
"How can you even say that?! You smuggled a magical artifact onto Earth, you sparked an interportal incident, you--"
"I did what I had to do, what you refused to do! I gave those ponies of Earth what they should've been given a long time ago."
Starlight face-hoofed. "You're not getting this. It's not for either of us to decide that sort of thing."
"Sometimes, a pony has to stand up for what they believe in."
"Not like this. Trixie, you have no idea how many people you've hurt by your idiotic actions."
Trixie raised an eyebrow. "Hurt? I've hurt nopony! If anything, I've bettered the lives of many, many ponies."
"You didn't better mine," Starlight growled.
"I'm sorry?"
Starlight stepped up to Trixie until they were almost muzzle-to-muzzle. "I befriended you. I trusted you. When everyone else doubted that I should be taking you on as an assistant in my tasks on Earth, I stood up for you. And this is how you reward that?!"
Trixie opened her mouth to reply, but no words came forth.
"Did our friendship mean absolutely nothing to you?" Starlight said, her voice more upset than angry. "Was it just some ruse so you can get to do something important no matter how it affects anyone else?"
"No, it wasn't like that!"
"How can I believe you anymore? How can I believe anything you tell me now?!"
"I'm still your friend," Trixie said in a plaintive voice.
"You have a really weird way of showing it!" Starlight yelled. "Sneaking around behind someone's tail is not how you be a friend! Doing things that make someone look bad is not how you be a friend!"
"I wasn't trying to make you look bad."
"Maybe not, if you had just stopped to think for a minute, you would've realized what could happen if things went wrong. And they did go wrong, in the worst possible way!"
"I'm sure Twilight will find a way to smooth things over," Trixie said in a subdued voice.
Starlight clenched her teeth so hard that her jaw ached. She let out a short scream and stomped her fore-hooves before turning away.
"Why are you so upset about this?" Trixie asked.
Had Trixie's tone of voice been the least bit condescending or sarcastic, Starlight would have thrown Trixie out of the castle on the spot. Instead, she let out a long, quavering sigh. "You can't claim ignorance of the struggles I went through after Twilight and Celestia thought I could be reformed."
"You've talked about it several times," said Trixie softly.
"Yes, I have. And what did I say my biggest problem was?"
"Um, acceptance, I think."
Starlight let out another long breath before turning to face Trixie. "Yes, acceptance. I fight that feeling with every friend I make. Even you."
Trixie's pupils shrank slightly, but she said nothing in reply.
"It was never what they could do for me, it was always what I could do for them, that everything in the friendship hinged on what I did or said. Even knowing full well that you came up with this stupid idea on your own, I still stand here and think, what did I do wrong?" Starlight took a deep breath and let it go as a long sigh. "And I'll likely keep myself up at night for the next month wondering what I did wrong with you."
Trixie's eyes glistened, and she lowered her gaze.
"You wanted to know exactly how you hurt someone," Starlight said in a slightly shaky voice. "Now you know."
"I never meant it that way, Starlight," Trixie said. "You have to believe me."
"Oh, do I? After hearing how you used your body to get what you wanted with Illuminating Spark?"
Trixie's head snapped up.
"It's little wonder he broke down and confessed the whole thing," Starlight said. "He was likely so devastated when he figured out that all he got for his trouble was a roll in the grass or two for--"
"I resent that!" Trixie yelled. "I did nothing of the kind. I don't lift my tail for just any stallion!"
"Then just what did you do?"
Trixie hesitated before replying, "Let's just say I'm very good at promising but not delivering and leave it that."
Starlight narrowed her eyes. "So you're a tease. That's even worse."
"What??"
"At least if he had chance to do it with you, he would've gotten something out of it. Instead, it was just as empty as your promises to me."
"This wasn't supposed to be about you, or about us," Trixie pleaded. "I was just doing what I thought was the right thing."
"Really?" Starlight said in a dubious voice. "So you weren't thinking at all about what praise you might get later? You truly did it out of the goodness of your heart?"
Trixie frowned but said nothing.
"As I thought. Tell me, just what did Blueblood promise you? Bits? Fame? A title?"
"He didn't promise me anything," Trixie murmured.
"I find that hard to believe. As much as it pains me to say it, you're the last pony to act simply out of sheer generosity."
Trixie was silent for a long moment before she said, "If you must know, it was Spoiled Rich who pressured me into doing this."
Starlight arched an eyebrow. "Pressured? How?"
Another long silence. "She knew what I was doing before this."
Starlight blinked. "Before this? You mean smuggling that artifact was not the only thing you've done?!"
"Now we really are talking about things I did out of concern for those ponies on Earth!" Trixie cried. "Nopony promised me anything or paid me anything for what I did."
"Just what did you do?"
"What difference does it make now? What's done is--"
"What did you do, Trixie?!"
Trixie's eyes shimmered for a moment, and Starlight dared to believe that perhaps this showmare had finally realized just how hurtful her actions had been to someone who was supposedly her friend. "Nothing big. Just ... some unshielded minor artifacts like firestarter stones and some letters with hidden runes and other magical knowledge."
Starlight face-hoofed.
"Small things!" Trixie cried. "Far less than I wish I could have done."
"That's not the point!" Starlight exploded. "You're not supposed to do those things in the first place! It's not just me you're hurting now, it's Twilight! You sabotaged everything that she's been trying to accomplish on Earth."
"I never meant it that way."
"It doesn't matter what you meant. I told you right from the start that we had to act within certain guidelines, and we have little say in the matter. You'll notice that I didn't care for it either, but I understood there was more at stake here than just my personal feelings."
Trixie again fell silent, her eyes troubled.
"Did you give these artifacts and magical information to any pony in particular?" Starlight asked.
"And if I tell you, do they get in trouble as well?"
"I honestly don't know. It's not for me to decide."
Trixie frowned. "I'm not about to get an innocent pony into trouble then."
"Hardly innocent if they willingly accepted help from you."
"He had no idea it was me until he saw the Farhearing Stone."
Starlight stepped closer to Trixie. "I can guarantee you, one way or the other, it will all come out. You can't keep hiding this forever."
"I'll hide it as long as I can, then!" Trixie cried. "All this pony wanted was to see his brethren have more magic. We can't keep it from them forever. Even if I hadn't done something, somepony would've figured it out on their own."
"Did you ever stop to think that you were endangering the lives of whoever you chose to 'help?'"
Trixie gave Starlight a confused look. "I don't follow."
"You know as well as I do how paranoid humans have been about pony magic," Starlight said. "Any pony who wields advanced magic could be targeted by human authorities."
"They're not supposed to hurt ponies!" Trixie exclaimed. "It's even in the treaty!"
"I've already explained to you about the corrupt influence in the FBI."
"Which I had no idea about, and from what you've told me, that's being resolved now."
Starlight frowned. "Then why do I have a report sent to me this morning by Twilight telling me that a sleeper agent tried to kill an underage colt because he was wielding advanced magic?"
Trixie's pupils shrank. "Wh-what??"
"Granted, this came about out of that corruption, but it shows you can't assume you can dole out advanced magic and expect no consequences from it."
"Starlight, who was targeted by that agent?"
Starlight raised an eyebrow. "Why does it matter to you?"
"Just tell me!"
Starlight hesitated before replying, "A unicorn colt named Robert McDermott."
Trixie paled.
"I had to admit, I had already suspected he knew more than his peers, but I had no idea he was advanced enough to warrant Fuller's attention."
"I-is he okay?"
"As far as I can tell, yes," Starlight said. "He's been drained of magic, but that will resolve itself in a few days. Twilight plans on paying him a visit, perhaps today if she can get some time freed up after settling things with the American government and sending a letter off to Princess Celestia about this whole mess."
"Y-you mean Celestia doesn't know about all this yet?" Trixie asked in a choked voice.
"She knows vaguely what's going on, but not the details. You can be sure she'll know everything before noon today." Starlight narrowed her eyes at Trixie. "So is that it? You're worried only now that Celestia is involved?"
Trixie swallowed hard and shook her head. Her eyes glistened as she said in a shaky voice, "I-I never meant for anything bad to happen to Bob, you have to believe me."
Starlight's eyebrows rose. "I beg your pardon?"
"I knew he was a smart colt, but I never realized just what kind of a prodigy he really was!"
"Wait a minute. Are you telling me he's the one you've been passing information to?"
Trixie just nodded and sniffled once.
Starlight stared for a long moment, then let out a windy sigh. "You don't do anything small, do you?"
"I don't understand."
"The report I received from Twilight was admittedly short on details, but it implied that Bob has access to really advanced knowledge."
Trixie blinked. "He does? Like what?"
"It's only a rumor," said Starlight. "But supposedly he managed to change an Earth material into thaumically-aware crystal."
"Wait, what?!" Trixie cried.
"Just how did you manage to get him that kind of information without being noticed? Who else did you involve in this scheme? How did you even know where to find--"
"I didn't give him that information!"
Starlight paused. "You didn't?"
"I didn't even think something like that was possible!"
Starlight considered. "Okay, if you didn't give him that information, then who did?"
"I have no idea," said Trixie. "As far as I'm aware, I was the only one giving out any advanced magical knowledge."
Starlight shook her head. "All right, I'll let Twilight know there might be others spreading advanced magical knowledge on Earth. If she doesn't already have enough problems to deal with!"
"Tell me the truth, Starlight," Trixie said in an anxious voice. "Is Bob going to get into trouble for this?"
"So, now you care about that!"
"I always cared, it's why I gave him that knowledge in the first place! If anypony knows what it's like to understand that they can do far better magic than they can now but lack the opportunity to learn, it's me."
Starlight frowned. "Don't go comparing your situation to his. In fact, you need to stop making this about you. For once, disregard whatever benefit this may have for you and understand the ramifications of what you've done."
"I'm trying," Trixie said in a small voice.
"Well, try a lot harder," Starlight snapped. "You'll have all the time in the world for that, as there's no way you're going to set a hoof even near that portal ever again. I don't know if I even want you as an assistant or a student anymore."
Trixie cringed slightly, her eyes glistening. "What about a friend?"
"What about it?"
"Can I still be considered that?"
Starlight hesitated for a long moment, simply staring at Trixie as if in hope that would somehow make it easier for Starlight to understand what would drive a pony to do what Trixie had done. When she failed in this endeavor yet again, she said simply, "I don't know."
Trixie's gaze shimmered, but she simply nodded and turned away. "I won't beg for your forgiveness," she said in a stiff voice.
"Because it's beneath you?"
"Because I don't want to waste my energy on a lost cause."
Starlight tried to keep her head full of anger for this mare, as it was the only thing preventing her from blaming herself for Trixie's failings. "I never meant it that way," Starlight said despite herself.
"And I never meant to hurt you, but here we are." Trixie closed her eyes for a moment. "I need some time alone anyway, at least until I find out what will become of me after this."
Starlight opened her mouth in a bid to grant the mare some sympathy, but managed to hold back until Trixie was gone. She clenched her teeth, angry not so much at Trixie, but the way her actions had reminded Starlight of just how far she had to go herself.
Twilight examined the letter she had started to pen to Princess Celestia as she sipped on a rather strong espresso, both levitated before her as her motorcade turned off I-70. As she moved the pen to make a correction in her draft, she sighed as she heard her cell phone ring. She lifted it out of her saddlebags without taking her attention from the letter, the headset neatly dropping into place. "Twilight here," she said without bothering to look at the caller ID. "What is it?"
"Sorry to bother you on a Sunday, Princess," came the cordial male voice at the other end.
"Oh, no, not at all, Mr. President." Twilight tweaked the mute button long enough to float her coffee to the side. "Spike, here, hold on to this, please." She took a moment to compose herself before unmuting. "What can I do for you?"
"I wanted to inform you that the people affected by Ryan are being treated by Equestrian mages, and the prognosis looks good," said the President. "Since things have been rather hush-hush concerning the matter, I thought you would want to know."
Twilight smiled. "Yes, that is good news, thank you for letting me know."
"In fact, I've already been the recipient of a profuse apology by the Secretary of the Interior. He's implied that he may be rethinking his stand concerning the western ponies."
"To be blunt, Mr. President, there needs to be a lot more of that rethinking in Washington."
"I hope there will be as well, which is why I need to bring a matter to your attention."
Twilight had tried to divide her attention between the letter and the call, but now she lowered the former and sighed. "What now?"
"It's nothing particularly explosive, so long as it stays confidential," said the President. "We received a letter from one of the Dreamwardens."
Twilight nearly dropped the cell phone. "From who?? Wait, you mean ... they revealed themselves to you?"
The President uttered a short chortle. "To be honest, I'm not particularly surprised. I always suspected there had to be some sort of organization among the night ponies. And from your reaction, I take it you knew about them all along."
Twilight felt herself blush. "Mr. President, you know I would rather be open and honest about everything Equestria does and not keep secrets like this, but there are special circumstances around this, and--"
"Princess, this is not to call you to task over this," said the President. "There are many things that our government keeps secret from Equestria. Had this been something squarely on American soil, then, yes, I'd be more concerned. But I very much doubt any nation can claim sovereignty over some ethereal realm that the vast majority of humans can't even reach."
"Not everyone might see it that way."
"Let me worry about that. For now, this document is considered classified top secret. I will, of course, ensure that you are provided a copy."
"Thank you," said Twilight. "Can you give me a summary? I have no one here but Spike and my Secret Service detail."
"The letter was from a pony named Phobia Remedy," said the President. "In it, he states--"
"She, actually."
"Ah, thank you. Sometimes it's hard to tell gender just from the name. She states that the Dreamwardens have taken it upon themselves to police mind magic, at least among the pony population. The situation concerning Ryan is apparently complicating matters for them. She even outright claimed that had he still been a pony, we wouldn't be hearing of this."
"The Dreamwardens take their job very seriously, Mr. President, for obvious reasons."
"Of course, and I am rather glad the night ponies have some form of supervision. It's the spread of their authority into the waking world that has some of my staff concerned." After a pause, the President added, "However, Miss Remedy appears to understand this. This letter appears to be a request not just to assist in dealing with Ryan, but an offer to start working with the American government as well as international agencies in time."
Twilight let out a long sigh of relief. "You can't imagine how that makes me feel, Mr. President. I always felt that the veil of secrecy would do more harm than good in the long run."
"At the same time, I can read between the lines, Princess," said the President in a somber voice. "They knew how explosive this would be if it came out too soon after the ETS crisis. In fact, we're choosing for now to assist them in maintaining their secrecy, at least until we all have a chance to figure out the best way to break it to the public. But we will be working towards that aim."
"That's likely the best course of action," said Twilight. "I will help any way I can, as I'm sure Luna would as well."
"That's another thing I need to mention, Princess. Despite the rather ingenious methods used to hide Princess Luna's direct involvement in recent affairs, Agent Heller has chosen to submit a confidential report to the FBI Director and myself detailing her actions. We've chosen to keep this classified as well for the time being."
"Thank you for your understanding and patience, Mr. President," said Twilight. "I tried my best throughout the entire incident to let humans take the lead whenever possible."
"Commendable, Princess, and it reminds me that I need to place a call to Mayor Morgan and thank her for her efforts as well."
Twilight considered. "Mr. President, what are your plans for the Department of Rehumanization?"
The President sighed. "I have half a mind to close it down, or subsume its responsibilities into other departments."
"Might I suggest another course of action?"
"I know where this is going. You wish to see us create a Department of Pony Affairs."
"Yes," said Twilight. "And I know exactly who you should consider to head it: Constance Morgan."
The President hesitated. "She's hardly what anyone would consider a Washington insider."
"Precisely the reason you should consider her. Washington needs a fresh perspective, and she has solid experience helping humans and ponies get along better."
"Is she even interested in the position?" the President asked.
"I haven't broached the subject with her yet," said Twilight. "I wanted to first see if such a thing was even feasible."
"Just getting that department established will be a bit of a political battle, though it's one I think I can win. Once more details come to light about Fuller and his activities, I'm hoping it will help shift the political winds here. I'll have to get back to you on this one, Princess."
Twilight smiled. "Just the fact that you're willing to consider it is progress, Mr. President."
"The only other loose end is the one I assume you're about to see tied up," said the President. "The matter of just how much advanced magic has reached the American pony community."
"I'll do my best," Twilight said. "But to use an Earth term, the genie is well out of the bottle. I don't think we can ever hope to put it back."
"Nevertheless, having an idea what we're dealing with would help," said the President. "I still fully intend to issue that executive order tomorrow morning temporarily suspending legal action against illegal magic use except in cases personal harm or property damage."
"Thank you, that will definitely help us get a better handle on it when ponies are not afraid they're going to be arrested."
"In that case, I'll let you get back to it," said the President. "Thank you for your time, and as always, thank you for all your efforts in trying to bridge the gap between our two worlds."
Twilight smiled again as she concluded the call, letting out another heartfelt sigh of relief.
"That sounded like it went okay," Spike said as he offered the coffee to her.
Twilight grabbed the cup in her magic and applied a reheating spell until it steamed again. She took a sip before responding, "Yes, and I got some unexpected good news from it. Hopefully it means soon I can stop dancing around the whole subject of the night ponies."
Spike smiled. "So, a happy ending?"
"Not quite," said Twilight as she lifted the half-finished letter into view. "Not for everyone, at least."
Bob tried to concentrate to arrange his notes properly in advance of Twilight's visit, but his horn was still slow to respond. As he struggled, another stronger glow suffused his notes and gently pulled them from his grip. Bob sighed and looked up. "Aunt Sarah, I can handle this."
Sarah stepped forward, his notes held aloft in her magic. "Bob, you know the doctor told you that you shouldn't be trying any magic for at least a week."
"My levitation came back this morning."
"And only just this morning," Sarah admonished. "It's still pretty weak."
Bob glanced towards the window as he heard more delighted laughter outside. "I'm mostly just distracted. You'd think that there was a festival today with the way the whole town is acting."
Sarah smiled as she set the notes down on Bob's desk. "It's not every day that we're visited by an Equestrian Princess. I'm looking forward to seeing her again myself."
"I just hope she's not too upset," said Bob.
"Twilight never struck me as the kind of pony who would be angry at somepony simply for expressing their talent."
"A talent that's technically against the law," said Bob.
"I know, and I said I would protect you from that."
"I wish you'd tell me how. I thought after everything that's happened, the last thing we need is more cloak and dagger."
"It's not quite like that," Sarah said, though Bob could hear the unease in her voice. "I'm going to have to ask you to trust me on this. My, ah, benefactor is interested in any pony who shows advanced magical ability."
Bob raised an eyebrow. "Why?
"For the same reasons you're attempting advanced magic, because it furthers the overall pony cause."
"I'm not really acting for any 'cause.' I just don't see the point in preventing ponies from practicing what is in their very nature. It's like asking humans to stop innovating and creating new technologies."
"I know, and I imagine that's what she meant by that."
Bob had already just vastly increased his knowledge of Sarah's mysterious financier. Now he knew she was female. He considered Sarah's use of the word 'cause' and found another reason for concern. "Aunt Sarah, is your backer a pony?"
"Um, I'd rather not say," said Sarah.
"Which likely means she is."
"But I never said--"
"It's what you didn't say," Bob said. "If she had been human, I think you would've been right up front about it. Now this just bothers me more."
Sarah sighed in exasperation and stepped closer. "Bob, Sunny is in the other room. I don't want her asking questions."
"Which further implies that the identity of this benefactor would disturb her as well," Bob said. "You're not exactly reassuring me."
Sarah gave him a flustered look. "Sometimes I wish you weren't so insightful."
"Aunt Sarah, how you conduct your career is your business," said Bob. "But if anything about this arrangement could affect our family--"
"This is not the time to talk about it," Sarah said in a low and urgent voice.
Bob was about to respond when Sunny came racing in, her wings a blur. "Bob! Twilight is here! Come on out and meet her!"
Bob nodded and turned to his notes. He was about to try to grab them in his magic when Sarah did it for him. He sighed. "Aunt Sarah--"
"I'm not budging on this, Bob," Sarah declared. "The doctor said no magic, period. Now let's go meet Twilight."
As Sarah marched past Sunny, Sunny leaned over and whispered to Bob, "What was that all about? It sounded like you were having an argument with Mom."
"I'll tell you later," Bob said. "We better not let Twilight wait."
He stepped into the common room of the domicile, where Twilight stood talking to Harold. At her side was her dragon assistant Spike, and behind both of them were two Secret Service agents.
"--glad to hear that Sarah is back at her research," Twilight was saying as Bob approached. "I'm just sorry it took a private investor to get her back on track."
"She's actually all the much better for it," Harold replied. "This seems to be a lot steadier source of funding than the government ever was."
"Are you sure? I've heard the private sector can be fickle."
Sarah smiled as she stepped up to them. "I'm not particularly worried. Let's just say my investor has both deep pockets and a vested interest in my success."
Bob glanced over to his adoptive sister. Sunny had a somewhat bemused expression on her face, as if she were as puzzled over her mother's financing as Bob was, or perhaps this was the first time she was hearing about it.
"Still, if you ever need any help, please let me know," said Twilight.
"Thank you, I really appreciate it." Sarah smiled and drew the stack of Bob's notes before her. "But you didn't come here to talk about my career."
"I wish I could stay longer and catch up, but I do have a lot to get done." Twilight looked towards Bob and smiled. "Hello, Bob."
"Um, hi, Princess," Bob said in an uncertain voice.
"Please, you can call me Twilight. So, I've heard you've learned some advanced magic. And before we start, I know all about what Trixie has done."
That was some relief on Bob's part, as Twilight was not one to hide her feelings. If she was at all upset with Bob's role in this, she would have likely shown it by now.
"Just what did this Trixie person do?" Sunny asked in a wary voice.
"She's the source of the bits of advanced magical knowledge that were passed down to me," Bob explained.
"Really?" Sunny said with some surprise. "I had no idea somepony from Equestria was helping you directly."
"I wasn't quite sure myself until I actually met her."
"One thing I need to ask," Twilight said. "Trixie is being accused of smuggling a more powerful artifact, namely--"
"A Farhearing Stone," said Bob.
Twilight sighed. "I was hoping we were wrong about that. You actually saw it?"
"Yes, and, um, examined it magically." Bob pointed at the notes. "It sort of gave me the breakthrough that led to this."
Twilight nodded, taking the notes in her magic. "Do you know what happened to the artifact after that?"
Bob's eyes flicked over to Sunny for a moment. "It was eventually delivered to the head of the Shimmerist faction in Grand Junction."
Twilight face-hoofed. "Just what I didn't need to hear."
"But do they still have it?" Sunny asked. "Their leader was Strong Hooves, and he was arrested the other day. I don't remember hearing of any sort of magical artifact being found."
"They likely hid it," Twilight said. "But if it's still in the area, I can find it. Thank you for that information, Bob, that was very helpful."
Bob nodded and relaxed again. He had worried that he might be pressed for the identity of the pony who delivered the gem. He already knew Rainy regretted doing it.
Twilight started separating Bob's notes, several pages floating before her. "The rumor I heard was that you had converted earth material into thaumically-aware crystal. I'm assuming that's a bit overblown."
"Uh ... actually, no."
Twilight peered over the notes. "I beg your pardon?"
"I really did do it," Bob explained. "It was a very small shard, but it will hold magic."
Twilight smiled. "No offense, Bob, but are you quite sure? Such a thing really should be nearly impossible to do."
Bob turned to Sarah. "Aunt Sarah, could you get those forceps that are on my bureau?"
"Of course," said Sarah as she turned away.
"If Bob thinks he did, that's good enough for me," said Harold, smiling. "He was always very intelligent before ETS."
"I realize that, and I meant no insult," said Twilight. "It's just--"
Sarah came trotting back with the forceps, the handles having since been taped closed to avoid losing its sparkling specimen. Twilight's eyes had already widened even before she snatched the prize from Sarah's grip and held it before her gaze.
"Great Celestia, this is thaumatic crystal!" Twilight set it aside and look frantically through Bob's notes. Suddenly she froze and uttered a tremendous gasp. All but one of the notes fluttered to the floor. She stared at it for a few more moments before exploding, "Where did you get this?!"
She turned the offending note towards him. It was his ultimate work, the Thaumatic Subatomic Matrix.
"Did I make a mistake?" said Bob.
"A mistake?? No, Bob, you're not the one who made the mistake. Whoever gave this to you made the mistake! Was it Trixie? Did she--"
"It wasn't."
"Then who--?"
"I created it myself."
Twilight's jaw dropped.
"I hope I got it right."
Twilight just stared.
"Did I get it right?" Bob asked.
"This is a Thaumatic Subether Matrix!" Twilight cried. "It's the theoretical basis of how materials hold magic! It was one of Starswirl the Bearded's greatest theories! And you're saying you came up with this yourself?!"
"Yes," Bob said.
"You ... I ... buh ..."
And then Twilight just stared.
Spike sighed. "Uh-oh. Twilight.exe has stopped working."
"Um, Twilight?" Sarah ventured.
"Do we need to get a doctor for her?" Harold asked.
Spike waved a claw. "Nah, just give her a moment to reboot, so to speak."
Twilight suddenly shook her head, her mane in disarray. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Give me a moment, please."
"I'm sorry if this is a shock to you," Bob said. "I honestly never thought I would come this far in my research."
Twilight opened her eyes and picked up all the notes, rearranging them back into a neat pile. To Bob's surprise, she levitated them back over to Sarah's keeping. "Well, you have, and you should be very proud of yourself. And, yes, it's correct, down to the last detail."
Bob slowly smiled.
"But what I have yet to understand is how you can go from this to actually transforming earth materials. That should still be almost impossible to achieve."
"To be fair, I haven't had complete success yet," said Bob. "I created that small shard working mostly on intuition and half-formed theories. The rest of the quartz crystal shattered rather violently. It's why I've had a cinder block wall built to stand behind for my next attempt."
Sarah set the notes off to the side. "I have to admit, even after seeing the precautions you're taking, I'm a little concerned for your safety," she said.
"I know, but I feel I have to do this," said Bob. "I have to know if this will work."
"I agree," said Twilight.
"You do?"
Twilight smiled. "Bob, it's what I've been trying to tell the American government, that they can't expect ponies not to advance in magical knowledge on their own. If you can really do what you believe you can do, it's a complete game-changer."
"Yes, it is," said Bob.
"But Sarah is right to be concerned. You're dealing with very powerful, raw energies. You're attempting to shape thaumic forces before they've technically become magic."
"If you can suggest other precautions, I would certainly be open to that."
"I would like to be present when you attempt this," said Twilight.
Sarah gasped, and both her and Harold beamed at Bob.
"I think Starlight would like to be there, as well," Twilight continued. "I especially want to find out how I had missed this latent potential of earth materials."
"So far, I've found only one," said Bob. "Rose quartz."
"Really?" Twilight said. "That's rather surprising. I would have thought one of the precious gems would be a first choice."
"It was surprising to me as well, until I understood the underlying thaumic dynamics. For whatever reason, no other material I've examined has the same potential."
Twilight smiled wistfully. "I really envy you. You remind me so much of when I was a filly, and everything about magic was new and wondrous to me." She paused. "Um, assuming you're going to stay a pony, that is."
"Yes, I've made my decision about that," said Bob. "I'm staying a pony."
"I'm very happy that you came to that decision yourself and didn't have a cutie mark decide it for you." She chuckled. "Though I admit, after seeing those notes, I'm surprised you don't have one already."
Bob thought it was only a matter of time now. He could almost sense it on the edge of his perceptions, like an actor waiting in the wings to take the stage. All it needed was the proper cue.
Harold smiled and wrapped a fore-leg around his barrel. "If Bob's not worried about it, neither am I. He'll get his in due time."
"I think I will," Bob said with a smile. "When the time is right."
Spoiled Rich set down her teacup as she sat in an opulently furnished dining area. She clopped her fore-hoof on the table once; immediately, a servant dashed over with a teapot levitated in his magic and refreshed her cup. "See to my guest as well," she ordered.
Fancy Pants covered his cup with a hoof briefly. "Ah, no, I'm good."
The stallion servant bowed his head and retreated.
"I do hope this means you will be taking your leave soon," Spoiled said in a stiff voice.
Fancy took his time sampling another pastry from the plate in the center of the table. "Now is that any way to speak to one of your benefactors, my dear?"
"My daughter is due home from school within the hour."
"And what of it?"
Spoiled frowned. "I don't want her to hear us discussing anything that could be considered anti-human." She sighed. "Otherwise, she might use that ability to get ponies to do what she wants on me if she hears what I've been up to."
Fancy tilted his head as he set down his cup. "You have not told her of your activities?"
"No, and I prefer she remain ignorant of them," said Spoiled in a low voice. She clicked her tongue. "Ever since she stopped caring about what social circles she associates with, she has come up with all manner of silly ideas, not the least of which is that humans and ponies can somehow live in harmony."
"Is that why you helped Prince Blueblood in his plans concerning Earth?" Fancy asked.
"The ponies there do not stand a chance of survival against the humans if we do not help them," said Spoiled in a haughty voice. "Not to mention they need a dose of reality. I'm not at all sure what was going through Sunset Shimmer's head when she thought of creating a society without some sort of social hierarchy."
"Oh, indeed," said Fancy. "To think they didn't even have the concept of money. Barbaric."
Spoiled knew enough about Earth to understand that humans were no stranger to concepts such as money, but they used it in such wasteful ways. In Equestria, where money was not strictly needed in order to live comfortably, it was never about the accumulation of shiny things; it all had to do with social standing.
"Speaking of which, I have not heard how the Prince's plans are going ever since I facilitated giving the Farhearing Stone to Trixie," said Spoiled.
Fancy hesitated. "Ah, yes. About that."
Spoiled arched an eyebrow.
"There's been some, ah, unfortunate developments."
Spoiled narrowed her eyes. "What unfortunate developments?"
"Ahem. Well, it would appear his plans have been called off, as it were."
"What?!" Spoiled cried. "What are you talking about? What do you mean 'called off'?"
Fancy took a moment to finish his pastry before continuing. "It appears that he and Trixie were discovered communicating with Earth. As this is, well, frowned upon in the current political climate, he--"
Spoiled thumped a hoof on the table hard enough to rattle the silverware. "He was supposed to keep such communications secret!"
"Ah, yes, but, there were some unforeseen complications."
Spoiled took a deep breath in a vain attempt to calm her pounding heart. "And just who knows about this?"
Fancy looked thoughtful. "Hmm. Well, Sunburst was among those who discovered their activity."
Spoiled's pupils shrank.
"And I imagine he made a report to Princess Twilight."
Spoiled face-hoofed.
"And considering Starlight Glimmer is friend to both Twilight and Trixie, she likely knows as well."
"Which means Celestia will know if she doesn't already!" Spoiled cried.
"My dear, just what are you upset about?"
Spoiled stared at him. "Surely you must be joking. We could be in serious trouble over this!"
Fancy chuckled. "My dear, this is Equestria. How many times have alleged wrongdoers been given no more than a good scolding, a chance to see the power of friendship, patted on the head, and sent on their merry way, hmm?"
"That was before we had dealings with another world," said Spoiled.
"Really, this is no different than, say, dealing with the dragons, or the Griffon Kingdom, or Zebrica."
"Yes, but none of them are capable of leveling entire nations."
"Tut-tut, you worry too much." Fancy stepped out of his chair. "But in deference to the imminent arrival of your daughter, I will take my leave. Please give Diamond Tiara my regards."
"Wait." Spoiled hopped out of her chair and trotted over to him. "Just tell me one thing: did my name ever come up? Does anypony know I was an intermediary?"
"I don't recall hearing your name."
Spoiled uttered a long sigh of relief. "Good."
"Honestly, you should be proud of what you have done," said Fancy. "Even if it didn't pan out in the end. I'm sure there will be other opportunities. Good day to you."
Spoiled watched him go. She wanted more reassurance that there would indeed be another opportunity, if simply to know that she was not going to get into trouble for what she had already done.
"I hope you're right," Spoiled said softly.
Rainy Skies had not wanted to disrupt the celebratory mood that had enveloped Pony Hope with the arrival of Princess Twilight, but she felt no time would be right to break the news to Sunny about what she had done in her friend's absence. For all she knew, Bob had already said something, as the news media had already hinted that Twilight was investigating a case if illicit transfer of magical knowledge. The Princess could very well be using the excuse of seeing Bob to ask some pointed questions.
Yet when she came upon Sunny, she found her friend and wingleader speaking with other members of the wing as they hovered above the treetops just at the edge of town. Sunny turned at her friend's approach and smiled. "Rainy! You're just in time. I was going to send somepony looking for you."
"Um, you were?" Rainy asked in a wary voice.
"I didn't think you wanted to miss out on this," said Sunny. "Twilight wanted to see what we could do. I told her that we all came about our skills on our own and without any Equestrian aid."
Several of the others gathered nodded enthusiastically, looking rather proud of themselves.
"So she wanted to see how far we've come along."
"Um, okay."
Sunny tilted her head. "Is something wrong?"
"I need to talk to you about something," Rainy said in a low and urgent voice. "Alone."
"I'm sorry, it's going to have to wait. Twilight doesn't have a lot of free time. I promise we can talk when this is over."
Rainy would have protested, but she didn't want to stop her friend from showing off for Equestrian royalty. To be honest, Rainy wouldn't mind having this last chance to impress the Princess, especially if Sunny later insisted Rainy confess her role to Twilight in the manner concerning the Farhearing Stone.
Rainy managed a small smile and nodded. "All right. What is it you wanted us to do?"
"Let's start with something simple," said Sunny. "Just a gentle snowfall. Then I want us to show how well we can manipulate the thermals and turn it back into rain without causing it to fall as freezing rain. Then lets clear out the clouds as quickly as we can and dissipate the moisture into the air to create a rainbow."
Rainy's smile grew wider. She had not had a chance to do even half of what she had initially wanted to try while Sunny was away. "Okay, I'm game!"
Sunny gestured, and half a dozen pegasi formed up around Rainy. "You take this contingent. Start the snow going from north to south. We'll work on mapping the thermals."
"Got it!" Rainy turned to the others. "With me. You know what to do."
Several voiced their approval while the others nodded.
"Okay, let's go!"
Rainy was able to immerse herself in the endeavor and set aside her worries for the time being. Performing weather control perhaps looked easy to those on the ground, but doing it on anything other than a very small scale required a great deal of coordination. Pegasi could fly very quickly when trying to move air, heat, and moisture where it was needed. Very much like human air show pilots, they needed to be extremely cognizant of where their cohorts were at all times.
It helped that they had an innate sense for where fellow pegasi were in the sky, but as their number increased, it became more challenging to track. Nevertheless, Rainy had become accomplished at it, enough so that she could adjust the flights of her compatriots when she thought they were becoming too crowded in one section of the sky.
She also had a few newcomers on the team, and she quickly flew over to one who was bucking a cloud far too hard. "Lighter touch! Lighter touch!" Rainy cried. "We want a light snowfall, not a snowstorm."
"How's this?" asked the mare as she eased back on her strength.
"Much better. Keep it up!"
With the newcomers straightened out, she could rejoin the more experienced wingmates who were advancing the snow further south, like a huge fluffy white blanket unfolding. She dove towards the leading edge, willing moisture to gather around her. She snapped her wings to surge forward, her tail whipping up puffs of white as the cloud coalesced in her wake.
Rainy let out a contented sigh. She loved doing this. It was second nature to her now. Perhaps the transformation had not brought on all the benefits promised to her in the Vision, but she would never want to give this up. Let her have this, and she could deal with the rest.
Yet as she helped complete the first phase of the demonstration, she watched Sunny with worried eyes. Nopony was more enthusiastic about her abilities that Sunrise Storm. She had made the most of her transformation. Already the town was abuzz with the story that Sunny had actually created some serious weather indoors, far surpassing what they had done in the shelter that first day they had tried out their abilities.
Sunny was a pony Rainy aspired to be, which was why the doubt Rainy had expressed in her friend's absence now sparked a shame she wondered if she would ever overcome. Had she simply clung to the same ideals that Sunny had, perhaps things would have turned out better.
Sunny disappeared with her contingent under the clouds for some time. When they finally burst through, leaving a hole in the clouds in their wake, the snowfall had turned to rain. "All right, everypony! Time for the finale! All hooves on deck!"
Rainy raced in with her cohorts, and she wasted no time in combining her power with the others. She carefully shepherded the newcomers, drawing them close to her so that she could better coordinate them. They whirled around as if intending to create a tornado, but instead the clouds were gently gathered and drawn up, where the colder air made the moisture freeze out into a swarm of sparkling crystals.
The newbies had to sit out the last part, as they were not quite experienced enough. Creating a rainbow was part physics and part magic. Indeed, pegasi-created rainbows had more substance to them than just a simple prismatic light show.
Sunny was smiling hugely when she flew up to Rainy and offered her foreleg. Rainy hesitated only a moment before hooking her foreleg with that of her friend. Others linked up in similar fashion, forming a line. They swept upwards through the fog of frozen moisture, and almost literally drew bright bands of light behind them.
As they curved down along the final part of the rainbow, Rainy could hear the cheers from below. She smiled. Having pegasi in the skies was such a common sight anymore that it was nice to hear the accolades again that had accompanied their first forays in what seemed like a lifetime ago.
She separated from the others as they finished, and she hoped the cheering would not last long before she had a chance to talk to Sunny now that her courage had been bolstered. Yet before she could say a word, she spotted a purple-furred pony flying up to meet them. It took her a moment to realize it was Twilight Sparkle.
"That was absolutely amazing!" Twilight gushed as she hovered nearby. "You all showed such wonderful coordination and teamwork. I so wish Rainbow Dash were here. She would really be impressed, I'm sure."
Sunny inexplicably blushed at this praise, but the others were quite obviously swelling with pride.
"I wish I could stay, but I've already been here longer than I had intended," said Twilight.
Sunny flew up to her. "Thank you so much for coming. I think just your presence here has given a lot of ponies hope for the future."
"Really, it's you who they need to thank. You're the one who's put in so much effort."
"I just hope it will make a difference."
Twilight smiled. "It already has."
Rainy's own smile faded a bit. Had this been a week ago, she would be doubting these words. It had been her lack of faith that had prompted her to seek another path without looking where it really led. Instead, things might get better in spite of what she had done rather than because of it.
Twilight flew forward and drew Sunny into a brief hug. "I'll try my best to visit again soon," Twilight said in a soft voice. "I really hope the President's goodwill tour goes well."
Sunny smiled. "We'll show him the same hospitality we show any being who comes to our town."
Rainy hoped that tour was going to be something more than just a political ploy. Sunny seemed confident that something good would come out of it; Rainy had to put her faith in that.
She sighed. As much as she had hoped that recent events had combated her doubts, some refused to let go. Too much uncertainty still clouded the future.
Twilight finally departed, and Rainy took a deep breath. "Sunny, can I please talk to you now?"
"One moment," said Sunny before she turned to the others. "Good work, everypony! Most of you can go, but I'll need a few volunteers to keep a check on the remaining moisture and make sure it doesn't try to precipitate out. We promised a clear night for the school's stargazing party."
"I'll do it!" a few of the others chorused.
"Okay, that should be enough. The rest of you, dismissed!" Sunny spun around in place as the others departed. "What's up, Rainy? Is something wrong?"
"Uh, well, you could say that," Rainy said in a quavering voice.
Sunny suddenly smiled. "I think I know what this is about."
"Um, you do?"
Sunny nodded. "I know all about the snow you had the team do while I was gone."
"Oh, uh, about that ..."
"I'm not upset about it at all. Maybe I would have been if things hadn't happened the way they did, but I trust you made an informed decision."
Rainy wanted to cringe.
"You're experienced enough to know what can and can't be done, and--"
"Sunny, I was the one who took the Farhearing Stone to Strong Hooves!" Rainy blurted.
Sunny stopped and stared at her friend.
Rainy sighed and covered her eyes with a fore-leg for a moment. "I'm sorry. I know now I should never have done that. It was wrong. Tina tried to stop me, and I didn't listen."
Sunny sighed. "Rainy--"
"You trusted me, and I betrayed that trust. You never would've let me do that if you'd been here."
Sunny frowned slightly. "No, I wouldn't."
"See? And now you probably hate me for doing it."
"Hate you? Of course not!"
Rainy stared. "How can you say that?!"
"Rainy, you really didn't cause any harm."
"I gave the thing to a fucking Shimmerist!" Rainy wailed. "That's the last kind of pony who should have any sort of advanced magic!"
"And if you hadn't given him that gem, he would've gotten advanced magic from some other source," said Sunny.
"But--!"
"No, listen to me. You didn't see what I did when Twilight talked to Bob. Bob's made a possible breakthrough that makes that artifact you gave Strong peanuts by comparison."
Rainy blinked, her pupils shrinking slightly. "I-I had heard he had done something amazing, but--"
"The point is, he's not the only one who has advanced magic. I mean, well, look at me. Look at that earth pony filly we heard about, um, what was her name? Wild something. Anyway, Twilight herself made the point earlier that they can't keep advanced magic out of our hooves forever."
Rainy frowned. "But I could've been a little more judicious about who received it."
"Why?" Sunny asked. "I mean, seriously, do you think Bob is going to ask ponies about their political affiliation before teaching others what he knows?"
"What about the purpose behind the artifact? It wasn't all about giving somepony advanced magic."
"I know, and I have to admit, that's the part that makes me a little disappointed in you."
Rainy's ears drooped.
"But I can probably guess what drove you to do it," said Sunny in a softer voice. "You were really frustrated that things didn't seem to be changing. You wanted to do something."
"Yes," Rainy said. "But I wasn't thinking straight on what that something should be."
"Maybe not, but there's no point in being upset about the past. We can only look forward."
"You're taking this a lot better than I expected you would."
"If this had been a month ago, yes, I would be freaking out," said Sunny. "But after everything I've seen and experienced in the past few weeks, the last thing I want to do is foster resentment." She slowly smiled. "Maybe we need to start living up more to those ideals that I remember you saying made you happy for your transformation."
Rainy's eyes glistened. She tried to speak, but her own emotions were running too high. She threw her forelegs around her friend and hugged her fiercely, so much so that their flight faltered for a few seconds. "God, Sunny, you really are the best friend I've ever had."
Sunny let out a heartfelt sigh and hugged her friend in return. "Rainy, you're a very good friend, and that's what I want you to be. Not a follower or an admirer. I have enough of those to last me a lifetime."
Rainy drew back and smiled even as she wiped a tear from her eye. "For good reason, too! I'm surprised Twilight didn't make a direct comparison between you and Rainbow Dash."
Sunny chuckled weakly and blushed rather hard. "Um, well ..."
Rainy looked at her friend curiously.
Sunny ran a hoof through her mane. "Twilight did say something earlier that she thought she sensed some sort of potential in me and, uh, Rainbow's name did come up."
Rainy gasped. "Oh, no way!"
"She said I had the potential. It doesn't mean I'm like Rainbow Dash."
"Still, even the Princess recognizes your ability!"
"Please, don't go spreading that around. I already feel like I have a lot to live up to."
Rainy smiled. "Of course I won't."
"And what I said before is true," said Sunny. "I don't want you to be a follower, I want you to be a friend. And that means you have to make your own decisions and not worry about whether I'll approve of it."
"I still feel like I did the wrong thing," said Rainy in a low voice.
"Then that's up to you to deal with." Sunny smiled. "But I'll be there to help if you need it."
Rainy smiled and hugged her friend one more time. She still felt like she had a lot to sort out in her head and her life, but at least she no longer had to worry about her friendship with Sunny. In all the uncertainty which still lie ahead, at least this was one thing she could count on.
Celestia gently sipped her tea as the other cup sat untouched across the table from her. She had hoped that the blend she had selected would be palatable to her guest, but she should have realized that if there were the least bit of a reason for disliking something -- however remote -- a Griffon would find it.
In this case, it had been the shape of the steam curling up from the hot tea.
"I want to make it clear that we will not live in the shadow of Equestria any longer," declared the creature who glared at the Diarch from behind an eye patch. "We will not follow any marching orders other than our own."
Celestia lowered her cup and put on her best diplomatic smile. "Of course, Ambassador Grannor, this is understood. It was never my intention to impose upon your people."
"Hmph. You were certainly singing a different tune when you used that mind magic spell years ago. And don't take the word 'singing' to be a song cue! You ponies drive me nuts with that stuff."
"The Equish language does indeed lend itself to that, yes," said Celestia. "But I was not feeling in that particular a mood today."
Truth be told, it had been too long since she had been in any mood other than tense, forcing her to wear this persona of calm and forbearance to the point where it felt like a mask starting to fray at the edges. Recent revelations concerning how her own universe worked that had eluded her for centuries as an Ascended being did not help any.
She made a mental note to see if there were some way she could meet with this human girl Jenny in person. Celestia had so many questions for her. And Discord, for that matter, though she doubted he would tell her anything, or that she could trust what she did hear.
"We fully intend not to let Equestria take the sole lead in dealing with Earth," Grannor continued. "We've already told the Russians and Chinese that they can have embassies in our Kingdom, and they're more than happy to host one of ours."
"Of course," said Celestia. "This is to be expected and is your prerogative. I assume you will be approaching the United States as well?"
Grannor narrowed his eyes. "We're still debating that."
"I strongly encourage you to do so."
"Why? So you can keep an eye on us?"
"Certainly not," said Celestia. "How you handle your diplomatic affairs is your own business. I suggest it only so your kind will be exposed to many different human cultures."
Grannor folded his fore-legs. "Hmph. Or you just don't want us getting chummy with your human friends' enemies."
Celestia inwardly sighed. Outside Equestria, the perception was that Equestria was somehow favoring the United States over other countries on the planet. Knowledge of the technological wonders that existed there was spreading. Celestia had been very picky about what technologies she allowed her ponies to use in order to avoid upsetting the environment or introducing more culture shock than contact with another world had already introduced.
"I hardly would call them 'enemies,' Ambassador," said Celestia patiently. "Economic and political rivals, perhaps, but they seek to address their grievances peacefully."
"For a world that wants peace, they sure as Tartaras have a lot of weapons."
"Which brings us to the crux of the discussion," said Celestia, adding a "finally" in her head. "I would like us to come to a mutual agreement concerning limiting any sort of weaponry imported into this world."
Grannor snorted. "Not like we have a choice, with your lot controlling all access to the portal."
"That will change in time. When Twilight is freed up from resolving her current, ah, issue on Earth, she intends to explore the idea of creating more than one portal."
Celestia had avoided the word "crisis" as she had not wanted to keep thinking of it that way. Everything was starting to be resolved; all she was waiting for was news concerning the final matter Twilight was attempting to address, that of the nobles' interference. She had hoped it was minimal. Normally, she would keep on top of such things herself, but neglecting diplomatic ties with nations of her own world had finally caught up with her, and all her energy had gone into remedying that situation.
"I certainly hope so, as we're tired of having to rely on Equestria for everything," said Grannor.
Celestia was about to reply when green fire erupted in midair before her muzzle, and a scroll materialized from within it. She grasped it in her magic as the fire and smoke dissipated. "Ah, this is from Twilight Sparkle, no doubt in reference to her task on Earth. I will likely want to review this and meet with you again at a later date."
Grannor got off his seat. "Just as fine for me, these pillows are too soft."
Celestia forced another smile as the Ambassador turned and left. She let out a long sigh after he was gone.
She headed out of her private meeting chamber and back into her throne room, where Tight Schedule was already waiting for her. "So I take it that went as well as any meeting with a Griffon does."
"Don't be too harsh on him, please, Tight," said Celestia as she took her seat upon her throne. "We all need to approach the current situation in a calm and rational manner. Nothing will be accomplished with anger."
Tight just shrugged and levitated her pencil from her mane. "All right, let me get your schedule worked out for the rest of the morning."
"Yes, please," said Celestia as she broke the seal on the scroll. "While I read this missive from Twilight."
She unrolled it and read:
Dear Princess Celestia:
It is with regret that I present to you evidence of a plot by the nobility led by Prince Blueblood to directly interfere with matters on Earth. He sought to contact the Shimmerist faction in hopes of pressuring you into declaring a protectorate over the western ponies of the United States.
In his attempt, he employed Spoiled Rich as a proxy to have Trixie smuggle a Farhearing Stone into the Shimmerists' midst. The Shimmerists had their own demand, evidenced when Trixie was seen obtaining restricted information from the Canterlot Archives concerning Sunset Shimmer's transformation research. Later, she was discovered with Prince Blueblood as they attempted to transmit said information to Earth. While they were interrupted, a currently unknown amount of information was successfully sent. While Blueblood has denied his involvement, Trixie later confessed the whole thing to Starlight. Furthermore, Trixie also confessed that she has been passing advanced magical knowledge to Earth for some time, in direct violation of the Treaty of Mutual Friendship.
I have smoothed things over as much as I can with the American government. It helps that they have been made aware of the corruption in the FBI and the federal government, and they are grateful for that, but are upset at this attempted violation of American sovereignty. I have assured them this does not represent the official policy of the Diarchy. However cordial my relations with the American President have been, there will likely be serious repercussions both at the national and international level.
As for the disposition of all involved, I will leave that in your capable hooves.
Yours in friendship,
Twilight Sparkle
Celestia narrowed her eyes. She remembered her words to Tight Schedule just moments ago, about not letting anger rule the discussion, and she tried to apply it here.
She failed.
Tight looked up. "So, are you ready to open Day Court and see your first petitioner?"
Celestia's mane suddenly became fire. The scroll went up in a whoosh of flame, and ashes trickled to the floor. Her eyes blazed.
Tight backed up a step. "Uhhh, I'll take that as a 'no'."
Celestia bolted from her throne. Her hooves stomped against the floor, sending up small puffs of flame with each contact, leaving behind faint, hoof-shaped char marks in their wake. She seized the doors in her magic and threw them open with a bang that reverberated through the palace. The walls -- and her subjects -- then trembled with the full force of the Royal Canterlot Voice.
"WE WISH PRINCE BLUEBLOOD, SPOILED RICH, AND TRIXIE IN OUR PRESENCE," Celestia thundered. "NOW!!"
Stats
Page generated in 0.044 seconds
Total duration
960 users online
1,464,839 hits today, 2,054,621 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
Yeah, I for one wouldn't want to be Trixie, Blueblood or Spoiled right now...
Feels like things are coming to an end here... Still remains to be seen what the Dead Man's Hand was though.
9630971
It’s obvious that the attack on Bob was part of Dead Man’s Hand in which known individual’s working on advanced magic were to either have their work stolen, destroyed or either have the pony themselves brought in or taken out. If there’s more information to come on Fuller’s last throw of the dice we will hear about it before too long.
Also looking forward to seeing how Trixie, Blueblood and Spoiled will be dealt with.
"And now Ollie WIlliams with the punishment forecast. Ollie?"
"They gonna get it!"
Hoooolllyyy crapbaskets, Celestia is officially on the warpath. Dis gon b gud.
9631044
True... Though I believe there is probably more to it. Time will tell...
HEHEHEHEHEHEHHEHE
Here it comes...
Given all the other nonsense that has been going on, it's no surprise that this is the straw that finally broke the camel's back
Seriously, Sarah? Bob nearly died after discovering her "friend" was an undercover spy, and you want to convince him to entrust his research to your "mysterious" benefactor (Sunset Blessing, I assume) without spilling the beans first?
media0.giphy.com/media/gSRkSblDEjUuk/giphy.gif?cid=19f5b51a5ce18cd14c73666e55e874c3&rid=giphy.gif
Wonder if Fancy Pants will manage to get away scot free.
hmm honestly does Trixie deserve to be punished it seems to be the humans would have made the discovery without trixies help anyway....but honestly Trixie was in the right like an earlier part of this chapter said it would be like denying humans the right to continue making tech the ponies of earth were being held back and well as we saw to quote a certain movie "life finds a way" blueblood and rich however and the nobility however wanting to force celestia to make the ponylands of earth into a protectorate is pretty much conspiracy against the crown so unless some of nobility decided to go against the council the only thing the princess can do is well...dissolve the nobility if that happens the equestria government could end up dissolved
…..will there be a third story?
9631139
Eventually, yes. I do plan on taking the summer off after this one is completed (which will be soon), as I'd like to take a break.
Well Trixie, Spoiled Rich, and Blueblood have to pay the piper now. I hope Fancy gets caught because I definitely can see Spoiled throwing him and anypony else under the metaphorical bus to save her hide.
9631136
Well, yeah. Regardless of whether the ponies of earth would have figured it out themselves, Trixie did bring materials deemed illegal across the border, which is a crime. I mean, to compare, just because someone can figure out how to make illegal drugs themselves doesn't make smuggling those drugs legal.
Which has me wondering... has Celestia's patience and tolerance reached a snapping point? And I mean, well and truly reached a snapping point where she is taking off the slap-on-the-wrist approach? We've heard those nobles time and time again scoff at the idea of Celestia severely punishing anypony, to the point where they're even using it as an excuse to commit to whatever they are doing because "why bother being worried about the consequences?"
I am seriously looking forward to Celestia's response. She has been extremely passive this story so far, but these ponies have been so flagrantly flouting her authority that they -and the rest of Equestria and beyond- could serve to be reminded that yes, she is one of four ultimate authority figures in Equestria. Not some harmless idol on a golden throne everyone can just ignore.
9631169
The added bonus is that her snap could well and truly prove to the other Equus nations (and possibly Earth nations) that once the line has been crossed, a demi-god can, and will, exact punishment (and that they should be happy said demi-god is generally kind to all around her).
If you don't mind my asking, what happened to Molly and her parents in the end? Was that plotline concluded and I just missed it somehow?
9631188
Quite. One important difference with this event and all the other events that only Spoiled Rich seems to realize is that all events in Equestria were just that: events in Equestria. Either it was an internal Equestrian problem or it came from someone from outside Equestria causing havoc in Equestria. People of all kinds outside of a nation tend to care a lot less if someone is lenient on crime happening inside another. That is after all all up to that country and since it doesn't affect anyone else, few are likely to care. This, however, is ponies from Equestria committing crimes outside Equestria. Which is an entirely different thing, and something that everyone is going to be far more interested in seeing the results of.
They also seem to have a rather rose-tinted view of punishments, and seem to ignore that criminals in the vein of Discord and Tirek were and are imprisoned for over a thousand years. One of them by petrification. Heck, Celestia even banished her own sister to the moon for a thousand years, so it's not as if she is fundamentally incapable of delivering harsh punishments.
Which two worlds might just be getting a reminder of.
Also on other elements, poor Starlight took Trixie's betrayal about as well as I'd expected. She's blaming herself for this first and foremost, which is the one thing she shouldn't do as she isn't responsible for the actions of others. Too bad the guilt-game is hard to avoid to begin with, but that last line where she thinks of herself about how far she still had to go? As if there was something about her friendship that she did wring? That made me want to reach across the screen and hug Starlight until I can make all the bad things go away.
What happened to Kevin?
It's a bit late that I remember him but since he was the first human to get magic.....
9631222
This one hasn't been marked complete yet. Considering it began with Molly and her parents I wouldn't be surprised that's where it ends.
9631305
Fair enough. I was just curious. Thank you. ^^
Been waiting for this.
I wonder how glad he'll be when he finds out that supervision includes torcher and lobotomies.
9631340
9631305
Actually, we will be revisiting Molly and her family before the end of the story. I want to give proper closure for all the story's characters. It's one of the reasons why there are a few chapters left despite the main plot having been resolved.
9631430
Nice! Can't wait to see. Not gonna lie I sorta hope they stay ponies. Then again, I've noticed I've been kinda biased towards the ponies in general as I read this. XD
9631295
I actually had a scene where he made a cameo in an earlier chapter, but I decided to remove it before posting. Since he only was appearing in that one scene as a lead in to another, I didn't want to set up a false expectation that he was playing a major role in the story.
In the scene, it was shown that Kevin had taken up residence in Ponyville as part of an exchange program to learn pony medicine. He's also one of the reasons that anti-human sentiment in Ponyville (outside of the Rich family) had trouble taking hold; too many ponies really liked Kevin and took him as an example of what humans are like.
Hopefully Trixie doesn't get let off easier compared to the others. We saw her thoughts earlier on in other chapters. She's basically as anti-human as the other the just spinning the story so her anti-humanism is spun more as pony protectionism then anything else.
Yeah Starlight some fire ship end hard. Trixie brought this on to herself.
Of course it ends before we see Solar Flare go to town.
somebody's gonna get it!
... Aaaaand, I'm done. Bob and the other magical newfoals got off scot free despite working with foreign agents to intentionally commit crimes. Sarah is working with a "mysterious benefactor" and so far hasn't seemed to give a rats ass that Bob was nearly murdered. Yep, peace out on this story. Good luck to everyone else willing to continue.
9631709
To be fair, they're mostly interacting with Twilight, who isn't loyal to the United States and is enough of a magical geek that it's perfectly in character for her to completely forget about the diplomatic consequences of treaty violation and just go all squee over Bob's accomplishment. You'll notice she calmed down and sobered up by the time she wrote her letter, although she kinda punted the actual consequences part to Celestia on the one hoof, and to the American government on the other.
Given that the American government now knows the Shimmerists are actively trying to acquire ETS spell "technology" and have obtained significant data on it from Equestria, I would expect them to demand considerable reparations from Equestria, and quite possibly conscript the magical newfoals to forge magical defenses against both Shimmerist attempts at neo-ETS, and the even greater threat of the Wardens.
9631709
Um, you do realize he was never formally charged for anything, right? The agent was acting outside actual government authority. And the law is only temporarily not being enforced at the moment, it hasn't actually been overturned yet. That's why the benefactor is still needed, the government can turn around and decide to start enforcing at any second, in theory.
I seriously hope that Trixie gets off a bit easier than Blueballs and Spoiled Milk. Her heart was at least in the right place and her intentions pure (holy shit, did I just say that about about TGaPT with 100% seriousness?!)
is it wrong that i totally agree with what Blueblood . Spoiled Rich and Trixie was doing.
and that Celestia needs to get off her fat wide ass and protect her pony's that Sunset brought about before the government starts cutting them apart like lab rats.
the Pony's of earth need every thing that can get to protect them selves.
9631715
And that is the significance of Bob and his research: if he could reinvent a Thaumatic Subether Matrix with just a few trinkets from Trixie, and even transform Earth matter into magic conductive...who says another Shimmerist genius couldn't find a way to recreate the ETS spell from the redacted papers Blueblood and Trixie sent them?
Thats right Celestia, burn baby burn. hopefully bob is successful and acquires his cutie mark from the thaumatic crystal experiment.
9631384
probably quite familiar. it wasn't that long ago America and some other nations stopped physically lobotomizing their psychiatric patients. also im pretty sure torture is still being used to extract info from terrorists (Guantanamo bay if im correct?).
9631886
your not "wrong", just have a different perspective to some here. prepare to face some counter opinions though, you cant please everyone so stick with what you think is right.
9632521
at 55 years old i have lived threw some things and i have family in places they should not have been.
Kent state is just one.
9632576
what is the significance of Kent state?
9631886
You and I disagree here. We're some of the restrictions too much, yes. However Blueblood was attempting an invasion and added unneeded tension to the relations between the USA and Equestria. Especially since Sunset's spell was given to Shimmerists
9632681
invasion good sitting on wide ass bade.
9631869
I know I deleted my post before but given the discussion we've seen Trixies thoughts on the matter. Her thoughts on things are about as the same as Spoiled Rich. She's Anti-Humanism given we know she thinks Sunset Shimmer did a good thing by turning humans into ponies. Her thoughts a few chapters ago painted her clearly that humans should've just let themselves becomes ponies and let themselves become culturally genocided. Her pure intentions are just another measure to poke humans in the eye rather then any sort of purity she herself says.
9632697
What does this mean?
9632805
Maybe as a secondary thing, but for Trixie it was primarily all about the magic. I think she could see a bit of herself in the ponies of Earth, having once been a low level mage with no real chance of learning more advanced magic, so she took pity on them and wished to spare them a greater version of the injustice she had once faced. And, well, you know what they say about the best laid plans, and I'm honestly gonna choose to believe that any anti-human beliefs Trixie came to hold are a side effect of working with Blueballs and Spoiled Milk for a bit too long...
9632697
Not really considered how the us government feel. Tia is not sitting on her butt but letting things cool down before pushing. Hell that was Twilight's plan. Timing is everything and now was not the time to push. That is what Trixie doesn't get. Blueblood, power, Spoiled influence. Trixie was the only one with genuine concern. Just bad timing and allies. And going against the government brings trouble.
9633443
I hope Blueblood gets the worst of it.
derpicdn.net/img/2016/6/15/1179087/medium.gif
9632432
Which is exactly why the United States cracked down on uncontrolled pony magic. It was an absolutely reasonable temporary measure intended to help stabilize the aftermath of the worst act of terrorism in world history; unfortunately, it's now been catastrophically destabilized by the utterly irrational and short-sighted behavior of brainwashed ponies, so stronger countermeasures will have to be taken.
Edit: It would be less reasonable as a long term measure, but still not totally unreasonable given the degree to which non-crystal ponies are brainwashed.
9632805
9632841
I think both of you are partially right: Trixie is a anti-human bigot, and she wanted to help the converted to develope magic so they could stand on their own. And get the credit from that, of course.
9636607
My eyes went wide when I saw your post as it almost quotes what a pony says in an unreleased chapter of another story. Be happy in knowing there's at least one pony out there that agrees with you.
9634732
On paper without a longer time to ponder it, perhaps. But hamstringing a third of a sizeable population group is never a smart action on the simple basis that doing so will inevitably lead to people finding ways around that. People did that during prohibition, and that was just for a luxury product, not something as close to a person as your arms would be.
Bob is not an inherently malevolent person. Bob is also someone who has shown an admirable resistance to the brainwashing aspect of ETS. Yet Bob is also a curious teenager who wants to explore a core aspect of his new biology. The lack of an official avenue to explore this curiosity led him down less than legal routes.
9637009
Don't blame me, I didn't share it with anyone.