Enemy of my Enemy's Enemy
Chapter 94: Enemy of my Enemy’s Enemy
(Canterlot Mall)
Adagio breathed a sigh of relief as she slurped her slushie, reveling in its taste. Calm and tranquility returned to her surrounding, which was only interrupted by Twilight’s incessant chatting. Her ‘temporary’ partner was busying herself on the phone reporting everything she had learned over to Sunset Shimmer, who seemed to be furious over on the other line.
Not that she could blame her. That woman was far more a den mother than a friend, and Twilight did take a big risk sneaking into that place. If Sonata or Aria ever tried doing something that stupid, she’d be scolding them down the line. She observed the girl pacing back and forth explaining and defending her actions all the while flinching back whenever the other line exploded in a cacophony of berating. A rough guess would say that the redhead wasn’t pleased with everything she heard.
The Siren waited for a while before Twilight finished her conversation, ending the call with a click before returning to face her with a sulk on her face, and a groan from her mouth.
“So…” Adagio opened, playing with her straw. “I’m guessing your ‘friend’ wasn’t exactly thrilled about the whole… sneaking into the lion’s den and coming out alive.”
“What gave it away?”
“Your sour expression and mood.” She shrugged back, grinning.
“Oh right. You’re a Siren.” The girl slumped beside her, sighing out loud.
“So it’s safe to say that we won’t be getting any help from your pals?”
“No. Sunset’s too busy on another project and she needs everyone to help her.” So much for her friends. “This stinks. We made a major discovery and we can’t even do anything about it. Did you see the size of that gem?”
“Hard to miss.” The thing was about as big as their heads. Not to mention how it radiated with magical energy, and not the good kind either. So much so that it made her skin crawl. “What’s with that look? Did you figure something out?”
“No. Not really.” She muttered. “It’s just that… I have a strangest feeling that I’ve seen that woman somewhere before. I just can’t seem to remember where.”
“I’m not surprised.” Adagio retorted. “Once you’ve lived as long as I have around here, everyone starts to look the same anyway.” She let out a huff, as if to emphasize her point. “So what’s our next move? I take it you want to find that woman and get some answers.”
Twilight’s expression says that she hit the head on the nail. But she wasn’t admitting it.
“Unless you wanna call it quits.”
“No. I didn’t expect to find a lead, but it’s one we can count on. She couldn’t have gotten far. Not while she’s carrying that big box.” She shared a quick glance in her direction. “I… don’t suppose you could track down the source of that magic, could you?”
“Not unless it’s active.” The Siren replied with a mild shrug. “The box must be special. That or she has a way of shielding herself. Otherwise I would’ve sensed that kind of magical energy a mile away. Sorry squirt, but you’ll need another lead if you want to find her.”
“Or… a friend.”
Adagio noted her face lighting up as if an idea came to mind. “What?”
“If she set up a stall in the mall, that means she must’ve gotten a permit.”
She wasn’t sure where the nerd was going with this but Adagio ran with it. “So?”
“And malls like these makes everyone take extensive interviews and records.” She suddenly turned in the other direction, nodding as if she was talking to someone. “Exactly! Just like that!”
“Again… what…?”
“We can find out more about her by looking at those records! Bureaucracy at its finest!”
Ok… note to self: This girl is whack.
“That sounds like a fine lead. But how do you expect to get your hands on those records? Aren’t these things like… super private?”
Twilight smiled in her direction. “That’s where you come in, partner.”
…
…
…
Holy granola that actually worked. Adagio couldn’t help but admit that, that… was impressive. In a span of 4 minutes and 23 seconds, they were able to get those records in hand like it was child’s play. It looked more like they had just walked into the office of the mall’s security, had a few words with the ‘Manager’, use her Siren powers to make him more… cooperative, Twilight lifting some keys and then…
… wham bam, thank you ma’am. Private details of your suspect, direct to your hands, no strings attached.
“That was easier than I thought it would be.” Twilight casually stated like it was just child’s play. And strangely enough, Adagio had to agree. That was far too easy. Normally something like this would take careful planning on their end, and her sisters would come along for backup.
But this? Forget sleight of hand, or shakedown, this was like robbing someone in broad daylight.
Adagio was right. Something had changed. This was definitely not the Twilight she recognized. Not even the Princess version of her.
“Let’s see here. Zambonie, Zaxer… no. AHA!” She shouted with glee as she pulled a file up with the woman’s headshot on display. “Here we are. Zecora Zera, from Farasi. Guess she’s from out of town. Not a lot of details in her personal and emergency information. Tch… how lazy can you be? Am I right? HA! What am I saying? Of course I’m right.”
Ok… this was getting weird. Either she had an imaginary friend, or she’s talking to herself. She’s stringing sentences along and reacting like someone had actually replied.
“Here! I found it!” Her yell was a tone too high making her flinch. “Adagio. Come look. There’s an address attached to her emergency contacts. This must be where she lives.”
“That’s… great?”
“Alright. We got ourselves a lead. Let’s go!”
“Hold it, speedy.” Adagio grabbed her by the collar before she could bolt off. “I don’t normally side on the air of caution. But what is your plan, exactly? Don’t tell me you’re just gonna walk into some sorceress’ house, knock on her door, and say: ‘Hi. Are you the lady that tried to kill me and my friends the other night?’”
Twilight darted her eyes, flashing an awkward smile. “Uh… no? I was kind of planning on… sneaking in. With this.” She showed that handy invisibility cape of hers.
“Ok, that’s a neat cape. But I don’t think the same trick will work twice. You’re gonna need more than just a cape, and magic, if you wanna get results.”
Twilight paused and acknowledge her wisdom. “I don’t suppose, you have any advice?”
Her face frowned. “What do I look like? Your guidance counselor? That’s your department. Now stop acting like a goof and start using that brain of yours. You really think you can take on someone your whole team could barely handle? This is like walking into the hungry lion’s den with your whole body covered in steak sauce. You’re gonna get yourself hurt… or worse.”
“I guess… that is a bit reckless.”
“Of course it is.” Adagio scoffed. “Now… why don’t we try your friends again? And this time… try to be more convincing.”
“But Sunset already said that…”
“I said: TRY to be more CONVINCING! And forget that unicorn for a minute. Clearly you must have someone else who can help you!”
Twilight’s face puckered in thought for a moment before another idea struck. “Actually… there is someone who might be able to help. But I’m not sure if he’ll say yes.”
“At this rate, anyone would do.”
(CHS)
Why do I feel like I’m regretting those words?
“That’s… quite the story, Ms. Sparkle.” The tall man blinked. His stoic expression seemed to crack a tiny bit as he sat by his chair, with a cup of tea in hand, looking poised. He looked down at the documents Twilight presented, staring intently at the woman’s mug shot. But Adagio could sense a hint of shock and awe in his eyes. Most likely he knew the person.
They spent the last hour explaining everything they’ve came across, even down to the giant black gemstone. The similar one that dangled from his wrist.
“I must say that I’m remarkably impressed. And I’m hardly ever impressed.” That’s quite obvious, with that face.
“So you know her?” Twilight asked, looking rather serious.
“Quite so.” He didn’t deny it. “You were right to come to me. Though I was expecting you to go to your friends for such information.”
“They’re busy.” Neighsay raised a brow but didn’t press. He seemed far more interested in the topic in hand. “I thought you didn’t know about that corrupted magic?”
“We weren’t sure at the time.” He responded, stopping for a moment to take a sip off his cup. The man was like a rock, barely showing any hint of reaction. “Magical phenomenon like that are quite a common occurrence around here, if I remember correctly. But… this does clear up any uncertainties.” A sigh escaped him. “So it really is her.”
“Who is she exactly?”
“To be completely honest, Ms. Sparkle. We’re not entirely sure either.” He leaned back on his chair. “This woman has been responsible for several magical disasters throughout the world for the past decade. She’s a thief, combing through tombs, historical sites and stealing artifacts containing magical energies of dangerous proportions. Not fully understanding what she has. As a matter of fact, she’s been undermining many of our operations. We know for a fact that she already possesses a collection of relics from various origins. She only seemed to have gained a vivid interest with Yaztec artifacts.”
“Hold up.” Adagio raised a hand. “You’re telling me that a big organization like yours can’t handle one little lady? I understand if it was me, but her? You have a face and a name.”
Neighsay squinted at her. “You’d be surprised what she’s capable of doing, Ms. Dazzle. Despite our best efforts, this… woman, always seem to be a few steps ahead of us. Besides, our organization specializes in hunting magical artifacts, not hunting people. And before you speculate further, I must let you know that her name is a lie.” He pressed his finger on the photo. “We’ve known her for quite some time now and she’s managed to elude security through a number of disguises. This ‘Zecora’ is merely another alias she uses to hide herself from authorities.”
“But… then why would she come after Timber and me?”
“Most likely because of that.” His finger directed at her geode which sparked in response. “She must’ve sensed the magic and thought to claim it for herself. She must’ve thought you were an easy mark and used your ‘Timber’ to get to you.”
It sounded logical. Logical enough at least.
“She’d go that far just to get this?”
“More likely she wasn’t aware of her own abilities.” Neighsay went on. “Like I said: This woman doesn’t fully understand the magic she wields. She probably didn’t know something of that magnitude would happen in the first place. You of all people should know what happens when the ignorant and destitute come into possession of great power.”
“Don’t I know it.” Adagio managed to whisper softly to herself.
“Regardless. This make things difficult.”
“Difficult? How?”
“Make no mistake, Ms. Sparkle. Your courage and initiative are to be commended. But at the same time you alerted her. Now that she knows she’s been uncovered, she’ll most likely go into hiding which would make it nearly impossible to find her.” Again… logical. This guy knew his stuff. “I would highly recommend getting yourself to safety as well. If she’s targeting your magical artifacts, there’s a good chance that she’ll do it again – or worse – your friends. She’s a danger to the safety of this city.”
“Aheh… safety of this city?” Adagio chuckled. “Weren’t you guys trying to brainwash the whole place earlier?”
“Point… taken.” Neighsay frowned went even deeper if that was even possible. “But may I remind you: That was the unsanctioned action of one of our members. Our organization is dedicated to understanding magic. Not gaining power.”
So you claim.
“Can’t you track her down with her magic?” Twilight interjected.
“We’ve tried. But strangely enough she’s been able to elude even our best trackers. That woman must have a way of hiding her magical energies.”
“What about that giant gemstone?” The two pause to look at her. “That giant black gem radiates a lot of magical energies. And the signature is unique to hers alone. With the right equipment, I could break through that shielding of hers and trace her through it.”
“You really believe you can find her?”
“I ‘Will’ find her.”Twilight paused for a moment and stared at the man, eyes burning with a restrained fury. “She has a lot to answer for.”
Oh… she really is pissed.
Neighsay seemed to be quite interested, his lips curving to what looked like the beginning of a smile.
“How may I help?”
(House by the hill)
Starlight Glimmer felt somewhat guilty.
She knew that bringing all of this to the human world was a big no-no for her. The danger she was bringing onto the people here was immense, and there were a lot of things that could go very wrong, very quickly. The words of warning from Starswirl and the Princesses rang closely at the back of her mind.
But she wasn’t going to stop now. Not when they were so close to completing it.
Sunburst was counting on her. On them.
He was still trapped there, in the other realm being tortured by god knows what. There was no way in Tartarus she was going to leave him behind. Who would run the School of Friendship with her? If their roles were reversed, she was certain that he would be doing the same thing she was.
Still… she couldn’t exactly remove this heavy weight on her shoulders.
Sunset’s friends were surprisingly helpful despite the fact that they had almost no-stake in the whole operation. Even after facing Vice-Principal Luna’s near screaming-match, they remained committed to the whole ordeal. And thanks to their help, and their unique magical abilities, they were able to cut the construction time to almost half. At this rate, they might even finish by tonight.
Starlight put in a mental note to find a way to repay these girls after they get Sunburst back. They deserved it, and then some, after all this.
“Lemonade?” A nice cool refreshing glass presented itself in front of her, which was a welcome sight.
Starlight blinked, and accepted. “Thanks. I wasn’t aware I needed that.”
Fluttershy smiled back sweetly as ever. “When you’ve come to know Applejack as well as I have, you tend to see when someone needs a cool refreshing drink.” They took a glance at the cowgirl in the distance, hammering away at the newly constructed magical portal.
“Sounds familiar.”
“You’ve been working out here all day. Aren’t you exhausted?”
“No. Well… yes… sort of. I’m just finalizing the design of the portal. Our new schematic should make it more efficient than the others. But there’s no telling what kind of side-effect might happen. So I’m making sure that everything is tip top shape.”
“You’re gonna burn yourself out. It’s ok to take a break.”
“No!” Her mouth snapped before her brain caught up which startled the poor girl. “Sorry. I mean to say… no. We’re so close to finishing the portal and… it can’t wait any longer. Sunburst has been trapped there. On the other side for Celestia knows how long. I need to… I need to get to him.”
Fluttershy patted her on the back, soothing her nerves. “He must really be important to you.”
You have no idea.
“We’ve been friends since we were foals.” The Wallflower gave her a look. “Er… I mean kids. We might’ve gotten a few falling outs here and there but he always stood by me whenever things got tough. So… yeah. He really is the most important pon-I mean person… to me.”
“I understand.” You do? “I would do anything for my friends too. Though I wouldn’t even know where to start if any of us were trapped in another world.”
“Tell me about it.”
“I hope Vice-Principal Luna won’t take it too badly.”
“Yeah… sorry about that.”
Fluttershy waved it off. “Oh don’t worry about that. What are friends for after all?”
“Friends don’t pull friends into their problems or get them in trouble. That’s for sure.”
“I’m sure she’ll come around eventually.”
“Oh I seriously doubt that~~.” A snake-like voice interjected followed by a head that slithered unnaturally around them. It came forward onto Fluttershy, making her squeak like a frightened mouse, holding a hand up to his face. “If your little Luna here is anything like our dear Princess Luna back home, she’ll most likely send her royal guards to apprehend us. Or worse – turn us all into stones.” His Cheshire smile grew. “Hello~.”
“Eeeeep!”
“Discord!” Starlight scolded. “I thought we told you to stop doing that? That’s not humanly behavior.”
The well-dressed magician slumped, slinking his neck back into his body. “Oh don’t be such a sourpuss. I was merely testing my new body. It’s not every day I get to come into another world, having a completely new anatomy. It’s quite a treat if I do say so myself. I never knew having such a form can give me such new perspective. Why… I had a blast rearranging my organs this morning just for fun.” He pulled out an X-ray scanner out of nowhere, which displayed his insides in the form of squiggly lines and shapes
The guy’s heart was spinning around, along with his kidney and spleen. How the man was still alive with all that twist and twirl was anyone’s guess. And to make it worse, he poked his sides, sending his lungs doing jump ropes with his intestines.
“That is… disturbing. On so many levels.”
“I know, right?! Isn’t it just amazing? My old body back home had some remarkable insides, but this is totally different! Wanna play ping pong with my liver? I brought paddles.” He offered one to Fluttershy who instinctively darted back a good distance.
“N… no thanks.” The poor girl forced a smile, eyes darting around for an exit. “I uh… think I hear Pinkie calling me. Bye!” She bolted out of there faster than Rainbow Dash on a bad day. And honestly, Starlight couldn't blame her. Discord wasn’t exactly the type of person anyone could get use to, on the fly.
“Great job Discord. You scared her off.” She gave the Draconequusin disguise a whack on the head.
“Ow! I was merely trying to break the ice.” He deflected, conjuring a brick of ice before smashing between his fingers it to emphasize his point. “And I thought I was being polite. I even offered to play. My Fluttershy always enjoyed playing with me. Especially the silly games.”
“Well she isn’t ‘Your’ Fluttershy. Just like the Luna of this world isn’t the same as our Princess Luna. They might feel similar but they’re completely different ponies… er… people. Besides… you of all, should know that you can’t force friendship. I mean… how long did it take for you and Fluttershy to become friends?”
“If you take into account, the brief time that I was turned into a statue. Err… roughly 9 episodes spanning across two seasons. Give or take.” What? Episodes? “But I get your point. So~~ when do we get to do the actual rescuing? This whole waiting around isn’t exactly working on my skin.”
“Hopefully tomorrow.” Hopefully sooner, but that was pushing their luck. “Putting all of this together isn’t easy. Magic in this world doesn’t work as it does in Equestria.”
“Well I was hoping after we save Sunburst, we could take a tour around the city and enjoy the sights. It’s not every day I get to travel to another world. I’m planning on grabbing a few souvenirs for the gang back home.”
“Absolutely not.” Starlight put her foot down on the matter. “The moment we get Sunburst, we’re going straight back to Equestria. I’m not putting Sunset and her friends in any more trouble than they already are. And no, we are not bringing anything back with us. Anything brought back from this world could cause unknown phenomenon. We’re not taking that risk.”
“Not even just a single seashell?”
“Nothing.” She repeated. “Starswirl was clear on his warnings. Anything we bring back is a big risk. It’s bad enough I had to bring stuff from Equestria to here, I’m limiting whatever damage I’m doing by making sure we stick to the rules.”
“Ah phooey. You never let me have any fun.” The man grumbled, arms folded in irritation before his eye glanced over to the girls in the distance. “Can we at least stay for a day? I really want to see how this drama blows up.” He giggled childishly, earning a puzzled look from the purple unicorn. “Oh come on now. Please don’t tell me you haven’t noticed.”
“Noticed what?”
“The ongoing love pentagon happening here?” He grabbed Starlight’s head and snapped it in the general direction of a certain blue haired boy who was having a nice chat with some of the girls. “See that rocker kid over there?”
“You mean Flash Sentry?”
“Quite different from the one in Equestria, eh?”
Starlight shrugged back. It’s not like she had much of a relationship with the boy’s pony counterpart. She’d seen Flash Sentry back in the other world a few times at the Royal Palace. He was a member of the Castle Guards in the Crystal Empire for a time, under Shining Armor’s tutelage, before he was reassigned to be Princess Twilight’s personal escort during her tour of the kingdom. Word around the castle was that he was set to become the new Captain of the Royal Guards too. A rather pompous promotion for a recruit. They never really had a reason to see one another, much less talk.
“Well this is his human version.”
“Notice how everyone is hanging around him? How many of them are giving him all the attention?”
She did. “Well… yeah. He did save the day back when we arrived. What’s wrong with that?”
Discord let out a disappointing sigh. “Oh my poor, Starlight. I was hoping your experience with the others would open your mind to such simple tricks. But I suppose we can’t all be experts.”
“What are you going on about?”
“Observe closely.” He gestured forward. “See how the human Applejack, smiling at him?”
“And that’s unnatural because?”
Discord let out a low annoying groan. “Your powers of observation are abysmal. Look how happy she is simply talking to the boy. Notice how she flaunts her hair, how her freckles turn red, and the way she moves. If actions can speak louder than words. Then that girl would be shouting, ‘Look at me’.”
Oh…?
…
Oh~~~~!
“I see. Applejack has a thing for Flash. That’s adorable.”
“Not just Applejack. There are others.” Others? Starlight gave him a look. “Check out Pinkie Pie. That girl’s practically bouncing with joy.”
“I think that’s just Pinkie Pie being Pinkie Pie.” Starlight noted, suddenly starting putting two-and-two together. “Hold on. You aren’t assuming that both of them have a thing for him?”
“Oh I don’t assume. I know.” He replied with such confidence. “And I’m getting a vibe that the others are also similar.”
“That’s ridiculous.” Starlight huffed, pushing the man’s hand away.
The Lord of Chaos laughed at her skepticism. “Please. I’ve seen enough interdimensional drama to know where this is going. And it will be mind boggling to see the finale.”
“Maybe traveling between worlds has boggled your brain. That kind of thing doesn’t happen. In our world, or any.”
“I’ll bet my good kidney that it’s true.”
She ignored his challenge and went back to observing the half built portal. It would certainly be a nice distraction. But there was hardly time for a friendly wager.
Until she got her Sunburst back, she can’t afford to be distracted.
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Not bad. Can't wait to see what happens next.
New chapter at last! And it did not disappoint.
And it seems Discord's catching on to the whole Harem thing going on.
Me overthinking the title: If the enemy of my enemy is my friend, then does that mean the enemy of my enemy's enemy is also my enemy?
Discord: Of course, the whole Harem thing is really clechéd if you ask me. But hey, the author actually does it well.
Starlight: Author?
Still, they somehow managed to do it!
That's an odd last name, Zera? But I'm not gonna agrue about it.
I still don't think they're trustworthy.
her." Twilight*
Well they still do it to help someone in need.
shapes.*
Also, no one needed to see that discord.
Why, just why!
Even though it's just souvenirs, I feel like she's taking it too serious.
Considering how radically different, personality wise, she is from her Equestrian counterpart, I'm guessing that one or more of the artifacts she's found over the years is screwing with her head.
Are you sure about that
11682278
Yes