Den of Thieves: 3. Diamond In the Rough
Twilight didn’t bother trying to pretend she wasn’t smug as she tugged Platinum’s Crown from the confines of her pouch, held it aloft for a moment, and casually dropped it on the cushion Hard Tack so graciously set out on his table.
Why should she? Who wouldn’t, after having Hard Tack grumble and claim he doubted her, or made her wait while he brought out every single appraisal tool he had.
“Just being sure,” he rumbled as he took it carefully and held it up in the light, inspecting each gemstone embedded in the flares.
Though his words were strictly business, Twilight could hear just a hint of awe in his tone. He knew just as well as she that this was the genuine article. The real deal. The score of scores.
More importantly, the key to seeing her record wiped clean in Celestia and Luna’s eyes.
“Take all the time you need,” she said, turning away to meander about his home. “It’ll make watching you count out my winnings that much more worth the while.”
The dark muttering that reached her ears only served to bring a smile to her face. Maybe she couldn’t blame him for wanting to check, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t needle him a little. It helped stem the urge to bounce his head off the walls a few times for taking that bribe. Plus, it gave her the chance to take a look around and see what he’d added to his collection since her last visit.
Hard Tack, while rich for a resident in Nomad’s Vale, kept his storage space in a rather simple place—stone walls, a wooden floor, paned glass windows, and a thatched roof held up by a single wooden support beam and a series of smaller ones that came together to form a sort of skeleton to aid its cause.
The walls were lined by wooden shelves packed to the brim with various items collected or sold to him over the years. There were ornate daggers, a few books written in strange languages, a rather gaudy looking tea tray that looked like it’d been fashioned from melted down gold, and a little chest full of coins and gemstones.
Nothing that really caught her eye.
Nothing, that was, until she noticed a spark, a flash of deep purple out of the corner of her eye. Twilight looked up, her ears perking and tail swishing as gaily as only a thief in the presence of a major score, and searched the shelves for the source of that wondrous, alluring light. Her eyes drawn to the top shelf like a moth to open flame.
It was laid upon a fine plush burgundy cushion like the Crown Jewel of some long-fallen empire, its beauty so great, Twilight would almost wager wars would—and probably had—been fought over which ruler would lay claim to it all the way back to the Western Lands’ feudal days. A gorgeous purple gemstone, utterly flawless in every way, stood proud. Its shape that of a diamond, cut by one who must have been beyond even a mastery of the art. Even in the dim light of Hard Tack’s sitting room-turned-store, it shone with light.
No. It didn’t. That was quite wrong.
It radiated its own glow—a light which seemed to fill her vision and flood her heart with warmth and coaxed those lessons of bygone years to the forefront of her mind. All those lessons of offering others what was needed without expectation of gratitude or repayment she’d set aside for her own goals.
All Celestia’s lessons on the generous heart a proper princess needed to properly guide their ponies through the ages.
A tiny squeak and sharp prodding against her ribs jolted Twilight from the sapphire’s siren call. She turned to look over her left shoulder, shifting her hip as if to gaze at her cutie mark. In fact, she was making it easier to see the little bunny who’d poked his head out from her pouch again and was alternating between poking her sides and doing a little jig, and frantically pointing into the raspberry glow emanating from within depths of her pouch.
She blinked. Since when had her pouch glow?
Angel Bunny put a paw to his lips, flitting his eyes toward the grumbling minotaur as if to say “don’t let him notice!” Then, he beckoned her closer and ducked into her pouch again, the flap fell over to obscure him from view. Or, more importantly, whatever he’d found. She could feel him shifting about and retrieving something, an edge pressed through the fabric to prod her side.
One of his tiny paws poked from beneath the flap and tugged it aside for her to see—within the confines of her pouch, Twilight could see Angel, his snow-white fur bathed the same raspberry as that strange glow, looking up at her with a face showing a mix of confusion and apprehension as he held up what looked to be a spike of some sort.
Then Twilight remembered Hadkhûna’s gift. That gorgeous amethyst, fashioned in the shape of a starburst. The very same she’d tucked into her bottomless pouch until she could find a cord or chain to make it a pendant necklace to commemorate their relationship. Her amethyst was more beautiful and enchanting than ever before.
And it was glowing, pulsing with ethereal light from within itself. Curious, Twilight raised a brow, turning to follow a hunch.
Atop Hard Tack’s shelf, the purple diamond seemed to dazzle in reply, as if it were trying to call out to Twilight’s amethyst like long-lost sisters celebrating their reunion. Or perhaps an old friend.
Yes. Friend seemed more fitting.
Somehow.
“It’s real,” Hard Tack muttered in disbelief.
Again, Twilight jolted. “Huh?” She turned to fix him with a perplexed look.
He didn’t meet her gaze. He simply stood, the crown held almost reverently in his paws. Hard Tack’s mouth hung open, his eyes wide as he lost himself in the gems embedded in the flares as he turned it this way and that. “It’s the real thing,” he said, louder this time. Only then did he look up to gape at Twilight. “How … forget finding the damnable thing in that place, how in Tartarus did you survive her?”
The smug, snarky part of Twilight begged to retort with something along the lines of “I’ll let you know after I kiss her once we’re done here.”
Fortunately, rational, coy, thief Twilight was there to backhoof that side of herself across the mouth and aim a smile at the minotaur. “Trade secret, I’m afraid. And our bet had nothing to do with me recounting tales.” Her smile turned dangerously sweet. “My money. Now.” Thinking on it a moment, she pointed up at the diamond on the shelf. “And I’ll take that, too, thanks.”
Hard Tack’s eyes followed her hoof, then hardened. “Are you out of your little pony—”
“Compensation for taking a bribe from Clifford the Big Red Moron,” she cut him off. Then, thinking better on it, she reached into her pouch—the normal one, where she kept the things she didn’t care about losing—and fished out the necklace and earrings she’d taken off another thief’s corpse in Skittershy’s web. “I’ll offer this and let you take one sack of gold off my winnings. But that beauty comes with me, or I can promise I’ll take extreme issue with what you did.”
Twilight fought to keep her expression neutral as she spoke, the slightest tugging of a smile against her lips nearly betrayed her satisfaction at watching the minotaur clench his teeth and weigh his options.
Making an enemy of a thief such as her wasn’t a good option, and that was ignoring the power she held as an alicorn. Of course, he knew that. Every creature in Nomad’s Vale did.
Which was why they’d never try something direct, only something subversive or in ambush.
Still, that was no reason to make enemies. Twilight needed to get out of here anyway, there’d been more than enough excitement for one day. She’d just have to sweeten the deal a bit for him.
“Take three bags off,” she amended, still dangling the necklace and earrings for him to see. “Three bags and the jewelry for the sparkling diamond doing nothing but gathering dust. And I’ll throw in twelve pieces of gold if you give me the supplies to make a pair of pendant necklaces.”
Hard Tack’s ears perked up, a glimmer of hope flashed across his face before he managed to hide it again. “Four bags,” he countered.
“Three,” Twilight replied. “That thing probably hasn’t gotten a single offer, let alone one this high. I’m doing you a favor.”
The minotaur grumbled. He passed the crown over to her and moved to retrieve her winnings. Twilight tucked it back into her pouch, watching closely as he counted out seventeen bags of gold, each of them nearly as big as her head. And with each he placed upon the tabletop, she carefully floated them over and slipped them into her bottomless pouch, mindful not to hit Angel. As she reached the fourteenth bag, Twilight paused and fished out twelve bits, and laid them on the table.
Nodding, Hard Tack pulled a pair of cords and fastens from some box on the counter, which were then quickly slipped into the very same pouch.
Then he folded his arms. “There. Satisfied?”
“Almost.” Twilight arched a brow and tilted her head toward the diamond. “Aren’t we forgetting something?”
“I hope to forget the uppity little Princess of Thieves once she leaves my home and never comes back. Get lost.”
The young mare drew in a sharp breath through her nose. Flicking her tail, she stood to her full height and said, “I paid for that diamond, Hard Tack. And I’m being rather generous not holding a grudge for you taking a bribe to let me get jumped by those diamond dogs.”
“And much like the rest of this town, I’m being generous not just putting a knife through that little pony chest of yours with how you come skipping on through, pretty as you please, and shame every thief and con artist on the continent!” Hard Tack hammered his fist upon the table, the sacks of gold jumped. “I’ve spent enough time humoring you, foreign mare! Take those bits and get out before I cash in on the little bounty Fido’s put on that pretty little head of yours!”
A bounty on her head? Any other time, Twilight might feign flattery.
This just meant she didn’t have time for a prolonged affair. But she wasn’t going to let Hard Tack walk all over her either. Especially not on this continent.
Equestria? Different story. She could just call the guard, ironic though that was. Here? They did things a different way.
If one felt wrong, some creature got dropped. Hard.
Twilight leveled him with a heated glare and rolled her shoulders. “We can do this the easy way, where you keep that money and I get my diamond, or the hard way. Your call.”
The minotaur sneered. “And what’s the hard way, Princess?”
“I take the money, the diamond, and I drop your house on your thick head.”
That set Hard Tack right off. With a roar full of rage and wrath, he flipped the table and flung it sideways at her, both so it would block her vision and flatten her beneath its weight. But Twilight was ready.
Her horn flashed. A bolt of magic shot forth from the tip and blasted the table down the middle, the split sides fell apart and landed on either side of the angry princess. Just in time so Twilight could see Hard Tack looming over her, a wicked looking dagger in one of his massive paws, descending toward her neck.
He didn’t see her snake a tendril of magic around each sack of gold, so lost was he to his rage and lust for profit that he didn’t even hear the telltale clinking rattle as she swung the first up and caught him beneath the chin.
A hit with a sack of gold was … well, a lot like being hit with a brick. But if one were to factor in the power a young alicorn might put behind a hit, it gets a lot worse for the poor creature on the receiving end. Even one with a head and jaw as strong as Hard Tack’s couldn’t prepare for the blow.
The minotaur staggered back, his eyes wide. His paw cupped his bruised chin. Slowly, the rage returned to his eyes and he let out another roar.
Twilight took the chance to slam the second sack into his belly. While he was doubled over, she looped a tendril of magic around the diamond and snatched it from its resting place. She drew it into her bottomless pouch and pressed it into Angel’s grasp with a command, “Hold onto that, and stay in the pouch this time!” Her eyes quickly flitted around the room, a plan formulating in her mind even as she tugged the flap over is fuzzy little head. For a split second, they lingered on the a single spot. A confident smirk spread across her features. “I’ve got this!”
Again, Hard Tack rose. From behind his back, he drew another knife, this one made of a strange, glinting black metal. He flung it at Twilight’s face, forcing her to leap and roll to the side, and catch him straight on the nose with another blow from one of her bags before she summoned them all to rest within her pouch with their brethren. Then, she blew a raspberry at the furious minotaur and sprinted for the door, though not before she snuck a few tendrils of magic around her target and commanded them to bite into the top and bottom …
A sharp pain bit into her thigh, just below her cutie mark. Twilight cried out, tumbling forward in a heap. She gritted her teeth, hot tears stinging the corners of her eyes. Gritting her teeth, she rose slowly, favoring her right hind leg.
Hard Tack loomed over her, his eyes flashing with rage. “All this time hearing you run your mouth, seeing you show us up,” he growled. The minotaur gripped the knife so tight his knuckles popped. “So much for bringing the house down on my—“
“Hold that thought, precious!” Twilight jerked her head. There was a loud splintering of wood, then a heavy rush of wind.
Confused, Hard Tack turned. Just in time to take the broad side of a wooden beam between his eyes. He let out a pained cry and stumbled back a step, the knife fell from his paw with a thud against the wooden floor.
But he didn’t fall. Twilight cursed and floated the beam to a halt, then sent it shooting back at him as he turned, catching him full in the chest and driving him back against the far wall. His heavy boots scraped divots in the woodwork, his muscles straining as he struggled to push against the magic and pry the beam off.
“Think this’ll hold me?” he snarled. “This … is nothing! I’ve lifted boulders, you prissy little pony! I’ll pop your head like a balloon!”
Twilight let out a tired laugh as she backed toward the door. “Y’know, I think I’ve finally figured out why you’re a merchant and a con artist, rather than a thief—you’re not observant at all. You barely thought to wonder what I’d kept hitting you with, even though I warned you. Haven’t you noticed there’s something missing from your home? Or wondered what I just hit you with?”
His eyes narrowed. For just a second, he stopped pushing. “What?”
Her smile was a deadly and venomous as that changeling’s from all those moons ago. “That,” she, casually stepping out of the house and into the warm sunlight, her horn flashing as she pressed her magic against the walls, “is the support beam to your little hovel.”
It was almost comical. Hard Tack furrowed his brows, then looked down at the beam pressed against his chest. As the slightest push of magic against the walls began to shake his house, the minotaur’s face lost its color. Were it not for the beam, he might have held out a paw as he cried, “Wait! Wait!”
Too late.
He’d come for her head and tried to cheat her after selling her out.
Twilight simply gave him a mock salute and shut the door before blowing the walls inward, and dropping the entire weight of his own house on Hard Tack’s head.
Not enough to kill a minotaur. But one could hardly discount the weight of stone, wood, and shelves across every bit of his body.
He’d be down for quite a while.
Silence reigned heavy. Twilight let her shoulders slump, a tired sigh escaped her lips. With a little flick of her magic, she tugged out the knife, gritting her teeth through the stinging pain.
She was going to hear it from Hadkhûna and Skittershy. Bumps, bruises? Oh, those she could explain away. A knife wound, however …
Twilight tugged out a cloth bandage and wrapped it around her leg with practiced ease, then turned to face a town full of gaping thieves, con artists, and pick pockets. Some stood with knives drawn, as though they’d been ready to sneak up, expecting an easy score until she brought Hard Tack’s house down.
Definitely time to leave.
“I’m going to walk out of here,” she said. “You can either try to fight me and find out how just how little patience I have left, or, you can be smart, drop the weapons—” Twilight jerked her head toward Hard Tack’s stand “—and avail the idiot of his wealth before he wakes up. Your call.”
They stood stock still, each glancing at one another as if holding some silent conversation—should they take whatever riches King Fido had promised for Twilight’s head? Or were they all better off taking a smaller, but guaranteed, payday?
One by one, they dropped their weapons. Each gave her a nod, then turned away to see that Hard Tack’s finances were well in order.
In the meantime, Twilight let out a relieved sigh and began to limp down the path leading out of town, toward Port Sommerset, with her head hung low and ears splayed. “Angel,” she muttered,” you can come out now.”
The little bunny poked his head out from his hiding spot, then cautiously hopped up to sit on her back once more. She heard him give a tiny gasp and a flurry of worried chatters.
Her leg, no doubt. Twilight turned to offer a tired smile. “Yeah, I know. It stings, but I’ll live.” She leaned in to nuzzle his ears. “So, how many carrots is it going to take to convince you to go along with me saying that was a random stabbing and it could’ve happened to anypony?”
The flat look he shot her drew another heavy sigh. This wasn’t going to be fun at all.
“A knife wound,” Hadkhûna deadpanned. Her sapphire eyes narrowed as she loomed over Twilight, gazing down at the little mare with a frown marring her beautiful features. “You meet us along the way, out of that den of thieves and con artists, with a knife wound.”
Twilight shifted about in her place seated upon a fallen tree, her right hind leg stretched out to allow a fretting spider mare to inspect and tend to its binding.
Resisting an insistent Skittershy was as difficult a task as escaping her lover’s piercing gaze. The spider mare knew just how to level her with a stare with each of those eight eyes, sternness radiating off her like a tidal wave billowing behind her, even as the sounds of Angel munching on his fifth carrot disturbed the quiet peace.
The self-proclaimed Princess of Thieves let her gaze fall to the ground. “In my defense,” she replied, “I did stay out of trouble. For the most part.”
“Oh, for the most part! Well, then!” Hadkhûna snorted a smokey breath. “That certainly changes things, doesn’t it, Skittershy? She stayed out of trouble for the most part.”
Skittershy gave a low hum. “And yet, she has this knife wound in her flank. A deep one, at that.” As she finished wrapping her silk around Twilight’s thigh, she leveled her with another stern look and added, “Which leaves me to wonder where you collected the bruise forming on your back and ribs.”
Twilight had to bite back a curse. She’d forgotten how observant Skittershy could be—enough so to pick out the slightest marks left by tiny pebbles shot at her face.
Before either could launch into a renewed tirade, Twilight held up a hoof. “It was an attempted mugging, yes,” she said. Not entirely true, of course, but she was hardly going to tell them about Clifford the Big Red Doofus and his merry mutt brigade. “It could’ve happened to any creature, honest. I got the bruise trying to fight them off and hold onto Angel and my bags.”
“Really, now?” The pair arched their brows at her. Skittershy turned to glance at the bunny happily sitting on her thorax and munching on his bribe. She glanced back at Twilight. “A random mugging by some random thief? Not at all something you incited with stealing?”
Well, technically, yes. But not this time. She’d been good! Or at least, tried to be.
“Not at all.” Twilight held up her hoof in that mock oath, the same as before. “I did not steal anything, nor make attempt to. All I did was sell off a couple things I’d stolen before, and bought you both a couple gifts.” The bet, they could both do without knowing. With a pained smile, she gestured toward the pouches resting against the fallen tree. “If you’d like, I’d be happy to show you both.”
To her dismay, Skittershy didn’t so much as bat an eye. Nor did she pay the pouches or promise of gifts any mind.
Instead, the spider mare hummed another note, much like a mother certain her foal was lying. She turned her attention upon Angel and asked, “Angel? Would you be a dear and tell mama what happened in town today?”
The little bunny froze in mid bite. Slowly, he glanced between Hadkhûna, Skittershy, and Twilgiht in turn. Twilight could almost see the gears in his little head turning while he considered whether to tell the truth or cover for her and risk angering both she dragon and spider mare.
He offered a nervous little smile and chattered something Twilight could only hope matched her tale.
“Did Twilight behave and keep from stealing or starting fights?” Skittershy prompted.
Twilight felt her breath hitch. This was the big one. She tried to aim a desperate, pleading look without actually doing so—Hadkhûna still loomed over her, watching with those keen eyes for any tell of falsehood in her tale.
It was to her relief Angel nodded solemnly. Her heart promptly resumed beating at a more manageable pace.
“Well, well,” Hadkhûna drawled. “Our little thief, behaving, only getting into trouble by happenstance.” She shared a knowing look with Skittershy, amusement shown naked upon her face. “Almost too good to be true, no?”
The smirk Skittershy gave in reply almost seemed like it didn’t belong on the face of such a kindly spider mare. A smirk which only seemed to sharpen as she picked Angel up and held him in her hooves, softly petting his tiny head. “Almost, yes. But if my dear, sweet, honest little bunny says she’s telling the truth …”
The look Angel shot Twilight told of something she hadn’t expected. Betrayal. Did they know, somehow? “Y-Yeah, well. We did it!” She forced a grin. “So! How about those gifts?”
At last, Hadkhûna showed interest. With a rumbling purr, she sat back on her haunches and waved a claw. “Of course. Let’s see what you’ve brought us.” Her eyes danced with mirth. “I shan’t pretend I don’t hope mine is something sparkly, my gemstone.”
Of that, Twilight could find the confidence to give a genuine smile. The warm, fuzzy feeling filling her chest made her very feathers flutter.
By Celestia … actually, imagine Celestia’s face if she saw Twilight so stricken by the mighty Hadkhûna!
Twilight, opting for a little bit of subtle teasing, started with Skittershy’s gift. With a bit of a flourish—and a moment to savor the surprised gasps both gave at her wonderful bottomless pouch—she retrieved that plush blanket and unfurled it, baring its fluffy embrace for the spider mare to see. “For you,” she said as she floated it over with a wink. “Or for your use in the event you decide I’m not warm enough and feel the need to cocoon me in something.”
“Oh! Oh, you wicked mare!” Skittershy laughed, accepting the gift graciously. She pressed it up against her face, snuggling into its embrace with a bright smile and happy clicking. “Oh, this will be lovely during the winter! Or out on the open water—I was worried if my fur would be thick enough!”
“I’m glad. I—eek!” The little mare was pulled into a tight embrace, laughing as she felt Skittershy’s snout and the tips of her fangs play against her mane as she was nuzzled.
“This is just perfect, Twilight! Such a thoughtful little mare!”
Hadkhûna let out a rumbling chuckle. “Indeed she is.” Twilight could see her lay down on her claws, idly drumming the tips into the dirt. “It makes me all the more eager to see my own.”
A heavy blush colored her cheeks, Twilight returned Skittershy’s hug, then squirmed her way free so she could retrieve the crown jewel—aha—of her recent endeavor.
As soon as its glimmering body was free of her pouch, the very instant that deep, purple glow bathed them in its light, both Hadkhûna and Skittershy sucked in sharp breaths and drew near.
“It’s beautiful,” Skittershy whispered. “And … powerful! I’ve never felt a magic like this before!”
Hadkhûna rumbled in agreement, “And very, very old. Far older than you or I, dear friend.” Her eyes flitted to meet Twilight’s. “You found this in Nomad’s Vale, of all places? How in the name of sanity did you come to own it without stealing, darling?”
“I, er …” Twilight ran a hoof through her mane. “Look, there was a bet about something and my fee was seventeen sacks of gold. I knocked off three sacks and paid twelve bits for stuff to make pendants out of this and the amethyst you gave me.”
“Did you? Pray tell, what was this bet?”
The blush in her cheeks returned in full, creeping its way to the nape of her neck. “That I’d never enter Erebark and leave alive.”
Hadkhûna threw back her head and laughed. “Oh, irony! My failure to protect my hoard earns me the gift of a lovely gem and lovelier mare!” She leaned forward, nuzzling Twilight affectionately. “Well, then, darling. Go on.” The great she dragon drew back and bared her neck. Ready to be adorned with her gift.
And Twilight did mean to give exactly what she wanted. Really, she did. Her magic had already retrieved the cord and pendant fasten, and attached the fasten just a second later. She was so eager, so excited that she didn’t notice the fatal flaw in her design, even as she looped the cord through the eyelet.
No. That only came as Skittershy noted aloud, “Um, Twilight? I don’t mean to be rude, but … I think you’ve neglected to account, ah, for Hadkhûna’s size.”
“Huh?” Twilight stared at the cord for a moment, then looked up at Hadkhûna’s neck. Then looked once more. The she dragon turned to gaze down at her, those eyes locked on the cord and a slow smile beginning to split her features.
It clicked.
Twilight buried her face in her hooves, her shoulders shook with mirth. “I,” she announced, “am an idiot! A complete and total idiot!”
The sound of her lover’s chuckling made her ears twitch. A slow, soothing tracing of one massive claw down her spine drew a little shiver of delight.
“No, not an idiot, my gemstone,” Hadkhûna purred. “Just a fool in love, as am I.” She dotted Twilight’s head with a kiss. “I thank you for the gift, but I’ll ask that you keep it safe for me. Perhaps, in our travels, we will find some way to make a necklace out of it that fits.”
Disappointment filled Twilight’s chest. With a heavy sigh, she nodded once and replaced the diamond into her pouch, closing it up for the time being. “Yeah. I’ll figure something out for you.” Her ears splaying, she ducked her head, adding, “We’ll both wear our gems as pendants, until then, they’ll stay safe.”
“Good mare. By the way …” Hadkhûna gave her a playful lick, then plucked her off the ground and set her upon her back. “You’re grounded for that knife wound.”
“And we’ll have your word that you don’t go into towns like Nomad’s Vale again,” Skittershy added as she climbed up onto Hadkhûna’s back and settled down beside Twilight. A coy smile played upon her lips. “Since you just can’t keep out of trouble even when you try.”
For once, arguing didn’t come to mind.
Sure, she’d asked Angel to lie, but, truth be told …
Well, between King Fido IV looking for her and putting a bounty on her head, it was probably in her best interest to avoid any towns between Nomad’s Vale and Port Sommerset that didn’t come with some lord and vassals watching.
Nodding once, Twilight raised a hoof. “No more visits to towns like Nomad’s Vale,” she said with a solemn sniff. A strange, acrid scent reached her nostrils and made her snout wrinkle. It smelled almost like …
No, that was just silly.
But, damned, if it didn’t smell just like that time she’d slipped away from Fido’s hunters in the Moor.
Slowly, Twilight looked around. “Is it just me, or does something smell like burnt diamond dog fur?”
Stats
Page generated in 0.02 seconds
Total duration
693 users online
1,150,115 hits today, 2,571,732 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.®
hmmm I wonder which one they meet next, my bet is on applejack.
Always a pleasure to read a new chapter.
You’d think Hard would have learned the whole greed can be your undoing thing as a long time merchant in a less than reputable town, then again Twi just seems to have that effect on people.
Oh Twilight, do you really believe your lover and friend would be able to stay out of trouble?
Hmm I wonder, what's the next girl to join them?
It didn't click with me either that Twilight was making two pony-sized pendants instead of one for a dragon until she realized it herself lol. Finding that gemstone makes me wonder if they really are the Elements. The diamond reacted with the amythest, after all.
Trying to hoard the Element of Generosity isn't going to end well.
And now I find myself looking forward to seeing Twilight's face when she meets that unicorn again, wearing a very distinctive necklace.
Well you were there, Hadkhûna
and the plot thickens?
Really well done dear, this story is getting more interesting every update
9709251
Sounds about right
There's also the disguise Skittershy and Hadkhûna will have to use on the boat to Equestria
9708899
My best guess would be Applejack as a Minotaur or The Minotaur of Crete being her dad because that just makes too much sense. Maybe RD will be a Harpy or something, Pinkie Pie will be a gorgon
But those are just speculations and suggestions, not all of them are good heh.
Or maybe the other 3 will just be ponies helping tem along the journey, but I'd be minimally disappointed if that were the case.
9708850
Well, yes, most of mlp villains are moved by greed... except they don't usually get buried under houses... *thinks of Chrysalis*... Well so much for that
It's weird seeing Angel actually be nice to anyone that's not Fluttershy. A refreshing change, though, to be sure.
So is the dragon Rarity or not? Because while similar I certainly don't think Hakunda would be able to be able to be sent by celestia like Rarity claims.
9711601 Show me the exact line where she says "I was sent by Celestia." I'll wait.
9712125
Um, what? I don't get what you really mean here, I'm asking you because you're the author.
9712875 Hadkhûna is being coy. She never said that Celestia sent them.
9712892
So Rarity is just a dragon in disguise then? Okay, that makes much more sense. It was looking like Celestia had sent the canon bearers to join seek out Twilight because she had "assigned" them the position of EoH, which seems a presumptuous thing to do. That, and had them go an tell everyone about Twilight and what she was doing, which seems counterproductive.
And again, this was trying to read into something that I didn't quite get.
Really enjoying this so far! Great interactions between Twilight and
RarityHadkhûna. I also enjoyed the fight between Twi and Hard Tack.Featured this on episode 268 of my podcast, Pony 411.
Extra “how” here.
Wonder how many chapters it will be until Hard Tack’s special knife makes a reappearance...