A new chapter

by Ponelover

To Southern Equestria, Part 2

I stared at the sign ahead of me. “Seaquestria Diner” it reads. With a neon sign of a seapony waving her hands towards whoever enters that door. I honestly don’t know what to expect, but looking at the blackboard and the type of food they offer. I definitely would be very interested in eating Hippogriffian food.

Kelp rolls sound delicious.

“Yo Sunset?”

“Wha?”

“Where’s Silverstream?”

“Well, if she’s late then I think that we can just go in and probably reserve a table, it’d be the least we could do.”

Walking towards the restaurant reminds me of eating out at that place where Pinkie Pie worked. The only major difference is that all the dishes served here are vegetarian, never in a million years would I see a bunch of ponies dancing to a jukebox and server ponies wearing frilly skirts, along with a checkerboard floor and chrome lined walls being a thing here.

It truly is a new Equestria.

“Oh, there you are!” I heard a voice shout out toward us. “Guys, i’m here!!!”

We all searched the restaurant for that pink Hippogriff, and fortunately found her, furiously waving her claws out to us.

As we took a seat in the visibly 1950s looking chair. The atmosphere is rather lively and yet… old at the same time. It’s probably just myself though, everyone else sitting rather comfortably in their chair, seeming as if there’s nothing wrong with the current arrangement.

“Yo, Sunset.” I heard Sonata whisper to me. “This looks like one of those diners we used to go to. Man, this brings back some serious memories.”

“Don’t you usually go to that diner where Pinkie worked?”

“Yeah, memories…”

I would imagine, considering how old Sonata actually is, she could very well be alive when the human world went through a similar phase. Must feel like she’s reliving history right now.

“Anyway, you girls said that you wanted to talk to me right? So, what is it?”

“Well, uhh, how do I phrase this… have you ever heard of the Elements of Harmony? Like, those six gemstones and stuff like that?”

“Oh, definitely. Headmare Starlight constantly talks about the Elements whenever she’s teaching. How they’re Equestria’s greatest weapons and whatnot.”

“Have you ever thought that, just maybe, you could be one of the Bearers Of The Elements?”

“WHAT?!? No! Like, what, me? What kind of question is that Sunset? Of course I am not. I’m just some simple dropout of the Friendship school that just got lucky that I landed a good job building rockets! There’s nothing really special about me, well, maybe the occasional parties I host whenever we have downtime. But that’s it!”

I lifted my eyebrows. Not really sure about her response, on one hoof, the fact that she hosts parties and is currently within this rather jovial mood even when discussing topics like the elements is certainly telling. But I don’t want to push things too hard on her, she seems rather giddy, and if Pinkie’s anything to go by, it would be a bit too easy to push her into anger.

Why are giddy people so ferocious when they’re angry anyway? Perhaps that’s a question that will never be answered…

“You know what Silverstream?” I said, while motioning a waiter to come in. “How about we order some food right now and talk about this later?”

---

The facility is dark, everypony at this point having gone back to their hotels at the nearby city to have fun, do some parties, and rest for probably a tour of the Southern Equestrian jungle tomorrow. Actually, now that I think about it, these ponies are really, really content with their lives. I wouldn’t doubt them a little bit, Equestria as a general rule is by far the most prosperous country in the world at this point.

Still, I find their bliss to be a bit disturbing. Perhaps it’s just because of the confines of home, but I found the sheer wealth casually paraded around here to be… if not so jarring, then at least very questionable.

Should ponies, nay, should creatures period even be granted this level of wealth?

Egh, I shouldn’t be thinking about this. I do want every creature to live prosperous lives. What am I even thinking? That’s why I do this mission in the first place! But perhaps, perhaps… we need to reassess the values we have now that we are super rich or something.

I stared at the chain-linked fence in front of me, looked left and right for any signs of unicorn guards. They would surely cramp my style if they detect my presence here, with the coast clear, I spread my wings, and fly into the facility.

Thank goodness for that invisibility cloak I got from supplies. This is definitely a handy tool to keep around.

I flew past the various ponies making their rounds within the facility tonight. Guards talking with each other, hanging out in what is surely a rather slow day, must be feeling complacent due to the lack of threats or something, other guardponies walking around with a flashlight in their mouths or…..

Crap.

I ducked down to a nearby roof. This facility certainly has no shortage of boxy buildings with flat roofs and air vents sticking out of them like a sore thumb. I noticed the telltale sound of an active magic spell, looked around, and found it.

A Unicorn guard. To be expected, but nonetheless a pain in my butt given the circumstances. I can choose to wait it out, but something tells me that he’s not going to finish playing his little poker game with his friend anytime soon.

So I did what I could, grabbing something from my saddlebags, I unfurled a small gun with some very special rounds inside it. Two silent gunshots later, and two now deeply in sleep guards were seen below me.

I proceeded to fly further into the facility, they’d probably wake up in the morning with no idea what just happened. That’s the magic of a forgetfulness spell infused inside a sleep dart. What? I’m not some endlessly cruell Griffon, I'm not the type of Griffon to just kill someone just because they’d cross my path or something.

Nah, that’ll be too cruel for the plan to work, we have to show everyone of our righteousness by our actions.

Finally landing at the place of interest. And finished looking around the perimeter, I smiled as the wide black letters of the building stared out in front of me. ‘Princess Cadence Rocket Experiment Facility’ it reads, noticing a door beside me, I grab the handle and pull it. Surprisingly enough that simple trick worked, and in no time at all. I am inside the facility.

Right, time to get to work now.

There are 3 giant cylinders in front of me. Must be part of the rocket assembly or something, I grabbed something from my saddlebags, a peculiar looking stick with some elaborate engravings in it, and started chanting.

Unfortunately, it would be utter gibberish for anyone who’s listening, but my ‘gibberish’ did manage to get the wooden stick glowing. Chant finished, I waved the stick into each of the rockets stationed inside the facility, a couple of light shows later, and it was finished.

They’re in place, and all I need to do now is to get out of here. I would guess that the researchers would get a pretty nasty surprise when they test their rocket in a couple days time. Ah, that’ll be rather fun, seeing Equestria getting taken down a peg or two.

Now, as to my escape plan…

---

“Oh wow, really?!?”

“Yeah, that’s what happened.”

“Oh wow Sunset. I… I mean, how?!? How’s that even possible?”

“I personally don’t know Silverstream, but it seems that it’s a phenomenon that even the Elements are unable to decipher. I mean, Twilight has a working theory, in that it’s because of their experiences in the war that changed their dynamics. But she hasn’t yet proven that that’s the case.”

We were now at the hotel room where all of us are staying, I've just told Silverstream about everything, the situation of Equestria, the Elements, me and my friends here going on a quest to find the new Elements. The whole nine yards.

“Wow, and you think that I am an Element bearer? I mean, I can see that, but I never thought that something this crazy would come true! Oh, oh! What element do you think I am? Would I be Generosity? Loyalty? AHHHH, MAGIC?!!?”

“Laughter.” Sonata flatly replied, a reply which unusually made Silverstream deflate a little bit. Does she not like laughter?

“Awww, but I liked the idea of me being a bearer of Loyalty!”

A little bit of silence followed by a bunch of ‘nahs’ were all Silverstream needed to know that her proposition won’t go through. And she proceeded to deflate further, only to just reflate back and turned her attention wholly to me.

“Sunset!” She screamed. “How will I continue my job if I'm the Element of Laughter? I mean, I love my colleagues, but c’mon! if you’d know just a little about them, they’d all collapse without me! What do I do?!?”

“Uhh, you can do both at the same time y’know. I mean, look at Rainbow Dash, she’s still a Wonderbolt and a bearer of Loyalty, or Applejack! I mean, you’ve tried Sweet Apple Acres’ Apple Ciders right? Gosh, didn’t know that they’re everywhere at this point.”

“Oh yeah! You’re right! I probably need to change some of my work habits though. Gosh, that’ll be a pain in the flanks let me tell ya.”

“Don’t worry Silverstream. Honestly, nowadays, we probably don’t need the Elements of Harmony as often as we used to.” Starlight Glimmer replied. “We have Special Forces, big Armies, and Diplomacy to maintain Equestria’s safety.”

There was a visible silence after the Purple Mare said those words. A definite air of surprise and skepticism surrounds her.

“Yeah, I probably shouldn’t have said that.”

“Wow, Jinx much?” I asked.

“Yeah yeah Sunset I get it! We all need the Elements and Harmony and all that. Jeez, stop it! Stop judging me!”

We all laughed afterwards, much to Starlight’s pouty face and red cheeks. I never expected her out of all Ponies to say the things she said. Gosh, military in exchange for Harmony? What is Equestria turning into!

And now i’m sounding like those old men I usually encounter back home…

“Now. Silverstream, i’m sure that you’re super busy with other stuff. So I only have one request of you.”

“Mmhm? What is it?”

“Can you keep this a secret? We don’t need the entire city knowing that Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy no longer can summon the Elements or something.”

“Oh, of course Sunset! I can definitely keep a secret.” The pink Hippogriff replied. Nodding her head furiously as she finished her sentence.

Something tells me that she won’t be able to keep it. Memories of Pinkie Pie not being able to keep my secret resonated within my mind.

Well, outside of killing or arresting Silverstream, and I am definitely not in the mood for those two things, there’s no real way I can ensure she’d keep her mouth shut. I guess trust building is also a valuable aspect of Friendship.

“Well, anyway. Shouldn’t you go home?”

“Oh, yeah. See ya Sunset! Is there anything else you wanna talk about? We’re like 2 days from a major rocket test. Maybe you wanna see that!”

I turned around to my friends, all of which signaled no problem towards Silverstream's proposal. Hey, at least we’d have some entertainment after the chaos in Manehattan. Maybe even a short vacation of sorts.

“Yeah, we’ll come.”

---

The midnight oil was burning when the train finally arrived, figuratively of course, we don't use oil in our lamps anymore. Anyway, the spell had been put in place, everything needed for the spell to work was already cast, so I boarded the train, its destination set for Canterlot, my suitcase in claw.

As the train started rolling out of the platform. I only looked at the Window, memories of my childhood flash before me. Way before everything, way before Equestria took everything from me.

Yes, time to take down Equestria a peg or two. That’s the least they’d deserve for what they did.

Comments

[Melody Song]

Another great chapter! Just who is this mysterious-apparent griffon-with a strange past? I for one can't wait to find out!

[SWEETOLEBOB18]

Plausibly, a disgruntled Griffon soldier, or somebody who lost a relative in the war

[Fireza]

Probably a Changeling who didn’t reform

[Yoshifan30]

It looks like sunset told silverstream about why are they here for and explain that she it could be the bearer of laughter I mean it is pretty obvious for her to be but it looks like there's some unknown creature a griffin Maybe is trying to sabotage the rocket but why is this creature doing this and what does he have to do with any of this I guess we'll find out another time